Important commissions & committees in india

Central Information Commission

Receiving and inquiring into complaints from aggrieved persons.

Central Vigilance Commission

Probing offences by Central Government officers, Officers of societies, corporation and local authority
under the Central Government.
Commission for Centre-State Relations

Review of working of existing arrangements between Union and States i.e. power, functions, and
responsibilities in all spheres.
Commission of Enquiry (Tehelka Commission)

To enquire into the definite matter of public importance with the power of civil court.
Liberhan Commission

To enquire into demolition of Babri Masjid in Ayodhya.

Commission on Criminal Justice

Reformation of criminal justice system, compensation to victims, and effective investment etc.
Mandal Commission

Headed by Bindheshwari Prasad Mandal to consider the question of seat reservations and quotas for
people to redress caste discrimination, and used eleven social, economic, and educational indicators
to determine “backwardness.”
Law Commission

To suggest for implementation and development in constitutional and legal matters including the
human way of death penalty
Khosla Commission

A one-man commission headed by Justice GD Khosla established July 1970 to re-investigate the
circumstances surrounding the supposed death of Subhas Chandra Bose. The commission reached
the same conclusions as Shah Nawaz Committee.
Kalelkar Commission

Adhering to Article 340, the First Backward Classes Commission was set up by a presidential order on
January 29, 1953
Justice Nanavati Commission

To inquire into 1984 Riot case (Indira Gandhi Assassination Riot).

Finance Commission

Distribution of financial resources between Union and States, proceeds from taxes, principles
governing grants-in-aid to revenue of States out of consolidated fund of India, etc.
Election Commission

Preparation of the electoral rolls, direction, superintendence, and control of elections to Parliament and
State Legislatures, recognition of political parties and allotment of symbols and also conducting
elections to offices of Presidents and Vice-Presidents of India.
Delimitation Commission

Readjustment of the allocation of seats in Lok Sabha to several States and total number of seats in the
Legislative Assembly of each State.
Competition Commission of India
To curb monopolies, to ensure fair competition in India by prohibiting adverse trade practices and to
pass order for granting interim relief and to impose penalties in case of defaults

GVK Rao Committee: Panchayati Raj

GVK Rao Committee – GVK Rao committee was appointed by Planning Commission in 1985. The
committee come to Final conclusion that development process was gradually Bureaucratised and
Divorced from the Panchayat Raj.

GVK Rao Committee

> The Committee on Administrative Arrangement for Rural Development and Poverty Alleviation
Programmes under the chairmanship of G.V.K. Rao was appointed by the Planning Commission in
1985.
> The Committee came to conclusion that the developmental process was gradually bureaucratised
and divorced from the Panchayati Raj.
> This phenomena of bureaucratisation of development administration as against the democratisation
weakened the Panchayati Raj institutions resulting in what is aptly called as ‘grass without roots’.
> GVK Rao committee was appointed by Planning Commission in 1985.
> The committee come to Final conclusion that development process was gradually Bureaucratised
and Divorced from the Panchayat Raj.

Some Major Recommendation By Committee

1. The district level body, that is, the Zile Rarishad should be of pivotal importance in the scheme of
democratic decentralisation. It stated that “the district is the proper unit for planning and development
and the Zila Parishad should become the principal body for management of all development
programmes which can be handled at that level.”
2. The Panchayati Raj institutions at the district and lower levels should be assigned an important role
with respect to planning, implementation and monitoring of rural development programmes.
3. Some of the planning functions at the state level should be transferred to the district level planning
units for effective decentralized district planning.
4. A post of District Development Commissioner should be created. He should act as the chief
executive officer of the Zila Parishad and should be in charge of all the development departments at
the district level.
5. Elections to the Panchayati Raj institutions should be held regularly. It found that elections became
overdue for one or more tiers in 11 states

Kelkar Committee Report: Revisiting & Revitalizing PPP Model

Kelkar Committee Report on Revisiting & Revitalizing PPP Model

> Who: Report of Vijay Kelkar Committee on Revisiting & Revitalizing PPP Model
> What: Released by the Union Ministry of Finance
> When: 28 December 2015
About Kelkar Committee

[] The Union Ministry of Finance on 28 December 2015 released the report of the Committee on
Revisiting and Revitalising Public Private Partnership (PPP) Model.
[] The 9-member committee was headed by former Finance Secretary Vijay Kelkar and submitted its
report on 19 November 2015.
[] The committee was constituted on 26 May 2015to review the experience of PPP Policy and suggest
measures to improve capacity building in Government for their effective implementation.
[] More importantly, the committee recognized the PPP Model in infrastructure as a valuable
instrument to speed up infrastructure development in India.
[] Hence, it called for PPP contracts need to focus more on service delivery instead of fiscal benefits
alone.
[] The recommendations of the committee are of relevance to the overall growth of the economy as
PPP projects have become the preferred mode to develop large scale infrastructure projects.
[] At present, over 12007 PPP projects are under implementation across the country, involving
about7.2 lakh crore rupees worth of investment.

Key recommendations of the committee

[] Significance: Speeding up of the PPP model is urgently required for India to grow rapidly and
generate a demographic dividend for itself and also to tap into the large pool of pension and
institutional funds from aging populations in the developed countries.
[] India’s success in deploying PPPs as an important instrument for creating infrastructure will depend
on a change in attitude of all authorities dealing with PPPs-public agencies, government departments
supervising and auditing and legislative institutions.
[] The Government may take early action to amend the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 which does
not distinguish between genuine errors in decision-making and acts. This is necessary to make only
malafide action by public servants punishable and not errors.
[] Experience has also underlined the need to further strengthen the three key pillars of PPP
frameworks namely Governance, Institutions and Capacity, to build on the established foundation for
the next wave of implementation.
[] The Committee strongly endorsed setting up of the “3PI” which can, in addition to functioning as a
centre of excellence in PPPs, enable research, review and roll out activities to build capacity, etc.
[] Independent regulators should be set up with a unified mandate that encompasses activities in
different infrastructure sub sectors to ensure harmonized performance by the regulators.
[] Model concession agreements be issued only when 80 per cent of the land for a project has been
acquired.
[] The committee advised against adopting PPP structures for very small projects, since the benefits of
delivering small PPP projects may not be commensurate with the resulting costs and the complexity of
managing such partnerships over a long period.
[] Unsolicited Proposals (“Swiss Challenge”) may be actively discouraged as they bring information
asymmetries into the procurement process and result in lack of transparency and fair and equal
treatment of potential bidders in the procurement process.
[] Since state owned entities SoEs/PSUs are essentially Government entities and work within the
government framework, they should not be allowed to bid for PPP projects.
[] The Committee recommended the government to notify comprehensive guidelines on the
applicability and scope of access to, under RTI and Art 12 of the Constitution, and auditing of financial
related matters in order to avoid any delays in public asset provision.
[] Banks and financial institution should be encouraged to issue Deep Discount Bonds or Zero Coupon
Bonds (ZCB) to mobilise long term capital at low cost.
[] Ministry of Finance may develop and publish a national PPP Policy document and it should
beendorsed by the Parliament to impart an authoritative framework to implementing executive
agencies as well as to legislative and regulatory agencies charged with oversight responsibilities

Ashok Mehta Committee: On Panchayati Raj

In December 1977, the Janata Government appointed a committee on Panchayati Raj

institutions under the chairmanship of Ashok Mehta. The committee submitted its report in August
1978 and made 132 recommendations to revive and strengthen the declining Panchayati Raj system
in the country.

As a result of this report, the Indian states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and West Bengal passed
new legislation. However, the flow of politics at the state level did not allow the institutions to develop
their own political dynamics.

The main recommendations of the committee are:

[] The 3-tier system of Panchayati Raj should be replaced by the 2-tier system: Zilla Parishad at the
district level, and below it,the Mandal Panchayat consisting of a group of villages covering a population
of 15000 to 20000.
[] A district should be the first point for decentralisation under popular supervision below the state level.
[] Zila Parishad should be the executive body and made responsible for planning at the district level.
[] There should be an official participation of political parties at all levels of Panchayat elections.
[] The Panchayat Raj institutions should have compulsory powers of taxation to mobilise their own
financial resources.
[] There should be a regular social audit by a district level agency and by a committee of legislators to
check whether the funds allotted for the vulnerable social and economic groups are actually spent on
them.
[] The state government should not supersede the Panchayat Raj institutions. In case of an imperative
supersession, election should be held within 6 months from the date of supersession.
[] The Nyaya Panchayats should be kept as separate bodies from that of development Panchayats.
They should be presided over by a qualified judge.
[] The Chief Electoral Officer of the state in consultation with the Chief Election Commissioner should
organise and conduct the Panchayati Raj elections.
[] Development functions should be transferred to the Zila Parishad and all development staff should
work under its control and supervision.
[] The voluntary agencies should play an important role in mobilising the support of the people for
Panchayati Raj.
[] A minister for Panchayati Raj should be appointed in the state council of ministers to look after the
affairs of the Panchayati Raj institutions.
[] Seats for SCs and STs should be reserved on the basis of their population

Deepak Mohanty Committee: On Financial Inclusion

Recommendations of Deepak Mohanty Committee on Medium-term Path on Financial Inclusion

[] The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has released the Report on Medium-term Path on Financial
Inclusion submitted by 14-member committee headed by RBI Executive Director Deepak Mohanty.
[] RBI had constituted the committee in July 2015 to examine the existing policy regarding financial
inclusion and the form a five-year (medium term) action plan.
[] It was tasked to suggest plan on several components with regard to payments, deposits, credit,
social security transfers, pension and insurance.

Insurance For Crops

[] Phase out of interest subvention scheme and ploughing the subsidy amount into a mandatory crop
insurance scheme for small and marginal farmers
More Banks Account For female

[] Suggests banks to open more accounts for females

Sukanya Sikhasha

[] Proposes a new welfare scheme for girl child — Sukanya Shiksha

North Eastern States Financial Inclusion

[] Suggests stepping up financial inclusion in north-eastern, eastern and central states

Credit Account Link Aadhaar

[] Recommends Aadhaar to be linked with each individual credit account

Mobile Technology

[] Recommends use of low-cost solution based on mobile technology for ‘last mile’ delivery
Gold KCC

[] Recommends ‘Gold KCC’ scheme for good borrowers

Interest Free Windows

[] Recommends commercial banks to open specialised interest-free windows with simple products
Geographical Information System

[] Recommends RBI to take lead in creating a geographical information system to map banking access
points
More credit to MFI Sector

[] Recommends more bank credit to the MFI sector

More ATMS In Rural Areas

[] Suggests more ATMs in rural centres

[] This will Help In Financial Inclusion . More People Will connect With Banking Services.

Shyam Benegal Committee: Revamp Censor Board of Film Censors

The Union Ministry of Information & Broadcasting has constituted a committee headed by noted
film-maker Shyam Benegal to look into revamp the film certification nuances by Censor Board of Film
Censors (CBFC).

The committee is tasked to suggest recommendations provide a holistic framework and interpretation
of provisions of Cinematograph Act, 1952 and Cinematograph (Certification) Rules, 1983.

Other Members of the Committee:

> Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra

> Bhawana Somaaya
> Piyush Pandey
> Nina Lath Gupta and Joint Secretary (Films) as Member Convenor.

Terms of reference of the Committee

[] The committee is expected to take note of the best practices in various parts of the world.
[] Recommend broad guidelines under the provisions of the Cinematograph Act, 1952 for the benefit of
the chairperson and other members of the Screening Committee of CBFC.
[] Take into consideration that film industry is given sufficient and adequate space for creative and
aesthetic expression.
[] Look into the staffing pattern of CBFC in an effort to recommend a framework which would provide
efficient and transparent user friendly services.
[] The Committee has been requested to submit its recommendations within two months.
[] Its recommendations would enable those tasked with the work of certification of films to discharge
their responsibilities keeping in view the prescribed framework.

Important Committees in India during 2015 & 2016

Ramanujam committee

To avoid obsolete laws

Ajay Shankar Committee

To review functioning of PPP Cell

Prof. NR Madhava Menon Panel

Reported guidelines for regulating expenditure and content of advertisement in govt. adds
H R Khan Panel
To evaluate unclaimed PPF and Post Office Savings
V V Daga Committee

To conduct forensic audit of NSEL

Sivaramakrishnan committee

Submit Report to build the capital city for Andhra Pradesh

Bimal Jalan

To head the Expenditure Management Commission

Hari Gautam Committee

To review the status of UGC

Suresh Prabhu Committee

To review gas pricing formula

Justice BM Shah committee

On Black Money
Deepak Mohanty Committee

Data and Information Management in the RBI

Arvind Mayaram Committee

To clear definition to the FDI and FII

Nachiket Mor Committee

To permit NBFC’s to work as Business correspondence

P J Nayak Committee

Governance of Boards of Bank in India

Bibek Debroy Committee

For Restructuring of the railways

Pratyush Sinha Committee

To assess compensation for coal blocks

Jairam Ramesh Committee

On sustainable development
T.K. Vishwanathan Committee

To provide Bankruptcy code for small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

K.V. Kamath Panel

To examine the financial architecture for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) sector.
Scientist Raghunath Anant Mashelkar Panel

To recommend best technologies for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Swachh Bharat” national
sanitation campaign.
T S R Subramanian Committee

To review five key green laws concerning protection and conservation of environment, forest, wildlife,
water and air among others.
 G 20 (Group of 20)

What is G 20?

> It is an international forum for the governments and central bank governors from 20 major
economies.
> It is not governed by any written rules or laws.
> Though the G-20’s primary focus is global economic governance, the themes of its summits vary
from year to year.
> Despite lacking any formal ability to enforce rules, the G-20’s prominent membership gives it a
strong input on global policy.
> The forum was created at the initiative of the seven major industrial countries (Canada, France,
Germany, Italy, Japan, U.K. and USA) to promote consultations and coordination with the emerging
and developing economies.

Objective of G 20

> Promotion of International Financial Stability through discussions.

> It seeks to address issues that go beyond the responsibilities of any one organization

Members of G 20

> The members include 19 individual countries—Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France,
Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa,
Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States—along with the European Union (EU).
> The EU is represented by the European Commission and by the European Central Bank.

History of G 20

> The G-20 was founded in 1999.

> The inaugural meeting was held in Berlin in 1999.
> The G-20 is the latest in a series of post-World War II initiatives aimed at international coordination of
economic policy.
> Previous initiatives include “Bretton Woods’s twins”, the International Monetary Fund and the World
Bank, and what is now the World Trade Organization.

Presidency: G 20 leaders’ chair rotation

> To decide which member nation gets to chair the G-20 leaders’ meeting for a given year, all 19
sovereign nations are assigned to one of five different groupings.
> Each group holds a maximum of four nations.
> This system has been in place since 2010, when South Korea, which is in Group 5, held the G-20
chair.
> Australia, the host of the 2014 G-20 summit, is in Group 1. Turkey, in Group 2, hosted the summit
this year.
> The current chair of the G-20 is Turkey; the chair was handed over from Australia after the 2014 G-
20 summit.
> Turkey hosted the 2015 summit in Antalya, while
> China will host the 2016 summit in Hangzhou.
> India to hold G20 Chair in 2018.

Organization

[] The G-20 operates without a permanent secretariat or staff.

[] The group’s chair rotates annually among the members and is selected from a different regional
grouping of countries.
[] The chair is part of a revolving three-member management group of past, present and future chairs,
referred to as the “Troika”.
[] The incumbent chair establishes a temporary secretariat for the duration of its term.
[] The role of the Troika is to ensure continuity in the G-20’s work and management across host years.

Is G 20 an institution like World Bank/IMF/UN?

> No. The G20 operates as a forum and is not a multilateral institution like World Bank/IMF/UN. It does
not, therefore, have any permanent secretariat or management and administrative structure.

How many Summits have so far been held?

> Nine G20 Leaders Summit have been held so far. First, in Washington D.C. on November 15, 2008.
> Sixth, in Cannes (France) on November 3-4, 2011
> 9th summit in Brisbane, Australia on November 15-16, 2014.
> The 10th G20 Leaders Summit in Antalya, Turkey on November 15-16, 2015.

Are the decisions of G20 legally binding on countries and institutions?

> No. G20 decisions are not legally binding on countries and institutions.
> However, all the members voluntarily commit to comply with the decisions.
> Also, compliances to the commitments made by countries are monitored through Mutual Assessment
Process.

What is “Troika” in G 20 context?

[] “Troika” is a Russian word meaning – a set of three.

[] In the G20 context, the immediate past year’s Presidency, the current year’s Presidency, and the
next year’s Presidency constitute “Troika” that acts as a Steering Committee to ensure continuity in
G20 work.
[] The G20 current presidency in 2015 is held by Turkey. In 2014, Australia held the G20 Presidency.
In the next year in 2016 China will host the G20 Presidency. These three countries constitute “Troika”
at present.

10th G20 Summit, Turkey, 2015

> Prime Minister of Turkey has outlined that the three I’s of the Turkish Presidency will be:
Inclusiveness, Implementation, and Investment for Growth.
> But the Paris Attacks and ISIS took the center stage by overshadowing economic issues in this
year’s meeting.
> Russian and American Presidents held informal meeting in order to arrive at a conclusion on Syria.
> This year’s G-20 meet is significant as it brought the two arch rivals to the same table over common
global issue of terrorism and Syrian Crisis.
> President Obama and President Putin agreed on the need for a Syrian-led and Syrian-owned
political transition (finally the two idiots made a right decision – but only after killing thousands,
creating refugee crisis, creating a demon called ISIS etc.), which would be proceeded by UN-mediated
negotiations between the Syrian opposition and regime as well a ceasefire.

PM Modi on Terrorism

[] PM Modi pitched strongly for a combined global initiative to end the menace of Terrorism.
[] Mr. Modi demanded that the G20 push for stronger, coordinated global action for putting an end to
finance, supplies and communication channels of terrorists.
[] He stressed for an early adoption of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism.
[] He also sought a special international legal regime to take on terrorist activities and cooperation for
the prevention of the use of cyber networks by terrorist groups.
[] Delink terror and religion, Modi told G20 Leaders.
 Election Commission Of India

Election Commission of India is a permanent Constitutional body. Election Commission of India

Is established by constitution Of India Directly to ensure free and fair Election in India .

[] Originally the commission had only a Chief Election Commissioner.

[] Since inception in 1950 And Till 15 October 1989 it was a single Member Body , Consisting Chief
Election Commissioner of India .
[] In 1989 President of india appoint two more Election Commissioner to Cop with Increased work of
election Commission Of India On Account of Lowering voting Age from 21 Years to 18 Years .
[] Thereafter Election Commission Worked As Multiple member body .
[] But Two posts of Election commission were Again abolished In 1990 And Election commission Was
Reverted to Earlier Position of Single member Body.
[] Again in 1993 President Appoint two more election commissioners.
[] It currently consists of Chief Election Commissioner and two Election Commissioners.

Chief Election Commissioner:

> The President of India appoints the Chief Election Commissioner and two Election Commissioners.
Service conditions of Chief Election Commissioner:

> Chief Election Commission shall be appointed for a term of 6 years or till he attain an age of 65 years
or which of the two is earlier.
> He is ineligible for reappointment after his retirement.
> He is ineligible to hold any office of profit under the State after his retirement.
> His salary, allowances and pensions are charged under Consolidated Fund of India (CFI).
> His salaries, allowances and pensions cannot be reduced except during a financial emergency.

Election Commissioners:

> The Election Commissioners are appointed by the President and the President need not have to
consult Chief Election Commissioner in this regard.
> However the Election Commissioners shall not e removed except on the recommendation of Chief
Election Commissioner.
> An Election Commissioner is appointed for a term of 6 years or till he attains the age of 65 years,
whichever is earlier.
> An Election Commissioner is eligible to be appointed as Chief Election Commissioner provided
cumulatively his term as CEC and Election Commissioner shall not exceed 6 years.
> He is not eligible to hold any office of profit after his retirement.

The role of the CEC in the removal of an Election Commissioner:

> Article 324(5) states that an Election Commissioner shall not be removed except on the
recommendation of the Chief Election Commissioner.
Powers and Functions of Election Commission of India!

(i) Demarcation of Constituencies:

> To facilitate the process of elections, a country has to be divided into several constituencies.
> The task of delimiting the constituencies is generally performed by a Delimitation Commission. But
the power to delimit parliamentary and Assembly constituencies for the first general elections in 1951
was conferred on the President.
> The President’s delimitation order was to be released on the advice of the Election Commission
which also consulted Parliamentary Advisory Committees set by the Speaker of Parliament and the
Speaker of the respective legislative Assembly to which the delimitation proposal pertained
> The Election Commission distributed the seats district-wise in each one of the States and directed
the Chief Electoral Officers to prepare proposals for the physical demarcation of Constituencies
according to the prescribed criteria. As on outcome of the recommendation of the Election Commission
the Parliament enacted the Delimitation Act, 1952.
> The Delimitation Commission was to consist of three members, two of whom were the nominated by
the President from serving or retired judges of the Supreme Court or High Courts while the Chief
Election Commissioner was to be an ex-office member.

(ii) Electoral Rolls:

> The second important but tedious function of the Election Commission is to prepare for identification
the up-to-date list of all the persons who are entitle for voting at the poll.

(iii) Recognition of Political Parties & Allotment of Symbols:

> A new part (Part IV A) has been added to the Representation of the People (Amendment) Act, 1951
on registration of political parties. Section 29 A now inserted provides for registration with the
Commission, of associations and bodies of individual citizens of India as political parties for purpose of
this Act.
> This provision came into force from June 15, 1989.
> A recognised political party has been classified either as a National Party or a State Party under
paragraph 7 of the Elections Symbol Order, 1968.
> Another important function of the Election Commission is to allot symbols to the political parties and
the candidates, and also to accord recognition to the political parties.
> The Commission has specified certain symbols as reserved and others as free.
> The reserved symbols are only available for candidates sponsored by the political pin ties and the
free symbols are equally available to other candidates.

(iv) Scrutiny of the Nomination Papers:

> It examines the nomination papers of the candidates.

> These papers are accepted if found in order, but rejected otherwise.
> This duty is performed by the Returning Officer who notifies to all the contesting candidates the date,
time and place for the formal scrutiny of nomination papers.
> The Returning Officer summarily but judicially examine all the nomination papers and decides the
objection raised.
> He is also to see whether the requisite requirements of security deposit, election symbol, election
agent, etc., have also been fulfilled.

(v) The Conduct of the Poll:

> Article 324 confers on the Election Commission necessary powers to conduct the elections including
the power to countermand the poll in a constituency and ordering a fresh poll therein because of
hooliganism and breakdown of law and order at the time of polling or counting of votes.

(vi) Election Expenses:

> Another most controversial function that the Election Commission has perform is to scrutinise the
accounts of election expenses submitted by contestants in elections.
> In India every contesting candidate is required to maintain and file the accounts of his election
expenses within a prescribed period after publication of the result of his election.
> Within 10 days from the last date of filing the returns, the Returning Officer submits to the Election
Commission, a list of all the candidates and their agents together with their returns as a also his
observations in respect of candidates who have failed to lodge returns in the specified time and in
accordance with the procedure prescribed by law.
> The Commission scrutinizes the accounts and decides whether the returns are in proper form and
whether they have been lodged in time. In case of default, it notifies the candidates or their agents of
their disqualification by publishing these in the official Gazette.

(vii) Advice to President:

> Advising the President on the question of disqualification if any member of Parliament or advising the
Governor on the question of disqualification of a member of a State legislature

National Commission for Scheduled Castes

National Commission for Scheduled Castes Type of Body -It is a constitutional body established
with a view to provide safeguards against the exploitation of Scheduled Castes.

Objectives –

[] To promote and protect their social, educational, economic and cultural interests, special provisions
were made in the Constitution.
Background:

> In order to ensure that the safeguards provided to SCs and STs are properly implemented, the
Constitution on its inception provided for appointment of a special office under Article 338 of the
Constitution to investigate all matters relating to the safeguards provided for Scheduled Castes &
Scheduled Tribes and report to the President about the working of these safeguards.
> In pursuance of this provision a Special Officer known as the Commissioner for Scheduled Castes &
Scheduled Tribes was appointed for the first time on 18th November, 1950.
> A proposal was mooted for amendment of Article 338 of the Constitution (46th Amendment) by
replacing the single member Special Officer by multi-member system.
> The first Commission for SC & ST came into being on August, 1978.
> The setup of the Commission of 1978 underwent change in 1987 and it was named as National
Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
> This Commission being a National Level Advisory body played the role of adviser on major policy
and developmental issues relating to SCs/STs
> Later, through the 89th Amendment of the Constitution it was decided to have a separate National
Commission for Scheduled Castes & separate National Commission for Scheduled Tribes.
> This came into effect in 2004.
> Thus, the erstwhile National Commission for SCs & STs was bifurcated into two different
Commissions.

Functions of the commission:

[] To investigate and monitor all matters relating to the safeguards provided for the Scheduled Castes
under this Constitution or under any other law for the time being in force or under any order of the
Government and to evaluate the working of such safeguards;
[] To inquire into specific complaints with respect to the deprivation of rights and safeguards of the
Scheduled Castes;
[] To participate and advise on the planning process of socio-economic development of the Scheduled
Castes and to evaluate the progress of their development under the Union and any State;
[] To present to the President, annually and at such other times as the Commission may deem fit,
reports upon the working of those safeguards;
[] To make in such reports recommendations as to the measures that should be taken by the Union or
any State for the effective implementation of those safeguards and other measures for the protection,
welfare and socio-economic development of the Scheduled Castes; and
[] To discharge such other functions in relation to the protection, welfare and development and
advancement of the Scheduled Castes as the President may, subject to the provisions of any law
made by Parliament, by rule specify.

The Commission consists of

1. Chairperson
2. A vice-chairperson and three other members.
3. They are appointed by the President by warrant under his hand and seal.
4. Their conditions of service and tenure of office are also determined by the president.
5. The commission presents an annual report to the president.
6. It is a Five members Body

Interesting Facts

1. K. R. Narayan was the first – and, so far, only – member of the Dalit community, to hold the
Presidential post.
2. B R Ambedkar tried to uplift the untouchables in order to educate and promote education and
socio-economic improvement, as well as the welfare of “Outcaste”, at the time referred to as
depressed classes
3. Kanshi Ram (15 March 1934 – 9 October 2006) was an Indian politician and social reformer who
worked for the Upliftment and political mobilisation of the Dalits, the Untouchable groups.
4. Kanshi Ram founded Dalit Shoshit Sangharsh Samiti (DS 4), the All India Backward and Minority
Communities Employees’ Federation (BAMCEF) in 1971 and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in 1984.

NITI Aayog

The National Institution for Transforming India Aayog, or NITI Aayog, is a Government of India
policy think-tank established by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to replace the Planning Commission.

The Prime Minister is Ex-Officio Chairperson for NITI Aayog.

The stated aim for NITI Aayog's creation is to foster involvement and participation in the economic
policy-making process by the State Governments of India. It has adopted a "bottom-up" approach in
planning which is a remarkable contrast to the Planning Commission's tradition of "top-down" decision-
making. One of the important mandates of NITI Aayog is to bring cooperative competitive federalism
and to improve centre state relation

Members

The NITI Aayog comprises the following:

1. Prime Minister of India as the Chairperson

2. Governing Council comprising the Chief Ministers of all the States and Union territories with
Legislatures and lieutenant governors of other Union Territories.
3. Regional Councils will be formed to address specific issues and contingencies impacting more than
one state or a region. These will be formed for a specified tenure. The Regional CouncilVUO by the
Prime Minister and will be composed of the Chief Ministers of States and Lt. Governors of Union
Territories in the region. These will be chaired by the Chairperson of the NITI Aayog or his nominee
4. Experts, specialists and practitioners with relevant domain knowledge as special invitees nominated
by the Prime Minister
5. Full-time organizational framework (in addition to Prime Minister as the Chairperson) comprising
[] Vice-Chairperson: Arvind Panagariya
[] Members: Three (3) Full-time: economist Bibek Debroy, former DRDO chief V.K. Saraswat and
Agriculture Expert Professor Ramesh Chand
[] Part-time members: Maximum of two from leading universities research organizations and other
relevant institutions in an ex-officio capacity. Part-time members will be on a rotational basis
[] Ex Officio members: Maximum of four members of the Union Council of Ministers to be nominated by
the Prime Minister
[] Chief Executive Officer: To be appointed by the Prime Minister for a fixed tenure, in the rank of
Secretary to the Government of India. Amithab Kant has been appointed as the new Chief Executive
Officer.
[] Secretariat as deemed necessary

Present Members
The various members of NITI Aayog are:

> Chairperson: Prime Minister of India

> CEO: Amitabh Kant
> Vice Chairperson: Arvind Panagariya
> Ex-Officio Members: Rajnath Singh, Arun Jaitley, Suresh Prabhu and Radha Mohan Singh
> Special Invitees: Nitin Gadkari, Smriti Zubin Irani and Thawar Chand Gehlot
> Full-time Members: Bibek Debroy (Economist), V. K. Saraswat (former DRDO Chief) and Ramesh
Chand (Agriculture Expert)[3]
Governing Council: All Chief Ministers and Lieutenant Governors of States and Union Territories

Major Highlights

1. The new National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) will act more like a think tank or forum and
execute programs by taking the States along with them. This is in sharp contrast with the defunct
Planning Commission which imposed five-year-plans and allocated resources while running roughshod
over the requests of the various States.
2. NITI will include leaders of India's 29 states and seven union territories. But its full-time staff – a
deputy chairman, Chief Executive Officer and experts – will answer directly to the Prime Minister of
India, who will be chairman.
3. The opposition Congress IS mocked the launch as a cosmetic relabelling exercise – the new body's
acronym-based name means 'Policy Commission' in Hindi, suggesting a less bold departure than the
English version does. Several believe that is consistent with the negativism that has become the
hallmark of the Congress.
4. Despite being blamed by critics for the slow growth that long plagued India, the Commission
survived the market reforms of the early 1990s, riling Mr Modi with its interventions when he was Chief
minister of industry and investor friendly Gujarat.
5. Mr Modi, elected by a landslide last year on a promise to revive flagging growth and create jobs, had
vowed to do away with the Planning Commission that was set up in 1950 by Congressman and Prime
Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.
6. In 2012, the Planning Commission was pilloried for spending some Rs. 35 lakh to renovate two
office toilets, and then it was lampooned for suggesting that citizens who spent Rs. 27 or more a day
were not poor.
7. The commission had remained powerful over the decades because it had emerged as a sort of
parallel cabinet with the Prime Minister as its head.
8. The Commission's power in allocating central funds to states and sanctioning capital spending of the
central government was deeply resented by states and various government departments.
9. The NITI Aayog will also seek to put an end to slow and tardy implementation of policy, by fostering
better Inter-Ministry coordination and better Centre-State coordination. It will help evolve a shared
vision of national development priorities, and foster cooperative federalism, recognizing that strong
states make a strong Nation.

National Development Council (NDC)

Overview

> The National Development Council plays a vital role in the process of Indian Planning and
Development.
> It provides a forum in which the Union Ministers and Chief Ministers of States discuss the plans at
important stages in their formulation.
> Plans are also approved at its meetings after their completion and before they are presented to the
Parliament and the State Legislatures.
> In this way the national character of the Plans is emphasised.
> The Council also considers social and economic policies affecting the country from a social point of
view, so that where necessary uniformity may be secured.
> In these ways, it gives a lead to the Country on broad issues of policy and promotes collective
thinking and joint action on matters of national importance.
> The National Development Council (NDC) or the Rashtriya Vikas Parishad is the apex body for
decision making and deliberations on development matters in India.
> It is presided over by the Prime Minister.
> It was set up on 6 August 1952 to strengthen and mobilize the effort and resources of the nation in
support of the Plan, to promote common economic policies in all vital spheres, and to ensure the
balanced and rapid development of all parts of the country.
> The Council comprises the Prime Minister, the Union Cabinet Ministers, Chief Ministers of all States
or their substitutes, representatives of the union territories and the members of the Commissions
> The first meeting chaired by Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru on November 8–9, 1952.

Objectives

It has been set up with three objectives:-

> to strengthen and mobilize the effort and resources of the nation in support of the Plan
> to promote common economic policies in all vital spheres and
> to ensure the balanced and rapid development of all parts of the country.

Functions

> to prescribe guidelines for the formulation of the National Plan, including the assessment of
resources for the Plan;
> to consider the National Plan as formulated by the Planning Commission;
> to consider important questions of social and economic policy affecting national development; and
> to review the working of the Plan from time to time and to recommend such measures as are
necessary for achieving the aims and targets set out in the National Plan.

Composition

[] The National Development Council is presided over by the Prime Minister of India and includes all
Union Ministers, Chief Ministers of all the States and Administrators of Union Territories and Members
of the Planning Commission. Ministers of State with independent charge are also invited to the
deliberations of the Council.

World Trade Organization (WTO) & Bali Package

The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an intergovernmental organization which regulates

international trade. The WTO officially commenced on 1 January 1995 under the Marrakesh
Agreement, signed by 123 nations on 15 April 1994, replacing the General Agreement on Tariffs and
Trade (GATT).

The WTO deals with regulation of trade between participating countries by providing a framework for
negotiating trade agreements and a dispute resolution process aimed at enforcing participants'
adherence to WTO agreements, which are signed by representatives of member governments and
ratified by their parliaments.

> Formation - 1 January 1995; 21 years ago

> Type - International trade organization
> Purpose - Regulate international trade
> Headquarters - Centre William Rappard, Geneva, Switzerland
> Director-General - Roberto Azevêdo
> Membership - 162 member states
A trade facilitation agreement known as the Bali Package was reached by all members on 7 December
2013, the first comprehensive agreement in the organization's history.

Doha Development Round

Doha Development Round or Doha Development Agenda (DDA) is the latest trade-negotiation round
of the World Trade Organization (WTO) which commenced in November 2001. Its objective was to
lower trade barriers around the world, and thus facilitate increased global trade.

Progress in negotiations stalled after the breakdown of the July 2008 negotiations over disagreements
concerning agriculture, industrial tariffs and non-tariff barriers, services, and trade remedies.

The most significant differences are between developed nations led by the European Union (EU), the
United States (USA), and Japan and the major developing countries led and represented mainly by
India, Brazil, China, and South Africa. There is also considerable contention against and between the
EU and the USA over their maintenance of agricultural subsidies—seen to operate effectively as trade
barriers.

Bali Package

> The accord includes provisions for lowering import tariffs and agricultural subsidies, with the intention
of making it easier for developing countries to trade with the developed world in global markets.
> Developed countries would abolish hard import quotas on agricultural products from the developing
world and instead would only be allowed to charge tariffs on amount of agricultural imports exceeding
specific limits.
> Another important target is reforming customs bureaucracies and formalities to facilitate trade.
WTO's Agreement on Agriculture (AoA) & India's Opposition

WTO’s Agreement on agriculture (AoA) has three pillars:

> Market access - reduce import duties

> Export competition - reduce export subsidies
> Domestic support - reduce domestic subsidies like subsidies on fertilizers, seeds, power and
irrigation
WTO's agreement on agriculture (AoA) wants to reduce domestic subsidies as they create trade
distortion because they encourage excessive production via subsidies given towards fertilizers, seeds,
electricity and irrigation subsidies. (Also known as Amber Box subsidies)

WTO sets the Minimal amounts of Amber box subsides quotas to:

> For developed countries - 5% of agriculture production in 1986-88

> For developing countries - 10% of agriculture production in 1986-88 (India)
> For least developed countries - NIL
India's main opposition to the quota is because:

> In 1986: USA agriculture production was far ahead of India. So, their 5% De-minimus quota will be
far bigger than our 10% quota (in absolute figures).
> Input costs have skyrocketed in these decades. But, De-minimus doesn’t consider inflation factor.
> So, if India has to limit its (Amber box) agro. subsides to a non-inflation adjusted 86’s production, we
cannot continue the MSP to farmers or food security to poors.
> These subsidized foodgrains are meant for feeding the poors only, they do not distort international
trade.
Bali Peace Clause

> As per the original Agreement on agriculture (AoA), the developed and developing countries have to
keep their Amber box subsidies within De-minimus level i.e. 5% and 10% of their agriculture
production in 1986-88 respectively.
> India opposed this base year and limits, because it’d make impossible to implement the food security
programs for the poor and MSP for the farmers.
> Therefore, as a measure of temporary relief, Bali summit enacted a “peace clause” for the AoA
Salient features of Peace Clause
No member, can drag any developing country to Dispute settlement mechanism of WTO for violation
of De-minimus limits in AoA provided that the said developing country
> Is paying subsidies for staple foodcrops
for public stockholding program
for food security purpose.
> Is providing annual information of its food security Program to WTO.
Permanent solution will be taken no later than 11th ministerial conference i.e. at December 2017.

Shanta Kumar Committee - On FCI, PDS & Food Security

What is Food security?

Food and agriculture organization (FAO) says Food security is made up of four pillars viz. Availability,
Affordability, Nutrition, and Stability.

Availability - Food should be available in sufficient quantity at all times and at all places

** Indian Scenerio:
[] Union: MSP, fertilizer subsidy
[] States: cheap canal water and electricity
[] Together, they encourage farmers to produce more grains.

Affordability - Food should be affordable to poor people

** Indian Scenerio:
[] Through Targeted-PDS and National Food Security Act (NFSA), Government provides cheap grain
to poor.

Nutrition - Food should be nutritious to ensure healthy development of body of mind.

** Indian Scenerio:
[] Through Mid-day meal, Food-security Act, Integrated-Child Development scheme (ICDS) and half
dozen other schemes, Government ensures nutritious food to children. grain to poor.

Stability - In food prices and supply must be stable. Otherwise it may result in political and social
unrest.

** Indian Scenerio:
FCI keeps ‘buffer-stock’ of grains. It can be sold to open market or distributed among people during
high inflation, natural disaster etc.

Origin of FCI

> In the 50s and 60s, India faced major shortage of grains.
> Our domestic wheat-production was very low. Our foreign exchange reserve too was very low. We
could not sustain wheat-import from global market from our own. Therefore, we had to reply on
American PL- 480 “Food for peace” program. But the shipments were irregular.
> Finally Government decided to end this humiliation by focusing on ‘self-sufficiency’ in food
production.
> We imported high yielding seeds (HYV) of wheat from Mexico, distributed them to farmers along with
subsidized fertilizers.
> End result is known is “Green revolution”.
[NCERT Class 11 Economy]

FCI & Food Mismanagement

[] 23 - Is the number of crops for which, CACP announces minimum support prices (MSP). This
includes even non-food crops such as cotton and jute. But…

[] Only 6%

1. Of Indian farmers could sell their produce to Government agencies.

2. Other farmers are either unaware, or lack the access to MSP-system.
3. Only the ‘big’ farmers in north-western states have benefited from this MSP-procurement system.
[] 40-60%

1. Of PDS-grains are siphoned off to blackmarket, says NSSO report (2011)

2. FCI transports 25 lakh gunny-bags every day - huge scam
3. Best States Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu;
4. Worst Sattes: Manipur, Diu-Daman, Delhi.
[] Double Buffer-Stock

> For the last 4-5 years, FCI has stored double the grains than prescribed buffer limits. Resulting in
(1) shortage in open market and thereby inflation
(2) rotten grains due to FCI’s limited Storage capacity.
[] 8-12%

> Was the food-inflation in recent years, yet Government was hesitant in releasing grains from its FCI-
warehouses to increase supply and curb inflation.
[] 58%

> Of subsidized foodgrain doesn’t reach BPL families. (Planning commission, 2005)
[] Only 11

> States have so far implemented food security act. Haryana, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan,
Punjab, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra Chandigarh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh. Other states
are given time extension because they’re yet to even identify the beneficiaries.
As a result FCI has failed in all three objectives of:

1. Procurement - because Large number of farmers are out of the MSP regime.
2. Storage - because Large quantity of food grain either siphoned off or gets rotten
3. Distribution - because Targeted PDS system has unacceptably high leakages.

Shanta Kumar Committee on FCI restructuring

#1: Outsource procurement to State Governments

> The committee says FCI must not handle grain procurement for entire India & should simply hand
over operations to the state governments under decentralised procurement system
> It should avoid procurement in states like Punjab, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Madhya
Pradesh, Odisha - these state Governments already have sufficient experience, manpower and
infrastructure to procure grains for their own PDS requirements.
> And focus solely on Eastern Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Assam - in these states Market rate
are below MSP & Small Farmers are exploited.

#2: Procurement Payment reforms

> Popularise Negotiable Warehouse Receipt System (NWRs). Encourage farmer to deposit his
produce to an authorized-warehouse, get a receipt, and borrow agriculture loan for next crop-cycle,
from banks and cooperatives, by pledging those receipts.
> If market prices dip below MSP, government should only ‘compensate’ farmer for the losses
incurred, but without procuring grain
> FCI or third party must perform Quality check before accepting grains from state government
agencies and farmers
#3: Buffer stock reforms

> FCI is supposed to maintain “buffer stock” of grains- to ward of any emergency food-shortage
situation during natural disaster, famine or war.
> But over the years, FCI has overcrossed buffer stock norms- leading to rotten grain and shortage in
open market.
> Instead of keeping excessive buffer/backup storage, just store in moderate quantity. And as and
when required, simply import rice and wheat from world market.

#4: Storage reforms

> FCI should gradually outsource grain-storage function to central warehousing corporation (CWC),
state warehousing corporation (SWC), and private sector players
> End to End computerization and Online tracking of entire system from procurement to retail
distribution.
> Immediately after the procurement, give 6 months’ ration to poor-beneficiaries, with cheap-grain bins
for storage - FCI will have to store less grain in its godowns

#5: Transport reforms

> As far as possible, grain should be transported in containers. It should be packed in gunny backs
only at District HQ level- from where it’ll be transported to retail outlets
> Improved night security at rail-points, because >85% of PDS Grain is transported through railways
and maximum siphoning off occurs here.
Construct silos at mandis, and provide rail connectivity to them.

#6: Direct cash transfer to Farmer

> China gives direct cash subsidy to farmer- according to per hectare owned. Then farmer free to
choose crop, fertilizer, pesticides as per his requirement.
> Shanta recommends India too should give Direct cash subsidy of Rs.5,000 to 10,000 per hectre to
farmer’s UID linked Jan-Dhan account.
> In India, Government has adopted Nutrient based subsidy system (NBS) - but Urea kept out of this
system, resulting in Soil degradation because of excessive use of Urea

#7: Direct cash transfer to Consumer

> The committee recomended direct transfer of Rs. 700/ month to Antyodaya family & Rs. 500/ month
to Priority household.
> Then, Let them purchase whatever cereal and non-cereal foods they wish to purchase from market.
> Government’s subsidy burden will decline by 20-25% (30,000 to 35,000 crores in absolute figure).
> The money thus saved, should be used in improving rural infrastructure.

#8: Curtail National Food security Act (NFSA)

> Food Security Act 2013 prescribes covering 67% of Indian population (such that, 50% urban and
75% rural public covered)
> The committee said that Government doesn’t have the financial resources to cover so many people.
> At max we should guarantee food security to only the bottom 40% poor.
> This target will comfortably cover all BPL families and some of the “Above poverty line” families.
> Cover all Antyodya Households (AAY) - the bottom strata of BPL population will get 35 kg grain per
family on monthly basis, Rice @ Rs 3/kg, Wheat @ Rs 2/kg, Coarse Grain @ Rs 1/kg (as prescribed in
NFSA)
> For Priority Households - those slightly better off than AAY-BPL families - subsidy should be just
50% below MSP (NFSA prescribes prices same as that for AAY)

#9: Labour Requirement Reforms

> Begin mechanization of operations- to reduce manual labour requirements.
> Reduce the number of Zonal & regional offices and keep direct touch with state agencies via e-
governance modules. à Then give VRS to FCI’s permanent staff.
> At top level, hire executives from private sector (instead of replying Generalist-IAS on deputation).
> As and where possible simply outsource or hire daily-wage contractual laborers.
> Result? - Leaner and nimble FCI, low-cost of operations and higher “economies of scale

AIIB: Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank

> ADB report: Till 2020, every year, ASIA needs ~$800 billion for infra-structure investment & Asian
Development bank (ADB) itself can’t lend more than $10 billion.

> Bretton woods Organizations (IMF and World Bank) not interested in lending such large fund to Asia
alone & therefore, China came up with idea to setup “multilateral development bank” to lend money
exclusively to Asia.

AIIB: Chinese Interest

#1: Profit Maximization

[] China has a hugh forex reserve and by investing the same into infra projects will make significant
profit.
[] AIIB’s total authorized Capital: $100 billion. Out of that, China willing to give 50% capital=> bank
circulate loan money => bank earns interest=>China will receive significant dividend for being largest
shareholder.
#2: Help in Maritime Silk Policy

[] AIIB will finance rail-road-ports infrastructure along the ancient silk route which will help China’s
maritime Silk policy.
#3: Counter US-Japan dominated IMF & ADB

[] IMF not reforming its governance structure with the changing time – with the size of Chinese
economy, same as USA, its voting power in IMF is 1/3rd of American voting power.
[] In ADB, US & Japan each has ~16% shareholding, while China has ~7%
[] Therefore, China wants to counter IMF & ADB’s hegemony (domination) via BRICS Bank & AIIB.
[] Countering IMF will also help to popularize use of Chinese Yuan instead of US dollar & thus
strengthen it.

AIIB: Structure

[] Headquarters: Beijing, China

[] Region served: Asia, including Oceania
[] Membership: 37 Founding Members
[] Official language: English
[] President: Jin Liqun
[] Main organs: Board of governors & Board of directors
[] The capital of the bank is $100 billion, equivalent to 2⁄3 of the capital of the Asian Development Bank
and about half that of the World Bank.

Board of Governors

> Highest Decision Making body.

> Voting power according to share holding
> Shareholding according to GDP
Board of Directors
> Board of Governors, will elect these directors.
> They’ll decide budget and submit reports to Board of Governors
President

> He is the president of Board of directors.

> Person with long experience and ethical integrity in banking /economics / finance.
> He’ll be selected on “merit”.
> Responsible for Day to day administration, hire and fire staff.
> He can appoint vice President to reduce work load.

Pro Arguments: India will benefit because

#1: Something is better than nothing

> 12th Five year plan says we need $1 trillion dollar investment in infrastructure.
> While Modi is relaxing FDI, promoting “Make in India”, striving for ease of doing business; Modi met
Chinese, Japanese and American leaders to invest in India and so on.
> But still, $1 trillion is a huge amount, so whatever few billions dollars we get as ‘soft loan’ from AIIB,
BRICS bank or xyz other institution- is good.
#2: We do have voting power

> India will be the 2nd largest subscriber to AIIB.

> Besides we have good relations with other asian countries that are in AIIB but are not “best friends”
of China.
> So collectively, we’ll have sufficient voting power in the board, to counter any moves hurting Indian
interest.
#3: Africa will benefit

> Since AIIB will loan to Asian countries, it’ll slightly reduce world bank’s pressure to finance Asian
projects. Then World bank can divert more funds to Africa.
> African development is also in India’s best interest because:
1. Indian exports will increase
2. Terror networks will weaken
3. Sea-piracy will decrease.
#4: Competition: Cheaper loans

> ADB often accused of a “slow-moving bureaucracy”- gives loans too late and with too many strings
attached.
> China brags that AIIB will have a clean, simplified and efficient bureaucracy.
> October 2014: World Bank President Jim Yong Kim began internal restructuring, reducing staff
salary and perks. It means things are not hunky dory with world bank (same going with Yahoo).
> The entry of AIIB will further increase the competition, catalyze the reforms in other Multilateral
banks- perhaps they’ll reduce interest rates!

Anti-Arguments: India won’t benefit because

#1: AIIB’s objectives are ambiguous

#2: AIIB lacks transparency.

#3: Funding autocratic countries

> In past, China loaned to countries without good-governance or respect for human rights or functional
democracy or environmental safety: Pakistan, Myanmar and many African autocracies to name a few.
> Using AIIB, China will try to legitimize such funding in the name of infrastructure development.
#3: China doesn’t listen to others

> 2014, July: South Korea proposed- we should setup AIIB Headquarter in Seoul or Songdo- to reduce
the fears of US, Japan and Western powers.
> But Jinping rejected the idea and setup HQ in Beijing. This is one of the reasons why South Korea
did not come to MoU signing.
> China may use the same strong-arm tactics in future as well e.g. AIIBS giving loan to project in PoK
and India protests.

The National Human Rights Commission

The NHRC is the national human rights institution, responsible for the protection and promotion
of human rights, defined by the Act as "rights relating to life, liberty, equality and dignity of the
individual guaranteed by the Constitution or embodied in the International Covenants".

Powers & Functions

[] Inquiry powers
1. To inquire, suo-moto or on the basis of a petition or on a direction of a court, into a complaint of
human rights violation.
2. With regard to inquiries into complaints, it has similar powers of a civil court i.e. summon
attendance, require production of any document and ask for oaths. Proceedings before it are deemed
to be judicial proceedings.
3. Additionally, it can require any person to furnish information in relation to the inquiry.
4. It has search and seizure powers.
5. It can take aid of any government agency for its investigations upon their concurrence.
6. As an outcome of its investigation, it can recommend to the concerned government to pay
compensation to the victim and/or to initiate prosecution proceedings against the offender.
[] To intervene in any human rights case pending before a court. It may also approach the SC and the
HCs for relief.
[] To visit any jail or any other state institutions to see the living conditions of the inmates and make
recommendations.
[] To review the constitutional and legal safeguards for human rights and make recommendations.
[] To review the factors those inhibits human rights and make recommendations.
[] To study international treaties on human rights and make recommendations.
[] To promote human rights research.
[] To spread human rights awareness.
[] To encourage NGOs working for human rights.

Composition

> The members are selected by a selection committee comprising of PM, speaker and deputy
chairman, home minister, leaders of opposition in HoP and CoS.
> It consists of a retired CJI as chairman, a serving or retired judge of SC as member, one serving or
retired chief justice of a high court, 2 eminent people having knowledge and experience in human
rights, chairpersons of minorities commission, SC commission, ST commission and women
commission.
> A NHRC chairman or a member can't be removed unless the president dismisses them on grounds
of proved misbehaviour ascertained by SC after the president asks it to conduct an enquiry.

Positive Points of NHRC

[] Easy accessibility to the Commission. Anyone can approach NHRC through telephone, letter,
application, mobile phone or internet. All the documents, reports, newsletters, speeches, etc. of the
Commission are also available on this website.
[] NHRC has worked immensely to create awareness among public through seminars, workshops,
lectures, literature, NGOs. The rising number of complaints on human rights violations only proves the
fact that awareness is growing about NHRC.
[] The Commission has succeeded in getting the human rights education included in the curriculum.
[] Many recommendations made by NHRC have been implemented by the public authorities. These
include bonded and child labour, narco-analysis, mental health, manual scavenging, rights of
physically challenged etc.
[] The Commission has been instrumental in persuading states to set up Human Rights Commissions
and twenty-three states have set up the State Human Rights Commissions.

Negative Points of NHRC (UN Panel)

> Lack of pluralism in its composition: There is dominance of the judiciary in its composition. The UN
panel rejected the suggestion that such restrictions were justified because of the quasi judicial
functions performed by the NHRC. Pointing out that this is "but one of the 10 functions" enumerated in
the NHRC law.
> Lack of independent investigation: 2 key posts in the NHRC — secretary general and director
general of investigations — would have to be filled by those who come on deputation from within the
government. Complaints given to the NHRC were entrusted to the police, which either didn't
investigate at all or investigated after substantial delay and in a biased manner.
> Little engagement with human rights defenders.
> Lack of independence: The NHRC is currently required to report to the Ministry of Home Affairs.
There are serious question marks over the selection process.

International status

The NHRC has been accredited with "A status" by the International Coordinating Committee of
National Human Rights Institutions (the ICC), indicating that it is in conformity with the Paris Principles
– a broad set of principles agreed upon by a conference of experts on the promotion and protection of
human rights, in Paris in October 1991, and subsequently endorsed by the UN General Assembly.

ASEAN & India’s ‘Act East’ Policy

Association of Southeast Asian Nations

[] Formed on 8 August 1967 in Bangkok as an outcome of Bangkok Declaration

[] Political and economic organization of ten countries located in Southeast Asia
[] Aims include accelerating economic growth, social progress, socio-cultural evolution among its
members, protection of regional peace & stability, and opportunities for member countries to discuss
differences peacefully
[] Membership - 10 States & 2 Observers - Timor-Leste & Papua New-Guinea
[] Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Brunei

ASEAN -- Headquarters @ Jakarta, Indonesia

* Sec. General – “Lê Lương Minh” & Current ASEAN Chair – Malaysia
* GDP (PPP) -- US$ 7.6tn
* 27th ASEAN Summit was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 18-22 November 2015

ASEAN Way -- Principles followed by ASEAN

> Principle of Musyawarah (Deliberation) & Mufakat (Consensus)

> Not to use force/ confrontation
> Non-interfere in the internal matters of states
> Informal discussion & minimal institutionalization

ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA)

> Trade Bloc agreement by the member countries supporting local manufacturing in all ASEAN
countries
> To increase ASEAN's competitive edge as a production base in the world market
> To attract more foreign direct investment (FDI) to ASEAN.
ASEAN Plus Three (APT)

[] Includes ASEAN Countries along with China, Japan & South Korea
[] Constituted in 1997 for coordination & cooperation between countries
[] Meeting held during each ASEAN summit

ASEAN Plus Six -- APT along with India, Australia & New Zealand

Strait of Malacca

> It is a narrow, 805 km (500 mi) stretch of water between the Peninsular Malaysia and the Indonesian
island of Sumatra
> Over 94,000 vessels pass through the strait per year, carrying about one-quarter of the world's
traded goods
> About a quarter of all oil carried by sea passes through the strait, mainly from Persian Gulf suppliers
to Asian markets – 15.2 mn barrels per day
> Malaccamax -- largest size of ship capable of fitting through the 25-metre-deep (82 ft) Strait of
Malacca

India-ASEAN Relation: ‘Look East’ Policy

[] Combined Population - ~ 1.8 bn (1/4th of world’s population)

[] Combined GDP - ~ US $10 tn
[] Two-way Investment - US $40 bn in past decade
[] India-ASEAN Trade - Expectation of US $ 200bn by 2022

[] India’s ‘Look East’ Policy

1. Developed and enacted during the governments of P.V. Narasimha Rao & Atal Bihari Vajpayee
2. Cultivating extensive economic & strategic relations with ASEAN nations
3. Giving emphasis of historic cultural and ideological links
4. To create and expand regional markets for trade, investments and industrial development
5. To build strategic and military cooperation with nations concerned by the expansion of China's
economic and strategic influence
[] India had signed TAC Treaty (Treaty of Amity & Cooperation) with ASEAN in 2003

[] India-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement

> Framework for deepening trade and investment ties
> Tariff liberalization of over 90 percent of products traded between the two dynamic regions

[] India-ASEAN FTA in Goods

> Main products: – Metal Parts & Components, Electronic Components, Processed Fruits, Ceramics,
Fertilizers, Coconut & Vegetable Oil and Chemicals like Fatty Alcohol & Refined Glycerin.
> Concerns:
1. Cheaper palm oil from ASEAN is hurting local producers in Kerala
2. Groundnut and Pepper farmers also suffering due to cheaper ASEAN imports
3. Overall, the goods Imported from ASEAN nations increased but our Exports did not increase.
Consequently, Trade Deficit between India-ASEAN widened

[] India-ASEAN FTA in Services & Investment

> Follows ‘8+1+1’ Pattern: ASEAN Countries except Indonesia & Philippines
> For Indonesia: Special terms because services sector is vital for the economy of Indonesia, &
worries of local service sector getting hurt
> For Philippines: Separate Special terms as ~50% of workforce of Philippines is in IT Sector

India-ASEAN Relation: Importance

Strategic
[] ASEAN nations are at the intersections of major land & sea routes
[] Maritime boundary disputes between China & a number of ASEAN countries & they look towards
India as a counterbalance against China
[] A stronger posturing at ASEAN increases India’s stature as a global power

Economic
[] In terms of income, India-ASEAN community is roughly the size of the EU
[] ASEAN is India’s fourth-largest trading partner after EU, US & China
[] India – ASEAN is slated to grow faster than the rest of the world due to a favorable demographic
profile and growing market for goods and services
[] India-ASEAN linkage provides for large-scale movement of people, capital, ideas and creativity

Energy
[] ASEAN countries particularly Myanmar, Vietnam & Malaysia can potentially contribute to India’s
energy security – Significant Oil & Natural Gas deposits
[] India and several ASEAN countries are net importers of hydrocarbon -- regional cooperation for
financing exploration & drilling activities

India’s ‘Act East’ Policy

India’s ‘Act East’ Policy is proposed as a new Foreign Policy by PM Narendra Modi for ASEAN
countries

> To emphasize a more proactive role for India in the ASEAN region
> A tool for forging strategic partnership and security cooperation with countries in the region in
general and Vietnam & Japan in particular
> A more action-oriented policy towards ASEAN nations
Key Engagements:

> Establishment of a special purpose vehicle for project financing

> Building of Roads, Ports & Transport Infra (E.g.-- India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway,
Kaladan Transport Project etc.)
> Building Information Highways
> Inviting ASEAN countries to participate in India’s ongoing economic transformation
> Emphasis on connecting North-Eastern part of India to the ASEAN Region for better & rapid
development of the N-E region which can bring significant benefits to India.+++

Kyoto Protocol (COP - 3)

Kyoto Protocol is considered as a milestone in the field of climate change negotiations. It came
into existence in third Conference of Parties held in Japan in 1997. The Kyoto Protocol has completed
its term and now world is moving forward to a more strong resolution in Paris Meet last year.

What is UNFCCC and CoP?

The first multilateral legal instrument on climate change was adopted, by consensus among 195
parties, in a UN Summit Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED). This instrument was
named UNFCCC (The UN Framework Convention on Conference of the Parties). All institutions,
particularly the Conference of the Parties (COP), the subsidiary bodies (advisor of the cop), and the
COP bureau, engaged in the international climate charge negotiations are supported well by the
UNFCCC secretariat.

COP Bureau deals mainly with organizational and procedural issue emerging from the COP and also
has some technical function. All the multilateral negotiation are based on the principle and objectives
spelled art by the UNFCCC, which were to cooperatively consider what they could do to check
average global temperature increase and the resulting climate charge.

KYOTO PROTOCOL: COP-3

On 11 December 1997, the Kyoto Protocol was adopted, in order to strengthen the global response to
climate change in Kyoto, Japan. However, due to a complicated ratification process it entered into
force on 16 February 2005.

The Kyoto Protocol commits industrialised nation to stabilise greenhouse gas emission based on the
principles and objectives of the convention. Therefore, it can be said that the Kyoto Protocol
“operationalized” the convention.

The major difference between the convention and the Protocol is -the convention encourages
industrialized nations to stabilize GHG emission, the Protocol commits them to do it.

Targets:

In its first commitment period, KP fixed binding targets for 37 industrialized countries and the European
countries. It was acknowledged by KP that developed countries were mainly responsible for the
current high level of GHG emissions in the atmosphere owing to their 150 years of industrial activities.
so it only restricted the developed countries.

Under its central principle of common but differentiates responsibility. KP placed a heavier burden on
developed counties. these targets on the whole added up to an average five per cent emissions
reduction compared to 1990 levels over the five-year period from 2008 to 2012.

The Famework of Kyoto Protocol regime

The essential framework of the Kyoto Protocol has been constructed and shaped over almost two
decoded of experience, political will and hard work. The most important features on which Kyoto
Protocol was made up of:-

1. Procedures of reporting and verification,

2. Flexible market-based mechanisms which had in turn their own procedures of governance and,
3. A system of compliance. So it can be claimed that two things made KP function efficiently

#1. Commitments to emission reduction

The restricted emission reduction commitments for developed parties, the first one, clearly indicated
that space to pollute was limited. Carbon dioxide became new commodity as it was prevalent in
greenhouse gas emissions. Kyoto Protocol then started to internalise what was then acknowledged as
unpriced externalities.

#2. Mechanism of flexible Markets

The mechanisms of flexible markets, the second one, of the KP were based on the trade of emissions
permits. The countries bound to targets had to meet them mainly through domestic action-for example,
in the developing countries.

The objectives of Kyoto mechanisms:

Its objective is to promote, facilitate and enforce compliance with commitment listed in the protocol.

Its objectives are:

[] to help parties to meet their targets by removing carbon from the atmosphere in other countries in a
cost-effective way.
[] to encourage sustainable development through investment and technology transfer.
[] to urge the developing countries and the private sector to contribute to the efforts in emission
reduction .
Joint Implementation:

This mechanism permitted a country under the Kyoto Protocol to earn emission reduction units (ERUs)
from an emission removal project in another party, each being equivalent to one tonne of CO2 which
could be counted towards meeting its Kyoto target.

In this mechanism the host party benefited from foreign investment and technology transfer. Although
projects starting from the year 2000 might be eligible as JI projects, ERU issued from 2008.

Clean Development Mechanism

The clean Development Mechanism (CDM), being the first global, environmental investment and credit
scheme of its kind, allowed a party under the Kyoto Protocol (Annex B Party) to implement an
emission reduction project in developing countries.

This scheme provided standardized emission offset instrument – CERs. The projects under this
scheme could earn certified emission reduction (CER) credits, each equivalent to one tonne of Carbon
dioxide that could be counted in meeting Kyoto targets.

Carbon Trading:

The exchange of emission permits that – is carbon trading – may take place within the economy or
may take the form of international transaction.

There are two types of carbon trading;

1. Emission trading, and

2. Offset trading

#1. Emission trading/ ‘Cap-and-trade’

Emission permit is another name for carbon credit. The protocol had assigned a fixed amount of
carbon emission for each Annex 1 country in the agreement. This amount was in fact the amount of
emission that was to be reduced by the concerned country, implying that the country was permitted to
exit the remaining amount. This allowance was in fact kind of carbon credit.

#2. Offset trading/Carbon project/’Baseline-and-credit’ trading

A country can earn another variant of carbon credit by investing some amount of money in carbon
projects which exit lesser amount of greenhouse gas in the atmosphere. The Word Bank’s carbon
finance unit estimated that the volume of carbon trade through emission trading route alone had
indicated a 240 per cent increase in 2005 over the previous year.

Benefits of flexible market mechanism

It has the analogous benefits or encouraging green investment in developing countries and embracing
the private sector in this effort to cut and hold steady GHG emission at save level. It also makes “leap-
frogging” more economical by creating the possibility to terminate older, dirtier technology for newer,
cleaner infrastructure and systems to get long term benefits.

The Kyoto Protocol compliance mechanism was aimed to strengthen its environmental integrity,
support the credibility of carbon market and ensure transparency of accounting by parties.

Non-Compliance of Kyoto Protocol and Penalties

[] The country that does not fulfil the requirements for measurements and reporting loses the privilege
of getting credit through joint implementation projects.
[] The country that crosses its emission cap, and does not try to bridge the difference by using any of
the available mechanisms, must make up the difference plus and an additional thirty per cent during
the next period. The country could also face a ban from participating in the “cap and trade”
programme.+++

Poverty Estimation – C Rangarajan & Tendulkar Committee

Poverty in India is Big issues for Government. To Measures Exact numbers of Poor People And
Per capita expenditure various methods Had been adopted by Government of India.

[] The official measure of Indian government, before 2005, was based on food security and it was
defined from per capita expenditure for a person to consume enough calories and be able to pay for
associated essentials to survive.
[] Since 2005, Indian government adopted the Tendulkar methodology which moved away from calorie
anchor to a basket of goods and used rural, urban and regional minimum expenditure per capita
necessary to survive.
[] The Planning Commission has been estimating the number of people below the poverty line (BPL) at
both the state and national level based on consumer expenditure information collected as part of the
National Sample Survey Organization (NSSO) since the Sixth Five Year Plan.
[] The latest available data from such surveys is from NSSO conducted in 2004-05.

Government Of India Formed various Committees for Poverty Estimation In India

1. Alagh Committee (1977),

2. Lakdawala Committee (1989)
3. Tendulkar Committee (2005)
4. Saxena committee
5. Hashim Committee
6. C . Rangrajan Committee ( 2012)

C Rangarajan & Tendulkar Committee

[] C Rangarajan Committee Was Set up By Planning commission In 2012 And Submitted Report In
2014.
[] The Planning commission had set up the five-member expert group under Rangarajan to review the
methodology for measurement of poverty.
[] The committee was set up in the backdrop of national outrage over the Planning Commission’s
suggested poverty line of Rs 22 a day for rural areas.
[] The Rangarajan committee estimation is based on an independent large survey of households by
Center for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE).
[] It has also used different methodology wherein a household is considered poor if it is unable to save.
[] The methods also include on certain normative levels of adequate nourishment, clothing, house rent,
conveyance, education and also behavioral determination of non-food expenses.
[] It also considered average requirements of calories, protein and fats based on ICMR norms
differentiated by age and gender.
[] Based on this methodology, Rangarajan committee estimated the number of poor were 19 per cent
higher in rural areas and 41 per cent more in urban areas than what was estimated using Tendulkar
committee formula.
[] Tendulkar, an economist, had devised the formula to assess poverty line in 2005, which the Planning
Commission had used to estimate poverty in 2009-10 and 2011-12.

Key Points

> Poverty Estimation Method

[] Tendulkar - Per capita Expenditure Monthly
[] C Rangrajana - Monthly Expenditure of family of five
> Urban Poverty Line Per Day per Person
[] Tendulkar - Rs. 33
[] C Rangrajana - Rs. 47
> Urban Poverty Line Per Month per Person
[] Tendulkar - Rs. 1000
[] C Rangrajana - Rs. 1407
> Rural poverty line Per Day Per Person
[] Tendulkar - Rs. 27
[] C Rangrajana - Rs. 32
> Rural poverty line per Month Per Person
[] Tendulkar - Rs. 816
[] C Rangrajana - Rs. 972
> BPL ( Below Poverty Line ) In crore
[] Tendulkar - 27 crore
[] C Rangrajana - 37 crore
> Calorie Expenditure
[] Tendulkar - Only calorific value in Expenditure
[] C Rangrajana - Calorie + Protein + Fat
> Calories In Rural Areas
[] Tendulkar - 2400
[] C Rangrajana - 2155
> Calories In Urban areas
[] Tendulkar - 2100
[] C Rangrajana - 2090
> Main Focus Areas
[] Tendulkar - Only counts Expenditure on food, health, education, clothing
[] C Rangrajana -
1- Food
2- Nonfood items such as education,
3- Healthcare,
4- Clothing,
5- Ttransport
6- Rent
7- Non-food items that meet nutritional requirements.+++

Subramanian Committee on New Education policy

The T.S.R. Subramanian committee, entrusted with preparing a new education policy for
India submitted the report to the government in May suggesting measures that the country must
take to improve the sector that caters to over 300 million students in the country.

Recommendations

There Should Be an All India Education Service

An Indian Education Service (IES) should be established as an all India service with officers being on
permanent settlement to the state governments but with the cadre controlling authority vesting with the
Human Resource Development (HRD) ministry.

Education Outlay 6% of GDP

The outlay on education should be raised to at least 6% of GDP without further loss of time.

TET and Minimum Qualification

[] There should be minimum eligibility condition with 50% marks at graduate level for entry to existing
B.Ed courses.
[] Teacher Entrance Tests (TET) should be made compulsory for recruitment of all teachers.
[] The Centre and states should jointly lay down norms and standards for TET.
Compulsory Licensing

Compulsory licensing or certification for teachers in government and private schools should be made
mandatory, with provision for renewal every 10 years based on independent external testing.

Pre School Education As A Right

Pre-school education for children in the age group of 4 to 5 years should be declared as a right and a
programme for it implemented immediately.

No Detention Policy

[] The no detention policy must be continued for young children until completion of class V when the
child will be 11 years old.
[] At the upper primary stage, the system of detention shall be restored subject to the provision of
remedial coaching and at least two extra chances being offered to prove his capability to move to a
higher class

Board Exam

[] On-demand board exams should be introduced to offer flexibility and reduce year end stress of
students and parents.
[] A National Level Test open to every student who has completed class XII from any School Board
should be designed.

Mid Day Meal

[] The mid-day meal (MDM) program should now be extended to cover students of secondary schools.
[] This is necessary as levels of malnutrition and anaemia continue to be high among adolescents.

Management of Higher Education

[] UGC Act must be allowed to lapse once a separate law is created for the management of higher
education.
[] The University Grants Commission (UGC) needs to be made leaner and thinner and given the role of
disbursal of scholarships and fellowships.

Foreign Universities Campus

Top 200 foreign universities should be allowed to open campuses in India and give the same degree
which is acceptable in the home country of the said university.+++

China Pakistan Economic Corridor – CPEC

China Pakistan Economic Corridor, popularly known as CPEC, is an ambitious infrastructure

development project of Pakistan in partnership with China. It is a part of Chinese One-Belt-One-Road
initiative. It includes country-wide rail-road and gas-pipeline network and development of other transit
corridor facilities. The project includes development of a port in Gwadar region, known as Gwadar port;
construction of power plants which will generate 4500 MW of electric power.

CPEC Finances

China has included CPEC into its 13th Five Year Plan which proves its importance for China. China
has invested a huge sum of 46 billion dollars in Pakistan. The investment is made in the form of highly
subsidized interest loan to Pakistan. Out of this, $ 11 billion of this investment will be dedicated to
development of countrywide rail-road transit network connecting Chinese Xinjiang city Kashgar to port
city Gwadar. A loan of $33 billion will be provided to private consortium under the aegis of China
Pakistan Economic Corridor for development of energy generation capacity in Pakistan.

Gwadar Port and Gwadar City

The construction of a deep sea port in Gwadar region of Balochistan province started in 2002 and and
initial infrastructure construction finished by 2006. Now upgrade and expansion of Port is going on
under CPEC agreement. Apart from port China has also granted $230 billion to build Gwadar
International Airport. Apart from this China is also going to invest $4.5 billion on roads, power, hotels
and other infrastructure for the industrial zone as well as other projects in Gwadar city.

Gwadar port is connecting point of Chinese ambitious One Belt One Road project and Maritime Silk
Route Project.

Economic Impact on Pakistan

Pakistan views the economic corridor as a game changer in Pakistani economic development. It will
generate huge revenue for government, boast private sector and industry, build world class
infrastructure, attract foreign direct investment, minimize electricity deficiency to zero, supply of
enough gas and oil through proposed pipe lines, create better opportunities of employment,

Pakistan has a chronic energy shortage issue and it requires 4500 MW of electricity to alleviate this
crisis. Even best of its cities suffering from long power cuts. Under CPEC has private consortium will
develop 10,400 MW energy generating capacity by 2020. Most of these plants are coal based but

Pakistan is critically dependent on CPEC and cannot afford losing it in any case. All government
machinery, state functionaries, special agencies, media and even military all are unanimously
supporting and focused on guaranteeing the success of this China Pakistan Economic Corridor.

The CPEC is considered to generate 7,00,000 new jobs in Pakistan, which is essential for Pakistan
today in order to bring their young generation in mainstream.

String of Pearls Policy of China

Gwadar port is also seen as a part of China’s strategic policy to contain India in Indian Ocean known
as String of Pearls Policy. U.S. consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton was first to mention about this
geopolitical theory. China is building naval bases in the form of various ports in Indian Ocean. China
has been denying about any such strategic interest and claiming it as pure economic projects but facts
are contrary to Chinese claim.

According to theory, China has been establishing a network of ports, dubbed the 21st Century
Maritime Silk Road, extending from their own coastlines through Southeast Asia, the Indian Ocean, the
east coast of Africa, and up through the Mediterranean to Greece. China has been working on building
15 ports from Hong Kong to Sudan including Sittwe in Myanmar, Hambantota in Sri Lanka and a Port
in Maldives.

The security concern of India proved to be true when Chinese navy ships came to its Sri Lankan Port,
India registered a strong protest against this activity of China in Indian region. With China already
building ports in Sri Lanka, Pakistan, the Maldives, and Myanmar, Bangladesh was the last remaining
link on a chain that would leave India completely surrounded.

Indian Concern

India has raised its concern to Chinese authorities over construction in Gilgit-Baltistan region of
Pakistan occupied Kashmir which is a disputed area between India and Pakistan. Under the aegis of
CPEC the Karakoram Highway will be reconstructed and developed to connect China to Pakistan
passes through the disputed region.

India was never against CPEC, until Chinese state media started calling Gilgit-Baltistan a Pakistani
territory, which is actually a disputed region between India and Pakistan. India believes that a such
development projects may address many problems in Pakistan and may bring stability there which is
beneficial for the region.

Balochistan Issue and CPEC

Balochistan is least developed province of Pakistan and epicenter of China Pakistan Economic
Corridor. Pakistani government has been ignoring the Baloch region since its incorporation into
Pakistan. At the time of independence Balochistan was an independent princely state but later
Pakistan annexed it. Since its annexation the demand and struggle for independence is going on
which is being suppressed from time to time by excessive use of force by Pakistani military by killing
thousands. As Balochistan’s Gwadar city is crux of CPEC but people are raising voice against this
project. Pakistan need to build install confidence in Baloch people instead of killing them.+++

India & International Solar Alliance

“The Sun is the source of all energy. The world must turn to solar, the power of our future”, said
PM Modi while launching International Solar Alliance (ISA) along with France at Paris Climate Summit.
This alliance includes more than 120 countries that supported the declaration on Solar Alliance.

The International Solar Alliance is a group of countries within the tropics (Tropic of Cancer and Tropic
of Capricorn) which receive sunshine for more than 300 days. Hence, these countries can tap a lot of
solar energy. The idea is to bring together all such countries and have a common programme and
development. Majority of these countries are poor and least developed ones.

[] Headquarters of ISA will be in India

[] India gave a corpus of 100 crores
[] India will also give secretarial assistance of 225 crores for the next five years

Whatever solar energy that comes from Sun in one day, it is enough for entire globe to use for one
year. But we can’t fully capture it.

Financing solar projects is a big challenge. Even though international financial institutions like World
Bank, AIIB, NDB and public and private investments are there, there is no established renewable
energy policy; there is no ecosystem that creates a willingness to buy and set up renewable energy;
there is no proper integration method with conventional energy. Hence, the focus of ISA will be on
policy, ecosystem and integration with regard to solar energy.

The valedictory note at the launch of ISA was given by a private sector head, not by the President of
any country or head of the UN. This shows that private sector is willing to come forward to invest in
solar energy. The private sector will support $500 million and public sector another $500 million. This
gives ISA the financial sustainability. ISA can promote the new financial mechanisms that are currently
popular in India like masala bods and green solar bonds, for raising cheap money in other countries
also.

ISA has 24×7 Solar Cyber Centre which is open for access to all countries for information and advice
on various projects and financial innovation.

ISA can also play an advocacy role asking the multilateral/international financial institutions to give part
of their lending to solar energy; like what RBI did in India – up to 15 crore investment in renewable
energy is a priority sector lending; up to 10 lakh in rooftop solar panels is a priority sector lending.
These sorts of best practises can be adopted by ISA and advocate to the financial institutions.

