9 PM Daily Current Affairs Brief – April 12th, 2023

Mains Oriented Articles

GS PAPER - 2

Who will regulate the regulators?

Source- The post is based on the article “Who will regulate the regulators?” published in “The Indian Express” on 12th April 2023.

Syllabus: GS2- Statutory, Regulatory and various Quasi-judicial Bodies

Relevance– Issues related to governing board of regulators

News– The establishment of statutory regulators constitutes one of the most significant governance reforms of the last century. The Governance of these agencies centers around their governing boards (GB).

What are the issues with the governance of regulators in India?

Structure of the board– The law creates a board governed by a board, an authority by an authority, a council by a council, a commission by a commission. The superintendence, direction, and management of the affairs of this board vests in a board of members.

The former board is an entity, while the latter is its governing body. Most statutes do not distinguish between the two. It leads to mix-up or reversal of roles.

Independence of the board– It is difficult for an entity to take decisions about itself with complete objectivity or hold itself accountable for performance. So, decisions about a company are placed with the board of directors.

The governing board’s primary responsibility is to hold the management accountable. It may be hard for a governing board to hold the management accountable if its members are only managers.

Nominees in the board– the government has a few official nominees on the GBs of regulators. The views of such nominees carry disproportionately more weight in the decision-making process.

The government is often a market participant and subjected to pressures from various interest groups. It may not always be possible for the official nominee to take an objective position in all matters coming up before the GB.

Professionalism of the board– The independence of a regulator depends on the professional strength of the leaders. The whole-time members should be able to handle the influence of interest groups and the pressures of fear and favor. A term of 3-5 years for these positions comes in the way of such strength.

An individual with demonstrated capability would not join a regulator for a 3-5 year tenure. Further, tenure with the retirement age of 65 years leads to selection of individuals who have retired or are near to retirement.

A term of three years is very short for members to acquire the knowledge, expertise, and efficiency. Sixty is not an appropriate age to learn entirely new things and achieve mastery.

What are the steps required to improve the governance of regulators in India?

The GB needs to have appropriate external representation. Most statutes do not provide for this representation.

The presence of a few eminent persons in the governing board as part-time members is one of the more effective options. They are not beholden to the management.

Therefore, the number of part time members should match the number of whole-time members on the governing board. The process of selection of part time members needs to be robust and should inspire confidence.

GB should not have any nominee from the government. Ideally, a regulator may not have any nominee at all. The nominees generally have a conflict of interests. They look at every proposal that comes before the GB from the perspective of the organisations they represent.

Regulators must attract younger individuals, who have demonstrated their capability in the relevant field, for a reasonable period of service.

A regulator in India typically performs three functions, namely, quasi-legislative, executive, and quasi-judicial.

There should be a separate organisational unit responsible for each of the distinct types of functions. These units should maintain distance from one another to act as mutual checks and balances. This will address public law concerns relating to separation of powers.

The statute should mandate the GB only to perform quasi-legislative functions and to provide direction to the organisation. GB should be enabled to delegate executive and administrative tasks to different functionaries in the organisation.

Technology can democratise education

Source- The post is based on the article “Technology can democratise education” published in “The Indian Express” on 12th April 2023.

Syllabus: GS2- Issues related to development and management of education

Relevance– Issues related to importance of technology for education

News– The article explains the importance of education to achieve the vision of Amrit Kaal.

What is the potential of the Indian economy?

India is the world’s third-largest economy in terms of purchasing power parity (PPP).

A significant contributing factor to prosperity is India’s young population.

43% of Indians are aged 25 in 2023. The majority of the population expected to remain of working age until at least 2100.

According to the Confederation of Indian Industry, if the country’s working-age population is productively employed, its GDP can grow from $3 trillion to $9 trillion by 2030 and $40 trillion by 2047.

How can India be a global leader in the near future by investing in education?

The key to unlock India’s potential lies in education technology or EdTech.

Education will play a pivotal role in ushering the nation into the Knowledge Age. In Amrit Kaal, every child, regardless of socio-economic background, will have access to quality education. The next 25 years will be defined by how well we can educate our people.

There is a need to democratise technology and unleash its full potential. It will propel the nation towards its Amrit Kaal goals.

The key to unlock India’s potential lies in education technology or EdTech. Digital technology is the foundation of the modern ecosystem. The Digital India initiative and National Education Policy is a massive leap in the right direction.

Intelligence-embedded virtual classrooms, multi-disciplinary institutions, simulated field visits, and schools that digitally disseminate knowledge to students will decide the success. Investments in tech-driven education will convert students into competent, compassionate, and transformative future leaders.

