Contents 7
Strategy
Prelims Countdown: Strategy to prepare in next 90 days
15
Articles Historical Personality Dr.
Inspiration
Topper’s Interview : Aman Mittal (IAS, UPSC CSE 2014)
Prelims Section PT
Ambedkar : A Critical Review
149 153
Express : Quick GS Recap Work
Map
Political / Constitutional Issues The
Reservation Conundrum Rajya Sabha : Indispensable Institution of Indian Democracy and Federalism
Social Issues Ugliest
To the Point
What, Why, How, Where, When of Important GS Topics
face of gender based violence : Acid Attacks
Economic Issues Aviation
Industry : Adding Wings to Inclusive Growth Exit Policy in India : Welcome, But No Goodbye! Fourth Industrial Revolution : The Next Big Thing!
163
Mains Section
173
Potential
Q & As : Based on Current Affairs Academic Vitamins : Gist of EPW, Yojana, Kurukshetra Emotional Intelligence: Moving beyond IQ (Ethics Paper)
International / Global Issues Understanding
the U.S. Presidential Elections
Science and Tech Articles Genetically Modified Crops : Gene Revolution and Beyond Anti-Microbial
Resistance : A New Challenge
210
The
paths to glory lead but to the grave Corporations: Savior or Saboteur Announcement of Essay Competition Multinational
Environment and Ecology The
Essays
Green Tribunal : Watchdog for Environment
Current Affairs Most
Important News Events Constitutional & Administrative Updates Economic Scenario International News Events India-World Relations Science & Technology Environment & Ecology Social Issues Other National News States Scan Art & Culture Sports News In News
67
Interviews
215
Preparing Mock
for the Personality Test (Part-1) Interview & its evaluation
Debate
222
Does
Aadhar Invade Privacy to Achieve Fiscal Consolidation?
Superfast Revision Series Supplement
: Art & Culture 100 Practice MCQs on Art & Culture
229
Team Drishti This magazine is a result of a team collaboration. We express our gratitude to all our team members. Apart from the given names, several freelance writers have also made important contributions which have been acknowledged alongside their articles. Editor-in-Chief & CMD : Dr. Vikas Divyakirti zz Chief Executive Officer: Shivesh Mishra zz Advisory Board D. Kumar, Kumar Gaurav, Akhil Murti, Rajesh Mishra, Nishant Shrivastava, Ritesh Jaiswal, Sourabh Chaturvedi, K.P. Dwivedi. zz Executive Editor Neel Parmar zz Editorial Team Dr. Vikas (Editor- Views section), Abhishek Mishra (Editor- News), Rabmeet Kaur, Dr. Deepshikha, Abhishek Gautam, Sarmad Wani, Chandra Bhan Singh, Prerna Priya, Debabrat Gogoi, Sandeep Verma, Aniruddha Krishna, Gaurav Bana, Neha Saini, Sonu Bura zz Typesetting and Designing Mohd. Sajid Saifi, Jitender Ruhela, Vivek Kumar, Anil Kumar, Poonam Saxena, Pankaj Gupta, Sachin Pal, Rajo Kamti, Shabana Malik zz Web Section Narender Pratap, Avinash Kumar, Durgesh, Geeta Pal, Abhishek Kumar, Anu Raj zz Managerial Support Mohd. Aftab Alam, Ekta Kalia, Ajay Karakoti, Gopal Rai, Ravishankar Shukla, Rajesh Dhasmana, Ajay Sharma, Arun Singh, Pooja Sharma, Mohit Walia, Abhishek Singh, Nitesh Kumar Jha, Mohit Mishra zz Day-to-day Support Mohit Pandey, Kundan Kumar, Gajender, Ravi Kumar, Bhavesh Giri, Mahesh Kumar, Sunny, Dilip Tiwari, Vijay Kumar, Amit Kumar, Vikesh Kumar, Raju Bera, Vijay Kumar, Panchanan Mishra, Ankit Yadav, Punit Kangda, Rahul Kumar, Manoj Kumar, Avinish Srivastava, Salman, Bhanu Pratap, Md. Shakeel, Surender Rai, Naveen Kr. Shukla, Anshul Tiwari, Amit Kr. Ruhela, Ankur Dwivedi, Deepak Pal, Rishabh Kumar, Sahil, Subhash Kumar, Ram Surat Yadav, Raju Verma, Manish Kumar, Deepak Kamti, Kishan Kanojia, Gyan Prakash Maurya zz
Contact us For suggestions/feedback, ContactExecutive Editor Drishti Current Affairs Today Drishti Publications, 641, First Floor, Dr. Mukherjee Nagar, Delhi-110009 Phone: 87501 87501, Whatsapp: 8130392355 Email:
[email protected]
June 2016
Monthly
Year 1
Issue 1
Disclaimer The views expressed in the articles in
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The information, news and facts
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We believe that the articles published
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Editorial Dear Aspirants, Of the many questions posed by life, the central one continues to be about the aim of our life. To a certain age, this question may remain unimportant for all of us; and for some, it never becomes a question at all. But anyone with a reflective and curious mind is bound to be confronted by this question at a certain stage of life, especially when his/ her basic needs have been fulfilled. I guess many among you have also faced this question in one form or other. Many philosophers have tried to grasp the essence of life. A few have approached this question quite nihilistically. They say that life is nothing but the result of a momentary accident and will simply cease to exist one day. German critic and poet Heinrich Heine is believed to have said that “Sleep is lovely, death is better still, not to have been born is of course the miracle”. Even our own beloved poet Mirza Ghalib has written “Duboyaa mujhko hone ne, naa hota mai to kya hota” (My being defeated me/Had I not been, what would have been?). On the other hand, many thinkers have propagated the idea of hedonism which means the purpose of life is to enjoy maximum possible pleasures. A few philosophers (like Charvaka and Bentham) have even said that all pleasures are of equal importance. It means that if someone seeks to satisfy oneself with material pleasures like tasty food, consumption, or a lavish life style and someone else seeks satisfaction from social service and helping others, then we can not claim that the one is better or worse than the other. Both are seen as seeking pleasure as per their nature and this only is the essence of life. However, the truth is that self-centred pursuit of pleasure can never help in grasping the meaning and essence of life. So the question which continues to stare us in face is that then, what needs to be done? We know that all of us have different capabilities. Modern Psychology refers to it as ‘aptitude’. One way to come closer to understanding one’s aim of life is developing one’s capabilities to the maximum and using them for betterment of self as well as the society which we live in. I assure you, the pleasure which one feels after contributing selflessly to society cannot be equalled by any other, especially when our efforts contribute towards bringing a smile on the faces of those who, caught between the brute forces of history, have been oppressed and downtrodden for centuries. Even if we become capable of changing even ten such lives in our lifetime, it will bring so much satisfaction that even the most sought after pleasures of the world will seem insignificant before it. And, in Indian context, the opportunity to live such a golden life is most easily available to those who are successful in civil services or politics. Their each and every decision has the capacity to positively affect millions of lives. It has so many times been witnessed that a transfer of or mistreatment with an officer is followed by strong protests from civil society and becomes a sensitive media issue. It is only because people still look at them as their saviour. So come on, concentrate all your energies and direct them towards fulfilling your dream. And your dream should not merely be a quest for a post or position, but must also include the belief in the idea of change you can bring about while being on that post. Finally, all our endeavors should be directed towards leaving this world a bit more beautiful than it was at the beginning of our journey called life. Look at your next three crucial months of preparation as a journey towards that dream. And we, the team of Drishti Current Affairs Today shall always be there, striving hard at our own level, to help make your preparation a little less hectic, much more organized and a bit easier.
With Best Wishes
(Dr. Vikas Divyakirti)
J
ust studying for hours and hours for days, months and years is not enough. That is only hard work. You need ‘strategy’ to prepare for the examination to do ‘smart work’. Strategy is the guiding light of your preparation; it is the software driving your hardware (read hard work). Your strategy will define the direction of the volume of work you do to prepare for the exam. Lack of strategy or wrong strategy or unclear strategy will cost you big in the UPSC CSE; the examination is already the greatest (read toughest) in India, don’t complicate it by assuming that only hard work will see you conquer it. You need strategy for all verticals: Preliminary, Mains and Personality Test. How to prepare for each of the three connected-yet-separate levels and how to change gears as the next level of exam is near? How to study a material so as to optimize it for all the three stages as far as possible? How to prepare in the first few months preceding the Preliminary exam? How to study (and what not to study) when you have just fifteen days to appear for the Personality test? You also need strategy as a horizontal input that will inform your preparation style, study hours, how you study, what you study (and don’t), which material to consult, how you spend your time with hobbies and interests, what company you live in and so on. Remember, one leak will sink a ship. You should know where your ship is going or you will reach nowhere. You should know if there is an iceberg coming your way to sink your Titanic. You should know the wind and weather as far as possible. UPSC is an ocean and you are competing with half a million other candidates who are charting their path in the ocean cutting the waterways with sheer hard, smart work. What will differentiate you from others? How do you learn from your experiences (hint: experience is the name we give to our mistakes)? How clearly you see your goal? Are you relying blindly on formulistic coachings, books, material? How well you know yourself and how have you tuned your preparation to optimize your strengths and build on your weak points? You see there are so many angles to your preparation. You should bind all the exam necessities within a strategy. Remember, the UPSC is following a strategy to choose a civil servant that the Government of India thinks is fit for the services. You should have a strategy to meet the expectation. We hope we have been able to hammer the importance of strategy in your head. In every issue of the magazine, we aim to cover various strategic dimensions for the UPSC CSE to fortify your preparation. Arguably, this is the most important part of the magazine. It is a do-or-die situation for you: UPSC CSE examination. That is how you should think. “It is our attitude more than our aptitude that determines our altitude.” And it is our ‘strategy’ that determines the tone and tenor of our attitude. WE SEE A CIVIL SERVANT IN YOU. To begin with, believe in yourself, that is strategy number one. All the best!
Strategy
Prelims Countdown:
Strategy to prepare in next 90 days The Preliminary Exam (PT) is a rejection process. Lakhs of aspirants appear every year and only few thousand clear it. It is easy to get rejected here unless you are truly prepared.
Team Drishti Dear Aspirants, There are hardly 90 days left for Civil Services (Prelims) Examination, 2016. As the clock is ticking, your anxiety and nervousness regarding your Prelims preparation must be on the rise as well. Questions like what to read, what not to read, how to read, how much to read, how to revise such a vast syllabus etc. must be giving you nightmares. Surely, you might be preparing from past one year; still you may not be confident enough for the upcoming exam. Many aspirants might be in a state of confusion at this stage. Not being able to complete the whole General studies syllabus, failing to recall the learnt facts, not being able to revise properly, lack of confidence etc. ultimately leads to irritation and negative thoughts disturbing an aspirant’s mind. This is the time when you should be positive and confident but the maze of General Studies takes you to the path of negativity and confusion. Therefore, at this point of time you need a special kind of strategy to prepare General Studies which can help you clear the Preliminary Examination. Every serious CSE aspirant has her own strategy according to which she prepares. It is also rather inevitable to have an individualistic strategy because there cannot be one fit-for-all approach in CSE. This is because of the diverse nature, needs, potential, background, of the CSE aspirants. Different individual may have
different approach towards this exam. A student with humanities background may be uncomfortable attempting science questions. On the other hand, aspirants with engineering background might be weak in economics or find difficulty learning factual information. Therefore, the purpose of this article is not to give you any quick pill. It is to help you prioritize your preparation better and hence improve your chances for a better score that will help you clear the exam.
Structure of Preliminary Examination It is desirable to first understand the structure and syllabus of the preliminary examination as organized by Union Public Service Commission. As you know, Prelims exam comprises of two objective papers of 200 marks each. Paper-1 is of General Studies and Paper-2 is of what is commonly known as CSAT (Civil Services Aptitude test). Further, the merit of the exam is decided by the marks secured in General Studies paper only and does
8 || Drishti Current Afffairs Today || June 2016
not takes into account the marks secured in CSAT paper. This is because, CSAT has been made qualifying in nature i.e. one has to secure minimum of 33% marks in Paper-2 to get their Paper-1 evaluated.
General Studies Paper-1 (Syllabus) Current
events of national and international importance. History of India and Indian National Movement. Indian and World Geography – Physical, Social, Economic Geography of India and the World. Indian Polity and Governance – Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues etc. Economic and Social Development Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector initiatives, etc. General issues on Environmental Ecology, Bio-diversity and Climate Change – that do not require subject specialization. General Science. Therefore, your success in the preliminary exam depends upon your performance in Paper-1 i.e. General studies but one also cannot afford to completely ignore Paper-2. Needless to say that more importance should be given to General studies in comparison to CSAT.
Strategy After going through the Prelims syllabus, the basic feeling that every aspirant might have is what needs to be done to qualify this crucial stage of exam, what all is to be studied, how much to study and how to study? Which section of General Studies should be focused more and which section less? What should be the average number of questions that one should attempt in both the papers? What is the effect of negative marking on the result and how to avoid negative marking? If we closely look at the cut-off trends in recent years, particularly after CSAT was made qualifying, we find that if in Paper-1 60-65 (net) questions are correctly attempted and if Paper-2 is qualified, then it is not difficult for anyone to clear the Preliminary examination. Civil Services Preliminary Examination Cut-off (2011-2014) Category 2011
2012
2013 2014
General
198
209
241
205
OBC
175
190
222
204
SC
164
185
207
182
ST
161
181
201
174
PH-I
135
160
199
167
PH-II
124
164
184
113
PH-III
096
111
163
115
While, the official cut-off for 2015 Preliminary exam is not known yet, experts believe it to be in between the range of 110-120 for the general candidates. On this basis we can expect that the cut-off for 2016 exam might lie in the range of 110-120. But, one should also remember that CSAT is now just qualifying and the level of GS preparation of candidates will be more rigorous in the changed scenario. Therefore, the cut-off of 2016 is more likely to rise, anywhere in the range of 120-125. It must also be taken into consideration that cut off depends on the level of toughness of the paper
as well. So if the paper is easy, cut-off might rise and vice versa. However, if you’re able to score anywhere between 125-130, i.e. if you’re able to correctly attempt 60-65 questions, you can consider yourself safe to clear the first hurdle of CSE.
What to read and how much to read? Now the question is what needs to be done to be able to correct these 60-65 questions; what should be read and what can be left. For this, you need to first understand that preparation is not about reading all the topics mentioned in the syllabus but also analyzing the previous years’ papers to determine which section has more
Topic
likelihood to be asked and which has less. If the preparation is channelized according to this, then the chances of success, no doubt, increase. Although, one must not solely depend upon this approach since every year the number of questions asked from a particular section also differ. For example, if we talk about the Current affairs section, from 2011 to 2014 on an average 5 questions were asked. But 2015 paper saw a quantum shift where 16 questions were asked from this particular section. Therefore, it is difficult to predict how many questions can be asked from any section but going by the trends and the nature of questions asked, a rough strategy can be devised.
2011 2012
2013
2014
2015
Average number of questions asked
History of India and Indian National Movement
13
20
16
19
16
17
Indian Polity and Governance
10
21
17
10
13
14
Indian and World Geography
16
17
18
20
18
18
Environment, Biodiversity and Sustainable development
17
14
14
20
12
15
Indian Economy, economic and social development
22
14
18
11
16
16
General Science
16
10
16
12
9
13
Current events of national and international importance
06
04
01
08
16
7
Total
100
100
100
100
100
100
When we micro-analyze the previous years’ papers, we find that every section has some special subsections as well from where the likelihood of questions being asked is more. For example, from History, maximum number of questions are generally asked from Modern India and Art & Culture part. So, if you wish to leave the Ancient and Medieval
History part, it won’t affect much. Similarly, from General Science section maximum questions are asked from Biology and new technological innovations part and less number of questions come from Chemistry or Physics part, which again you can afford to skip. Likewise we can deduce for other sections as well. However, it is important here to state that this
Drishti Current Afffairs Today
|| June 2016 || 9
ARTICLES Historical Personality l
Dr. Ambedkar : A Critical Review
Political / Constitutional Issues l
The Reservation Conundrum
l
Rajya Sabha : Indispensable Institution of Indian Democracy and Federalism
Social Issues l
l
Aviation Industry : Adding Wings to Inclusive Growth
l
Exit Policy in India : Welcome, But No Goodbye!
l
Fourth Industrial Revolution : The Next Big Thing!
International / Global Issues
32 37
49
Understanding the U.S. Presidential Elections
Science and Technology Articles l
Genetically Modified Crops : Gene Revolution and Beyond
l
Anti-Microbial Resistance : A New Challenge
Environment and Ecology l
21
Ugliest face of gender based violence : Acid Attacks
Economic Issues
l
16
The Green Tribunal : Watchdog for Environment
54
62
Dr. AMBEDKAR – A Critical Review Sa rma d Wa n i
Born in a class considered low and outcaste, the boy who suffered bitter humiliation became the first Minister of Law in free India, and shaped the country’s Constitution. A determined fighter, a deep scholar, humane to the core.
Background Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar (14 April 1891 – 6 December 1956) was born in the military cantonment town of Mhow in the Central Provinces (now in Madhya Pradesh). He was the 14th and last child of Ramji Maloji Sakpal, a ranked army officer at the post of Subedar and Bhimabai Murbadkar Sakpal. Ambedkar was born into a poor, low Mahar (Dalit) caste, who were treated as untouchables and subjected to socio-economic discrimination. He completed his graduation from Bombay University , M.A in Economics and other subjects from Columbia University, doctorate from London School of Economics.("The problem of the rupee: Its origin and its solution”,
his doctoral thesis was one of the first critical analysis of impact of colonial policies in India).
Inspirations Buddha was Ambedkar’s foremost
inspiration. He was also inspired by the writings of Kabir. He was influenced by the ideas of John Dewey, (the pragmatic American and his teacher) on democracy. The Fabian Edwin R. A. Seligman had considerable impact on his thought. He often quoted Edmund Burke, the conservative thinker of Britian and was inspired by his ideas on constitutionalism. Ambedkar’s notion of liberty also comes close to that of T.H. Green.
Timeline
16 || Drishti Current Afffairs Today || June 2016
Personality Fondly called as Babasaheb, B.R. Ambedkar was a multidimensional personality– a suave politician, a restless reformer, a succinct journalist, a sagacious lawyer, a deep thinker and an energetic activist. The
methodology he used is very scientific and rational rather than speculative.
Ambedkar
associates as well as disassociates himself from the grand political streams such as liberal, radical or conservative .
He
was influenced by the ideas of modernity such as urbanisation, industrialisation, liberal education, and also by values of tradition like Buddhism.
Historical Personality Ambedkar
was a radical in his philosophy of the annihilation of caste and a liberal in philosophy of individualism.
Ambedkar’s views on Hinduism Ambedkar was one of the severest critics of Hinduism (which he equated to Brahmanism) of his time He said that Hindu is not a community, it is a gamut of castes competing with each other without a binding collective conscience. Contrarily, there are strong bonds of unity within a caste which permeate everyday life of an individual such as food habits, marriage, commensality, rituals, etc. And this was the reason why India was not yet a nation.
Ambedkar’s views on Caste Babasaheb's analysis of the origin of untouchability and his action plans for its eradication were different from the approach and practice of the caste Hindu social reformers. What distinguished Babasaheb from the other social reformers was that he looked at the problems of the Dalits from below, from the vantage point of the deprived and oppressed. Ambedkar mentions in his book
Articles ‘Annihilition of caste’, “The outcaste is a bye-product of the Caste system. There will be outcastes as long as there are Castes. Nothing can emancipate the outcaste except the destruction of Caste system.”
Origin of Caste according to Ambedkar He smashed the mythological basis of untouchability and laid bare its socio-economic roots. Caste system came into existence as a result of the rivalry among the Aryan tribes at a stage when they were starting to settle down for a stable life. The settled tribes employed the defeated tribesmen in war as guards against the marauding bands. These broken tribesmen employed as guards became untouchables later on. He opined that there were four classes in Aryan tribal society– Brahmins, Khatriyas, Vaishyas, Shudras as can be seen in Rig Vedic text (Note: Aryans were the indigenous people of India according to Ambedkar refuting the Aryan invasion theory). It was essentially an open class system, in which individuals, when qualified, could change their class, and therefore classes did change their personnel. At some time in the history of the Hindus,
Ambedkar explains in his research paper “The Castes in India: Mechanism, Genesis and Development” presented at the Columbia University in 1916 that the practice of endogamy was sustained within a caste using strict customs by regulating the number of men and women in a group through practices like widow burning, not allowing widow to remarry; and provisions like celibacy in case of widower men. His works such as: Castes in India: Their Mechanism, Genesis and Development; Annihilation of Caste; Who Were the Shudras; The Untouchables: Who Were They and Why They Became Untouchables? are testimonies to his independent and original thinking
Ambedkar as a Politician He
took part in all three Round Table Conferences held in England.
He was one of the biggest critics of
FAMOUS QUOTES “Though,
the priestly class socially detached itself from the rest of the body of people using endogamy, and through a closed door policy became a caste by itself. Likewise, the other castes imitated them because of psychological insecurity and divine promises made by Brahmins to them.
I was born as a Hindu, I solemnly assure you that I won’t die as a Hindu.” “Hindus claim to be a very tolerant people. In my opinion this is a mistake. On many occasions they can be intolerant and if on some occasions they are tolerant this is because they are too weak to oppose or too indifferent to oppose. This indifference of the Hindus has become so much a part of their nature that a Hindu will quite meekly tolerate an insult as well as a wrong... With the Hindu Gods all forbearing, it is not difficult to imagine the pitiable condition of the wronged and the oppressed among the Hindus.” “Make every man and woman free from the thraldom of the Shastras, cleanse their minds of the pernicious notions founded on the Shastras, and he or she will inter-dine and inter-marry, without your telling him or her to do so.” (Annihilation of Caste) “I thereby reject my old religion, Hinduism, which is detrimental to the prosperity of humankind and which discriminates between man and man and which treats me as inferior.”
