A brief of newspaper articles for the day bearing
relevance to Civil Services preparation
National
[1]. PM goes to Lahore, makes a Christmas date with history/3 minutes that changed India-Pak. ties
What has happened?
Modi’s visit to Pakistan is the first by an Indian Prime Minister in 11 years.
It caught everyone by surprise including senior officials.
They also called for “innovative” diplomacy of the kind they conducted in Paris, hinting there would be more such meetings in future.
Mr. Modi reportedly spoke of improving ties through economic links, citing progress in India’s bilateral trade with China as an example.
The Prime Ministers then discussed bilateral relations, particularly on how to improve people-to-people ties and also the upcoming talks between the Foreign Secretaries for more than an hour.
Modi reportedly agreed to include all issues, including Jammu and Kashmir in the list, which had been omitted in the Ufa statement.
[2]. To 2016, uncertainly
Context:-
The article discusses the economic problems of the current year and the need for taking up reforms seriously to ensure growth development.
Problems of 2015:-
a) Failed parliamentary session
b) The disinvestment target of roughly $11 billion has been postponed
c) No clear strategy to recruit better managers for PSUs.
d) The bankruptcy bill is yet to be made into law.
e) The problem of non-performing assets in public-sector banks remains unresolved.
f) There has been little progress on energy reforms and there is only a slight improvement in the ease of doing business index.
g) It has shelved those plans and ignored the Shanta Kumar Committee report on reforming the Food Corporation of India.
h) No efforts are underway to set right the distorted fertilizer subsidy.
i) Inflation has come down and is largely due to the decline in global commodity prices
j) The level of investment remains lower than desired and import demand continues to be weak .
k) There are no financial or business indicators that suggest the economy is growing as rapidly as suggested by the new GDP estimates.
l) The recovery has also been slowed down by the RBI’s stubborn insistence on keeping interest rates higher than mandated by the underlying inflation.
m) The combined Central and state fiscal deficit has gone up since 2010-11. With the 14th Finance Commission recommending that more funds be devolved to the states, it will be important to start looking at combined fiscal deficit numbers.
Economic Digest
[1]. Green norms may sound death knell for domestic textile industry
What has happened?
The Environment ministry has mandated that textile units having waste water discharge greater than 25 kilo litres a day shall establish Zero Liquid Discharge — effluent treatment plant.
No new or existing units will be allowed to operate their factories after that, in the absence of such arrangements.
Textile industry has raised concerns about the rule as it would make Indian firms even more uncompetitive at a time when export orders are shrinking.
What is Zero Discharge?
The concept of zero discharge necessarily means the following: 1) recovery of reusable water/other materials from waste water; 2) minimization or, no discharge of polluting substances into the environment away from the waste water treatment facility.
Significance of Textile industry:-
The textile industry is India’s largest employer after agriculture, accounting for 14 per cent of India’s exports.
It has recently lost ground to Bangladesh and Vietnam in the global market as the preferred supplier for ready-made garments.
Concerns of textile units:-
Smaller textile units wouldn’t be able to afford the costly equipment for treating effluents with a zero liquid discharge approach.
Several units after necessary approvals from the environment ministry and state pollution boards have invested in sea-discharge after treating effluents… all these investments would stand futile with the implementation of the proposed policy, thereby increasing the financial stress on these companies .
Technologies for such treatment plants is steam and electricity-intensive, leading to higher green house gas emissions as India largely relies on coal for power.
Suggestions:-
Increase the threshold of 25 kilo litres a day to 100 kilo litres a day.
Redefine zero effluent discharge to include re-use, recycling and alternative deployment of treated effluents
Environment
[1]. The gap in environmental crime statistics
What has happened?
From 2014, the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) began compiling data on environment-related offences. They show the all-India tally at 5,835.
Rajasthan alone accounts for half of all environmental crimes committed in India in 2014. In six states and four Union territories, no environmental crimes were recorded.
Laws Included:-
The NCRB Data includes violations under only five laws:
- The Forest Act, 1927;
- Wildlife Protection Act, 1972;
- Environment (Protection) Act, 1986;
- Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981; and
- Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 (as amended in 1988).
Most of the offences relate to just two Acts, the Forest Act and the Wildlife Protection Act, with the bulk recorded under the former.
Problems with the Data:-
Under-reporting and inadequate coverage of laws
Example:-
Delhi, with such poor air quality and where the Yamuna is choking under the weight of industrial and household waste, records no crimes under Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981; and Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 (as amended in 1988).
Wildlife crime:-
Wildlife crime broadly falls into five categories:
- Poaching;
- Illegal trade in body parts of wildlife;
- Illegal possession of wildlife goods;
- Entering a protected wildlife territory to hunt without permission;
- Taking wildlife goods outside the country without permission.
Of these, illegal trade in body parts was the most common offence.
Earlier, the offences mostly involved animal parts like leopard skins, deer antlers or ivory, nowadays they have expanded to include sea horses, pangolin skins, star tortoises, spotted black terrapins and sea cucumbers, with much of this new demand coming from China and South-east Asian countries.
Why are most crimes recorded under the Forest Act of 1927?
This may be because violations under this Act, such as cutting trees, are easier to record.