What are the challenges before India’s education system?

UNESCO data shows that one out of four children aged five has never had any form of pre-primary education. This represents 35 million out of 137 million five-year-old children worldwide.

The pandemic further exacerbated challenges to education. It has widened the learning gaps and led to generational learning loss.

Data shows that children with disabilities, from migrant families, those living in remote areas, from marginalised communities, and girls in particular are impacted the most.

Building Institutions of Eminence: It requires more than infrastructure

Source- The post is based on the article “Building Institutions of Eminence: It requires more than infrastructure” published in “The Indian Express” on 12th April 2023.

Syllabus: GS2- Issues related to development and management of education

Relevance– Higher education related issues

News– The article explains the issues related to Institute of Eminence Scheme of Indian government

What are the issues related to the higher education system in India?

Most of the higher education institutions in India have remained teaching institutions. They are imparting knowledge. They are not creating new knowledge. They are followers, not leaders at the global level.

The approach has always been to invest in building more classrooms, buying more furniture, and making bigger campuses. The funding for research has always been meagre.

The regulations for ranking and rating have yielded some results in focusing on academic outcomes. Despite these efforts, India has not achieved the goal of being a global destination for quality higher education.

What are the different UGC regulations for the Institute of Eminence scheme?

The UGC (Institutions of Eminence Deemed to be Universities) Regulation 2017 has been crafted with the express intent to develop world-class universities. This was further amended in 2021 to permit the setting up of off-shore and off-campus centres by these institutions.

The UGC (Government Institutions declared as Institutions of Eminence) Guidelines 2017 were issued to provide funding support to the selected government institutions. The idea behind the regulation is to develop both public and private institutions equally.

What is the way forward for successful implementation of the IoE scheme?

Most of the ranking systems give close to 50% weightage to the research productivity. The IoE scheme should have been combined with the other crucial initiative of the National Research Foundation. The IoE scheme will not be successful without investments in research.

The IITs are still the only bet for the country to produce global-best institutions. A concerted focus on these institutions combined with greater autonomy would help in placing them in the top 100 ranks in the world.

There are private universities that aim to provide liberal arts and wholesome education. These have the chance of providing the best education globally and becoming widely known.

Three factors — size, age and funding — would determine the global best universities. Regulatory processes are impeding institutional autonomy. There is a need for a liberal regulatory regime.

The real solution lies in having inspired faculty and students. Inspiration doesn’t come merely from better facilities or better terms of appointment or better training. Inspiration has to come from academic leadership.

The creation of new knowledge needs critical thinking, problem-solving, innovative outlook of the faculty and collaborative research.

Building safeguards – Misuse of detention power renders need to stick to procedure paramount

Source: The post is based on the article “Building safeguards – Misuse of detention power renders need to stick to procedure paramount” published in The Hindu on 12th April 2023.

Syllabus: GS – 2: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation..

Relevance: About preventive detention cases.

News: Recently, the Supreme Court said that preventive detention laws are a colonial legacy and confer arbitrary powers on the state. This once again mentioned the threats to personal liberty posed by such laws.

What is Preventive Detention?

Read more: Preventive Detention

About preventive detention cases in India

Across the country, the tendency to detain suspects for a year to prevent them from obtaining bail is a pervasive phenomenon. This is leading to widespread misuse of preventive detention provisions.

Tamil Nadu government topped the country (2011-21) in preventive detentions. This is because its ‘Goondas Act’ covers offenders who range from bootleggers, slum grabbers, forest offenders to video pirates, sex offenders and cyber-criminals.

What are the observations of the court on preventive detention cases?

Both the apex court and High Courts have observed a) executives’ failure to adhere to procedural safeguards while dealing with the rights of detainees, b) detention orders are quashed by courts only after several months of detainment. In some cases, the orders are quashed after the full detention period.

Read more: Preventable abuse: SC calls out wrongful use of preventive detention. Such arrests must be made only in rare cases

What are the various reasons behind the court setting aside preventive detention cases?

Most detentions are ultimately set aside. The most common reason for setting aside detention is that there is an unexplained delay in the disposal of representations.

The other reasons are a) failure to provide proper grounds for detention, b) delay in furnishing them, c) sometimes giving illegible copies of documents and d) invocation of preventive detention laws for trivial reasons from the government.

What should be done to limit preventive detention?

-The court said that “every procedural rigidity, must be followed in entirety by the Government in cases of preventive detention, and every lapse in procedure must give rise to a benefit to the case of the detenu”.

-Though preventive detention is allowed by the Constitution, the government should understand that curbing crime needs efficient policing and speedy trials, and not unfettered power and discretion.