Congress as he saw it representing only upper caste, class consciousness.
He gave representation before Simon
Commission demanding separate electorate for Dalits. But he had to finally agree to a compromise with Gandhiji under Poona Pact whereby he gave up his demand of separate electorate and agreed for a higher share of seats in legislature for Dalits (from 72 to 147).
In
1936, Ambedkar founded the Independent Labour Party. In the 1937 elections to the Central Legislative Assembly, his party won 15 seats
Drishti Current Afffairs Today
|| June 2016 || 17
The Reservation Conundrum C h a n d ra Bh a n Si n g h
The recurring demands by Jats (Haryana), Patels (Gujarat) and Kapus (Andhra Pradesh) for Other Backward Class status has again brought to the fore, the debate on Reservation and its various manifestations “So long you do not achieve social liberty, whatever freedom is provided by the law is of no avail to you” –Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Reservation as policy of affirmative action intends to achieve the goals of political, social and economic justice for all as enshrined in the preamble to the Indian constitution. It is also in practice in other countries like Sweden, China, Britain and United States under the policy of Affirmative action. Affirmative action seeks to correct inequities prevalent in society due to discrimination within a culture. Often, certain sections of people are disadvantaged for historical reasons, such as oppression or slavery or due to abstract ideas of purity and pollution. Historically and internationally, support for affirmative action has sought to achieve goals such as bridging inequalities in employment and pay and increasing access to education. In India groups that have suffered from social disabilities related to their birth have been brought under the ambit of the reservation policy that seeks to mitigate if not eradicate the effects of such injustice. The article is an attempt to develop an understanding of reservation, its intended goals, achievements and lacunas in policy making. The inequalities associated with birth have origins in the evolution of the present day Indian society.
differentiation and segregation of society, into exclusive groups based on birth which have maintained their identity based on distinctive characteristics such as occupation, food habits, residential pattern etc. The Varna system developed in the later Vedic age and by the age of Buddha these varna distinctions became rigid maintaining laws of exclusivity in terms of marriage and dinning. Later castes and jatis developed out of occupational groups and their exact relationship with the brahmanical Varna system is not clear. The development of Varna, caste and jati led to vertical stratification of the society and consequently the subjugation of those placed in the
lower strata by the higher strata occupants began and continued for ages. Reservation seeks to correct this historical injustice by trying to bring the disadvantaged and backward sections of the society on an equal pedestal with the other sections.. It would also be relevant to discuss the genesis of present crisis with respect to reservation generated by demands from various group (Jats in Haryana and Rajasthan, Patels in Gujarat and Kapus in Andhra Pradesh)(refer Box1 for details).
Reservation as a Principle Affirmative action is based on three principles: compensation or reparation for historic injustice, the
Social Stratification in Indian Society: Evolution The evolution of Indian society over ages has resulted in functional
Drishti Current Afffairs Today
|| June 2016 || 21
The ugliest face of gender based violence - Acid Attacks Pre rn a Pri ya
A deliberated assault on woman reflecting the horrid face of patriarchy! “There is one universal truth, applicable to all countries, cultures and communities: violence against women is never acceptable, never excusable, never tolerable.” Ban Ki-moon
day in vast numbers due to acid attacks. While some struggle with wounds inflicted on them by the corrosive acid, few unfortunate ones sadly succumb to it.
Laxmi’s life overturned at the tender age of 15 when Nahim Khan (brother of her friend) caused havoc by attacking her with the so called ‘modern’ weapon of revenge – Acid. Laxmi, along with hundreds of other victims has witnessed the magnitude with which this form of attack affects one’s life. In recent times, we are witnessing a considerable rise in victimization of women, violence against them is aimed at silencing and controlling them. According to Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), gender basedviolence is directed towards a woman only because of the fact that she is a Woman. Of the various forms of violence, acid attack is one of the most gruesome. Acid throwing, also termed as Vitriolage is defined as the act of throwing acid onto the body of another with the intention to disfigure, maim, torture or kill the victim.
According to researchers and activists instances of acid attacks have been reported all over the world, but particularly endemic to South Asian countries with Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Cambodia having the distinction of highest number of cases. In India, acid attack is not restricted to a particular race, religion or geographical location but it does have a gender dimension.
A person’s face may not be critical to survival but it is an essential element of social survival, this is what is targeted in acid attacks. These attacks are the result of a deeply inculcated discriminatory attitude. Girls are dying or being disfigured almost every
Reasons for Acid Attacks
Acid attack brings to surface the underlying misogyny (hatred of women or girls) a result of the patriarchal mindset. Women in contemporary society are valued on the basis of their physical appearance. Acid attack specifically targets the visual aspect of their being and leaves them with the trauma of social exclusion for eternity. The consequence of an acid attack is not something which one can physically move on from or efficaciously hide.
Acid attack is a mirror of gender discrimination and inequality faced by women. Let us now delve into the varying underlying causes behind this horrendous form of crime.
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Unrequited Love Women in India are subscribed to a patriarchal mindset where they are expected to smile demurely and passively accept the declarations of (unwanted) love. The most common cause behind attacking women is their explicit disapproval of marriage or love proposals and at times even sexual advances. Some men, enraged over their ‘unrequited love’ (one sided affair, not openly reciprocated), after taking offence at being spurned, resort to acid as a retributive weapon only to teach the girl a lesson. Low levels of education, misguided portrayal of men and women by media where the girl always gives in to her resistance after persistent efforts by the boy to woo her, nests the idea that woman are to be acquired. A girl’s refusal to an advance is taken to be superficial, only to reach this horrific end.
Cultural Causes Such attacks stem from not just a patriarchal mindset, but also from class inequalities, revenge, jealousy, etc. The ‘Objectification’ of women is an attitude which mirrors the idea of women as ‘possessions’. Victims often narrate as how right before the attack, the attacker said that if he cannot ‘possess’ them, no one else should. Traditionally in India, men have the decision-making power and women are bound to obey their decision. The feeling of dishonour which a man feels
Aviation Industry : Adding Wings to Inclusive Growth Ami t ku ma r Si n g h
Connectivity has been a vehicle of prosperity since time immemorial. Initiatives like Silk Route in the ancient times and more recent ones such as One Belt One Road have been at the centrestage for almost all human civilizations aspiring prosperity through connectivity. However with changing times, mode of connectivity too has rapidly changed giving way to aviation which has emerged as the most efficient mode connecting economies and cultures. In Indian context, major thrust and our understanding of connectivity has been limited to road and rail with the aviation sector being largely ignored. However, with Prime Minister's ambitious 'Make In India' initiative with aviation as one of the sectors, it has gained currency.
Why Aviation Industry across the globe is eyeing India? (a) India has an ideal geographic location between Eastern and Western hemisphere which can provide break journeys to long route operations. (b) 300 million strong middle class and hence a potential market to their services. For Instance: The total number of domestic tickets sold in 2014-15 were 70 million. If 300 million strong middle class flies even once, the annual sale of tickets will surge from 70 million to 300 million.
Why we need a strong Aviation Industry? (a) The development of this sector has multiplier effect that positively impacts output and employment of other sectors to a very impressive scale. (b) If airfare on regional routes
are brought down, affordable flying by masses will lead to productivity enhancement, spending lesser time in travelling and more on skill development. (c) Incidents such as Border Security Force aircraft crash last December in Dwarka (Delhi), which claimed ten lives of BSF Jawans merely for the reason of engine failure which could have been curbed, if we have Maintenance Repair and Overhaul (henceforth, MRO) facilities in place, which is a critical component of aviation industry. (d) Growth of aviation industry accompanies investments in form of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), in various sectors of the economy, such as tourism etc. This will also increase employment for semi-skilled and unskilled labour due to positive spillover effect. It is to be noted that semi-skilled and unskilled labour is a cause of concern due to dwindling viability of agriculture as a sustained source of livehood and inability of manufacturing sector to absorb such a workforce. However for aviation industry to play its due role in the ambitious Make In India initiative, we need to have a closer look at the sector with some structural interventions awaiting attention.
Maintenance, Repair & Overhaul (MRO) Facilities India's airlines spend approx ` 5000
crores on MRO annually. However, almost 90% of this amount goes to MRO units in countries like Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia, United Arab Emirates and Indonesia. This is due to the fact that MRO facilities
in these countries offer services at lower cost with higher technical expertise and take comparatively less time. Presently commercial airlines in India operate more than 400 planes; the number of privately owned planes is even higher. Time bound MRO facilities is necessary to ensure safety of these aircrafts. According to a report by Global Consulting firm, KPMG, (March 2014) by 2020 India's fleet size would double and hence domestic MRO industry will become more critical in terms of security of aircrafts and as a source of earning foreign reserves. Union Budget (2016), proposes easing tariff barriers (custom duty, countervailing duty) on tools, tool kits, service parts involved in maintenance, repair and overhaul as a positive policy intervention. However one of the major bone of contention is high service tax on heavy maintenance visit, that makes Indian vision of becoming an MRO hub unviable. Service tax on heavy maintenance visit includes locally-sourced parts, tools, equipments and spares plus the additional charging of nearly 15% tax on top of final bill. Such application of tax makes maintenance, repair and overhaul, comparatively expensive in India. Policy makers need to critically examine the cost-benefit ratio of easing service tax norms. As reducing service tax may deplete revenues for the public exchequer but at the same time has potential to attract foreign exchange that presently falls in the hands of countries like Sri lanka, Malaysia, Singapore. Investor lobby also believes that
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Exit Policy: Welcome, But No Goodbye! R a b me e t Ka u r
The Indian economy, over the course of six decades, has moved from ‘socialism with limited entry to “marketism” without exit’. The article takes a look at how the absence of an exit policy impacts the economy.
Since the early 1980s, the Indian economy has made remarkable progress in increasing entry: dismantling of industrial licensing, dilution of public sector monopolies, privatization of few public sector assets, considerable liberalisation of foreign direct investment as well as reduction in trade barriers. However, while liberalisation of the economy has given freedom of entry, a liberal policy towards the entry and expansion of firms can be beneficial only if it is accompanied with a rational policy towards the exit of unviable firms. An exit policy is regarded as a quintessential cog in the wheels of liberalization. An Exit Policy provides a business unit the right or ability to withdraw from or leave an industry. It facilitates com-panies to close down their business, reorient their business, and restructure their operations with the least restric-tions and in quick time frame. This enables the removal of resources away from inefficient and unsustainable uses. For example, it allows employers to shift workers from one unit to another and/or also retrench excess labour. The need for such a policy arises as a result of modernisation, technology upgradation, restructuring as well as closure of business units. It is a necessary condition for inducing competition and enhancing the efficiency of resource use. The legend of the Chakravyuha from the Mahabharata, describing the ability to enter but not exit, perfectly illustrates the workings of the 21st century Indian economy. The presence
of disproportionately large share of inefficient firms with extremely low productivity in India is directly related to an exit problem in Indian industry. This is because a majority of these large numbers of small and inefficient firms should not survive. An effective insolvency regime saves struggling firms when possible, or reallocates assets of failing firms more productively.
NO EXIT
ENTRANCE ONLY Current Framework in India At present, India lacks a single, comprehensive law to address the several aspects related to insolvency of an enterprise. Corporate bankruptcy and insolvency is covered in a complex of multiple laws, some for collective action and some for debt recovery. These are: (a) Companies Act, 2013 – Chapter on collective insolvency resolution by way of restructuring, rehabilitation, or reorganisation of entities registered under the Act.
Adjudication
is by the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT).
National Company Law Tribunal NCLT, a quasi judicial mechanism, would encompass the power and jurisdiction of the Company Law Board, the Board for Industrial and Financial Reconstruction (BIFR), the Appellate Authority for Industrial and Financial Reconstruction and of the High Court relating to company law matters. The NCLT has not, however, been put into operation as yet. (b) Companies Act, 1956– deals with winding up of companies. N o s e p a r a t e p r o v i s i o n s f o r restructuring except through Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) and voluntary compromise. Adjudication is under the jurisdiction of the High Court. (c) Sick Industrial Companies (Special Provisions) Act (SICA), 1985 – deals with restructuring of distressed ‘industrial’ firms. Under this Act, the Board of Industrial and Financial Reconstruction (BIFR) assesses the viability of the industrial company, and refers an unviable company to the High Court for liquidation. Judicial oversight over the proceedings before the BIFR was limited by giving appellate jurisdiction to the Appellate Authority for Industrial and Financial Reconstruction (“AAIFR”).
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Fourth Industrial Revolution: The Next Big Thing! Sa n d e e p Ve rma
Fourth Industrial Revolution led by technological fusion is the emerging paradigm in industrial evolution. The article throws a searchlight on what it means and how it will impact the world community. “If you go back to 1800, everybody was poor. I mean everybody. The Industrial Revolution kicked in, and a lot of countries benefited, but by no means everyone.” - Bill Gates Humankind is at the threshold of a new industrial revolution driven by the confluence of a staggering range of emerging technologies. The big buzz at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos this year was about the ‘Fourth Industrial Revolution’, described by the founder and executive chairman of WEF, Klaus Schwab, as a “technological revolution that will fundamentally alter the way we live, work and relate to one another”. Earlier Industrial Revolutions advanced human progress through new forms of power generation, mass production and information processing. The First Industrial Revolution began in Britain in the last
quarter of the 18th century with the mechanization of the textile industry, harnessing of steam power, and birth of the modern factory. The Second Industrial Revolution, from the middle of the nineteenth century to the outbreak of World War I, was powered by developments in electricity, transportation, chemicals, steel, and mass production and consumption. Industrialization spread even further to Japan after the Meiji Restoration and deep into Russia, which was booming at the outset of World War I. During this era, factories could produce countless numbers of identical products quickly and cheaply. The Third Industrial Revolution, beginning in early 1970s, was digital and applied electronics and information technology to processes of production. Mass customization and additive manufacturing - the so-called ‘3D printing’ are its key concepts, and
its applications, yet to be imagined fully, are quite mind-boggling.
What is Fourth Industrial Revolution? The soon-to-happen and highly awaited Fourth Industrial Revolution combines digital, biological and physical systems and will propagate a new interaction between humans and machines. Built upon the previous three Industrial Revolutions, this will prove the rapid speed of technological progress by fusing their boundaries. The
First Industrial Revolution started in the 18th century with the use of water and steam power to mechanize production. The Second in 19th century used electric power to create mass production. The Third began in the 1960s and used electronics and information technology to automate production. N o w a F o u r t h I n d u s t r i a l Revolution is building on the third, that is, the digital revolution. In a paper on “The Fourth Industrial Revolution: What it means, how to respond”, Schwab says that three things about the ongoing transformation mark it out as a new phase rather than a prolongation of the current revolution — velocity, scope, and systems impact. The speed of current breakthroughs has no historical precedent. When compared
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Understanding the US Presidential Elections Te a m D ri sh ti
A breakdown of the long and complex process involving Primaries, National Conventions and Electoral College The US presidential election is easily one of the most talked about developments in the world this year. The multi-stage election jamboree lasts for a long time spread over almost a year which can be very confusing for outsiders. Particularly, this year it has been hogging more limelight as the process has been vitiated by the advances made by a controversial Donald Trump who is not bound by propriety and political correctness. Trump has been blunt, rude, racist, outspoken, extreme at times and yet he has been gaining ground. That is something that surprises election analysts and presents added charm to US elections for that reason. Once every four years (first Tuesday after the first Monday in November), the US citizens votes to decide their next president. Here is the process of this political marathon.
TIMELINE OF US ELECTIONS 2016 PRIMARIES
and CAUCUSES: Public voting to select presidential nominees for major parties starting 1 Feb 2016 (Iowa caucus) to 7 June 2016 (final 6 State Primaries) NATIONAL CONVENTION of Parties to finalise nominee : Republicans 18-21 July; Democrats 25-28 July 2016 ELECTION DAY: Americans vote, 8 November 2016. PRESIDENT’S INAUGURATION: 20 January 2017 More than half the battle for a candidate is about winning enough
support to gain a Party’s nomination; the election day may be the 8th of November 2016 but to be declared a candidate for that fateful day, one has to go through a long-winding process of winning the primaries and caucuses in various US states.
The Primaries and Caucuses: Fight to Secure Delegates We keep hearing of primaries and caucuses and how Hillary, Bernie or Trump make advances in various US states where they are being held. It is the starting step for selection of a party’s presidential candidate where the general public vote for their favourite in the party they support. There are many presidential hopefuls who belong to one of the two main political parties, Democrats or Republican, depending on their views and ideas about how the government should work. In most other countries including India, it is the party that decides on the candidate. But in the United States, it is the people who declare support for one of the parties and choose a party candidate from a list of candidates competing for the position of POTUS (President of the United States). This is where primaries and caucuses have a role; candidates from each party campaign throughout the length and breadth of US to win the support of party members. In each such contest, a candidate has to secure majority of his or her party’s delegates or individuals who represent their states at national party conventions. The candidate accumulating a majority
of party’s delegates (threshold delegate count in 2016 is 1237 for Republicans and 2382 for Democrats) in this long process lasting over many months wins the nomination of his or her party. Primaries (vote by secret ballot by people appearing at the regular polling station; used in most US states, it is paid for by the state and conducted by state election officials) or Caucuses (active debate and discussion for hours by the community followed by voting in evening; usually held at town halls, school gyms and other public venues) are the two ways in which states collect party members’ votes. Primaries could be closed (only registered voters of the party can participate) or open (no voter registration with party is needed but voter can vote only in primary of one party; a controversial aspect of elections). Before the 1970s, most states chose delegates using caucuses but post-1972 reforms, most states adopted primaries for a more inclusive and transparent process. In 2016, just fourteen states hold caucuses. People vote for delegates who are the representatives who will choose presidential and vice-presidential nominees at the national convention of parties (in late July 2016). Delegates are generally party activists, local party supporters, early supporters of candidates; presidential campaigns court such people as they bring with them a certain political backing for the candidature. Democrats award delegates on a proportional basis: onethird of votes results in one-third of delegates and so on.
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Genetically Modified Crops : Gene Revolution and Beyond D r. D e e p sh i kh a
“The resilience we need for the future will be delivered by smart plant breeding- and that’s all GM is.” –George Freeman “It is better to die eating GM food instead of dying of hunger”. This statement by Dr. Norman Borlaug, father of Green Revolution, sums up the difficult choices that India is being confronted with. In the present scenario where on one hand it needs to ensure food to its 1.2 billion plus population battling poverty, hunger, malnutrition, on the other hand our agricultural
resources like soil, water, land availability are fast deteriorating and depleting. The mounted pressures on two fronts is forcing our scientists to look beyond traditional methods of agriculture and one hopeful beacon seems to be the ‘’GM crop’’. Since 2002, when GM crops were first introduced in India as Bt cotton (which still remains the only GM crop being commercially produced), there have been a series of events in support of and against the GM crops. From PILs being filed by activists in Supreme Court against GM food crops to the parliamentary standing committee reports that have shown apprehensions to the use of GM crops, moratoriums against the field trials to the recent thumbs up being given by the Central Government, India is yet to come out decisively on the issue of field trials, commercialization and cropping despite emerging as the fourth largest country to grow GM crops in 2013. The issue evokes concerns and hopes because after Green Revolution we haven’t come across any promising innovation that will salvage the situation in agricultural sector and guarantee food security sustainably without any additional costs. But the environmental impact it may create is a worrisome fact. As is the case with every scientific blessing, this one too is a mixed bag of potential benefits and unknown dangers that may arise later.
What are genetically modified crops? To understand the issues surrounding it we need to have clarity on what GM crop actually means. GM crops are basically the plants used in agriculture, the DNA of which has been modified using genetic engineering techniques with the aim to introduce a new desired trait to the plant which doesn’t occur naturally like resistance to pests, diseases or environmental conditions, or improving the nutrient profile of the crop. Since we are genetically modifying the plant, we are able to address a host of problems that
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Anti-Microbial Resistance : A New Challenge Te a m D ri sh ti
AMR threatens our ability to effectively prevent and treat an ever-increasing range of infections caused by micro organisms. Let’s take a look at how this happens and what can be done to minimize its emergence. Antibiotics have been used for the last 70 years to fight infections caused by bacteria in both humans and animals. Antibiotics either kill the bacteria or make it difficult for the bacteria to grow and multiply. The first commercialized antibiotic, Penicillin, was discovered by Alexander Fleming in 1928. But the prolonged and widespread use of antibiotics has made the infectious organisms (bacteria, fungi, viruses and parasites) no longer responsive to the drug, making them less effective. The threat of antibiotic resistance, i.e. when bacteria change and become resistant to the antibiotics used to treat the infections they cause, dates back to the time when Fleming won the Nobel Prize for his discovery and in his acceptance speech warned of bacteria becoming resistant to penicillin. But according to a new report of the WHO, “this serious threat is no longer a prediction for the future, it is happening right now”. Antimicrobial resistance is now a major threat to public health across the globe. It can affect anyone, of any age, in any country. Resistance to treatment of last resort (carbapenem antibiotics) for life threatening diseases has spread across the world, though the extent of resistance varies. It causes prolonged sickness and increases the risk of death. The problem is so severe that it threatens the achievements of modern medicine. New resistance mechanisms emerge and spread globally every day, threatening our ability to treat common diseases. A post-antibiotic era— in which common infections and minor injuries
can kill— no longer seems to be an apocalyptic fantasy, rather a very real possibility for the 21st century. What is the difference between antibiotic and antimicrobial resistance? Antibiotic resistance refers specifically to the resistance to antibiotics that occurs in common bacteria that cause infections. Antimicrobial resistance is a broader term, encompassing resistance to drugs to treat infections caused by other microbes as well, such as parasites (e.g. malaria), viruses (e.g. tuberculosis and HIV) and fungi (e.g. Candida).
