SECURE SYNOPSIS: 13 August 2021 – INSIGHTSIAS

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NOTE: Please remember that following ‘answers’ are NOT ‘model answers’. They are NOT synopsis too if we go by definition of the term. What we are providing is content that both meets demand of the question and at the same time gives you extra points in the form of background information.

General Studies – 1

 

Topic: population and associated issues

1. “Coercive measures in control of population growth and population stabilization is a bad idea”. Do you agree? Explain.  (250 words)

Reference:  Indian Express

Why the question:

The article critically analyses the coercive policies of population control.  

Key Demand of the question:

Discuss in detail the statement and justify as to why it is a bad idea.

Directive:

Explain – Clarify the topic by giving a detailed account as to how and why it occurred, or what is the particular context. You must be defining key terms where ever appropriate, and substantiate with relevant associated facts.

Structure of the answer:

Introduction:

The number of missing girls at birth has increased from 35 lakh in 1987-96 to 55 lakh in 2007-16. Such laws might worsen the sex ratio in states where sex-selective abortion is still practised.

Body:

The answer body must have the following aspects covered:

First explain the recent trends being witnessed with respect to population policies in Indian states.

Present the case study of UP population control Bill, point out the flaws.

Suggest what needs to be done? Bringing educational reforms and giving choices for family planning would work more appropriately. This would lead to an overall improvement in the fertility outcome of the state as well as at the national level.

Conclusion:

Conclude with way forward.

Introduction

India projected to become the most populous country in the world by 2027 (currently at 1.37 billion). In 2050, India’s population is projected to be 1.69 billion, which will be higher than that of China. Undoubtedly, India has a population problem, but any strategy to change fertility rates should be carefully thought out. India’s population concern is largely restricted to Bihar, UP, Jharkhand, Rajasthan and MP.

The government of Uttar Pradesh released a “Population Policy” recently, in which the government stated its intention to bring the gross fertility rate in the State down from the existing 2.7 to 2.1 by 2026. To stabilize the population, the government is considering the enactment of a new piece of legislation.

Body:

Issues with coercive population control policies

  • Counter-productive measure: Through an affidavit filed in court, the central government argued that “international experience shows that any coercion to have a certain number of children iscounter-productive and leads to demographic distortions”.
  • Against international obligations: India is committed to its obligations under international law, including the principles contained in the International Conference on Population and Development Programme of Action, 1994.
  • Foremost in those principles was a pledge from nations that they wouldlook beyond demographic targets and focus instead on guaranteeing a right to reproductive freedom.
  • Against right to reproductive freedom and privacy:  In Suchita Srivastava & Anr vs Chandigarh Administration (2009), the Court found that a woman’s freedom to make reproductive decisions is an integral facet of the right to personal liberty guaranteed by Article 21.
  • However, In Javed & Ors vs State of Haryana & Ors (2003), the Court upheld a law that disqualified persons with more than two children from contesting in local body elections.
  • Negative consequences: An already skewed sex ratio may be compounded by families aborting a daughterin the hope of having a son with a view to conforming to the two-child norm.
  • In Devika Biswas vs Union of India (2016), the Court pointed to how these camps invariably have a disparate impact on minorities and other vulnerable groups.

Implications of coercive laws of population control:

  • Demographers like Srinivas Goli, a population studies professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University, point out, citing the examples of Iran and China.
  • Any large-scale “unnatural intervention”, even if purely incentive-based, can dramatically change the future age profile of a population.
  • In Iran, in a short span between the late-1980s and early 2000s, the average number of children born to a woman in her lifetime plummeted from seven to less than three.
  • While population growth rate fell steeply, the share of Iran’s population in the working age band also fell.
  • According to a study on the two-child norm (Nirmala Buch, Economic and Political Weekly, 2005) which was adopted by several Indian states like Rajasthan, Haryana and Bihar, the move led to a spike to sex-selective and unsafe abortions.
  • Since the state-level laws linked the ability to contest Panchayat or local body elections with family size, the study found that men divorced their wives to run for elections and families put children up for adoption to avoid disqualification.

But, the problems faced due to burgeoning growth of population:

  • It is indeed a fact that population of India is growing and will continue to grow for the next couple of decades. This is because, as compared to the past, there are a higher proportion of people in the marriageable age group who will produce children, and people are now living longer.
  • In India, the global demand for water in 2050 is projected to be more than 50 per cent of what it was in 2000.
  • The demand for food will double in the year 2050 and even if India manages to feed its expanding population, its growth may not be ecologically sustainable.
  • Women empowerment as people will not favour for sons because of cap of 2 child policy
  • Though China’s one-child policy has been criticized as against human dignity and rights, it has improved and controlled the nation’s population by a possible 400 million people as per the report of East India Forum.
  • If Population control won’t happen, there will be no resources left, and the growing population’s demand will increase to the next level, resulting in increasing death rates increasing in the country.

The Right Math behind population growth:

  • Simply put, for every 1,000 people, demographers suggest that at least 550 must be of working age, in order to educate the young (below 15) and take care of the old (above 60).
  • The government’s Sample Registration System in 22 states shows that TFR for India declined to 2.2 in 2017 after being stable at 2.3 between 2013 and 2016.
  • Further, the country’s annual population growth rate fell from 2.5% in 1971-81—a time when ‘population explosion’ was bandied around commonly, and when India infamously experimented with forced sterilisation—to 1.3% in 2011-16.
  • Any intervention which doesn’t pay attention to this delicate age composition balance is “ignorant and foolish”
  • Success stories from within India (Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh) and from Indonesia and Bangladesh (predominantly Muslim countries) also show the central importance of investing in education and healthcare access to advance population stabilization.
  • India will also find it hard to announce a nationally mandated two-child policy since it is a signatory to the Cairo declaration in 1994, which gives couples the “right to decide freely and responsibly the number and spacing of their children”.

