Context: As perthe World Health Organization, COVID-19 no longer qualifies as a global health emergency.
What it means when a disease is an emergency
Announcing a disease as a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) is a significant decision that the World Health Organization (WHO) takes after thorough analysis of various factors. The following are some of the key points that WHO considers before declaring a disease as a PHEIC:
Potential to spread: The WHO assesses whether the disease has the potential to spread rapidly beyond the affected region or country, causing a global outbreak.
Severity: The WHO evaluates the severity of the disease, including its mortality rate and its impact on people's health.
International impact: The WHO considers the potential impact of the disease on the international community, including its impact on travel and trade.
Social and economic impact: The WHO also considers the social and economic impact of the disease, including its impact on daily life and the ability of countries to respond.
Urgency: The WHO assesses the urgency of the situation, including the need for immediate action to contain the disease and prevent its spread.
Expert recommendations: The WHO consults with its expert committees to gather advice and recommendations on whether to declare a PHEIC.
The WHO has analyzed all these factors, it may declare a disease as a PHEIC. This announcement is a critical step in mobilizing resources and coordinating a global response to the disease. The WHO will provide guidance and recommendations to countries on how to respond to the disease, including measures to contain its spread, protect public health, and provide medical care to those who need it. The declaration of a PHEIC may also lead to increased funding and resources for research and development of treatments and vaccines.
What is the status now
As mentioned, covid-19 is no longer an emergency. However, the officials said that even though the emergency phase was over, the pandemic has not ended. They pointed to the recent spikes in cases in Southeast Asia and West Asia to support their case.
SARS-CoV-2 Virus:
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a highly contagious viral illness caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).
SARS-CoV-2 is a novel beta coronavirus belonging to the same subgenus as the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV).
It was first identified in December 2019 in Wuhan, China, and then caused a global pandemic leading to the disease COVID-19.
Coronaviruses (CoVs) are positive-stranded RNA viruses with a crown-like appearance due to the presence of spike glycoproteins on the envelope.
Like other RNA viruses, SARS-CoV-2, while adapting to their new human hosts, is prone to genetic evolution with the development of mutations over time, resulting in mutant variants that may have different characteristics than its ancestral strains.
Although the origin of SARS-CoV-2 is currently unknown, it is widely postulated to have originated from an animal, implicating a zoonotic transmission.
Transmission: Via exposure to respiratory droplets carrying the infectious virus from close contact or droplet transmission from presymptomatic, asymptomatic, or symptomatic individuals harbouring the virus.
Context: The periodic drama of demolitions of illegal construction has become the unfortunate leitmotif of Delhi’s development. The recent demolitions around Tughlaqabad Fort follow the script that has been enacted innumerable times before. The need to demolish is portrayed as a law and order issue, not the failure of urban planning.
Arguments in favour of demolitions
These colonies are developed on illegal land
They are becoming obstructions in the way of the master plan of Delhi (MPD)
They deface the city.
People living there are involved in the criminal activities.
Issues associated with demolition
Illegal colonies developed due to the inability of MPD to meet the needs of migrant inflow in the city.
This kind of demolition involves only the issue’s legal dimension, leaving the ethical issues unsolved.
The spatial norms, development controls, and even the basic planning ideology on which the present Master Plan of Delhi (and other Indian cities) is based are modelled on urban development strategies that evolved in post-war Europe and the US — under entirely different social, economic and cultural circumstances.
These were eagerly adopted after Independence by the governing elite (including urban planners) because they neatly aligned with their aspirations for creating modern Indian cities.
This model has proved inadequate to handle the complex problems of Indian urbanisation and the nature of indigenous urbanism that underpins the expectations of new migrants.
Elitist mentality of urban developers who treated slums as urban malaise which must be eradicated.
Demolitions have only shifted the focus from the original source of the problem, the flawed MPD and the lack of imaginative governance, to its victims, the migrants and entrepreneurs, who have immeasurably contributed to India’s success story.
Way forward
To begin, the mindset of urban planners, civic authorities and the police must change. They must understand that they are dealing with an ethical, not legal issue.
The success of urban planning should not be contingent on the outcome of the contest between the haves and the have-nots. For one, the needs and aspirations of one are not more legitimate than those of the other.
Second, given the history of urban development of Delhi, aborting the attempts of the have-nots to fulfil their basic needs is not the most efficacious strategy to ensure the success of urban planning.
The have-nots have legitimate status and rights to the city. Therefore, their self-help achievements in the face of the hostility they face from society and the government, should not be treated as a cancerous tumour that needs to be excised to protect the planner’s vision.
Context: Widening the list of non-banking reporting entities, the Finance Ministry has allowed 22 financial entities — including Amazon Pay (India) Pvt. Ltd, Aditya Birla Housing Finance Ltd and IIFL Finance Ltd — to verify the identity of their customers via Aadhaar under the ambit of the money laundering law.
Widening of Aadhar Ambit
In a notification dated May 4, the Finance Ministry said these reporting entities, other than the banking companies mentioned, shall comply with the standards of privacy and security under the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act, 2016.
It is necessary and expedient to do so, after consultation with the Unique Identification Authority of India established under sub-section (1) of section 11 of the Aadhaar Act and the appropriate regulator, namely, the Reserve Bank of India, hereby permits the said Reporting Entities to perform authentication under the Aadhaar Act for the purposes of Section 11A of the Money Laundering Act.
Section 11A of PLMA provides for verification of identity by reporting entities. Earlier only banks were considered as reporting entities but now non-banking regulated entities that are considered as reporting entities under PLMA can be allowed to conduct such authentication if their approval is accepted by the UIDAI depending on their data security practices.
In, 2019, the government amended the Aadhaar(Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act, 2016, under which it allowed only banking and telecom companies to carry out such authentication for KYC requirements.
Application of widening of Aadhaar ambit:
E-KYC carried out through OTP-based Adhaar authentication allows entities to offer a limited set of services to their users. Such a KYC has to be renewed every year and the aggregate amount of term loans sanctioned shall not exceed Rs 60000 in a year.
It may help in expanding the reach of financial services, especially microfinance.
Availability will improve consumption in the Indian economy which fosters the Economic growth of the Nation.
It will help in the expansion of the formal credit network in the Indian economy.
Concerns:
It may lead to an invasion of privacy: Private companies are profit-oriented and they may misuse this limited permission to target the customers.
It may also pose a challenge of financial fraud: in the digital age financial frauds are new realities and allowing private entities to access Addhar data will further increase this threat.
Other private entities may demand the same: with time other private companies even those of the non-financial sector can also seek the same permission.
