Monthly Current Affairs June 2020

Easy to PICK187 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 World Drug Report 2020: UN Recently, the United Nations Office on Drugs the shortage of lancers was eventually and Crime (UNODC), in its 2020 World Drug overcome due to women workers Report, has highlighted the possible increasingly engaged in the poppy-lancing consequences of the Covid-19 process, therefore pandemic on Illegal Drug Production, Supply  The report also Indicated that and Consumption. According to it, due the lockdown is increasing demand for to economic hardship, people may resort to illicit cannabis, given that its production often activities linked to drugs to make a living. The takes place near consumer markets and report further, revealed that the measures taken by traffickers. Drug trafficking by air is governments to counter the pandemic inevitably likely to be completely disrupted by the had double-edged consequences on large-scale restrictions on air travel. There are signs of drug supply. increased use of maritime routes.  Maritime Routes: The recent heroin Imp Points seizures in the Indian Ocean could be interpreted as an indication of an increase  Economic Crisis and Diverted in the use of maritime routes for trafficking heroin to Europe along the ‘southern Focus: There would be reductions route’. While border measures appear to be hindering trafficking in opiates, large in drug-related budgets of the shipments of cocaine are still being trafficked but by alternative means, via sea governments due to Covid-19 and overall routes. increase in drug use, with a shift India and Illicit Drug Trade  Major Hub of Illicit Drug towards cheaper and more harmful Trade: According to a report by the United Nation Office on Drugs and drugs. Some countries, such as Italy, the Crime (UNODC), India is one of the major hubs of illicit drug trade ranging Niger and countries in Central Asia, have from age-old cannabis to newer prescription drugs like tramadol, and experienced a sharp decrease in drug designer drugs like methamphetamine.  Drug Trafficking Routes: India is in seizures, as drug traffickers have diverted the middle of two major illicit opium production regions in the world, their attention to other illegal the Golden Crescent (Iran-Afghanistan- Pakistan) in the west and the Golden activities, including cybercrime and Triangle (South-East Asia) in the east. trafficking in falsified medicines (in Golden Triangle: It represents the region coinciding with the rural mountains of Myanmar, Balkan countries). Other countries, Laos, and Thailand. It is Southeast Asia’s main opium-producing region and one of the oldest including Morocco and Iran, have reported narcotics supply routes to Europe and North huge drug seizures, indicating large-scale drug trafficking.  Impact of Lockdown: The lockdown could hinder the production and sale of opiates in major producing countries as the key months for the opium harvest in Afghanistan are March to June. The decline in international trade resulting from the pandemic could lead to a shortage in the supply of acetic anhydride, a precursor vital to the manufacture of heroin. A shortage of poppy lancers was observed in the western and southern provinces of the country, mainly due to the closure of a border crossing with Pakistan. However,

Easy to PICK188 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 America. against this menace is not compromised in face Golden Crescent: This region of South Asia is a of a pandemic or any other crisis. principal global site for opium production and Additional efforts would be required at the distribution. It comprises Afghanistan, Iran, and national, regional, and international level to Pakistan. carefully analyse methods and trends to understand changes to drug markets in the Associated Challenges: wake of the pandemic. There is a need  Easy Borders: The borders are porous and to understand the change in the strategy of drug difficult to control in the lower Mekong trafficking organisations as a result of the Covid- region so cross-border movements in 19 measures. many places are not significantly hindered by Covid-19 measures.  Evolving Ways of Trafficking: The methods of containerised trafficking, couriers and body-packing have reduced due to shutting down of borders and trade. However, dealers might come up with other ways limiting the impact of reduced trade.  Limited Control: There is limited government control in the Golden Triangle, trafficking would continue at high volumes.  Unaffected Supply: The supply of precursor chemicals is not likely to be disrupted because major organised crime groups source chemicals through direct diversion from industry and not diversion from illicit overseas trade channels. United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime It was established in 1997 and was named as a United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in 2002.It acts as the Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention by combining the United Nations International Drug Control Program (UNDCP) and the Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Division of the United Nations Office at Vienna. **UNODC publishes the World Drug Report. Conclusion Therefore, use of maritime trafficking routes from Myanmar along the Andaman Sea, some of which cross Indian territorial waters must be strategically observed by India to curb the trafficking. Moreover, methods or procedures to deal with illicit drug supply, their usage must be institutionalised in order to ensure that fight

Easy to PICK189 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 Supreme Court ruling- disqualification petitions Supreme Court ruling- disqualification petitions In January 2020, a three-judge bench of the SC expressed its displeasure with the Speaker’s lack of urgency in deciding the disqualification petitions. It ruled that Speakers of assemblies and the Parliament must decide disqualification pleas within a period of 3 months. Extraordinary circumstances are exceptions to this. The ruling settled the law for situations where the timing of the disqualification is misused to manipulate floor tests. The court also recommended the Parliament to consider taking a relook at the powers of the Speakers, citing instances of partisanship. The court also suggested independent tribunals to decide on disqualifications. In the context of Manipur, this ruling meant that Speaker Khemchand had to rule on the disqualification within 3 months since. Importantly, this three-judge bench also ruled that the 2016 reference to a larger bench by a two- judge bench was not needed. [Decisions of a larger bench are precedents, and binding on smaller benches.]

Easy to PICK190 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 UN@75 Declaration Recently, a commemorative declaration celebrates its anniversary. UN Day marks marking the 75th anniversary of the signing of the anniversary of the entry into force of the United Nations (UN) Charter was delayed as the UN Charter and the founding of the member states could not reach an agreement on Organization in 1945. phraseology.  The name \"United Nations\" was coined by United States President Franklin D. The Five Eyes (FVEY)— Australia, Canada, Roosevelt. New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United  The main organs of the UN are: States— along with India, objected to the use of a phrase “shared vision of a common future”, o the General Assembly, which is associated with China. The Five Eyes o the Security Council, (FVEY) network is an intelligence sharing o the Economic and Social Council, alliance between these five countries. o the Trusteeship Council, o the International Court of Justice, The ‘silence’ process was broken at the request of o the UN Secretariat. the U.K’s Ambassador to the UN, who wrote a Demand of Reforms at United Nations letter on behalf of the six countries to the President  Security Council Reforms: In UNSC, the of the 74th General Assembly, suggesting permanent member countries (P5) have alternative wording. Silence process is a made the UN defunct in maintaining peace procedure by which a resolution passes if no and order. Therefore, veto powers of P5 formal objections are raised within a stipulated and composition of UNSC must be made time. However, China, on behalf of itself and more representative of the current world Russia, Syria and Pakistan raised objections to order. the silence being broken. The P5 countries include China, France, The current impasse comes at a time when China’s Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United relationships with a number of countries, States. including India, Australia and the U.S.A, are  Multilateralism: International relations strained. Given the impasse, the UN General today are characterized by the power Assembly President has suggested relationships of the United States, China, an alternatively phrased declaration, which he Russia, India and Europe. has placed under the silence procedure. o A new model of the UN must be 75th United Nations Day formulated, as current world order  The United Nations (UN) will celebrate has changed from bipolar to its 75th anniversary on 24 October 2020. unipolar to multi polar today. o To mark its 75th anniversary in  Democratisation of UN: Developing 2020, the UN is igniting a people’s countries like India are proposing reforms debate: UN75. that seek to democratize the UN, such o Through UN75, the UN will as UNSC reforms, UN peacekeeping encourage people to put their reforms. opinions together to define how  Financial Reforms: This holds the key to enhanced international cooperation the future of the UN. Without sufficient can help realize a better world by resources, the UN's activities and role 2045. would suffer.  Each year on 24th October, the UN

Easy to PICK191 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 Amendments in Postal Ballot System Recently, the Law Ministry has reduced the age o Administrative machinery for limit for senior citizens who opt for postal ballot conducting elections, in the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. Imp Points o Registration of Political parties, o Conduct of Elections,  Now, the voters aged above 65 years or a o Election Disputes, Covid-19 suspect can opt for postal ballot. o Corrupt practices & Electoral  Earlier, in 2019, the Law Ministry offences, & had amended the Conduct of Election o By-elections. Rules to allow persons with disabilities and those who are 80 years of age or above to opt for postal ballot during Lok Sabha and Assembly elections.  Voters of Bihar will be the first to benefit from the amended rules, since Bihar will be the first state to have assembly polls after the coronavirus outbreak in India. Postal Ballots System  Ballot papers are distributed electronically to electors and are returned to the election officers via post.  Currently, only the following voters are allowed to cast their votes through postal ballot: o Service voters (armed forces, the armed police force of a state and government servants posted abroad), o Voters on election duty, o Voters above 80 years of age or Persons with Disabilities (PwD), o Voters under preventive detention.  The exception to the above-mentioned category of voters is provided under Section 60 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951. Representation of the People Act, 1951  This act provides for the actual conduct of elections in India. It deals with the following matters: o Details like Qualification and Disqualification of members of both the Houses of Parliament and the State Legislatures,

Easy to PICK192 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 Digital innovation is the way forward – Over the top platform The Covid-19 pandemic has impacted every Benefits Associated with OTT Platforms single industry, but the businesses that were most  Creative Use of Media: As OTT affected are those which solely rely on social platforms are relatively less subjected to gathering of people and the media and censorship, it helps bring socio-political entertainment industry is not an exception. content or matters to a common man, However, Over the Top (OTT) platforms such which otherwise are censored in as Netflix, Hotstar, Prime Video and online mainstream media. gaming are booming in this time of crisis,  On Demand Media Consumption: The thereby testifying the ongoing information OTT services have a hybrid character as revolution. they combine the passive consumption mode of television and the consumer Though the Indian media landscape has choice of the web. Thus, OTT platforms' traditionally been very dynamic, the issue advantage of playing media anywhere and of content regulation has always been important anytime has created a massive demand for in India because of the diverse nature of Indian it. society in terms of religion, economic status, caste  Sustenance of Media and Entertainment and language. Therefore, the effect that OTT has Industry: The future of traditional media on society forms the basis of its regulation by the platforms such as cinema, live events is in state. jeopardy. This is even applicable post- Thus, there is a need to understand both the Covid era, due to social distancing benefits and challenges associated with the use of becoming a norm in the society. In this Over the Top Platform (OTT) in India. context, OTT platforms serve as a parallel dissemination source of infotainment.

Easy to PICK193 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020  Democratisation of Media: OTT industry is benefiting numerous content producers and artists. It also helps in accessing regional films around the country as well as globally. Issues Lack of Regulation: While traditional media in India are regulated under specific laws such as: Films are regulated under the Cinematograph Act of 1952—which provides for the certification of cinematograph films for public exhibition. The Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995 —that applies to content appearing on cable televisions. However, there is no such specific law for regulation of content over OTT platforms. Censorship Problem: Generally, the Government in India censors the content on grounds of public morality, communal harmony or cultural preservation, among various reasons. However, due to the lack of censorship, content on OTT platforms can disrupt social harmony and moral fabric of society. No Consensus of Self Regulation: OTT platforms had signed a self-regulation code under the aegis of the Internet and Mobile Association of India. However, there’s no consensus on the code amongst the various OTT platforms operating in India. Cultural Homogenisation: India is projected to become the second largest online video-viewing audience by 2020. In this context, OTT platforms are streaming a lot of cross-cultural content. Though it is good for creating a cosmopolitan world, it has aggravated some of the means in the society like cultural imperialism. Conclusion While the government recognizes the need for self-regulation in OTT, it wants video streaming platforms to agree to a common code. Besides, there is a need to include online content explicitly within the ambit of this common code which will prohibit indecency in video streaming, advertisements, books, films, paintings, and writings etc.

