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IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs

IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs – 24th March, 2017

IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs – 24th March 2017 Archives NATIONAL TOPIC: General Studies 3 Achievements of Indians in science & technology; indigenization of technology and developing new technology. Awareness in the fields of IT, Space, Computers, robotics, nano‐technology, bio‐technology and issues relating to intellectual property rights. Compulsive Patent Hoarding Introduction Patents have been seen as a measure of research and design modalities. Off late there has been a rush towards hoarding patents and that has created cost on tax payers money. Hence there are concerns on the methodologies of the same. The current model of commercialisation does not work for publicly funded research Issue: The commercialisation arm of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), CSIR-Tech realised that it takes money to make money. CSIR-Tech, realized it the hard way when it had to shut down its operations for lack of funds. CSIR has filed more than 13,000 patents — 4,500 in India and 8,800 abroad — at a cost of ₹50 crore over the last three years. Across years, that’s a lot of taxpayers’ money, which in turn means that the closing of CSIR-Tech is a tacit admission that its work has been an expensive mistake — a mistake that we tax-paying citizens have paid for. Recently, CSIR’s Director-General claimed that most of CSIR’s patents were “bio-data patents”, filed solely to enhance the value of a scientist’s resume and that the extensive expenditure of public funds spent in filing and maintaining patents was unviable. CSIR claims to have licensed a percentage of its patents, but has so far failed to show any revenue earned from the licences. This compulsive hoarding of patents has come at a huge cost. If CSIR-Tech was privately run, it would have been shut down long ago. Acquiring Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) comes out of our blind adherence to the idea of patenting as an index of innovation. The private sector commercializes patents through the licensing of technology and the sale of patented products to recover the money spent in R&D. But when the funds for R&D come from public sources, mimicking the private sector may not be the best option. Patents and moral hazard While it’s true that it costs lakhs of rupees to get a patent in India, government-funded research organisations are likely to spend more money on patents so long as they are not asked to bear the risk. Reckless filing of patents using public funds may be explained by the economic concept of moral hazard. According to economist Paul Krugman, it happens in “any situation in which one person makes the decision about how much risk to take, while someone else bears the cost if things go badly”. In the case of public-funded research, the reckless filing of patents without due diligence results from the moral hazard of the government bearing the risk of patents that don’t generate revenue. In the insurance sector, moral hazard refers to the loss-increasing behaviour of the insured who acts recklessly when the loss is covered by another. Insurance companies check moral hazard by introducing copayment from the insured. The acceptance that CSIR laboratories need to bear 25% of expenses for their patents acknowledges the moral hazard. The National IPR Policy: The National IPR Policy released last year does not offer any guideline on distinguishing IPR generated using public funds from private ones. It views every IPR with private objectives by insisting on commercialisation. Dissemination of technology to the masses, participation in nation-building and creating public goods are rarely objectives that drive the private sector. The IPR policy of some publicly-funded research institutions allows for 30-70% of the income generated through the commercialisation of the patent to be shared with the creators of the invention, i.e., scientists and professors on the payroll of the government. Such a policy could promote private aggrandisement and may work against public interest. In contrast, the IPR policy of private companies does not allow for a payback on the share of royalties earned by patents. Possible solution The fate of CSIR-Tech is proof that the current model of commercialisation does not work with respect to publicly-funded research. So, how do we ensure that public-funded research reaches the masses and check the excessive filing of patents without due diligence? A possible solution to preserve the objective of publicly funded research is to devise an IPR policy wherein patents are initially offered on an open royalty-free licence to start-ups. Once start-ups commercialize the inventions successfully, the royalty-free licence could be converted into a revenue-sharing model. It is predominantly taxpayers’ money that goes into public-funded research. When research is commercialised by private entities, it tends to be sold back to the public at a price. America is in the midst of such a conundrum, where talks are going on of granting French pharmaceutical company Sanofi exclusive licence for the drug against the Zika virus — a drug which has already cost the American exchequer $43 million in R&D. Granting Sanofi this would defeat the purpose of public funds expended on research as the company would charge the American public again for the life-saving drug. Conclusion: Putting granted patents on an open licence can be testimony to the commercial viability of the things we are patenting using public money. Not only would it bring a sense of accountability to the managers who run the system but it would also open up publicly-funded research to a whole lot of people, especially start-ups, who can now test, verify, work and put the patented technology into the market. Connecting the dots: With emphasis on make in India and Start ups innovations will be abound in Indian market. Critically analyze the need for a national policy which ensures lacunae of the current policies are overcome.   