Diverting from the aim of Aadhaar itself: Aadhaar was aimed to provide a unique identity to individuals but this widening of the ambit of Aadhaar will make it an instrument of financial matters.
Context:Mridangam player Karaikudi R. Mani passed away. Through his group Sruthilaya, he popularised South Indian percussion instruments all over the world. He pioneered the Thala Vadya (percussion ensembles) performances in Carnatic music, which feature two percussion instruments performing solos without the use of vocals, veena, or violin.
Mridangam
A percussion instrument of ancient origin.
It serves as the main source of rhythmic accompaniment in a Carnatic music ensemble.
The pakhawaj, a modified version of mridangam, is the main percussion instrument in Dhrupad.
It is a complex instrument to tune and involves a lot of mathematics to construct korvais.
The mridangam is played during a percussion ensemble (Thala vadya).
The mridangam body is formed from a single piece of wood. The wood of the morgosa tree, the core of the coconut tree, and the palm tree are also utilised by manufacturers, but jackwood or redwood is their preferred material.
The right head of the drum is made up of three concentric layers of skin.
Indian Musical Instruments
Musical instruments like seven-holed flute and Ravanahatha, have been recovered from the sites of Indus Valley Civilization.
Four major traditional categories of musical instruments
Avanaddha Vadya/Percussion Instruments: These are known as membranophone as they have an exterior membrane that can be beaten to extract specific musical tones. One or two faces are covered with skin or hide. Examples: Tabla, Drum, Dhol, Congo, Mridangam, etc.
2. Sushira Vadya/Aerophones: Includes all the wind instruments. Examples: Bansuri (flute), Shehnai, Pungi, Ninkirns, etc.
Shehnai: It is a double reeded wind instrument with a widening tube towards the end. The exalted title of the ‘Shehnai King’ has been given to the legendary Ustad Bismillah Khan, who took the Shehnai to its zenith through his soulful play.
Flute: It has been in use since the Vedic period. It was initially called Nadi or Tunava.
3. Ghana Vadya/Idiophone: It is the genre of the solid instruments that do not require any tuning. Examples: Manjira, Jaltarang, Kanch tarang, Jhanj, Khartal, etc.
Manjira: A small brass cymbal that is generally used in temples. Archaeological excavations have dated Manjira to be as old as the Harappan civilisation.
4. Tata Vadya/Chordophones: String instruments that function best when their sound is modified by hand.
Three major types of Tata instruments:
Bowed: The instruments where the sound is drawn from drawing a bow across the strings. Example: Sarangi, Esraj and Violin.
Plectral: The instruments where the strings are plucked by the fingers or by a plectrum of wire or horn. Example: Sitar, Veena and Tamboora.
Those instruments that are struck by small hammer or a pair of sticks. Example: Gotuvadyam and Swaramandal.
Classical Music
Two distinct schools of Indian classical music evolved
Hindustani music:
Practiced in the northern parts of India.
This branch of music places more emphasis on the structure of the song as well as its improvisational potential.
The Shudha Swara Saptaka, also known as the "Octave of Natural Notes," scale was adopted by the Hindustani branch.
Ten main styles: Dhrupad, Dhamar, Hori, Khayal, Tappa, Chaturang, Ragasaga, Tarana, Sargam and Thumri.
Dhrupad:
One of the oldest forms of Hindustani classical music. It is also mentioned in Natyashastra (200 BC–200 AD).
Consolidated its position as a classical form of music in the 13th century but reached its zenith in the court of emperor Akbar.
Akbar employed and patronised musical masters like Baba Gopal Das, Swami Haridas and Tansen.
Singers who mastered Dhrupad were also patronised in the court of Raja Man Singh Tomar situated in Gwalior.
It became the major form of singing in the medieval period but fell in a state of decline in the 18th century.
Khyal:
The origin of this style was attributed to Amir Khusrau.
This form is popular amongst the artists as this provides greater scope for improvisation.
A Khyal composition is also referred to as a ‘Bandish’.
Carnatic music
Practiced in the southern parts of India.
The music is based on kriti and emphasises the saahitya, or lyrical aspect, of the musical piece.
The Kriti is a highly developed musical composition with a definite tala or rhythmic cycle and a certain raga.
Mridangam is frequently used to perform Carnatic music.
"Thanam" is the name of the melodic improvisation in unstructured rhythm with mridangam.
The term "Ragam" is used to describe those pieces without a mridangam.
Less improvisation is allowed than in Hindustani music.
Context: The National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) on Friday issued a notice to Punjab government officials, seeking an action taken report on the alleged sexual misconduct by Lal Chand Kataruchak, a Minister in the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government.
The National Commission for Scheduled Castes is an Indian constitutional body established with a view to provide safeguards against the exploitation of Scheduled Castes and Anglo Indian communities to promote and protect their social, educational, economic and cultural interests, special provisions were made in the Constitution. Article 338 of the Indian constitution deals with National Commission for Scheduled Castes.
Institutions are often distinguished by whether they perform a protective or a promotional role. The NCSC is clearly more of a protective institution, though it does monitor the progress of promotional policy initiatives emanating from other state agencies. While its creation was mandated by the Constitution, neither the responsibility of promoting the welfare of the scheduled castes nor that of protecting them against injustices has been vested exclusively in this institution. Indeed, though it enjoys constitutional status, the recommendations of the Commission are advisory rather than mandatory.
General Studies- II: Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International relations.
General Studies- II: Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International relations.
Mains:
2020. Which steps are required for constitutionalization of a commission? Do you think imparting constitutionality to the National Commission for Women would ensure greater gender justice and empowerment in India? Give reasons.
2018. Whether National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) can enforce the implementation of constitutional reservation for the Schedules Castes in the religious minority institutions? Examine.
So we can see that coverage of constitutional bodies is important. From the perspevtive of Mains as well as Prelims. So in this discussion we are going to cover the following:
Main functions of the NCSC
Evaluation of the performance of the comssission:
Way forward
The National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) is an Indian constitutional body established under Article 338 of the Constitution of India. It was set up in 2004 to investigate and monitor all matters relating to the constitutional safeguards provided for the Scheduled Castes (SCs) and to protect their rights.
The main functions of the NCSC
To investigate and monitor all matters relating to the safeguards provided for the Scheduled Castes under the Constitution or under any other law for the time being in force.
To inquire into specific complaints with respect to the deprivation of rights and safeguards of the Scheduled Castes.
To participate and advise in the planning process of socio-economic development of the Scheduled Castes.
To evaluate the progress of the development of the Scheduled Castes under the Union and any State.
To make recommendations for the effective implementation of safeguards for the Scheduled Castes.