How is ISA different from other such organizations?

There are other organizations/institutions like IRENA (International Renewable Energy Agency), IEA
(International Energy Agency), and REEP (Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership)
which focus on multiple renewable energy sources. But ISA will focus exclusively on solar energy.
Moreover, in no other organization UN is a partner. But for ISA, UN is a partner. Also, ISA is action
oriented organisation. It’s not going to give seminars, research papers, reports etc. like the other
organisations.

Selection of a Director General (DG) with a secretariat: A dynamic DG can

[] Draw attention to the alliance

[] Build relationships with member states and other international institutions
[] Interact with the media regularly
[] Develop a strategic plan to grasp the potential that ISA holds

Creation of a core ISA Coordination Group: A dedicated inter-ministerial group needs to be deployed
to-

[] Distribute the workload

[] Allocate funds
[] Maintain contact with member states
[] Prepare related documents.

Issuing a White Paper on ISA Governance: ISA is an inclusive multilateral institution and therefore, it
demands clarity on—

[] Governance structure
[] Decision making ways
[] Role of contributions in Voting Rights
[] Outlining alternative governance models
[] Advancements of the needs of advanced and emerging economies and those of smaller member
states as well as ways to balance them out

Future targets

India with support of France has invited more solar rich nations to facilitate infrastructure for
implementation of solar projects. The alliance has been committed $1 tn as investment and it is
committed to bringing down the costs of solar power to make it affordable for remote and inaccessible
communities. The alliance will endorse India in achieving its 100GW of solar energy and to installing
175GW of renewable energy by 2022. The countries shall support each other in research and
development and other high level activities.

It is also seen as an alliance by the developing countries to form a united front and to undertake
research and development for making solar power equipment within developing countries.+++

Social Issues # I

Social issues (also social problem, social evil, and social conflict) refers to any undesirable
condition that is opposed either by the whole society or by a section of the society. It is an unwanted
social condition, often objectionable, the continuance of which is harmful for the society.

India is facing a large number of social issues such as caste system, child labour, illiteracy, gender
inequality, superstitions, religious conflicts, and many more. It is high time to get relief of these
undesirable social evils.

Major Social Issues: We have prepared a list of major social issues in India. They are briefly discussed
below in the following order:

[] Caste system
[] Poverty
[] Child labour
[] Child marriage
[] Illiteracy
[] Low status of women
[] Gender inequality at work
[] Dowry system
[] Sati practice
[] Alcoholism
[] Superstition
[] Sanitation and cleanliness
[] Religious conflicts
[] Beggary
[] Juvenile delinquency

Caste system

Caste system is a system of defining class or assigning status to individuals from the time of birth. In
India, the caste system is mainly profession based. India has been a victim of caste system since
ages.

Causes: The main reason behind the growth of Caste system in India is the assignment of caste based
on job specialization. There were different types of jobs in the society which were done by the people
based on their capability. This division of job based on specialization resulted into caste system.

Four classes of Caste system:

1. The Brahmins – the priestly class. They were mainly engaged in religious and priestly activities.
They were also appointed as advisors to the Kings.
2. The Kshatriyas – the warrior and ruler class. They were mainly engaged in warfare activities.
3. The Vaishyas – the trader class. They were mainly engaged in business, agriculture, and trading
activities.
4. The Sudras – the lowest of the four traditional class engaged as domestic servants and laborers,
etc.

Negative effects of Caste system:

[] Encourages untouchability,
[] Promotes Inequality,
[] Undemocratic in nature,
[] Fake differentiation in superiority and inferiority.
[] Increases gap between upper and lower caste people.

Caste system is also a danger towards the National integration of the country. Caste system is a major
cause for many inhuman and immoral social practices such as untouchability, child marriage, sati
system, prostitution, etc.

Solution:

> Education will help the people to become aware of the disadvantages of Caste system.
> There is a need for widespread social change in favor of equality of human-beings. Caste system
can be discouraged through social education in rural areas.
> There should be special classes at schools that imparts value and moral education to the children.
> Superstitious people are extremely fearful and discourage any change in social norms. Education will
help shed away superstition, which in turn, will help shed casteism as well.
> With better education and economic progress, people belonging to diverse caste get opportunity to
mix and work together. Many of them become friends while working together on a project.

Poverty
Poverty refers to a situation when people’s basic needs are not fulfilled. When people doesn’t have the
necessary food to eat or clothes to wear or shelter to stay then its called poverty. Life becomes very
difficult for people with income is below the poverty line (BPL).

Causes:

[] People don’t get proper education which leads to poverty. People are poor because they are
illiterate, and they are illiterate because they cannot afford education. Illiteracy and poverty stays side-
by-side. They both are the cause and effect of each other.
[] In case where the resources and opportunities are limited and the population is high, there arises a
situation of joblessness which ultimately leads to poverty.
[] When a large number of people live in poverty, there is limited scope for the development of
country’s economy.
[] Some natural and environmental problems such as lack of rainfall, drought, etc. often lead to
poverty. There are many other reasons also like caste system, unemployment, etc.

Effects:

[] Poor people will always have to depend on others to survive.

[] Low quality foods may leads to bad nutrition.
[] Poor people have less liberty for the choice of profession.
[] Poverty may affect the moral and self-esteem of people living in extreme hardship.
[] Poverty also results in building stress which ultimately affects the relationship of people.
[] The low standard of living prevails among poor people.

Solutions:

> Poverty can be checked by increasing job opportunities. It will decrease the rate of unemployment
which ultimately results in decrease of poverty in economy.
> Government should take more steps towards charity, trusts and have some transparency while
spending money in those social institutions.
> The education system should be reformed and initiatives should be taken to bring more children to
schools.

Child Labour

Child labour is a system of involving children in any economic activity. Children at the age of playing
engage themselves into economic activity for their family. Child labour can be seen throughout the
country in a wide way.

Causes:

[] Unemployment,
[] Poverty,
[] Illiteracy, and
[] Low standard of living.

If the above problems can be resolved from the Indian society, then the country will have less social
issues.

Due to unemployment of the parents, children do not get proper education and are forced to get
involved in child labour. Educated people are less likely to engage their child as child labours. In
general, educated people want to keep up a certain level of standard and live a respectable life. On the
contrary, poor and illiterate people are not even aware of the evil effects of child labour.

Effects:
[] Child labour is an inhuman practice. The mental growth of the children engaged in child labour is
checked.
[] Children get less time and opportunity to go to school. They are deprived from education which
makes them illiterate.
[] Child labour obstructs personal growth. The standard of living of people remains low.
[] Child labour destroys their childhood.
[] Children are the future pillars of the economy and involving them into child labour will only make
those pillars weak. Ultimately, child labour affects the country’s growth.

Solution:

> Imparting education and knowledge to children.

> If incomes of the parents can be increased then it is possible for the children’s to get education.
> Government will have to take more steps towards proper enforcement of labour laws.
> People who are employed and are above the poverty line should take steps towards replacing child
workers with adult workers. It will benefit not only the society, but the country at large.

Child Marriage

Child marriage refers to the marriage of individuals below the prescribed limit of age. Marriage is to be
considered legal as per the Indian Law, when the groom’s age is 21 and above and bride’s age is 18
and above.

Though, child marriage has caused problems to both and boys and girls, the most severe victims of
the evil practice are the girls.

Causes: The causes or the main reason behind the child marriage is the poor economic condition of
the family of the marriage parties.

Besides there are other reasons also for child marriage like illiteracy, providing security to their
daughters by marrying them to secured person, child trafficking, etc.

Negative effects of child marriage:

[] Due to child marriage, the girls become pregnant at an early age. Since their bodies are not properly
developed to have kids, it may lead to early maternal death. In many of the cases, the infant baby’s
health doesn’t seem good.
[] Child marriage also leads to illiteracy and poverty. A girl who is married at an early age is deprived of
opportunities for education and personal growth.
[] Due to less compatibility and understanding, relationship between the couples hampers.

Solution:

Education is the only and the best way to stop child marriage. Educated people from society should
raise voice against child marriage.

Gender equality and women education is very important to stop the evil practice of child marriage. The
girls become extremely dependent upon her parents because of lack of education. As such, she is not
in a position to speak against the will of her parents. If a girl gets equal opportunity to get educated,
then she will be in a better position to decide, what that is best for her future.

Government should take steps to enforce the laws on child marriage. The problem of child marriage
can be solved by raising awareness about the disadvantages of child marriage.+++
 Social Issues # II

Social issues (also social problem, social evil, and social conflict) refers to any undesirable
condition that is opposed either by the whole society or by a section of the society. It is an unwanted
social condition, often objectionable, the continuance of which is harmful for the society.

India is facing a large number of social issues such as caste system, child labour, illiteracy, gender
inequality, superstitions, religious conflicts, and many more. It is high time to get relief of these
undesirable social evils.

Major Social Issues: We have prepared a list of major social issues in India. They are briefly discussed
below in the following order:

[] Caste system
[] Poverty
[] Child labour
[] Child marriage
[] Illiteracy
[] Low status of women
[] Gender inequality at work
[] Dowry system
[] Sati practice
[] Alcoholism
[] Superstition
[] Sanitation and cleanliness
[] Religious conflicts
[] Beggary
[] Juvenile delinquency

Illiteracy

Illiteracy refers to the inability to read and/or write. The problem of illiteracy is a major social issue in
India. The problem has spread through-out the country in a wide way. It is one of the most dangerous
obstacles in the economy’s growth.

Reasons:

[] Since many adults in India are illiterate, they don’t understand the importance of getting education for
their children.
[] Due to the problem of unemployment and poverty, children get little opportunity for proper education.
[] Many people stay illiterate due to some physical or mental disabilities.
[] Other social evils like caste system, gender inequality also cause illiteracy.

Disadvantages:

[] One of the major cause for crimes is illiteracy. Due to illiteracy issue, rates of crime are gradually
increasing and health, productivity and growth of the country is gradually decreasing.
[] Most illiterate people are unaware of the benefits of maintaining cleanliness and hygiene.
[] Illiterate people find it very difficulty to secure a good job and earn livelihood.

Solution:

The only and the best way to eradicate illiteracy from the society are by education. The scheme for
mid-day meals at schools is a welcome step.

Government should take steps to promote free education for the backward class of the society in
government schools.
Government also look at the matter that people get fair payment for their work. Appropriate steps
should be taken to create more employment opportunities for adults, so that they can educate their
children by sending them to school.

Low Status of Women

Low status of women refers to the inferior position of women (in comparison to men) in the society.
This reflects the narrow mindset of the society. It is seen all over the country, but widely prevalent in
the backward areas.

Causes:

Narrow mindset of the society is the main reasons behind this problem. Women in India are
considered inferior than men since ages. A large part of the society believes that men are more
capable to earn more than their women. It is widely seen that the male members of the family try to
control the activities of the female members, which leads to the low status of women.

Negative Impact:

[] Women do not get the adequate chance to do something to contribute to the society.
[] Since the status of women in society is low, people want a boy child instead of a girl child. This
intensifies the problem of female foeticide.

Solution:

> The empowerment of women is of utmost importance for solving the problem.
> Awareness must be created to change the narrow mindset of the society. Campaigns must be
launched to acknowledge the role and contribution of women in the society.
> Education can also help to solve the problem of low status of women in the society.
> Mass-media campaigns should be promoted.

Gender Inequality at Work

Inequality at work refers to any type of discrimination in working environment based on caste, gender,
race, color, etc. But gender inequality at work means discrimination or unequal treatment between
male and female workers.

Causes: The main reason behind the issue of gender inequality at work is the mindset and culture.

The ego of male members prevents the female members to enjoy equal position at work places.
People also do this because of un-awareness.

Impact & Effects: The main impact of gender inequality at work is that society gets shrink and deprived
of the minds of the female worker. It also gives rise to low status of women issue in the society.

Solution: The solution for social issue of gender inequality at work is in the hands of people
themselves. People should start training and impart proper education for gender equality.

People should also change their perception that women will get less salary in comparison to men. For
that, people should introduce successful business women as the role model at their workplaces.

Dowry System

Dowry is one of the most evil practices that are prevalent in the Indian society. Dowry system is
actually the transfer of money, property and other valuable assets of bride’s family to the groom’s
family on the eve of marriage.
Reasons:

[] Tradition of asking for dowry at the time of marriage.

[] The greed among the family of groom for quick and easy money.
[] People also ask for dowry for maintaining status.

Disadvantages:

[] The bride’s family who generally belong to middle and low-class has to face the bitter-side of it.
Bride’s family spend lavishly during the marriage. Because of this social evil, some families lose huge
money.
[] Parents often take loan for their daughter’s marriage.
[] In many cases, by watching the poor situation of their parents, bride becomes mentally affected.
[] Sometimes, the mental torture due to dowry leads to suicidal tendencies.
[] Many cases of dowry deaths have been seen in past years.
[] Emotional torture and divorce are other evil effects of dowry system.

Solution:

> People should stop discrimination between a boy and a girl.

> Girls should also be allowed to have their education and proper knowledge.
> Awareness must be created and for these people with the help of media.
> Last, but not the least, parents should change the thoughts of dowry from their mind and children
should stand against their family for doing this.

Sati System (Sati Practice)

Sati system or pratha is one of the cruelest, evil, inhuman and immoral social practices prevailing in
our country.

Sati system refers to the act of committing suicide by the widowed women on the funeral pyre of his
husband. This is an inhuman act.

In 1987, Roop Kanwar committed sati at the age of 18. After this incident, both the State and the
Central Government enacted acts to abolish the Sati system.

Disadvantages:

[] Sati System in itself is an inhuman practice.

[] Women are deprived of their basic right to live their life.
[] Sati system also shows the domination of men over the women.
[] Sati system reduces the self-respect of women and brings down the status of women in the society.

Causes:

[] To maintain the status: As people of high caste were not allowed to marry with low-caste, so after the
death of her husband, she was burned alive only to save the status
[] Sati was also committed to save her sexuality with the other member of the society.
[] Sati was also practiced by women to show her love and devotion towards her husband.
[] In the backward areas where widows were treated as untouchables were forced to commit sati.

Government has already enacted the Sati Prevention Law. Sati Practice is illegal in India. The evil is
rapidly diminishing from the Indian Society. However, awareness has to be created to stop the sati
practice completely.+++
 Social Issues # III

Social issues (also social problem, social evil, and social conflict) refers to any undesirable
condition that is opposed either by the whole society or by a section of the society. It is an unwanted
social condition, often objectionable, the continuance of which is harmful for the society.

India is facing a large number of social issues such as caste system, child labour, illiteracy, gender
inequality, superstitions, religious conflicts, and many more. It is high time to get relief of these
undesirable social evils.

Major Social Issues: We have prepared a list of major social issues in India. They are briefly discussed
below in the following order:

[] Caste system
[] Poverty
[] Child labour
[] Child marriage
[] Illiteracy
[] Low status of women
[] Gender inequality at work
[] Dowry system
[] Sati practice
[] Alcoholism
[] Superstition
[] Sanitation and cleanliness
[] Religious conflicts
[] Beggary
[] Juvenile delinquency

Alcoholism

Alcoholism is also known as Alcohol-use-disorder. It is a general term for the problems of

uncontrollable consumption of alcohol. It deteriorates the health of the drinker and in medical term, it is
considered a disease.

Causes:

[] Childhood incident which affects badly (trauma),

[] Peer pressure,
[] Difficult upbringing and childhood,
[] Easy availability of alcohol,
[] Showing off in front of friends,
[] Spending most of the times with different types of people who are already addicted to alcohol.

Disadvantages:

[] It hampers the drinker in both ways, physically and mentally.

[] Alcoholism can cause cancer in any parts of the body mainly in kidney, liver, and stomach etc.
[] It also hampers the digestive system of the body.
[] Alcoholism can also create depression and behavioral change. This can affect his personal life and
his relationships with friends and families.

Solution:

> There are many institutions who are working behind the solving the problem of alcohol addiction and
Government is also not far behind in this.
> Detoxification of the body,
> Establishment of rehabilitation and counselling centres for alcohol addicted patients,

It is very important that patient is willing to quit the habit of alcohol. Otherwise any detoxification or
rehabilitation also will not able to solve the problem of alcohol addiction.

Superstition

Superstition refers to the irrational beliefs of supernatural forces. Superstition is one of the major social
issues affecting the entire country.

It’s a belief of human beings that there are some supernatural causes behind the bad events. Science
doesn’t believe in this type of supernatural causality because science always tries to give scientific
explanation for every event. But, deep down inside human beings have their own belief.

There are many superstitions prevailing in the country. Human beings have the tendency to believe
bad before the good.

Reasons:

[] Fear: Fear is the main obstacles for everything. Superstition arises due to human fear.
[] Lack of Knowledge: Basically superstition arises due to lack of knowledge.
[] Religion, tradition and social practices are others causes of superstition.

Disadvantages:

[] Fear: People start to think less broadly and always develop constant fear in mind. This fear affects
not only the individual but also his family and society.
[] Waste time and energy: People waste of much time and efforts.
[] People stop for few seconds whenever they sneeze. All these arise due to human fear and
imagination.

Solutions: The main solution is to get knowledge and education because knowing nothing causes fear
in mind which ultimately arise superstition.

By adjusting or gaining knowledge, mind can develop the reason behind the occurrence of superstition
and one can understand very well that these things doesn’t affect anybody’s life. Also by being always
positive, one can get rid of those superstitions.

Sanitation & Cleanliness

Sanitation and cleanliness is a basic problem and one of the important social issues of our country.
People should clean their areas and take care of personal hygiene to stay healthy and away from any
diseases.

People should clean the areas of keeping food; clean their area of staying to promote cleanliness.
People should maintain adequate sewage disposal system so that the public health is not put at risk.

Disadvantages:

[] People suffer from various diseases such as diarrhea, malnutrition, dengue, malaria and many more.
[] It also suffers children’s development.

Reason: The major reason behind this is the lack of civic senses in the population at large -
carelessness and laziness of people themselves. The people themselves create the problem of dirt
and unhealthy environment.

People think of their own only and do not think of others. People do not mind to throw garbage in open
areas which may negatively affect the environment.
Solution:

> People have to start to make their area clean and stay healthy.
> People should make a proper area for sanitation so that public health will not suffer.
> Mass awareness programmes are already initiated by different institutions, organisations and
government bodies to save human race.

Religious Conflicts

Religious conflicts are the most harmful social issues of today. Sometimes violence, war, conflict, etc.
arises because of religious fanaticism.

Causes:

[] Difference in beliefs: People belonging to different religions have difference in their beliefs. This
difference often leads to conflict.
[] Poor upbringing: The religious belief of a person has its root in his childhood. People learn what they
see. If their ancestors were intolerant towards other religions, then they also do the same thing.
Human beings themselves create religious violence.
[] Lack of education: Illiterate people can be easily mis-guided by people who want to spread violence
in the name of religion.
[] The mindset of some people who think other religions as small often leads to communal conflict.
These people try to dominate over people of other religion.

Negative Effects: Sometimes conflicts between communities leads to violence and crimes. People
become fearful and it affects the overall progress of the country. The lack of communal harmony in
society leads to disunity.

Solutions: The solution for religious violence is in the hands of the people only. People should gain
proper knowledge and develop better understanding.

By removing the thoughts of cruelty, one can correctly judge what’s right or wrong. Awareness must be
created and for this media will be very useful.

Beggary

Beggary is another social problem in our country. People who are in extreme situation of need and
poverty are called beggars. The state of being a beggar is called beggary.

Causes: There are many causes behind the beggary problem in India. Some of the reasons behind
beggary are poverty, unemployment, illiteracy, social customs, physical disability, mental state,
disease and many more.

Impacts & Effects:

[] Beggars largely depend on what they get from the people and this is in fact a big problem because
they start to depend totally on this and stop finding any other source of income.
[] Now, they have become burden to the society and they in fact forcefully made their children to do the
same.
[] The cruelest part of beggary is that they sometimes allow doing anything to their own body for
money. They are sometimes forced to cut their hands or legs.

Solution:

Government has to take large initiatives to remove the problem of beggary from the society like
providing job security, recruiting more employees in the Governmental sectors and many more.
Beggary problem can also be in control if the children who are begging can be put in the Govt. schools
for education because education is the main key to eradicate any social problem.

Juvenile Delinquency

Juvenile delinquency is also termed as Teenage Crime. Basically, juvenile delinquency refers to the
crimes committed by minors. The crimes by teenage boys or girls are generally done without having
proper knowledge of it as they know very little about the world.

Negative Effects:

The crimes by minors affects not only the children but to the family and the society. Children’s are the
future generations of the country.

Education of the children is hampered and the status and reputation of the family also goes down.
People become less secured and there is always a sense of tension and distress.

Causes:

[] Lack of knowledge: They know very little about the outside world. They sometimes commit crime
unknowingly.
[] Trauma: Trauma of any childhood or teenage incident may have negative effect on mind.
[] Family Disturbance also cause for the crime.

Solutions:

There are many organisations who deal with the problem of Juvenile delinquency. They are
established to help those children who are involved in it.

They increase their thinking ability and decision-making skills. They start to understand the meaning of
Juvenile delinquency and the results of it.

There are rehabilitation centres and consultancies also run by the Government who treat those
children and make them a good person.+++

Civil Services: History, Role & Criticisms

India is a democratic country and in this system, power confers with the people. The power is
exercised through its designated representatives who have the command to manage them for
particular period. The civil services by quality of its knowledge, experience and understanding of public
affairs support the chosen representatives to device effectual policy and have great responsibility to
implement these policies for the welfare of society and enhancement of nation.

The civil service is a subdivision of government which is usually grouped with the Executive, and
without which governments cannot function. These are men and women who establish the permanent
staff of the departments of governments.

Historical Review of Civil Services

Civil service is described as the body of government officials who are recruited in civil administration
that are neither political nor judicial. The public administration system in India has been established
since ancient times.

The Mauryan administration employed civil servants in the name of adhyakshas and rajukas. The
investigation for civil servants in those days too was very stringent as revealed by Kautilya's
Arthasastra. The expanse of the region and the need to hold it intact made it vital for the Mauryan
administration to recruit civil servants based on excellence.
In the medieval period, civil servants became State Servants, who contributed their efforts in the
development of land revenue system during the Moghul period.

The East India Company has a civil service to perform their commercial functions. Afterward, during
the British rule they started as servants to the Crown, but slowly they started becoming 'Public
Servants'. The British Government established the civil services basically with the aim of strengthening
the British administration in India.

In this period, the role of civil services was to promote the British interest and its role was totally
regulatory. Later on, they assumed developmental roles also. After the coming into force of the
Constitution of independent India, the civil services has modified considerably.

The modern history of the Indian Civil Service (ICS) began with the East India Company. In the period
of 1800 AD, Lord Wellesley realised that the administrators of the Empire must be qualified, expertise,
and character established the College of Fort William where every worker of the company was to be
sent for a three-year course of education of the standards of the universities of Oxford and Cambridge.
Among other subjects taught were ethics and international law, and in addition, Indian history and
oriental languages.

In post-independent, India civil service was reorganised. There are three tiers of administration that
include Union/Central Government, State Government, and Local Government. At the central level, the
civil service include the All India Services, namely the Indian Administrative Service (IAS). Indian
Foreign Service (IFS), Indian Forest Service (IFS), and Indian Police Service (IPS). Besides these,
there are other Central Services such as the Indian Revenue Service, Indian Railways Service, etc. at
central level. The State Governments have their own set of services like State Civil Service.

Importance of Civil Services

[] Service presence throughout the country and its strong binding character.
[] Non-partisan advice to political leadership in the midst of political instability and uncertainties.
[] Effective policy-making and regulation.
[] Effective coordination between institutions of governance.
[] Leadership at different levels of administration.
[] Service delivery at the cutting edge level.
[] Provide "continuity and change" to the administration.

It has been observed that civil services are considered as main component of Indian administrative
system that has the responsibility to accomplish the development objectives and welfare of the state. If
these objectives have any failure or shortcomings, it has been thought that it is a failure of civil
services.

Major Responsibilities

[] The prime responsibility of civil services executives to society is to serve the government it has
elected. It denotes that civil services must offer same standard of free, frank, impartial and responsive
advice, and the same level of professionalism in administration and delivery of services, policies,
programs irrespective of political party in power.
[] Another accountability of civil services executive is to openly involve in all actions within the
framework of ministerial actions to government and legislature.
[] Specifically, civil servants are responsible for public interest in maintaining the law and ensuring that
proper procedures are followed.
[] Civil servants has close relations with society as they serve array of services. It entails that they must
adopt ethical practices to deal with public.
[] Civil servants need to serve the society by ensuring that entitlement and services provided to it under
law and government policies are delivered effectively, impartially, courteously and professionally.
[] Civil services officers also responsive to the need of people, treating its member with courtesy and
with sensitivity to their rights and aspirations.
Civil Service Accountability

In civil services, Clearness is a necessary part of accountability. To enhance accountability, experts

have recommended following measures:

[] Strengthening and streamlining reporting mechanisms

[] Streamlining and fast-tracking departmental enquiries
[] Linking performance with incentives
[] Overhaul of employee grievance procedures
[] Action on audit findings
[] Implementation of Citizens Charters' for monitoring service delivery
[] Right to Information Act and its enforcement
[] Code of conduct for civil servant

Major Criticisms of Indian Civil Services

[] Lack of expertise and poor capacity building

[] Alienation from the public and they do not have good understanding of what people want.
[] Inefficient incentive systems that do not appreciate upright and outstanding civil servants but reward
the corrupt and the incompetent.
[] Outdated rules and procedures that restrict the civil servant from performing successfully.
[] Lack of performance culture and focus on outputs and outcomes and inappropriate performance
appraisal.
[] Systemic irregularities in promotion and empanelment.
[] Lack of adequate transparency and accountability procedures. There is also no safety for whistle
blowers.
[] Arbitrary and whimsical transfers. Insecurity in tenures impedes institutionalization.
[] Political interference and administrative compliance.
[] A gradual erosion in public service values, ethics and self-esteem.+++

Civil Service Reform & Challenges

Many experts argued that role of the civil service as a tool in a state's socio-economic and
political development is undisputable. In some regions of world, however, the civil service seems
incapable to cope with the fundamental ideological, political and economic changes as well as the
management innovations.

In other parts of the world, particularly in Africa, the institutional and capacity weakness, of the civil
service is considered one of the fundamental causes of socio-political disturbances and economic
crunch. With awareness of such facts, since last decade, many countries are introducing major
changes in the structure and operations of their civil services.

Major challenges of civil services include Political support and will, Management capacity to implement
reforms, Nurturing support from civil servants themselves, and Safety nets must be in place for those
people who are adversely affected, Reforms must reflect the political and institutional environment of a
country and developing communication between all the stakeholders.

Why should we have an independent, permanent & impartial civil service?

[] Having a trustworthy recruitment process through a neutral agency provides a defence against such
abuse.
[] Public policy today has become a difficult exercise requiring in-depth knowledge and expertise in
public affairs. A permanent civil service offers continuity and develops expertise as well as institutional
memory for effective policy making.
[] A permanent and unbiased civil service is more likely to assess the long-term social payoffs of any
policy while the political executive may have a tendency to look for short term political gain.
[] A permanent civil service assists to ensure consistency in public administration and also acts as a
uniting force particularly in immense and culturally diverse nations.
[] A permanent civil service is likely to develop over time on principled basis for its functioning.

"Good Governance" is being used as an all-inclusive framework not only for administrative and civil
service reform, but as a link between Civil Service Improvement and an all-embracing framework for
making policy decisions effective within practical systems of responsibility and citizen participation.

Main components of Civil Service Reform

[] Structure
[] Recruitment
[] Capacity Building
[] Performance & Promotion
[] Professionalism & Modernity
[] Accountability

From thorough review, it is established that the basic role of the civil servant is to initiate and actively
participate in all the processes leading to the development of policy and ensure that the policy is
agreed by government and it is faithfully and honestly executed. The civil service is the most important
single institution affecting the lives of the citizens of a state.

Its influence is all persistent, in the modern world where most states perform extensive functions in
providing social services and regulating the economic life of their inhabitants.

The role of civil services has changed over the time. Currently, rapid economic growth has led to
increase in the quantum of work. The Government is not perceived as a law enforcer or a controller of
national resources. It is progressively viewed as a provider although an efficient provider of basic
services and public goods. Populace of India expect from Government to facilitate growth and
development. With reference to civil services, civil servants have to be trained to deal with upcoming
challenges arising out of globalisation.+++

Poverty & Hunger: Overview & Dimensions

Poverty and hunger have been a universal and increasing menace to humankind. Research
reports have indicated that most of the people in African countries are exposed to poverty and hunger.
About 70% of Africa's poor are rural inhabitants. There are many inter-related issues that cause
hunger and poverty that are related to socio-economic and other factors. A large proportion of people
have very limited access to income, resources, education, health care and nutrition.

According to Amartya Sen, he discovered that the real cause for hunger is the lack of ability to pay for
food. Hunger at global scale is one of the main problems that large number of the global population
faces presently. Hunger varies with severity. World hunger has many annoying factors and major
causes, such as insufficient economic systems, misinformation, and climate changes. But the main
unbearable factor is poverty as poverty always has led to people going without regular meals because
they cannot afford to eat.

Extreme poverty remains an upsetting problem in the world's developing regions, regardless of the
advances made in the 1990s. Progress in poverty reduction has been concentrated in Asia and
especially East Asia. In other areas, the number of people in extreme poverty has increased especially
in sub-Saharan Africa.

Poverty in India is primarily due to improper government policies and the misuse of the financially
weaker section by the wealthier community. The world has 872.3 million people below the new poverty
line, of which 179.6 million people lived in India. In other words, India with 17.5% of total world's
population, had 20.6% share of world's poorest in 2011. The main outcome of poverty is hunger.

The Global Study revealed that 42% children in India are underweight and 58% of children are stunted
by two years of age. Furthermore, hunger and malnutrition have a separate gender dimension and are
prevalent among the women and mothers. Malnutrition occurs when a person's body receives little or
no nutrients. People who are malnourished get sick more often and as a result in many cases die.

According to Muller & Krawinkel (2015), "Malnutrition is consequently the most important risk factor for
the problem of disease in developing countries. It is the direct cause of about 300,000 deaths per year
and is indirectly responsible for about half of all deaths in young children."

In developing countries, poverty has been conventionally evaluated with reference to sufficient calorie
consumption. Poverty involves more than the lack of income and productive resources to ensure
sustainable livelihoods. Its manifestations include hunger and malnutrition, limited access to education
and other basic services, social discrimination and elimination as well as the lack of participation in
decision-making.

The 2015 Global Hunger Index (GHI) Report ranked India 20th amongst leading countries with a
serious hunger situation. Amongst South Asian nations, it ranks third behind only Afghanistan and
Pakistan with a GHI score of 29.0 ("serious situation").

Poor health services

It has been observed that People of developing countries have less access to good health services as
compared to industrialized nations. Deficiencies that lead to ill health are common in developing
countries, and the poor community in developing countries are particularly at risk (World bank. 2000).
The relationship between poverty and access to health care can be seen as part of a larger cycle,
where poverty leads to ill health and ill health maintains poverty.

Child Malnutrition

The occurrence of under-nutrition in India is amongst the highest levels found in any country in the
world and in spite of the development in food production, disease control and economic and social
development, India is facing an acute problem of child malnutrition.

Despite India's 50% increase in GDP since 1991, more than one third of the world's malnourished
children live in India. Among these, half of them under 3 are underweight and a third of wealthiest
children are over-nutriented.

Insufficient Education & Training

In developing countries, children do not have access to basic education because of inequalities that
originate in sex, health and cultural identity. These children find themselves on the margins of the
education system and do not get benefit from learning which is vital for their intellectual and social
development.

It has been revealed in reports that illiteracy and lack of education are common factor that lead to
poverty. Governments of developing countries often cannot have enough money to provide for good
public schools, especially in rural areas. Poor people also often sacrifice schooling in order to
concentrate on making a minimal living. Additionally, developing countries tend to have few
employment opportunities, especially for women. As a result, people do not want to attend school.

Climate Change

Climate change is also a major issue for world hunger. With the amount of rain that a country gets
increases, it can possibly lead to serious flooding. This can devastate an entire year's harvest,
destroying whatever the farmer may have prepared for his family or the market. Flooding adversely
affects how much food is produced and available to the impoverished and raises the costs of these
farm products. This indicates that the poor can afford even less than they would usually be able to buy.

Many people in developing countries depend on farmers in order to live, so with the weather changing
so drastically with each season, it ruins their chances of growing food to either eat or sell. Farmers
already scuffle with growing food, so with the climate changes increasing, it is not only affecting them
but also affecting their nation's budget.

Agriculture Sector

While services and industry have grown at double-digit figures, agriculture growth rate has dropped
from 4.8% to 2%. About 60% of the population is employed in agriculture whereas the contribution of
agriculture to the GDP is about 18%. The surplus of labour in agriculture has caused many people to
not have jobs.

Farming is strangulated by the government by not allowing economies of scale (Land Ceiling Act) thus
not the use of machines and freeing up the labour for industrial production. The purchase of
Agriculture land is not financed by banks which restricts enterprise in agriculture.

Corruption

Another issue related with poverty is corruption often accompanies centralization of power, when
leaders are not accountable to those they serve. Corruption hinders development when leaders help
themselves to money that would otherwise be used for development projects. In other cases, leaders
reward political support by providing services to their factions.+++

Land Reforms in India

Land is precious for any country and used by people for productivity and as a source of food,
for place to live, for wood, for place to work.

In India, there was a practice of land holdings from historic times and it was distributed in a highly
unequal manner and have always been used as a source of social power. To get secure access to
land for the poor and landless, policies of land reform were implemented to benefit poorer section of
society since independence. After that a number of land reforms have been done by the government
such as abolition of 'Zamindari' or middlemen as revenue collectors, imposing ceiling on landholdings
and awarding of the surplus land's rights to landless, and tenancy reforms. Land reform is described as
redistribution of land from the rich to the poor. More broadly, it comprises of regulation of ownership,
operation, leasing, sales, and inheritance of land (indeed, the redistribution of land itself requires legal
changes).

Mughal Period

During the Mughal period, before the arrival of the British there were numerous changes in the system
of land taxation or revenue. Peasants continued to enjoy customary rights over land they occupied and
generally could not be evicted unless they failed to pay the required land revenue (land tax) to the
state. The task of collecting land revenue was assigned to a class of agents.

Permanent Land Settlement

Lord Carnwallies had introduced Permanent Land Settlement for Bengal, Bihar and Orissa in 1793.
According to this the tax farmers appointed by the British rulers was converted as various Land Lords.
Under this rule they had to pay fixed commission to East India Company. Thus these intermediaries
were formed and called as Jagirdar / Jamindar.

Following the Land Settlement Act, 1793, the farmers purchase lands from the Land Lords and hire it
for their agricultural use. These people who hired the land were called tenants.

Variations in Tenency

[] Cash Tenents: They pay a fixed tax for the use and occupy of the land.
[] Share - Cash Tenants: They pay part of their rent in cash and other part as share of the crop.
[] Crop - Share Tenants: They pay a share of crops only.
[] Croppers: They pay crop of the share. But they were not independent and work under the landlord.

The increasing layers of intermediaries meant that there was considerable increase in rent extracted
from the tillers and failure to pay this increased amount resulted in large-scale evictions, widespread
disturbance, and declining agricultural production. The British sought to stabilize the situation through
legislated tenancy reform.

Bengal Rent Act

The Bengal Rent Act of 1859 placed restrictions on the power of landlords' to increase rent or evict
tenants. However, the Act only protected fixed-rent tenants and did not protect bargadars or
agricultural labourers. But it only protected those fixed-rent tenants who could prove they had
cultivated the land for 12 consecutive years.

Constant cultivation was difficult to prove due to poor records and the Act resulted in an increase in
evictions by Zamindars to prevent tenants from possessing land for the required time period. The 1885
Bengal Tenancy Act also sought to protect long-standing tenants, and was similarly ineffective.

Jotedars & Bargadars

During this period, another form of landholder emerged in Bengal. The Jotedars were a rich class of
peasants who reclaimed and gained control of large quantities of uncultivated forests and wetlands
outside the territory governed by the Permanent Settlement. The Jotedars refined some of this land
through the direct supervision of hired labour or servants. Nevertheless, the bulk of the Jotedars' land,
like much of the land in Bengal, was cultivated by Bargadars.

Rural tensions over the dilemma of Bargadars were common in the decades prior to and after
Independence. In the 1940s, the Tebhaga movement called for a smaller crop share payment and also
created the slogan, "He who tills the land, owns the land." The movement is given credit for shaping
post-Independence land reform legislation in West Bengal.

Tenancy Systems in India before Independence

Ryotwari

[] It was started in Madras since 1772 and was later extended to other states.
[] Under this system, the responsibility of paying land revenue to the Government was of the cultivator
himself and there was no intermediary between him and the state.
[] The Ryot had full right regarding sale, transfer and leasing of land and could not be evicted from the
land as long as he pays the land revenue.
[] But the settlement of land revenue under Ryotwari system was done on temporary basis and was
periodic after 20, 30 or 40 years.
[] It was extended to Bombay Presidency.

Mahalwari

[] This system was initiated by William Bentinck in Agra and Oudh and was later extended to Madhya
Pradesh and Punjab.
[] Under this system, the village communities held the village lands commonly and it was joint
responsibility of these communities to make payments of the land revenue.
[] The land ownership is held as joint ownership with the village body.
[] The land can be cultivated by tenants who can pay cash / kind / share.

Jamindari

[] Lord Cornwallis gave birth to Zamindari system in India. He introduced this system for the first time in
1793 in West Bengal and was later adopted in other states as well.
[] Under this system, the land was held by a person who was responsible for the payment of land
revenue.
[] They could obtain the land mostly free of charge from the government during the British rule and it is
called estate.
[] Landlords never cultivated the land they owned and rented them out to the cultivators.
[] The amount of land revenue may either be fixed once one for all when it was called permanent
settlement or settlement with regard to land revenue may only be temporary and may, therefore, be
revised after every 30-40 years, as the practice may be.

Objectives of Land Reforms post Independence

[] To make redistribution of Land to make a socialistic pattern of society. Such an effort will reduce the
inequalities in ownership of land.
[] To ensure land ceiling and take away the surplus land to be distributed among the small and
marginal farmers.
[] To legitimize tenancy with the ceiling limit.
[] To register all the tenancy with the village Panchayats.
[] To establish relation between tenancy and ceiling.
[] To remove rural poverty.
[] Proliferating socialist development to lessen social inequality
[] Empowerment of women in the traditionally male driven society.
[] To increase productivity of agriculture.
[] To see that everyone can have a right on a piece of land.
[] Protection of tribal by not allowing outsiders to take their land.

Land reform legislation in India is categorized in to four main sections that include --

> abolition of intermediaries who were rent collectors under the pre-Independence land revenue
system,
> tenancy regulation that attempts to improve the contractual terms faced by tenants, including crop
shares and security of tenure,
> a ceiling on landholdings with a view to redistributing surplus land to the landless and
> lastly, attempts to consolidate disparate landholdings.

Outcomes of Land Reforms

Abolition of Jamindars and Jagirdars:

[] The powerful Jamindars and Jagirdars have become inexistent.

[] The abolition of intermediaries has stopped exploitation.
[] Transfer of land to peasants from intermediaries has reduced disparities.
[] The new proprietorship has given scope for innovation in Land Reforms.
[] The ex-jagirdars and ex-Jamindars have engaged themselves actively in other work thus contributing
for National Growth.
[] The abolishment of these systems has increased to the new land owners thus adding revenue to the
state governments.

Land Ceiling

Land is a source of Income in rural India land and it provides employment opportunities. Therefore it is
important for the marginal farmers, agricultural labourers, and small farmers. The concept 'ceiling on
land holdings' denotes to the legally stipulated maximum size beyond which no individual farmer or
farm household can hold any land. The objective of such ceiling is to promote economic growth with
social justice.

Land possession & social power

It is observed that the land is not only the source of production but also for generating power in the
community. In the Indian system, the land is often transferred from one generation to another
generation. However all this lack the documentation of possession of land. In this framework, the
government had made it mandatory to register all tenancy arrangements.+++

Religious Liberty and Women Rights

Every Right has a corresponding duty and every duty comes from the legal statute or the moral
obligation. The relation between the right and duties goes hand in hand. But sometimes both liberty
and right become contradictory (in short term) and they lock horn at the societal platform.

Right to maintain Religious Institution

Article 26 of the Indian constitution gives freedom to manage religious affairs Subject to public order,
morality and health, every religious denomination or any section thereof shall have the right –

(a) to establish and maintain institutions for religious and charitable purposes;
(b) to manage its own affairs in matters of religion;
(c) to own and acquire movable and immovable property; and
(d) to administer such property in accordance with law.

However, these guarantees are available to only Citizens of India and not to aliens. These, however
are constitutional provisions and are generally perceived to be applicable for men. Women in India, do
not enjoy obvious freedom to participate, maintain and oversee religious institutions, even when
guaranteed by Indian constitutions.

Right to Equality

Right to equality, in Indian constitution is exhibited from Article 14 to Article 18. It is considered as the
foremost in Indian constitution.

[] Art 14 states that “The state shall not deny to any person equality before the law or the equal
protection of the laws within the territory of India.” This right not only applies to the citizens of India but
also to all the people within the territory of India.
[] Art 15 states that “the state shall not discriminate against any citizen on grounds only of religion,
race, caste sex, place of birth or any of them.” This article applies only to
[] Art. 16 guarantees equality of opportunity in matters of public employment.
[] Art. 17 of the constitution says, “Untouchability is abolished and its practice in any form is
forbidden.” This is an absolute fundamental right.
[] Art. 18 forbid titles except military or academic distinctions. Title from foreign governments such as
knighthood is forbidden.

Thus, our constitution places the women right at the equal status as that of their men counterpart. By
Article 15 and 16 government can even make provision of reservations for education and employment
for women.

Looking at the above provisions, it can very well be said that women in India, have been provided with
ample opportunities to match their male counterpart and ensure equality. Moreover, it is a gradually
heartening sign that their participation in employment- government as well as private, in socio-political
activities of the nation and also their presence at the highest decision making bodies is improving day
by day.

However, we are still lagging far behind in achieving the equality and justice in true sense and spirit
which the Preamble of our Constitution talks about. Even when, Indian women have been provided
with enormous equality provisions and laws, they are pathetically way behind men in almost all the
parameters, depicting those constitutional provisions only on the paper. The real problem lies in the
patriarchal and male-dominated system of our society which considers women as subordinate to men
and creates different types of methods to subjugate them.

The need of us is to educate and sensitize male members of the society regarding women issues and
try to inculcate a feeling of togetherness and equality among them so that they would stop their
discriminatory practices towards the fairer sex. For this to happen apart from Government, the efforts
are needed from various civil societies, NGOs and from huge participation of citizens of the country.
And first of all efforts should begin from our homes where we must empower, educate and equalize
female members of our family by providing them equal opportunities of education, health, nutrition and
decision making without any discrimination. India can surge on the path of progress only with the equal
status to women.

Status of Women in Religious Activities

Women are considered only a second class citizens in almost all the religious practices, rituals,
customs and orthopraxy, in most of the major religion. Religion and their practices are often dated
back to ancient times. Naturally, such practices are not devoid of various superstitions and irrationality.

The plight of Indian women had always been denigrated in the history, barring in Buddhist society.
Therefore, even when a modern society, by and large got developed by the weight of modernity,
pragmatism and education, the women amelioration in religious activities could not be a reality.
Position of women in religious activities are often tied to such hardcore rituals based on superstitions
and exist in deplorable scenarios.

There is and underlying need to dismantle gender stereotypes within a religious framework and
discuss various issues that affect the life of women - female feticide, ordination, salvation, marriage
reform laws, exclusion of females from important memberships of religious institutions, their entry into
temples and mosques, biased customs and rituals and so on.

The Point of Conflict

Women have not given equal liberty and rights in religious matters even in contemporary times. The
basic point of conflict is included in vested interests and lack of rationality. Some of the obvious
reasons for the existence of such scenario in the 21st progressive India can be:

[] Patriarchism – Society has been dominated by men, so should be the religion and its affairs
[] Superstitions – Gods may get angry in altering the centuries old practices and rituals.
[] Electoral politics – Many political parties lend support against women being given equality status
as they do not want to antagonize the particular religion.
[] Corruption – Big temples and trusts do not want any new entrant in their stronghold administration
of temples. Giving equal status to women may expose some of the corrupt priests and their
descendants.

However, there have been ample reasons given in public or otherwise to keep away women from
religious practices and affairs, as evident below:

[] It was a “sin” for women to go near the grave when they were menstruating
[] Worshipping and prayer in temples and mosques distract and create negative image for men at
sacred places.
[] Women are considered impure to touch and perform worship of some deities.
[] Women should not touch the graves of mosque
[] These are century-old rules that have come down to us and one must obey them

This is high time, amidst controversial, temple entry, uniform civil code and the frequently debates
women empowerment, that the state should enact a robust law so as to bring women on the great
platform of true equality. The enactment as well as their implementation in letter as well as spirit can
provide the legitimate right and liberty in religion to Indian women.+++
 Women in India: Ancient Era

The status of women in India has undergone drastic changes over a Past few millennia. In
ancient time, the Indian women were completely devoted to their families. In the Medieval period,
known as 'Dark Age', the status of women was declined considerably. They were not allowed to go
out, and move with others. They were asked to stay at home and take care of their children.

In India, early marriage of a girl was practiced. After Independence women came forward in all the
sectors and there is remarkable changes in the status of women in the field of education, art and
culture. A historical viewpoint to the complexities, India continues to face from time to time since
Independence. But the status of women in contemporary India is a sort of inconsistency.

Indus Valley Civilization

During the period of Indus valley civilization, status of women were fairly good. They were given equal
honour along as men in the culture. The adoration of mother goddess demonstrates that they were
respected in the form of mother.

Vedic Period

During Rig Vedic period, woman had superior status and they got more liberty and equality with men.
The position of wife was a privileged one in the household and women had enhanced status to that of
a man in performing religious rites. In education sphere, both boys and girls were having equal
opportunities. After observing Upanayana Samskar, girls were permitted to spend their life in Gurukul.
In intellectual and spiritual life they occupied a position as man. Education of girls were considered as
an important qualification for marriage.

During Uttar Vedic period, freedom of marriage continued and remarriage of widows continued to be
allowed. Though dowry system continued but not in the form of today's society. The marriage
ceremony was the same as in the previous period. As in the previous period the picture of an ideal
family life continued.

During the age of Sutras and Epics, comprehensive rules concerning the proper seasons for marriage,
qualifications of bride and bridegroom were incorporated - bride is at a mature age, over 15 or 16. The
women held a respectable status in the household. She was permissible to sing, dance and enjoy life.
Sati was not generally predominant. Widow Remarriage was permissible under certain circumstances.

On the whole the Dharma-sutras take a more humane attitude than the Smritis of a later age. The
Apastamba enforces several penalties on a husband who unfairly forsakes his wife. On the other hand,
a wife who forsakes her husband has to only perform self-punishment.

The famous dialogue between Yajnavalkya and his wife Maitreyi and Gargi Vachaknavi indicated how
enlightened the women of that age were. According to the Sarvanukramanika, there were as many as
20 women among the authors of the Rig Veda. These stories stand in contrast to the later age when
the study of Vedic literature was prohibited to women under the most severe penalty.

The Age 600 BC to 320 AD

In this period, marriage between the same caste was preferred although inter caste marriages were
widespread. Of the eight forms of marriage prescribed by the Dharma-sutras, the Arhsa form of
marriage was most popular.

According to Nearchus the Indians "marry without giving or taking dowries but the girls, as soon as
they are marriageable, are brought forward by their fathers and exposed in public, to be selected by a
person who outclasses in some form of physical exercise (Swayamber)".

It was also found that females during this period were active in such public economic activities as
wage-labour in state-owned textile factories as well as serving as temple dancers, courtesans, and
court attendants. In the beginning of this period, there were well educated women holding an
honourable position in society and household. Jain texts refer to Jayanti who performed discussions
with Mahavira himself and later on became a nun.

Gupta Period

The Gupta Empire was observed as the classical age of Indian culture because of its legendary and
artistic happenings. Some information on roles for leading women comes from the Kama Sutra, a
manual about the many ways to acquire pleasure, a legitimate goal for Hindu men in the householder,
or second stage, of their lives.

Women were allowed to be educated, to give and to receive sexual pleasure, and to be faithful wives.
There was an increasing tendency to lower the marriageable age of girls with girls being married
before or after puberty. Marriage within the same caste was preferred but forbidden within certain
degrees of relationship. Girls of high families had ample opportunities for acquiring ability in higher
learning.

In Vatsyayana's Kamasutra, instances of princess are mentioned whose intellect was sharpened by
knowledge of the Sasatras. The literary evidence of the Gupta age demonstrates that girls of high
class also those living in hermitages read works on ancient history & legend. Girls living in royal courts
were trained in singing & dancing too.

Sati was inscribed by some but strongly criticised by others. It was thought that the custom was not
extensively prevalent during this period. Probably due to the foreign invasions and its significances for
women, the custom of sati, though confined to the warrior class earlier began to gain pervasive
acceptance, be perceived as a great sacrifice.

During this period, society began to discourage widow remarriages, there began to arise a class of
childless widows who needed money to maintain themselves. Due to a lowering of the age of
marriage, girls were not literate as earlier. This degraded the status of women. Brides being too young
and they did not have any choice in marriage decisions.

During this period, marriage became a binding union, but it was one sided in favour of the husband.
Since women were not as educated as before they did not know how to lead life in right way. The most
striking modifications may be the increased recognition in Katyayana of the women's right to property
and a noteworthy rule in Atri that allowed women ill-treated by robbers to recuperate her social
status.+++

Women in India: Medieval Era

Early Medieval Period

In this period as in previous time, women were generally considered mentally sub-standard. Their
responsibility was to obey their husband blindly. Women continued to be deprived of the right to study
the Vedas. Furthermore, the eligible age for girls to marriage was lowered, thus depriving their
opportunities to get higher education. However, from some of the dramatic works of the period, it was
found the court ladies and even the queen's maids capable of composing excellent Sanskrit and prakrit
verses.

While love marriages were known they were honoured after approval of the girl's custodians.
Sometimes, girls with the approval of their parents opted for a Svayamvara ceremony. Remarriage
was allowed under certain condition when the husband had deserted or died, or adopted the life of a
recluse, or was impotent or had become an out caste.

In general, women were mistrusted. They were kept in privacy and their life was governed by the male
relation, father, brother, husband, son. However, within the home they were given privileged.
With the evolution of property rights in land, the property right of women also increased. In order to
preserve the property of a family, women were given the right to inherit the property of their male
relations. With some reservation, a widow was permitted to the entire estate of her husband if he died
sonless. Daughters also had the right to succeed to the properties of a widow. Thus, the growth of
feudal society supported the concept of private property.

The practice of sati was made mandatory by few authors, but predestined by others. Purdah was not
dominant during this period. Generally, their culture was high.

Medieval Period

Medieval Indian history continued for 500 years. It is principally dominated by Muslim rulers. Muslim
appeared in India as a warrior class. Their rule in India is divided into two Eras; The Era of Delhi
Sultanate and the Mughal Era.

The only women who has power and gained the thrown of Delhi was Razia Sultan. She was not only a
wise monarch but also a women of determined courage. She proved herself as the role of model for
politically empowered women in India.

In Mughal Period, India saw the rise of some renowned Muslim women. Qutluq Nigar Khanm Babar's
mother gave wise advice to her son Babar, during his difficult campaign for the recovery of his father's
heritage. Another example was Gulbadan Begum, women of excellent poetic talent who wrote
Humayun-namah. Nur Jahan and Jahan Ara took an active part in the state affairs. Nurjahan was the
greatest Muslim queen of India. She had good persona and military courage.

In India, there was also heroic women. Chandbibi, who appeared on the battlements of the fort of
Ahmednagar dressed in male outfit and put heart in the protectors of that town against the influences
of Akbar himself; Tara Bai, the Maharata heroine who was the life and soul of Maharata resistance
during the last determined attack of Aurangazeb; Mangammal, whose benevolent rule is still a green
memory in the South, and Ahalya Bai Holkar, to whose administrative mastermind Sir John Malcolm
has paid magnificent honour.

In the medieval period, there were drastic changes in the social life of women. Dependence of women
on their husbands or other male relatives was a protuberant feature of this period. During this period
women were deprived of opportunities of any education, having lost the access to Streedhana or
dowry, they virtually became the subjugated class with dreadful results for themselves and the nation.
Indian women were politically, socially and economically indolent except for those engaged in farming
and weaving. Political demotion includes the barring of women from all important decision- making
processes.

With the initiation of Muslims in India, the social movement of Indian women was limited. They were
banned to attend public functions and were not free to partake as men's equals in religious functions
like yajnas, obviously indicating a deprivation of her role as she was kept in isolation

Another social malevolent that existed in society during this period was child marriage. These pre-
pubescent marriages harmfully affected the health of the girls. These child brides were deprived of all
intellectual, physical and spiritual development. It virtually stabbed the delicate mind of Indian girl child.
Indian womanhood was cruelly locked. Likewise, most of the women thought that they have to serve at
home.

Other social evils in this period were female infanticide, sati, child marriages, Purdah system or
zenana. The seclusion of women developed during the middle ages, due to the political instability of
Northern India, particularly due to various assaults. Muslims who came to India were mainly soldiers
and they did not give much importance to Hindu principles like chastity and Pativrata dharma.

Polygamy was the first reason which contributed to the demotion of women. Muslim rulers in India had
big aim. Thus women came to be regarded as tools of sensual satisfaction. Even among the Hindus,
there was no limit for wives a man could take.
Marriage in Islam is a contract. But a Muslim man can have as many as four wives. Thus even religion
encouraged, there was the hopeless subservience of women. Islam also made husband the head of
the family and insisted that a wife should follow all his commands and should serve him with greatest
loyalty, whether he deserved for it or not.

Purdah gained acceptance with the advent of the Muslims. The purdah system existed among
Kshatriyas in the period of Dharma Sastras. But the Hindu women veiled only their face or sometimes
only covered their heads with sarees or "dupattas." But for Muslims it meant complete covering.

Dowry system was also prevalent during this period. It actually meant "Stridhana" which included gifts,
ornaments, property, and cash presented to her by her father or her relatives. But in the medieval
period, the term had special importance. It meant money or "Dakshina" which was actually presented
to the bride groom along with the bride. In Vedic times, it guaranteed security for her. But during the
middle-ages, women was not free to use it as it was owned by her husband and his kith and kin.

In the medieval period, widow's condition were more miserable. Inflexibility of caste system deprived of
them the right to freedom and social movement. Inhuman treatment was given to the widow. She was
forced to lead a life away from sophisticated pleasures. A widow was also isolated from society as well
as family. Another pre-requisite for a widow was shaving the head.

According to Jauha, there was the practice of voluntary immolation by wives and daughters of
overpowered warriors, in order to avoid capture and resulting molestation by the opponent. The
practice was followed by the wives of defeated Rajput rulers, who are known to place a high premium
on honour.

Another heinous torture of women was prostitution which became a recognised institution. The
Devadasi system which was predominant among the Hindus and the courtesans who ornamented the
court of Muslim rulers, dishonoured the status of women in civilisation. Under the Devadasi system,
women were the brides of gods. But they were supposed to amuse kings, priests and even members
of the high classes.

Bhakti Movement

Bhakti movements which succeeded during the medieval age gave rise to a new course of man and
women who cared slightly for gender prejudice. The liberal current, which to some extent extended the
prospect of women, was the Bhakti movements, the medieval saints' movements.

Female poet-saints also played a significant role in the bhakti movement at large. However, many of
these women had to fight for acceptance within male dominated movement. Only through
demonstrations of their absolute devotion to the Divine, their outstanding poetry, and persistent
insistence of their spiritual equality with their contemporaries were these women unwillingly
acknowledged and accepted within their ranks.

Women bhaktas wrote of the obstacles of home, family tensions, the absent husband, meaningless
household chores, and restrictions of married life, including their status as married women. In many
cases, they excluded traditional women's roles and societal norms by leaving husbands and homes
altogether, choosing to become wandering bhaktas; in some instances they formed communities with
other poet-saints. Their new focus was sheer devotion and worship of their Divine Husbands.

Women bhaktas were simply individuals attempting to lead lives of devotion. Staying largely within the
patriarchal philosophy that upheld the chaste and dutiful wife as ideal, these women transferred the
object of their devotion and their duties as the "lovers" or "wives" to their Divine Lover or Husband.
However, that their poetry became an important aspect of the bhakti movement.+++
 Women in India: Modern & Post-Independence Era

Modern India denotes to the era form 1700 A.D. to 1947 A.D. In the back ground of the
intellectual disturbance of the 18th and 19th century, there observed a worldwide demand for
establishing of independent and democratic nationalist societies which consistently emphasized the
fairness of women with men. Women in modern India have been influenced by the programs of
modification and upliftment which brought about a fundamental change in their status.

With the numerous reform movements and a steady change in the opinion of women in society, there,
a radical change in the position of women in modern India was seen. Before the British rule in India,
the life of women was rather domineering, and they were subject to a continual process of subjugation
and social domination.

British Period

During the British rule, several changes were made in the economic and social structures of Indian
society, and some considerable progress was accomplished in removal of inequalities between men
and women, in education, employment, social rights. Earlier to this period, the status of women was in
gloomy state.

In the British period, women were given opportunities for education. After the Bhakti Movement, the
Christian Missionaries took interest in the education of the girls. The Hunter Commission too
highlighted on the need for female education in 1882. The Calcutta, Bombay and Madras institutions
did not permit the admission of girls till 1875. It was only after 1882 that girls were permitted to go for
higher education. Since then, there has been a constant progress in the extent of education among
females.

At the end of the Nineteenth Century, women in India suffered from infirmities like, child-marriage,
practice of polygamy, sale of girls for marriage purposes, severe restrictions on widows, non-access to
education and restricting oneself to domestic and child-bearing functions. The Indian National
Conference started in 1885 by Justice Ranade contained these disabilities.

Renowned social reformer, Raja Ram Mohun Roy, who contributed immensely in getting the Sati
system abolished, raised voices against the child-marriage and fought for the right of legacy for
women. Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar propelled a movement for the right of widows to re-marry and
also begged for educating women.

Maharaja S. Rao, ruler of Baroda State worked for deterrence of child-marriages, polygamy and
getting the rights of education to women, and the right of re-marriage to widows. Other eminent
personality like Swami Vivekananda, Annie Besant, and Mahatma Gandhi, Swami Dayanand
Saraswati also had interest in the social and political rights of women.

Women's Organisations emerged in India as a result of the spread of education and the establishment
of the notion of the new woman. There was an improved level of communication among women which
made them aware of the different problems that they faced and their rights and accountabilities in
society.

Mahila mandals organised by Hindu reformist organisations such as the Arya Samaj and Brahmo
Samaj encouraged women to go out of the boundaries of their homes and interact with other members
of society. Pandita Ramabai, who was considered as one of the innovators of the feminist movement,
with the help of Justice Ranade established the Arya Mahila Samaj in 1882. She envisioned creating a
support network for newly educated women through weekly lectures and lessons at homes, where
women could learn and gain confidence through interactions.

Women's auxiliaries of general reform associations also served as a ground for women to deliberate
social issues, express opinions and share experiences. The Bharata Mahila Parishad of the National
Social Conference was the most protruding among such opportunities.
The pre‐Independence period saw women's issues related to the nationalist agenda at various
junctures. In this period, major enhancement of women was in terms of political participation of
women, calling for a redefinition of conventional gender roles. Women began openly demonstrating
their opposition to foreign control by supporting civil disobedience actions and other forms of protest
against the British.

Political awareness among women grew, owing to a general understanding that women's issues could
not be separated from the political environment of the country. During this period, the initial women's
organisations formed within the historical background of the social reform movement and the
nationalist movement were as follows.

[] The Women's India Association (WIA).

[] National Council of Women in India (NCWI).
[] The All India Women's Conference (AIWC) in 1917, 1925 and 1927 correspondingly.

The most important of the women's organisations of the time was the All India Women's Conference.
Though its initial efforts were directed towards improving female education, its scope later extended to
include a host of women's issues such as women's franchise, inheritance rights.

Post-Independence

The Constitution of India enlisted in 1950 which permitted equal rights to men and women. Rights such
as the right to vote, right to education, right to entry into public service and political offices brought in
satisfaction among women's groups. In this period, there was limited activity in the area of women's
rights. Many women's organizations such as National Federation of Indian Women (1954) the
Samajwadi Mahila Sabha (1559) were formed to work for supporting the cause of Indian women.

In post-independent India, the women's crusade was divided, as the common opponent, foreign rule,
was no longer there. Some of the women leaders formally joined the Indian National Congress and
took powerful position as Ministers, Governors and Ambassadors. Free India's Constitution gave
universal adult franchise and by the mid-fifties India had fairly liberal laws concerning women.

In Ahmedabad the first attempt at a women's trade union was made with the establishment of the Self
Employed Women's Association (SEWA) at the initiative of Ela Bhat in 1972. Major objective was to
improve the condition of poor women who worked in the unorganized sector by providing training,
technical aids and collective bargaining. Based on Gandhian ideals, SEWA has been a remarkable
success.

The 1970s and 1980s observed the development of numerous women's groups that took up issues
such as dowry deaths, bride burning, rape, and sati and focused on violence against women. They
stressed the sexual coercion of women in a way previous reform or feminist groups had never done. It
can be believed that, the Indian women's movement worked for two goals.

[] Uplift of women.
[] Equal rights for both men and women.

All the major political parties, the Congress, BJP, CPI, CPI (M) have their women's wings. The new
women's groups declare themselves to be feminist. They are dispersed with no central organization
but they have built informal networks among themselves. Their political commitment is more leftist than
liberal.

In modern time women are actively participating in every field of life. Women exercise their right to
vote, contest for Parliament and Assembly, seek appointment in public office and compete in other
spheres of life with men. They have not only served the cause of the suffering humanity but have also
brought highest successes for the country, for example, Mother Teressa who sacrificed whole life for
welfare of society. She brought the Nobel Prize for India by her selfless services to the poor, destitute
and suffering people of our country in particular and the deprived and handicapped people of the world
in general.

The Hindu Code Bill has given the daughter and the son equal share of the property. The Marriage Act
no longer regards woman as the property of man. Marriage is now considered to be a personal matter
and if a partner is disappointed she or he has the right of divorce.

National Alliance of Women

The National Alliance of Women (NAWO) is a national web of women. It is affiliation or membership is
open to all liberal minded women's groups and institutions, non-governmental organizations, women
workers, women's unions, individuals and others.

Major objective of this organization are:

[] Strengthening and building new initiatives, networks, forums etc., for protecting women's rights
[] Monitoring the Government of India's commitments, implementing the Platform for Action with
special focus on the eight point agenda discussed at the Conference of Commitment, CEDAW, the
Human Rights and other United Nations Convention.
[] Advocacy, lobbying and campaigning on women related issues.
[] Information Dissemination and Documentation.
[] Solidarity and linkages with other regional and global forums.

Swadhina (Self-esteemed Women)

Formed in 1986, it is principally a civil society organization focused on Empowerment of women and
Child Development based on Sustainable Development and Right Lively hood.

Major projects of this organization are as follows:

Women's Empowerment Through:

[] Promoting Grass-Root level Women's Organization

[] Fostering Functional Literacy, Education & Social Awareness generation
[] Augmenting Participation of Women in Local Governance
[] Encouraging Women's Income Generation & economic capacity building
[] Strengthening Women's Participation in Agriculture & Food Security support
[] Upholding Non-Violence & Social Empowerment
[] Improving Family Health & Nutrition

Child Development Through:

[] Supporting Child Education

[] Promoting Sports & Games
[] Advancing Environment & Eco-logical awareness

All India Democratic Women's Association

AIDWA was created in 1981 as a national level mass organisation of women. AIDWA believes the
liberation of women in India requires fundamental systemic change. It upholds secular values and
challenges and resists cultural practices demeaning to women.+++
 Globalisation & Indian society

Globalization is a significant factor in competitive world that integrate and mobilize cultural
values of people at global level. In the age of rapid technical progression, many countries are unified
and transformed due to the process of globalization. Globalization has a huge impact on cultural,
social, monetary, political, and communal life of countries.

Globalization is described by theorists as the process through which societies and economies are
integrated through cross border flows of ideas, communication, technology, capital, people, finance,
goods, services and information.

After World War I and II the early trends of globalization decreased throughout the world due to many
barriers which restricted the movement of goods and services. In fact, cultural and social integration
are even more than economic integration. Globalization increases competitiveness at company level
and national level, which leads company management and governments to embrace strategies
designed to increase labour effectiveness with reference to productivity, quality and innovation.

Generally, globalization involves economies that are opening up to international competition and that
do not distinguish against international capital. Consequently, globalization is often accompanied by a
liberalization of the markets and the privatization of productive assets. But globalization also leads to
unemployment, increasing casual employment and weakening labour movements.

Globalization as a process of rapid economic, cultural, and institutional integration among countries.
This association is driven by the liberalization of trade, investment and capital flow, technological
advances, and pressures for assimilation towards international standards. Globalization has reduced
barriers between countries, thus resulting in strengthening of economic competition among nations,
dissemination of advanced management practices and newer forms of work organization, and sharing
of internationally accepted labour standards.

Factors of Globalization

There are four factors that accelerate globalization.

[] The market imperative: Impact on national economies of larger, transnational markets characterized
by free, convertible currencies, open access to banking, and contracts enforceable by law.
[] The resource imperative: Growing interdependence of nations and their activities on one another,
fostered by the depletion of natural resources, misdistributions of arable land, mineral resources, and
wealth, as well as overpopulation. The undeveloped nations need the capital, technology, and
brainpower of the wealthier countries, while the First World economies are progressively dependent on
the natural and human resources of the developing nations.
[] The IT imperative: Modernizations in glob communications, science and technology contribute
toward universalization or planarization.
[] The ecological imperative: Globalization does have great effect on the ecologies and environments
of nations which need to safeguards that lessen the negative effects rather than exploiting without
regard to such concerns.

India was main mover of globalization. The government of India made major modifications in its
economic policy in 1991 by which it allowed direct foreign investments in the country. As a result of
this, globalization of the Indian Industry occurred at large scale. In India, economic expansion was
observed in nineteenth century due to major crisis led by foreign exchange.

It is observed that the major forces of globalization in India has been in the development of outsourced
IT and business process outsourcing services. Since last many years, there is an increase of skilled
professionals in India employed by both local and foreign companies to service customers in the US
and Europe. These countries take advantage of India's lower cost but highly talented and English-
speaking work force, and utilizes global communications technologies to lower their cost base by
establishing outsourced knowledge-worker operations in India.
In terms of export and import activities, many Indian companies have expanded their business and
became famous at global level such as fast food, beverages, and sportswear and garment industries.
Records indicated that Agriculture exports account for about 13 to 18% of total annual export of the
country. In 2000-01, agricultural products valued at more than US$6 million were exported from the
country of which 23% was contributed to the marine products alone.

Technological & Cultural Impact

With the process of globalization, there is an access to television grew from 20% of the urban
population (1991) to 90% of the urban population (2009). Even in the rural areas satellite television has
a grown up market.

In the cities, Internet facility is everywhere and extension of internet facilities even to rural areas. There
is an increase of global food chain /restaurants in the urban areas of India. Excessive Multiplex movie
halls, big shopping malls and high rise residential are seen in every cities.

Entertainment sector in India has a global market. After economic liberalization, Bollywood expanded
its area and showed a major presence in the global scale. The industry began to explore new ways to
become more global and modern. In India, modernity is observed with the West. Therefore, Western
philosophy began to be incorporated into Bollywood films. As these new cultural messages began to
reach the Indian population, Indian moviegoers were pushed to re-evaluate their traditional Indian
cultural ideology.

Famous International brands such as Armani, Gucci, Nike, and Omega are also making investment in
the Indian market with the changing of fashion statement of Indians.

Globalization on Education

There is immense effects observed in educational sector due to globalization such as literacy rate
become high and Foreign Universities are collaborating with different Indian Universities. The Indian
educational system faces challenges of globalization through Information technology and it offers
opportunities to evolve new paradigms shifts in developmental education. The distinction between
formal, non-formal and informal education will vanish when move from industrial society to information
society takes place.

Globalization promotes new tools and techniques such as E-learning, Flexible learning, Distance
Education Programs and Overseas training.

Globalisation & Women in India

It is observed in current Indian society that through globalization, women have gained certain
opportunities for job options and to recognize women's rights as a part of the human rights. Their
empowerment has given considerable opportunities and possibilities of improving employment
conditions through global solidarity and co-ordination.

It is found that the growth of computer and other technologies enabled women with better waged, flex
timings, and capacity to negotiate their role and status in home and at corporate level.

Negative Aspects

[] This process made disparity between rural and urban Indian joblessness, growth of slum capitals
and threat of terrorist activities.
[] Globalization increased competition in the Indian market between the foreign companies and
domestic companies. With the foreign goods being better than the Indian goods, the consumer
preferred to buy the foreign goods.
[] This reduced the amount of profit of the Indian Industry companies. This happened mainly in the
pharmaceutical, manufacturing, chemical, and steel industries.
[] With the coming of technology the number of labour required are decreased and this resulted
increasing unemployment especially in the arena of the pharmaceutical, chemical, manufacturing, and
cement industries.
[] There is an increased gap between rich and poor that lead to some criminal activities.
[] There is an increase of every daily usable commodities. This has an adverse effect on cultural
aspect.
[] The institution of marriage is breaking down at fast rate. There are more people approaching divorce
courts instead of maintaining marital life.
[] Globalization has considerable impact on the religious situation of India. Globalization has brought
about raising a population who is agnostic and atheist. People visiting places of worship are reducing
with time.+++

Urbanization: Causes, Problems & Remedies

The term Urbanization is well explained by Nsiah-Gyabaah as the change from a rural to an
urban society which involves an augment in the number of people in urban regions during a particular
year. Reynolds (1989) characterized urbanization as the development of the population and cities, so
that higher proportion of population lives in urban areas.

Normally, urbanization is directly associated with innovation, industrialization, and the sociological
process of good reason. Urbanization process had been started during the industrial revolution, when
workforce moved towards manufacturing hubs in cities to get jobs in factories as agricultural jobs
became less common.

Global urban population is growing at rapid rate from 17% in 1951 to 20% in 2001 and expected to
increase 41% in 2020. It is observed that developing countries urbanize faster than industrialized
nations because of which they have more issues of urbanizations. Cities and towns operate as
mechanisms for growth, often driving much of people's cultural, intellectual, educational and
technological accomplishment and modernization.

Causes of Urbanization

[] Industrial revolution: Industrial employment catches the attention of people from rural to urban areas.
In the urban areas, people work in modern sector in the occupations that assist national economic
development. This represents that the old agricultural economics is changing to a new non-agricultural
economy.
[] Emergence of large manufacturing centres.
[] Job opportunities: There are ample job opportunities in mega cities therefore village people or
individuals from town frequently migrate to these areas.
[] Availability of transportation: Due to easy transport, people prefer to stay in big cities.
[] Migration: Migration is main cause for rapid growth of mega-cities. Migration has been going on over
centuries and it is normal phenomenon. People may move to the city because they are forced by
poverty from rural community or they may be pulled by the magnetism of city lives. Combination of
these push and pull factors can force people to migrate to cities.
[] Infrastructure facilities in the urban areas: Infrastructure has vital role in the process of urbanization
in the development of countries. As agriculture becomes more fruitful, cities grow by absorbing
workforce from rural areas. Industry and services increase and generate higher value-added jobs, and
this led to economic growth.
[] Growth of private sector.

Factors leading to Urbanization

[] Economic opportunities: It is general perception that living standard of urban area is superior as
compared to village areas. People consider that more job opportunities and more jobs are offered in
the city instead of rural area. Besides, the income also will be higher.
[] Proper infrastructure and utilities: In today's economy driven society, majority of nations in the world
are focusing on the development of major cities as the centre of government and business. As such,
the cities will be certainly equipped with a better infrastructure and utilities such as roads and
transportation, water, electricity and others. Apart from that, the communication and internet coverage
also are good in the cities which are believed as one of the pulling factors of migration.
[] Availability of public facilities: To make smart city, metropolitan cities also offered better public
facilities which are not there in rural areas. Since a variety of public facilities such as health and
education are provided in the cities, people have more choices either to use public or private.

Rapid rate of Urbanization

It is observed that fast rate of urbanization which is increasing every year has needed more growth of
new areas for housing, social amenities, commercial and other urban land uses. Though, the lack of
clear urban limits has led to the formation of urban slump encroaching upon environmentally sensitive
areas, major agricultural areas and areas which are not appropriate for development.

These situations led to various urbanization issues such as environmental pollution, traffic congestion,
depletion of green areas and degradation in the quality of urban living.

Problems related to Rapid Urbanization

Degradation of environmental quality

Due to urbanization, there is environmental degradation especially in the quality of water, air and
noise. With the influx of more people in cities, there is great demand of facilities such as housing.
Some unlawful factories and even houses which have a poor infrastructure, the waste from buildings
are directly channelled to the nearest river or water resources which directly pollute the water.

Inefficient transportation system

Due to movement of people into metropolitan cities, the number of vehicles on the road is increasing
every year. The public transportation facilities are provided without referring to the need to integrate
the different modes of transportation. Since the public transportation is not trustworthy, people usually
travel from private vehicles which led to the severe problem of blockage in the cities.

Decline in quality of living for urban dwellers

Urbanization is major concern for management researchers because it decline in quality of living for
urban inhabitants. As the metropolis becomes a developed city, the land value will also increase. The
housing provision will focus more to fulfil the needs of the high income group. As such, there will be a
problem in the provision of housing, especially for the middle and low class people.

Besides housing problem for low income group, the process of urbanization has also increased the
demand on infrastructure and utility which cannot be fulfilled from the existing facilities. The
maintenance of drains and debris collection is incompetent which can raise other serious problems
such as flash floods and poor public health.

Unsuccessful Urban Governance

The urban authority undergoes with multifaceted challenges to manage a city. The involvement of
several agencies and departments in urban management made it complicated to synchronize many
actions and resultant, it affects the efficiency of those actions. Besides this, the local authority also
deals with the different goals and interests of community groups which they need to fulfil.

Urban wastes have local impacts but these are issues at global scale. The impacts of the cities are
usually seen both locally and globally such as air pollution, city populations, as the major users of
energy, cause both regional and worldwide pollution. These factors have adverse impact on health of
the people, air quality and biosphere.

Migration Consequences
[] Overcrowding
[] Housing
[] Unemployment
[] Slums and Squatter Settlements
[] Transport
[] Water
[] Sewerage Problems
[] Trash Disposal
[] Health problems
[] Urban Crimes

Fixing issues of urbanization in India

According to the estimates of New McKinsey Global Institute research, cities of India could produce 70
percent of net new jobs by 2030, may generate around 70 percent of Indian GDP, and drive a near
fourfold increase in per capita incomes across the country.