Easy to PICK194 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2020 Recently, the Central government has introduced Court of the state. Introduction of Direct Benefit Transfer: Direct the Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2020 to amend Benefit Transfer will be beneficial for both the State Governments and as well as Distribution various provisions in the Electricity Act 2003. Companies. It will be beneficial for the State Government Rationale Behind Amendment: because it will ensure that the subsidy reaches the people who are actually entitled and the State  To address critical issues weakening the Government gets clear accounts of the amount given as subsidy. It will benefit the distribution commercial and investment activities in company by making sure that the subsidies due are received as per the number of beneficiaries. the electricity sector. National Renewable Energy Policy: India is a signatory to the Paris Climate Agreement. It is  The current challenges plaguing the Indian therefore proposed to have a separate policy for the development and promotion of generation of power sector is derived from negligence in electricity from renewable sources of energy. The policy prescribes a minimum percentage of addressing the structural issues. purchase of electricity from renewable sources of production. It seeks to give special attention to  These include operational and financial hydro power. inefficiencies of power generation, transmission and distribution utilities, access and quality of power supply, political interference, lack of private investments, inadequate public infrastructure and lack of consumer participation.  Bringing transparency and accountability to protect the interest of consumers and ensuring healthy growth of the power sector. Key Objectives Sustainability:  Cost Reflective Tariff: There had been the issue of lazy attempts from the commissions in adopting o Ensure consumer centricity, the tariffs determined, causing issues of cost o Promote Ease of Doing Business, escalation. To address this problem, the o Enhance sustainability of the Amendment has prescribed a period of 60 days to adopt the determined tariffs. Failing such a power sector, timeline of 60 days, the tariff would be deemed to o Promote green power, be accepted. Key Amendments Payment Security: It is proposed to empower National Selection Committee: Instead of the Load Dispatch Centres to oversee the separate Selection Committee (for appointment of establishment of adequate payment security Chairperson and members of State Electricity mechanisms before dispatch of electricity, as per Regulatory Commissions-SERCs), there is a contracts. Late payment of dues of generating and proposal to set up a National Selection Committee. transmission companies have reached However, the Central Government is also unsustainable levels. This impairs the finances of considering to continue with the existing separate the Gencos and Transcos and also increases Selection Committees for each state – but make the Non Performing Assets of the Banks. them Standing Selection Committees so that there is no need for constituting them afresh every time Ease of Doing Business: a vacancy occurs. The only difference is that it will now be proposed to be presided by the Chief Justice of the High

Easy to PICK195 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 Establishment of Electricity Contract of power. Enforcement Authority (ECEA): It is an  Recognition of franchisees and sub- Authority headed by a retired Judge of the High Court with powers to execute their orders as licensees might open the sector to private decree of a civil court. players. The Authority will enforce performance of contracts related to purchase or sale or Way Forward transmission of power between a generating The Bill provides the Central government more company, distribution licensee or transmission power to determine tariff and regulations in the licensee. Central Electricity Regulatory power sector. Since electricity is a Concurrent Commission (CERC) and State Electricity subject, States must not be deprived of their Regulatory Commissions (SERCs) do not have powers, through this Amendment. powers to execute their orders as decree of a civil court. Cross Subsidy: The Bill provides for the SERCs to reduce cross subsidies as per the provisions of the Tariff Policy. Miscellaneous: Strengthening of the Appellate Tribunal (APTEL): It is proposed to increase the strength of APTEL to at least seven to facilitate quick disposal of cases. To be able to effectively enforce its orders, it is also proposed to give it the powers of the High Court under the provisions of the Contempt of Courts Act. Penalties: In order to ensure compliance of the provisions of the Electricity Act and orders of the Commission, section 142 and section 146 of the Electricity Act are proposed to be amended to provide for higher penalties. Cross Border Trade in Electricity: Provisions have been added to facilitate and develop trade in electricity with other countries. Distribution sub-licensees: To improve quality of supply, an option is proposed to be provided to Discoms to authorise another person as a sub- license to supply electricity in any particular part of its area, with the permission of the State Electricity Regulatory Commission. Issues involved:  Cost reflective tariff has been a concern for states like Telangana which provide free electricity to the farming sector.  Formation of ECEA has also been criticized as a move towards centralization

Easy to PICK196 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 China Study Group (CSG) China Study Group (CSG)  CSG is a government body in which cabinet secretary and secretaries of Home, external affairs, Defence and representatives of the Army are members.  In the wake of heightened road and track construction work undertaken by China along India’s Northern and Eastern frontiers in 1997, India constituted a China Study Group (CSG) to study the requirement of road communication along the China border for brisk movement of troops in case of any aggression. The idea was to assert the country’s territorial claims and upgrade logistic sustenance capability in these areas.  The group's suggestions are recommendatory in nature for the government.  China Study Group (CSG) studies the frequent complaints of incursions by the People's Liberation Army along the Sino- Indian Line of Actual Control.

Easy to PICK197 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 UN Convention against Torture In news torture, and requires parties to take SC says it can’t direct the government to ratify effective measures to prevent it in any Convention against Torture territory under their jurisdiction. This What is Convention Against Torture ? prohibition is absolute and non-derogable. Convention against Torture and other Cruel, “No exceptional circumstances Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment whatsoever” may be invoked to justify (commonly known as the United Nations torture, including war, threat of war, Convention against Torture (UNCAT)) is an internal political instability, public international human rights treaty, under the review emergency, terrorist acts, violent crime, or of the United Nations, that aims to prevent torture any form of armed conflict. and other acts of cruel, inhuman, or degrading  Ban on refoulement: It also prohibits treatment or punishment around the world. parties from returning, extraditing, The Convention requires states to take effective or refoulingany person to a state “where measures to prevent torture in any territory under there are substantial grounds for believing their jurisdiction and forbids states to transport that he would be in danger of being people to any country where there is a reason to subjected to torture.” The Committee believe they will be tortured. against Torture has held that this danger It was adopted by the General Assembly of the must be assessed not just for the initial United Nations in December 1984 (resolution receiving state, but also to states to which 39/46). The Convention entered into force in June the person may be subsequently expelled, 1987 after it had been ratified by 20 States. returned or extradited. Important provisions of the convention Following are the important provisions of the  Ban on cruel, inhuman, or degrading convention treatment or punishment: Article 16 requires parties to prevent “other acts of  Definition of torture (Article 1): For the cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or purposes of this Convention, the term punishment which do not amount to torture “torture” means any act by which severe as defined in article 1” in any territory pain or suffering, whether physical or under their jurisdiction. Because it is often mental, is intentionally inflicted on a difficult to distinguish between cruel, person for such purposes as obtaining from inhuman, or degrading treatment or him or a third person information or a punishment and torture, the Committee confession, punishing him for an act he or regards Article 16’s prohibition of such act a third person has committed or is as similarly absolute and non-derogable suspected of having committed, or intimidating or coercing him or a third  An act of torture is a criminal person, or for any reason based on offence: Under the convention, each State discrimination of any kind, when such pain Party shall ensure that all acts of torture are or suffering is inflicted by or at the offences under its criminal law. The same instigation of or with the consent or shall apply to an attempt to commit torture acquiescence of a public official or other and to an act by any person which person acting in an official capacity. It constitutes complicity or participation in does not include pain or suffering arising torture. only from, inherent in or incidental to lawful sanctions. Obligation of States: The states which are party to this convention are required to take the  Ban on torture: The convention prohibits following steps:  Take preventive actions against torture

Easy to PICK198 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 like criminalizing acts of torture enacting Procedure Code, 1973 and the Indian domestic laws and regulations to respect Evidence Act, 1872 ) human rights of the alleged victim and the 3. Punishment for acts of torture accused. 4. Compensation to Victims( to be decided  Need to outlaw torture and refrain from by Courts) using ‘higher orders’ or exceptional 5. Protection of Victims, Complainants and circumstances’ as excuses for committing Witnesses acts of torture. 6. Sovereign Immunity: Going by the law of The Committee against Torture (CAT): torts, which states ‘liability follows  CAT is a body of human rights experts that negligence’ the Commission is of the monitors implementation of the opinion that the State should own the Convention by State parties. The responsibility for the injuries caused by its Committee is one of eight UN-linked agents on citizens, and principle of human rights treaty bodies. sovereign immunity cannot override the  All state parties are obliged under the rights assured by the Constitution Convention to submit regular reports to the CAT on how rights are being implemented.  Upon ratifying the Convention, states must submit a report within one year, after which they are obliged to report every four years. The Committee examines each report and addresses its concerns and recommendations to the State party in the form of “concluding observations.”  Under certain circumstances, the CAT may consider complaints or communications from individuals claiming that their rights under the Convention have been violated. Why is India not ratifying it  India signed this convention on October 14, 1997, however, so far has not ratified it. India has expressed its reservations against few provisions of the convention such as – Inquiry by the CAT (Article 20); state complaints (Article 21) and individual complaints (Article 22).  Argument of the Government: It says that it has already criminalized torture under Indian Penal Code, 1860 ( it had introduced the Prevention of Torture Bill, 2010 in the Lok Sabha during UPA Government) Law Commission recommendations on a draft torture law 1. Ratification of Convention against Torture 2. Amendment to Existing Statutes (Criminal

Easy to PICK199 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 BharatNet Project Recently, the Department for Promotion of Telecommunication under the Ministry of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) ordered the scrapping of a Rs 1,950 crore tender for Communications. the BharatNet project in Tamil Nadu.  National Optical Fibre Network (NOFN) was launched in October 2011 and was renamed as Bharat Net Project in 2015. Department for Promotion of Industry and National Optical Fibre Network: It was Internal Trade envisaged as an information superhighway  It comes under the aegis of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. through the creation of a robust middle-mile  It was established in 1995 and has infrastructure for reaching broadband been reconstituted in the year 2000 with the merger of the Department of Industrial connectivity to Gram Panchayats. The Ministry Development. of Communications has launched the National  In February 2019, it was renamed to the existing one from the previous name, Broadband Mission that will facilitate universal Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP). and equitable access to broadband services across  Functions: With progressive liberalisation the country, especially in rural and remote areas. of the Indian economy, initiated in July 1991, there has been a consistent shift in Aim: the role and functions of this Department. From regulation and administration of the  To facilitate the delivery of e-governance, industrial sector, the role of the Department has been transformed into e-health, e-education, e-banking, Internet facilitating investment and technology flows and monitoring industrial and other services to rural India. development in the liberalised environment.  To connect all the 2,50,000 Gram panchayats in the country and provide 100 Mbps connectivity to all gram panchayats.  To achieve this, the existing unused fibres (dark fibre) of public sector undertakings (PSUs) (BSNL, Railtel and Power Grid) were utilised and incremental fibre was laid to connect to Gram Panchayats wherever necessary.  Non-discriminatory access to the NOFN was provided to all the service providers BharatNet is a flagship mission implemented like Telecom Service Providers (TSPs), by Bharat Broadband Network Ltd. (BBNL). Cable TV operators and content providers  It is a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) set to launch various services in rural areas. up by the Government of India under  The entire project is being funded by the the Companies Act, 1956 with an Universal Service Obligation authorized capital of Rs 1000 crore. Fund (USOF), which was set up for  Initially, it was under the Ministry of improving telecom services in rural and Communications and Information remote areas of the country. Technology, which was bifurcated into Implementation: the Ministry of Communications and The project is a Centre-State collaborative the Ministry of Electronics and project, with the states contributing free Rights Information Technology in July 2016. of Way for establishing the Optical Fibre  Currently, it is being implemented by the Network. Department of The three-phase implementation of the

Easy to PICK200 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 BharatNet project is as follows:  o  First Phase: Provide one lakh gram panchayats with broadband connectivity by laying underground optic fibre cable (OFC) lines by December 2017.  Second Phase: Provide connectivity to all the gram panchayats in the country using an optimal mix of underground fibre, fibre over power lines, radio and satellite media. It is to be completed by March 2019.  Third Phase: From 2019 to 2023, a state-of-the-art, future-proof network, including fibre between districts and blocks, with ring topology to provide redundancy would be created. The participation of states became important in the second phase which involved laying of OFC over electricity poles. This was a new element of the BharatNet strategy as the mode of connectivity by aerial OFC has several advantages, including lower cost, speedier implementation, easy maintenance and utilization of existing power line infrastructure. Dark fibre  It is an unused optical fibre that has been laid but is not currently being used in fibre- optic communications. Since fibre-optic cable transmits information in the form of light pulses, a ‘dark’ cable refers to one through which light pulses are not being transmitted.  Companies lay extra optical fibres in order to avoid cost repetition when more bandwidth is needed.  It is also known as unlit fibre.