Four areas of functioning:
Of the four core areas of the Commission’s functioning – viz., service safeguards, education, economic development and atrocities – the Services Safeguards Wing is the most active. These complaints relate mostly to promotions, discrimination and harassment on various counts, institution of disciplinary proceedings on flimsy grounds, the conduct of departmental enquires in an unfair manner, adverse entry in the annual confidential reports, transfers to far off places or insignificant positions, delay in payment of retirement benefits, delay in the completion of departmental inquires, and so forth. It has also succeeded in institutionalizing the system of liaison officers and special SC and ST cells in all central ministries and public sector enterprises for the speedy and effective resolution of the grievances of employees of these communities.
The NCSC also has the power of a civil court and can summon witnesses, record evidence, and issue orders. It submits annual reports to the President and the Parliament on its performance and recommendations.
The NCSC plays an important role in protecting the rights and interests of the Scheduled Castes, which are one of the most vulnerable and marginalized sections of the Indian society. It ensures that the constitutional safeguards provided for them are effectively implemented and any violations are addressed promptly.
Evaluation of the performance of the commission:
There are a variety of conflicts that characterise the functioning of the Commission. Firstly, there has historically prevailed a conflict between the Commission and its nodal ministry, the Ministry of Social Welfare (now the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment), which has often taken the form of conflict between the Minister and the Chairman of the NCSCST. Conflict between the Chairperson and members has also tended to characterise the Commission, because of the politicised nature of appointments to it.
By choosing to interpret its constitutional mandate narrowly, the Commission has laid itself open to the charge of elite bias. The fact that it is most effective in the area of servicerelated safeguards speaks for itself.
The Commission’s competence in settling service-related grievances may be contrasted with its inability to reduce the incidence of atrocities and violence against dalits, or to effectively fight the persistent scourge of untouchability.
A particular Commission seems to be only as good as its members, and especially its Chairperson, are. The lack of institutionalisation in the procedures of appointment to the Commission has meant that competent and committed members are less likely to be appointed, especially in a political and policy environment where membership of the Commission becomes a convenient sinecure for unemployable politicians or a temporary shelf for bureaucrats belonging to these groups.
The most significant handicap of the Commission is the fact that its decisions are not binding, but recommendatory. Though this is not explicitly stated in the Constitution (as amended), Article 338, with all its sub-clauses, is deeply ambiguous on this issue. It gives the Commission quasi-judicial powers of investigation, but does not mention the form in which the Commission’s judgement of a particular issue would be delivered and implemented.
The quality of reports in terms of the data they contain, and the manner in which the data is organized, has also been declining over the years.
The Commission is supposed to prepare an Annual Report for presentation to Parliament. Reports are often tabled two or more years after they have been submitted to the President.
Even when Reports are tabled in Parliament, they are frequently not discussed. There is no evidence in the Lok Sabha debates of a discussion on any of the first four reports. Of the four Special Reports, only one has an all-India scope and this is about service safeguards.
Way Forward:
It is often argued that the Commission is a paper tiger which needs to be armed with greater powers. This argument is premised on an inadequate appreciation of the location of the Commission in the existing constitutional setup. To give the Commission additional powers, in the matter of criminal investigation for instance, would require it to follow prevailing rules and procedures pertaining to evidence and prosecution. These may in fact retard the effectiveness of the Commission by rendering it vulnerable to litigation in the form of appeals to higher judicial bodies, and thereby nullifying its
operational effectiveness, and diluting its moral stature.
An amendment is required either in Article 338 itself, or in the rules by which the President may fix a period for the discussion of the Report in Parliament.
It would be appropriate for the Commission to undertake qualitative studies, commission social anthropologists and other social scientists to undertake such studies, and to institutionalize mechanisms by which contemporary changes and transitions in the social structure can be mirrored, recorded and acted upon.
The process of appointment to the Commission should be made more autonomous of the government of the day.
It would be desirable for the Commission to engage in an internal evaluation of its priorities on an ongoing basis, and to redefine them in a substantively more egalitarian way so as to accomplish its mandate in the spirit in which it was intended.
Context:The Indian government is concerned about El Nino's impact on the upcoming monsoon and has imposed a virtual ban on sugar exports, allowing only up to 6.1 million tonnes.
Sugarcane industry in India
Sugarcane belongs to bamboo family of plants and is indigenous to India.
It is a long duration crop and requires 10-15 months to mature, depending upon the geographical conditions.
It requires hot and humid climate with average temperature of 21° - 27° Celsius.
It usually grows well in areas receiving rainfall varying from 100 to 150 cm.
It can grow on variety of soils including loams, clayey loams, black cotton soils, brown or reddish loams and even laterites.
India is the second largest exporter of sugarcane in the world.
It is a water guzzling crop and is often blamed for worsening water crisis in parched areas of India.
Distribution
The Sutlej – Ganga plain from Punjab to Bihar containing 51% of the total area and 60% of the country’s total production.
The Black soil belt from Maharashtra to Tamil Nadu along the eastern slopes of Western Ghats.
Coastal Andhra and Krishna Valley.
Sugar Industry
Sugar can be produced from sugarcane, sugar-beet or any other crop having sugar content. At present, it is the second largest Agro based industry of India after cotton textile industry.
Localization of Sugar Industry:
The establishment of the sugar industry in India is reliant on sugarcane as its primary raw material, which is heavy, low in value, and has a tendency to lose weight and perish quickly.
Due to the inevitable loss of sucrose content, sugarcane cannot be stored for extended periods of time, and transportation over long distances is not feasible as the transportation costs would increase the overall cost of production, and the sugarcane may dry up en route.
As a result, the sugar industry is typically located in regions where sugarcane cultivation is prevalent.
Distribution of Sugar industry:
Maharashtra dominates the sugar production in India and accounts for over 33% of the total sugar production in the country.
Uttar Pradesh is the second-largest sugar-producing state, with sugar factories concentrated in two regions, the Ganga-Yamuna doab and the terai region.
In Tamil Nadu, the sugar industry is mainly concentrated in Coimbatore and Vellore districts.
The sugar industry in Andhra Pradesh is mainly located in the coastal regions, such as East Godavari, West Godavari, and Vishakhapatnam districts.
Other states that contribute to the sugar production in India are Bihar, Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat.
Difference between the Sugar Industry of Northern and Peninsular India
Peninsular India has tropical climate which gives higher yield per unit area as compared to north India.
The sucrose content is also higher in tropical variety of sugarcane in the south.
The crushing season is also much longer in the south than in the north.
The cooperative sugar mills are better managed in south than in the north.