If India upgrades its urban operating model, it has the capacity to reap a demographic dividend from
the increase of around 250 million expected in the next decade in the working-age inhabitants.

India's current Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi also came forward to resolve the issues related to
urbanization. To manage city system and fulfil the great demands of inhabitants due to the rapid
urbanization, specialists have stated that government must focus on two critical factors which is solid
waste management and waste water treatment.

Mr. Modi stated that there is a need to concentrate on comprehensive growth and must recognize the
most backward areas in cities and towns and provide basic amenities in place. There is an urgent
need to develop social mechanisms which will assist to reduce inequality and make sure the basics
like health, sanitation, education to reach those who have been underprivileged of the same.
Government must make polices to construct low cast multi-storeyed flats in order to accommodate the
slum dwellers.

There must be focus on opening universities on urban planning, urban infrastructure, urban
development for the assistance of young people to learn how to meet the demands of urbanization. To
lessen urban crime, police staff in urban areas need a specific training to maintain demands of the law
and order situation.

The most effectual way to resolve issues of urbanization is to make the economy of village and small
scale fully viable. Economies must be revitalized if government undertakes huge rural development
program. It is suggested that surplus manpower must be absorbed in village in order to migrate to
urban areas.+++

NGOs & India’s Development Process

In a democratic system, the role of the state is primary and most crucial in formulating and
implementing the social and economic development programmes. However, in the contemporary
society, the problems that people have been facing especially the poor are much more complex. This
is especially true in a country like India where a large number of vulnerable sections are experiencing
inequalities at all the levels.

Development does not only mean economic development but also includes promoting social equality,
gender equality, improving quality of life etc., It is not possible for government alone to effectively
undertaking such complex development activities. So, there is essentiality of other groups or
organizations to support the government on various fronts. This essentiality paved way for the
emergence of civil society. Non-Governmnt organizations (NGOs) being a major arm of civil society
thus have a crucial role in the country’s development process.
Non-Government organizations (NGOs) are the groups or institutions or organizations that are not
reducible to the administrative grasp and work on ‘non-profit’ basis with the principles like social
equality, altruism and human development as their foundations. In India at present there are nearly
25,000 NGOs spread across various parts of the country.

NGOs IN INDIA

Social service is associated with India since ancient times. It is said that even Mahatma Gandhi after
attaining independence wanted Indian National congress to be transformed into a Public service
organization. Although such proposal was rejected, later many of staunch Gandhi followers did setup
large number of voluntary orgs across various parts of the country to carry of the constructive works on
Gandhian principles. However, the real and identified registration and formation of NGOs emerged in
India from early 1970s. Immediately after their formal inception, NGOS received grater thrust form the
Government in more than one ways.

The GOI during the sixth Five year plan with its famous”GARIBI HATAO” slogan did recognize the
importance of NGOs in the development process of India. In the seventh FYP, it gave a task of
developing “self-reliance communities” to NGOs for promoting rural development. Later in the eighth
FYP, government sought to promote nationwide network of NGOs. In its ninth FYP, it envisaged the
primary role of in promoting PPPS in the country. The tenth FYP envisaged the need and importance
of NGOS in developing agricultural sector by promoting awareness among the farmers about various
modern farm techniques and government initiatives for their benefit. Moreover, government has also
been promoting the development of NGOs through financial aid and assistance programmes.

NGOs with the support given by the government has been accelerating its development activities by
taking up specific issues like Poverty alleviation, child rights, caste stigma and discriminations, women
rights, child labor, rural development, water and sanitation, environmental issues etc., In the last two
decades the role of NGOs have become proactive in the social sector development-education, health
etc.,NGOs have played a crucial role in sending the school dropouts back to the school especially in
rural areas thus upholding the Right to education. And also the heath sector development programmes
like Leprosy eradication programme and programs on eliminating TB, malaria and improving water and
sanitation facilities by NGOs have met with huge success.

The most highlighted success of NGOs could be seen in their achievement in influencing government
to bring out various development-oriented policies and laws. Few of such laws and policies include:
Right to Information, Integrated child development scheme(ICDS), Integrated child protection
scheme(ICPS), MNREGA, Juvenile justice, Nirmal gram initiative, Rastriya swathya bhima
yogna(RSBY), Various policies on women development, forest and environment development, anti-
trafficking, people with disability etc.,

NGOs and Controversies

NGOs undoubtedly have been playing proactive role in protecting the interests of the poor and
destitute and are also essential for upholding the democratic values of the country. However, many
NGOs in India have come under the red scanner and their functioning have to be seen with suspicion.
This is majorly because of loss in credibility and lack of accountability with NGOs in India. Although
this is not true with all the NGOs but it is certainly true that the red spot is on many NGOs across
various regions in the country.

The recent report of Intelligence bureau (IB) stated that-the working of few NGOs in the name of
protests against the government activities have become detrimental to the nation development. It also
mentioned that the protests of ‘foreign funding NGOs’ led to loss of 2-3% of country’s GDP. The report
has brought the discussions and debates about NGOs accountability into fore. It is true that NGOs
must raise voice to protect the rights of people and protest but it is also equally important for them to
provide the alternatives for the government to ensure development. Mere protests and stalling
development activities would not prove effective and hurt the nation building. So, it is essential for
NGOs to ensure effective policy research with ‘think-tank’ way of functioning and provide alternative
solutions to the government since after all the emergence of NGOs linked to the requirement of best
effective alternative approaches.

It is well known fact that several NGOs obtaining funds from the foreign sources for their activities. It is
also true that these NGOs played crucial part in protests against setting up coal and thermal project
plants and Konndankulam nuclear project which led to power shortages in the respective states. In the
wake of IB report, there are few arguments from different quarters to block the option of availing
foreign funds. But in a country like India where income source is low and high difficulties associated in
raising funds which are primary for NGOs to fulfill their minimum requirements it is definitely not
acceptable to stop the foreign funds. Instead of blocking the foreign funds it is necessary for
government to ensure further transparency in categorizing the NGOs based on their funds sources.

It would also prove effective if government tightens the scrutiny procedures through Foreign
Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010. And also it is necessary that NGOs to ensure transparency in their
governance frame work and board functioning.

In fine, the NGOs working with enhanced accountability, by providing alternative solutions to the
development, in collaboration with the government and market which is the need of the hour would
further strengthen the development process in India.

Greenpeace Controversy

Indian constitution allows 50% of the fund received by NGO, to be used for administrative purpose.
Greenpeace is accused of using more than 60% of its funds for administrative purpose. Greenpeace is
challenging this accusation, as the salaries of campaigning staff is also being treated as administrative
fund in this case.

Above is one of the primary controversy of Greenpeace in India; Apart from this Greenpeace is
accused of being anti development, does not support nuclear fusion researches and has posed as a
negative stakeholder in many hydrocarbon explorations.

Greenpeace was booted out from Peru after they damaged a UN heritage site. in Dec 2014.+++

Vulnerable Sections & Welfare Schemes

Vulnerable groups are those groups of society which would be susceptible under any
unfavourable situations such as where the adults are not capable to provide a satisfactory living for the
household due to health issues like disability, illness, age or some other characteristic, and groups
whose resource endowment is poor to provide sufficient income from any available source.

In India, there are numerous socio-economic difficulties that members of particular groups experience
which limits their access to health and healthcare. For government, it is not an easy task to identify the
vulnerable groups. Besides there are multiple and complex factors of vulnerability with different layers
and more often than once it cannot be analysed in isolation.

There are several conspicuous factors on the basis of which individuals or members of groups are
differentiated in India, i.e., structural factors, age, disability and discrimination that act as barriers to
health and healthcare. The vulnerable groups that face impartiality include, Women, Scheduled Castes
(SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), Children, Aged, Disabled, Poor migrants, People living with HIV/AIDS
and Sexual Minorities.

Sometimes, each group faces many obstacles due to their multiple individualities. For example, in a
patriarchal civilisation, disabled women have to face double discrimination of being a women and
being disabled.

SCs, STs & Backward Classes

There is caste system in India since ancient times and therefore Sudras have been browbeaten for the
ages. In earlier period, they were deprived of the right to education and thus were left suffering behind,
socially and economically. Such people have been categorized into Scheduled Castes. Tribal
communities, who never mixed with the main society, are similarly challenged and are categorized into
Scheduled Tribes.

The constitution of India does not define the term backward classes. It is up to the centre and the
states to postulate the classes that belong to this group. However, it is assumed that classes that are
not signified passably in the services of the state can be termed backward classes. Further, the
President can, under Article 340, can establish a commission to scrutinise the condition of socially and
educationally backward classes.

In India, members of gender, caste, class, and ethnic identity experience structural discrimination that
has adversely impacted on their health and access to healthcare. Women also face dual discrimination
being members of specific caste, class or cultural group apart from experiencing gendered
susceptibilities. Women have less control on the resources and on important decisions related to their
lives.

In India, early marriage and childbearing affects women’s health unfavourably. About 28 per cent of
girls in India, get married below the legal age and experience pregnancy. Reports indicated that
maternal mortality is at rising trend in India. The average maternal mortality ratio at the national level is
540 deaths per 100,000 live births .

It has been documented in reports that major proportion of the lower castes and Dalits are still
dependent on business and upper class for their living. Dalits does not refer to a caste but suggests a
group who are in a state of subjugation, social disability and who are helpless and poor. Literacy rates
among Dalits are very low, about 24 per cent. Their living conditions are very poor or have low access
to resources and entitlements.

It is observed that structural discrimination unswervingly obstructs equal access to health services by
way of prohibiting. The undesirable attitude of the experts towards these groups also acts as an
obstacle to receiving quality services from government. A large proportion of Dalit girls drop out of
primary school in spite of reservations and academic aptitude, because of poverty, humiliation,
isolation or bullying by teachers and classmates and punishment for scoring good grades (National
Commission Report for SC/ST, 2000).

The scavenger community among the Dalits is susceptible to stress and diseases with reduced access
to healthcare. The Scheduled Tribes like the Scheduled Castes face structural discrimination within the
Indian society. Likewise the Scheduled Castes, the Scheduled Tribes also face marginalization based
on ethnicity.

There is a desperate need for development of the weaker sections such as the SCs, STs, and OBCs.
The SCs, STs and OBCs have been forced to remain as the Weaker Sections of India, and the women
confined or oppressed to be the most and multiply exploited sections of the country, for many decades.
They have to be elevated to the levels of normal human-beings of the world.

Scheduled Castes/Tribes Welfare Schemes

[] Pradhan Mantri Adarsh Gram Yojana (PMAGY) - for integrated development of 1,000 villages in the
country, each with more than 50% Scheduled Castes (SC) population. PMAGY aims to achieve all-
round, integrated development of selected villages.
[] Babu Jagjivan Ram Chhatrawas Yojana - object of the Scheme is to provide residential
accommodation facilities to SC Boys and Girls studying in middle schools, higher secondary schools,
colleges and Universities.
[] Post-Matric Scholarship for SC Students - enables huge number of Scheduled Caste students to
obtain post-matric and higher level of education resulting in their overall educational and economic
development.
[] Pre-Matric Scholarships for the Children of those Engaged in Unclean Occupations - to children of
those engaged in 'unclean' occupations since 1977-78
[] Self-Employment Scheme for Rehabilitation of Manual Scavengers (SRMS) - objective of
rehabilitating the remaining manual scavengers and their dependents in alternative occupations
[] National Overseas Scholarships for Scheduled Castes (SC) - to offer financial assistance to
meritorious students for pursuing higher studies in foreign university in specified files of Master Level
Courses, Ph.D and Post-Doctoral research programmes
[] Centre sector Scheme of free Coaching for SC and OBC Students - to provide coaching of good
quality for economically disadvantaged Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Other Backward Classes (OBCs)
candidates to enable them to appear in competitive examination and succeed in obtaining an
appropriate job in Public/Private sector

Major schemes for Women

[] Indira Gandhi Matritva Sahyog Yojana (IGMSY) - for pregnant and lactating women to enhance their
health and nutrition status to better enabling environment by providing cash incentives to pregnant and
nursing mothers.
[] Rajiv Gandhi Scheme for Empowerment of Adolescent Girls (RGSEAG) - combined package of
services is to be provided to Adolescent Girls that would include Nutrition provision, Iron and Folic Acid
(IFA) supplementation, Health check-up and Referral services, Nutrition & Health Education (NHE),
Counselling/Guidance on family welfare, ARSH, child care practices and home management & Life
Skill Education
[] UJJAWALA - Comprehensive Scheme for Prevention of trafficking and Rescue, Rehabilitation and
Re-integration of Victims of Trafficking and Commercial Sexual Exploitation.It provides rehabilitation
services, both immediate and long-term, to the victims by providing basic amenities/needs such as
shelter, food, clothing, medical treatment, including counselling, legal aid and guidance and vocational
training.
[] Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Scheme - aims to generate awareness and improve the efficiency of
welfare services meant for women. The scheme was launched with an initial corpus of ₹100 crore
(US$15 million).
[] Nutrition Programme for Adolescent Girls (NPAG) - to fulfil nutritional needs of adolescent girls,
pregnant women and lactating mothers. Under this scheme, 6 kg of food-grains were given to under
nourished adolescent girls, pregnant women and lactating mothers according to their weight.+++

Labour Issues & Labour Reforms in India

Democratic developing countries always have challenge of development which should benefit
impoverished masses by way of providing employment and decent standard of living. Universal adult
Franchise which is landmark of democracy gives voice to labor which is strong in numbers. These
countries can’t ignore interest of labor in favor of industry and capital.

Trade unions (like Bhartiya Majdoor Sangha or Centre for Indian trade Union) are pressure groups
which aim to protect interests of labor through ‘collective bargaining’. As individual worker doesn’t have
much influence, they need to get together to deal with capitalists. They bargain constantly for higher
wages, safety at work, social security, job security etc. For this they organize demonstration, strikes
and petitions to higher authorities.

1st organized strike in India was in Great Indian Peninsular Railways in 1899. Sometimes some of
them indulge in violence, as it was seen recently A jute Mill in West Bengal and Maruti udyog Ltd. They
also constitute a separate class and vote bank and political parties tries woo them before elections. To
deal with trade unions and to present their consolidated viewpoint employers too got organized and 1st
such organization was All India Organization of Employers, formed in 1932.

There are three parties in this cooperation 1) Government 2) Employer 3) Trade Union. This is
generally called Tripartite Cooperation System. Here government acts as mediator between other two
who generally have conflicting interests. But in reality all three parties have a common interest that is
industrial growth and are dependent upon each other.
Legal Status

Our constitution has many articles directed toward their interests for eg. Article 23 forbids forced labor,
24 forbids child labor (in factories, mines and other hazardous occupations) below age of 14 years.
Further, Article 43A was inserted by 42nd amendment – directing state to take steps to ensure
worker’s participation in management of industries.

Labor laws are under concurrent list. There are approx. 144 central and state laws, most or all of which
seek compliance from industries.

[] Employee state insurance Act – ESI card is issued, insuring worker against any accident at work.
There’s also ESI corporation
[] Employees Provident Fund and Miscellaneous provisions Act – Provident fund is one in which
employee pays part of his wage ( 12 % in most cases) and equal contribution by employer. This is
mandatory for establishment employing more than 20 people
[] Factories Act ,1948
[] Child Labor (prohibition and regulation) Act – prohibits children below age of 14 to work in hazardous
jobs. There are demands for complete ban on child employment
[] Industrial Disputes Act – One important provision – Industries employing more than 100 people can
not terminate employment before approval of government. There is strong demand from industry to
revise this limit, to facilitate easy entry and exit.
[] Minimum Wages Act
[] Bonded Labor System ( Abolition) Act – System in which onetime payment was made by employer to
supplier or leader of group and whole season’s or year’s services of labor was taken. Still rampant in
some businesses like Brick Kilns
[] Contract Labor (Regulation and Abolition) Act, 1970 – Contract labor is indirectly employed by an
establishment through a contractor or agency. So their relation with principal organization becomes
ambiguous. They are generally discriminated against direct employees in terms of wages, job security,
status etc. This act attempts to abolish it in certain circumstances and to bring them at par with direct
employees.
[] Apprentices Act, 1961

International Labor Organization

Founded in 1919 as result of Treaty of Versailles, it became first specialized agency under United
Nations in 1945. Its vision is to secure humane working conditions for workers and to attain social
justice for them universally. In short it carries ‘Decent Work Agenda’.

It has produced about 189 legally binding conventions on member countries and more than 200 non-
binding recommendations. It is also global center for research and study on work and labor. It also
gave 4 core standards on labor which are part of general human rights as per UN declarations.

[] Freedom of Association, Right to organize and Right to Collective Bargaining

[] Abolition of forced labor
[] Minimum age of employment and abolition of child labor
[] Prohibition on workplace discrimination and Equal pay for men and women for work of equal value

Huge Informal Sector

India have about 85 -90 % of the workforce employed in informal sector on which labor laws are not
applicable. These are micro firms employing as low as 5-10 persons. These employers are
discouraged to expand their businesses, by such huge number of regressive laws.

Neither they have understanding of laws to that level and services of Lawyers to ensure compliance is
much expensive. Further, huge majority of workforce get no formal training. This results in low
productivity and low value addition

Labor Protection
Labor protection legislation is one of the basic features of welfare state and aims at providing social
justice. The main aim of such laws should be to create more, safer, and rewarding jobs for the labor.

This includes -

> Standards on minimum wages,

> Working conditions,
> Overtime controls,
> Right against unjustified retrenchment,
> Strengthening of Labor unions,
> Right of worker to compensation in case of accident at work place,
> Post-retirement benefits,
> Personal progress,
> Skill development,
> Social security and Dignified and respectful job etc.

Entry & Exit Barriers for Firms

As a rule for good economic environment, there should least entry and exit barriers for Firms in any
business. But in addition, social security of the workers is indispensable. It should be notice that a
businessmen will scale down his operations almost only in face of losses or in drive of modernization.

Supreme Court in various cases has held that when choice is in between Retrenchment and closure,
then former should be preferred. In case of Modernization, Industries should strive to increase
numerator of the production, instead of reducing denominator. For example If 1000 workers are to be
displaced by new technology, then company should attempt to increase production by incrementally
adding technology. So it could exploit economies of scale while retaining same labor force.

Modernization is most of the time good for workers in long term. In case of Telecom Revolution, few
thousands lost jobs while shifting from manual landline networks to digitized cellular. But now telecom
sector is one of the biggest employer in India with decent pays. There was similar backlash from
employees while introduction of computers in department and PSUs.

If they are forced to retain disproportionately large workers, anyway they will go out of business
gradually. This will hinder the whole economy when it affects large number of firms and investor will
include costs of these exigencies in his calculations and result in turn is preference for capital intensive
production or lower production, lower employment and higher prices.

If on the other hand there is easy entry and exit, there will be burgeoning Manufacturing firms, with
more investment, more no. of factories, more employment and lower costs. This overtime will result in
a robust manufacturing sector which will have capacity to absorb any retrenched employees in
productive employment.

Ease of doing Business: India ranked 130 out of 189 countries

Recent Labor Reforms

[] Amendment in Apprenticeship Act – In apprentice system, trade workers, engineers (both diploma
holder and graduates), 10+2 passed vocational students, need to undergo training in industry to
enhance their skill. On completion of this they become regular workers. For this they get stipend in
form of remuneration. -- New amendment increases Stipend to 70 % of wage of regular unskilled
worker in first year, 80% in second year. Non engineers can also be appointed, and their total number
could be up to 10 % of the total workforce. Now students other than engineering can also seek
apprenticeship. About 500 new trades are added.
[] Amendment in Factories Act – Overtime ( normal hours increase) , better working conditions, Allows
women for overnight work provided there is adequate safeguards and transport facility
[] Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Shramev Jayate Karyakaram
[] Employees Provident Fund Organization - In the Employees Provident Fund Organization about Rs
27,000 crore was lying unclaimed. This was due to manual procedures and formalities to get the
amount released. Universal Account Number would help addressing both problems and in the money
reaching the poor with the portability provided for Employees Provident Fund Organization.
[] Self-certification of documents - This aims at elimination of troublesome submission procedures,
under which returns was to be certified by officials. Now by self-certification method, compliance will be
checked randomly through firms/employers selected by computer.
[] Inspector Raj - A transparent Labor Inspection Scheme for random selection of units for inspection
would end undue harassment of the “Inspector Raj,” while ensuring better compliance. Now officials
have power to select units on their discretion. This results in rent seeking and corruption.
[] Number of forms related to compliance with labor laws that employers have to file will drop from 16
to 1.
[] Apprentice Protsahan Yojana - The Apprentice Protsahan Yojana and the Effective Implementation
of revamped Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) for labour in the unorganized sector were also
launched.
[] Shramev Jayate - Skill development of youth would be created through initiatives under ‘Shramev
Jayate’. It is one of the most important elements of the “Make in India” vision and aims to create an
opportunity for India to meet the global requirement of skilled labour workforce in the years ahead.+++

Socio-Religious Reform Movements in India

Socio-Religious Reform Movements in India were part of eighteenth century and twentieth-
century India. During this time, on one side, India was suffering from stagnating traditional culture and
society at very low ebb; while on the other hand, India possessed the creative excitement of
modernization and of emergence as a new nation. The nineteenth century initiated this process of
transformation in the religious, social, economic, political, and cultural spheres. The impact of the
British Empire influenced administration, legislation, trade, network of communications,
industrialization and urbanization in India, affecting not only society as a whole, but also the traditional
patterns of life. British scholars, educators and missionaries also impacted the cultural field. The
reformers consciously reacted to the new situation and advocated deliberate changes in social and
religious attitudes and customs. The reformers had a great impact on nineteenth century India, but
there were also other factors effecting change.

The nineteenth-century reform movement became closely conjoined to a political movement, and
consequently sought to influence political authority, administration, and legislation. This political
movement eventually became an all-India nationalist movement. Whereas previously social reform
was inextricably interwoven with religious motivation and improvement, in the nineteenth century, the
relationship of the two fluctuated, and sometimes secular and rationalistic motives were the decisive
ones. Among the most noteworthy reformers is Swaminarayana, initiator of a sect bearing his name
and Mahatma Ramalingam of Tamil Nadu.

The British administration and European literature brought a constellation of fresh ideas which
constituted a challenge to the new intellectuals. Rationalism as the basis for ethical thinking, the idea
of human progress and evolution, the possibility of scientifically engineering social change were all
unfamiliar to the traditional society. The Christian missionaries also had a strong influence. The
nineteenth century reformers, starting with Ram Mohan Roy, acknowledged their indebtedness even
though certain aspects of missionary’s activity were opposed.

Initially, India had already produced a small social group, the English educated intelligentsia, closely
associated with British administration. They quickly realized the faults in the social and religious
characteristics of society and thus several ideas of reform first arose amongst them. At this stage, the
focus was on improving and reshaping their lives according to the new standards.

Brahmo Samaj

Bengal was first to undergo significant British influence and to produce the new English-educated
group. By the early 1800s, three distinct groups emerged, the radicals, the reformers, and the
conservatives. Ram Mohan Roy (1772-1833) was the first great modern reformer, and has been called
“The Father of Modern India” for good reason. In the religious sphere Ram Mohan’s main target of
attack was the Hindu system of idolization, its mythology and cult. As a social reformer, Ram Mohan’s
interest was mainly in the dreadful condition of women in Hindu society, an interest that dominated the
social reform movement for many decades.

He is rightly famous for his long and successful campaign for the abolition of sati - the self-immolation
of widows on the funeral pyres of their husbands, and he fought incessantly against child marriage and
for female education. The crowning achievement of Ram Mohan’s organizational efforts was the
foundation of the Brahmo Sabha (later known as Brahmo Samaj) in 1828.

The Socio-Religious Reform movements of the 19th century in West Bengal, Maharashtra, Uttar
Pradesh and Punjab aimed at checking the influence of Christian Missionaries. The missionaries
wished to convert Indians to Christianity and to cleanse Hindu society of evils such as Sati and
infanticide. The aim of Brahmo Samaj was to save middle class families of Bengal from adverse
effects of Christianity.

Brahmo Rites

After the death of Ram Mohan Roy, Debendranath Tagore (1817-1905) took over its leadership and
gave it a new direction. He drew up a declaration of faith, established a theological school, sent out the
first Brahmo missionaries, and created a new liturgy, the "Brahmo Rites". He himself was inclined
towards the contemplative and the bhakti movement of Hinduism, and averse to Ram Mohan's
rationalism. With a stress on devotion, ethical duties, and the near-Vedic but nonidolatrous Brahma
rites, the Samaj moved closer to the mainstream of Hinduism, as it grew quickly in numbers. Later with
Keshab Chandra Sen (1838-84) a new wind started to blow in the Samaj. He was an iconoclastic
reformer, repudiating all Hindu cults, rejecting caste and the seclusion of women. In religion he had a
new "universalistic" tendency, with strong leanings towards Christianity.

Widow Remarriage Movement

During this time Bengal also produced the scholar Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar (1820-91) who
pioneered the widow remarriage movement, the first social reform cause that gained importance
nationally, and saw it to a successful conclusion. The reform he advocated and saw become law that a
high-caste widow could legally remarry, although its successful application in society was few and far
between. Nevertheless, the widow remarriage movement was very important because it became the
inspiration of other reform movements all over the country.

Arya Samaj

Another important figure of Indian Socio Religious reform movement was Swami Dayananda
Saraswati (1824-83) who in 1875 published his major work the Satyarth Prakash and founded his
reform society, the Arya Samaj. He attacked polytheism, idolatry, and the many superstitious beliefs
and rites connected with them, and the stranglehold of the Brahmins on religious practice. According to
him, this religion was in fact the original Vedic religion, which was contained in the four Vedas. Thus
Dayananda's religion, whilst denouncing much of contemporary Hinduism, kept close to orthodoxy in
several basic ways: belief in the Vedas, and in karma, allegiance to the six darshanas etc.

From 1880, the predominance of nationalism and politics now began to exert influence on the ideas of
religious and social reform which had previously prevailed. Among the social reformers of India
Bankim Chandra Chatterjee and Bal Gangadhar Tilak were notable.

Bankim Chandra Chatterjee

Bankim Chandra Chatterjee (1838-94) found Bengal divided between the traditionalist orthodox and
the progressive reformers. His religion combines the humanism of positivism with the activist
interpretation of the Krishna myth and of the Bengali cult of the Mother Goddess. His novels in
particular awoke in the Bengalis, first the middle class, and later the masses and instituted a sense of
a self-confidence and pride in their language and their religion.

Bal Gangadhar Tilak

Bal Gangadhar Tilak (1857-1920) took initiative to promote Hinduism as the only basis of this new
spirit. He also inaugurated new Hindu festivals, the Ganesh Chaturti and the Shivaji Jayanti festival,
thus reaching the populace with his ideas of Hindu nationalistic activism, instilling in them a pride in
their glorious Marathi past. He advocated the severance of social reform and political agitation.

Prior to twentieth century the caste organizations kept away from politics, but in the twentieth century
they assumed in several areas of India very great political importance. The first two decades of the
twentieth century saw Indian politics engaged in the great debate between the moderates, who were
completely British-oriented, and the extremists, who advocated militancy, and in their struggle for
control of the Congress. In the last two decades of the nineteenth century social reform was dominated
by the nationalistic secularists, which eventually changed its image and its model in the direction of
revivalist Hindu nationalism, and focused on the general public.+++

Indian Renaissance

Indian Renaissance marked the beginning of a new era of socio-spiritual consciousness started
by the reformers, which witnessed the spontaneous participation of native intellectuals.

Indian Renaissance occurred after the emergence of the British forces, when a mass religious and
social awakening took place. The foremost reformists had undertaken the task with a lot of eagerness
and enthusiasm. Renaissance stands for rebirth and Indian renaissance refers to that period which
was marked by the quest of knowledge and development of science and arts. The incredible effects of
Indian Renaissance were reflected in the quality of life and the new frontiers scaled by dance, music
and other performing arts. Behind the famous creeds and ceremonials of the country, stand the
Bhagavad Gita, the Upanishads, the Tantra, the Vedas; these, though referable to receding ages as
regards their rise, are living influences at the present era.

Emergence of Indian Renaissance

The period when the Hindu religious system was revived can be termed as Hindu renaissance, which
was marked with the restoration of the Hindu deities and tradition. The Guptas, pioneer of the Golden
age resuscitated all lost glory by setting up a tradition, which was very Indian, with developments in
Sanskrit literature, art forms and religion at its peak. The late 18th century marked the beginning of a
new era with movements essential for a complete reformation. The reformists did never think of
discriminating on the basis of caste or sub caste, gender, or race. Hindu nationalism also rose to a
great extent during this period.

During the Renaissance in Europe, India witnessed a renaissance of its own; the Taj Mahal was built
during this period; sacred texts were translated into different languages and there was development of
overseas trade. Moreover, the Grand Trunk Road was constructed during this extensive period and
many social reformers also had lived during this period.

The most significant renaissance had occurred during the period of colonial rule in India. The British
imperialists had ruled and dominated for the most prolonged period, during which both worse and
beneficial incidents passed by, till the year 1947. The Indian Independence had earned the
countrymen their vision of Swaraj and made them their own masters. Indian renaissance had
rediscovered roots of economic and administrational stability. Renaissance was a solemn effort by a
differentiated and higher class of people, who had made them distinguishable in every sphere of art,
culture and education.

As a result, these native intellectuals earned themselves an opportunity to interact with the English
class, when speaking, writing, or associations are being spoken about. And the territory of Bengal was
absolutely leading in this Indian renaissance context, beginning from writers, politicians, historians,
freedom fighters and religious saints. Such was their influence upon the then Indian society, that
Bengal renaissance has now come to be coined as a cardinal element under British Indian episodes.

Social Reformers in Indian Renaissance

Indian Social Reformers had germinated mostly from Bengal, which was inclined towards a tendency
to continuously produce luminaries in every field. Beginning from Raja Ram Mohan Roy and perhaps
ending in the last days of Indian Freedom Struggle with Nirad Chaudhuri, reformist movements had
incessantly procured multi-faceted results. In this context, the Muslim League was also not left far
behind. In the erstwhile undivided India, with the concept of brotherhood, Muslims made major
contributions into Indian renaissance, making the English-native interface much facilitating. Muslim
renaissance thus counts into a unique amalgamation of religious and nationalistic concepts, mingling
well with British Indian history.

Ramakrishna Paramahansa was a religious teacher and his contributions were important for a
traditional revival of Hinduism comparable to Chaitanya's. Swami Vivekananda had established
Ramakrishna Mission and advocated Vedanta philosophy and Yoga not only to India, but also the
West. The Ramakrishna Math and Mission are the integral institutions of faith for the Hindus currently.

Aurobindo Ghose was a nationalist, scholar, poet and philosopher who preached a new spiritual path
called the Integral Yoga. He had contributed to Hinduism greatly with a new interpretation of Vedas
concerned with inner spirituality. Ram Mohan Roy was founder of the Brahmo Samaj and among the
pioneers of the Indian socio-religious reform movements. He had exerted supreme influence upon
politics, social life, education and religion alike. Swami Dayananda Saraswati was the founder of Arya
Samaj. Sir Syed Ahmed Khan was a politician and a pioneer of modern education among the Muslim
community in India. The founder of the Muhammedan Anglo-Oriental College, which later developed
into the Aligarh Muslim University, his ideas were shaped by a strong aversion to the emerging
nationalist movement.

Reformist Groups during Indian Renaissance

The religious reformers and reformists groups played an integral part in the ushering in of Indian
renaissance, though they also functioned at regional levels. Brahmo Samaj was the society formed by
the ideas of developing a universal religion, whose ideology to a large extent was derived from the Isa
Upanishad, a monotheistic Hindu scripture. Ideas behind Raja Ram Mohan Roy's Brahmo Movement
included abolition of caste system, abolition of dowry, and abolition of Sati and improvement of the
educational system.

There were many other groups that developed during this period. Hindu Dharma Sabha was founded
in 1830 by Raja Ram Mohan Roy to limit the intrusion of English culture in India. Sanatan Singh Sabha
was the original Singh Sabha formed in 1873 by Sikhs in Amritsar to recover a distinctive Sikhism.
Tattvabodhini Sabha was an essential reformist organisation, which was founded by Debendranath
Tagore to popularise Brahmo Dharma or Brahmo faith.

Paramahansa Yogananda founded Yogoda Satsanga Society in 1917 on the banks of the Ganga
River at Dakshineswar Kali Temple. Vinayak Damodar Savarkar or Veer Savarkar formed the
Ratnagiri Hindu Sabha in 1924, aiming to the preservation of Hindu social and cultural heritage.

Keshab Chandra Sen founded the Sangat Sabhas, Believer's Associations in 1860. These Sabhas
comprised small discussion groups that met on a weekly basis, but his energetic disciples soon
showed an inclination for action rather than mere discussions. Hitaishini Ganga Dharma Sabha was
founded in Haridwar for the benefit of the cow, social order and the holy River Ganges. Prarthana
Samaj is a movement for religious and social reform in Maharashtra that was based on previous
reform movements and traditions of the state.

Nowrozjee Furdoonjee and Dadabhai Naoroji founded the Rahnumai Mazdayasnan Sabha and put in
considerable efforts for the purification of Zoroastrian religion, which was being prejudiced by Hindu
elements.
India did not merely stand still, while Europe had gone on towards some bright goal during the
renaissance period. India had moved and carried its history with it as well, not merely in books but in
its thoughts and evolution.+++

Development, Spread of Extremism & Naxalism

In Indian scenario, extremism activities are increasing rapidly. The scale of the extremists
operations is massive and consequently these activities have perilous impact on nation's social,
economic and political development.

Causes of Extremism

1. Lack of Governance:

[] Governance is mainly concerned the significant issue as that lack a long term strategic perspective.
[] Priority of Government bodies is to focus on Industrialization and do not give much importance to
people living in tribal areas.
[] Tribal have been denied their constitutional rights and justice.

2. Socio-Economic Issues:

[] When considering socio economic issues, education must be the prime involvement and this needs
to be addressed with innovation.
[] Once populace is literate and well educated in particular region, they will be able think logically and
do not involve violent actions.
[] Most of these people who are entering into the movement of extremism are lacking primary
education, basic amenities and infrastructure facilities.
[] Economic discontent was a prevailing factor which led to the growth of the militant nationalism.
[] Towards the end of the 19th century economic condition of the people became miserable due to
unemployment and repressive financial measures of the Government.

In all over worlds, following causes can be observed for growth of extremism:

[] Political deprivation leading to hopelessness or a sense of powerlessness.

[] Long festering political disputes.
[] Lack of Education and poverty.
[] Ideological imperatives may lead to extremism.
[] Socio-economic inequities, unemployment, despair about the future.
[] Dishonest and self-serving dominant groups.
[] Foreign occupations.
[] Sense of victimhood amongst Muslims.
[] Renaissance of Islam phobia in Europe.

Types of Extremism

> Personal Extremism

> Family Extremism
> Institutional or Organizational Extremism
> Group Extremism
> Social or Cultural Extremism
> National Extremism
> International Extremism

Developmental Issues associated with Spread of Extremism

Natural Calamities:
[] During the last decade of the 19th century, affliction of people was filled to the brim. Famine, plague,
earthquake, war and repressions were let loose in the country. From 1896 to 1900 prolonged and
catastrophic famines occurred throughout the length and breadth of the land in a bewildering
succession.
[] In 1896 bubonic plague broke out in Bombay and took a toll of millions of lives. These natural
calamities were accompanied by the intensified exploitation and suppression by the Government. Such
devastating conditions led to development of extremist.

Special Economic Zones:

[] Spread of extremism is a major issue for any country. Land acquisition for Special Economic Zones
created chaos among tribal people and they come to street for protest. Large tracts of land are being
acquired across the country.
[] There is a loss of revenue in the form of taxes and it greatly impacts on agricultural production. Land
is living resource for farmers and their life is dependent up on the land. Special Economic Zones needs
a single huge block of land and government is now taking stern steps to acquire the land.
[] Mediators are also generating trouble between government and farmers. Such situation is very
disturbing for farmers and they lose huge money.
[] Government compensation is also not justified as it is very low. Such factors enforce people to
become violent and give rise to their extremist activities.

Labour, Unemployment & Wages:

[] Another intense issue that spreads extremism is joblessness which creates insecurity of living.
People may develop dissatisfaction and anger both in urban and rural areas.
[] In allocation of government jobs, there has been shown some favouritism and this activity leads to
dissatisfaction among youth as they are being ignored.

Policing:

[] Improper policies and their ineffective implementation may result in extremist activities among
weaker sections of society. It is very necessary that government must consider poor people when
devising policies for economic growth of country.
[] These policies must be well-organized and unprejudiced which reveal good administration .Weaker
section of people does not have much confidence in police.
[] People have no faith that justice will be done to them against the powerful person in the society.
Such impression about government officials develops extremist thoughts among poorer section of
society.

Process of getting Justice:

[] When lower section of society is struggling with various issues related to survival or employment and
their conflicts and disputes are not settled in time, frustration among people in society develops.
[] Presently, judicial system of India is very time consuming and disputes are not settled in short time.
The parties to the dispute lose control over even the terms and details of the dispute once it goes to
the court. These factors create extremist feelings among sufferers.

Resolving Issue of Extremism:

Land Related Measures:

[] It is necessary to make efforts to continuously implement the land ceiling issues. So that the ceiling
excess land obtained should be made available for distribution amongst the most susceptible section
of the landless poor people.
[] Land should be acquired by government for special economic zone through giving proper
compensation to the agriculturalists.
Basic facilities and Infrastructure:

[] It is observed that when government fails to provide infrastructure and services as per national
norms that gives rise extremism affected areas.
[] Basic services to standards among the people in these areas are to be given prime importance.

Governance Issues:

[] There are some government issues that lead to spread of extremism.

[] In central India where disturbance is prevalent such as states like Andhra Pradesh, Orissa,
Chattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and parts of Maharashtra. State interventions both for
development and for law and order are not good.
[] Local populations present in the tribal areas are being dominated by the armed and rich people.
[] Government must take necessary steps to protect these communities.
[] The basic steps to improve the status of poorest section of society is establishment of credibility and
confidence of government, keeping a continuous watch for fulfilment of peoples vision, effective
protection, peace and good governance, sustainable development with equity in tribal areas, will make
extremism low in tribal areas.

Tackling Left Wing Extremism (Naxalism)

Naxalism is the biggest internal security threat being faced by India. Naxals have killed more security
personnel and civilians than victims claimed by terrorists and other extremists in North East India put
together.

Naxalites recruit new members from tribal regions and rural villages. Theses regions happen to be one
of the most exploited parts of India. As an example, the Mahan forest is about to be taken over by
Essar and Hindalco for the coal reserves beneath it. There are many people whose livelihood depends
on this forest. Large scale corruption ensures that these people do not adequate compensation and
are then condemned to a very meagre life. Naxalites offer such disgruntled sections of the society a
reason to live and a goal to fight for.

Government has adopted both violent and peaceful strategies to tackle threat posed by naxals. But
lately it seems government is keener to follow peaceful strategy of development as a tool to dissuade
potent recruits from joining armed struggle in naxal hit areas.

Instead of carrot and stick policy, it appears that more of carrots have been offered lately by the
government. But this will not lessen the stain on its hands – security personnel have committed human
rights violations in these areas in the past, and this one of the reasons why there is resentment among
locals that makes it easy for naxals to recruit men and women to wage armed struggle against the
state.

Center State Co-ordination

[] Both home ministry and rural development ministry have evolved a sensible approach in past years
to deal with naxalism effectively.
[] In 2009, the center was under fire from rights activists and civil society for waging all out war against
naxals named ‘Operation Green Hunt’.
[] The center should ask the states to conduct a thorough probe into allegations of abuse of power by
security forces and follow standard operating procedure while dealing with naxals.
[] The states and the Centre should also firm up their policy to counter the negative propaganda of the
naxals - as they have been trying to garner support among the middle class by raising the issue of
human rights.

Development

[] Development is the only approach that can eliminate any discontent in the long term.
[] Areas affected by naxalism are some of the most backward regions of India. -- Take for example
KBK region of Orissa and Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh, latter region is where top leaders of
naxal movement come from.
[] It was because of lack of basic infrastructure and poor governance which made life miserable for
tribals and other poor residing in these regions that this movement grew in monster proportion.
[] Harassment by moneylenders, human rights violations by local police and siphoning off the money
intended for local area development by the politicians and officials that made matters worse.
[] The Government has approved an Integrated Action Plan (IAP) for 60 Selected Tribal and Backward
Districts in 2010 for holistic development of the Naxal hit areas
[] To attract youth in naxal affected areas, government has earlier announced that it would employ
large number of youth from these regions in government jobs.

Left Wing Extremism (LWE) Division in MHA

This Division was created to effectively address the Left Wing Extremist insurgency in a holistic
manner. The LWE Division implements security related schemes aimed at capacity building in the
LWE affected States.

The LWE Division coordinates the implementation of various development schemes of the
Ministries/Departments of Govt. of India in LWE affected States. The States of Chhattisgarh,
Jharkhand, Odisha, Bihar, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh
and Uttar Pradesh are considered LWE affected, although in varying degrees.

The Division also monitors the LWE situation and counter-measures being taken by the affected
States like deployment of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) in LWE affected States

UN Millennium Development Goals & India

The UN General Assembly adopted a new set of 17 sustainable development goals, to be

achieved by 2030. These goals replace the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) adopted in the
year 2000. Has India achieved the MDGs? What is the progress on the MDGs?

** Note - Sustainable Development Goals are discussed in 'Environment, Ecology & DM' section

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) have helped in bringing out a much needed focus and
pressure on basic development issues, which in turn led the governments at national and regional
levels to do better planning and implement more intensive policies and programmes.

The MDGs originated from the Millennium Declaration adopted by the General Assembly of the United
Nations in September 2000. The MDGs consists of eight goals, and these eight goals address myriad
development issues. The eight (8) Goals are

[] Goal 1: Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger

[] Goal 2: Achieve Universal Primary Education
[] Goal 3: Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women
[] Goal 4: Reduce Child Mortality
[] Goal 5: Improve Maternal Health
[] Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and TB
[] Goal 7: Ensure Environmental Sustainability
[] Goal 8: Develop Global Partnership for Development

The United Nations Development Group (UNDG) in 2003 provided a framework of 53 indicators which
are categorized according to targets, for measuring the progress towards individual targets. A revised
indicator-framework drawn up by the Inter-Agency and Expert Group (IAEG) on MDGs came into effect
in 2008. This framework had 8 Goals, 21 targets and 60 indicators. India has not endorsed this revised
framework.

India’s MDG framework is based on the 2003 framework and includes 8 goals, 12 of the 18 targets
relevant to India and 35 indicators. The Ministry of Statistics & Program Implementation (MoSPI)
released the India Country report of the MDGs in February 2015. The report provides insights into the
progress made on these eight goals.

Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger

[] Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people whose income is less than one dollar a day
-- The all India Poverty Head Count Ratio (PHCR) estimate was 47.8% in 1990. In 2011-12, the PHCR
at all India level is 21.9%. {Achieved}
[] Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people who suffer from hunger -- It is estimated
that in 1990, the proportion of underweight children below 3 years 52%. Expected to reduce to 33% by
2015. {Fell Short of Target}

Achieve Universal Primary Education

[] Ensure that by 2015, children everywhere, boys and girls alike, will be able to complete a full course
of primary education -- The Net Enrolment Rate (N ER) in primary education (age 6-10 years) was
estimated at 84.5 per cent in 2005-06 (U-DISE) and the NER has increased to 88.08 per cent in 2013-
14 (U-DISE). {Very Close to Target}

Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women

[] Eliminate gender disparity in primary, secondary education, preferably by 2005, and in all levels of
education, no later than 2015 -- As per Census 2011, the ratio of female youth literacy rate to male
youth literacy rate is 0.91 at all India level and is likely to reach the level of 1 by 2015. {Very Close to
Target}

Reduce Child Mortality

[] Reduce by two-thirds, between 1990 and 2015, the under -five Mortality Rate -- Under Five Mortality
Ratio (U5MR) was estimated at 125 deaths per 1000 live births in 1990. As per Sample Registration
System 2013, the USMR is at 49 deaths per 1000 live births. {Very Close to Target}

Improve Maternal Health

[] Reduce by three quarters between 1990 and 2015, the Maternal Morality Ratio -- In 1990, the
estimated MMR was 437 per 1,00,000 live births. As per the latest estimates, the MMR status at all
India level is at 167 in 2011-13. {Fell Short of Target}

Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and TB

[] Have halted by 2015 and begun to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS -- The prevalence of HIV among
Pregnant women aged 15- 24 years is showing a declining trend from 0.89% in 2005 to 0.32% in 201
2-1 3. {Achieved}
[] Have halted by 2015 and begun to reverse the incidence of Malaria and other major diseases. --
Malaria has consistently come down from 2.12 per thousand in 2001 to 0.72 per thousand in 2013, but
slightly increased to 0.88 in 2014(P). In India, Tuberculosis prevalence per lakh population has
reduced from 465 in year 1990 to 211 in 2013. {Very Close to Target}

Ensure Environmental Sustainability

[] Integrate the principle of sustainable development into country policies and programmes -- As per
assessment in 2013, the total forest cover of the country is 697898 sq.km which is 21 .23% of the
geographic area of the country. {Very Close to Target}
[] Halve, by 2015 the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic
sanitation -- During 2012, at all India level, 87.8% households had access to improved source of
drinking water while 86.9% households in rural and 90.1% households in urban area had access to
improved source of drinking water. {Fell Short of Target}
[] By 2020, to have achieved a significant Improvement in the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers
-- Cannot be measured statistically

Develop Global Partnership for Development

[] In co-operation with the private sector, make available the benefits of new technologies, especially
information and communication. -- The overall tele-density in the country has shown tremendous
progress and is at 76% as on 3lst July 2014. The internet subscribers per 100 population accessing
internet through wireline and wireless connections has increased from 16.15 in June2013 to 20.83 in
June 2014. {Very Close to Target}.+++

Uniform Civil Code: Issues, Debate & Relevance

Right from the time the Indian Constitution was in the making, the debate of existence of
Uniform Civil Code (UCC) has been raised continuously. The Constitution makers decided that the
time then was not right to go ahead to try and formulate a common code and left it for posterity with a
Directive Principle that India should strive to have one.

Why UCC in news?

[] It is 66 years since enactment of Constitution and it is still debated about the pros and cons of
adopting a common code. However, there is a difference now.
[] The NDA government has formally asked the Law Commission to look into the issue and present a
report. This is the first time a government has asked the commission, which has a crucial advisory role
on legal reform, to look into the politically controversial issue of a uniform civil code.
[] Even if the commission starts preparing the consultations, the issue has not surprisingly assumed,
political colours. Though, the motive behind the move is being questioned by opposition parties and
also a section of minority leaders are expressing their concerns.
[] All these concerns and objections have to be addressed though wider debates and discussions and
find common ground for concensus.

Background

[] During colonial era, the British applied the common criminal code for all
[] But they allowed religious laws to be applied in court in case of dealing with personal disputes
between people of the same religion.
[] Shariat law, 1937 was passed to govern the personal matters of all Indian Muslims by Islamic laws
[] The Constituent Assembly argued for a common personal law for marriage, divorce, inheritance and
adoption, while others believed that this was a goal to be achieved in stages.
[] The Directive Principle (Art 44)—“shall endeavour to secure for citizens a uniform civil code”—was a
compromise since the time was not right.

What is Uniform Civil Code?

Uniform civil code is the proposal to replace the personal laws based on the scriptures and customs of
each major religious community in India with a common set of laws governing every citizen. These
laws are distinguished from public law and cover marriage, divorce, inheritance, adoption and
maintenance.

Is UCC brought earlier?

The government of India has referred the issue to Law Commission. It is a routine matter as Law
Commission exists for that. The difference is that the Law Commission has not been asked to draft a
civil code nor it is its job. The wordings are ‘examine the issue and give a report’.

Until now, there has been no report on UCC by Law Commission. It has not examined the issue at all.
Justice Lakshmanan had submitted two reports and they do not examine the UCC. One is of civil
marriages and other is how to make compulsory registration of marriages. From 1951 till now, the Law
Commission has submitted 262 reports. Out of it, the Law Commission has 24 reports on whose basis
it can initiate the examining of UCC formation. The reports are on personal laws, family laws etc.

Concept of UCC

Whenever this topic is taken up, there is a certain amount of discomfort observed within Muslims.
There is a feeling that it is aimed at them. The reason for such discomfort is that there is no clear
picture of what UCC will be like. For 66 years it is in constitution but no government has tried to give a
draft of UCC and merely held talks in air. There even exists different views on Article 44. There is
nothing called as ‘common civil code’. The article 44 speaks of ‘uniform’ and not ‘common’ civil code. It
does not ask Parliament or State to enact it straight away. The article states that ‘the state shall
endeavour to secure…’ which doesn’t mean having one single law and replacing all personal laws.

Some contradictions:

[] In 1954, a General Law of Marriages was already enacted, yet there was a separate Hindu Marriage
Act in 1955.
[] Similarly, there was a Guardian and Wards Act already enacted in 1890 which was applicable to
everybody, yet Hindu Minority and Guardianship Act was enacted in 1956.
[] There existed Indian Succession Act, 1925 and yet a Hindu Succession Act was enacted in 1956.

This shows that uniformity is needed to avoid contradictions. The idea is that there should be
uniformity in the family laws enacted now onwards. However, such practice has been observed since
1954, where a many laws have been enacted that apply to every community.

[] The Dowry Prohibition Act,

[] The Special Marriage Act
[] Domestic Violence Act
[] Maintenance of Parents and Senior Citizens Act,
[] Child Marriage Prohibition Act.

They apply to every community and every individual irrespective of the religion or personal law.

Difference between UCC & Reform of personal laws

There is some confusion about concept of UCC. Personal law reform and UCC are two different
things. One is about reforming the existing laws and other is subsuming all personal laws. Hindu law
has been reformed, amended drastically in 1955-56. But not Muslim law which is waiting for
amendment of Muslim personal law. It has been silently observed that successive governments had
been giving option to the Muslims either to bear with misinterpreted and misused caricatured personal
law or accept UCC. That is why, UCC is observed with an eye of suspicion.

A general perception in communities is that UCC is a euphemism for Hindu laws enacted in 1955-56.
To dispel that fear, there is a need of draft. For instance, Triple talaq is un-Islamic and court can apply
art 14 (right to live with equality) and art 21 (right to live with dignity). It is un-Islamic because Muslim
scholars have interpreted Quran in surah 65 verse 1 which requires two waiting period of three months
each before the divorce is valid under Muslim law.

Why UCC needed? – One view

The Constitution makers had a vision to enact UCC in future to have a same set of civil laws governing
all irrespective of religion. The present government has brought forward the issue as a part of its
fulfilment of manifesto of having a Uniform Civil Code. The need is for a larger debate, where even
issues which had been previously eluded from public debates, are carried out. For instance, human
right issues, gender equality issues etc.

The UCC is not with regard to religious practices. It has no discussion about harming any religious,
community or minority practices as such. It is talking about segregation between aspects like marriage,
divorce, inheritance which are in domain of civil laws. Ultimately when India has to adhere to secular
credential of constitution and nation, there should be a uniform civil code just like a uniform criminal
code where human rights, women rights are protected and there is uniformity in implementing day-to-
day affairs.

There are certain issues which require attention when a certain group called Bhartiya Muslim Mahila
Andolan says that there is need of reform in marriage and divorce of personal law which is supported
by more than 90% Muslim women.

It can also mean that when talked about UCC, it is talking about problems in minority communities.

1. Triple Talaq: the infamous provision which allows a Muslim man to divorce her wife by pronouncing
talaq three times.
2. Polygamy: According to the 1961 census (the last census to record such data), polygamy was
actually less prevalent among Indian Muslims (5.7%) than among several other religious groups
(Adivasis-15.25%, Buddhists-7.9%, and Hindus-5.8%).
3. Christian divorce: Christian couples must wait for a two-year separation before filing for divorce
when it is just one year for others.

Is UCC required? – Another view

UCC may not be even required because the constitution of India doesn’t permit discrimination between
man and woman and if there is any discrimination on any basis, it will be rectified by the courts. 93% of
Muslim nations have held triple talaq as illegal. India is signatory to Convention on the Elimination of all
forms of Discrimination Against Women. This makes India accountable to its implementation. The SC
has taken up the triple talaq case and several Muslim organisations have also gone to court which at
some point of time will translate into a befitting decision.

When Hindu code bill came, many customs were disregarded. There were protests and agitations, but
ultimately it was implemented. If there exists a law which is not in conformity with constitution, the
constitution will prevail. Art 14 and 19 can’t be ignored. Whether there is UCC or not, the constitution is
sufficient and competent to protect minorities, especially Muslim women in India. Another law is not
needed.

Basis of UCC enactment

Degree of implementation of various DPSP provisions is visible. A DPSP bans cow slaughter and
another calls for implementation of UCC. But contradictions in their implementation is visible. Thus,
there is a need to address the personal law reforms of various sections of society like Christians,
Muslims, Dalits etc. Such discussions at platform like of Law Commission assure holistic dimension
embracement and consider topics like equality of religion, gender and other issues to be mandated.

Challenges to UCC implementation

UCC is replacement of all personal laws, including minority communities. This may violate, if not taken
care of, certain fundamental rights like Art 25, 26 and 29. The triple talaq is not the only issue. In
shahabano case, the Muslim law was challenged for first time. Other examples include

[] The Muslim community believes that the succession, the inheritance is recorded in Quran. If you
change that, it means you are changing Quranic injunction. Whether a Quranic injunction can be
changed by replaced law is the issue.
[] Hindus were against granting equal property rights to women, fearing the concept of a joint family
might crumble because of it. Thus, women have less share in property inheritance or share as per
Hindu laws. A common inheritance law may pose challenges in acceptance in heavily loaded
patriarchal society.
[] Muslims do not have any adoption laws as there is no provision in Islamic law for adoption. If a future
law makes adoption permissible and valid, how would it conflict with personal laws of religion?
[] Practices such as divorce were prohibited by Hinduism and that for a Hindu the institution of
marriage is indissoluble.

The issue is whether there should be any law which should be applied to all uniformly in place of their
personal law which may arise from religion, custom or practices. Thus, it is important that the reform is
not only for the personal law but a debate is required for more prominence of secular thread of country.

Is the time ripe for UCC?

For almost 70 years, the country has managed without a common civil code. Is it needed now? There
are arguments on both sides which shows our secular and republican nature and that a common law
for all citizens is needed. It can promote some kind of national integration. The other side is to maintain
unity in diversity. The country is inhabited by people of all colour, race, religion and cultures and
languages. Thus, there is a view point that a particular religious law, for example Shariat law which
springs from Quran and Muslims believe in Quran above everything. Shariat law cannot be changed
by any constitution. So, that view point has to be accommodated by some kind of consensus. And
unless the consensus is reached, it may not lead to national integration. Thus, it is a time for caution
and imposing it will not serve the purpose.

Two aspect

1. Reform of religion needed and demand should come from people.

2. As a government feels, there should be a larger debate on UCC to decide if it should be there or
not. It has to perform the advisory role.

However, it needs to be seen if such debates can be done without polarising the country.

No particular time may be ripe for India to absorb a Uniform Civil Code in its entirety. It will have to be
the result of gradual change that Indian society absorbs while interpreting in different ways its
multicultural diversity. All communities in this country will be willing to contemplate a change gradually
rather than being forced to do so abruptly.+++

Foundational Values for Civil Services

1. Integrity
2. Impartiality and Non Partisanship
3. Objectivity
4. Dedication to Public Service
5. Empathy, Tolerance and Compassion Towards Weaker Sections

Integrity: Civil servants should be guided solely by public good in discharging their duties.

Impartiality: Civil servants in carrying out their offi cial work, including functions like procurement,
recruitment, delivery of services etc, should take decisions based on merit alone.

Commitment to public service: Civil servants should deliver services in a fair, effective, impartial and
courteous manner.

Open to accountability: Civil servants are accountable for their decisions and actions and should be
willing to subject themselves to appropriate scrutiny for this purpose.

Devotion to duty: Civil servants maintain absolute and unstinting devotion towards their duties and
responsibilities at all times.

Exemplary behaviour: Civil servants shall treat all members of the public with respect and courtesy
and, at all times, should behave in a manner that upholds the rich traditions of the civil services.
At the apex level, there should be a clear and concise statement of the values and ethical standards
which should reflect public expectations.

> Allegiance to the ideals enshrined in the Constitution.

> Apolitical functioning.
> Good governance to be the primary goal.
> Duty to act objectively and impartially.
> Accountability and transparency in decision-making.
> Maintenance of highest ethical standards.
> Ensuring economy and avoidance of wastage in expenditure.
> Provision of healthy and congenial work environment.
> Commitment to the citizens’ concerns and public good.
> Empathy for the vulnerable and weaker sections of society.+++

Codes of Conduct: Civil Service

It is defined that "Code of Conduct" is "principles, values, standards, or rules of behaviour that
guide the decisions, procedures and systems of an organization in a way that

1. Contributes to the welfare of its key stakeholders.

2. Respects the rights of all constituents affected by its operations.
The scope of a Code of Conduct includes the individual legal duties of each director, committee
member and staff member, as well as identifying unlawful or prohibited conduct.

Elements of a Code of Conduct

A Code of Conduct must address all important ethical issues and legal duties with respect to the
behaviour and conduct of individual directors, volunteers and staff members of the credit union. It
should deal with the following issues:

> General standard of care of directors and officers

> Compliance with all applicable laws
> Confidentiality
> Conflicts of interest
> Restricted party transactions
> Unethical conduct

General Standard of Care:

The general duty of care required of directors, officers and committee members of credit unions entails
that, "Every director, officer, and member of a committee established under this Act shall exercise the
powers and discharge the duties of his or her office honestly, in good faith and in the best interests of
the credit union."

Person holding senior position in organization must have various responsibilities to mitigate against the
risk of legal liability.

Compliance with all applicable laws

Directors, committee members, officers and employees have a duty to comply with the Act and
Regulation. Non-compliance with the Act can carry serious consequences for directors and officers,
especially where it signifies an offence under the Act.

Conflicts of Interest
Each and every director, committee member, officer or employee has an obligation of loyalty to the
credit union and must ignore their personal interests when they conflict with or threaten to conflict with
the best interests of the credit union.

Unethical Conduct

Forms of unethical or inappropriate conduct which should be prohibited either in policy or directly in the
Code of Conduct include:

1. Abuse of the personal privileges of office.

2. Secret commissions.
3. Inappropriate gifts.
4. Acts of slander and libel.
5. Nepotism.
6. Employee discrimination and harassment.
7. Criminal acts.
8. Reporting of questionable and fraudulent acts.

The code also signify the duty always to conduct himself or herself in a way that the public's
confidence and trust in the integrity, impartiality and effectiveness of the public service are preserved
and enhanced.+++

Challenges of Corruption

Corruption is a global phenomenon and it is ubiquitous. Corruption has progressively increased

and is now proliferating in our society. Corruption around the world is believed to be endemic and
universal and a significant contributor to sluggish economic growth, to stifle investment, to inhibit the
provision of public services and to increase inequality to such an extent that international organizations
like the World Bank have identified corruption as 'the single greatest obstacle to economic and social
development' (World Bank, 2001).

Corruption is not just the clearly bad cases of government officials scanning off money for their own
benefit. It also includes cases where the systems do not work well, and ordinary people are left in a
bind, needing to give a bribe to get a work done or the licenses they need.

Corruption hinders the process of fulfilling civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights.

Forms of Corruption

Embezzlement: It is theft of resources by people who are put to administer it. It occurs when unfaithful
employees steal from their employers.

Nepotism: Nepotism is typical favouritism, in which an officer prefers his proper kinfolk and family
members (wife, brothers and sisters, children, nephews, cousins, in-laws).

Conflict of Interest: It is small but significant part of wider problem of police ethics and corruption.

Favouritism: Favouritism is a tool of power abuse implying "privatisation" and a highly biased
distribution of state resources, no matter how these resources have been amassed in the first place.

Fraud: Fraud is a financial crime that involves some kind of deception, swindle or deceit. Fraud
involves a manipulation or distortion of information, facts and expertise, by public officials positioned
between politicians and inhabitants, who seeks to draw a private profit.

Characteristics of Corruption

1. Gap between group and individual interest.

2. Two or more parties since one can hardly be corrupt with one's own self.
3. Consenting adults that have a common understanding.
4. Benefit furtherance.
5. Existence of power that could be grabbed, usurped, entrusted or otherwise available.
6. Misuse of the power that often drives a wedge between intended and stated positions, for
unintended benefits.

Corruption in India is a consequence of the nexus between bureaucracy, politics and criminals. It has
been observed that in cities and villages throughout India, there is "mafia raj" consisting of municipal
and other government officials, elected politicians, judicial officers, real estate developers and law
enforcement officials, acquire, develop and sell land in illegal ways.

It is now well recognized that the State is mainly responsible for both formulating and enforcing polices
relating to good governance and human rights. Good governance is key factor. The good governance
agenda includes protection and promotion of human rights and rule of law. Both these functions will
not be fully accomplished if corruption is widespread in government.

Major issues, country faces to curb corruption are poverty that hinders social and economic
development. Corruption

> Weakens education and health systems, depriving people of the basic building blocks of a decent
life;
> Undermines democracy by distorting electoral processes and undermining government institutions,
which can lead to political instability;
> Exacerbates inequality and injustice by perverting the rule of law and punishing victims of crime
through corrupt rulings.

Major scandals such as the 2G spectrum scam, Commonwealth Games misappropriations, Adarsh
housing scandal, Coal scam and the Cash for Vote scam have badly dented the credibility of the
political class.India is facing fundamental challenges that should be taken up on a priority basis.

Corruption is the most serious issue undermining the efforts of governments across the globe to tackle
world's most persistent problems such as political stability, health and welfare, sustainable economic
development, international trade and investment, climate change and poverty. Corruption is serious
consequences of poor governance. A country with prevalent corruption consistently has low
investment rates, poor economic growth and restricted human development.+++

Concept of Public Service

A public service is associated with government and it is offered by administrative bodies to

people living within its region and considered essential to modern life. The term is linked with a social
agreement (usually expressed through democratic elections) that numerous services should be offered
to all, irrespective of income.

It is stated that the provision of public services for example health care, education, sanitation and
criminal justice is major duty of government. People care about public services and depend on them
being delivered well. Public services offer the most common interface between people and the state,
and their functioning shapes people's sense of trust in and expectations of government. At national
level, public services support human welfare and economic growth.

In modern developed countries, the term "public services" (or "services of general interest") often
includes:

1. Electricity
2. Education
3. Emergency services
4. Environmental protection
5. Fire service
6. Gas
7. Health care
8. Law enforcement
9. Military
10. Postal service
11. Public broadcasting
12. Public library
13. Public security
14. Public transportation
15. Public housing
16. Social services
17. Telecommunications
18. Town planning
19. Waste management
20. Water supply network

Public services account for a large percentage of government budgets, but increased spending has
often not been harmonized by enhancements in outcomes. Several times, it is observed that public
services can be disrupted by corruption which leads to money intended for books, teachers,
dispensaries, medical supplies and infrastructure being syphoned off by officials or private contractors.

In Indian context, the state and local governments in India invest huge budgets for public services and
development of infrastructure. The nature and scale economies of most public services are such that
government has a virtual monopoly in their production and delivery.

> In water supply network, the responsibility for water supply and sanitation at the central and state
level is shared by various Ministries.
> Regarding public service in postal area, The Department of Posts, trading as India Post, is a
government-operated postal system in India
> In telecommunication, public services have played a major role for the growth of country as well as
enhancing living standard of people.

Recently, the government of India and the state governments have invested an increasing share of
their budgets to expand the reach of these services.

A proficient public service is vital for creating a favourable investment climate and facilitating people's
participation in economic life. In pattern of globalization, governments undergo numerous cross-cutting
issues, such as economic instability, climate change and migration.

Public service delivery has developed new dimensions as governments need to respond not only to
changes in the global environment but also to the demands of an active citizenry. In order to formulate
integrated policies and their effective implementation, it is imperative that there must be an adaptable
and efficient public service that can forestall emerging challenges and ensure that potential strategies
are informed by better understanding of future contexts.

Sometimes, public services can be privatized or partly controlled like establishing a corporation, but
keep ownership or voting power essentially in the hands of the government. Privatization helps in
delivering effective services & creation of a competitive free market which results in better end user
experience. Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) can also be thought of to reach a wider delivery of
public service more effectively.

Delivering effective public services needs multi-level transformation such as changing the way public
sector organisations think and act, how they view their roles, and how they share information between
agencies, with businesses and with their customers.

Five elements are integral to build this capacity:

1. Strategy (performance improvement and process reform, aided by technology).
2. Leadership (securing the understanding and support of top level leadership).
3. Organisational design (creating empowered institutions responsible for a pan-government focus on
customer-centricity and connected government).
4. People/Capacity/Training (focusing on the internal capacity-building that is needed to manage the
transformation, managing talent and training public sector people to respond to changing customer
needs).
5. Culture (change management throughout the organisation is the key to a successful customer
centric strategy).+++

Emotional intelligence: Concepts & Application

Emotional Intelligence is the summative of abilities, competencies and skills that signify a
collection of knowledge in order to cope with life effectively. Therefore, it is closely related to the
personal and professional growth of the individuals who have to take decisions under stressful and
difficult situations.

Emotional intelligence, abbreviated as EI, refers to the ability to perceive, control and evaluate
emotions. Some researchers suggest that emotional intelligence can be learned and strengthened,
while others claim it is an inborn characteristic.

Five primary domains characterize emotional intelligence:

1. Knowing one's emotions. People with greater certainty of their moods and feelings are better
navigators of their lives. They can take good decisions and set realistic expectations.
2. Managing emotions: People who have ability to cope with adverse or distressing emotions can
soothe themselves at the appropriate time. They can shake off rampant anxiety, gloom or irritability.
They show a form of "stress" hardiness.
3. Motivating oneself: People with the capacity for self-efficacy not only manifest emotional self-control,
but also use this to accomplish specific pre-set goals. This ability to stifle impulsiveness underlies
accomplishments of all sorts.
4. Recognizing emotions in others. People with the ability to distinguish other's emotions based on
situational and expressive cues possess information which can be used to create desirable outcomes.
Empathetic abilities come with the capacity to not only recognize but also share the emotions felt by
others.
5. Handling relationships. People with this skill can get things done with and through others. Over time,
the consistent capacity to handle relationships will create leadership opportunities for the individual
with this competence.

Application of EI in Administration & Governance:

Many administrative officers are extremely talented, conceptually brilliant and have a very high IQ.
They excel in computers, science and mathematics. But they have problem in making social
relationships. Many of them are antagonistic and ruthless in their response to the outside world.

In the area of administration and governance, emotional intelligence has five main elements of
emotional intelligence:

1. Self-awareness.
2. Self-regulation.
3. Motivation.
4. Empathy.
5. Social skills.
People who are high in emotional intelligence recognize how to listen to their emotions and control
their intensity so they are not influenced by others. Emotionally intelligent people know how to keep
troublesome emotions in check. Emotionally intelligent people sense the effect their emotions have on
others. Emotionally intelligence people know how to use their strengths and compensate for their
weaknesses. Emotionally intelligence people listen to other people's emotions and can understand
with them. Emotionally intelligent people act morally and build trust through honesty and consistency.

As an administrator and leader, one should manage these elements.

#1. Self-awareness:

If people are self-aware, they always know their feelings and how emotions affect the people around
them. Being self-aware people are in administrator or leadership position also means having a clear
picture of their strengths and weaknesses.

#2. Self-regulation:

Administrators and leaders who regulate themselves successfully hardly verbally attack others, make
rushed or emotional decisions, stereotype people, or compromise their values. Self-regulation is all
about staying in control. This element of emotional intelligence also covers an administrators and
leader's flexibility and commitment to personal accountability.

#3. Motivation:

Self-motivated administrators and leaders regularly work toward their goals. And they have extremely
high standards for the quality of their work. Administrators can improve motivation by following method:

Re-examine why they are doing certain act.

Make sure that their goal statements are fresh and energizing (Goal Setting).
Know where they stand.
Be hopeful and find something good: Motivated leaders are usually optimistic, no matter what they
face. Adopting this mind-set might take practice, but it's well worth the effort.
#4. Empathy:

Empathy is critical to manage a successful team or organization. Administrators and leaders with
empathy have the ability to put themselves in someone else's situation. They support and develop the
people on their team, challenge others who are acting unfairly, give constructive feedback, and listen
to those who need it.

#5. Social Skills:

Administrators and leaders must develop social skills. People who do well in this element of emotional
intelligence are great communicators. They are just as open to hearing bad news as good news, and
they are experts at getting their team to support them and be excited about a new mission or project.
Administrators who have good social skills are also good at managing change and resolving conflicts
tactfully.+++

Probity in Governance

Probity in governance is basic requirement for successful operation of governance and for
socio-economic growth of country. It is defined as a risk management approach ensuring procedural
integrity. It is concerned with procedures, processes and systems rather than outcomes.

To make probity in governance effective, government must have to eliminate corruption. The other
requirements of probity are effective laws, rules and regulations governing every feature of public life
and an effective and reasonable implementation of those laws. Undeniably, a proper, fair and effective
implementation of law is aspect of discipline.

The term probity entails integrity, uprightness and honesty. For Government workers and agencies,
maintaining probity involves more than simply avoiding dishonest conduct. It involves applying public
sector values such as impartiality, accountability and transparency. Probity is also considered as being
incorruptible.

Objectives of Probity in Governance:

1. To ensure accountability in governance;

2. To maintain integrity in public services;
3. To ensure compliance with processes;
4. To preserve public confidence in Government processes;
5. To avoid the potential for misconduct, fraud and corruption.

Probity & Good governance

Smooth civil service assists to foster good policy making, effective service delivery, accountability and
responsibility in utilizing public resources which are the features of good governance.

Good Governance is being used as an all-inclusive framework not only for administrative and civil
service improvement, but as a link between Civil Service Reform and an all-embracing framework for
making policy decisions effective within viable systems of accountability and citizen participation.

Governance reform is basically the improvement of legal and policy frameworks to develop good
decision making environment; participatory systems for elements of civil society to become actively
involved in policy and programme formulation and their implementation.

Probity is vital feature of governance which facilitates government to act ethically and perform its duty.

It has been observed that due to different irregularities such as corruption; insensitivity; red tapism,
irresponsibility; disregard to office and law, the governance system losing its credential people.
Therefore it is imperative for government to follow rules and adopt policies of impartiality, transparency
to gain confidence of populace.+++

Dimensions of Ethics & Decision Making

The different dimensions to study the ethics help in arriving at ethical decisions during complex
situation.

I. Utilitarian Approach:

According to this approach, ethical actions are those that offers the greatest balance of good over evil.
The ethical administrative action is the one that produces greatest goods and does the least harm for
all who are affected such as citizens, communities, employees, environment and society at Large.

Utilitarian approach is one of the teleological approaches to ethics dealing with consequences tries to
increase the good and reduce the harm that is done. It focuses on the consequences that actions or
policies have on the well-being ("utility") of all persons reasonably foreseen to be directly or indirectly
(but rather immediately) affected by the action or policy.

It must be established that different people often identify benefits and harms differently.

II. The Right Approach:

This approach states that people have dignity based on their capability to choose freely what they will
do with their lives and they have fundamental moral right to have these choices respected. The Rights
Approach focuses on respect for human dignity.

This approach holds that our dignity is based on our ability to choose freely how we live our lives, and
that we have a moral right to respect for our choices as free, equal, and rational people, and a moral
duty to respect others in the same way.
People are not objects to be manipulated, it is violation of human dignity to use people in way wherein
they do not freely choose their own actions.

III. Fairness or Justice Approach:

The Fairness Approach focuses on the fair and equitable distribution of good and harm, and/or the
social benefits and social costs, across the spectrum of society.

It starts with the principle that all equals should be treated similarly, and those who are unequal due to
relevant differences, should be treated differently in a manner that is fair and proportionate to, or
commensurate with, their difference.

IV. Common Goods Approach:

The common good is defined as certain general conditions those are equally applicable to everyone’s
advantage. This approach to ethics assumes a society comprising individuals whose own good is
inextricably linked to the good of community.

This approach is guided by two principles:

> The first principle guarantees the right of each person to have the most extensive basic liberty
compatible with the liberty of others.
> The second principle states that social and economic positions are to be (a) to everyone's advantage
and (b) open to all.
Examples of goods common to all include affordable health care, effective public safety, peace among
nations, a just legal system, and an unpolluted environment.

V. Virtue Approach:

This is very primitive approach to ethics in which ethical actions ought to be consistent with certain
ideal virtues that provide for the full development of our humanity. The virtual approach to ethics
assumes that there are certain ideals toward which we should strive which offer overall development of
humans.

Honesty, courage, compassion, generosity, tolerance, love fidelity, integrity, fairness, self-control, and
prudence are examples of virtue.

The principle states: "What is ethical is what develops moral virtues in ourselves and our
communities.+++

Accountability in Governance

Ethics and accountability are important elements for modern government as in majority of the
countries, there is a severe crisis of legitimacy. Progressively, it has been realized that performance
management alone will not resolve this crisis period.

Devolution and Decentralisation processes have enhanced the responsibility of public officers. The
increase of transparency and openness and the service orientation of public organisations have
challenged the traditional values of discretion and equality before the rule.

As a facet of governance, it has been central to debates related to problems in the public sector, non-
profit and private (corporate) and individual contexts. Broadly speaking, accountability exists when
there is a relationship where an individual or body, and the performance of tasks or functions by that
individual or body, are subject to another’s oversight, direction or request that they provide information
or justification for their actions.
In the arena of ethics, accountability is answerability, enforcement, blameworthiness, liability, and the
expectation of account-giving.

Answerability is elucidated as the obligation of the government, its agencies and public officials to
provide information about their decisions and actions and to justify them to the public and those
institutions of accountability tasked with providing oversight. Enforcement proposes that the public or
the institution responsible for accountability can sanction the offending party or remedy the breaching
behaviour.

It can be contended that accountability is the fundamental requirement for preventing the abuse of
power and for ensuring that power is directed towards the achievement of efficiency, effectiveness,
responsiveness and transparency. Open, transparent and accountable government is an imperative
prerequisite for community-oriented public service delivery because without it covert unethical
behaviour will result.

Horizontal vs. Vertical Accountability

Horizontal accountability is the capacity of state institutions to check abuses by other public agencies
and branches of government, or the requirement for agencies to report sideways. The predominant
interpretation is that institutions of accountability, such as parliament and the judiciary, provide
horizontal accountability.

Whereas, vertical accountability is the means through which residents, mass media and civil society
seek to enforce standards of good performance on officials.

