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Daily Briefing

- Daily Briefing: Malayalam cinema’s MeToo August

- Daily briefing: A reckoning in Kerala’s film industry

Daily Briefing: Malayalam cinema’s MeToo August

In today's edition: Nabanna Abhiyan march in Kolkata; Centre strikes back at Mamata Banerjee-led government; India's weather system to get a major upgrade

Written by Aradhana Kalia , Vibha B Madhava

New Delhi | Updated: August 27, 2024 09:35 IST

Top news - August 27

Good morning!

🚨Big Story:

Later today, a student body—The Paschim Banga Chhatra Samaj (Society of Students in West Bengal) will  march to the state secretariat in Kolkata’s Nabanna.. The march aims to demand the resignation of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in light of the rape-murder case at the city’s R G Kar Hospital.

Tell me more: This recently-formed student organization has split the movement for justice in the case. The CPI(M) and Congress have distanced themselves from the protest, citing concerns over the alleged RSS connections of some of the organizers.

Keeping at it:  At the hospital, the West Bengal Junior Doctors’ Front, a collective of medical professionals from across the state, is leading the charge. From holding daily strategy meetings and raising funds to coordinating with global supporters through official WhatsApp groups, here’s how they are sustaining the movement.

However: Opposition leaders allege that evidence has been compromised. A purported video has surfaced showing numerous individuals at the crime scene shortly after the victim’s body was discovered on the morning of August 9.

Not doing enough: In response to Banerjee’s call for stricter Central laws on sexual assault, Union Minister Annapurna Devi highlighted that only six Fast Track Special Courts were operational in the state as of June, despite a significant backlog of cases.

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⚡Only in the Express:

In an exclusive interview with the Indian Express, Congress Working Committee member Abhishek Manu Singhvi discusses his return to the Rajya Sabha, reflects on his recent loss in the Himachal Pradesh election, and addresses his involvement in court cases representing Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

“Call it by any name — political theory, political philosophy, political ideology or political imagination — this form of thinking about politics is necessary for any meaningful political action.”

In this week’s edition of his new column ‘Deshkaal’, Yogendra Yadav responds to interesting questions that have come his way in response to the opening piece on August 18. To that effect, he clarifies what “political thought” is, the decline of which he bemoans.

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📰From the front page:

More skeletons: On Monday, allegations of sexual misconduct in the Malayalam film industry grew, with new accusations against actors and senior AMMA members, leading the Kerala Police to file its first case.

Further revelations by the report reveal that a powerful, all-male group of 10-15 individuals at the top of Malayalam cinema controls the industry. This group is said to impose bans on actors and allegedly looks the other way when women come to them with complaints of harassment

Dive deeper: In today’s episode of the 3 Things Podcast, we discuss Malayalam actress Minu Muneer’s allegations of sexual misconduct involving several actors, including a two-time CPI(M) legislator.

Fair warning: Ahead of the upcoming Haryana assembly election, the BJP  has dissociated itself from its MP from Mandi Kangana Ranaut. Her latest brush with controversy included remarks on the 2020-21 farmers agitation. The party cracked the whip, saying, she was “neither permitted nor authorised” to make statements on the party policy”. Here’s what she said.

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👉Must Read:

Meanwhile, in the Valley…The BJP’s first list of candidates is out following a few jerks, while allies Congress and the National Congress (NC) have locked their seat-sharing deal — it’s action time as the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections inch closer. A pre-poll pact may have helped overcome the J&K hitch this time, but the Congress-NC relations have a turbulent history. Our Political Bureau chief Manoj C G helps put it into perspective.

Update incoming: With its recent predictions, particularly around extreme weather events, being way off the mark, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) is set to get a massive upgrade of its forecasting capabilities. A new mission to improve weather forecasting, with a budget of at least Rs 10,000 crore is expected to be launched soon, The Indian Express has learnt.

“She’s not strong or tall like Saina or Sindhu. But she has a spark that makes her different from the rest, like them and Lakshya.”

Clean, smooth strokeplay…These form the framework of 13-year-old badminton player Tanvi Patri’s U15 Asian Championship triumph. Hailing from Odisha, she was the shortest on the podium of 4 medallists at Chengdu on Sunday. Neither that nor the inevitable comparisons stopped her from climbing up to the gold step, her first towards a line-up of bigger achievements to come.

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📌And Finally:

Have you been introduced to Vyommitra yet? It’s the half-humanoid robot to be sent into space to test spacecraft safety, ahead of sending actual humans as part of ISRO’s Gaganyaan mission scheduled for next year. Weighing 800 grams, the design model of the humanoid skull is now ready for the work-in-progress uncrewed mission.

Delhi Confidential: The rare bonhomie shown by political rivals — BSP supremo Mayawati and SP chief Akhilesh Yadav — continued on social media. Mayawati expressed her “abhaar” to Akhilesh for “acknowledging the truth about her honesty” and reprimanding a BJP MLA for calling her “corrupt”. Yadav thanked the BSP chief for her “gratitude”.

Until tomorrow

Aradhana Kalia and Vibha B Madhava

Business As Usual by E P Unny – August 27

Daily briefing: A reckoning in Kerala’s film industry

In today’s edition: Major developments in Malayalam film industry following Hema Committee Report; Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pitches for India to host peace summit; and more

Written by Aradhana Kalia , Vibha B Madhava

New Delhi | August 26, 2024 09:27 IST

Top headlines - August 26

Good morning!

🚨Big Story:

The release of the Justice Hema Committee report last week has caused a major upheaval in the Malayalam film industry. On August 19, the Kerala government made public a 233-page document that delivers a scathing indictment of the sexual abuse and exploitation faced by women in Malayalam cinema. The report has triggered a fierce debate and encouraged many women to come forward with their own distressing experiences.

In the wake of the findings, the industry has experienced major developments:

- On Sunday, prominent scriptwriter and filmmaker Ranjith resigned from his position as head of the state-run Kerala Chalachitra Academy. His resignation follows allegations of sexual misconduct made by Bengali actor Sreelekha Mitra, who accused him of inappropriate behaviour in 2009. Ranjith has denied the allegations.

- Veteran actor Siddique has confirmed his resignation as general secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) amid reports of a rape accusation made by a young Malayali actress.

- The public outcry over these revelations has prompted the CPM-led Kerala government to announce that the state police would probe the latest series of complaints.

In our Opinion section, historian J. Devika from the Centre for Developing Studies in Thiruvananthapuram discusses how young women, empowered by education and their social status, challenged the old patriarchal norms in Malayalam cinema. Why does she believe that the release of the Hema Committee report and the changes it brought about could only have happened in Kerala? Read on.

🎧 Dive deeper: In today’s episode of our flagship 3 Things Podcast, we discuss the significance of the Hema Committee report, its biggest highlights, and the broader implications it has for the Malayalam film industry.

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⚡Only in the Express:

Idea Exchange: Against the backdrop of the ongoing Ukraine-Russia conflict and the Israel-Gaza war, Swiss Ambassador Ralf Heckner speaks with the Indian Express about India’s role in Europe. He explains why he believes India’s influence on global affairs extends beyond mere neutrality and holds significant weight.

A league of its own: A first-of-its-kind football league in Kerala promises to bring a change and uplift the state’s spirits which is still recovering from the recent monsoon devastation. The arrival of football talent from Spain and Latin America has sparked tremendous excitement among locals. Clubs’ Instagram pages, showcasing vibrant crests, are seeing a surge in subscribers with each new update.

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📰From the front page:

Pick a side: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that he needed India on his side and “not balancing between US and Russia”. Following his meeting with Prime Minister Modi, Zelenskyy suggested that India could serve as a potential venue for a peace summit. New Delhi is currently considering this proposal as a means to bring together the warring parties of Russia and Ukraine, The Indian Express has learnt.

Following probationary IAS officer Puja Khedkar’s case, RTI documents have uncovered a troubling trend. A nine-year review up to 2019 reveals 1,084 instances of individuals obtaining government jobs with fraudulent caste certificates, with 92 of these cases resulting in dismissal, according to Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) records. Dive into our report to discover more about this issue.

Meanwhile, in Kolkata…The CBI has two investigations in full swing in connection with the alleged rape and murder of the trainee doctor at Kolkata’s R G Kar Hospital.

In the rape-murder case, the agency on Sunday administered a polygraph test on the prime accused Sanjay Roy which is expected to be crucial to determine if it was a gang rape or the act of a single perpetrator. Earlier on the same day, CBI officials, who have also taken over a case of alleged corruption at the state-run medical college and hospital, conducted searches at the house of former principal Dr Sandip Ghosh and multiple other locations in the city.

“The recent rape and murder of a junior doctor in Kolkata has led many to draw parallels with Aruna — on how little has changed for women, including the safety and security of women health workers in public hospitals.”

Case in point: During a recent suo motu hearing on the Kolkata incident, Supreme Court Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud made a reference to a 1973 incident where a 25-year-old Aruna Shanbaug was raped and murdered while on nurse’s duty at a Mumbai hospital. About 50 years on, The Indian Express’ Sadaf Modak throws light on what has changed and what hasn’t for women at workplaces.

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👉Must Read:

Who wins the upcoming US elections in November – Donald Trump and Kamala Harris – will not disrupt India’s relations with its “most comprehensive and consequential partner”. Our columnist C Raja Mohan tells us why he thinks so, while helping us understand how the bilateral relations have been on an upward arc since President Bill Clinton visited India in 2000.

Closer home, NDA 3.0 is learning the ropes of the sine qua non of coalition functioning: consultations.

“Since June 4, the Prime Minister has gone out of his way to give the impression that it is going to be business as usual, even though the BJP no longer commanded a majority on its own.”

In reference to the recent rollbacks and U-turns on decision, Neerja Chowdhury, in her latest column, writes of the pressure on the Narendra Modi-led NDA government not just from its allies or a combative Opposition, but also from the RSS and the Hindu Right that feel the PM might be bending over backwards “to take everyone along”.

‘Another U-turn’?: The Union Cabinet’s announcement of the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS) has upped the ante in the pension system debate. While the Congress criticised the ruling government for backtracking, former Finance Secretary T V Somanathan, said that the latest pension scheme incorporates the best elements of both the New Pension Scheme (NPS) and the Old Pension Scheme (OPS). We explain how it differs from both of them.

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📌And Finally:

🇧🇩’s Flawed Genius?: A mere two days after he was named as an accused in a murder during the recent protests, Bangladesh’s former cricket captain and legendary all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan played his part to help his team script their maiden Test win in Pakistan. This left the country’s fan base in a dilemma – one they have battled for most of his 18-year career – should Shakib be celebrated or condemned?

Delhi Confidential: In a show of surprise support, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav jumped to defend his opponent and BSP chief Mayawati when a BJP MLA during a TV debate called her “corrupt”. What makes this interesting is that the ‘Team Bua-Bhatija’ from back in the day have rarely missed an opportunity to criticise each other since parting ways post 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

Until tomorrow

Aradhana Kalia and Vibha B Madhava

Business As Usual by E P Unny – August 26

Front Page

- Ruchir Sharma, global investor and author, is guest at Adda today

- At Delhi govt shelter home, teen died of ‘assault’ in Jan, no FIR till date

- Kerala police file first case, more senior actors accused of sexual misconduct

- Kharge family trust gets plot in aerospace park near Bengaluru, BJP alleges new land scam

- BJP starts with a jerk in J&K: First list cancelled, pruned as old guard ‘protests’

- Tired of repeating my story, says actor who accused Malayalam cinema veteran of rape

- In 9 years, Govt got 1,084 complaints of fake caste certificates for jobs; 92 sacked

- Zelenskyy red-flags ‘balancing’ act on war as he pitches for India to host peace summit

- Explained: In Unified Pension Scheme, extra burden on govt but no pushing back on reforms

- India, US sign key defence supply pact as Rajnath Singh begins 4-day visit

Ruchir Sharma, global investor and author, is guest at Adda today

Sharma, Chairman of Rockefeller International and Founder and Chief Investment Officer of Breakout Capital, an investment firm focused on emerging markets, will be the guest at the Express Adda in Mumbai on Tuesday. He

By: ENS Economic Bureau

Mumbai | Updated: August 27, 2024 09:57 IST

Chairman of Rockefeller International & Founder, Breakout Capital

Global investor, analyst, author and an expert, who reveals the big picture on socio-economic and political issues vividly, Ruchir Sharma wrote in his latest book that governments have made capitalism less fair and less efficient and that is slowing economic growth and fuelling popular anger.