Most of the mills in south are new which are equipped with modern machinery.
Problems of Sugar Industry
Low yield of sugarcane: Although India has the largest area under sugarcane cultivation, the yield per hectare is extremely low as compared to major sugar producing countries.
Short crushing season: Manufacturing of sugar is a seasonal phenomenon with short crushing season varying normally from 4 to 7 months in a year.
Fluctuating Production: Due to fluctuation in production, sugarcane has to compete with several other food and cash crops like cotton, oil seeds, rice, etc.
Low rate of recovery: The average rate of recovery in India is less than 10% which is quite low as compared to other major sugar producing countries.
High cost of production: High cost of sugarcane, inefficient technology, uneconomic process of production and heavy excise duty result in high cost of manufacturing.
Obsolete machinery: Most of the machinery used in Indian sugar mills, particularly those of UP and Bihar is old and obsolete.
Regional imbalances in distribution: Over half of sugar mills are located in Maharashtra and UP and about 60% of the production comes from these states.
Context:Army formations at all levels — from the Commander on the ground to the Corps level will soon have a real-time, common operating picture, with information and data from various sensors and inputs fused into one comprehensive image for quick decision-making.
A new Battlefield Surveillance System (BSS) under Project Sanjay is in the process of being deployed, after extensive validation carried out in the plains, deserts, and mountains.
Under BSS, the aim is to have surveillance centres for all field formations by December 2025. It will integrate thousands of sensors which will enable provision of an integrated surveillance picture to commanders and staff at all levels, besides completing the sensor-shooter grid by integrating with the Artillery Combat Command and Control System (ACCCS)
This is among a series of automation projects being rolled out which are expected to cumulatively improve operational efficiency, enhance battlefield awareness for Commanders on the ground, and also provide functional efficiency for human resource management, logistics, inventory management, medical services and other administrative functions.
India’s Defence Modernisation Challenges:
The pace of modernisation of the Indian Armed Forces over the years has been rather slow and, technologically, they are not where they should have been. Indigenous development of modern defence hardware continues to remain a concern, and Indian policy aspiration for defence self-sufficiency remains largely elusive.
The Indian defence industry suffers from major policy, structural, and cultural challenges that beset a military-industrial complex that continues to struggle in terms of delivering modern defence hardware that could have added to the greater Indian defence indigenisation and production.
A Military Strategy to address National Security- National security is determined by the threats that a nation faces. Military strategy is the ability to identity and respond to a threat. In olden times armies fought in battlefield. Today there are terrorist, insurgency and cyber threats. The armed forces have to modernise to face such threats.
The lack of military inputs in decision-making is considered to be the most significant lacuna. It is also observed that the national security strategy of India suffers from flaws such as the absence of a National Security Doctrine and the absence of a long-term defence planning.
The decision making in India on national security and strategic matters have been however projected to be slow and complex because of the hierarchical structure of the decision-making process. Further observers have questioned the efficacy of the established process of decision-making in defence acquisition or during times of crises, which is managed by Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS)
Economy - The country's economy is determined by the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The bigger the GDP the faster is the economic growth. Faster the economic growth, quicker will be the modernisation of the armed forces.
It is to be noted that capability building of the Army is a continuing process, where budget, especially capital funds, are requested for annually, based on the projected needs for implementing a 15 year long term perspective plan. However, it has been the experience for many years now that adequate capital funds for modernisation are not allotted, and consequently, there are major shortfalls in acquiring new equipment and other war-fighting capability in a time bound manner.
Adequate Budget Allocation - Defence is allotted budget every year as part of the country's yearly budget. Modernisation requires a huge allocation since modern arms and ammunition are purchased from other countries. This allocation of budget depends upon the economic growth. India is now under 'Make in India' project and is hoping to reduce dependence on other countries and also save money.
The Standing Committee on Defence (2018) had recommended that the Ministry of Defence should be allocated a fixed budget of about 3% of GDP to ensure adequate preparedness of the armed forces. However, over the last decade, India’s spending on defence has consistently been lower than this recommended level. In 2023-24, allocation to the Ministry is estimated to be marginally lower than 2% of GDP
Challenge within forces: The Indian Army has continued to expand, in manpower terms, in its quest to build up capability to deal with potential threats and challenges. The problem was compounded by some faulty human resources (HR) policies of the Army in recent years, which had incentivised holding of more manpower by linking it to calculation of senior rank positions in the Army.
There is lack of expertise within the Army in the field of weapon designs and technology, resulting in lack of meaningful inputs for the indigenous defence industry.
The Army remains rooted to the outdated policies of employing ‘generalists’ rather than ‘specialists’ to man the weapon procurement functions at Army Headquarters. Unless serious efforts are made to create a cadre of specialists to man critical functions related to procurement of Army weapons and equipment, starting with the Apex level, the situation is not likely to improve
Research in Military Technology, Artificial Intelligence and Cyber Warfare - A portion of the defence budget is given to research and development. A good research and development will make the country self-sufficient in critical technology. For this we must modernise Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), and Defence Public Sector units such as, Ordnance Factory Board (OFB),
These organisations are marred with inefficiency and apparent lack of accountability which are responsible for indigenous design and manufacture of weapons, equipment and ammunition for the Army, namely the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) and Defence Public Sector Units (DPSUs)
Further the indigenous defence industry, mostly based on the public sector, is unable to provide items of desired quality in a timely manner. Most procurement through this route is affected by huge cost overruns.
Recent steps taken by the government
DRDO has established 05 DRDO Young Scientist Laboratories (DYSLs) to provide solutions in advanced technology areas viz artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, cognitive technologies, asymmetric technologies and smart materials to tackle emerging challenges in military warfare.
Announcement of 18 major defence platforms for industry led Design & Development in March 2022.
Notification of three ‘Positive Indigenisation lists’ of total 310 items of services and two Positive Indigenisation lists of total 2958 items of DPSUs for which there would be an embargo on the import beyond the timelines indicated against them.
Launch of innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) scheme involving start-ups & Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).
Launch of an indigenisation portal namely SRIJAN to facilitate indigenisation by Indian industry including MSMEs.
Opening up of Defence Research & Development (R&D) for industry, start-ups and academia with 25% of defence R&D budget earmarked to promote development of defence technology in the country.
The defence ministry is seriously looking at implementing the ambitious Strategic Partnership model for defence production, it could not firm up any major deal under it. Under the policy, government had planned to rope in foreign defence majors to build key military platforms like submarines and fighter jets in India in partnership with Indian companies.
Context: Go first passenger airline has filed for bankruptcy protection recently.
Why Airlines are facing problems?