How It Happens Bacteria can become resistant to antibiotics through several ways. Some bacteria due to the presence of resistance genes are intrinsically resistant and therefore survive on being exposed to antibiotics. Due to a life-cycle and generation time spanning
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a few hours and days, these survivors replicate and form a dominant type resulting in the development of an antibiotic resistant strain. Bacteria can also acquire resistance. This can happen in two ways: by sharing and transferring resistance genes present in the rest of the population or by genetic mutations that help the bacteria survive antibiotic exposure. Once the resistance has been acquired, it can spread in the rest of the population of bacteria through reproduction or gene transfer.
How It Spreads Though antibiotic resistance occurs naturally, its development and spread is accelerated by the misuse and overuse of antibiotics in humans and animals. When antibiotics are taken, bacteria sensitive to it get killed, but the resistant strain survives, grows and multiplies. Poor prescribing practices like prescribing antibiotic when not required, incorrect choice of medicine, wrong dosage, selfmedication in countries where
The Green Tribunal: Watchdog for Environment N e h a Sa i n i
NGT has finally started giving environment its due in India. The article takes a look at its evolution, role and challenges. National Green Tribunal (NGT) makes news on a regular basis. Its decisions to safeguard environment have had an impact on ministries, corporations and individuals. It would be wise to pause and think about NGT’s efficacy. The NGT’s role assessed here is in context of the recently held World Culture Festival on the banks of river Yamuna by the Art of Living Foundation. The tribunal reprimanded the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Delhi Government and Delhi Development Authority (DDA) for not seeking environmental clearance for such a large scale anthropogenic activity in an ecologically sensitive region and for granting the public land for a private organization’s festival. However, NGT
allowed the continuation of the event by imposing a penalty of Rs. 5 crore on the Art of Living Foundation as ‘environment compensation’. It is in this background that we will be evaluating the evolution of NGT, its mandate and its effectiveness in ensuring safe and clean environment.
Evolution of NGT Although, two major acts, the National Tribunal Act, 1995 and the National Environmental Appellate Authority Act, 1997 were in existence, they were never implemented in true spirit. With increasing industrialization, need arose for a specialized tribunal. Also, India had vowed to provide speedy judicial and administrative remedy to pollution affected victims at the United Nations Conference on
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Environment and Development held at Rio De Janerio in 1992. In addition, the judiciary of the country in Dehradun Quarrying Case (1988) enlarged the scope of Article 21. Since then, Article 21 grants not just the Right to Life, but the Right to Clean Environment as well. The Constitution under Article 48-A provides the need to 'protect and improve the environment and to safeguard the forests and wildlife of the country'. Again, in M.C. Mehta Vs Union of India (1987) and Indian Council for Enviro-Legal Action vs Union of India (1989), the Supreme Court floated the need for a fast track court to provide justice to the victims of environmental pollution.
CURRENT AFFAIRS (A Compilation of Important News Events)
1
Most Important News Events
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2
Constitutional & Administrative Updates
86
3
Economic Scenario
96
4
International News Events
106
5
India-World Relations
114
6
Science & Technology
120
7
Environment & Ecology
127
8
Social Issues
131
9
Other National News
133
10
States Scan
137
11
Art & Culture
141
12
Sports News
143
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In News
145
1
Most Important News Events PARIS CLIMATE AGREEMENT SIGNED BY 175 COUNTRIES
The historic Paris Agreement on climate change marked a major milestone with record 175 countries, including India, signing on to it on the opening day on 22nd April 2016 (Earth Day). The world leaders also agreed that more action within specified time frame is needed to fight the relentless rise in global temperatures. With the planet heating up to record levels, sea levels rising and glaciers melting, the pressure to have the Paris Agreement enter into force and to have every country turn its words into deeds was palpable at the U.N. signing ceremony. The
Paris Agreement negotiated at COP-21 in December 2015 is the first global accord to commit nearly every nation to take domestic actions to tackle climate change.
To
promote the accord, the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon planned the signing ceremony for April 22, Earth Day in New York.
The agreement will enter into force
once 55 countries representing at least 55% of global emissions have formally joined it, a process initially expected to take until 2020. But following a host of announcements at the signing event it could happen perhaps later this year. which is the world’s top carbon emitter, announced it would ratify the agreement before the G20 summit in China in September 2016. China has endorsed an aggressive expansion of renewable energy sources and its latest five-year
China
economic plan calls for generating 15% of its energy from non-fossil fuel sources by 2020. The United States, the world’s second-largest emitter, reiterated its intention to ratify this year, as did Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the leaders of Mexico and Australia. Combined together the U.S. and
China account for about 40% of global emissions. Those that have not indicated they will sign include some of the world’s largest oil producers— Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Nigeria and Kazakhstan. The Paris Agreement has been a major breakthrough in U.N. climate negotiations, which for years were
Earth Day Earth Day is an annual event, celebrated on April 22. Worldwide events are held to demonstrate support for environment protection. It was first celebrated in 1970, and is now coordinated globally by the Earth Day Network and celebrated in more than 193 countries each year.
Earth Hour World Wide Fund for Nature’s (WWF) Earth Hour is an annual global celebration in which people switch off their lights for one hour to show they care about the future of our planet. This year’s celebrations (2016) were on 19th March from 8.30 pm to 9.30 pm. It began in Sydney, Australia in 2007, the number of countries taking part in Earth Hour has grown to an incredible 178 countries and territories. Earth Hour is not about how much energy is saved during the hour. Rather, it is a chance to put the spotlight on the issues facing the planet, and to inspire millions across the world to live more sustainably. Next year’s event will be at 8.30pm – 9.30pm on 25th March, 2017.
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Current Affairs
Most Important News Events slowed by disputes between rich and poor countries over who should do what. Under the agreement, countries set their own targets for reducing emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. The targets are not legally binding, but countries must update them every five years. Scientific
analysis shows that the initial set of targets that countries pledged before Paris don’t match the agreement’s long-term goal to keep global warming below 2°C (3.6°F), compared with pre-industrial times.
Global average temperatures have
already climbed by almost 1°C and last year was the hottest on record.
Accountability for rise in temperature The
global 1 degree rise in temperature was due to 150 years of uncontrolled carbon emission by the developed world.
While United States was responsible
for 30% of cumulative contribution, Europe, Canada and other developed world for 50%, China for another 10% and India was responsible for only 3%.
India ratifies the Paris Pact India ratified the Paris agreement on climate change on April 22, 2016. The United Nations agreement, negotiated in Paris in December 2015, sets out a global action plan to put the world on track by limiting global warming below 2 degrees Celsius and attempt to shield the world from the catastrophic effects of climate change. In Paris, Prime Minister Modi had introduced the concept of climate justice driving home the message of sustainable development.
Key concerns for India after Paris Accord India’s
estimate of its share of global greenhouse gas emissions submitted to the UN for the Paris treaty is 4.10%. India faces a difficult choice of having to emit large volumes of carbon dioxide to achieve growth, while at the same time preparing to adapt to the destructive effects of climate change. India will have to sharply cut emissions intensity of GDP by 2020. Energy, transport and infrastructure are key areas where sound national policies are needed to cut emission intensity.
Proactive measures by India to combat Global Warming A
proposed Compensatory Afforestation Funds Bill, 2015, to unlock Rs. 40,000 crore of funds for States to take up afforestation programmes.
The doubling of the cess on coal in
the Budget for encouraging shift to cleaner fuel, and the general policy to keep fuel prices high using taxation are welcome, but they must translate into funding for green alternatives. India
must unlock middle class investments in renewable energy with an effective grid-connected rooftop solar subsidy programme. In the absence of strong backing from State governments progress in this area has been slow.
New
buildings should also be required to conform to energy efficiency codes in all States.
The
National Electric Mobility Mission Plan aims to put about seven million electric or hybrid vehicles on the road by 2020, but for this to happen, the creation of charging infrastructure and introduction of consumer incentives are vital; greening public transport bus fleets will be needed. The success of the climate compact will ultimately depend on whether rich countries fund innovation and open-source their green technologies to developing nations like India. nnn
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Current Affairs
Most Important News Events
FOURTH NUCLEAR SECURITY SUMMIT (NSS) On March 31 and April 1, leaders of 52 countries including India came together in Washington DC for the fourth Nuclear Security Summit (NSS). NSS was held every two years since 2010 and started with the recognition of the risks posed by plutonium and highly enriched uranium (HEU), the key ingredients for making nuclear weapons, and aimed to secure all vulnerable nuclear material in four years.
Nuclear Industry Summit (NIS) 2016 The NIS is an official side event of
the NSS. Both of these were started in 2010 to secure vulnerable nuclear materials, break up black markets, and detect and intercept illicitly trafficked materials. During NIS 2016, hundreds of CEOs and industry leaders conferred about finalizing actions from previous Nuclear Industry Summits and address three key areas: l Securing the Use, Storage and Transport of Strategic Nuclear and Radiological Materials l Managing the Cyber Threat l The Role of the Nuclear Industry Globally The Nuclear Security Summit was an
initiative of President Barack Obama to coordinate international efforts to prevent terror organisations from acquiring nuclear weapons or material. This was the fourth and final Nuclear Security Summit (NSS) and attended by leaders from more than 50 countries and four international organisations — the European Union, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Interpol, and the UN.
Four types of specific nuclear threats posed by terror outfits These
groups could acquire a nuclear weapon from the arsenal of a nuclear state. These terror groups acquire enough fissile material to construct an improvised nuclear device as this know-how exists outside governments too. They could acquire radioactive material from civilian sources such as hospitals or university laboratories that could be mixed with conventional explosives to make a radioactive dispersal device or dirty bomb. Terror groups could also sabotage a nuclear facility leading to largescale loss of lives and destruction.
Russian absence from NSS The
strained relations with the U.S. have led to Russia skipping the summit. U.S and Russia are two countries that have the largest nuclear stockpiles and their disagreements could limit the prospects of the international cooperation on the issue. Despite the tension, cooperation between the two countries continues as can be seen from the fact that Russia took the responsibility to remove the highly enriched uranium from Iran, cooperation on the New START Treaty and removal of 1,300 tons of chemical weapons from Syria in recent years.
India at Nuclear Security Summit Prime Minister Modi attended the two-day Nuclear Security Summit (NSS) in Washington DC. India pledged a further contribution of $1 million to the IAEA nuclear security fund taking its total contribution to $2 million.
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The
Prime Minister underlined the priority India has attached to nuclear security at home, in terms of institutional frameworks, resources for training people, and by continuing to reflect India’s international obligations in national actions. India was moving to safer technologies to protect radioactive material, for example, the shift to the use of Cesium 137 only in its vitrified form in medical equipment and moving away from powder and liquid forms. India plans to enhance engagement with the IAEA, the Interpol and other international forums on the issue of nuclear security.
India‘s vulnerability to Nuclear Terrorism India is a source of nuclear material
and a potential target of nuclear terrorism. While India takes pride in the security of its nuclear installations, ‘orphan sources’ i.e., devices with radioactive materials outside regulatory and security measures could pose serious risks. The Washington DC based Nuclear Threat Initiative ranked India low in nuclear security measures and cited corruption as a key reason that could compromise its nuclear facilities. India’s nuclear materials security conditions could be improved by strengthening laws and regulations for on-site physical protection, control and accounting, and mitigating the insider threat, and ensuring protection of materials during transport.
Lessons from the NSS The Nuclear Security Summit (NSS) process was initiated with
Current Affairs
Most Important News Events
Locking down nuclear materials and strengthening global nuclear security regime.
removed or down-blended (mostly from Russia). 30 countries have eliminated all HEU from their territory, and radiation detection equipment has been installed at 329 international border crossings, airports and seaports to prevent, detect and respond to trafficking in nuclear and other radioactive material. Additionally, the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Materials (CPPNM), with the 2005 amendment, is now only eight signatures shy of entering into force and the International Convention on the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism (ICSANT) has been signed by 103 of the 193 United Nations members.
KEY TAKEAWAY
Challenges Remaining
The summits pushed for minimising civilian use of highly enriched uranium (HEU), key component used in nuclear weapons, by eliminating the material.
An
THE FOURTH NUCLEAR SECURITY SUMMIT U.S. hosted the first nuclear security summit in 2010, followed by Seoul in 2012, the Hague in 2014 and Washington D.C. in 2016.
SIGNIFICANCE This was the fourth in a series of summits that have brought together leaders from 50+ countries and four international bodies to make new commitments towards reducing the threat of nuclear terrorism.
THREAT OF NUCLEAR TERRORISM One
of the greatest threats to world security. any terrorist networks get their hands on a nuclear device, the consequences for the world would be catastrophic.
If
BASIC WAYS TO PREVENT THREAT
fanfare in 2010 by US President Barack Obama to prevent non-state actors, particularly terrorists, from acquiring nuclear material and secure all vulnerable nuclear material in four years. But six years and four summits later, this goal has not been reached, despite substantial progress being made. The NSS is narrowly focused on the threat of non-state actors acquiring nuclear material. The fact that the 2012 and 2014 summits were held in South Korea and the Netherlands respectively— both US allies from the developed world—indicates that Washington is still not able to find willing partners for its initiatives in the global South. The NSS process only deals with nuclear material in civilian facilities and not the military nuclear facilities, which account for about 83% of all nuclear material. The danger posed by forwarddeployed tactical nuclear weapons,
particularly by Pakistan, Russia and the US, has not been addressed and needs to be remedied. The relative success of the NSS process also underlines the failure of the international community to address similar dangers emanating from biological weapons. As there is no international regime or institution to deal with biological weapons, they remain largely unregulated. For India, while its contribution to the success of the NSS process is useful to highlight its credentials as a responsible nuclear state, any initiative on similar threats from biological weapons and its ability to rally others to the cause would enhance its credibility as a global leader.
Achievements of NSS Since the NSS process began, more
than 175 tonnes of highly enriched uranium (HEU)—enough for nearly 7,000 nuclear weapons—has been
estimated 1,400 tonnes of HEU and nearly 500 tonnes of plutonium—enough for about 200,000 simple fission-type nuclear bombs—is still held by more than 30 countries. Moreover, the absence of Russian President Vladimir Putin (over strategic differences with the US) indicates that progress towards this cause is susceptible to the overall state of bilateral relations. The failure to invite Iran (despite the nuclear deal) was a missed opportunity to engage Tehran on a crucial issue of global importance. Despite the NSS efforts, the possibility of terrorist attacks on nuclear facilities has not been eliminated even in nations such as Belgium. Countries that in 2010 were producing plutonium and highly enriched uranium continue to do so. Both the United States and Russia have launched massive long-term nuclear weapons “modernisation” programmes.
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Current Affairs
Most Important News Events
THIRTEENTH INDIA-EU SUMMIT The Thirteenth India-EU Summit concluded in Brussels on 30th March 2016 without a consensus on a bilateral free trade deal known as the BTIA (Broadbased Trade and Investment Agreement) even as progress was made in bilateral cooperation in other fields ranging from foreign policy to outer space. The EU and India agreed to continue discussions on a possible FTA at a high-level.
Key Points India has been pushing for opening
European markets for its services sector and the movement of people to deliver those services while the EU has been keen on reducing or abolishing tariffs in several sectors, especially in the automobile and wine and spirits sectors. The most important thing achieved from the Summit was that it put India-EU strategic partnership back on track through an expression of strong political commitment from both sides. The fields of cooperation are defined by the EU-India Agenda for Action-2020, which was endorsed by the Indian Prime Minister and the presidents of the European Council and European Commission. The sectors of partnership range from foreign policy, counter terrorism and disarmament to transport and space. There was some promise of action that would be taken in areas such as water, climate and energy, with the adoption of joint declarations on the India-EU Water Partnership and a Clean Energy and Climate Partnership. India is no longer eligible for development assistance from the EU. However, India will still have access to concessional loans from the European Investment Bank (EIB).
In
the ‘Clean India’ initiative and the ‘Ganga Rejuvenation’ Initiative, the EU will help in developing a solution to clean up the river as well as developing legal and governance frameworks for managing the basin. Both sides agreed to cooperate in countering violent extremism, disrupt recruitment of terrorists and prevent the free passage of foreign fighters in a joint declaration on counter terrorism, which also called for the early adoption of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism in the UN. The Common Agenda on Migration and Mobility (CAMM) designed to control and organize migration was also adopted. Regarding ‘sensitive issues’ that were discussed at the summit, both parties have officially expressed their confidence in the legal processes of the Permanent Court of Arbitration, where the case of the Italian marines, Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone, is currently being heard. The EU also expressed need for a swift solution, ‘through due process of law’ in the case of MV Seaman Guard Ohio, where 14 Estonians and six Britons were arrested in 2013 and sentenced in India.
Why Tariff Protection is anti-free trade? The objective of tariffs is protection of an infant industry till they can compete with experienced players in that industry. The problem is when it leads to permanent infancy where you have companies that never grow up. Therefore, tariff measures are credible only if they are temporary and when a sector reaches a certain level of competitiveness, free trade should be encouraged.
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Background on Indo-EU FTA The talks on the FTA had commenced
in 2007 and both sides had held 16 rounds of negotiations till 2013. The talks have been stalled as the negotiators have so far been unable to address the key demands of the EU and India. EU wants lower or elimination of duties on automobiles and wines & spirits while India's main demands are focused on data security status (crucial for India's information technology sector to do more business with the EU firms), easier temporary movement of skilled professionals and seamless intracorporate movement. India has also sought agricultural market access in the EU as well as disciplining of Sanitary and Phyto-sanitary (norms related with plants and animals) and Technical Barriers to Trade to ensure that the concessions in the FTA that would be given by the EU result in effective market access. India is keen that the FTA outcome should be balanced.
India, EU and human rights issue One
of the prime reasons for stalled talks between the European Union (EU) and India had been the EU’s concern over human rights violations in India. The Human Rights Watch (HRW) had written a letter to the EU stating that the Indian government uses harsh laws to undermine democracy and rights of marginalized communities. Note: Human Rights Watch is an independent, international organization that works to uphold human dignity and advance the cause of human rights for all. It is based out of New York. nnn
Current Affairs
Most Important News Events
PANAMA PAPERS – BIGGEST LEAK OF INSIDE INFORMATION IN HISTORY The worldwide Panama Papers scandal claimed a fresh political victim when Spain’s industry minister Jose Manuel Soria had to resign over allegations of having links to offshore companies. Earlier, Iceland’s Prime Minister Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson was also forced to resign over the leaks. Police also raided the headquarters of the Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca whose leaked Panama Papers revealed how the world’s wealthy and powerful used offshore companies and tax havens to stash unaccounted assets.
What are Shell Companies? A
shell company is a company without active business operations or significant assets.
Shell
companies are not necessarily illegal or illegitimate, as they often serve an important role for potential startups. Additionally, shell companies can act as a tax avoidance technique for legitimate businesses.
People
or companies might use them to reduce their tax bill legally, by benefiting from low tax rates in countries like Panama, the Cayman Islands and Bermuda which are referred to as Tax Havens.
The practice is frowned upon, particularly when used by politicians, who
then face criticism for not contributing to their own countries’ economies. The offshore accounts and companies also hide the names of the ultimate
owners of investments so they can be used to illegally evade taxes or launder money.
How are offshore accounts used to evade tax obligations? What are offshore accounts?
The Panama Papers The ‘Panama papers’ are a set of over 11 million leaked documents that reveal how the rich and connected around the world used tax havens for storing away their unaccounted wealth. The
leaked documents refer to the clients of Mossack Fonseca, a law firm headquartered in Panama and regarded as one of the world’s biggest creators of shell companies.
These documents were leaked to a
German newspaper (Suddeutsche Zeitung), which in turn shared it with the Washington based International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ). The ICIJ is an international coalition of more than 100 media outlets.
Offshore bank accounts and other financial dealings in another country can be used to evade regulatory oversight or tax obligations. Often, companies or individuals use shell companies, initially incorporated without significant assets or operations, to disguise ownership or other information about the funds involved.
What are the legitimate uses of offshore accounts? Companies or trusts can be set up in offshore locations for legitimate uses such as business finance, mergers and acquisitions and estate or tax planning.
What are the illicit uses of such accounts? Shell companies and other entities can be misused by terrorists and others involved in international and financial crimes to conceal sources of funds and ownership.
Crack down on financial havens The Financial Action Task Force and other regulatory agencies publish assessments identifying weaknesses in enforcement of anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing efforts of specific countries and territories. Financial and legal professionals are given training on how to spot potential violations, since in some cases lawyers and bankers are themselves unaware that they are handling illicit transactions.
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2
Constitutional & Administrative Updates
SUPREME COURT /HIGH COURTS VERDICTS SC nod to common medical entrance test NEET On 28th April, the Supreme Court approved conducting National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET) for students seeking to enter BDS and MBBS courses in the 2016-17 session. The Supreme Court declined the submission of certain state govts. and private medical colleges not to thrust NEET upon them. The court approved the CBSE schedule to conduct the exam on May 1, 2016 as phase-1 of NEET,followed by second phase on July 24, 2016. Earlier also the Supreme Court has asked for the implementation of National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET) reversing its own June 2013 order as per which the common entrance test for admissions to MBBS, BDS and PG courses in all medical colleges was cancelled. This has revived the idea of holding a national test to ascertain the aptitude and suitability of those seeking to study medicine anywhere in the country. Over 90 medical entrance tests are held across India putting the students and their parents under lot of difficulty.
Background NEET
was introduced in 2010 through amendments to existing regulations relating to medical and dental admissions. The main aim was saving students the trouble of writing multiple entrance examinations to medical courses in State-run and private institutions.
C u r b i n g
the increasing commercialisation of higher education in medicine. Ensuring a transparent admission process in private, unaided institutions which thrive on selling MBBS and postgraduate medical specialty seats to the highest bidder.