Sharma, Chairman of Rockefeller International and Founder and Chief Investment Officer of Breakout Capital, an investment firm focused on emerging markets, will be the guest at the Express Adda in Mumbai on Tuesday. He will share his views on capitalism and factors that are going to shape global as well as domestic economies in the near future.

His perspectives are being followed by policy makers and investors across the globe. At the Express Adda, Sharma will be in conversation with Anant Goenka, Executive Director, The Indian Express Group, and K V Kamath, Chairman, National Bank for Financing Infrastructure and Development (NaBFID) and Chairman, Jio Financial Services.

In his latest book, What Went Wrong with Capitalism, which was released in June, Sharma says progressives are right in part when they mock modern capitalism as “socialism for the rich”.

“Inadvertently, they (governments) have fuelled the rise of monopolies, “zombie” firms, and billionaires. The first step to a cure is a correct diagnose of the problem. Capitalism has been badly distorted by constant government intervention and the relentless spread of a bailout culture. Building an even bigger state will only double down on what ruined capitalism in the first place,” he says in the book.

Sharma has authored four more books — The 10 Rules of Successful Nations; Democracy on the Road; The Rise and Fall of Nations; and Breakout Nations: In Pursuit of the Next Economic Miracles.

Sharma moved to Rockefeller in 2022 after a 25-year career at Morgan Stanley Investment Management, where he was Head of Emerging Markets and Chief Global Strategist. He was responsible for managing nearly $20 billion in assets.

Primarily based in New York and Miami, Sharma travels frequently to different countries, meeting with leading politicians, CEOs, and other local characters, who feature in his writing.

He is passionate about politics and has covered every national election in India, and many major state contests, since 1998. He led the first trip with three journalist friends, and the pack has since grown to 20 regulars and a few guest travellers. They typically travel more than 1,000 miles over a week, and have interviewed everyone from local voters to national leaders, including Narendra Modi and the Gandhis. These travels are captured in his 2019 book, ‘Democracy on the Road’.

Sharma’s other interests include athletics — he continues to train for 100 m and 200 m sprints. No matter where he is, or how hectic his schedule is, he tries not to miss a single day of training. In 2011, he represented India in the World Masters Athletic Championship in Sacramento. He also has a keen interest in wildlife and cinema and attends international film festivals when he finds time.

Sharma is a contributing opinion writer at The Financial Times. His work has also appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Foreign Affairs, The Guardian and Foreign Policy.

In an earlier conversation at Express Adda in 2023, Sharma had said that India was witnessing the fourth wave of foreign inflows since the 1991 economic reforms, with at least 50 per cent of that coming due to the weakness in the Chinese economy.

The Express Adda is a series of informal interactions organised by The Indian Express Group and features those at the centre of change. Previous guests at the Adda include External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran, Union Ministers Mansukh Mandaviya and Hardeep Singh Puri, cricket icons Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, chess legend Viswanathan Anand, Olympic gold medallist javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra and motivational strategist Gaur Gopal Das.

At Delhi govt shelter home, teen died of ‘assault’ in Jan, no FIR till date

An autopsy was conducted at the hospital the next day. The post-mortem report states: “Death was due to hemorrhagic shock consequent to internal injuries to the abdomen.

Written by Ankita Upadhyay

New Delhi | Updated: August 27, 2024 07:58 IST

The shelter home has been in the eye of a storm after it came to light that 14 deaths took place there in less than a month in July. (File Photo)

In January this year, a 16-year-old living at Asha Kiran, a Delhi government-run shelter home for the mentally challenged, lost his life because of “blunt force injuries”. Till date, however, no FIR has been registered in connection with the teen’s death, The Indian Express has found.

The shelter home has been in the eye of a storm after it came to light that 14 deaths took place there in less than a month in July. Earlier this month, the Delhi High Court had sought a report on the matter.

The Indian Express has learnt that on the morning of January 14, the 16-year-old complained that he was “unable to breathe”. He was taken to Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival. The teen, who suffered from intellectual disability, had moved into the home on December 16, 2023, sources said.

An autopsy was conducted at the hospital the next day. The post-mortem report states: “Death was due to hemorrhagic shock consequent to internal injuries to the abdomen. All injuries were ante-mortem, fresh before death, caused by blunt force and collectively were  sufficient to cause death in the ordinary course of nature. The pattern of injuries to the abdomen is consistent with physical assault.”

The body was later handed over to the sub-divisional magistrate’s office, which conducted the last rites.

According to Deputy Commissioner of Police, Rohini, Guriqbal Singh Sidhu, as per the law, if there is a suspicious or unexplained death at protective homes or custody/correctional facilities, the sub-divisional magistrate orders an inquiry and gives directions based on the findings of the inquiry report.

An inquest report is then prepared by an SDM. They submit this report along with the autopsy report, and ask the police to file an FIR, the DCP said. “However, we have not received any such report as per my knowledge,” said DCP Sidhu.

When contacted, sub-divisional magistrate Manish Chandra Verma said their investigation is still underway. “Hearings of Asha Kiran staff with relevant records have been scheduled,” he said.

He did not comment on why no FIR has been registered so far. “The police have to take a call on this,” he said.

When asked about the case, the Delhi government said in a statement, “We are deeply saddened by the tragic incident at Asha Kiran in January. This matter is being treated with the utmost seriousness and urgency by the authorities. Strongest possible action will be taken against those responsible as soon as the ongoing inquiry is concluded. The Delhi government is committed to ensuring that justice is served.”

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Kerala police file first case, more senior actors accused of sexual misconduct

Speaking to reporters on Monday, actor Minu Muneer alleged that she had faced sexual misconduct from many actors. She named Mukesh, a former two-time CPI(M) MLA; Edavela Babu, a prominent leader of the AMMA; and actors Maniyanpilla Raju and Jayasurya.

Written by Shaju Philip

Thiruvananthapuram | Updated: August 27, 2024 08:44 IST

Kerala State Chalachitra Academy chairman Ranjith

ALLEGATIONS OF sexual misconduct that have gripped the Malayalam film industry continued to spiral on Monday, with more actors as well as senior members of the Association of Malayalam Movies Artistes (AMMA) being named as accused, and Kerala Police filing its first case in this connection.

On Sunday, director and Kerala State Chalachitra Academy chairman Ranjith and actors’ association general secretary Siddique had stepped down from their respective positions over the allegations.

On Monday, the police registered a non-bailable case against Ranjith based on the complaint of a woman actor who accused him of sexual misconduct. Ranjith has said the allegation was an outcome of a “concerted move” against him after he became chairman of the Academy.

In the wake of the release of the Justice Hema Committee report, which had exposed rampant sexual abuse and exploitation of women in the Malayalam film industry, Bengali actor Sreelekha Mitra had told the media last week that Ranjith had allegedly misbehaved with her in 2009, during the pre-production phase of the film ‘Paleri Manikyam’.

She filed a complaint with Kochi city police, which registered a case under IPC Section 354, which deals with criminal force or assault against a woman with the intention to outrage her modesty.

The case will be handed over to the Special Investigation Team set up by the Kerala government to look into the allegations being raised in the aftermath of the Hema Committee report’s release.

Siddique, general secretary of AMMA, meanwhile filed a police complaint in which he denied the allegations against him and said it was part of a “criminal conspiracy”. He has been accused of raping a woman actor in 2016.

“The reputation of the entire Malayalam film industry is being deliberately tarnished by a group of persons and it is essential that the persons behind this criminal conspiracy are brought to light. I request you to take effective action in this matter to bring out the truth, and reveal the perpetrators behind the criminal conspiracy to fabricate and publish false and scandalous allegations through (the woman),” he wrote to the DGP.

More allegations

Speaking to reporters on Monday, actor Minu Muneer alleged that she had faced sexual misconduct from many actors. She named Mukesh, a former two-time CPI(M) MLA; Edavela Babu, a prominent leader of the AMMA; and actors Maniyanpilla Raju and Jayasurya.

While Mukesh, Jayasurya, and Babu did not respond to Muneer’s claims, Raju said he welcomes a probe into the allegations.

“I will file a complaint with the state police team, which was assigned to look into the revelations which came up in the wake of the Hema Committee report,” Muneer said.

She alleged that an actor tried to assault her at a hotel during the shooting of ‘Calender’ (2009) and ‘Nadakame Ulakam’ (2011).

“He entered the room and pulled me on the bed saying that I will have to consider those who have to be considered for getting better chances. Later, I left that place… Before that, while travelling by a car, (another actor) told me that he would come to my room the next night. He too had knocked on my door at night,” she claimed.

She also accused a third actor of misconduct in 2008. “During a shooting in the state capital, when I was returning from a restroom, (this actor) caught me from behind and kissed me. I pushed him down and ran away. He also invited me to his flat. After I rejected the invitation, there was no issue from his side,’’ she claimed.

Muneer also claimed that in 2013, she had applied for membership of AMMA. “A person who acted in three films is eligible for membership in AMMA. When I called him (an actor) over the phone regarding filling the application form, he invited me to his flat. While I was filling up the application form at his flat, he kissed my neck from behind. I ran out of the flat. I did not get the membership either,’’ she said.

The actor said that all this forced her to leave the Malayalam film industry and relocate to Chennai. “I am now seeking justice and accountability for the sufferings and trauma I endured,’’ she said.

AMMA joint general secretary named

Another young woman actor accused actor-producer Baburaj of sexually assaulting her in 2019. Baburaj, the joint general secretary of AMMA, denied the allegation and said he would “initiate legal action”.

“He (Baburaj) offered me a role in an upcoming movie and asked me to come to his house at Aluva (Ernakulam district), saying that the film’s production controller and other technicians were there… When I reached his house, there was nobody.”

She claimed the producer told her that the others were expected soon and that “until then I can rest”.

“He gave me a room. Later, he invited me for food. When I opened the door, he entered the room and locked it from inside. He started talking in a vulgar manner and led me to the cot and sexually assaulted me,” she alleged.

The actor said she was willing to talk to the police. “At any workplace, women should not face this experience. I had informed the police then, but could not file a complaint as they had requested. If Baburaj is challenging me, I’m ready to present the entire episode before the media in his presence. I have no other intention, since I have left the industry and am living with family outside Kerala,’’ she claimed.

Baburaj alleged that there was a conspiracy behind the allegation against him. “The complainant should come in public. I think she had worked in my resort. The motive is to prevent me from becoming the general secretary of AMMA. She has no links with films. People who have a grudge towards me are behind this allegation. I will expose the conspiracy behind this,” he claimed.

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Kharge family trust gets plot in aerospace park near Bengaluru, BJP alleges new land scam

Karnataka Industries Minister says no rules were violated and the 5 acres given to the Congress president’s family trust in March this year “at prescribed price”.

Written by Akram M

Bengaluru | Updated: August 27, 2024 08:00 IST

BJP questioned the grant of a KIADB site to a trust run by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s family. (File photo)

A FRESH row has broken out over land allotment in Karnataka, with the BJP questioning the grant of a Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB) site to a trust run by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s family and headed by his son Rahul, in March 2024.

Karnataka Industries Minister M B Patil confirmed the allocation to the Siddhartha Vihara Trust – almost a year after the Congress came to power in the state – adding that no rules were violated, with the site given “at prescribed price, with no discounts”.

The 5-acre parcel was part of 45.94 acres set aside for setting up civic amenities at the aerospace park, to be allocated under the Scheduled Caste quota.

In a post on X, Kharge’s other son and the Karnataka IT/BT and Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister, Priyank Kharge, denied the allegations. The site allotted was not “an industrial plot meant for industrial or commercial purposes”, he said. “It is for educational purposes. The intention of the trust is to set up a multi skill development center in the CA site. Is it wrong?”

Priyank added that the KIADB had not provided any subsidy or provided any relaxation to the trust run by the family to which the plot was awarded.

Priyank is himself a trustee in the Siddhartha Vihara Trust, which was allotted the 5 acres at the Hitech Defence Aerospace Park near Bengaluru. Formed in July 1994, its other trustees include Rahul Kharge (who is also its chairman) and Kharge’s son-in-law and Gulbarga MP Radhakrishna.

