A brief of newspaper articles for the day bearing
relevance to Civil Services preparation
National
[1]. Piscine diversity under threat in Krishna river
What has happened?
Research undertaken by Fisheries Development Officer, Gadwal, research scholars and a faculty member of Osmania University, Hyderabad, has revealed that feral fish are causing the decline of presence of other species of Major Indian Carps, Minor Indian Carps and Catfish in river Krishna damaging the piscine diversity of the second largest river in South India.
Piscine: means pertaining to fish
Observation
The team observed that the presence of Indian Major Carps has been declining year by year, while the population of Feral Fish Nile Tilapia ( Oreochromis niloticus ), which was introduced for aquaculture purposes in India in 1987, has been going up
Where Tilapia is normally found?
This fish has around 70 species and it is primarily found in the rivers of western Africa and the Middle East.
It is the most traded food fish internationally.
How did they reach river Krishna?
These fishes reached river Krishna from the aquaculture farm, during recurring floods.
What researchers have to say?
The researchers said unless the government initiates a conservation plan, the Nile Tilapia will repopulate the indigenous species in the Krishna very soon.
[2]. Vacate carbon Space: India to West
Context: In the wake of COP21 being held at Le Bourget in Paris, India has reasserted that West should vacate the carbon space and should not force any agreement on the developing nations
What are the issues being forced upon India and the developing nations?
Two main matters on which developing countries are being forced to are,
- To provide a specific peaking date for coal use i.e. a date on which coal use would be maximum and would not go up after that.
- Fiver yearly periodic assessment of their emission reduction pledges
India’s stance
India says instead of forcing any agreement developed nations should vacate the carbon space which they have already utilised un-equitably.
- On coal usage: Criticism of India ignored the fact that the country proposed a seven-fold rise in renewable power capacity, after which “coal consumption will definitely come down”. Moreover, India uses around 7th of the coal of top two coal users in the world.
- On periodic review: Union environment minister Prakash Javdekar said that voluntary pledges submitted are for a 10-year cycle from 2020. After that period, it could give more progressive INDCs.
BASIC group
On Tuesday, the countries belonging to the BASIC group — India, China, Brazil and South Africa — will have a meeting, apparently to forge a consensus and resist some of the pressures from the developed world.
What is BASIC?
The BASIC countries (also Basic countries or BASIC) are a bloc of four large newly industrialized countries – Brazil, South Africa, India and China – formed by an agreement on 28 November 2009. The four committed to act jointly at the Copenhagen climate summit, including a possible united walk-out if their common minimum position was not met by the developed nations
BASIC nations came together during COP15 i.e the Copenhagen climate change conference.
Business & Economy
[1]. As GST debate rages, E-commerce seeks leeway
What has happened?
GST is going to be rolled out on April 1st 2016. E-commerce companies have given a representation to the government to keep them out of the GST purview.
What the e-commerce companies want?
- They say that as they are only providing the customers with a platform wherein they can buy from the sellers, so they should not be subjected to GST.
- Companies like Flipkart, Snapdeal etc should be seen as ‘service providers’ to the vendors and vendors would be liable to pay GST on goods sold through their portals.
A Compelling Case to Tax e-Commerce
There is no case to keep e-commerce deals out of GST. It will do no harm but only help retailers. A tax on online sales is the only way e-retailers can get credit for the taxes they pay on inputs, making it worthwhile for them to do business in India.
It makes no sense to break the input tax credit chain, which is the whole purpose of GST. However, procedures for tax compliance must be hassle-free, even as tax is imposed on all value additions in the chain. This will also prevent tax base erosion and profit-shifting by companies.
[2]. Panagariya urges corporate to stop seeking tax sops from the Centre
Context: In this article the Vice chairman of Niti Aayog criticises the corporate and industry
Why has he criticised industry?
He says that everytime he meets with the industry captains, they have demands like reduce this tax by 2%, or increase the import duty or tariffs on this product by 4% so that I can have a profit of 5%. This is not the way to go. Instead the industries needs a different mindset for the country to undergo transformational change.