Opposition to NEET State governments were upset with
the implicit centralisation of medical education in the idea of a national test as they feared that NEET would undermine their reservation policy. Private institutions, especially those established by minorities, were against any interference in their admission process, arguing that their unfettered right to regulate their own admissions had been upheld by an 11-judge Supreme Court Bench in T.M.A. Pai Foundation (2002). Note: In the T.M.A. Pai Foundation v. State of Karnataka, (2002) case the Supreme Court held that the unit to determine a religious or linguistic minority can only be the State. Thus, religious and linguistic minorities, who have been put on a par in Article 30, have to be considered State-wise.
SC moves IPL Matches out of Maharashtra Supreme Court dismissed Mumbai Cricket Association’s plea against Bombay High Court order on shifting the IPL matches out of Maharashtra.The cricket association in its plea had said that it will not be using potable water for the cricket pitches but use treated sewage water instead.
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The Bombay High Court had on April 13 ordered shifting of all IPL matches scheduled in Maharashtra after April 30 to another state in view of the severe drought in the state. The court said that in view of a drought situation in the State where there is not a drop of water available and all dams are drying, how the State can turn a blind eye to the scarcity of water.
Wasting water on IPL matches B C C I
had planned twenty T20 matches in water-starved Maharashtra and just for the seven IPL matches at the Wankhede stadium approximately 40 lakh litres of water would have been used. The court came down heavily on the BCCI terming the use of water to maintain cricket pitches as “criminal wastage” when the state is facing a drought-like situation. The court is correct to raise the moral question: Is it right to go ahead with cricket matches when we really have a water crisis of huge proportions on hand?
Is shifting the IPL matches a right decision? The
shifting of matches will do nothing to solve Maharashtra’s water problems, as the HC Bench itself admitted. The amount of water used to maintain cricket grounds is an insignificant fraction of the State’s water consumption. On the other hand Bombay HC order has succeeded in drawing attention to the seriousness of the drought situation and the gross inequities that prevail in the way people access water.
Current Affairs
Constitutional & Administrative Updates
Lodha committee recommendation Supreme Court had appointed Justice RM Lodha committee to suggest reforms in structure and functioning of the BCCI in the aftermath of spot-fixing scandal in Indian Premier League (IPL). The committee’s recommendations aim to resolve issues of governance, transparency, and conflict of interest in BCCI. The committee’s important recommendations are: Betting in cricket should be legalized
One may argue that life will not stop
for the crisis and that the water saved will not make any difference in the overall situation of drought but the principle of moral imperative must not be overlooked here. Cricket is a game loved by the many Indians, but it exists in socioeconomic milieu from which it cannot be divorced.
Seriousness of Water Crisis in Maharashtra In Marathwada , dams and reservoirs
are running dry and tankers are doing booming business. Section 144 has had to be imposed to prevent a water riot in Latur where the traditional sources of water have run dry. Current data from the Central Water Commission shows that water level in 91 major reservoirs is alarmingly low. Groundwater is getting overexploited, especially in the Green Revolution zones.
Steps needed to mitigate water crisis There
have been two years of deficient rainfall and the watersplurging agri-economy needs urgent policy intervention. Reworking of the price support regime for crops and rationalisation
of electricity subsidies are required to shift the farmer towards less water-hungry crops. Deepak Pental, former vice chancellor of Delhi University and genetics professor, has pointed out that when India exports 1 kg of basmati rice it is in effect exporting 5,000 kg of water.
BCCI challenges Lodha Committee recommendations The Supreme Court (SC) has been blamed of crossing judicial limits by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for interfering in its private affairs like internal management, flow of finances earned from distributing media rights for matches and membership patterns. This prompted the court to ask the BCCI whether it was “refusing to be reformed”. Mumbai’s Cricket Club of India (CCI) said that the Justice Lodha Committee recommendations affected Article 19 (1) (c), which enshrines the fundamental right of citizens to form union or associations under the Indian Constitution. The SC responded to that argument by stating that there are no private citizens but only individual associations on the Board of BCCI and therefore there is no question of the Lodha Committee recommendations infringing on anyone’s fundamental rights.
to curb corruption in cricket except for players and officials.
The BCCI
should be brought under the Right to Information Act to share administrative and financial details with the public.
No
official should hold a position for more than three tenures of three years each but there should not be two consecutive terms.
Maximum
age limit for holding a post should be 70 years.
Ministers
and bureaucrats cannot be BCCI office bearers.
Only
one association from a state shall be a full member of BCCI with voting rights. Other associations from states and boards like Railway Sports Promotion Board should have only associate membership without voting rights.
A nominee of the Comptroller and
Auditor General should be included which will keep an eye on how the board’s financial resources are being utilized.
The IPL should have a separate IPL
governing council.
SC can’t be bypassed on inter-State disputes The Haryana government has submitted in the Supreme Court that no State Assembly can pass a law to negate the apex court’s constitutional powers to adjudicate and decide
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Current Affairs inter-State disputes by invoking judicial precedents in the Cauvery river water sharing dispute case involving Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka. In a hearing of the Presidential Reference on the validity of the Punjab Termination of Agreements Act of 2004 — which has jeopardised the Sutlej-Yamuna Link Canal project — before a Constitution Bench, senior advocate appearing for Haryana stated that a law passed by the State legislature to circumvent or render infructuous a Supreme Court verdict is a clear encroachment by the lawmakers into the judiciary’s terrain.
Punjab Sutlej-Yamuna Link Canal (Rehabilitation and Re-vesting of Proprietary Rights) Bill On March 14, even as the Supreme Court began hearing the President’s Reference on the 2004 Act, the Punjab Assembly went ahead and passed the Punjab Sutlej-Yamuna Link Canal (Rehabilitation and Re-vesting of Proprietary Rights) Bill, which provided for the return of over 5,000 acres of land acquired from farmers for the canal.
Constitutional & Administrative Updates Responding to the Punjab Bill, the SC on March 17 ordered maintenance of status quo and made it clear that it would not be relegated to the status of a “silent spectator” by any State Assembly. The court appointed the Union Home Secretary, Punjab’s Chief Secretary and Director General of Police as joint receivers to ensure no alterations were made in the canal structure and related properties.
What is the Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) Canal controversy? The creation of Haryana from the old
(undivided) Punjab in 1966 threw up the problem of giving Haryana its share of river waters.
For
Haryana to get its share of the waters of the Sutlej and its tributary Beas, a canal linking the Sutlej with the Yamuna was planned (SYL Canal).
Available supplies were calculated
to be 17.17 MAF (Million Acre Feet), and Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan were allocated 4.22 MAF, 3.5 MAF and 8.6 MAF respectively. Jammu and Kashmir and Delhi got 0.65 MAF and 0.20 MAF.
Haryana moved the Supreme Court
in 1996 seeking directions to Punjab to complete the work on the SYL.
In 2002, and again in June 2004, the
SC directed Punjab to complete the work in its territory.
But within a month of the Supreme
Court order, on July 12, 2004, the Punjab Assembly passed The Punjab Termination of Agreements Act, 2004, terminating its water-sharing agreements, and thus jeopardising the construction of SYL in Punjab.
Why has the SYL issue taken centre-stage again now? Supreme
Court in March 2016 started hearings into a presidential reference to decide on the legality
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of the Punjab Termination of Agreements Act, 2004. The presidential reference was made
after the Punjab Assembly passed the Act. As the hearings resumed, the Solicitor General said that the Centre stood by the SC’s orders asking Punjab to complete the work on SYL in its territory. The development has triggered a political storm in Punjab and with the elections in Punjab due next year , all parties are keen to gain political mileage.
What is Presidential Reference? According to Article 143 of the Constitution of India, the President of India may refer to the Supreme Court of India, a question of law or fact which, he thinks, is of public importance. The opinion is only advisory, which the President is free to follow or not to follow. However, even if the opinion given in the exercise of advisory jurisdiction may not be binding, it is entitled to great weight. The Supreme Court may decline to give its opinion under Article 143 in cases it does not consider proper or not amenable to such exercise. It was, however, held by the Supreme Court in M. Ismail Faruqui v. Union of India (1995) that in such a case reasons must be indicated. It was also held by the Supreme Court that the references made under this Article are not the “law declared by the Supreme Court” under Article 141 of the Constitution. So it is not binding on inferior courts, even though they have high persuasive value.
3
Economic Scenario
INDIAN ECONOMY 100% FDI in e-commerce marketplace model The government has allowed 100% foreign direct investment (FDI) through the automatic route in the marketplace model of e-commerce retailing making clear the FDI policy for the sector as well as the definition of marketplace format. Foreign direct investment has not been permitted in inventory-based model. At present, 100% FDI is permitted in B2B (business-to-business) transactions under the automatic route. The marketplace model has been defined as providing an “information technology platform by an e-commerce entity on a digital and electronic network to act as a facilitator between buyer and seller.” The e-commerce marketplace may provide support services to sellers but should not exercise ownership over the inventory because it will render the business into inventorybased model. An e-commerce firm will not be permitted to sell more than 25% of total sales from one vendor or its group companies. E-commerce entities providing marketplace should not directly or indirectly influence the sale price of goods or services.
Is 100% FDI in e-commerce marketplace model a win-win for all? The
move to allow 100% FDI in marketplace e-commerce companies is designed to protect offline retailers (mom and pop shops).
Barring marketplaces from offering
hefty discounts would adversely affect the end consumers who have been the biggest beneficiaries of the discount-driven business model. I n a f r e e m a r k e t e c o n o m y , policymakers should not be telling businesses what they can charge for a product especially if it is not an essential life-saving commodity. The big risk is that such policy may end up raising the barriers to entry of capital into the sector. Policymakers need to make sure that policies governing the sector are designed to facilitate the future and not regulate the past.
India appeals WTO solar ruling India has appealed to the World Trade Organization’s highest court— the Appellate Body—to dismiss a lower panel ruling that struck down the India's domestic content requirements (DCR) for solar cells and modules following a complaint by the US. The dispute settlement panel of WTO had ruled that India cannot discriminate between foreign and domestic suppliers of components for solar panels used by solar power developers in India.
Background The WTO panel had found India’s
DCR under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM) violative of its commitments under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and Trade Related Investment Measures (TRIMs). The Indian government had mandated the solar power developers to use solar cells and modules manufactured in India
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in different phases of JNNSM and agreed to buy the electricity produced at a fixed rate for 25 years. The WTO panel agreed with the contention of U.S. that by imposing DCR, India was according imported solar cells and modules less favorable treatment than similar products manufactured in India. India had argued that since the government ultimately procured the electricity produced, it should be treated as government procurement and thus exempt from WTO rules. But the WTO panel held that the product procured was electricity, while the product discriminated against was the inputs used to produce electricity. India also tried to justify the DCR under the general exceptions provision of the GATT claiming that it was necessary to secure compliance with its commitments under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and also because solar panels were in short supply. The WTO panel rejected both arguments stating that international environmental obligations imposed no binding commitments on nations and also found that the cumulative supply of both foreign and domestic solar cells and modules was sufficient to meet the demand of power developers.
Mallya‘s resignation rejected The liquor baron Vijay Mallya had resigned from the Rajya Sabha (RS) on 2nd May, a day before the House Ethics Committee was to recommend his expulsion. But his resignation has been rejected by the Chairman of RS.
Current Affairs
Economic Scenario India writes to U.K. on Mallya's deportation The Ministry of External Affairs has written to the High Commission of the United Kingdom in Delhi requesting deportation of Vijay Mallya from the United Kingdom wanted for money laundering and financial mismanagement. The Ministry of External Affairs had earlier revoked the passport of Vijay Mallya. A non-bailable warrant issued by Special Judge, Mumbai under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. Mr. Mallya still has to discharge his liabilities quantified at about Rs.9,000 crore. He has challenged the determination by banks that he is a ‘wilful defaulter’ by arguing that he is personally not a borrower, and only gave a personal guarantee for corporate loans. He also has to answer the Central Bureau of Investigation’s charge that the Rs.900-crore loan Kingfisher Airlines had taken from IDBI Bank involved money-laundering. In March, a Hyderabad court also issued a non-bailable warrant against him for non-appearance in a case of the alleged dishonour of a cheque for Rs.50 lakh issued to GMR Hyderabad International Airport Limited.
Lessons for banks from the Mallya case Individual public officials should not
be allowed to dispense such large sums of public money. Move to a system of vetting loan applications through committees, thus allowing joint responsibility to come into play. Lack of transparency weakens our public banking sector. Details including every loan sanctioned by public sector banks , including the history of the borrower, and the officials involved should be posted on the website of the bank concerned.
The fear of retrospective scrutiny by
the Central Vigilance Commissioner has driven loan officers into inaction. It is of no use having a publiclyowned banking system that does not extend credit to sound projects. Therefore the need of the hour is to work towards a re-engineering of procedures to facilitate legitimate functioning of banking sector.
Note: Money laundering is the generic term used to describe the process by which criminals disguise the original ownership and control of the proceeds of criminal conduct by making such proceeds appear to have been derived from a legitimate source.
LPG for every Indian household The Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) has been lancuhed by Prime Minister on 1st May 2016 (Labour Day) with the aim of providing five crore subsidised Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) connections to women belonging to poor households (Below Poverty Line) in the next three years. The PMUY has proposed payment in installments for stoves and cylinders to address the one time financial challenge.
Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana A Scheme for Providing Free LPG
connections to Women from BPL Households. Rs 8000 crore has been earmarked for providing five crore LPG connections to BPL households. Scheme provides a financial support of Rs 1600 for each LPG connection to the BPL households. Identification of eligible BPL families will be made in consultation with the State Governments and the UTs. It would be implemented over three years FY 2016-17, 2017-18 and 2018-19. It is for first time in the history of the country that the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas is implementing a welfare scheme.
Hurdles in universalizing LPG coverage Ensuring
reliable, sustained, lastmile supply would require multiple steps including a large extension of distribution networks, especially in rural areas, since each rural distribution agency typically caters to fewer customers than urban agencies. Ensuring reliable supply is also likely to require strengthening the refining, bottling and pipeline infrastructure. The scheme should be accompanied by a focussed public relations campaign, similar to the national tuberculosis or Swachh Bharat campaigns, to build awareness and create a “demand pull”, not only for clean cooking but also for good service. In the absence of such supporting measures, the PMUY runs the risk of failing like the Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana, which succeeded in extending physical electricity infrastructure at great cost but has not been able to ensure a reliable supply of affordable electricity to households. PMUY targets only BPL households, there is a need to widen the net because there are errors in BPL lists and BPL may be a narrow definition of deprivation and many non-BPL households may also not be able to afford LPG connections. Effective monitoring and grievance redressal systems are equally important to ensure that problems in the scheme are highlighted and addressed early.
Bharti’s payments bank unit gets final RBI nod Bharti Airtel's payments bank venture Airtel M Commerce Services Ltd. has become the first entity to receive final approval from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to start a payments
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4
International News Events
ASIA Heart of Asia conference The Heart of Asia conference began in New Delhi on 26th April with the objective of discussing the situation of peace and stability in Afghanistan. The conference seeks to speed up reconstruction in Afghanistan with a focus on enhancing investment and connectivity to the country. Energy, infrastructure and investment deals to shore up economic growth of Afghanistan were the key concerns before the participating countries.
landslide victory of democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) in national elections held in November 2015. Although Suu Kyi herself is constitutionally barred from becoming president because her children have foreign citizenship, the new government has created a special post of ‘state adviser’ for her. In fact, Suu Kyi has said that she will be above the president and have de facto executive authority.
conference is a part of the Istanbul Process established in 2011 which provides a platform to discuss an agenda of regional cooperation with Afghanistan at its centre.
The
14 member countries engage in result-oriented cooperation for a peaceful and stable Afghanistan and, by extension, a secure and prosperous region as a whole.
Member countries are Russia, China,
The swearing-in of Myanmar’s first civilian president in half a century marks a watershed moment for the nation that has seen decades of rule by a military junta. The swearing-in of President Htin Kyaw follows the
domestic security situation for decades has been plagued by multiple ethnic insurgencies and only by ensuring full democratic rights to all Burmese groups, including the marginalized Rohingyas.
Chronology of Transformation Military junta took reins military refused to recognise the NLD’s triumph ; instead it placed Aung San Suu Kyi under house arrest 2010: General Thein Sein, formed a political party — United Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) 2011: An armed forces-approved, reformist government under Thein Sein was set up 2012: Ms. Suu Kyi and some of her colleagues granted entry into Parliament in carefully calibrated by-elections 2015: Suu Kyi's NLD win a landslide November victory in the first free and fair elections in decades Note: Junta - A group of military officers who govern a country, often after having seized power in a coup. 1990: Elections held but
This
Transition to Democracy in Myanmar
Myanmar’s
1962:
About Heart of Asia Conference
India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Azerbaijan and Turkey.
that the people of Myanmar want a termination of international isolation and parity with the rest of the ASEAN by way of economic development.
Challenges confronting Myanmar Myanmar’s military junta still retains
a substantial political role.
A quarter of the seats in parliament
are reserved for the army and the latter will appoint its own nominees for defence, home, and border affairs ministries.
At
the same time, the armed forces would be acutely aware
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India’s Role Buddhism, which is all-pervading
in Myanmar, spread from India and civilisationally the two countries have much in common.
Current Affairs
International News Events To
its credit India has maintained steady links with Myanmar throughout its democratic transition period as a result of which India is in a good position to leverage historical and cultural links for mutual development. M y a n m a r ’ s w a r i n e s s a b o u t overdependence on China increases further the scope for New DelhiNaypyidaw cooperation. Bilateral security cooperation against insurgencies and connectivity projects such as the India-MyanmarThailand trilateral highway are crucial for actualizing India’s Act East policy and galvanising its northeast. Myanmar offers a sizeable, mutually beneficial economic opportunity for India. A consolidation of commercial ties can bring prosperity to India’s north-east and revitalise Kolkata and other eastern ports.
The Myanmar Saga The
junta kept Myanmar in isolation and economic stagnation while refusing to listen to international counsel since 1962. Suu Kyi came to prominence in 1988, when popular protests were building up. The junta crushed the protests, killing thousands of people and placing Suu Kyi under house arrest in 1989. Suu Kyi endured decades of house arrest and harassment by military rulers, did not give up on her non-violent campaign to unseat them. She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991 while under house arrest. The junta finally started loosening its grip on power in 2010, allowing elections that were won by a military allied party after the NLD boycotted the polls. Suu Kyi led NLD to a landslide win in November, ushering Myanmar's first civilian government after 54 years of direct and indirect military rule
Suu Kyi is widely
known as India’s friend, a believer in Gandhian philosophy and an admirer of Jawaharlal Nehru. With her in power, India-Myanmar relations should flourish in the normal course.
Saudi warns of retaliation if U.S. passes 9/11 Bill Saudi Arabia has told the Obama administration and members of Congress that it will sell off hundreds of billions of dollars’ worth of American assets held by the kingdom if Congress passes a bill that would allow the Saudi government to be held responsible in U.S. courts for any role in the September 11, 2001, attacks. The Obama administration has lobbied Congress to block the bill’s passage and warned senators of diplomatic and economic fallout from the legislation. Saudi officials have long denied that the kingdom had any role in the 9/11 plot but suspicions have lingered, partly because of the conclusions of a 2002 congressional inquiry into the attacks that cited some evidence that Saudi officials living in the U.S. at the time had a hand in the plot.
U.S.-Saudi alliance faces new pressures When U.S. President arrived in Riyadh on 20th April to attend a regional summit of Gulf leaders, he was welcomed by the local governor and not by King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud himself. Given that the monarch personally welcomed other leaders who arrived for the summit, this is a strong indicator of the deepening rift in the U.S.-Saudi alliance. In the 70 years since the alliance was initiated at the end of World War II, the Saudis have primarily looked to the United States to help ensure its security in an often unstable region. Saudis want the U.S. to support them, especially in a potential
conflict with Iran, their longstanding regional rival. The United States on the other hand has looked to Saudi Arabia as a source of stability in the West Asian region, an ally whose oil reserves have only recently begun to diminish in importance for U.S. interests.
Saudi Arabia‘s Vision 2030 Saudi Arabia announced its Vision 2030 reform plan, a package of economic and social policies designed to free the kingdom from dependence on oil exports. Non-oil revenues are to reach 600 billion riyals by 2020 and 1 trillion riyals by 2030, from 163.5 billion riyals in 2015. The share of non-oil exports in GDP is to rise to 50% of GDP from 16%. Unemployment among Saudi nationals is to fall to 7% from 11.6%. Financial institutions will be encouraged to allocate up to 20% of their overall funding to small and medium-sized enterprises by 2030. During Mr. Obama’s tenure, there
has been distrust and disagreement between U.S. and Saudi Arabia over how to contain Iran, the fight against the Islamic State, the future of Syria and clashes in Yemen.
U.S.
is a democracy that has embedded human rights issues even into foreign policy actions whereas Saudi Arabia is a closed society ruled by a conservative, authoritarian family. But economic and strategic interests had helped both countries set aside these contradictions for a long time.
Future of U.S. – Saudi Arabia ties All this doesn’t mean US is going to
abandon Riyadh or embrace Tehran. Both the U.S. and Saudi Arabia still need each other.
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Topper’s Interview
Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm. ~Winston Churchill Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go. ~William Feather Some people succeed because they are destined to, but most people succeed because they are determined to. Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars. ~Les Brown Life's problems wouldn't be called "hurdles" if there wasn't a way to get over them. Newton acknowledged others behind his success: “If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants.” You wish to clear the Civil Service Examination as soon as possible and you think you have done everything that the exam requires, yet you feel God has been unkind to you. Well, you are not the only one complaining; it’s just that the seats are few and God and UPSC get lakhs of requests and petitions every year. We cannot guarantee your success (that is mostly in your hands), but we can definitely provide you with inspiration and strategy. In this section of the magazine, we bring you closer to toppers: those who already are where you aspire to be. We interview an exam topper in these pages so that you can learn from his strategy, tricks, plans, ideas and mistakes; so that you can stand on their shoulders and see Mussoorie on the horizon. One day you will be where Aman Mittal at LBSNAA, Mussoorie
they are now.