China renaming places: Beijing’s posture on Arunachal Pradesh borders on intimidation

Source: The post is based on the following articles

“Build The Answer – Ladakh or Arunachal, India’s counter to China’s border tactics must be via capability enhancement” published in The Times of India on 12th April 2023.

“Express View: Beijing’s posture on Arunachal Pradesh borders on intimidation” published in the Indian Express on 12th April 2023.

Syllabus: GS – 2: India and its neighbourhood- relations.

Relevance: About China renaming places in Arunachal Pradesh.

News: Recently, China renamed some places in Arunachal Pradesh.

About China renaming places in Arunachal Pradesh

Read here: China announces ‘renaming’ of 11 places in Arunachal Pradesh, including one close to Itanagar

What are the factors behind China renaming places?

China does not want to solve the border dispute: China has little interest in resolving the border tussle with India as it enjoys considerable natural military advantages along the LAC. For example, since the 2020 Galwan clashes China build fresh construction of roads, bridges and helipads on the Chinese side.

Instead, China wants India to normalise relations and compartmentalise the border dispute. This was further reinforced

China wants to have leverage over India: As China prepares for an intensification of the strategic competition with the US and the Quad, it wants to have leverage on the border dispute with India. Thus, India has will be in a position to rapidly reduce the border infra gap to prevent further Chinese salami slicing tactics.

Read here: Invented names: On India’s response to China’s fresh attempt to lay claim over parts of Arunachal Pradesh

About Chinese cartographic deceptions and China’s historical claim over Arunachal Pradesh

Read here: India must be alert to China’s cartographic deception in Arunachal Pradesh

What India should do as a reaction to China renaming places?

Faster implementation of Vibrant Villages Programme: The scheme is a well-intentioned attempt at preventing out-migration from remote border villages to make them natural defences. But its success depends on speed and quality of implementation.

Work on a multidimensional approach: Arunachal assumes salience for China’s Tibet question. So, India must start preparing a multidimensional approach for future tussles over the declaration of the next Dalai Lama.

Do not take China for granted: India should know that nothing can be taken for granted in an atmosphere on the Line of Actual Control. So, India has to act with the aim of building deterrence even while making serious attempts to find peace with China.

GS PAPER - 3

Ride Globalisation, Again

Source: The post is based on the article “Ride Globalisation, Again” published in The Times of India on 12^th April 2023.

Syllabus: GS 3 – Indian Economy

Relevance: About services exports and manufacturing sector

News: Services exports in India have risen remarkably. This has made India recover from the pandemic loss and focus on other aspects of the economy.

What are some of the findings on services exports?

After the pandemic, net services exports have risen to $9 billion per month in the last financial year, 2021-2022. This financial year there has been a steep rise and it has gone up to $16 billion per month.

India’s net exports in services have been positive while its net exports in goods are negative. In the two years since the pandemic, India’s net export in services has boomed.

What has caused a boom in the services exports?

The big IT firms of India have played a major role in services exports.

It has also risen due to the Global Capability Centres (GCC). GCC refers to offices set up by large multinational firms that provide IT, research, and analytical support to the parent companies.

India currently hosts 40% of the world’s GCCs and this number is expected to rise.

Moreover, there is more potential in India to increase its services exports in the sectors such as finance, medicine, education and law. These sectors have not yet been utilized in services exports.

These sectors along with IT exports and a strong privacy and data protection law will position India at the centre of new wave of globalization of services.

However, this doesn’t mean India should abandon manufacturing.

Must Read: Services Sector in India – Explained

How can India create job in its manufacturing sector?

India has a strong presence in skilled manufacturing such as two-wheelers and pharmaceuticals.

However, India has not been successful in creating low skilled jobs in manufacturing and there is a need to create more jobs in the manufacturing sector.

Moreover, jobs cannot be created by selectively focusing on industries through industrial policy, protecting some areas with tariffs and subsidising others with the production-linked incentive scheme.

This is because these schemes typically benefit large firms in capital intensive industries and not act as a mass job creator.

For instance, according to government data, with 15% of the proposed investment in PLI schemes, only 3% of the proposed jobs have been created.

Therefore, there is a need for building infrastructure, producing a better educated and healthier workforce, and promoting easing doing business to create jobs.

Moreover, well-paying jobs created through skilled service exports will create other associated low-skilled service jobs.

What can be the way ahead?

India should work to persuade the world to open up to the possibilities of services exports in sectors that are traditionally regarded as non-tradable, such as health, education, legal and accounting services. 