BJP Rajya Sabha MP Lahar Singh Siroya first raised the allegations over the allocation in a post on Sunday, quoting a report from a news website.

“Is this about misuse of power, nepotism, and conflict of interest?… How did the Industries Minister, M B Patil, consent to this allocation? When did the Kharge family become aerospace entrepreneurs to be eligible for (the) KIADB land?” Siroya, a Rajya Sabha MP from Karnataka, posted.

Asking whether there would be a probe in the matter, he said the issue had reached the Governor’s office.

In his statement Monday, Patil said: “The Siddhartha Vihara Trust, led by AICC President Mallikarjuna Kharge’s son Rahul Kharge, was allotted a CA (civic amenities) plot at Aerospace Park at a prescribed price, in accordance with KIADB norms. No rules were violated in the process of allocation… (made) at prescribed price, with no discounts given.”

Rahul Kharge is an IIT graduate who wanted to establish a research and development (R&D) centre on the allotted land, the Industries Minister said. “Under KIADB norms, CA plots can be used for setting up R&D centres, centres of excellence, technical institutes, skill development centres, government offices, banks, hospitals, hotels, petrol stations, canteens, and residential facilities.”

The allotments are made on the recommendations of the state-level Single Window Committee, he said.

Priyank said that no subsidy or subsidised rates were given for civic amenity plots allotted to SC/ST organisations, adding: “Rahul, who is the Chairman of the (Siddhartha) trust, has extensively worked at the prestigious Indian Institute of Science for many years.”

He accused Siroya of making the allegations to stay politically relevant.

Ramesh Babu, the head of the media and communication wing of the Congress in Bengaluru, issued a statement calling Siroya a “migrant” to state politics, being originally from Rajasthan, and asked him to share details of his own assets. He also said that with the charges, Siroya and the BJP “have once again expressed their sentiment that they are against Dalit reservation”.

Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council Chalawadi Narayanaswamy demanded Priyank’s ouster as minister. The Siddhartha Vihara Trust had been formed to construct a Buddha Vihara, and was a religious trust, not meant to set up industries, Narayanaswamy claimed.

“Priyank Kharge is a minister and should not misuse power. Radhakrishna is an MP and Mallikarjun Kharge is a Rajya Sabha MP. This incident amounts to nepotism and abuse of power. Priyank should be sacked from the Cabinet immediately,” he demanded.

The allegations against Kharge and family come amidst the ongoing controversy over a land allotment scam involving Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot has provided sanction to prosecute the CM over the disputed allocation of land under a Mysore Urban Development Authority scheme to his wife.

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BJP starts with a jerk in J&K: First list cancelled, pruned as old guard ‘protests’

Finally names candidates for 16 of 24 seats voting in first phase; no names for 8 seats in South Kashmir even as nomination deadline nears end.

Written by Bashaarat Masood

Srinagar | Updated: August 27, 2024 03:25 IST

(Left to right) Arshid Bhat to contest from Rajpora, Daleep Singh Parihar from Bhandarwah and Mohd Rafiq Wani from Anantnag West. (Facebook)

THE BJP’S election campaign for Jammu and Kashmir got off to a less than happy start Monday when the party had to withdraw its first list of candidates within hours, reportedly after protests by old-timers over being ignored in favour of turncoats.

The revised list that the BJP put out had names of candidates for 16 of the 24 Assembly seats voting in the first phase on September 18. The eight constituencies missing from the list are all in South Kashmir, traditionally a militant hot bed. The filing of nominations for this phase ends Tuesday.

The party’s previous list had 44 names, for constituencies across the three phases in which voting is being held in J&K. The BJP then announced it was withdrawing the list, and deleted it from all its official channels.

There was no word from the BJP on why the previous list was withdrawn. However, sources said anger among supporters of the old guard forced the party to go back to the drawing board.

In Jammu, BJP workers held protests at the party office and spoke openly about their disappointment. In the Valley, long-time BJP workers accused the party of ignoring leaders who had given it “a foothold” in Kashmir, when “nobody was ready to be associated with it”. Minha Lateef, the BJP’s lone District Development Council (DDC) member in Pulwama, South Kashmir, announced her resignation after the party announced Syed Showkat Gayoor Andrabi as its candidate for the Pampore constituency in Pulwama.

While 16 of the 24 seats voting in the first phase fall in Kashmir, eight are in Jammu.

With the nomination window closing, BJP leaders in Kashmir are apprehensive that the party might not contest the eight seats voting in the first phase for which it did not name candidates Monday. These eight constituencies include all the three seats in South Kashmir’s Kulgam, two seats in Anantnag and Pulwama each, and the Zainpora seat of Shopian.

The BJP, which did not field candidates in any of the three Kashmir constituencies in the Lok Sabha elections, had said it would contest all the Assembly seats in J&K. So far, barring one name, all the candidates it has announced for the Valley seats are new faces.

The BJP’s initial list of 44 suggested that at least three former Cabinet ministers – including ex-deputy chief ministers Nirmal Sharma and Kavinder Gupta – would not be fielded by the party this time.

Nirmal Singh won the 2014 Assembly elections from Billawar constituency of Jammu. The original BJP list named Satish Sharma as the candidate from Billawar.

Kavinder Gupta, also a former Speaker, won in 2014 from Gandhi Nagar in Jammu, defeating Congress stalwart Raman Bhalla. The constituency is named R S Pora-Jammu South seat now, after delimitation, and the party’s original list had Narinder Singh Raina as its candidate from the seat.

The third former member of the Council of Ministers missing from the BJP’s first list was Sat Paul Sharma, also a former state chief of the party, who won in 2014 from Jammu West. The BJP has fielded Arvind Gupta for the Jammu West seat.

A BJP leader in Jammu told The Indian Express: “The tickets have been given arbitrarily and there is anger among the workers. The people who have given their lifetime for the party have been left out and turncoats have been preferred… The hallmark of the BJP was that it always believed in merit over connections. But merit has been ignored this time.”

Among those who moved to the BJP from other parties and have got tickets are Devender Singh Rana, former National Conference (NC) leader and the brother of Union Minister of State Jitendra Singh; ex-Congress minister Sham Lal Sharma; and former NC minister S S Salathia.

The withdrawn list had Rana as the BJP candidate from Nagrota in Jammu, a seat he won in 2014 on the NC ticket; Sharma from Jammu North; and Salathia from Samba.

On the resignation of the BJP DDC member from Pulwama, a party leader in Srinagar said her reaction was justified. “She (Minha) won the elections when nobody (from the BJP) could. It was time to reward her for her performance… But we saw that a person who joined the party only a few months ago got the ticket.”

Another party leader also talked of having stood by the BJP when “associating with it was a taboo”. “Altaf Thakur couldn’t attend his father’s funeral because he was associated with the BJP. But the party has not fielded any candidate from Tral (his home constituency).”

A party leader in Srinagar said that several corporators may follow the Pulwama DDC member’s example and resign. “Out of the eight names the party has announced from Kashmir, only two-three deserved a ticket,” the leader said.

Among those fielded by the party from the Kashmir seats is senior leader Sofi Mohammad Yousuf from Bijbehara, the only old face in the BJP list. While Yousuf traditionally contested from Pahalgam, some of Pahalgam’s villages are part of Bijbehara now after delimitation.

Yousuf will face PDP chief Mehbooba’s daughter Iltija, who is making her poll debut from her family’s traditional seat Bijbehara.

Besides Yousuf, the BJP has fielded Veer Saraf from Anantnag-East; Shokwat Gayoor from Pampore; Arshid Bhat from Rajpora; Javid Ahmad Qadri from Shopian, and Mohammad Rafiq Wani from Anantnag-West. From the reserved seat of Kokernag, the party has fielded Choudhary Roushan Hussain Gujjar.

Among the Jammu seats, the BJP has fielded its former minister Sunil Sharma from Padder. Sharma won in 2014 on a BJP ticket from Kishtwar; the party has fielded Shagun Parihar, the niece of BJP leader Anil Parihar who was killed in a militant attack, from Kishtwar this time.

BJP vice-president Shakti Raj Parihar is the party candidate from Doda-West; he won the seat in 2014 too.

The party has fielded two Muslim faces in the Jammu seats. Tariq Keen will contest from Inderwal and Salim Bhat from Banihal.

The BJP also put out 40 names as its top campaigners for the J&K elections. Apart from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and BJP president J P Nadda, they include Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Gen (Retd) V K Singh.

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Tired of repeating my story, says actor who accused Malayalam cinema veteran of rape

The woman actor is of the view that Siddique should now be kept out of film sets for a long time. She also said that she has started facing a backlash again online for levelling the allegations.

Written by Nikhila Henry

New Delhi | Updated: August 27, 2024 09:04 IST

Siddique has resigned from the post of general secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) amid allegations of rape. (File Photo/Facebook)

“He called me ‘moley’ (daughter) when he first approached me,” said the young woman on her initial interaction with prominent Malayalam actor Siddique, whom she has accused of raping her in 2016.

The woman, also an actor, had first made the allegation in 2019. Now, in the aftermath of the Justice Hema Committee report’s release, she reiterated the allegation, leading to Siddique’s resignation on Sunday from the post of general secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) — an influential forum in the industry.

Siddique did not respond to the allegations while announcing his resignation. The Indian Express separately reached out to Siddique but he was not available for comment.

“I am tired of explaining again and again what happened to me. I am physically tired. I am mentally tired, too,” the 28-year-old woman told The Indian Express. She claimed that in the years since she first came out with the allegations in a Facebook post in 2019, she did not receive the support of actors’ organisations.

However, with the spotlight now on issues faced by women in the Malayalam film industry, as detailed in the Hema Committee report released last week, she said she is happy to get “some attention” from actors and the media.

The woman claimed that she first met Siddique online, following which they exchanged messages, and he allegedly promised her a role in an upcoming film if she met him in person. They met in 2016 at a hotel in Kerala’s capital, Thiruvananthapuram, where he allegedly asked her if she could make “make some adjustments” for him, she claimed. “I was not sure what he really meant at first,” she said. Siddique then allegedly raped her in the hotel room and masturbated in front of her, she claimed. “I was scared for my life,” she said.

For three years after the alleged incident, the woman did not make the matter public. During this time, she did small roles in Malayalam films. However, it was in the aftermath of the alleged abduction and rape of a leading woman actor of the Malayalam film industry in 2017, and the discussions around the case involving prominent Malayalam film figures in subsequent years, that she decided to post on Facebook about her own experience.

“I was seeing the man who had raped me on screen related to this incident. This was very triggering for me,” she said. “I did not get the support of anyone at that time. Over a period of time, I became bold enough to face all the consequences,” she said, claiming that the Facebook post also led to her being sidelined in the film industry and subject to hate comments online.

On Saturday, she shared her story again with Malayalam TV channels. “I narrated everything that happened to me, because in the light of the Hema Committee report, I felt I should reveal how some people in the film industry assault women,” she said.

The woman actor is of the view that Siddique should now be kept out of film sets for a long time. She also said that she has started facing a backlash again online for levelling the allegations. “I am already under a lot of pressure,” she said, but she added that she won’t back down.

Asked whether she would lodge a police complaint, she said, “I will take my time and think about it. I am not thinking of lodging a complaint as of now.”

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In 9 years, Govt got 1,084 complaints of fake caste certificates for jobs; 92 sacked

In July, the UPSC accused Puja Khedkar of “fraudulently availing attempts beyond the permissible limit under the Examination Rules by faking her identity by way of changing her name, her father’s and mother’s name, her photograph/signature, her email id, mobile number and address”.

Written by Shyamlal Yadav

New Delhi | Updated: August 27, 2024 09:04 IST

UPSC aspirants wait outside the exam hall in Delhi (Express File Photo by Abhinav Saha)

An official scrutiny that lasted nine years till 2019 tracked 1,084 complaints of Government jobs being acquired on fake caste certificates, according to records accessed by The Indian Express under the Right To Information (RTI) Act. From these cases, 92 personnel were dismissed from service, records from the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) show.

These numbers (see chart) assume significance given the high-profile case this year of Puja Khedkar who is in the dock for allegedly presenting dodgy caste and disability certificates to secure a seat in the civil services.