Ever-increasing number of failing engines supplied by Pratt & Whitney, which it claimed had resulted in half its Airbus fleet being grounded.
Given the high capital and operational costs, the commercial air transport industry operates with wafer thin margins. This has impacted the overall profits of the company.
Since last one-and-half decade, rival airliners have adopted an aggressive pricing strategies to gain market share that stretched balance sheets and made companies more vulnerable to shocks.
External shocks such as COVID crisis and long drawn lockdowns had impacted the operations of many airlines. Similarly, last year’s Ukraine-Russia was has shocked the global prices of oil.
Prolonged rupee’s depreciation against the dollar has sent aviation turbine fuel (ATF) costs soaring for domestic carriers.
Challenges faced by Aviation sector in India
Aviation Industry scenario
Industry trend
Airport Authority of India to spend $ 3 bn on non-metro projects over 2016-2020
$ 3 bn investments in green-field airports – Navi Mumbai and Goa
Authority of India (AAI) has taken up a development programme to spend around INR 25,000 crore in next five years for expansion and modification. Furthermore, Three Public Private Partnership (PPP) airports at Delhi, Hyderabad and Bengaluru have undertaken major expansion plan to the tune of INR 30,000 Crores by 2025. Additionally, INR 36,000 Crores have been planned for investment in the development of new Greenfield airports across the country under PPP mode.
The civil aviation industry in India has emerged as one of the fastest growing industries in the country during the last three years and can be broadly classified into scheduled air transport service which includes domestic and international airlines, non-scheduled air transport service which consists of charter operators and air taxi operators, air cargo service, which includes air transportation of cargo and mail.
In 2010, 79 Mn people travelled to/from/or within India. By 2017 that doubled to 158 mn, and this number is expected to treble to 520 mn by 2037. The nation’s airplane fleet is projected to quadruple in size to approximately 2500 airplanes by 2038.
Currently, the country has 131 operational airports including 29 international, 92 domestic, and 10 custom airports. To meet the growing demand for air travel in India, it has become imperative to increase the capacity of airport infrastructure.
To augment the airport infrastructure the government aims to develop 100 airports by 2024 (under the UDAN Scheme) and expects to invest $1.83 bn in the development of airport infrastructure by 2026.Till date 74 airports have been developed. More than 2.15 lakh UDAN flights have operated and over 1.1 crore passengers have availed the benefits in UDAN flights so far.
The projected upsurge in air travel in India would require more aircraft usage, further igniting the demand for Maintenance, Repair & Overhaul (MRO) services. The Indian Civil Aviation MRO market, at present, stands at around $900 mn and is anticipated to grow to $4.33 bn by 2025 increasing at a CAGR of about 14-15%. Unmanned aerial vehicles, also known as drones have been welcomed across industries. Indian drone industry is expected to have a total turnover of up to US$ 1.8 billion by 2026.
Up to 100% FDI is permitted in Non-scheduled air transport services, Helicopter services and seaplanes under the automatic route.
Up to 100% FDI is permitted in MRO for maintenance and repair organizations; flying training institutes; and technical training institutes under the automatic route.
Government Initiatives
Through the National Civil Aviation Policy 2016 (NCAP) the government plans to take flying to the masses by enhancing affordability and connectivity. It promotes ease of doing business, deregulation, simplified procedures, and e-governance.
In April 2020, the Goods and Services Tax for MRO services rendered locally was reduced from 18% to 5%. The ‘place of supply’ for B2B MRO services was changed to the ‘location of recipient’, enabling Indian MRO facilities to claim zero-rating (i.e., export status) under GST laws on MRO services rendered to prime contractor/OEM located outside India. This has been an extremely crucial policy amendment as it will encourage global participation in the Indian aviation sector by allowing foreign MRO operators to subcontract MRO work to Indian entities without any extra tax liability.
The Regional Connectivity Scheme or UDAN (‘Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik’) is a vital component of NCAP 2016. The scheme plans to enhance connectivity to India's unserved and under-served airports and envisages to make air travel affordable and widespread. More than 2.15 lakh UDAN flights have operated and over 1.1 Cr passengers have availed the benefits in UDAN flights as on 30th November 2022. The Government has set a target to operationalize 1,000 UDAN routes and to revive/develop 100 unserved & underserved airports/heliports/water aerodromes (including 68 aerodromes) by 2024.
The aircraft leasing and financing businesses are operated from the International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) and GIFT City provides the off-shore status for financial services.
Ministry of Civil Aviation released Krishi UDAN 2.0. The Scheme lays out the vision of improving value realization through better integration and optimization of Agri-harvesting and air transportation and contributing to Agri-value chain sustainability and resilience under different and dynamic conditions. After a 6-month successful pilot of Krishi Udan 2.0 it was decided to add 5 new airports namely Belagavi, Jharsuguda, Jabalpur, Darbhanga and Bhopal to the existing list of 53 airports, taking the number of airports actively participating in Krishi Udan to 58.
Monetising Assets: AAI has formed joint ventures in seven airports. Recently, it awarded six airports — Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Lucknow, Guwahati, Thiruvananthapuram, Mangaluru — for operations, management and development under PPP for a period of 50 years. As per National Monetisation Pipeline (NMP), 25 AAI airports have been earmarked for asset monetisation between 2022 and 2025.
NASP 2022 lays out the vision of making India as one of the top sports nations by 2030, by providing a safe, affordable, accessible, enjoyable, and sustainable air sports ecosystem in India. Air sports, as the names suggests, encompasses various sports activities involving the medium of air. These include sports like air-racing, aerobatics, aero modelling, hang gliding, paragliding, para motoring and skydiving etc.
The Central Government has approved the Production Linked Incentive scheme for drones and drone components. The PLI scheme comes as a follow-through of the liberalized Drone Rules, 2021 released by the Central Government on 25 August 2021. The PLI scheme and new drone rules are intended to catalyze super-normal growth in the upcoming drone sector. The total incentive of INR 120 crores and the total PLI per manufacturer is capped at INR 30 crores.
NABH (NextGen Airports for Bharat): Nirman is a government initiative to expand airport capacity more than five times to handle bn trips a year, in the next 10-15 years.
AAI Startup Policy: Delivering a framework & mechanism for the interaction of AAI with internal and external stakeholders that catalyze innovation at airports and leveraging technology for addressing challenges and enhancing the delivery of services to passengers.
Way forward
Here are some proposals that the government could look at closely to achieve our long-term vision of becoming the biggest aviation market in the world.