[3]. Can’t Direct Govt to Enact Uniform Civil Code: CJI
What has happened?
CJI Tirath Singh Thakur has said that it can’t force the government to enact a uniform civil code. It can only hope that one day we shall have such a law.
What is uniform civil code?
Uniform civil code in India is the proposal to replace the personal laws based on the scriptures and customs of each major religious community in the country with a common set governing every citizen.
Currently, there are personal laws based on the scriptures and customs of each major religious community. They are separate from the public law and are applied on issues like-
– marriage, divorce, inheritance, adoption and maintenance
Uniform civil code and Directive principles of state policy
Article 44 of the Directive Principles in India implements the Uniform Civil Code. According to this article, “The State shall endeavour to secure for the citizens a uniform civil code throughout the territory of India”.
But, Directive Principles are only guidelines and it is not mandatory to use them
Why this issue is being debated?
India being a secular country guarantees its minorities the right to follow their own religion, culture and customs under Article 29 and 30. But implementing a Uniform Code will hamper India’s secularism.
It is not only a Hindu-Muslim debate but involves other religious minorities as well.
The SC had earlier pointed out that discrimination in issues like marriage, divorce and inheritance may not be a good practice. It also said that there is a “total confusion” when comes to personal laws governing religious practices.
[4]. India Wants WTO Meet to Take up Bali Agenda
What has happened?
In the run-up to the World Trade Organisation’s ministerial conference in Nairobi from December 15-18, India has said it wants the agenda finalised at Bali in 2013 to be implemented before it makes any fresh commitments
Issues in Bali package
- Agriculture issues including public stockholding for food security purposes and export competition,
What India wants from Nairobi ministerial?
- Permanent solution for stock piling for food security
- Safeguard mechanism in case of sudden rise in imports or fall in prices,
- No differential treatment because India is a high growth emerging economy, and the inclusion of peace clause in the draft ministerial declaration.
What is peace clause?
The term ‘peace clause’ has been a cause of disquiet ever since India dug in its heels on the issue of domestic food security in the recent World Trade Organisation (WTO) negotiations, leading to a deadlock.
Issue: Should the WTO have a say in India’s policy of buying foodgrain at a fixed price from farmers and supplying it below cost to the poor? India thinks not, but developed nations disagree.
Peace clause was created at Bali ministerial in 2013. The ‘peace clause’ said that no country would be legally barred from food security programmes even if the subsidy breached the limits specified in the WTO agreement on agriculture. This ‘peace clause’ was expected to be in force for four years until 2017, by which time the protagonists hoped to find a permanent solution to the problem.
The clause also requires full disclosure of MSPs and annual procurement for food security programmes, which the Government fears would leave India open to questioning by other countries on domestic matters.
Why developed countries are against subsidy programmes of countries like India?
The developed nations see India as a huge market for food-grains and other products, but their produce is rendered uncompetitive when the government is willing to subsidise farmers, purchase their produce for a minimum support price and then sell it at a loss through the public distribution system and other channels.
India’s worry
India’s worry is that if the clause expires before a permanent solution is in place, food security programmes and policies to protect farmers, such as Minimum Support Prices, would come under siege
What if India accepts the peace clause?
Accepting a temporary peace clause would be tantamount to admitting that the subsidy programmes in India and other developing nations violate global trade norms, leaving the nation a sitting duck if a complaint was to be raised in the WTO or other international forums later. This would also result in India losing its biggest bargaining chip in future WTO meetings
[5]. Wide open spaces of Indian White Space spectrum
Context: Proposals are being mooted about the exploitation of White space spectrum to provide affordable telephony to the rural unconnected.
What is White-space spectrum?
It refers to the small gaps or empty spaces unused in an otherwise heavily-occupied broadcasting spectrum band. In the current context, the reference is to the so-called Band IV in lower UHF—covering frequencies from 470 MHz to 590 MHz.
Author says that this situation is applicable to West wherein terrestrial mode of broadcast has been used. In this broadcast, gaps are to be left between the adjacent channels to avoid interference. This unused space came to known as White space spectrum in the West.
