A brief of newspaper articles for the day bearing
relevance to Civil Services preparation
Environment & Climate Change
[1]. Snowflake coral, a serious threat to biodiversity
Context:-
Colonies of snowflake coral ( Carijoa riisei ) is an invasive species recently documented off the coast of Thiruvananthapuram and Kanyakumari.
They could pose a serious threat to the marine ecology of the region.
What is a snow flake coral?
It is known to inhabit reefs and underwater structures such as shipwrecks and piers, attaching itself to metal, concrete and even plastic.
It is a native of the tropical Western Atlantic and the Caribbean, C.riisei was first reported as an invasive species from Hawaii in 1972.
Since then, it has spread to Australia, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines.
In India, it has been reported from the Gulf of Mannar, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Gulf of Kutch and Goa.
Threat:-
With its capacity to thickly settle and occupy a variety of surfaces, C.riisei can destabilise the marine ecosystem.
He fears it will crowd out other species like corals, sponges, algae, ascidians that contribute to the rich marine biodiversity of the region.
[2]. Indian climate models to aid future IPCC reports
Context:-
India will have its own climate change models to project the impact of global warming over the decades.
These will form part of the forthcoming Sixth Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Reports that is expected to be available in 2020.
What are IPCC Reports?
Since 1988 five IPCC Reports have been published. They are coordinated by the United Nations and bring together the scientific consensus on the causes and impact of climate change.
They also assess the extent to which the globe is expected to warm up over the medium and long term.
Crucial at Paris summit
The IPCC’s fifth report in 2014, was critical in shaping the resolution at the recently concluded climate talks in Paris.
As per the Paris Agreement, which will come into effect in 2020, India and several other countries will have report their emissions as well as detailed plans to curb them.
Who will be developing the models?
The climate models will be developed by the Earth Sciences Ministry and prepared by the Pune-based Centre for Climate Change Research.
Customising the borrowed models:
These are so-called dynamic models that rely on super-computers to compute the weather on a given day and simulate how it would evolve over days, months and even years.
These models, developed in the United States, have over few years been customised to Indian conditions. Their ability to predict the Indian monsoon has consistently improved over the years, and now over the next few years they should be able to project climate over the decades.
International Relations
[1]. Diplomatic crisis deepens in West Asia
What has happened?
Saudi Arabia had executed a Shia cleric following which its embassy in Tehran (Iran) was attacked by a mob.
This led Saudi Arabia to declare that it is severing diplomatic ties with Iran and asked Iranian diplomats to leave the country within 48 hours.
Later Saudi Arabia’s civil aviation authority said it was cutting all air links with Iran.
Iran now accuses Saudi Arabia of stoking regional tensions.
[2]. The Island of Dispute
Economic Digest
[1]. Rail regulator to set fares, ensure fair competition
Context:-
The Union government has come out with a concept paper proposing to set up a rail regulator for fixing fares and ensuring level-playing field for private investments in railway infrastructure.
Executive order:-
The Railways Ministry plans to set up the Rail Development Authority through an executive order to avoid parliamentary hurdles and later on widen its powers.
Role to be played:-
It will be an independent body, housed outside the Ministry of Railways but funded through the annual railway budget sanctioned by the Parliament.
The approved Budget would be placed at the disposal of the regulatory authority.
It would also be permitted to arrange funds through adjudication fees, penalties levied and any other source as specified in the proposed Act
The proposed rail authority will be mandated to:
- Set passenger and freight tariff,
- Ensure fair play and level-playing field for private investments in Railways,
- Maintain efficiency and performance standards,
- Disseminate information such as statistics and forecasts related to the sector.
In case, the government doesn’t accept the tariff suggested by the regulator, “the Indian Railways would need to be compensated appropriately perhaps through increased allocations in the gross budgetary support.
Why do we need a regulator?
Losses:-
The estimated losses in passenger segment has ballooned from Rs 6159 crore in 2004-05 to provisional estimate of over Rs 30,000 crore in 2015-16, primarily due to sharp increases in input costs and no proportionate increase in fares over the same period.
Erosion in freight market:-
Keeping fares within affordable limits has led to cross-subsidisation of passenger services leading to erosion of railway’s market share in freight. The total share of railways in the total transportation of freight traffic has declined from 89 per cent in 1950-51 to 36 per cent in 2007-08.