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Topper’s Interview...
Topper’s Interview
Aman Mittal, Rank 20 inaugurates our section on ‘Topper’s Interview’. Aman is presently at Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA), Mussoorie undergoing training for the IAS. He shares with us his strategy, pains and joys of the CS examination process. How does one prepare for the Civil Services Examination (CSE)? How to manage the ups and downs? What are the useful strategies for studies and preparation? How to prepare well enough to get a top rank like him? Let’s hear it from him.
Aman Mittal Drishti Current Affairs Today (DCAT): How did you feel on being selected to the administrative services at such a good rank? Aman Mittal: I felt ecstatic. It was a great feeling being selected to the civil services. DCAT: Were you satisfied with your level of preparation before the exam and were you hopeful of being successful? Aman: I was expecting a good result but could not confidently say that I will get such a good rank. DCAT: How has life at Mussorie been so far? Aman: Till now, it has been good. I am looking forward to the field work. DCAT: What attracted you to civil services? Aman: My biggest inclination to the civil services was the diversity of the job. You can work in multiple profiles and you can do some research which you can apply along with a lot of things you’ve done in your academic background like engineering. DCAT: Other than your capability and hard work, to whom would you like to give credit for your success?
Selected as IAS in UPSC CSE 2014 Aman: I think I have to give credit to a lot of people. It was only 5-10 per cent of me and a lot of my success is dedicated to my mother, my father , my brother mostly and my friends who were with me throughout; specially for the kind of support they gave me when I was down. Especially my friend Vipul: he used to be with me so much and is an aspirant himself and I am hoping that he gets through. And most importantly to God; luck is a big factor. DCAT: When did you start your preparation — along with graduation, immediately after it or sometime later? Aman: I started my preparation while I was at IIT- Delhi. I graduated in 2014 and started my preparation in mid2013. DCAT: Considering the extensive syllabus of General Studies in Preliminary and Main Examination, what strategy did you adopt in preparing for it? Aman: I started with selecting my optional. Electrical engineering was the natural choice for me. Secondly, it is important to go through general books first, to get an idea about the civil service – to avoid getting shocked
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eventually. And once you are acquainted with the general principles of Polity, Economics etc. then towards the later part of you preparation you should start writing answers. DCAT: Did you give special emphasis to some particular sections or equal emphasis on all sections? In your opinion, can certain sections be skipped? Aman: Generally, one should give equal emphasis but yes, optional and the essay are important. The syllabus is so generally defined, it is difficult to decide what to skip. DCAT: How much time did you take to complete your preparation for all the three stages of the examination? Did you prepare for each stage in sequence or all the stages simultaneously? Aman: It was basically simultaneously only because there is no specific preparation for prelims; the CSAT was there at that time and obviously if you are preparing for Mains then you cover 80 per cent of prelims syllabus also. And so far as interview was concerned, that does not require specific preparation. There are some final points that need to be polished.
P.T. Express
Preliminary examination is a crucial stage of the exam process even if it is ‘preliminary’ and makes your eligible for CS (Main) examination. It is a ‘screening’ test which means that you will be examined methodically by the UPSC through an objective test and you will be shown the door if you are not up to par and don’t meet the cut-off marks for your category. Candidates do take PT exam casually at times because they are overconfident due to years of preparations or history of previous selection(s) or due to ignorance (PT is a small affair for some). Don’t take the PT exam casually unless you like shocks in life. Be very serious about it; there have been cases where those finally selected were rejected at Prelims. Examiners at UPSC spend a whole lot of time devising ways to make it competitive year after year. Don’t rest on your laurels; previous selection or previous academic record of gold medal in BA or PG will not guarantee you a seat in the Main exam. Only hard, smart work will. So prepare well for PT exam, which should ideally be miles wide in coverage (vast) and inch deep (neither shallow, nor deeply researched). P. T. Express is the section where we give you quick questions to brush up your P. T. preparation. The name ‘Express’ derives from the quickness and ease that you should feel while going through them. In its various sections, you can go through many topic-based questions and quickly see queries with answers to reinvigorate your brain. This part of the magazine should be read on a lazy Sunday afternoon with your favourite cup of beverage. The idea is to keep you alert without tiring and taxing your mind. We don’t want to flood your mind with UPSC CSEesque PT questions; but at the same time, we want you remain alive to the need of knowing facts, information from current events or History that the UPSC is hunting day in day out. Go ahead, take a look and see where the P.T. Express leads you. Wake up and smell the coffee, if you are not doing very good. Bravo, if you are good at it; keep studying more so that the P.T. Express has a seat for you reserved for the CS Mains. All candidates want to board the P.T. Express but not every candidate is willing to do the hard work it takes. The choice is yours. All the best.
P.T. Express
Indian History Sati was made illegal in 1829 but was not made punishable
by the courts until– Ram Mohan Roy was given the title ‘Raja’ by–
1840
Who
founded the ‘Deccan Educational Society’?
India’ was written by–
Vishnushastri Chiplunkar Lala Lajpat Rai
Who
founded the ‘Jat-Pat Torak Mandal’ in 1922, for breaking caste barriers among the Hindus? Sant Ram
Akbar Shah II ‘Unhappy
Who
The
Royal Asiatic Society was founded by–
drafted the Poorna Swaraj pledge?
Sir William Jones
Jawaharlal Nehru
Who
Quit India Movement, many smaller zamindars participated in the movement whereas big zamindars maintained a stance of neutrality and refused to assist the British in crushing the movement – True or False?
Who
wrote the book ‘Golden Threshold’?
In
True The decision to launch individual Satyagraha Movement
was taken in which Congress session?
Ramgarh which year the Council of Muslim League accepted the Cabinet Mission Plan? 1946 Who were the official Congress negotiators with Cripps Mission?
Sarojini Naidu are the main architects of the Indian National Conference? Surendranath Banerjee and Anand Mohan Bose Tilak was opposed to the signing of the Lucknow Pact.
True or False? False George Yule became the first English President of the Congress in 1888 during which session?
In
Pandit Nehru and Maulana Azad In the Interim Government of 1946, Dr. Rajendra Prasad
held which portfolio?
Allahabad Session MC
Setalwad was a distinguished member of which organization? Madras Labour Union Who set up the United India House in the USA? Taraknath Das and GD Kumar Who said that ‘Congress Movement was neither inspired
by the people nor devised by them’?
Food and Agriculture Which agreement was signed between India and Pakistan
in 1950 to resolve the issue of protection of minorities?
Lala Lajpat Rai During India’s freedom struggle which incident led to
that first All India Hartal?
Nehru-Liaquat Pact In
which year the Constituent Assembly of India was elected by the Provincial Assemblies? 1946 Who drafted the Constitution of Muslim League, ‘The Green Book’? Maulana Mohammed Ali Who wrote ‘Bandi Jiwan’? Sachin Sanyal The Revolt of 1857 at Lucknow was led by– Begum Hazarat Mahal Radhakrishnan
Dandsena is associated with which uprising? Savara Rebellion Who started the Bombay Mills Lands Association? NM Lokhande Who
organized the Paharia Revolt? Tilka Manjhi Which British commander was defeated by the Santhals in 1855? Major Burrough
Arrival of the Simon Commission Who
was the viceroy of India during second Round Table Conference? Ramsay MacDonald What was the main programme of the Swaraj Party? Council entry Why did the Indian nationalist leaders decide to support the war effort (First World War) of the British Government in the beginning? In the hope that Britain would repay India's loyalty by taking it further on the road to selfgovernment. The
first Satyagrahi selected by Mahatma Gandhi to launch the individual Satyagraha in October 1940 was– Vinoba Bhave Which Governor-General had abolished slavery? Lord Ellenborough
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Mapping MAP – 1
The Levant is an approximate historical geographical term referring to a large area in the eastern Mediterranean. In its widest historical sense, the Levant included all of the eastern Mediterranean with its islands, that is, it included all of the countries along the eastern Mediterranean shores, extending from Greece to Cyrenaica. The term Levant entered English in the late 15th century from French. It derives from the Italian Levante, meaning "rising", implying the rising of the sun in the east. As such, it is broadly equivalent to the Arabic term Mashriq, 'the land where the sun rises'. The western counterpart in Arabic is the Maghreb, and Ponente in Italian, meaning 'west, where the sun sets'.
Why in News? Levant has been in news because in spite of the existing territorial demarcations in the region, the Islamic State considers it as a unified territory under it. The name ISIL implies Islamic state of Levant(including Iraq and Syria).
Map based questions of Levant region
1. Identify the water body marked as 1. 3. Identify the landstrips marked as 2, 6, 10, 5.
2. Identify the important port marked as 3. 4. Identify the countries marked as 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13
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TO THE POINT QUICK, EXAM-READY MATERIAL
Designed to hit the bull’s eye : point wise, short, crisp material in an easy-to-understand format.
1. Gravitational Waves : The Mystery Resolved What are Gravitational Waves? They are small ripples or distortions
in the curvature of space-time that propagate as waves. They are generated in certain gravitational interactions like explosion of giant stars, fusion of the black holes etc due to the warping of their surroundings. They travel at the speed of the light, experience no barriers and transport energy with them, called as Gravitational Radiation. Predicted by Albert Einstein, on the basis of his Theory of General Relativity.
Why in news? Last month, India and the US signed
an agreement for a new LIGO project in India, during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Washington (USA). Earlier, the gravitational waves were discovered by the US-based LIGO (Laser Inferno meter Gravitational Wave Observatory) in February 2016. India also participated in the LIGO project through IndIGO consortium. Since 2009, it contributed around 37 scientists from various institutions of the country like – CMI Chennai, ICTS –TIFR Bengaluru, IISER Kolkata, IISER – Trivandrum, IIT Gandhingar, IUCAA Pune, RRCAT Indore and TIFR Mumbai. On March 31, 2016 the US National Science Foundation (NSF) and
India's Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) and Department of Science and Technology (DST) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for establishing an advanced gravitational-wave detector in India.
Findings of the Experiment The
highly elusive gravitational waves were detected for the first time. It validated the Einstein’s general theory of relativity (GTR), according to which massive objects caused a distortion in the continuum of space–time. Two LIGO installations, nearly 3000km apart, in USA detected the gravitational waves due to merger of two black holes.
What is LIGO? L I G O
(Laser Inferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory) is a large scale physics experiment aiming to detect the Gravitational Waves. Two observatories, one at Louisiana and the other at Washington, have been set up to detect the waves with accuracy and without terrestrial disturbances. Funded by The National Science Foundation of the USA government.
The India Connection India
has been an active partner through IndIGO (Indian initiatives for the LIGO project), a member of LIGO scientific collaboration.
IndIGO is a consortium of advance
experimental facilities. Since 2009, LIGO in collaboration with IndIGO, has been planning a roadmap towards setting up a Gravitational Wave Observatory in the Asia Pacific region (preferably in India). Almost 37 Indian scientists were the part of the 1000 member LIGO experiment team. Recently the LIGO-India project, a planned advanced gravitationalwave detector, has got the government approval to be located in India It is to be built and operated in collaboration with the LIGO USA and its international partners. In India, the project will be piloted by Dept of Atomic Energy (DAE) and Dept. of Science and Technology (DST).
Importance of this Experiment It
will be a paradigm shift in the way we understand our universe. The Newtonian gravity model will give way to the Einstein’s gravity model. Discovery of gravitational waves will help us unlock the secrets about evolution of the early universe. It will help in receiving the cosmic signals, earlier completely hidden, thereby giving us more insights into the cosmic phenomena in our universe. It will help track the various cosmic phenomena like the black hole, supernova etc. that shape our universe.
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To the Point
2. Law of Sedition in India Introduction Section 124(A) of Indian Penal Code,
1860 deals with sedition. One of the most controversial laws in India. A legacy of British Raj. Was used to crush the Indian National Movement and to deal with the dissent and disaffection against the government. Tilak, Gandhi, Maulana Azad and other great leaders were charged with sedition by the British government. Currently the JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar and some other students were charged with sedition after the event of anti India slogans on Feb 09. Social activist Dr. Binayak Sen and Delhi University Professor SAR Geelani have also faced the similar charges.
What the Law says Whoever, by words, either spoken or written, or by signs or by visible representation, or otherwise, brings or attempts to bring into hatred or contempt, or excites or attempts to excite disaffection towards the Government established by law, will be punishable.
Imprisonment for life and/or fine.
or fine.
for 3 years and/
In Post independence India Section
What the Supreme Court Says In
Kedar Nath Singh vs State of Bihar (1962), the constitutionality of Article 124(A) was challenged in front of the Supreme Court. Supreme Court ruled that the clause was constitutional. But it preferred to follow the more liberal interpretation of the term “sedition”. Restricted it only to activities involving “incitement to violence or intention or tendency to create public disorder or cause disturbance of public peace”. In Balwant Singh vs State Of Punjab (1995) the apex court observed that just raising of the slogans, once or twice by two individuals alone cannot be said to be aimed at exciting or attempting to excite hatred or disaffection towards the Government.
View of 42nd Report of the Law Commission It favored amendments to Section
Punishment Imprisonment
activists and to stifle dissent by the governments in power. Famous cases are Dr. Binayak Sen, Cartoonist Aseem Trivedi, author Arundhati Roy, JNU students Kanhaiya Kumar, Umar Khalid etc.
124(A) very often clashes with Freedom of speech and expression, a Fundamental Right under Article 19(1) (a) of the Indian Constitution. This provision is frequently used against political opponents,
124(A). It wanted the scope of actions that would be punishable under the clause to be widened. It proposed the punishment to be fixed at a maximum seven years and/or a fine. At present, a person convicted under the section can be sentenced to a prison term, up to three years or for life — nothing in between! However, nothing was done to implement those recommendations.
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View of Legal Experts speech, like any other fundamental right, was not absolute and could be restricted on certain grounds like public order, defamation and contempt of court. "One of these grounds was also sedition which was removed from the permissible ground of restriction from Article 19(2) of the Constitution. But sedition remains under Article 124 (A), left wholly to the interpretation of the court". –Fali Nariman
Free
Considering
the validity of the Section 124(A), in the Kedarnath case, the section is limited to acts or words or deeds, which have a tendency to disrupt public order, or which incite violence. – Soli Sorabjee
Sedition
is a very harsh Section. Mere speech doesn’t constitute sedition. Speech should be followed by action. –Abhishek Manu Singhvi
Conclusion The application of section 124(A) is
subject to article 19 (2) i.e. a person may be prosecuted for sedition when his/her actions either affect the security of state or incite the people for actual violence against the state.
Mere
speech doesn’t constitute sedition. Speech should be followed by action.
It
is the duty of the state to protect its fellow citizen’s right to speak though one may not agree with them.
Most
problems will be solved if one understands that people are not wrong but different.
To the Point
3. Bad Debt Crisis in Public Sector Banks Introduction
Why this is a Big Concern
Public
Growing
sector banks (PSBs) are the banks whose over 50% share is owned by the Government. There are 27 PSBs which form the backbone of Indian banking sector. PSBs had over 70 per cent market share both in credits and deposits, as of Dec. 2015. ( Source: RBI) T h e s p i r a l i n g N P A s ( N o n performing Assets) in PSBs since 2009 have reached an alarming level in 2015-16. With almost Rs. 4.5 lakh crores of bad debts, PSU banks are facing a crisis like never before. Stressed assets (NPAs plus loans that have been restructured) for the PSBs have steadily increased over the last five years and are estimated to reach over 14% per cent of the total advances.
Reasons Behind the Problem lending by banks (mostly PSBs) during good times(2004-08) Sluggishness in the domestic growth during the recent past. Slowdown in recovery in the global economy as well as uncertainty in the global markets. External factors including the ban in mining projects, delay in environmental clearances affecting power, iron & steel sector. Nexus of corporate, bankers and brokers where huge loans were granted without due diligence. (Vijay Mallya’s case) Political interference in the PSBs business related decision making. Regulated lending like Priority Sector Lending, which sometimes clashes with sound business principles. Tendency of Evergreening of loans (Debt Restructuring) rather than Recovery. Aggressive
NPAs has choked the funding capacity of PSBs which will further hamper the credit growth and subsequently the economic growth. This dangerous phenomenon is called as the Twin Balance Sheet Syndrome in Economic survey 2015-16 where Growing NPAs are stressing PSBs balance sheet, while the choked funding is further stressing the corporate balance sheet which is already suffering due to sluggish global demand. High NPAs will further reduce the investors’ confidence in the PSBs which will hamper their fund raising potentials for business expansion and growth. A vicious cycle will be created where the macroeconomic stability will be hampered by the weaker PSBs. It indicates the operational shortcomings of the PSBs and raises a big question over their functioning, as the Private Sector Banks are still able to manage their NPAs within almost the safe limits.
Measures taken by the Government Finance
ministry has proposed to set up an Asset Reconstruction Company (ARC) for the stressed sectors like Power and Road. Recapitalization drives to enhance PSBs capital assets. Setting up of Bank Board Bureau to deal with management of PSBs and issues such as raising capital. Proposal of bank merger to create stronger banks. Bankruptcy Code Bill for easy exit of firms and for easy recovery of stressed assets.
Allowed
hiring of talents from private sector for more professional and sound business practices.
The Way Out The
Economic Survey 2015-16 has suggested 4R’s as a rescue programme:
Recognition- of true value of assets. Recapitalization- by Govt. to improve PSBs capital position. Resolution- selling/rehabilitating stressed assets. Reform- work on mission ‘Indradhanush’ to revamp PSBs Simplest way is recovery of NPAs through SARFAESI or Debt Recovery Tribunals. Lok Adalats can provide a speedy
and mutually acceptable solution.
How to Prevent it in the Future Conservative lending by PSBs (after
proper due diligence) to the NPA prone sectors like infrastructure, steel, power etc.
Infrastructure projects to be funded
through alternate routes like Infrastructure Debt Funds or Infrastructure Bonds etc. appraisal process should be improved.
Credit
Proper
monitoring of warning signals and corrective measures by the banks before the asset becomes stressed.
Recover
rather Restructure.
and shame the wilful defaulters.
Name
and extending the consumer base of the PSBs to counter the vulnerability of slowdown in certain sectors.
Diversifying
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To the Point
4. Decline in Global Crude Oil Prices : Boon or Bane for India? Introduction Global
Brent crude oil prices have tumbled down to its lowest level in January 2016 in last 10 years at USD 28/ barrel.
Currently,
it is at one third level of the Jan 2014 prices of US$ 120/ barrel.
Crude
oil, forming the largest baskets for the India’s import bill, has a lot of significance for the Indian Economy.
Reasons for Decline in Price Prices have fallen because supplies
have outrun demand.
with enhanced shale oil production has become the world’s new “swing producer” of oil.
US
OPEC is unable to work as a cartel
to set the price of oil by controlling the production.
Instead
of cutting production to defend prices, OPEC countries decided to defend market share to support their economies.
Extra
production especially by Iran, Iraq and Libya. slowdown, particularly in China one of the biggest consumer and the importer is further putting downward pressure on the global demand of oil.
Global
Positive Implications for India India, importing over 80% of its total
oil requirements with over 1/3rd of import bill comprised of crude oil, is a net beneficiary.
Current account deficit is narrowing
and Foreign Exchange reserve is expanding.
Cheaper oil may fuel the industrial
growth.
Inflation
is expected to reduce, as cheaper oil will bring down the cost of transportation, energy and industrial goods.
It
will reduce the Fiscal Deficit as the subsidies on oil products will come down significantly.
Rupee will be strengthened as less
pressure on the Rupee to buy US$ for the oil imports.
Negative Implications for India A large part of external remittances
comes from the oil rich Gulf, West Asia and North Africa whose economies are bleeding due to sharp decline in oil prices.
This will have huge implications on
India’s Balance of Payment (BOP), a large part of which is financed by these remittances.
Cheaper
oil may shift focus away from green technology options.
Indian companies have substantial
investments, trading and financial interests in Venezuela, Russia, Nigeria and Gulf countries which may suffer adversely with crashed oil prices.
Another big shock will come on the
front of Indian migrant workers working in oil dependent economies where over half of the India’s 15 million strong migrant workers work.
Crash
in oil prices have led these economies to spending cuts and slashing employments, even retrenchment of migrant workers.
The Case of Kerala Kerala led the decade of migration in
India; it topped both the external and
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internal migration and contributes to over 25% of the total external remittances. It has 2.4 million external migrants
sending over 1 lakh crore and also hosts 3 million strong domestic migrants from Bihar, West Bengal, Odisha etc. sending over 20,000 crore back to their respective states. But now with the economic crisis in
the oil rich countries and returning of Indian migrant workers, stress will be further felt on the domestic migrants to lose their job in Kerala. If
reverse migration starts, it will hamper the larger socio-economic goals of poverty reduction and enhancements in life standards.
The Way Ahead According to the Economic Survey
2014-15, the decline in oil prices is an opportunity to rationalize the energy prices by getting rid of the distorting subsidies whilst shifting taxes towards carbon based fuels.
With
increasing Excise duty on petrol and diesel as an implicit carbon tax, India is shifting from a carbon subsidy regime to a carbon taxation regime.
India’s crude oil import bill is likely
to dip by 35% from $120bn in 201415 to $73bn in 2015-16. With
oil dependent economies facing fund crisis, India may go for acquisition of oil firms and blocks abroad, with this saved import bill.
A
part of this saving may be used for R&D for green energy options.
This is a huge opportunity to build
up strategic reserve of crude oil at these rock bottom prices for the purpose of energy security.