Conclusion:

Experiences from other States in India show us that there are more efficacious and alternative measures available to control the growth of population, including processes aimed at improving public health and access to education. For one thing, the reasoning of the Bill goes against the Puttaswamy case.  But as rousing as the nine-judge Bench verdict is, its legacy depends on how its findings are applied.

Thus, the need of the hour is better education and awareness rather than an iron hand policy to control the population. Government should improve the implementation of poverty alleviation measures which can also help control population.

 

 

General Studies – 2

 

Topic: Government schemes

2. Critically analyse the pros and cons of Pradhan Mantri Fasal Beema Yojana (PMFBY) . (250 words)

Reference:  Times of India

Why the question:

The article presents to us the issues with PMFBY and recommendations to make it more efficient.

Key Demand of the question:

One must critically analyse the pros and cons of Pradhan Mantri Fasal Beema Yojana (PMFBY).

Directive:

Critically analyze – When asked to analyse, you have to examine methodically the structure or nature of the topic by separating it into component parts and present them as a whole in a summary. When ‘critically’ is suffixed or prefixed to a directive, one needs to look at the good and bad of the topic and give a fair judgment.

Structure of the answer:

Introduction:

A parliamentary panel has expressed concerns over withdrawal or non-implementation of Pradhan Mantri Fasal Beema Yojana (PMFBY) in few states and held that more such examples will defeat the very purpose of the scheme.

Body:

The answer body must have the following aspects covered:

The question is straightforward and there isn’t much to deliberate upon. One must discuss in detail the pros and cons of the PMFBY.

Discuss what the issues in detail are first.

Suggest the recommendations made by the panel to overcome these concerns.

Conclusion:

Conclude with way ahead.

Introduction

The launch of Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) was considered to be solution for the deep structural problem of providing cushion to famers in cases of crop failures. However, the some of the recent results of the scheme shows inconsistency in its objectives and outcomes.

Body

Merits of PMFBY

  • Low rate of premium for farmers

Farmers had to pay high premium along with the capping of insurance in the previous crop insurance schemes (NAIS and MNAIS). Under PMFBY premium amount is low at 2 percent for Kharif crops and of 1.5 percent for Rabi crops. So more farmers are adopting the insurance.

For the first time, farmers’ share of the premium was pegged at 2 per cent for kharif crops and 1.5 per cent for rabi crops. As a result, the area covered under insurance increased from 27.2 million ha in kharif 2015 to 37.5 million ha in kharif 2016, and the sum insured increased from Rs 60,773 crore to Rs 1,08,055 crore over the same period.

  • Returns if yield falls below threshold level

If the actual yield of an insured crop in a particular village falls below a ‘threshold’ (the average for the past seven years excluding calamity years), it entitles all farmers in that area to a claim, equal to the difference divided by the threshold yield and multiplied by the Sum Insured (SI). And the processing, approval and payment of final claims is to happen within three weeks from the receipt of yield data, which shall be available within a month from harvest.

PMFBY also promises speedy claim settlements through use of technology: Remote sensing/satellite imagery and drones for generating crop yield estimates and GPS handheld devices/smartphones for capturing field of images and transmission of data on real time basis.

Challenges of PMFBY:

  • Technological aspects not yet integrated

The system of crop damage assessment has not changed much and most of the states could not even procure smartphones that were supposed to facilitate the faster compilation of crop cutting experiments.

  • Low returns for the farmers

In most states like Tamil Nadu; the BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Rajasthan; or the likes of Bihar, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, farmers have received only a fraction of the estimated crop damage claims.

  • Flaws in the design of the scheme
    • The first is its not being a fully Centrally-funded scheme. 50 per cent of the premium subsidy is borne by the states that are also responsible for conducting the requisite number of crop cutting experiments (CCE) at the village level for submitting to the insurance company. Such a skewed incentive structure wherein the states put in more than half of the money and hard work, but the Centre takes all the credit is intrinsically prone to implementation failure.
    • States have in many cases delayed issuing of the necessary notifications well before the sowing season, while doing the same with paying their part of the subsidy and submitting CCE-based yield data. The ultimate casualty of all this has been the farmer unable to avail claims for prevented sowing or not receiving payment from the insurance company in time.
    • At present, farmers have no direct connection with insurance companies, who do not even maintain landholding-wise or crop-wise databases of their supposed clients. As a recent ground-based assessment by the Centre for Science and Environment, has shown that farmers receive no insurance policy document or receipt.
    • The premiums are deducted by banks against crop loans extended by them without even their consent. Low farmer awareness, coupled with irregular funding that gives insurance companies all the more reason not to expedite claim payments would bring discredit to a well-intended scheme.
  • Reluctance on the part of state governments

Some state governments did not take the cost of cultivation as the amount to be insured with a view to saving their outgo on the premium subsidy. Many state governments did not pay the premium on time, as a result of which the farmers’ claims could not be settled expeditiously.

Conclusion

The Union government must work on rectifying the implementation challenges and flaws in the design of the scheme. With the irregularity of monsoon increasing, PMFBY can prove game changers for farmers and allow them to focus more on improving crop productivity rather than worrying about natural calamities.

 

Topic: Structure, organization and functioning of the Executive and the Judiciary—Ministries and Departments of the Government; pressure groups and formal/informal associations and their role in the Polity.

3. “Despite Collegium System in India ensures the appointment of competent judges, it is in urgent needs of  course correction” Substantiate. (250 words)

Reference:  Indian Express

Why the question:

The question is premised on the issues associated with collegium system of India in the appointment of Judges.

Key Demand of the question:

Analyse as to why the collegium system, while the best for judicial appointments, needs course corrections in our country.

Directive:

Substantiate – When you are asked to Substantiate, you have to pass a sound judgement about the truth of the given statement in the question or the topic based on evidences.  You have to appraise the worth of the statement in question using suitable case studies or/ and examples.

Structure of the answer:

Introduction:

Start with what you understand by collegium system.