For example, an Indian doctor cannot diagnose patients in the UK because their Indian qualifications are not recognised.

Hence, India’s G20 presidency is an opportunity for India to push for lowering barriers to the globalisation of services.

Celebrate the rise in tiger population, but look beyond the numbers

Source: The post is based on the article “Express View: Celebrate the rise in tiger population, but look beyond the numbers” published in the Indian Express on 12th April 2023.

Syllabus: GS – 3: Environment and Bio-diversity Conservation.

Relevance: About tiger population.

News: Recently, the government released the 5th cycle of India’s Tiger Census. Based on the survey, the tiger population in India has grown from 1,411 in 1972 to 3,167 in 2022.

What are the key findings of India’s tiger census?

Read here: India is home to 75% of global tigers; count rises above 3,000

What are the government initiatives that led to an increase in the tiger population?

Read here: Increasing tiger population in India and government initiatives – Explained, pointwise

What are the challenges India faces with the increased tiger population?

Read here: Burning bright – India must balance conservation efforts with the rights of forest dwellers”

What are the challenges highlighted in the tiger census?

These include a) There is a decline of the genetically unique varieties of the animal in Odisha and parts of Northeast India, b) Simlipal tiger is known for their unusually broad and fused stripe. But the numbers of the Simlipal tiger have been coming down steadily in the last decade. This is because the reserve in Odisha is unable to provide its tiger population with an adequate prey base, c) Pilibhit in Uttar Pradesh has become one of the hotspots of human-tiger conflict — villagers in the vicinity of the reserve allegedly beat up tigers to death in 2019 and 2020 and d) Understaffed forest departments find themselves ill-equipped to deal with many challenges.

Overall, better protection and augmentation of prey in protected areas “could help increase the tiger population”.

[Yojana April 2023 Summary] Opportunities for Youth in Startup Ecosystem – Explained, pointwise

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Introduction

India is celebrating its 75th anniversary as the world’s youngest and largest democracy. The Prime Minister has set a goal of making India a developed nation by 2047, and the next 25 years have been dubbed “Amrit Kaal.” This period will usher in the Swarnim Yug, which would see India become a developed nation by 2047. Providing opportunities for Youth will be crucial in accomplishing this goal. The government is enacting several programmes to fully realise their potential. With a billion Indians under the age of 35, India’s demographic dividend is set to provide the country with a bright future.  

Why does New India need to provide opportunities for youth in Startup Ecosystem?

Startups Catering to Market Demands: The Indian domestic market and demand is projected to reach an enormous $384 trillion by 2047. India’s villages currently house 11% of the world’s population, but around 30 people are moving from villages to cities every minute. By 2047, 20% of the world’s middle class will be in India, creating a new urban population that will require various services such as housing, infrastructure, education, health, and entertainment. Young entrepreneurs have a vast range of sectors to innovate in and meet the growing demand, offering tremendous opportunities for startups to disrupt the market positively.  

India’s Rapid Digitisation: India is at the forefront of digitisation, with 41 percent of the world’s real-time transactions occurring in the country. The IT industry in India is booming, with a YoY growth of 15.5 percent in FY22 and revenue surpassing USD 200 billion. Startups have the opportunity to leverage the development in tech sub-sectors like Al, blockchain, XaaS, cloud computing, and more. The Government of India is committed to promoting homegrown businesses and supporting Indian innovators in emerging as global leaders in futuristic technology.  

Record FDI and Inclusive Growth: Out of the $950 billion in FDI received since independence, $532 billion came in the last 8 years from 162 countries in 61 sectors across 31 states and UTs. The Digital India initiative has helped drive the growth of the startup ecosystem, especially in remote parts of the nation. The ‘MARG’ portal is providing crucial opportunities and funding for innovators and startups in remote areas, highlighting inclusive development in New India. The new engine of the Indian growth story lies in semi-urban and rural India.  

India-Knowledge and content hub of the world: Along with sports, our yoga-spirituality, music cinema, and philosophy-literature, etc., also have the power to establish Indian hegemony in the whole world. Today, India’s Yoga Day and International Millets Day are the most popular among the programmes celebrated by the United Nations. So, India must develop ways of fully leveraging the potential of Indian soft power through startups also.  

Opportunities in energy sector: India holds the fourth position in the world, in the field of solar energy. The recently-discovered lithium deposits in Jammu and Kashmir are also likely to open up new opportunities. The energy sector promises guaranteed success and must be leveraged by the youth and startups so that India can become self-sufficient and a net exporter nation of energy by 2047.  

What are the steps taken by the government to enhance the opportunities for Youth in Startup Ecosystem?