NATIONAL TOPIC: General Studies 2 Indian Constitution- historical underpinnings, evolution, features, amendments, significant provisions and basic structure. General Studies 1 Salient features of Indian Society, Diversity of India. Tolerance as a duty Tolerance is virtue that promotes the receiving or acknowledging of new ideas and helps in breaking the status quo mentality. Tolerance is particularly needed in large and complex societies comprising people with varied beliefs, as in India. Tolerance of other’s views apart from self’s facilitates harmonious coexistence. A liberal democracy accepts the fact that in a free country, one can have different opinions and should have equal rights in voicing them. This is pluralism and tolerance is its ultimate rationale. Intolerance takes birth from an invincible assumption of the infallibility and truth of one’s beliefs, the dogmatic conviction about the rightness of one’s tenets and their superiority over others, and with the passage of time, this leads to forcible imposition of one’s ideology on others, often resulting in violence. Tolerance and world Currently, the virus of intolerance has acquired global dimensions. Religious and political persecution has become rampant and that too sometimes in the name of Almighty. The Preamble to the Charter of the United Nations proclaims that to achieve the goals of the Charter we need to “practice tolerance and live together in peace with one another as good neighbours”. Thus, the necessity for tolerance has been internationally recognised. Another significant UN instrument is the Declaration of November 25, 1981 on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief which emphasises that it is essential to promote tolerance and requires states to adopt all necessary measures for the speedy elimination of intolerance in all its forms and manifestations. Thus, there is an interwoven essential linkage between tolerance, human rights, democracy and peace. Rise of intolerance The rise of intolerance trend is alarming and scary. Some persons are offended by a theme of the movie and vandalising its important sets, eating habits are being targeted in name of religion, talk about sex education is inviting criminal prosecution for promoting ‘bad’ environment and a muslim girl is being forbidden by clerics to not sing songs! Thus, the best antidote to intolerance is practice of tolerance apart from political preaching as it cannot be legislated. This must be done by fostering an environment and culture of tolerance where stereotypes and prejudices are shunned. Tolerance and Indian constitution One of the basic feature of Indian constitution is the guarantee of a wide array of fundamental rights which are judicially enforceable against the state. The fundamental duties were added in 1976 by a Constitutional amendment and Article 51-A was enacted. One duty that needs to be added is the duty to practice tolerance. One cannot effectively perform fundamental duties unless tolerance is prevalent in society. Tolerance promotes, permits and protects the expression of thoughts and ideas which are acceptable to some and not to some. The media has an important role to play in promting tolerance. It should incessantly preach that that no group or body has the monopoly of truth and morality and it is a duty to respect the point of view of the “other minded”. This is should be supported by condemning incidences of intolerance, without fear of consequences. The role of education is equally crucial. The virtue and culture of tolerance should be inculcated in students right from schools where different social, economic and religious backgrounds are respected. IASbaba’s views Tolerance has high respect for human rights, especially freedom of conscience and freedom of thought. Disagreement with the belief and ideology of others is no reason for their suppression, because there can be more than one path for the attainment of truth and salvation. Tolerance should be highlighted in fundamental duties and also be practiced with dedication. Promotion of multi-religious, multi-cultural democracy through tolerance cements its invincibility. As SC said in a judgement: “Our tradition teaches tolerance; our philosophy preaches tolerance; our Constitution practices tolerance. Let none dilute it”. Connecting the dots: What is tolerance in a multi-religious, multi-cultural society? How can it be promoted? Is intolerance also a right to freedom of expression? Analyse. How can tolerance prevail over intolerance? MUST READ Do we need a presidential system? Hindu   For a formula for Ayodhya Hindu   Beware the rhyme of history Indian Express   The Manipur Opportunity Indian Express   On anti-Romeo squads Livemint   Making the case for India’s naval build-up Livemint   Pointers from the London terror attack Business Line   Meat politics Business Line  