The well-trained cadre of forest service officers are granted a lot of judicial power, and their promotions and incentives depend on their policing performance.
On the other hand, the pollution control boards (PCBs) which deal with air and water pollution were created only in the 1970s. They do not have enforcement officers, no mechanism to address complaints, no policing functions and just issue permits
Police authorities are often not aware of the violations under the laws and hence do not record these as crimes under the Act.
In most cases, the PCBs just issue a show-cause notice to the entities concerned, and do not register cases with the magistrate. This is why the data does not represent the real extent of such crimes.
Why does Rajasthan account for half of the total environmental crimes reported in the country?
Greater vigilance, especially after tigers disappeared completely from Sariska in 2004.
The state has only 9.5% of its area under forest coverage and even that is under immense pressure.
The local population’s dependence on forest produces for livelihood.
Rajasthan has a 1:5 human-to-cattle ratio, and overgrazing is rampant
Opinion & Editorials
[1]. Continental shifts, fault lines
Whole article should be read. It’s ready brief analysis of the problems of West Asia.
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-opinion/continental-shifts-fault-lines/article8030137.ece
[2]. India, US and a year of togetherness
Context:-
The article discusses Indo-US relationship in the year 2015.
The year 2015 according to the author yielded extraordinary results in terms of cooperation between the two countries, greater ambitions have been set for 2016.
US-India-Japan ministerial mechanism:-
The Republic Day visit followed by a common vision for the Indo-Pacific region based on the shared commitment to the rules-based international systems that which has safeguarded peace and prosperity for seven decades.
Malabar naval exercise in the Indian Ocean in which Japan was welcomed as a regular participant.
The Defence Technology and Trade Initiative under which joint working groups on aircraft carrier and jet engine technology was launched.
The 2016 Red Flag aerial exercise in which India will be joining.
Nepal earthquake demonstrated how Indo-US growing military inter-operability contributed for joint humanitarian and disaster-response missions
Public health and development challenges:-
Joint research helped launch the world’s most inexpensive rota-virus vaccine.
The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention signed 16 new agreements to partner with Indian health institutions to combat infectious disease threats.
Also launched new efforts to fight TB, engaged in joint cancer research, and battled acute encephalitis together.
Working to increase agricultural productivity and reduce malnutrition across Africa.
Trade:-
In 2005, two-way trade was around $30 billion.
Today, it stands at $104bn, and our sights are set on increasing this figure to $500bn.
A $2.6bn agreement for GE to provide India’s railway network with next-generation locomotives, many of which will be made in India.
In 2005, there were approximately 200 US companies operating in India, today there are over 500.
This past year, over 1 million visa applications were processed — the highest on record
Climate and environment:-
Fulbright-India climate fellowship, expanded Indo-US Partnership to Advance Clean Energy (PACE) research, and established a new fund to hasten the commercialisation of innovative, off-grid clean-energy solutions.
Agreed to work to adopt an amendment to the Montreal Protocol in 2016 to phase down the production and consumption of super greenhouse gases known as hydro-fluorocarbons.
These efforts facilitated the conclusion of this month’s Paris Agreement to combat climate change.
Conclusion:-
The US-India relationship is poised to become a 21st-century alliance for global prosperity.
Indo-US partnership can protect the commons, empower the youth of our countries and the world, help maintain global peace, and further prosperity and development.
While there may be some differences — as close partners often do — never before in history have two such diverse and culturally distinct powers been united by a shared vision for the global good.
[3]. As We All Get Older
Context:-
On account of improvements in education, information, health and subsequent increases brought about in life expectancy, the percentage of Indians in the 60-plus age group has increased from 5.3% to 5.7% and 6.0% to 8.0%,
Contribution of senior citizens:-
Those who stay at home also assist the household contribute to the economy through their consumption -which has multiplier effects -and savings.
Further, they are engaged in supporting children of the economically active population -usually their grandchildren. But these are typically not quantified in national income accounting.
Around the world:-
New Zealand’s ministry for social development has an office devoted exclusively for senior citizens.
It has been estimated that senior citizens contribute $64 billion to Australia’s economy annually.
Some estimates for Britain state that older people work more than 13 million hours a year, which is valued at -an unpaid, of course -$3.1 billion.
In India:-
There is a ministry of social justice and empowerment, within which there is a social defence division under which senior citizens are covered.
An Integrated Programme for Older Persons, the main objective of which is to improve the quality of life of senior citizens by providing them basic amenities such as housing, food, medical care and entertainment opportunities, and specifically by encouraging productive and active ageing through support for capacity building of various institutions, local bodies and the community.
There is a national award for senior citizens, which recognises the efforts of individuals and institutions that work toward the cause of the elderly.
More attention:-
`State of India’s Elderly: 2014′ report points out; India spends a mere 0.032% of its GDP on senior citizens.
An ongoing national programme for healthcare for the elderly is being implemented in only 13 of the nearly 600 districts of the country. And only those who were in government service are eligible for pensions.
While large private sector industries provide substantial retirement benefits, the smaller units, particularly the informal sector, leave their ex-employees to fend for themselves.
Way forward:-
While fiscal subsidies impose a burden on the country’s finances, the contributions made by senior citizens should be quantified to appreciate their net effects on the economy.
by: ForumIAS Editorial Team
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