aditya
19:42
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Tuesday, July 19, 2022
GS SCORE Current Affairs July 2022 Week 3 PDF
aditya
16:54
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The HINDU Notes – 19th July 2022
aditya
09:58
📰 Panel on MSP, natural farming set up
Samyukt Kisan Morcha says it will decide soon on the government’s offer to be part of the committee
•The Centre has finally constituted a committee headed by former Union Agriculture Secretary Sanjay Agrawal here on Monday to look into the issue of minimum support price (MSP) for agricultural produce, as promised to the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) earlier in January. The panel has three unfilled posts for representatives of the SKM, which will be filled as and when the Centre receives the recommendations from the umbrella body of farmers.
•Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said while announcing the decision to repeal the three farm laws that a committee would be constituted to promote zero budget-based farming, to change crop patterns keeping in mind the changing needs of the country, and to make the MSP more effective and transparent. He had said the committee would consist of representatives of the Central and State governments, farmers, agricultural scientists and agricultural economists.
•Apart from Mr. Agrawal, NITI Aayog Member (Agriculture) Ramesh Chand; agricultural economists C.S.C. Shekhar and Sukhpal Singh; award-winning farmer Bharat Bhushan Tyagi; members from farmer organisations Gunwant Patil, Krishnaveer Choudhary, Pramod Kumar Choudhary, Gumi Prakash and Sayyed Pasha Patel; IFFCO chairman Dilip Sanghani; CNRI general secretary Binod Anand; senior member of the CACP Naveen P. Singh; and agriculture experts P. Chandrashekhar, J.P. Sharma and Pradeep Kumar Bisen will be members of the panel.
•The Secretaries of the Departments of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Agricultural Research and Education, Food and Public Distribution, Cooperation and Textiles and the Director-General, ICAR will represent the Centre on the panel. The member-secretary of the panel will be Joint Secretary (Crops).
•SKM leader Hannan Mollah said it would take a decision on the government’s offer to be part of the committee soon. “At the moment, we are holding nationwide protests against the policies of the Centre. We do not know the brief given to this committee,” he said.
•The “subject matter of constitution” of the committee, according to a gazette notification, include suggestions to make MSP available to farmers by making the systems more effective and transparent.
📰 The five-day work week might be fading away
Instead, an old idea, a four-day work week, could become a reality, shaping the future of staff engagement
•A three-day weekend is not beyond anyone’s dream, and it may soon be a reality. The idea of a four-day week against the usual 40-hour, five-day work week has been mooted for decades. The call for fewer work hours itself is older than the Great Depression. After the reduction of working hours in the 1920s and 1930s led by Henry Ford, from more than 60 hours a week to the current 40, the notion of fewer working hours for the same productivity aided by higher technology grew prevalent. The noted English economist, John Maynard Keynes, predicted that his grandchildren would only work about 15 hours a week. Even though the prediction seems a little far-fetched right now, the direction of change seems about right as companies from all over the world toy around with the idea of fewer working hours.
Trial results show benefits
•The most recent and widespread adoption of a four-day work week was a trial run by Microsoft in Japan in 2019. The trial was conducted with a typical eight-hour work day for four days and a three-day weekend but a five-day week pay cheque. Microsoft was happy with the result as it saw a 40% increase in worker productivity, presumably due to increased job satisfaction and lower burnouts. Microsoft Japan also reported that a shorter work week led to higher efficiency in the form of lower office costs. It saw a massive 23% dip in electricity costs and a 60% fall in the number of pages printed in the office.
•Perpetual Guardian, a New Zealand trust management company, also reported a 20% increase in worker productivity after a similar trial in 2018. Most trials of a four-day work week seem to increase or at least keep constant worker productivity. Gains in productivity also depend on the kind of work. The idea of increased productivity due to a fall in working hours has been carried along since Henry Ford. However, an increase in a worker’s productivity in a manufacturing firm with a decrease in work hours would not mean a similar increase in productivity for an employee in the service sectors such as education or health.