Easy to PICK201 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 EDITORIAL PLUS

Easy to PICK202 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 Land of the unfree: On U.S. unrest Introduction riven by hateful rhetoric on race. If ever there were a doubt that racism in the U.S. had outlived eight years under former # The balm must include far-reaching legislative President Barack Obama, the events of this week, including protests following the death of reform on the use of excessive force by police an African-American, George Floyd, in police action in Minneapolis, Minnesota, have set them against minorities, punishment for all hate to rest. crimes, workplace discrimination, and inhumane treatment of migrants at the border. U.S unrest # Unless such an agenda, focused on the complete # Even as rallies and police crackdowns engulfed reform of government institutions toward a wide swathe of American metros, President supporting a pluralist ethos, is adopted by the Donald Trump inserted himself into the next occupant of the White House, the American controversy and triggered a broader debate dream will remain a mirage for many. on censorship of posts by social media platforms. # On Friday, Twitter masked and attached a caution note to a tweet by Mr. Trump for “glorifying violence”. # In that tweet he had labelled protesters calling for action against police for Floyd’s death “THUGS”, adding “when the looting starts, the shooting starts”, a reference to a threat by a police chief, who in 1967 declared “war” and vowed violent revenge on African- Americans in Miami Beach. # This is hardly the first time that the U.S. President has fanned the flames of hatred. He has said, among other things, that Mexicans were rapists and drug dealers, and in early 2017 he banned visitors from certain Muslim- majority countries. # It is almost inevitable that racial tensions will bubble to the surface in an election year and explode when incendiary remarks are made by leaders. # The mere tokenism of including persons of colour as a vice-presidential candidate or in a potential Biden cabinet of 2021 will not suffice to heal the painful fractures in American society,

Easy to PICK203 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 The dimming of a Chinese strongman’s aura By, Sujan R. Chinoy, a China specialist and Jinping has been at the helm for just under eight former Ambassador, is currently the Director years. General of the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, New Delhi. The Deng Xiaoping views expressed are personal # Deng Xiaoping, the paramount leader who never held the posts of either Head of State Introduction or Head of Government, changed China’s # To the outside world, China seeks to project a economic destiny with bold and far-sighted picture of monolithic unity behind President Xi policy shifts, ushering in the Four Jinping’s highly centralised leadership. Modernisations of agriculture, industry, However, media tropes point to a greater scrutiny defence, and science and technology. of his role and leadership style, especially during the early stages of the COVID-19 outbreak in # The open-door policy, beginning the late 1970s, Wuhan. enabled China to emerge as the world’s largest recipient of foreign direct investment and a # Reports have surfaced alleging delays in trade behemoth. reporting facts, conflicting # Deng generally favoured a collegial form of decision-making in consultation with a clutch of instructions and tight censorship. senior leaders – the Party’s “Eight Elders”. # Observers have drawn parallels between Mr. Xi # Hu Yaobang and Zhao Ziyang, both successive General Secretaries of the CPC, were for long and his powerful predecessors, Mao Zedong and Deng’s “left and right hands”, but when they were perceived as deviating from the CPC’s line, they Deng Xiaoping, perhaps a tad unfairly to both the were packed off ignominiously by the party elders iconic architects of the People’s Republic of China led by Deng. (PRC). # From 1990 until his death in 1997, Deng’s only title was that of the Honorary Chairman of the A timeline of change Bridge Association of China. Mao # Yet, he remained the unquestioned leader, # Mao presided over the founding of the PRC in wielding great power even in his dotage, long after 1949. his successor Jiang Zemin had assumed the top posts. # He consolidated his leadership during the Long March in the mid-1930s. Despite his many Spotlight on Xi detractors, he remained the undisputed leader of # The history of the CPC suggests that Mr. Xi China until his death on September 9, 1976 even wields less power than either Mao Zedong or if, towards the end, it was the Gang of Four, led Deng Xiaoping. by his wife Jiang Qing, which had usurped power in his name. # He perhaps evokes more fear than respect on account of his ruthless anti-graft campaign that # Mao banished his adversaries frequently, has brought down even high-ranking People’s whether it was Liu Shaoqi, Lin Biao, or even Deng Xiaoping. # Mao’s reign after the founding of the PRC lasted 27 years. By comparison, the 67-year-old Xi

Easy to PICK204 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 Liberation Army (PLA) generals and Politburo # The only leader after Deng to have an extended members. stint was Jiang Zemin who was General Secretary from 1989-2002, President from 1993-2003 and # In the consensus-driven system of the Chairman of the CPC’s Central Military CPC developed after the Cultural Revolution, it Commission (CMC) from 1989-2004. was not uncommon to target the gofers of rivals, but top Party and PLA leaders were generally # A recently leaked internal report of the China considered inviolable to avoid retribution when Institutes of Contemporary International fortunes changed. Relations (CICIR), a think-tank affiliated to the Ministry of State Security in Beijing, # In contrast, Mr. Xi has put behind bars “tigers” purportedly warns China’s top leadership of a such as PLA Generals and political rising tide of anti-China sentiment in the wake of heavyweights . the novel coronavirus outbreak, the worst since # Since reining in the pandemic in China, the the Tiananmen incident of June 1989. Chinese economy has had a head start, but it is clearly not out of the woods. # The hope, that an economically rich and prosperous China would gradually become liberal # Economic hardship could spark off public and democratic, has been belied. dissent and harsher security measures. # Indignation could lead the Chinese people, # For now, the face-off continues and demands for nurtured on hubris, to quickly direct their ire accountability for the outbreak are mounting, against a leader who has abandoned Deng testing Mr. Xi’s leadership. Xiaoping’s advice, so well captured in the abbreviated aphorism, “hide our capacities and bide our time”. # Having steered through a constitutional revision in early 2018 that permits him to stay on in power beyond two terms, no doubt Mr. Xi would wish to preside over not just the centenary celebrations of the CPC in 2021 but also the hundredth anniversary of the founding of the PLA in 2027. Trouble areas # Any use of force by China could drag the U.S., and perhaps its allies too, into the maelstrom, a view supported by the recent passage of the Taiwan Allies International Protection and Enhancement Initiative (TAIPEI) Act by the U.S. which seeks to inter alia strengthen Taiwan’s de facto independence. # Contrary to tradition, Mr. Xi has no anointed successor. When he assumes the mantle again beyond the 20th CPC Congress in 2022, he will thwart the ambitions of an entire “sixth generation” leadership.

Easy to PICK205 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 India, China and fortifying the Africa outreach By, Harsh V. Pant is Director, Studies at the display when tech founder Jack Ma donated three Observer Research Foundation (ORF) and rounds of anti-coronavirus supplies. Professor of International Relations at King's College London. Abhishek Mishra is a Junior # Beijing’s ‘donation diplomacy’ in Africa aims Fellow at ORF, New Delhi to achieve three immediate objectives: 1. Shift the focus away from talking about Introduction the origins of the virus in Wuhan, # The COVID-19 pandemic has been a great 2. Build goodwill overseas, and leveller across the world. But its effects stand to 3. Establish an image makeover. be devastating particularly in Africa, where economic and public health # For the most part, it succeeded in achieving these conditions are extremely vulnerable. ends until China faced widespread backlash over the ill-treatment of African nationals in # Although African countries are still woefully ill- Guangzhou city. equipped to cope with a public health emergency of such magnitude due to shortages of masks, # The issue quickly grew into a full-blown ventilators, and even basic necessities such as political crisis for Beijing. But for the most soap and water. part, China has been successful in controlling the Guangzhou narrative due to the depth of its # Such conditions have meant that Africa’s cycle political influence in Africa. of chronic external aid dependence continues. # Beijing used African support for securing a win # Africa needs medical protective for Chinese candidates as the head of Food and equipment and gear to support its front line public Agriculture Organization (FAO) and in the health workers. World Health Organization (WHO). # As Asia’s two largest economies and long- # On Africa’s part, the problem lies in the deep standing partners of Africa, India and disjuncture and credibility gap between China have increased their outreach to Africa Africa’s governing class, the people, the through medical assistance. media and civil society. Beijing’s donation diplomacy # Even when criticisms have been levelled against # China, being Africa’s largest trading partner, Chinese indiscretions, it has hardly ever surfaced was quick to signal its intent to help Africa cope at the elite level. with the pandemic. New Delhi’s focus # It despatched medical protective equipment, # For India, the pandemic presents an opportunity testing kits, ventilators, and medical masks to to demonstrate its willingness and capacity to several African countries. The primary motive of shoulder more responsibility. such donations has been to raise Beijing’s profile as a leading provider of humanitarian # Reaching out to developing countries in need is assistance and “public goods” in the global testament to India’s status as a responsible and public health sector. reliable global stakeholder. # China’s billionaire philanthropy was also in full # Nowhere has India’s developmental outreach

Easy to PICK206 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 been more evident than in Africa with the development in drugs and vaccines.0 continent occupying a central place in Indian government’s foreign and economic policy in # A few African countries such as Mauritius are the last six years. pushing for health-care partnerships in traditional medicines and Ayurveda for boosting immunity. # Africa has been the focus of India’s development assistance and also diplomatic # The Indian community, especially in East outreach, as evident in plans to open 18 new African countries, has also been playing a crucial embassies. role in helping spread awareness. Prominent Indian businessmen and companies in Nigeria # These efforts have been supplemented by and Kenya have donated money to the respective an improved record of Indian project national emergency response funds. implementation in Africa. The contrasts # India’s role as ‘the pharmacy of the world’, as # Both India and China, through their respective the supplier of low-cost, generic medicines is health and donation diplomacy, are vying to carve widely acknowledged. a space and position for themselves as reliable partners of Africa in its time of need. # Pharmaceutical products along with refined petroleum products account for 40% of India’s # There are significant differences in the total exports to African markets. approaches. # India is sending consignments of essential # For China, three aspects are critical: money, medicines, including hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) and paracetamol, to 25 African political influence and elite level wealth countries in addition to doctors and paramedics at a total cost of around ?600 million creation; strong state-to-state ($7.9 million) on a commercial and grant basis. relations as opposed to people-to-people ties; # The initial beneficiaries were the African Indian Ocean island nations of Mauritius, the and hard-infrastructure projects and resource Seychelles, Comoros, and Madagascar under India’s ‘Mission Sagar’. extraction. # India’s approach on the other hand is one that # A timely initiative has been the e-ITEC COVID-19 management strategies training focuses on building local capacities and an equal webinars exclusively aimed at training health- care professionals from Africa and the South partnership with Africans and not merely with Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) nations and sharing of best practices by African elites concerned. Indian health experts. # As these two powers rise in Africa, their two distinct models will come under even greater scrutiny. And both New Delhi and Beijing might find that they need to adapt to the rising aspirations of the African continent. # Across Africa, there is a keen interest to understand the developments and best practices in India because the two share similar socioeconomic and developmental challenges. # There is also growing interest in research and

Easy to PICK207 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 India’s Parliament is missing in action By, M.R. Madhavan is President of the PRS # While introducing the draft Constitution, B.R. Legislative Research, New Delhi Ambedkar explained why the drafting committee had preferred a parliamentary form over the Introduction presidential system of governance. Parliaments in democracies around the world are meeting and questioning their governments on # The reasoning was that while the presidential their responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. system provides a higher level of stability, the parliamentary system is better at holding the Examples of different Parliaments of the world government to account on a daily basis through questions, motions and debates. who conducted meetings through video # Over the decades, our Parliament has evolved conferencing procedures of accountability including hearings of committees. # The Canadian Parliament had its first # The fact that Parliament and its committees lockdown meeting towards the end of April, with have not met for over two months indicates the absence of scrutiny of government actions. roughly 280 of the 338 Members of Parliament # National laws are made by Parliament. attending through video conference and questioning the government for three hours. # The British Parliament has adopted a hybrid model of in-person and video attendance. # Several other countries have held sessions either # The current steps by the central government are with physical distancing (fewer MPs attend with being taken under the Disaster Management Act, agreement across parties) or video conferencing 2005, which was not designed to handle or a combination of the two. epidemics. # These include France, Italy, Argentina, Brazil, # The reasoning is that the central government Australia and New Zealand. had no choice as there was no other law that provide it with powers to impose a lockdown # The Inter Parliamentary Union(HQ: across the country, which was needed to arrest Geneva) has documented the processes used the spread of the disease. by various national parliaments to meet during the pandemic. # This misses the point that Parliament, which was meeting till a day before the national India’s Parliament lockdown was announced, could have passed an # India’s Parliament, which prides itself as appropriate Act. the apex representative body of the world’s largest democracy, is a notable absentee from # This is what many other countries have done — this list. an Act with suitable checks and an expiry date, which could be renewed by Parliament, if # Parliament has a central role in our system of required. governance. First and foremost, it is the institution that checks and challenges the # The Constitution requires all expenditure by government of the day. the government to be approved by Parliament.