Daily Prelims CA Quiz

IASbaba Daily Current Affairs Quiz [Day 144]

IASbaba Daily Current Affairs Quiz [Day 144] Click here to get all the Tests– Archives Q.1) Yakshagana is a Musical narration of ancient historical events Form of classical folk theatre form Karnataka Classical dance from Odisha Painting which represents socio-cultural ambience of the region from Madhya Pradesh Q.2) Which one of the following is the best description of ‘INS Betwa’? Frigate Aircraft carrier Corvette Destroyer Q.3) Consider the following statements about Khejri tree It is the state tree of Rajasthan and Telangana It helps in sustaining the nutrient value of the soil and ensuring a good yield Select the correct statements Only 1 Only 2 Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.4) N K Singh committee is associated with Amendments to FRBM Act Promotion of digital payments Special economic zones Enhancing solar energy capacity Q.5) Twin Balance Sheet problem includes Fiscal deficit of Union government Non-performing Assets of public sector banks Indebtedness of corporates Both (b) and (c) Download the Solution- Click here All the best IASbaba

IASbaba's 60 Days Plan, 2017: The Success Mantra of Thousands of Aspirants for Prelims

  Hello Friends,  Here we are with the most awaited initiative. An initiative that you can’t ignore, A ritual that you must follow, A habit you must nurture and A plan that you must internalize. Yes! We are talking about IASbaba’s trademark 60 Days Plan. In two years only, this has emerged as an indispensable aspect of Prelims preparation. With so many success stories and equally heartening gratitudes that followed post 60 Days plan in the last two years, it has become a hallmark of smart and efficient preparation. An initiative that in the literal sense is the manifestation of our core philosophy of smart work, 60 Days Plan gives you an edge over others. With nearly 70% hit ratio in two successive years along with ILP and other initiatives, 60 Days Plan also gives you a breather if your preparation isn't up to the mark. That my friends is the main reason behind it’s indispensability for the aspirant community! You get to improve your score and thereby your chances by following this religiously. This year, 60 Days Plan would be bigger and better! And yes completely free in line with IASbaba’s philosophy! We are here with better analysis, more focus and more tangible takeaways. We want you to get equipped with certain tools that will help you keep track of your preparation and performance. Continuous improvement is what you require to get past the others. For that you need patience and unbiased evaluation of your preparedness on a daily basis. We present you certain scales to track your progress on a daily basis and do the necessary course correction to bring yourself on track. But before that, let us do a small analysis of the mistakes that one commits in prelims. One’s level of preparedness is always different for different subjects. Even within a subject, one’s comfort level may vary with topics. For example, one might be more comfortable in solving questions of Polity than Economics and within Polity also, one might be at ease with questions on fundamental rights than Parliament. The level of comfort and ease that one has with a subject/ topic gets manifested in the examination. However, there is no conscious effort by aspirants to micro analyse these aspects. Now, coming to the second aspect i.e. the mistakes that one commits in answering MCQs, it can be said that there are mainly four reasons behind incorrect responses in the OMR sheet. They are: Lack of information Lack of analytical ability Silly mistakes Excessive risk taking   Let’s analyse them one by one: Lack of information: You simply don’t know the information. You are clueless and that’s why you don’t attempt the question. For example, you may have never come across a regime called the ‘Wassenaar Agreement’ during your preparation and you can’t do much about it. Lack of information is pardonable and rectifiable. You can read more and gather more information. That is within your reach. Lack of analytical ability: You know the concept but the question is a twisted one and you are not able to apply the concept. For example, in a question asking you to identify the climate type of a region based on certain given parameters like precipitation, temperature and air density, you might find it difficult to mark the correct option even if you are aware of all the options given in the question! That is clearly a lack of application and you can overcome it by developing a habit of framing questions in your mind while you study any topic. Silly mistakes: This habit is unpardonable. You know the concept, you become happy, you misread the question, you mark the incorrect answer and you are out of the race! Such mistakes reveal your hurriedness while answering the question. A simple mistake of reading ‘chose the incorrect option’ as ‘chose the correct option’ can destroy your chances. It means that you need to have patience and focus while attempting the paper. Excessive risk taking: You are confused between the options and just in order to increase your attempts, you make wild guesses and try your luck only to repent eventually. Risk taking is an art and one must be very careful while doing the guesswork in confusing questions. If you are not lucky enough, it can spoil your chances. You will realize that these problems will have different meanings for different people. For example, one might find lack of information as the main culprit in answering wrong the questions on Culture while in Polity, lack of analytical ability is usually the culprit. The point here is that you must analyse your preparation on these yardsticks by applying them on different subjects/ topics. If one is having a headache, he/ she can’t have the same medicine for fever. Isn’t it. This is where our revamped 60 Days Plan comes into picture. It will give you an opportunity to micro analyse your preparation and perform better in the examination.   How to use it? The detailed micro plan of 60 Days  is given here. You can download the PDF here. Note: You can also join our Test Series-Click Here, in case want to solve more questions. It has a total of 18 Tests.  Integrated Learning Program (ILP)-2017- Click Here is also running that includes 35 Tests, Value Add Notes, Babapedia for Prelims Current Affairs and Mains Mocks with Synopsis.  Now, we present you the following scales (with weightage of each scale given in the bracket) to micro analyse your preparation on a daily basis and that too subject/ topic wise: Scale 1: Information meter (1) Scale 2: Analysis meter (2) Scale 3: Anxiety meter (3) Scale 4: Risk meter (4)   Suppose on Day 1, questions have been framed from Polity on the topic of Constitutional History. There are 15 questions and you are able to answer 12 out of which 7 are correct and 5 are incorrect. It means you have scored roughly 11.33 out of 30. Now you have to fill on a daily basis, the following matrix to micro analyse your preparation: Suppose, the filled up matrix gets reflected in the following fashion: Based on the total value in this matrix, you have to aim for the following measures on the scale: Information meter < 4 Course Correction: If you are scoring above 4, it means that there are serious gaps in your information base in the particular subject/ topic. Please refer a standard textbook before it’s too late. Analysis meter < 4 Course Correction: If you are scoring above 4, you need to explore all possible questions in your mind while reading the topic. You should frame questions for your friends and try to trick them by twisting the questions. Anxiety meter < 3 Course Correction: A score above 3 indicates that you are either too excited or too callous to even read the question. You need to calm down and read the question twice, particularly those questions in which you feel too confident. Risk meter < 8 Course Correction: You need to curb your risk taking instincts. Make only intelligent guess and don’t leave your chance on fate. Don’t let the previous year’s cut off impact your mind.   Total N x S score < 20   Moreover, IASbaba will give a cut off figure along with the solutions each day. If your total marks exceed that cut off along with your total N x S score lying below 20, you are on the right track and just need to keep the momentum going. This exercise will hardly take 5 minutes of your daily time but it might do wonders for you as you will be able to gauge your strengths and limitations better. Finally it is up to you to take advantage of this framework. We are sure of only one thing- if you follow 60 Days Plan, assess yourself on the basis of the given framework and keep improving your weaker areas, success will be yours. Always remember, inconsistency and doubt leads to fear. And fear is something that ruins everything without giving you a chance. So, let us come together and enjoy the journey that lies ahead. Raise your hands if you are part of this journey in the comment box :) P.S- Questions will be posted around 11 AM everyday and Solution link will be activated around 6 PM   All the Best :) IASbaba Team