•In a larger view, fewer working days will lead to lower commuting and hence have a positive impact on the environment, including a fall in electricity consumption in offices. Lower work hours are also being seen as an important tool to revive employment rates after the novel coronavirus pandemic. The New Deal in the United States mandated overtime pay after 40 hours a week to increase employment after the Great Depression. A similar move is argued to be a viable option to reduce unemployment prevalent in the global economies after the pandemic.
Gains for women
•A shorter work week is seen as a welcome step toward gender equality and women’s career progression. A two-day weekend was often not enough for women, especially mothers with young children, as they would not have much time for themselves after all the care work. Women often opt for smaller shifts and shorter work days for lower pay after they become mothers. A four-day work week for everyone instead could ensure pay equality among genders. A three-day weekend may also push men to take up more unpaid domestic work, which would give women more leeway. With enough work-life balance in a four-day work week, women would be able to focus more on work, hence adding to their career prospects.
Not always a virtue
•A four-day work week is not one that fits all. The service sector has challenges implementing a four-day work week, especially for small firms. For example, a hairdresser cannot cut more hair by reducing hours; so too a musician in the context of more concerts. This limited applicability is also relevant in schools and hospitals. The sales and marketing departments of firms may also face this issue as there would be less time to chase leads, build customer relations and solve issues. The Centre for Policy Studies, U.K., studied the possible cost of implementing a four-day work week for public sector employees in the United Kingdom. It would cost at least £17 billion, assuming stable productivity but an expanded workforce. Another major drawback is that employees in firms that would not decrease work hours in a four-day work week would have to work 10 hours on working days, which can lead to increased stress and decreased satisfaction. Implementation of a four-day work week can also affect employees’ holiday entitlements.
The Indian scene
•A study conducted between February 1 and March 7 across sectors in 2022 by Genius Consultants, in India, found that among 1,113 employers it surveyed, 60% preferred a four-day work week and believed that it would positively affect employee productivity and well-being. Recognising the growing trend, the Central government is set to roll out the new labour codes, which include rules for a flexible four-day work week. On the four-day work week, the new codes stipulate the requirement of a minimum of 48 hours per week; hence the employee will have to work for 12 hours on each working day. The new regulations on the flexible work week with 12 hours of daily work are not likely to increase productivity as the increased per day hours of work would work against employee motivation to increase output. It is well-known that productivity declines after a certain number of hours a day. The draft code should remember that only a reduction in the number of workdays, keeping the number of hours fixed, would contribute to improved labour productivity because better rested and more invigorated workers will be more productive. The extant code may not find many takers since it will find resistance from the workers and companies who very well know it might result in a decline in productivity — thus the total value of the output they produce.
•The conventional negative relationship between work hours and productivity is being proven right again through numerous four-day work week trials all across the world. The shorter work week has numerous advantages for employees and employers and can be crucial in increasing productivity and employee well-being, higher employer efficiency, and also increasing employment in the economy. These advantages have led to large strides in this mode of work, such as in Iceland, where 86% of employees have the right to work on a four-day work week. The concern on the applicability of four-day work is real, but examples such as Iceland show that it runs well with a few exceptions. Implementing a four-day work week without a reduction in aggregate working hours such as in India is most likely to fail in yielding the desired advantages. The draft code should not forget the Parkinson’s law that says work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion, and it should be a guiding principle in designing India’s new labour codes.
📰 The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and its stature in the modern world
What is the SCO and how does the grouping impact India? Is it set up to counter the West?
•Founded in June 2001 as the ‘Shanghai Five’, the grouping consisted of Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. They came together in the post-Soviet era in 1996, in order to work on regional security and reduction of border troops.
•India acquired the observer status in the grouping in 2005 and was admitted as a full member in 2017.
•Through the years, the SCO hosts have encouraged members to use the platform to discuss differences with other members on the sidelines.