The fake caste certificates menace

The RTI records were made available for 59 of the 93 ministries and departments under the Government. They show that the Railways logged 349 such complaints in this period followed by the Department of Post (259), Ministry of Shipping (202) and Department of Food and Public Distribution (138). Sources in the DoPT said several of these cases are pending in various courts as well.

The RTI response was obtained on an application filed by The Indian Express following the Puja Khedkar controversy in July. It shows the DoPT started collecting data of such complaints in 2010 after a recommendation by the then Parliament Committee on the Welfare of SC/ST headed by the then Lok Sabha BJP MP Ratilal Kalidas Varma.

The Committee “strongly recommended” that the DoPT “obtain information from all Ministries/ Departments, PSUs, banks, autonomous bodies and States/ UTs in regard to cases of false caste certificates regularly with a view to monitoring their progress and disposal, so that necessary plan of action could be taken to tackle the problem for good”.

The first communication in this regard was issued by the DoPT on January 28, 2010, to ministries and departments to “collect information from all organisations under their administrative control about the cases where the candidate got/alleged to have got appointment against vacancies reserved for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes on the basis of false/ fake caste certificate”. The deadline given was March 31, 2010.

The last communication seeking such data, records show, was issued on May 16, 2019. “As on date, no such data is centrally maintained in (these) Departments,” the DoPT said in its RTI response dated August 8, 2024.

“DoPT has issued instructions from time to time to all the State and UT governments to ensure timely verification of caste certificate. It is the responsibility of the concerned State or UT Government to issue and verify caste certificate,” the DoPT said.

The Government’s reservation quota for employment mandates that SC candidates get 15 per cent, STs 7.5 per cent, OBCs 27 per cent, EWS 10 per cent and physically handicapped 3 per cent in each category.

According to the DoPT, an order issued in 1993 states: “If it is found that a Government servant had furnished false information or produced a false certificate in order to secure appointment, he should not be retained in service.”

In July, the UPSC accused Puja Khedkar of “fraudulently availing attempts beyond the permissible limit under the Examination Rules by faking her identity by way of changing her name, her father’s and mother’s name, her photograph/signature, her email id, mobile number and address”.

Khedkar approached the Delhi High Court earlier this month, challenging the UPSC’s declaration to cancel her civil services candidature and bar her from appearing for any future exams.

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Shyamlal Yadav

Shyamlal Yadav is one of the pioneers of the effective use of RTI for investigative reporting. He is a member of the Investigative Team. His reporting on polluted rivers, foreign travel of public servants, MPs appointing relatives as assistants, fake journals, LIC’s lapsed policies, Honorary doctorates conferred to politicians and officials, Bank officials putting their own money into Jan Dhan accounts and more has made a huge impact. He is member of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ). He has been part of global investigations like Paradise Papers, Fincen Files, Pandora Papers, Uber Files and Hidden Treasures. After his investigation in March 2023 the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York returned 16 antiquities to India. Besides investigative work, he keeps writing on social and political issues. ... Read More

Zelenskyy red-flags ‘balancing’ act on war as he pitches for India to host peace summit

"I truly believe that the second peace summit has to take place. It would be good if it could be held in one of the Global South countries,” Zelenskyy said.

Written by Shubhajit Roy

New Delhi | Updated: August 26, 2024 09:10 IST

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and others during a delegation level meeting, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Aug. 23, 2024. (PTI Photo)

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has told Prime Minister Narendra Modi that India can be a possible venue for a peace summit, and New Delhi is examining the offer to bring together the warring parties of Russia and Ukraine, The Indian Express has learnt.

This comes even as Zelenskyy said that he needed India on his side and “not balancing between US and Russia”.

At a media briefing for visiting Indian journalists in Kyiv on Friday, Zelenskyy said he told Prime Minister Modi that the peace summit could be hosted in India.

“As for the peace summit, I truly believe that the second peace summit has to take place. It would be good if it could be held in one of the Global South countries,” he said. “We are very open to it. There are countries like Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Türkiye and Switzerland. We are currently talking to those countries on hosting the peace summit.”

“I told Prime Minister Modi that we could have the Global Peace Summit in India. It’s a big country, it’s a great democracy — the largest one,” he said.

Whether that summit will be the next one or later is a question that will be something South Block needs to weigh in the pros and cons. The inaugural peace summit was held at a resort near Lucerne in Switzerland in June that was attended by more than 90 countries and global institutions with a sole focus on bringing peace to Ukraine.

Modi on Friday conveyed to Zelenskyy that both Ukraine and Russia should sit together without wasting time to end the ongoing war and that India was ready to play an “active role” to restore peace in the region.

Zelenskyy said India supports Ukraine’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity and it is “critical because everyone in the world must equally respect the UN Charter”.

“India (is a) big influential country, not only in the world (but) also through the circle of very skeptical countries. If we will change India’s attitude to this war and to Russia, we will stop the war, because Putin will want to stop it,” Zelenskyy said.

The Ukrainian President described Prime Minister Modi’s first visit to Kyiv as “historic”. During their bilateral talks, Modi invited Zelenskyy to visit India. “When you begin a strategic partnership, and you begin some dialogue, you don’t need to lose time. That’s why I think it will be good to meet together again, and if our meeting will be in India, I’ll be happy,” Zelenskyy said.

“I think, to understand a country is to understand people also. It’s better to be in your country because to find the key to your country and to your Prime Minister is to see your people and I need very much to find the key to your country, because I very much need your country on our side, not balancing between the US and Russia,” he said.

“It’s not about your historical choice, but who knows, maybe your country can be the key in this diplomatic influence,” he said. “That’s why I’ll be happy to come to India as soon as your government, Prime Minister (Modi) will be ready to see me.”

Replying to another question, he said, “We want him (Modi) very much to have peace summits, and of course we will be happy to work on it and of course, if he has his ideas, we will be happy to discuss it.”

“But we don’t change our territories on any propositions … we don’t change our people to any propositions, our territories our values and our freedom and democracy to any propositions … we will not change,” he said.

“PM Modi wants peace more than Putin. The problem is Putin doesn’t want (peace). I don’t know what they spoke during their meeting.” The Ukrainian President also said that Russia will have “significant challenges” if the world, including India, stops buying subsidised oil from it.

“Putin is afraid of losing the economy, he has nothing except for oil, his main currency is oil. They do have a kind of energy-based economy, and they’re export-oriented,” he said. “So, the countries importing energy resources from the Russian Federation, they will be helping the whole world.”

Asked about the discussion on defence production, Zelenskyy said, “We spoke basically about some technologies (but) we are open for a very big deal if India will be ready.”

Answering a question about India not supporting a UN resolution (against Russia some months ago), Zelenskyy said he wanted to forgo what happened in the past and “before new resolutions, we have to speak, we have to make more strong relations between our country (and India) before new decisions.”

“We will not have big challenges in our relations in the future. And I will focus on it, on future relations between our countries,” he said.

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Explained: In Unified Pension Scheme, extra burden on govt but no pushing back on reforms

Clearly, the UPS is a political response to the festering grouse among government employees, who form a vocal political constituency. With assured pension expected to benefit over 23 lakh central government employees, states are also expected to join under the UPS. However, the additional strain on state government finances would require caution.

Written by Aanchal Magazine

New Delhi | Updated: August 26, 2024 11:28 IST

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with a delegation from Joint Consultative machinery for central government employees, at his residence in New Delhi. (PTI)

With young government employees staring at the prospects of lower than 50% salary as pension, the Centre has now tweaked its existing scheme with a new Unified Pension Scheme (UPS). A defined assured pension, family pension and a minimum pension for those with less than the mandatory service for full pension are its key features.

In formulating the UPS, the TV Somanathan committee set up in April 2023 hasn’t quite jettisoned the basic reform characteristics of the National Pension System that was implemented for those joining government service from January 2004. It has sought to address the grievances of employees — the most important being stability of income and security to family — by raising the government’s contribution to the pension scheme to 18.5 per cent of the basic pay from 14 per cent now; the employee contribution remains 10 per cent of the basic pay as on date.

This will definitely cost the government more money — around Rs 6,250 crore in the first year. But this is more in the nature of filling the gap between the assured 50 per cent salary as pension and what the corpus (combined contraction of the employee and the government) would have earned during the years of service when invested in the default scheme by the pension fund manager.

The government also estimates an additional expenditure of Rs 800 crore towards arrears of already retired employees since the introduction of NPS in 2004.

Clearly, the UPS is a political response to the festering grouse among government employees, who form a vocal political constituency. The outcome of the general election and the prospects of a big challenge from the Opposition in the Assembly elections in Haryana, Maharashtra, and Jharkhand in the coming months may have also forced the government to open its purse strings a bit.

Also, the new UPS will close the route for states to revert to the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) as some of them did earlier. Most states are expected to adopt the new UPS structure for their employees; they may be willing to bear the extra cost given the fact that the Centre itself has done it. This is bound to strain the finances of the state governments.

Cabinet Secretary TV Somanathan, however, said the UPS is “definitely fiscally more prudent”. “It remains within the same architecture of contributory funded scheme. That is the critical difference. The OPS (old pension scheme) is an unfunded, non-contributory scheme, this is a funded, contributory scheme. The only difference in the changes made today (Saturday) is to give an assurance and not leave things to vagaries of market forces. But otherwise the structure of UPS has the best elements of both (OPS and NPS),” he said.

Under the OPS, government employees used to get defined benefits post retirement – 50 per cent of their last drawn salary as monthly pension. Under the NPS, which covers employees who joined service post January 2004, contributions are defined but benefits depend on the market. Last year, states of Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh had reverted to the OPS from NPS.

The new UPS has included features of an assured pension from the OPS as well as defined contributions from the NPS. UPS has features similar to OPS in the form of an assured pension, inflation indexation, family pension and minimum pension. From the NPS, the UPS has included the feature of contributory, fully funded scheme.

With assured pension expected to benefit over 23 lakh central government employees, states are also expected to join under the UPS. However, the additional strain on state government finances would require caution.

In January 2023, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had flagged concerns about strain on government finances for states opting to revert to OPS last year. The central bank had said that the OPS, instead of the NPS, will lead to the accumulation of liabilities which can become a major risk in the future.

As per the Budget estimates for 2022-23, states were expected to incur a 16 per cent rise in pension expenditure at Rs 4,63,436 crore in 2022-23 as against Rs 3,99,813 crore in the previous year, the RBI had said. The RBI had said that the pension outgo under the OPS is projected to touch over Rs 17 lakh crore under the OPS as against Rs 4 lakh crore under the NPS.

Aanchal Magazine

Aanchal Magazine is Senior Assistant Editor with The Indian Express and reports on the macro economy and fiscal policy, with a special focus on economic science, labour trends, taxation and revenue metrics. With over 12 years of newsroom experience, she has also reported in detail on macroeconomic data such as trends and policy actions related to inflation, GDP growth and fiscal arithmetic. Interested in the history of her homeland, Kashmir, she likes to read about its culture and tradition in her spare time, along with trying to map the journeys of displacement from there.   ... Read More

India, US sign key defence supply pact as Rajnath Singh begins 4-day visit

India is the eighteenth SOSA partner of the US; the SOSA will mandate the 2 countries to provide reciprocal priority support for goods and services that promote national defence.

Written by Amrita Nayak Dutta

New Delhi | Updated: August 27, 2024 02:25 IST

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh with US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin in Washington on Friday. (PTI)

As Defence Minister Rajnath Singh reached Washington DC on a four-day official visit, India and US on Thursday signed two key pacts — a non-binding Security of Supply Arrangement (SOSA) and a Memorandum of Agreement regarding Assignment of Liaison Officers.

The SOSA will mandate the US and India to provide reciprocal priority support for goods and services that promote national defence.

“The arrangement will enable both countries to acquire the industrial resources they need from one another to resolve unanticipated supply chain disruptions to meet national security needs,” said a statement issued by the US Department of Defence.

The two pacts were signed ahead of Singh’s meeting with US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin in the Pentagon on Friday. At the meeting, both sides expressed satisfaction over the conclusion of the SOSA between India and the US, a Defence Ministry statement said Friday night. “The SOSA signed yesterday in Washington DC encourages the defence industrial ecosystems of both countries to work together, and enhances the supply chain resilience,” it said.

India is the 18th SOSA partner of the US after Australia, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, and the UK.