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All India Radio - Election Commission’s Proposal Against 200 Non Existent Political Parties

Election Commission’s Proposal Against 200 Non Existent Political Parties  ARCHIVES Search 21st December here http://www.newsonair.com/Main_Audio_Bulletins_Search.aspx TOPIC: General Studies 2 Structure, organization and functioning of the Executive and the Judiciary Ministries and Departments of the Government; pressure groups and formal/informal associations and their role in the Polity. The ECI declared its decision to delist 200 political parties that had not contested any election since 2005 and decided to inform Central Board of Direct Taxes about it. This will disallow tax benefits to them. ECI has the mandate to register a political party but, it lacks power under electoral laws to deregister any party. ECI used its powers under Article 324 of the Constitution to delist parties for being dormant and not contesting elections for a long time, as its demand to get power to deregister a party is pending with the Law Ministry. Thus the context in which the ECI has been saying for some time that it needs to be equipped to deal with issues of delisting political parties to avoid such long procedures. Currently, there are over 1780 registered, but unrecognised political parties in the country. Also, there are seven national parties and 58 state parties. Clearly this is a follow up of what PM had discussed about the demonetisation drive to unearth the black money along with efforts to fight menace of terrorism as well as scourge of poverty. This is significant as PM had requested ECI to go through the entire gamut of issues connected with funding of political parties because it raised a huge controversy that one of the main fountains of spreading black money is the expenditure that is done by political parties, especially at the time of elections. Delisting political parties ECI suspects that many of these parties could be nothing but money laundering operations. Most of the parties exist on papers to help people convert their black money into white by accepting donations. Therefore there are many parties who do not even bother filing income tax returns, and if they do, they never send a copy to ECI which is mandatory. If the effort is to really contain spread of black money and more so because elections do play big part in generation and spending of black money, it is a small way forward and still a long way to go. ECI hopes that CBDT will look into financial affairs of these parties as they are no more eligible for any tax benefits that are given to it. Electoral reforms The electoral reforms and funding of political parties has begun long ago since 1970s beginning with the Tarkunde committee initiated by JP Narayan followed by Dinesh Goswami committee and Inderjeet Gupta Committee. All of them did not want public funding. If there is a public funding then it should be very limited in the context of providing facility. The problem with political parties is that they are extra constitutional groups. No constitution and no democracy can work without political parties but then it has no constitutional sanction to receive money. Thus, dealing with the funding of these political parties or organisation is difficult task. ECI had two options Reduction in number of political parties which remained dormant for a very long time. However, it did not find favour with any of recognised parties. Deregistering is a tricky problem. There exists a National Press, various small presses and also some of the presses have no circulation. Lot of things are registered but they never come out regularly and they close without any announcement. The political parties are also in this kind of situation. To take up any punitive action against the entire system is not exactly easy. Parties grow and decay. So the important thing is to reform political culture by bringing all political parties under RTI. There should be proper auditing which is available to electorate. Intermediary risks can always be taken. In that context, if the parties exist only on paper, atleast some action is taken against them. Political funding- if new political parties are formed and they operate in a system then how to work out funding of all political parties. So there rises a question of inequality. Law commission has prepared report on issue of state funding of election. It has gone indepth with various aspect connected with it. It has also expressed that it is not in favour of state funding of election on one side and on other side said state funding of election is pretty good to contain rising cost of conducting election. It has suggested shifting their strategy from vote buying to programmable politics. But these are idealistic proposals which have little meaning. State funding doesn’t work satisfactorily even in the world. In US, half of the states have state funding but doesn’t work well because limit of expenditure is not set for political parties. On ground, fixing limit and sticking to it doesn’t really work. Another step taken in this direction is reduction of anonymous contribution from Rs. 20000 to Rs. 2000. Some might say that in age of digitisation, anonymous donations should cease. But the point is if political parties are willing to accept it and also that if there are genuine small donors who will like to remain anonymous, it is their right. In a political culture of democracy, a balance is required and if it is worked out well, some progress can be made. If a person wants to donate money to religious institutions, he has the right to be anonymous. Then treating political parties differently by removing anonymous donation factor is not legible. There is an overall architecture provided by ECI on how much a candidate can spend in a particular constituency during elections. But the political parties are free to spend any amount. To have a check on funding, a practical reform that can be initiated – Suppose A party fields 100 candidates and limit on spending is 10rs/candidate. Maximum amount spent by the party should be Rs. 1000. This will allow ECI to know where the additional funds are coming from and going to. However, this kind of things have not yet been evolved. FCRA allows political parties to accept donation from foreign entities, including companies. Lot of contribution from foreign individuals and companies have come into lot of questions of late. It is felt that there are many loopholes in the existing rules which is sought to be exploited. The strictness of law and no political party should get decisive advantage in this situation is important. Here ECI has to be strict about procedure followed and if foreign exchange is available, then it is easier to detect. Conclusion Ultimately it comes to public morality, awareness and intention of political parties which is extra constitutional in nature. There needs to be certain flexibility in dealing with problems of black money. So, the best option is to have proper audit which tracks the money trail of political parties. Connecting the dots: What are the various electoral reforms which need to be implemented at the earliest? Enumerate