•The story so far: Iran and Belarus could soon become the newest members of the China and Russia-backed Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). “In the Samarkand summit [in September], we expect the leadership to adopt a document on the obligations Iran must fulfil to gain membership. The legal procedures of Belarus’s accession are about to start. We need to build consensus on the acceptance of Belarus,” Chinese diplomat and incumbent Secretary-General of SCO, Zhang Ming, stated last week. According to him, the suggested expansion would exhibit the collective’s rising international influence and its principles being widely accepted.
What is the SCO?
•Founded in June 2001, it was built on the ‘Shanghai Five’, the grouping which consisted of Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. They came together in the post-Soviet era in 1996, in order to work on regional security, reduction of border troops and terrorism. They endowed particular focus on ‘conflict resolution’, given its early success between China and Russia, and then within the Central Asian Republics.
•Some of their prominent outcomes in this arena entail an ‘Agreement on Confidence-Building in the Military Field Along the Border Areas’ (in 1996) between China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, which led to an agreement on the mutual reduction of military forces on their common borders in 1997. It would also pitch in to help the Central Asian countries resolve some of their boundary disputes.
•In 2001, the ‘Shanghai Five’ inducted Uzbekistan into its fold and named it the SCO, outlining its principles in a charter that promoted what was called the “Shanghai spirit” of cooperation. The charter, adopted in St. Petersburg in 2002, enlists its main goals as strengthening mutual trust and neighbourliness among the member states; promoting their effective cooperation in politics, trade, economy, research and technology, and culture. Its focus areas include education, energy, transport, tourism and environmental protection.
•It also calls for joint efforts to maintain and ensure peace, security and stability in the region; and the establishment of a democratic, fair and rational new international political and economic order. The precise assertion, combined with some of the member states’ profiles, of building a “new international political and economic order” has often led to it being placed as a counter to treaties and groupings of the West, particularly North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).
•The grouping comprises eight member states — India, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The SCO also has four observer states — Afghanistan, Iran, Belarus and Mongolia — of which Iran and Belarus are now moving towards full membership.
How is this relevant to India?
•India acquired the observer status in the grouping in 2005 and was admitted as a full member in 2017. Through the years, the SCO hosts have encouraged members to use the platform to discuss differences with other members on the sidelines. It was on such an occasion that Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a bilateral meeting with former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in 2015 in Ufa, and Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar negotiated a five-point agreement with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on the sidelines of the Moscow conference in 2020.
•India is also a part of the ‘Quadrilateral’ grouping with the U.S., Japan and Australia. Its association with the grouping of a rather different nature is part of its foreign policy that emphasises on principles of “strategic autonomy and multi-alignment”.
What is the organisational structure?
•The SCO secretariat has two permanent bodies — the SCO Secretariat based in Beijing and the Executive Committee of the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) based in Tashkent. Other than this, the grouping consists of the Heads of State Council (HSC), the Heads of Government Council (HGC) and the Foreign Ministers Council.
•The HSC is the supreme decision-making body of the organisation. It meets annually to adopt decisions and guidelines on all important matters relevant to the organisation. The HGC (mainly including Prime Ministers) also meets annually to zero in on the organisation’s priority areas and multilateral cooperation strategy. It also endeavours to resolve present economic and cooperation issues alongside approving the organisation’s annual budget. The Foreign Ministers Council considers issues pertaining to the day-to-day activities of the organisation, charting HSC meetings and consultations on international problems within the organisation and if required, makes statements on behalf of the SCO.
Is it about countering the West?
•The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) noted in 2015 that decades of rapid economic growth had propelled China onto the world’s stage, whereas Russia found itself beset with economic turmoil following the Crimean annexation in 2014 and ejection from the G8 grouping.