Too much government control:-
Investors have generally been shy of investing in an industry where far too much is still being done or controlled by government and the risk or return trade-off is not always favourable
Setting the tariffs:-
The authority will set tariff based on cost recovery principle and “what the traffic can bear.”
All the direct and indirect costs such as pension liabilities, debt servicing, replacements and renewals along with productivity parameters, market-driven demand and supply forces and future investments will be considered by the regulator before setting tariffs.
Providing level playing field:-
The authority has to ensure level playing field for investors and it will be authorised to penalise cartelisation (a cartel is an agreement between competing firms to control prices or exclude entry of a new competitor in a market), abuse of dominance and other unfair market mechanisms.
Appellate body:-
An appellate body is also proposed to be formed and the role, structure and composition of the body will be similar to regulators set up by the government in telecom and electricity sectors.
[2]. The three next steps for CSR to succeed
What is Corporate Social Responsibility?
Corporate social responsibility (CSR), is a corporation’s initiatives to assess and take responsibility for the company’s effects on environmental and social well-being. The term generally applies to efforts that go beyond what may be required by regulators or environmental protection groups.
CSR in India
Ministry of Corporate Affairs has notified Section 135 and Schedule VII of the Companies Act as well as the provisions of the Companies (Corporate Social Responsibility Policy) Rules, 2014 (CRS Rules) which has come into effect from 1 April 2014.
Every qualifying company requires spending of at least 2% of its average net profit for the immediately preceding 3 financial years on CSR activities.
Activities that can be undertaken through CSR:
The activities that can be done by the company to achieve its CSR obligations include:
a) eradicating extreme hunger and poverty,
b) promotion of education,
c) promoting gender equality and empowering women,
d) reducing child mortality and improving maternal health,
e) combating human immunodeficiency virus, acquired, immune deficiency syndrome, malaria and other diseases,
f) ensuring environmental sustainability,
g) employment enhancing vocational skills, social business projects,
h) contribution to the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund or any other fund set up by the Central Government or the State Governments for socio-economic development and relief and funds for the welfare of the Scheduled Castes, the Scheduled Tribes, other backward classes, minorities and women and such other matters as may be prescribed.
The News/Issue:
Many companies still face the challenges in implementing effective CSR strategies—lack of clarity about regulations with respect to what is allowed under the law, lack of knowledge about sector and industry best practices, too few implementation partners who have the capacity to work with companies and so on.
The Solution:
a) Government as enabler (“Democratise Development”): The government should leverage the CSR law to meaningfully engage companies in the development sector and create frameworks that facilitate public-private partnerships for the implementation of long-term and impactful programmes. This has been done in case of few schemes like Swacchh Bharat, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao and Skill India – where government has appealed to different stake holders to contribute towards success of the scheme
Alongside, companies must aim to approach, engage and work with state governments and local government bodies to ensure better access to the end beneficiary, delivery channels that will help scale up and fast-track projects.
b) Adopt a business approach: Aspects of business operations that can be lent to CSR implementation such as tracking the utilization of budgets by implementation agencies, monitoring and evaluating programmes, hiring the right people, building capacity of internal and external personnel to deliver, communicating impact to relevant stakeholders and assessing (social) return on investment have been largely ignored.
c) Explore Collaborations: The Companies Act 2013 allows for collaboration between two or more companies by using a separate legal entity. There are many hurdles to collaboration between companies, but collaboration between companies will allow stakeholders to leverage their strengths to complement partners’ efforts and, therefore, provide a comprehensive programme for beneficiaries and achieve scale.
Conclusion:
The CSR law will be a lost opportunity if stakeholders do not understand each other’s perspectives, leverage each other’s core competencies, and build capacity to deliver and create the right frameworks for knowledge sharing and collaboration.
Science & Technology
[1]. Li-Fi: A green avatar of Wi-Fi
Li-Fi is not expected to completely replace Wi-Fi, but the two technologies could be used complementarily to create more efficient, green and future-proof access networks.
What is Li-Fi?