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All India Radio - India-Krygystan Bilateral Relations

India-Krygystan Bilateral Relations ARCHIVES Search 20th December 2016 http://www.newsonair.com/Main_Audio_Bulletins_Search.aspx TOPIC: General Studies 2 India and its neighbourhood- relations. Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India's interests President Kyrgyzstan Almazbek Atambaev made first visit to India where he met PM of India. Both leaders held extensive delegation level talks after which agreements were signed on foreign office consultations, sports, broadcast cooperation and bilateral investment. This visit important for India to catch up with the region on various issues of regional cooperation, terrorism, economic cooperation and larger issues of diplomacy at global stage. India will be celebrating 25th anniversary of diplomatic relations with Kyrgyzstan in 2017. President of Kyrgyzstan’s visit to India follows President of Tajikistan’s visit. In 2016, PM Modi visited five Central Asian countries on way to Ufa BRICS summit and attending SCO meet. The ongoing engagement with Central Asian countries is going on since 1991-92 after breakup of Soviet Union and independence of five countries. Significance of Central Asia Visit by President of Central Asian country is highly significant where the region is undergoing tremendous changes. The Chinese have gone a big way to make their presence felt in the region The region facing huge challenge from Islamic extremism and ISIS China factor- It is increasingly becoming aggressive in the region with its rising economic clout on world stage. Many years ago when US was rising, then it was also asserting its power. Thus every rising power will assert power on global and regional stage trying to influence it. China has penetrated into region economically with one belt one road and militarily also The Silk Road project was announced in Central Asia in 2014 in Kazakhstan. China has invested heavily to connect China with Eurasian countries. It is also making CPEC an important economic corridor. So Central Asia is a transit area were China has huge stake in Central Asian countries in many ways. All Central Asian countries and also Russia have consented for Chinese initiative. This is where challenge for India comes. They are willingly accepting the Chinese initiative and all these issues of connectivity- economic, energy and also dealing with political issues. This raises the Chinese influence in the region manifold. Islamic Extremism- There is Islamic extremism challenge in region and there is constant state of turmoil in Afghanistan. The central Asian countries don’t have much role to play in Afghanistan but Afghanistan is important for everyone. Like India, they are also affected by problems in Afghanistan. The main issue is that central Asian countries face lot of problem in terms of terrorism, extremism and separatist tendencies. For example, Islamic movement of Uzbekistan is also present in Kyrgyzstan. There are other small groups like hizbut tahrir, Islamic Turkistan movement etc. Many of these outfits do have connection with Taliban and Al Qaeda in Afghanistan, and hence there is always a potential threat from Afghanistan to this region. This is where these countries are trying to find cooperation with India in terms of how to deal with terrorism. So far they have effectively dealt with terrorism in the region, especially Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. In future if ISIS presence grows, it will become a major challenge for countries. Therefore, these countries are seeking cooperation with India to learn how to tackle the issue of terrorism in terms of exchange of information, experience and capabilities to resolve the issues at regional level. India connected to Central Asian countries Connectivity is a major issues between India and Central Asia because of absence of peace in Afghanistan and hostile attitude of Pakistan. It is important for countries like Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan that India-Afghanistan-Iran have connectivity via Chabahar port. Thus, India is pursuing the connectivity issue with Iran since long with Bandar Abbas then and now Chabahar. Another connectivity line is INSTC it goes upto Russia. Improving the connectivity is real challenge because in absence of connectivity, presence is weak in terms of cost and distance in any exchange of commodities, especially for commerce and trade. SCO and India Membership to SCO is imminent and PM has said that SCO will also give a valuable framework to work together on issues like peace, stability and prosperity in region. Kyrgyzstan has ratified for India’s membership to SCO and soon more countries are expected to do it so as to cement India’s membership in SCO. Central Asia is important for India as negative forces emerge in the Central Asia which would be detrimental to India’s interest. In the absence of connectivity, there is no platform where India can play a role in region. So it is because of India’s interest that it has sought to pursue SCO membership as it is the only option to know what is going on in the region. Central Asia may not be important from economic view point but it is hugely important from strategic and economic viewpoint. If India is not a member of SCO, it wouldn’t be known what is happening in region. Pakistan is also becoming a member and there are chances that many contentious issues they might raise which are not raised in SAARC. Thus, India’s presence is extremely important in SCO. It is also important in terms of what contribution India can make in terms of technology, investment, economic development of region, security, defence cooperation etc. So, India is slated to play an important role in the SCO. India and Kyrgyzstan -history long ago India has share of history with Kyrgyzstan. From days of Kanishka, Buddhism was heavily imbedded in Silk Road. Kyrgyzstan is home to the Mughals of India and Emperor Babur came from the city Osh and even in his memoir, Baburnama, he refers to his place of origin in the mountains near Osh. Thus, India and Kyrgyzstan share heritage and values. Central Asia has so far been extremely friendly towards India because of certain legacy. During soviet time, India had direct contact with Central Asian region. All previous PMs have regularly visited and kept in touch with people of Central Asia. There is also a concept of Hindustan which is very strong in their psyche. However, India does not have economic and political presence. It is only about cultural goodwill that has not been able to convert into a more meaningful relationship. India and Kyrgyzstan military relations Military is one aspect of a nations which plays certain role to improve relationship with another country. India and Kyrgyzstan have been involved in regular military joint exercises. It is significant as it leads to better relationship between two countries. In international diplomacy, military also plays a huge role. Joint defence cooperation brings closer the military where the experiences are shared. It is also hoped that such exercises are conducted with other member countries of SCO after doing it with Kyrgyzstan for few years. In 2017, annual joint military exercises named “Khanjar-IV” were held after “Khanjar-II” exercises in March 2015 in Kyrgyzstan and “Khanjar-III” in 2016. Now, the entire geopolitical scenario of region is changing with Pakistan and Russia conducting first joint military exercise and more importance of SCO to bring stability in Afghanistan than SAARC. Conclusion There are many obstacles coming in between India and Central Asian region. One is strategy of Pakistan and possibly China also- strategy of denial- not to allow India and Central Asia to come together. That’s key policy of Pakistan to keep India and central Asia separate. If Russia’s relationship with Pakistan improves, there is a danger that other Central Asian countries will also listen to Pakistan. Thus, India has to be extra active to be able to more present in the region so that credibility, popularity and image remains strong in the region. Connecting the dots: India is increasingly growing its outreach to central Asian countries which provide a new market and geopolitical advantage. Analyse India’s role in the region and future possibilities for growth along with challenges.