•Most recently, Russia’s action in Ukraine caused it to be subjected to sanctions on multiple fronts by the West. China, in what could be referred to as ‘distance diplomacy’, had held that security of one country should not be at the expense of another country — blaming the West (specifically referring to NATO) for the entire episode. Thus, the organisation spearheaded by both Russia and China does not find its supporters in the West. Moreover, on the proposed induction of Iran, journalist and commentator Nazila Fathi, writing for the Middle East Institute, stated in September 2021 that the country might not see much short-term benefit, however, it would signal closer ties with both China and Russia.
•The Iranian leadership has often stressed that the country must “look to the East”. This is essential not only to resist its economic isolation (by addressing the banking and trade problems on account of U.S. sanctions) from the West, but also find strategic allies that would help it to reach a new agreement on the nuclear program. In other words, using its ties with China and Russia as a leverage against the West. Additionally, it would help it strengthen its involvement in Asia.
•The same premise applies for Belarus, which lent its support to Russia for its actions in Ukraine. An association with the SCO bodes well for its diplomacy and regional stature.
📰 India’s climate imperative
For public pressure to drive climate action, we need to consider climate catastrophes as largely man-made
•In the absence of COVID-19, climate change-induced disasters would have been India’s biggest red alert in recent years. The heatwave that scorched Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, and New Delhi this year; torrential downpours in south India in 2021; and the super cyclone Amphan that battered West Bengal and Odisha in 2020 are symbols of man-made climate change. But India, like elsewhere, still attributes these catastrophes to the wrath of mother nature rather than anthropogenic global warming.
•Temperatures over the Indian Ocean have risen by over 1°C since the 1950s, increasing extreme weather events. India is the fourth worst-hit in climate migration. Heat waves in India have claimed an estimated 17,000 lives since the 1970s. Labour losses from rising heat, by one estimate, could reach ₹1.6 lakh crore annually if global warming exceeds 2°C, with India among the hardest hit. India needs a two-part approach: one, to adapt to climate impacts by building resilience against weather extremes, and two, to mitigate environmental destruction to prevent climate change from becoming more lethal.
Climate resilience
•Extreme heat waves hit swathes of India. Heatwaves are aggravated by deforestation and land degradation, which also exacerbate fires. Agriculture, being water-intensive, does not do well in heat wave-prone areas. A solution is to promote agricultural practices which are not water-intensive and to support afforestation that has a salutary effect on warming. Financial transfers can be targeted to help farmers plant trees and buy equipment — for example, for drip irrigation that reduces heavy water usage. Insurance schemes can transfer some of the risks of extreme heat faced by industrial, construction and agricultural workers to insurers.
•Climate-resilient agriculture calls for diversification — for example, the cultivation of multiple crops on the same farm. There will need to be more localised food production. Weather-based crop insurance would help.
•Floods and storms are worsened by vast sea ingress and coastline erosion in the low-lying areas in the south. Southern States need stronger guidelines to avoid construction in locations with drainages. It is vital to map flood-risk zones to manage vulnerable regions. Environment Impact Assessments must be mandatory for commercial projects.
•Kerala has some flood-resistant houses constructed on pillars. Communities can build round-shaped houses, considering optimum aerodynamic orientation to reduce the strength of the winds. Roofs with multiple slopes can stand well in strong winds, and central shafts reduce wind pressure on the roof by sucking in air from outside.
Arresting runaway climate change
•Adaptation alone will not slow climate damages if the warming of the sea level temperatures is not confronted. Leading emitters, including India, must move away from fossil fuels. But climate mitigation everywhere is painfully slow, because of a lack of political will. India has made slow progress in choosing 2070 as its target for net zero emissions.
•Meanwhile, a big part of climate action lies in protecting and expanding forest coverage. Regulation needs to be tightened and enforced to ensure forest protection while acquiring land. India gains from being part of the Glasgow declaration on forest protection that 141 countries signed in 2021.
