TABLE OF CONTENTS
A. GS 1 Related B. GS 2 Related POLITY AND GOVERNANCE 1. Minor cases, major delays INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS 1. India lays emphasis on UNCLOS 2. Central Asian leaders invited for R-Day C. GS 3 Related D. GS 4 Related E. Editorials INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS 1. Fathoming the new world disorder 2. A global gateway to creating links, not dependencies ENVIRONMENT 1. Home truths on climate change F. Prelims Facts 1. Supersonic missile-assisted torpedo system tested: DRDO G. Tidbits 1. Help children left homeless by pandemic: SC 2. Heritage and progress now go side by side in India, says Modi H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions I. UPSC Mains Practice Questions
A. GS 1 Related
Nothing here for today!!!
B. GS 2 Related
Category: POLITY AND GOVERNANCE
Topic: Government Policies and Interventions and issues arising out of their Design and Implementation
Prelims: Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act – provisions
Mains: Reasons for high pendency in JJ cases and associated concerns; Recommendations
Context:
- As per the data recently provided by the Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR) before the Delhi High Court, a substantial number of criminal cases have been pending before the Juvenile Justice Boards (JJBs) over the stipulated time limits as provided under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015.
Background:
Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015:
- The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, was brought in with the purpose of conducting criminal trials of minors or children in conflict with the law (CCLs) who are accused of petty or serious offences before the Juvenile Justice Boards (JJBs).
- To safeguard the children in conflict with law, the juveniles after being presented before the board, especially those involved in petty offences, are generally granted bail and handed over to their parents. They are sent to an observation home only when the family is untraceable or at the court’s discretion.
- To ensure timely disposal of related cases, the Juvenile Justice Act states that inquiry pertaining to minors involved in petty offences, for which imprisonment is a maximum of three years, shall stand terminated if it remains inconclusive till six months.
Reasons for high pendency:
- The biggest problem that causes long delays is ascertaining the minor’s age. The lack of adequate infrastructure with the JJBs, lack of identity documents and legal technicalities leads to an extended age verification process.
- The JJBs are overburdened with a large number of cases. The unequal distribution of cases among JJBs is another reason for the increasing delay as some jurisdictions see more juvenile cases than others.
- In some cases, the preparation of the Social Investigation Report of the child, which contains the family background, takes time.
- The frequent adjournments also add to the time taken for the disposal of the cases.
- Police laxity and the JJB’s failure to pull them up for not following the rules laid out under the Act also has been contributing to the delays.
- Apart from the above issues, COVID-19 further restricted the JJB’s functioning, much like other courts. During the COVID lockdown, there was restricted functioning of JJBs.
Concerns:
- The failure to close the proceedings in cases against juveniles within the legally permissible period amounts to the encroachment of the personal liberty of the children.
- The pendency leads to social stigma and thus affects the dignity of the child.
- The tag of being a criminal, especially for petty offences, has a negative psychological impact on the child’s mind. This could have an adverse impact on the child’s mental health.
- The separation of the child from parents in some cases and the pendency in such cases affects the children’s upbringing. It denies them their familial love and personal freedom duly enshrined in the Constitution.
- The long-drawn legal process affects the child’s rehabilitation process. It affects the minor’s after-care plan, which includes educational and vocational training.
Recommendations:
- The officers dealing with juvenile cases must be adequately trained and sensitised to handle related cases.
- More JJBs should be set up so that there is an equal police station-wise distribution of matters and they should be adequately resourced to ensure their smooth functioning.
- Any shortcomings or deviations from the rules laid out by the Act should be strictly dealt with. The judiciary should take the lead in this regard. The Magistrates should come down heavily on police officers and make them follow the law.
Category: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
1. India lays emphasis on UNCLOS
Topic: Bilateral, Regional and Global Groupings and Agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests
Prelims: UNCLOS – Provisions, membership and functioning
Mains: Maritime security – Significance, challenges and initiatives being taken up by India
Context:
- Minister of State for Defence’s statement in a written reply in the Lok Sabha.
Details:
- The Government has reiterated support for the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
- The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, also called the Law of the Sea Convention, is an international agreement that establishes a legal framework for all marine and maritime activities. It lays down a comprehensive regime of law and order in the world’s oceans and seas establishing rules governing all uses of the oceans and their resources.
- India is a party to the UNCLOS.