Body:

The Collegium System was introduced in response to the executive interference in judicial appointments. However, this system has failed to protect judicial appointments from executive interference. It is due to the reasons like Post-retirement appointments of judges.

At present, the collegium comprises of CJI (Chief Justice of India) and 4 senior-most judges of the Supreme Court. Despite various criticisms and attempts to reform the appointments and transfers process, the collegium system still persists and remains stronger.

Discuss the criticisms of the Collegium System. Present suggestions to address these flaws.

Conclusion:

Conclude that reforming the collegium system is a good step in right direction.

Introduction

The judges of the Supreme Court and High Court in India are appointed by President as per article 124(2) and 217 of the constitution. In such appointment, the President is required to hold consultation with such of the Judges of the Supreme Court and of the High Courts in the States as he may deem necessary for the purpose.

Body:

Collegium system:

  • The Collegium System is a system under which appointments/elevation of judges/lawyers to Supreme Court and transfers of judges of High Courts and Apex Court are decided by a forum of the Chief Justice of India and the four senior-most judges of the Supreme Court.’
  • The collegium of judges is the Supreme Court’s invention. It does not figure in the Constitution, which says judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts are appointed by the President and speaks of a process of consultation.
  • In effect, it is a system under which judges are appointed by an institution comprising judges.
  • After some judges were superseded in the appointment of the Chief Justice of India in the 1970s, and attempts made subsequently to effect a mass transfer of High Court judges across the country, there was a perception that the independence of the judiciary was under threat. This resulted in a series of cases over the years.
  • The ‘First Judges Case’ (1981) ruled that the “consultation” with the CJI in the matter of appointments must be full and effective.
  • The Second Judges Case (1993) introduced the Collegium system, holding that “consultation” really meant “concurrence”. It added that it was not the CJI’s individual opinion, but an institutional opinion formed in consultation with the two senior most judges in the Supreme Court.
  • On a Presidential Reference for its opinion, the Supreme Court, in the Third Judges Case (1998) expanded the collegium to a five-member body, comprising the CJI and four of his senior most colleagues.
  • The recommendations of the Collegium are binding on the Central Government, if the Collegium sends the names of the judges/lawyers to the government for the second time.

Procedure followed by the collegium:

  • The President of India appoints the CJI and the other SC judges. As far as the CJI is concerned, the outgoing CJI recommends his successor.
  • For other judges of the top court, the proposal is initiated by the CJI. The CJI consults the rest of the collegium members, as well as the senior most judge of the court hailing from the High Court to which the recommended person belongs.
  • The Chief Justice of High Courts is appointed as per the policy of having Chief Justices from outside the respective States. The collegium takes the call on the elevation. High Court judges are recommended by a collegium comprising the CJI and two senior most judges.

Need for reforms in the Collegium system:

  • Credibility of the SC:
    • Controversial collegium system of judicial appointments undermines the independence of judges and raises doubts about the credibility of the highest court.
    • There is a failure to make an assessment of the personality of the contemnor at the time of recommending his name for elevation.
    • Example: The controversy over the proposed elevation of Justice P.D. Dinakaran of the Karnataka High Court to the Supreme Court by the collegium of the Chief Justice and four senior-most judges of the Supreme Court was criticised for overlooking apparently suitable judges by the collegiums
    • The judiciary off late has been caught in many such situations of credibility crisis off late.
  • The executive has little or no role in the appointment of judges as a result.
  • Nepotism:
    • Unfortunately, in some cases, it has not covered itself with glory. There have been cases where the nearest relative of Supreme Court judges has been appointed as a high court judge, ignoring merit.
    • During the regime of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, judges far lower in the combined All India Seniority of High Court judges were appointed to SC, and the reason assigned was that those selected were found more meritorious.
  • Supreme court is overburdened:
    • The Supreme Court did not realise the burden it was imposing on the collegium of selecting judges for the Supreme Court and High Courts and transferring them from one High Court to another.
    • An administrative task of this magnitude must necessarily detract the judges of the collegium from their principal judicial work of hearing and deciding cases.
  • Lack of Transparency:
  • The lack of a written manual for functioning, the absence of selection criteria, the arbitrary reversal of decisions already taken, the selective publication of records of meetings prove the opaqueness of the collegium system.
  • No one knows how judges are selected, and the appointments made raise the concerns of propriety, self-selection and nepotism.
  • The system often overlooks several talented junior judges and advocates.

 

  • NJAC, A Missed Opportunity:
  • The National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) could guarantee the independence of the system from inappropriate politicization, strengthen the quality of appointments and rebuild public confidence in the system.
  • The decision was struck down by the SC in 2015 on the ground that it posed a threat to the independence of the judiciary.

 

  • Lack of Consensus among Members:
  • The collegium members often face the issue of mutual consent regarding appointment of judges.
  • The shadow of mistrust between the members of the collegium exposes the fault lines within the judiciary.
  • For instance, recently retired CJI Sharad A. Bobde was perhaps the first chief justice to have not made even a single recommendation for appointment as SC judge due to lack of consensus among the collegium members.

 

  • Unequal Representation:
  • The other area of concern is the composition of the higher judiciary. While data regarding caste is not available, women are fairly underrepresented in the higher judiciary.

 

  • Delay in Judicial Appointments:
  • The process of judicial appointment is delayed due to delay in recommendations by the collegium for the higher judiciary.