To the Point
5. Net Neutrality What is Net Neutrality? The
term “Net Neutrality” was coined by the Columbia Law School professor, Tim Wu. It means treating all data packets at parity, irrespective of their content, source or destination. It prohibits blocking or slowing down access to any website or content on the web. It also prohibits providing competitive advantage to specific individual apps or services depending on either quality of service or pricing.
Guiding Principles of Net Neutrality and control by users over their online activities. Transparency of data flow decisions for fair and impartial access to internet resources. Reasonable network management practices, neither anticompetitive nor prejudicial. Regulatory monitoring to take care of quality degradation and to maintain high standards. Choice
Why in News? Recently
it has been noticed that some telecom companies are understood to be working on a "bypass solution" against the TRAI guidelines on net neutrality, through virtual private networks or intranet. Earlier, in February 2016, TRAI had ruled in favour of Net Neutrality and prohibited service providers for charging differential and discriminatory charges for data services. It scrapped Airtel Zero and Free Basics of Reliance-Facebook, for violating Net Neutrality due to differential pricing.
Different Stakeholders and Their Views Internet
Service providers (ISP): Usually, the telecom service providers are the ISPs also. They believe that differential pricing and services is as per market principle and it will help them to get additional revenue, which is under pressure due to high spectrum and license charges as well as business loss due to stiff competition from the VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) services like Skype, Viber, WhatsApp etc. Net Neutrality Opponents: Access is more important than choice. Limited access is better than no access. Facebook justified its Free Basics as an effort to bring more people online. Net Neutrality supporters: They are mainly the NGOs, civil society groups and Start ups. They believe that allowing access to a few apps and web services for free will be against the spirit of competition, innovation and freedom of customer choice. TRAI: The telecom regulator is responsible for the growth of telecommunications and to provide a level playing field and facilitate fair competition in the market. It consulted all the stakeholders and finally ruled in the favour of Net Neutrality.
Pros of Net Neutrality the ISPs from charging for online services for "fast lanes". Avoids discrimination among users ensuring similar access to information for people of different socio-economic status. Helps to promote freedom of choice, as ISPs cannot obstruct or incentivize particular contents or sites over others. Prevents
Promotes
a level playing field for competing companies.
Cons of Net Neutrality It
is against free market rules, where differential pricing is allowed for different level of services. (For example in railways, airlines, energy etc.) With the help of sponsorships, some mobile telecom operators may offer free internet access to limited content, enabling those who don’t have data on their smart phones to access limited content for free. Example- Free Basics.
Challenges for Net Neutrality and filtering of the content for regulatory controls by the government or by the Internet service providers to pursue their business objectives. Giving preferential network treatment to certain data stream over others by creating internet fast lanes. Zero- rated services have the capacity to shift the internet traffic in a discriminatory way. Throttling of data throughput rates for data flow in a controlled and preferential manner. Blocking
Way Ahead India Programme gives “digital access” a top priority. The government must balance the freedom of choice with the access dilemma. In the name of net neutrality, unnecessary government intervention and forcible leveling of the playing field should be avoided. India which is on the cusp of Startup boom, primarily of internet related start ups, needs deeper internet penetration as well as free and open access to the internet.
Digital
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Potential Q&As Based on Current Affairs Dear Aspirants, The Current Affairs Questions and Answers section contains 16 questions having current relevance, with their model answers to provide you a good understanding of such questions in UPSC Civil Services (Mains) exam. Answer writing in mains requires grip over both content and presentation and that too under the constraint of time and word limit. The best way to improve answer writing is through regular practice and these model questionanswers are intended to guide you in tackling such questions. We look forward to your feedback and comments. Regards, Team Drishti Ques.1: Bombay High Court has said that Indian Premier League (IPL) matches should ideally be shifted out of Maharashtra to places where there is no water crisis. Discuss. Answer: The judgment of the Bombay HC to shift matches out of Maharashtra came in response to a PIL (Public Interest Litigation) filed by a NGO opposing the use of 60 lakh litres of water to maintain cricket pitches hosting IPL matches in the state which is reeling under a severe drought. The court questioned the rationale of organizing these matches in a state where farmers are committing suicides due to failure of crops brought on by the drought and where even hospitals have been forced to stop surgeries due to lack of water. Despite the Mumbai Cricket Association insisting that only nonpotable water was being used to maintain pitches, the Court called it a ‘criminal wastage’ and questioned why more importance should be given to IPL matches than peoples’ lives and livelihood. The court criticized the state government for turning a blind eye to the problems of people. The issue is not merely shifting the IPL matches out of the state but more importantly drawing attention of the authorities and civil society to the plight of those
affected by the drought. Through this judgment the court has tried to draw attention to the miserable water situation in the state as well as the country with the hope that it generates awareness and results in concrete steps taken by government and the citizenry to tackle the root-causes of the drought. Ques.2: What is the controversy surrounding Aligarh Muslim University's 'minority' status? What safeguards have been provided in the Constitution to minority institutions? Answer: The Centre has decided to withdraw its appeal against the Allahabad High Court judgment declaring AMU not to be a ‘minority institution’ as it was set up by an act of parliament and not by the Muslim community. The Mohammedan Anglo Oriental College was established in 1875 by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan. It was made a university by the Indian Legislative Council in 1920. The Supreme Court, in its judgment in the Azeez Basha case had ruled that AMU was not a minority institution since it was set up by the British legislature. After a wave of angry protests by Muslims, the parliament in 1981 amended the 1920 act to restore the minority status of AMU. Post this, any dispute or uncertainty over the minority status
of AMU should have ended. However, in 2005, when certain aspects of the admission policy of AMU were challenged, the Allahabad HC ruled that the 1981 Act was ultra vires of the Constitution and once again withdrew AMU’s minority status. This judgment was challenged in the Supreme Court by the Centre, which now stands withdrawn. This controversy raises the larger issue of conflict between the judiciary and the legislature and also the safeguards given by the Constitution to minority run institutions. Under Article 30(a), all minorities whether religious or linguistic, have the right to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice. Being a fundamental right, it is protected by a prohibition against its violation under Article 13 and hence should be given the widest amplitude and not read in narrow and literal terms as long as the institution has been formed with the intent of benefiting the minority community. Ques.3: The agreement signed between the European Union and Turkey is intended to seal illegal migration but has faced criticism from human right groups and aid agencies. Elucidate the salient points of the agreement and its shortcomings.
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Potential Q&As Answer: The 'one in, one out' deal between the European Union (EU) and Turkey seeks to address the overwhelming illegal migration of refugees and asylum seekers into Europe from Turkey. Key points of the agreement: All new irregular migrants crossing
from Turkey into the Greek islands after March 20, 2016 will be returned to Turkey. For every Syrian refugee being returned to Turkey from the Greek island, another Syrian will be resettled in EU. Visa liberalization for Turkish nationals will be accelerated. Financial support for Turkey's refugee population will be boosted. The process of accession of Turkey into the EU will be fast-tracked. The deal has been criticised for being legally, morally and practically contentious. Also, it is alleged that its wording have been left deliberately opaque in many areas. Legally, the deal is said to contravene the 1951 Geneva Convention which states that refugees should be assessed on individual basis, rather than being subject to a blanket policy as is being done under this deal. The agreement morally and ethically puts the EU in a tight spot as it may end up violating its own laws and standards with respect to treatment of asylum seekers. Further, by focussing only on Syrians the deal discriminates against people like Afghanis and Iraqis, fleeing other warzones and dictatorship but who have not received the same level of media attention. By regulating the migration across the Aegean Sea, the deal simply encourages the refugees to enter EU through different and potentially more dangerous routes. Also, the huge logistical challenge in implementing the agreement fully, risks making it irrelevant to address the migrant crisis effectively.
Ques.4: Discuss the new loan pricing mechanism Marginal Cost of Funds based Lending Rate (MCLR) adopted by R.B.I. and explain its relevance in the economic cycle? Answer: Marginal Cost of Funds based Lending Rate (MCLR) system is a new uniform methodology to ensure fair interest rates to both borrowers and banks. It will address the primary objective of expediting transmission of benefits of policy rate cuts by R.B.I. to end-consumers by banks. It will bring transparency and uniformity in the methodology adopted for calculating lending rates. This has been done in view of banks showing reluctance in changing lending and deposit rates in accordance with the change in policy rates by R.B.I. MCLR Regime MCLR makes it mandatory for banks to review their lending rates periodically to reflect changes in the cost of borrowing periodically. The MCLR is to be computed on bank’s marginal cost of borrowing instead of the average cost of outstanding funds that banks have used so far. The components of MCLR are as follows: Marginal cost of funds Negative carry on account of CRR (it is the cost that the banks have to incur while keeping reserves with R.B.I as CRR; the cost of such funds kept idle can be charged from loans given to the people) Operating Costs Tenor Premium Benefits from using MCLR It will reduce the pressure on bank’s
net interest margins (NIMs). customers lower interest rates and decline in EMIs on their loans. The MCLR regime will allow the banks to become more competitive and enhance their long term value and contribution to economic growth.
For
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Ques.5: In what way could power ministry’s Ujwal DISCOM Assurance Yojna (UDAY) help in turnaround and revival of Power Distribution Companies? Discuss. Answer: The weakest link in the power sector is distribution and state power distribution companies (DISCOMS) have been facing extreme financial crunch due to various reasons such as transmission losses, tariff hike not in tandem with the rising costs and power theft etc. The UDAY scheme focuses on four major areas I m p r o v i n g
the operational efficiencies of DISCOMS. Reduction of power generation cost. Reduction in interest costs of DISCOMS. Imposing financial discipline on DISCOMS. Provisions of the scheme Under
previous schemes there were no mechanism to check unsustainable borrowing, UDAY recognizes this loop hole; it permits refinancing of the losses of DISCOMS only via DISCOM bonds guaranteed by the state government. 75% of the DISCOM liabilities will be taken over by the state government over a period of five years enforcing discipline on states as it requires them to absorb a part of the future losses of the DISCOMS in graded manner. DISCOM debts not taken over by the state will be converted by banks into loans or bonds with minimal interest rates. As an incentive, the states adhering to the operational milestones of the scheme will be given additional funding through various programs like IPDS, Power System Development Scheme along with increased hours of power supply. On the revenue side it has provided a financial road map to bring tariffs in line with costs by Financial Year 2019; mandates like strict adherence
ACADEMIC VITAMINS GIST OF ISSUES OF EPW, YOJANA, KURUKSHETRA
Word ‘academic’ evokes mental imagery related to theory, seriousness, university, higher education, learning and scholarship. Vitamins are organic compounds needed for normal growth and nutrition. ‘Academic vitamins’ is the section of the magazine where we give you synopses of three academically oriented magazines which have a reputation in the UPSC ecosystem: Economic and Political Weekly, Yojana (ISSN 0971-8400; a development monthly published by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting) and Kurukshetra (monthly journal of rural development by the Ministry of Rural Development). Economic and Political Weekly (EPW; ISSN 0012-9976), the Sameeksha Trust Mumbai-based publication, has been ‘India’s premiere journal for comments on current affairs and research in social sciences’. “EPW has always been receptive to those who question the dominant power, dominant beliefs and dominant ideas...,”says its outgoing editor C. Rammanohar Reddy. If you want to know the different sides of a story (and especially the sides which get ignored by the dominant narrative) then you should read EPW regularly. EPW is very useful resource for both would-be and serving bureaucrats who want to build balance of judgement and intellect in their arguments and writings. You are supposed to be a catalyst for social justice, equality, and freedom, something that the UPSC will test you on. Reading EPW should adequately prepare you on that front. We give you synopses of four issues from the last month in our monthly magazine. We filter information from academic journals and present them lucidly to you so that you have ready-made inputs that you can use for exam preparation. We are sure you will like the EPW academic inputs and benefit from reading them. YOJANA: Since the pattern of UPSC exam has been tilting towards the awareness and analysis of public life events, social and political happenings and trends, Yojana assumes a significant importance because of its credibility, authenticity and clear analysis of such events, coming from the desks of government offices (Ministry of Information and Broadcasting). Despite this, students find it difficult to keep abreast with all its issues, given the paucity of time. Hence, to simplify it for you we have made a gist of Yojana which will enable you to quickly grasp the important points and will be useful for a quick revision just before the exams, to help you make your answers more substantive and score more. Hope the experience proves enriching, satisfactory and fruitful for you. KURUKSHETRA: Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, GOI brings out Kurukshetra, a monthly journal on Rural Development highlighting challenges, status and solutions to ‘Empower Bharat’. It constitutes of articles written by intellectuals, on-field activists and civil servants, comprehensively describing recent policies of government, innovative steps by local administration, model cases, in the fields of agriculture, small-scale industrial development, effective service delivery etc. In this section, we have attempted to provide you a synopsis of important, exam-oriented topics from Kurukshetra issue of last month. An organized structure, smooth-flowing summary, lucid language without overburdening you with facts and figures will definitely help you in the pursuit of answer writing. In Mahabharata, Kurukshetra was the sacred land where ancient intellect once flourished. In today’s Kurukshetra synopsis, we aim to nourish the intellect of aspiring bureaucrats. It will not just instil a rich knowledge base in you but also develop skills of critical analysis and inter linking as demanded in civil service examination. We look forward to a wonderful cooperation with you and wish you a very Good Luck in achieving your dream of becoming a successful civil servant.
ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL WEEKLY Gist of 26 March, 2 April, 9 April and 16 April, 2016 issues in that order. Summary of editorials followed by commentaries, special articles, discussions etc.
Address the Stigma Attached to HIV/AIDS EPW
editorial laments that not enough was being done to address the stigma attached with AIDS and HIV. Akshara R, an HIV-positive student in Kannur had to fight to remain in an educational institution. India has long list of children and youth who were thrown out of institutions and socially ostracized for being HIV positive. Authorities say that it is almost always the ‘other parents’ who want the HIV-positive child to be told to leave as they do not want their kids to mix with them. India’s first AIDS case was diagnosed in 1986; India has about 2.1 million living with HIV. Social activists working in the field remark that the social stigma attached to it is more baneful than the virus. According to National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4, January 2016), about 82% women and 70% of men (in the 13 states where the survey was done) do not have much knowledge of HIV/AIDS and safe sex practices. Since HIV/AIDS is associated with sex; it fuels taboos and prejudices. It calls for awareness campaigns taking into account socio-cultural norms and attitudes. National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) has faced fund cuts and is no longer an autonomous body. It directed funds to states’ AIDS control bodies but now the states have discretion to fund their HIV related programmes. On 1 December 2015 (World AIDS Day), Maharashtra AIDS officials had reported lack of funds.
Political
and religious leaders emphasizing individual morality and abstinence while denouncing condom usage is detrimental for AIDS control as moralising creates barriers and prevents reach to most vulnerable sections such as sex workers, men having sex with men, victims of sex trafficking, women with HIV-infected husbands who can’t walk away from marriage due to socio-economic conditions.
ICC Recognises Rape as a War Crime Former vice president of Democratic
Republic of Congo (DRC), Jean Pierre Bemba, was held guilty of using rape as a weapon of war by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in March. It is a first for the ICC: first ever conviction for sexual crimes as constituting a war crime. It was an uphill task; it took some four years as 77 victims testified out of an estimated 5,000 who were identified as survivors. Bemba was commander of his 1,000 troops who pillaged, raped and murdered thousands over five months in the Central African Republic (CAR) in 2002-03 where they went to prevent a coup. Chief prosecutor of ICC said, “… commanders are responsible for the acts of forces under their control.” The ICC has global jurisdiction but it is limited to hearing cases that the UNSC refers to it or from citizens of any of the 123 countries that have signed and ratified the Rome Statute. India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Israel, Russia, Egypt, Turkey, Iran
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are some prominent countries that have not ratified it. ICC has heard cases of war crimes, mostly in Africa, since it started in 2002. A 2011 study says that 12% of women in Congo have been raped at least once in their lives. ICC has been empowered by UNSC Resolution 1820 of 2008 “rape and other forms of sexual violence can constitute war crimes, crimes against humanity or a constitutive act with respect to genocide.” The conviction definitely sets a legal precedence and it is hoped it will bring justice to women around the world including in former Yugoslavia and Rwanda which saw similar horrors.
Vigilantism EPW
writes that the Government of Chhattisgarh and the Centre have entered a new phase in their war on the Maoists. State police has initiated a new incarnation of the Salwa Judum, thereby violating the Supreme Court’s directions banning vigilante groups. Reacting to it, Maoists have stepped up their retaliatory violence, including the killing of informers and bombings. On 30 March, they killed seven jawans of CRPF. Salwa Judum began life as the Jan Jagran Abhiyan in which police assembled villagers and forced them to inform on sangham members or Maoist sympathizers. These sangham members were made to surrender, and some of them were armed and appointed as Special Police Officers (SPOs).
Academic Vitamins T h e r e
has also been the announcement of the formation of gram rakshak dals or village defence committees which have proved disastrous for civil solidarity wherever they have been tried, in Nagaland or Kashmir. Government must realize that vigilantism is a Frankenstein monster that kills its own sponsors.
Nuclear Reactor Leak On 11th March, the fifth anniversary
of the multiple reactor accidents at the Fukushima Daiichi site in Japan, Unit 1 of the Kakrapar Atomic Power Station (KAPS-1) in Gujarat started leaking heavy water, which could be plugged only by 21st March after strenuous efforts. Even though the leak at KAPS-1 is not a new thing (such leaks have been regular occurrences ever since the first heavy water reactor in Rajasthan came online), public information about them is scarce. There is enough evidence from the reports put out by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that such leaks have been occurring at most Indian heavy water reactors, including at the Kakrapar I & II, Rajasthan I & II, Madras I & II, and Narora I & II reactors. The persistence of leaks suggest fundamental and unresolvable flaws in the system, technical weaknesses in the regulation, or continued operator errors, pointing towards lack of a good safety culture, and raising concerns about the possibility of a severe accident in the event of a greater challenge (for example, in the event of a fire or flooding). Such leaks lead to increased radiation exposure to workers at the nuclear plants: the heavy water becomes radioactive as deuterium absorbs neutrons produced during fission and becomes tritium which is easily absorbed by human body. In the long term, secrecy on the working of atomic power plants
will not be conducive to safety. It is important to ensure operational safety of power plants; government’s method of paying lip service to safety measures will not be of help.
Misuse of Tax Havens EPW writes that the Panama papers
have exposed the ugly underbelly of globalization. However, artful lawyers and accountants defend tax havens as being neither evil nor illegal. The editorial writes that not much is clearly known about 90-odd tax havens in the world today (including those within the domestic boundary of a country such as Delaware and Florida in the US or principalities or microstates like Monaco and Liechtenstein in Europe). Money moving rapidly across multiple tax jurisdictions (which is called ‘round-tripping’) makes things hard for authorities as the determination of ‘beneficial owners’ of companies gets complicated. There is a thin line between legal tax avoidance and illegal forms of tax evasion.
Medical Overuse Crisis There
may be a ‘medical overuse’ crisis in India as pointed out by health activists, medical journals and the World Bank. A recent media report indicates the number of surgeries done in the five years between 2009-10 and 2014-15; number of major surgeries conducted under the National Health Mission (NHM) has gone up considerably. Caesarean section, hysterectomies and other emergency surgeries increased by 979% in Maharashtra, 470% in Karnataka, 400% in Bihar. ‘Poor have surgeries but not healthcare,’ opines EPW. Health activists in Andhra Pradesh had showed that avoidable C-sections were being done to
claim money under Arogyasri government scheme. Chhattisgarh’s ‘uterus scam’ (women subjected to hysterectomies) had got international media attention. The WHO has clearly said that C-section should be a life-saving measure and incidences should be 15%-20% for a region. Some useful measures to arrest the trend of quick-fire surgeries could be a more proactive Indian Medical Association (IMA), spreading public awareness, checking malpractices in private hospitals and strict monitoring of rules.
Maharashtra: Water Management, Not Water Scarcity is the Problem The Bombay HC order on 13 April
in response to a PIL, ordered IPL matches out of drought-hit Maharashtra from May. It does little to address the root of the problem. The problem faced by Maharashtra and nine other states is also a crisis of good governance. Two consecutive monsoon failures don’t explain the water crisis; it is the failure of governments in providing sustainable water resource management. Things will be ‘business as usual’ once ‘good monsoon’ comes this year; whereas in scarcity we worry about preventing wastage and seeking emergency supply. Maharashtra has 1,845 dams which is more than any other state in India. Still, only about 18% of its farmland is irrigated. A ‘dam scam’ exposed how dams were built without giving irrigation benefits. There are 70,000 minor irrigation projects in the state, but only 12% are working today. ‘Sugar lobby’ in Maharashtra has used its clout to dictate surface water for irrigation; water-intensive sugarcane cultivation was never checked by any government. 80 of the state’s 205 sugar factories are
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Academic Vitamins
YOJANA Summary of the Yojana issue of month April (2016) – North-East Special
The North East India It comprises of eight states: - Assam,
Tripura, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Sikkim, forming the northeast frontier of our country. The entire North East Region (NER), approximately 90%, is an international border shared with China and Bhutan in the North, Myanmar in the east, Bangladesh in the south and west, and Nepal to the west of Sikkim. It is home to various ethnically, culturally, linguistically and religiously diverse population inhabiting geographically diverse landscapes. It is also one of the hotspots of India because of its huge biodiversity and presence of endemic species. The region faces socio-political challenges due to insurgencies, terrorism, tribal conflicts, insider versus outsider tensions, smuggling, poor infrastructure, floods, lack of educational and employment opportunities leading to outmigration.