•Management of dams can exacerbate glacier lake outbursts and floods. Nearly 295 dams in India are more than 100 years old and need repairs. In stemming landslides in Uttarakhand, regulations must stop the building of dams on steep slopes and eco-fragile areas, as well as the dynamiting of hills, sand mining, and quarrying. Dams in the southern States can moderate floods, but only if operated year-round to anticipate the need to control flows during floods.
•India’s share in disaster management should be raised to 2.5% of GDP. Climate finance is most suited for large-scale global funding from the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the Asian Development Bank. But smaller-scale financing can also be vital: the World Food Programme’s funding for Nepal and Bhutan for community-based adaptation and agricultural resilience for vulnerable communities provides an interesting model.
•States can tap into the Union government’s resources, financial and technological, from early warning meteorological systems to centrally sponsored climate schemes. MGNREGA funds can be used for climate adaptation in agriculture, waste management and livelihoods. States could make compensatory payment to local self-government resources being used for climate adaptation. For public pressure to drive climate action, we need to consider climate catastrophes as largely man-made.
📰 Sharing power with the next generations
Kurukshetra Magazine July 2022 ( Hindi ) PDF
aditya
09:27
Kurukshetra Magazine July 2022 ( Hindi ) PDF
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Yojana Magazine July 2022 ( Hindi ) PDF
aditya
09:20
Yojana Magazine July 2022 ( Hindi ) PDF
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Monday, July 18, 2022
Daily Current Affairs, 18th July 2022
aditya
19:59
1) Nelson Mandela International Day 2022 observed on 18 July
•Every year on July 18 the world marks Nelson Mandela International Day. The day is a remembrance of the first democratically elected President of South Africa and his long years of struggle for justice against apartheid. As a human rights lawyer, a political prisoner, a global mediator, and the first democratically elected leader of a free South Africa, he had dedicated his life to serving humanity.
Nelson Mandela International Day 2022: Theme
•The theme for Nelson Mandela International Day 2022 is “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are”, according to the United Nations. The theme finds significance given the geopolitical landscape in eastern Europe as well as sporadic conflicts in the Horn of Africa, followed by the crisis in Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, and various other parts of the world, as the UN chief notes.
2) World Day for International Justice 2022
•World Day for International Justice is observed on July 17 to commemorate the organisations that work to bring justice to the victims of international criminal acts. It also commemorates the establishment of modern court systems in the world. The day focuses on the advocacy of fundamental human rights and the promotion of international criminal justice.
3) West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar is NDA’s vice-presidential pick
•The BJP has announced West Bengal Governor, Jagdeep Dhankhar as the NDA’s vice-presidential candidate, with party chief J P Nadda lauding him as a “Kisan Putra (farmer’s son)” who had established himself as “a people’s governor”. With the NDA having a clear majority in the electoral college comprising MPs of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, Dhankhar is expected to win the August 6 election to vice-president. He will succeed M Venkaiah Naidu, whose term ends on August 10.
•Dhankhar entered public life after getting elected as the Member of Parliament from Jhunjhunu in the 1989 Lok Sabha elections. He also served as a Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs in 1990. In 1993, he was elected to the Rajasthan Assembly from the Kishangarh constituency in Ajmer district.
4) Varanasi named 1st cultural and tourism capital of SCO
•The holy city of Varanasi showcasing India’s culture and traditions over the ages will be declared the first “Cultural and Tourism Capital” of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. Varanasi will become the “Cultural and Tourism Capital” of the SCO for 2022-23 under a new rotating initiative by the eight-member organisation to promote people-to-people contacts and tourism among the member states.
5) Rajnath Singh launched Project 17A stealth frigate ‘Dunagiri’
•Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has launched the fourth P17A stealth frigate ‘Dunagiri’ into the Hooghly River in Kolkata. The Project 17A frigate is built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders Limited. The P-17A class is a follow-on of the P-17 Shivalik Class with improved stealth features & advanced weapons.