While parliament is typically considered as a key institution in constructs of horizontal accountability, it

is also important in vertical accountability. Citizens and civil society groups can look for the support of
elected representatives to redress grievances and intervene in the case of inappropriate or inadequate
action by government.

Political vs. Legal Accountability

Parliament and the judiciary act as horizontal constitutional checks on the power of the executive. The
role of these two institutions can be further described in that parliament holds the executive politically
accountable, whilst the judiciary holds the executive legally accountable. Parliament is a political
institution, while the judiciary can only adjudicate on legal issues.

Together, they provide continuing oversight in order to keep the government accountable throughout
its term in office. They may also be aided by other institutions, such as supreme audit institutions, anti-
corruption commissions, regulatory offices and human rights institutes.

Social Accountability

Social accountability is an approach towards building accountability that relies on public engagement,
namely a situation whereby ordinary citizens and/or civil society organizations partake directly or
indirectly in exacting accountability. Such accountability is termed as society driven horizontal
accountability.

Mechanisms of social accountability can be originated and supported by the state, citizens or both, but
very often they are demand driven and operate from the bottom-up. Social accountability initiatives are
as varied and different as participatory budgeting, administrative procedures acts, social audits, and
citizen report cards which all involve citizens in the oversight and control of government.

Accountability in Administration

In administration, civil servants have a special responsibility because they are trusted with managing
resources on behalf of the community, delivering services to the community and taking decisions that
affect a citizen’s life. The civil servants have a pivotal role to ensure continuity and change in
administration.

However, they are dictated by the rules and procedures which are formulated taking their advice into
account. Civil executives are expected to uphold high standards of professionalism, responsiveness
and impartiality. Holders of public office are accountable for their decisions and actions to the public
and must submit themselves to whatever scrutiny is appropriate to their office.

Accountability is intended to make public officials answerable for their behaviour and responsive to the
entity from which they derive their authority. Accountability also indicate establishing criteria to
measure the performance of public officials, as well as oversight mechanisms to ensure that standards
are met.+++

Ethical Issues in International Relations

In modern International Relations, there is immense development in the revival of ethics. Since
last many decades, scholars are concerned to converse the way that states, institutions and
individuals must behave. The situation that exists among nations in their relations to one another is
such that it entices even those who ordinarily come for short of sarcasm to say that there is no
connection between ethics and international relations.

International ethics is described as the good that international interactions, exchanges, relations which
can bring to all life forms and which can be harmed by unfriendly, hostile, uncooperative behaviours. In
simple term, international ethics is an area of international relations theory which concerns the extent
and scope of ethical obligations between states in an epoch of globalization.

International ethics offers understandings into how nations and other entities treat other nations and its
people. Good acquaintance of international ethics provides people with insights to assess the good
and harms, the rights and wrongs, which can occur in the international space. For example, the UN
has been encouraging various principles of friendly and cooperative and peace related humanitarian
international actions by all the member countries.

The community of nations which respect other nations and their interests can itself be harmed by the
governing nations willing to enforce their interests and will on other poorer nations when poorer nations
are reluctant to cooperate without being treated as equals. Various agencies of the UN by their
presence and action in various countries, promote certain world-wide principles that surpass the
boundaries of individual nations and the ethical principles pursued by individual nations.

International ethic is not just an ethic of some leading country, it is not simply an ethic of a powerful
country having obligations towards others because of the power they have over others. International
ethics may be elaborated as that which enables one to participate more actively in shaping and
building good international community. The vision of international community that every country has
and reality of an international community provides us with food for thought on what ought to be the
nature and purpose of investing in international relations to build an international community.

International ethics monitors international relations and tenacity of international conflicts. International
ethics guides the international environmental effort to fight against ozone depletion, global warming
which are collective problems and which require actions from numerous nations who are major
contributors to forces generating such problems.

Power and International Ethics:

It is generally observed that the world attention, gets itself focused on the most powerful nation, both
domestically and internationally, a nation that is willing to force its powerful will on the world, taking into
task any nation that challenged its authority and its interests. Many wars and conflicts are certainly
caused by the unilateral moves of dominant nations against other nations that endangered its global
interests. International ethics is influenced by different philosophies of international and national power
and the way this power play its role. There are beliefs that power does not follow any rules and this
reasoning and is extended to apply to international spaces and relations.

In its so called “chaos” nature, this belief in power, particularly power not following any rules slants the
global balance in favour of dominant nations and entities and is unfavourable to weak or developing
nations and entities. It is true that the anarchy of a dominant power imposes its will on other nations
and entities. Under such conventions, justice follows national boundaries without any space for
international or global justice.

Philosophy of International Ethics:

(I) Realism and International Ethics

[] Realism concentrations on a single reality, international power: It is the power that one nation has to
influence another nation directing and shaping its fortune in the direction it desires specifically into a
kind of unspoken servitude of serving and protecting its interests at the cost of the other.
[] In the international realm, realism embraces that the only thing that really matters is power, what
power a country has.
[] Other factor like morality, ethics, law, and political systems, legal systems, cultural systems are all
irrelevant.
[] Either one country will dominate the other or the other will try to dominate the first, so it is better to be
the dominating or dominant country. The realist approach to international relations is to deny any role
for common or shared ethics, and create an ethically neutral zone or an ethics free zone which can be
filled by the power of one who is dominant.
[] Chasing realism and realist policies will be harmful to common world with its common vision of a
humane future for everyone. Realism is powerless of allowing such an achievement.

International ethics then, in so far realism is concerned is just the field of international trade wars and
international war and peace and the requirement of having some kind of “international justice” dictated
and dominated by the rule of the powerful country in the relation.

(II) Idealism and International Ethics:

[] Idealism stresses on “common interests” between nations, and not essentially at the power or power
distance or at power balance. It builds the international sphere on the basis of idealist values that are
of common interests to nations participating in any international issues and problems.
[] Idealism theory also create more lasting hopes of peace and of a emergent international sphere
where mutual interests and common concerns are addressed more sincerely in the spirit of pursuing
human purposes.
[] The growth of international and global market place and the increasing interdependence between
nations are shown to be aiding and being supported by idealism.
[] In idealism, the international system, international order and the international sphere follow rules,
laws and institutions.
[] In idealism, ethics, morality, laws, legal systems, international institutions all have significant role.
[] Major challenges of Idealism are the dominant views of realism which holds that war is a necessary
consequence easily justifiable by the powerful.
[] International ethics has to guide and deal with how international power is used.

International disparities infer that some nations have international power whereas others do not have.
There may have been even historical injustices involved in the rise and fall of nations and their
international power. It is important to realise international ethical sensitivities harnessing international
power for international growth and development, peace and security.

Freedom of Information

In the realm of international ethics and international actions, Freedom of Information is necessary.
There must be good international and global flow of information. Primary actions and activities in
international space are the issues of technology, particularly information technology and to put
internationally and nationally by individuals and countries. Information is useful for countries.
Scientific Research

Another important factor in international ethics is the development of Scientific Research Agendas and
Projects. Science has been a teamster of global developments. Every country has its group of
scientific advisers to offer best science advice to their governments and these are in constant
international and global contact with their counter parts in exchanging ideas and scientific research
trends and information that could be strategically employed.

Constructivism and International Ethics:

Constructivism focuses on the matters such as foreign policy, diplomatic initiatives to shape
international relations and the international sphere where a country has trustworthy influence. In these
matters, the focus is on domestic politics and how it forms foreign policy with goals.

Every nation and every state create a sense of national identity in various ways and develop it through
historical and cultural celebrations and means. Thus national identity is constructed and it in turn is
said to influence the way the nations interact. Fundamentally, constructivism allows for influence of
national identities and its constructions on the international sphere.

In present scenario, there is increase of identity politics and political power arising out of it harnessed
by interested parties for their own advantage. National identities based on religious domains span
across countries and define international relations. Religious baseless conflict may accelerate and
cause problems not only in the international sphere but within a nation itself. It also leads to violence
and anger instead of the spurs of peace and humane relations..

Cosmopolitanism and International Ethics:

Cosmopolitanism shares views of idealism, which entails do the right thing. The right thing to be done
is to behave as person would want others to behave. It focuses on how people interact in a global
society. It embraces that since people interact with other countries, therefore they have a moral
responsibility to treat people of that country morally as moral people.

Cosmopolitanism claims for following morally lawful behaviour. Where rules and laws do not exist, it
needs that people come together and negotiate the rules and laws that are ethical to follow and follow
them in international relations. Cosmopolitanism welcome people of all origins and identities without
any discrimination or treatment of them as means to some ends. It will give reputation to people, their
freedom and rights rather than dominance of nation states. It is certainly capable of universality in
thought, word and deed. In simple term, cosmopolitanism focuses on the international community as
having an important role on determining what a country should or should not do morally. Such
developments may be resisted by nations who feel they are at the receiving end of world opinion or
world politics and which select their national identity and sovereignty sentiments.

Constrained Choices and International Ethics:

International ethics also control choices of nation in the international sphere, but evidently choices are
constrained rather than free. The choices may be constrained by the necessity of pleasing the
domestic political support. The choices may be inhibited by the identity politics. The choices may be
constrained by power equations and balances.

Several practical restraints may also be present, assuredly economic constraints and national interest
constraint will not be missing when choices have to be made. Many experts squabbled that preference
is given for national interests when it is a choice of national interests versus global interests.

Facet of Ethics in International Relations

International ethics must be pursued to compete ecological System:

[] Nations are competing for ecological system advantages to help the environment to preserve its
natural capacity and vitality. This will secure for nations an ecological and economic advantage.
[] At the same time, they are not ready to bear much burden for the climate change action which can
impede economic progression in short term.
[] Ethical reflection on the natural environment has actually become international and global
phenomena.

Interdependence, Cooperation and Collaboration must be judged to maintain international ethics:

[] It is well recognized that one country emerged as a super power and have a dominant role in
international relations between nations.
[] International cooperation and collaboration are a measure of countries interdependence with other
nations.
[] Such international cooperation provides a measure of international order between them. International
ethics in the framework of cooperation and collaboration are based on recognition of their mutual
interests with each other.

Diplomatic Relations and Understanding is also major drivers of International ethics:

[] Diplomatic initiatives are always available for nations to resolve their differences and make
agreements that ensure peace and security and also to further their rights and interests and to share
duties and responsibilities.
[] Each country may have its own interests in another country and or in promoting ties with other
countries. In each country recognizing the other, there is the “international law of peace”, even though
it may not resolve all conflicts between nations. A rule of reason can triumph under such
circumstances.

Defence and Military Enterprise

[] Each nation use the power to achieve its global interests. International ethics can also be considered
as the use of power by one country against another country to accomplish its international goals and
protecting its national interests.
[] International conflict and wars are still a probability and it may even be impacted by the defence
related establishments which have international reach and influence.
[] International conventions on “international law of war” may be binding only when international
community analyses and insists on it.

The Poverty and Wealth of Nations:

[] Nations who want to become wealthy, have to reckon with poverty which hampers them from being
active and responsible international actors involved and partaking in emergent international issues.
[] Lessening poverty is major issue at international level. “International law of justice” may be invoked
to have nations pledge to reduce and eradicate poverty wherever it is found, through responsible joint
actions.
[] The UN framework on Millennium Development Goals calls on nations to reduce poverty to half and
continue to decrease poverty around the world.
[] Poverty measures, poverty indices, are available to guide policy.

The Inequality of Nations:

[] At global stage, there is growing inequalities.

[] Inequalities lead to certain conflicts which may be domestic in origin or international, but they are
indicators of troubling trends.
[] Any international action must be aimed at benefiting the least advantaged nations more than that
would be expected for a most advantaged nation.
[] Otherwise, there would not be an incentive for less advantaged or least advantaged nations to
participate in international actions.
International Ethics with respect to economic, Social and Environmental Frameworks:

[] There are a number of frameworks available for making decisions concerning international actions
which have economic, social, and environmental consequences and impact over future generations.
[] There is a gap between any system of global and international values and international ethics on the
ground.
[] This is because of the broadening gap in ground realities between nations and international
organizations due to levels of difficult conflict.
[] The frameworks are evolved to provide a way to resolve the conflict and they are useful to deal with
numerous conflicting ideas on international ethics.
[] For instance, the framework provided under UN agencies, the framework of Universal Declaration of
Human Rights, the framework of Universal Declaration of Human Genome and Human Rights, the
various international declarations and conventions which offer the necessary framework for supportive
and collaborative international action to resolve international issues.+++

Disaster Management: Crisis Management Mechanisms

Almost 85% of the country is vulnerable to single or multiple disasters and about 57% of its
area lies in high seismic zones. Approximately 40 million hectares of the country’s land area is prone
to flood, about 8% of the total land mass is vulnerable to cyclone and 68% of the area is susceptible to
drought.

There is no reason why so much loss happens in India whereas earthquakes of similar measurements
in USA or Japan have had relatively little impact.

Post monsoon cyclones are usually more intense both in numbers and intensity.

Cyclone Shelters

[] In densely populated coastal areas, where large scale evacuations are not always feasible, public
buildings can be used as cyclone shelters.
[] These buildings can be so designed, so as to provide a blank face with a minimum number of
apertures in the direction of the prevailing winds. The shorter side of the building should face the
storm, so as to impart least wind resistance.
[] Green belts can be used in front of these buildings to reduce the impact of the storm.

Traditional Knowledge for Disaster Management

[] If tribals in the Andamans could survive the tsunami, it was because their existing warning systems
worked well in comparison to our non-existent modern systems.
[] The fact that traditional houses of wood and stone survived the Uttarkashi earthquake not so long
ago while modern buildings collapsed offered a similar lesson.
[] In the flood-prone rural North-East, one can find houses on bamboo stilts that allow flood waters to
flow under them rather than through or over!

Flood Control and Management

[] There should be a master plan for flood control and management for each flood prone basin.
[] Adequate flood-cushion should be provided in water storage projects. In highly flood prone areas,
flood control should be given overriding consideration in reservoir policy even at the cost of sacrificing
some irrigation or power benefits.
[] While physical flood protection works like embankments and dykes will continue to be necessary,
increased emphasis should be laid on non-structural measures such as flood forecasting, flood plain
zoning and flood proofing.
[] There should be strict regulation of settlements in the flood plain zones along with flood proofing.

Landslides & Avalanches

[] The Himalayas comprise of tectonically unstable younger formations and often the slides are huge,
and in most cases, the overburden along with the underlying lithology is displaced during sliding.
[] In contrast, the Western Ghats are geologically stable and the slides are usually confined to the over
burden without affecting the bedrock beneath.
[] Structural measures:
1. Planting (Avalanche Prevention Forest)
2. Stepped Terraces
3. Avalanche Control Fence
4. Other protection structures
[] Non-structural measures - removing snow deposits on slopes by blasting, predicting avalanches and
evacuating people from vulnerable areas.

Industrial Disasters

[] In the pre-Bhopal Gas Tragedy era, industrial safety was governed by legislations like the Factories
Act, 1948 and the Explosives Act, 1884. These laws proved to be inadequate to provide safety to
workers as well as to the people living in the surrounding areas.
[] After the Bhopal Gas Tragedy, a new chapter was inserted in the Factories Act, 1948 dealing with
hazardous processes.
[] The Environment Protection Act, 1986 was also enacted. More importantly, several Rules were
promulgated under the Act.

Rail Disaster Management

It is an integral part of railway safety. However, earlier the disaster management was confined to
reacting to the railway accidents.

After the NDMA, 2005 the Railway ministry has developed an integrated disaster management plan.
As per this plan,

[] The railway zones and railway divisions have been made the nodal agencies for planning, mitigation
and relief within their zones.
[] The Plan is not focused towards reacting to the accidents only, but it also includes, terrorist attacks,
natural disasters affecting the railways, crowd management during festivals or natural calamities.
[] It heavily relies on modern technology like CCTVs, ACDs, satellite communications, upgraded
signaling systems, self propelled accident relief vans, modern cranes, luggage scanners.
[] It emphasizes in relief during golden hours (first hour of the accident) i.e. reach the spot within 1
hour. Training is done at Bangalore in the disaster relief operations.
[] The Railway Protection Force is developing a rapid action team to be trained by NSG to respond to
the terrorist attacks on railway trains and assets.
[] Railway officials to maintain contact with the general administrative authorities in their areas for
prompt relief in case of the disasters.

Creeping Emergencies

[] Disasters can also be classified as ‘slow onset’ disasters and ‘rapid onset’ disasters.
[] Earthquakes, cyclones, floods, tsunamis would fall under the category of rapid onset disasters;
climate change (global warming), desertification, soil degradation, and droughts, would fall under the
category of slow onset disasters.
[] Slow onset disasters are also termed as ‘Creeping Emergencies’.

Sea Erosion

[] The landward displacement of the shoreline caused by the forces of waves and currents is termed as
erosion.
[] The impact of the event is not always seen immediately, but it is equally important when we consider
loss of property that it causes.
[] It takes months or years to note the impact. So, this is generally classified as a “long term coastal
hazard”.
[] Anthropological effects that trigger beach erosion are: construction of artificial structures, mining of
beach sand, offshore dredging, or building of dams.

Traditional Disaster Management Architecture in India

The Response Mechanism

[+] Field level response

[] The community is the first responder in a disaster.
[] Field level response in rural areas is by the nearest police station and the revenue functionary; in
urban areas the response is by agencies like the civic authorities, the fire brigade and the local police
station.
[] At present, panchayats do not have the capacity to react in any effective manner and it is the district
administration with the Collector playing a pivotal role. He has the authority to mobilize the response
machinery and has been given financial powers to draw money.
[] All departments including the police, fire services, public works, irrigation etc. work under the
leadership of the Collector during a disaster, except in metropolitan areas where the municipal body
plays a major role.
[] The District Collector also enjoys the authority to request for assistance from the Armed Forces if
circumstances so demand.

[+] Role of state government

[] The basic responsibility to undertake response measures rests with the State Governments.
[] The entire structure of crisis administration in the State Governments has been oriented towards
post disaster relief and rehabilitation.
[] Most of the states have Relief Commissioners. The Relief Commissionerate is usually an adjunct of
the Revenue Department. In some states, the Revenue Secretary is also the ex-officio Relief
Commissioner.
[] This has the advantage of providing a direct chain of command to the district Collectors and the
Tehsildars, but the focus on crisis prevention and mitigation or even of preparedness is missing.
[] Every state has a Crisis Management Committee under the Chief Secretary, consisting of
secretaries of concerned departments, which reviews crisis situations on a day-to-day basis,
coordinates the activities of all departments and provides support to the district administration.
[] At the ministers’ level, a Cabinet Committee on Natural Calamities under the Chief Minister takes
stock of situations and is responsible for all important policy decisions.

[+} Role of Union Government

[] It plays a key supportive role with resources and providing complementary measures such as early
warning and co-ordination of efforts of all Union ministries, departments and organizations.
[] At the apex level, a Cabinet Committee on Natural Calamities reviews the crisis situations.
[] A High Level Committee of Ministers under the chairmanship of Minister of Agriculture deals with the
issue of financial support to be provided to the State Governments.
[] Matters relating to nuclear, biological and chemical emergencies are looked after by the Cabinet
Committee on Security.
[] The Cabinet Secretary heads the National Crisis Management Committee. Secretaries of ministries
and departments concerned and heads of other organizations are members, which reviews and
monitors crisis situations on a regular basis and gives directions to the Crisis Management Group.
[] The Central Relief Commissioner in the Ministry of Home Affairs is the Chairman of the Crisis
Management Group (CMG) consisting of nodal officers from various concerned ministries.
[] The CMG’s functions are to review annual contingency plans formulated by various ministries,
measures required for dealing with a natural disaster, coordinate the activities of the Union Ministries
and State Governments.
[] In the event of a disaster, the CMG meets frequently to review relief operations and extends
assistance required by the affected states.

The Finance Mechanism

[] Schemes for financing expenditure on disaster management are governed by the recommendations
of the Finance Commission.
[] Under the existing scheme, each state has a Calamity Relief Fund (CRF) administered by the Chief
Secretary. The size of the corpus is determined with reference to the expenditure normally incurred by
the state on relief and rehabilitation over the past ten years.
[] In case the funds under CRF are not sufficient, State Governments can seek assistance from the
National Calamity Contingency Fund (NCCF) - the approval for which is granted by the High Level
Committee of Ministers.
[] Both these funds, as the names suggest, are meant for relief and rehabilitation and do not cover
either mitigation or reconstruction works, which have to be funded separately.+++

Disaster Management Architecture: NDMA Act 2005

Following the Gujarat earthquake, the Government of India took important policy steps for
revamping the disaster management system in the country. These are

[] Disaster management with reference to rapid onset disasters was moved from the purview of the
Ministry of Agriculture to the Ministry of Home Affairs. The Ministry of Agriculture retains the
responsibility for droughts, pest attacks and hailstorms.
[] State Governments were advised to reorganize their Relief & Rehabilitation Department into a
separate Disaster Management Department.
[] State Governments were further advised to constitute State Disaster Management Authority under
the Chairmanship of State Chief Ministers and the District Disaster Management Committee under the
Chairmanship of District Collectors.
[] National Disaster Response Force was constituted.
[] A fail-proof disaster communication network was set up.
[] The National Institute of Disaster Management was set up for training, capacity building, research
and documentation.
[] Disaster management to be included in education system at all levels starting from schools.

The National Disaster Management Act, 2005

It defines disaster as natural or man made event that causes substantial loss to life, property and
environment. The scope of this definition does not cover a variety of other crisis situations that may or
may not culminate in a disaster.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) is a specialized force constituted "for the purpose of
specialist response to a threatening disaster situation or disaster" under the Disaster Management Act,
2005. The "Apex Body for Disaster Management" in India is the National Disaster Management
Authority (NDMA) with the Chairman being the Prime Minister.

It concentrates very comprehensive powers at the national level for dealing with disasters.

[] The NDMA as well as the NEC have been given the role not just of planning, coordinating,
monitoring and providing assistance during a disaster but also executive functions related to
implementation of the emergency relief and disaster response.
[] What, in fact, is however needed is further empowerment and delegation to the front-end
functionaries. In any crisis situation the field functionaries and the State Governments being aware of
the field situation would be in the best position to provide timely and effective response.
[] International practices also do not normally involve setting up centralized authorities with command
and control functions to deal with disasters.

The integration of the institutional structure prescribed under the Act with the existing administrative
framework of the country may pose several problems.

[] The NDMA and the NEC has laid down guidelines for the state authorities, coordinate the
enforcement and implementation of these policies and ensure timely response.
[] All these functions traditionally have been performed by State Governments.

Cabinet Secretary at the union level is more appropriate authority for the coordination of disaster
management efforts rather than the NEC under department secretary.

Recommendations on the DMA, 2005

[] Disaster Management will continue to be the primary responsibility of the State Governments and the
Union Government should play a supportive role.
> The functions of the NDMA should be: to recommend policies, to lay down guidelines, to promote
research, to advise on parameters of categorization of disasters, documentation and dissemination of
knowledge, capacity building, early warning systems, to deploy resources in support of local/State
Governments, and to give recommendations to the government.
> The task of implementation of mitigation/prevention and response measures may be left to the State
Governments and the district and local authorities with the line ministries of the union playing a
supportive role.
> The role of the local governments should be brought to the forefront for disaster management.

[] The Act provides categorization of disasters (say, local, district, state or national level). This
categorization along with intensity of each type of disaster will help in determining the level of authority
primarily responsible for dealing with the disaster as well as the scale of response.
[] The law cast a duty on every public functionary, to promptly inform the concerned authority about
any crisis.
[] The law make provisions for stringent punishment for misutilization of funds meant for disaster
management.
[] The NEC as stipulated under the Disaster Management Act need not be constituted, and the NCMC
should continue to be the apex coordination body.
[] At the state level, the existing coordination mechanism under the Chief Secretary should continue.

Committees under NDMA & NDMA Architecture

[] The National Disaster Management Authority (PM Level Body) - To lay down policies on disaster
management, guidelines to be followed by the states in drawing up the State Plan and the union
ministries to draw up their plans & approve the National Plan
[] The National Executive Committee (Secretary Level Body) - Act as the national level coordinating
and monitoring body for disaster management, Monitor and evaluate the preparedness level, the
implementation of the national policy, guidelines laid down by NDMA, national plan, plans of various
union ministries
[] The State Disaster Management Authority (CM Level Body) - Lay down the State disaster
management policy, Lay down guidelines to be followed by the state ministries, Approve the State
Plan and plans prepared by various state ministries & Coordinate the implementation of the state plan
[] The State Executive Committee (Chief Secretary Level Body) - Lay down guidelines for preparation
of plans by the various state ministries and the DDMAs, Monitor the implementation of the national
policy, the national plan, the state plan and the plans prepared by various state ministries and the
DDMAs & Promote general education and community training
[] The District Disaster Management Authority (Collector Level Body) - acts as the district planning,
coordinating and implementing body for disaster management and takes all measures according to the
guidelines laid down by the NDMA and the SDMA.

NCMC vs NEC

[] The National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC) headed by the Cabinet Secretary coordinates
and guides the work of different departments of Government of India in times of crisis. The NEC is
incorporated to duplicate the role of NCMC to a great extent.
[] The NCMC has inherent advantages of ensuring quick decisions and immediate implementation.
With parallel bodies created, the possibility of the pre-existing and newly formed committees
trespassing on each other and creating confusion cannot be ruled out.
NDRF vs Army

[] NDRF is a highly trained quick response agency to respond to the needs of disaster response. To a
large extent, this role has been filled by the Army.
[] The lessons learnt from the devastating disasters around the world is that extraordinarily severe
disasters could overwhelm specialized agencies and that in such situations the Armed Forces remain
the ‘measure of last resort’.
[] It is imperative that even after the NDRF becomes fully functional, the ‘enabling role’ of the Armed
Forces in assisting the civil authorities be retained and the Armed Forces continue to maintain
capabilities.

In 2013, during the Cyclone Phailin in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Odisha etc. - The battalions of the
army and navy were used to evacuate people.+++

Analytical Issues: Disaster Management in India

Constitutional Provision - Is there need for a separate entry for Disaster Management in the 3
Lists?

[] Disaster management doesn't figure in any of the 3 lists. So the parliament has the competence to
legislate on this subject. However, by practice and convention the primary responsibility for managing
disasters rests with the State Governments
[] The Disaster Management Act, 2005 was enacted by invoking entry 23 namely ‘Social security and
social insurance, employment and unemployment’ in the Concurrent List even though all aspects of
crisis management cannot be said to be covered by this entry.
[] There are already various entries in the three lists, which deal with some aspect or other of disaster
management.
[] ‘Public order’ finds a place in the State List, as does Public Health. Entries 14 and 17 in the State List
deal with Agriculture and Water respectively. Environment and Social Security are included in the
Concurrent List. Atomic energy and Railways are part of the Union List.
[] Due to the cross cutting nature of activities that constitute disaster management and linkages
required which involve coordination between the Union, State and local governments on the one hand
and a host of government departments and agencies on the other; setting up of a broadly uniform
institutional framework at all levels is of paramount importance.
[] There is need to ensure congruence and coherence with regard to the division of labor among the
agencies at the Union, State and other levels. This could best be achieved if the subject of Disaster
Management is placed in the Concurrent List of the Constitution.

What should a law on crisis management provide?

Centralization versus decentralization

[] A totally centralized or totally decentralized mechanism would be ineffective because while the
response should be made from the local level, the level of coordination required necessitates
involvement of the central government.
[]It is best if certain functions of disaster management are centralized while others are decentralized
down to the lowest level.
[] Immediate rescue, relief and then rehabilitation should be the responsibility of the level of
government closest to the affected population. This logically has to be the district administration and
the local self-governments.
[] The district administration is part of the State Government and the primary responsibility for
managing any disaster is with the State Governments.
[] The resources of states being limited they seek and get assistance from the Union Government. This
arrangement of ‘bottom-up’ responsibilities regarding implementation is appropriate and has worked
well in the past and should not be disturbed.
[] On the other hand, disaster management planning requires wider perspective and expertise.
[] Developments in science and technology, specialized manpower and equipment, repository of best
practices, early warning systems, standard capacity building and awareness generation programmes
call for an agency to coordinate efforts at the state and the national levels.
[] Thus, the legislation needs to create agencies at all levels. The responsibility and the authority
assigned to each one of these have to be distinct.
[] National level planning, research, analysis and adoption of best practices, development of standard
operating procedures (national level), development of training and capacity building programmes,
administration of early warning systems and formulating policy on disaster management are best
entrusted to a national body.
[] Local planning and the actual work of implementation are better left with State Governments, local
governments and the district administration with support from the Union Government’s implementing
agencies.

Mobilization of resources

[] The law needs to empower authorities handling disasters to requisition such resources for specified
periods and the issue of compensation should not be a hindrance in crisis management efforts.

Information dissemination

[] Even with good early warning technologies, the human element involved in the transmission process
is crucial.
[] Prompt transmission of information should be made a statutory duty of each concerned functionary
and SoPs devised.
[] Responsibilities of citizens should also be defined in the process.

Misutilization of funds

[] Funds meant for disaster relief often tend to get misused as normal procedures are not followed
because of urgency.
[] While enforcing stringent procurement procedures may become a hurdle in the disaster
management effort, the penalty for misutilization of funds meant for disaster relief should be stringent
and could form part of the law itself.

Need for Holistic Water Management to Reduce Water Disasters

[] Water related disasters can't be addressed unless larger issues like water management through a
National Water Policy are properly addressed.
[] Central Water Commission
> A major impediment is the ‘segmented policy attention’ from a number of departments and there are
multiple union departments involved with different aspects of water management. This leads to time-
consuming repeated consultations, constant inter-departmental references and meetings and weak
coordination and lack of a holistic approach.
> So the CWC should be restructured into a statutory autonomous inter-disciplinary Commission, with
maximum powers, in order to deal with policy and reforms, center - state and inter-state issues.

[] Using powers under Entry 56 in the Union List, a Law may be enacted to set up mechanisms for
collection of data, managing flow in rivers and release of water from reservoirs, so as to prevent
disasters, with interstate ramifications.

Steps to Improve Education and Awareness in Disaster Management

[] Strengthening of National Institute of Disaster Management.

[] Disaster Management should be introduced as a subject in Management and Public Administration.
[] Professionalisation of disaster management is a desirable objective.

Gender Issues in Disaster Management

[] More women are affected in disasters they have little say in decision making, are comparatively less
literate, have lesser mobility and are dependent on men folk. This disadvantaged situation obviously
gets aggravated in crisis situation. So the special needs and concerns of women need to be kept in
mind.
[] The vulnerability analysis should bring out the specific vulnerabilities of women and these should be
addressed in any mitigation effort. Disaster mitigation plans should be prepared, in consultation with
womens’ groups.
[] Rescue and relief operations should focus on the most vulnerable groups - women, children, the
elderly and the physically challenged.
[] In the recovery phase, efforts should focus on making women economically independent.
[] Camp managing committees should have adequate number of women representatives.+++

Civil Defence in Disaster Management

While global geo-political factors have reduced chances of traditional wars, new challenges
have emerged for the community in the shape of natural calamities or human-induced disasters,
resulting in large scale destruction of property, loss of human life and destabilization of normal life in
society. Since the community is invariably the first responder to any disaster situation, adequate
awareness and preparedness of the community to respond to any such situation can be crucial in
mitigating damage and suffering.

Civil Defence, being a community based voluntary organisation, can in addition to rescue, relief and
rehabilitation, play a stellar role in the field of public awareness as well as community capacity building
to face any disaster.

As per DM Act 2005, it is mandatory for NDMA to ensure Civil Defence Preparedness for disaster
Management. In the light of Section 10(p) of DM Act 2005, i.e. to promote general education &
awareness related to disaster management, suggested roles of Civil Defence in various phases of
disaster are enumerated below:

Pre-disaster

a) Educating the Community

[] Taking a lead role in spreading public awareness about the various kinds of disasters and possible
community responses to them.
[] Educating/ training the people at grass-roots level in vulnerable areas as a part of community
capacity building to respond to any disaster situation.
[] Liaising with print and electronic media for regular publicity of civil Defence activities, including
utilization of local TV channels to conduct discussion, debated, etc., on civil defence.
[] Holding regular mock drills, exercises and rehearsal of civil defence activities, to generate public
interest.
[] Preparing publicity material, literature and brochures about Civil Defence and distributing these in
events related to Civil Defence.
[] Organizing public functions to honour persons who have contributed to the Civil Defence cause by
participating in its activities.

b) Civil Defence Awareness in Schools

[] Taking guest lecturers in schools, holding demonstrations, showing films, visits to Civil Defence
establishments, etc.
[] Holding camps for students to provide them basic training in skills for Civil Defence/Disaster
Management.

c) Sensitizing Government Servants

[] Holding seminars and workshops in government departments to sensitize government servants at

various levels about Civil Defence functions and their role in a disaster scenario.
[] Identifying suitable personnel in local government offices, in consultation with the Head of Office, and
sponsoring them for various courses in Civil Defence.
[] Maintaining a record of ‘trained government servants’ and keeping in regular communication with
them to ensure their constant association with Civil Defence activities.
[] Developing resource personnel particularly in those government departments which would not be
directly involved in any Disaster Management effort, since officials of police, health, supplies, revenue,
etc., may not be available to Civil Defence in the event of a disaster.

During Disasters

[] Assisting in taking precautionary measures whenever any advance warning is received about any
Natural disaster.
[] Helping in evacuation of population to less vulnerable areas depending on the nature of disaster.
[] Launching search and rescue operations.
[] Providing first aid to injure and transporting them to medical centres.
[] Setting up ‘Information and Guidance Centers’ for providing information regarding missing persons,
injured, etc., and also information about the nature of facilities and assistance available to affected
people
[] Participating in distribution of relief material to affected people.
[] Assisting police/traffic police in ensuring smooth movement of emergency vehicles in the affected
areas.
[] Helping the local administration in assessing the extent of loss to life and property.

Civil Defence (Amendment) Act, 2010

[] It was amended to cater to the needs of disaster management so as to utilize the Civil Defence
volunteers effectively for greater public participation in disaster management related activities.
[] The CD organisation is raised only in such areas which are considered vulnerable. This is reviewed
periodically.

CD Setup at national level: Three tier structure as given below has been created to formulate and
implement CD policy.

[] Civil Defence Advisory Committee under the Chairmanship of Union Home Minister.
[] Civil Defence Committee under the Chairmanship of Home Secretary.
[] Civil Defence Joint Planning Staff Committee under the Chairmanship of Director General Civil
Defence.

Civil Defence Setup in the States: The state government appoints a Director of Civil Defence and also
may constitute, for any area within the state a body of a person to be called the Civil Defence Corps.

[] However, often such organizations remain deactivated. Out of 225 towns from 35 states notified as
CD towns, currently the CD organisations at only 130 towns have been activated.

Civil defence setup at district level: Each town has nucleus of four Permanent Staff along with 400 CD
Volunteers for a two lakh population.

[] But current strength is < 50% of the target.

CD Training: It is expected that each state will have one CD Training Institute.+++
 DM Case Study: Uttarakhand Failure

In June 2013, a multi-day cloudburst centered on the North Indian state of Uttarakhand caused
devastating floods and landslides becoming the country's worst natural disaster since the 2004
tsunami. The reason the floods were on such a larger scale than the regular floods the state usually
received was because of the debris of the building of dams upstream.

According to figures provided by the Uttarakhand government, more than 5,700 people were
"presumed dead."

Destruction of bridges and roads left about 100,000 pilgrims and tourists trapped in the valleys leading
to three of the four Hindu Chota Char Dham pilgrimage sites. The Indian Air Force, the Indian Army,
and paramilitary troops evacuated more than 110,000 people from the flood ravaged area.

Violation of Nature as the Cause

[] There is ample scientific evidence that the Himalayan watersheds have witnessed unprecedented
deforestation. Vegetative cover slows the speed of falling rain and prevents soil erosion and gully
formation. Besides forests and soil soak water from the rain, release it slowly and prevent water
flowing as run-off.
[] There is mounting evidence that global warming is fast catching up with the Himalaya.
[] While it is important to appreciate the aspirations of locals and economic activities, there cannot be a
lack of enforcement of land use laws. Such laws were violated with impunity in Uttarakhand as
construction activity came up on the river banks.
[] Hydel activities cause slope weakening and destabilisation. Similarly sand mining and stone
industries also weaken the river system.

Role of Ecological Neglect by the State

[] It is not as if the state government wasn't unaware of the looming threat. Government reports had
warned of the unchecked dangers of urbanisation and from hydel projects. The authorities have
always treated environment with scant regard.
[] The Centre had declared a stretch of 100 km between Gomukh and Uttarkashi along the Bhagirathi
river as an eco-sensitive zone. However, the state government is opposing the move, saying this
would adversely affect the development in the region.
[] The fact is that the dams, barrages and embankments on one hand, magnify the enormity of high
floods when they come and on the other, instil a false sense of security in minds of those who come to
occupy the erstwhile khadar lands that all is well.
[] The truth is the opposite. Only normal and periodic climatic events have been converted into man-
made disasters, with man coming to colonise khadar land.

Role of Dams

[] Big dams, like the one at Tehri, disturb the highly fragile Himalayan tectonic system.
[] But this time the dam managed to protect big towns like Rishikesh and Haridwar through regulation
of the Bhagirathi river waters, most of which were held back in the 42-km long reservoir. Experts have
now recommended a big dam across the Alaknanda river also to further manage the flow of water.
[] Being a hill state, Uttarakhand is ecologically sensitive but its two main sources of income are
tourism and hydel energy. The state cannot look away from these two sources.
[] Construction of hydel dams require rivers to be diverted through tunnels to generate power. The
construction of these tunnels unsettles the mountainous terrain and contributes to a greater quantity of
rocks and sediment crashing down.

CAG Report on Uttarakhand's Preparedness

[] It pointed out that the SDMA had remained virtually non-functional.

[] The state had also failed to incorporate disaster prevention into the development planning.
> No thought was given to the fragile ecosystem of the state in the developmental planning process.
> Buildings were permitted on floodplains of the rivers.
> Such unsafe construction is linked to the religious tourism. Why can't we adopt policies of Bhutan
where tourism is regulated to bring it in harmony with the environment?
> Construction of hydel dams require rivers to be diverted through tunnels to generate power. The
construction of these tunnels unsettles the mountainous terrain and contributes to a greater quantity of
rocks and sediment crashing down.

[] Vulnerability assessment at local level and identification of necessary mitigative action had not been
done. Buildings were permitted on floodplains of the rivers.
[] The disaster management plan was in place but its implementation was absolutely poor.
> The communication system was also inadequate, with the delay in sharing of disaster information.
> Absence of any guidelines meant the preparedness was almost nil. The disaster struck on June
16 and rescue and relief operations could begin only on June 24 when the Army was called in.
> Until then the government had no clue. It had no idea about the magnitude of what had struck the
state.

[] Restoration work undertaken under the Calamity Relief Fund were delayed and violated the
guidelines.
[] Some warning system had been in place, such as radars and climate prediction.
> The reports of IMD have always been very imprecise like "heave to very heavy rainfall in some areas
in Uttarakhand". No one has any idea of what heavy to very heavy means.
> The prediction accuracy and forewarning capabilities of IMD need to be increased. Apart from
quantifying the amount of rainfall, spatial distribution information should also be given.
> World over such systems are in place and even in our country such systems are in place for
cyclones.+++

Disasters & Indian Subcontinent

Disaster is a catastrophic situation in which normal pattern of life and or ecosystem has been
disrupted and extraordinary emergency interventions are required to save and preserve lives and or
environment. India is one of the most prone disaster zones in the world due to its geographical
characteristics. Also the social conditions that govern the way in which communities live also affect the
extent to which people are affected by hazards.

Vulnerability Atlas Of India

[] About 60% area is vulnerable to Earthquakes

[] 8% - Cyclones
[] 12% - Floods
[] 68% of land under cultivation is prone to Drought.

Natural hazard causes injury or loss of life, damage to property, social or economic disruption and
environmental degradation. For India, the major hazards are Earth quakes, Landslides, Drought,
Cyclones, Floods, Forest fires and other Fire accidents.

According to World Bank report, India's direct loss due to disaster is around 2% of its GDP. Also
according to the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) in 2010, India
ranked second after China for natural disasters.

The vulnerability atlas prepared by Building Materials and Technology Promotion Centre (BMTPC)
shows that there are many areas which are prone to multiple hazards. Rapid increase of population
and urbanization along prone areas and other developments have increased the level of exposure to
hazards.

October 29 – National Day for Disaster Reduction

Being Prepared - A Vital Part Of Disaster Management

The activities to mitigate effects of disasters and emergency situations, to provide a framework for
helping people at risk, to avoid or recover from the impacts of the disaster is called disaster
management. It includes steps to be taken prior to, during and after disaster and involves
preparedness, mitigation, response and recovery.

Disaster preparedness means the steps or activities and precautions taken collectively before a
disaster to reduce the impact and to cope with it effectively. Community being the first responder
(immediately affected and can give help before others, must be made aware and trained to cope with
the disaster.

Manmade disasters are preventable. Natural disasters can only be mitigated. Without that, we may be
taken backwards in development and progress. Economic developments must be in accordance with
protection of the environment.

Environmental degradation is an important factor of disaster. Development must be planned in a

judicious manner and in tune with sustaining and protecting the environment. To face disasters, we
must be very well aware of its causes and effects to form a disaster resilient society.

Earth Quakes

Faults are planes that act as source of earth quake. Movement of plates with respect to each other
releasing energy causes it. Magnitude and Intensity of earth quakes are determined by Ritcher scale
and modified Mercalli scale.

Earth quakes are unpredictable and unpreventable. 95% of the people die due to falling of buildings.
So it is most dangerous when occur at night. Earth quakes may cause floods, fires, landslides and
huge ocean waves called Tsunamis. Poor people living in the prone areas whose houses are mostly
unable to resist the quake are more affected.

Based on the risk, India is divided into various zones.

[] Zone 1 – Not affected;

[] Zone 2 – Low risk;
[] Zone 3 – Moderate risk;
[] Zone 4 – High risk;
[] Zone 5 – Very high risk.

Sub-Terranian areas of Himalayas are geologically active and is more prone to earth quakes.

Based on the effects seen, it is also classified in to 12 classes.

[] Class 1 -3: Felt by few people;

[] Class 4-6: Pendulum clock stops, felt by everyone, objects fall;
[] Class 7-10: Destruction;
[] Class 11-12: Devastation.

Preparing to face the hazard is the major step in disaster management. Train ourselves in basic
rescue and first aid functions and also help the survivors quickly, Retrofit the existing buildings, use of
appropriate technology in building material and also adhere to norms in new constructions and train
ourselves to respond to the situation are some of the steps to prepare for the earth quake.

Cyclones

Indian sub-continent is one of the six major cyclone prone areas in the world. Cyclones occur due to
warm ocean temperature, high relative humidity and atmospheric instability. During cyclones, strong
winds uproot trees, destroy power and telecommunication, terrestrial rain causes flood, high tidal
waves hit the coastal areas.

How to prepare?

[] Knowing the prone areas (usually 50-200 North and South of equator). In India, our east coast is the
most prone area.
[] Giving awareness and knowledge.
[] Forest along coasts acts as wind barriers. But deforestation and encroachment of coastal shelter-belt
is a threat. By destroying the mangrove forests, we are ourselves increasing the risk.

Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) does forecasting and warning. They track cyclones. It is done
by INSAT satellite and cyclone detection radars. The Disaster Warning System (DWS) helps in
dissemination of warning at isolated places in local languages.

Floods

Preparedness is the key to survive. The major causes are: Blocking of river channel, Excessive rain,
Narrowness of river/ change in its course, Insufficient engineering, Sea tides, Tsunamis etc. Most flood
prone areas are banks of Ganga and Brahmaputra.

Eastern coastal deltaic region also cause flood. Economically and socially backward communities are
the most affected and they took long for coming back to normal life. During floods, the availability of
drinking water is the major problem faced by people.

Overflow of contaminated water from various sources with the useful water in wells, tanks etc. make
them not available for drinking and cooking purposes. It should also be made sure during floods that
enough food, water and medicines are easily available. People should be immediately transported to
shelter places. People doing cattle rearing for livelihood are also worsely affected. So measures are
needed to make sure that these animals are also be moved to safer places.

Drought

Drought causes lack of food, fodder, water and employment. Women are more affected and there will
be distressed migrations. Lack of nutrition, education and proper health, increased school dropouts
and child labour may also be seen.

Based on the information given by IMD, we can make planned efforts to conserve resources and to
prevent misuse of land and water. Farmers and tribal groups are mostly affected. Less availability of
water for drinking, cooking, agriculture etc. cause decrease in production and thereby creates
unemployment.

Steps To Mitigate Effects Of Drought

[] Rain harvesting
[] Increase vegetative cover
[] Promote watershed programs
[] Adopt drought resilient varieties
[] Use alternative crops
[] Capacity building of communities
[] Encourage crop and seed insurance scheme
[] Awareness generation
[] Setting up of efficient irrigation systems also helps saving water.
[] Conserve natural aquifers.

Man Made Disasters

Use of weapons of mass destruction is a serious threat to the social, economic and political stability.
Bhopal gas tragedy in 1984 due to the outbreak of poisonous Methyl Iso cyanate killed many people
and so many were living with the harmful side effects. The after effects of radiations were also harmful.

In nuclear, chemical and biological warfare, the destructions take a much longer time to get restored
and in some cases cannot be gone back to normal.

Managing Disasters In India

According to World Bank report- 'Natural Hazards, Unnatural Disasters', floods and storms are the
most widespread while droughts are prevalent. These disaster areas are the home for most hungry in
the world. The changing climatic pattern worsens the situation. So we have to recognize the hazards
and vulnerabilities in a comprehensive manner and should take effective steps for prevention,
mitigation and management.

The Hyogo Framework of Action (HFA) of 2015 by UNISDR to which India is a signatory advocates
mainstreaming disaster risk reduction into socio-economic development planning and activities by
adopting five priorities for action through a five-fold process.

A. Political process: It includes countries to develop policies, legislative and institutional frameworks
and also allocate resources for its prevention.
B. Technical process: It includes science and technology for assessing, monitoring, identifying
disasters and develops early warning systems.
C. Socio-educational process: It includes awareness and skill development; also safety and resilience
in all levels.
D. Development process: It includes integration of disaster risk in all sectors of development planning
and programs.
E. Humanitarian process: It includes factoring disaster risk reduction in disaster response and
recovery.

The Disaster Management Act, 2005 lays down institutional, legal, financial and co-ordination
mechanisms at central, state, district and local levels. This setup ensures the paradigm shift from the
relief centric approach to the one which greater emphasis is on preparedness, prevention and
mitigation.

By enacting the law, National Disaster Management Authority was established under the chairmanship
of PM. State and District DM authorities are also established. So now the country has a legal backing
of DM architecture with clear delineation of rules and responsibility. There is also provision for budget
allocation for the disaster risk reduction. It is up to state and central govt. to use it wisely.

The poor are more affected. Unless the disaster risk reduction is not met properly, our efforts to
achieve 'inclusive growth' may not become successful. The steps to achieve this are;

[] Mainstreaming Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) into development.

[] Strengthening early warning systems.
[] Increasing awareness and preparedness.
[] Strengthening relief and rescue mechanisms.
[] Better rehabilitation and reconstruction.+++
 Environmental Pollution & Degradation

Environment pollution is worldwide issue and it has adverse impact on the health of human
populations. Universal environmental pollution, including greenhouse gas emissions and acid
deposition, as well as water pollution and waste management is deliberated as global public health
problems, which should be examined from manifold perspectives such as social, economic, legislation,
and environmental engineering systems, as well as lifestyle habits helping health promotion and
reinforcing environmental systems to repel adulteration.

It is observed that the problems of environmental pollution is intense in the developing world, where
traditional sources of pollution such as industrial emissions, poor sanitation, insufficient waste
management, polluted water supplies and exposures to indoor air pollution from biomass fuels affect
humans. Recently, modern pollutants have emerged which are associated with traffic congestion and
the use of modern chemicals in the home, in food, for water treatment and for pest control.

Environmental Degradation

Environmental degradation is a consequence of the active inter play of socio-economic, institutional

and technological actions. Environmental degradation is a process through which the natural
environment is compromised in some way, decreasing biological diversity and health of the
environment. Environmental degradation is described as the worsening of physical components of the
environment brought in by human activities to such an extent that it cannot be set right by self-
regulatory mechanism of environment.

Many global organizations identify environmental degradation as major threats to communities,

planets. Environmental changes may be driven by numerous factors such as economic development,
population growth, and urbanization, intensification of agriculture, more energy use and transportation.

There are basically two factors that leads to Environmental degradation:

1. Natural factors such as drought, storms on sea, land and deserts such as hurricanes, tornadoes,
carina and volcanic eruptions. These factors lead to land degradation through erosion.
2. Human factors which include deforestation, industrialization and urbanization. These factors lead to
water, air and land pollution.

Types of Environmental Degradation

[] Deforestation - Deforestation is the process of clearance of forests by logging and/or burning.

Deforestation occurs due to many reasons that include trees or derived charcoal are used as, or sold,
for fuel or as a commodity, while cleared land is used as grassland for livestock, plantations of
commodities, and settlements.
[] Extinction - It is the process by which a species, genus, or family, becomes extinct no longer existing
and living in the world. It is the elimination and annihilation of something that previously existed in the
world. In the arena of biology, it denotes specifically to the end of an evolutionary line, or a branch on
the tree of life.
[] Desertification - Desertification is the ruin of land in waterless and dry sub-humid areas due to many
factors such as climatic changes and human activities. Desertification results primarily from man-made
activities. It is mainly caused by overgrazing, over drafting of groundwater and diversion of water from
rivers for human consumption and industrial use, all of these processes are fundamentally driven by
overpopulation.
[] Emmision - Emission is process in which human or natural forces discharge chemicals or other
substances into the environment. Emission leads to pollution such as emission is caused when
chemicals are released into the air.
[] Erosion - Erosion is the procedure of weathering and carriage of solids in the natural environment or
their source and deposits them elsewhere. It generally occurs due to transport by wind, water, or ice,
by down-slope creep of soil and other material under the force of gravity; or by living organisms, such
as burrowing animals, in the case of bio-erosion.
Effects of Environmental Degradation

1. Impact on Human Health: Human health is greatly impacted by the environmental degradation.
Areas exposed to toxic air pollutants can cause respiratory problems like pneumonia and asthma.
Most of people loss their life due to indirect effects of air pollution.
2. Loss of Biodiversity: Biodiversity is vital to sustain balance of the ecosystem in the form of
combating pollution, restoring nutrients, protecting water sources and stabilizing climate. Deforestation,
global warming, overpopulation and pollution are few of the major causes for loss of biodiversity.
3. Ozone Layer Depletion: Ozone layer is responsible to shield earth from detrimental ultraviolet rays.
The presence of chlorofluorocarbons, hydro chlorofluorocarbons in the atmosphere is causing the
ozone layer to deplete. As it will deplete, it will emit harmful radiations back to the earth.
4. Loss for Tourism Industry: Speedy activities of tourism industry is also responsible for the worsening
of environment that rely on tourists for their daily livelihood. Environmental damage in the form of loss
of green cover, loss of biodiversity, huge landfills, increased air and water pollution can be a big turn
off for most of the travellers.
5. Economic Impact: The huge cost that a nation may have to borne due to environmental degradation
can have huge economic impact in terms of restoration of green cover, cleaning up of landfills and
protection of endangered species. The economic impact can also be in terms of loss of tourism
industry.+++

Environmental Impact Assessment

Environmental Impact Assessment, abbreviated as EIA is comparatively new planning and

decision making device first used in the United States in the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969
that raised awareness of the serious environmental effects of human activities which were
inadequately controlled by existing planning regulation and pollution control measures. The spread of
EIA to other countries gained impetus due to four fundamental factors that include an increasing
awareness among the general public of the danger and impacts of major development and new
technologies due to a better scientific knowledge and publicity.

Environmental Impact Assessment is described as the process of identifying, predicting, evaluating

and mitigating the biophysical, social, and other relevant effects of development proposals prior to
major decisions being taken and commitments made. It is a formal study procedure used to foresee
the environmental consequences of any development project. It is a system which assist researcher
understand the potential environmental impacts of major development proposals.

EIA establishes a systematic method for incorporating environmental considerations into decision-
making. Based on Environmental Assessment, the supervisory measures can be recognised and the
roles of concerned agencies defined for realising more effective environmental management.

Objectives of Environmental Impact Assessment

[] To make sure that environmental considerations are explicitly addressed and incorporated into the
development decision making process.
[] To forestall and avoid, reduce or offset the adverse significant biophysical, social and other relevant
effects of development proposals.
[] To shield the productivity and capacity of natural systems and the ecological processes which
maintain their functions.
[] To encourage development that is sustainable and optimizes resource use and management
opportunities.

Environmental Impact Assessment is intended to protect the environment by ensuring that a local
planning authority when deciding whether to grant planning permission for a project, which is likely to
have significant effects on the environment, does so in the full knowledge of the likely significant
effects, and takes this into account in the decision making process.
Common components of Environmental Impact Assessment

[] Screening: Is an EIA required; what level of detail is required.

[] Scoping: The issues and impacts of the project; who are the stakeholders; what is the current state
of the environment.
[] Identification of alternatives: What alternatives exist?
[] Impact analysis: What are the environmental, social and other related impacts of the project?
[] Mitigation and impact management: How will the impacts be mitigated, reduced or managed.
[] Evaluation of significance are the impacts acceptable.
[] Preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement or report: Documentation of the proposal,
impacts, impact mitigation and management options, level of significance and concerns.
[] Review of Environmental Impact Statement: EIS is open for public comment for a sufficient period of
time.
[] Decision making: Public comments considered and a decision made whether to accept the proposal
as is, modify the proposal or reject the proposal outright.
[] Monitoring and review: Develop an implementation plan; begin monitoring and review of the project.

Features of Environmental Impact Assessment

[] It is a methodical evaluation of all noteworthy environmental consequences.

[] It is a structured, systematic and comprehensive approach.
[] It is a procedure which forces developers to reassess proposals.
[] It is a process leading to a statement to guide decision-makers.
[] It is a method which has the potential to increase developer's responsibility to the public.
[] It should be subject to independent, objective review of results.
[] It should include clear statement of identified impacts as well as possible alternative development
options.
[] It is an extrapolative tool and estimates the changes in the quality of the current environment as a
result of the proposed action.

The structure of an Environmental Impact Assessment differs according to the project, location and the
authorship. Environmental Impact Assessment, which deals only with project impacts, includes a
current environmental conditions and accounts of project impact as well as available alternatives to the
anticipated project.

Indian Context

In Indian context, clearing environmental projects through environmental impact assessments,

overthrows the entire purpose of this vindicatory exercise, which is based on the norm of advancing
sustainable development. The process of assessment of the environmental impacts is main
component in taking decisions pertaining to environmental clearance, but the insufficiencies of the
Environment Impact Assessment in India has dissatisfied the entire objective of an ecological,
economic and social cost benefit analysis for sustainable development.

Many experts have criticized the practices of environmental impact assessment. One of the most
common criticism is that EIA only considers the direct impact of a development or activity but not the
addition to the rising impacts in the area. EIA cannot be used for the valuation of whole tourism
destinations but only for specific projects such as airports, eco-resorts, activity or development near
the beach. Environmental impact assessment is also disapproved as it only deals with alleviating
negative impacts instead of making effort to increase the positive impacts.

There is no involvement of enforcement in the process of Environmental Impact Assessment. For

further movement of the process of EIA and its dimensions and decisions are based on the functions
of internet. There is no emergence of decision process which is apparent with full of potential and
distance collaborative and use of information technology.+++
 Conservation: Aspects & Dimensions

In current circumstances, there is increased human activities due to explosion of human

population and degradation of habitats which caused many species that were formerly common to
decline to near extinction. Consequently, there is need to preserve populations of rare or threatened
species. Since last two decades, there is debate among researchers and environmentalists for nature
conservation that involved the issue of biological diversity and ways to preserve it.

Conservation of environment simply indicates the sustainable use as well as management of natural
resources which include wildlife, water, air, and earth deposits. There are renewable and non-
renewable natural resources. Conservation of natural resources generally focuses on the needs and
interests of human beings, for instance the biological, economic, cultural and recreational values.

Conservation policies also focus on materials conservation and energy conservation, which are seen
as important to protect the natural world. Conservationists have vision that development is necessary
for a better future, but only when the changes occur in ways that are not wasteful.

Water Conservation

[] Water conservation According to the World Health Organization, over one billion people worldwide
do not have access to safe drinking water. .
[] The availability of clean water is affected by pollution.
[] In India, it is estimated that only 18% of a total rural population of 833 million Indians have access to
treated water. In comparison, 41% of the rural population, or 346 million people, own mobile phones.
[] Only about one-third of rural households in India are reached by piped water supplies. -- More than
half of the pipes in rural areas in India deliver untreated water.

Soil Conservation

[] Soil conservation is to avert soil from erosion or reduced fertility caused by misuse, acidification,
salinization or other chemical soil contamination.
[] The loss of topsoil is dangerous since most of the soil nutrients are found in this soil layer.
[] Soil erosion introduces contaminants and sentiment into aquatic resources, increasing the
environmental impact. Soil conservation is the management of soil to prevent its destruction.
[] There are several techniques for improved soil conservation such as crop rotation, cover crops,
conservation tillage and planted windbreaks and affect both erosion and fertility.

Wetland Conservation

[] The wetlands cover diverse and heterogeneous assemblage of habitats ranging from lakes,
estuaries, river flood plains, mangroves, coral reef and other related ecosystems.
[] Abundance of water at least for a part of the year is the single dominant factor.
[] The main aim of Wetland conservation to protect and preserve areas where water exists near the
Earth's surface, such as swamps, marshes and bogs.
[] Wetlands cover at least six per cent of the Earth and have become a focal issue for conservation due
to the ecosystem services they provide.
[] Efforts may focus on restoration of wetland habitat through control over invasive species. Other
methods include prevention of runoff into wetlands through buffer strips planted adjacent to waterways.

Energy Conservation

[] Increased cost of fossil fuels and mounting environmental concerns have made energy conservation
a top priority with governments and individuals.
[] Energy conservation can also involve more complex solutions such as alternative fuel power plants.
[] The goal of energy conservation is to balance the need for energy with the environmental impact of
fulfilling those needs.
[] The conflict between conserving natural resources and development can be resolved with increased
awareness of the environment impacts of resource use. In this way, the effects can be minimized.

Major environmental challenges

1. Loss of wildlife habitat which in turn brought many wildlife species on the brink of extinction.
2. Loss of forests which further increases the levels of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in
the atmosphere, increasing the greenhouse effect and further warming the planet. As an example,
when buying wooden garden furniture always ensure its from renewable sources.
3. Extreme exploitation of natural resources, preventing the natural systems from replenishing.
4. Increased discharge of carbon dioxide, mainly by fossil fuel burning that contributes to the climate
change.
5. Increased production of synthetic materials as a substitute for the natural ones, with many being
extremely toxic to the environment or/and taking centuries to decompose.+++

Paris Agreement under UNFCCC

The Paris Agreement (French: L'accord de Paris) is an agreement within the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) dealing with greenhouse gases emissions
mitigation, adaptation and finance starting in the year 2020. The language of the agreement was
negotiated by representatives of 195 countries at the 21st Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC in
Paris and adopted by consensus on 12 December 2015.

As of September 2016, 180 UNFCCC members have signed the treaty, 28 of which have ratified it.
The agreement will only enter into force provided that 55 countries that produce at least 55% of the
world's greenhouse gas emissions ratify, accept, approve or accede to the agreement.

The head of the Paris Conference, France's foreign minister Laurent Fabius, said this "ambitious and
balanced" plan is a "historic turning point" in the goal of reducing global warming.

Nationally determined contributions & their Limits

The contribution that each individual country should make in order to achieve the worldwide goal are
determined by all countries individually and called "nationally determined contributions" (NDCs). Article
3 of the agreement requires them to be "ambitious", "represent a progression over time" and set "with
the view to achieving the purpose of this Agreement"

The contributions should be reported every five years and are to be registered by the UNFCCC
Secretariat. Each further ambition should be more ambitious than the previous one, known as the
principle of 'progression'. Countries can cooperate and pool their nationally determined contributions.
The Intended Nationally Determined Contributions pledged during the 2015 Climate Change
Conference serve—unless provided otherwise—as the initial Nationally determined contribution.

The level of NDCs set by each country will set that country's targets. However the 'contributions'
themselves are not binding as a matter of international law, as they lack the specificity, normative
character, or obligatory language necessary to create binding norms. Furthermore, there will be no
mechanism to force a country to set a target in their NDC by a specific date and no enforcement if a
set target in an NDC is not met.

Paris Climate Deal: Key Points

[] Keeping temperature rises below 1.5C - Governments have agreed to “pursue efforts” to limit
warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels
[] Pledges to curb emissions - Before the conference started, more than 180 countries had submitted
pledges to cut or curb their carbon emissions (intended nationally defined contributions, or INDCs, in
the UN jargon)
[] Long-term global goal for net zero emissions - Countries have promised to try to bring global
emissions down from peak levels as soon as possible. More significantly, they pledged “to achieve a
balance between anthropogenic emissions by sources and removals by sinks of greenhouse gases in
the second half of this century”.
[] Take stock every five years - 187 countries have put forward their plans for how to cut and curb their
emissions beyond 2020, as far out as 2030. The text promises that parties “shall undertake ... [the] first
global stocktake in 2023 and every five years”.
[] Loss and damage - The deal includes loss and damage, a mechanism for addressing the financial
losses vulnerable countries face from climate impacts such as extreme weather.
[] Money - Finance to help developing countries adapt to climate change and transition to clean energy
-- the flow of $100bn (£66bn) a year will continue beyond 2020. By 2025 the draft agreement
undertakes to improve on that “from a floor of $100bn”.

Lack of binding enforcement mechanism

Although the agreement was lauded by many, including French President Francois Hollande and UN
Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, criticism has also surfaced.

World Pensions Council (WPC) have observed that the stated objectives of the Paris Agreement are
implicitly "predicated upon an assumption – that member states of the United Nations, including high
polluters such as China, the US, India, Brazil, Canada, Russia, Indonesia and Australia, which
generate more than half the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, will somehow drive down their carbon
pollution voluntarily and assiduously without any binding enforcement mechanism to measure and
control CO2 emissions at any level from factory to state, and without any specific penalty gradation or
fiscal pressure.

India & Paris Agreement

India said that it has initiated the domestic process for ratifying the Paris Agreement with a focus on
the pre-2020 agenda. The Paris Agreement lays out the framework for global effort in the post-2020
period. Developing countries have expressed concern about efforts in the pre-2020 period.

While there has been an effort to energise and include business and other non-state actors like cities
in efforts to reduce carbon emissions and tackling climate change, there has been little progress on
charting a path to meet the commitments made by countries, especially developed countries, to reduce
emissions, provide finance and technology.

India sought to put at the centrestage the need to provide developing countries the means to
implement the measures that could help restrict temperature rise to 2 degrees Celsius above pre-
industrial levels.+++

Renewable Energy & India

Renewable energy is generally defined as energy that is collected from resources which are
naturally replenished on a human timescale, such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, waves, and geothermal
heat. Renewable energy often provides energy in four important areas: electricity generation, air and
water heating/cooling, transportation, and rural (off-grid) energy services.

India was the first country in the world to set up a ministry of non-conventional energy resources, in
early 1980s. As of 30th April 2016 India's cumulative grid interactive or grid tied renewable energy
capacity (excluding large hydro) reached about 42.85 GW, surpassing the installed capacity of large
scale hydroelectric power in India for the first time in Indian history. 63% of the renewable power came
from wind, while solar contributed nearly 16%.

Renewable energy in India comes under the purview of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy
(MNRE).

From 2015 onwards the MNRE began laying down actionable plans for the renewable energy sector
under its ambit to make a quantum jump, building on strong foundations already established in the
country. MNRE renewable electrictricity targets have been upscaled to grow from just under 43 GW in
April 2016 to 175 GW by the year 2022, including 100 GW from solar power, 60 GW from wind power,
10 GW from bio power and 5 GW from small hydro power. The ambitious targets would see India
quickly becoming one of the leading green energy producers in the world and surpassing numerous
developed countries.

The Modi government intends to achieve 40% cumulative electric power capacity from non fossil fuel
sources by 2030.

Wind power

The development of wind power in India began in the 1990s, and has significantly increased in the last
few years. Although a relative newcomer to the wind industry compared with Denmark or the US,
domestic policy support for wind power has led India to become the country with the fourth largest
installed wind power capacity in the world.

As of March 31, 2016 the installed capacity of wind power in India was 26,769.05 MW, mainly spread
across Tamil Nadu (7,269.50 MW), Maharashtra (4,100.40 MW), Gujarat (3,454.30 MW), Rajasthan
(2,784.90 MW), Karnataka (2,318.20 MW), Andhra Pradesh (746.20 MW) and Madhya Pradesh
(423.40 MW). Wind power accounts for 14% of India's total installed power capacity. India has set an
ambitious target to generate 60,000 MW of electricity from wind power capacity by 2022.

Solar power

India is densely populated and has high solar insolation, an ideal combination for using solar power in
India. Much of the country does not have an electrical grid, so one of the first applications of solar
power has been for water pumping, to begin replacing India's four to five million diesel powered water
pumps, each consuming about 3.5 kilowatts, and off-grid lighting.

Some large projects have been proposed, and a 35,000 km² area of the Thar Desert has been set
aside for solar power projects, sufficient to generate 700 to 2,100 gigawatts.

The Indian Solar Loan Programme, supported by the United Nations Environment Programme has
won the prestigious Energy Globe World award for Sustainability for helping to establish a consumer
financing program for solar home power systems. Over the span of three years more than 16,000 solar
home systems have been financed through 2,000 bank branches, particularly in rural areas of South
India where the electricity grid does not yet extend.

Launched in 2003, the Indian Solar Loan Programme was a four-year partnership between UNEP, the
UNEP Risoe Centre, and two of India's largest banks, the Canara Bank and Syndicate Bank.

Waste to energy

Every year, about 55 million tonnes of municipal solid waste (MSW) and 38 billion litres of sewage are
generated in the urban areas of India. In addition, large quantities of solid and liquid wastes are
generated by industries. Waste generation in India is expected to increase rapidly in the future. As
more people migrate to urban areas and as incomes increase, consumption levels are likely to rise, as
are rates of waste generation.

It is estimated that the amount of waste generated in India will increase at a per capita rate of
approximately 1-1.33% annually. This has significant impacts on the amount of land that is and will be
needed for disposal, economic costs of collecting and transporting waste, and the environmental
consequences of increased MSW generation levels.

India has had a long involvement with anaerobic digestion and biogas technologies. Waste water
treatment plants in the country have been established which produce renewable energy from sewage
gas, however there is significant un-tapped potential. Also wastes from the distillery sector are on
some sites converted into biogas to run in a gas engine to generate onsite power.
Make in India & Renewable Energy -- Growth Drivers

[] India is the fourth largest importer of oil and the 15th largest importer of petroleum products and LNG
globally. The increased use of indigenous renewable resources is expected to reduce India’s
dependence on expensive imported fossil fuels.
[] The government is playing an active role in promoting the adoption of renewable energy resources
by offering various incentives, such as generation-based incentives (GBIs), capital and interest
subsidies, viability gap funding, concessional finance, fiscal incentives etc.
[] The National Solar Mission aims to promote the development and use of solar energy for power
generation and other uses, with the ultimate objective of making solar energy compete with fossil-
based energy options.
[] The objective of the National Solar Mission is to reduce the cost of solar power generation in the
country through long-term policy, large scale deployment goals, aggressive R&D and the domestic
production of critical raw materials, components and products.
[] Renewable energy is becoming increasingly cost-competitive compared to fossil fuel-based
generation.
[] Wind energy equipment prices have fallen dramatically due to technological innovation, increasing
manufacturing scale and experience curve gains.
[] Prices for solar modules have declined by almost 80% since 2008 and wind turbine prices have
declined by more than 25% during the same period.
[] The government has created a liberal environment for foreign investment in renewable energy
projects. The establishment of a dedicated financial institution – the Indian Renewable Energy
Development Agency, makes for renewed impetus on the promotion, development and extension of
financial assistance for renewable energy and energy efficiency/conservation projects.
[] Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) up to 100% is permitted under the automatic route for renewable
energy generation and distribution projects subject to provisions of The Electricity Act, 2003.+++

Indian Endangered Animals

Apart from having an astonishing diversity of animal life from Ladakh in the Himalayas to
Kanyakumari at the southern tip, India is also home to endangered animals belonging to the species
such as lion tailed macaque, Bengal tiger, Asiatic elephant, lion, deer, Siberian crane, wild buffalo, wild
ass, porcupine, the one horned rhinoceros and snow leopard. It is important to mention here that
almost sixty percent of the total population of the wild tigers in the world resides in India.

Endangered Tigers of India

That tigers in India belong to the group of endangered animals is quite evident from the fact that in
1939 there were about 30,000 tigers in India but nowadays there are only around 3000 left.

The tiger, the largest of the big cats, is a magnificent animal. They are found usually throughout India
barring some desert regions. Tiger can be spotted even up to the height of 3,050 metres in Himalaya.

In today’s India the tiger, the national animal of India, is highly endangered. The major factor behind
tigers falling into the group of endangered animals is the loss of forest habitat. The hunting areas of
these majestic animals have been and are being turned into farms and village. Apart from this,
because of large scale poaching also in many Asian countries for their valuable skins, tigers’ numbers
have been reduced. Chinese used the body parts of tigers in medicine and exotic recipes. After being
declared man-eaters or cattle-lifters tigers are killed leading to the decline in their population.

Project Tiger

Project Tiger is a tiger conservation programme launched in 1973 by the Government of India during
Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's tenure. The project aims at ensuring a viable population of Bengal tigers
in their natural habitats and also to protect them from extinction, and preserving areas of biological
importance as a natural heritage forever represented as close as possible the diversity of ecosystems
across the tiger's distribution in the country.

The project's task force visualized these tiger reserves as breeding nuclei, from which surplus animals
would migrate to adjacent forests. The Funds and commitment were mastered to support the intensive
program of habitat protection and rehabilitation under the project.

The government has set up a Tiger Protection Force to combat poachers and funded relocation of
villagers to minimize human-tiger conflicts. Owing to the project, the number of tigers has improved to
2,226 as per the latest census report released on 20 January 2015.

Objectives

[] Limit factors that leads to reduction of tiger habitats and to mitigate them by suitable management.
The damages done to the habitat were to be rectified so as to facilitate the recovery of the ecosystem
to the maximum possible extent.
[] To ensure a viable population of tigers for economic, scientific, cultural, aesthetic and ecological
values.

The habitats covered under Project tiger are:

1.Shivalik-terai conservation unit

2.North East conservation unit
3.Sunderbans conservation unit
4.Western ghats conservation unit
5.Eastern ghats conservation unit
6.Central India conservation unit
7.Sariska conservation unit

Controversies and problems

Project Tiger's efforts were hampered by poaching, as well as debacles and irregularities in Sariska
and Namdapha, both of which were reported extensively in the Indian media. The Forest Rights Act
passed by the Indian government in 2006 recognizes the rights of some forest dwelling communities in
forest areas. This has led to controversy over implications of such recognition for tiger conservation.

Some have argued that this is problematic as it will increase conflict and opportunities for poaching;
some also assert that "tigers and humans cannot co-exist". Others argue that this is a limited
perspective that overlooks the reality of human-tiger coexistence and the role of abuse of power by
authorities, rather than local people, in the tiger crisis. This position was supported by the Government
of India's Tiger Task Force, and is also taken by some forest dwellers' organizations.

Lion Tailed Macaque

Highly endangered lion tailed macaque, belonging to the group of endangered animals, live in Silent
Valley in Kerala, where the construction of a hydro electric project was proposed which could have
spelt disaster for these rare and already endangered animals; however, luck prevailed and after a
strong protests from conservationists, the proposal was canceled, and the lion tailed macaque’s hope
for survival got a chance.

Endangered Cats & Dogs

Among the list of endangered animals of India are its big, wild cats which include Asiatic lion, the
Bengal tiger, the snow leopard, panther or leopard, the clouded leopard and many more. Among
these, tigers can be spotted in many parts of India while the Asiatic lion is found only in the Gir forest.
And it is only in the dense evergreen forests of Sikkim and North East Asia, one of the highly
endangered animals, the clouded leopard, can be found, while in the Himalayan ranges at altitudes
between 3,000 and 4,000 metres the snow leopard is found.
The loss of habitat has been cited as the reason behind the decline of the cat species in India, and
along with this pressure of increasing human population on wildlife reserves is also a reason. In India,
some species of dogs are also listed in the group endangered animals; for instance, the India Walf, a
cousin of dog was once scattered all over India; however, its numbers declined rapidly because it is
pitilessly and relentlessly hunted because of a wrong perception of the people that it carries away
children.

The another cousin of the dog, the Indian fox, that also constitutes the group of endangered animals, is
fast becoming scarce because it is hunted for its skin and flesh which fetch big money in the
international market. The Indian wild dog has also been enlisted in the group of endangered animals
because of the loss of habitat, diseases that it picks up from feral and domestic dogs and competitions
from predators.

Endangered Bears of India

The sloth bear and the Himalayan brown bears fall into the group of endangered animals of India. The
Himalayan bear, usually found in Central and North Eastern areas of the Himalayas, are commonly
considered to be the most likely animal behind the legends of Yeti. They eat fruits, wild berries, insects
and rats; and hibernate in caves or dens and are difficult to find because they are very rare and live in
such areas that prove difficult to reach.

The sloth bear, with its characteristics ‘V’ shaped mark on its chest, has long shaggy black hair; it is
found in the forests of Sri Lanka and India. Although it is enormous in size, it primarily eats termites. It
almost never attacks and eats another animal because its usual diet includes insects, although it may
eat flesh of a dead carcass if it happens to encounter one.

These bears are also rapidly vanishing and becoming rare because people in order to catch the
younger ones kill the adult bears; they do so with the intention to import training to the younger ones.
In some parts of India were, and still are, made to dance to entertain the people; and not only this they
are sold in the market because some medicines and food are made from these beautiful and innocent
creatures.

One of the most important reasons behind the reducing numbers of sloth bears is that people are
engaged in cutting down trees in the forest with an intention to prepare lands for farming due to which
these creatures of nature have become homeless, helpless. They are even killed for eating crops
which they do to survive.

Endangered Indian Rhinos

In the rain drenched regions of North East India the Indian rhinoceros is found. It is very unfortunate for
these animals, who constitute the group of endangered animals of India, that their homeland is so
fertile that it is beign transformed into farm land to grow rice and other crops.

Because of this development, rhinoceros did not have any choice but to eat the crops for its survival
resulting into conflicts with farmers and in retaliation rhinos were slaughtered in large numbers.

Apart from these unfortunate happenings with rhinos, they are hunted and killed mercilessly by
humans, who have come to know that the horns of rhinos are greatly prized for medicinal purposes.
They are also hunted and killed for sport.