Reforms needed in the collegium system:

  • The need of the hour is to revisit the existing system through a transparent and participatory procedure, preferably by an independent broad-based constitutional body guaranteeing judicial primacy but not judicial exclusivity.
    • The collegium members have to make a fresh start and engage with each other.
    • A transparent process adds accountability that is much needed to resolve the deadlock.
    • Individual disagreements over certain names will continue to take place, but care must be taken that the institutional imperative of dispensation of justice does not suffer.
  • The new system should ensure independence, reflect diversity, demonstrate professional competence and integrity.
  • The system needs to establish a body which is independent and objective in the selection process.
    • In several countries of the Commonwealth, National Judicial Appointment Commissions have been established to select judges.
    • Such judicial commissions have worked with success in the U.K., South Africa and Canada.
  • Setting up a constitutional body accommodating the federal concept of diversity and independence of judiciary for appointment of judges to the higher judiciary can also be thought of as an alternate measure.
  • There should be a fixed time limit for approval of recommendations.
  • As of now, instead of selecting the number of judges required against a certain number of vacancies, the collegium must provide a panel of possible names to the President for appointment in order of preference and other valid criteria.
  • New memorandum of procedure:
    • After the Second and Third Judges Cases, a Memorandum of Procedure had been formulated to govern how the process of how the Collegium would make recommendations to the Executive.
    • The government therefore suggested that a new MOP be drafted and finalised for appointment of SC judges and the Executive to get a veto over candidates for national security reasons in this new MOP.

Conclusion:

Faced with intense public scrutiny and government pressure, the judiciary’s institutional weaknesses are being laid bare. These are not simply the moral failings of one individual or the consequences of the misjudgment of a few. It is another illustration of the institution’s inability to accept its internal infirmities.

 

Topic: India and its neighborhood- relations.

4. Explain the strategic significance of Gilgit-Baltistan region. What is the conflict and solution to the crisis? (250 words)

Reference:  Indian Express

Why the question:

Pakistan has finalized draft legislation to incorporate Gilgit-Baltistan, the region known before 2009 as Northern Areas, as a province of the country.

Key Demand of the question:

Explain the strategic significance of Gilgit-Baltistan region and discuss what the conflict is and solution to the crisis.

Directive:

Explain – Clarify the topic by giving a detailed account as to how and why it occurred, or what is the particular context. You must be defining key terms where ever appropriate, and substantiate with relevant associated facts.

Structure of the answer:

Introduction:

Start with brief history of the Gilgit-Baltistan Issue.

Body:

The answer body must have the following aspects covered:

Discuss in detail the Strategic importance of the region.

Explain what are the stands of India and Pakistan on the region? Where lays the conflict of Perceptions.

Expound upon what local people want.

Suggest suitable solutions to address the issue.

Conclusion:

Conclude that what makes GB’s conundrum intricate is that, despite 73 years of independence, it is still unable to achieve what it strove for. Various governments in Pakistan have tried in the past to regulate the issues of GB through reforms and executive orders, most recent being plans to give GB provincial status. But the question remains whether the Government of Pakistan can bring GB into the ambit of Pakistan’s constitution.

Introduction

                Located in the northern region of Pakistan, Gilgit Baltistan borders China in the North, Afghanistan in the west, Tajikistan in the north west and Kashmir in the south east. It shares a geographical boundary with Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, and India considers it as part of the undivided Jammu and Kashmir, while Pakistan sees it as a separate from PoK. It has a regional Assembly and an elected Chief Minister.

Body: 

Recent developments:

  • Pakistani authorities have finalised a law to award provisional provincial status to strategically located Gilgit-Baltistan.
  • As per the proposal, the Supreme Appellate Court (SAC) of Gilgit-Baltistan may be abolished and the region’s election commission is likely to be merged with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
  • It is an autonomous region now and with this elevation, it will become the 5th province of the country, as declared by Pakistan in 2017.
  • Currently, Pakistan has four provinces namely Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, and Sindh.
  • Gilgit- Baltistan is part of J&K and any such move would seriously damage Pakistan’s Kashmir case. Two UN resolutions of August 13, 1948 and January 5, 1949 clearly established a link between GB and the Kashmir issue.
  • Making the region its fifth province would thus violate the Karachi Agreement — perhaps the only instrument that provides doubtful legal authority to Pakistan’s administration of GB — as well as the UN resolutions that would damage its position on the Kashmir issue.
  • Any such move would also be violative of the 1963 Pak-China Boundary Agreement that calls for the sovereign authority to reopen negotiations with China “after the settlement of the Kashmir dispute between Pakistan and India” and of the 1972 Simla Agreement that mentions that “neither side shall unilaterally alter the situation”.

India’s stand:

  • India has always asserted that Gilgit-Baltistan is an integral part of India “by virtue of the legal, complete and irrevocable accession of Jammu & Kashmir to the Union of India in 1947”,
  • Entire state of Jammu and Kashmir, which also includes the so-called ‘Gilgit-Baltistan’ has been, is and shall remain an integral part of India.
  • Pakistan government or judiciary have no locus standi on territories illegally and forcibly occupied by it. Any action to alter the status of these occupied territories by Pakistan has no legal basis whatsoever.
  • India completely rejects such actions and continued attempts to bring material changes in Pakistan occupied areas of the Indian territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
  • While protesting Islamabad’s efforts to bring material change in Pakistan occupied territories, India held that Pakistan should immediately vacate all areas under its illegal occupation.

Gilgit-Baltistan:

  • The highly mountainous region of Gilgit Baltistan (GB) covers an area of 72,971 square km with an estimated population of over 1.8 million (as of 2015 records).
  • The region is an extremely fragile and significant one with three of world’s powerful ornery and daedalian powers along with a conflict-ridden nation encircling it.
  • Originally belonging to and part of India, Gilgit Baltistan is surrounded by Afghanistan’s Wakhan Corridor to the north, China’s Xinjiang Uighur autonomous region to the north-west, Ladakh to east and Kashmir to south.
  • Geographic tri-junction of Himalaya, Hindu Kush and Pamir, Gilgit Baltistan possesses the most startling views of natural beauty.
  • Apart from several high-altitude lakes, the region is also home to three of world’s longest glaciers outside of the polar region, including the world’s highest war field, the Siachen glacier.
  • But apart from its mountains, glaciers and green plains, the region has something else of superfluous significance and prudence: its strategic points.

Strategic importance of Gilgit-Baltistan:

  • The area’s strategic importance for India has increased in light of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor agreement, under which Beijing is investing hugely to develop the area as part of its Belt and Road Initiative, and the concerns of a two-front war after the standoff in Eastern Ladakh last year.