- In this regard, the government has clarified that it supports freedom of navigation and overflight, and unimpeded commerce as envisaged under the principles of the UNCLOS.
- The government has stated that it stands committed to promoting a free, open and rules-based order rooted in international law and has stated that it would remain undaunted by coercion. This seems to be in reference to China’s increasing assertiveness in the region.
Initiatives take up:
- India is committed to safeguarding maritime interests and strengthening security in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) to ensure a favourable and positive maritime environment for itself.
- India has taken ‘Mission-based Deployments’ of naval ships and aircraft to enhance Maritime Domain Awareness, promote maritime security and address any contingencies.
- India has proactively engaged with regional and extra-regional maritime forces through multilateral exercises, joint surveillance, coordinated patrols to promote maritime security in the region in an inclusive and cooperative manner. This is in consonance with the Government’s vision of Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR).
2. Central Asian leaders invited for R-Day
Topic: India and its Neighborhood – Relations
Prelims: SCO, International North-South Transport Corridor
Mains: Significance of Central Asian region for India and initiatives being taken up by India to deepen the engagement
Context:
- India has invited leaders of five Central Asian nations – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan to attend the Republic Day celebrations as chief guests.
- If the five countries accept the invitation, it will be the first time all five countries will attend the Republic Day parade together.
Diplomatic undertone:
Outreach to Central Asia:
- The invite for Republic Day celebrations has diplomatic undertones and the invitation to the leaders of the five Central Asian nations seems to be part of India’s reach-out to the former Soviet states that have received enhanced attention during the recent years.
- Central Asia assumes significance for India. The region is endowed with rich fossil fuel resources critical for India’s energy security. It is also endowed with other mineral resources as well which can act as a supplier to Indian industries. The Central Asian region has gained increasing strategic importance in the rapidly changing regional and global geo-political scenario. Central Asia can also provide India with critical land access to Europe.
Initiatives taken to deepen India’s engagement with Central Asian nations:
- India joined the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in 2017, of which all Central Asian States other than Turkmenistan are members.
- India-Central Asia Dialogue was launched in 2019.
- Given India has been seeking to increase its link to the Central Asian region and Pakistan’s reluctance to permit land connectivity to Central Asia, India has sought alternatives in the form of Chabahar and International North-South Transport Corridor. Central Asia-South Asia connectivity conference was held recently.
Reach out to the neighbourhood:
- The move is also part of the current government’s attempts to bring together immediate neighbours and “far neighbours” in a group format on multiple occasions. This is in line with previous attempts to get SAARC, BIMSTEC and ASEAN group leaders to attend important events.
C. GS 3 Related
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D. GS 4 Related
Nothing here for today!!!
E. Editorials
Category: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
1. Fathoming the new world disorder
Topic: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests.
Mains: Threats to US Status of Superpower; Geopolitical implications
Context:
This article discusses the changes in global geopolitics in recent times.
Background:
- Superpowers experiencing military failures at the hands of inferior forces would produce a sense of great power weariness, prompting both friends and adversaries to reconsider their strategic assumptions.
- Examples:
- It took time for post-war Britain, whose imperial glories ended with the Second World War, to accept that reality. Britain has never regained control over West Asia.
- In the 1970s, the United States’ departure from Vietnam was interpreted in Moscow as a weak point in the Western bloc’s Cold War strategy.
- The progressive deterioration of the United States’ ability to shape political outcomes in distant places has already shaken the foundations of American unipolarity.
Significance Aspects of American Politics
- Afghanistan Withdrawal:
- There are two dominant narratives about the American withdrawal.
- One is that the United States left the nation on its own as part of a bigger reorientation of its foreign policy. Even after 20 years of struggle, the world’s most formidable military and economic force failed to defeat the Taliban in Afghanistan.
- The alternative is that the United States failed to win the war in Afghanistan and was forced to withdraw from the nation, as it was in Vietnam.
- There are two dominant narratives about the American withdrawal.
- US failures:
- Following invasions, it failed to restore political stability and order in Iraq and Libya.
- It was unable to prevent Russia from annexing Crimea from Ukraine in 2014. Vladimir Putin outmanoeuvred it in Syria.
- Reoriented Strategy:
- The current reorientation of American foreign policy toward China undoubtedly played a part in the Afghan disengagement.
- The Taliban’s return to power fueled this impression of great power weariness and empowered America’s adversaries to openly question the US-centric “rules-based system.”