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs

IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs – 23rd March, 2017

IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs – 23rd March 2017 Archives NATIONAL TOPIC: General Studies 1 Effects of globalization on Indian society Social empowerment General Studies 2 Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. Development processes and the development industry the role of NGOs, SHGs, various groups and associations, donors, charities, institutional and other stakeholders  General Studies 3 Inclusive growth and issues arising from it HDI Ranking and associated concerns Introduction HDI is an important development index released by United Nations Human Development Programme. It serves as a crucial index for social parameters and thus helps guide nations w.r.t. policy actions and guidelines, Issue: India’s rank of 131 among 188 countries on the UNDP’s Human Development Index for 2015 and its ‘medium’ performance pose the uncomfortable question: Would not the score have been significantly better if the higher economic growth trajectory of two and a half decades of liberalisation had been accompanied by a parallel investment in people? Few will argue that the rise in incomes that came with a more open economy has not translated into a Higher quality of life for many Indians Raised overall life expectancy at birth by more than 10 years from the 1990 level, to reach 68.3 years. Progress has also been made in raising awareness about issues affecting women’s empowerment, such as Public safety Acid attacks Discrimination in inheritance rights Lack of equal employment opportunity Policy reforms have been instituted in some of these areas as a result. As the HDI data show, significant inequalities persist, particularly between States and regions, which act as major barriers to improvement. The percentage of women in the workforce is the lowest in India among the BRICS countries, The national record on the population that lives in severe multidimensional poverty is also the worst in the bloc. These are clear pointers to the lost decades for India, when universalisation of education and health care could have pulled deprived sections out of the poverty trap. Policy actions and course corrections needed A central focus on social indicators is necessary for India to break free from its position as an underachiever. The fiscal space now available has been strengthened by steady economic growth. More should be done to eliminate subsidies for the richest quintile — estimated by the UNDP to be $16 billion in 2014 in six consumption areas including gold and aviation fuel. The rise in revenues from all sources should go towards making public education of high standards accessible to all and delivering on the promised higher budgetary outlay for health care. Bolstered by a conscious effort to help traditionally backward regions, such policies will help eliminate the losses produced by inequalities that lower national human development indices. One crucial metric that gets insufficient attention in the measurement of development is the state of democracy, reflected among other things in access to justice. It is relevant to point out that India has not ratified UN conventions on torture, rights of migrant workers and their families, and protection against enforced disappearance. This is a serious lacuna for a country that otherwise has a commitment to democracy and the rule of law. Conclusion: With the growing realisation that development is a multidimensional achievement, the gains of economic reforms must help build capabilities and improve the health of all sections. Sustaining and improving the quality of life will depend on policies crafted to handle major emerging challenges such as urbanisation, the housing deficit, access to power, water, education and health care. Connecting the dots: HDI data show, significant inequalities persist, particularly between States and regions, which act as major barriers to improvement. Discuss the measures initiated by the government especially under the vision of NITI Ayog.   NATIONAL TOPIC: General Studies 3 Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways etc. General Studies 2 Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. A multi-modal logistics approach The beginning India has polished the contours of its ambitious multi-modal programme to reduce logistics costs and make the economy competitive. The strategy involves revamping India’s logistics sector from a “point-to-point” model to a “hub-and-spoke” model. The logistics involve combination of railways, highways, inland waterways and airports to put in place an effective transportation grid. This will entail setting up 35 multi-modal logistics parks at a cost of Rs. 50,000 crore, developing 50 economic corridors and inviting investment from the states and private sector. The parks will act as hubs for freight movement enabling freight aggregation and distribution with modern mechanized warehousing space. To promote and implement it, government plans to host a multi-modal summit—India Integrated Transport and Logistics Summit— to pitch project opportunities to the investors. Benefits of multimodal transport- increase India’s exports, provide employment opportunities, cost effective, and make goods cheaper in the country. Significance of multimodal transport GST is expected to be rolled out from 1st July 2017. This will allow companies