  • GB is home to some of the world’s most important and contentious strategic points capable of creating unremitting embroilments and fracases.
  • The region holds extreme volatility and if gets subjected to desuetude can cause a ruckus in the entire regions of South Asia, Central Asia and China, ultimately affecting the entire world.
  • The mountain province consists of 3 core divisions: Gilgit, Baltistan and Diamer, which in turn is further divided into 10 districts along with its Shaksgam valley – which was gifted to China by occupier Pakistan in 1963 border agreement – of 5,180 square km.
  • The recent developments in the Jammu and Kashmir region with the removal of Article 370 and Indian minister’s statements on PoK has again bought the region of Gilgit Baltistan into limelight from being drowned in the darkness.
  • Which makes it exceedingly important for us to understand the strategic importance of the region of Gilgit Baltistan.
  • Gilgit Baltistan’s geo-strategic importance is multi-folded, in case of a two-front war against India, to become the most critical point of the war, capable of drastically affecting and determining the outcome.
  • An advanced Air Force base in GB can devastate the enemy’s confidence and steer the movement of conflict to India’s side.
  • High altitude points are still tremendously important aspects of warfare which can prove to be, if accessed properly, the big game changers.
  • The region is a comfy hotbed and safe haven of every major terror outfit gunged with religious radicalisation – which are sponsored, protected and fostered by Pakistan’s ISI and military for the pernicious purpose of attacking India – from Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) to Hizbul mujahideen.
  • The region acts as a protective shield, the first line of defence, for the ‘original’ Pakistan of Punjabis and Pakhtuns and the first front of aggression against India.
  • Under Pakistani control, the province has been morphed into a military-cum-terror state fundamentally designed to further the malicious agenda of annexing Kashmir.
  • Controlling the first line of defence – the first and most powerful launchpad of aggression – can be a strategic boon for India.
  • Gilgit Baltistan is the sole, and most significant, the connection of Pakistan to China.
  • Pakistan’s Khyber province, its otherwise northernmost part, has absolutely no access to Chinese soil and hence making GB the very string of China-Pakistan necklace.
  • Losing GB will be a catastrophic and calamitous situation for Pakistan cutting the socioeconomic ties with Beijing.
  • China’s ‘all-weather friendship’ with Pakistan is entirely based upon the geo-strategic significance of Gilgit Baltistan as it holds the pass to Pakistan and eventually to the Arabian Sea.
  • India controlling Gilgit Baltistan will be an overarching knock-out punch to China Pakistan’s two front and ‘iron brotherhood’.

Gilgit-Baltistan as a catalyst for development – A way forward:

  • India, Pakistan and China should begin a trilateral dialogue for dispute-resolution, cooperation and common development. The problems in Jammu and Kashmir have become trilateral in nature, especially after the India-China standoff at the LAC in eastern Ladakh. Therefore, the solutions to these problems, acceptable to all concerned, can only come out of a trilateral dialogue.
  • The most important component of any trilateral dialogue must be a firm and solemn commitment by the three countries that none of them shall pose a security threat to the other.
  • In deference to the legitimate aspirations of the people of Kashmir on both sides, and also to end the horrific conflict in Kashmir and prolonged suffering of Kashmiri people, India and Pakistan should agree on the following:
    • Converting the LoC into a “soft border” (thus making it “irrelevant”);
    • De-militarising both sides of Kashmir, ending gross violations of human rights, and ensuring the honourable return and rehabilitation of displaced people, regardless of their religion, such as the Kashmiri Pandits;
    • Enabling free trade and free movement of people;
    • Guaranteeing maximum self-governance, and even joint governance on relevant subjects;
    • An India-Pakistan joint mechanism to make this fair and innovative solution work.
  • The bane of governance in this entire region is excessive concentration of powers in central government. Given the extraordinary religious, linguistic and ethnic diversity of the people living in this region, it is extremely important to ensure genuine democratic autonomy, people’s effective participation in the affairs that impact their lives, protection of the rights of minorities, and strict action against majoritarian chauvinism.

Conclusion:

The region of Gilgit Baltistan is a marvellous throne of immense geostrategic importance adorned with the diamonds of its geographical location, economic potential and essentiality. The nation who coronates the throne becomes the king.

 

 

General Studies – 3

 

Topic: issues related to Indian economy and unemployment

5. Account for the need to formulate a wage employment-based national urban livelihood scheme on lines of MGNREGA. (250 words)

Reference:  The Hindu

Why the question:

The article signifies the need to formulate a wage employment-based national urban livelihood scheme on lines of MGNREGA.

Key Demand of the question:

Account for the need to formulate a wage employment-based national urban livelihood scheme on lines of MGNREGA.

Directive:

Account – Weigh up to what extent something is true. Persuade the reader of your argument by citing relevant research but also remember to point out any flaws and counter- arguments as well. Conclude by stating clearly how far you are in agreement with the original proposition.

Structure of the answer:

Introduction:

Start with what MGNREGA is.

Body:

The answer body must have the following aspects covered:

First, discuss briefly the impact of COVID on the economy – World Economic outlook report presents a grim picture of the global economy. It states that – all of the world countries excluding China experienced economic contraction last year. Global GDP shrunk by 3.3% and Indian GDP shrunk by 8%. A similar impact can be seen on the unemployment rate.

Talk about the Rural-Urban Livelihood Divide.

Discuss why the scheme can play pivotal role in urban areas too.

Conclusion:

Conclude that the scheme will work as an “economic vaccine” and will protect people against unemployment.

Introduction

During the pandemic, governments all over the world faced the difficult choice of saving lives versus protecting livelihoods. According to the World Economic Outlook report of April, 2021 of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), almost all countries, except China, experienced economic contraction last year. The global GDP shrunk by 3.3%. India’s GDP fell by 8%. As per the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy’s estimates, the unemployment rate in India peaked at 23.5% in April 2020 before falling to 6.9% in February 2021.