Easy to PICK208 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 # The government has announced a series of place as he thinks fit”. measures to address the economic crisis sparked by the health crisis and the lockdown. These have # The Rules of Procedure of both Houses require not been subject to parliamentary scrutiny or the Secretary-General to issue summons to each approval. member specifying the “date and place for a session” of the House. The pressing issues # MPs have a duty to shape policy and guide the # These enabling clauses can be used to hold government in national interest. hybrid meetings or remote meetings. # They represent the concerns of # The Rules require parliamentary committees people by raising issues in Parliament. to sit within the “precincts” of the House but the Speaker may permit meetings to be held outside; # The country is facing serious challenges on indeed, subcommittees often go on study tours many fronts as a consequence of the pandemic. outside Delhi. These include addressing questions on how to stall the epidemic from spreading, how to treat # Thus, there is no prior parliamentary action people who are infected, and how to minimise the required to permit meetings through video- loss of life to the virus. conferencing. # There is also the question of how the economy Secure connectivity is impacted, both from the supply side due to the # The question of security and secrecy may come lockdown, and from the demand side as incomes up. and spending contract. # The meetings of the Houses are usually # Then there is the large humanitarian telecast live, and there is no issue of question of mitigating the impact on the confidentiality. most vulnerable sections of the population, both the urban poor and in rural areas. # Committee meetings, on the other hand, may require secure remote working tools. # There have been several news reports of migrants being mistreated, not provided # Given that large global corporations as well transport, being harassed by the police — as parliamentary committees of several other and being stripped of their dignity, even in cases countries seem to have solved this problem, there where they have been provided with food and is no reason that the Indian Parliament cannot shelter. adapt these solutions. # Parliament is the forum where such issues # All district headquarters are linked with fibre should be discussed and a plan of action agreed optic lines, so even if there is a problem of upon. connecting the constituency office of MPs, they could use such government facilities. How Indian parliament can hold its meetings ? # Our Constitution does not prohibit # Over the last three months, central and State meetings that may require maintenance of governments have issued over 5,000 physical distancing or remote meetings. notifications to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. # It states that the President may summon Parliament “to meet at such time and # The appropriateness of these circulars need to

Easy to PICK209 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 be examined by Parliament and its committees. Way ahead # In ordinary times, Parliament would have its next session in the second half of July. In today’s extraordinary circumstances, Parliament should meet sooner, perhaps within a couple of weeks. # India prides itself on being the world’s largest democracy as well as the information technology provider to the world. # It is imperative that Parliament harnesses the country’s IT strengths to buttress our credentials as a performing democracy.

Easy to PICK210 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 Seven to eleven: On India and G-7 Introduction a G-7 special invitee, but changing its Dismissing the current configuration of the composition will require the approval of the “Group of Seven” or G-7 of the world’s other members. most developed nations as “outdated”, U.S. President Donald Trump announced over the # Already, there are some concerns over Russia, weekend that he would like to expand it to a G- which could derail the entire G-11 plan, making 11, by adding India, Russia, South Korea and any concrete decision by New Delhi on the issue Australia. premature. He followed that up with invitations to their leaders, including Prime Minister Modi, to attend # It is unclear when the summit will actually be the G-7 summit in the U.S. later this year. held, given the November polls in the U.S., although Mr. Trump has indicated that he could G-11 - a way for the U.S hold it close to the UN General Assembly session # Australia and South Korea have also in September. welcomed the invitation, while Russia, that lost its membership of the grouping in 2014 over Way ahead its annexation of Crimea, said President Putin # Despite its border tensions with Beijing, India would attend “if treated as an equal”. must also consider its objectives in attending a grouping that appears aimed at fuelling a new # Notable by its absence in the proposed Cold War between the U.S. and China. grouping is China, which had earlier, along with India, Brazil, Mexico and South Africa, # Finally, an evaluation of the G-7’s been invited regularly to G-8 summits as effectiveness as a multilateral forum thus far is an outreach by the developed world to the five needed, given deep member differences on emerging economies (called the G-8+5). issues including climate change, security contributions, Iran, etc. # A White House spokesperson even explained that the G-11 would be a way for the U.S. to bring # In France, last year, the grouping was unable to together its “traditional allies to talk about how issue a joint communiqué due to these differences to deal with the future of China”. — a first in its 45-year-old history. # Predictably, Beijing has lashed out at the G-11 idea, as one that would be “doomed to fail”. India’s role # The proposed G-11 grouping would recognise India’s place amongst the world’s richest nations, and acknowledge its global voice. # However, the government must weigh the benefits proposed along with some of the factors that are still unclear. Issues # As host, Mr. Trump can invite any country as

Easy to PICK211 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 Has Google been misrepresenting data practices? The HINDU What has the Internet search company been What does the lawsuit say about the accused of? misrepresentation? The petitioners charge Google with giving false Background assurances about the ability of users to control A proposed class action lawsuit filed against what they share with the search engine. They Google alleges that the Internet search say that users not only don’t know that Google is giant tracks and collects browsing data “no collecting information even when they are in a matter what” steps users take to safeguard private view mode but also have no means to avoid their privacy. The plaintiffs, Chasom Brown, its scrutiny. Maria Nguyen and William Byatt, have filed the lawsuit on behalf of “millions of individuals” How, according to the petitioners, do the (Google users in the U.S.) at the U.S. District actions of Google violate the provisions of the Court for the Northern District of California. They Federal Wiretap Act and privacy laws of allege Google has violated the federal wiretap California? law as well as a California privacy law. The Federal Wiretap Act disallows any intentional interception of any wire, oral, or What, according to the plaintiffs, is wrong with electronic communication. The petitioners have what Google is doing? invoked this Act, saying the following: “Google’s The plaintiffs allege that Google tracks, collects, actions in intercepting and tracking user and identifies the browsing data of even those communications while they were browsing the users who browse the Web privately via, say, internet using a browser while in ‘private the Incognito mode. Google, they claim, browsing mode’ was intentional. On information “accomplishes its surreptitious tracking” through and belief, Google is aware that it is intercepting near ubiquitous tools such as Google Analytics, communications in these circumstances and has Google Ad Manager, and other plug-ins. Google taken no remedial action.” Analytics and other tools are implemented only They have also contended that the acts of Google when their code is embedded into the code of violate the California Invasion of Privacy Act, existing websites. The petitioners reckon “over which prohibits intentional tapping of 70% of online websites and publishers on the communication. Further, they say, the right to internet” employ Google Analytics. privacy has also been violated. The point of Brown and others is, when a user accesses websites that employ these Google What has Google’s response been? tools, Google automatically gets information Reuters has reported Google spokesperson Jose about the user’s IP address, URL of the site, Castaneda as saying that the company will defend and many, many more details. “Google designed itself against the claims. He has been cited as its Analytics code such that when it is run, Google saying, “As we clearly state each time you open a causes the user’s browser to send his or her new incognito tab, websites might be able to personal information to Google and its servers in collect information about your browsing activity.” California,” the petitioners say in the lawsuit. And, they say, it doesn’t matter if a user is on private The petitioners also use the example of the viewing mode. recent Arizona v. Google case to bolster their That’s not all. They also allege that Google has arguments. What is the case about and how is been misrepresenting its data collection it relevant? practices. This case against Google was filed by Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich in May. The

Easy to PICK212 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 allegation was one of privacy violation by Google, the specific charge being that the company was tracking user location even when the user had turned off location tracking. Brnovich had tweeted on May 28: “Today we filed a consumer fraud lawsuit against Google for deceptive and unfair practices used to obtain users’ location data, which Google then exploits for its lucrative advertising business.” Petitioners Brown and others referred to this case while elaborating on the “passive data collection practices employed by Android, Google applications (e.g., Chrome and Maps), Google Home, and other Google applications and services ....” Has Google been sued in the past for wiretapping law violations? Yes. One of the long-running cases ended last year when Google agreed to a $13 million settlement. The allegation was its “Street View mapping project captured data from private Wi-Fi networks,” according to a Bloomberg report. Later, media reports suggested that some nine States were against this settlement as it contributed to massive privacy violation. In 2016, it reportedly settled a case where it was accused of “surreptitiously scanning Gmail messages for advertising revenues”. It was reported then that it had agreed to stop the practice. Last year, it was fighting a similar case, as per reports.

Easy to PICK213 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 In Persian Gulf littoral, cooperative security is key Hamid Ansari is the former Vice-President of and role. Many moons and much India, 2007-2017 bloodshed later, it was left to the Security GS- Paper-II West Asia Council through Resolution 598 (1987) to explore ‘measures to enhance the India’s interests would be best served if security and stability in the region’. stability in the region is ensured this way The United Nations defines this body of water Related questions as the Persian Gulf. The lands around it are  Any framework for stability and security shared by eight countries (Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, thus needs to answer a set of questions: Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the security for whom, by whom, against United Arab Emirates)(PT SHOT), all members whom, for what purpose? of the UN.  Is the requirement in local, regional or There is a commonality of interest among them global terms? in being major producers of crude oil and  Does it require an extra-regional agency? natural gas, and thereby contributing critically  Given the historical context, one recalls a to the global economy and to their own Saudi scholar’s remark in the 1990s that prosperity. This has added to their geopolitical ‘Gulf regional security was an external significance. At the same time, turbulence has issue long before it was an issue among the often characterised their inter se political relations. Gulf States themselves.’ A framework The essential ingredients of such a framework  For eight decades prior to 1970, this body would thus be to ensure: of water was a closely guarded British lake, administered in good measure by v. conditions of peace and stability in imperial civil servants from India. When individual littoral states; that era ended, regional players sought to assert themselves. Imperatives of rivalry v. freedom to all states of the Gulf littoral to and cooperation became evident and, as a exploit their hydrocarbon and other natural United States State Department report put resources and export them; it in 1973, ‘The upshot of all these cross currents is that the logic of Saudi- v. freedom of commercial shipping in Iranian cooperation is being undercut international waters of the Persian Gulf; by psychological, nationalistic, and prestige factors, which are likely to v. freedom of access to, and outlet from, Gulf persist for a long time.’ waters through the Strait of Hormuz;  The Nixon and the Carter Doctrines were v. prevention of conflict that may impinge on the logical outcome to ensure American the freedom of trade and shipping and: hegemony. v. prevention of emergence of conditions that  An early effort for collective security, may impinge on any of these attempted in a conference in Muscat in considerations. 1975, was thwarted by Baathist Iraq. The GCC and the U.S. link  The Iranian Revolution put an end to The past two decades have revalidated William the Twin Pillar approach and disturbed Fulbright’s observation that statesmen often the strategiWc balance. confuse great power with total power and great responsibility with total responsibility. The war  The Iraq-Iran War enhanced U.S. interests in Iraq and its aftermath testify to it. The U.S. effort to ‘contain’ the Iranian revolutionary forces, supplemented by the effort of the Arab states of the littoral (except Iraq) through the instrumentality of the Gulf Cooperation Council, or GCC (May 1981), to coordinate,