What has happened?
Microsoft has said that it would connect 5 lakh villages through White spectrum technologies
What do experts have to say?
Experts point out that the proposal of White Space spectrum is not only completely inappropriate for India, but is also harmful to the interests of consumers and the nation for several cogent reasons.
Reasons
- No white space: Hardly any White Space spectrum in the concerned UHF band in India.
- Cost effectiveness: Based on field trial reports, it has been established that TV White Space provides 1 MBPS for every 1 MHz spectrum consumed. If the objective is to provide 100 MBPS at the gram panchayat level—which is the ‘national mandate’ of the NOFN or the Bharat Net Project—then TV White Space would need at least 100 MHz of unlicensed spectrum, which effectively means the entire UHF Band IV itself! Surely, this cannot be a spectrum efficient backhaul technology for providing rural broadband when there are other cost-effective millimetre wave technologies that provide higher capacities which require far less spectrum and that too in dedicated licensed bands
Non-white spectrum
There is a vast expanse of ‘non-white’ spectrum—one could even call it regular ‘black spectrum space’. This is because, unlike the developed economies, India has only a lone and solitary public terrestrial broadcaster, Doordarshan, in this band. About 88 MHz of regular non-white spectrum is available for deployment
Benefits of non-white spectrum
This UHF spectrum is comparatively far more superior/powerful in its propagation characteristics. These radio waves can easily travel 20 km or more in rural areas and can also penetrate buildings to provide excellent in-building coverage in urban areas.
Thus, this spectrum would be tremendously beneficial for use in advanced mobile services and mobile broadband, which are near-necessities for Digital India and for uplifting the economy.
What is Bharat Net project?
The BharatNet project proposes broadband connectivity to households under village Panchayats and even to government institutions at district level. Creation of 100 users at each panchayat level, will enhance GDP by about Rs. 66,500 crore
What is NOFN?
National Optical Fibre Network project The National Optical Fibre Network (NOFN) is a project initiated in 2011 and funded by Universal Service Obligation Fund to provide broadband connectivity to over two lakh (200,000) Gram Panchayats of India at a cost of Rs.20,000 crore ($3 billion).Government of India has given approval of the project on 25-10-2011.
Opinion & Editorial
[1]. For a morally conscious government
Context: Author in this article has stated that the destructive floods that have ravaged Chennai, though unfortunate are a man-made calamity.
CM’s response to the rains in November that preceded this event – “Losses are unavoidable when there’s very heavy rain. Swift rescue and relief alone are indicators of a good government”
What has resulted in such large scale destruction?
- An act of God: To view this tragedy as merely an act of god would be doing injustice to those who have lost their lives and families to it. Rapid urbanization flouting every environmental rule in the book is the main cause of these massive floods.
- Failure of successive governments: Author says that successive governments in Tamilnadu have failed in providing a welfare state. Instead, each successive government’s focus remained on shelling benefits to garner votes.
- Over-cautious courts: Author then blames courts which now have come to see any protest for the environment as anti-development and against the development roadmap of the state. As a result, flagrant violations of development rules and regulations, both by the government and by private entities, are routinely overlooked.
Conclusion
We must strive not only towards restoring an element of normalcy to the places affected, but we must also actively work towards ensuring that any supposed development activity undertaken in the city is environmentally sustainable.
[2]. Chennai and its urban nightmares
Context: In the wake of recent Chennai floods, author states in this article that instead of blaming god or urbanization, we should isolate real culprits behind such large scale destruction. Corrupt public institutions and the corrupt political elite is responsible for it.
Author says,
- Multiple migrations: India is witnessing multiple migrations that are unprecedented in its history. Millions are moving into literacy, similarly staggering numbers are migrating out of poverty and malnourishment, thousands are migrating to the IT world, and several millions are moving to urban centres
- Poor infrastructure: The robust and efficient infrastructure needed to facilitate such large scale migrations is absent in India
- Failure of the state: The recent Chennai floods show the abject failure of the state in managing rapid urbanisation of the city
- Aping the West: Author points out that government is forcing migrations from rural to urban areas due to its failure to boost the agricultural sector and improve economic opportunities in rural areas.