Inclusive Growth and Regional Economy The North East region can be opened
up to trade with entire South East Asia by opening up its regional economy through improved trade and political relations with its neighbor Bangladesh. The ‘ease of doing business’ in the region has been improving, as can be seen in Tripura (Agartala), where the State Government has got a major Internet Gateway (India’s
third gateway after Mumbai and Chennai),which will improve telecommunications of North East by connecting it to reliable global telecom network. One of the reasons for Tripura becoming the trendsetter in providing the ‘ease of doing business’ climate is that, it has overcome insurgency and AFSPA has been recently uplifted in 2015, providing a stable business environment. Even the Bangladesh government has shown its support by opening up consular offices in Bagdogra, Sylhet and Guwahati to improve connectivity and reduce official hassles. Presently, only Agartala and Kolkata have consular offices.
Challenges/limitations to growth and economy The image of disturbed area, due to
60 years of conflict and insurgency, has been big hurdle in inviting prospective business opportunities. Land-locked Region: the region has lost out the policy of ‘connect to SE Asia’ to the coastline states of West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, because international trade is predominantly moved by sea. The problem can be solved by improving the region’s connectivity and enabling its access to Bay of Bengal, connecting it through rail line from Agartala via Akhaura in Bangladesh to Chittagong Port. Poor infrastructure has also been a factor because of difficult topography.
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growth deficit of north east vis-à-vis better performing states of Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra. The region has essentially been a “market” and not a production centre, importing most of the finished products. Raw materials like fruits, vegetables and even cattle are being exported to Bangladesh and Myanmar as there have been no major processing units for adding value or shelf life to the products, hence impacting the economy. Poor human development indicators (Assam recording worst Maternal Mortality Rate of 300, far above even U.P., Bihar and M.P.) Changing Climate Patterns leading to frequent floods and water logging. In absence of any adequate inland navigation system, transport suffers for 3 to 5 months every year affecting economy. Regional
Education and Employment The Northeast region has a literacy
rate of 77.76% which is higher than the national average of 74.04%. Despite this, education system in north east suffers from various limitations.
Challenges/limitations in education and employment sector The education system is controlled
by the state government which is not at par with the national level. The States are still following traditional mode of imparting education. This has resulted in huge outflow and high drop-out rates of students between Class 1 to 8.
Academic Vitamins The
bookish curriculum and lack of technical/ practical exposure has led to low employability. It also suffers from exogenous factors like numerous bandhs and strikes (compelling parents to send their children outside, sometimes at huge personal costs like child trafficking), insurgency, cross border smuggling, terrorism, sociopolitical unrest, floods, lack of basic necessities like electricity, water, internet, transport, communication etc.
The comparative advantage of North East states lies in
l L a r g e
English speaking population. l Culturally diverse mix of students. l High literacy rate.
l
Strategy to promote community based collaterals for effective credit delivery system. l Establishment of SEZs (Special Economic Zones) to capture economic advantages in tea, coffee, aromatic and medicinal plants, horticulture products. l Strong R&D support system. l Efficient market system with effective supply chain model with help of specialized institutions like IIM Shillong. Above all, the presence of political will, bureaucratic support and commitment, good governance, ease of doing business and PPPP (Private Public People Participation) Model will prove significant in improving education and employability in North East India.
The way forward
Skill Development
The
The
focus should be on industry training, quality over quantity, research and encouraging entrepreneurship. Corporate Companies can be asked to engage in equipping technical and non technical institutions under CSR (Corporate Social Responsility) initiative to increase employability rate. C r e a t i o n o f e m p l o y m e n t opportunities through initiatives like Make in India and Start-Up models. The government departments at different levels like ICC, FICCI, FINER and the civil society have to come together to transform north east into an educational and tourism hub. There is a need of multipronged approach like: l Fast tracking of infrastructure projects. l Connecting major tourist spots. l Incentivizing trekking and ecotourism to make northeast hub of adventure tourism.
Centre is planning to take up its Skill India initiative to the North East (NE) by setting up Skill Development Centres and Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) in new districts. The Union Skill Development and Entrepreneurship minister has recommended inclusion of one member each, for all the 40 Sector Skill Councils, from Federation of Industry and Commerce of North Eastern Region (FINER) and has proposed to restructure National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and include FINER as a member. The NE is growing fast, with high literacy rate, reducing dependence on agriculture, but there is a lag in creation of jobs and livelihood opportunities, creating a huge mismatch. According to a study on development and employment generation potential of NE states, between 2011 and 2021, the region will have only 2.6 million jobs as opposed to supply of 17 million people in the job market.
To
address this mismatch and for infrastructure development, Centre had created the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), in 2004. While addressing the employment requirements, the challenges are encountered in poor infrastructure and connectivity, law and order problems, quality of skills (only 4.5 persons out of 100 are skilled) of the available labour pool.
Paryatak Mitra Programme The programme has been launched by Ministry of Tourism for college going students to inculcate appropriate tourism traits and knowledge and enable them to act/ work as Tourist Facilitators (Paryatak Mitra). Even though the development and promotion of tourism is primarily under State Governments, the Ministry of Tourism, as part of its ongoing promotional activities releases campaigns and undertakes activities under the Incredible India brandline to promote India as a holistic tourist destination.
The Way Forward A
Skill University in the NorthEast needs to be urgently set up to address the aspirations of youth. Migration Support Centres should be set up for better support, retention and career opportunities for candidates. This measure will be more essential for trainees coming from North-East, hilly states and other difficult areas like LWE (Left Wing Extremism) affected districts. E m p l o y m e n t o p p o r t u n i t i e s can be created in Meghalaya in agarwood plantations, learning the business model from South East Asian countries where a vertically integrated business is created, that includes inoculation, harvesting, distilling and processing of agarwood into various end products (including the highlyprized Oud oil).
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Academic Vitamins
KURUKSHETRA In this section we bring you a summary of important topics from Kurukshetra (Journal on Rural Development) April 2016 Edition, which provides important features of Budget 2016-17. Rail Budget 2016-17: Connecting India, Creating Jobs Indian Rail is not just a mode of communication but Life Line of our Country. It has multiple dimensionsCultural, Social, Economic, religious.
Fund Allocation 1. Budget-2016 allocates 1.21 lakh crore for Capital Expenditure which is close to the double of average of previous years – a feat never achieved before. 2. Railway suffers from high revenue expenditure due to High Operating Ratio (92%) thanks to a bloated bureaucracy of about 13 lakh employees and recent 7th Pay Commission hike. Still there is hope to generate revenue 10.1% higher than revised target for current year because of optimistic global predictions, falling oil prices and expansion in business activities.
Vision of Indian Railways By 2020, Budget-2016 looks forward to meet the long-felt desires of the common man: 1. Reserved accommodation on trains being available on demand. 2. Time tabled freight trains with credible service commitments. 3. High end technology to significantly improve safety record. 4. Elimination of all unmanned level crossings. 5. Punctuality increased to almost 95 percent. 6. Increased average speed of freight trains to 50 kmph and Mail/Express trains to 80 kmph. 7. Semi high speed trains running along the golden quadrilateral. 8. Zero direct discharge of human waste.
How to achieve the Vision of Budget 2016 Moving by the ideology of ‘Sabka Saath, SabkaVikas’, the budget-2016
focuses on common man’s comfort. Plans envisaged are as under:
In Social Sector social justice: Reservation has been allowed in Catering units for SCs, STs, OBCs, etc. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for sanitizing workers will improve their working conditions, use of Biotoilets will lessen the requirement of manual scavengers itself (in line with Manual Scavenging Abolition Act). Women Empowerment: A sub quota of 33% for women has been enforced in each of the reserved categories of catering. Skill Development: Indian Railways has tied up with Ministry of Skill Development to train rural youth. It will also collaborate with Khadi and Village Industries Commission to develop consumer products like bed sheets, cushion covers, etc. for passengers and also market them using IR’s vast Supply Chain. Local Employment: Weightage will be given to district domicile holders for commercial licenses Ensure
Major Reforms envisaged in Budget-2016 are provided in the mindmap.
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Academic Vitamins to operate stalls, shops, services at local stations. (in line with Stand up/Start up India Mission). Health Benefits: Provision for Bio-Toilets, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, standard operating guidelines for catering services such as proper cleanliness in kitchen, hand gloves while cooking etc. (They are in line with provisions of Draft National Health Policy-2015 which aims to have quality cleanliness standards at public places.) Environment Conservation/ Mitigation and Adaptation: IR has taken up measures to combat Global Warming, Climate Change by adhering to Sustainable Development Standards like Railway electrification, water recycle & reuse, outsourcing afforestation projects, installing solar panels on rooftops and on huge tracts of fallow land available adjacent to rail networks etc. (This will be in line with National Action Plan for Climate Change–NAPCC-2008 and Paris Agreement as well).
In Economic Sector Budget-2016 aims at better catering
facilities with local cuisines available on board. Provision has been made to collaborate with start-ups, SHGs, e-retailers, local Food Processing Units to supply local cuisines to onboard customers. This will not only establish a unique identity of that local village, export its culture to the passing passengers but also generate in situ employment opportunities for the increasing village youth. This will create a win-win situation of passenger satisfaction and rural development. National Rail Plan (NRP-2030) will integrate all stakeholders like state governments, public representatives, central ministries to synchronize Rails with other modes of transport, creating a seamless multimodal transportation network across the country. This
plan will reduce freight delays, thereby increasing ‘Ease of Doing Business’ in India, pushing growth into double digits as envisaged by National Manufacturing Policy-2012. Indian Railways aims at operating Tourist Circuits with cooperation from state governments while implementing schemes like HRIDAY, PRASAD. This will have a multiplier effect on other sectors as well. For e.g. hotels, restaurants, hospitals, travel agencies, adventure sports etc. will come up. Input Farming side challenges
Distribution Patterns North
Eastern states lead in percentage of land under organic cultivation. In absolute terms, Madhya Pradesh leads followed by Himachal Pradesh and then Rajasthan.
Problems faced by organic farming Despite immense potential, cultural best-practices in India, there are many structural challenges as given in table.
Transportation challenges
Lack of private investment. Poor cold storage facility.
Small land holdings.
Marketing side challenges Branding and Certification challenges.
Poor food processing sector Middle such as packaging, grading, delays, sorting, logistics, etc related Act, etc. activities.
men APMC
Less cooperatization. Indian Railway Budget 2016 envisages a transformation from scale to speed. It aims at Customer Satisfaction and at cultivating a feeling of ownership among citizens followed by satisfaction eventually to pride and finally culminating in Nationalism.
A Boost to Organic Farming Organic Farming means use of only naturally occurring products and practices in agriculture such as cow urine, wood ash, compost and bio-resources.
Status of Organic Farming in India Cultivated
area under certified organic farming has grown almost 17 fold in past decade. Last year, India produced around 1.24 million Metric Tonnes of certified organic products such as sugarcane, cotton, maize, wheat, rice, peas, etc
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Steps taken by GOI Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojna (PKVY) It aims at building Clusters of organic farms with size of 50 acres or more comprising 50 or more farmers. Farmers will be incentivised by cheap credit, subsidised bio-products, guidance and other facilitation. Target in next 3 years is to have 10,000 clusters formed, covering 5 lakh acre area under Organic Farming.
National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) It involves an accreditation programme for Certification bodies, specifying quality standards and to enhance organic worth of our products to match international standards.
Organic Value Chain development in North East Region The scheme aims at development of certified Organic production in a
ETHICS
Ethics, Integrity & Aptitutde
GS Paper IV
Emotional Intelligence: Moving beyond IQ “When our emotional health is in a bad state, so is our level of self-esteem. We have to slow down and deal with what is troubling us, so that we can enjoy the simple joy of being happy and at peace with ourselves.” - Jess Scott Emotional intelligence (EI) is the ability to monitor one’s own and other people’s emotions, to discriminate between different emotions and label them appropriately, and to use emotional information to guide thinking and behavior. In simple words, Emotional Intelligence refers to attributes such as understanding one’s feelings, empathy for others, and the regulation of emotions to enhance one’s life. For instance, in an organization when an employee is faced with a
challenging situation, she can handle it in either of the following two ways: (a) She might see the challenging situation as an opportunity to prove herself or; (b) She might become nervous and experience fear of failure.
Background to Emotional Intelligence Aristotle wrote about emotional intelligence in 350 BC, centuries before the term became popular. In 1983, Howard Gardner’s “Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences” introduced the idea that traditional types of intelligence, such as IQ, fail to fully explain cognitive ability. He introduced the idea of multiple
Know Your Emotions
Motivate Yourself
Emotional Intelligence
Manage Your Emotions
intelligences which included both interpersonal intelligence (the capacity to understand the intentions, motivations and desires of other people) and intrapersonal intelligence (the capacity to understand oneself, to appreciate one’s feelings, fears and motivations). Working on your Emotional Intelligence could well be the most important aspect of your personal development. Research has shown that people with higher levels of emotional intelligence enjoy more satisfying and successful careers and relationships. If you think about ways to enhance your Emotional Intelligence, you are likely to become more interesting and attractive to others, and you will also give your self-esteem a boost. The first use of the term “Emotional Intelligence” is usually attributed to Wayne Payne’s doctoral thesis, “A Study of Emotion: Developing Emotional Intelligence” (1985). After this in 1990s, two colleagues from Yale University, Peter Salovey and John Mayer wrote a comprehensive research essay on Emotional Intelligence. However, the term became popular and widely known with the publication of Daniel Goleman’s groundbreaking bestseller “Emotional Intelligence – Why it can matter more than IQ” (1995).
Five Components of Emotional Intelligence Manage the Emotions of Others
Recognize & know Others' Emotions
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According to Daniel Goleman, an American psychologist who helped to popularize EI, there are five components critical to emotional intelligence:
Ethics, Integrity & Aptitutde 1. Self-awareness: The ability to recognize and understand personal moods and emotions and drives, as well as their effect on others. Hallmarks of self-awareness include selfconfidence, realistic selfassessment, and a selfdeprecating sense of humor. Self-awareness depends on one’s ability to monitor one’s own emotional state and to correctly identify and name one’s emotions. 2. Self-regulation: The ability to control or redirect disruptive impulses and moods, and the propensity to suspend judgment and to think before acting. Characteristics include trustworthiness and integrity; comfort with ambiguity; and openness to change.
skill in treating people according to their emotional reactions. Characteristics include expertise in building and retaining talent, crosscultural sensitivity, and service to clients and customers. It is important to note that empathy does not necessarily imply compassion. Empathy can be ‘used’ for compassionate or cruel behavior. Serial killers, who marry and kill many partners, tend to have great empathic skills! 5. Social skills: Proficiency in managing relationships and building networks, and ability to find common ground and build rapport. Hallmarks of social skills include effectiveness in leading change, persuasiveness, and expertise building and leading teams.
Emotional Intelligence, Intelligence Quotient, and Personality
3. Internal motivation: A passion to work for internal reasons that go beyond money and status -which are external rewards, – such as an inner vision of what is important in life, a joy in doing something, curiosity in learning, a flow that comes with being immersed in an activity. A propensity to pursue goals with energy and persistence. Attributes include a strong drive to achieve, optimism even in the face of failure, and organizational commitment. 4. Empathy: The ability to understand the emotional makeup of other people. A
Emotional intelligence taps into a fundamental element of human behavior that is distinct from your intellect. There is no known connection between IQ and emotional intelligence; you simply can’t predict emotional
intelligence based on how smart someone is. Intelligence is your ability to learn, and it is the same at age 15 as it is at age 50. Emotional intelligence, on the other hand, is a flexible set of skills that can be acquired and improved with practice. Although some people are naturally more emotionally intelligent than others, you can develop high emotional intelligence even if you aren’t born with it.
PERSONALITY
Personality is the final piece of the puzzle. It is the stable “style” that defines each of us. Personality is the result of hard-wired preferences, such as the inclination toward introversion or extroversion. However, like IQ, personality can’t be used to predict emotional intelligence. Also like IQ, personality is stable over a lifetime and doesn’t change. IQ, emotional intelligence, and personality each cover unique ground and help to explain what makes a person tick.
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This section of the magazine gives you essays that you can read to gain insight on essay writing skills and also knowledge. Also check out and participate in the Essay Writing contest and win cash prizes as you improve your writing skills.
The paths to glory lead but to the grave –Tapesh Kumar There is an astonishing disposition in human mind to seek pleasure from varied sources, even from pain and melancholy. If it weren't so, the gothic genres of literature, horror and bloody movies, lamenting lyrics and grievous ballads would not have been so popular. We receive comfort in gloomy tale, acceptance in sad sonnets and calm pleasure from the elegies which raise our melancholy, for no matter how pompous our life might be, there is always some room for bitter truth of pain and sorrow. Eighteenth century English poet, classical scholar and professor at Cambridge University Thomas Gray - wrote this mournful poem titled ‘Elegy written in a country graveyard’ in a country church burial ground: “The boast of heraldry, the pomp of power, And all that beauty, all that wealth e’er gave. Awaits alike the inevitable hour, The paths of glory lead but to the grave.” Such quatrains are a continuous reminder of mortality of human life and inevitability of death irrespective
of social position, beauty, wealth or any glory. It was the same burial site where Gray was later buried. Of all the truth, death is the most universal, whose realisation is assured beyond any doubt and without any exception. One thing that man has consistently failed at is in achieving physical immortality. No alchemy, sacrifice, yoga and no enlightenment or Nirvana could materialise into an everlasting enduring life. One who has been born, shall die, so shall one who will be born. Entire life, people torment themselves for money, material, love, family, health, glory etc. But all the varieties of trouble a life might encounter, with all its preoccupations, find their submergence in death. Death is an inevitable phenomena associated with life, since the moment worldly existence of life form is realised. Greek hero of Trojan War, the central character and greatest warrior of Homer's Iliad - Achilles- was tried to be made immortal by his mother Thetis, herself a sea-nymph. He was dipped into the holy water by her mother to attain immortality. However he was killed at the end of the Trojan
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War within the city of Troy by an arrow which struck him in the heel. It was discovered that he was left vulnerable at the part of the body by which she held him while dipping into the water, which remained dry. After his death, all his bravery, all the swiftness of his sword and all his insurmountable strength reduced to a phrase of grammar called ‘Achilles heel’ which means a weakness or vulnerable point. Indeed death is the ultimate truth. There is nothing that can stop one from realization of this truth. Nevertheless, fear associated with death might be optional. The fact is, death seems scary, not because death is scary but because life, many a times, gets scary. The fear of death follows from that of life. One who is prepared to die anytime, is the one who lives the life fully. It is in such achievement of fearlessness for life that glory sprouts and nurtures itself. The durability of life is often associated with the intensity of glory achieved. Maria Corazon Aquino was a self proclaimed plain housewife till she decided to run for president in
Preparing for the Personality Test
Part-I
–Vikas Divyakirti
Dear Aspirants, We are beginning a special column to give you an insight on how to prepare for the personality test. The column will have three subsections comprising of mock interview as well as its evaluation. This particular section gives you the strategy for the Personality Test. So many things could go wrong when you face the UPSC board. If you are reasonably prepared for it, you will face it confidently and even direct the interview to some extent. Do remember an interview is like a game of ping-pong; both parties often take cues from the last move directed at them.
Need for this coloumn You must be wondering about the relevance of interview coloumn so early. Your first reaction would be we can have this discussion after the mains exam result. What is the need to prepare for the interview now, when all we can think of is how to qualify the preliminary test? Such an approach is common among aspirants. Most of the aspirants suffer from the problem of ‘adhocism’ which means aversion from planning, often shying away from making an advance plan to tackle a situation. Candidates think of quick fix solutions, though they are successful in helping them tackle small challenges, but can’t make one sail through a test requiring a long, extensive and planned preparation. Personality test falls in the category of extensive planning as well as exhaustive preparation. We know that a personality test intents to weigh candidate’s perspective which cannot be examined through Mains examination. Naturally, an interaction conducted to have an overview of one’s personality cannot be dealt with rote learning of magazines and notes. There is a possibility that he/she might not be able to answer a slightly twisted question.
In short one’s personality cannot be overhauled overnight. It is a long and exhaustive process of learning and inculcating those changes along with practicing them on day-to-day basis. I assume that the discussion above is enough to start preparing for the interview. Let us begin by giving you an idea about what the interview board expects from the candidate.
Personality test: An intricate problem The word 'Interview' in itself is a daunting word, which can make even the well-prepared candidate anxious. It is normal to feel nervous and be frightened about the interview since the nature of the test is different from that of prelims (where you choose an answer from various options) or the Mains examination. During an interview, it is almost mandatory to answer every question and the questions are followed by supplementary ones. Every wrong or vague answer may lead to negative marking. We are well aware that interview does not have a prescribed syllabus unlike the prelims and mains examination. Candidates fear facing the board members whose work experience is almost double the
aspirant’s age, so it is quite impossible to manipulate an answer or state wrong facts in front of them. Each member of the panel is an expert in his/her field yet it is not possible for them to judge candidate‘s perspective in an interview barely lasting around twenty to thirty minutes. These factors make the personality test more of an assumptive exercise where the panel assumes few facts about the candidate’s personality. There are other factors in the interview that also matters—the assigned interview board; panel‘s area of interest; their subject of expertise; candidate and the panel‘s political orientation; temperament of the panel; whether the panel adheres to lenient marking or is strict and so on. All these reasons affect your interview. Since there are many interview boards, the very announcement of the panel assigned to the candidate can make him/her feel confident or nervous. To reduce the role of chance and the subjective nature of an interview, a candidate must be interviewed by three different boards. Following this protocol would enhance the objectivity of an interview. For language related issues, the government while appointing the interview panel should keep into consideration the lingual
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MOCK
INTERVIEW The section on Mock Interview is mock only in name. This interview does not happen officially but you should think that it happened and take it seriously. There is no template for an interview; you never know what the board may ask you. It may become one-sided or it may be a very general interview. So the more versatile and prepared you are, the better it is for your future. The mock interview will keep you battle-ready if you take it seriously. Follow the evaluation of the interview closely; the analysis is intended to show gaps and point out errors made in pressure inside the Dholpur House and also to underscore the efficacy of various inter-personal strategies employed by the candidate during the interview to make it a natural, thought-directed, purposive conversation as far as possible. BACKGROUND OF THE CANDIDATE Nivedita Narayan hails from Lucknow. She completed her graduation from Lucknow University. She has been preparing for the exam from her home town. Nivedita was fortunate enough to enjoy the luxury of studying in a public school and continue studies as per her wish. Though she failed in the first attempt of civil services examination, Nivedita was determined to take another attempt with a renewed vigour.
