GS Paper 2

Doval in Saudi to discuss US rail link plan for West Asia

Context: National Security Advisor Ajit Doval met his counterparts from the US, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to discuss an ambitious proposal being pushed by the White House to link West Asian countries through rail — using Indian expertise — and connect the region to South Asia via sea lanes.

The participants discussed the broad contours of the massive joint project to build railway, maritime and road connectivity in the larger region, linking the Indian subcontinent in South Asia with West Asia which the US also calls the Middle East.
The idea for the new initiative came up during talks held over the last 18 months in a forum called I2U2, which includes the US, Israel, the UAE and India. The forum was established in late 2021 to discuss strategic infrastructure projects in West Asia.

What is the railway link plan

It is among the key initiatives as United States wants to push in the Middle East as China’s influence in the region grows. The Middle East is a key part of China’s Belt and Road vision.

The United states of America, has also proposed the Blue Dot network, is one of the elements in the creation of the connectivity project that will be financially sustainable and viable.
For India, China has expanded its sphere of political influence in the West Asian region through what Delhi views as “mission creep” the breakthrough in ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran had caught India unawares.

Benefit of the project:

Efficient: Such connectivity will allow for faster movement of the crude and minimise India’s costs in the long term. The connectivity boost will also help India’s eight million citizens who live and work in the Gulf region.
Branding: The project will help India build a brand as an infrastructure builder in the railways sector. Boasting a strong rail network at home and buoyed by the success of creating such infrastructure in Sri Lanka, India has the confidence to do it overseas.
It wants private companies as well as public sector enterprises to explore the potential economic and infrastructure opportunities in the region.

Countering BRI: This will also have the effect of countering the Chinese Belt and Road project, which has burdened many countries in the region with infrastructure that has limited utility.
Alternative Route: The government feels that India’s connectivity to its western neighbours has been limited for long by Pakistan’s blocking of overland transit routes. So, India wants to use shipping routes to reach West Asian ports.
These include Chabahar and Bandar-e-Abbas (Iran), Duqm (Oman), Dubai (UAE), Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) and Kuwait City. Connectivity projects crisscrossing the Gulf and Arab countries, with Indian stakes, open up trading opportunities.
Energy security: India is a significant energy consumer from the region plus it will be beneficial for partners in the project like UAE and Saudi Arabia. Prior to pivoting towards Russia in the aftermath of the Ukraine invasion, India was heavily dependent on the region for its energy needs and thus this initiative cab bring focus back on the region.

Conclusion:

The basic plan is to connect South Asia, the Middle East and the US in ways that advance economic technology plus diplomacy and thus India can be the glue which binds the grouping. As New Delhi has steady ties with Washington and the latter sees it as a natural ally to counter the threat of China on the global map.

ABOUT I2U2

The arrangement is far from a non-security mechanism for cooperation on development issues between four countries – I2 – India and Israel, U2 – USA & UAE.
Foreign Ministers of the grouping first met in October 2021 and now the summit signals plans for cooperation have grown, and the US had highlighted that the I2U2 could become for the Gulf region what the Quad for the Indo-Pacific has developed too.

POSITIVE IMPLICATIONS OF I2U2 FOR INDIA’S INTEREST

It would fill the gap the United States is leaving in the Middle East.
It has the potential to transform the region's geopolitics and geoeconomics.
The group can deepen its engagement on issues that concern India — trade, energy ties, fighting climate change and enhancing maritime security.
It coincides with stronger relationship that India has with both Israel and the Gulf countries.

It would further deepen India’s cooperation with one of the most important partner UAE.
It strengthens India- US engagement as strategic partners.
It can be effective in countering China economically and politically.

AREAS OF CONCERNS

Role of other Arabic Gulf powers like Saudi Arabia is yet to be ascertained in this partnership.
An area of concern is that Except India the other three countries are adversaries of Iran.
Causes concerns for India - Iran relations which are collaborating on strategic projects like Chabahar and connect Central Asia policy.
New Quad is yet to clarify its strategic objectives.
US policy towards India has not been very concrete. It created a Parallel AUKUS in the Indo-Pacific. US withdrew from Afghanistan without taking India into confidence.
In this backdrop the US needs to further clarify India’s role in its strategic ambitions in the Middle east.