Li-Fi, or light fidelity, invented by German physicist and professor Harald Haas, is a wireless technology that makes use of visible light in place of radio waves to transmit data at terabits per second speeds—more than 100 times the speed of Wi-Fi.
To start with, it is being tested for indoor usage, i.e., in offices and establishments, but it is also sure to go outdoor in a big way by making use of existing infrastructure used for street and traffic lights, which are already moving towards LED lamps.
Li-Fi offers great promise to overcome the existing limitations of Wi-Fi by providing for data-heavy communication in short ranges. Since it does not pollute, it can be called a green technology for device-to-device communication in the Internet of Things (IoT).
Properties:-
LI-FI meets the 3L criteria: low interference, low power and low maintenance.
In addition, it has potential for the first two Hs of the three Hs of high data rates, high reliability and high affordability.
Since Li-Fi relies on visual light and not radio waves as the carrier but the last one—high affordability—may be achieved only when volumes increase, as it has in the case of Wi-Fi.
Potential applications
Real time traffic control:-
Traffic lights can communicate to the vehicles and with each other. Vehicles having LED-based headlights and tail lamps can communicate with each other and prevent accidents by exchanging information.
Also, through the use of Li-Fi, traffic control can be made intelligent and real-time adaptable. Actually, each traffic and street light post can be converted into access points to convert roadsides into wireless hot spots.
Where Radio waves are less safe:-
Visible light being safer, they can also be used in places where radio waves can’t be used such as petrochemical and nuclear plants and hospitals.
Similarly, in aircraft, where most of the control communication is performed through radio waves, there are restrictions on passenger communication using the same media, which can be easily handled through use of Li-Fi.
Under Water:-
Li-Fi can also easily work underwater, where Wi-Fi fails completely, and thereby throwing open endless opportunities for military and navigational operations.
Challenges:-
As visual light can’t pass through opaque objects and needs line of sight for communication, its range will remain very restricted to start with.
Also, it is likely to face interference from external light sources, such as sunlight and bulbs, and obstructions in the path of transmission, and hence may cause interruptions in communication.
There will be high installation costs of visual light communication systems as an add-on to lighting systems. Li-Fi receiving devices will require adapters to transmit data back to the transmitter.
The main challenge is to create a Li-Fi ecosystem, which will need the conversion of existing smartphones into Li-Fi enabled ones by the use of a converter/adapter.
Also, an integrated chip that has both light-to-electrical conversion and data-processing capability (Wi-Fi/Bluetooth) combined into one needs to be developed and manufactured in the millions.
Digital India:-
If Li-Fi can be put into practical use, every LED lamp (indoor as well as outdoor) can be converted into something like a hot spot to transmit data to every mobile device to achieve universal broadband communication between devices.
Also, it presents another unique possibility: transmitting power wirelessly, wherein the smartphone will not only receive data through Li-Fi, but also receives power to charge itself.
Opinions & Editorials
[1]. Non-alignment to multi-alignment
Context:-
The author feels that the foreign policy of India has changed from Non alignment to Multi alignment. December has been a significant month for India and Indian diplomacy.
According to the author non alignment had served India well during the cold war period and now it has outlived its utility.
Reasons for the shift:-
Policies adopted by India since the beginning of this century had helped generate a climate of trust.
A spirit of accommodation and constructive solutions to major regional and international challenges had also made India more acceptable to most nations.
India came to be seen as a positive, stabilising influence as far as the global and the regional environment was concerned.
Deepening India-U.S. ties
Among the more significant takeaways are:
The India-U.S. Civil Nuclear Agreement in the first decade of this century was in this respect truly the “game changer”
The progress made regarding the joint working groups on both aircraft carrier technology and jet engine technology;
The approvals given for additional numbers of Boeing P-8I maritime patrol aircraft, C-17 Globemaster-III strategic airlift aircraft, and M777 ultra-light howitzers;
The progress achieved regarding long-deferred “foundational agreements” such as CISMOA (Communications and Information Security Memorandum of Agreement) and the Logistics Support Agreement (LSA),
Strengthening of the partnership on “high technology” under the Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI).
Reaffirming ties with Russia
Russia has committed [earlier] to building additional nuclear reactors at Kudankulam (Tamil Nadu) and in Andhra Pradesh.