Easy to PICK214 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 cooperate and integrate to ‘serve the sublime sovereign identities. objectives of the Arab Nation’ initially met with v. The GCC is effectively ended, and OPEC success in some functional fields and a lack of it in its wider objectives. is becoming irrelevant as oil policy moves In the meantime, geopolitical factors and to a tripartite global condominium. conflicts elsewhere in the West Asian region — v. None of this will necessarily happen Yemen, Syria, Libya — aggravated global and overnight and external intervention could regional relationships and hampered a modus interfere in unexpected ways … But it is vivendi in U.S.-Iran relations that was to be fair to say that the Persian Gulf as we have premised on the multilateral agreement on Iran’s known for at least three generations is in nuclear programme agreed to by western powers the midst of a fundamental and the Obama Administration but disowned by transformation.’ U.S. President Donald Trump whose strident v. With the Arab League entombed and the policies have taken the region to the brink of an GCC on life-support system, the Arab armed conflict. states of this sub-region are left to Perceptions of declining U.S. commitment to sub- individual devices to explore working regional security have been articulated in recent arrangements with Iraq and Iran. months amid hints of changing priorities. This is v. The imperatives for these are different but reported to have caused disquiet in some, perhaps movement on both is discernible. With all, members of the GCC, the hub of whose Iran in particular and notwithstanding the security concern remains pivoted on an Iranian animosities of the past, pragmatic threat (political and ideological rather than approaches of recent months seem to bear territorial) and an American insurance to deter it fruit. based on a convergence of interests in which oil, v. Oman has always kept its lines of trade, arms purchases, etc have a role along with communication with Iran open; Kuwait wider U.S. regional and global determinants. and Qatar had done likewise but in a quieter vein, and now the UAE has An evolving transformation initiated pragmatic arrangements. v. It is evident that a common GCC threat v. These could set the stage for a wider perception has not evolved over time and dialogue. Both Iran and the GCC states has been hampered by the emergence of would benefit from a formal commitment conflicting tactical and strategic interests to an arrangement incorporating the six and subjective considerations. points listed above; so would every outside v. The current divisions within the nation that has trading and economic organisation are therefore here to stay. interests in the Gulf. This could be v. These have been aggravated by the global sanctified by a global convention. economic crisis, the immediate and longer Record shows that the alternative of exclusive term impact of COVID-19 on regional security arrangements promotes armament drives, economies, the problems in the enhances insecurity and aggravates regional Organization of the Petroleum Exporting tensions. It unavoidably opens the door for Great Countries (OPEC), and the decline in oil Power interference. prices. v. One credible assessment done recently India’s ties suggests that in the emerging shape of the  How does India perceive these region, ‘Saudi Arabia is a fading power, developments and how do they impact our UAE, Qatar and Iran are emerging as the strategic interests and concerns. Locating new regional leaders and Oman and Iraq the Persian Gulf littoral with reference to will have to struggle to retain their India is an exercise in geography and history.

Easy to PICK215 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020  The distance from Mumbai to Basra is 1,526 nautical miles and Bander Abbas and Dubai are in a radius of 1,000 nautical miles.  The bilateral relationship, economic and political, with the GCC has blossomed in recent years.  The governments are India-friendly and Indian-friendly and appreciate the benefits of a wide-ranging relationship.  This is well reflected in the bilateral trade of around $121 billion and remittances of $49 billion from a workforce of over nine million.  GCC suppliers account for around 34% of our crude imports and national oil companies in Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi are partners in a $44 billion investment in the giant Ratnagiri oil refinery.  In addition, Saudi Aramco is reported to take a 20% stake in Reliance oil-to- chemicals business.  The current adverse impact of the pandemic on our economic relations with the GCC countries has now become a matter of concern. Way Forward The relationship with Iran, complex at all times and more so recently on account of overt American pressure, has economic potential and geopolitical relevance on account of its actual or alleged role in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Iran also neighbours Turkey and some countries of Central Asia, the Caucasus and the Caspian Sea region. Its size, politico- technological potential and economic resources, cannot be wished away, regionally and globally, but can be harnessed for wider good. India has eschewed involvement in local or regional disputes. Indian interests do not entail power projection; they necessitate in their totality, peace and regional stability, freedom of navigation and access to the region’s markets in terms of trade, technology and manpower resources. Indian interests would be best served if this stability is ensured through cooperative security since the alternative — of competitive security options — cannot ensure durable peace.

Easy to PICK216 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 Swarms of extremism T. R. Raghunandan is former Secretary, Rural predator, almost instantly displays an Development and Panchayat Raj, Karnataka, and avoidance reaction. former Joint Secretary, Ministry of Panchayat  How did the fish furthest away from the Raj, Government of India attacked flank know that the shoal was in danger in less than a microsecond and veer Part of: GS-II- Governance (PT-MAINS- away from the predator? PERSONALITY TEST)  Scientists put it down to the fact that within a swarm, individuals are constantly We need compassionate, thinking and inclusive communicating with each other through locusts rather than swarms of political locusts actions, signals or otherwise, in a binary As if the COVID-19 crisis were not enough, we manner. now have swarms of locusts invading us. Clouds  Through binary communication, the fact of locusts have overrun western India. As with that the swarm is in danger reaches all COVID-19, country borders and barriers put up by individuals in an instant and thereby, the proud sovereign nations have been crossed instant response. Millions and billions of without difficulty, as the locusts have travelled binary communications add up to a sum from Africa to South Asia. larger than the whole. Swarm intelligence  This phenomenon is no biological Are locusts intelligent? curiosity. It is the very essence of the logic behind understanding brain  Individual locusts are not. However, function, as also the design of artificial their swarms are swift, focused, intelligence. responsive to stimuli and dangerously  If the human brain was considered a effective in their depredations. colony of independently alive neuron cells, then it can be imagined that all its nuanced  Biologists call this phenomenon ‘swarm thought emerges from simple, binary intelligence’, where the individuals that synapse mediated conversations between make up a colony of living creatures are individual neurons. singularly unintelligent and are driven by  The atomisation of complex thinking as programmed instinct, but their collective emerging from binary signals also lies at actions make their entire colony the foundation of computer science. intelligent as an entity by itself. So, what does all this have to do with the peculiar effectiveness of extremist political  Swarm intelligence is common amongst movements, whether of the right or of the left? insects; bees, ants and  They combine swarm intelligence with the locusts demonstrate it amply. Yet, it is not more conventional leadership models unknown amongst higher animals as well. shown by higher-level animals. Migrating birds and shoals of fish display  We see all around us, for example, the high degrees of swarm intelligence too. resurgence of powerful right-wing movements, all fuelled by leaders who How does swarm intelligence work? provide the focus of attention, then  An important point to note is that they upscaled by swarms of followers, engaged are leaderless. in binary conversations.  A queen bee is not a royal in our human  A leader signals something, whether it is sense; she is just a vast progeny-producing the need to distort history, create a false machine.  It is fascinating to see how a shoal of fish, without a ‘king or queen’ fish, when attacked at one flank by a

Easy to PICK217 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 sense of assurance in a faltering economy, fuel hate against somebody, or signal success when strategies fail.  From then on, the swarms take over the creating of simple messages, fake news, sloganeering and hate.  Individuals down the ladder, shorn of individual capabilities for critical thinking, share messages, amplify them and make hashtags trend. Is there any political future for the critical, thinking mind then? At first sight, liberals who are ruggedly individualistic are especially unsuited for being a part of any swarm. They reject binary communications, and see their proximate supporters as competitors rather than as part of a larger, coordinated order. Yet leaderless movements are not unknown in the liberal, freedom-loving world either. Think Hong Kong, the Arab Spring, and you have the elements of swarm intelligence backing the flowering and upscaling of pro-freedom movements. Eliminating political locusts is neither practical nor desirable. What we need are more compassionate, thinking and inclusive locusts.

Easy to PICK218 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 The e-diplomacy experiment Sreeram Sundar Chaulia is Dean at the Jindal involved the exchange of multiple School of International Affairs agreements. Part of: GS-II- IR (PT-MAINS-  It has been a maxim in diplomacy that PERSONALITY TEST) face-to-face interactions at the highest level mark the zenith of foreign relations. Cyber security and productivity are concerns Concern but e-summits must go on as diplomacy must The British scholar Ernest Satow go on dubbed “summits a permanent feature of Background diplomatic topography”. The formal negotiations The first India-Australia virtual leaders’ during summits, the closed-door restricted summit on June 4 had a lot on the menu, ranging sessions, the fireside chats, the walks in the woods, from military interoperability to jointly the photo-ops and the outreach to live audiences in tackling COVID-19. The two countries upgraded the host and home countries are all part of the their relations to a ‘comprehensive strategic package. But now without all the protocols and partnership’. The summit was noteworthy for its structured dialogues in cozy settings, it is novel modus operandi. doubtful if major breakthroughs or deals Adapting to the times requiring direct intervention of leaders can happen. There is a danger that ‘e-diplomacy’ will  Prime Minister and the Indian become less productive in terms of deliverables, delegation were on a video conference especially where crucial sticking points need call with Prime Minister Scott ironing out. While the backroom legwork and Morrison and the Australian delegation. minutiae of agreements can be hashed out by lower-level bureaucrats communicating remotely,  The dangers posed by COVID-19 have online summits will simply not satisfy the compelled the traditionally glad-handing, broader political goals and bigger objectives backslapping and tourism-promoting art of that heads of state carry with them. summit diplomacy to adapt. Threat to cyber security  Just as corporations and educational Another threat to virtual summits comes from institutions have migrated to online cyber insecurity. In pre-COVID-19 times, mediums, nation states are left with no summit venues used to be thoroughly sanitised and choice but to do the same. debugged to prevent sensitive foreign policy content from being spied upon or leaked. E-  E-summits are physically safer for diplomacy is riskier and could be subject to leaders and also time-saving and hacking of classified content, making the leaders economising events where costly physical warier. journeys with entourages can be avoided. This could reduce the spontaneity and candour of their conversations. It is arguable whether new  Mr. Modi has engaged in a few ideas or proposals which entail geo-strategic multilateral ‘e-diplomacy’ rounds since alignments can emanate out of e-summits. the COVID-19 outbreak. Conclusion Yet, having some summit is better than no  He convened the SAARC leaders’ video summit at all. However artificial and unsatisfying conference on March 15, joined the the video conferencing medium is, key partners Extraordinary G20 Leaders’ Summit like India and Australia have to get on with it and via video link on March 26, and made his maiden appearance at the Non-Aligned Movement virtual summit on May 4.  These were all single-issue focused and brief affairs. But the bilateral summit with Australia was elaborate and

Easy to PICK219 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 hold high-level meetings as part of their strategic signaling. With Australia and India trying to forge coalitions of middle powers in sustaining the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific, gaps in diplomatic summits can convey weakening of collective resolve.