WAY FORWARD

New Quad has come at a time when Israel Arab relations are improving, China’s presence in the middle east is increasing and US is withdrawing from the region.
In such a scenario India’s membership of the New Quad in the middle east can be crucial to India’s interest in the peace and stability of the region.
However, there are concerns that India’s membership of the MEQ can have adverse impact on India’s relations with Iran. However, India has carefully been treading a path of pursuing its interests in the region, without taking sides on the existing fault lines.

Thus, India’s membership of MEQ which has outlined a soft agenda of cooperation seems to be in line with its policy of “non-interference” in the internal affairs, pursuit of strategic autonomy and extension of Bilateralism to Minilaterals.

Raksha Mantri approves the posting of Women Officers of the Territorial Army along the Line of Control

Context: In a major development, the Ministry of Defence, Department of Military Affairs, has approved an amendment to existing cadre management provisions for Women Officers of the Territorial Army (TA).

About Territorial Army

The Territorial Army is a part of the Regular Army.
Its present role is to relieve the Regular Army from static duties and assist Civil Administration

In dealing with natural calamities and maintenance of essential services in situations where the life of the communities is affected or the security of the Country is threatened and
To provide units for the Regular Army as and when required.

Arguments in favour

Military Readiness: Allowing a mixed-gender force keeps the military strong. The all-volunteer forces are severely troubled by falling retention and recruitment rates. Widening the applicant pool for all jobs guarantees more willing recruits. Women, who choose to become active combat soldiers, are unlikely to shirk their duty by becoming pregnant after a call-up as these women have willingly joined the army.

Effectiveness: The blanket restriction for women limits the ability of commanders in theatre to pick the most capable person for the job.

Tradition: Training will be required to facilitate the integration of women into combat units. Cultures change over time and the masculine subculture can evolve too. Many previously masculine professions have been successfully opened to women over the past century like driving, managing, judging etc.

Modern warfare and public support: In the modern world of combat (Afghanistan, Iraq), all women serving in the military are exposed to “front-line risks”. Support for women serving in the armed forces has not wavered as warfare has changed, a clear sign that the necessity of women serving in combat is recognized.

Cultural Differences & Demographics: Women are more effective in some circumstances than men. Allowing women to serve doubles the talent pool for delicate and sensitive jobs that require interpersonal skills not every soldier has. Having a wider personnel base allows militaries to have the best and most diplomatic soldiers working to end the conflict quickly.

Career advancement: As combat, duty is usually regarded as necessary for promotion to senior officer positions, denying female personnel this experience ensures that very few will ever reach the highest reaches of the military and so further entrenches sexism. Women have to be given the same opportunities as men, in the army in order to have the same opportunities they have to be exposed to the same risks

Arguments in opposition

Physical Ability: While the majority of jobs in the armed forces are open equally to men and women, there are some to which women are just not physically suited. The standards of physical fitness have been set to suit men, and women attempting to reach them will over-stretch themselves. In addition, combat units engage in activities designed to suit men’s capabilities. Women serving in integrated units will suffer higher injury rates as a result of this.

Efficiency: Some women will be able to meet the required standards, but most will not. While the integration of women into combat is possible for those qualified, the small number versus the additional logistical, regulatory and disciplinary costs associated with integration does not make it a worthwhile move.

Morale & Cohesion: Having women serving in direct combat may hamper mission effectiveness by hurting unit morale and cohesion.

Military readiness: Pregnancy can affect the deployability of a unit when the unit has a disproportionate number of women or is understaffed.

Tradition: Men, especially those likely to enlist, maintain traditional gender roles. In some situations, men may act foolishly to protect women in their combat units. Harassment and resentment of the presence of women in a hyper-masculine military subculture would likely become a problem.