Endangered Indian Snakes

The Indian egg eating snakes, India rock python and the reticulated pythorn are the Indian snakes who
constitute the group of endangered animal of Indian.

The rock python can be found in scrub jungles, mangroves and dense forests while the reticulated
python, the largest of the snakes, is found in North Eastern India and the Nicobar Islands. The India
egg eating snake is a rare species that survives by feeding on the ages of birds and reptiles. These
snakes have made its their entry into the list of endangered animals because they are killed primarily
for their beautiful skin and partly because of reduction in their habitat.+++

Biodiversity & Its Conservation

In the year 1992 International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN)
and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) defined the term ‘Biodiversity’ as “The totality of
genes, species, and ecosystems in a region.” In fact the term is made up of Bio meaning Life and
Diversity meaning Number of Species of plants, animals or microbes. The term Biodiversity was
coined in 1985 by Walter G Rosen.

According to US office of Technology Assessment, biodiversity is “The variety and variability among
living organisms and the ecological complexes in which they occur.” It has been also defined as “The
richness in variety and variability of all living organisms in a given region.”

Biodiversity, that is also known as biological diversity, can be sub grouped at three levels:

[] Genetic Diversity
[] Species Diversity
[] Community/Ecosystem Diversity

Genetic Diversity consists of the genetic variation within species at finer levels of organization.

Species Diversity comprises in itself all the species of plants, animal and micro-organisms on earth at
its basic level.

Community/ Ecosystem Diversity: It consists of, on a wider scale, variations in the biological
communities in which species (living beings) live, the ecosystem in which communities exist and
interacts among themselves at these levels.

Keystone Species

Some species, within biological communities, are significant in determining the ability of large number
of species to continue in the community. These significant species are termed as “Keystone species”,
this term was mentioned by Paine in 1966 and Howe in 1984. In conservation efforts a priority has
been accorded to these ‘keystone species’ because their loss may result in the loss of numerous other
species from a conservation area.

Hot Spots of Biodiversity

In 1990s biodiversity hot spots were originally identified by Norman Myers. It is also called or termed
Conservation hot spots. These are areas which face serious threat from human activities and contain a
unique biodiversity with representatives of evolutionary process of speciation and extinction. Hot Spots
are basically defined as geographical zones that possesses high number of endemic species that are
not found anywhere else on this planet.

The total areas of remaining habitat of the endemic species covers only 2.3 percent of the Earth’s land
surface. Each hot spot faces serious threats and has already lost at least 70 percent of its original
vegetation. About 42 percent of all terrestrial vertebrate species and 50 percent of the world’s plant
species are endemic to the biodiversity hotspots.

Although some of these hotspots are already protected, more than a billion humans live in these areas
which are heavily farmed. Though the number of hotspots in the world has now increased to 34, just
1.4% of the land supports 60 percent of the species of plants and animals on the earth.

Thus as the places of rich biological diversity endowed with a super abundance of unique species of
plants and animals these hotspots are thought to contain nearly 20 percnt of the world’s plants species
on a mere 0.5 percent of its land.

India, presently has four hotspots:

[] Eastern Himalayas
[] Western Ghats
[] North East India &
[] Andaman and Nicobar Islands

The rate of deforestation in these areas is very high and the ecosystems have reached a brittle stage.

Threats to Biodiversity

Monoculture- In order to meet the immediate demand of foodgrains and keeping in mind the merlcet,
the practice of growing few species at the expense of the others has inflected a serious loss of
biodiversity. It takes just three species- wheat, rice and Maize– to cater half of the world’s food; potato,
barley, cassava and sweet potato bring it to three-fourth.

Presently, an average of sixteen species are being consumed by people. In addition, the disease such
as Bird Flue can spread rapidly through Monoculture that in turn increases the threat to biodiversity.

Over exploitation & Over consumerism– Enhancement in population and the inclination of over
consumerism has resulted in over exploitation of our natural resources. Trade in wildlife for immediate
economic gain, overfishing, over-hunting and poaching all play their parts in the growing threats to
biodiversity.

Pollution- Pollution contributes in wiping out species, especially the endangered species and those
part of the fragile ecosystem such as the marine ecosystem of the gulf region that has been affected
due to oil spills.

Some other threats to biodiversity are:

Poverty – Due to acute poverty, tribals start interfering with forest areas and most of the times are
lured into poaching.
Habitat Destruction – Rapid deforestation has resulted in habitat destruction leading to the extinction of
Dodo and endangering many more.
Over Population – The rapid enhancement in population has increased the burden on nature that has
affected the biodiversity in a serious manner.

It can be asserted, therefore, that only judicious use of our natural resources is the only remedy that
can help us in preserving our biodiversity. According to the general secretary of United Nations (UN),
Ban Ki Moon, “Biodiversity is being lost at an unprecedented rate, the global response to these
challenges need to move much more rapidly and with much more determination at all levels.”

Conservation of Biodiversity

On the natural resources the increasing demand of population has acquired such a proportion that it
has become a serious threat to wild life and the life support systems of the planets. So it is very
important to take serious measures for the conservation of biodiversity with an intention to reinstate the
balance between environment and human.

[] Protection of natural habitats, their control and limited exploitation of species.

[] Recognition and identification of the ecosystems’ biographic zones along with species.
[] Educating public and creating mass awareness for environmental protection at all levels.
[] Maintenance of maximum number of species in protected areas such as sanctuaries, national parks,
biosphere reserves and improving their condition.
[] Study of the status of the protected areas.
[] Permitting sustainable exploitation of natural resources by tribals and creating special buffer zone for
such people.+++

Sustainable development & UN-SDG

Sustainable development is a process for meeting human development goals while sustaining
the ability of natural systems to continue to provide the natural resources and ecosystem services
upon which the economy and society depends. While the modern concept of sustainable development
is derived most strongly from the 1987 Brundtland Report, it is rooted in earlier ideas about sustainable
forest management and twentieth century environmental concerns.

As the concept developed, it has shifted to focus more on economic development, social development
and environmental protection. It is a process that envisions a desirable future state for human societies
in which living conditions and resource-use continue to meet human needs without undermining the
"integrity, stability and beauty" of natural biotic systems.

In 1992, the UN Conference on Environment and Development published the Earth Charter, which
outlines the building of a just, sustainable, and peaceful global society in the 21st century. The action
plan Agenda 21 for sustainable development identified information, integration, and participation as
key building blocks to help countries achieve development that recognises these interdependent
pillars.

It emphasises that in sustainable development everyone is a user and provider of information. It

stresses the need to change from old sector-centered ways of doing business to new approaches that
involve cross-sectoral co-ordination and the integration of environmental and social concerns into all
development processes. Furthermore, Agenda 21 emphasises that broad public participation in
decision making is a fundamental prerequisite for achieving sustainable development.

UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

On September 2015, the United Nations General Assembly formally adopted the "universal, integrated
and transformative" 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, a set of 17 Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs). These included ending poverty and hunger, improving health and education, making
cities more sustainable, combating climate change, and protecting oceans and forests. The goals are
to be implemented and achieved in every country from the year 2016 to 2030.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is officially known as Transforming our World: The 2030
Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Resolution is a broader intergovernmental agreement that,
while acting as the Post 2015 Development Agenda (successor to the Millennium Development
Goals), builds on the Principles agreed upon under Resolution A/RES/66/288, popularly known as The
Future We Want.

Goals

1. No Poverty - End poverty in all its forms everywhere .

[] Extreme poverty has been cut by more than half since 1990- however, more than 1 in 5 people live
on less than $1.25 a day
[] Poverty is more than lack of income or resources- it includes lack of basic services, such as
education, hunger, social discrimination and exclusion, and lack or participation in decision making.
[] Gender inequality plays a large role in the perpetuation of poverty and it's risks; They then face
potentially life-threatening risks from early pregnancy, and often lost hopes for an education and a
better income

2. Zero Hunger - End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable
agriculture
[] Globally, 1 in 9 people are undernourished, the vast majority of these people live in developing
countries
[] Agriculture is the single largest employer in the world, providing livelihoods for 40 per cent of today’s
global population. It is the largest source of income and jobs for poor rural households.
[] Women comprise on average 43 per cent of the agricultural labor force in developing countries, and
over 50 per cent in parts of Asia and Africa, yet they only own 20% of the land
[] Poor nutrition causes nearly half (45 per cent) of deaths in children under five – 3.1 million children
each year.

3. Good Health and Well-being - Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages

[] Significant strides have been made in increasing life expectancy and reducing some of the common
killers associated with child and maternal mortality, and major progress has been made on increasing
access to clean water and sanitation, reducing malaria, tuberculosis, polio and the spread of
HIV/AIDS.
[] However, only half of women in developing countries have received the health care they need, and
the need for family planning in increasing exponentially, while the need met is growing slowly- more
than 225 million women have an unmet need for contraception
[] An important target is to substantially reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from pollution-
related diseases.

4. Quality Education - Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning
opportunities for all

[] Major progress has been made for education access, specifically at the primary school level, for both
boys and girls. However, access does not always mean quality of education, or completion of primary
school.
[] Currently, 103 million youth worldwide still lack basic literacy skills, and more than 60 per cent of
them are women
[] Target "By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and
secondary education leading to relevant and Goal-4 effective learning outcomes"- shows the
commitment to nondiscriminatory education outcomes

5. Gender Equality - Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls

[] Providing women and girls with equal access to education, health care, decent work, and
representation in political and economic decision-making processes will fuel sustainable economies
and benefit societies and humanity at large
[] While a record 143 countries guaranteed equality between men and women in their Constitutions by
2014, another 52 had not taken this step. In many nations, gender discrimination is still woven through
legal and social norms
[] Though goal 5 is the gender equality stand-alone goal- the SDG's can only be successful if women
are completely integrated into each and every goal

6. Clean Water and Sanitation - Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and
sanitation for all

7. Affordable and Clean Energy - Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and clean energy
for all

8. Decent Work and Economic Growth - Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic
growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all

9. Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure - Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and
sustainable industrialization and foster innovation

10. Reduced Inequalities - Reduce income inequality within and among countries
11. Sustainable Cities and Communities - Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient
and sustainable

12. Responsible Consumption and Production - Ensure sustainable consumption and production
patterns

13. Climate Action - Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts by regulating
emissions and promoting develoments in renewable energy

14. Life Below Water - Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for
sustainable development

15. Life on Land - Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably
manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity
loss

16. Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions - Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable
development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions
at all levels

17. Partnerships for the Goals - Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global
partnership for sustainable development

Intersectoral linkages

[] Water, sanitation, and hygiene - WASH ("Water, Sanitation & Hygiene") experts have stated that
without progress on Goal 6, the other goals and targets will not be able to be achieved.
[] Climate change - In May 2015, a report concluded that only a very ambitious climate deal in Paris in
2015 will enable countries to reach the sustainable development goals and targets. The report also
states that tackling climate change will only be possible if the SDGs are met; and that development
and climate are inextricably linked, particularly around poverty, gender equality, and energy.
[] Women and gender equality - Despite stand-alone goals on health, gender equality and education,
among others, there is widespread consensus that progress against any and all of the SDGs will be
stalled if women's empowerment and gender equality is not prioritized.+++

Global Waste Management Outlook & India

Global Waste Management Outlook, by UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme), is the
first comprehensive, impartial and in-depth assessment of global waste management. It reflects the
collective body of recent scientific knowledge, drawing on the work of leading experts and the vast
body of research undertaken within and beyond the United Nations system. The six chapters inform
the reader about trends, provide an analysis on governance and financial mechanisms, and offer
policy advice on the way forward.

Inadequate waste management has become a major public health, economic and environmental
problem, with 7-10 billion tons of urban waste produced each year and 3 billion people worldwide
lacking access to controlled waste disposal facilities, as per the UNEP report.

Fuelled by population growth, urbanization and rising consumption, the volumes of waste are likely to
even double in lower-income African and Asian cities by 2030, warns the Global Waste Management
Outlook. An urgent response to the world's mounting waste problem is not only a public health and
environmental necessity, but also a sound economic investment. Inaction is costing countries 5 10
times more than investments in proper waste management.

A greater commitment by nations to systematically apply the 3 R's - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - can
transform the problem of waste into a resource for the economies.
The GWMO Report

[] The Global Waste Management Outlook was released on 7th September 2015 at Antwerp, the
capital of Belgium
[] This is the first report of its kind on waste management
[] It was jointly prepared by International Solid Waste Association and UNEP
[] Report generates awareness between policy makers and public on different sources of waste, their
effect on the health and environment and solutions to cope with the problems

Implications of the Report

[] Total global arisings of municipal solid waste is close to 2 billion tonnes per annum
[] Urban wastes include commercial and industrial waste, municipal solid waste and construction as
well as demolition waste
[] Urban waste is estimated at 7 -10 billion tonnes per annum
[] Close to 3 billion people worldwide do not have access to controlled waste disposal facilities in the
world
[] Municipal solid waste collection must reach 100% of the urban population and this is a public health
priority as well as crucial for the environment.
[] Report also identified India as a major dumping site for waste and cautioned the nation against
increased per capital waste generation.

The global waste management goals proposed by this report have the potential to result in dramatic
reductions in greenhouse gases, the creation of millions of green jobs and economic benefits in the
hundreds of billions of dollars. The report offers an integrated global solution to the waste problem,
including calling for immediate improvement of waste collection and disposal, preventing waste and
maximizing reuse and recycling of resources. It also calls for a major shift away from the linear "take-
make-use-waste" economy and towards the circular "reduce-reuse-recycle" approach to the lifecycle of
materials.

Waste Management & India

Per capita waste generation in India is increasing by 1.3% per annum. With urban population is
increasing between 3– 3.5% / annum. Annual increase in waste generation is around 5% annually.
India produces 42.0 million tons of municipal solid waste annually at present. Per capita generation of
waste varies from 200 gm to 600 gm per capita / day. Average of waste generation rate is 0.4 kg per
capita per day in 0.1 million plus towns & collection efficiency is between 50% to 90% of solid waste
generated.

In India, a proper waste management system is urgent necessary for the following reasons:

(a) To control different types of pollution, i.e., air pollution, soil pollution, water pollution etc.;
(b) To stop the spread of infectious diseases.;
(c) To conserve all our environmental resources, including forest, minerals water etc.;
(d) To recycling of hazardous wastes for further production.

To implement proper wastes management policy, successful and safe disposal of solid and liquid
wastes are very necessary.

Reasons of Improper Management of Waste

[] Improper planning for waste management while planning the townships

[] Impractical institutional set up for waste management and planning and designing in urban local
bodies
[] Lack of technical and trained manpower
[] Incomplete community involvement
[] Less expertise and exposure to the city waste management using modern techniques and best
practices
[] Partial awareness creation mechanism
[] Outdated Management Information Systems
[] Less funds with ULBs
[] Indifferent attitudes of ULBs in user charges and sustainability

Main issues

> Absence of segregation of waste at source

> Lack of technical expertise and appropriate institutional arrangement
> Unwillingness of ulbs to introduce proper collection, segregation, transportation and treatment /
disposal systems
> Indifferent attitude of citizens towards waste management due to lack of awareness
> Lack of community participation towards waste management and hygienic conditions
> Lack of funds with ULBs

Regulatory Regime for Waste Management

Indian waste management rules are founded on the principles of "sustainable development",
"precaution" (measures should be taken to avoid environmental degradation and hazards) and
"polluter pays" (polluter must bear costs for damages and harm caused to environment by his own
acts). These principles mandate companies and industrial units to act in an environmentally
accountable and responsible manner and for restoring the balance, if the same has been disrupted by
their business processes.

Various sub-ordinate legislations for regulating the manner of disposal and dealing with generated
waste are made by MoEF under the umbrella law of Environment Protection Act, 1986 ("EPA").

Section 6 empowers MoEF to make rules on a wide array of issues such as standards for ensuring
environmental soundness, allowable limits for emission of environmental pollutants, manner of dealing
with hazardous substances, location of industries and their functioning, and measures for prevention of
environmental accidents and hazards. Some rules have specific consequences for breach, while in
case of some, the general penalty under EPA applies which involves imprisonment of person-in-
charge (director, manager, officer of a company with whose consent or connivance the breach
occurred) up to 5 years and/or fine up to INR 100,000.

Some Recommendations

[] Outsourcing of all activities under Solid Waste Management Services recommended by earlier
12th Finance Commission for using grants
[] ULBs to concentrate on segregation of waste at source
[] Waste processing like composting, bio- methanation should be done through public-private
partnerships / private sector
[] Final disposal viz. sanitary landfilling to be done under public private partnerships / private sector
[] Bio-medical waste to be managed by Central Bio- Medical Waste Management Facilities.
[] Drainage of Wastes: A proper drainage of waste is very important and essential part of waste
management in the urban and industrial areas.
[] Possible Waste Management Options in Metro cities:
(a) Waste Minimisation
(b) Material Recycling
(c) Waste Processing (Resource Recovery)
(d) Waste Transformation
(e) Sanitary Landfilling.+++
 Failure of leadership

A recent survey by the Indian National Bar Association threw up a shocking statistic: nearly 70
per cent of female victims of sexual harassment in the workplace refrain from lodging a complaint —
mostly due to fear, embarrassment and a lack of confidence in the system’s ability and willingness to
address the issue. The sexual harassment of women at workplaces is commonplace, but regrettably,
managements continue to be in a state of denial. In organisations where there is some
acknowledgement of the menace, committees set up to address complaints remain more or less
dormant. Most businesses do not consider sexual harassment a serious offence and tend to sweep
complaints under the carpet. In many instances, women are blamed for their male colleagues’
unacceptable behaviour.

Very few companies and firms in this country have a zero-tolerance policy towards sexual predators.
About 38 per cent of the women contacted for the survey admitted facing sexual harassment at the
workplace; a staggering 65 per cent said their company did not follow the process laid under the
Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act 2013. Even
more distressing, nearly half of those surveyed said members of the internal committee were not
aware of the sections and the legal provisions available under the Act.

Clearly, the situation has hardly changed on the ground despite comprehensive legislation, the
issuance of Supreme Court-dictated guidelines to deal with offences and crimes of a sexual nature as
well as the support expressed by India Inc on the issue. Corporates, both small and big, have to
ensure a cultural change if their women employees are to feel confident enough to report sexual
misdemeanour. They need to adopt and implement policies that spare no one — from the highest
ranking executive and board members to errand boys. Regular communication of action taken against
offenders would serve as a deterrent but care must be taken to protect the identities of those involved.
That may encourage more women to come forward. All this cannot happen without the leadership
setting an example.

It is also important that every employee of an organisation be given a clear understanding of what is
acceptable and what is unacceptable behaviour. Misuse of provisions of the law, often out of
vindictiveness, must also be prevented. Organisations stand to gain by creating a healthy work
atmosphere where men and women can be equal-opportunity professional partners, and more women
join the workforce (Read at : Hindu BusinessLine).+++

Financing basic income for the bottom 50%

(Written by Surjit S Bhalla, contributing editor, The Indian Express, and senior India analyst at
Observatory Group, a New York-based macro policy advisory group.)

What Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech of December 31 made clear was that India was
firmly moving away from the anti-poverty policies pursued by all previous governments. The new
approach, made possible by technology, is to get away from the Amartya Sen-advocated in-kind
income transfers to some version of cash transfers.

Two major in-kind poverty alleviation policies in operation are the PDS and MGNREGA. Both involve
largescale government involvement. The former has the government (Food Corporation of India)
involved in procurement, storage, transport and distribution of food. MGNREGA has the government
planning projects, employing people, on what is touted as the largest work programme in the world.
What is not as well advertised is that both are amongst the most corrupt schemes in the world. Though
given the recent demonetisation effort, one must add the biggest daddy of all corrupt — the Indian tax
administration — to the list.

Study after PDS study has proven Rajiv Gandhi right in his (informed) 1985 conjecture that no more
than 15 per cent of PDS food distribution reaches the poor. What is not well recognised, especially by
persistent PDS advocates, is that only 50 per cent of food procured and stored by the government
reaches anybody, rich or poor. Where does this 50 per cent go? Towards the generation of black
income for corrupt officials, liquor manufacturers, food mills, etc. Ditto with the MGNREGA programme
where jobs (and income) are allocated to ghost workers and panchayat leaders. Together, the black
income generated by these two programmes is over one per cent of GDP, or Rs 175,000 crore.

Helped by technology and Aadhar (Supreme Court, please note), the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT)
scheme has gathered considerable momentum over the last few years. A logical expansion of the DBT
is the policy of Universal Basic Income (UBI), a guaranteed minimum income to all (population, adult,
worker or variant thereof). Chief Economic Adviser Arvind Subramaniam has stated that the new
Economic Survey will contain a large section on UBI. For those interested in efficient redistribution of
income, this news is extremely welcome.

But should income transfers be universal, to every individual in the economy, or targeted to specific
individuals? And should the government continue to pursue schemes like PDS and MGNREGA, or
should such wasteful and corrupt government schemes be scrapped, so that deserving individuals can
get more? These questions will hopefully be addressed in the Economic Survey.

Meanwhile, some preliminary calculations to aid our thinking, and formulation, of a UBI policy. We can
consider some basic data for the Indian economy for 2016-17. If the assumption is made that the
distribution of consumption has not changed since 2011-12 (the real distribution did not change
between 1983 and 2011-12, so this is an eminently reasonable assumption), reasonable calculations
can be made about the magnitude and efficacy of income transfer policy.

For 2011-12, data are from the NSS survey. For 2016-17, approximate (and lower bound)
consumption data are from wage data for ploughman and carpenters. The rate of growth in the wages
of the poor and semi-skilled indicate an increase of 58 per cent and 69 per cent respectively over the
last five years. The lower 58 per cent growth is taken as the mean growth in expenditure for all.
Consumer prices rose by 40 per cent between 2011-12 and 2016-17; this implies that the Tendulkar
poverty level in 2016-17 is no more than nine per cent of the population.

This background information for India, 2016-17, yields important policy conclusions. The defining line
for the absolute poor should not be absolute — it should increase with the level of per capita income
and should include the lower middle class. The Tendulkar definition of poverty is now obsolete; it
captures too few of those deserving income transfers.

A poverty line some 22 per cent higher (Rs 1,525 per person per month) than the equivalent Tendulkar
poverty line of Rs 1,250 for 2016-17 yields a national poverty rate of 20 per cent. The average poverty
gap with the higher poverty line is about Rs 300 per poor person per month. The poverty gap is
defined as the difference between the average consumption level of the poor and the relevant poverty
line. To reduce this new absolute poverty level (20 per cent of population) to zero, the government
needs to transfer, on an annual basis, Rs 1 lakh crore (lc), only 0.7 per cent of GDP. At present, via
PDS and MGNREGA, the government spends Rs 1.75 lc (PDS 1.35 lc and MGNREGA 0.4 lc).

So, here is an efficient way for the government to eliminate poverty on an ongoing basis, and to help
the lower middle class as well. The demonetisation policy will allow increased personal income tax
collections, possibly around Rs 1 lc to Rs 1.5 lc annually. Thus, Rs 3 lakh crore is available with the
government for redistribution if it decides to scrap PDS and MGNREGA. Besides, if the government is
serious about rooting out corruption, no better place to begin. Income tax and data on consumption of
automobiles and two wheelers can easily help the government target the bottom 50 per cent.

Without any strain on the budget, the government can transfer Rs 3 lakh crore to 265 million people, or
approximately Rs 1,000 per person per month. This will result in a 50 per cent increase in consumption
for the (median) 50th percentile consumer; and a 65 per cent increase for the 25th percentile
consumer. The PDS scheme, at best, transfers Rs 160 per month to each person, rich or poor, lucky
enough to receive the transfer (a subsidy of Rs 20 for each kg of PDS food consumed).

The Opposition is demanding that the Union budget be postponed because there are elections in five
states in February and March. Even though there is a 2012 precedent, this demand seems most
illogical. However, it is not an absurd political demand.

Perhaps the Opposition has broadly done the above calculations and believes it is likely that a targeted
basic income transfer scheme is in the offing. If such a policy is announced, it will be an economic and
political masterstroke. Which is why the Opposition will go to extreme lengths to prevail. Unfortunately
for them, they don’t have logic, law or the numbers in Parliament to prevail.+++

Clamping down on ordinance raj

Both superior courts and constitutional functionaries have routinely deprecated the propensity
of governments to take the ordinance route for mere political expediency. The temptation to use the
power vested in the President and the Governors under Articles 123 and 213 of the Constitution is
generally a result of one of the following three reasons: reluctance to face the legislature on particular
issues, fear of defeat in the Upper House where the government may lack the required numbers, and
the need to overcome an impasse in the legislature caused by repeated and wilful disruption by a
vociferous section of the Opposition.

The verdict of a seven-member Bench of the Supreme Court breaks new ground in highlighting the
constitutional limitations on the cavalier resort to ordinances. The Supreme Court had already declared
in 1986, in D.C. Wadhwa, that repeated re-promulgation of ordinances was unconstitutional. Now, in
Krishna Kumar Singh v. State of Bihar, it goes deeper and concludes that the failure to place an
ordinance before the legislature constitutes abuse of power and a fraud on the Constitution. It noted in
this case that a 1989 ordinance by which the State government took over 429 Sanskrit schools in Bihar
was promulgated several times until 1992, but not once tabled in the State Assembly.

The judgment widens the scope of judicial review of ordinances. The court can go into whether the
President or Governor had any material to arrive at the satisfaction that an ordinance was necessary
and to examine whether there was any oblique motive. The judgment will be welcomed by those who
believe in constitutional propriety, legislative control over lawmaking and the larger ethical basis for the
exercise of power in any circumstance. However, it is not always that the ordinance route can be
neatly explained as a cynical move to privilege political expediency over parliamentary accountability.

While contending that ordinances should be issued only to meet certain exigencies and under
compelling circumstances, it is equally important to understand that disruption as a parliamentary tactic
plays a significant role. A dysfunctional House sometimes constitutes a compelling circumstance in
itself. Generally, it is the combination of Opposition obstructionism and government obstinacy in not
making any concessions to those across the aisle that derails legislative business and leads to
ordinances. The courts can only define the boundaries between the use and abuse of power, but it is
up to parties in the legislature to observe the limits of constitutional propriety and show that they have
both the time and the will to enact laws.+++

Leaping from a strong foundation

(Written by Rana Kapoor, MD & CEO, Yes Bank, and chairman, Yes Institute.)

2016 was a year that will be remembered for unprecedented tectonic shifts in the global and
domestic socio-economic landscape. For India, 2016 saw further affirmation of its status as a bright
spot in a cloudy global horizon. India’s economic transition has been aided by clairvoyant and
meticulous policy design over the past two years. Key institutional reforms that included the passage of
GST, the Bankruptcy Code and constitution of the Monetary Policy Committee resulted in strong
foundations for significant growth being laid down.

Reduction in retail inflation and compression of the twin deficits are critical macro accomplishments. To
achieve this, the government has been continuously utilising the executive space to deliver not only
high-impact micro reforms, but also critical structural reforms that have begun to redesign our macro
frameworks and institutions.

Indeed, India’s ranking in the Global Competitiveness Index for 2016-17, released by the World
Economic Forum, improved 16 places to 39, the fastest improvement among 138 countries surveyed.
M&A activity in India rose to $70 billion across 1195 transactions in 2016, a record high level, fuelled
by rising confidence in India’s growth prospects.

The last few weeks of 2016 have been dominated by the ongoing exercise of de-legalisation of high
denomination currency notes in circulation, which will eventually pave the way for demonetisation. This
is a masterstroke by PM Modi and, to my belief, a brilliant example of the first large-scale inclusive
behavioural reform ever introduced in the world. Undertaking a step like this requires immense political
courage — to impose transitional adjustment costs on the economy,while having the perspective to lay
the foundation for sustained future benefits. With incentives put in place, the desired behavioural
impact has already started to manifest. Use of cash alternatives like debit/credit cards, cheques,
mobile/internet banking, e-wallets, have zoomed since November.

Additionally, demonetisation will help in structurally boosting household financial savings, enhance the
monetary policy transmission mechanism and, in conjunction with GST, help in establishing a
transparent financial trail for economic transactions, thereby benefiting the government’s fiscal
position. Overall, demonetisation will help usher in a new transactional era for India that will create
multiplier effects through the financial sector channel. Even as the overall domestic macro situation
improved in 2016, the banking sector continued to face challenges due to lack of recovery in asset
quality, capital constraints and sluggish profitability. Nevertheless, I firmly believe 2017 will be the
inflexion year for the banking and finance sector with support from the policy and regulatory
environment, as improvement in macros start to manifest in corporate balance sheets.

Demonetisation will incentivise financial inclusion. A moderation of the currency in circulation will help
lower the cost of handling cash, the bankruptcy framework will help ensure a quicker resolution of
stressed assets, and the GST framework will further the formalisation of the economy while stimulating
consumption and investment. The year 2017 will also be important as the introduction of new IFRS
accounting norms will kick in. While this may lead to some tightening in capital provisioning, the overall
system is expected to gain with better disclosures, transparency and robustness. This makes me
believe that 2017 will offer opportunities for the nimble-footed in the banking and finance sector. At the
same time, it will pose requirements for re-platforming of PSU banks and exploring out-of-the-box
ideas for monetisation of idle PSU assets.

Last, but not the least, India is fast becoming an active incubation centre for e-commerce with such
ventures expected to reach 10,500 by 2020, as per NASSCOM. With a policy thrust on programmes
like Digitisation and Start Up India, we are witnessing an entrepreneurial economy characterised by
DICE —Design, Innovation & Creativity-led Entrepreneurship. The technological penetration of the
banking and finance sector will improve further in 2017 in order to support this new-age commercial
requirement.

The advent of the JAM (Jan Dhan, Aadhar and Mobile) Trinity is a silent revolution that will transform
India. As gateways like the recently launched UPI platform gathers mass in 2017, it will generate basic
digital intelligence, with the market for e-finance providing one of the biggest opportunities for the
banking and financial system. With 2016 laying the foundation for critical reforms in the country, I
believe we are at the cusp of transformational shifts in the future, with the banking and finance sector
being an important change agent in this exciting journey.+++
Read at : Hindu BusinessLine

Can’t say demonetisation has failed

It is now clear that about 90 per cent of the demonetised currency has found its way back to
banks (both by over-the-counter transfer and deposits in bank accounts). Consequently, the
expectation of a windfall profit for the Reserve Bank and the Government that could accrue from
unreturned demonetised currency would remain unfulfilled. The unreturned demonetised currency
connotes 100 per cent taxation on the same. Does this mean the entire exercise of demonetisation
failed miserably? What are the different ways in which the demonetised currency found its way to the
banks?

Over the counter exchange

The returned money belongs to three categories. The first category is what was returned over the
counter. No bank account was necessary to convert the demonetised currency into valid currency,
although there were upper limits stipulated at every attempt. It was reported that the total currency
issued over the counter was about ₹35,000 crore, which would be about 2.3 per cent of the total
demonetised currency. Had the Government not introduced inking and stopped over-the-counter
exchange within a fortnight, money laundering would have reached new heights and would have
become the most-sought-after avocation for mercenaries, marking the utter failure of demonetisation
well before December 30.

Despite all the hue and cry made by the media, the intelligentsia and economists, the Government put
its foot down by stopping over-the-counter exchange. But two weeks were enough for money hoarders
to convert part or all of their unaccounted currency into valid currencies fraudulently. The new 2000-
rupee denomination currency worth hundreds of crores that has been seized by the income tax
department in the last one month is testimony to this.

Of the ₹35,000 crore that was exchanged, it is not known how much was fraudulently exchanged. It is
also a million-dollar question whether the I-T department can trace all such fraudulent over-the counter
transactions in the shortest possible time, before the money begins to be used in such a way that the
unaccounted currency becomes accounted currency or wealth. The I-T department has limited
bandwidth in consolidating the umpteen tips they receive on hoarding of both demonetised currencies
and new currencies, and acting upon the same. The raids and associated unearthing of undisclosed
wealth may add to the I-T department’s kitty when the cases against unaccounted wealth are
adjudicated.

Bank deposits

The second category is money deposited in bank accounts. The exact figure on how much
demonetised currency found its way back to banks as on December 30 2016 is to be released by the
RBI. However, there are indications that out of demonetised currencies worth ₹15.44 lakh crore, about
₹14 lakh crore might have found its way back to banks. It was also reported that 60 lakhs bank
accounts alone received about ₹7 lakh crore out of a total of 50 crore bank accounts.

Interestingly, of this amount, between ₹3 lakh crore and ₹4 lakh crore was deposited in individual
accounts. Data on the spread of the deposits are not available. However, the average deposit made in
these 60 lakh accounts was ₹11.7 lakh. It is true that, with proper justification for the deposited
currency, the depositor would be allowed to use his money with no penalty. It may be easier for
organisations to explain the rationale for huge cash deposits than for the individuals.

However, by revealing how much currency they have been using as operating cash, organisations
would be forced to reveal the actual turnover of their businesses and thereby be forced to come under
the tax net, if not there already, and be forced to pay corporate tax proportionate to their profits, in
case they have been paying less. Direct tax includes both personal income tax and corporate income
tax and the evasion of direct tax has been happening in India on both accounts.

In the absence of justification, if the depositor voluntarily discloses his unaccounted income, he will be
charged 50 per cent tax on the deposited amount over ₹2.5 lakh, 25 per cent of the deposited amount
beyond ₹2.5 lakh in the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY) account with no interest and
lock-in period of four years, and the remaining 25 per cent will be given to the depositor. If the I-T
department catches hold of unaccounted income subsequently, the unaccounted income will invite an
85 per cent penalty on the deposited amount over ₹2.5 lakh.

It is too early to predict how much the Government could get by way of tax, penalty and the PMGKY
fund from this category of deposits. However, there is a good chance for it to mop up huge tax and
penalty revenues from these deposits for FY2016-17 and improve the tax collection. Therefore, the
demonetisation exercise is not a failure as claimed on the basis of 90 per cent of the demonetised
currency having found its way back to banks.

Jan Dhan and others

The third category covers 48 lakh Jan Dhan accounts, which attracted deposits worth ₹41,523 crore
between November 8 and December 23. In addition deposits of ₹30,000-50,000 were made in 4.86
lakh accounts accounting for another ₹ 2,000 crore.

This data should be seen in the context of the rule that Jan Dhan account holders can deposit up to
₹50,000 in their accounts without a PAN card. These deposits could be of benami currency, with the
Jan Dhan accounts being used to park the unaccounted money of other people. This is the trickiest
case for the I-T department to follow up on because once the cash withdrawal limit is relaxed, the cash
will evaporate from the accounts in no time. By hugely incentivising people who have allowed the
parking of unaccounted money, the I-T department may be able to collate information and act quickly.

However, the issue goes beyond how the demonetised currency found its way and whether
demonetisation is a success or failure. The most worrisome issue is how hoarders dared to deposit
unaccounted currency, presumably at ₹7 lakh crore, in bank accounts. Indeed, they have opened a
Pandora’s box as everything, not only wealth in the form of currency but also in other formats, will be
under the scrutiny of the I-T department henceforth.

Still, we cannot underestimate the acumen of black currency hoarders. They may discover some
loopholes to show their deposits, post-demonetisation, as legitimate cash. They may believe that the I-
T department does not have the intention and bandwidth to bring all the unaccounted money holders
to book in a time-bound manner. Or they may think I-T officials can be bribed. Hence, more than
demonetisation itself, this attitude is a great challenge for the Government. Although the window for
demonetisation closed on December 30, the battle of nerves between the Government and
unaccounted cash holders does not look likely to end soon.+++
Read at : The Hindu
Reading between the lines

( Written by Sanjay Hegde, senior advocate of the Supreme Court.)

Sometimes, the destiny of nations is cast in stone by a single judicial vote. In 1973, it was a 7:6
plurality of the Supreme Court in the Kesavananda Bharati case that gave India its doctrine of the
basic structure of the Constitution. Similarly a 5:4 majority of the U.S. Supreme Court in Bush v. Gore
inflicted George W. Bush upon the world in the year 2000. This new year has begun with a 4:3 verdict
of the Indian Supreme Court that sweeps into the law’s clutches a lot of sectarian political discourse
which has been the bane of India’s democracy.

It must be clarified that the Supreme Court has not gone into interpreting, clarifying or overruling its
earlier three-judge Bench decision on Hindutva (1995) in the context of electoral appeals. During the
hearings, the court had made it clear that the order of reference to the seven-judge Bench had not
included that question and hence it would not be gone into. Given the temper of the times, the court
probably saw the wisdom of Justice Louis Brandeis’s dicta that “the most important thing we do is not
doing”, and that the court should not “formulate a rule of constitutional law broader than is required by
the precise facts to which it is to be applied”.

Thus the new judgment in Abhiram Singh v. C.D. Commachen has only interpreted Section 123(3) of
the Representation of the People Act of 1951, which penalises as a corrupt practice in an election “the
appeal… to vote or refrain from voting for any person on the ground of his religion, race, caste,
community or language”.

Split over a word

The question therefore turned only on the interpretation of the pronoun “his” which is used in the
section. Does the appeal to “his religion” mean an appeal to the religion of the candidate alone? Or
does it qualify appeals made to the religious sentiments of all participants in the electoral battle,
including the candidates, voters, election agents and the like? Under the narrower interpretation, a
candidate would not be entitled to say, “I am a Hindu, you are Hindus and hence should vote for me.”
The broader interpretation, which has been accepted by the majority, would penalise even an appeal
which tells the voter, “You, as Hindus, know that I alone can defend your interests.”

Justice D.Y. Chandrachud’s minority judgment for himself and Justices A.K. Goel and U.U. Lalit
records, “Quibbles over the meaning of a word apart, the interpretation that will be adopted by the
court will define the boundaries between electoral politics on the one hand and individual or collective
features grounded in religion, race, caste, community and language on the other.”

The basic arguments seeking a narrower interpretation urged that the sub-section must be given a
literal interpretation since severe civil consequences like disqualification from elections flowed from a
finding of corrupt practice. It was also urged that a broad or purposive interpretation might fall afoul of
Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution. It was submitted that departing from a literal or strict interpretation
would mean unsettling the law accepted over several decades and that the Supreme Court had no
such strong reason to do so. While examining these contentions, much of the differences between the
majority and the minority rested upon their reading of the parliamentary debates.

The original intent

A.K. Sen, who was the Law Minister in 1961, explained the reason for the introduction of the word ‘his’
in a speech in the Lok Sabha: “I added the word ‘his’ in the Select Committee in order to make quite
clear as to what was the mischief which was sought to be prevented under this section… after all, it is
the right of a person to propagate his own language, his own particular culture and various other
matters. But that does not mean vilifying another language or creating enmity between communities.

“You cannot make it an election issue if you say, ‘Do not vote for him. He is a Bengali’ or ‘Do not vote
for him. He is a Khasi.’ I made it unequivocally clear that it is the purpose and design of this House and
of the country to ensure that. No man shall appeal only because he speaks a particular language and
should get voted for that reason; or no man shall appeal against a particular person to the electorate
solely because that opponent of his speaks a particular language.

“But we are on a very narrow point, whether we shall extend the right to a person, to a voter, to say:
vote for me because I speak Hindi, I speak Garhwali, or I speak Nepali or I speak Khasi; or in the
alternative, do not vote for my opponent because he is a man who speaks this particular language, his
own language. It is on that sole narrow point that the prohibition is sought to be made.

“But the problem is, are we going to allow a man to go to the electorate and ask for votes because he
happens to speak a particular language or ask the electorate to refrain from voting for a particular
person merely on the ground of his speaking a particular language or following a particular religion and
so on? If not, we have to support this.”

The minority judgment of Justice Chandrachud, speaking for himself and Justices Goel and Lalit, holds
that “the speech of the Law Minister, who moved the Bill, leaves no manner of doubt that the
expression ‘his’ referred to the religion of the candidate (or his caste, community, race or language) for
whom votes were sought or of the candidate whose election was sought to be prejudicially affected by
an appeal to refrain from voting”. The majority judgment authored by Justice Madan B. Lokur, speaking
for himself and Justice L. Nageswara Rao, with separate concurrences by Chief Justice T.S. Thakur
and Justice S.A. Bobde, examined the same speech in the context of other amendments moved to
Section 153A of the Indian Penal Code.

Law Minister Sen had also said: “We feel, and I think it has been the sense of this House without any
exception, that even a stray appeal to success at the polls on the ground of one’s religion or narrow
communal affiliation or linguistic affiliation would be viewed with disfavour by us here and by the law.
Therefore, I think that when we are grappling with a very difficult disease, we should be quite frank with
our remedy and not tinker with the problem, and we should show our disfavour openly and publicly
even of stray cases of attempts to influence the electorate by appealing to their sectarian interests or
passions. I think that this amendment follows as a consequence of the amendment which we have
already made in the Indian Penal Code… I think that these two provisions, if followed faithfully, would
go a long way in eradicating or at least in checking the evil which has raised its ugly head in so many
forms all over the country in recent years.”

The purposive approach prevails

The lead judgment of the majority relies upon the principle of purposive construction of statutes to hold
that “the Representation of the People Act, 1951 is a statute that enables us to cherish and strengthen
our democratic ideals. To interpret it in a manner that assists candidates to an election rather than the
elector or the electorate in a vast democracy like ours would really be going against public interest.”

Chief Justice Thakur in his concurrence with the majority ruled that “while interpreting a legislative
provision, the Courts must remain alive to the constitutional provisions and ethos and that
interpretations that are in tune with such provisions and ethos ought to be preferred over others.
Applying that principle to the case at hand, an interpretation that will have the effect of removing the
religion or religious considerations from the secular character of the State or state activity ought to be
preferred over an interpretation which may allow such considerations to enter, effect or influence such
activities. Electoral processes are doubtless secular activities of the State. Religion can have no place
in such activities for religion is a matter personal to the individual with which neither the State nor any
other individual has anything to do… The State can and indeed has in terms of Section 123(3)
forbidden interference of religions and religious beliefs with secular activity of elections to legislative
bodies”.

To my mind the dilemma answered by the court is best illustrated by these lines from the end of Faiz
Ahmed Faiz’s ‘Hum Dekhenge’: “Bas naam rahega Allah ka / jo ghayab bhi hai haazir bhi / jo manzar
bhi hai naazir bhi / uthegaa “ina-l-haqq” kaa naaraa / jo main bhi hoon aur tum bhi ho / aur raj karegi
Khalq-e-Khudaa / jo main bhi hoon aur tum bhi ho (Only the name of God shall remain / Who is both
absent and present / Who is the spectacle and the spectator / The cry “I am He” will arise / Of which I
am a part and so are you / And the people of God will rule / Of which I am a part and so are you).”

The lines, read in isolation, seem to be a direct invocation to the establishment of a Caliphate. But
those who know the context of Faiz the poet, the man and his work correctly interpret it as a
communist vision of life, with the dictatorship of the proletariat prevailing. Similarly, future challenges in
court to election victories based on identity politics will now walk the fine line of text, context and
subtext.+++

Read at : Asian Age

Budget on poll eve: An avoidable step?

The announcement of Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Manipur and
Goa by the Election Commission on Wednesday has caused not a little political confusion. This is due
to the fact that state elections will be held in the season of the Union Budget for the present year. As
matters stand, finance minister Arun Jaitley will read his Budget speech in Parliament on February 1,
just days before the voting begins. It is hard to imagine that the elections will remain potentially
unaffected.

The way things are going, it is plain to see that the very idea of a model code of conduct — under
which governments are supposed to make no announcements of any kind that can be construed as
wooing the public — stands scuttled. This is a shame and undoes the notion of a neutral election being
conducted on a level playing field. In the present situation, the government can woo the public through
attractive Budget pronouncements that may act as a balm on the wound caused by demonetisation.

Budgets, even when they are hard on certain aspects, are an instrument in the government’s hands to
win over voters. The Narendra Modi government is in a particularly delicate phase of its five-year
tenure: when the inflection point has been reached and a government’s popularity is beginning to head
south. Only recently the Prime Minister strongly hinted that taxes could be reduced in order to boost
the economy, that is flagging due to demonetisation. Mr Jaitley did not lag behind in seconding the
idea.

Tax reductions will be for the whole country, not specific states. If such measures are announced, the
states going to the polls will not be excluded from their application. As such, it is less than a clever
technicality to suggest that having the Union Budget and state polls at the same time should not be a
matter of concern, provided nothing specific for the poll-bound states is announced. This is the
meaning of Mr Jaitley’s observation that “there is no requirement for a delay”. The Opposition parties
have, of course, been sharply critical of the idea of Budget proposals being articulated literally on the
eve of polling.

It is evident that the EC failed to anticipate the piquant situation that has arisen. It could have brought
in the parties for a conversation when the government was tossing up the idea of changing the old
pattern to have the Budget passed earlier. In fact, in retrospect, it appears that an early Budget might
have been calculated to potentially influence poll outcomes. The Opposition parties too have failed to
read the wind.

All in all, it is a bad day for the spirit of democracy.+++

Read at : The Hindu
Keeping the streets safe

( Written by R.K. Raghavan, former CBI Director.)

In a seminal paper, ‘Complexities of 21st Century Policing’, published last year, Professor David
Bayley of the State University of New York, Albany was categorical that the traditional notion of police
professionalism was dead, and that the plea for ‘policing with consent’ must be rethought. In the paper,
Prof. Bayley, whose association with the Indian police goes back 50 years, makes a plea for new
institutions within the police so as to draw benefit from public inputs, accompanied by the engendering
of a new professionalism based on rigorous evaluation of existing strategic and managerial policies.
Reliance should be more on institutional wisdom and memory rather than on individual experiences. In
sum, he argues for taking the police out of the rut it had got into the world over, through a break from
past practices which were becoming dangerously archaic in a divided and strife-ridden world.

What Prof. Bayley says has immediate relevance for the Indian police, especially after what we saw in
Bengaluru on New Year’s Eve, when an already poor image of the Indian police deteriorated further
because of an apathetic urban police force standing by even as some women were being molested. It
was not just the Bengaluru police that failed that night; the criticism levelled against it applies to the
police at large, even while giving allowance to varying standards of policing in our megacities. Without
intending to be caustic or uncharitable, I am afraid the Karnataka State Police is slipping up far too
often for our comfort. Its handling of riots last year over the Cauvery water dispute is too fresh in our
memory to be ignored or forgotten. Distressingly, the Kolkata Police is fast catching up in the matter of
giving licence to thugs.

My objective here is not to berate one particular State police, but to warn others in the country against
complacence, and to learn from the obvious mistakes committed by Bengaluru law enforcement, once
known for its quality policing.

In specific terms, what is required now is to restructure existing police arrangements for special
occasions such as New Year celebrations. The average law-abiding, tax-paying citizen cannot any
longer be expected to be passive or to condone sloppiness in maintaining law and order. He is tired of
alibis for non-performance, especially in dealing with uncivilised brutes going on a rampage without
any provocation whatsoever. This is especially so at a time when even the most insensitive and
uninhibited politician in the country will refrain from exploiting a New Year celebration to promote his
cause. The Bengaluru police stand alone in this hour of ignominy.

Outnumbered on the street

Even assuming that media reports have exaggerated what happened, there is video evidence of at
least another incident that happened in Kammanahalli, where a woman was groped and pushed onto
the road by motorcycle-borne miscreants. There is still no evidence of what took place on M.G. Road
and its vicinity in the upmarket heart of the city. There is nothing to suggest that the police were
surprised at the happenings or were unprepared. There was indeed substantial deployment in
traditional hotspots, taking into account past experience. What is now learnt is that the police were
outnumbered in a few places, where the congregation of revellers was more than usual. The local
police stations could have possibly made an assessment late in the afternoon so that extra policemen
could have been directed to localities where the crowds were pouring in. There was therefore an
element of failure on the part of city police intelligence.

The police were reluctant to use force against the antisocial elements. Their response is a moot point;
policemen at the spot are shy of employing strong methods without the approval and direction of
senior officers going all the way up to the numero uno — in this case the Commissioner. This
unfortunate situation has developed over the years because of many complaints of police excesses
and the judicial enquiries ordered as a sequel. This is where politics creeps in. Many belonging to the
Opposition lose no time accusing the police of overreaction, only to embarrass the ruling party even
where there is consensus that the situation on the ground did warrant police opening fire or using
batons. Unless this situation changes, one will continue to hear complaints of police failures.

Leadership deficit

There is the other factor of inadequacies of police leadership that have become glaring over the years.
They look up to the Chief Minister or Home Minister for approval of even minor and routine field
decisions. Even where there is an enlightened Chief Minister who stays away from field decisions, a
weak DGP or Police Commissioner takes no chances. Can there be anything more damaging to the
swift handling of explosive threats to peace? Is not granting more autonomy to the police a futile
exercise if there are such hesitant DGPs and Commissioners?

In the ultimate analysis, it is only strong public opinion that can bring a sea change to the styles of
policing. In the Bengaluru incidents, the citizenry has a significant role to play by bringing enough
pressure on the government to identify the accused and bring them to book. If they do not rise to the
occasion, not much will happen.

This brings me to the fundamental question of enhancing police sensitivity to the task of protecting our
women. There was a lot of noise after the horrific Delhi gang-rape case of 2012. There was also a
laudable effort to make the law on sexual assaults on women more stringent. Whether this has helped
to improve the quality of police protection to women is debatable. New methods of training will certainly
help, but only moderately. Imaginative day-to-day interaction on the subject between the higher
echelons and policemen at the grass-roots level will alone help. How often do Commissioners of Police
and the numerous deputies visit police stations and talk to the constabulary? That is a chasm that will
remain un-bridged as long as senior IPS officers believe that it is enough to pander to the ego of a
Chief Minister for going up the ladder.+++

Read at : Mint
Examining India’s foreign policy choices

( Written by Kunal Singh, staff writer (views) at Mint )

When Shivshankar Menon was appointed foreign secretary in 2006 by the Manmohan Singh
government, 15 officers senior to him were overlooked. Supersessions are controversial in nature:
Those apprehensive of the politicization of senior appointments argue that the objectivity of seniority
criterion is better than the subjectivities of merit. What extra merit, they ask, does the second or third in
queue offer to justify incentivizing wrong traits in the army or the bureaucracy?

Menon was not the second or third in queue, but the 16th. Ergo, merit had a serious role to play in his
case. And it is hardly surprising that such a meritorious diplomat played a key role during several
important foreign policy decisions the Indian government took in the last three decades. Menon
documents five of those “choices” in his maiden book Choices: Inside The Making Of India’s Foreign
Policy (Penguin 2016). Three of them—the Indo-US civil nuclear deal, responding to the Mumbai
(26/11) terror attacks, and India’s role during the final stages of elimination of the Liberation Tigers of
Tamil Eelam (LTTE)—correspond with Singh’s tenure. The other two—the 1993 Border Peace and
Tranquility Agreement with China, and the decision to adopt a “no first use” policy with respect to
India’s nuclear weapons—belong to the prime ministerial tenures of P.V. Narasimha Rao and Atal
Bihari Vajpayee, respectively.

While Menon does not attempt to weave a theory of India’s international behaviour, a fair deal of that
comes through anyway. While Menon’s “choices” were for a practitioner to make, his gaze is almost
scholarly—especially when he narrates the history leading up to the circumstances in which the
“choices” present themselves. For instance, as someone who has tried to piece together the puzzle of
India-China boundary negotiations from different sources, I can now fall back upon Menon’s first
chapter for a broad sweep. The historiography is sometimes so engaging that Menon the practitioner
takes a back seat. In fact, the choice maze and the final selection appear a bit theoretical since the
conversations around the practitioner are peculiarly missing.

The book, however, has its share of problems. Many of them have to do with the chapter where Menon
deliberates on the possible ways in which India could have responded to the 26/11 attacks. He ties
himself in knots trying to defend the Singh government’s decision not to retaliate. Military retaliation,
Menon argues, would have obscured the gravity of 26/11 by shifting the global attention to a
quarrelling India and Pakistan. To support his argument, Menon cites the reaction of the UN security
council to Pakistan’s invasion of Kashmir in 1947. Such a comparison is specious. The contrast
between the world of 1947 and the post-9/11 world cannot be overstated, especially with regard to
terrorism. In fact, Menon himself, in another chapter, talks about how the post-9/11 world closed the
door for the LTTE.

Most of the other reasons which Menon marshals for not retaliating are also quite weak. They range
from a concern about the civil-military balance of power in Pakistan to the possible costs to the Indian
economy at a time when the 2008 financial crisis was playing itself out. At one point, Menon goes on to
claim that no institution in Pakistan, including its army, can deliver outcomes favourable to India. While
the fatalism embedded here is in itself a problem, he fails to reconcile this depressing thought with the
hope that he pinned on the Satinder Lambah-Tariq Aziz back-channel talks.

I am in agreement with Menon on the “no first use” principle enshrined in India’s nuclear doctrine. But
his cavalier treatment of the doctrine’s promise of “massive” retaliation is disconcerting. I have argued
previously (goo.gl/VCK63a and goo.gl/82St0Y) that India should shift to either “proportionate” or
“proportionate-plus” retaliation. In contrast, Menon says: “…what is a proportionate response to
weapons of mass destruction except other weapons of mass destruction? So it is not clear what the
advocates of proportionate response are really asking for. These are weapons of mass destruction
whether one chooses to call them tactical or strategic.” Well, calling them tactical or strategic does
make a huge difference when there are 50 Indian casualties on Pakistan’s soil in one case and 50,000
in an Indian metropolis in the other.

Menon seems to argue that massive retaliation will be the best option because otherwise Pakistan will
inevitably escalate. One, that is not certain and two, what he is hinting at—India depleting Pakistan’s
second strike capability through massive retaliation—is not logically borne out, especially in a Pakistan
which is seeking, as Menon himself points out, ballistic missile nuclear submarines. But all this stems
from a more fundamental oversight. Menon says: “The clearer and simpler the task of our nuclear
weapons, the more credible they are.” He misses that credibility is also a factor of political will. And
India’s will to retaliate massively cannot be high with 50 soldiers dead on Pakistan’s soil. Fortunately,
neither Menon nor I have any historical data to argue from.

Notwithstanding my disagreements with him, I would highly recommend this book. By shunning the
background conversations, it gives us a reassuring feeling that the government deliberating on
important foreign policy choices bases its decisions on coherent and rational arguments made by
meritorious diplomats. Whether this really is the case is for Menon to clarify.+++

Read at : The Statesman

Too little time, too much to do

(Written by Yogesh Pratap Singh, Deputy Registrar, Supreme Court of India.)

Judges should be of stern stuff and tough fibre, unbending before power, economic or political,
and they must uphold the core principle of the rule of law which says, ‘Be you ever so high, the law is
above you.’ This is the principle of independence of the judiciary which is vital for the establishment of
real participatory democracy, maintenance of the rule of law as a dynamic concept and delivery of
social justice to the vulnerable sections of the community.
These words of the Supreme Court of India evidently elucidate the expectation from its judges. Mr.
Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar, perhaps more than any other contemporary Indian judge, has
demonstrated this stern stuff and tough fibre. Erudite, possessed of intellectual sensitivity and judicial
courage, he led the five-judge constitution bench which struck down the NJAC Act. Justice Khehar
also headed a historic bench that reinstated the Congress-led Arunachal Pradesh Government and
held all the actions of the Governor violative of the Constitution. Alluding to S R Bommai v. Union of
India [(1994)3 SCC 1] the bench avowed that it had “all the powers to put the clock back”. Justice
Khehar on the occasion of Constitution Day responded to the diatribe from Attorney General for India,
by saying that the judiciary is functioning within its “lakshmanrekha.” The two judgements of Justice
Khehar had placed government in an uncomfortable situation; therefore speculation about a third
supersession was obvious in corridors of Supreme Court. However, perhaps because of his being a
Sikh and from Punjab facing assembly elections or for whatever other reason, he has taken oath today
as the 44th Chief Justice of India.

It was Justice J.S. Khehar who gave new life to the collegium after declaring the government’s NJAC
law unconstitutional, although the majority view was reprimanded by the dissent of Justice
Chelameshwar as repugnant to the spirit of the Constitution. Criticizing the functioning of present
collegium system, Justice Chelameshwar observed that absolute independence of any one of the
three branches is inconsistent with core democratic values and the scheme of our Constitution. The
amendment only seeks to restore such balance and therefore cannot be said to be destructive of the
basic structure of the constitution. Later, he refused to participate in meetings of the collegium.

Khehar proceeded to invite public opinion on ways to improve the opaque collegium system of judicial
appointments and after receiving over 11,500 views from the public, the Bench directed the
government to draft a new Memorandum of Procedure (MoP). This MoP is a persistent bone of
contention between the Centre and the Supreme Court. The first challenge before the new Chief
Justice therefore would be to give meaning to this dream of the majority in NJAC case. It is now
inevitable for the Chief Justice of India to unknot the predicament by addressing genuinely queried
issues of transparency and accountability in the collegium for otherwise the conscience of people will
be intimidated.

Delay in filling vacancies in the sanctioned strength of Courts and in increasing the sanctioned strength
to meet the increase in the institution of cases renders the judiciary inadequate to deliver its
constitutional mandate. Bringing the judiciary into this state of adequacy has been the singularly
constant finding of all Government Committees and Commissions on Arrears in Courts. All these fact-
finding bodies have unvaryingly recommended increasing the strength of judges [See Rankin
Committee 1925 to the 189th Law Commission Report of 2004]. These recommendations as well as
those of the All India Chief Justices Conference have remained unimplemented.

same applies to the implementation of the orders of the Supreme Court in All India Judges Association
case [(1993) 4 SCC 288] followed by Brij Mohan Lal case [(2002)4 SCC247]. Even as there is a
national debate on arrears, new arrears accumulate daily. Putting courts in a situation whereby Judges
are unable to deliver the public’s fundamental right to timely justice is to deny access to justice and
thereby undermine the sole purpose of judicial independence and constitutionalism. Hence, the
second major challenge before Justice Khehar would be to foster the relationship where appointments
are made smoothly.

There is no magic wand to resolve the present judicial crisis. Increasing judges’ strength through an
emotional outburst as by Justice Thakur will not fix problems. The government and civil society are
constantly asking what initiatives Supreme Court has taken for ensuring more accountability in the
judicial wing. Why do constitutional courts in India still follow the archaic ritual of long vacations? Why
is the Supreme Court not able to take concrete steps to abolish the culture of adjournments? Why
have initiatives not been taken to reform the Bar and to make it more accountable? Justice Khehar
must make some hard decisions. He must set the ball rolling by taking some positive reformative
measures otherwise the judiciary of the largest democracy will succumb under the weight of its own
responsibility and it will be difficult to resuscitate the diminishing confidence of people in the judiciary.

Justice Khehar will retire on 27 August with a discourteous summer vacation of one and half months in
between. In such a short stint, no one will be able to accomplish his dream. Thus, questions on the
functionality of the ritual that the senior most judge shall be the Chief Justice too become relevant. In
the absence of any constitutional provision this convention was nurtured (with two exceptions) to avoid
any controversies. But this convention unleashes rapid succession of CJIs with short stints of one, two
or a few months. Within the Supreme Court structure all powers revolve around the office of Chief
Justice and in the absence of a fixed minimum tenure, no chief justice can hope to reform the judiciary
and thereby ensure its independence on aspects other than appointment of the CJI.+++

Read at : Indian Express

Despite history, geography

( Written by Mahfuz Anam, editor, ‘The Daily Star’, Dhaka )

In the case of India and Bangladesh, geography has tied us so intricately together that any
underestimation of both the potential for mutual prosperity — and mutual harm — can only testify to
our collective foolishness.

History is fine (and sometimes not so fine), but our main inspiration and most compelling reason for
inter-state cooperation between India and Bangladesh lies in our location. Just as countries can be
prisoners of geography, so can geography be our liberators — if we have the ability to see it. In the
case of India and Bangladesh, we seem to have singularly failed to do so.

For Bangladesh, India is one of its two neighbours. But that does not tell the whole story. Given its
huge all-round presence, it is practically the only neighbour, a giant one with enormous military and
economic capabilities, potentially both for good and bad, depending on the nature of the relationship.
For India, on the other hand, Bangladesh is one of six contiguous neighbours. Again, that does not tell
the full story. Bangladesh is the only neighbour that is practically enveloped within India’s own borders,
again with tremendous potential for good and bad.

History tells us that geography has been crucial in determining the destiny of countries. But it remains
far below its potential here. In the case of India and Bangladesh, geography has tied us so intricately
together that any underestimation of both the potential for mutual prosperity — and mutual harm —
can only testify to our collective foolishness. The allure of the positive, and the legitimate fear of the
negative, should compel us to always search for solutions to problems, never allowing them to fester
long enough to become too difficult to solve.

Seldom has a country contributed more towards the independence of another country as India has for
Bangladesh, including the sacrifice of nearly 2,000 Indian soldiers, the sheltering of millions of
refugees during the nine months of our liberation war and the enormous economic hardship suffered,
so that we Bangladeshis could be free.

So, why have we failed to build a model bilateral relationship? Simply put, we have never given our
heart and soul to it. Every time “breakthrough opportunities” come, we fail to seize them and allow our
“business as usual” habit to destroy them by failing to think “outside the box”.

Take the case of transit. India has been insisting on it for decades; now that it has come about,
progress is slow, piecemeal and held back by pathetically low levels of investment. Instead of a
comprehensive, multi-model, transit accord or treaty, what we have are fragmented deals, totally
lacking global vision. On both sides, river transit is being handled by one ministry, railway by another
and road by yet another, with the attending inter-ministerial mismatch and bureaucratic delays.

Imagine how far we would have moved if all our transit potentials were brought under one masterplan,
with one vision and clear goals of improving trade, commerce and connectivity in all sub-regional,
regional, trans-Asian and trans-continental aspects. Such a global view would have generated the
resources to realise the true potential of what we can achieve. Only if we saw our maps a little more,
the potential would have hit us on the face.
Water sharing also remains a core vexing issue. There is no new thinking on this matter. The problems
between the central and the West Bengal government may be real, but to us, these appear more as an
internal issue of India which should not affect our bilateral relations.

Like transit, here again, we need a comprehensive water management accord which will deal with all
our common rivers and not one by one, as we have been doing so far. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina
will, reportedly, carry such a proposal during her upcoming visit. We hope it will be considered with the
seriousness it deserves.

A new irritant is also the Rampal power plant whose location, near the Sundarbans, is a very serious
concern for the environmentalists of Bangladesh, their fears shared by Indian counterparts. So far,
such concerns have fallen on deaf ears.

Much has been accomplished under Sheikh Hasina on our side and Manmohan Singh and Narendra
Modi on the other. But it remains far below potential. On Bangladesh’s side, the biggest step forward
was responding to India’s security concern and removing all terrorist camps within our borders —
which shouldn’t have been there in the first place. On the Indian side, duty-free access to Bangladeshi
goods was the biggest positive move, whose benefits are beginning to be realised. Again though, the
area remains below expectations. Illogical non-tariff barriers continue as irritants and retard progress.
Meanwhile, India selling much needed electricity to Bangladesh has had positive results; more such
supply would really help.

Given the changed political climate on both sides, progress in our bilateral relations should have
moved forward faster and more substantially. Much remains stuck at the policy and planning level —
less than expected can be seen on the ground.

As a media person, I have never been able to understand the indifference of the Indian media towards
Bangladesh’s issues, especially those affecting bilateral relations. The saddest example is the Farakka
barrage, which, in my view, was the first major cause of the rise of grassroots-level anti-Indianism in
the late eighties. This lasted for decades and still lingers — but this was never reported in depth in
India by any mainstream print or audiovisual media.

This barrage devastated the ecosystem of northwest Bangladesh, destroying thousands of acres of
arable land, resulting in the rise of salinity in river and underground water. Only with the signing of the
30-year Ganges Water Treaty in 1996 has some of its negative impact been mitigated. In fact, water
sharing of our common rivers remains a blotch in our relations. The failure to even talk about Teesta,
when a deal was ready to be signed in September, 2011, has greatly disappointed us in Bangladesh.
The rationale for Bangladesh’s position on this crucial water sharing issue has almost never found
adequate space in the Indian media.

There are many other issues that can be cited. Nothing about Bangladesh is covered except for
occasional instances of communal violence — which is endemic to the subcontinent — and the so-
called rise of terrorism that Bangladesh is waging a frontal onslaught against.

So how do we move forward? Without fretting over lost opportunities and putting aside a litany of our
mutual errors, we need to seize the opportunity that is before us. If there ever was a propitious
moment to make a dramatic change in Bangladesh-India relations, it is now.

There are too many examples of lost moments in the history of our relationship. Let us not repeat
them.+++
Read at : Hindustan Times

Rebels underline racism in Northeast with quit notice

The Kamatapur Liberation Organisation (KLO), National Liberation Front of Twipra (NLFT) and
the People’s Democratic Council of Karbi-Longri (PDCK) are minor players in the Northeast scarred by
insurgency for almost as long as India’s Independence. But the notice they served on Hindi speakers
and Bengalis has underlined the racism prevalent in Assam.

On January 2, the KLO, NLFT and the newly-formed PDCK ordered Hindi speakers and Bengalis to
quit Assam, Tripura and parts of West Bengal or “face dire consequences”. Bengalis are 67% of the
population of Tripura, once a tribal kingdom, and almost 34% of Assam’s population. Though Bengalis
dominate West Bengal, the state comes in because the map of Kamatapur — the self-rule homeland
KLO wants — straddles western half of Assam and northern half of West Bengal.

The region has fewer Hindi speakers, but rebel groups believe they can draw the attention of the “Hindi
belt-dominated” Indian political machinery by killing settlers from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and
other north, central and western Indian states.

Unlike the ‘mainland’, polarisation in seven contiguous Northeastern states is not driven by caste.
Religion is a factor in certain parts of the region, mainly Assam, but it is not as obvious as ethnicity and
the language spoken by the two largest “non-local” groups — Bengalis and settlers from Bihar
westwards clubbed together as Hindi speakers.

Much before the outlawed Ulfa, in the early 2000s, made it fashionable for myriad militant outfits to
identify Hindi speakers as representatives of “colonial New Delhi”, Bengalis were the prime targets of
communal attacks. The fear of “outsiders” — both settlers from mainland India and refugees from
Bangladesh — taking over land and resources of indigenous communities dictated the xenophobia that
political parties capitalised on. The post-Independence lethargy in preventing non-locals from settling
in the British-demarcated tribal blocks and belts of the region heightened this fear.

But the allegedly pro-Hindi belt BJP, which rules New Delhi and Assam, has given the rebels a new
reason to reinvent themselves as fighters for the rights of the communities they represent. The party’s
move to grant citizenship to non-Muslims from neighbouring countries, primarily Bengali Hindus from
Bangladesh, angered several political parties and NGOs. The rebels seem to have harvested this
anger. Hindi speakers and Bengali Hindus are believed to have voted for the BJP to power in Assam,
thus displaying their increasing clout in “importing” a party primarily of outsiders, and so targeting these
groups sends the right message.

In his book India Against Itself: Assam and the politics of Nationality, Sanjib Baruah underlined how the
issue of official language led to conflicts between the Assamese and Bengalis in 1960-61. The Assam
Agitation of 1979-85 too began on a similar note, but gravitated towards “Bangladeshis” with religious
overtones.

But racism in the Northeast is not only directed against non-locals who are called “dkhars”
(Meghalaya), “mayangs” (Manipur), “vais” (Mizoram) and “bohiragata” (Assam). Various ethnic groups
have been at loggerheads for ages, and a trivial incident is enough to spark violence such as the Garo-
Karbi clashes of 2011 and the Karbi-Dimasa conflict of 2005. Extremist groups had controlled these
clashes.

The governments concerned now have the responsibility to ensure the KLO, NLFT and PDCK do not
let their rejuvenation plan translate into communal bloodbath.+++
Read at : Indian Express

Misogyny party

It was once known as the “city of gardens”. But after December 31, 2016, Bengaluru could be
renamed the city of horrors. As peaceful pedestrians gathered on the city’s famous MG Road, hoping
to welcome 2017 with goodwill, a mob of men reportedly stormed the crowd, groping women,
harassing them physically and verbally. A telling picture shows a young girl weeping against a
policewoman, her skirt and top in disarray, her feet shorn of shoes abandoned while fleeing the mob,
watched mostly from the sidelines by Bengaluru police, which made lackadaisical comments later
about how they were outnumbered and that no official molestation complaints have been made.

It seems highly unlikely that these complaints will ever be made, given the remarks coming from G.
Parmeshwara, Karnataka’s home minister. Instead of severely castigating the molesters and promising
speedy, tough action, Parmeshwara blamed the victims. The minister remarked of the women, “They
tried to copy westerners, not only in their mindset but even in their dressing… so some girls are
harassed,” reportedly adding a callous, “These things happen.” The minister apparently also said he
couldn’t force people to “dress like Kannadigas”.

Perhaps the message from the state’s silent authorities is the same. Women not covered in traditional
costume will be molested; the state will criticise the victim’s apparel, not the criminal’s behaviour.
Implications for Bengaluru’s residents aside, Parmeshwara’s statement will make “westerners” visiting
India’s IT hub think again.

Bengaluru’s night of shame mocks the cultured cosmopolitanism the city is famous for. Having
benefitted from “western” business, blaming crimes on “western culture” is unacceptable — and an
attempt to mask a glaring lack of law and order with a disturbing misogyny that flares approvingly when
women, in pursuit of happiness or work, are attacked in public places. Once, Bengaluru was the
harbinger of cutting-edge modernity for India. The molestation incident now makes it seem the
foretaste of a dreadful medieval nightmare where women aren’t citizens with equal rights to public
spaces and personal dignity. Instead, women are just bodies to be assaulted by strangers and
chastised by the state. For Bengaluru — and the rest of India — this is not the start of a happy new
year.+++

Read at : The Hindu

Secularising the election

The Supreme Court has grappled with the question whether a provision in electoral law that
makes it a corrupt practice to use religion, race, caste or language as a ground for canvassing votes in
an election is a bar limited to the groups to which candidates or their rivals belong, or whether it is a
general prohibition on sectarian appeals. Section 123(3) of the Representation of the People Act,
1951, as amended in 1961, gave rise to this doubt. By a four-three majority, a seven-member Bench
has ruled that it is a general prohibition on the use of religion or any other communal or sectarian value
in the electoral arena. The minority favoured limiting the ambit of the sub-section to cover only
candidates who sought votes on such grounds, or the rivals they wanted the voters not to back on
similar grounds. That secularism is the bedrock of our democracy is undisputed. That the electoral
process ought not to permit appeals to the electorate on these narrow grounds is equally beyond
doubt. Against this backdrop, it is only logical that the Supreme Court should decide that it is a “corrupt
practice” for candidates to use any caste or communal parameters to canvass for votes or to discredit
a rival, regardless of whether the candidates themselves belong to such religious, communal or
linguistic groups.

It is interesting that the dispute turned on a single pronoun, ‘his’, that was introduced in the 1961
amendment. The majority opinion favours a ‘purposive interpretation’, holding that it covered the
candidates as well as the voter. It finds support in legislative history and our constitutional ethos. The
purpose of the amendment was to widen the scope of the particular corrupt practice. Given that
secularism is a basic feature of the Constitution, it has been interpreted in the light of Parliament’s
intention to prohibit any religious or sectarian appeal for votes. There is a justifiable worry that a wider
interpretation may lead to eliminating from the poll discourse political issues that turn on religion, caste
or language. After all, this is a country in which sections of society suffer deprivation and historical
injustices based on religious or caste identity. But the overall message is clear. It is left to the wisdom
of judges dealing with election cases to draw the line between what is permissible and what is not, and
look at the context in which some statements are made before deciding whether they constitute a
corrupt practice. The majority verdict will find resonance with all those who swear by the primacy of
secularism in the public domain. The minority view nuances this with a reminder that legal issues need
to be seen in their social context.+++

Read at : Indian Express

Expand partnership with US, limit rifts with China

( Written by C. Raja Mohan, director, Carnegie India )

As a rising China challenges American primacy in Asia, navigating between Beijing and
Washington is a major strategic challenge for us. India’s default option, many assume, is to reaffirm
non-alignment — neither with Washington, nor Beijing. That conventional wisdom is under a cloud as
India draws closer towards America, amidst a rather difficult phase with China.

Contrary to the mythology of non-alignment, tilting to one side or another has been very much part of
the Indian diplomatic tradition and the Chinese. As he founded the People’s Republic of China, it is
known Mao Zedong insisted Beijing must “lean one side” — towards the Soviet Union. But within a few
years, he fought Moscow and leaned towards the other side, Washington.

Nehru proclaimed non-alignment but reached out to the US amidst the war with China in 1962. In
1971, Indira Gandhi signed a security treaty with the Soviet Union as the American embrace of China
altered the regional balance. If Delhi railed against the US-China-Pakistan axis in the 1970s, Mao
fulminated against the Russian bear mounting the Indian cow.

The geopolitical churn continues. Delhi now fears Russia joining the China-Pak axis; Beijing
campaigns against Delhi’s partnership with Washington and Tokyo. In this story of shifting Asian
alliances, Delhi and Beijing had one unchanging objective — to construct a favourable external
balance of power. In pursuit of that, India and China found themselves, more often than not, on
opposing sides.

Those who want to return to a presumed “golden age of non-alignment” ignore the imperatives of
geography. It was easy to be “non-aligned” in the Cold War between America, the distant power, and
Soviet Russia, once removed from India’s borders. China, in contrast, has a long and contested border
with India and now looms larger than before.

Beijing’s GDP is nearly five times larger than India’s. Its military spending is thrice that of Delhi. In the
last few years, India has struggled to cope with Beijing’s political expansion, military modernisation and
power projection in India’s neighbourhood. India’s territorial disputes with China have also endured.
After decades of negotiation, Delhi and Beijing don’t even agree on the length of their border. China
says the border is about 2,000 km — the Indian count is nearly 4,000. Thereby hangs a tale of two
nationalisms, so deeply attached to territory.

The territorial question is further complicated by the disagreement over Tibet and its relationship to
Delhi and Beijing. Delhi worries about China’s deepening alliance with Pakistan and frets over Beijing’s
growing power in the subcontinent and the Indian Ocean. India has a massive trade deficit with China.
Beyond the bilateral and regional, Beijing has tripped up India’s membership of the Nuclear Suppliers
Group and is unenthusiastic about India’s claim for permanent membership of the United Nations
Security Council.

Despite their best efforts, India and China find it difficult to mask their multiple differences with anti-
Western rhetoric. The slogans on Asian solidarity were of no help in bringing India and China together
in the Cold War. Delhi’s more recent joint quest with Beijing for a “multipolar world” (code for limiting
American influence) has begun to rub up against India’s new fears of a “unipolar Asia” (code for a
Sino-centric region).

India’s messy relationship with China stands in contrast to growing political convergence with the
United States. India has a significant trade surplus with America; its dynamic IT sector is deeply
connected to America’s Silicon Valley. The US ended its pro-Pakistan tilt some years ago and has
moved towards neutrality; Washington is more forthcoming than China in helping India counter cross-
border terrorism from Pakistan. Unlike China, America supports India’s membership of the UNSC and
the NSG.