Three Challengers to the Superpower Status of the US:
Almost four months after its withdrawal from Afghanistan, the U.S. is already facing intense geopolitical competition from three of its rivals.
- Russian Threats: Russia has assembled a large number of troops on its border with Ukraine. According to Western intelligence services, Russia’s President might launch an invasion of Ukraine. Russia has also backed Belarus in its response to the refugee problem on the European Union’s Polish border. Russia is clearly signalling to the West that the region running from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea, the eastern flank of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, is a Russian sphere of influence.
- Cut to West Asia: After the Trump administration unilaterally removed the United States from the 2015 nuclear deal, Iran has sped up its nuclear development. It has refused to engage in direct discussions with the United States. As both parties maintain their stances, attempts to resurrect the accord through discussions in Vienna have met a brick block, raising the prospect of a collapse.
- Enter the South China Sea: China has sparked fears that it may take the self-ruled island of Taiwan by force. As the United States attempts to shift its emphasis to the Indo-Pacific area in order to counter China’s ascent, China is growing more aggressive in its perimeter, seeking strategic depth.
Possible Solutions
- America’s options abroad have been restricted as a result of the shift to Asia. US has rightly ruled out a military conflict with Russia over Ukraine. What the United States and its European partners might do is put stronger sanctions on Russia.
- Economic penalties will also force Russia farther into China’s arms, deepening the Eurasian alliance, which the US considered as a vital risk to American interests during the Cold War.
- In the case of Iran, if the United States blinks first and relaxes the sanctions, it might be interpreted as another display of weakness.
- If the Vienna negotiations fail, Iran may continue to enrich uranium to higher purity, which would be contrary to America’s stated aims in West Asia.
Conclusion:
The withdrawal from Afghanistan and the drawdown in West Asia indicate that America’s geopolitical priority has switched to China. As the mechanisms of the new Cold War take shape, the United States would prefer not to become embroiled in another battle.
2. A global gateway to creating links, not dependencies
Topic: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests.
Mains: India-EU Relations and Way Forward
Context:
The European Union (EU) and India signed the Connectivity Partnership, which broadens our collaboration in the digital, energy, transportation, and people-to-people sectors.
Collaborations of EU for Sustainable Infrastructure:
- Financially, socially, and ecologically sustainable connection is Europe’s calling card and offer to Europe’s partner nations in addressing infrastructure investment requirements. Since 1993, the European Investment Bank (EIB) has supported India for major connectivity projects.
- Earlier this year, the EU and Brazil unveiled a new fibre-optic connection that would transport gigabytes of data between the two continents more quickly and securely. This enables experts from Europe and Latin America to collaborate on subjects ranging from climate modelling to catastrophe avoidance.
- The European Investment Bank (EIB) and the cooperation agencies of France, Spain, and Germany collaborated with the European Commission to select projects to fund in the energy, transportation, and digital sectors.
- The EIB signed a loan line to assist African small and medium-sized enterprises in recovering from the epidemic and capitalizing on development prospects provided by the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA).
- The EU’s new Global Gateway policy continues to support green and digital transformation on a global scale.
Areas of Cooperation:
- Investments:
- Between 2021 and 2027, India and the EU will mobilize investments in public and private money for global infrastructure development, including funding for climate and digital transitions, as well as health, education, and research.
- Infrastructure projects:
- The EU and India have agreed to build joint infrastructure projects around the world, notably in Africa, to be described as a connectivity partnership.
- Such infrastructure projects in India will strengthen transport linkages with the EU.
- Focus on Connectivity:
- Focus on data flows, energy sources, rare earths, vaccinations, and semiconductors are all instruments of power that will benefit India significantly.
- To meet the challenge of connectivity, the EU will help India to appropriate resources.
- No ‘debt traps’
- Indian sovereignty is strengthened when India has multiple options when making investment decisions.
- There will be no ‘white elephants’ or ‘debt traps,’ between India and EU initiatives.
- The initiatives will be long-term and meet the requirements of the local community.
Conclusion:
The relationship between the European Union (EU) and India is about demonstrating how democratic ideals provide confidence and fairness for investors, sustainability for partners, and long-term benefits for people all around the world. The EU and India have the potential to be leaders in this undertaking.
Category: ENVIRONMENT
1. Home truths on climate change
Topic: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment.