1. Tightening the PPP (Public Private Partnership) procurement and concession framework With more private airport concessions on the anvil, there are three things that the government should look at prioritising as part of its reform agenda to enhance competition, attract more foreign investments and deliver better commercial and economic outcomes.
(i) Implement the recommendations of the Kelkar Committee report on revitalizing PPPs (2015), of which two key elements stand out (a) defining triggers and commercial principles for renegotiation of contracts – a necessity in long-tenure concessions with volatile and uncertain market variables (b) disallowing public-sector entities from participating in PPP projects – a good and effective approach to not vitiate the fundamental rationale of private sector procurement
(ii) Providing tariff certainty – an essential tenet in any private sector contract to give comfort to both investors and users.
(iii) Ensure tight procurement timelines – process from tender invitation to award of contracts not exceeding 9 months.
In addition, making airport connectivity or other mobility solutions an integral part of the concession and project agreements. They also need to be co-terminus with airport commencement timelines, with clearly defined obligations and penalty provisions for delays or defaults by contracting parties – the economic costs of non-compliance can be significantly minimized or avoided if properly structured.
2. Redefining our regulatory philosophy With tariff setting and commercial renegotiation mechanisms internalised in PPP contracts, regulators can focus more on monitoring and enforcing the efficient preferred outcomes on service quality, including security, safety and sustainability KPIs that are essential elements of the airport and aviation businesses.
3. Making Air Cargo Infrastructure a national priority Building capacity at Tier-2 and newer airports is now important as well. The UDAN and Krishi UDAN schemes offer great opportunity to build a logistics backbone linking nodal production and distribution centres in the country to serve both domestic and export markets seamlessly and lucratively. The scope for use of unmanned aerial systems (drones) and new mobility solutions (use of urban rail transit for last mile distribution and hyperloop) adds a completely new dimension to the planning, design, implementation and economics of cargo logistics with far reaching implications on utility, safety, security, reliability and viability of services.
4. Rationalizing taxes across the board Below are a few examples of discrepancies and value eroders in our industry that may need a fix:
Withholding taxes (WHT) on aircraft lease rentals –Foreign lessors pass on domestic taxes, including WHT on aircraft lease payments to the Indian carriers, increasing the cost burden. WHT can range from 0-11% of lease rentals subject to availability of double-tax avoidance treaties. Waiver of WHT on lease payments with a sunset clause, would leave more cash in the pockets of carriers and help expedite recovery in a situation where the government is unable to provide direct financial relief.
Rationalising GST on Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) – ATF in India costs 30-35% more than neighbouring markets killing airline margins. VAT on ATF varies from 0% to 29% across states in India. This is over and above excise duties, marketing and logistics costs on production and distribution of fuel. Carriers would benefit immensely if ATF is brought under GST with a flat rate of say 5% or lower.
Relief for MRO (Maintenance, Repair, Overhaul) services - Indian carriers spend an estimated USD 1.2 billion every year for MRO services performed abroad because of high tax rates on such services in India. Government recently reduced the GST on aircraft MRO services from 18% to 5% , allowing full input tax credit. But this may not be enough to make Indian carriers change their preferences. Service centres should be stationed in India itself. Other solutions could be: (i) A full waiver of royalty payments for the next five years (NCAP, 2016) (ii) Rationalization of lease rentals charged by airport operators. (iii) A tax incentive for Indian and foreign carriers to procure services in India.
5. Roll-out GAGAN with firm timelines The advantages of GAGAN are many. For example, it would obviate the need to have instrument landing systems (ILS) at smaller airports with limited air-traffic movement, avoid flight diversions, save fuel for airlines and bring down air navigation charges by allowing ground infrastructure and manpower to be optimized. The biggest beneficiaries of this initiative will be general aviation and helicopter operators who depend on visual flight rules (VFR) and are constrained to perform safe and effective night operations.
6. Unlocking value from Open Skies and Liberalized ASAs
Current bilateral air service agreements with some of these countries continue to be restrictive to protect Indian carriers, but it is time for us to take a more pragmatic view of the economic losses associated with this artificial stifling of demand, that is costing us investments, jobs and other multiplier benefits of traffic growth to Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities and towns, especially on routes where domestic carriers may be constrained to deploy reciprocal capacity.
7. Revamping the UDAN scheme The challenge is not demand but the operational and financial sustainability of the program. The solution lies in revamping the scheme to allow newer operators and carriers to come into the system and provide the fleet and flexibility required to deepen regional air travel markets.
1) providing adequate long-term low-cost capital to support new ventures;
2) creating a strong local leasing market;
3) incentivizing use of the NSOP (non-scheduled operators) fleet through code shares; and
4) opening up the industry for air transport aggregators that can significantly multiply the number and frequency of users, much like the ride-hailing market in the urban transport ecosystem, which has transformed intra city travel globally.
8. Making India an aviation manufacturing hub Our challenge has been in moving up and across the manufacturing value chain in the civil aviation industry. For example, the helicopter and small-aircraft market in India is still nascent and can grow exponentially in the next ten years triggered by demands for regional connectivity, medical and emergency services, disaster management and pilot training requirements. The increasing adoption of unmanned aerial systems for commercial and defence purposes presents another unprecedented opportunity for localizing production and globalizing the value chain.
9. Revitalizing India as a global tourist destination
We need to revamp our tourism infrastructure and global marketing initiatives with razor-sharp focus and urgency, especially in a post-COVID world which is likely to trigger a distinct preference for leisure travel and medical tourism. India has plenty to offer on both fronts.
We can triple our foreign tourist arrivals if we get our act together on three strategic elements that have proven to be critical success factors for other tourism economies
(i) High-quality tourism destinations with consistent best in-class infrastructure and state-of-the art mobility solutions (ii) Unrestrained and reliable connectivity options by air and surface transport. (iv) Business friendly fiscal and regulatory environment including friendly visa and immigration policies.
Context: The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi will be Guest of Honour at France’s Bastille Day celebrations on 14th July.
About Bastille Day
The Storming of the Bastille
Paris was in a state of high agitation in the early months of the French revolution. In Spring 1789, the Estates-General refused to dissolve, transforming itself instead into a constituent National Assembly. In July, King Louis XVI called in fresh troops and dismissed his popular Minister, Jacques Necker. On the morning of July 14, the people of Paris seized weapons from the armoury at the Invalides and marched in the direction of an ancient Royal fortress, the Bastille. After a bloody round of firing, the crowd broke into the Bastille and released the handful of prisoners held there.
The storming of the Bastille signaled the first victory of the people of Paris against a symbol of the "Ancien Régime" (Old Regime). Indeed, the edifice was razed to the ground in the months that followed.