In terms of conventional energy, India has secured a bouquet of deals, including a 10 per cent stake in Russian oil company Rosneft, and commitments regarding a possible stake in another field in East Siberia
Agreement was reached with regard to co-production of Kamov-226T utility helicopters (the bulk of which would be built in India),
The possibility of securing 48 MI-17 V5 medium-lift helicopters, S-400 Triumf/Triumph missile systems and stealth frigates.
Reaffirming ties with Japan
Peaceful nuclear energy cooperation:-
Japan’s willingness to cooperate on peaceful nuclear energy will have the same kind of positive impact as that which followed the iconic India-U.S. civil nuclear agreement of 2008.
Japan’s willingness to acknowledge India as a reliable and trustworthy nuclear power (despite not being a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty) is again certain to have a positive impact on nuclear establishments across the world.
New defence relations:-
Japan’s willingness to share defence equipment and technology, facilitate the exchange of classified military information, and arrive at an understanding of emerging threats in the Indo-Pacific — implicit in the India-Japan Agreement with regard to freedom of navigation in the South China Sea — has opened a new chapter in relations.
This was further buttressed by the provision of financial and technical aid for a high-speed rail link between Mumbai and Ahmedabad, in addition to overseas developmental assistance for various projects.
The Pakistan puzzle
The real danger is that Pakistan visit could lull the nation into a false sense of.
Any mistaken step as far as Pakistan is concerned needs to be avoided.
Pakistan is presently going through a very “promising” phase in its turbulent history, and is being wooed by both China and the U.S.
The potential benefits from the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor are expected to substantially improve Pakistan’s economic fortunes.
The US, in the meantime, appears to have reversed some of the policies it had adopted after 2013, and is demonstrating a higher degree of sensitivity to Pakistan’s concerns. It is at present actively courting Pakistan in view of its strategic location vis-à-vis Afghanistan and Central Asia. The sale of additional F-16 fighter aircraft, and continuation of the Coalition Support Fund beyond 2016 reflect this.
There is need for greater vigil and more careful thought on what needs to be done so as to prevent a Kargil-type situation, exploiting the current euphoria, from taking place.
[2]. The many must resist the some
Context:-
The author feels that though the Doha development agenda hasn’t been given enough importance in the recent WTO meet and the conclusion of various regional agreements, the WTO is still relevant.
The WTO decisions are based on consensus and works on the principle of one vote for each member country, irrespective of size or economic power.
Rise of the Mega regional trade agreements:-
The slow progress at the WTO has been accompanied by the growth of mega-regional trade agreements — the recently concluded Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) formed among 12 countries, and two under negotiation: the Regional Cooperation for Economic Partnership (RCEP) formed among the 10 ASEAN countries and India, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand, and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) between the U.S. and the E.U.
These mega-regionals need to also be seen in the context of increasing bilateral free-trade agreements (which have increased from around 124 such agreements in 1994 to over 600 agreements in 2015).
A significant amount of India’s own negotiating capital and focus has been on the mega-regional RCEP agreement, and on bilateral free-trade agreements.
“But neither approach is a substitute for the WTO and its strong edifice of a multilateral system of rules, backed by an effective dispute-settlement mechanism.”
The Divergence of views:-
The text of the declaration records what “many Members” versus “some Members” want. While “many” reaffirm the Doha mandate, the others do not.
For the first time in a Ministerial Declaration there is reference to a consensual acknowledgement of divergence of views, which underlies countries.
A glimmer of hope, however, remains — that the views of the majority could potentially be tapped for driving at a logical and hopeful conclusion of the Doha mandate.
What India needs to do?
The only option for India is to forge ahead with a high degree of preparedness and focus on areas of its interests, coalition-building with like-minded countries, and translating what “many” want into actual results.
One of the SDGs is that of promoting an equitable multilateral trading system under the WTO “through the conclusion of negotiations under its Doha Development Agenda”. This can again be seen as an implicit referencing of the DDA and its importance.
On other Doha issues, it is important to clearly map what India wants, and how that may be achieved — for example, in services negotiations.
New Issues:-
The recently concluded TPP agreement perhaps provides a clear glimpse of what these new issues are likely to be — environment, labour, investment, competition, government procurement, and so on.