6) Kerala becomes first state to have own internet service
•Kerala is now the first and only state in the country to have its own internet service, according to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who made the announcement. The announcement followed the Department of Telecommunications’ granting of an Internet Service Provider (ISP) licence to the IT infrastructure project of the Kerala Fiber Optic Network Ltd (K-Fon), which aims to provide everyone in the state access to the internet.
•The principle behind the establishment of K-Fon is “non -discriminatory” treatment, which means that no service provider or business segment receives preferential treatment, as recommended by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).
7) IOA named 322-member Indian contingent for Commonwealth Games
•Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has announced a 322-member Indian contingent including 215 athletes and 107 officials and support staff to represent the country at the Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham, United Kingdom. The Games are scheduled to be held in British city from July 28 to August 8, 2022 Team India will compete in 15 sporting disciplines as well as four disciplines in the para-sports category.
•Rajesh Bhandari, vice president of the Boxing Federation of India (BFI), is the Chef de Mission of the squad. Team India will compete in 15 sporting disciplines as well as four disciplines in the para-sports category.
•Some big names in the squad include Neeraj Chopra, who won the gold medal in Tokyo, PV Sindhu, the two-time Olympic medallist, Lovlina Borgohain, Mirabai Chanu, and Bajrang Punia. Defending CWG champions Vinesh Phogat, Manika Batra, and 2018 Asian Games gold medalists Hima Das, Tajinderpal Singh Toor, and Amit Panghal will also be taking part in the championship.
8) Govt establishes commission to build a framework for right to repair
•The Department of Consumer Affairs has formed a committee under the leadership of Additional Secretary Nidhi Khatri in an effort to provide an overall framework for the Right to Repair. Anupam Mishra, Joint Secretary DoCA, Justice Paramjeet Singh Dhaliwal, G.S. Bajpai, Chancellor, Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law, Patiala, Ashok Patil, Chair of Consumer Law and Practice, and members from stakeholders like ICEA, SIAM, consumer activists, and consumer groups make up the committee.
9) Inauguration of Census Data Workstation at IIT Delhi
•A new census workstation has been unveiled by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi in the Economics Lab of the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences. The Census Data Workstation was officially opened by Dr. Vivek Joshi, the Registrar General and Census Commissioner for India. According to Dr. Joshi, the new workstation aims to make it easier for academics and researchers to access census microdata. Additionally, it will contribute to raising awareness of the enormous amount of data that was gathered during Census activities.
10) Consumer Affairs Department launches Jagriti, its new mascot
•Jagriti is a mascot created by the Department of Consumer Affairs (DoCA) with the goal of empowering customers and raising awareness of their rights. Jagriti will be shown as an educated consumer who is advocating for her rights and finding answers to the issues she encounters. The Jagriti mascot will be employed to raise consumer awareness of a variety of Departmental topics, including the provisions of the 2019 Consumer Protection Act, hallmarking, the National Consumer Helpline toll-free number 1915, provisions of the Weights and Measures Act, decisions of the Central Consumer Protection Authority, and consumer testimonies regarding grievance redressal.
•Aiming to reinforce a young, empowered, and knowledgeable consumer as a top-of-mind consumer rights awareness recall brand, DoCA is integrating the Jagriti Mascot to its consumer awareness campaign. In all of its media campaigns, the Jagriti mascot and slogan Jago Grahak Jago must be displayed. The two are now synonymous with young consumers who are aware of their rights and are a strong force for consumer rights education and advocacy.
Consumer Protection Act, 2019:
•2019 saw the adoption of the revised Consumer Protection Act by Parliament. The Consumer Protection Act of 1986 was replaced when it went into effect in July 2020. An Act to Provide for the Protection of Consumer Interests and for the Said Purpose, to Establish Authorities for the Timely and Effective Administration and Settlement of Consumer Disputes and for Matters Connected Therewith or Incidental Thereto is a concise summary of the Act. The Consumer Protection Act of 2019‘s primary goal is to safeguard customers’ rights by establishing institutions for the prompt and efficient administration and resolution of consumer disputes.