The Fête de la Fédération ("Feast of the Federations") held on July 14, 1790, celebrated with great pomp the first Anniversary of the insurrection. In Paris, Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord held Mass at the Altar of the Fatherland, on the Champ de Mars.
The National Holiday
The commemoration of July 14 was abandoned in subsequent years. Under the Third Republic, however, leaders cast about for ways to celebrate the foundations of the regime. A Deputy for the Seine Department, Benjamin Raspail, moved that July 14 be named the national holiday of the Republic, and Parliament passed an act to that effect on July 6, 1880.
From the outset, the emphasis was on the patriotic and military character of the event, expressing France’s recovery from the defeat of 1870. Every commune or locality in France held its own celebration, starting with a torchlight parade on the evening of the 13th. The next morning, church bells or gun salutes announced the military parade, which is followed by a luncheon, spectacles and games, with dancing and fireworks ending the day.
Coming after the austerity of the 1914-18 war, the 14th of July 1919 was the occasion of a great victory celebration. Similarly, July 14, 1945 was preceded by three days of civic rejoicing.
The 14th of July Today
Today, the festivities of July 14 are as popular as ever. In Paris, the traditional military parade on the Champs-Elysées is a meticulously planned spectacle, and dancing and fireworks displays or special illuminations are organized all over the country.
The successive Presidents of the Fifth Republic have modified the day’s events slightly.
Context: As per the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the value of the Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) or E-rupee in circulation has increased 334% to ₹1016 crore in FY25, from ₹234 crore in FY24. CBDC is a tokenised digital version of the Indian rupee launched by RBI in 2022.
Relevance of the Topic: Prelims: Key facts about Central Bank Digital Currency.
Use cases of CBDC:
Ongoing use cases of CBDC:
Funds settlement of secondary market transactions in Government Securities
Settlement of inter-bank lending and borrowing in the call money market.
Direct benefit transfers to farmers against generation of carbon credits and loans to tenant farmers under Kisan Credit Card.
What is a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC)?
Digital currency backed by the central bank of a country. Just like currency notes issued by the Central Bank, the CDBC is a legal tender and accepted for the payment of various transactions within a country.
It is akin to sovereign paper currency but takes a different form, exchangeable at par with the existing currency and shall be accepted as a medium of payment, legal tender and a safe store of value. CBDCs would appear as liability on a central bank’s balance sheet. That is, a central bank liability, denominated in an existing unit of account, which serves both as a medium of exchange and a store of value.
It is substantially not different from banknotes, but being digital it is likely to be easier, faster and cheaper. It also has all the transactional benefits of other forms of digital money.
CBDC, being a sovereign currency, holds unique advantages of central bank money viz. trust, safety, liquidity, settlement finality and integrity.
Features of CBDC
CBDC is sovereign currency issued by Central Banks in alignment with their monetary policy
It appears as a liability on the central bank’s balance sheet
Must be accepted as a medium of payment, legal tender, and a safe store of value by all citizens, enterprises, and government agencies.
Freely convertible against commercial bank money and cash
Fungible legal tender for which holders need not have a bank account
Expected to lower the cost of issuance of money and transactions
Fiat Currency
CBDC
Crypto currency
Stable Coin
Issuer
Central Bank
Central Bank
Private Entity
Private Entity
Value
Derives its value from the guarantee provided by Central Bank
Derives its value from the guarantee provided by Central Bank
None
Value pegged to other currency such as Diem, TruelNR (Refer to Budget Video for more details)
Legal Tender
Yes
Yes
May be given status of Legal Tender Example: El Salvador
May be given status of Legal Tender
Medium of Payment
Yes
Yes
May be allowed
May be allowed.
Examples
Physical Currency Notes
eDINAR, Sistema, Petro, e-krona etc.
Bitcoin, Ethereum, dogecoin etc.
Diem, TruelNR, Tether etc.
Types of CBDC
Retail CBDC: CBDC that can be used for people for day-to-day transactions.
Wholesale CBDC: CBDC that can be used only by financial institutions such as Banks, NBFCs etc.
Legal Framework For Issuance of CBDC
Finance Act 2022 has amended the RBI Act, enabling it to introduce Central Bank Digital Currency. The definition of bank note was amended wherein RBI was allowed to issue both physical and digital currency by amending Section 2 of RBI Act, 1934.
Possible Designs of CBDC
Direct Model: In case of Direct model, the Central Bank issues CBDC and enables customers to directly open accounts with itself. So, in this case, the Central Bank engages with the public for opening accounts, facilitating payments through CBDC etc.
Indirect/Two-tiered model: In this case, the Central Bank issues CBDC and customers would maintain with the Central Bank. But it would not directly engage with the customers. It would outsource activities such as opening accounts, facilitating payments etc. to other Banks.
Benefits of CBDC
Subhash Chandra Garg Committee (2019) has recommended a ban on private cryptocurrencies on account of concerns such as volatility, instability, security risk and risk of funding illegal activities. However, the committee has highlighted that an official digital currency can have number of advantages such as:
Promote cashless economy by reducing Cash-to-GDP ratio.
Increase in Financial Inclusion
Stability and Resilience of payment system since CBDC would promote competition in the payment system and ensures that no single company dominates the payment ecosystem
Counter the Stable coins such as Diem which could be used for making payments.
Increase in effectiveness of Monetary Policy
Push to development of Fintech sector
Provide a real time picture of economic activity and hence better GDP estimates and efficient monetary policy formulation.
Traceability of transactions would crack down on corruption and money laundering.
As it being a sovereign currency, ensures settlement finality and thus reduces settlement risk in the financial system.
CBDCs could also potentially enable a more real-time, cost-effective seamless integration of cross border payment systems.
The e₹ system will bolster India’s digital economy, cashless economy, enhance financial inclusion, and make the monetary and payment systems more efficient.
Could ease current frictions in cross-border payments.
Counter the monopoly of private sector issued cryptocurrencies.
Challenges and Concerns
Potential Disintermediation of Banks as people may shift from depositing money in the bank to CBDC. This will lower the deposits with the banks which will force them to increase their deposit rates to attract customers. It may lead to an increase in the rate of interest on loans in the economy.
Accelerate Bank runs: By providing depositors a safe and liquid alternative to bank deposits, CBDCs may accelerate bank runs during a period of financial stress.
Security risks and financial system abuses: CBDC may be susceptible to cyber-attacks and other security breaches. Such attacks or breaches may be committed to misuse the CBDC for illicit activities.
Competition to private payment service providers: Introduction of CBDC could lead to direct competition with private payment providers (such as Paytm, Google pay etc). This may reduce their incentives to invest in innovation.