Washington says it wants to see India emerge as a great power; China seems to block India’s rise on
the global stage. No policymaker in Delhi can avoid the asymmetry in India’s relations with Washington
and Beijing. Of course, this is not the end of the story. Despite the dramatic advances in India’s
relations with America, there is much residual mistrust of Washington in Delhi. Some Indians are
concerned about the unpredictability of US policies towards China and Pakistan. Meanwhile, India
can’t forget the imperatives of maintaining reasonable relations with a powerful neighbour like China.
The biggest problem, however, is the fact that Delhi has no control over all the variables in the rapidly
shifting distribution of power in Asia, especially between China and America.

Some in Delhi might be pleased with the US president-elect Donald Trump’s threat to adopt a more
muscular approach to China. Others worry that Trump’s real objective is to work out a new deal with
Beijing after creating leverage over economic and political issues.

Delhi is acutely aware that Washington and Beijing have a stronger economic partnership with each
other than they have with Delhi. For the near future, therefore, Delhi’s emphasis will be on making the
best of expanding the partnership with the United States while limiting and managing the differences
with China. Delhi has just begun this high-wire act — and there is much distance to cover.+++

Read at : Asian Age

Stand by Turkey in crisis

The perpetrator of the ghastly terrorist attack at an upscale nightclub in Istanbul, barely an hour
after the new year commenced, has not yet been identified, although Islamic State of Iraq and Syria
has claimed responsibility. But hardly anything more is known so far about the attackers. Among the
39 dead are more than 15 foreigners from many parts of the world, including two from India.

Given the turmoil in Turkey’s domestic politics, which has been accentuated in the past year or so, and
Ankara sending forces across the Syrian border to combat ISIS which it seemed earlier to be backing,
it is anybody’s guess who could be behind the attack, the claim of ISIS notwithstanding.

The country has seen as many as 30 acts of terrorist violence in the past year, several of them
spectacular and leaving a high death count. Less than a fortnight ago, the Russian ambassador in
Turkey was killed by an off-duty policeman shouting Islamist slogans.
Besides ISIS, Kurdish rebel groups have also been blamed for acts of terrorism in Turkey. Last July,
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan fended off a determined military coup attempt. The list of those with
a grouse has therefore expanded.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has done well to condemn the terrorist incident right away, although in
recent decades Ankara has tilted Pakistan’s way. We should intensify our push at the UN to be firm
against international terrorism.+++

Read at : The Hindu

The price of defiance

The Board of Control for Cricket in India has only itself to blame for its present predicament. Its
president and secretary have been removed for defying the Supreme Court’s order to accept reforms
suggested by a court-appointed committee. And its president, Anurag Thakur, now faces legal action
for contempt of court as well as prosecution for perjury. None of this would have happened had the
BCCI shown some sense of responsibility and a vision for the future, and recognised the fact that the
highest court was only seeking to reform the manner in which cricket is administered in the country. In
the court’s view, the appointment of the Justice R.M. Lodha Committee and adoption of its
recommendations were part of a project to bring transparency and accountability to the BCCI. While
the court expected cooperation and compliance, the BCCI responded with obstructionist tactics and
defiance. It was therefore inevitable that the court would seek to send out a message that it will not
brook any wilful defiance. Despite the court making the Lodha panel reforms binding on the BCCI
through its July 18 verdict, the BCCI appeared to defy it. It cited as one reason difficulties in getting its
affiliated State units to accept the reforms, but at the same time made at its Annual General Meeting in
September some decisions that were not in tune with the panel’s recommendations. The price of such
defiance is clear: the Supreme Court is now going to appoint a committee of administrators to
supervise the board’s affairs.

Mr. Thakur’s position is especially unfortunate. As a young sports administrator, he was presented with
a great opportunity to lead cricket administration into a new era in which Indian cricket’s on-field
achievements would be matched by the Board’s transparent and accountable functioning. If only he
and other affiliated units had accepted the reforms, influential individuals who had held sway for
decades would have been replaced by fresh talent, and the seemingly unending tenure of some would
have been cut short. However, by defying the court in the name of protecting the sport’s autonomy, Mr.
Thakur has courted a double blow: the loss of power and authority as well as imminent punishment.
His equivocation on whether he invited the International Cricket Council to say there is governmental
interference in the BCCI’s affairs has led to the court hardening its stance against him. It is not clear
what course of action, if any, would now mollify the Supreme Court and help them escape its wrath. A
bitter lesson has indeed been taught, but it is uncertain if it has been learnt.+++

Read at : Asian Age

PM’s speech raises more questions than it answers

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech on New Year’s Eve was evidently calculated to make
ordinary Indians feel good — even proud — that they had suffered some “pain” in the 50-day long
yagna of shuddhikaran or purification of national life to root out black money and corruption, but the
jury is out whether the tool of demonetisation used for the purpose was any good at all.

For the pain endured by the people, the PM has sought to offer some sops. These have been directed
at sections of the population he thinks have suffered the most. These prizes can also be thought of as
thanksgiving to ordinary Indians for suffering in silence and not revolting or take up cudgels against the
state, a line of thinking that has been a regular part of the ruling party’s narrative in recent weeks. But
many are apt to wonder: was it just temporary “pain”, a minor inconvenience, that they suffered on
account of standing in never-ending queues at banks? Outside of agriculture, some 400 million people
are engaged in informal sector and daily work jobs. A frighteningly large proportion of this segment has
been rendered unemployed by demonetisation; many micro, small and medium industries are on the
verge of closure.

The rural economy, which was recovering this year on account of a good monsoon after successive
years of drought, has been negatively impacted by agriculture. A very large number of Indians are
worried where their next meal might come from.

To describe the devastation caused to millions of households as pain suffered in the act of the virtuous
process of shuddhikaran is to deny the suffering caused to the most vulnerable Indians, and to stay in
a state of denial about the blow dealt to the economy.

With nearly cent per cent of the demonetised currency returning to the banking system, which is now
fully remonetised after suffering a long spell of capital shortage on account of bad debts to top
industrialists, a fall in interest rate was automatically to be expected. The PM has sought to re-package
this as a gift for loans for low-cost housing. Similarly, schemes were announced for senior citizens and
other sections.

As we move into the new year, Mr Modi’s Saturday speech would have been reassuring if the country
had been given some idea about how much black money was unearthed, how many corrupt people
were interrupted, and the extent of terrorist finance and counterfeit currency notes unearthed. Instead,
we hear so much about electronic payment devices and portals. Was the great pain of demonetisation
and rocking the economy necessary to lead people to plastic money?

Mr Modi’s speech raises more questions than it answers about the great yagna he invokes.+++

Read at : The Statesman

Basics under-valued

The story of how “for want of a nail…. a war was lost” finds painful reflection in the report of a
task force the railway minister set up to probe the mishap that befell the Indore-Patna Express near
Kanpur in November in which over 150 passengers were killed. In sharp but appreciable contrast to
most accident inquiries, no “dramatic” theories were propounded for that devastating derailment,
instead focus was drawn to the overlooking of some of the “basics” of track-maintenance and
supervision. What should “shock”, but is unlikely to do so in a system that has become increasingly
top-heavy, is that elementary track-fittings like bolts and fish-plates had “perished” with age, but had
not been replaced because they were in short supply: only 30 per cent of the requirement was
provided. To put the gravity of the situation into perspective, the report pointed out that only a fraction
of the resultant incidents ~ one in 29 according to one calculation ~ proved serious enough to register
as accidents. Could there be a more serious indictment of the railway management? For how long
have the upper echelons of the management been permitted to get away with neglecting their core
duties? Has their laxity not assumed a criminal dimension: a stark reality that has been covered-up by
a series of “fanciful” explanations for mishaps? The task force recommended making up the shortages
of simple but critical equipment on a “war footing”, but simultaneously advocated a better deal for the
lowly keymen and patrolmen whom it hailed as the “last frontier of track safety”. It suggested a 30 per
cent special allowance for such personnel and a special drive to fill those “unpopular” posts.
The task force noted that the communication systems of personnel in the field were seldom fully
serviceable and called for a thorough overhaul of the supervisory system: in short it flayed officers for
not “getting their hands dirty”. What holds true for track-maintenance has its parallels in other spheres
of railway operations too. Engine-drivers were some years ago re-designated “loco-pilots” but no
marked improvement in their working/living conditions was seen. Without getting drawn into ugly
comparisons with airline pilots, it would be fair to ask if the pay and allowances of “running crew” are
commensurate with the responsibilities they shoulder. Simply contrast the housing provided to officers
with engine-drivers and guards and a sick picture presents itself. All that has eroded the sense of
professional pride that dominated the railwaymen of yesteryear and caused chests to swell when
standing on the footplate as a mail/ express train entered its home station on schedule. Should
Suresh Prabhu re-inject some of that “spirit” into the system, his job will be at least half-done.+++

Read at : Indian Express

Will 2017 be a happy new year?

( Written by P Chidambaram, former Finance minister of India ).

We should be happy that the Indian economy, according to the government, grew at an average of 7.4
per cent (new series) in 2014-15 and 2015-16. According to the government’s estimate, in the current year too,
the GDP will grow at about 7.5 per cent.

We should be happy that the Indian economy will be among the fastest growing large economies of the world.
Currently, WPI inflation is about 3.15 per cent and CPI inflation is about 3.63 per cent. The fiscal deficit will be
contained at 3.5 per cent as projected in the Budget for 2016-17. Foreign exchange reserves are at a healthy
level of about USD 360 billion.

Causative factors

As 2016 draws to a close, the whole country should be celebrating the state of the economy, but there is no joy
anywhere. Why are the people sullen, dejected and apprehensive about the immediate future? The proximate
cause is, undoubtedly, demonetisation (about which I have written extensively), but there are deeper causes.
The frowns on the faces of those in the government (and especially of those key officials who have chosen
diplomatic silence!) tell a story that is very different from the boast of the ‘fastest growing large economy’. Let’s
look at five of the causes:

1. The confidence of foreign investors has been rudely shaken. Foreign Portfolio Investment (FPI) is a standard
metric. Until October 2016, net FPI was positive at Rs 43,428 crore. In November and December, the flow
reversed dramatically, and FPI outflow was

Rs 66,137 crore, leaving net FPI at negative Rs 22,709 crore. The last time net FPI was negative was in 2008
when there was an unprecedented international financial crisis. If it was a ‘flight to safety’ in 2008, it is a ‘flight
from uncertainty’ in 2016. Will the uncertainty end and the foreign investor return soon is the unresolved
question before the government and the country.

2. In December 2015, the Index of Industrial Production (IIP) stood at 184.2. In April 2016, it was 175.5 and in
October 2016, it was 178. IIP is an indicator of the health of the manufacturing sector. The decline in the index
speaks for itself. The worst hit is the consumer non-durables segment which is down 25 per cent. The capital
goods segment is down 6 per cent. We should not be surprised if the IIP for March 2017 is lower than the IIP for
April 2016, making it a rare year when industrial production actually declined during the year. Whither Make in
India?

Double whammy

3. Credit growth is a measure of economic activity. At the end of November 2016, year on year credit growth
was 6.63 per cent, a historical low, and we must go back many decades to find a lower level. Of this, non-food
credit grew by 6.99 per cent. Medium-scale industries (textiles, sugar, cement, jute) is the segment where one
could find regular, non-casual employment. Credit growth to medium-scale industries, year on year, has
registered negative growth every month since June 2015. If we go down to the small and micro industries, the
situation is worse. Currently, credit growth to small and micro industries is at (-)4.29 per cent. Demonetisation
was the last straw and many of them have shut down and thrown out of employment millions of workers.

4. While credit growth remains sluggish — indicating that there is little demand for investment credit — the gross
NPA situation has worsened between September 2015 and September 2016 from 5.1 per cent to 9.1 per cent. It
is, as the saying goes, a double whammy for the banking sector. Banks have few takers for credit and, at the
same time, banks are unable to recover loans. The inescapable conclusion is that the promised revival of the
industrial sector remains a promise and there are no signs of revival.

5. Exports are a reliable measure of the manufacturing capabilities as well as the competitiveness of an
economy. Look at the value of non-petroleum merchandise exports during the period January to November in
the past few years:

2012: 218.79 billion USD

2013: 228.26
2014: 236.94
2015: 216.11
2016: 213.80
While some portion of the decline can be attributed to global factors like Brexit and protectionism, the main
reason is erosion of the strengths of the manufacturing sector in India. The stark truth is that when merchandise
exports decline, markets are lost and jobs are axed. It is not easy to regain lost markets because some other
country would have stepped in to meet the demand. Neither the Prime Minister nor the Finance Minister has
rung the alarm bells about declining merchandise exports. We have not heard a serious conversation about
ways and means to reverse the situation.

After surgical strikes I have highlighted only five issues that are indicative of the health of the economy. It will be
evident to unbiased observers that all five issues — FPI, IIP, credit growth, NPA and exports — have been
adversely affected by demonetisation. So, if anything, the state of the Indian economy has become worse since
the massive disruption caused by demonetisation on November 8, 2016.

I cannot end this column without making a brief reference to the price that we are paying for the other ‘surgical
strike’. Since the ‘surgical strike’ (September 30) to end infiltrations and terrorist attacks, 33 security personnel
have lost their lives in Jammu & Kashmir. As on December 25, the death toll of security personnel was 87, which
is double the number of 2015. RIP, brave soldier.

I wish you a Happy New Year. I sincerely wish that my wish will come true.+++

Read at : The Hindu

2016: The Supreme Court’s report card

( Written by Suhrith Parthasarthy, advocate practising at the Madras High Court.)

The Supreme Court finds itself at a curious juncture. It has spent much of the year lodged in a widely
broadcast battle with the Union government over judicial appointments. Led by Chief Justice T.S. Thakur, who
retires on January 3, 2017, the court has fought this contest presumably to assert its independence from
executive and legislative control. But, somewhat counter-intuitively, the wrangle has had a deleterious impact on
the court’s moral authority. The court has not only been intransigent in allowing the executive no say in matters
of appointments, despite the Constitution’s clearly contrary mandate, but it has also failed to make the existing
system — selections through a “collegium” of senior judges — more transparent and democratically justifiable.
What’s worse, while constantly stressing on its apparent autonomy, the court has often appeared to cave in to
the very majoritarian impulses that it is tasked with refuting.

While it is no doubt difficult to make grand assertions about the Supreme Court given that it doesn’t sit en banc,
as one, and given that it comprises judges who can be disparate in their outlook and attitudes towards what
constitutes a proper judicial role, collectively the court’s choices in 2016 have shown us that any independence it
enjoys hasn’t guided it towards concerted courage in decision-making. On the contrary, particularly in enforcing
fundamental rights — which it ought to see as its most important function — the court has, barring a few notable
exceptions, scarcely served as the keeper of the country’s conscience.

Tussle between judiciary and executive

The present battle lines between the judiciary and the executive were drawn in October 2015 when the court
delivered its verdict in Supreme Court Advocates-on-Record Association v. Union of India. Here, the court struck
down the 99th Constitutional Amendment and consequently the National Judicial Appointments Commission
(NJAC), which had been created to replace the collegium. Four of the five judges who heard the case (Justice J.
Chelameswar dissented) found that the primacy the collegium enjoyed in choosing the country’s judges was a
part of the Constitution’s basic structure. According to the majority, the NJAC — a body that was to comprise the
law minister, two eminent laypersons, and the three senior-most judges, including the CJI — in removing the
primacy that the judiciary enjoyed in selecting its own members infracted the basic structure, and, therefore, had
to be quashed.

Although this is a decidedly bizarre conclusion when you consider that the collegium finds no mention in the bare
text of the Constitution, many political observers believed that it was a verdict that was necessary to ensure the
independent functioning of the judiciary. But not even the most ardent supporters of the judgment backed the
existing status quo. The collegium system indisputably required reform. To this end, in December 2015, the
Supreme Court, after receiving a slew of suggestions on how to improve the collegium’s functioning, directed the
executive, whose sovereign power to make appointments it had divested in its verdict, to prepare a draft
memorandum that would lay down the procedure for the collegium’s functioning.

Since then, there has been a constant back and forth between the two wings, with no end apparently in sight.
But if the court were so loath to giving any leeway to the executive in the process, it makes one wonder why the
task of preparing the draft memorandum was assigned to the government in the first place. Making things worse,
one of the collegium’s members declined to participate in a meeting of the group in September this year, on
grounds purportedly of a lack of transparency in its working. Whatever one might think of Justice Chelameswar’s
methods in expressing his demur, his objections only made it clearer that there was something broken at the
core of the system: the collegium, in his assertion, was simply functioning in a manner beyond the remit
prescribed for it by the court’s own judgments.

Two flawed decisions

While enshrouding the process of appointing judges from any reasonable standard of candour and
accountability, the court has simultaneously made choices that only show that the present system doesn’t
necessarily produce the kind of counter-majoritarian judiciary that a democracy requires. Two decisions from the
past year exemplify the court’s remarkably unflattering outlook on fundamental rights. The first, rendered in May
— Subramanian Swamy v. Union of India — rebuffed a challenge to the colonial-era criminal defamation law and
upheld Sections 499 and 500 of the Indian Penal Code.

Judges, under any sensible interpretation of their role, are required to apply rules derived from precedent,
statutes, and the Constitution, in checking legislative or executive excesses. But the court in Subramanian
Swamy did none of this. It brushed aside legitimate concerns about the chilling effect that the criminal
defamation law has had on speech with a frightening disdain for tradition and precedent. Justice Dipak Misra,
who wrote the judgment, in holding that the law constituted a reasonable restriction on the right to freedom of
expression, made no effort whatsoever in relying on any of the constitutionally sanctioned limitations to free
speech. Instead, he appealed to his own distinct sense of what ought to constitute the law, by carving out of the
ever-malleable Article 21, which guarantees a right to life and personal liberty, a “right to reputation.” Worse still,
he conceived a concept of “constitutional fraternity,” hitherto unknown to Indian law, which, he ruled, demanded
an “assurance of mutual respect and concern for each other’s dignity.” This reasoning is flawed on many counts.
But chief among them is the fact that neither of the precepts relied upon by Justice Misra finds mention in Article
19(2), which contains the legal basis for restricting speech. The consequence of the judgment is vastly
damaging: it has the effect of placing values that rest on individual predilections above the right to freedom of
speech, which, by any equitable interpretation of the Constitution, ought to stand on firmer footing.

The second decision, delivered on November 30, extraordinarily takes rights even less seriously. In an interim
order on a public interest litigation filed by a supposed social activist from Bhopal, the court directed that all
cinema halls in India play the national anthem before the screening of any film, and that persons present in the
hall compulsorily stand up to show their respect for the anthem. Quite apart from indulging in rule-making that
ought to be the prerogative of Parliament, the order sidesteps its complete disregard for basic liberties by
offering no reasons whatsoever. In doing so, the court simply assumed the role of a super legislature, having
tasked itself with the power to impose its own brand of distorted nationalism.

There have been other instances in 2016 of the Supreme Court using what it perceives to be a power to do
complete justice to achieve precisely the converse — among other impacts, these verdicts set a poor example
for high courts which are concomitantly tempted to extend the use of their writ to perform what are principally
legislative functions. But what’s been even more damaging to the Supreme Court’s legitimacy has been its
dithering under pressure. Despite issuing interim orders as early as in 2013 making the securing of the Aadhaar
card optional, the court has failed to adequately enforce its directions — seemingly every day the government
and its various agencies appear to extend the use of the unique ID linking it with the provision of a number of
essential services. The court can be excused for failing to haul up the government for contempt of its orders
were it to expedite its hearing of the basic challenge to the UID scheme. But the Constitution Bench established
to determine whether India’s citizens have a fundamental right to privacy, which the Aadhaar policy quite clearly
appears to contravene, is yet to hear concrete arguments on the issue.

Challenging demonetisation

In similar vein is the challenge to the policy of demonetisation. A number of petitioners have not only questioned
the procedural validity of the government’s and the Reserve Bank of India’s various notifications, but have also
contended that the policy infracts significant fundamental rights. Early this month, in “Contours of a challenge”, I
had said that the manner of the Supreme Court’s treatment of these petitions “will tell us a great deal about the
checks and balances that our democracy purports to provide.” We now have a very quick answer, and it’s not a
good one.

After many false beginnings, on December 16, the court directed the establishment of a five-judge bench to rule
on the constitutional validity of the demonetisation notifications and on the legality of the policy’s implementation.
If we were to go by the example of the Aadhaar case, it is entirely likely that this policy too would be rendered
fait accompli by the time the court gets around to hearing the challenge. In many ways, these acts of wavering in
the face of public pressure showcase a Supreme Court lacking in moral courage. The harm in consigning to the
academic challenges to laws that have an immediate bearing on our lives, which invade into our cherished
liberties and into our ability to function as equal beings, is enormous. An independent judiciary, properly
understood, far from being one that appoints its own members, is one that possesses the will and the conviction
to resolve swiftly hard cases, uninfluenced by societal perception, in a manner that enriches the finest values of
our constitutional tradition.+++

Read at : The Statesman

An inescapable future

After my last article in these columns, many readers had reacted with an understandable sense of
outrage. While some thought that it would be insane to talk of a cashless country where more than half the
population still defecate in the open and about a quarter of the population are illiterate, others pointed out that in
a cashless economy, there is a cost for every digital transaction which will place an avoidable burden upon the
poor. Yet others suggested that the country has to grow and evolve before we can think of a cashless future.
This, in my opinion, will require an eternity.

The post-demonetisation nightmares that the people are still passing through and the prevailing confusion, being
aided and abetted by the RBI’s relentless directives, have led to helplessness and frustration. Going by the daily
reports of raids and unearthing of huge loads of cash, including old and new notes all over the country, the
hoarders of black money are probably exploring ingenuous ways of changing the colour of their money with the
Jugaad mindset. The anger and discomfort over these developments may justifiably blur our objective
reasoning.

What is relevant and important for a cashless economy is not the penetration of toilets or literacy, but the
penetration of mobiles and financial inclusion. Increasing digitisation of transactions is also essential for the
success of GST which will have to be introduced by 15 September 2017. This could have been a very
important, even if unstated, objective behind the demonetisation move, as it is for improving the direct tax
collections.

As regards the transaction cost of digital payments, every transaction carries an economic cost, including cash.
According to a Bloomberg report, merely transporting cash to and from the villages in India had cost about $ 335
million last year, equivalent to about Rs 2200 crore. This is a poorly targeted indirect subsidy benefiting the rich
and poor, the rich obviously more than the poor. Once digital transactions become the norm, the economics of
scale is sure to bring down the cost of such transactions, and if it still remains unreasonable, a similar amount of
subsidy can be distributed through the Jan-Dhan accounts to compensate only the poor. This will reduce the
inherent inequity of the present system.

For digital transactions, all one needs are a mobile phone (preferably a smartphone with internet connection)
and a bank account. As regards mobile penetration, going by the latest data released by the Telecom
Regulatory Authority of India on 30 September 2016, there were 105 crore mobile subscribers in India (60 crore
urban and 45 crore rural). Of the estimated population of 133.6 crore in 2016, roughly 67 per cent, or about 90
crore are rural, thus the distribution remains skewed between urban and rural subscribers, though it is
reasonable to assume that most households have access to a mobile phone. With overall tele-density ~ the
number of mobile connections per 100 population ~ of 84, the basic infrastructure is already in place. Of course
the tele-density points to wide variation across the states, from 56 in Bihar to 119 in Tamil Nadu, but it is only a
matter of time before this unevenness gets diminished gradually.

Internet connectivity is of course a different story. With only 46 crore internet connections, more than 70 per cent
in urban areas in June 2016, most of the rural population still remains unconnected. There are also various
infrastructure bottlenecks, such as availability and reliability of connections, besides electricity in many rural
outposts. With internet connectivity, Mobile Wallets and United Payments Interface (UPI) can enable seamless
digital payments across the banks. But apart from the internet, they also require a smartphone, which may not
be affordable to many Indians as yet, even with their prices nose-diving sharply. The number of internet
connections grew by 30 per cent last year and the growth rate is likely to be sustained. Indeed, internet
penetration can be increased from the current 35 per cent to 70 per cent within only 4-5 years, assuming there is
a concomitant expansion of the attendant infrastructure.

However, technology has already addressed this problem and with the Unstructured Supplementary Service
Data (USSD), even a basic mobile handset (feature phone) without internet connection can facilitate cashless
payment, through the IFSC Code of the Bank and the Aadhaar number. One can transfer money up to Rs 5000
using only the recipient’s IFSC code, mobile number and Aadhaar number ~ 83 per cent of India’s population is
now covered by Aadhaar.

The last element is the financial inclusion ~ and it is indeed difficult to estimate. Taking the Census 2011 figure
of 4.45 for the average household size in India, there are about 30 crore households to be covered for full
financial inclusion, which can be ensured if each of these households has at least one bank account amongst its
members. As per the latest RBI data furnished in March 2015, the total number of savings bank accounts with
the scheduled commercial banks was 11.7 crore (19.6 per cent growth over the previous year). These included
multiple accounts in the name of a single individual, the precise number of which is indeterminate. Making
allowance for even 25 per cent redundancy on this count, we have about 8.8 crore unique individual accounts.
This will still include multiple members of the same households having separate accounts. The growth rate of
19.6 per cent would yield 9 crore separate household accounts by December 2016.

Under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojna launched in August 2014, as of December 2016, there were 25.98
crore Jan Dhan accounts, more than half of which have been opened since March 2015, and hence excluded
from the 9 crore accounts computed above. Add to this nearly 3 crore “No Frill Accounts” with the Regional Rural
Banks, when these accounts were converted to “Basic Savings Deposit Accounts” in August 2012 by the RBI.
Many of these may be inoperative, but from these statistics, it is likely that at least 20 crore of the estimated 30
crore households have already been covered by the banking network. Opening an account has also become
much simpler, with the Aadhaar Card and a photograph being the only requirements.

Thus a substantial part of the infrastructure essential for going cashless is already in place, and India can
leapfrog into a digital economy without major disruptions. It is no longer an impossible dream if we only dare to
dream, despite 90 per cent of our informal economy today being based on cash. In fact, it is this informal sector
that is the target of demonetisation and naturally this is the sector that has been hit the hardest. If India is to
become cashless, this sector has to be brought into the formal stream. This is also essential to expand our
absurdly narrow direct taxpayer base.

Of the 52 crore strong workforce, 29 crore are engaged in the primary sector outside the tax net (using 2011
census percentages). The rest of the 23 crore employed in the secondary and tertiary sectors constitute our
potential direct taxpayers’ base. Of this 23 crore, only 5 crore file tax returns, 1.5 crore pay taxes and only about
20 lakh people pay taxes at the highest slab rate of 30 per cent, with annual income exceeding Rs 10 lakh.
Consequently 85 per cent of the net national income goes outside the tax net and our tax-to-GDP ratio remains
among the lowest even among the emerging economies. Add to this the substantial evasion in indirect taxes ~
excise, service tax and sales tax (VAT) ~ the evasion unearthed by the Government in the last two years
amounted to Rs 50,000 crore and the undetected evasion is anybody’s guess.

The evasion is enabled by the use of cash ~ the anonymous, fluid unit of transaction that leaves no trail and
cannot be tracked. With such endemic evasion of indirect taxes, GST which subsumes most indirect taxes does
not stand an iota of chance to succeed, unless the informal sector is included in the tax net. Besides, GST being
a technology-driven tax, the primary prerequisite is a substantial digitisation of most transactions.

Life will not be the same in India ever again. Not all of the Rs 15 lakh crore withdrawn from the monetary system
is ever going to be returned, and the withdrawal ceilings are also not going to be removed anytime soon. The
Government is pushing the envelope hard to prod the informal sector into cashlessness, to enable the
authorities check tax evasion. Demonetisation is basically a political decision with economic ramifications. It is
not about curbing black money but eliminating the source of black money which is cash.+++
Read at : Indian Express

Corridor Of Uncertainty

( Written by Khaled Ahmed, consulting editor, ‘Newsweek’ Pakistan. )

The only big thing going for an isolated Pakistan is the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
Unable to tackle its internal security problems — for which it now wrongly blames India — it prefers focusing on
the good times the world thinks the Chinese investment of $46 billion will bring. However, speaking at an awards
ceremony at the Balochistan Frontier Constabulary Headquarters in Quetta on December 20, Commander
Southern Command Lt General Amir Riaz thought he should send a clear message to arch-enemy India: “Join
CPEC and share the fruits of future development by shelving your anti-Pakistan activities and subversion.”

There was a time, not long ago, when Patrade utopia of CPEC will remain incomplete if India is kept outside.
Pakistan blamed America for acts of terrorism inside Pakistan. After its flawed “strategic depth” made shipwreck
and America got together with India against China in the region, Pakistan took a close look at what India was
doing in Afghanistan and joined the dots. It accepted that Pakistani Taliban ensconced in Afghanistan were
killing people inside Pakistan but added the more dangerous detail about India actually funding the Taliban.

But others too have pointed to India’s fishing in Pakistan’s troubled waters. Then US defence secretary nominee,
senator Chuck Hagel, strengthened this view in a talk on Afghanistan at the Cameron University in Oklahoma in
2011 saying, “India has been using Afghanistan as a second front against Pakistan. It has, over the years,
financed problems for Pakistan on that side of the border.” In April this year, Pakistan’s Defence General (retd)
Alam Khattak declared: “RAW and Afghan NDS have launched joint secret operations against Pakistan by using
three Indian consulates in Jalalabad, Kandahar and Mazar-e-Sharif.”

General Riaz’s invitation to India to join CPEC is conditional on India calling off its Afghan proxy warriors
mobilised expressly to disrupt CPEC because it “endangers India’s security”. Even if India has activated
elements in Afghanistan against Pakistan, the policy can only be described as reactive because Pakistan’s
asymmetrical forays into India pre-date it.

The trade utopia of CPEC and its blessings of peace will remain incomplete if India is kept out. Pakistan
continues to be blamed for the ongoing Taliban trouble in Afghanistan which has involved blowing up Indian
diplomatic facilities there. And this trouble has peaked this year: All 34 Afghan provinces have been attacked,
with an average of 68 daily attacks. No one actually believes Islamabad’s Office Spokesman Nafees Zakaria
when, answering a US department of defence accusation about Pakistani involvement, he says: “This is more of
a rhetoric (sic) than anything else. Afghanistan is infested with most terrorist organisations due to the instability
there.”

President Ashraf Ghani in Kabul doesn’t believe a word of what Pakistan says about the Haqqani network and
the Taliban attacking Pakistan across the Durand Line. In fact, his spooks are busy retaliating by sending
Pakistan’s own terrorists back for revenge attacks. For the time being the CPEC, far from being one of the
greatest war-preventing trade arteries in the world, might unleash a new war, based on India’s perception that it
contains Gwadar port in Pakistan as a military outpost of China targeting India. Both Afghanistan and Pakistan
need internal corrections to come out of their instability. But these corrections can only come indirectly, through
an opening-up, and not through the reform of ideologies they are helpless to change.

The indirect solution lies in trade openings through these median states where China and India come into play.
Having refused a through-route to India, an isolated Pakistan has been compelled to accept CPEC, which will
spread peace and prevent war only if India joins it. China’s Ambassador to Pakistan Sun Weidong says his
country “is looking forward to enhancing its cooperation with Iran through CPEC” and welcomes the road joining
Gwadar to Chabahar, the port being built with Indian help. Not long ago, SAARC thought of Pakistan as a
“median” territory allowing trade routes, creating dependencies that prevent war. China surely wants to include
India in the CPEC, facilitating $70 billion worth of bilateral trade with it.

Read at : Mint

Democracy, inclusion and prosperity

( Written by Raghuram Rajan, former governor of the Reserve Bank of India, is professor of finance at
the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.)

It is a truism that people everywhere want to live in a safe, prosperous country where they enjoy freedom
of thought and action, and can exercise the democratic right to choose their government. But the world faces a
disarming question in 2017 and the years ahead: how can we be sure that political freedom and economic
prosperity go together? The American political scientist Francis Fukuyama has argued that liberal democracies,
with their political freedom and economic success, have three important pillars: a strong government, the rule of
law, and democratic accountability. I would add a fourth: free markets.

Strong government doesn’t mean simply military power, or an efficient intelligence apparatus. Instead, it should
mean effective, fair administration—in other words, “good governance”. The rule of law means that a
government will be constrained by what Indians would term dharma—by a widely understood code of moral
behaviour, enforced by religious, cultural, or judicial authority. Democratic accountability means that
governments must be popularly accepted, with citizens empowered to replace corrupt or incompetent rulers.

But what brings about a strong government? Libertarians preach that the best government is that which governs
the least, a “night watchman” confining itself to ensuring the security of life, property, and contracts. Marxists
believe that, as Friedrich Engels put it, once the victory of the proletariat ends class conflict, “the government of
persons is replaced by the administration of things.” Both are wrong: all economies need a strong government to
develop and prosper.

Strong governments may not, however, move in the right direction. Hitler provided Germany with effective
administration: the trains ran on time (as did India’s trains during our Emergency in 1975-77). But Hitler put
Germany on a path to ruin, overriding the rule of law, without which democracy can lead to the tyranny of the
majority (after all, Hitler was elected).

More from The Year of Surprise

By contrast, when combined with the rule of law, democratic accountability ensures that government responds to
citizens’ wishes. Of course, various social groups and organized interests will not always see their programmes
translated into policy; but democratic institutions are nonetheless essential, as they enable the non-violent
channelling of grievances.

We cannot ignore the influence of history. As Fukuyama points out, China has historically experienced long
periods of chaos. Unbridled military competition meant groups organized themselves as hierarchical military
units, with rulers exercising unlimited power. When a group eventually emerged victorious, it imposed
centralized autocratic rule to ensure that chaos did not return. And controlling a huge geographic area required a
well-developed elite bureaucracy—hence the mandarins. Whenever China was united, it had unconstrained,
effective government. But, Fukuyama argues, it did not have alternative sources of power in religion or culture to
shore up the rule of law.

In Western Europe, by contrast, the Christian church imposed limits on what the ruler could do. So, military
competition, coupled with constraints imposed by canon law, led to the emergence of both strong government
and the rule of law. In India, the caste system ensured that entire populations could never be devoted totally to
the war effort. So war in India was never as harsh as in China. At the same time, the codes of just behaviour
emanating from ancient Indian scripture have historically constrained arbitrary exercise of power by rulers. As a
result, India’s governments are rarely autocratic.
History is not destiny—but it is influential, and it is a perpetual puzzle why India has taken to democracy, while
some of its neighbours with similar historical and cultural pasts have not. Rather than speculating, let me turn to
the relationship between democracy and free markets. Both democracy and free enterprise create and thrive on
competition. But, whereas democracy treats individuals equally, the free-enterprise system empowers them on
the basis of their income and assets. What, then, prevents the median elector in a democracy from voting to
dispossess the rich?

One reason that the median voter agrees to protect the property of the rich and to tax them moderately may be
that she sees the rich as creators of prosperity for all. The more idle or corrupt the rich are, the more the median
voter will vote for tough regulations and punitive taxes. In some emerging markets today, wealthy oligarchs grew
rich because they managed the system well, not because they managed their businesses well. When the
government goes after these rich tycoons, few voices are raised in protest —and the government may become
more autocratic as a result.

A competitive free-enterprise system, with a level playing field for all, minimizes this risk, by allowing the most
efficient to acquire wealth. The process of creative destruction replaces badly managed inherited wealth with
new and dynamic wealth. Great inequality, arising over generations, does not become a source of popular
resentment. Instead, everyone can dream that they, too, will become a Bill Gates or a Nandan Nilekani. The
difficulty in a number of Western democracies is that the playing field is being tilted. For many in the middle
class, prosperity seems unattainable, because a good education —today’s passport to riches—is unaffordable.
The growing perception of unfairness is eroding support for the free-enterprise system.

Let me turn finally to India. Of Fukuyama’s three pillars, the strongest in India is democratic accountability. We
also adhere broadly to the rule of law. Where we have a long way to go is in the government’s capacity to deliver
public services. While strong institutions—an independent judiciary, opposition parties, press freedom, and a
vibrant civil society—prevent government excess, our “checks and balances” require what might be called a
“balance of checks.” For example, we must not have an appellate process so slow that it halts necessary
government measures.

The most heartening development is that more people across India are becoming equipped to compete, and
more of our young entrepreneurs are unwilling to kowtow to the government as a matter of course. If we are to
have prosperity and political freedom, we must also have economic inclusion and a level playing field. Access to
education, nutrition, healthcare, finance, and markets for all our citizens is a moral imperative, precisely because
it is a precondition for sustainable—and democratic—economic growth.+++

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How to approach UPSC Exam through our App?

Praparing for UPSC Exam - A Systematic Approach

“You have your way. I have my way. As for the right way, the correct way, and the only way, it does not exist.”
― Friedrich Nietzsche

A lot of us put HARD work, but not SMART work. And then due to the scarcity of resources (to go for coaching,
quality material etc.) and lack of direction (multiple book lists, tons of materials etc), many aspirants fail to realize
their dreams. We by virtue of our app seek to bridge this gap & guide/ channel the thoughts of aspirants towards
right direction.

UPSC requires a generalist for serving the highest echelons of administration in India but the view of the
examination has changed over a period of time & it now seek to test the analytical & behavioural aspects of the
aspirant more than before. It is highly important that the focus should be on on basic understanding and wider
coverage of subjects & topics.

Prelims Examination

The Examination shall comprise of two Papers of 200 marks each

[] General Studies – Paper I
[] CSAT – Paper II (Qualifying Paper)

GS syllabus is huge & covers anything under the Sun. Also, UPSC is well known for surprises. So, you might
read everything, yet you will miss exactly what UPSC demands from you.

Mostly the subject-wise Questions are crafted from NCERT books with Current Affairs questions being picked up
from daily news & happenings. Prelims questions can be tricky & one should read carefully between the lines
while attempting the same.

Prelims is also all about ‘identifying’ the correct answer among the 4 options given. So the focus should be about
elimination of the wrong options and identifying the correct answer. So rather than remembering Facts, focus
should be more on Understanding the Concepts

Our App & Prelims Examination

1) Go through the UPSC Notes Section properly & understand the basic concepts - revise them periodically

2) Take help from Lecture Videos in case of difficulty in understanding the concepts - make short notes for things
that are not covered in our Notes Section

3) Go through the Daily Affairs section on daily basis (in evening/ night) & attempt the Current Affairs Weekly
Quiz that we publish every Saturday

4) Attempt all the Quizzes that we have released in NCERT Quiz Section - under this section we have covered
History, Geography, Economics, Science, Polity, Environment & Ecology (* NCERT test books are the first &
foremost tool for UPSC preparation & considerable amount of time needs to be given to them till you understand
the concepts)

5) Join our U.PSC Prelims Test Series - mock tests are an important part of the preparation as it helps you judge
your preparation & take corrective action during the course of preparation

[] Our quizzes are open-ended & you can re-attempt them multiple times - it will help you revising them again
before the exam & also boost your confidence level
[] We have divided the Test Series month-wise into different subjects like Geography in December, Polity &
Economy in Januaray & so on - it will help you channelize your preparation in a scheduled manner so that yo
can complete the whole syllabus or revise them in a 6 month duration
** If you are unable to access the Quizzes/ Test Series please update the App & check!

6) While you burn yourself out for Prelims examination, you shouldn't leave the Mains Exam out of your sight
(which is the ultimate deciding step towards success & failure) - go through the Editorials that are getting
published on daily basis (in morning) & bookmark ones that you feel would be a good talking point in papers
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articles as an when we publish them & bookmark them similarly

7) We will soon be releasing a separate Quiz section on 'Aptitude, Quant, Reasoning & English' which will be
sufficient in preparing the aspirant to clear the Qualifying marks for CSAT - aspirants are required to go through
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Mains Examination

The Civil Services (Mains) Examination has undergone a sea change in its content and character and has been
completely revamped by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) in 2013. Now, General Studies plays a
vital role in ‘making or breaking’ a candidate.

Answer writing plays a very important role in Mains examination. While attempting a Question for the Mains, an
aspirant need to understand & differentiate between the following key-words & their meanings. The Answers
should always be potrayed in the context of the Question but always in a balanced manner.

[] Comment? - The question usually gives an unbiased/ biased statement and asks the student to “comment” on
it. An aspirant is supposed to be neutral and write various facts and viewpoints regarding that particular
statement.
[] Critically Comment? - In such questions, an aspirant need to give both pros and cons, both positives and
negatives. An aspirant need to answer by giving the story of both sides of the coin.
[] Examine? - Here the aspirant need to look into the topic asked in detail, try to understand it, inspect it,
investigate it and establish the key facts and issues related to the topic in question. While doing so the aspirant
should explain why these facts and issues are important and their implications.
[] Critically Examine? - Same as above, but must give both positives and negatives. After examining both sides
of the issue, an aspirant needs to give an apt balanced conclusion satisfying the examiner.
[] Evaluate? - To identify and to write about the main issues, giving reactions based upon what is read or heard
in various newspapers, lectures and reports. In such questions, one should avoid purely personal opinion & be
balanced while writing the answers.
[] Analyze? - To examine in very close detail and to identify the various important points and chief features. It is
similar to Examine-type questions & can be approached in similar manner.
[] Discuss? - The aspirant have to debate on paper by going through the details of the issues concerned by
examining each one of them. An aspirant need to give reasons for both for and against arguments. It is similar to
Critically Examine-type questions & can be approached in similar manner.
[] Narrate? - To concentrate on saying what happened, telling it as a story in a good flow. It is better to use
paragraph style answer writing in such questions instead of points style.
[] Enumerate? - This would mean listing down a list of points by an aspirant. Such questions are easy to answer
& needs bookish knowledge
[] Justify? - In such questions an aspirant is expected to give various explanations, alongwith facts and theories
to truly “justify” the statement. While also giving other side of the coin, as a conclusion the aspirant is needed to
approve the statement or question
[] Differentiate? - To distinguish between various items and bring out the differences between them. Such
questions are easy to answer & needs bookish knowledge
[] Explain? - The aspirant is expected to explain the topic in a detail manner highlighting the various dimensions
of it. Such questions are easy to answer & needs bookish knowledge

Our App & Mains Examination

1) Go through the Editorials on daily basis - most of the questions asked in the papers can be answered through
the Editorials that we publish on daily basis

[] The selection of Editorials are made to cover a wide range of topics & view-points to enable an aspirant to
answer a question most appropiately as needed
[] Once an aspirant clears the Prelims exam, we suggest him/ her to re-visit all bookmarked Editorials & make
notes on points that covers key facts, pros, cons & reaction to a topic
[] Editorials will also help in writing Essay on a particular topic & linking facts to make a coherent answer

2) Go through Blogs, Essays, Gists & Other Articles on regular basis as & when they are getting published - we
are publishing viewpoints & articles on all topics that are currently trending, active & have high probability of
apprearing in exams in some form or another

3) Revise UPSC Notes - the Notes will help you in answering many bookish & static Questions related to
History, Geography, Economics, Science, Polity, Environment, Ecology & Ethics that appear in exam.

4) Refer Lecture Videos & go through them for in-depth understanding of the topics & make notes by yourself -
making notes by yourself is an important part of the preparation that will help you immensely during attempting a
question

5) We will also launch UPSC Mains 2017 Exam Series after Prelims exam to help aspirants further in their
endeavour to clear the exam

** Between Editorials, Blogs, Essays, Gists & UPSC Notes, they will cover 90% of the Questions being asked in
Mains Exam (excluding optional subject).

Note: We have not suggested any Books apart from NCERT as we seek to simplify the preparation process.
Moreover, the Lecture Videos incorporated in the app cover indepth of any Topic that is covered in a Book. It is
left to the perogative of the aspirants to refer books of his/ her choice.

In order to succeed, we must first believe that we can. - Nikos Kazantzakis.+++

Blog
 Forest Rights of Tribals

The PM has reiterated that tribals should get titles under Forest Rights Act which was legislated in 2006.
The tribal affairs minister Jual Oram has said that a committee will be set up to monitor implementation of titles
given to communities and individuals. It has been noted that the implementation process has been quiet slow
though it has been good in states like Tripura. It is now recognised that there are about 41 lakh claims being
made by individuals as well as community. There are about 40 lakh individual claims and 1.1 lakh community
claims. Out of these, the titles distributed till the end of July 2016 are approximately 16 lakh to individuals and
44000 titles to community.

The forest land of which the titles are distributed- 56 lakh acres distributed to individuals and communities have
got 45 lakh acres through title settlement.

Forest Rights Act, 2006

[] The Ministry of Tribal Affairs is the nodal agency for implementing the provisions of the Scheduled Tribes and
Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006.
[] The Act seeks to recognize and vest the forest rights and occupation in forest land in forest dwelling
Scheduled Tribes and other traditional forest dwellers who have been residing in such forests for generations but
whose rights could not be recorded.
[] The Ministry, to ensure that the intended benefits of this welfare legislation flow to the eligible forest dwellers,
has also issued comprehensive guidelines to the State/UT Governments for better implementation of the Act.

Background

The Forest right act 2006 is radical change. During colonial times, all the forests were declared government land
and people who lived on the fringes of the forests became trespassers. Even after independence, after a long
time the government realised they are residents and not intruders. They were living in forest for generations
together and thus the law must confirm to the reality.

Change of concepts regarding use of forest

To trace the rights of people over forests and its resource, it needs to be looked into the colonial period where
they lost their rights. Post-independence period, until National Forest Policy adapted and subsequently Forest
Management Programmes like Joint Forest Management, Community Forest Management programmes were
implemented from 1990 onwards with people’s participation. Until then, there was mistrust about how forests are
being managed and people felt alienated. Most forests have been degraded during the colonial times and post
colonial times.

When the government actually started course correction 1990 onwards, it was actually coming across this idea
of people’s rights over forest land and resources. There is a very long history of struggle of people over land that
is in their possession, the land they are dependent on their livelihood survival when the forest department
declares is at reserve forest or protected area. The people’s rights were negated on many counts. There was so
much alienation of people who were living in forest areas and surviving on forest resources for generations. This
alienation forms the basis of the act which tries to restore lost community rights who are supposed to be
custodians and beneficiaries.

People participation necessary to protect forests

The change in thinking has come about after a long time and it is good that it has come out at last. The reality is
that because the traditional people have been kept out of forest, the people who are actual trespassers- the teak
and timber lobby- would go and smuggle them as the government was unable to guard the forest. Now, it looks
like the government has recognised that only way to protect forest is through communities which live in and
around the forest as they are the best safeguards. This has been witnessed for decades that unless the people
who have stake in the forest have been involved in planning and implementation in forest conservation,
development and extracting forest resources- minor forest produce in a sustainable way, involved in
management of forest, the situation was deteriorating.

The Joint forest management programme started involving people in restoring the degraded forest and the result
is being seen in forests getting regenerated. Not only land that was lost to agriculture, cultivation has been
restored to forest land but also the resources that were dwindling in forest areas with deforestation have
improved. Thus, communities can do better than administration. For forests to survive, community participation
has to be there. Forest cover has considerably increased post implementation.
Rights of forest dwellers

The focus of the act recognises the legitimate rights of forest dwellers including the tribals. Like other
communities who are living in villages and they own land, the tribals have no land other than forest land. The
situation became complicated as traditionally for centuries, tribals did not own land individually but collectively.
This collective ownership was denied and not recognised for many decades. Now this act tries to restore or
course correct the situation.

It is more important to recognise and settle the community rights as that will help individual and be a better
guarantor for protecting and sustaining the forests. Many NGOs and coalition of people’s community, they are
making specific demands like recognising the collective claims and settle it. The government- Forest department
and revenue department have data of forest map and revenue map from where they can identify and encourage
villages through Gram Sabha to make those claims. Even the forest department should be interested to settle
this from government side. Hence, this initiative has to be from government side.

Community rights are very important. The communities are organised well enough to manage the individuals
within the community. They have to share the forest land and the produce equitably amongst the community.

They know significance of this resource and they are conserving it in sustainable manner over generation. The
problem is that now that land becomes a very important resource, ownership of land at individual level is
becoming increasingly important. It has already began in tribal areas so it cant be denied there. But this doesn’t
mean communities are disappearing. Community claim can be made from individual claim. At the individual
level, they can claim for land for agricultural usage but at community level, it is for grazing land it as it is for
common purpose. This is basic distinction. Hence, the most effective way of preserving communities and forests
in country.+++

Essay

Can Media Platforms be Alternatives to the Parliament?

The winter session of the Parliament witnessed disruption and chaos as the opposition raised the issue
of demonetisation in both houses. Since the winter session of Parliament in 2013, this session has recorded
maximum number of lost hours. According to PRS Legislative research, LS has seen only 15% productivity and
RS has seen only 18% productivity of the available time. This has resulted in almost washout in the winter
session of the Parliament.

Both Parliament and media are part of democracy, but both have separate functions. One has a legislative body
which deliberates, discusses policies, decisions on laws which are to be made or unmade. On the other hand,
media is supposed to project public opinion which can influence all the institutions like Parliament, executive or
judiciary. Thus, both are needed by the society and country.

Parliament deliberates the policies, forces accountability of the government to MPs and finally people. The press
adds to the power of the people to enforce accountability of the decision makers, whether it is Parliament,
executive and may be judiciary too. So the roles are different. Currently, what happens is that Parliament gets
adjourned and the MPs rush to media outside. Media is just a platform to put forward the voice. But it cannot
replace Parliament.

Earlier, disruption of the house happened at couple of occasions. But today, it has become a norm. The problem
is that the positions are not taken on the merit of the issue but on the basis of own convenience and the stand on
the issue. If there is really a future desired in which the Parliament functions, then the media will have to insist
the politicians to behave and politicians take stand on the issues of procedure and propriety irrespective of their
own stand on the issue.

There is hardly any hope of changes in near future as the Parliamentarians don’t realise the importance of the
function they have to perform. Debate and discussions are sine qua non in a democracy. If that is not allowed to
happen, the Parliament as an institutions credibility will get lost. The forum for discussion and passing the laws
has to be the floor of the house not outside.

Parliament and media are cornerstones of individual structure. If it is not allowed to function, it will lose its
credibility. Even the media is behaving in a peculiar manner, particularly the electronic media and in such
situation, there are concerns about future of democracy as a real institutional framework as such. In a
democracy or history as such, people who think themselves as very important, come and go but the institutions
remain. Thus, institutions are more important than the individual.

The Hindu

2016 saw Judiciary-Govt. Hostility

The year 2016 has been marked by the hostile interface between the judiciary and the government like
never before over delay in judicial appointments. The genesis of this often overt hostility between the two
constitutional branches of governance in the world’s largest democracy started towards the fag end of 2015 with
the Supreme Court striking down the NDA government’s NJAC laws.

Controversies refused to die down through out the year and reached its zenith with rumours abound that the
government is moving to put a spoke in the well-oiled convention of making the seniormost Supreme Court
judge, Justice J.S. Khehar, who led the NJAC Constitution Bench, the next Chief Justice of India. The
notification of appointment of Justice Khehar was issued only days before January 3 despite Chief Justice
Thakur sending his formal proposal recommending Justice Khehar as his successor early in December.

Confident start

The year started on a confident note for the judiciary with Chief Justice Thakur declaring it to be the ‘Year of
Appointments’, thus making his intention clear to fill the hundreds of judicial vacancies kept on freeze owing to
the NJAC litigation in the Supreme Court during the large part of 2015. But in April, the world saw an
unprecedented sight when an emotional Chief Justice Thakur, during a public function attended by Prime
Minister Narendra Modi, accused the government of stalling judicial appointments. This was the first of the
several abrasive and very public encounters the judiciary and the government would have inside and outside the
courtroom.

While the Chief Justice accused the government of trying to bring the courts to a “grinding halt,” the government
hit back in court that the judiciary itself was to blame for the delay in appointment of High Court judges. When
Chief Justice Thakur threatened judicial action against the government for not filling over 440 vacancies, Law
Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad parried by asking why the High Courts have not done anything to fill over 4,900
vacancies in subordinate judiciary all over the country.

On Constitution Day recently, the tensions between the two flared up when the government accused the
Supreme Court of failing the nation during the Emergency period and blamed the judiciary of indulging in judicial
activism. In return, Justice Khehar cautioned the government to not cross the ‘Lakshman Rekha’. The year also
saw a number of important judgments and timely interventions, especially when it had compelled the Centre to
conduct a floor test in the Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly following the declaration of President’s rule in the
State and restored democracy by putting the Congress-led Harish Rawat government back in power.

Its intervention had followed a Constitution Bench decision upholding the independence of the Legislative
Speaker by quashing the Arunachal Pradesh Governor’s decision to advance the Assembly hearing. The
Governor’s decision had triggered political unrest in the sensitive border State and led to President’s rule. The
judgment led to the toppling of the BJP-propped rebel government.

Tax on goods

A Constitution Bench, in a majority 7-2 verdict, also upheld the validity of States to tax goods entering their
territories, saying State governments are “well within their rights” to design their fiscal legislation. The court stood
up for the farmers of West Bengal when it held the State’s acquisition of land for Tata’s Nano car factory under
the emergency clause as unconstitutional. It observed that the brunt of development should not be borne by the
weakest sections of the society.

The interventions made by the court crossed all sections of the society, from banning liquor vends on highways;
to ordering people to stand up for the National Anthem at cinema halls to show respect; to whether online jokes
about Sikhs was a slur on the community; to questioning the government’s resolve to bring the Kohinoor
diamond.

Lodha committee

Sports also saw the impact of judicial intervention when the apex court ruled in favour of millions of cricket lovers
in the sub-continent by supporting the Justice R.M. Lodha Committee recommendations to usher in
transparency within the BCCI. Review petitions of the Board against the ruling were dismissed.

The court further revived the single-window NEET exam for admissions to undergraduate medical and dental
courses. It upheld the right to clean environment by imposing a blanket ban on the sale and manufacture of
firecrackers in the National Capital Region. It further levied a green cess on commercial vehicles entering Delhi
and luxury diesel vehicles to beat pollution.

Section 377

In a ray of hope for the LGBT community, the Supreme Court agreed to have a back-to-roots and in-depth
hearing of their legal struggle against the criminalisation of consensual sexual acts under Section 377 of the
Indian Penal Code. The court took an unprecedented step to test whether practices like nikah halala, triple talaq
and polygamy amounted to discrimination against Muslim women. While its intervention led to Mumbai’s Haji Ali
Dargah authorities to modify their rules and allow women devotees equal access like men, the court is hearing
the ban on women of a certain age group from entering the famous Sabarimala shrine in Kerala.

The Supreme Court stood firm by its resolve to ban Jallikattu, questioning the need to “tame” a domestic animal
like the bull.

Cauvery issue

The court intervened in the Cauvery river water dispute between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, ensuring that
Karnataka released 2000 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu. It further dismissed the Centre’s plea that the apex
court has no jurisdiction over the dispute.

The court allowed Italian marine Massimiliano Latorre to stay back in his native country like compatriot and co-
accused in the murder of two Kerala fishermen, Salvatore Girone. In a significant ruling, the court stood up for
victims of encounters with the police and the security forces by holding that every death in a disturbed area, be it
of a common man or a militant, should be thoroughly enquired into by the CID at the instance of the National
Human Rights Commission.+++

Blog

India & Hydropower electricity generation

Recently, PM dedicated three hydropower project to India.

1. 800 MW hydropower station of NTPC- Koldam

2. 412 MW Rampur Hydro Station of SJVNL projects
3. 520 MW parvati project of NHPC

Hydropower is basically generating power from flowing water. There are few kinds of hydropower projects.

[] Storage hydropower projects– Sardar Sarovar, Tehri, Bhakra project

[] Run of the river hydropower projects– power is generated from flowing water. There is dam for each of
hydropower project and from those dams, the water is diverted to tunnel which come backs to river few kms
downstream. The head that the water gets between the points where it enters tunnel and where it exists, is used
to generate power. This is run of river hydropower project.

On basis of capacity

[] > 25 MW = large hydropower

[] <25 MW = small hydropower
[] Below 2 MW = mini hydropower
[] There are also micro (5-10 KW) and pico (>5 KW) hydropower projects.

India has 42000 MW installed capacity of hydropower. It is 16% of installed capacity but the generation is low as
it depends on availability of water. During drought, lean, summer season, when less water is available, then
generation drops.

Issues related to hydropower

Two of three projects dedicated by PM is in Satluj basin. This basin has bumper to bumper hydropower projects
like Karchum Wangtoo, Naptha Jhakri, Rampur, Luhri, Koldam, Bhakra on the same river. Hence, there are
cumulative impacts.

[] Social impact– lot of people get displaced, livelihood resources get affected.
[] Environmental problems– most of the new projects are coming in Himalayan areas which is vulnerable to
disasters in terms of earthquakes, landslides, floods, erosion. In the era of climate change, there is problem of
glacial snow converting into rivers and thereby creating floods.

Significance of hydroelectricity when India is facing electricity surplus

16% of installed total capacity is from hydropower. However, the generation from hydropower is 11-12%. And
about 70% of the generation is during monsoon. Hence there is a fluctuation. But one key benefit of hydropower
is picking power. Picking power means the power supply in the grid. Demand is not constant- it grows during
morning hours, declines during afternoon hours, goes up in evening hours and goes down at night. Together,
there are seasonal variations and daily variations.

A thermal power project cannot be restarted when the demand goes up and shut down when there is less
demand. That is possible with hydropower project. Because of the capacity with hydropower, it can generate
more power during picking hours. However, this advantage is available only if it is optimises the operational
hydropower project to provide maximum picking power. Other advantages of hydropower are clean, cheap,
green source of energy. But these are debateable issues.

Sustainability of hydropower projects

Problems do exist with the hydropower project. Besides the social, environment and the disaster issues, there
are also issues of generation performance. A study found that 89% of India’s installed capacity does not
generate power at promised level. Each project, when it is given techno economic clearance, it is promises to
generate power at 90% dependability, which means that in 90% of the year, it should be generating promised
power. But when the actual performance is looked at over the last 30 years for all operating hydropower project,
it was found that 89% of the projects generated electricity below the promised level. And half of them generated
below 50% of the promised level.

Also, there is reduction in units generated by hydropower per million units every year. In last 20 years, per MW
generation has gone down by 20%. Also, there exists issues of siltation, maintenance of project, Repair,
replacement and so on. This requires cost and if there is not proper allocation of cost for operational functions
like maintenance, repair and replacement, then the electricity generation suffers. When silt gathers in storage
projects like Bhakra, Tehri, Sardar Sarovar, it reduces storage capacity and proportionally the power generation
goes down.

So, these issues are important from the sustainability point of view. So, having created the installed capacity of
42000 MW, there should be focus on optimising operation and generation from these projects. Only after it is
achieved, new projects should be installed. This will assure better sustainability of benefit from the generation.

Carbon footprints and hydropower projects

It is assumed that as hydropower projects don’t consume fuel, they do not generate carbon footprints. The World
Commission on Dams has shown how power, particularly in tropical countries, reservoirs also generate
methane. One molecule of methane is 22 times potent GHG than C02. So there also needs to be assessment of
carbon footprint. Also, to make these projects, there is deforestation. Deforestation reduces carbon sink and thus
there is addition of more carbon in atmosphere.

Water crisis like draught and low levels of water in river leads to closure of dams. Hydropower has to survive the
intensity and frequency of droughts and more impacts of climate change. The rainfall pattern will change with
larger gaps between two events and high when it occurs. This impacts the power generation capacity of
hydropower projects.

If it is ensured that appraisal and impact assessment is proper, if the catchment is maintained properly, the
hydropower projects can be sustainable. If the catchment is not maintained properly, then whatever rains come
as flash floods, it damages the projects.

Constraints in hydropower projects

Huge costs is one of the constraints in developing hydropower. For this, it is necessary to optimise the
generation from existing capacity. There is a need for proper environment impact assessment, including
technical assessment. If 89% of hydropower projects are generating below promised level, then serious problem
exists within appraisal of the project and method in which techno economic clearance is given.

So many projects have been developed in upstream that they are remaining empty. Also, India is using more
groundwater. Hence, the surface water flow reduces in downstream area. Every project is plagued by cost and
time overruns problem. Even the recent three dedicated projects suffered from it and they also faced disaster
during construction. The main reason is the imperfect appraisal of the project, whether technical, hydrological or
geological.

Today, solar and wind energy have overtaken hydropower in installed capacity. So, in future, sustainable
benefits from existing hydropower should be used and then go for pico hydropower projects. Later, there should
be proper appraisal and public consultation before more projects are involved.+++

Essay

Should Indian Startups be given Protection against Foreign Firms?

India’s most successful internet entrepreneurs Flipkart and Ola have raised the banner of nationalism in
their fight against foreign origin rivals, urging the government to design policies which will favour home grown
companies. This coordinated push, amounts to seeking protectionist stand against US internet giants- Amazon
and Uber. The two poster boys of Indian internet defined their battle as the one in which the capital plays the
most important part and not innovation implying that the US companies are burning cash in the price war.

Protectionism and its need

The murmur started a long time back when the startups said that they should get protection from foreign giants.
But this was the first time it was publicly spoken about. This was prompted by the competition and tilt towards
certain companies. Demand for level playing field is justified and valid. But beyond that, because one company
calls itself Indian and should get protection is not how the business works anymore.

Though the foreign companies have large capital but then the Indian companies are also financed by the same
source of capital. So, it should be about who is able to bring in more capital, who is having a nimbler business
skills, who understands local demands better and the competition should be about it.

The request comes from a certain segment of industry which survives entirely on cycle of investments and
function on wafer-thin margins and sometimes non-existent margins. This industry suffers from extreme attrition
and it’s also an industry where the top management is sometimes accused of perhaps benefiting the most in
terms of making the best of pay scales from each cycle of investments. So, if the question is asked if there is any
other way in which the business can be run better and expecting spontaneous help and support from
government is not possible in this day and age.

Zomato is an India based company and is now spreading tis wings to other countries. If other countries also
followed a protectionist policy, Indian companies would not have realised their potential. So things have to be
looked at in terms of level playing field.

Should there be protectionism?

Asking for level playing field is one thing, but asking for protectionism doesn’t work. It shouldn’t be encouraged
as it further encourages the mindset of a trader and not of an entrepreneur. India needs to encourage
entrepreneurship more than mindset of trader where there is need to move to next level, and this is not going to
come through protectionism. Asking the government to help fund innovation is different question but asking the
government to fend off competition is not the right thing.
The work approach

Giants like Ola and Flipkart don’t require protectionism. When the business is run on losses to capture the
market, it is not a favourable way to do business. These giants are burning money and destroying the whole
business system of the country. The retail business is being spoiled as they come out with certain prices which
are below their purchase price and they are fighting war there. So, no government can come out with a policy
where they can take care of such war. There should be laws to tell these companies that money cannot be given
away as humongous discounts. There has to have a system which makes the business profitable rather than
keep on giving deep discounts which are not sustainable.

If there is an indigenous entity in competition with an overseas company with deeper pocket and want to wash
out the company, then there has to be seen what kind of protection can be given. Protectionism is like an
unreserved compartment of Indian train. Everyone who gets in first gets a seat and doesn’t want other person to
have it. That’s the nature of protectionism.+++

Blog

Global Hunger Index & India

In the latest report on global hunger, India is ranked miserably (97th) among 118 countries that were
surveyed to see if people in those countries were fed properly or not, to know the status of under nutrition and
malnourishment, generally among children and also amongst specific population such as tribes and other
marginalised section. Rest of the Asian countries are faring well in comparison to India. China is at 29th position,
Nepal is 72nd, Sri Lanka is 84th, Bangladesh is 90th and Myanmar is 75th. Only Pakistan is behind India.

The report again brings forward pending issue of poverty and hunger on the centre stage because the centre
has launched a number of schemes like Right to Food Act. India has been self-sufficient in food since the Green
Revolution. Yet hunger persists in some parts of India and surfaces in the form of starvation deaths. Despite all
the measures being taken and schemes being rolled out during last 10 years, the situation doesn’t seem to
improve.

Though depending too much on statistics is not too fair. There is a saying that 99% of statistics explain only 49%
of story. But the global hunger index has been taken seriously by every country and this indeed highlights the
issue.

There is a dichotomy – India has fastest growing economy in the world and hence the growth is expected to
trickle down and help to improve the status of poor, malnourished and hungry citizens. But it will take time. The
biggest factor is India’s population. China had similar statistics but their hunger eradication rate was faster
because the policy was much better suited as there was different kind of polity and system. This cannot be
applied to India as it practices democracy.

Slow improvements

There are many areas in which India has started performing much better, though there are gaps, due to
interventions from MDMS and anganwadis. The challenge is that India still has a long way to go as it has to deal
with poverty, unemployment, safe drinking water, sanitation and lack of effective health care. These issues
which combined together also create difficulties in realisation of the objectives of various policy interventions of
successive governments fail to achieve.

India faced monsoon deficiency for two years. 12 states declared droughts in 2016. And this report comes close
on the heels of drought years but naturally it is factoring in the weather condition. This shows that India is not
well prepared with its policies to face these situations as drought which is not new. It is not the first time India is
shown the mirror of its condition. HDI comes every year and it tells where the problem lies. India does extremely
well when it comes to economic growth but when the health and education indices are factored in, India is pulled
back in chart.

Responsibility of state government

Health is a state subject and hence primarily the responsibility of state government and in a federal structure, the
centre can push upto a certain point. Recently, the 14th FC had also allocated many resources to state.
Devolution is a positive indicator that in a federal set up, states have to accept such responsibilities.
But there is a strong fear amongst development experts that states may not be able to absorb that kind of
funding or spend the fund in a targeted manner. Lot of centrally sponsored schemes have been scrapped and
thus the states need much more money to be spent both on education and health sector. Every effort should
also be made by the states to increase the efficient delivery of health, sanitation and educational services to the
poor through higher investments in these areas. The universal basic income cannot replace the government’s
investment in the provision of basic amenities to the population, but it can give cash in the pockets of the poor
for food.

Models of development

At some stage it is also a question of development model because there are various factors affecting the funding
as well as policy decisions. In capitalist model, focus will be on generating more money so that citizens get
benefited from the growing income. Also, the GDP growth is necessary to generate money for welfare schemes.
But it has been seen that there exists lot of inequality between the classes thereby neutralising the effect of
higher growth.

On the other hand, socialist model has not to be compulsorily adopted. But if there is GDP led growth, it has to
be also taken care that the right kind of policy is adopted which will benefit. Also, allow states certain incentives.
More important is distribution and equity. Thus, policy makers must look at development models. So model of
growth is important as India is going to face newer challenges. There is a new challenge of sustainability coming
from climatic change, automation etc.

Unemployment

It is one of the biggest factor behind poverty and hunger. Over the past 5 years, there has been higher rate of
unemployment. Although many skill development initiatives are being rolled out, but this will take time to show
result. Globally, the jobs are not seeing the rise they should. The main reason is automation and new
technological developments. Even countries which are overpopulated are falling prey to technological model of
growth.

Under previous government, a lot of socialist schemes were initiated and rolled out successfully. Ex MGNREGA.
But they have not generated heartening results from implementation of these programmes. There has been no
proof that jobs generating from NREGA is adding to quality of life of poor people. And this is why the current
government is revisiting the NREGA model even though they have continued with the programme.

Given the fact that majority of rural population lives in villages and agriculture is in big crisis as seen by rural
distress, India has to also think that there are certain areas in which India has to slow in terms of ensuring the
jobs that are needed. If this is not done then there is another problem. There has to be a model which ensures
high growth as well as distribution of wealth, creation of jobs and mixing of technology so that large number of
people get benefit of growth.

Conclusion

Hunger index is based on parameters such as shares of undernourished population, wasted and stunted
children aged below five years and infant mortality rate. Amidst so much progress on many fronts and having the
highest rate of GDP growth in the world, to have millions of undernourished children is something inexplicable
and shows the extent of inequality of incomes and callousness towards the poor.

Hunger reported simultaneously with bumper crop production reveals the incapability of administration. Thus, to
climb up the hunger index ought to be the top priority for India with adequate policies supplying food to each and
every citizen of the country.+++

Essay

Relevance of BRICS and its future

BRICS an acronym for Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, is a group of five major emerging
economies of the world. The term 'BRIC' was coined by Jim O Nelli an economist in 2001, represents the first
four countries, but after the inclusion of South Africa in 2010, it becomes BRICS. Since its inception in 2009, it
has worked as catalyst to shift pivot of global economic power from developed economies to the developing
world. The five countries of BRICS together constitute 40 percent of world population,1/5th of world gross
domestic product(GDP).

After the Second World War, most of the international financial institutions like World Bank, IMF, ADB etc. were
dominated by US, Japan and European countries. In the name of development they provide loans to the
developing countries to serve their vested interest. At that time there was no option for the developing countries,
so they were compelled to take loans for their developmental work. These conditions created an environment for
the four biggest economies (Russia, China, India and Brazil) to have separate financial institutions which not
only compete with the present financial institutions but also make them financially independent, which is further
fueled by 2008 crisis and euro zone crisis. As a result BRIC came into the picture in 2009. To initiate
development work in the African continent, they invited South Africa to join this group, so that African continent
not remain mere as exporter of raw material. With inclusion of South Africa in 2010 BRIC changes to BRICS.

In 2014 BRICS summit at Fortaleza, member countries laid foundation stone of a financial institution-the new
development bank (NDB) which will provide finance to member countries as well as developing countries in their
in infra- structural projects. Another major achievement in 2014 was contingency reserve agreement (CRA)
which will provide financial liquidity to meet short term balance of payment crisis. In near future NDB and CRA
will reduce the importance of World Bank and IMF as it will provide alternate option for the developing countries
to meet their needs. As a result it will reduce the value of US dollar in near future.

Now the developing countries can bargain to finance their projects at cheaper rate, which ultimately give boost to
infrastructure in these countries. Consequently it will create more employment opportunities, which will increase
the GDP of the country. As a result least developed countries will invest more in social , environment and
medical sectors, which will increase life expectancy and standard of living. Crimes and health related issues will
come down .Now they will be able to taste the flavor of development.

In BRICS cohesiveness is lacking as there is disparity among member countries in various fields. Russia and
China being a permanent member of Security Council are communist countries where as other members are
democratic and non-permanent members of Security Council .Similarly there is disparity in energy resources,
level of income, financial system etc. which will impede the smooth functioning of BRICS in near future.

With formation of NDB and CRR, the dominance of China in the world arena will increase as it control location
and majority of shares. China also using other platforms like SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organization), AIIB
(Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank) etc. to pursue its objectives. In current global scenario some member
countries of this group are facing economic slowdown which shadows its future aspiration. So BRICS has
become more China dominated group. Consequently India has narrow scope to reap benefits form this group
and a smaller role to play due to escalating rivalry between two countries - Mausam, string of pearls, and issue
of South China Sea.

Although BRICS having disparity among its members and of little importance in Indian scenario yet it will emerge
as a major bloc to shift balance of economic power from developed economies of west to emerging economies
of developing nations in near future. It will bring a ray of hope for developing countries especially African
countries, which always remain in trap of west dominated financial institutions.+++

Blog

Govt's. 11-step plan to promote a digital, cashless economy

In the aftermath of the cancellation of the legal tender character of old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes, there
has been a surge in the digital transactions through use of credit/debit cards and mobile phone applications/e-
wallets etc. To further accelerate this process, the Central Government has today announced a package of
incentives and measures for promotion of digital and cashless economy in the country.

#1. The Central Government Petroleum PSUs shall give incentive by offering a discount at the rate of 0.75% of
the sale price to consumers on purchase of petrol/diesel if payment is made through digital means.Nearly 4.5
crore customers buy petrol or diesel at such petrol pumps per day who can take benefit of this incentive
scheme. It is estimated that petrol/diesel worth Rs.1800 crore is sold per day to the customers out of which
nearly 20% was being paid through digital means. In the month of November 2016 it has increased to 40% and
the cash transaction of Rs.360 crore per day have got shifted to cashless transaction methods. The incentive
scheme has the potential of shifting at least 30% more customer to digital means which will further reduce the
cash requirement of nearly Rs. 2 lakh crore per year at the petrol pumps.
#2. To expand digital payment infrastructure in rural areas, the Central Government through NABARD will
extend financial support to eligible banks for deployment of 2 POS devices each in 1 Lakh villages with
population of less than 10,000. These POS machines are intended to be deployed at primary cooperative
societies/milk societies/agricultural input dealers to facilitate agri-related transactions through digital means.This
will benefit farmers of one lakh village covering a total population of nearly 75 crore who will have facility to
transact cashlessly in their villages for their agri needs.

#3. The Central Government through NABARD will also support Rural Regional Banks and Cooperative Banks
to issue “Rupay Kisan Cards” to 4.32 crore Kisan Credit Card holders to enable them to make digital
transactions at POS machines/Micro ATMs/ATMs.

#4. Railway through its sub urban railway network shall provide incentive by way of discount upto 0.5% to
customers for monthly or seasonal tickets from January 1, 2017, if payment is made through digital
means.Nearly 80 lakh passengers use seasonal or monthly ticket on suburban railways, largely in cash,
spending worth nearly Rs.2,000 crore per year. As more and more passengers will shift to digital means the
cash requirement may get reduced by Rs.1,000 crore per year in near future.

#5. All railway passengers buying online ticket shall be given free accidental insurance cover of upto Rs. 10
lakh.Nearly 14 lakh railway passengers are buying tickets everyday out of which 58% tickets are bought online
through digital means. It is expected that another 20% passengers may shift to digital payment methods of
buying railway tickets. Hence nearly 11 lakh passengers per day will be covered under the accidental insurance
scheme.

#6. For paid services e.g. catering, accommodation, retiring rooms etc. being offered by railways through its
affiliated entities/corporations to the passengers, it will provide a discount of 5% for payment of these services
through digital means.All the passengers travelling on railways availing these services may avail the benefit.

#7. Public sector insurance companies will provide incentive, by way of discount or credit, upto 10% of the
premium in general insurance policies and 8% in new life policies of Life Insurance Corporation sold through the
customer portals, in case payment is made through digital means.

#8. The Central Government Departments and Central Public Sector Undertakings will ensure that transactions
fee/MDR charges associated with payment through digital means shall not be passed on to the consumers and
all such expenses shall be borne by them. State Governments are being advised that the State Governments
and its organizations should also consider to absorb the transaction fee/MDR charges related to digital payment
to them and consumer should not be asked to bear it.

#9. Public sector banks are advised that merchant should not be required to pay more than Rs. 100 per month
as monthly rental for PoS terminals/Micro ATMs/mobile POS from the merchants to bring small merchant on
board the digital payment eco system.Nearly 6.5 lakh machines by Public Sector Banks have been issued to
merchants who will be benefitted by the lower rentals and promote digital transactions. With lower rentals, more
merchants will install such machines and promote digital transactions.

#10. No service tax will be charged on digital transaction charges/MDR for transactions upto Rs.2000 per
transaction.