Easy to PICK220 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 Fighting sea blindness- Indian ocean Captain D.K. Sharma, a retired Naval Officer, incomplete understanding of military was the Spokesperson, Indian Navy, at the Ministry of Defence history. Forgoing a third aircraft carrier due to  In An Odyssey in War and Peace, Lt Gen budgetary constraints could be counterproductive J.F.R Jacob noted the maritime Background orientation of the briefing by Gen Sam This newspaper (TH) recently carried an article, “Third aircraft carrier not required as Manekshaw and the Director of military’s focus is on land borders: sources”. In it defence sources questioned the need for a third Military Operations, Maj Gen K.K. aircraft carrier citing budgetary constraints. They propounded the immediate requirement of a Singh, who identified the ports as strong Army supported by a capable Air Force. “prime objectives”. There can be no two views about this. What needs  It reads: “At the meeting, held in the deliberation is whether (a) naval warfare is undertaken just for the sake of naval warfare; operations room, Manekshaw, K.K. Singh, and (b) a maritime country like India can ever be strong without a strong Navy, since it Arora and I were present... KK Singh spelt depends on the sea for over 97% of its trade. out the objectives, maintaining that if we An incomplete understanding  One source said the Indian Navy “has seen captured Khulna and Chittagong... the action only twice, 1965 and 1971, on the war would come to an end”. Gen Jacob sidelines of the land operations and the recommended utilising “our naval aircraft carrier had minimum role”. superiority” to have an “effective naval India has seen classic naval action only blockade”. once, in 1971, which was also a decisive victory.  The official history of the Pakistan  The political directions available on record indicate that the involvement of the Navy Navy (The Story of the Pakistan Navy) in 1965 was kept to the minimum; in acknowledges that “the success of fact, it was prevented from operating Pakistan’s counter-plans hinged largely on beyond the north of Okha.  That the 1971 war was land-centric is reinforcements and resupply of the eastern belied by documentary evidence. Both adversaries viewed sea communications as theatre of war by sea... (by) breaking central to the war. India’s naval blockade”.  Notwithstanding the attacks on Karachi by small missile boats, the ‘centre of  If the Indian Navy had not effectively gravity’ was on the Eastern front, where the carrier was deployed. Terming carrier stymied this plan, Pakistan was hopeful of involvement as peripheral displays an a “stalemate” followed by international intervention.  Almost a lakh Pakistani soldiers would possibly not have surrendered unless they had lost their “will to fight”.  The Indian Navy, using its lone carrier, ensured that no reinforcements or supplies were forthcoming and no escape route was possible. Indian Naval history (Transition to Triumph) also records that “by themselves the ships of the Eastern Fleet were too few and too slow to enforce contraband control and help would be needed from Vikrant’s aircraft. But the extraordinary extent to which Vikrant’s aircraft actually succeeded in assisting ships in contraband control and apprehending merchant ships, over and above their air strikes against East Pakistan,

Easy to PICK221 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 came to be fully realised only after the war.” The contemporary argument that a carrier’s utility in “future war scenarios will be short and swift” is interesting. Pakistan Navy history laments “vague concepts” such as “a short, sharp war” leading to it being accorded a lower inter- service priority. This rendered it incapable of “providing protection to the sea lines of communication between the two wings” and led to the 1971 debacle. Another shibboleth that needs discarding is the claimed ability of any air force providing effective air cover at sea. In 1971, for example, carrier- borne aircraft repeatedly attacked Chittagong and Cox’s Bazar airfields on the request of the Air Force. Impact of parochialism There are other counterpoints to the article too. First, stating that China went in for a carrier only after building its army is a narrow interpretation. This may have been Hobson’s choice. Aircraft carrier operations take years to master even if a ship is available. Further, China’s 2015 defence white paper states that “the traditional mentality that land outweighs sea must be abandoned”. Even as China is reducing its land forces to focus on the sea, ‘sources’ are propounding that India do the exact opposite. Second, forgoing a carrier due to budgetary constraints is counterproductive. An indigenously constructed carrier can galvanise the economy given the large number of industries and MSMEs involved in the supply chain. Third, carriers being required only for global powers is debatable. India had initiated procurement of INS Vikrant within a few years of independence. Carriers cannot be built overnight. Planning for the future requires foresight. Parochialism and sea blindness in an era of COVID-19 budget cuts can have a long-term impact on comprehensive national power.

Easy to PICK222 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 Resume dialogue with Nepal now BY: Yashwant Sinha is former Minister of surprised at its inauguration defies logic. Finance and Minister of External Affairs; Atul K. Thakur is a policy professional and columnist  In a statement, the Nepalese Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed regret at Part of: GS-II- IR (PT-MAINS- India’s move. PERSONALITY TEST)  It said, “As per the Sugauli Treaty (1816), India should take the lead in ending a deadlock that goes against the interest of bilateral ties all the territories east of Kali (Mahakali) with Nepal River, including Limpiyadhura, Kalapani and Lipu Lekh, belong to Background Nepal. The time of a pandemic is not the time to have  This was reiterated by the Government of a hostile neighbourhood. At this moment, India Nepal several times in the past and most should ideally lead in creating momentum for recently through a diplomatic note deeper regional and sub-regional cooperation addressed to the Government of India in South Asia. Ironically, the recent developments dated 20 November 2019 in response to the with Nepal have been the opposite of that. India new political map issued by the latter.” and Nepal have reached a new low in bilateral relations when both countries are facing a  It cautioned the Indian government humanitarian crisis. against carrying out “any activity inside the territory of Nepal”. Official statements  On May 8, the Defence Minister of India  It stated that “Nepal had expressed its tweeted: “Delighted to inaugurate the disagreement in 2015 through separate Link Road to Mansarovar Yatra today. diplomatic notes addressed to the The BRO achieved road connectivity governments of both India and China when from Dharchula to Lipulekh (China the two sides agreed to include Lipu Lekh Border) known as Kailash-Mansarovar Pass as a bilateral trade route without Yatra Route (PT). Nepal’s consent in the Joint Statement  Also flagged off a convoy of vehicles issued on 15 May 2015 during the official from Pithoragarh to Gunji through video visit of the Prime Minister of India to conferencing.” The announcement and its China.” timing surprised even the keen observers of India-Nepal relations.  Nepal said it believed in resolving the  No one thought that a road project in this pending boundary issues through territory would get inaugurated so urgently diplomatic means. It said that Kathmandu and through video conferencing. had proposed twice the dates for holding  The announcement immediately put the the Foreign Secretary-level meeting Nepal government, the people and political between the two countries. players there on high alert. The Oli government’s sharp reaction was Problem unexpected — the road was being built for o There was a long-awaited response to this years, so for it to pretend that it was from the Ministry of External Affairs unaware of this development and therefore (MEA). The delay is not understandable. o Why can’t discussions take place over video conferencing? India’s response to Nepal’s note said: “The recently inaugurated road section in Pithoragarh district in the State of Uttarakhand lies completely within the territory of India.

Easy to PICK223 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 o The road follows the pre-existing route  The Gurkha Rifles, known for the best used by the pilgrims of the Kailash- in warfare, are incomplete without the Mansarovar Yatra. India and Nepal have Nepalese. They fight to keep India secure, so where is the scope for conflict? The established mechanism to deal with all people of Nepal fought for India’s boundary matters. independence. B.P. Koirala and many o The boundary delineation exercise with Nepal is ongoing. India is committed to more Nepalese made enormous resolving outstanding boundary issues sacrifices during the freedom struggle. through diplomatic dialogue and in the Both countries have open borders and spirit of our close and friendly bilateral unique ties. This reminds us that both relations with Nepal.” o Nepal’s Foreign Minister Pradeep Kumar countries have shared interests while Gyawali asked why talks on this respecting each others’ sovereignty.  There is no place for a ‘big brother’ important matter could not take place attitude. The regimes in New Delhi and under lockdown when the Kathmandu have to exercise caution and ‘inauguration’ of the road could take restraint. The boundary controversy on place during the COVID-19 crisis. We also believe that it should take place Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura without wasting even a day. should be seen in retrospection. It must o The strain in ties also reflects the tensions be admitted that Nepal’s kings had in Nepal’s politics. Prime Minister K.P. neglected this territory for decades. The Sharma Oli stepped out of diplomatic area attained prominence only with nicety when he indulged in reactionary Nepal’s tryst with parliamentary nationalism and termed the “Indian democracy beginning in 1990. virus” as more damaging than the  The consistent neglect for the area is “Chinese virus”. He also questioned evident in the fact that the last official India’s faith in ‘Satyameva Jayate’. o On India’s part, the problem lies in record of any government work that overlooking the past realities of Lipulekh happened there was in 1953. A census region. The Army Chief’s statement was conducted in this area by the royal that “there is reason to believe” that regime of Nepal and the land records from Nepal’s recent objection was “at the there were archived at the Darchula behest of someone else”, hinting at China’s possible role, was eminently district office. avoidable. This too drew sharp reactions  Article 8 of the India-Nepal Friendship from Nepal. Treaty, 1950 says, “So far as matters A unique relationship dealt with herein are concerned, this  India and Nepal enjoy a unique relationship that goes beyond diplomacy Treaty cancels all previous Treaties, and the governments of the day. Both agreements and engagements entered into on behalf of India between the countries are interdependent through British Government and the shared social, cultural, economic and Government of Nepal”, though the treaty other civilisational links. Here, the ties does not define the India-Nepal boundary. are not between the governments  On the issue of defining the boundary, the alone. Over three million Nepalese live Treaty of Sugauli (1816) and the 1960 in India and lakhs of Indians live in agreement between India and Nepal on Nepal. the four Terai districts prevail. The Sugauli Treaty outlines the east of Mahakali River as Nepal’s territory, and the west of it as India’s territory. The dispute today is with regard to the

Easy to PICK224 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 origin of the Kali River.  Nepal claims that the origin is in the higher reaches of this hilly territory which would establish its claim on Kalapani and Lipulekh. The Boundary Committee constituted in the year 2000 failed to resolve the issue. Way Forward There is a need to renew it to end the cartographic tussle between the two countries. It is time to repose faith in constructive dialogue with empathy to resolve any matter that disturbs the calm between the two countries. In good and bad times, India and Nepal have to live together. Diplomatic dialogue should be resumed at the earliest possible. Embassies on both sides should be allowed to function freely. Nothing of the sort that happened in 2015 should be repeated now. India should not shy away from a dialogue even during the COVID-19 crisis. The MEA’s latest statement should materialise in action and restore trust and confidence through constructive dialogue.

Easy to PICK225 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 The critical role of decentralised responses- PRI- Fiscal Federalism M.A. Oommen is an Honorary Fellow, Centre Three, there is yet no clarity in the assignment of for Development Studies, functions, functionaries and financial Thiruvananthapuram responsibilities to local governments. Functional Strategies in tackling the COVID-19 crisis must mapping and responsibilities continue to be include local governments being equipped and ambiguous in many States. Instructively, Kerala fiscally empowered attempted even responsibility mapping besides Context activity mapping. The novel coronavirus pandemic has brought Four, the critical role of local governments will home the critical role of local have to be recognised by all. A few suggestions governments and decentralised responses. In for resource mobilisation are given under three terms of information, monitoring and immediate heads: local finance, Members of Parliament action, local governments are at Local Area Development Scheme, or MPLADs, an advantage, and eminently, to meet any disaster and the Fifteenth Finance Commission (FFC). such as COVID-19. While imposing restrictive conditionalities on Local finance States availing themselves of the enhanced  Property tax collection with appropriate borrowing limits (3.5% to 5% of Gross State exemptions should be a compulsory levy Domestic Product, or GSDP) for 2020-21 is and preferably must cover land. unwarranted, the recognition that local  The Economic Survey 2017-18 points out governments should be fiscally empowered that urban local governments, or ULGs, immediately is a valid signal for the future of local generate about 44% of their revenue governance. from own sources as against only 5% by This article makes some suggestions to improve rural local governments, or RLGs. Per local finance and argues that the extant fiscal capita own revenue collected by ULGs is illusion is a great deterrent to mobilisation. about 3% of urban per capita income while the corresponding figure is only 0.1% for Core issues RLGs. COVID-19 has raised home four major  There is a yawning gap between tax challenges: potential and actual collection, resulting in colossal underperformance. When they are  economic, not taxed, people remain indifferent.  health,  LGs, States and people seem to labour  welfare/livelihood and under a fiscal illusion. In States such as  resource mobilisation. Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand, local These challenges have to be addressed by all tax collection at the panchayat level is next tiers of government in the federal polity, jointly to nil. Property tax forms the major source and severally. Own revenue is the critical lever of local revenue throughout the world. of local government empowerment. Of course  All States should take steps to enhance the several lacunae that continue to bedevil local and rationalise property tax regime. A governance have to be simultaneously addressed. recent study by Professor O.P. Mathur One, the new normal demands a paradigm shift in shows that the share of property tax in the delivery of health care at the cutting edge level. GDP has been declining since 2002-03. Two, the parallel bodies that have come up after This portends a wrong signal. the 73rd/74th Constitutional Amendments have  The share of property tax in India in considerably distorted the functions-fund flow 2017-18 is only 0.14% of GDP as against matrix at the lower level of governance.

