20 Aug 2020: UPSC Exam Comprehensive News Analysis

B. GS 2 Related

Category: POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. Govt. to set up National Recruitment Agency

Context:

• The Union Cabinet has approved the creation of a National Recruitment Agency (NRA) for conducting a Common Eligibility Test (CET) for various government jobs.

Details:

• Initially, three of the over 20 Central government recruitment agencies including the Railway Recruitment Board, the Staff Selection Commission and the Institute of Banking Personnel Selection would be brought under the NRA and subsequently all other government recruitment agencies would also be brought under the ambit of the NRA.
• The exam would be held online in 12 languages initially with plans to add all languages in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution over time.
  • As per Articles 344(1) and 351 of the Indian Constitution, the Eighth Schedule recognizes 22 languages.
• Based on the screening done at the CET score level, final selection for recruitment shall be made through separate specialised Tiers (II, III, etc.) of examinations, which shall be conducted by the respective recruitment agencies.

Significance:

• The move is expected to benefit crores of young people who apply for government jobs every year. This would require the applicants to clear one preliminary screening examination as against multiple exams currently. This would help reduce the pressure on the students as well as the need to pay multiple exam fees.
• The test score could also be used by State governments and this could help reduce state expenditure on the conducting of multiple exams.
• The private sector would also be allowed to use the test as a reference for employment functions in the future and this would aid employment avenues for the students.

E. Editorials

Category: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

1. China-Russia ties as a major determinant

Context:

• The article, authored by Vijay Gokhale, a former Foreign Secretary of India, discusses the deepening relationship between Russia and China and argues for a recalibrated approach to India’s relationship with Russia.

Sino-Russian partnership:

• After years of distrust among the two neighbours, the Sino-Russian partnership seems to be on the upswing.
• Some recent developments seem to be indicative of a growing strategic convergence between Russia and China.

Economic:

• China-Russia trade has more than doubled to $108 billion in recent times.
• China has surpassed Germany as the principal supplier of industrial plant and technology.
• Russia’s central bank has increased its Chinese currency reserves from less than one per cent to over 13% underlying the growing volume of the bilateral trade between the two countries.
• Russia and China recently signed a $400 billion deal to supply gas to China along the 1,800 miles long pipeline known as the Power of Siberia for 30 years.

Strategic:

• Russia and China have exhibited coordinated actions in multilateral forums like the UNSC.
• Their common strategic interests have led to joint activities with third countries such as Iran.

Military:

• They have been conducting increasingly sophisticated joint military exercises.
• The supply of the S-400 missile system to China by Russia is touted as an example of the budding strategic alliance.

 Common threat:

• Western sanctions have tended to push Russia closer to China. Falling oil prices and fears of new sanctions on Russian gas supplies (Nord Stream 2) are compelling the Russians to depend on the Chinese demand.
• The recent tensions in Sino-U.S. relations seem to have further strengthened the Chinese resolve to build stronger ties with the Russians.

Challenges:

• The article argues that despite the deepening relations which seem to be indicative of a growing strategic convergence, the Russia-China relation does face some challenges.

Boundary dispute:

• Some Chinese continue to nurse historical grievances despite the formal resolution of the border issue with Russia and make critical references to the nearly 600,000 square miles of Chinese territory that Tsarist Russia allegedly annexed in the late 19th century.
• There has also been increasing Chinese migration in the Russian Far East.
• Given China’s rise and the historical grievances over the border settlement, there are concerns among the policymakers in Russia about the possibility of China becoming a threat to Russia’s territorial integrity.

Economic advantage to China:

• Although Russia currently enjoys a nominal trade surplus, China has a clear advantage when it comes to the aspect of value-added trade.
  • Russian exports mainly consist of raw materials, especially oil and gas. Chinese exports to Russia are at a higher technology level.
• Some analysts have pointed out that over the long term, the economic interests of Russia and China are divergent.

Growing asymmetry:

• Despite the substantial expansion of bilateral cooperation in the Sino-Russian relations, it is also accompanied by growing asymmetry and China’s pre-eminence, including in Central Asia and the Arctic regions which Russia considers as its strategic area of influence.
• This has led to fears in Moscow of Russia being regulated to a ‘junior partner’ in the bilateral relationship.

Conclusion:

• Given the fact that relationships with the U.S., China and Russia represent the three most consequential relationships for India, the article argues for a proper appraisal of the Sino-Russian relationship as being critical for India’s foreign policy calculus.
• Currently, there exists a case for India to re-calculate its relationship with Russia.
  • Recognizing the inherent contradictions in the Russia-China relations, India can provide suitable alternative avenues for the building of a strong Russia-India relationship.
  • India needs to ensure that China is not the principal factor in its relations with Russia.
  • A strategic partnership with Russia based on the absence of fundamental conflicts of interest and a shared support for a multipolar order as against a Sino-U.S. bipolar order must be the way forward.

Category: EDUCATION

1. Privatisation via graded autonomy

Context:

• The recently approved National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

Background:

• One of the major provisions of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 was the phasing out of the system of affiliated colleges and the grant of greater autonomy in academic, administrative and financial matters to the top-ranked colleges and universities of the country.
• This envisaged a graded autonomy model for the educational institutes.

For more information on this, refer to:

CNA dated Aug 3, 2020: A policy with many a right intention

Arguments in favour of the provision:

• The concerns of over-centralisation, leading to constraints imposed on the potential for premium affiliated colleges to innovate and evolve would be addressed by granting more autonomy.
• This would also help reduce the potential for politico-bureaucratic interference in the internal functioning of universities and also lessen the burden on universities.

Arguments against:

• Granting increased autonomy could have adverse ramifications for accessibility, equity and quality for the higher education sector.

Equity:

• There are concerns that the graded autonomy system would only further deepen the prevailing hierarchy in higher education.
• The article argues that while the best colleges would gain autonomy to bring in their own rules and regulations, and enjoy the benefits of special funds from the newly proposed funding agencies, the colleges with lower rankings face the threat of mergers and even closure. Such a development would make the gross enrolment ratio target tougher to achieve.

Inaccessibility:

• The new provision may lead to the possibility of enhanced inaccessibility of quality higher education.
  • The graded autonomy system envisages higher financing for better performing colleges and universities and this would lead to the shrinking of the number of public-funded colleges in the country. This will push out marginalised sections and relegate them to low-grade private colleges and/or to informal education.
  • Independent rules and regulations of autonomous colleges and universities shall curtail transparent admission procedures, which guarantee underprivileged students a share of seats in prestigious institutions.

Conclusion:

• The granting of autonomy to premium institutions should not affect the equity and accessibility to quality education and appropriate measures should be taken to address such concerns.

Q1. Which of the following report/s is/are released by the International Monetary Fund?

Q2. Barakah is located in which of the following countries?

Q3. Which of the following statement/s is/are correct with respect to the Election 
Commission of India?

Q4. Which of the following statement/s is/are incorrect?

I. UPSC Mains Practice Questions

1. Despite the deepening relations between Russia and China which seem to be indicative of a growing strategic convergence, the Russia-China relationship does face significant challenges. Comment. (15 marks, 250 words)(GS Paper 2/International Relations)
2. The graded autonomy model for the educational institutes envisaged in the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 could act as a double-edged sword. Examine. (10 marks, 150 words)(GS Paper 2/Education)

Read the previous CNA here.