#11. For the payment of toll at Toll Plazas on National Highways using RFID card/Fast Tags, a discount of 10%
will be available to users in the year 2016-17.+++

Essay

A stronger BIMSTEC means a more flourishing Asia

"Multilateralism" is the primary tool INDIA is using to facilitate and improve its international relations. One
of the cornerstones of India's strategy is to develop economically and technologically. It will be possible by
maintaining good relations with neighbouring countries specifically with North-East and south-East Asian
countries. This measure leads to the formation of BIMSTEC.

The evolution of BIMSTEC took place when Bangladesh, India, Srilanka, Thailand economic cooperation (BIST-
EC) was formed in June 1997. It was renamed as BIMSTEC when Myanmar joined it in December 1997.Later
Nepal and Bhutan joined them in 2004.The name of grouping was changed to Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-
Sectoral Technical and Economic cooperation during first summit held in 2004. It brings together 21% of world's
population and combined GDP of over $2.5 trillion.

Rising Importance:

In spite of its Regional connectivity it was not able to draw much attention from India because of not much
developed countries as its members. While BIMSTEC has made significant progress in integrating with the
global economy, integration within the region has remained limited. The BIMSTEC countries have maintained a
higher level of protection within the region than with the rest of the world. There is little of cross-border
investment and connectivity within the region. The flow of ideas, normally measured by the cross-border
movement of services, is all low for BIMSTEC.

But in recent days integrity between member countries developed and attracted attention dominating SAARC
(South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) which is suffering from lack of integrity between India and
Pakistan. India inviting BIMSTEC countries to recent 8th BRICS summit 2016 which held in Goa mirrors that it
stands as a viable option for India to accelerate its economic growth. The most driving force should be it's Free
Trade Agreement (FTA).The main objective of this agreement is to strengthen and enhance economic, trade and
investment cooperation and to bridge the development gap between its member countries.

In terms of connectivity, BIMSTEC has three major projects that, when finished, could transform the movement
of goods and vehicles through the countries in the grouping.

One is the Kaladan Multimodal project that seeks to link India and Myanmar. The project envisages connecting
Kolkata to Sittwe port in Myanmar, and then Mizoram by river and road. India and Myanmar had signed a
framework agreement in 2008 for the implementation of this project. It's yet to be finished.

Another is the Asian Trilateral Highway connecting India and Thailand through Myanmar. The highway will run
from Moreh in Manipur to Mae Sot in Thailand via Myanmar and represents a significant step in establishing
connectivity between India and Southeast Asian countries.

Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal (BBIN) have signed a pact for the movement of goods and vehicles
among them. The pact, which was signed last year, is awaiting internal clearances of some members. Trial runs
of trucks between Bangladesh and India have begun. Unless some of the basic facilities are developed, the
connectivity among the BIMSTEC members will remain at a low level and the full potential of intra-regional
trading will remain underutilized.

A stronger BIMSTEC means a more stable and flourishing Asia.+++

PRS

Ratification of Paris Climate Treaty & India

The 2015 Paris agreement has been now in force for a while. After China and USA, the world’s two
largest emitters ratified the agreement during the G20 summit, the third largest emitter India ratified it on October
2, 2016. However, there was invisible pressure on GHG emitting countries.

What next?

There are two large and one minor action that India needs to accelerate:

1. To achieve INDCs that India has pledged- the carbon intensity for the economy, i.e. carbon emission
reduction 33-35% by 2030 as compared to 2005.
2. At least 40% of India’s electricity generating capacity will be from non-fossil fuel.
3. Two and half billion tons of C02 will be captured by trees and forest cover.

To do these, there is need for an action plan. Right after Paris agreement, the PM formed a group to look at
what could be done at energy efficiency and forming the targets for renewables so that process is moving
ahead. Now it needs to know what kind of instruments are put into place and formulate action plans.

The second issue is that the Paris mechanism is also called the transparency mechanism. It means that
periodically, all the countries would put on the public domain what they are doing and what is their progress
towards meeting their own commitment. This is important as countries need to be sure that they are on track to
achieve them. Third issue is global stock taking. Periodically, the countries will assess what is needed to be
done in order to keep the temperature much less than 2 degrees. This can happen when transparency
mechanism is put in place.

So, the key issue is to get policy instruments in order to reach targets and to start the process of measuring,
consolidating and reporting progress on each goal.

Voluntary participation

Compared to previous unsuccessful agreements, this is one agreement that will force US and China to do
something. The lacuna is that there is no compulsion and they can do as they wish. This liberty will not allow to
reduce their land emission but other options of sharing their emissions with other countries which will reduce
their emission in indirect way.

The commitments are in terms of how much carbon is being produced by production in the country. If one really
wants to focus on lifestyle, the emphasis should be on how much carbon the consumption is producing. It is
estimated that may be a quarter of the Chinese emissions are from products which are consumed by it. The
issue of lifestyle is based on consumptions. Yet, this point has not been made sharply that the global
commitments in the terms of carbon emitted by production is only a partial story. But if there is a commitment to
reduce the carbon footprints of domestic consumption, it will compel the country to look at lifestyle issues and
not tectonic issues only on supply side.

There is a carbon tracker which evaluates the contribution of countries in terms of how much they ought to be
doing if there has to be 2 degree goal success. Only a handful of countries are in the adequate category. One of
them is Morocco where the Marrakech conference was held recently. India is in middle category of adequate but
not fully adequate. Most countries are below it. Russia is very below in adequate. These NDCs are voluntary
agreements. The energy consumption of OECD countries is approx. 4500 kg of oil equivalent. India has 600 and
china has 2000 kg of oil equivalent. Thus, they don’t want to make any compulsion as bringing down from 4500
to 500 will not go well. People are free to choose their lifestyle.

Also, earlier the Kyoto protocol did not deliver on reduction targets. So all the countries decided for bottom up
approach in which all countries give their own targets and it is then reviewed periodically. The effort is to globally
reach the global target. It has worked in MDG in some respect. But whether it will work in new system has to be
seen.

Now the approach is that of ‘pledge – achieve – pledge more’ so that the global targets are achieved. In this
scenario, there will be local organisations which will push the government to deliver on the targets. The central
point is that at the end of day, the global commitments are less than what is needed to be achieved.

Challenges

The key challenge for the developed countries lies in how they substitute the power stations, and construct
buildings with more efficient ones. For the developing countries, the challenge is to manage the growth so that
next power plants and buildings are more efficient than before. The Paris agreement allows this to be figured out
on their own so that national and together global goals can be achieved.

India has to restructure its electricity system. If India has 160-165 GWs of solar and wind, there is no sense to
back out on renewable energy. In that case, the coal plants production will go up and down in course of day to
balance out. Currently also, many coal plants are backed down. For most countries, what they have promised is
easy to do. India had Low Carbon Committee Report which had put down road map of 40-45% whereas India
has committed 30-35%.

Recently, there has been discussion about India being power surplus. The power plants running at the lowest
power load factor has come down. This points that India is building on huge capacity in power plant whereas the
growth in electricity demand is growing at 6.7% which if taken into account in 2022 along with 65GW of coal
based power plants which are under construction at the moment, coupled with 175GW of power in pipeline of
renewable energy. If this is achieved, India would no longer need investment in coal based infrastructure.

There are three kinds of electricity demand that one has –

1. Constant needs- 110 GW of demand which is all the time.

2. Variations in need- in summer, more ACs are on, hence there is need of more electricity. In winters, it is less.
More people use AC, more is demand for power.
3. The base load which is increasing on year on year can certainly be met by coal.

The problem comes during peak hours. On the other hand, even if there is solar and wind electricity, it has
conditions of availability of sunlight and requisite wind speed to generate electricity. When it is not performing,
electricity will be still needed and here comes the need of coal power plants. Challenge is to create an electricity
system in which there is meeting of the volatile demand where the prices are affordable.

On climate change agreement, India will face pressure to phase out coal based plants will increase. India initially
was declared as villain when it was trying to protect its coal based power plant. When next stock taking is done,
India has to have an action plan on phasing out reduction in coal.

How to adopt a low carbon footprint economy is a challenge. How to improve lifestyle of people. How to show
that people consume less energy. This is easy to do it as large number of people in India are not energy
extensive user so India can contribute more than pledged.

Economic development vs. climate change

It’s a mix story. If there was severe cost penalty attached, moving away from fossil fuels, India would have its
economy affected. But increasingly, it is found that there isn’t much of cost penalty. India is not necessarily
paying a price. It is possible that alternative requires more policy effort more managerial effort. So funds are not
an issue. Today, internationally, there is no money available for coal but it is for renewables. Hence, the shift is
more necessary.+++

PIB

New Urban Development Policy

Central government has unveiled ‘The urban development strategy’ for next 20 years to use growing
urbanisation for rapid urban development while at the same time committing itself to address issues of
sustainable development and climate change.

The role of new policies in economic development is important in uplifting the urban poor and city infrastructure.
This policy is going to have impact on the socio economic prosperity of the people. Such kind of policy was
needed as the way India is expecting to grow its economy in future and income of people are going to increase.
The infrastructure has to be handled along with sound urbanisation policy to support the requirement of the
population and good standard of living for them.

The urban development needs lot of investment and hence there will be creation of lot of employment
opportunities for the people which will create win-win situation for people and country. The Make in India dream
cannot be accomplished until there is sound infrastructure in the urban areas because urban areas are
supporting the industries.

For long, urbanisation has been looked at for providing basic services- creating roads, sewage management,
housing etc. In the new policy, the government has unveiled sustainable policies like reducing water and power
use by half, renewable energy, public transport, inclusivity are the important elements of this new policy.
Sustainable and inclusive cities are the key. These cities will be made sustainable with low on carbon emission,
waste management. Agenda for next two decades in the report is to ensure economic growth and productivity,
providing quality of life and addressing the issues of inclusivity, sustainability and climate change.

Challenges to Urban Development

The challenges are huge and the policy is envisaging great things. One challenge is huge investment. India is
the only country where development of infrastructure has not happened even after decades of investment which
shows that government has also not been successful in it. Public private partnership will give a boost. FDI is
crucial in this sector. The majority of population is still struggling with poverty and inequality. And thus if their
purchasing power and their income level is increased, the market will be a great emergent.

Another challenge is that municipalities have been in red which need to be revamped. The local government is
not providing services upto mark which is creating a limitation in successful implementation of urban
development scheme. It’s not that these entities are lacking funds, the funds have been dispersed to them over
the years and if they have been using the funds in highly efficient manner, then there could have been better
infrastructure.
On the issue of global warming, India’s poor performance on industrial front, lack of infrastructure is big
challenge. Hence, for future cities, with minimum resources, India has to achieve sustainable living. Hence
promote more green living. Clustered setup because most cities have developed in highly unplanned manner
and sprawling manner which is inefficient way to utilise the space.

Urbanisation means that in a smaller space, one is able to create living set up, industries, facilities which is cost
saving. Thus, everything has been considered to come up with something which is going to give economic
prosperity, a developed status and preserve nature. Challenges of urban development include availability of
land, labour and capital. In India, urbanisation has happened at very slow pace. In 2001 census, the growth is
about 28% and in 2011 census it is about 31%.

Sustainable Urban Planning

In last two years, the central government has launched new urban missions and that has marked paradigm shift
to country’s approach to urban development. This is promotion and development for human settlement as
inclusive and sustainable entities.

There has been promotion of cycling for last mile connectivity, compact and cluster urban development in
promoting natural drainage patterns, reducing wastage generation of all kinds, promoting greenery in public
places etc. These are new things which few cities like Chandigarh promote. Earlier, these things were not
incorporated in the planning of cities but now it is certainly a sign of changing of towns. In Mumbai, there is
reconstruction and redevelopment of the buildings. These initiatives are required which don’t create new cities
but give more options on how to rebuild the old cities.

Thus, the outcomes of new urban agenda based on sustainable urban planning would include --

[] Reducing water and electricity use by 50% from that of normal use,
[] Enabling over 60% of urban travel by public transport,
[] Generating half of power from renewable sources,
[] Promoting walking and cycling for last mile connectivity,
[] Compact and cluster urban development,
[] Promoting natural drainage patterns,
[] Reducing waste generation of all kind,
[] Promoting greenery and public places.+++

Blog

Is Indian Economy under stress?

The performance of the Indian Economy has to be identified- if it is performing well or is under stress.
The analysts and economists have a mixed answer to this question. A good monsoon, 7thPay commission
bonanza being given to government servants leading to demand creation, 7% GDP and GVA, increased
revenue collections, 65000 crore black money disclosure are all signs of economy looking up. However, at the
same time, huge bad and stressed loans in banks, slump in credit growth in industrial sector, job creation not
happening are some of the few indicators which clearly indicates an economy under stress.

Present state of Indian Economy

There is confusion in current state of Indian economy. Things are pointing in different directions, so by looking at
it from a distance, it is very confusing.

Industries

The manufacturing sector is recovering very slowly, lower than expectations. Though the gross value added in
manufacturing is shown 8% but IIP is shown in negative. Hence, true picture cannot be concluded. Industry is
still not facing capacity shortages which is why they are not investing. Construction related industry has started
picking up because of road projects. Industrial growth, investment growth and manufacturing growth will pick up
from next year as new investments are just picking up.

The credit to industry has come down, but over past few years is that there is tremendous growth in the extent to
which industry is financing its working capital- by issuing commercial paper (CP). The volume of CP has shot up
because cost is much lower. The discounting rate of CP is between 6.5-10%. This is the reason they are not
taking loans from banks. The larger corporate sector which can issue CP has seen rise, but it is not true for
small and medium industry where also there is a need for credit.

The credit to small and medium is not much visible as the inventories are going down as inventory is one of the
reason to take credit. If the inventory is going down, it means that industry is not expecting growth to take place.

Agriculture and Rural economy

There was a consumer boom in rural areas earlier because of big increases in MSP and expansion in NREGA.
Both these have now become static. Agriculture faced drought for last 2 years and this is where demand
slacked. It is now expected to rise this year as monsoon was near-normal. Good monsoon will drive up the
agricultural purchases. The credit of take is high in agriculture and this will help rural and urban consumption
than last year.

Initially, NREGA allocation and expenditure has been more than budgeted. It is possibility of additional
supplementary demand. So there is capacity is there to increase rural demand. The urban demand will also
increase due to pay commission impact.

Investments

The investment in Indian economy has not picked up as per expectations. It was at peak in 2007-08 with 38%
and fell to 28% and now it is roughly around 32%. If there is almost 8% GDP growth, then there should be higher
investments, boost in capital goods, industrial and agricultural production should be up and savings should be
more. But nothing is growing. So, it doubts if the GDP numbers are actually showing true picture or not.

The capital goods production is down by 22% and the corporate investment is down. The public investments is
increasing, but the overall investment is not. The private sector is investing less and less and hence it negates
the increase public investment. The foreign investments are 10% of total investments. So 90% is internal
investments whose sources have to be increased.

Boom time saw lot of investments. But many of it came from new entrants like Tata Nano, airlines increasing in
India etc. Here, the investments was coming from new companies. The new entrant will do marketing, win
business from others and thus there is more capacity and competition. And that is what drove FDI. Currently,
even Make in India is not attracting many potential players in manufacturing industry.

External environment

Exports have not been going very well, they have been negative for almost 20 months. This is because the
external environment is presenting a very confused picture where US is doing well at times and not at other,
sometimes China is slowing down and the BRICS economy is seeing slump and Eurozone is in tepid situation.

Banking

The NPAs are very high. This means that credit to industry is a problem, especially to infrastructure. The
emphasis laid by former RBI Governor on cleaning of bank balance sheet should be priority to let the banks to
their business. It is largely due to the mix up of old indicators with new indicators. Base year has been shifted,
WPI and CPI indicators have seen change. But old indicaotrs like IIP remain.

So it is important that IIP numbers should be now discardrd as it is giving worng indication of overall indian
economy. There is decline in credit to private sector. But if looked at past 6-8 months of Indian economy, it is
largely driven by foreign investments and public investments.

Areas of investments

For public investments, the source of money is important.

FDI– Last year, FDI inflow was 31 billion dollars and outflows were about 18 billion dollars. So net investment
was of 13 billion dollars. Out of it, many sectors were permitted to have 49% so bulk of it went for buying shares
from Indians. So, the greenfield investments were not much and it got only 3 billion dollars which is very less.
This is where new jobs and new value addition takes place.

Black money– During the Voluntary disclosure window, it was 65000crores, the tax benefits to government is
28000 crore which is not much. The latest demonetization drive by the government is expected to bring in some
tax revenues as the givernment proposed a 85% tax on undisclosed wealth if caught

Telecom sector– by higher spectrum prices, the high prices are actually being transferred to people. This is the
reason, the government received less than expected revenue from spectrum allocation.

Revenue mobilisation– the direct tax collections seem to have improved but the resources side is cause for
concern. There were lot of bets on spectrum and on disinvestments. But they have not met the targets.

Challenges before Finance Minister

The biggest challenge is that there is no job creation. No organised sector job creation, the unorganised sector
job creation is also coming to a standstill. This will create sense of insecurity amongst people and this is harmful
for overall economic growth. Instead of resorting to ad hoc revenue options like spectrum allocation and
disinvestments, there has to be a stable, predictable policy which will be applied for years to come.

The lowering of RBI interest rates will not have much impact unless the banks pass it on. The EMI is what the
current citizens are depending upon for their expenses. And if the interest on them is reduced, there can be a
significant impact in demand in the economy.

Conclusion

The Indian economy seems to be moving towards a jobless growth which is a worrying concern. It has also not
fared as expected in ‘ease of doing business’ index which could have assured more investments in country and
thereby possibility of actual growth. Though the economy has green shoots too in terms of increased public
investments, increased rural demand and better agricultural output, there is need for more robust policies which
can actually drive the Indian economy towards qualitative and quantitative growth.

[Side Note: NCERT Quiizes are now LIVE. If you haven't attempted them yet, update the app & atempt now! The
Quizzes will be of immense help in clearing UPSC & other exams.].+++

===================================================================================

PIB
Defence: Ingenious Naval Systems & Rustom – II
Induction of DRDO developed Naval Systems into Indian Navy

About- Four Naval Systems developed by DRDO will be handed over to the Indian Navy by the Defence Minister
at a function.

Four Naval Systems include

[] ABHAY – Compact Hull Mounted SONAR for Shallow Water Crafts

[] HUMSA UG – Upgrade for the HUMSA SONAR System,
[] NACS – Near-field Acoustic Characterisation System,
[] AIDSS – Advanced Indigenous Distress SONAR System for submarines.

Systems designed and developed by-

[] The systems have been designed and developed by NPOL, a Kochi based premier laboratory of DRDO which
has outstanding contributions and achievements in the design of SONAR systems for the Indian Navy to its
credit.

ABHAY

[] ABHAY is an advanced Active-cum-Passive integrated SONAR system designed and developed for the
smaller platforms such as shallow water crafts and coastal surveillance/patrol vessels.
[] Designed using the latest technology in hardware architecture and advanced signal processing algorithms, the
SONAR is capable of detecting, localizing, classifying and tracking sub-surface and surface targets in both its
active and passive modes of operation.
[] The prototype of this compact SONAR ABHAY installed onboard a nominated Naval platform has successfully
completed all user evaluation trials to demonstrate the features as per the Naval Staff Qualification
Requirements. Indian Navy has proposed to induct this SONAR on three of the ABHAY class ships.

HUMSA UG

[] Intensifying the command over the high seas is the HUMSA-UG that is designed for upgrading the existing
HUMSA SONAR system of the Indian Naval platforms.
[] The hardware architecture is based on the state-of-the-art open architecture processor technologies that will
enable smooth upgrade of the system capabilities. This system is proposed to be installed on seven ships of
three different classes of ships.

NACS-

[] NACS determines the in-situ performance of the SONAR systems which are used to find the frequency-
dependent 3-D transmission and reception characteristics of the SONAR.
[] It is also used to measure the magnitude and phase characteristics of the SONAR transmission and reception
electronics and the transducers.
[] NACS has been integrated with the HUMSA-NG SONAR array and proved onboard naval platforms and this
will be fitted on all frontline ships.

AIDSS-

[] NPOL has also developed AIDSS, a distress SONAR that is an Emergency Sound Signaling Device which is
used to indicate that a submarine is in distress and enable quick rescue and salvage.
[] It is a life-saving alarm system designed to transmit SONAR signals of a pre-designated frequency and pulse
shape in an emergency situation from a submarine for long period, so as to attract the attention of Passive
SONARS of Ships or Submarines in the vicinity and all types of standard rescue vessels in operation. It is also
provided with a transponder capability.

With the induction of these four systems, the underwater surveillance capability of the Indian Navy will get a
boost, besides providing a fillip to the quest for self-reliance in this critical area of technology.

Successful Maiden Flight of Rustom – II

About- Heralding a new era in the indigenous development of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), DRDO has
successfully carried out the maiden flight of TAPAS 201 (RUSTOM – II), a Medium Altitude Long Endurance
(MALE) UAV. The test flight took place from Aeronautical Test Range (ATR), Chitradurga, 250 km from
Bangalore which is a newly developed flight test range for the testing of UAVs and manned aircraft.

Flight accomplished the main objectives of proving the flying platform, such as take-off, bank, level flight and
landing etc.

TAPAS 201(RUSTOM -II)

[] TAPAS 201, a multi-mission UAV is being developed to carry out the Intelligence, Surveillance and
Reconnaissance (ISR) roles for the three Armed Forces with an endurance of 24 hours.
[] It is capable to carry different combinations of payloads like Medium Range Electro Optic (MREO), Long
Range Electro Optic (LREO), Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), Electronic Intelligence (ELINT), Communication
Intelligence (COMINT) and Situational Awareness Payloads (SAP) to perform missions during day and night.
[] TAPAS 201, the MALE UAV has been designed and developed by Aeronautical Development Establishment
(ADE), the Bangalore-based premier lab of DRDO with HAL-BEL as the production partners.
[] The UAV weighing two tonnes was put into air by a dedicated team of young scientists of DRDO. It was piloted
(external and internal) by the pilots from the Armed Forces.
[] It is also the first R&D prototype UAV which has undergone certification and qualification for the first flight from
the Center for Military Airworthiness & Certification (CEMILAC) and Directorate General of Aeronautical Quality
Assurance (DGAQA).

Development of UAV immensely contributes towards the Make-in-India initiative as many critical systems such
as airframe, landing gear, and flight control and avionics sub-systems are being developed in India with the
collaboration of private industries. Defence Electronics Application Laboratory (DEAL) of DRDO has developed
the data link for the UAV. Rustom- II will undergo further trials for validating the design parameters, before going
for User Validation Trials.+++
Blog
‘Bank transaction tax’: Too good to be true?
For a tax-weary nation like India, the suggestion by Pune think tank Arthakranti Pratishthan of a banking
transaction tax (BTT) of one to two per cent, that if implemented would make all other taxes unnecessary,
sounds too good to be true. As they say, from the time you are born till you die you are subject to all kinds of
taxes, so this BTT will eliminate the proposed GST, VAT, income-tax, excise duty, etc. There will still, however,
be an import duty.

The BTT, on amounts credited or deposited, is expected to net Rs 21 lakh crores, that would be shared by the
Centre and states. Imagine a situation where hordes of tax evaders are a thing of the past, an endangered
species, as everyone would have a bank account. Today, barely four per cent of India’s 1.2 billion populace file
income-tax returns and just 13 million actually pay income-tax. Around 54 per cent (17 million people) who filed
returns last year had zero tax liabilities, studies show. Even in direct taxes, a mere 34 per cent pay this, while the
rest pay indirect taxes. The latter affects the poor more than the rich as both categories pay the same amount of
indirect tax. So if this is abolished, with the BTT in place, it will be a good thing.

What is significant about this idea is that taxes will be very low as the government will make up its revenue in the
volume of banking transactions. If implemented, it will be a huge tax reform and indeed a great idea. The sooner
the Narendra Modi government accepts it, the better. There will have to be a lot of discussions before it can be
implemented, else one may see the kind of chaos that erupted after the demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000
notes, that by the way was proposed by the same think tank. The intention was laudable, but the implementation
rather ham-handed, even given the need to maintain secrecy. The fact that the implementation is now being
tinkered with to ease the hardships of people only shows the haste with which it was announced. These
hardships aren’t going to go away anytime soon.

On the positive side the BTT move would take the people closer to being “cashless” in their transactions, though
it may take longer for those who still don’t have bank accounts, specially in rural India, to be brought into the
system. It will bring the so-called big farmers into the tax net as they don’t pay income-tax now. Whether this will
curb black money or corruption remains to be seen as these people would still be keeping money under their
mattresses or sending it abroad through the hawala route.

[Reference: Asian Age]++++

==================================================================================

Kurukshetra
Waste Mgmt. in Rural Areas: Completing Swachh Cycle
Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation has asked all the states and UTs to develop a cleanliness index and
solid and liquid waste management index to rank villages, gram panchayats, blocks, districts and states. It is to
raise awareness and instil a sense of competitiveness. The objective of SBM is to bring about improvement in
cleanliness, hygiene and the general quality of life in rural areas and SLWM is naturally one of the key
components of the programme.

Waste is a severe threat to public health and cleanliness. In rural areas, despite the waste generated being pre-
dominantly organic, incorrect disposal can lead to serious problems including growth of water borne diseases
such as diarrhoea, malaria, dengue, cholera and typhoid. Estimates indicate that people in rural India are
generating 0.3 to 0.4 million metric tons of organic/recyclable solid waste per day and 88% of the total disease
burden is due to lack of clean water, sanitation and improper solid waste management.

One of the emerging serious challenge in both rural and urban areas is that of faecal sludge management.
SLWM is thus an important determinant of improved sanitation in any community.

Waste management options

The diversity of climate, topography, resource availability, livelihood and culture play a major role. Traditionally,
rural communities have been known to use and reuse most resources, leading to zero waste generation.
However, with passage of time, the situation is changing given the growing consumerism, changing food habits
and easy availability of plastic bags and non-degradable packaging.

What SBM guidelines propose

Solid waste management

[] States are to decide the technologies suitable to their areas.

[] Collection, segregation and safe disposal of household garbage: decentralised systems like household
composting and biogas plants are permitted.
[] Activities related to maximum reuse of organic solid wastes as manure should be adopted.
[] Such technologies may include vermi-composting, NADEP composting or any other composting method,
individual and community biogas plants.

Liquid waste management

[] Methods adopted for management of liquid wastes may focus on maximum reuse of such waste for agriculture
purposes with least operation and maintenance costs.
[] For collection of waste water, low cost drainage/small bore system, soakage pit may be adopted.

Treatment of wastewater

[] Waste water stabilisation pond

[] Duckweed based wastewater treatment
[] Phytoroid technology (by NEERI)

Anaerobic decentralised wastewater treatment

[] DEWATS stands for “Decentralized Wastewater Treatment Systems”. DEWATS represents a technical
approach rather than merely a technology package.
[] DEWATS applications are based on four basic technical treatment modules which are combined according to
1. Primary treatment: sedimentation and floatation
2. Secondary anaerobic treatment in fixed-bed reactors: baffled upstream reactors or anaerobic filters
3. Tertiary aerobic treatment in sub-surface flow filters
4. Tertiary aerobic treatment in polishing ponds++++

================================================================================

Kurukshetra
SBM: From Behaviour Change to Social Change
The practice of open defecation poses serious health risks, which have a cascading effect on economic well-
being of a family. Nearly 50% of the rural population of India continues with this traditional practice which causes
lot of inconvenience and uncomfortable situations for the womenfolk.

To accelerate the efforts to achieve universal sanitation coverage and enhance focus on sanitation, PM Modi
launched Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) on October 2, 2014.

SBM is envisaged to be a community-led people’s movement with focus on behaviour change and not just
construction of toilets. The landmark SBM strives to improve the levels of cleanliness in rural areas through solid
and liquid water management activities and making Gram Panchayat Open Defecation Free, clean and
sanitised.

Objectives of SBM (G)

1. Quality of life- To bring about an improvement in the general quality of life in the rural areas by promoting
cleanliness, hygiene and eliminating open defecation.
2. Sanitation coverage- To accelerate sanitation coverage in rural areas to achieve the vision of Swachh Bharat
by 2019
3. Awareness creation- To motivate communities and PRIs to adopt sustainable sanitation practices and
facilities through awareness creation and health education
4. Use of technology- To encourage cost effective and appropriate technologies for ecologically safe and
sustainable sanitation
5. Community participation- develop wherever required community managed sanitation systems focusing on
scientific solid and liquid waste management systems for overall cleanliness in the rural areas.

Sanitation being a state subject, the focus of the strategy is to move towards a ‘Swachh Bharat’ by providing
flexibility to state governments to decide their implementation policy and mechanisms, taking into account state-
specific requirements.

On their parts, the states are required to develop an implementation framework with a roadmap of activities
comprising planning, implementation and sustainability phases. Swachh Bharat differs from earlier sanitation
initiatives, in that it has sought proactive engagement with the corporate sector leveraging CSR opportunities
created by Companies Act 2013.

The ministry of human resource development has also pitched in, encouraging companies to contribute to
‘Swachh Vidyalaya Swachh Bharat’, an initiative that aims to provide functional toilets for elementary and
secondary schools across the country.

PM has also launched a fund- Swachh Bharat Kosh which facilitates channelization of philanthropic contributions
from religious leaders and CSR funds from institutions.

Among other activities at the centre, Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation (MDWS) has initiated ‘Swachhta
Pakhwada’ (cleaning fortnight) under which all Ministries follow a fixed calendar to clean up their offices and
areas that come under their purview. At district level, there have been numerous innovative activities that go to
show change is happening. District administrative bodies along with civil society are playing a major role in
propelling the movement with a comprehensive sanitation plan.

These activities include awareness building, positive discrimination through activities such as ODF Olympics that
is open only to individuals from ODF villages, morning follow up, monitoring committees, Gaurav Yatras, human
chains and rallies administering of mass sanitation pledges, among others. It needs mention that several
individuals have gone extra mile to bring about the change and inspire others- children, women and physically
challenged. Their struggles are depicted through the success stories that come from the field on a regular basis.

Above all, SBM campaign is extensively using internet and social media to disseminate information and best
practices towards meeting sanitation goals.

Challenge- lack of acceptability and proper usage of toilets in certain rural areas still remains a major challenge.

Way ahead- there is a need to continue working towards combating the culture of open defecation through
behaviour change. Systems have to be developed to sustain the ODF status once it is achieved.

Rural Communities Embrace Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin)

Studies show that the health status of a country — both individual and collective — significantly affects a nation’s
economic development and performance. Ill-health of citizens has a definite impact on long-term development,
economic growth and poverty reduction of the country. The key to achieve ODF India lies in bringing about
changes in people’s behaviour. In most cases, open defecation is practiced not because of insufficient funds for
building toilets, but because it is an attitude – a deeply rooted social and personal habit. Combating a culture of
open defecation calls for mobilising communities into make a collective decision for stopping open defecation.

Toilets need to be made aspirational and people need to know the importance of using toilets and damages of
open defecation. Considering the sheer magnitude of the operation, the government has made every effort to
make SBM a nation-wide movement by enlisting the support of prominent ambassadors, the corporate sector,
development partners, NGOs and the media to support and advocate the need for everyone to have a toilet.

There are several incidents of children, women and people with disabilities who have persevered and inspired
their communities to bring about a positive change.

[] Young brides who refused to marry into a home which does not have a toilet.
[] A panchayat chief who touched people’s feet to convince them to build toilets.
[] Physically challenged person who went around his town to spread the sanitation message.
and many more…

It is heartening to note that youth, teachers and women have pitched in to help change behaviour, becoming
Swachhta champions in the process. While some villages have allocated a weekly day, others have nominated
Swachhta Doots to monitor the sanitation drive.

All that has been established thus far would not have been possible without dedicated and committed individuals
at all levels of administration. They are the change-makers who are working round the clock to meet aggressive
aspirations. Fortunately, the use of social media has made the process transparent and efficient.+++

Essay
Words are Sharper than the two-edged sword
"1001 Nights" - the story of Shaharasad who escaped from death with her ability to tell stories. Sultan of Arabia
was a cruel man and his main hobby is marry a lady and kill her in her first night. Shahrasad was the daughter of
his minister and she decided to save the girls in the country. In every night she told stories and escaped from the
sward edge of the sultan. After 1001 days she put an end to her stories and the sultan married her. This is the
best example to show the power of words.

Swami Vivekananda cached the minds of America only through three words "Sisters and Brothers of America".
"We shall overcome some day"-the words which gave liberty to Africans. When we look through world history we
can see that words are the makers of history. Not only they creates a world with goods but created a world of
evil also. Two edged sward means one with good as well as bad qualities. If words are two edged swards? Let
us go through some incidents.

One word can change the destiny of the whole world. Liberty, Equality, Brotherhood - three words which
changed France. Backbones of French revolution like Voltaire, Russo etc. are fought through their thoughts and
words. The ultimate victory was theirs. Later the king of France Napoleon Bonaparte encouraged his soldiers
through inspiring words. President of America Abraham Lincoln was famous for his administration as well as
great speeches. He defined democracy as 'for the people, by the people, to the people'. Martin Luther king Jr.
was commemorated through his beautiful dream. Today it is not a dream. The whole world considered his dream
as our own dream.

When we look through our epics, we can see that words played crucial roles. In Mahabharata, Oath of
Gangadatta changed his name as Bhishma. Sapadha's of different characters molded our great epics. In our
history several characters were blessed with words. Great dramatist Kalidasa got his miraculous ability of using
words from Goddess Kali. Thennali Raman was another one. Birbal, the minister of Akbar the great solved
several problems using his thinking ability and timely use of appropriate words.

Words are very relevant in the current political scenario. In the recently concluded American president election
Republican candidate Donald Trump got famous for his inappropriate use of words, but was ultimately elected.
Usually most of our politicians change their words with time. But our freedom fighters and former leaders were
highly educated ones and great speakers. A young man challenged British by two words: 'Inquilab Zindabadh'.
Their words fertilized our freedom movement. Words of Subhash Chandra Bose, Ghandhiji, Bhaghat Singh,
Chandrashekar Azad, Lokmanya Tilak etc. gave a new energy to the freedom movement.

Every coin has two sides. Sometimes words may become a curse to humans. The words and laugh of Draupadi
was the root cause of Mahabharata war. Sree Ram gave up Sita by hearing the words of a dobby. Dristadumna
killed Drona through a big lie. Adolf Hitler, influenced a lot of people through his poisoned words. He killed a
number of Jews. His words were more powerful than his action. His cruelties correctly revealed by a young girl,
Ann Frank. Through her diary notes world saw the brutalities of The Dictator. Words of Mary Antonito, the queen
of France said to the poor people 'Let them eat cake'. These words were the root cause of French revolution.

Words can hurt; they can heel too. The almighty placed tongue inside lips and teeth. This is for the careful use of
words. Lost words as well as weapons can't be cancelled. If you say something to someone you cannot wash
that words entirely. Use words with ultimate care. Most of the great people in world caught world with not only
with their works but also with their words.

Great words are immortal. Generations will remember that words. It can make our world as a better one or worst
one. We always need a better world. So try to use positive words as far as possible.+++

==================================================================================
PIB
COP 22: Afforestation, Ecosystem & Climate Change
The Conference of Parties (COP-22) was held at Marrakech in Morocco on 7–18 November 2016. A focal issue
of COP 22 is that of water scarcity, water cleanliness, and water-related sustainability, a major problem in the
developing world, including many African states. India also focused on the initiatives in afforestation and
REDD+, ecosystem and climate change and sustainable transportation.

Afforestation and REDD+

[] Experts highlighted that forests play a crucial role in mitigating climate change, particularly in India, where
nearly 25% of the area has tree cover.
[] Government has asked the forestry sector to help the country meet its goal of creation of 2.5-3.0 billion tonnes
of additional carbon sinks, as per the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
[] This target will be met using a variety of means, including- Afforestation + Reforestation+ Agro-forestry,
conducted through community participation and mechanisms like REDD+.
[] REDD+ stands for– Reducing Emissions by Deforestation and Degradation, an initiative finalized under the
UN’s Paris Agreement in 2015.
[] India has begun implementing REDD+ pilot projects, developing protocols for-Improving measurement,
Reporting, and verification (MRV) and safeguard information systems (SIS).
[] Emphasis was also placed on promoting the exchange of information and present potential collaborations
among South Asian countries that share Himalayan and tropical ecologies organized by Indian Council of
Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE), International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD)
and International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Role of forest in climate change mitigation and adaptation

[] Climate change alters existing biome types and can cause forest dieback with consequent loss of biodiversity.
[] Various forest conservation oriented acts and policies in India are contributing to a reduction in carbon dioxide
(CO2) emissions, stabilization and improvement of carbon stocks in forests, and conservation of biodiversity.
[] India’s forests serve as a major sink of CO2, offsetting around 12% of the total greenhouse gas (GHG)
emissions of the country. IUCN had elaborated about its initiatives in India.
[] ICIMOD provided the information on various activities including preparation of inventory of methodology on
climate change and river system in India.
[] Representative of Government of Bihar provided detailed information on the initiatives on the agro-forestry and
strategy to meet the climate change risk.

India’s Efforts-

[] India’s efforts on sustainable transport solutions, the Ministry of Railways, Government of India, with its
technical partner, Council on Energy, Environment and Water, hosted the third session on “Sustainable
Transport Solutions” at the India Pavilion at COP-22 in Marrakech, where the current climate negotiations are
underway.
[] In addition, there have been efforts to decrease fossil-fuel dependence in the transport sector, which have
been incorporated by moving towards cleaner sources of energy and increasing the share of renewables in
driving mobility.

‘Sustainable Transport Systems’ at the India Pavilion

[] India has focused its low carbon initiatives on the development of railways, waterways, Mass Rapid Transport
Systems (MRTS) and other forms of public transport.
[] Initiatives such as the Dedicated Freight Corridors (DFCs) were highlighted by Executive Director, Ministry of
Railways, and the Sagarmala projects on development of waterways by Deputy Secretary, Ministry of Shipping.
[] The initiatives are aimed at increasing the share and volume of freight traffic on the more energy efficient rail
and water based transport modes.
[] The representative from Council on Energy, Environment and Water highlighted that the Indian Railways has
taken a leadership role by planning to substitute its petroleum use with alternatives like bio-fuels, and
consistently pursuing a policy of railway electrification through renewable sources of energy, with potential
reduction of 138 MT of CO2 by 2030.

Climate Change Adaption- Preserving Water Resources

[] The opening session, “Climate Change Adaptation – Preserving Water Resources” was moderated by Advisor,
Ministry of Water Resources.
[] Highlighted the initiatives taken by National Water Mission, established by the Government of India under the
National Action Plan on Climate Change formulated by the Prime Minister’s Council on Climate Change for
adaptation and mitigation of impact of climate change on water resources in particular and elaborated on various
goals of the NWM and emphasized the achievements of the Mission in the sphere of integrated water resource
management and development.
[] Second session for the day, hosted by Ministry of Agriculture, was held under the chairmanship of Director
General, MANAGE, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India.
[] Through various policy initiatives and efforts around afforestation, food security, waste reduction, employment
for agriculture labours, sustainable agriculture; the Government is trying to keep pace with the time and mitigate
severe impacts of climate changes in agriculture.
[] Detailed presentation on various policies and schemes of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, on
integrated farming systems, agro-forestry, Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana and integration of various
departmental activities like irrigation, agriculture, rural development is ensured.=+++

==================================================================================

PIB
NITI Aayog: Agri Marketing & Farm Friendly Reforms Index
The low levels of productivity, growth and incomes ailing the farm sector in India and causing immense agrarian
distress is well known. Without undertaking radical reform it is impossible to transform agriculture and double
farmers’ income. However, state governments have been extremely lax in implementing much needed reforms
to modernize agriculture and create a favourable policy and market environment for farmers

Three key areas for reform

[] Agricultural market reforms

[] Land lease reforms
[] Reforms related to forestry on private land – felling and transit of trees

Agriculture Marketing-

Why needed?

[] Today, marketing is extremely crucial and almost every sector has embraced marketing principles to ensure
best possible outcomes.
[] However, agricultural development in India has entirely ignored the potential of marketing and has continued to
follow its old trajectory. Therefore, the benefits that can be accrued from agriculture are largely untapped.
[] Productivity is some states is regrettably low and there is a vast disconnect between prices received by
farmers and the prices paid by consumers.
[] Moreover, private capital and modernization have completely evaded agriculture, resulting in barely any
addition to the value chain. The poor state of reforms in the sector is also the primary reason for the non-
performance of agricultural food processing industry in India.
[] This, despite very favourable demand-side factors spread across the country. Much of the potential that post-
harvest value addition can bring to agriculture has been ignored.
[] Reforms in this area can bring out an enormous increase in employment by create jobs in cleaning, processing
and marketing of grain directly by the farmer. This will also resolve underemployment encountered in agriculture.

Then what should be done to overcome the hurdles? –

[] First is the immediate need to amend existing regulations in order to liberalize markets.
[] Farmer to should be given the freedom to decide to whom, where and how he wants to sell his produce.
[] Seven indicators have been developed by NITI in this regard. The reforms also suggest special treatment of
fruits and vegetables from other farm produce as they are perishable and produced in small quantities.
[] Importantly, the recommended reforms place importance on IT in marketing for the creation of a ‘national
market’ for agriculture, so that farmers across the country may benefit from interconnected markets, through the
use of appropriate technology.
[] This important reform has so far eluded the country due to strong lobbies of middlemen and the reluctance of
political class to take favourable steps.
[] Taking note of increasing incidents of leasing in and out of land and suboptimal use of land with lesser number
of cultivators, NITI has reformed the land leasing law to recognize the tenant and safeguard interest of land
owners. The reforms also lay stress on the untapped scope of agro forestry in supplementing farmers’ income.

NITI Aayog has launched an index to rank States and UTs

[] Based on implementation of seven provisions proposed under model APMC Act, joining e NAM initiative,
special treatment to fruits and vegetables for marketing and level of taxes in mandis.

How indicators are helpful?

[] These indicators reveal ease of doing agribusiness as well as opportunities for farmers to benefit from modern
trade and commerce and have wider option for sale of her/his produce.
[] These indicators also represent competitiveness, efficiency and transparency in agri markets.
[] The second area of reforms included in the index is relaxation in restrictions related to lease in and lease out
agricultural land and change in law to recognise tenant and safeguard land owners liberalisation.
[] The third area included in the index represent freedom given to farmers for felling and transit of trees grown on
private land. This represents opportunity to diversify farm business.

Index and Ranking-

[] Index is named as “Agricultural Marketing and Farmer Friendly Reforms Index” and it has a score which can
have minimum value “0” implying no reforms and maximum value “100” implying complete reforms in the
selected areas. States and UTs have been ranked in terms of the score of the index.
[] The state of Maharashtra achieved first rank in implementation of various reforms. The state has implemented
most of the marketing reforms and it offers best environment for doing agribusiness among all the states and
UTs.
[] Gujarat ranks second with a score of 71.5 out of 100, closely followed by Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.
Almost two third states could not reach even halfway mark of reforms score. Major states like U.P., Punjab, West
Bengal, Assam, Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu and J&K are in this group.+++

==================================================================================

Blog
Impact of Demonetization: A Summarised View
Immediate impact: Is expected to be negative all round:

[] In the short term it will be a logistical nightmare to manage the cash replacement in banks and smooth
functioning of the banking system
[] Slowdown in consumer spending due to limited cash availability
[] Severe liquidity issues in cash based sectors like Real Estate and Jewellery
[] GDP will decline in the next 2 quarters due to reduction in overall spending

Over the next 4-5 months:

Those having legitimate income will deposit it in banks and apart from the initial hassles associated with the
banking system, they will have nothing to worry about. However those having unaccounted money will face
several problems as follows:

[] Those who choose to do nothing with the money, their notes will expire worthless. Every note is a liability of
the Government (RBI), and thus notes becoming worthless will benefit the Government by extinguishing its
liability.
[] Those who declare their unaccounted money, approx 60- 70% of the money will go to the Govt in the form of
taxes and penalties.
[] There will be a third category who will try to launder their money, but which will entail severe risks including
penalties and prosecution. However, the money sought to be laundered will anyway enter into circulation and
remain therein.

It is expected that even if 50% of the around 14 lakh crores of old notes are legitimate, the remaining 50% or
around Rs 7 lakh crores of unaccounted money will see around 60 to 80 % thereof or approx Rs 5 lakh crores
coming to the government in the form of extinguished RBI liability (point a above) and taxes and penalties. This
Rs 5 lakh crores is enough to take care of India's entire fiscal deficit for one year or more.

Overall Economic Impact:

[] GDP growth is expected to be negative for around 6 months. However subsequent 2 years will see sharp
"hockey stick" revival in growth.
[] Inflation is expected to fall sharply with fall in Real Estate prices and transaction costs thereof.
[] Government Deficit will see a huge windfall in the next 2 years.
[] Currency is expected to strengthen as inflation drops and economy gets a boost.
[] Banking System will get a boost, as around Rs 7-8 lakh crores base money (new legal money) will enter the
system, which will further create around 3-4 times more money due to re-circulation.
[] Real Estate and Jewellery sectors, though battered initially will stabilize in the next 6 months.

Effect on various Asset classes:

[] Bond prices will rise as interest rates drop.

[] Real Estate is expected to fall by around 20 -25 % and stabilize thereafter.
[] Effect on Gold is a bit uncertain, and may be neutral/ negative. Lower black money will depress demand, but at
the same time Gold is a hedge against uncertainty and those still wanting to park black money may prefer to put
it into Gold instead of cash.
[] Equity is expected to benefit the most due to three reasons. One, there will be a gradual shift from physical
assets (real estate/ Gold) to financial assets. Two, the organised sector (corporates, expecially listed ones) will
benefit due to less cash transactions. Lastly, lower inflation and interest rates will benefit listed corporates
through lower borrowing costs, thereby increasing their profitability and valuations.

Lastly, the question may arise as to whether the new Rs 2000 Rupee notes will create more black money or not.

While that is always a possibility, it should be noted that this demonetization would have created a psychological
impact especially on large scale evaders who will definitely think twice before taking such action.+++

==================================================================================

Blog
Merging Budgets: What are the Benefits?
The proposed reforms

The decades old practice of presenting two budgets- railway and the general budget, will come to an end when
two budgets will be merged from next year onwards. The decision by the cabinet also saw the re-schedule of
parliament session and to advance the date of presentation of general budget which was traditionally presented
at the last day of February. Another change is doing away with plan and non-plan expenditure.

History of rail budget

A committee was set up under chairmanship of William Acworth which submitted a report in 1924. The report
said that

1. Railway be under state control

2. Railway budget separated from general budget

Reason– Railways require a certain autonomy, flexibility in the administration. Even at that time it was fairly big
organisation which has now grown many times.

Merging of budgets

These reforms were being considered for long. It will give multiple benefits to the functioning of the government
by improving the efficiency of expenditure that government is incurring on infrastructure sectors and other
sectors.

Earlier, decision making was politicised, especially the fares. Normally the taxation has to be approved by the
Parliament but the user charges did not require parliament approval. However, since railways were presenting
their own budget, they had to present the revenue and expenditure part to the parliament. This brought forward
the rail fares which became a tool of votebank politics and hardly the fares were increase due to populist
measures.

Now, the reforms will be advantageous if two things are taken care of:

#1. Financial autonomy of railways is preserved.

The railways work round the clock and throughout the year. Decisions have to be taken immediately on many
things. Thus, Railways had lot of power when the finances were under the control of railways. They could use
the funds from one project to another which was more urgent and progressive. However, if all this will be
available or not is still a question.

Earlier, there have been powers which were misused by people. The railway minister worked under tremendous
pressure for railway budget as scores of MPs, MLAs and CMs met and pestered the minister for favouring their
constituency. Also, the minister also had his own constituency. So, lot of lobbying was done internally.

#2. Railway gets required help from the exchequer from progressing its projects.

Right now, railway gets GBS- Gross Budgetary Support. It was 40000 crore last year which now needs to be
now increased. However, there are talks that GBS may go down as dividend of around 10000 crore is not going
to be taken. In such case, there will be no added benefit to railways. The purpose of the merger is that railway
develops faster. If it has to again cry for money, progress will not be as expected.

Difference made to railways– There should be result in improvement of railway system, the development of
railways should accelerate and the projects which are languishing for years should be completed quickly.

However, the parliament should have been taken into confidence on this subject. The finance committee of
parliament has taken up this subject to study the ramification of the separation of railway budget from general
budget. But this is a post mortem as government has already decided. Instead, the government could have
waited for finance committee’s report. This would have made parliament’s view available to government before
they take the decision.

Plan and no plan expenditure has also been eliminated

The elimination of plan non plan expenditure bifurcation was overdue and it was a part of Rangarajan committee
recommendation too. India was getting into a situation where it was able to provide for capital expenditure but
not maintenance expenditure on assets created by government.

The origin was that the Finance Commission will devolve funds to the state for capital expenditures which would
include maintenance expenditure on past investments. But the maintenance expenditure on new investments
cannot be covered by Finance Commission since it does not know how much they would be and hence they
were included in the planned expenditure.

It was becoming increasingly meaningless because in key areas like education and health, it is essentially
maintenance expenditure as most of the investment stuff has been done. So much of the plan was revenue type
expenditure. However, it will also mean that there will be change how centre-state fiscal relation are done. The
states are being made to adopt new thigs- GST is being implemented, the expenditure has to be streamlined as
per new definitions. Thus, the states need help to implement the new changes. No mechanism has yet been
evolved as how the state governments will adopt to these changes in revenue and expenditure patterns.

Budget making is presenting revenues and expenditure for next year. Though with the proposed change, the
expenditure will get sanctions much before April 1, but on the revenue as well as expenditure projection side, it
is doubtful about how much information the government would have before going to budget.

The crucial information about the GDP growth for next year is very important. Earlier, there were limitations with
February estimates, now it is going one quarter before, before the end of financial year. Hence, how much
weightage can be given to the estimate and how much use it can have on revenue projection is dubious. For
past 10-15 years, all revenue projection have been off- track. So, given the new changes, it will be important to
see how will such early revenue and expenditure projections for next year be effective. However it has been said
that Finance Minister can revise the budget estimates before March 31, if the data varies too much.

Another view says that getting advanced GDP numbers should not be such a big challenge because the CSO
has said that it can make the basic information available on the kind of economic growth that they projecting for
next year.

The nominal growth figure is the key. It has two components- the real GDP growth estimate comes from CSO
and the inflation estimate comes from economic division of finance ministry. The economic division will face
more critical time in predicting the nominal growth on the basis of which the deficit ratios will be fixed but they
are not insurmountable. The bigger challenge is to get revised estimate number on expenditure side. Normally
the revised estimate figures are worked out by November by when there is a fair idea of three quarters.
However, such challenge will be faced this year only as by next year the CSO will come out with new device and
instrument by which new and accurate GDP numbers can be projected.

Another issue will be that indirect taxes take immediate effect in a budget. The moment the budget is advanced,
if the budget sees indirect taxes, which this year GST may actually raise. The upside of this year’s revenue will
be very substantial.

Hence, there are three basic challenges-

[] Expenditure side estimate

[] GDP estimate
[] Indirect tax revenue issue

Conclusion

To believe that rail budget is dead is an exaggeration of sorts. The railway minister will not have the pleasure of
delivering a speech but the railways budget exercise will be continued and railway board members will have to
explain the rationale of budget. It should be seen that the rights that belong to the railways and Rail Tariff
Authority and Railway Development Authority of fixing fare and freight should not be seeded to finance ministry.

Now, there wont be railway budget but demand for grants. The scope of demand for grants is limited. The
finance ministry should not micromanage the railway finances. Functional autonomy for effective and efficient
working of railways is essential.

The trend of de-politicisation of railways has started when the current railway minister did not introduce any new
rains. For last 10-15 years, the railway ministers were highly political persons with high political ambitions. Also,
new methods like flexi fare as an executive decision have been introduced on trial bases. This will make sure
that railways manage to create income for them for their sustenance.++++

===================================================================================

PIB
All about AMCDRR & Sendai Framework
About- Prime Minister has inaugurated the Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (AMCDRR)
2016. This is the first major inter-governmental event after the adoption of the Sendai Framework for Disaster
Risk Reduction (SFDRR).

Conference paved the way towards-

[] Implementation of this Framework in the Asian region.

[] It will also devise a mechanism for monitoring its progress.

What is Sendai Framework?

[] Adopted at the third UN World Conference in Sendai, Japan in March, 2015, is the first major agreement of the
post-2015 development agenda and identifies targets and priority action areas towards reducing disaster risk.
[] Framework is for 15 years, 2015-2030.
[] It is a voluntary and non-binding agreement which recognizes that the State has the primary role to reduce
disaster risk but responsibility should be shared with other stakeholders including local government, the private
sector and other stakeholders.
[] Framework is the successor instrument to the Hygo Framework for Action (HFA) 2005-2050: Building the
Resilience of Nations and Communities to Disaster.

India’s Commitment-

[] India is committed to address issues concerning DRR and strengthen resilience to disasters. To realise this,
launched India’s first National Disaster Management Plan, designed in line with the priorities defined in the
Sendai Framework, earlier this year. The hosting of the AMCDRR 2016 reaffirms India’s commitment to the
cause of DRR.

AMCDRR

[] Established in 2005, AMCDRR is a biennial conference.

[] Jointly organized by different Asian countries and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction
(UNISDR).
[] So far, six AMCDRR conferences have been organised. India had also hosted the second AMCDRR in New
Delhi in 2007.

Key Highlights of the Event-

[] The Conference discussed issues related to DRR in 6 technical, 22 thematic and 3 featured sessions during
the Conference.
[] Technical events were broadly based on themes related to Risk Sensitive Development for Community
Resilience.
[] All the three featured events –
> Risk Resilient Infrastructure for Sustainable Development,
> Application of Science and Technology for prevention of new risks
> Regional Cooperation – will be chaired by India.
[] Led by governments as well as NGOs, academics and other stakeholders, the thematic sessions will be held
in parallel on 3rd and 4th November. These sessions will dwell on issues such as Gender sensitive DRR, Child-
centered DRR etc., at length.
[] Various DRR-centric activities has been organised during the Conference to spread awareness about disaster
risk reduction and its role in safeguarding lives, livelihoods and infrastructure.
[] Various Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs), government and UN bodies are participating in the DRR
exhibition. With a thematic focus on ‘Make in India’, the exhibition will showcase good practices in Disaster Risk
Management.
[] The commemoration of the first World Tsunami Awareness Day, to spread awareness about the dangers of
tsunami and the importance of early warning systems in mitigating its impact, will also be held on 5th
[] Conference adopted the New Delhi Declaration, a political commitment of participating governments towards
preventing and reducing disaster risk. It also adopted the ‘Asian Regional Plan for Implementation of the Sendai
Framework’. Voluntary statements of action of stakeholder groups towards a ‘shared responsibility’ approach in
implementation of the SFDRR would also be adopted.

About ‘New Delhi Declaration’-

The ‘New Delhi Declaration’ is a political statement spelling out the commitment of participating governments
towards –

[] Preventing and reducing disaster risk

[] Strengthening the resilience of communities, nations and the Asian region.
[] Recognising the need to accelerate the implementation of global frameworks, it commits to a people-centred
and whole-of-society approach towards DRR. It also emphasises the need to enhance the capacity of
communities and ensure participation of all stakeholder groups towards achieving resilience.

About ‘Asian Regional Plan’-

[] The ‘Asian Regional Plan for Implementation of the Sendai Framework’ focuses on ‘How to’ reduce disaster
risk at national and local levels.
[] It has arrived at a longer term road map of cooperation and collaboration, spanning the 15-year horizon of the
Sendai Framework, as well as a two-year action plan to further disaster risk reduction with specific, actionable
activities.+++
==================================================================================

Blog
How to Widen the Tax Base?
At a conference held this year titled ‘Rajasva Gyan Sangam’ (Knowledge Conference on Revenue) consisting of
participation from top officials of CBEC and CBDT, PM proposed RAPID – Revenue, Accountability, Probity,
Information And Digitisation of taxation for accelerating the tax base net and improve efficiency of tax
administration. Out of the population of 125 crore, the current tax base is 5.3 crores. The current initiative is
expected to double the tax base to 10 crores by bridging the trust deficit and approaching the taxpayers with
‘soft and sober’ behaviour.

Lot of positive tax reforms have happened since 1991. Income tax rate was extremely high (97.5% in 1973-74)
which has now been brought down to 30% which is the lowest in world till now. Tax mobilisation has also gone
up and tax base increased. Tax base expansion and contraction also depend upon economy à Growing
economy, people pay more. Economy on downturn, people don’t.

The worldwide trend to have a broader base is to have non-distortionary tax, i.e. government shouldn’t tax some
more and leave some totally out of it. This creates an attitude of evasion and avoidance amongst those who pay.
GST as a means of non-distortionary tax will play a major role in encompassing more in tax net due to uniform
tax rates for different layers of society. The impact on fiscal consolidation and higher Tax-to-GDP ratio will also
be visible.

Kelkar Committee report mentions the ‘missing middle’ which include professionals (CAs, lawyers, doctors) who
do not pay taxes. However, government has presumptive taxation measure for them. But, other middle class like
small retailers who are not in tax net have no presumptive taxation. Efforts on more presumptive taxation options
to businessmen and professionals in Tier-1 and Tier- 2 cities will aid in widening the tax base. Others include
HUF, and rich farmers too.

Out of 25 crore households in India, 15 crore belong to agricultural sector which are exempted from taxes.
However, taxing agricultural income is possible beyond a large threshold limit. Also, the parallel economy
existing in India of unaccounted incomes and expenditures (black money) needs to be unearthed. Cashless
economy should be way forward as majority tax evasion occurs in cash transactions. Less cash utility will turn
the people towards tax compliance.

For successful implementation of tax reforms, the funding of political parties need to be more transparent. This
relieves the pressure from companies and wealthy individuals who have to generate black money to pay to
politicians, bureaucrats, extortionists and instead comply with taxation policy. So, it is not about just lowering the
tax rate but also creating situation where entities don’t have to amass tax evasion to pay political system.

GST is sought to be a major revolutionary tax reform where it is expected to leave information trail. Compulsory
KYC on investments has also led to registration of information. Data collection sources have increased with filing
system, social networking sites, travel accounts etc. The task is to consolidate and assess the data and include
them in tax base without any harassment. The tax collection framework needs to be charted out to bring people
in tax foray who belong to three categories.

1. Some want to pay tax but scared of being mad treated so avoid being in fold. Its low hanging fruit which
government can target
2. Some are completely out of framework and GST is going to be huge leap for them
3. Some people don’t want to pay taxes and keep themselves away from taxation book. Government needs to
target them.

Thus, government has to assure that tax payers will not be badly treated. For this, the tax regime should be
made non-adversarial and more incentivised. This doesn’t mean no taxes. It is non-feasible as government
needs resources to perform. Hence, to capture potential tax payers, government needs to follow ‘one
government approach’ where data of CBEC and CBDT are integrated to get a holistic information. Tax evasion
takes place the most in indirect taxes and thus, GST will be helpful in data consolidation. When people know
they are being monitored, they pay taxes honestly. Instead of target-based approach, compliance based
approach should be adopted.

Way forward:

[] Transfer pricing, minimum alternative tax, and plans to unearth black money are all various manifestations to
widen the tax base.
[] The economic Survey has also called for widening of the individual tax payers’ base, as nearly 85 percent of
the economy remains outside the tax net.
[] Implementation of Tax Administration Reform Commission (TARC), headed by Dr. Shome which includes
merging of CBDT and CBEC, use of PAN, simple laws among others to increase tax buoyancy.
[] Less of big bold tax reforms and more of structural tax administration reforms is essential.
[] Instead of excessive focus on auditing, care should be taken to create tax payer service. For example, UK’s
HMRC brought cooperative compliance by analysing tax payer’s data and the Customer Relation Manager
helped them in paying tax by removing adversarial aspect. From 5000 sample tax payers, they collected
additional 2 billion pounds of taxes.+++

===================================================================================

Blog
Judicial Appointments and RTI
One of the landmark legislations in India which changed the nature of governance and brought an
unprecedented transparency and accountability was the Right to Information Act (RTI) passed in 2005.
However, there are certain areas where there is a debate about whether the RTI Act should be applied or not.
One such institution is the higher judiciary.

In 2010, the Central Information Commission (CIC) had ordered on a petition that, all correspondence between
the collegium and government about the appointment of the three SC judges should be disclosed under the RTI
Act. This order was challenged by Central Public Information Office of SC after rejecting the request of the
petitioner. Ever since, the case has been pending in the apex court. In August 2016, a three-member bench
dealing with the case has decided to refer the matter to a constitutional bench.

Incidentally, the apex court which had initially resisted to even disclosing the assets and liabilities of the judges,
later decided to make voluntary disclosures on the court’s website.

Pros of disclosing the details of appointment to higher courts of judiciary - Is it for more transparency in process
or it will taint the process and create controversies.

Rationale of CIC decision

The circumstances which made the CIC decide that such appointments should be disclosed is that when the
matter came up in front of CIC, it had no option to not issue such an order as the RTI law did not make any
exception for judiciary, including the apex court.

[] Art 8(1)(J)– a clause which exempts personal information from RTI. But selection, transfer of judges,
complaints against judges are not personal matters. Thus, CIC did not find any of these to be covered under
exemptions.
[] Sec 24 of RTI– Exempts certain institutions like Intelligence Bureau, RAW, CRPF, CISF etc. from RTI. There is
no mention of judiciary here.

So, judiciary like any other public authority in India- SC or HCs- are covered under RTI. So, the appointments to
higher judiciary and the transfer of judges which are decided in the meetings of collegium and then
communicated to government of India must be disclosed when demanded by a citizen.

Why the judiciary resists to come under RTI?

Judiciary is very awkwardly positioned as far as it has to defend itself. It is not expected among judges to defend
themselves even when allegations are made unlike other institutions. So, in a way, judiciary is uniquely different
because they cannot defend themselves as other power holders. And thus, the nature and context of the
disclosures has to be determined by the scope of parting with necessary information.

For instance, if allegations are made and it is out in public domain and the person gets appointed regardless, the
allegations to be made are very easy today and hence, the public reputation of the judge gets compromised just
in basis of unverified allegation.

Hence, the question is to what extent one can disclose. In the 2010 case, the petitioner had asked for
information of 3 judges’ appointment. So, if there are questions or applications related to particular judges, there
is no harm in disclosing it in greater interest. There is no question of national interest being affected by it. Unless
there are certain situations where certain matters cannot be disclosed, there is no harm in public information
public.

Another concern the judiciary feels- by disclosing under RTI, the independence of judiciary might be hurt and
credibility be damaged.

Transparency increases efficiency

Across the world, with RTI like laws for promoting transparency have shown how institutions are in fact
strengthened by transparency laws. The credibility and the public trust in the institutions which is unfortunately
waning and there are allegations of corruption against public servants, it would help if the institution comes
under RTI and discloses information. If there is a doubt in citizen’s mind, the information in public will help rest
those doubts. If the information is public, it would prevent political interference in process of appointment.

In the petition of 2010, three judges of Delhi HC were superseded. There was an outcry in the public as public
opinion did not match with one of the judge’s supersession. So, the public has the right to know what led to such
decision.

The paradox

Judiciary has played a very significant role in having the RTI Act in India. The judiciary itself wants that other
branches of state- legislature and executive- should be completely transparent in their operations, then there is
no reason why judiciary be completely closed from it. There is hardly anything one knows about how judiciary
functions. If suppose there is complaint against HC judge about his integrity, the public never knows what
happened as the police or CBI doesn’t enquire into it and under RTI, judiciary doesn’t discloses it. The public
appointments that are undertaken by UPSC, State PSCs, other central and government institutions, such public
employment opportunities at higher judiciary are hardly observed.

There is a chance that if information is public, honest opinion may not be brought forward. However, this issue is
present all across state limbs of judiciary and legislature. If the person is serious in doing his responsibility, then
there will be facts to support him.

Will judiciary come under RTI?

The judiciary wants complete control over appointment of judges or any other judicial matter and they don’t want
interference in it. It is more about judiciary’s mindset than the provision of RTI. It is comfortable in opacity and
not ready to open up as an institution. As a matter of fact, it however wants all other institutions to open up, but
for its own conduct, it doesn’t want anybody else to know.

The 2010 case supersession of senior reputed judge made people to demand why such a decision was taken.
The judges feel threatened that independence of judiciary might get distorted by transparency in its functioning,
but it has to be understood that Indian democracy has become so strong that independence of judiciary will
remain, the mindset of judiciary is what needs to be changed.

If they open up, it will enhance their credibility as an institution and people will start respecting them more.

The judicial pronouncements, in case of CVC- PJ Thomas, when SC struck down his appointment, the court said
that there is dire need of transparency in the process of appointment in all institutions. The credibility of
institutions depends on how transparent its functioning is.

In case of judges’ defence, if information is made available in public domain, it would be its biggest weapon of
defence as facts would speak for themselves. The public shall know the reasons behind decisions and
transparency would help resolve that problem. In a democracy, the institution of judiciary is very important and
hence, issue of public trust is very important. The statements of CJI in public about court vacancies is a method
of creating public pressure and awareness about this important issue.

Also, one of the judges who was superseded for SC judge position in 2010 was given appointment in 2011. This
shows that one year the judge is not applicable and other year he is eligible. This gives the public the right to
know that what factors were reason for his supersession. The communication between government and
collegium also needs to be disclosed. The communication between any two public authorities is completely
disclosable subject to provision of exemptions given in RTI Act.+++

=====================================================================================

Blog

One country one tax objective

The multi-layered tax structure arrived at for the Goods and Services Tax (GST) is welcome though it
could be fraught with problems and disputes in its implementation. But in a country like India, which has rich,
poor and middle and lower middle income groups, the idea of one tax fits all would not be equitable. Highly
developed countries with no or little economic disparity can afford to have one common tax. The GST council
headed by the Union finance minister Arun Jaitley has done well to leave the common man unhurt by higher
taxes by leaving foodgrains and items of mass consumption outside the purview of the GST. It is said that the
incidence of indirect taxes may also come down, but the proof of the pudding is in the eating, so one will have to
wait for its implementation next year to see how this works out.

What is more relevant to the aam aadmi, however, is to know which products fall under which tax bracket and
this will be decided by a committee of secretaries. For instance, in the case of white goods like refrigerators and
washing machines, things considered a luxury some decades ago are taken as necessities today. For working
women, particularly, having these goods is a convenience and lightens the burden of housework. So it will be
interesting to see what the decision will be on these issues. The same goes for so-called luxury cars, it’s not
clear whether the tax on these would be decided on the price or the length of the car and engine capacity. The
overall objective clearly is that it should not stoke the fires of inflation and in this the council seems to have
succeeded.

There is however concern on the service tax which is currently at 14 per cent and is expected to move between
12 to 18 per cent. It is all very discretionary and it is hoped that consumers of these services will not suffer under
the new regime. The devil is in the details it is said, and the committee of secretaries is expected to give their
decision by the end of this year. This will give a chance to companies like those in the auto sector to decide their
production patterns. It is amusing that the council could not resist the temptation of adding a cess over and
above the highest tax slab on so-called high-end “sin goods” and one wonders how morality comes into this.
Paan masala, tobacco, cigarettes, etc., are more related to health issues than the wellbeing of the soul. Luxury
car dealers are upset at being put in the same category and understandably so. But this apart, the overall
objective of a common tax — one country one tax — is welcome. It is expected to add to the government’s
coffers whilst simplifying the current complex system. It will also contribute to the ease of doing business.

[Ref - Asian Age].+++

================================================================================

Essay
Religious Liberty and Women Rights
'Religion is the opium of people'. The relevance of this proverbial statement of Karl Marx never loses its
relevance in this world. Almost all people identify themselves with their respective religions, which thus gauges a
substantive part of their lives. Talking about India, a syncretic nation encompassing an incredible diversity, the
effect of religion has been more profound ever since it's hoary past and its political feature being secularist.
Although the comprehensive idea behind the same is to assure the liberties of an individual and venerate his
choices but our forefathers were also leery of the possible aversions that could result from the unbridled liberty
of religion in a multi religious.While Artcle.25 of our constitution precludes the state from interfering in one's
freedom, nevertheless, it also obliges it to undertake efforts towards secularisation and therefore, the freedom of
religion is not absolute but subject to public health, morality, decency and other fundamental rights. Thus, the
penultimate goal of our society is to secure dignity of every individual by transcending all disparities.
One such aspect is the rights of women among their respective religions. The Article.14, 15 and 21 of our
Constitution are the manifestations of the basic human rights of a person. However, the big question that stares
us in face is whether the state intrusion in the gender-discriminatory religious practices is warranted or not and if
yes, then till what extent.

It may be emphasized that all the laws of our country except the personal laws apply equally to all. It is no
gainsay that personal laws are inclined more favourably towards the male gender in the matters of property and
family. Nonetheless, the desire to bring all such laws under the realm of oneness has started to reflect more
robustly than ever and a large number of women have started to expostulate with the man-made religious
discriminations which do not form the essence of their religions. Above all, the turn of events in the last few
years has further piqued women to stand not only for equality but for religious rights as well by shunning
practices which taboo female worshipping of God during her menstruation.

In Hindus, the socio-religious and the proprietary position of the women was far below the parity. Although the
codification of the Hindu law and the further incorporation of 2005 amendment has nearly nullified this status but
the intent of legislature has still not been able to convince the traditional mind sets which continue to make
women feel inferior,i.e. the shift in attitudes has been more out of compulsion than assimilation. The predatory
practices carried out in the Shani Shinganapur Temple and the alike is clearly evident of how some groups claim
religious hegemony by denying women their own right to religion. The underlying spirit of the recent Bombay
High Court decision which has delegitimized the same is expected to gain finality in the impending Supreme
Court decision in the Sabarimala Temple case.

It is safe to hold that the magnitude of discrimination faced by women is not uniform across all the religions. The
condition of Muslim women has largely remained stagnant since the advent of independence. The Shah Bano
judgement in 1985 was a significant step to safeguard her right of maintenance till remarriage,to nullify which the
legislature made an abortive attempt through the !986 Act, but thanks to the purposive interpretation by court in
the Daniel Latifi Case in restoring the position that had been held out in the aforesaid case.

However, the source of gravest worry is the system of Triple Talaq, an indiscriminate weapon in the hands of
husband to throw his wife out in a jiffy only to imperil her security. The stranglehold of The Muslim Personal Law
Board over its retention under the guise of religious autonomy is absolutely uncalled for and a deflection from the
goal of fraternity and dignity.

Here, the Bombay High Court verdict in the Haji Ali Dargah case which turned down the inequitable strictures
imposed upon women's entry deserves elaboration. The court held this was without any merit and beyond the
core of religion. The court also foregrounded that even though such religious institutions enjoyed the guarantee
of Artice.26 (b) to manage their affairs, but when the Dargah, having been perched on a public place is open to
public; such right cannot be allowed to take precedence over the more far-sighted goal of equality.

The essence of every religion is to upgrade one's personality and not to degrade another's. When we have to
forge towards the secular goal, it becomes important to demarcate the role which the religion can be allowed to
play in one's social and political life. Therefore, limiting such religious rights which take a disproportionate toll on
the individual's more immediate rights and physical well-being is well within the bounds of state.+++

==================================================================================

Blog
All about 'Office of Profit' & its Issue
The President had few months back rejected Delhi government’s amendment bill of Delhi Members of
Legislative Assembly (Removal of Disqualification) Act, 1997, which exempted the Parliament Secretaries from
disqualification on grounds of holding Office of Profit. It is serious development as far as Delhi government is
concerned as the disqualification of MLAs will invite fresh elections which shall act as a barometer of the Delhi
Government’s governance.

Background:

The bill has been on table for past one year. Non-assent by President has put future of 21 MLAs at stake as they
face prospect of disqualification. The Constitution and legal position has clearly stated that ‘these parliamentary
secretaries are occupants of Offices of profit under government.’

Art 191 and 192 of Constitution of India and the NCT Act: They are very categorical about any MLA holding
Office of Profit being subject to disqualification. Delhi Assembly passing bill to remove disqualification on
grounds of Office of Profit may prove that they tacitly accept them as Office of Profit.

For being Office of Profit by definition, absence of pecuniary benefit or financial profit to the office incumbent is
not sufficient. The influence of positon wherein one can influence governmental decision, where there is
executive power also adds up to occupying Office of Profit even if there is no salary, accommodation or other
positional benefits.

However, before disqualification of such MLAs, the opinion of the Election Commission is to be sought by
President. The SC cannot interfere in President’s decision as it is under his executive power under Constitution
of India. However, the decision of Election Commission can be challenged in court by the aggrieved party.

There is popular notion that Office of Profit necessarily involves perks and other emoluments. It was established
in Jaya Bacchan case that even if one doesn’t draw salary or perks of position, it will be considered as Office of
Profit.

Another incident is President Abdul Kalam’s assent to amend Parliament (Prevention of Disqualification) Act,
1959, popularly known as the Office of Profit bill with retrospective effect. The Act exempted 56 posts from the
purview of the bill, giving a reprieve to MPs who could have otherwise faced disqualification. The Parliament has
power to enforce such decision.

Genesis of Office of Profit:

It is not just Office of Profit, but Office of Profit under the government. It includes

1. The members who don’t hold any office of profit

2. Others who are specifically exempted, like the Ministers, from disqualification.

The argument that other states like Haryana, Nagaland, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Pondicherry and
West Bengal have Parliamentary Secretaries and gives Delhi government right to have too is not applicable on
grounds that

[] These states passed specific laws before such appointments. This gives the validity of law to the position of
Parliamentary Secretaries. (However, courts have also disqualified such appointments in past)
[] Delhi government tried to retrospectively pass the law (similar to Parliament’s power) to exempt incumbents
from disqualification.

Constitution Review Commission, 2000 had recommended the limit on number of ministers to 10% of lower
house which was modified to 15% of lower house and accepted by passing 91st Constitution Amendment Act.
However, the state governments still appoint MLAs to autonomous bodies, corporations which do not have any
cap on them, despite Commission’s recommendation of 2% of members of lower house.

The jumbo sized cabinet and inflated council of ministers to appease coalition has had put heavy pressure on
public exchequer. Increasing the size of ministry is not guarantee to better governance. Overstaffing hampers
the principles of good governance like transparency, accountability etc.

Keys:

Office of Profit: The concept was evolved in England- to preserve independence of legislature by keeping
members away from temptations of executive (enforces feature of separation of power between legislature,
executive and judiciary). The expression “office of profit” has not been defined in the Constitution or in the
Representation of the People Act, 1951. It is for the courts to explain the significance and meaning of this
concept. Over the years, courts have decided this issue in the context of specific factual situations.

Art 102 of Constitution of India disqualifies MPs from holding Office of Profit under government.