Easy to PICK226 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 2.1% in the Organisation for Economic divisible pool and that it is higher than the Co-operation and Development 3.54% of the FC-XIV is obviously because (OECD) countries. If property tax covers the size of the denominator is smaller. land, that will hugely enhance the yield  Building health infrastructure and disease from this source even without any increase control strategies at the local level find no in rates. mention in the five tranches of the  Land monetisation and betterment levy packages announced by the Union Finance may be tried in the context of COVID- Minister. The claim for a higher award to 19 in India. To be sure, land values have LGs is loud and clear. to be unbundled for socially relevant  The ratio of basic to tied grant is fixed at purposes. 50:50 by the commission. In the context  Municipalities and even suburban of the crisis under way, all grants must panchayats can issue a corona be untied for freely evolving proper containment bond for a period of say 10 COVID-19 containment strategies years, on a coupon rate below market locally. rate but significantly above the reverse  Further the 13th Finance Commission’s repo rate to attract banks. We are recommendation to tie local grants to appealing to the patriotic sentiments of the union divisible pool of taxes to non-resident Indians and rich citizens. ensure a buoyant and predictable Needless to say, credit rating is not to be source of revenue to LGs (accepted by the weighing consideration. That the the then Union government) must be Resurgent India Bond of 1998 could restored by the commission. mobilise over $4 billion in a few days Flood, drought, and earthquakes are taken encourages us to try this option. care of by the Disaster Management Act 2005 MP fund scheme which does not recognise epidemics, although The suspension of MPLADS by the Union several parts of India experienced several bouts of government for two years is a welcome various flus in the past. The new pandemic is a measure. The annual budget was around ?4,000 public health challenge of an unprecedented crore. The Union government has appropriated nature along with livelihood and welfare the entire allocation along with the huge non- challenges. The first Report speaks of mitigation lapseable arrears. MPLADs, which was funds and even prepared a disaster risk index, to avowedly earmarked for local area map out vulnerable areas. These are redundant in development, must be assigned to local the present context. The 2005 Act may have to be governments, preferably to panchayats on the modified to accommodate the emerging situation. basis of well-defined criteria. COVID-19 has woken us up to the reality that  A special COVID-19 containment grant to local governments must be equipped and the LGs by the FFC to be distributed on the empowered. Relevant action is the critical need. basis of SFC-laid criteria is the need of the hour.  The commission may do well to consider this. The local government grant of ?90,000 crore for 2020-2021 by the FFC is only 3% higher than that recommended by the Fourteenth Finance Commission.  For panchayats there is only an increase of ?63 crore. The commission’s claim that the grant works out to 4.31% of the

Easy to PICK227 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 An unravelling of the Group of Seven Jayant Prasad, a former diplomat, served as earlier too, as a special invitee for its Director General of the Institute for Defence outreach sessions. Studies and Analyses  India’s Prime Minister was guest invited to Biarritz, France to the G7 summit last GS-PAPER-II International organisation year, along with other heads of government (Australia, Burkina Faso, With the world in disorder, a new mechanism Chile, Egypt, Rwanda, Senegal, Spain, will have value only if it focuses on key global and South Africa). issues  The G7 emerged as a restricted club of the rich democracies in the early 1970s. The Context quadrupling of oil prices just after the 1973 The next G7 summit, tentatively scheduled in Arab-Israeli War, when members of the Washington DC in mid-June, has Organization of the Petroleum Exporting been postponed by the host, U.S. President Countries (OPEC) imposed an embargo Donald Trump. His decision followed German against Canada, Japan, the Netherlands, Chancellor Angela Merkel’s decision to stay and the United States, shocked their away from the meeting, ostensibly because of economies. restrictions on travel imposed by COVID-19. She  Although the French were spared the may not have wanted to go just for a photo embargo, the chill winds of the OPEC opportunity. The recent meetings of G7 have had action reverberated around the world. desultory results.  French President Valéry Giscard d’Estaing invited the Finance Ministers Logic of expansion of five of the most developed members While postponing the summit “to at least of the Organisation for Economic September”, Mr. Trump declared that in any case, Cooperation and Development, the the G7 “is a very outdated group of countries” United States, Germany, Japan, Italy, and and no longer properly represented “what’s the United Kingdom, for an informal going on in the world”. He asked, rhetorically, discussion on global issues. why not a G10 or G11 instead, with the inclusion  This transformed into a G7 Summit of the of India, South Korea, Australia and possibly heads of government from the following Russia. year, with the inclusion of Canada Elaborating this logic, the White House Director (1976), and the European of Strategic Communications said the U.S. Commission/Community (later Union) President wanted to include other countries, attending as a non-enumerated member, a including the Five Eyes countries (an intelligence year later. alliance comprising Australia, Canada, New  On the initiative of U.S. President Bill Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United Clinton and British Prime Minister States), and to talk about the future of China. A Tony Blair, the G7 became the G8, with Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs official the Russian Federation joining the club immediately reacted, labelling it as “seeking a in 1998. This ended with Russia’s clique targeting China”. expulsion following the annexation of Crimea in 2014.  China’s objection to an expanded G7 is no reason for India to stay away from it, if Economic circumstances invited to join. When constituted, the G7 countries accounted  India has attended several G7 summits

Easy to PICK228 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 for close to two-thirds of global GDP. According  It had announced its members would phase to the 2017 report of the accountancy firm, out all fossil fuels and subsidies, but has PwC, “The World in 2050”, they now account not so far announced any plan of action to for less than a third of global GDP on a do so. The G7 countries account for 59% purchasing power parity (PPP) basis, and less of historic global CO2 emissions (“from than half on market exchange rates (MER) basis. 1850 to 2010”), and their coal fired plants emit “twice more CO2 than those of the  The seven largest emerging economies entire African continent”. (E7, or “Emerging 7”), comprising Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico,  Three of the G7 countries, France, Russia and Turkey, account for over a Germany, and the U.K., were among the third of global GDP on purchasing top 10 countries contributing volunteers to power parity (PPP) terms, and over a the Daesh, which had between 22,000- quarter on MER basis. 30,000 foreign fighters just two years ago.  India’s economy is already the third  West Asia is in a greater state of turmoil largest in the world in PPP terms, even than at any point of time since the fall of if way behind that of the U.S. and China. the Ottoman Empire, leading to a migrants crisis that persuaded many countries in  By 2050, the PwC Report predicts, six of Europe to renege on their western liberal the seven of the world’s best performing values, making the Mediterranean Sea a economies will be China, India, the death trap for people fleeing against fear of United States, Indonesia, Brazil, and persecution and threat to their lives. Russia. Need for a new institution  Two other E7 countries, Mexico and The world is in a state of disorder. The global Turkey, also improve their position. economy has stalled and COVID-19 will inevitably create widespread distress. Nations  It projects that India’s GDP will increase need dexterity and resilience to cope with the to $17 trillion in 2030 and $42 trillion in current flux, as also a revival of multilateralism, 2050 in PPP terms, in second place after for they have been seeking national solutions for China, just ahead of the United States. problems that are unresolvable internally. Existing international institutions have proven themselves  This is predicated on India overcoming the unequal to these tasks. A new mechanism might challenge of COVID-19, sustaining its help in attenuating them. reform process and ensuring adequate It would be ideal to include in it the seven investments in infrastructure, institutions, future leading economies, plus Germany, governance, education and health. Japan, the U.K., France, Mexico, Turkey, South Korea, and Australia. If Mr. Trump loses The limitations of G7 his re-election bid, this might have to wait for a The success or otherwise of multilateral few years. The 2005 ad hoc experiment by institutions are judged by the standard of whether Prime Minister Tony Blair in bringing together or not they have successfully addressed the core the G7 and the BRICS countries was a one-off. global or regional challenges of the time. The G7 A new international mechanism will have value failed to head off the economic downturn of only if it focuses on key global issues. 2007-08, which led to the rise of the G20. In the India would be vitally interested in three: short span of its existence, the G20 has international trade, climate change, and the provided a degree of confidence, by promoting COVID-19 crisis. A related aspect is how to push open markets, and stimulus, preventing a for observing international law and preventing the collapse of the global financial system. retreat from liberal values on which public goods are predicated.  The G7 has not covered itself with glory with respect to contemporary issues, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, the challenge of the Daesh, and the crisis of state collapse in West Asia.

Easy to PICK229 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 Global public health and the revival of growth and trade in a sustainable way (that also reduces the inequalities among and within nations) would pose a huge challenge. Second order priorities for India would be cross-cutting issues such as counter-terrorism and counter-proliferation. An immediate concern is to ensure effective implementation of the 1975 Biological Weapons Convention and the prevention of any possible cheating by its state parties by the possible creation of new microorganisms or viruses by using recombinant technologies. On regional issues, establishing a modus vivendi with Iran would be important to ensure that it does not acquire nuclear weapons and is able to contribute to peace and stability in Afghanistan, the Gulf and West Asia. The end state in Afghanistan would also be of interest to India, as also the reduction of tensions in the Korean Peninsula and the South China Sea.

Easy to PICK230 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 India-China: the line of actual contest The ongoing military standoffs with China at agree on the alignment of the LAC multiple points along the India-China border has everywhere. turned the spotlight to the single most important  Differences in perception, particularly element that has helped keep the peace across the in 13 spots in the western, middle and Himalayas: the Line of Actual Control (LAC). eastern sectors of the border, often lead to what are called “face offs”, when patrols Yet, what exactly the LAC is remains a source encounter each other in these grey zones of much confusion. that lie in between the different They are different in one crucial way. With alignments. Pakistan, India has an international boundary,  Some of these areas are Chumar, which has been agreed upon, and the LoC, Line of Demchok and the north bank of the control which has been delineated on a map by Pangong lake in the western sector, both sides.In contrast, the alignment of the LAC Barahoti in the middle sector, and has never been agreed upon, and it is has neither Sumdorong Chu in the east. been delineated nor demarcated. There is no  Both sides agreed to protocols in 2005 and official map in the public domain that depicts the 2013 that describe the rules of engagement LAC. In a strange irony, if the LAC is far less clear to handle such situations, but as the current than the LoC, it has remained much more stand-off at Pangong Tso reminds us, they peaceful, with not a shot fired since 1975 at haven’t always been followed. Tulung La.  At Pangong Tso, India’s LAC runs at Finger 8, and China’s at Finger 4. The Where does the LAC run? “fingers” from 1 to 8 refer to mountain  For the most part, in the western sector, it spurs that run from west to east on the broadly corresponds with the border as lake’s northern bank. Currently, Chinese China sees it. troops have erected tents in the Finger 4  There are differences in several points area and are preventing India from here, including at the very start of the reaching its LAC at Finger 8, leading to a LAC, which India reportedly pegs stand-off. northwest of the Karakoram Pass, but China further south. Genesis  In the eastern sector, it broadly In a November 7, 1959 letter to Jawaharlal corresponds with the border as India sees Nehru, then Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai it, along the McMahon Line that suggested the armed forces of both sides separates Arunachal Pradesh from withdraw 20 km, as he put it, “from the so- Tibet. called McMahon Line in the east, and from the  In the middle sector and Sikkim, the LAC line up to which each side exercises actual is broadly aligned with the borders as India control in the west”. and China see it, with minor differences Yet where exactly each side believed it exercised here. control was a matter of debate, complicated by the  Following the Tulung La incident, Delhi’s fact that China’s alignments kept changing. China Study Group set patrolling limits The “LAC” it referred to in 1960 and 1962 wasn’t that India would stick to, in order to assert the same as 1959. When India and China signed its LAC alignment — limits that are still the landmark Border Peace and Tranquility being followed today. Agreement (BPTA) in 1993, the first legal  The problem is India and China do not agreement that recognised the LAC, they avoided