INTRODUCTION OF THE CANDIDATE Name: Nivedita Narayan Father’s Name: Rajendra Singh Mother’s Name : Seema Singh Place of Birth : Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh Date of Birth : 17th July 1990 Academic Qualification: l High School: Lucknow Public school (85%) l Senior Secondary: Lucknow Public School (79%) l Graduate: (B.A. Program) Optional Subject: Philosophy Medium: English Attempts: Second (didn’t qualify prelims in the first attempt) Interview: First Hobbies: Painting, Reading (fiction) Service Preferences: IAS, IPS, IFS,IRS, IC&ES, IRTS, IRAS State Preferences: Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana, Punjab, Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh, West Bengal, Odisha, Karnataka, Kerela, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Assam- Meghalaya, Manipur- Tripura, Nagaland
INTERVIEW
(The peon opens the door for Nivedita) Nivedita: May I come in Sir? Chairperson: Yes you may. (The chairperson is looking at the bio data of Nivedita while she was standing right next to the door after entering the room.) (Nivedita is wondering whether she should sit or wait for the chairperson to respond... No one is looking at her and she starts feeling drowsy because of nervousness) Chairperson: You are still standing…? Please have a seat Nivedita. Nivedita : (She greets all the members before sitting) Thank you sir Chairperson: How are you Nivedita? Nivedita: I am fine sir. Thank you. Chairperson: So Nivedita you belong to Lucknow, it is located on the banks of river Gomti. Can you briefly tell us about the course it follows? Nivedita: Yes sir, Lucknow is on the banks of river Gomti. The river originates from Pilibhit, travels through the entire breadth of Uttar Pradesh, and meets river Ganga at Varanasi. Till Lakhimpur Kheri it is narrow but various tributaries join the river here on.
Interview Part M1: Name some of the tributaries of the river? Nivedita: I am sorry Sir, I can’t recall any name. (Expression of fear appears on the face of Nivedita) M1: Not even the name of a major tributary? Nivedita: Sorry Sir, but I am not able to recall the name. (She is nervous now about not being able to answer two questions in a row) M1: How many cities are located on the banks of R. Gomti? Nivedita: Sir…four…namely Lucknow, Lakhimpur Kheri, Sultanpur and Jaunpur. M1: Government of India has launched Namami Gange Project. Is river Gomti included in the same? What according to you are the challenges that the project faces? Nivedita: (Thinks for some time) Yes Sir, R. Gomti is a part of the project. One of the biggest challenges faced by the project is that of bridging the gap between treatment of waste water and the capacity of treatment plants. Of the total sewage produced by the five states combined approximately only half of it can be treated with the present capacity of Common Effluent Treatment Plants (CETPs). The problem of open defecation is specific to states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. M1: That’s it, according to you these are the only problems? (After thinking for few seconds Nivedita answers) Nivedita: Sir, a problem common as well as unique among all the states is that of cremation. Due to religious sentiments convincing people to do away with this practice will be a difficult task. (M1 is waiting for her to finish) M1: (immediately asks) So if they don’t cremate the bodies on the river bed, where should they?
Mock Interview Nivedita: Sir, alternatives like electric or gas crematorium should come up in adequate numbers especially in religious cities like Varanasi and Allahabad. The government has already ordered construction of new crematoriums and renovation of the ones that already exist. (M1 doesn’t look satisfied with the answers but indicates the next member to continue) M2: I can see that your optional subject is Philosophy. Can I ask few questions in context of the subject? Nivedita: Yes Mam. M2: Why are Carvakas criticised for their metaphysics even though all they seek is happiness? Nivedita: (feels confident) Mam, Carvaka school does not believe in the theory of God or Soul. They don’t agree with the concept of afterlife or rebirth. They simply believe in eating, drinking and making merry.......... We can say the ethics of the Carvaka is crude hedonism. It propagates the idea of seeking pleasure of the senses only on an individual level. Out of the four human values only ‘kama’ or sensual pleasure is regarded as the end, and ‘artha’ is regarded as the means to realize the end. It outrightly rejects the idea of Dharma and Moksha. In the realm of these reasons Carvaka’s philosphy is also known as Materialism. M2: Even Buddhism and Jainism have rejected the authority of Vedas…. some schools of Buddhism deny the soul along with Materialism, so why is Carvaka criticised extensively? Nivedita: Carvaka school instead of focusing on the psychological and moral aspects of a human being was more concerned about satisfying the senses. It’s denial of all human values which make life worth living was not acceptable by all. Life without values is similar to animal life. The pursued pleasure should be in conformance with Dharma. (M2 keeps a straight face)
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M2: Can you throw some light on the differences between Ramanuja’s philosophy, and that of Madhavacharyas’? Nivedita: Yes Mam, Shankara propounded advait Vedanta while Ramanuja propogated Vishisht dvait vada. (M2 frowns) M2: I think you did not hear the question correctly. I asked for pointing out the difference between Ramanuja and Madhava. Nivedita: I am sorry mam....I should have paid more attention to your question. (Nivedita gets anxious, looks at the glass of water kept on the table) M2: That’s fine. Have some water and then answer my question. Nivedita: (after thinking for few seconds) Thank you Mam! Mam, Ramanuja propounded Vishisht advait while Madhava talks about Dvait vada. According to Ramanuja, Brahma and God are identical, God is accepted as the highest reality. Madhava ‘s theory believed that God or Brahma is an independent reality while achitta or matter is dependent reality, though different from Brahma, is dependent on Brahma. But for Ramanuja, achitta is that part of Brahma through which God has created this world. (M2 looks satisfied with the answer) M2: What is Hume’s theory of ideas and impression? Nivedita: Mam may I use this pen and paper.... (pointing at the table) M2: Yes, you may. Nivedita: Mam, according to Hume the source of valid knowledge is experience. Through experience we gain perception. According to Hume perception are of two types – Impressions and Ideas. Impressions are the direct object of our knowledge so they are lively...... separate and independent of each other. They cannot
Debate
No problem can withstand the assault of sustained thinking. ~ Voltaire Just as there are two sides to a coin, there are two sides to every story (and even more at times). Sometimes, there is nothing called the truth; there are only viewpoints. Depending on which side of the fence you stand, you could be a proponent or an opponent, you could be a supporter or you could be a critic, you could be in favour of the motion of debate or you could be against it. Life is full of debates because you want to question and, in turn, have to be receptive and open to questions and probes. You are in constant debate with yourself and with others. You are in search of truth and truth is never final; the search of truth is a continuous exercise. An 'answer' you write in the UPSC CSE Examination or give as a reply in the concluding Personality test should reflect that truth. But truth, as we surely know, is not absolute. There are views, perspectives, sides, dimensions, frames of reference, vantage points to every answer. A rational mind should acknowledge this and try to find and grasp the 'whole' truth. When UPSC says in the CS examination notification that it seeks candidates who possess intellectual qualities, social traits, balance of judgement, clear and logical exposition, variety and depth of interest and so on, it clearly underscores that it needs a balanced personality who would be a fit candidate to be a civil servant capable of considering competing viewpoints in any situation in the district or in the secretariat. Debate brings out such qualities in a human being. It reveals what you have been ignoring. It tells you things you ordinarily miss, it shows you your narrowness and one-sidedness; it makes you more considerate, reasonable and complete. That is why it is said that you learn more from those who disagree with you than from those who agree with you and that a wise enemy is better than a foolish friend because (s)he teaches you more. "Begin challenging your own assumptions. Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub them off every once in a while, or the light won't come in." With this in mind, we bring to you this Debate section of the magazine where you can learn more about a topic and your own ignorance. Knowledge and information is never complete; you need a debate to find out more about things and UPSC will try to find out if you are balanced enough and know all sides of story (through queries lie 'analyze critically' or 'examine' in Mains paper or through direct questions in the Personality Test). Read this section with an open mind. Because what you know is not necessarily what there is all that could be known; there is always more. And make it a habit to seek more knowledge, to talk to people who hold different views and once in a while shake hands with your enemies. The world needs debates, not wars. Start a debate.
DOES AADHAR INVADE PRIVACY TO ACHIEVE FISCAL CONSOLIDATION? The introduction of the Aadhar bill and consequently its passage has evoked mixed reactions from different stakeholders. The proponents of this bill cite its multidimensional benefits and consider it a tool for attaining financial consolidation. On the other hand, the critics doubt its motives and argue over the manner of its passage, privacy concerns and its potential for use as a tool for mass surveillance in future. The following debate tries to unravel these issues and much more. The Aadhar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act, 2016 intends to provide for targeted delivery of subsidies and services to individuals residing in India.
FOR –Amit Singh
What is AADHAR? Aadhar is a 12 digit unique individual identification number which can be used as proof of identity and address, anywhere in India. Any person who has resided in India for 182 days or more, in one year before the date of application, is eligible for enrolment for Aadhar. Despite being a potential tool to curb leakages in subsidies and services, there have been a lot of apprehensions about the Aadhar on certain grounds. Some of them are discussed below.
Is Aadhar mandatory for availing services provided by the government? Supreme Court in March 2014 ruled that “no person shall be deprived of any service for want of Aadhar number in case he/she is otherwise entitled/ eligible”. Contrary to this, the bill text allowed government to make Aadhar authentication compulsory for old age pensions, train bookings, marriage certificates, for getting driving licence, buying a SIM card etc.
Is Aadhar the only way to curb leakages? There are different types of
leakages in the delivery of subsidies and services. Aadhar may be able to curb only specific types of leakages, mainly those related to ghost beneficiaries. But for leakages such as those in Public Distribution System (PDS) where middle men and ration shop owners collude to divert the entitlement into the market illegally,the idea of ‘identity fraud’ gains little prominence.
about his permanent address, but fetching his banking details or say his call details will be extremely difficult. However, in case of Aadhar a unique number links information in each silo. So once you get hold of Aadhar number of somebody, the information related to banks account, phone calls, permanent address, can all be fetched either malafide or as a security breach.
The claim that Aadhar will, by itself curb the leakage needs chosen attention.
Is ‘Right to Privacy’ a fundamental right?
Poor internet connectivity in rural areas, lack of electricity, technical malfunctioning of systems can lead to authentication failures. It is to be noted that poorer states where PDS is most needed are least prepared for infrastructure required for Biometrics Authentication Linking. Aadhar based authentication to PDS entitlement in such states will do more harm than good.
Convergence of the resident’s information. As of now, information on each resident is available only in silos that are structurally separated. And it requires huge effort to link information in one silo to another. For example: By accessing someone‘s driving license number one may be able to get details
In 2015, Government had communicated its stand to the Supreme Court and clarified that privacy was not a fundamental right and consequently no fundamental right is breached by Aadhar. Since many of the earlier judgments affirming privacy as a fundamental right, were delivered by smaller benches, the court agreed to refer to this question by a larger constitutional bench. Proponents of Aadhar fail to answer why the Aadhar bill could not wait for the judgment by the larger constitutional bench. Moreover dissent is the bedrock of democracy. And right to privacy is the foundation of the freedom to dissent. How many of us would like to participate in an open protest, in which furnishing all our details (phone
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SUPPLEMENT
ART & CULTURE OF
INDIA
More than 60 Pages... RESEARCHED, Easy to Understand...
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Supplement : Art and Culture The Mathura School of Art This school of art flourished in the
areas around the banks of the river Yamuna in the period roughly from the 1st century AD to the 3rd century AD. The Mathura sculptors primarily used red sandstone quarried in the nearby mines of Sikri. The art style closely followed the Yaksha images of the earlier Mauryan times and influence of Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism could be seen. This school of art is known for iconographic symbolism, for example the Hindu deities were imaged according to their avayudhas (for example association of Shiva with the linga). In Buddhist art, the Buddha is depicted with a larger halo than in the Gandhara school and two prominent Bodhisattvas were built known as Padmapani (holding the lotus) and Vajrapani (holding the thunderbolt).
Yaksha Buddha is depicted wearing a transparent dhoti which is pulled above His shoulders. He is either bald or curly haired and is mostly seated under a pipal tree. Buddha is often flanked by two bodhisattvas one on either side, or
by two smaller figures of Indra and Brahma. Both Buddha and Jain Tirthankar images carry the auspicious mark urna on their foreheads. Shiva is sometimes depicted as the Ardhanarishvara (half man half woman), the Harihara (Vishnu and Shiva combined) and the Chaturvyuha Shiva (Shiva’s three emanations). Mathura art was very popular in its time and was exported to places such as Kaushambi, Sarnath and Ahichchhatra (near modern day Ramnagar, Uttarakhand).
The Amaravati School of Art This school of art flourished in South
India (Andhra region) in the areas surrounding the banks of the river Krishna. The patron kings of this school were the Satvahana kings. This school of art is famous for the reliefs (sculpture carved on a surface e.g. wall) and these reliefs are considered one of the world’s best narrations on sculpture. These reliefs were carved upon the characteristic green-white limestone found in the Andhra area. Also, the use of white marble is characteristic of this school of art. The ‘tribhanga’ posture is a recurring theme while major emphasis was on narrative and dynamic images. The Buddha is sometimes depicted in both iconic and aniconic (nonhuman, non-animal image) forms where image of the Buddha is iconic and the accompanying ‘empty throne’ is aniconic.
Architecture of the Gupta Age From the 4th century onwards, the Gupta Empire came into being. This period is called the ‘Golden Age of Indian Art & Architecture’. Under the patronage of the earlier Gupta rulers, who were Buddhists, cave architecture continued to develop.
Ajanta caves, in Maharashtra were
made as Viharas and Chaityas during the period 200 BC to 650 AD. It was built by cutting the rocks of the Inhyadri Hills of the Sahyadri ranges. The inscriptions in these caves are Buddhist inscriptions made under the patronage of Harishena, a Vakataka ruler. The figures on the walls were done using the fresco style of painting which depicted the Jataka Tales along with images of animals and plants, in a naturalistic way. Colors used to make these paintings were created using vegetables and minerals. The color blue was not used anywhere in these paintings while the outline of the paintings were done in the color red. Both the Chinese traveler, Fa Hien and Hieun Tsang mentions the Ajanta caves in their writings. Ellora caves, also in Maharashtra were made for Buddhist, Jain and Brahmanical religious work. These were made between 5th and 11th century AD. The caves are of diverse style in its theme and dedication. For example there is a Chaitya cave dedicated to Vishwakarma (cave no. 10), a cave dedicated as Kailash temple (cave no. 16; made by a Rashtrakuta king) and two Jain caves known as Indra Sabha and Jagannath Sabha. Cave number 14 and 15 are called ‘ravan ki khai’ and Dashavatar caves respectively. Bagh caves, in Madhya Pradesh, built around 6th century AD are a group of 9 Buddhist caves. Junagadh caves, in Gujarat, have a citadel called Upar Kot in the prayer hall. Nasik caves, in Maharashtra are a group of Buddhist caves known as Pandav Leni. There are no images of Buddha here because the patrons of the cave belonged to the Hinayana school of Buddhism. Instead of images there are symbols of the Buddha like his throne and footprints.
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Supplement : Art and Culture Name and Location of Caves
Period
Number and Type of Caves
Features and aspects
Ajanta Caves Near Aurangabad, Maharashtra
Between 200 BC Out of 29 caves, 25 were to 650 AD Viharas and 4 were Chaityas.
and inscribed by Buddhist monks under the patronage of Harishena. Fresco paintings done with vegetable colours. Blue colour was not used. Themes were based on the life of Buddha and the stories from the Jataka tales.
Ellora Caves Near Aurangabad, Maharashtra
Between 5th and 11th century AD
Out of 32 caves, 16 were Brahmanical, 12 were Buddhist and 4 were Jain.
Painted
All 9 caves Buddhist.
Built in the architectural likeness of the Ajanta
Bagh Caves Around 6th Near the bank of Bagh century AD river, Madhya Pradesh
were
Junagadh Caves, Gujarat
Between 1st to 4th century AD
Nasik Caves (Pandu Leni), Maharashtra
Between 3rd 23 Buddhist Caves. century BC to 2nd century AD
Mandapeshwar Caves (Montperir Caves), Maharashtra
8th century AD
Under the patronage of the later Gupta rulers who were Hindu, temple architecture flourished. Temple architecture began as simple
temples with flat roofs, shallow pillars, and low platforms and was generally square shaped. Later on this evolved into more sophisticated styles with the temples being placed on higher platforms having various shapes and with shikharas as roofs.
Nagara
style of temples began to be built from 5th century onwards. This style is called the Panchayatan style. The most important characteristics of this style are the use of multiple shrines to surround the main shrine. There are also mandaps (hall), pillars and shikharas in the design of such temples. But
3 groups of numerous Buddhist caves.
Originally a Brahmanical cave it was later changed into a Christian cave.
Painted
by artists of various guilds from Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Vidarbha. The themes are diverse. The architectural style is different from Ajanta Caves and only Ellora Caves had courtyards. Caves. Some of the cave paintings made here belong to the Gupta age. Baba
Pyare Caves, Khapra Kodia Caves and Upar Kot Caves. A 30-50 ft high citadel in Upar Kot to mark the prayer hall. Built under Hinayana sect there are no images
of the Buddha. Buddha is represented by motifs and symbols, for example – footprints and throne. It has sculptures of Nataraja, Brahma and Vishnu.
no water tanks were built in the temple premises.
The Nagara School is Further Sub-Divided into–Odisha School, Khajuraho School and Solanki School. The Odisha School Lavishly decorated exterior walls, interior walls are simple and plain, pillars absent from the verandah, use of iron girders to make the roof, temple built on square platform, temples protected by boundary walls, shikharas are called ‘rekhadeuls’, mandaps are called ‘jagmohanas’. Examples of this school – Sun Temple at Konark (also called Black Pagoda), Jagannath Temple at Puri and Lingaraj Temple at Bhubaneswar.
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Types of Shikharas Rekha-Prasad
(Latina) shikhara – these have a square base upon which the walls curve inside and meet at a point on top. Phamsana – these were built with a bigger base but were shorter in height than the Rekha-Prasad shikhara. These generally move upwards in a slope flowing in a straight line. Valabhi – these come with rectangular bases with roofs having vaulted chambers.
The Khajuraho School Built by Chandel kings, also called Chandel School. Both interior and exterior walls were lavishly decorated,
Supplement : Art and Culture
100 ART AND CULTURE MCQs
1. Which of the following showed the greatest uniformity in Harappan settlements? (a) Town planning (b) Building (c) Bricks (d) Religious practices
2. Which metal has so far not been discovered in Harappan sites? (a) Copper (b) Gold (c) Silver (d) Iron
3. Consider the following statements regarding the Indus Valley Civilisation 1. It was predominantly a secular civilisation and the religious element, though present, did not dominate the scene. 2. During this period cotton was used for manufacturing textiles in India. Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct? (a) Only 1 (b) Only 2 (c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2 4. Which one of the following is not the characteristics feature of the Harappan settlements? (a) Doorways and windows generally faced the side lanes and rarely opened into the main streeets (b) Houses generally had separate bathing areas and toilets (c) The citadel was walled but the lower towns was not walled (d) Drains and water chutes from the second storey were often built inside the wall 5. In the Harappan period, seals were normally made of (a) lead (b) gold (c) silver (d) steatite 6. The scripts of the Indus Valley Civilisation was (a) Boustrophedon, still not satisfactorily deciphered (b) Brahmi (c) Nagri (d) None of these 7. Match the following List-I A. Ghaggar 1. B. Ravi 2. C. Indus 3. D. Bhogava 4. Codes: A (a) 1 (b) 3 (c) 3 (c) 2
B 2 4 1 4
C D 3 4 1 2 4 2 1 3
List-II Mohenjodaro Kalibangan Lothal Harappa
8. Which one of the following statements regarding Harappan Civilisation is correct? (a) The standard Harappan seals were made of clay (b) The inhabitants of Harappa had neither knowledge of copper nor bronze (c) The Harappan Civilisation was rural based (d) The inhabitants of Harappa grew and used cotton 9. Which one of the following sites of the Indus Valley Civilisation had an ancient dockyard? (a) Kalibangan (b) Lothal (c) Rangpur (d) Harappa 10. The site of Harappa is located on the bank of river (a) Saraswati (b) Indus (c) Beas (d) Ravi 11. Which of the following was conspicuous by its absence in the terracottas of Indus Civilisation? (a) Sheep (b) Buffalo (c) Cow (d) Pig 12. Which one of the following was not known to the Harappans? (a) Construction of wells (b) Construction of pillars (c) Construction of drains (d) Construction of arches 13. Match List I with List II and select the correct answer using the codes given below the lists. List I List II A. Lothal 1. Ploughed field B. Kalibangan 2. Dockyard C. Dholavira 3. Terracotta replica of a plough D. Banawali 4. An inscription comprising ten large sized sign of the Harappan script Codes: A (a) 1 (b) 2 (c) 1 (d) 2
B 2 1 2 1
C D 3 4 4 3 4 3 3 4
14. A copper chariot of Harappan times was discovered at (a) Kuntal (b) Rakhigarhi (c) Daimabad (d) Banawali 15. Which one among the following is not true with regard to Rigveda Samhita? ( a) There are about 300 non-Indo-European words in Rigveda (b) There is a reference to Dasarajna (battle of ten kings) in the Rigveda
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