11) In Dhaka, the 52nd BGB-BSF DG level conference begins
•The Indian delegation, led by DG, BSF Pankaj Singh, arrived in Dhaka early on the first day of the 52nd BGB-BSF Director General level Border conference in Bangladesh. On the first day, a variety of topics including border management, drug trafficking, smuggling of weapons and ammunition, trafficking in women and children, and other development initiatives within 150 yards of the international boundary were discussed.
12) First-Ever ‘Made In India’ surgical robotic system installed at Rajiv Gandhi Institute
•Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute and Research Center, New Delhi (RGCI) have installed the first-ever Made-in-India Surgical Robotic System, “SSI-Mantra”, devised by the new-age Indian med-tech start-up SS Innovations. The ingenious SSI Mantra, a brainchild of World-renowned robotic cardiac surgeon Dr Sudhir P Srivastava, will be signifying the beginning of a new era of surgical procedures in India, making robotic surgery accessible and affordable for the people of our country.
•The ingenious SSI Mantra will be signifying the beginning of a new era of surgical procedures in India, making robotic surgery accessible and affordable for the people of our country. After two pilot projects where Dr Sudhir Rawal and his team from RGCI successfully performed a total of 26 surgeries with SSI Mantra, thereby validating safety, feasibility and effectiveness, the robot is now ready to provide an advanced method of surgery, which will be accessible to the general public at a much lower cost.
13) MoU signed between RBI and Bank Indonesia to further their shared cooperation
•An agreement was reached between the Reserve Bank of India and Bank Indonesia to increase collaboration in payment systems, digital financial innovation, anti-money laundering, and countering the funding of terrorism (AML-CFT). On the sidelines of the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting in Bali, the two central banks agreed to a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to further their mutual cooperation.
The HINDU Notes – 18th July 2022
aditya
09:30
📰 Preserving democracy in India
The presence of a vigilant Opposition is necessary not just for a vibrant democracy but for its very survival
•In January 2014, while addressing the Vijay Sankalp rally in Goa, Narendra Modi called on the audience to vote for a “Congress-mukt Bharat”. He said, “Be it dynasty politics, nepotism, corruption, communalism, divisions in society or poverty, getting freedom from all this is what I mean by a Congress-mukt Bharat.” Stating the BJP’s commitment to changing the future of India, he said, “We need efforts to integrate the nation, not divide it.” The events that have unfolded in the last few years, including the toppling of governments in Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra and the selective arrests of Opposition leaders, show that we are perhaps heading towards an Opposition-mukt Bharat.
Parliamentary democracy
•The Indian Constitution adopted the parliamentary system and not the presidential system. B.R. Ambedkar provided the rationale for this: “A democratic executive must satisfy two conditions - (1) It must be a stable executive and (2) it must be a responsible executive. Unfortunately it has not been possible so far to devise a system which can ensure both in equal degree… In England, where the parliamentary system prevails, the assessment of responsibility of the executive is both daily and periodic. The daily assessment is done by members of Parliament, through questions, resolutions, no-confidence motions, adjournment motions and debates on addresses. Periodic assessment is done by the electorate at the time of the election... The daily assessment of responsibility which is not available under the American system it is felt far more effective than the periodic assessment and far more necessary in... India. The draft Constitution in recommending the parliamentary system... has preferred more responsibility to more stability.”
•Democracy is the basic feature of the Constitution. Parliamentary democracy does not envisage a condition where a one party-government becomes permanent. The presence of a vigilant Opposition is necessary not just for a vibrant democracy but for its very survival. When the Opposition criticises the government or carries on an agitation to arouse public opinion against a party’s misdeeds, it is performing a duty that is assigned by the Constitution. Without an effective Opposition, democracy will become dull and legislature will become submissive. The public will then think that the legislature is a sham and is unable to perform its functions and will lose interest in the functioning of Parliament.