Abuse by Enemy: Both male and female prisoners are at risk of torture and rape, but misogynistic societies may be more willing to abuse woman prisoners.

Farm Exports - The Big Picture

Context: Both agricultural exports from and imports into India have scaled new highs in the fiscal year that ended March 31, 2023. Provisional data from the Department of Commerce shows total farm exports at $53.15 billion and imports at $35.69 billion during 2022-23, surpassing their previous year’s records of $50.24 billion and $32.42 billion respectively.

Basic driver: Global prices

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization’s Food Price Index (FPI) is a weighted average of world prices of a basket of food commodities over a base period value (2014-16=100)
The FPI had crashed from an average of 119.1 points in 2013-14 to 90 points in 2015-16. As a result, exports sharply fell from $43.25 billion to $32.81 billion between 2013-14 and 2015-16. However, imports continued to rise, bringing down the farm trade surplus from a peak of $27.72 billion in 2013-14 ($21.46 billion net of fertiliser imports) to a low of $8.05 billion by 2016-17.
The FPI since then had recovered to 102.5 points by 2020-21, and further to 133 points in 2021-22 and 139.5 points in 2022-23, which made India’s agri-commodities more globally price competitive. This has led to a rise in exports to $41.90 billion, $50.24 billion and $53.15 billion during these three years.

Major export contributors

In recent times, India’s agri exports have been powered by three items, i.e. Marine products, rice and sugar.

Marine products: Exports have grown steadily from $5.02 billion in 2013-14 to $8.08 billion in 2022-23.
Rice: Exports have also gone up during this period, from $7.79 billion to $11.14 billion. But it’s been driven by non-basmati rice, with the value of premium-priced basmati shipments actually declining. Basmati exports are mainly to the Persian Gulf countries and, to some extent, the US and UK. Non-basmati shipments are more diversified, with the destinations spread across Asia (Bangladesh, China, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Vietnam, UAE and Iraq) and Africa (from Senegal, Ivory Coast and Benin to Somalia and Madagascar). It’s non-basmati that has made India the biggest rice exporter, ahead of Thailand.
Sugar: The boom in sugar exports has been more recent – from a mere $810.90 million in 2017-18 to $5.77 billion in 2022-23. Indian mills have built markets for both raw sugar (among refineries in Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and Iraq) and regular plantation whites (in African countries, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and China). In the process, the country has emerged as the world’s No. 2 exporter after Brazil.

Traditional items that are lagging behind

Spices exports: have stagnated since it last jumped from $2.5 billion in 2013-14 to almost $4 billion in 2020-21. The jump was due to chilli, mint products, cumin, turmeric, ginger, coriander, fennel and other seed spices and not due to traditional plantation spices such as pepper and cardamom.
Buffalo meat shipments: Never regained their peak of $4.78 billion reached in 2014-15.
Raw cotton, guar-gum and oil meals: Exports of the three in 2022-23 were a pale shadow of their highs of 2011-12 ($4.33 billion for cotton) and 2012-13 ($3.92 billion for guar-gum and $3.04 billion for oil meals).
Cotton: Cultivation of genetically-modified Bt cotton and high global prices has enabled India to become the world’s top producer (ahead of China) and No. 2 exporter (after the US) of the natural fibre. But with the yield gains from Bt cotton tapering off and the regulatory regime not permitting new gene technologies, the country has turned from a net exporter to an importer of cotton.
Guar-gum (a thickening agent used in extraction of shale oil and gas) and oil meal exports rode the global commodity price boom from 2003-04 to 2013-14. They haven’t shown the same buoyancy in the more recent post-Covid boom, partly due to domestic crop shortages – especially in cotton and soybean – not generating adequate surpluses for exports.

Major Import Contributors

Unlike exports, India’s imports of farm produce are dominated by a handful of items.