According to the US Department of Defence statement, the SOSA was signed between Dr Vic Ramdass, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence for Industrial Base Policy, on behalf of the US, and Samir Kumar Sinha, Additional Secretary and Director General (Acquisitions), from India.

It quoted Dr Ramdass as stating that the SOSA represents a pivotal moment in the US-India major defence partner relationship and will be a key factor in strengthening the Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI) between the two countries.

“I look forward to OUSD (A&S) hosting the next DTTI meeting this fall to deepen cooperation between our respective defense industrial bases and pursue bilateral co-development, co-production, and co-sustainment initiatives,” he said.

Under the Arrangement, the US and India have committed to support one another’s priority delivery requests for procurement of critical national defence resources, the statement said.

It said the US will provide India assurances under the US Defense Priorities and Allocations System (DPAS), with programme determinations by DoD and rating authorisation by the Department of Commerce (DoC).

India will in turn establish a government-industry Code of Conduct with its industrial base, where Indian firms will voluntarily agree to make every reasonable effort to provide the US priority support.

The statement said that with an expanding global supply chain for DoD, SOSAs are an important mechanism to strengthen interoperability with US defence trade partners. “The Arrangements institute working groups, establish communication mechanisms, streamline DoD processes, and proactively act to allay anticipated supply chain issues in peacetime, emergency, and armed conflict,” it said, adding that they are also a useful tool in developing investment strategies to ensure redundancy and security.

The US industrial base policy states that the SOSA is conducted under overarching Declarations of Principles for Enhanced Cooperation in matters of defence equipment and industry that have been signed with select nations. It says that SOSA implements the “Meeting National Defence Requirements” section of these documents, which recognises the potential for a certain degree of mutual interdependence of supplies needed for national security, and calls for the parties to explore solutions for achieving assurance of supply.

Dr Swasti Rao, Associate Fellow, Europe and Eurasia Centre, MP-IDSA told The Indian Express that India and the US defence cooperation has been achieving new heights since 2016 with the signing of the foundational agreements and SOSA is the latest in that order.

“SOSA is not a game-changer by itself but is an important element of the defence ecosystem that India has developed with the US,” she said.

“SOSA will make it easier for Indian companies to get priority supplies from the US and revitalise the defence industry cooperation between the two countries, especially at a time the US has emerged to be one of the biggest procurers of India’s growing defence exports,” she said.

However, she clarified that SOSA, despite being an important agreement, is not legally binding and is not sanction proofed. “Once the Reciprocal Defence Procurement Agreement (RDP) which is the second level is signed, it will be legally binding and, in my opinion, that would also be signed soon,” she said.

Defence Minister Singh during his meeting with Austin also highlighted the various co-development and co-production opportunities in India in areas identified in the India-US Defence Industrial Cooperation Roadmap, adopted last year, the defence ministry said in its statement. Both leaders held wide-ranging discussions on bilateral defence cooperation, industrial collaboration, regional security and other international issues, it said.

They also appreciated the progress made in operationalising the Indo-Pacific Maritime Domain Awareness, a Quad initiative, and praised the ongoing efforts by India to enhance the Maritime Domain Awareness for the partners in the Indian Ocean Region.

The statement said Singh and Austin also welcomed the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement between India and US regarding the deployment of Liaison Officers.

The Memorandum of Agreement regarding the Assignment of Liaison Officers progresses on an earlier decision between the two sides to increase sharing of information between India and the US and will entail posting of Indian armed forces officers in key strategic US Commands. India would deploy the first Liaison Officer to the Headquarters Special Operations Command in Florida, US.

In a post on X, Singh termed the signing of the two agreements as “pathbreaking developments”, and added that he and Austin reviewed the existing defence cooperation activities and discussed ways to deepen it further at their meeting.

Earlier in the day, Singh participated in a wreath laying ceremony at the Arlington National Cemetery. He also interacted with the Indian diaspora in Washington where he said India and US together are a formidable force which can ensure peace, prosperity and stability in the world.

During his stay, Singh is slated to meet US Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs Jake Sullivan. In addition, he will chair a round-table meeting with the US defence industry on the ongoing and future defence collaborations.

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India

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- Amid calls for ‘Bangladeshis’ to leave, Assam’s tense Sivasagar district struggles to keep the peace

- Accused in accident case, AAP Goa chief’s bail cancelled for travelling abroad without permission

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- Facing Opposition flak, Chhattisgarh hands Mahadev app probe to CBI

- No relief to Remo D’Souza from HC in cheating case

- Centre-Bengal blame game | Centre strikes back: Bengal slow in setting up fast-track courts for sexual assault cases

- India rejects reports linking opening of Farakka barrage to flooding in Bangladesh

- J&K: US diplomats call on Omar, ex-CM calls for relook on travel advisories

- Suspense over Champai Soren’s future ends, he’ll join BJP on August 30, announces Himanta

- Congress announces first list of 9 candidates for J&K Assembly elections

- Tripura flood situation improves; PM Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah reiterate support for state

- PM Modi and US President Biden discuss Ukraine, safety of Hindus in Bangladesh

- ‘First time in history statehood was taken away’: Rahul Gandhi during tête-à-tête with Kashmiri women

- ‘Lapses on part of AMMA… can’t say power group doesn’t exist’: Malayalam star Prithviraj on Hema panel report

- As NC and Congress lock seat sharing, ‘friendly fight’ on the cards in these 5 constituencies

- No question of my retirement from active politics: Mayawati

- Malayalam actor-producer Baburaj accused by junior artiste of sexual assault

- Rajasthan’s Bhilwara on edge after ‘cow tail is found on temple premises’

- ‘Kangana Ranaut not authorised to speak on party’s policy’: BJP cautions Mandi MP after her farmers’ protest remarks

- Satheesan accuses Kerala govt of ‘shielding’ perpetrators of sexual abuse in Malayalam film industry

At DMK event, a Rajinikanth jibe about ‘old students’ – and a riposte

While the remark left the gathering in splits – Stalin was seen breaking into uncontrollable laughter on stage – it also drew a sharp and playful response from veteran DMK leader and minister Duraimurugan.

Written by Arun Janardhanan

Updated: August 27, 2024 08:00 IST

CM M K Stalin and superstar Rajinikanth during an event in Chennai, Saturday. (File Photo)

During a gathering to honour the late DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi, Tamil film superstar Rajinikanth praised CM M K Stalin for his handling of seasoned DMK stalwarts with a playful jibe, likening the situation to a school teacher having to deal with “old students” who “refuse to leave”.

While the remark left the gathering in splits – Stalin was seen breaking into uncontrollable laughter on stage – it also drew a sharp and playful response from veteran DMK leader and minister Duraimurugan.

Rajinikanth’s remarks came at the book release of Kalaignar Ennum Thaai by state PWD minister E V Velu. The actor said: “For a school teacher, handling new students is easy. But the challenge lies in dealing with old students – extraordinary students who refuse to leave. Hats off to you, Stalin sir.” The remark drew laughter and huge applause.

Duraimurugan (86), a political heavyweight from the Karunanidhi era who is known for his quick wit, was later asked about Rajinikanth’s comment. “Exactly the same way, actors who have grown old, with teeth falling and sporting beards in their twilight years, are continuing to act and are denying opportunities to young actors. How easy it is to say such a thing.”

At the event Saturday, with the CM present, he chose his words carefully. In another comment that triggered an eruption of laughter, Rajinikanth said: “If Defence Minister Rajnath Singh spoke in praise of Kalaignar Karunanidhi for 30 minutes (at an event last week), the instruction must have come from the top.”

However, both moved swiftly to extinguish any potential controversy. Rajinikanth said at Chennai airport, “Duraimurugan is my long-time friend. Whatever he says, our friendship will continue.” Duraimurugan said: “We were joking, we weren’t serious.”

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Amid calls for ‘Bangladeshis’ to leave, Assam’s tense Sivasagar district struggles to keep the peace

27 leaders of local organisations were issued summons by the Court of the Chief Executive Magistrate of Sivasagar under Section 126 of the BNSS over “probable breach of peace”.

Written by Sukrita Baruah

Guwahati | Updated: August 27, 2024 07:56 IST

On Monday, Sivasagar police carried out flag marches in the town. Also, 27 leaders of local organisations were issued summons by the Court of the Chief Executive Magistrate of Sivasagar under Section 126 of the BNSS over “probable breach of peace”.

As tensions continue to grip Assam’s Sivasagar district, where local groups have claimed that indigenous identity is under threat and some have called on “all Bangladeshis” to leave within a week, the administration and police have taken precautionary measures, including issuing summons to leaders of different organisations.

On Monday, Sivasagar police carried out flag marches in the town. Also, 27 leaders of local organisations were issued summons by the Court of the Chief Executive Magistrate of Sivasagar under Section 126 of the BNSS over “probable breach of peace”.

The notices to these leaders, who have been part of the protests in Sivasagar over the past two weeks, state that there was information they were “involved in organising and participating in an unlawful assembly using high decibel speaker systems and attempting to evoke passions of one community against another local minority, aside from abetting the illegal closure of commercial establishments in Sivasagar town, by which act, a breach of the peace will probably be occasioned”.

They were also issued a show cause notice asking them why they should not be required to enter into a bond of Rs 2.5 lakh and a surety to “keep the peace” for six months.

Sivasagar SP Subhrajyoti Bora also said police have decided to continue carrying out flag marches for “the next seven, 10, 15 days”.

Not just Sivasagar, many parts of Assam have been tense after a string of incidents that have resulted in inter-community tensions, particularly after the alleged gangrape of a 14-year-old girl in Nagaon district on August 22.

One of the three accused, Tafazul Islam, who was arrested on August 23, died in police custody the next day.

The August 22 incident led to a rise in tensions in the state, with Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and other ministers calling it an “attack on the indigenous”. Flag marches and area domination exercises by police have been taking place across all districts since Sunday.

On what prompted these measures, DGP G P Singh told The Indian Express, “We are prepared to face any eventuality. It is always better to err on the side of caution. The Assam Police has a long history of handling law and order situations. We are prepared to keep the people of Assam safe at all costs.”

Even before the latest escalation, tensions have been brewing in Sivasagar after the alleged assault of a 17-year-old girl in the district on August 13. This incident, where the accused are local businessmen from the Marwari community, resulted in 30 different Assamese nationalist groups mobilising large protests against “non-indigenous” business owners in the town. This led to members of the town’s Marwari community kneeling to issue a “public apology” for the incident, in the presence of state minister Ranoj Pegu and others, as well as the media.

These protests also led these groups to raise the demand for a law banning the sale of land in Sivasagar and other Upper Assam districts to “non-indigenous” people.

Tensions flared further after the Nagaon incident, with some groups claiming the accused was “Bangladeshi” and issuing calls for “all Bangladeshis to leave Upper Assam within seven days”.

Some videos from the district being circulated on Sunday even showed groups of people going to houses and telling residents that they were “informing suspected Bangladeshis” to leave the district by the end of the week.

The atmosphere further vitiated on Sunday, when a video showing people being made to kneel down in the dark, beaten and shout slogans in support of some Assamese nationalist organisations was widely circulated with claims that the incident was from Nazira in Sivasagar.

This prompted Sivasagar SP Subhrajyoti Bora and DC Aditya Vikram Yadav to issue a joint statement to maintain the peace. SP Bora said that a preliminary investigation into the video showed that it was not a recent clip, not from Sivasagar, and that it was shared “in an attempt to deteriorate the communal harmony in Sivasagar district”.

DC Yadav said, “I want to tell the people of Sivasagar that if someone is disturbing the economic or social balance and peace, immediately inform the police…”

Among leaders of local groups who got the summons notice was Basanta Gogoi, president of the All Tai Ahom Students Union. He distanced himself from the call for “Bangladeshis” to leave Upper Assam, but said the agitation to “protect the land and language rights of the indigenous” would continue.

“The movement to save the indigenous started in Sivasagar with the incident in the region on August 13, and after the Nagaon incident, it became even more pressing because it made the threat to the indigenous clear. But there is no law and order situation here, there is no communal environment. It is a peaceful and democratic movement to secure indigenous rights,” he said.

Srinkhal Chaliha, the leader of radical group Bir Lachit Sena, who has had several run-ins with the law previously, also received one of the summons notices.