to restructure their supply chains once the domestic market is truly integrated. For production structure to improve radically, there is a need to build a new logistics network to allow inputs, components and finished goods to move seamlessly across the country. Reasons to have it Boosting competitiveness- efficient transportation and logistics reduce transport time and costs and also reduce cost of production by minimizing the need for large inventories. This means less capital required for warehouses, insurance etc. Create markets- presence of transport and logistics enterprises can create markets for other goods from the present goods driven logistics network. Regional equal growth- efficient logistics networks can reduce divergence in regional growth. Inter state trade- As per Economic Survey 16-17, inter-state trade flows in India is 54% of GDP. This can be improved through multimodal logistics. Keeping up with demand- the demand for transport grew at around 10% annually in the 1990s and has accelerated since then. Failing to keep pace might hurt all the sectors of society. Challenges in present logistics sectors India’s logistics and transport sector has developed in silos. This has resulted in more complex regulation and administrative procedures. Crucial logistics links have been missed as well as given rise to inefficient modal mix. Till 2008, the mix was 50% of total freight flow via roads, 36% by rail, 7.5% by pipelines, 6% by coastal shipping, 0.2% by inland waterways and 0.01% by airways. The ratios may have shifted somewhat since then but they are unlikely to have changed substantially. It is known that transport by rail and inland waterways is far more cost- and time-efficient than transport by roads, and thus should account for high proportions of the freight flow. However, lack of development of freight corridors and dedicated inland waterways has put the burden on roadways. Trans border logistics movement Recently, the Union Cabinet approved the signing of the Transports Internationaux Routiers or International Road Transports (TIR) Convention. India will be the 71st signatory to this international transit system. The multilateral international transit treaty—Customs Convention on International Transport of Goods—is also referred to as the TIR Convention and functions under the auspices of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). TIR is designed to facilitate the seamless movement of goods throughout countries in Asia and Europe. India and multimodal projects The Trans-Asian Railway network now comprises 117,500 km of railway lines serving 28 member countries. It aims to serve cultural exchanges and trade within Asia and between Asia and Europe. Indian Railway plans to set up a Trans-Asian Railway (TAR) route which is expected to play in increasing India’s connectivity to its eastern as well as western neighbours TAR includes a 118-km railway tracklaid between (Manipur capital) Imphal and (border towns) Moreh and Tamu (the latter in western Myanmar). It comes against the backdrop of China’s ambitious “One Belt One Road” initiative aimed at connecting countries across Asia, Africa and Europe to boost trade and economic ties on the lines of the traditional maritime route. With TIR Convention, there will be improvement in international connectivity and movement of cargo across the countries in the multi-modal format. Goods can go from Mumbai or Kandla Port to Iran. From Iran they can go via rail or road to Central Asia or Europe. The TIR Convention will also help India move goods along the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC)—an ambitious multi-modal transportation established in 2000 by Iran, Russia and India to promote transportation cooperation. India plans to develop Chabahar port in Iran, which will allow access to landlocked Afghanistan and energy-rich Central Asia through the Jawaharlal Nehru and Kandla ports. In addition, India has built a 218km-road link connecting Delaram with Zaranj in Afghanistan, which is adjacent to Iran’s border. India has also been instrumental in the India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway, along with the Bangladesh-Bhutan-India-Nepal Motor Vehicles Agreement. Significance of TIR By joining the convention, the need for inspection of goods at intermediate borders as well as physical escorts en route shall be removed due to reciprocal recognition of Customs controls. Instead, custom clearance can take place at internal Customs locations thereby avoiding clearances at Border Crossing Points and ports and decongesting them. Movement under the TIR can be allowed by checking only the seals and the external conditions of the load compartment or the container thereby reducing border delays, transport and transaction costs thereby leading to increased competitiveness and growth for the trade and transport sectors. Conclusion India has been promoting a multi-modal transport strategy involving railways, highways and waterways. The government’s intent was articulated in budget 2017-18, where stress was given upon the importance of an effective multi-modal transportation system for a competitive economy. An integrated multi-modal approach is necessary for reaping the benefits of GST and Make In India. Connecting the dots: India can fill its vaccum of unemployment by developing a multimodal logistics network. Do you agree? Explain. 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Daily Prelims CA Quiz