- Corrupt system: Rapid urbanisation means an incredible pressure on city resources as every new person that moves to the city needs space to live and work. Hence, unbridled construction takes place, to which the officers, engineers, contractors and politicians turn a blind eye in lieu of benefits they receive.
- Lowly rankings: The Safe Cities Index 2015 by the Economist Intelligence Unit — based on more than 40 indices — assessed 50 cities, including two from India. Delhi was at 42nd position and Mumbai at 44th. It is a reflection of how well our urbanisation is progressing.
Author’s view
If the very fundamental duty of a modern nation-state is to provide security to its people and secure its borders, then India is beginning to fail because of staggering corruption and amoral public administration.
Conclusion
So any discussion on Chennai disaster must begin with some fundamental questions. Are the missing drainages and shrinking water-bodies of Chennai a creation of our corrupt masters? Has Chennai’s misery been accentuated by the failure of the state to manage its urbanization? Is the Chennai disaster a peek into what is in store repeatedly for the rest of India in the coming days?
[3]. Betting on odds and evens
What has happened?
Delhi government’s proposed odd even car formula to reduce pollution in the capital has been met with mixed reviews. Author in this article states that though the step might be lacking in structure, it is the need of the time considering the fact that Delhi HC had termed Delhi as a gas chamber
Author says,
- BRT – In 2008, the then Congress government introduced a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system with a short dedicated high-speed corridor at a tenth of the cost of the metro. Author testifies to the improvements in the users’ experience himself.
- Measures taken internationally: Cities across the world have experimented with variations of restriction on car usage — there is odd and even day rationing during peak hours in Bogota (Colombia), similar restrictions during peak pollution days in Beijing, restrictions on single-occupancy vehicular passage in some North American cities, congestion charges on driving in the city centre in London, and high car taxes in Singapore.
- Problems for the differently-abled: People with special abilities would face difficulties with this new formula as our public transport has not been designed keeping their needs in mind.
- Enough public transport: Where the AAP government will stumble is on improving public transport fast enough to accommodate the 45 lakh new commuters who will need to use the metro, buses, autorickshaws and taxis from January 1. The world-class metro is currently used by about 20 lakh people every day, while the Delhi Transport Corporation’s overstretched bus service serves 45 lakh passengers. Neither is equipped to take on several lakh new passengers within 15 days
- Other measures: Government is planning to introduce other measures too like it will also begin vacuum cleaning of the dust from the roads in Delhi from April 1, 2016, close down the Badarpur and Raj Ghat thermal power plants, push the entry of trucks into the city to later in the night, and bring forward the cut-off date for Euro-VI emission norms
[4]. Kathmandu nights
Context: In the wake of Nepal constitutional crisis author tries to ascertain the reason behind the deadlock and suggests the way forward.
Why this deadlock happened or Why Madhesi agitation occurred?
Mainly due to three promises on which the constitution appears to have reneged (backtracked),
- Proportional representation,
- Allocation of seats on the basis of population,
- Identity-based federalism
There is agreement on the first two points. On the third, the Madhesis are insisting on a demarcation of state boundaries. The denial of federalism was seen by marginalised groups as a ruse to deny them a legitimate share in power. The fact that something already promised was taken away led to a sense of betrayal. This sense of betrayal was compounded into polarisation
Nepal government’s role
- Denying legitimacy: Nepal government denied the Madhesi agitation and rubbished it as Indian conspiracy. The main focus of politics in Kathmandu became standing up to India, rather than resolving a home-grown constitutional crisis.
What Madhesis are demanding now?
The Madhesis are adamant that there be some credible commitment to federalism, along with at least a sketch of a demarcation.
The way forward
- Concessions to Madhesis: Government can concede to a just settlement with Madhesis but Nepal government’s ultra-nationalist card (they blamed India for this agitation) can backfire here if they are not able to project that, any concession given, is in the wake of Madhesi agitation and not due to appease India. It would require a political finesse and craftsmanship to achieve that.