He said, “Our movement is against outsiders. Against their economic aggression… Today, all our land is occupied by Bangladeshis and outsiders.”

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Accused in accident case, AAP Goa chief’s bail cancelled for travelling abroad without permission

Amit Palekar is a suspect in a car crash from August last year. Following the court’s cancellation of bail, Goa Crime Branch moved for his arrest

Written by Pavneet Singh Chadha

Panaji | Updated: August 27, 2024 07:48 IST

On August 6, 2023 at 7.30 pm, a Mercedes car driven by Shripad alias Paresh Sawardekar, under the influence of alcohol, crashed into multiple vehicles at Banastari bridge, over 15 km from Panaji.

A sessions court in Goa’s Ponda Monday cancelled the bail granted to Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) state president Amit Palekar in an accident case, observing that he had violated bail conditions by visiting foreign countries without the prior permission of the court.

After the Court of Additional Sessions Judge Panaji (sitting at Ponda) cancelled Palekar’s bail, police sources said a team of crime branch visited his residence Monday evening, but he was not found there. His phone was switched off, said a police officer.

“Now that the bail has been cancelled by the Honourable court, we will move for his [Palekar] arrest, Superintendent of Police Rahul Gupta, in charge of Goa’s crime branch, said.

On August 6, 2023 at 7.30 pm, a Mercedes car driven by Shripad alias Paresh Sawardekar, under the influence of alcohol, crashed into multiple vehicles at Banastari bridge, over 15 km from Panaji. Three people were killed from injuries sustained in the collision and three others suffered grievous injuries. According to the police probe, the accused driver Paresh and Palekar, among others, had gathered at a house in Ponda after the accident and hatched a criminal conspiracy to plant an imposter as the driver of the car at the time of the accident.

Palekar was arrested on August 31, 2023 for conspiring to plant a “dummy driver”, harbouring the accused driver of the vehicle from arrest, misleading the investigation and disappearance of evidence. He was granted bail on September 4 last year, with one of the conditions being that he will not leave India without the court’s permission.

The crime branch of Goa police on August 16 moved an application before the court for cancellation of conditional bail granted to Palekar, claiming that he violated the bail condition by travelling abroad without obtaining the court’s permission.

Police said that Palekar had filed an application before the court requesting permission to travel to France from November 10, 2023 to November 25, 2023, which was granted by the court through an order dated November 8, 2023. Police said besides a trip to France, Palekar subsequently travelled abroad on four occasions – Thailand (Bangkok) from January 25 to January 29; UAE (Dubai) from March 7 to March 11; Thailand (Bangkok) from April 18 to April 22, and Hongkong from May 18 to May 29 – without the court’s permission.

The prosecution argued that according to the court’s November 8, 2023, order, Palekar was permitted to travel only to France since he had given details of his departure, arrival and documentary proof that his family holiday was booked prior to him being made an accused in the case. The prosecution submitted to the court that the order was not a “blanket order” to travel abroad to any country without giving details of departure and arrival.

The counsel for Palekar argued that the title and the prayer was not restricted to seek permission only to visit France, but to travel out of the country and the prayer was granted by the court without specifying the name of the country. Therefore, he was permitted to travel anywhere outside India, the counsel argued, adding that the application for cancellation of bail is “politically motivated” since he is the president of AAP in Goa and has been vocal against the government.

Observing that “the ambiguous prayer in the application is only an example of clever and witty drafting skills and nothing else, aimed only to bypass the condition imposed in the bail application”, the court said that the contents of the application seeking permission to travel abroad “clearly show that the permission was sought to travel to France” and “though the prayer does not make mention of the specific foreign country, that is, France, but in view of the contents of the application…the respondent’s prayer to travel has to be treated and understood to have been restricted to going to France”.

The court said: “It is also necessary to be kept in mind that if the respondent had to ask for a blanket order to leave India without giving any details of departure, arrival and period of stay and purpose of visit, whether the court would have entertained such an application? The answer would be in the negative.”

The court further observed that the respondent has stressed much on the nomenclature and the prayer part of the application without much emphasis on the contents of the application.

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Assam cites national interest, allows Vedanta project in Gibbon habitat

Chief Wildlife Warden Sandeep Kumar noted that the ESZ area of the sanctuary sees significant movement of wild elephants and conservation of their habitat is crucial.

Written by Nikhil Ghanekar

New Delhi | Updated: August 27, 2024 07:57 IST

Among the four conditions mentioned, the top wildlife officer said that the exploration work should happen with minimal tree felling without causing “adverse impact” to “wild animals and their habitat.” (File Photo)

Citing national interest, the Assam wildlife department has recommended to the Centre that forest clearance be granted to a Cairn Oil and Gas proposal for oil and gas exploration in the eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) of the Hollongapar Gibbon wildlife sanctuary, home to the endangered Hoolock Gibbon and wild elephants, official records show.

Cairn Oil and Gas, Vedanta’s subsidiary, has sought diversion of 4.49 hectares of forest land for oil and gas exploration drilling in Jorhat, Assam, and is currently pending before the Union Environment Ministry’s Forest Advisory Committee (FAC), which appraises proposals for forest diversion. FAC had last month sought the state Chief Wildlife Warden’s views on the project from a wildlife conservation point of view.

Chief Wildlife Warden Sandeep Kumar noted that the ESZ area of the sanctuary sees significant movement of wild elephants and conservation of their habitat is crucial. He said that, therefore, “appropriate scientific interventions shall have to be undertaken while implementing the above mentioned project in Dessoi Valley RF.”

“As the project is of national interest, it may be recommended for granting Forest Clearance subject to the following conditions,” the Chief Wildlife Warden said.

Among the four conditions mentioned, the top wildlife officer said that the exploration work should happen with minimal tree felling without causing “adverse impact” to “wild animals and their habitat.” Further, the officer said, “The user agency shall take adequate measures against all kinds of pollution likely to be generated due to implementation of the project including disasters like oil and gas leakage and explosion of the well.”

Also, for the wildlife conservation plan and mitigation of human-wildlife conflict, 2% of the total project cost shall be deposited with the Chief Wildlife Warden, he said.

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Nikhil Ghanekar

An award-winning journalist with 14 years of experience, Nikhil Ghanekar is an Assistant Editor with the National Bureau [Government] of The Indian Express in New Delhi. He primarily covers environmental policy matters which involve tracking key decisions and inner workings of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. He also covers the functioning of the National Green Tribunal and writes on the impact of environmental policies on wildlife conservation, forestry issues and climate change. Nikhil joined The Indian Express in 2024. Originally from Mumbai, he has worked in publications such as Tehelka, Hindustan Times, DNA Newspaper, News18 and Indiaspend. In the past 14 years, he has written on a range of subjects such as sports, current affairs, civic issues, city centric environment news, central government policies and politics. ... Read More

9 officials suspended for ‘special treatment’ to actor Darshan in jail, three FIRs lodged

A total of 17 people, including Darshan, are currently in judicial custody in connection with the murder of 33-year-old Renukaswamy.

By: Express News Service

Bengaluru | Updated: August 27, 2024 07:49 IST

Viral photo of jailed Kannada film actor Darshan Thoogudeepa smoking a cigarette with gangster J Nagaraj inside the Parappana Agrahara Central Prison in Bengaluru.

Two top prison officials and seven others were suspended Monday a day after a purported photo and a video of Kannada actor Darshan Thoogudeepa went viral, in which he is seen smoking inside the Parappana Agrahara Central Prison in Bengaluru.

Home Minister G Parameshwara told reporters Monday that V Seshumurthy, Chief Superintendent of Prison, Mallikarjun Swamy, Superintendent of Prison, jailers Sharanabasava Aminghada and Prabhu S Khandelwal, assistant jailers L S Thippeswamy, and Srikanth Talwar, head warders Venkappa Kodti and Sampath Kumar Kadapatti, and warder Basappa Keli were suspended.

A total of 17 people, including Darshan, are currently in judicial custody in connection with the murder of 33-year-old Renukaswamy.

Parameshwara – who along with Karnataka police chief Alok Mohan and other senior officials visited the prison Monday — said that after gathering more information, Sheshumurthy and Swamy were suspended “as it was a lapse on their part.” “They will be replaced with other (officials) with integrity. Three FIRs have been registered under provisions of the Prison Act. The prison manual was violated,” he said.

ADGP (Prisons and Correctional Services) Malini Krishnamoorthy said the three FIRs pertain to the usage of mobiles and cigarettes on the jail premises and smuggling these items inside the jail. “Darshan is a party in it. The FIR includes the prison officers and those who used these items as accused. A senior IPS officer will investigate.”

In the purported photo, Darshan, holding a cup, can be seen smoking with gangster J Nagaraj alias Wilson Garden Naga in the prison lawn. In the purported video, Darshan can be seen making a video call.

The Indian Express could not independently verify the video and photo.

According to a prison official, Darshan’s purported photo was shared by the wife of a murder accused. Preliminary probe has revealed that Kannan Vela, an associate of Naga, was arrested in connection with the murder of N Mahesh alias Siddapura Mahesh in August last year.

“Kannan Vela who has been lodged in the prison since then took a photo and sent it to his wife. She shared it with others,” an official said. with PTI inputs

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Odisha issues alert after bird flu detected; 20,000 chickens culled

The health authorities have been directed to keep close coordination with other departments for collection of early warning reports of unexplained bird deaths.

Written by Sujit Bisoyi

Bhubaneswar | August 27, 2024 04:31 IST

After reports of deaths of chickens at a poultry farm in Pipli came up, nearly 20,000 chickens had been culled in Pipli (File Photo)

As Avian Influenza (Bird Flu) has been detected in two blocks of Odisha’s Puri district leading to culling of nearly 20,000 chickens, the health department has directed authorities in Puri district to strengthen surveillance for protection of human health.

“…The virus can spread from infected birds to human through inhalation… There is no definite evidence of human-to-human transmission,” said director public health Nilakantha Mishra in a letter to Puri chief district medical officer.

The health authorities have been directed to keep close coordination with other departments for collection of early warning reports of unexplained bird deaths.

After reports of deaths of chickens at a poultry farm in Pipli came up, nearly 20,000 chickens had been culled in Pipli and Satyabadi areas in Puri in the last three days by 13 state government teams.

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Upgrade for India’s weather department in pipeline, focus on extreme weather, local predictions

A new mission to improve weather forecasting, with a budget of at least Rs 10,000 crore is expected to be launched soon

Written by Amitabh Sinha

New Delhi | Updated: August 27, 2024 09:30 IST

IMD director general Mrutyunjay Mohapatra (Image source: PTI Photo/Arun Sharma)

Its shortcomings having been routinely exposed, particularly by extreme events, India’s weather department is set to get a massive upgrade of its forecasting capabilities that will enable it to make localised and extreme-weather predictions with far greater accuracy.

A new mission to improve weather forecasting, with a budget of at least Rs 10,000 crore is expected to be launched soon, The Indian Express has learnt. It is likely to be several times bigger than Monsoon Mission, launched in 2012, that has resulted in a noticeable uplift in the capabilities of the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

Though the IMD’s weather forecasts have increased significantly over the past decade, it has struggled to provide accurate predictions at the local level. A recent report by The Indian Express showed how the IMD’s rainfall forecasts for Mumbai were way off the mark on about 40 per cent of the days in July.

The science of weather forecasting has uncertainties built into it. The more specific a forecast — either over a small area, or during a small time-window — the greater is the uncertainty. Some of these uncertainties can be offset by installing denser network of measuring instruments, collecting more data, doing more computations and developing better simulation models.

Extreme weather events are even more difficult to predict. In the last decade or so, extreme events, under the influence of climate change, have become more frequent and intense, and also more erratic. Events expected to occur only once in 50 or 100 years, have been happening with far greater regularity. IMD’s weather simulation models, though a vast improvement over what existed a decade ago, have been unable to capture the extreme events with much accuracy.

As a result, such events, particularly extreme rainfall, have been coming as a surprise. These rainfall events have also triggered largescale disasters, like the recent landslides in Kerala and lake outbursts in Sikkim and Uttarakhand last year. In the absence of timely and reliable forecasts of extreme events, their location and intensity, such disasters have been causing widespread damage.

The new mission is targeted at minimising the impact of such extreme weather events by generating effective forecasts and establishing early warning systems that can then be acted upon by local authorities to take necessary preventive measures.