IASbaba Daily Current Affairs Quiz [Day 143]

IASbaba Daily Current Affairs Quiz [Day 143] Click here to get all the Tests– Archives Q.1) Consider the following statements about Indian Sign Language (ISL) dictionary It is being developed by the Indian Sign Language Research and Training Centre (ISLRTC) The dictionary is being developed in both print and video formats ISLRTC is under the aegis of the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment Select the correct statements 1 and 2 2 and 3 1 and 3 All of the above Q.2) Consider the following statements about Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) It is a non-profit Public Sector Enterprise under the aegis of Department of Biotechnology (DBT) It is mandated to foster and promote innovation research in biotech industries specially start-ups and SMEs. Select the correct statements Only 1 Only 2 Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.3) Consider the following statements about NBCC (INDIA) LIMITED It is a Maharatna organisation under the Ministry of Urban Development It does not undertake overseas projects Select the correct statements Only 1 Only 2 Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.4) Which of the following statements is/are correct concerning Human Development for Everyone’ report? It is released by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) The world’s top three countries in HDI are Norway, Australia and Switzerland Select the correct statements Only 1 Only 2 Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.5) Which of the following statements is/are correct? Majuli is the largest river island in the world The project, SACReD, Majuli has been initiated to combat climate change and ensure reduced greenhouse gas emissions Both (a) and (b) Neither (a) nor (b) Download the Solution- Click here All the best IASbaba

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