Vegetable Oil: Imports have more than doubled in value terms, from $9.67 billion to $20.84 billion between 2019-20 and 2022-23. In quantity terms, imports have risen from 13.18 million tonnes (mt) in the 2019-20 oil year (November-October) to 14.03 mt in 2021-22. During November-March 2022-23, they have grown further by 23.7% over the same period of the previous oil year. Imports meet roughly 60% of India’s vegetable oil requirements.
Pulses: Import dependence is hardly 10% now in pulses, with the value of imports also coming down from $4.24 billion (6.7 mt) in 2016-17 to $1.94 billion (2.5 mt) in 2022-23.
Spices, cashew and cotton: commodities where India has traditionally been a net exporter – have shown a rising imports trend. Spice imports going up are a reflection of reduced price competitiveness (vis-à-vis Vietnam in pepper and Guatemala in pepper), while an outcome of stagnant, if not falling, domestic production in cotton.

What are Risks to Agricultural Trade?

International prices: The latest FPI reading of 127.2 points for April 2023 is down from the 159.7 points peak of March 2022 and the 2022-23 average of 139.5 points. This reduction in FPI will reduce the competitiveness of Indian agricultural exports.
Domestic inflation: The government had banned wheat exports last May, which was followed by a ban on broken rice exports and the slapping of a 20% duty on all non-parboiled non-basmati shipments in September. Exports of sugar have also stopped since this month’s start.

Conclusion

One can expect more curbs on exports – and a further liberalisation of imports – if the ensuing southwest monsoon season delivers subnormal rainfall.

Public records act & RTI Act

Context: Losing of government records is one of the main reasons for denying of RTI Applications. Currently, RTI Act does not have any provisions to deal with lose of public records. In this regard, Public Records Act, 1993 provides a framework for management and administration of public records of central government and its agencies and UT administration and their agencies are treated as public records and need to be properly archived.

Salient Features of Public Records Act, 1993

This act aims to regulate the management, administration and preservation of public records of Central Government, UT Administrations, PSUs, statutory bodies and corporations, commissions & committees constituted by Central Government or a UT Administration.

Definition of Public Records: Any Document, manuscripts, files, microfilms, microfiche, facsimile copy of a document, reproduction of images embodied in such microfilms, any other material produced by a computer or by any other device created by any records creating agency.

Records Creating Agency:

Any ministry, department or office of Central Government; Offices of any, body wholly or substantially controlled or financed by Central Government; department or office of UT Administration.
Every records creating agency shall nominate one of its officers as records officer to discharge the functions under this act.

Responsibilities of Records Officer:

Proper management, maintenance and preservation of public records under his charge.
Periodical review of all public records and weeding out public records of ephemeral value
Appraisal of public records which are more than 25 years old in consultation with National Archives of India or Archives of UT with a view of retaining public records of permanent value.
Destruction of public records in a manner
Compilation of a schedule of retention for public records in consultation with National Archives of India or Archives of UT.
Periodical review for downgrading of classified public records
Adoption of such standards, procedures and techniques as may be recommended from time to time by National Archives of India for improvement of record management system and maintenance of security of public records.
Compilation of annual indices of public records
Compilation of organisational history and annual supplement.
Assisting National Archives of India and Archives of UT.
Submission of annual report to Director General or head of Archives
Transferring of records of any defunct body to National Archives of India or Archives of UT for preservation.

Power of Central Government: Central Government shall have power to coordinate, regulate and supervise the operations connected with administration, management, preservation, selection, disposal and retirement of public records under this Act.

Director General of Archives to be appointed by Central Government.
Head of Archives means a person holdiing the charge of Archives of UT.

Powers of Director General or head of Archives

Central Government for public records relating to organisations of central government and UT Administration for public records relating to organisations of UT, may by order authorise Director General or head of Archives to carry out the following functions:

Supervision, management and control of Archives.
Acceptance for deposit of public records of permanent nature after such period
Custody, use and withdrawal of public records.
Arrangement, preservation and exhibition of public records.
Preparation of inventories, indices, catalogues and other reference media of public records.
Analysing, developing, promoting and coordinating the standards, procedures and techniques for improvement of records management system.
Ensuring maintenance, arrangement and security of public records in Archives and in the offices of records creating agency.
Promoting utilisation of available space and maintenance of equipments for preserving public records.
Tendering advice to records creating agencies on the compilation, classification and disposal of records management.
Survey and inspection of public records.
Organising training programs in various disciplines of Archives administration and records management.
Accepting records from any private source.
Regulating reports on records management and disposal practices from records officer.
Providing authenticated copies of extracts from public records.
Destroying or disposal of public records.
Obtaining on lease or purchasing or accepting as gift any document of historical or national importance.