Body

DAY-NULM focuses on organizing urban poor in their strong grassroots level institutions by enhancing sustainable livelihood opportunities through skill development. It aims at leading poor to market-based employment and helping them to set up self-employment ventures by ensuring easy access to credit.

Though the Indian government operates the National Urban Livelihoods Mission (NULM), which is focused on self-employment through skill up-gradation and credit linkages through banks, the scheme does not have guaranteed wage employment provisions akin to what MGNREGA provides.

During the lockdown last year, the migrant labourers moved in large numbers from the urban to rural areas, which is symptomatic of the rural-urban livelihood security divide. This migration tragedy and the economic slowdown have highlighted the need for a similar livelihood safety net in urban India.

Threats to Employment

  • Slowdown in Major Employment Generating Sector:The shrinking sectors that have been affected the most —construction (–50%), trade, hotels and other services (–47%), manufacturing (–39%), and mining (–23%) — are those that create the maximum jobs in the economy.
  • Reverse Migration:The magnitude of economic slowdown can be exemplified by a wave of massive ‘reverse migration’ during the early phase of the lockdown whereby millions of workers returned to their home States due to a loss of livelihoods in cities.
  • Vulnerable Informal Sector:According to the International Labour Organization, of the 535 million labour force in India in 2019, some 398.6 million have poor quality jobs. Further, the lockdown exposed the state of vulnerable employment in urban low-end informal jobs.
    • Vulnerable employment is characterised by inadequate earnings, low productivity and difficult conditions of work that undermine the basic rights of workers.
    • The high and persistent incidence of vulnerable employment are a reflection of the nature of the structural transformation process, whereby capital and labour transfer from low to higher value-added sectors.
    • However, in India capital and labour are moving from low value-added activities in a sector to another sector, but not to higher value-added activities.
    • This leads to a situation where a large proportion of the jobs being created is of poor quality.
  • Increasing Number of Working Poor:Despite higher economic growth in recent years, working poor’s are increasing in India.
    • The service sector-led growth in recent years has intensified this as there is coexistence of strong job creation in some Information and Communication Technology (ICT)-intensive services.
    • However, along with a significant portion of the jobs being created in ‘traditional low value-added services, where informality and vulnerable forms of employment are dominant.
    • The poor quality of jobs and high informality are key for the high level of “working poor’s”. The working poorare working people whose incomes fall below a given poverty line due to low-income jobs and low familial household income.

Way Forward

  • Mobilising Localised Resources:Given the scale of urbanisation, the focus on urban employment generation programmes should be in coordination with local governments.
    • This will require actors at the local level to have more resources at their disposal.
    • Resource mobilisation could be enabled by the formation of local alliances, involving elected representatives, trade unions, entrepreneurs and community groups
    • This can also be the key to solving other problems faced by cities.
  • Localised Employment-Intensive Investment Policies:A major local initiative would be to design and implement employment-intensive investment policies. In this pursuit:
    • Local enterprise formation needs to be an integral part of the strategy, with converging interests for workers and entrepreneurs on issues related to technology and productivity enhancement.
    • Also, Small and micro enterprises which are the fulcrum of industrialisation, need extra support to balance the interests between labour and capital as neither have collective bargaining powers.
  • Prioritising Urban Infrastructure:There is a need to prioritise urban infrastructure as it accounts for a large share of total investments in the overall economy.
    • A labour- intensive approach to building municipal infrastructure can be a cost-effective alternative to capital intensive-approach as wage rates are low.
    • Infrastructure investments would spur employment, generate earnings and contribute to small enterprise formation.
    • Construction of low-cost housing is another activity that can be carried out using labour-intensive methods, while yielding substantial collateral benefits for urban dwellers.
  • Launching of Urban Employment Scheme:There is need for immediate launch of an urban employment scheme oriented toward building large-scale medical, health and sanitation infrastructure in cities and towns across India.
  • Provision of Social Security: There is a need to provide livelihood safety access to urban areas. The livelihood safety net must have comprehensive coverage. Such a net, provided by the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), exists only in rural areas
  • Promote Cooperation: An urban livelihood scheme can be launched within the existing fiscal space. If not, the Union and States can provide resources together and empower the urban local bodies.
  • State Interventions: Himachal Pradesh has launched the Mukhya Mantri Shahri Ajeevika Guarantee Yojana (MMSAGY) with the objective of enhancing livelihood security in urban areas by providing 120 days of guaranteed wage employment to every household at minimum wages in FY 2020-21.
  • Minimum Wages For Urban Workers: Setting a separate minimum wage for rural and urban areas does not cause migration to urban areas since the higher cost of living in urban areas has an offsetting effect.
  • Focus on Service Delivery: The focus must shift from asset creation to service delivery. Restricting it to asset creation or wage-material ratios may be suboptimal in urban settings.
  • Increase Incentives to Reduce Migration:Focusing on rural development to increase employment opportunities in rural areas and to enhance the provision of services like education, health, electricity and water and sanitation services are effective means to control rural to urban migration.

Conclusion

Given the economic contraction, there is a need to generate more jobs and reduce vulnerabilities by providing decent wages & job security in urban areas. Traditionally, governments have addressed this issue from a sectoral viewpoint given the contemporary realities, the need is to approach this from a rural-urban perspective. Thus, the present crisis calls for a multi-pronged strategy to tackle the issue of urban jobs.

 

Topic: Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways etc.

6. Discuss in detail the issues related to Privatization of Indian Railways while suggesting solutions to address the same. (250 words)

Reference:  India Express

Why the question:

The article goes into the depth of why India has failed to attract private participation in railway sector.

Key Demand of the question:

Discuss in detail the issues related to Privatization of Indian Railways while suggesting solutions to address the same.

Directive:

Discuss – This is an all-encompassing directive – you have to debate on paper by going through the details of the issues concerned by examining each one of them. You have to give reasons for both for and against arguments.