Fixed number of ministers of Delhi: As per article 239AA of Indian Constitution, number of Council of Ministers
cannot exceed ten percent of Delhi assembly seats. Therefore, there can be a maximum of 7 Ministers (10% of
70 Delhi assembly seats).+++
Essay
Cauvery dispute and its solutions
Cauvery is a river which originates at Talakaveri, Kodagu in Karnataka and flows generally through Karnatka
and Tamil Nadu. The Cauvery dispute date back to 19th century when the modern Karnataka and Tamil Nadu
were the parts of Mysore state and Madras presidency respectively. In the later years of 19th century both the
state of Mysore and Madras were under British rule for a short period of time when they planned to utilize the
river water for irrigation purpose but due to several famines during the period the plans could not be
implemented. Soon, the Mysore state came under the power of kings and they revived the plan to utilize the
Cauvery water for irrigation and drinking which were opposed by then Madras presidency and the matter was
brought to British government. Subsequently an agreement was reached on the principles of 'modus vivendi'
which enabled the Mysore state to go with irrigation projects and Madras were given practical security against
injury to interest in the year of 1892.

The matter came again in limelight when in the year of 1910 the king of Mysore Nalvadi Krishnaraja Wodyar and
Captain Dawes as a chief engineer came with a plan to construct a dam over the river which was opposed by
Madras and finally an agreement was reached in the year of 1924 which was valid for 50 years.

India became independent in 1947 and states were reorganized in 1956. After state reorganization Kerala and
Puduchery came into the fray of Cauvery dispute as a major tributary of Cauvery, Kabini originates in Kerala and
the Karaikal region of puducherry falling under the tail of the river.

As the 1924's agreement was about to come to an end in 1974, all the party and Government of India started
negotiating for sharing of river between the states in 1960 which continued for decades without reaching any
outcome. Finally, in 1990 an inter-state water tribunal was set up (Cauvery water dispute tribunal) on sharing the
water system among the states falling under its basin. The tribunal passed an interim order in 1991 and final
order came in 2007 upon sharing the water among the states.

In years when the rain is normal or above normal there is no quarrel as all the party receive the amount they
require for their agricultural or other purposes but it becomes a matter of contention when the rain is deficient.
The tribunal has awarded Tamil Nadu - 419 TMC, Karnatka - 270 TMC, Kerala - 30 TMC and Puducherry - 7
TMC during the normal rain years and when the availability of water is less or during the deficient rain years the
share of states is reduced proportionally.

Being in upper riparian part of the river Karnataka does not release the water during deficient year as per the
tribunal's arrangement and Tamil Nadu has to go to supreme court for it's share which is the major reason of
dispute. Though the situation can be handled sagaciously the government of both states give it a political colour
and very often it turns into violent protest in both the states causing disastrous loss of life and material to the
society at both end.

The Cauvery river basin consists of 81,155 square kilometre from which Karnataka holds 34,273 square
kilometre and Tamil Nadu 43,856 square kilometre and rest falls in Kerala and Puducherry. The farmers in both
the state are dependent on the water of river and any mismanagement in water availability make their life
miserable because of their dependence of agriculture.

As we already know that the situation becomes grave only during the deficient rain years both the states need to
understand the necessity of each other. We also need to develop a system through which early forecasting can
be made about the rain and information provided to farmer so that they will plan the cropping pattern according
to the water availability.

It is the time every state need to start working on water harvesting so that the water stored can be used during
the scarcity. Once we have several resource for anything our dependence on a particular resource become
lesser and it can help us in the situations like Cauvery dispute.+++

Blog
Venezuela Non Alignment Movement Summit
NAM- past and present

The genesis of the NAM was a result of the war between the two blocks during the cold war. Even before the
first meeting of the NAM that was held in Belgrade in 1961 by Yugoslavia, a meeting in Bandung had taken
place in Indonesia. In this meeting, the five principles on which NAM was based were decided. They are

1. Mutual respect for each other’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.

2. Mutual non-aggression.
3. Mutual non-interference in domestic affairs.
4. Equality and mutual benefit.
5. Peaceful co-existence.

However, there were questions asked that once there was an end to the cold war 1991 with the disintegration of
the USSR, then what would be the rationale of existence of NAM. In fact, since that time, the NAM is trying to
find a role for itself. So, earlier it was fighting against colonialism, racism and apartheid, developed countries and
their imperialism on developing countries. But after the end of cold war, then the focus of movement has to
change.

Some are of the opinion that it is for economic cooperation and collaboration so that economic conditions of the
citizens of the developing countries could improve. Thus, the fundamental rationale and objective have changed,
but it still continues to be relevant.

There are other organisations like NATO which was a product of cold war, but even that has not ceased to exist
after the USSR disintegration.

Need for UNSC reforms

India has been actively pushing for the reforms, especially the UNSC. Even Vice President of India at the NAM
summit pointed out that whether an organisation formed in 1945 with just 51 members is really appropriate to
serve the needs of international community which is now comprised of 193 independent sovereign states.

The international community acknowledges and accepts that the UNSC reforms are needed. The question is
how to take this reform forward. In that context, the NAM is also not a united house. In 2005, UNGA had
acknowledged need of changes in UN, particularly in the size, structure and composition of UNSC.

Kutesa report, a negotiating text for the Security Council reforms, was adopted during the 70th session of
UNGA. It was hoped to move forward but obviously there are vested interest of some countries who do not wish
the UNSC to be expanded or to be reformed. Thus, there is a need to raise this subject at every forum like India
is already doing. This will bring to notice of international community the importance of such issues and that India
has all the qualifications of becoming the permanent member of UNSC.

Counter- terrorism issue at NAM

India is pushing for the world community to globally recognise that terrorism is no longer a regional but a global
issue and India is a victim. The way terrorism is spreading, there is hardly any country which can say that it is
not affected by terrorism one way or other.

For decades, there has been a proposal from India for a Comprehensive UN Convention on Terrorism. This has
not been taken forward because there is no agreement on definition of terror per se in that because there are
some countries who try to divide terrorists between good terrorists and bad terrorists. Thus, when looking at
even a regional response to terror, there are problems. President Ashraf Ghani of Afghanistan has also said that
the perpetrators of crime in Afghanistan are given sanctuary, training and finance by Pakistan. India and
Bangladesh have also suffered from similar experiences. Pakistan has emerged as the single source of
epicentre of terrorism in South Asian region.

Then there are countries which for political reasons put a technical hold. (China on Masood and Lakhvi). This is
when PM Modi told Chinese President that it should not look at terrorism through the ‘prism of politics’. In NAM,
India tried to pass a resolution on counter-terrorism but since the resolution in NAM are based on total
consensus, Pakistan blocked it.

Way forward for India and NAM relevance

It can get very frustrating when India’s recurring efforts to counter terrorism are thwarted repeatedly by two
countries. But India needs to continue to apply as much international global pressure as possible upon those
countries.

At fora like NAM, G20, East Asian Summit, ASEAN summit, India has to bring out the nefarious activities and
tactics of Pakistan in supporting terrorism. It has to appeal to the international community and global powers for
counter terrorism cooperation because terrorism doesn’t differentiate between countries.

And PM has also said at G20 that countries spreading as well as supporting terrorism should be isolated and
sanctioned and not rewarded. India has to simultaneously strengthen itself and keep a vigil that such attacks are
not repeated.

Today it is a multipolar world and not unipolar or bipolar. Countries like Russia, Japan, India are one of the
important poles. The relevance of NAM is to stay as it will help the international community deal with many
issues like- sustainable development, reform of UNSC, ensuring peace, countering terrorism, climate change
etc.+++
=================================================================================

PIB
Promotion of 'Organic Farming' in India
Government of India has launched a Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojna (PKVY) and Organic Value Added
Development (OVCDNER) schemes under National Sustained Agriculture Mission to promote organic farming in
the country.

PKVY

[] Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojna (PKVY) is the first extensive scheme which has been initiated in the form of
Centre Sponsored Programme (CSP).
[] Implementation of this scheme is carried out by the State Governments based on the cluster for every 20
hectare land.
[] Under clusters the farmers are granted financial assistance for maximum one hectare land and Government of
India has earmarked Rs. 50,000 for every hectare land during the period of transformation of three year ceiling.
Objective in this regard has been chalked out for 10,000 of clusters while covering area of 2 lakh hectare land.

OVCDNER

[] Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has launched a scheme as Central Regional Scheme – Organic
Value Added Mode Development Mission for North-Eastern regions for implementation in Arunachal Pradesh,
Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim as well as Tripura during 2015-16 to 2017-18 while
keeping in view the potentiality of farming in North-Eastern region.
[] Scheme aims at to develop authentic organic products in value added mode so that the consumers might be
linked with consumers and from input, seed certification to unification, processing, marketing as well as grant
formation initiative.
[] Assistance might be extended for the entire value added development. He said that the scheme has been
approved with Rs. 400 crore for a span of three years.

Pandit Deen Dayal Updhyay Unnat Krishi Shiksha Yojna

[] Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Ministry has launched a new scheme named as Pandit Deen Dayal
Upadhyay Unnat Krihsi shiksha Yojna to fish out the talent of Indian youths and all over development of rural
India has launched.
[] Scheme is being implemented by Agriculture Education Division related to Indian Council of Agricultural
Research Council (ICAR).
[] Under this course of action the trainers will be selected on village level so as to establish training centre, to
impart knowledge about natural/ organic/ sustainable farming/ rural economy. Various training programmes will
be conducted in different regions in these centers.
[] Almost 100 training centers will be set up throughout the country for the participation of teachers in various
activities for the Advanced India Campaign conducted by Agriculture Research Council/Human Resource
Development Ministry under this scheme alongwith.

Steps taken by government-

[] Agreement carried out between Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation
and Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare so as to promote the organic farming along the banks of river
Ganga.
[] Under this scheme an organic farming system will be developed under 1657 clusters in the perspective of
Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojna with Namami Gange project in 1657 village panchayats from Uttarakhand to
West Bengal along the bank of Ganga.

Yogic Farming-

[] Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare informed people present there about Yogic farming.
[] Farmers first of all process seeds based on yoga proceedings that is to say that the seeds are recharged by
dint of divine powers resulting in the escalation of their sprouting powers. Thereafter the five elements are made
conducive through yoga proceedings before the seeds are sown.
[] Raj yoga shoots out the fertilizing strength of the soil along with the increased activation of micro metabolism
thereof. It strengthens the plants and their roots.
[] The farmers through the modus operand of vibration conveys to the plants about peace, love as well as purity
which leads the resistance power of crops and its growth along with the increasement of production. Consequent
upon the enhancement in proteins like elements the nutritious, purity and quality based the crops is also
enhanced.+++
================================================================================

Blog
Tax on Junk Food
Kerala had earlier announced 14.5% ‘fat tax’ on food like burgers, pizza, pasta, sandwich, donuts sold in fast
food chain. This is analysed as a two-pronged strategy for

1. Increasing revenue
2. Move to promote healthy food habits and hence preventing obesity and health related issues

Effect of ‘fat tax’ on various stakeholders

The children and new generation are more addicted to fast food. Typically, fast food are luxury products which
display conspicuous consumption pattern and seen as style statement or glamorous for youth.

Short term effects

[] A disincentive for youth, so there might be decline in consumption

[] Increase in revenue for government
[] Impact on employment in fast food chain sector and also on volume of business
[] Local vendors can grab the opportunity to sell healthy food products

Long term effects

[] The impact on the consumption might not be significant

[] Reason: even these food companies may try to reduce their prices. They will work on their cost of production.
[] Encourage research and development for nutritional food products and less suagary saturated food. The
challenge will be to maintain the taste the moment companies start playing with ingredients
[] Rise in Start-ups in healthy food/ organic food business.
However, if there is not much decline in consumption, there might be rise in inflation.

Context of decision

To increase revenue and encourage healthy food habits. It is an innovative initiative of the government to
encourage MNCs and fast food chains to work upon the nutritional content of the food products and come up
with better nutritionist food. This will provide them bargaining power to ask for tax incentives in future.

Five fronts

1. Significant increase in government revenue.

2. India has traditionally been a nutritional food lifestyle country. It has potential to increase production and
access to healthy organic food.
3. New startups can venture into healthy lifestyle products to provide better service to people. It will help
economy in big way.
4. Fattening food companies to come with good products
5. Local vendors benefiting

Other examples

Demark and Hungary have also tried for similar kind of taxation. Bihar in January 2016 had ‘samosa tax’. The
other states may follow the footsteps. The decision has to be taken as ultimately it is a good decision that any
product not good for health be attached to higher taxes.

Potential for value added products

It is not going to have negative impact on food processing industry with heathy products. However, the fattening
food products industry will have to incur more expenditure on increased taxes as well as research.

India’s food processing industries are at a very nascent stage. The product offering should be such that can be
sold in domestic or export market. It is not a disincentive to the FDI as India has a large market and their
products can be catered to large population. Thus, there are lot of lucrative options for them to innovate in
healthy food option.

Standardisation of nutritional content and food

It is a broader objective in the broader parlance of WHO. All this is done in sync with advocacy of WHO. Healthy
food is necessity of the present and generations to come. This is the rationale behind such decision. The only
challenge facing is that how to bring change in the eating habits of the young people. It is a win-win situation for
various stakeholders in the value chain:- government, consumers, MNCs.

Conclusion

Taxes on products like alcohol or cigarette is to dissuade the consumption of such products. If young generation
has to be encouraged with healthy options, such decisions can be helpful in short run. In long run,
comprehensive and holistic approach is needed.

Time management is big issue at present. Not only young generation but children and adults chose food that is
quick, tasty and easily available. Hence, it is now highly crucial to launch a mission in form of ‘Healthy India’.
Talking to new generation, creating the environment and making them understand the importance of healthy
body and healthy mind for a healthy life. It is especially important to sensitise the young generation.

Healthy food must become part of the curriculum. Negative impacts of such fast foods have to be known and
spread. No country is allowed to mess with health and education. If such is the case, the country has
unsustainable future.+++

==================================================================================

Essay
Standardized tests: Good measure of academic ability?
Have we ever wondered the reason behind the lack of world class research or a Nobel Laureate from India in
spite of highly competitive standardized tests? Have we ever given a thought as to why the top scorers of our
country are unable to make a difference in the society?

Since centuries, such questions have remained highly controversial as different sections of society have diverse
perspectives pertaining to this issue. There is no clarity when such queries are encountered and this
necessitates a heated debate involving the battling minds of the most eminent educationists. By the end of this
article, every reader would find their own choice to this question, in a way that suits best to their interest.

Standardized testing has eventually become an integral part of admission procedures across universities around
the world and has proven to be the key factor in determining the earning capacity of an individual. More
emphasis on test scores may locate productive employees but definitely hampers entrepreneurial capability.
Consequently, this has lead to the problem of high unemployment and urges the proposition of reforms to curb
this menace. At the system level, to one side are the standard-lovers and test-addicts represented by the so-
called education reformers. Western developed countries such as the U.S., U.K., Australia and New Zealand,
have a relatively decentralized education. Although these countries have generally performed well economically,
they have not held good rankings in international competitions.

In stark contrast are the veterans of comprehensive education and testing, represented by the East Asian
education systems such as China, Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan, which have a long tradition of fairly
centralized education. These countries have evolved into new economic powerhouses and have consistently
held top places on the international test score league tables. They have begun to travel down a different path
with less emphasis on test scores, broader curriculum, more autonomy for schools and wider choices to
students.

Standardized tests do perform a valuable function too, by measuring the level of competence and minimum
academic standards. But, students have misinterpreted its objective and have developed a single minded
pursuit, by regarding it as a means of gaining marks and not knowledge. This has given a drive to unhealthy
competitions with all effort wasted, in just running the race without any goals. As a result, high stress levels are
developed leading to loss of productivity.

As students confine themselves only to the achievement of high scores, the necessity of integrated development
is ignored. There is need of evolution of standardized tests to include more subjective matter and capture the
overall development of students. Emphasis on sports and other inter-disciplinary courses ought to be promoted
which encourages individuals to discover their interests. This calls for an increased awareness among parents to
promote more holistic development rather than following success in standardized tests as a marker for
achievement. Involvement of good teachers to increase performance and make the learning experience
attractive for the younger generation is essential.

The introduction of Comprehensive Continuous Evaluation pattern by CBSE is an excellent concept that has
promoted activity based learning. It has improved the student's performance by identifying their learning
difficulties at regular intervals, right from the beginning of the academic session and employing suitable remedial
measures for enhancing their learning performance. It has also recognized and encouraged specific abilities of
students, who do not excel in academics but perform well in other co-curricular areas.

Hence, I would conclude by saying that examinations are definitely a necessary evil and a little bit of evolution
could change it to something more significant. This would extract the best out of individuals and ignite a spark to
the latent potential inside every being.+++

==================================================================================

Blog
Mission Indradhanush: Progress & Constraints
Mission Indradhanush was launched in the year 2014 by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare with a dominant
motive to immunize all the children under two years of age and pregnant women with vaccines for seven major
preventable diseases-

[] Whooping cough
[] Hepatitis B
[] Diphtheria
[] Tetanus
[] Polio
[] TB
[] Measles
It would help in better child health and lower chances of their death.

Apart from the above mentioned seven vaccines, four new vaccines- Rotavirus, Measles Rubella, Inactivated
Polio Vaccine Bivalent and Japanese Encephalitis have been added under Mission Indradhanush.

The government of India has involved various external agencies like WHO, UNICEF and Rotary for technical
and financial guidance.

[] Ensuring full immunization of a child is identified as one of the most economical method to reduce high rates of
child mortality in India.
[] Under Mission Indradhanush, a local ASHA worker identifies potential beneficiaries, i.e. children who are left
out or not vaccinated and prepares a due list of her area.
[] ASHA and ANM workers organize a session near local area to immunize the children mentioned in the due list.
[] There has been substantial increase in the immunisation coverage and through mechanism of camps and
sessions in the outreach areas, it becomes possible to identify and immunize children even in the rural/remote
areas.
[] In high-risk settlement areas in the rural strata of a state where large cohort of unvaccinated children are
present, ANMs and ASHA workers go door-to-door to identify and immunize the unimmunised children.
[] The focus of the programme has been the high risk areas and also under served areas comprising of
population living in the deprived strata of the country such as urban slums, brick kilns workers, construction site
workers with high rate of migration, people living in fishermen’s villages, riverine terrains, difficult and forested
areas and nomadic and tribal population.
[] Apart from areas with low routine immunization (RI) coverage along with vacant sub centres where routine
immunization sessions are missed.

All the above mentioned areas along with small villages, hamlets, dhanis or purbas clubbed with another village
for RI sessions and not having independent RI sessions constitute the major focussed areas.

Constraints

[] Challenge to spread awareness in the high risk and under covered areas.
[] Challenge to convince the parents who prefer their daily wage over wasting a day to sit at home and take care
of the immunised child.
[] The immunisation sessions are conducted at the peak hours- between 10 am to 4pm- where majority of
parents are absent from the location. Thus immunising all the children in such areas is a challenging task.
[] Another challenge is lack of awareness amongst parents regarding the importance of full immunisation for the
development of child and fear of adverse symptoms like fever post immunisation.
[] ASHAs and ANMs face various difficulties like poor storage of vaccines, fewer incentives to ASHAs and
ANMs, not getting official conveyance, travelling in potentially unsafe areas alone. Thus, it leads to fewer efforts
by them.
[] Thus, role of community workers becomes even more crucial to convince parents and ensure that no child is
left unvaccinated and equally important to provide them proper facilities to conduct their responsibilities.

Almost 1.62 crore children were immunized under Mission Indradhanush in the last one year and around 45 lakh
have been fully immunised.

Overall, Mission Indradhanush is expected to expand full immunisation coverage to around 100% by 2020 after
recording only 1% annual increase in the immunisation coverage amidst 2009-2013. Although a big challenge, if
implemented effectively, Mission Indradhanush is expected to reduce child death rate by a substantial
percentage in the coming years thereby ensuring lower mortality and morbidity from diseases.+++

====================================================================================

Yojana
Empowerment of Women
The principle of gender equality is enshrined in the constitution in its preamble, fundamental rights, fundamental
duties and directive principles. The constitution not only grants equality to women, but also empowers the state
to adopt measures in favour of women. In keeping with this principle of equality and inclusive growth, the state
has adopted various measures to empower women.

Empowerment, as an enabling process will only be achieved when an improvement in the condition of women in
terms of health, education, safety and security including financial security is ensured.
Health

[] To address the problem of maternal and child under nutrition, the Integrated Child Development Services
(ICDS) scheme has been universalized and strengthened.
[] The programme covers close to 1.9 crore pregnant and expecting mothers and 8.5 crore children under the
age of six.
[] To accelerate the pace of reduction Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) in several interventions have been made
by the Government.
[] Promotion of institutional deliveries through Janani Suraksha Yojana
[] Absolute free and no expense delivery, including caesarean for all pregnant women delivering in public health
institutions, under Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakaram
[] Mother and Child protection card to monitor service delivery for mother and children
[] Mother and child tracking system to ensure ante-natal, intra-natal and post-natal care along with immunization
services
[] Maternal Death Reviews to take corrective action at appropriate levels and to improve the quality of obstetric
care

Education

[] The Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009 was enacted to make free and compulsory primary education a right
for all children.
[] Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan was rolled to universalize access to education at primary and upper primary levels.
[] A Gender parity Index score of 1.0 at primary and 0.95 at upper primary levels was achieved with the help of
SSA
[] A nationwide sub programme to the SSA called “Padhe Bharat, Badhe Bharat” has been launched to ensure
that learning levels of Class I and Class II students in reading, writing language, comprehension and
mathematics is at par with the world
[] Vidyanjali (School Volutee programme) is another initiative under SSA to enhance community and private
sector involvement in Government run elementary schools across the country
[] Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyaan in under implementation to enhance access to secondary education
for all children in the age group of 14-18 years and improve its quality
[] Rashtra Uchchattar Shiksha Abhiyaan is being implemented for the holistic development of higher education
[] Vidya Lakshmi (vidyalakshmi.co.in) under Pradhan Mantri Vidya Lakshmi Karyakram provides loan for
students seeking higher education

Safety and Security

[] The criminal law (Amendment) Act, 2013 has been enacted to make punishment for offences like Rape more
stringent and also broadened the meaning of sexual assault and harassment. New offences like sexual
harassment, acid attack, voyeurism and stalking, and disrobing a women have been incorporated in the Indian
Penal Code
[] The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2013 aims to provide a safe
and secured environment for women to work
[] The Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005; for the protection of the rights of women who are
the victims of violence of any kind within the family
[] The Prohibition of Child marriages Act, 2006; for prohibition of solemnisation of child marriages
[] The Protection of Children from Sexual offences Act, 2012 to protect children from offences of sexual attack
[] The Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act (PC & PNDT), 1994 for prohibition of sex
selection, before and after conception
[] The Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Bill, 2016; passed in Rajya Sabha which proposes to increase maternity
leave from 12 weeks to 26 weeks will definitely promote female workforce participation in India
[] For ensuring women’s safety pertaining to the strategic areas of prevention, protection and rehabilitation,
Government has established Nirbhaya Fund. It includes establishment of One Stop Centres for
facilitating/Providing medical aid, police assistance, legal counselling/court case management, psychosocial
counselling and temporary shelter to women affected by violence.
[] The multi-sectoral Beti Bachao Beti Padhao initiative also aims to secure a bright future and welfare of the girl
child in India and address the declining child sex ration and related issues of disempowerment of women over a
life cycle continuum
[] To increase the visibility of women in police force 33% reservation for women in Police force in State and UTs
have been made

Financial Security
[] The flagship programmes like Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, National
Rural Livelihoods mission while providing livelihood security to thousands of rural women, have also provided
them with economic security, empowered them and created rural assets simultaneously.
[] Rashtriya Mahila Kosh is working exclusively for poor women by providing them with regular funds and
facilitating market linkages
[] Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana has given confidence to lakhs of women in opening their first bank account
and a breakthrough to overcome the vicious cycle of poverty and debt
[] Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) launched to help them securing a decent employment to
move out of poverty
[] Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana has also been launched under the Beti Padhao Beti Bachao.

Uplitfment of women in Agricultural Sector

As per 2011 census, 65% of the total female workers in India are enaged in agriculture.

[] Of the total cultivators (118.7 million), 30.3% are females.

[] Out of 144.3 million agricultural labourers, 42.6% are women.
[] In 2001, female agricultural labourers were 21% which increased to 23% in 2011.

As per directives for the Women Component Plan, the state governments have been asked to ensure flow of
funds to the tune of 30% for the benefits of women farmers. The programmes include:

[] State extension programmes for extension reforms under sub-mission on agricultural reforms (SMAE),
National Food Security Mission, National Mission On Oil Seed And Oil Palm and National Mission On
Sustainable Agriculture, Sub Mission For Seed And Planting Material, Sub Mission For Agricultural
Mechanisation and Mission For Integrated Development of Horticulture.
[] The primary objective of ‘Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana’ implemented by Ministry of Rural
Development is to empower women in agriculture by making systematic investments to enhance their
participation and productivity, as also create and sustain agriculture based livelihoods of rural women.+++

================================================================================

Kurukshetra
Ways to make Indian Villages Smart
People’s participation is extremely important in development, governments alone cannot do everything.
Community also needs to take responsibility and initiative.

This thinking is behind government’s village scheme ‘Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana’ (SAGY).

The idea behind SAGY

[] India has 6 lakh villages and approx. 2 lakhs Gram Panchayats.

[] Some Gram Panchayats have shown exceptional achievement in integrated local development, mainly due to
inspiring leadership and collective action.
[] However, many difficulties and challenges were faced by people in the process.
[] So it was thought to create an institutional mechanism where collective action by community be nurtures and
promoted.
[] Government aspires this through SAGY. Under this, some villages will be developed as model villages through
community participation and remaining villages should be encouraged to emulate them in a competitive spirit.
[] The SAGY does not look at the beneficiaries as receivers and the government as doer.
[] The schemes is inspired by ideals of Mahatma Gandhi whose concept of rural development revolves around
creating model villages for transforming ‘Swaraj’ into ‘Su-raj’. (good governance)
[] As part of the scheme, the villagers will prepare their own development plan, activities and fix targets for
achievement. It seeks to not only provide physical infrastructure and access to basic amenities, but also improve
the standard of living, enrich social capital and build community spirit.

What will SAGY do?

[] Under this scheme, an MP will adopt a village (Gram Panchayat) and develop it as an Adarsh Gram by 2106.
Two more such villages would be developed by 2019 and after that one village every year till 2024.
[] Nominated MPs may choose a GP from rural area of any district in the country. In case of urban constituencies
(where there are no GPs such as Delhi), the MP will identify GP from nearby rural constituency.
[] SAGY does not have separate funding. The funding for model villages has to be ensured through convergence
of existing central and state government schemes eg. Indira Awas Yojana, PM Sadak Yojana. Also, funds from
MPLAD and CSR can be used.

Village Development Plan

[] A Village Development Plan is prepared under MP’s leadership.

[] It is done by involving villagers and leveraging scientific tools with special focus on enabling every poor
household to come out of poverty. This includes personal development, human development, social
development, economic development and environment development.

Model village

[] The village under SAGY will have — smart schools, universal access to basic health facilities, pucca houses
for the homeless, universal PDS for eligible families, e-governance and Aadhar card for all.
[] Pulling every house out of poverty is the main thrust area of the scheme.
[] It also includes ensuring toilets in each household, supply of piped drinking water, all weather connectivity to
main road, electric connection to all households, village libraries, telecom and broadband connectivity.
[] Unlike other schemes, attention would be given to social issues as well like reducing risk behaviours like
alcoholism, smoking and substance abuse among all age groups of population.
[] Women participation in decision making will be encouraged. Mahila Sabhas and Bal Sabhas will be held to
discuss women and children specific issues.
[] Cultural life of village would also be under SAGY. Folk art festivals, having a village song will be promoted.
Sports will be promoted for overall development of youth.
[] Technology will be largely leveraged effectively to make this programme successful. There will be use of
space applications and remote sensing for planning, mobile based technology for monitoring, agriculture
technology for increasing productivity etc.

Implementation and Monitoring

[] The activities under SAGY are very diverse. Hence there is requirement of close coordination and
convergence across different ministries, departments, schemes, MPLADS, state government and private sector.
[] At national level, there will be real time web based monitoring system. Capacity building programme for all,
right from GP functionaries to MPs would be undertaken by Ministry.
[] At state level, there will Empowered Committee headed by the Chief Secretary consisting of relevant
departments and including experts with at least two civil society representatives.
[] The district collector will be the nodal officer for implementing SAGY.

To encourage good performance, 4 types of awards are instituted

o Best practices
o Best charge officers
o Best district collectors
o Best Adarsh Grams

Conclusion

[] Aim of SAGY was clear from the beginning- ‘do it yourself rather than excessively rely on government’.
[] The current government has attempted to break away from past traditions of seeing the government’s role as
benefactor and public as mute beneficiary.
[] This model is based on development with community participation.+++

================================================================================
Kurukshetra
Road to Rural Prosperity
High economic growth in India has certainly reduced the number of rural poor from 50% of the total rural
population in 1993-94 to 28% in 2011-12, yet it has not been able to reduce the gap between the rural and urban
areas.

Monthly per capita expenditure (MPCE) for rural India in 2011-12 was Rs. 1,281 as compared to Rs. 2,402 for
urban India. Thus, per capita urban expenditure was 87% higher than rural consumption.

Hence, there are some practical measures that can be taken to move rural India at a faster pace.

Revamp Agriculture

[] The policy approach to agriculture since 1990s has been to secure increased production through subsidies on
inputs such as power, water and fertiliser and by increasing the minimum support prices, rather than building
new capital assets in surface irrigation, rainwater harvesting, improving credit for small land holders and evolving
new drought policy.
[] Hence, the equity, efficiency and sustainability of the current approach are questionable.
[] Permitting and encouraging water guzzling crops in Punjab and sugarcane in semi-arid areas has led to
excessive withdrawal of groundwater. More than 30% of the blocks in the country have become over-exploited
as groundwater use exceeds the rate of groundwater recharge.
[] Over the years, government policies made agriculture capital intensive which makes agriculturalists less
attractive to banks and insurance companies.
[] As there is no effective control over digging of tubewells in water scarce regions, farmers are borrowing money
from money lenders at high interest rates to dig tube wells.
[] Thus, there is a need to build efficient irrigation systems and water conservation strategies in rain fed regions.
[] The main thrust of the programmes is to combat the impact of climate change in rain-fed areas should be on
activities relating to rain water harvesting, soil conservation, land shaping, pasture development, vegetative
bunding and water resources conservation on basis of compact micro-watershed which could include both
cultivated and uncultivated lands.
[] Agriculture in semi-arid regions have to move away from traditional crop centric farming to agri-pastoral-farm
forestry system.

Promote Value Chain in Agriculture

[] As fruits and vegetables give 4-10 times more returns than from other crops, India needs better mechanisms
a. To increase the communication and direct linkages between small holders producing fruits and vegetables
and large buyers
b. To reduce transaction cost, there has to be more efficient procurement markets, quality standards, and
electronic exchanges enforcing compulsory delivery.
[] Government should take fruits and vegetables out of Mandi committee acts and make their sales and
purchases completely free. This will encourage private sector to go for contract farming and have assured
supply of suitable material for processing.
[] Producer companies, Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) and SHGs can function as aggregators.
[] As farmers cannot perform multiple functions like weighing, loading and unloading freight, depositing goods at
accredited warehouse etc., there is a great opportunity for aggregators and private companies to develop good
business model around performing various functions and thus bridge gap between supply and demand for fruits
and vegetables.

Change the Design of NREGA

[] Despite the fact that NREGA mandates 80% work be related to local water conservation, and drought proofing,
the sustainability and productivity of assets created is never monitored.
[] The result is that the programme is reduced to creating short term unproductive employment with no focus on
asset creation or soil and water conservation.
[] Moreover, the better governed states receive most of the funds irrespective of low incidence of poverty in
those states.
[] More importantly, collective capability is required for management of commons and for new structures created
with NREGA funds.
[] Unfortunately, most projects have failed to generate sustainability because of the failure of various agencies to
involve the people and build their social capital.

Improve Rural Infrastructure

[] As opposed to lack of durable assets in NREGA, PMGSY focuses on construction of allweather roads that has
contributed to improvements in connectivity, government services, transportation, livelihood, commerce,
education, health, land value, infrastructure, social interactions and gender empowerment.
[] Roads are lifeline for rural communities, linking them to markets, education, health and other facilities.
[] Perishable commodities require good road communication as it leads to major increase in productivity and
employment in labour intensive fruits and vegetables industry.
[] The road construction has also attracted complementary investments such as shops and real estates.
[] Roads also facilitate labour movements to better paid jobs in nearby semi-urban regions. They also allow
government workers like health workers, teachers and agriculture extension workers to have easier access to
habitations.
[] Similarly, providing continuous and stable power in rural India would lead to faster industrialisation and better
capacity utilisation of the MSMEs.
[] According to 2011 census, only 10% rural households in Bihar had access to electricity, thus keeping most
households and school going children in complete darkness.

Simplify Laws and Procedures to Promote Non-Farm Enterprise

[] The maze of laws, organisations and practices that confront ordinary citizens in their dealings with government
encourage corruption and harassment.
[] De-regulation has made almost no impact in rural India.
[] Industry worth millions can be established without license but a farmer cannot set up a brick kiln unit, a rice
shelling plant or even cut a tree on his own private field.
[] A simple operation of converting prosopis (a wild shrub) occurring mostly on waste lands into charcoal in Tamil
Nadu requires government permission.
[] It is a sad commentary that the informal sector which provides maximum employment is mostly declared illegal
and subject to the whims of law enforcing agencies.
[] Regulated markets were supposed to improve efficiency, but many official market committees in UP, Punjab
and Haryana make it illegal for farmers to sell through alternative channels (i.e. selling directly to millers). The
markets have emerged as a taxing mechanisms, rather than facilitating farmers to get the best price.

Empower Women through Land Ownership and Employment

[] Of all the disadvantaged people in rural India, interests of women have been least articulated, even by civil
society.
[] Ownership is mostly with male farmers. Not more than 2% land is exclusively in women’s name.
[] Although, Hindu Succession Act has been amended in 2005 giving equal rights to women in inheritance, yet
none of the state governments have taken new law seriously.
[] The Department of Land Resources should launch a campaign to correct revenue records and ensure that
women’s land ownership rights are properly recorded by the states with the intimation to women.
[] The civil society should prepare and circulate pamphlets to MPs that enable them raising concerns about
women’s right to land and property in Parliament.
[] Rural women are being displaced by growing mechanisation. Farmers are switching to mechanical rice
transplanters and combined harvesters are spreading in Bihar.
[] The non-farm jobs such as construction, retail trade and hospitality sector are largely male oriented. These are
generated away from rural areas where males can go on bike but women cant as they don’t know how to ride
even a cycle.
[] Prosperity in India has thus made women more disempowered and dependent on men. Special efforts are
therefore needed to push women’s productive employment.
Reduce Leakages in PDS through DBT

[] Government should abolish the dual pricing system in PDS and sell stocks to fair price shops at market price.
[] The consumer will buy the foodgrains at subsidised price and transfer the remaining amount to seller through
his/her UID card.
[] This will vastly reduce leakages and subsidy and also improve the dealer’s attitude towards the buyer.
[] As of now, the dealer avoids the consumer as his main interest is in selling the grain in open market.
[] Once he is given the grain at market price, he will be forced to welcome the card holder and persuade her/him
to come to his shop at the earliest so that the transfer of subsidy takes place.
[] This would allow PDS entitlements to be accessed anywhere in the country and greatly help the poor migrant
workers who are unable to access their entitlements now.
[] Thus, this would revolutionise PDS by providing genuine choices to entitlement holders and would also cut
down significantly on corruption.

Control absenteeism

[] All ministries/departments should collect quantitative data on absenteeism of both service providers and
service receivers as it throws great deal of light on quality of service.
[] Through a carefully designed methodology backed by technology, it is quite possible to measure the
performance of all service providing agencies, such as police stations, health and anganwadi centres,
panchayats etc. and to what extent they are responsive, efficient and participative.
[] For example, teacher absenteeism is endemic in north, with 2/3rds of teachers employed in the sample school
absent or not teaching at the time of the investigators’ unannounced visits. In rural healthcare, there is marked
absenteeism of doctors/ health workers/ inadequate supervision/ monitoring in most states.
[] Thus, technology should be used not only to monitor attendance but performance of field staff also.

Improve flow of funds

[] Many state governments are not able to draw their entitled funds from GOI nor are able to release these to the
district and villages in time.
[] The result is that GOI diverts these unclaimed funds to better performing states.
[] Thus, it is important that changes are needed in financial procedures at the state level so that utilisation of
funds improves, timely payments are made to the staff and utilisation reports are sent to GOI in time without
delay.
[] The need to reform financial procedures is more urgent now because of the changes in the pattern of fund flow
from GOI, as central funds are no longer passed on to state societies and agencies as before.

Evaluate flagship programmes

[] Although some ministries do concurrent evaluation and engage professional organisations in preparing impact
studies, no corrective action follows from the examination done in reports.
[] Ultimately, the process of hiring a professional for impact study denigrates into another patronage activity, here
favourites are chosen, and the quality of report is secondary consideration.
[] Only creating departmental studies is not sufficient. The findings should be publicised and discussed with key
stakeholders so that improvements in design and delivery can be effected at the earliest.
[] Government should put on its website findings of impact studies and distribute these in the workshops it
conducts.

All these reforms require strong political support. In some states, political pressures for distribution of patronage
are so intense that there is no time or inclination for the ministers and bureaucrats to do conceptual thinking,
design good programmes, weed out unnecessary programmes and monitor the on-going programmes. Such
states should learn from well-performing states which have overcome the anti-incumbency factor by improving
governance and thereby achieving inclusive growth.++++
Blog
Merger of SBI Associate Banks
SBI and its associates’ merger is an unprecedented situation in banking sector where six banks are merging at
the same time.

(Six associate banks-

[] State Bank of Travancore,

[] State Bank of Mysore,
[] State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur,
[] State Bank of Hyderabad,
[] State Bank of Patiala and
[] Bhartiya Mahila Bank)

This step is expected to be a win-win for all. It will be good for staff as they will be getting better facilities almost
at par with SBI. It has been assured by the SBI management and government that there will be no retrenchment.
All the staff members will be absorbed. Earlier also, two mergers have been experienced by SBI- State Bank of
Saurashtra and State Bank of Indore and it never experienced any problem.

SBI has 23700 branches and it will be soon in top 50 banks of world. SBI is right now at 52nd position in terms of
assets (2015). It will be five times in asset size as compared to second largest lender, ICICI bank.

With the merger, the size of the banking asset will be Rs. 37 lakh crore. Their risk operations could be better,
treasury will be united and lot of economy will be there in operation. The risk system is much better. The risk
management is when the bank lends money, it would like to assist the repaying capacity of the borrower, assist
the project viability and assist the risk that the customer has taken in loan. Whenever money is lent, there is a
risk. Whether that risk is worth taking to a particular industry or individual in the current economic scenario of the
country or the world, is determined by the experts with scientific models.

The risk management department assigns the rating- AAA, AA+ etc. that shows that risk rating for lending is
risky or not.

Net profit of SBI was Rs. 9950 crores as against Rs. 1600 crores of associate banks. The NPAs of Bhartiya
Mahila Bank is very less as it is a new bank. The other associates NPAs are 7-9% but for SBI, the NPAs are
6.8%. If all are merged, the total NPAs will be around 7-8% which can be handled by the SBI. SBI has much
better advanced systems of recovery and management of assets. These benefits will now percolate down to the
associate banks. Wherever rationalisation of branches is required, that will be done. Overlapping of business will
be reduced. The SBI chairman has also told that it will benefit the people, customer and borrowers in terms of
pricing of loans and deposits.

Whatever SBI can offer deposit, other small banks may not be in a position to offer to their customers. So,
whatever SBI will offer their customer, the same treatment will be given to the associate banks’ customers. The
benefit of SBI clout will pass on to customer, depositors and borrowers. The PLR, MCLR, base rate are the
latest concept of interest rate.

Base rate= rate at which banks lend money to the people and below it they don’t go. Above it, they have a
premium profit or earning.

Marginal Cost of Lending Rate (MCLR) = MCLR is closely linked to the actual deposit rates. In base rate,
average cost rate was taken. But here marginal cost is taken. So the final rate is given in MCLR.
Now, the base rate and the MCLR of the SBI are almost at 9.1% which is lowest in industry. With merger of
these banks, it will not be affected much. For example, if State bank of Mysore’s rate of interest is 10.25%, with
the merger taking place, the policies of SBI will follow where most of the things are better in comparison to
associate banks.

Innovation of products: SBI has a very big set up which offers lot of innovative products in terms of technology,
opening of Intouch centre, a digital kiosk where technology is available for the customer round the clock. Such
technological advantages were not available to customers of associate banks.

Shares of associate banks- Swap ratio has been decided which will be approved by government and the RBI.
The proposal right now is- for 10 shares of Mysore, 22 shares of SBI will be given. For 10 shares of State Bank
of Jaipur and Bikaner, SBI will give 28 shares. For other three banks, it will be 22 shares. For the two unlisted
banks, State Bank of Hyderabad and State Bank of Patiala, the norms will be different as their swap ratio cannot
be decided. Bhartiya Mahila Bank will have a different formula as it if fully owned by government and also not
listed.

Wealth Management: It is a new product which has been launched by SBI. It is for those High Networth
Individuals or those customers who have disposable funds for investments in stock markets and other sectors
and they don’t have the expertise. The experts in this department will be initially doing service with no fee. So,
the benefit of the expertise of will be available to the SBI customers. It is being offered to non-customers also
who are above a cut-off limit. In PSBs the wealth management products are yet not famous.

Employees’ merger: The employees have been given 15 days’ time to decide if they want to join the SBI or take
VRS. It is expected that most of employees will join SBI as it gives chances of promotion in a more professional
manner.

Key words:

MCLR:

Replaces Base rate system for lending. Base rate system was introduced by RBI in July 2010 to ensure that
banks can not lend below a certain benchmark. Also, to ensure that the changes in interest rate policy is
effectively transmitted to the bank customers

RBI has cut interest rates to the tune of 125 basis points in this fiscal year 2015-16. But, this has not been
effectively transmitted to lending rates offered by the banks. Banks have so far lowered their base rate by only
50-60 basis points.

Now, it is mandatory for the banks to consider the repo rate while calculating MCLR. It also includes

[] Operating expenses
[] Cost of maintaining CRR
[] Marginal cost of funds
> After considering interest rates offered on savings / current / term deposit accounts.
> Based on cost of borrowings i.e., short term borrowing rate which is repo rate & also on long-term borrowing
rates.
> Return on net-worth

Swap Ratio:

Swap ratio is an exchange ratio used in case of mergers and acquisitions.

It is the ratio in which the acquiring company offers its own shares in exchange for the target company’s
shares.+++
Blog
SAUNI Project
Background

PM has recently inaugurated the Rs. 12000 crore project SAUNI - Saurashtra Narmada Avtaran Irrigation yojana
project.

SAUNI

[] SAUNI in local language means something for everyone, hence it will provide water to people of Saurashtra
region.
[] It is not part of Narmada project but is based on it.
[] It aims to take water to water parched Saurashtra region to help in irrigation and providing drinking water
facility.
[] The project has been constructed to deliver the excess flood water from Sardar Sarovar dam to 115 dams of
the water scarce region through network of canals and pipelines.
[] This project was initiated in 2012. The entire project is expected to be completed by 2019.

This is an important project based on the new concept of pipeline network instead of open canal network. The
dams store flood water and utilises that flood water for beneficial purpose. In this project, the excess water which
otherwise would have gone to the sea will be diverted for irrigation and drinking purposes. A network of 1125
kms of pipelines will be present instead of open channels. The water through pipelines has many advantages-

1. No seepage into ground

2. No evaporation
3. It can traverse adverse gradient
4. There is no land acquisition as underground pipes are laid

Problems faced due to water scarcity

[] The water scarcity is the great impediment in economic development of any region as there cannot be
meaningful development without water.
[] Saurashtra frequently faces draught like conditions.
[] It has experienced migration over the years.
[] People were dependent on one crop and that too was dependent on rain.
[] There was paucity of drinking water and salinity issues as people had to bore deep to get water.

But now, because of the assured water supply through pipes, irrigation of two crops a year will be possible,
people who had migrated will return and lack of drinking water issue will be solved. New irrigation techniques will
be possible through assured drinking water.

Engineering marvel

The water will go through hundreds of kilometres to fill the dams and when it is completed, it is expected to
irrigate 12 lakh hectares of arid Saurashtra region. Thus, the total irrigation potential is very huge.

Excess flood water is usually considered waste because there is a feeling that if excess of water is there, it
should be allowed to reach the sea without creating much disturbance in its path. But, if a dam is put across and
flood water is transferred to reservoirs, then these reservoirs become the storehouse of energy. Such dams are
called multipurpose as they provide water for irrigation, drinking water, prevent flood problems etc.
It is an old problem of water scarcity in one region and flood in another. This project has interlinking concept and
through dams it should be possible to take water from water surplus area to water deficit area through pipes.

However, the problems occurring in the transportation pipes like seepage or choking due to excessive silt etc.
will be taken care of through manholes or any other cleaning mechanisms proposed.

Participatory decision making

Issues like water hold the importance of participatory decision making the most due to its conflicting nature.
Water distribution and water use has to be managed necessarily with participatory approach.

Participatory Irrigation Management (PIM) has been a component of Command Area Water Development
programme implemented by ministry of water resources with help of Central Water Commission. It has been
enacted by 16 states and more than 80000 of water users associations have been formed which are working to
manage irrigation infrastructure, collecting water and distributing water among the beneficiary stakeholders

When projects like SAUNI will be implemented, people will be encouraged to engage into collective and efficient
usage of water.

Conclusion

Water is a sensitive issue in India because the scarcity of water is being faced increasingly and per capita
availability is going down. The pipes will help to curtail the losses and have optimum efficiency.+++

==============================================================================

Blog
Draft National Water Framework Bill, 2016
The Central Government has brought final draft of the National Water Framework Bill, 2016 to provide uniform
national legal framework to manage water in a better and efficient way

The comprehensive draft Bill proposes model law for all states. However, water being a State subject under VII
Schedule of constitution the law will be not binding on States for adoption.

It provides an umbrella statement of general principles governing the exercise of legislative or executive (or
devolved) powers by the Centre, the states and the local governance institutions.

Need

The water shortage problem is escalating and country has witnessed acute drought situation in certain parts. In
future, such situations may increase backdrop of climate change. Besides, presently in absence of institutional
arrangement there are inter-state water disputes because states do not their contributions to a river’s catchment
area to resolve conflicts.

Key Features of Bill

[] Every person has a right to sufficient quantity of safe water for life within easy reach of the household
regardless of his/her socio-economic factors.
[] All basin states have equitable rights over the use of river water provided such use does not violate the right to
water for life of any person in the river basin.
[] States must recognise the principle that the rivers are public trustees and not owned by the basin-States.
[] All the basin States are equal in rights and status, and there is no hierarchy of rights among them. Here
equality of rights means not equal but equitable shares in river waters.
[] Managing water at river basin-level and right measurement of State’s contribution to river system to in order to
resolve conflicts.
[] Establishing River Basin Authority (RBA) for each inter-State basin to ensure optimum and sustainable
development of rivers and valleys.
[] Establishing institutional arrangements to deal with inter-state water disputes in order to “obviate” disputes
through negotiations, mediation or conciliation.
[] Proposes other mechanisms such as National water quality and footprint standards, Integrated river basin
development and management plan and Graded pricing system.

Concept of ‘Public trustees’

[] It suggests States to recognise the principle that the rivers are not owned by the basin-States but are “public
trustees.”
[] It says all basin States have “equitable” rights over a river water “provided such use does not violate the right
to water for life” of any person in the river basin.
[] The draft Bill says every person has a “right to sufficient quantity of safe water for life” within easy reach of the
household regardless of caste, creed, religion, age, community, class, gender, disability, economic status, land
ownership and place of residence.
[] It also suggests that States ensure water is conserved.+++
Essay
Growing level of competition: Bane or Boon for Youth
The duel between triathlon legends Dave Scott and Mark Allen at the 1989 Ironman World Championships is
remembered as one of the greatest races in the history of endurance sports. Allen finally emerged victorious;
defeating Scott, after five successive losses to him. When Dave Scott was interviewed, he admitted that if Mark
Allen was not there as a competitor, he would have finished a minute slower.

As an optimist, this is what I think the effect of growing competition on the youth is. They get a platform to uplift
their performance and negate the effects of certain weaknesses on the same. But, competition comes with loads
of pressure and expectations, under which people often tend to crumble. This gives rise to the negative effects
of competition. Let us analyze the effects of competition on the youth.

Today, a major portion of our population can be classified as 'youth'. Undoubtedly, this is the most challenging
phase of life. This is the time when one strives to turn dreams into reality and make something out of life that
they will cherish in the years to come. After a few initial steps, they realize that millions are trying to reach the
same destination; and obviously all do not succeed. It ultimately boils down to the 'survival of the fittest' theory.
And, with the ever-increasing population, the intensity of competition rises exponentially. Pertaining to the youth,
the competition is usually based on educational and employment scenarios.

The million dollar question is, 'Is the growing level of competition good for the youth?' It all depends on the
mentality of the people. Let us see how.

Some people believe that competition is the best way to assess one's strengths and weaknesses. In fact,
'strength' and 'weakness' are relative terms. Unless they are compared with others, they have no existence. And,
one cannot move ahead in life without the proper analysis of the above two factors.

A unique feature of a certain competition is that the increase in number of competitors and the competitiveness
of the people increase the overall standard of the competition itself. And, if this represents a certain feature of
the country, it is a matter of great pride for the nation. For example, if we have thousands of people, all equally
able, vying for a prestigious post in the Government of India, other nations form a very high opinion of the
Government, its officials and the country as a whole.

Sometimes, competition pushes us to perform far better than our own capabilities. It serves as an ignition to our
performance. Referring to Herzberg's two -factor theory in management, competition is a motivating factor. It is a
necessary element to make a person do his job with interest. Also, we often tend to lose focus midway of a
certain task, if we lack competition.

Amidst all these, there is something about competition that people often feel is not correct. Indulging way too
much in it allows us a very minimal time for ourselves. We often forget that we have a life outside competing.
The pressure that a competition encases is also unbearable to some. Parents and elders also contribute to this
already existing pressure. This can have hazardous effects. A certain agency has shown India to have the
highest number of youth suicide in recent years; and, as we all know, India is the second-most populated
country in the world. Can we find the missing link? Obviously, it is competition.

The recent incidents in Kota, India's 'coaching capital' have left the country stunned. The grueling schedule of
the students often leads to frustration and the only way they think of getting rid of all these, is death. Drug
menace also has competition and peer pressure as some of its root causes. Thousands of youth ruin
themselves when they think that they are not as good as others and begin to lose ground while competing.

Through this essay, I want to convey that competition, taken as a sport and a way to improve ourselves is
productive and may be life changing; but if we overdo it; self-destruction is imminent. We need to be an optimist
and try to bring out the best in adverse situations.

"When the going gets tough, the tough gets going."

Most importantly, we must compete with a spirit of sportsmanship. In a race, the man who lends a hand to his
fallen opponent earns greater respect than the eventual winner. We must not lose our values and righteousness
while competing and believe me, this is one of the toughest things to do.

"When you compete with someone as good or better than you, you may not always win, but you never lose." -
Michael Josephson, former law professor and author.+++

PIB
India's Competitiveness Index & Paris Deal Ratification
India climbs steadily in the Global Competitiveness Index

About– Union Finance Minister said that in an extremely positive development, data released by the World
Economic Forum (WEF) shows that India’s ranking in the Global Competitiveness Index (GCI) has improved by
16 places for the second year in a row.

Latest Ranking-

According to the latest ranking, India is placed 39th among 138 countries, ahead of BRICS countries other than
China which is ranked 28th

GCI

[] Global Competitiveness Index released by the World Economic Forum is one of the major studies which
indicate how a country scores in the scale of global competitiveness.
[] Index is calculated by aggregating indicators across 12 pillars which again are clubbed together in three broad
sub-indices, namely basic requirements, efficiency enhancers and innovation and sophistication factors.
[] Report covers both business and social indicators which, directly or indirectly, impacts the competitiveness of
the country in the global arena.

12 pillars underlying GCI include- Institutions, Infrastructure, Macroeconomic environment, health and primary
education, higher education and training, goods market efficiency, labour market efficiency, financial market
development, technological readiness, market size, business sophistication and innovation

India’s improvement-

[] India’s rank has steadily improved from 71 in 2014-15 to 55 in 2015-16 and to 39 in the latest report. With this
improvement in its ranking, India has covered a long distance and is well on its way to emerge as a major player
in the global economy.
[] The landmark improvement in the Global Competitiveness rankings India is in consequence of the structural
reforms and policy initiatives taken by GOI in the last two years and should be viewed as an encouragement to
us to continue with the agenda of reforms which would further streamline economic decision making and help us
move up on the index of global competitiveness.
[] India’s competitiveness has improved this year across the board, in particular in goods market efficiency,
business sophistication and innovation. The macroeconomic environment also improved due to better monetary
and fiscal policies and lower oil prices.

Report Analyses-

[] The Report analyses how India’s competitiveness score had stagnated between 2007 and 2014 till the new
government took office and undertook a range of reforms including opening the economy to foreign investors
and international Improvements in infrastructure which were small and faltering during most of the past decade,
actually picked up after 2014 when the government increased public investment and speeded up the approval
procedures.
[] Similarly, the institutional environment deteriorated until 2014, as mounting governance scandals and
inefficiencies led to a loss of trust in public administration but this trend was reversed in 2014.
[] Macroeconomic conditions also followed a similar path and the country was able to keep a lid on inflation and
reduce both the current account and fiscal deficits. India also ranks 8th in the strength of investor protection.
[] There is however no room for complacency and Government will continue to focus on areas which need
improvement.
[] In the coming months and years, significant improvement in goods market efficiency may be expected from the
implementation of the Goods and Services Tax which will reduce fragmentation of the domestic market.

Cabinet & Prez approves ratification of the Paris Agreement

Paris Agreement-

[] Paris Agreement was adopted by 185 nations last year on 12th December 2015 and India signed the Paris
Agreement in New York early this year on 22nd April 2016.
[] A total of 191 countries have signed to the Paris Agreement so far. As per the provisions of the Paris
Agreement, the treaty will come into force as and when 55 countries contributing to 55 % of total global emission
ratify the agreement.

India’s step –

[] India’s decision to ratify the agreement will take the number of cumulative level of emission of countries that
have ratified the agreement so far to 51.89%.
[] After EU has also ratified the Agreement, it has now enter into force and is expected give a thrust to the global
actions to address climate change.
[] With its decision to ratify the Agreement, India will be one of the key countries that will be instrumental in
bringing the Paris Agreement into force.
[] Given the critical role that India played in securing international consensus on Paris Agreement, the decision
will further underline India’s responsive leadership in the community of nations committed to global cause of
environmental protection and climate justice.
[] While agreeing to ratify the Paris Agreement, the Cabinet has also decided that India should declare that India
will treat its national laws, its development agenda, and availability of means of implementation, its assessment
of global commitment to combating climate change, and predictable and affordable access to cleaner source of
energy as the context in which the Agreement is being ratified.
[] Paris Agreement pertains to post-2020 climate actions. In the pre-2020 period, developed countries are to act
as per Kyoto Protocol and some developing countries have taken voluntary pledges.
[] The president also gave his assent to the agreement after it was approved by Cabinet.+++

===============================================================================

Blog
Article 47 of The Constitution & Prohibition Acts
Article 47 of The Constitution of India is one of the Directive Principles which directs the State to raise the level
of nutrition and the standard of living and to improve public health as among its primary duties and, in particular,
the State shall endeavour to bring about prohibition of intoxicating drinks and drugs which are injurious to health.

Under this Article of constitution several Prohibition Regulations acts are passed by different state governments:

[] The Lakshadweep Prohibition Regulation, 1979

[] The Nagaland Liquor Total Prohibition Act, 1989
[] Bombay Prohibition (Gujarat Amendment) 2009
[] Bihar Excise (Amendment) Act, 2016

Supreme Court's backing of Kerala Liquor ban

The Supreme Court has earlier approved Kerala’s new liquor policy that prohibits drinking in public and restricts
serving of alcohol to five-star hotels reminding all state governments that the Constitution places a responsibility
on them to “at least contain, if not curtail, consumption of alcohol”.

It underlined: “The court cannot be blind to the fact that a social stigma at least as far as the family unit is
concerned is still attached to the consumption of alcohol. Free trade in alcohol denudes family resources and
reserves and leaves women and children as its most vulnerable victims.”

The apex court found favour with Kerala’s argument that the policy aimed to curb excessive consumption of
alcohol in the state, which constitutes almost 14 per cent of the national consumption rate.
Patna HC & Bihar Liquor ban

The Patna High Court has struck down the Bihar government’s draconian policy of total prohibition, extending to
putting behind bars members of a household on whose premises liquor is found. One hooch tragedy has already
taken place and claimed 16 lives. There have also been worrying reports of a rise in drug use in the state.
Prohibition has led to a rise in crime, wherever it has been implemented, besides erosion in respect for the law.

However, the court struck down Nitish Kumar’s policy on grounds that relate to unsoundness of the legal means
and lack of consistency of the policy with official grant of licences for manufacture and sale of Indian-made
foreign liquor in the state. While one judge held that prohibition violated the fundamental right of liberty and the
derived right to privacy guaranteed by the Constitution, the other judge on the bench dissented, opining that
since one of the Directive Principles of State Policy commends prohibition, it cannot be deemed to violate a
fundamental right.

Does alcohol prohibition really work in India?

It’s no secret that states with prohibition have failed to fully control the sale or consumption of alcohol. Nagaland
has been a dry state since 1989. But it borders Assam, which helps in keeping an uninterrupted flow of alcohol
into the state. But just across the border, on the road that enters Assam from Nagaland’s Dimapur, one can spot
rows of liquor shops and makeshift bars. It is not difficult to find pubs hidden in residential complexes in Dimapur
either.

In Gujarat, a dry state since 1960 when it was carved out from the Bombay State, it is said that booze gets
delivered to the doorstep faster than pizza, with the right contacts (locally called folder). For those who don’t,
places such as Abu Road in the north or Daman and Diu in the south are where Gujaratis flock to quench their
thirst.

In Bihar too, as reported in Hindustan Times, people are crossing over to bordering Nepal where alcohol is being
sold at a premium, or going to shops in Jharkhand, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh.

Mizoram’s excise and narcotics minister, R Lalzirliana, had reportedly said, “As the prohibition only increased the
sale of spurious liquor, we strongly felt the need to lift the prohibition.”

A policy analysis titled ‘Alcohol prohibition was a failure’ by American economist, Mark Thornton, mentions that
prohibition was undertaken to reduce crime and corruption, solve social problems, reduce the tax burden, and
improve health and hygiene in America. Instead, he writes, it was a miserable failure on all counts. Thornton’s
research on prohibition, too, points out how a gradual decline in rate of serious crimes was unintentionally
reversed by the prohibition movement. A 78 percent increase over the pre-prohibition days was seen in homicide
rate in America, he noted.

Loss of Revenue

Kerala faces an estimated loss of more than Rs.7,000 crore annually and Gujarat loses an estimated Rs 2,000-
3,000 crore in revenue per year. Bihar will lose more than Rs.4,000 crore annually through excise collection.

Directive Principle vs. Fundamental Right

Merely because the founding fathers thought it fit to include two conflicting principles in the Constitution, it does
not mean that the conflict ceases to be. Article 47 says that the State shall endeavour to bring about prohibition
of intoxicating drinks and drugs that are injurious to health. To ensure food safety, the government has set up a
food regulator. Similarly for drugs. Drugs are beneficial or injurious depending on quantity and frequency. So is
the case with food.

Article 47 is, thus, unscientific and irrational, apart from being illiberal and violative of the fundamental right to
liberty. Contemporary India’s basic law should not contain such an illiberal provision. Whatever the compulsions
that led the founding fathers to insert Prohibition in the Constitution, the time has come to rid it of Article 47, and
of other such illiberal provisions.+++
Essay
Education without values: Useful or a complete waste
The term education is coined from a Latin word educare which means ‘to bring up’. Education aims not merely
the supply some knowledge on various subjects, but it is aiming at developing certain habits and personality in a
child. Swami Vivekananda says,” Education is the manifestation of perfection already in man.” School is the first
place for everyone to meet different types of people from different cultures. Education changes a baby who was
cared by its parents to a socialized human being. Schools teach them the lessons of unity, cooperation and
adjustments. It prepares a person to face and cope up with the society and his/her future itself. It trains a person
how to take things positively and how to shape their own future.

Robert Frost once said that “I’m not a teacher, but an awakener.“ Education is a kind of awakening from the
empty darkness to a wide and bright world. It drives at not only some certificates or job, but the main intention of
education is the alround development of a man. Besides knowledge, education should develop a better culture,
health and psychology in the students. Education is the development of a sound mind in a sound body.

Now days, education is too marketised. Most of the parents and students aim at how much more profit will they
get according to the money invested for education. Their thoughts become more and more materialistic. They
only consider their educational period as a capital deposited before a business. We always forget the main aim
of education. Education is really a foundation on which a personality is built. If foundation is damaged, the whole
life will go out of hand. That’s why presently we witness a lot of crimes and misconducts from highly educated
people too.

Many highly educated people are becoming terrorists and cheats. So, the question is, if we can’t create some
moral base in pupil, what is the use of education and why are we going to schools? Education without values is
a complete waste and it is poisonous too. Many advanced science and technologies are used for bad deeds. So,
simple literacy doesn’t mean education. Criminals with high educational qualifications are not really educated.
They are just literates.

Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of US once wrote a thought provoking letter to his son’s teacher. In his
letter, he narrates the real values of education. He tells the teacher to teach his son many things such as,

[] It is far honourable to fail than to cheat

[] Teach him not to follow the crowd
[] Teach him to listen to all men and take only the good that comes through
[] Teach him never to put a price-tag on his heart and soul
[] Let him have the patience to be brave

The each and every line of the letter speaks us about the real values of education. Abraham Lincoln was mostly
self-educated, but he knew what education was. Today most of the parents don’t consider the main values of
education. The book by-heating system and the syllabus formulated studies closes the windows towards the
society. Education should stay connected with the society and it should be practical too. When children study
things connected with the society they will develop a real knowledge about their surroundings.

Consequently, when they study matters linked with society, a social sense and moral values will develop in them
automatically. The inborn talents of children should be recognized and it will help in the development of their
personality. The programs such as youth festivals, sports day, etc. should be encouraged. Many world famous
talents have found their right way from their school days itself. The mode of teaching has a great role in shaping
an identity. Service oriented activities such as NCC, NSS, Scouts and Guides should be promoted. This will
improve the service mindedness in the children at their tender age itself. The market eye of children should be
reduced urgently in the today’s context and when looking at the future.
Alongside the formal curriculum there should be a hidden curriculum in a children’s learning process. Teachers
act as same as or more important role than that of parents today. The right values should be taught through
practices. A critical thought and mental capacity should be increased in the students. Moral values and character
development should be given the priority. And the education should not put a full stop in the books. When we
know about the vast world around us, and when we study to analyse it, and when we learn to think positively, the
true education begins.

Let us remember the words of Margaret Mead, “Children must be taught how to think, not what to think.”+++

Essay
With greater power comes greater responsibility
Power is the term used for the ability to govern. It is the capability of making decision, influencing other's
decision at individual level and by extension at national level to create healthy self-image.

Power can work as stimulant and at the same time as intoxicant. There are leaders like Nelson Mandela,
Jawahar Lal Nehru who made good use of their power to enthuse democratic, benevolent and progressive
ideology in their society. We also have examples of leaders like Robert Mugabe and Kwame Nkrumah and many
others who though having their heart at right place could not exercise their power correctly and made bad use of
their power for personal benefit.

After World War 2 the world divided into two block leaded by USA and USSR who influenced the decision
making of the countries associated with their leading block. It was the power of the USA and the USSR which
made them influence the ideology of their following countries and world got divided into socialist and open
market economies. At the same time the power politics of these two faction brought the world at the brink of war,
a totally destructible war. The world was sitting on the pile of atom bomb which could have ended the entire
humanity at any time with a little provocation conversely the atomic power also made these countries
responsible and both avoided any real confrontation.

Nelson Mandela spent 27 years of his youthful life in prison and was released only in 1990 under huge pressure
and growing fear of racial war. Mr. Mandela was selected as the president of South Africa in the general election
of 1994 which gave him absolute power and he could have used this power to take revenge for the hardship he
and his race was made through by the outgoing regime but he used his power responsibly and turned South
Africa into a flourishing democracy where everyone has same rights without any discrimination.

Power has a great effect on our mind. It make us think others as less powerful or even powerless and if not used
judiciously may turn us into an anarchist. We have a great example of person like Adolf Hitler who turned the
entire world into a battle field. Mr. Hitler became president of Germany in 1934 and turned the entire world into a
battle field. Millions of Jews were massacred on racial basis who should have been provided with better
opportunity for the development of Germany. If he has used his power responsibly the World War 2 couldn't had
happened and millions of life could have been saved.

We have one of the best example of great power with great responsibility as our own country India which has
flourished into a vibrant, developing democracy because of judicious application of power by our successive
government who developed belief in democracy, social development, inclusive society and scientific temper.
Today, our country is the 10th largest economy nominally and 3rd largest on PPP basis because of successive
responsible power in centre and in states. We also have a country in our neighbour ship Pakistan who became
independent at the same time though after division of our country is struggling with chronic problem of poverty,
terrorism and various other social stigmas.

It is rightly said that "All power corrupts, but some must govern".+++
Blog
Global cost of India-Pakistan nuclear war
If India and Pakistan fought a war detonating 100 nuclear warheads (around half of their combined arsenal),
each equivalent to a 15-kiloton Hiroshima bomb, more than 21 million people will be directly killed, about half the
world’s protective ozone layer would be destroyed, and a “nuclear winter” would cripple the monsoons and
agriculture worldwide.

These projections were made by researchers from three US universities in 2007.

The real costs would be enormous and not just in India and Pakistan, where the first 21 million people–half the
death toll of World War II–would perish within the first week from blast effects, burns and acute radiation,
according to the 2007 study by researchers from Rutgers University, University of Colorado-Boulder and
University of California, Los Angeles, all in the USA.

This death toll would be 2,221 times the number of civilians and security forces killed by terrorists in India over
nine years to 2015, according to an IndiaSpend analysis of South Asia Terrorism Portal data.

Another two billion people worldwide would face risks of severe starvation due to the climatic effects of the
nuclear-weapon use in the subcontinent, according to this 2013 assessment by the International Physicians for
the Prevention of Nuclear War, a global federation of physicians.

Pakistan has an estimated 110 to 130 nuclear warheads as of 2015–an increase from an estimated 90 to 110
warheads in 2011–according to this report from the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, a global disarmament
advocacy. India is estimated to have 110 to 120 nuclear warheads.

Pakistan’s nuclear weapons capability has previously deterred India from responding to previous attacks.

“At the end of the day, India has to ensure that the options it exercises–particularly the military ones–do not
leave it worse off than before in terms of casualties and costs,” wrote analyst Manoj Joshi in The Wire.

It does not really matter if India has fewer nuclear weapons than Pakistan, IndiaSpend reported in April, 2015,
primarily because of the doctrine of “mutually assured destruction”, or MAD, as it is commonly known (See this
IndiaSpend report for more about India’s nuclear weapons program).

Pakistan’s nuclear weapons

As many as 66 percent Pakistani nuclear warheads are mounted on 86 land-based ballistic missiles, according
to Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists data estimates.

Pakistan’s Hatf (named after the sword of Prophet Muhammad) series of ballistic missiles has been developed–
and is still under development–keeping India in mind.

A major attack by Pakistan’s nuclear-tipped medium-range ballistic missiles (MRBMs) would likely target India’s
four major metropolitan cities–New Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Chennai (depending on where the missile is
fired from), according to Sameer Patil, fellow, national security, ethnic conflict and terrorism at Gateway House,
a think tank in Mumbai. Nearly half (40) of Pakistan’s ballistic missile warheads could be mated to Ghauri
(named after 12th-century Afghan king Shahbuddin Ghauri, also known as Muhammad of Ghauri) MRBMs. The
missile has a claimed range of 1,300 km and can target Delhi, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur,
Bhopal and Lucknow, according to this 2006 report on Pakistan’s ballistic missile programme by the National
Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS), Bengaluru.
Pakistan has an estimated eight warheads which could be mated to the Shaheen (Falcon) II. This MRBM has a
range of 2,500 km and can target most major Indian cities, including Kolkata on the east coast.

Pakistan also has eight nuclear-tipped 350-km Babur cruise missiles with nuclear warheads.

India’s triad: Submarine, missile and aircraft

India has deployed 56 Prithvi (earth) and Agni (fire) series of surface-to-surface ballistic missiles, which carry 53
percent of India’s 106 estimated warheads, according to the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists.

This doesn’t take into account the estimated 12 warheads for the K-15 Sagarika submarine-launched ballistic
missiles (SLBMs), which India has possibly produced for the nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine INS
Arihant. The fallout of the nuclear attacks on Lahore and Karachi, for instance, would not just be restricted to the
Pakistani territory, and depending on the wind directions, can affect both Indian and Afghan border territories.

The 250 km-range Prithvi SRBM acts as a delivery system for 24 of India’s warheads. These are capable of
hitting major Pakistani cities, such as Lahore, Sialkot, the capital Islamabad, and Rawalpindi, according to this
May 2015 IndiaSpend analysis.

India has 20 nuclear-tipped Agni I SRBM and eight Agni II intermediate range ballistic missiles (IRBMs), with
ranges of 700 km and 2,000 km, respectively. These are capable of covering almost all Pakistani cities, including
Lahore, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Multan, Peshawar, Karachi, Quetta and Gwadar.

Agni III, IV and V, with their longer ranges, might be able to reach all of Pakistan, but it can be safely said that
they are directed more towards China.

India also possesses an estimated two ship-launched 350-km range Dhanush SRBM, which could be fitted with
nuclear warheads. India’s aircraft can deliver an estimated 45 percent of 106 warheads. The Indian Air Force’s
Jaguar fighter bombers can deliver about 16 nuclear warheads, while the French-built Mirage-2000 fleet can
deliver 32.

[Reference: Firstpost].+++

=================================================================================

Blog
Indus Water Treaty & its abrogation!
The Indus Waters Treaty is a water-distribution treaty between India and Pakistan, brokered by the World Bank
(then the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development). The treaty was signed in Karachi on
September 19, 1960 by Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru and President of Pakistan Ayub Khan.

According to this agreement, control over the three "eastern" rivers — the Beas, the Ravi and the Sutlej — was
given to India, while control over the three "western" rivers — the Indus, the Chenab and the Jhelum — to
Pakistan.

It covers the water distribution and sharing rights of six rivers -- Beas, Ravi, Sutlej, Indus, Chenab and Jhelum.
The agreement was brokered by the World Bank.

Why was the agreement signed?

The agreement was signed because the source of all the rivers of the Indus basin were in India (Indus and
Sutlej, though, originate in China). It allowed India to use them for irrigation, transport and power generation,
while laying down precise do's and don'ts for India on building projects along the way. Pakistan feared that India
could potentially create droughts in case of a war between the two countries. A Permanent Indus Commission
set up in this connection has gone through three wars between the two countries without disruption and provides
a bilateral mechanism for consultation and conflict-resolution through inspections, exchange of data and visits.

What is the Indus Waters Treaty and can India abrogate it?

The treaty gave the three "eastern rivers" of Beas, Ravi and Sutlej to India for use of water without restriction.
The three "western rivers" of Indus, Chenab and Jhelum were allocated to Pakistan. India can construct storage
facilities on "western rivers" of up to 3.6 million acre feet, which it has not done so far. India is also allowed
agriculture use of 7 lakh acres above the irrigated cropped area as on April 1, 1960.

Is there a dispute?

Although the two countries have been managing to share the waters without major dispute, experts say that the
agreement is one of the most lop-sided with India being allowed to use only 20 percent of the six-river Indus
water system. Pakistan itself has sought an international arbitration if India sought to build hydro power projects
on the Jhelum and Chenab rivers. Though the agreement has been seen as one of the most successful water-
sharing pacts, the current tension between the two South Asian neighbours might well lead to a flashpoint.
Strategic affairs and security experts say that future wars could well be fought over water.

Could India abrogate the agreement?

This is unlikely since the treaty has survived three wars between the two countries. Although India raised the
issue, saying that for a treaty to work there had to be "mutual cooperation and trust" between the two sides, this
seems to be more pressure tactics than any real threat to review the bilateral agreement. And the idea that India
can intimidate Pakistan by threatening to cut of river waters is nothing new. It has arisen before every major
conflict. A unilateral abrogation would also attract criticism from world powers, as this is one arrangement which
has stood the test of time.

Short of abrogation, can India do something?

Some experts have said that if India starts making provision for storage facility involving the "western rivers",
which it is allowed under the treaty of up to 3.6 million acre feet, this may send a strong message to its
neighbour. Pakistan has often sought arbitration proceedings just on mere impression that India may do so,
seeking to dissuade its larger neighbour from tinkering with the status quo.

The treaty has stood the test of time. It includes the wars of 1965 and 1971, Kargil war of 1999 and the Kashmir
insurgency since 1990.

How does the Treaty affect Kashmir valley?

As 80 per cent of Indus water belongs to Pakistan, it makes sure to keep Jammu and Kashmir short of electricity
and industrial development — in other words, it keeps Kashmiris frustrated.

The feeling of the average Kashmiri is that India had made his/her state a "sacrificial goat" by signing the treaty.

India can try to merge the basin of all the six rivers -- Ravi, Beas,Sutlej, Indus, Jhelum and Chenab -- to Indus, a
good solution for India in the long term. It will send a strong message to Pakistan.

Why abrogation of Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan will not be a good idea?

[] 1. India is binded to Bangladesh through the Teesta water-sharing pact and to China through Indus Waters
Treaty, involving majorly the eastern rivers. Abrogation of the deal with Pakistan would create distrust among the
neighbours.
[] 2. The 56-year-old treaty between the two nations was one among the Indo-Pak bilateral affair which was put
in place through an amicable manner. Any abrogation of the Nehruvian era pact would make India lose the
moral high ground
[] 3. If India decides to up the ante against Pakistan, the latter’s time-tested ally China is likely to initiate similar
action. 8 per cent of the Indus river basin is under Chinese territory.
[] 4. The Indus Waters Treaty succeeded in surviving throughout the war-torn history of India and Pakistan. Not
only did both the nations adhere to it across all eras of bad blood, but the water-sharing pact emerged out as a
striking example before the world on how to settle bilateral issues in a peaceful manner.

India can still pull the strings against Pakistan without abrogating the treaty. As per the pact, India can use 62.2
cubic km of the Western rivers. The total amount covered by the rivers before entering Pakistan is 232.5 cubic
km. 170.3 cubic km is reserved for Pakistan as per the treaty. However, over the years, India has made minimal
usage of the Western rivers providing Pakistan more than what is mentioned in the treaty. As per the water-
sharing pact, India can use the water for all forms of non-consumption.+++