If the crisis continues
- Radicalisation of the movement: The Madhesi movement will get radicalised if their demands are not met and a sense of betrayal lingers on within them. Underestimating the power of their agitation will only plunge Nepal into chaos and instability.
Conclusion
India’s interest lies in a prosperous, united, inclusive Nepal. It is Kathmandu that seems to want the conflict to simmer: It is using the India card as a fig leaf to avoid confronting a structural problem of its own making. In the process, Nepal’s people, of all communities, continue to suffer.
[5]. Raising her voice
Context: The article stresses on the widening internet gender gap which is widening the global development gap. It needs to be bridged
- The internet opens up a world of knowledge, from digital books and Wikipedia to online courses. Research shows that when women have access to reading apps, they use them significantly more than men.
- Economic opportunities: In a survey of large developing countries, nearly half of the women who were connected had applied for a job on the internet, and nearly a third had earned extra income online
- Lower child mortality and faster economic growth: Improving women’s access to income and technology improves child welfare and nutrition. Research shows that countries with more equality in employment and education have lower child mortality and faster economic growth.
- Lending a voice to women: The internet also gives women voice — and allows their voices to be heard. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Hero Women set up their own internet café to tell their stories, and they successfully petitioned for the appointment of a US special envoy to the war-torn region. In Kenya, women set up Her Voice to fight gender-based violence by advocating for legal reform and working with victim support groups. In Brazil, women created I Will Not Shut Up, an app that maps assaults on women so that community leaders can be held accountable
Internet gender gap: Globally, four billion people lack internet access, most of them women. In the developing world, nearly 25 per cent fewer women than men are connected; in sub-Saharan Africa, it’s 45 per cent.
Universal internet access: Companies engaged in making the dream of universal internet access true, include tech firms like Google, whose Loon and Titan Aerospace projects aim to reach remote communities; SpaceX, which is planning a network of satellites to provide access; and Facebook, whose Internet.org initiative uses the Free Basics app and website to connect people in 30 countries. Free Basics makes basic internet services — including news, search and health information — available for free
Encouraging stats regarding Free Basics app
More than a billion people can access Free Basics — people who otherwise wouldn’t be online. Free Basics isn’t the full internet — there’s no sustainable economic model that can deliver that to everyone for free — but it is a bridge to the full internet. More than 50 per cent of people who start with Free Basics pay for the full internet after 30 days — and in countries where Free Basics has been launched, the rate of new-user internet adoption is twice as fast.
Conclusion
By connecting women we can ensure that we are racing together towards a better and bright future.
[6]. Right step forward
What has happened?
On 6th Dec 2015, the talks between the national security advisors and foreign secretaries of India and Pakistan were held in Bangkok.
What has India agreed to?
- India has agreed to talk on Kashmir reversing its earlier stand that any talk on Kashmir must be preceded by talk on terrorism
- India agreed, moreover, to hold talks in a third country — a possibility it had shot down earlier — in order to help Pakistan avoid a meeting with Kashmiri secessionists
Author cites examples of other countries who have maintained dialogue despite continuing tensions, like
- US & Soviet Union: The United States and the Soviet Union pursued nuclear détente (is the name given to a period of improved relations between the United States and the Soviet Union that began tentatively in 1971 and took decisive form when President Richard M. Nixon visited the secretary-general of the Soviet Communist party, Leonid I. Brezhnev) even as they were locked in a murderous war-by-proxy in Afghanistan.
- Turkey & Russia: Turkey and Russia have continued to talk as tensions between the two have spiralled upwards in the light of recent incident wherein a Russian jet was shot down by Turkey.
Author believes that any peace talk initiative does not mean that disputes would be resolved immediately but it gives a promise of change, however small it might be.
[7]. Gods, Gold and state
Context: In this article author states that it would be wise on the part of temples to join gold monetization scheme of the government and deposit their gold.