Higher Burden on the RBI: If the RBI adopts "Direct Model", it will have to directly engage with the public for opening accounts and hence overall burden on the RBI could increase. This may in turn lead to neglect of its core activities.
Data privacy issues: Traceability feature of CBDC would have impact on Right to Privacy of the Individuals. Hence, the need for strong data regulation law in India.
Context: Largescale violence broke out on May 3 triggered by the Manipur High Court’s direction to the State to pursue a 10-year-old recommendation to grant Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to the nontribal Meitei community.
What’s the issue?
Violent clashes erupted in Manipur during a Tribal Solidarity March organized by All-Tribal Students’ Union. The march aimed to oppose the inclusion of Meitei community in the state's Scheduled Tribes list.
The Army and Assam Rifles conducted flag marches in the affected areas, following an order by the Manipur High Court in favor of the Meitei community. Both the demand and the order, passed by a single judge of the High Court, have been strongly opposed by groups representing the state’s tribal communities.
The court’s order, released on April 14, asking the government to consider the demand, has brought the historical tensions between the valley-dwelling Meitei community and the state’s hill tribes to a boil.
Scheduled Tribe:
The Constitution of India in Article 366 (25) prescribe that the Scheduled Tribes means such tribes or tribal communities as are deemed under Article 342 of the Constitution to be Scheduled Tribes.
The provisions under Article 342 read as follows:
(1) The President may with respect to any State or Union Territory, and where it is a State, after consultation with the Governor thereof, by a public notification, specify the tribes or tribal communities or part of or groups within tribes or tribal communities as Scheduled Tribe in relation to that State or Union Territory as the case may be.
(2)Parliament may be law include in orexclude from the list of Scheduled Tribes specified in a notification issued under clause (1) any tribe or tribal community or part of or group within any tribe or tribal community but save as aforesaid a notification issued under the said clause shall not be varied by any subsequent notification.
Criteria for inclusion into the list of Scheduled Tribe:
The criteria presently followed for specification of a community as a Scheduled Tribe are:
indications of primitive traits
distinctive culture
geographical isolation
shyness of contact with the community at large
backwardness
Present status of Scheduled Tribes in India:
There are over 700 tribes (with overlapping communities in more than one State) which have been notified under Article 342 of the Constitution of India, spread over different States and Union Territories of the country.
The largest number of main tribal communities (62) has been specified in relation to the State of Orissa.
The Scheduled Tribes have been specified in relation to all the States and Union Territories except Haryana, Punjab, Chandigarh, Delhi, and Pondicherry.
Ethnic composition of Manipur State:
In Manipur, the Meiteis are the largest community, with approximately 64.6% of the population residing in the central valley.
The valley encompasses only 10% of the state's landmass and is also home to the Meitei Pangals.
The remaining 90% of the state comprises hills surrounding the valley, where about 35.4% of the population, consisting of 34 recognized tribes, live. These tribes are categorized into "Any Kuki Tribes" and "Any Naga Tribes."
Demand of Meitei community:
Since 2012, the Scheduled Tribes Demand Committee of Manipur (STDCM) has been leading an organized effort to push for the inclusion of the Meitei community in the list of Scheduled Tribes in the Indian Constitution.
Recently, the Meitei Tribe Union approached the Manipur High Court, seeking a direction to the state government to submit a recommendation to the Union Ministry for Tribal Affairs for the inclusion of the Meitei community as a "tribe among tribes in Manipur".
The petitioners argued that the Meitei community had been recognized as a tribe before the merger of the princely state of Manipur with the Union of India in 1949 but lost its identity as a tribe after the merger.
The demand for ST status is driven by the need to “preserve” the community, its ancestral land, tradition, culture, and language, as they have been victimized without any constitutional safeguards.
The STDCM has made several pleas to the state and central governments, highlighting that the Meiteis have been gradually marginalized in their ancestral land, and their population has reduced from 59% in 1951 to 44% as per 2011 Census data.
Why other tribal groups are opposing the demand of Meitei Community?
The tribal groups are concerned that granting ST status to the Meiteis, who have a dominant population and political representation in the valley region, could result in the loss of job opportunities and affirmative actions for the existing ST communities.
Some also argue that the Meiteis do not need ST status to protect their culture and identity, as they are already a dominant group with the state's support in safeguarding their cultural, political, and economic rights.
The government must take a proactive role in promoting peace and reconciliation, and work towards creating a more inclusive and harmonious society that values and respects the diversity of its people.
Context: India’s CCTV camera coverage has grown rapidly over the years. Today, Delhi and Chennai have more cameras per square mile than cities in China. States argue that CCTV cameras reduce crime, and the public finds the presence of these cameras reassuring. However, surveillance is a big concern. Recently, in Telangana, the wrong man was apprehended when authorities purportedly recognised him from security camera footage as a potential culprit in a chain-snatching event. He died days after being released.
Arguments in Favour of the installation of CCTV cameras
Cameras can help the police identify suspects
It can help in gathering evidences and clues of crime
They may help in bringing convenience for everyday life.
There are multiple studies in the U.K. that show that there is no connection between CCTV cameras and the reduction of crime.
Many times, cameras don’t even function, a CAG audit of 2018-19 stated that only 55-68% of cameras were working in Delhi
The majority of crimes against women take place at home. CCTV cameras are not helpful in those situations.
It is impossible to install CCTV in all places.
Over-reliance on these systems, which leads to false negatives (the police have not been able to identify the criminal and he goes free) and false positives (an innocent person is identified as the suspect).
Police may use the footage for otherwise
There is no oversight of the actions of the police, for instance, the New York and London police departments have oversight committees.
According to the Criminal Procedure (Identification) Act, fingerprints, handprints or any evidence can be kept for 75 years. Why 75 years? There is no explanation. So, even after someone dies, evidence such as your fingerprints could be on record.
There are barriers to how freely people can protest and one of them is police intimidation. For example, if the police record me while I am protesting, this can affect not just me, but have a chilling effect on others. They may be scared to be identified by the police. The right to protest, to freedom of speech and to privacy all get violated.
There is no law that regulates how the data is collected, processed, stored, when it should be deleted, or with whom it can be shared.
There is no specific law with regard to facial recognition, or a standard operating procedure on how the police should use CCTVs or facial recognition technology
It is easy to tamper with video footage these days.
Way forward
Only the data to be used for a lawful purpose should be collected and stored. It is stored only for the time until which the purpose is carried out. After that, it should be deleted.
There should be comprehensive laws regulating the use of data recorded in CCTV cameras.
There should be a compulsory provision of an oversight committee to look into the actions of police.