Structure of the answer:

Introduction:

On July 1, 2020, the Indian Railways launched the formal process of inviting private parties to run trains on the Indian railway system. However, hopes of a large participation were dashed as there were no bids for nine clusters and only two bids for three clusters.

Body:

The answer body must have the following aspects covered:

Explain that Indian railway wants capital and technology infusion but it doesn’t want to give up control. The private players have to invest in huge proportions with a huge risk of uncertain returns.

India needs to align three strategies- design state of the art stock, have private investment and generate profits. Specifically for technology, India will have to build capacity at research, university and incubator levels to develop sufficient base in the domain.

Discuss in detail the underlying reasons.

Present suggestions to address the issue.

Conclusion:

Conclude with way forward.

Introduction

The Indian Railways launched the formal process of inviting private parties to run trains on the Indian railway system in July 2020. Bids were finally opened last month. Hopes of a large participation were belied as there were no bids for nine clusters and only two bids for three clusters. Even for these three clusters, the only serious bid was by Indian Railways’ (IR) own company IRCTC, which in effect negated the basic objectives of bringing in private capital.

Body:

Background:

  • Post privatisation of the Tejas Express (to be run by the IRCTC), the government is currently in the process of forming a task force to draw a blueprint for handing over operations of as many as 150 trains and a total of 50 railway stations to private operators.
  • The Bibek Debroy committee recommended that the rail industry needs to be liberalized by allowing the entry of private operators to provide services.

Benefits of privatization of Indian railways:

  • Improved Infrastructure: Privatisation will lead to better infrastructure which in turn would result in improved amenities for travellers.
  • Currently, Indian Railways is marred by mismanagement in the form of stinking washrooms, lack of water supply and dirty platforms, it is expected that a private company will ensure better amenities.
  • Normalization of prices due to the competition: Improvement in quality of services has to be matched up by a rise in charges paid by the travellers.
  • However, the issue of price rise will be solved when private players are allowed to enter the sector since the move would foster competition and hence lead to overall betterment in the quality of services.
  • Improved Security: Private participation can lead to better accountability and monitoring, which can keep a check on rising accidents in railways.
  • Better Technological Innovation: Private participation can lead to the infusion of modern technology and capacity building of Indian railways.

Issues related to Privatisation of Indian Railways:

  • Failure of bids:
    • It is an outcome of the lack of alignment of the interests of IR and the concessioners.
    • IR wants the capital and technology without giving up control, while the concessioner wants a far more equal relationship to be moderated by a regulator.
    • IR has imposed constraints that prevent efficient decisions and adopted an organisational design that does not take into account the characteristics and associated risks that will determine outcomes and investment decisions.
  • Lumpiness of investment:
    • The biggest dampener is the lumpiness of investment before a single passenger can be carried.
    • Train sets have to be purchased without really knowing how much traffic the service will be able to attract in the face of rising competition from airlines.
    • IR does not guarantee the investor that, in case the concession fails, it will acquire the train sets.
  • Absence of regulator:
    • The other big dampener is the absence of a regulator for resolving disputes.
    • The proposed independent engineer is far from satisfactory.
    • There are other risks that put off investors that we will not go into.
  • Limited Coverage:
    • An advantage of Indian Railways being government-owned is that it provides nation-wide connectivity irrespective of profit.
    • Privatisation of railways would mean the railways will become a profit-making enterprise; this would lead to the elimination of railways routes that are less popular.
    • Thus, the privatisation of railways can have a negative impact on connectivity and further increase the rural-urban divide.
  • Lesser Inclusive:
    • Hike in fares can render the railways out of reach for lower-income groups.
  • Issue of Accountability:
    • The privatisation of Indian Railways is not easy, as it covers every part of India and runs for 24×7 hours.
    • The whole railway system cannot be handled by a single party or coordination will be very difficult if area wise given to private parties.
  • Impact on the Economy:
    • Indian Railways is the backbone of India, it provides low fare transportation to agricultural and industrial trade.
    • Therefore, privatisation of Indian railways shall definitely affect the Indian economy at large.
  • Vertical integration of IR:
    • It is difficult to privatize a portion of the railways’ operations as it is strongly vertically integrated.
    • Vertical integration of railways means ownership and maintenance of the rail and associated infrastructure; all is vested under the Ministry of Railways.
  • Protest by Workers union:
    • The strong worker unions of Indian Railways need to be convinced. This could be a herculean task.
    • Any untoward incidents like accidents can cause greater government scrutiny and create regulations which may affect performance or efficiency.
  • Chances of Crony Capitalism
    • Regulations must ensure level playing field for all players and relevant stakeholders.
    • Competition from other modes of transport can affect private railway revenues. This could give rise to crony capitalism.

Way forward:

  • India’s need to be capable of designing and manufacturing state-of-the-art rolling stock, IR’s need for private capital participation and private capital’s necessity of earning a profit should be aligned
  • Privatisation of railways operations will require a new institutional framework where infrastructure will remain as a government’s monopoly while there would be a market of service providers.
  • The lumpiness of investment in train sets can be eliminated by establishing a company that leases rolling stock not only to concessioners but also to IR. This will also enable reducing the concession period from 35 years to a more reasonable 10-15 years, bringing in competition.
  • It is important to modernize the railways, so measures must be taken to reimburse the social costs speedily so that resources of the railways is better allocated and facilities are upgraded from time to time.
  • Core Railways functions can be Corporatized rather than privatized.
  • Corporatization refers to the restructuring or transformation of a state-owned asset or organization into a corporation. These organizations typically have a board of directors, management, and shareholders.
  • However, unlike publicly traded companies, the government is the company’s only shareholder, and the shares in the company are not publicly traded.
  • The peripheral function of railways (cleanliness, ticket disposal, traveller’s amenities), must be privatized.

Conclusion

As far as drawing private players is concerned, all that is required is to reduce the risks for the concessioners, reduce the period of the concession to around 15 years, establish a regulator and moderate charges like the amount for the maintenance of tracks and stations. With these changes, the plan may still take off. However, the initiative will remain limited to just running trains if there is no long-term vision.