Startup India acts as a Catalyst for India’s Youth: Startup India has been a decisive and phenomenal intervention by the Government of India to make India’s youth the best in the world. Launched in 2016, it has become a globally known journey of India’s fast-paced, always innovating and resilient entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Through Startup India, the youth have been given access to new opportunities and empowered to drive India’s sustainable economic growth and create large-scale employment opportunities. This has transformed India into a New India where good economics is driving much-needed change.  

Working towards digitizing: The Union Budget 2023-24 aims to transform India into a scientific and digitized economy. The government is working towards digitizing all government processes to make them more citizen-centric.  

Green Hydrogen Mission: There is a provision of Rs. 35,000 crores for the energy transition in this budget. Rs. 20,000 crore have been given for the Green Hydrogen Mission. Agricultural startups: The Agricultural Budget which was less than Rs. 25,000 crores in 2014 has been increased to more than Rs. 1,25,000 crore today.

India is home to more than 3000 agri-startups today compared to almost nothing 9 years ago. The introduction of accelerator funds for agri-tech startups is not only creating digital infrastructure but also preparing funding avenues. Shree Anna is being promoted for the benefit of our small farmers as well as to increase the growth possibilities of startups in this sector.  

Lowering the cost of logistics to increase competitiveness: The National Logistics Policy (NLP), launched in September 2022, aims to lower the cost of logistics and increase the competitiveness of Indian products. The policy targets reducing the cost of logistics from the existing range of 13%-14% to levels on par with other developed countries.  

Combining Policies: The NLP’s transformational capacities are further increased when combined with previous connectivity and infrastructure improvement schemes like Gati Shakti, Sagarmala, and Bharatmala. This synergy will further increase the efficiency efforts across all sectors of the economy and encourage value addition and enterprise.  

How does the Knowledge-Based Digital Economy provide opportunities for youth in the startup ecosystem?

Building a knowledge-based digital economy: A Digital Public Infrastructure will be developed for the benefit of farmers, while ICMR labs will be made available to private medical colleges and R&D companies for health-based research. Additionally, a Centre of Excellence will be set up to promote research and innovation in pharmaceuticals. District Institutes of Education and Training Centres will also be established to revolutionize teacher training, and a National Digital Library will be built.  

Focus on skill development and training: The Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana will provide training in artificial intelligence, coding, 3D printing, and the Internet of Things. The government will open 30 Skill India international centers, three Centers of Excellence for Artificial Intelligence, and 100 labs for the development of 5G applications. Moreover, stipends will be given to 47 lakh youth to ensure equal opportunities for everyone.  

Introducing the National Data Governance Policy: To facilitate the use of data arising from digitization, the government will soon introduce the National Data Governance Policy. This policy will make India’s data available to the country’s youth to develop new technologies and innovations.  

How do sectors of defence and space provide opportunities for Youth in Startup Ecosystem?

India’s Defence Exports: India’s defence exports have been growing steadily over the past few years, with the goal of raising them from $1.5 billion to $5 billion by 2024-25.  

Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) Framework: To promote innovation and technological growth in the defence and aerospace sectors, the government established the Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) framework. This framework integrates industries such as MSMEs, startups, and individual innovators, as well as R&D institutes and academia, to promote self-sufficiency.  

Defence India Startup Challenge (DISC): The iDEX framework launched seven versions of the Defence India Startup Challenge (DISC) to encourage startups and inventors to develop successful prototypes. The Military India Startup Challenge has seen a huge number of firms participate in various rounds.

Success Stories of iDEX Framework: So far, 136 startups have been engaged, and 102 contracts for prototype development have been signed. The Ministry has also granted Acceptance of Necessity (AN) for 14 iDEX goods, opening the door for orders to be placed with iDEX winners.  

Central Sector Scheme for iDEX: The government has authorised a central sector scheme for iDEX with a financial support of Rs 498.78 crore from 2021-22 to 2025-26. The problem statements generated by the defence forces are launched within the iDEX framework for the development of technologies and prototypes, thereby addressing the defence forces’ real-time problems.  

Conclusion

The youth of India are being praised for their innovative spirit, which has led to the success of the country’s startup ecosystem. The Prime Minister has recognized their passion, sincerity, and integrity as the driving force behind this success. India’s startups are constantly evolving and adapting, which is why they are creating waves in the world. Young entrepreneurs are encouraged to continue playing and exploring new opportunities while upholding the spirit of Vasudhaiv Kutumbakam. 

Source: Yojana

Syllabus: GS 3: Economic development – Changes in industrial policy and their effects on industrial growth.

Prelims Oriented Articles (Factly)

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