•Before and after independence, the Congress was determined to keep other parties out. For a long time, the Opposition was considered unnecessary and somewhat burdensome. This had a deleterious effect on the functioning of our democracy. The very evils that Mr. Modi spoke about in Goa were the result. Yet, Mr. Modi and the BJP today seek to follow the same path. Recently, Home Minister Amit Shah publicly declared that the next 30-40 years will be the era of the BJP. Encouraging defections from the parties in power in States will sound the death knell for democracy. The Tenth Schedule has failed to serve its purpose. The Supreme Court, in Kihoto Hollohan v. Zachillhu (1992), while upholding the 52nd Amendment through which the Tenth Schedule was introduced, summed up the argument for and against it in these words: “On the one hand there is the real and imminent threat to the very fabric of Indian democracy posed by certain levels of political behaviour conspicuous by their utter and total disregard of well recognised political proprieties and morality... On the other hand, there are... certain side-effects which might affect and hurt even honest dissenters and conscientious objectors.” In upholding the law, the court held: “But a political party functions on the strength of shared beliefs... Any freedom of its members to vote as they please independently of the political party’s declared policies will not only embarrass its public image and popularity but also undermine public confidence in it which... is its source of sustenance — nay, indeed, its very survival.”
•Loyalty to the party is essential. The whip system is part of the established machinery of political organisation in the House and does not infringe on a member’s rights or privilege in any way. That is why some political thinkers have recognised as an additional device the ‘theory of recall,’ so that a member whose personal behaviour falls below standards expected of his constituents goes back and seek their approval. This power is particularly apt when a member shows disloyalty to his party but declines to resign from his seat and to fight an immediate by-election. The anti-defection law was supposed to be the justification underlying the power of recall. In the absence of resignation and re-election immediately following the violation of the whip or showing disloyalty to the party on whose label the member was elected, the floor test in meaningless. It only seeks to legalise what is otherwise illegal, unconstitutional and immoral.
•To see a flock of members of the governing legislative party in a State being flown from one destination to another in chartered planes, housed in five-star hotels, and taken to States run by the party in power at the Centre is a sign of a conspiracy. Given such circumstances, it is time for the Supreme Court to re-write that law, if necessary by exercising powers under Article 142 of the Constitution.
•Equally alarming is the recent trend of the use of draconian powers, especially the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, against Opposition members. Nobody can condone illegalities. Individuals, if guilty, must be proceeded with under the law. But can one believe that such illegalities are committed only in the Opposition? There has not been a single case against a member of the ruling party since 2014. Is dishonesty the forte of only the Opposition parties?
The way forward
•The Prime Minister must seriously introspect on the erosion of public life and set things right. The judiciary must be aware of the ground realities and not allow such politically motivated investigations. Judges should readily grant anticipatory bail or regular bail in such matters. Political parties, the judiciary and civil society must take steps to ensure that democracy does not fail. The Opposition must be tolerated because if it is left for the party in power to decide what is healthy and unhealthy criticism, then every criticism of the latter will be treated as unhealthy.
•During the Constituent Assembly debates, Naziruddin Ahmad had warned: “If you are not desirous of creating anti-Congress feeling... it is very necessary for you to create an opposition, if necessary by some members volunteering to go to the opposition and making it healthy and strong.” Ramnarayan Singh went further and said, “ A government which does not like opposition and always wants to be in power is not a patriotic but a traitor government.”
•At the same time, while the Opposition must be credible and strong, it is for the Opposition to make itself credible and strong. It must feel the pulse of the people. Unless it makes itself respectable, it cannot demand any respect. This is the biggest challenge facing the nation today.
•The Opposition must also work constructively. Merely attacking the Prime Minister is not conducive for democracy. Our constitutional goal was to establish a sovereign, democratic republic. Mr. Modi and his party have a responsibility to ensure that India does not turn into an undemocratic republic.
📰 Why is Kerala protesting Supreme Court’s ESZ notification