Mains: India’s international commitments and domestic policies on Climate Change
Context:
This article examines the gaps between international commitments and domestic policies aimed to tackle the climate crisis.
Reasons behind the climate crisis
- The reasons for the world’s climate problem may be found in global capitalism’s irresponsible pursuit of profit maximization, driven by the United States and its developed-country allies.
- As a result, environmental degradation has occurred in the name of development.
- The goal at Glasgow was to make ‘net zero’ emissions by 2050 a global benchmark, without accounting for cumulative emissions for which the Global North is primarily responsible.
- The attempt by some to compare India and other emerging countries with the United States and Europe as the worst “emitters” is similarly misguided, owing to cumulative emissions.
Gaps Between International Commitments and Domestic Policies
In the international arena, India’s ruling regime wears the crown of a poor country resisting industrialized nations’ aggressiveness on climate change issues, while internal policies reflect the interests of local and foreign capital. Some examples are:
- Coal Use Policy: In India, the government’s coal policy is motivated by its desire to transfer mineral resources, particularly coal, to the private sector. Even as India brags about transitioning to solar energy to fulfil its emission reduction objectives, it is privatizing the coal business, auctioning coal mines, and pushing open cast mines for commercialization and export.
- Agricultural Policies: Within India, the promotion of corporatisation policies and the support of contract farming under terms imposed by large agri-businesses jeopardizes food security. Important pledges are made in the same proclamation to “recognise and (extend) assistance to smallholders, indigenous peoples, and local communities.” It was expedient for the administration not to accept significant reforms proposed by international laws and institutions because the policies would have contradicted these promises. For example, the recommendations in the International Monetary Fund’s 2018 Article IV report consider the MSP to be a market distortion that skews farmers’ production decisions, adds to inflation, and enlarges the fiscal burden. But the government promises not to roll back the current Minimum Support Price (MSP).
- Amendments to Recent Laws: The government has tried to monetize, privatize, commercialize, and even militarize forests through a host of proposed revisions to current laws and regulations, trampling on the recognised rights of forest people, particularly indigenous populations.
- The proposed Forest Policy of 2018, proposed amendments to the Forest Act of 1927, proposed amendments to the Forest (Conservation) Act of 1980, proposed amendments to the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act of 1957, and the adoption of the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Rules all reflect these measures.
- Paris Agreement: The Indian government agreed to construct carbon sinks by 2030 at the 2015 COP in Paris. The government established a Green Mission to promote forest regeneration, afforestation, and increased forest and tree cover, among other things. The Estimates Committee of Parliament indicated in its 2018-2019 report that 30 million hectares of land are necessary to plant indigenous trees, not monocultures or plantations, to achieve the promise of sequestering CO2.
- Reduced Power to Gram Sabhas: Recent legislative changes have deprived Gram Sabhas of any say in decision-making processes, making it simpler to pass up forests to the corporate sector. The power of the Gram Sabhas is being ignored.
Way Forward:
- To discover long-term answers, we must look at the internal policies of developing-country governments in addition to rejecting the imperialist attitude of the rich world.
- The majority of these regimes are dedicated to the capitalist expropriation of natural and national resources.
- The government must alter its pro-corporate policies, which are manifested in privatization. It must end its unofficial war on the Forest Rights Act and constitutional protections that protect Adivasi populations.
- Only with the participation of people who have saved forests will India be able to make a significant contribution to efforts to manage climate change and serve as an example to the rest of the world.
F. Prelims Facts
1. Supersonic missile-assisted torpedo system tested: DRDO
Context:
- A supersonic missile-assisted torpedo system developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has been successfully tested.
Details:
- The system is a next-generation missile-based stand-off torpedo delivery system.
- A torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, and with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target.
- This will help enhance the anti-submarine warfare capability of the Indian Navy far beyond the conventional range of the torpedo.
- This canister-based missile system consists of advanced technologies — two-stage solid propulsion, electro-mechanical actuators and precision inertial navigation.
G. Tidbits
1. Help children left homeless by pandemic: SC
- As per estimates provided by NGO, Save the Children, there might be lakhs of children in street situations due to the impact of the pandemic. The loss of livelihood for families may have increased homelessness across the country and they might have to be rescued and rehabilitated.
- The Supreme Court has directed States to take immediate steps to identify and rescue such homeless children.
- The court has asked for concerning details to be uploaded on the National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) portal ‘Bal Swaraj’, dedicated to children adversely affected by the pandemic.