While previous upgrades to the weather forecasting system, including the Monsoon Mission, have focused mainly at improving the infrastructure — more instruments, better computing power — the new mission is expected to focus on developing more accurate computer simulation models that will be tailor-made for India and would account for climate change scenarios, The Indian Express has learnt.

This would involve a lot of research and development, particularly on assessment of climate change impacts over the region. The mission would also further strengthen weather monitoring network and installation of more sophisticated instruments like Doppler radars.

To improve the monitoring of atmospheric parameters over India, the mission is expected to see the deployment of a few more dedicated weather satellites. India already has three satellites in space — INSAT-3D, INSAT-3DR and INSAT-3DS —that are used mainly for meteorological observations. Of these, INSAT-3D and INSAT-3DR have been in space for over 8 years, and nearly completed their mission lives. INSAT-3DS was launched earlier this year. The next generation of meteorological satellites, possibly in INSAT-4 series, are already under development. These satellites would be equipped with latest technologies and designed to produce very high-resolution data to feed into weather forecasts.

The new mission would also focus on greater integration of artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) in weather forecasting. The power of these new capabilities are already being utilised to make experimental hyperlocal rainfall forecasts for Mumbai by a team of researchers from IIT-Bombay led by Subimal Ghosh. Ghosh’s predictions for Mumbai this season have been more accurate than IMD.

“Hyper local forecasts are extremely challenging even when you have very high-resolution data to work with. But the increased power of artificial intelligence and data science can be very useful. We have been running data-driven models for our experimental forecasts in Mumbai, and this season, there has been only one extreme rainfall event that we were not able to predict accurately. Maybe, we have also been a bit lucky this season, but these models will keep getting better with time. Mumbai is one of the most difficult places to get your forecasts right. So, there is promise,” Ghosh told The Indian Express.

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Facing Opposition flak, Chhattisgarh hands Mahadev app probe to CBI

This came two months after the former CM, in a video statement, accused the current dispensation of having taken “donation” from the company running the app.

By: Express News Service

Raipur | Updated: August 27, 2024 06:19 IST

After months of drawing flak from the Opposition over the pace of investigation in the alleged Mahadev Online Book betting racket, the state’s Vishnu Deo Sai government has decided to transfer probe to the CBI.

State’s home minister Vijay Sharma said a total of 71 cases — 70 lodged at various police stations in Chhattisgarh and one case with the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) — are being handed over to the CBI.

“For few days, there was some discussion in the state, and various conversations were taking place as to why this or that was not happening. It became an issue of more than one state and its main leaders were abroad. Keeping all this in mind, all these cases have been handed over to CBI… Now, the CBI will seriously investigate it and stringent action will be taken and those sitting abroad will be brought back,” he said.

The alleged scam was a major election plank for BJP in last year’s Assembly polls. In its FIR registered in the case this March, the state’s Economic Offences Wing (EOW) named 20 people, including former CM Bhupesh Baghel and alleged kingpins Sourabh Chandrakar (28) and Ravi Uppal (43). Chandrakar and Uppal, both from Bhilai, are allegedly main promoters of Mahadev Online Book and are currently believed to be based in Dubai.

Baghel, meanwhile, had called the FIR against him “politically motivated”. In an Instagram post in June, Baghel seemingly mocked the ruling establishment by pointing out that the app was still operational.

“Mahadev App is also functional in Narendra Modi’s ‘Guarantee’ and Vishnu Deo Sai’s ‘Good Governance’. CM, has there been any brainstorming on increasing the revenue through Mahadev App in ‘Chintan Shivir’? Now even government employees are gambling under the good governance of Vishnu Deo,” he said.

This came two months after the former CM, in a video statement, accused the current dispensation of having taken “donation” from the company running the app. “When I was in power, we registered FIR and took action. How much donation has the double engine sarkar taken? The Mahadev app is running in the entire country,” Baghel’s statement said.

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No relief to Remo D’Souza from HC in cheating case

The petition heard by a bench of Justice Rajeev Mishra stated that since D’Souza was unable to challenge the chargesheet filed against him, the court will grant him no relief.

Written by Neetika Jha

Ghaziabad | August 27, 2024 03:14 IST

Bollywood director Remo D’Souza (File Photo)

The Allahabad High court has dismissed the petition filed by Bollywood director Remo D’Souza to quash a cheating case against him.

The petition heard by a bench of Justice Rajeev Mishra stated that since D’Souza was unable to challenge the chargesheet filed against him, the court will grant him no relief.

“In the absence of any challenge to the charge sheet, no relief as prayed for by means of present application can be granted. As such, the present application fails and is liable to be dismissed,” the order read.

An FIR was registered in December 2016 on the complaint of a Ghaziabad movie-financier Satyendra Tyagi, alleging that D’Souza asked him to invest Rs 5 crore in his upcoming film and when he demanded the money back as promised, he was threatened by gangster Prasad Pujari.

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Centre-Bengal blame game | Centre strikes back: Bengal slow in setting up fast-track courts for sexual assault cases

In her letter to Banerjee, WCD Minister Annapurna Devi pointed out that under a Centrally Sponsored Scheme launched in October 2019, West Bengal was allocated 123 Fast Track Special Courts, but none had been operationalised till mid-June 2023.

Written by Abhinaya Harigovind

New Delhi | Updated: August 27, 2024 06:19 IST

In her response to Banerjee, the WCD Minister said that Women Helpline - 181, Emergency Response Support System - 112, Child Helpline – 1098, and Cyber Crime Helpline —1930, have been put in place in the past few years. (File Photo)

IN LESS THAN five days since West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee demanded a stringent Central law for speedy justice in sexual assault cases, Union Women and Child Development Minister Annapurna Devi wrote to her pointing out that only six Fast Track Special Courts had been operationalised till June this year despite a huge pendency in POCSO Act and rape cases.

In her letter to Banerjee, WCD Minister Annapurna Devi pointed out that under a Centrally Sponsored Scheme launched in October 2019, West Bengal was allocated 123 Fast Track Special Courts, but none had been operationalised till mid-June 2023.

“West Bengal communicated its willingness to participate in the scheme vide letter dated 08.06.2023, committing to start 7 FTSCs. Under the revised target, West Bengal has been allocated 17 FTSCs, of which only 6 exclusive POCSO courts have been operationalised as of 30.06.2024. In spite of a pendency of 48,600 rape and POCSO cases in West Bengal, the State government has not taken any steps to start the remaining 11 FTSCs,” the letter said.

Slamming the West Bengal government over “not taking any steps,” the Union WCD Minister said the 123 FTSCs originally allocated included 20 exclusive POCSO courts and 103 combined FTSCs dealing with both rape and POCSO cases.

Annapurna Devi’s response follows Banerjee’s letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 22 in the wake of protests over the rape and murder of a junior doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.

In her response to Banerjee, the WCD Minister said that Women Helpline – 181, Emergency Response Support System – 112, Child Helpline – 1098, and Cyber Crime Helpline —1930, have been put in place in the past few years.

“But unfortunately, the people of the State of West Bengal cannot utilise this facility as the State government has not implemented the Women Helpline despite many requests and reminders from GoI,” Annapurna Devi said. “…the existing legislative framework is stringent enough to tackle the violence and crimes against women. However, you would agree that effective implementation of these provisions of law… falls in the ambit of the State government. It is imperative that the State machinery is fully sensitised and geared up to take fullest advantage of the legal and schematic provisions made by the Central government for ensuring safety and security of women and girls in the State of West Bengal,” she said.

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India rejects reports linking opening of Farakka barrage to flooding in Bangladesh

In a similar incident last week, India had denied reports and stated them as factually incorrect that floods in some areas in Bangladesh were caused by the opening of a dam on the Gumti river in Tripura.

By: Express Web Desk

New Delhi | Updated: August 27, 2024 02:40 IST

Volunteers take a motor boat to rescue people stranded in flooded residential areas in Feni, a coastal district in southeast Bangladesh, Saturday, Aug. 24, 2024, after heavy rains caused large areas to be flooded in Bangladesh. (AP Photo)

India on Monday categorically denied the reports emerging in Bangladesh that floods in some parts of the neighbouring country is being caused due to the opening of Farakka barrage situated in West Bengal.

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, in a press conference said, “We have seen fake videos, rumours and fear-mongering to create misunderstanding. This should be firmly countered with facts.”

Jaiswal further informed that relevant documents pertaining to the barrage were shared with joint river commission officials concerned in Bangladesh and it’s been done on a regular basis in the past as well.

Jaiswal added, “We have seen media reports of the opening of Farakka barrage gates that will allow the flow of over 11 lakh cusecs of water downstream of the river in its natural course into the Ganga/Padma river.”

The spokesperson of the external affairs ministry was responding to the queries by media on the concerned topic related to the flood in areas in Bangladesh.

Detailing about the barrage and its functioning, Jaiswal said, “It is to be understood that Farakka is only a barrage and not a dam. Whenever the water level reaches the pond level, whatever inflow comes that passes, it is merely a structure to divert 40,000 cusecs of water into the Farakka canal that is carefully done using a system of gates on the main Ganga/Padma river, while the balance water flows into the main river to Bangladesh.”

In a similar incident last week, India had denied reports and stated them as factually incorrect that floods in some areas in Bangladesh were caused by the opening of a dam on the Gumti river in Tripura.

The MEA had clarified that floods in the common rivers is a shared problem for both the countries and it needs to be resolved with mutual cooperation.

(with inputs from PTI)

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J&K: US diplomats call on Omar, ex-CM calls for relook on travel advisories

Last year, diplomats from G20 countries including the US had visited Srinagar for the G20 tourism group’s meeting.

By: Express News Service

New Delhi | Updated: August 27, 2024 08:03 IST

National Conference vice president and former chief minister Omar Abdullah (File Photo)

A delegation of US diplomats met National Conference vice president and former chief minister Omar Abdullah in Srinagar on Monday, in a significant development that comes as J&K prepares for its first Assembly elections in a decade.

“US diplomats called on National Conference Vice President @OmarAbdullah at his Gupkar residence today. The delegation included Minister-Counselor for Political Affairs Graham Mayer, First Secretary Gary Applegarth, and Political Counselor Abhiram,” the NC said in a post on X.

Though American diplomats, including Mayer, had met L-G Manoj Sinha last August, and some J&K political leaders and activists attended an iftar party hosted by the US embassy in Delhi earlier this year, Monday’s meeting was perhaps a first with a political leader in the Valley itself since Article 370 was revoked in August 2019 and the erstwhile state subsequently split and downgraded to a Union Territory.

For foreign diplomats, visiting J&K requires special permission from the Indian government, and these approvals are granted through the Ministry of External Affairs. The Ministries of Home affairs and External Affairs usually coordinate with the intelligence agencies and the state government before allowing foreign diplomats to travel to J&K.

“Discussions covered a wide range of issues pertaining to Jammu and Kashmir and the region in general,” the NC said, adding that the meeting was also attended by party MP Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi and chief spokesperson and head of communications Tanvir Sadiq.

During the meeting, Abdullah emphasised the importance of relooking at the travel advisories for J&K with a view to ease restrictions, the party said. “He encouraged people from around the world to visit Kashmir and experience its beauty and culture firsthand. He also invited the diplomats to visit Kashmir with their families as a first step to inspire confidence among tourists from the US and other parts of the world,” it said.

Last year, diplomats from G20 countries including the US had visited Srinagar for the G20 tourism group’s meeting.

In its latest travel advisory issued in July this year, the US government had asked its citizens to exercise increased caution in India due to crime and terrorism. “Some areas have increased risk. Do not travel to the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir (except the eastern Ladakh region and its capital Leh) due to terrorism and civil unrest,” the advisory had said.

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Suspense over Champai Soren’s future ends, he’ll join BJP on August 30, announces Himanta

Assam CM shares photo of former Jharkhand CM in a meeting with Amit Shah and him.

Written by Abhishek Angad

Ranchi | Updated: August 27, 2024 07:57 IST

Former Jharkhand CM Champai Soren met Union Home Minister Amit Shah (Photo: X/Himanta Biswa Sarma)

FORMER Jharkhand Chief Minister Champai Soren is joining the BJP on August 30 (Friday) in Ranchi, announced Assam Chief Minister and Jharkhand in-charge (Assembly elections) Himanta Biswa Sarma on X on Monday night.