 

Topic: Land reforms in India.

7. Giving an account of land use changes in India, mention various factors driving them in the last few decades. Also discuss the consequences of changing land use pattern. (250 words )

Reference:  Indian geography by Majid Hussain

Why the question:

The question is from the static portions of GS paper III , part land use changes.

Key Demand of the question:

One must account for land use changes in India, mention various factors driving them in the last few decades. Also discuss the consequences of changing land use pattern.

Discuss – This is an all-encompassing directive – you have to debate on paper by going through the details of the issues concerned by examining each one of them. You have to give reasons for both for and against arguments.

Structure of the answer:

Introduction:

Start with what you understand by land use change in India.

Body:

The answer body must have the following aspects covered:

Give a brief introduction about land use categories in India.

Then give a brief account of land use change in last few decades.

Bring out various factors behind these changes in land use.

Discuss the consequences of changing land use pattern.

Conclusion:

Conclude suitably.

Introduction

Land use change is a process which transforms the natural landscape by direct human-induced land use such as settlements, commercial and economic uses and forestry activities.

Body

India has a varied land use pattern given the geographical diversity of the country. There are significant spatial and temporal changes in the patterns of land use in India. The radical changes in land use have occurred all over the country, but the changes in agricultural land use are substantial in the areas of the green revolution. Land use pattern in India is as follows:

  • Net Sown Area is 46% of the total geographic area because of extensive availability of flat terrain in India.
  • About 22% area of the country is under forest cover.
  • Barren and un-culturable waste land amount to about 8.5%.
  • About 5.5% is under non-agricultural uses like houses, industries etc.
  • Rest of the area is under tree crops, grooves, permanent pastures and grazing lands etc.

Factors for Land use change

  • Population Growth:Fast population growth and the consequent high pressure on resources have an adverse effect on the existing natural resources of the land area.
  • Encroachment of Land:Substantial increase in demand for food has resulted in an expansion of croplands by encroaching on uncultivated areas including forest, shrub and wetlands.
    According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report on climate change and land, agricultural land for food, animal feed and fibre is behind the land use change.
  • Use of Forest Resource:Continuous and exhaustive thinning of forestry resources for diverse uses, particularly for construction, firewood and agricultural tools led to the degradation of forest cultivated land.
  • Grazing at Cultivated Land:Farmers often abandon and leave the cultivated land for grazing purposes due to the declining of its soil fertility status.
  • Destruction of Wetlands:The conversion of the wetland to the cultivated and settlement land leads to the destruction of wetlands.

Consequences of Changing Land Use

  • Land use change can be a factor in CO2(carbon dioxide) atmospheric concentration, and is thus a contributor to global climate change. It represents almost 25% of total global emissions.
  • According to the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), over 70% of all natural, ice-free landin the world is affected by human use. This could further rise to 90% by 2050.
  • According to the FAOof the United Nations, by 2050, over 500-million-hectare area of new agricultural land will be needed to meet the global food demand.
  • Continuous fragmentation of landholdings as a result of increasing population has led to current situation of uneconomical landholdings.
  • Vegetation and soils typically act as a carbon sink, storing carbon dioxide that is absorbed through photosynthesis. When the land is disturbed, the stored carbon dioxide, along with methane and nitrous oxide is emitted, re-entering the atmosphere.
  • Carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide are greenhouse gases, which contribute to global warming. The clearing of land can result in soil degradation, erosion and the leaching of nutrients; which can also possibly reduce its ability to act as a carbon sink.
  • Local Climates tend to be warmer due to the increased amount of heat released within a populated area. Average temperature in city centres can increase even more due to the high populated area. This phenomenon of higher urban temperatures compared to lower temperatures in the surrounding rural areas, is known as the urban heat island effect.
  • Land degradation is affecting 3.2 billion people worldwide – Ecosystem services e.g., forest, agriculture, grassland tourism, etc. worth $10.6 trillion are lost due to land degradation annually.
  • Promotes zoonoses like Covid-19 as the interaction and physical distance between animals and humans get closer.

Measures

  • Climate Smart Land Management Practices:According to a report by IPCC on land use, increased food productivity, improved cropland management, livestock management, agroforestry, increased soil organic carbon content and reduced post-harvest losses would help in ecosystem conservation and land restoration.
  • These management practices could deliver up to $1.4 trillion in increased crop production.
  • Forest Management:Improved fire management and improved grazing land can help in land restoration.
  • Restore and Rehabilitate:To achieve Land Degradation Neutrality (Sustainable Development Goal target 15.3), additional commitments in the land use sector, namely to restore and rehabilitate 12 million hectares of degraded land per year could help close the emissions gap by up to 25% in the year 2030.
  • The restoration of these areas as part of building back better to avoid future zoonoseswould bring other crucial benefits, particularly mitigating climate change.

Way Forward

  • The urgency toslow down and reverse land use change cannot be overstated as land is a critical component of biodiversity.
  • The land use sector is critical to achieving the aim of the Paris Agreement to limit global warming to 2°C.
  • Responsible land governanceis key to provide an enabling environment for ecosystem restoration, biodiversity protection, and land use-based adaptation and for improving the livelihoods of many small-scale farmers.
  • Parties to the UNCCDhave the opportunity to adopt an ambitious resolution on land holdings for Land Degradation Neutrality. They must use this opportunity to empower communities to better adapt to the impacts of the climate emergency.

Conclusion

While scientists reassure us, though, that it is still not too late to avert the worst-case scenarios of ecosystem collapse and a climate-run riot. But for that, the world would need to reframe its engagement with climate change and abandon its myopic preoccupation with greenhouse gas emissions and carbon budgets. The need of the hour is a manifesto for the protection of the commons and open lands, and for the re-creation of economies that derive value out of healing wounded landscapes and covering open lands with diverse vegetation, water and life.

 

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