Receipt of records from private sources: National Archives of India or Archives of UT may accept any record of historical or national importance from any private source by way of gift or purchase etc.

Access to Public Records:

All unclassified public records which are more than 30 years old and transferred to National Archives of India or Archives of UT can be mada available to any bona fide research scholar, such to exceptions or restrictions.
Any records creating agency may grant to any person access to any public record in its custody, in a manner manner as may be prescribed.

Archival Advisory Board: Central Government to constitute an Archival Advisory Board to be headed by Secretary of Union Ministry of Culture.

The Archival Advisory Board shall perform the following functions:

Advise Central Government and UT Administration on matters concerning administration, management, conservation and use of public records.
Lay down guidelines for training of archivists.
Give directions for acquisition of records from private custody.
Deal with such matters as may be prescribed.

Director General shall have power to lay down norms and standards for courses curricula, assessment and examinations relating to training in archival science and other ancillary subjects.

Prohibitions under Public Records Act

No public record shall be destroyed or disposed except in such manner and conditions as may be prescribed.
Prohibition against taking of public records out of India, except without prior approval of Central government.
No record created before the year 1892 shall be destroyed except where in the opinion of Director General or head of Archives, it is so defaced or is in such condition that it cannot be put to any archival use.
Whoever contravenes the above provisions shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term of upto 5 years or with fine (up to Rs 10,000) or both.
No public records bearing security classification shall be transferred to National Archives of India or Archives of UT.

Need to make Public Records Act more effective

Currently, Public Records Act, 1993 only applies to Central Government and UT Administration. It does not apply to state governments. State governments have their own acts and often many states also do not have such act. This makes it difficult to deal with the issue to misplaced files.
There is a need to make archives easily accessible to researchers on a easier basis for accurate analysis by historians.

Delhi demolitions: Under the cloak of law

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.

Govt widens Aadhar ambit: 22 pvt firms can use it to verify customers

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.

National Commission for Schedule Caste

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.

Sugar Industry

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.

Real-time, operational picture among several automation initiatives of Army

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.

PM thanks French President for invitation as Guest of Honour at France’s Bastille Day celebrations

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.

Do CCTV cameras protect us or invade our privacy?

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.
Cameras can help in reducing crime against women

Arguments against CCTV cameras

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.

Union Health Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya reviews the ‘Food Street Project’ to develop 100 Healthy and Hygienic Food Streets across the country

Context: Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Dr Mansukh Mandaviya reviewed the ‘Food Street Project’ to develop 100 healthy and hygienic food streets across the country with senior officers of the Health Ministry and Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).

About the street food project

The aim of this project is to encourage safe and healthy food practices among food businesses and community members, thus, reducing foodborne illnesses and improving overall health outcomes.
To operationalize the food streets, the National Health Mission (NHM) of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare will provide assistance of Rs. 1 crore per food street as a pilot project to support 100 such food streets at different locations across the country.
The grant will be routed under NHM, in the ratio of 60:40 or 90:10, with the condition that branding of these food streets will be done as per FSSAI guidelines.
Financial assistance would be provided for activities such as the provision of safe drinking water, hand washing, toilet facilities, tiled flooring of common areas, appropriate liquid & solid waste disposal, provision of dustbins, using billboards, façade preparation and signage of permanent nature, common storage space, lighting, specialized carts for a specific type of trades, branding etc.
The initiative will be implemented through NHM in convergence with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), apart from FSSAI’s technical support.
The technical assistance will include assistance in designing food streets, preparation of an SOP and providing training under Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) protocol.