Easy to PICK231 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 this problem by referring to the LAC at the time, don’t stick to positions, and their actions on the and not the LAC of 1959, 1960 or 1962, all of which had different meanings. ground constantly defy things they have done in It isn’t widely known that many of the ideas in the BPTA had, in part, a Russian genesis. the past. Following Rajiv Gandhi’s 1988 visit to China, The Chinese line has kept shifting. There is always both sides were optimistic of pushing ahead on talks on the boundary. In this time, they were scope for redrawing, and we have never had the exploring regimes to maintain peace and chance to look at their maps.” tranquillity, and looked at, among others, the ongoing China-Russia boundary negotiations. The current stand-offs, Ms. Rao said, have “It was not that we came to some Nirvana moment,” recalls Nirupama Rao, a former Foreign underlined the challenge India faces on its Secretary and Ambassador to China who had, in 1991, engaged with the Russians on this question borders. as the then Joint Secretary (East Asia) in the “If a problem has lasted so long, and there is no Ministry of External Affairs. “For instance, the concept of mutual and equal security, which we settlement in sight, we may need another included in the agreement, was a Russian term. This was a borrowed idea, like Eve being born generation or two to settle it. The only answer for from the rib of Adam.” As Mr. Menon writes, this unqualified reference to us is to be prepared, continue to build our roads the LAC created “the unintended side effect of further incentivising the forward creep to the line and improve our infrastructure, keep ourselves by both militaries”, a consequence that both sides are currently dealing with at multiple points on the ready to deal with these contingencies, and play LAC. the game in a way that safeguards our interests.” The contest across the line isn’t going anywhere. Clarification Both the 1993 BPTA agreement and the subsequent agreement on confidence-building measures in 1996 acknowledged that both sides would ultimately clarify the LAC. That process has, however, stalled since 2002, when China walked away from exchanging maps in the western sector. During a 2015 visit to China, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a pitch to revive the process, saying in a speech in Tsinghua University that “a shadow of uncertainty always hangs over the sensitive because neither side knows where the LAC is in these areas,” he said. China rebuffed his request. Ms. Rao, the former Foreign Secretary, said that it wasn’t a surprise, and China had, in several territorial disputes, intentionally left its claims ambiguous. “The Chinese are masters at it. They

Easy to PICK232 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 WHO, on the virus The story so far: On June 8, the technical lead of start to manifest, or are “presymptomatic”. It is not clear if asymptomatics are much less the World Health Organization (WHO), on the likely than presymptomatics and symptomatics to transmit the disease. WHO’s emphasis on COVID19 pandemic, said transmission by people symptomatics could imply that asymptomatics are without symptoms is “very rare”. Following a ? “safe” and this undermines the widespread adoption of face masks and social distancing. restorm of protests by health experts, WHO WHO moved slow on the use of face masks and formally recommended it only after it was a retracted the claim on Tuesday, calling it a widely accepted practice in several Asian “misunderstanding”. countries. A potentially greater role of asymptomatics and presymptomatics means that WHO has been engaged in a series of isolating and quarantining ought to be more aggressive. controversial statements on the role of However, when numbers are large, as in India, the asymptomatics — those who have been infected vast majority are not likely to su? er from serious with the virus but do not display symptoms — in infection and the focus is on treating only the manifestly ill — as is now being followed in spreading SARSCoV2. several States—and opening up restrictions on movement. This way, many experts say, it is more What did the World Health Organization feasible to focus on symptomatics and their contacts. (WHO) say about the role of asymptomatics? Do genes have a role in determining the degree On Monday, June 8, at a virtual press conference, of sickness? Dr. Maria van Kerkhove, WHO’s technical lead This is still an open question and researchers across the world are comparing the genes of those on the COVID19 pandemic, said It still appears to with the disease and trying to ?nd correlations with the severity of illness. be rare that an asymptomatic individual actually Being a novel coronavirus, by de?nition, a large population is susceptible and no natural immunity transmits onward... What we really want to be prevails anywhere. focused on is following [t]he symptomatic cases.” Genetic factors are known to play a role in severe malaria. Chronic health conditions such These comments provoked opposition from as diabetes and hypertension increase infectious disease experts and doctors — susceptibility to severe COVID19 disease. primarily on social media — arguing that Dr. A recent study, that is still being peer reviewed, associated severe respiratory failure to genes that Kerkhove may have downplayed the signi? determine blood type. Blood type A was found to be more susceptible to respiratory disease than cance of this mode of transmission. O. There were also other genes found that in?uenced Even more signi?cantly, a recommendation to how the immune system responded to the virus. “focus on symptomatics” would mean ignoring A lot of focus in collaborative human genome studies is on understanding the role of certain infections by a category called “presymptomatics”. These are people who carry the virus and are asymptomatic, but over time show few or mild symptoms. The next day Dr. Kerkhove appeared to backtrack. Why do WHO’s observations matter? Asymptomatics are those people who never show symptoms of the disease but test positive for the virus. WHO and infectious disease specialists assert that asymptomatic patients exist but it is not known how many there are and in what proportion. The current understanding of the disease is that people are most infectious when symptoms

Easy to PICK233 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 genes in the Human Leukocyte Antigen complex, which is an important part of the immune system. The virus, as it is now understood, is able to spread easily because of a mutation in its spike protein; this helps it to lodge itself better in the lung cells. It is the variation in the HLA across populations that can reveal immune response. But there is no genetic link yet on why some people are asymptomatic.

Easy to PICK234 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 No longer special: On India-Nepal ties Context pursuing the amendment at exactly the same time # After months of brinkmanship, India and Nepal as the India-China border stand-off bolsters the have brought their relations to the edge of a belief among some in New Delhi that he is precipice. speaking with confidence borne from Beijing’s backing. # The Oli government’s decision to pass the constitutional amendment ratifying a change # Regardless of the truth of those accusations, or in its maps that include Lipulekh, Kalapani and who is more responsible for the downslide in ties, Limpiyadhura, territories that India controls, the speed with which the constitutional marks a decidedly new phase in ties. amendment was passed has left little space for diplomacy now. Disputed territory # While the issue is an old one, it resurfaced in # It is necessary the two nations resolve their 2019 when New Delhi published new political issues through dialogue lest they face more maps to reflect the changes following the decision serious consequences. on August 5 to reorganise the State of Jammu and Kashmir, and Nepal objected to # The Modi government has in the past not the depiction of disputed territory. flinched from taking tough measures, including the 2015 blockade that severely affected India’s # In 2000 and 2014, India and Nepal agreed to land-locked neighbour. hold talks about Kalapani and Susta, without much success. # The Oli government, which seeks to build its legacy by overturning what it calls “unequal” # Matters snowballed when India’s Defence agreements made by the monarchy, could also Minister inaugurated a surfaced road over the cause a security nightmare for India if it opens territory; when Nepal protested, Indian Army up other parts of their long boundary, Chief, General Naravane, suggested it was at the and reverses old commitments on open and “behest” of China. unsecured border posts. # While New Delhi contends that it was willing to # Both sides moved quickly this week to manage discuss matters “at a mutually convenient the fallout of border firing by Nepali police on a date”, Kathmandu says the MEA has rejected group of Indians that left one dead. two dates suggested by the Nepal MoFA, and has routinely dismissed requests from the Nepal # The same alacrity is needed to manage the Ambassador for a meet with the Foreign fallout of Saturday’s amendment vote, on the Secretary. once celebrated “special” relationship between the two countries. # That the MEA said Kalapani talks could wait until both countries had dealt with the coronavirus pandemic first, further enraged the Oli government, which has pointed out India’s participation by videoconference in bilateral and multilateral meetings. # Meanwhile, Mr. Oli’s purposeful manner in

Easy to PICK235 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 The need for an anti-discrimination law By, Suhrith Parthasarathy is an advocate # There, the court held that an energy company practising at the Madras High Court had fallen foul of the U.S. Civil Rights Act of 1964 — which made racial Context discrimination in private workplaces illegal — Much as we might sometimes see it as a leveller, by insisting on a superfluous written test by it invariably tends to underscore more endemic applicants for its better entry-level jobs. inequities. Recent revelations made by the former West Indies cricket captain Darren # Although, on the face of it, this requirement Sammy, therefore, must awaken us to a problem was race-neutral, in practice it allowed the that goes far beyond the cricket field and its company to victimise African-Americans. narrow confines, of a society replete with racism. # In a memorable judgment, Chief Justice Burger Voices in sport wrote that “tests or criteria for employment or # In our country, this problem is only exacerbated promotion may not provide equality of by other historically ingrained forms of opportunity “ discrimination, along the lines of caste, class, gender, and religion among other things. # It wasn’t merely “overt discrimination” that was illegal but also “practices that are fair in form, # Indeed, in reacting to Mr. Sammy’s statements, but discriminatory in operation”. the former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan pointed not only to how players from the south of India State and private contracts routinely faced abuse from crowds in the north # Both direct and indirect forms of — something which the Tamil Nadu and discrimination militate against India’s India opener Abhinav Mukund too attested to — constitutional vision of equality. but also to another form of prejudice even more entrenched in society. # On June 9, Mr. Pathan said, in a tweet, # The verdict in Griggs was notably applied that racism in our country goes by Justice S. Ravindra Bhat in the Delhi High beyond the colour of our skins, that enforcing Court’s 2018 judgment in Madhu vs. Northern embargoes on people seeking to buy houses based Railway. on their faith ought to equally be seen as a feature of prejudice. # There, the Railways had denied free medical treatment to the wife and daughter of an Blow against race-neutrality employee which they would otherwise have been # These prejudices, which pervade every aspect entitled to under the rules. of life, from access to basic goods, to education and employment, are sometimes manifest. # The Railways contended that the employee had “disowned” his family and had had their names # But, on other occasions, the discrimination is struck off his medical card. indirect and even unintended. # The court held that to make essential benefits # The forms that it takes were perhaps best such as medical services subject to a declaration explained by the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling by an employee might be “facially neutral”, but in Griggs vs. Duke Power Co. (1971). it produced a disparate impact, particularly on

Easy to PICK236 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 women and children. the customer’s faith, such a refusal would run directly counter to the guarantee of equality.) # But while this case concerned discrimination by the state, entry barriers to goods such as housing, # India is unique among democracies in that schools and employment tend to function in the a constitutional right to equality is not realm of private contracts. supported by comprehensive legislation. # The Constitution, though, is markedly vocal on # In South Africa, for example, a constitutional this too. Article 15(2) stipulates that citizens shall guarantee is augmented by an all- not on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex, encompassing law which prohibits unfair or place of birth be denied access to shops, discrimination not only by the government but public restaurants, hotels and places of public also by private organisations and individuals. entertainment. # Yet, on occasion, this right, which applies Attempts at change horizontally, inter se individuals, comes into # Shashi Tharoor introduced a private conflict with the rights of persons to associate with member’s bill (drafted by Tarunabh Khaitan) in others, often to the exclusion of certain groups. 2017, while the Centre for Law & Policy Research drafted and released an Equality # The Supreme Court, in 2005, in Zoroastrian Bill last year. Cooperative Housing Society vs District # These attempts recognise that our civil Registrar Co-operative Societies (Urban) and liberties are just as capable of Others, endorsed one such restrictive bond, when being threatened by acts of private individuals as it ruled in favour of a bye-law of a Parsi housing they are by the state. society that prohibited the sale of property to non-Parsis. # Ultimately, our rule of law must subsume an understanding that discrimination partakes # This right to forbid such a sale, the Court ruled, different forms. was intrinsic in the Parsis’ fundamental right to associate with each other. # Any reasonable conception of justice would demand that we look beyond the intentions of # But in holding thus, the judgment, as Gautam our actions, and at the engrained structures of Bhatia points out in his book, society. The Transformative Constitution, not only conflated the freedom to contract with # This does not mean that we need to live under an the constitutional freedom to associate, but illusion that a statute will resolve our systemic also overlooked altogether Article 15(2). biases, that we will somehow magically transform ourselves into the kind of nation that B.R. # At first blush, Article 15(2) might appear to be Ambedkar envisioned. somewhat limited in scope. But the word “shops” used in it is meant to be read # To that end, the idea of enacting a law that will widely. help ameliorate our ways of life, that will help reverse our deep-rooted culture of discrimination, # A study of the Constituent Assembly’s is worth thinking about. debates on the clause’s framing shows us that the founders explicitly intended to place restrictions on any economic activity that sought to exclude specific groups. (For example, when a person refuses to lease her property to another based on