Two schemes launched by the government are,
Sovereign Gold Bond Scheme
The bond scheme tries to discourage fresh gold purchase. Thus, it indirectly discourages gold imports. That helps to keep the trade and current account deficit down. Under the bond scheme, the government will pay 2.75% interest rate per annum on the bond. The face value of the bond is denominated in terms of units of gold. Hence, the lender gets the gold back.
Therefore, the risk of the gold price appreciation is borne by the government of India, the borrower.
The government saves on the interest cost under this scheme. It sets aside reserves for handling the gold price risk out of the interest amount it saves
Who can benefit from this scheme?
Those who buy gold for investment can benefit greatly. The bond carries interest and the investor is fully exposed to the gold price in either direction, as he would be if he bought the metal. In addition, as everyone has observed, this bond can be held in dematerialized form and is not subject to theft and loss through natural disasters.
Gold Monetization Scheme
It requires holders to part with their gold, see it assessed, melted and converted into bars. They deposit the bars. The deposit is repayable in gold or cash. Again, there is no real loss of ownership. That particular piece of gold that the owner held may be melted away. But, the title to the intrinsic gold content of what they gave away is still theirs.
Aim of this scheme: India’s official gross domestic savings rate is only 30%. It has dropped from around 37%. Much of it is locked up in gold and cannot be intermediated to help in capital formation and employment creation. That is what this scheme aims to do.
Interest rates under this scheme: The interest rates under this gold monetization scheme too are attractive. It is 2.25% and 2.5% for medium-term and long-term deposits.
Should temples deposit their gold under Gold monetization schemes?
Yes. Except for those items that are earmarked for adorning the deities, the rest can and should be monetized. Besides interest earnings, there are other benefits such as savings in storage and safety costs.
Conclusion
In an environment of slow and uncertain global growth, diminished export prospects and a stagnant savings rate, extracting more out of accumulated savings is a national imperative. Without that, India’s growth aspirations will likely remain unfulfilled. Hence, it is essential that temples try harder to make the gold monetization scheme a success.
[8]. Time to rethink role of Rajya Sabha
Context: In the light of recent comments by FM that RS is blocking the legislative agenda of the government, it is imperative that we look into the issue of importance of RS and whether it needs to be reformed.
Origins of RS
- The origins of the Rajya Sabha can be traced back to the constitutional reforms brought in by the colonial government after the Montagu-Chelmsford recommendations in 1919. It created a council of states to act as a second house.
- The Government of India Act of 1935 strengthened this institution. It was made into a permanent body, where a third of the members retired by rotation, as a way to ensure that there is continuity in policy.
- The Constituent Assembly eventually voted for a Rajya Sabha as a necessity for a complex federation such as ours.
India needs a strong RS
India needs a strong council of states, perhaps even more so today when there is so much attention being paid to the principle of cooperative federalism. The Rajya Sabha is part of the institutional architecture of Indian federalism.
Two important questions
Should the Rajya Sabha have a veto over subjects that are almost completely the business of the Union government?
There is a need to carefully ascertain Rajya Sabha’s jurisdiction vis-a-vis approval of policies.
Should the Rajya Sabha be a permanent body whose composition is often at odds with that of the Lok Sabha?
Its structure was meant to give some stability to policy, but the experience of recent years shows that the lack of alignment between the two houses of Parliament is merely an opportunity for the opposition parties of the day to block the government.
Conclusion
Author states that RS definitely needs to stay there so as to prevent the government from passing agendas based on the passions of the moment but it doesn’t mean that it need not be reformed.
An extract of the speech by Constituent Assembly member Gopalaswami Ayyangar, when he summed up the debate, on utility of RS,
“The most that we expect the second chamber to do is perhaps to hold dignified debates on important issues and delay legislation which may be the outcome of passions of the moment until the passions have subsided… and we shall take care to provide in the Constitution that whenever on any important matter, especially matters related to finance, there is a conflict between the house of people and the council of states, it is the view of the house of people that shall prevail”.
By: ForumIAS Editorial Team
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