How to engage on these issues, and identify the red and green lights for negotiations, is the next challenge that India needs to be prepared for.
Conclusion:-
The WTO remains an institution that is worth preserving. India needs to approach it from a position of strength, with clearly defined agendas, and with preparedness for the new challenges it presents.
[3]. Time for national security doctrine / Own your strategy / Pathankot and the ineffectiveness of India’s Pakistan Policy
The Hindu | The Indian Express | Livemint
Context:-
The attack on the forward airbase in Pathankot on Saturday, perpetrated by terrorists who came from across the Pakistan border, yet again challenges India to find a way of keeping the India-Pakistan peace process on track despite providing a compelling case for New Delhi to give its Pakistan policy another critical look.
Repetition:-
New Delhi finds itself facing, yet again, the structural impediments that have bedevilled every dialogue process with Pakistan since Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s bus diplomacy.
And coming a week after Modi’s initiative to meet his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif in Lahore the attack makes New Delhi’s choices particularly difficult.
Questions to be asked:-
The attack on the Pathankot air base revives three questions that have a bearing on the future prospects of the India-Pakistan bilateral relationship.
First, is the civilian leadership of Pakistan prepared to publicly accept the stipulation that violence shall not be used to press for a solution of the Kashmir problem?
Second, can Pakistan’s prime minister declare that while the process of evolving confidence-building measures in order to reduce tension along the Line of Control and the International Border in Jammu and Kashmir is on, such disruptions will not come in the way of talks on the economic cooperation front?
And finally, will the Pakistan government announce disarming of the Lashkar-e-Taiba and its front outfits while expediting the 26/11 trial?
Both Non state actors and their mentors:-
As far as the Pathankot incident is concerned, it is correct to take the line that enemies of humanity are responsible for the attack but it should also be stated that those who mentored such militants would be taught a lesson as well
Intelligence reports indicate a direct planning of this daring assault by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence, a sub-set of the Pakistan army, confirming the impression that the Pakistan army was not in alignment with the peace initiatives being taken by the two civilian heads of government.
The ISI’s support for India-oriented militant groups has assumed a lower profile following pressure from Washington at various points, such as in 2004, after the Mumbai attacks and last year. But that support has never ceased; groups like JeM remain on call.
Dialogue or Bust:-
The core problem is that New Delhi’s choices ultimately boil down to dialogue or bust.
India has to stick to the three-fold strategy of
- Keeping cross-border terrorism on top of the agenda of bilateral talks
- Maintaining that India has no problem with bilateral discussion on Kashmir in accordance with the Simla Agreement (that gave no place to any third party like the Hurriyat)
- As a regional stake holder, demanding a role in the reconstruction of Afghanistan.
At home:-
India must prepare for an effective and integral response to the threat of cross-border terrorism. When it comes to dealing with terrorism, there is a need to further improve Centre-state collaboration as well as civil-military coordination.
Need a national security doctrine
The recurring terrorist attacks are not just a humiliation for the country but also a nightmare that is repeatedly disrupting daily routines and taking away precious lives.
India still has no written national security doctrine, and whatever is practised as the doctrine, and strategy of working only towards the political unity and preservation of India is inadequate.
The political class across the spectrum needs to come together to define India’s permanent interests and write a doctrine that defines India’s role in the world and its commitment to protecting the life, liberty and interests of its people.
The doctrine must be accompanied by a national security strategy that spells out the command and control structures for meeting eventualities such as terror strikes.
It must be anchored in the foundational values of the Constitution.
The very foundations of India’s security establishment need to be reformed if a robust national security doctrine is to be implemented.
The intelligence agencies are cloaked in mystery, and with no credible external audit. Also the agencies that are to provide security cover and neutralise terrorist threats do not have a cohesive command and control structure.
Conclusion:-
New Delhi must develop a broad approach incorporating various elements that can apply pressure on Pakistan—deepening engagement with Afghanistan, evaluating and bolstering intelligence capabilities, upgrading military capacity.
India also has to impress upon the United States, whose persuasive pressure for the resumption of bilateral talks is only too well known, that red lines will have to be drawn on the issue of terrorism if India’s help in the global “war on terror” is to make sense.
By: ForumIAS Editorial Team
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