CNA March 10th 2021:- Download PDF Here

TABLE OF CONTENTS

A. GS 1 Related
B. GS 2 Related
POLITY AND GOVERNANCE
1. Over 72% rise in UAPA cases registered in 2019
2. Panel flags Centre’s meagre pensions
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
1. U.S. asks Afghan leaders to consider ‘an inclusive govt.’
2. The tale of two terminals in Colombo
C. GS 3 Related
ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY
1. SC questions delay in setting up environment regulator
D. GS 4 Related
E. Editorials
AGRICULTURE
1. Ploughing a new furrow in the agri-regulatory system
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
1. Quad: strategic opportunity or quagmire?
INTERNAL SECURITY
1. In need of full-time heads
F. Prelims Facts
G. Tidbits
1. Govt. asks refiners to diversify oil imports after OPEC+ move
H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions
I. UPSC Mains Practice Questions

2. Panel flags Centre’s meagre pensions

Context:

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Rural Development in its report has said that the Centre must increase the meagre pensions provided for poor senior citizens, widows and disabled people.

Issues:

• The panel also slammed the government’s laxity in raising the amount.
• It pointed out that recommendations to increase the sums had been made in the last two years as well.
• The committee said that it was baffled to observe the meagre amount of assistance ranging from ₹200 to ₹500 per month under the different components of the National Social Assistance Programme.
• The panel also slammed the DoRD for delays and disparities in the payment of wages and unemployment allowances under the flagship MGNREGA scheme.
• Another issue it flagged with MGNREGA was the disparity in wages in different States.

Details:

• The panel had previously urged the increase of these minuscule pensions in its reports on the Department of Rural Development’s (DoRD) demand for grants in 2019-20 and 2020-21.

National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP):

• National Social Assistance Programme is applicable to elders, widows and physically challenged.
• It is a scheme under the Ministry of Rural Development.

Note:

Article 41 of the Constitution of India (DPSP) directs the State to provide public assistance to its citizens in case of unemployment, old age, sickness and disablement and in other cases of undeserved want within the limit of its economic capacity and development.

Category: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

1. U.S. asks Afghan leaders to consider ‘an inclusive govt.’

Context:

U.S.A’s latest strategy of regional talks on Afghanistan.

Details:

• Blinken’s (US Secretary of State) plan is to ask the United Nations to convene a meeting of “Foreign Ministers and Special Envoys from Russia, China, Pakistan, Iran, India and the U.S.” to discuss a unified approach on Afghanistan.
• The inclusion of India in the United States’s latest strategy of regional talks on Afghanistan was welcome but it did not remove several misgivings India had about the US policy over the conflict.
• For India, which has protested being left out of regional formulations in the past both in the original Moscow process, and in the United Nation’s April 2020 “6+2+1” that included Afghanistan’s immediate neighbours only, the U.S.’s suggestion is a relief.

Turkey’s role:

• The U.S. also plans to ask the government of Turkey to host a senior-level meeting of both sides in the coming weeks to finalise a peace agreement.
• The new emphasis for an Istanbul process over the current process in Doha, might indicate a greater role for Turkey.
• It also signifies a significant role for Turkish troops as a part of a proposed NATO stabilisation force.
• This could be a matter of concern for India, given close ties between Turkey and Pakistan.

Inclusive Government in Afghanistan:

• The U.S. has also pushed for a road map to a new, inclusive government in Kabul.
• This indicates its desire to replace Mr. Ghani’s government with an interim one that would include the Taliban’s nominees.

Conclusion:

There seems to be a certain inevitability in these proposals for Afghanistan, as it suggests that the U.S. has decided that the Taliban has a legitimate place in Kabul.

2. The tale of two terminals in Colombo

Context:

Sri Lanka ousted India and Japan from one project (East Container Terminal at the Colombo Port) and awarded them another West Container Terminal (WCT).

This topic has been covered in the 3^rd March 2021 Comprehensive News Analysis.

Category: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

1. Quad: strategic opportunity or quagmire?

The article evaluates the possible benefits and associated concerns with India’s membership of the Quad. This issue has been dealt with previously in the following articles:

Make the right call on ‘Malabar’ going Quad from CNA 20 July 2020

The confluence of four powers and two seas from CNA 26 July 2020

Category: INTERNAL SECURITY

1. In need of full-time heads

Context:

• The article expresses concerns over the fact that many Central forces are functioning without regular chiefs.

Details:

• Central armed police forces like the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Border Security Force (BSF), National Security Guard (NSG) and important national organizations like the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D), have been either functioning without a regular chief or such chiefs have been given additional in-charge duties.

Concerns:

Adverse impact on the forces:

• The process of appointments is marked by long delays. Since most appointees to the top posts are at the fag end of their service, they are left with just a few months or a year or so to head these organisations. There is little they can do within their short tenures.
• The lack of seriousness in posting the right kind of officers with not only the required skill and experience but also the time could have an adverse impact on the efficiency of these forces.
• Officers holding provisional charge shy away from taking major policy decisions and prefer to leave such matters to the next person in charge.

Impact on India’s internal security:

• The fact that many Central Forces are functioning without regular chiefs, could impact their efficiency which in turn could have a detrimental impact on India’s internal security scenario.
• The concerned agencies play a pivotal role in maintaining internal security.
  • The Border Security Force (BSF) is India’s primary border guarding organisation on its border with Pakistan and Bangladesh. It is charged with guarding India’s land border with Pakistan and Bangladesh during peacetime and preventing transnational crimes. It is also involved in combating militants in Jammu and Kashmir and the Northeast.
  • NSG comprising personnel from the Army and the Central Armed Police Forces come into action in times of crisis such as during the Mumbai attacks of 2008. It is also entrusted with the responsibility of providing security to certain high-risk personalities.

Recommendations:

• The following measures could be taken to speed up appointment decisions and also to ensure effective personnel in the posts which could play a decisive role in enhancing the efficiency of these forces.

Choosing from a reserve list:

• A panel of officers cleared by the Union Public Service Commission could be always kept ready and the officers for the top posts could be chosen from this panel.
• The government could consider announcing the next chief of these organisations at least three months in advance which will help smoothen the transition process.

Mandating prior experience in the organization:

• Preferably, the officers being considered for the top posts should be from among the officers who have served in these organisations earlier. This would help ensure that the chiefs are aware of the organizational challenges before they take up the top post. This would help augment their effectiveness.

Ensuring sufficient tenure:

• The government should consider providing a minimum tenure of two years or till superannuation, whichever is later. This will help ensure sufficient tenure for the chief to implement some reforms.

Q1. “Dustlik” is a military exercise between which of the following countries?

Q2. Enabling the Business of Agriculture report is published by:

Q3. Consider the following statements with respect to Directive Principles
 of State Policy (DPSP):

Q4. Consider the following statements with respect to Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act:

Read the previous CNA here.

CNA March 10th 2021:- Download PDF Here