2. Heritage and progress now go side by side in India, says Modi
- Speaking at the inauguration of the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor, the Indian Prime Minister highlighted the existence of both virasat (heritage) and vikas (progress) in India.
- The Prime Minister highlighted the economic, social, scientific development in India along with the efforts to conserve cultural heritage in India.
H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions
Q1. Consider the following statements with regards to India’s Republic Day parade:
- No Central Asian leader has ever been the chief guest at India’s Republic Day parade.
- 10 leaders from ASEAN nations were invited to India’s Republic Day parade as guests in 2016.
- A beating retreat ceremony signifies the beginning of the parade.
Which of these statements is/are not correct?
- 1 & 2 only
- 2 & 3 only
- 1 & 3 only
- All of the above
CHECK ANSWERS:-
Answer: d
Explanation:
- Kazakhstan’s former President Nursultan Nazarbayev was the chief guest in 2009 for India’s republic day parade.
- 10 leaders from ASEAN nations were invited to India’s Republic Day parade as guests in 2018.
- A beating retreat ceremony signifies the end of the parade.
Q2. Consider the following statements with regards to the UNCLOS:
- UNCLOS is the only international convention that stipulates a framework for state jurisdiction in maritime spaces.
- The territorial sea extends seaward up to 24 nautical miles (nm) from its baselines.
- Exclusive Economic Zone does not give a coastal state the right to prohibit or limit freedom of navigation or overflight, subject to very limited exceptions.
Choose the correct statements:
- 1 & 2 only
- 2 & 3 only
- 1 & 3 only
- All of the above
CHECK ANSWERS:-
Answer: c
Explanation:
- The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, also called the Law of the Sea Convention, is an international agreement that establishes a legal framework for all marine and maritime activities. It lays down a comprehensive regime of law and order in the world’s oceans and seas establishing rules governing all uses of the oceans and their resources.
- The territorial sea extends seaward up to 12 nautical miles (nm) from its baselines.
- Exclusive Economic Zone does not give a coastal state the right to prohibit or limit freedom of navigation or overflight, subject to very limited exceptions. It only grants it the right to make use of the natural resources available in the region.
Q3. Who amongst the following is/are not a part of the collegium that recommends the appointment of judges in the Supreme Court to the President?
- Prime Minister
- Chief Justice of India
- Union Law Minister
- 4th senior-most judge of the Supreme Court
Choose the correct code:
- 1 & 3 only
- 1, 3 & 4 only
- 2 & 4 only
- 3 & 4 only
CHECK ANSWERS:-
Answer: a
Explanation:
- Collegium system is a system under which appointments and transfers of judges are decided by a forum of the Chief Justice of India and the four senior-most judges of the Supreme Court.
Q4. Which amongst the following motions are moved against a member of Parliament for disregarding their rights and immunities granted to them so that they can effectively discharge their duties?
- Calling attention motion
- Privilege motion
- Adjournment motion
- Cut motion
CHECK ANSWERS:-
Answer: b
Explanation:
- All Members of Parliament (MPs) enjoy rights and immunities, individually and collectively, so that they can discharge their duties and functions effectively. Any instance when these rights and immunities are disregarded by any member of Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha is an offence, called ‘breach of privilege’, which is punishable under the Laws of Parliament.
- Any member from either house can move a notice in the form of a motion against the member who he/she thinks is guilty of the breach of privilege. Both Houses of the Parliament reserve the right to punish any action of contempt (not necessarily breach of privilege) which is against its authority and dignity, as per the laws.
Q5. The Chairmen of public sector banks are selected by the
- Banks Board Bureau
- Reserve Bank of India
- Union Ministry of Finance
- Management of concerned bank
CHECK ANSWERS:-
Answer: a
Explanation:
- The Chairmen of public sector banks are selected by the Banks Board Bureau (BBB) and appointed by the Finance Ministry. On the recommendation of the BBB, the Appointment Committee of Cabinet takes the final decision.
I. UPSC Mains Practice Questions
- What is the Global Gateway strategy of the European Union? How can India partner with the EU’s global gateway for creating links and not dependencies? (250 words; 15 marks) (GS Paper 2/International Relations)
- In India, the state’s ritualistic attachment with the procedures of democracy has not been matched by an awareness of its implicit goal of a fulfilling life for Indians. Evaluate. (250 words; 15 marks) (GS Paper 2/Polity)
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