The announcement comes days after the JMM rebel leader wrote on social media that he was “humiliated” during power transfer in Jharkhand in July, when party chief Hemant Soren replaced Champai as the Chief Minister, and is thinking about the next course of action.

The Assam CM shared a photo of Champai sitting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and him, and wrote: “Former Chief Minister of Jharkhand and a distinguished Adivasi leader of our country, ChampaiSoren Ji met Hon’ble Union Home Minister AmitShah Ji a short while ago. He will officially join the BJP4India on 30th August in Ranchi.”

Reacting to the photo of Champai meeting Shah, sources in CM Hemant Soren’s camp said: “It is great news for us because Champai Soren is exposed now. It would have been difficult for us had he run independently, as he would have taken a large vote share from the JMM.”

Former Chief Minister of Jharkhand and a distinguished Adivasi leader of our country, @ChampaiSoren Ji met Hon’ble Union Home Minister @AmitShah Ji a short while ago. He will officially join the @BJP4India on 30th August in Ranchi. pic.twitter.com/OOAhpgrvmu

— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) August 26, 2024

Champai became the 12th Chief Minister of Jharkhand after Hemant Soren resigned hours before being arrested in an alleged money laundering case in February this year. After Hemant was released on bail in June, tension started simmering in both Champai and Hemant camps and a drama unfolded during a coalition MLAs’ meeting. According to sources, unhappy over being bypassed despite being the CM, Champai protested in the meeting for not being kept in the loop over cancellations of various programmes. The sources said, Champai broke down in the meeting and a senior Congress leader had to pacify him.

A week later, on July 3, Champai resigned from the post to make way for Hemant to take over as the CM again.

Champai made headlines again after his movements were traced to Kolkata late night on August 17; sources said he was there to meet BJP leaders.

On August 18, Champai reached New Delhi. When asked by reporters whether he met BJP’s Subhendu Adhikari in Kolkata, he denied it and said he was in the city for “some personal work”. On the possibility of his defection to the BJP, Champai told the reporters: Hum jahan hain wahin par rahenge (I will remain where I am).”

Late on August 18, he wrote on X that he was “humiliated” and mulling over his next course of action — whether to retire, join another party or start his own.

On August 21, Champai met his supporters in Saraikela Kharsawan district of Jharkhand after he arrived from New Delhi via Kolkata. Eliminating his retirement rumours, Champai said, “Initially I thought I would retire, but while returning from Kolkata, I met many of my supporters who had gathered at various points in Jharkhand, extending support to my cause. This made me change my mind. Now, I will form my own party and if I find friends along the way I may also join them.”

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Congress announces first list of 9 candidates for J&K Assembly elections

This comes after the two parties National Conference and Congress sealed their deal on Monday for the coming Assembly elections in the Union territory.

By: Express Web Desk

New Delhi | Updated: August 27, 2024 00:40 IST

Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi with National Conference leaders Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah in Srinagar.(PTI/File)

Congress on Monday released its first list of the candidates for the upcoming Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir. In its first list, the Congress released name of candidates for 9 constituencies including Tral, Aanantnag and Doda region.

This comes after the two parties National Conference and Congress sealed their deal on Monday for the coming Assembly elections in the Union territory.

After negotiations at NC president Farooq Abdullah’s residence lasting through the day, culminating on the eve before the nomination deadline for the first phase of voting ends, the parties announced that of the 90 seats in J&K, the NC will contest 51 and the Congress 32, putting aside one constituency each for the CPI(M) and J&K Panthers Party.

The Central Election Committee has selected the following persons as Congress candidates for the ensuing elections to the Legislative Assembly of Jammu & Kashmir. pic.twitter.com/wo1bkdojhv

— Congress (@INCIndia) August 26, 2024

The five seats where both the NC and Congress will field candidates are Sopore, Banihal, Bhaderwah, Doda and Nagrota. In the first phase involving 24 seats, which vote on September 18, the NC will contest 12 seats in the Valley, and six in the Jammu region. The Congress will contest three in the Valley and 2 in the Jammu region.

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Tripura flood situation improves; PM Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah reiterate support for state

Chief Minister Manik Saha donated his one month’s salary for flood relief.

Written by Debraj Deb

Agartala | August 26, 2024 23:06 IST

An official of the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) stated that the administration was expecting a further improvement in the flood situation. (PTI Photo)

The flood situation in Tripura further improved with the rain taking a break in many areas on Monday. The number of people sheltered in relief camps also came down to 70,000 on Monday from 1.17 lakh a day ago.

An official of the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) stated that the administration was expecting a further improvement in the flood situation given that the India Meteorological Department issued only a yellow alert for one or two places in South Tripura district for Tuesday.

The death toll stayed at 26 in the last two days, although one person remained missing.

Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah assured to send a Central team to Tripura to assess damages and losses caused by the flood and landslides.

Chief Minister Manik Saha posted on his social media handle, “Spoke to Hon’ble Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah Ji and apprised him of the latest situation arising out of the unprecedented natural calamity in the state. He assured continued support to the state government. He also informed that the Union Government would immediately send a team to Tripura to take stock of the situation. Grateful to the Hon’ble Home Minister for coming to the aid of the people of Tripura in this hour of crisis.”

The chief minister also said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated his support for flood-affected people.

“Spoke to Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi Ji spelling out all the details of the flood situation in the state. He assured full support to the people of Tripura in this hour of crisis. We are extremely grateful to the Hon’ble Prime Minister for his kind gesture to the people of Tripura,” posted the chief minister.

Saha announced that Rs 2 crore from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund (CMRF) would be utilised to provide aid to people affected by the flood. Apart from this, he donated his one month’s salary for flood relief.

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PM Modi and US President Biden discuss Ukraine, safety of Hindus in Bangladesh

In a statement, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said Modi reiterated India’s consistent position on Ukraine, “in favour of dialogue and diplomacy, and expressed full support for early return of peace and stability”.

Written by Shubhajit Roy

New Delhi | Updated: August 27, 2024 07:44 IST

PM Modi spoke to US President Joe Biden over phone regarding varied issues. (File Photo)

DAYS AFTER returning from Kyiv, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to US President Joe Biden on Monday and briefed him on his visit to Ukraine. In a post on X, Modi said they also discussed the Bangladesh situation and emphasised the need for early restoration of normalcy and ensuring the safety of Hindus there.

While Modi has flagged the safety of Hindus in Bangladesh at least thrice since August 8, when Muhammad Yunus took charge of the interim government in Dhaka, this was the first time that the issue was discussed between India and the US at the highest level.

Modi first raised the issue soon after Yunus was sworn in, when he extended his best wishes and urged him to ensure the “safety and protection of Hindus” there. Subsequently, Modi also flagged the issue in his Independence Day speech from the ramparts of the Red Fort, and his phone conversation with Yunus later.

After his phone call with Biden on Monday, Modi posted on X: “Spoke to @POTUS @JoeBiden on phone today. We had a detailed exchange of views on various regional and global issues, including the situation in Ukraine. I reiterated India’s full support for early return of peace and stability.”

Spoke to @POTUS @JoeBiden on phone today. We had a detailed exchange of views on various regional and global issues, including the situation in Ukraine. I reiterated India’s full support for early return of peace and stability.

We also discussed the situation in Bangladesh and…

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 26, 2024

“We also discussed the situation in Bangladesh and stressed on the need for early restoration of normalcy, and ensuring the safety and security of minorities, especially Hindus, in Bangladesh,” he posted.

In a statement, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said Modi reiterated India’s consistent position on Ukraine, “in favour of dialogue and diplomacy, and expressed full support for early return of peace and stability”.

Marking a historic milestone in India’s diplomacy in Europe which has been roiled by the Russia-Ukraine war, Modi met Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Friday and asked him to sit with Russian President Vladimir Putin to “find a way out of the crisis”.

Zelenskyy, on his part, said he needed India on his side and “not balancing between US and Russia”, and proposed that India could be a possible venue for a peace summit, which New Delhi is learnt to be looking at.

The PMO statement said Modi conveyed his “appreciation for President Biden’s deep commitment (to) the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership, which is based on shared values of democracy, rule of law and strong people-to-people ties”.

“The leaders reviewed the significant progress in bilateral relations and highlighted that India-US partnership is aimed at benefiting the people of both countries as well as the entire humanity. The two leaders had a detailed exchange of views on a number of regional and global issues,” it said.

Modi, who reached the war-torn Ukrainian capital on the Rail Force One train from Poland last week, had said that he told Putin last month that “solutions can’t be found on the battlefield”. “The road to resolution can only be found through dialogue and diplomacy… we should move in that direction without wasting any time,” he told Zelenskyy at the Mariinsky Palace.

On Bangladesh, the PMO statement said “the two leaders expressed their shared concern over the situation in Bangladesh. They emphasised restoration of law and order and ensuring safety and security of the minorities, particularly Hindus, in Bangladesh.”

Amid concerns in India over attacks on minorities, especially Hindus, in Bangladesh, Yunus had called up Modi on August 16 — the first high-level contact between the two countries since Sheikh Hasina was ousted as Prime Minister. He had assured that the interim government would “prioritise protection, safety and security of Hindus and all minority groups in Bangladesh”.

Yunus had said the reports of attacks on minorities were exaggerated and he was inviting Indian journalists to visit Bangladesh and report from the ground on the issues of minority protection. According to Yunus, the situation has been brought under control and normalcy is being restored across the country.

On August 12, Yunus had reached out to the Hindu minority community with a visit to the Dhakeshwari Temple where he met community leaders and assured “justice” and “equal rights” for all. He met Hindu community leaders on Monday as well and vowed to promote interfaith harmony as he hosted a reception for them coinciding with Janmashtami.

Meanwhile, the PMO statement said Modi and Biden also reiterated their commitment to further strengthen cooperation in multilateral fora, including the Quad. “They agreed to remain in touch,” it said.

Modi is expected to travel to the US next month to attend the UN General Assembly and The Summit of the Future. Biden, who couldn’t come to India for the Quad summit, may convene the Quad leaders’ summit in New York, on the sidelines of the UNGA.

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‘First time in history statehood was taken away’: Rahul Gandhi during tête-à-tête with Kashmiri women

The Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Elections are set for September 18, 25, and October 1, marking the first polls since the abrogation of Article 370

By: Express Web Desk

New Delhi | Updated: August 26, 2024 21:58 IST

The women shared their struggles, noting the low literacy and employment rates, particularly among women, and highlighted the lack of representation across different sectors. (Express Archives)

Rahul Gandhi, who was in Jammu and Kashmir for two days to finalise a pre-poll alliance, took to social media on Monday to share a video on his interaction with Kashmiri women, where he spoke to them about state, statehood, their aspirations, and challenges.

Calling the situation in the conflict-ridden region as “depression,” one of the students, who is studying political science, said, “The situation in the state stresses me out. I wanted to go out of the UT to study, but my parents did not agree.”

Rahul Gandhi, who also undertook the same subject, chimed in saying that he had found that the political science they teach in university has nothing to do with real-world politics.

Asked if he always wanted to be a politician, Gandhi said, “Not when I was small. Only after Papa (former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi) died. I saw his death as someone wanting to stop him from what he wanted.”

The women shared their struggles, noting the low literacy and employment rates, particularly among women, and highlighted the lack of representation across different sectors.

‘Attitude of men towards women is incorrect’

With the brutal Kolkata rape and murder case fresh on everybody’s minds,  the women said that they frequently encounter harassment in public transport almost daily. Gandhi said, “The problem is that the attitude of men toward women is incorrect.”

The women also said they pursued many sports but did not have the avenue to represent the country on international level.  When the issue of the impending elections was raised, Gandhi said, “Elections are coming but there is no statehood. This is the first time in history that statehood has been taken.”

The women of Kashmir have strength, resilience, wisdom and a whole lot to say.

But are we giving them a chance for their voices to be heard? pic.twitter.com/11Te8MM5fH

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) August 26, 2024

He also took a jab at PM Modi’s remarks about being ‘God,’ suggesting that true leadership requires humility.

He also arranged a video-call with his sister Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi, joking: “They (the Kashmiri women) are bullying me.”

The Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Elections are set for September 18, 25, and October 1, marking the first polls since the abrogation of Article 370, with multiple parties expected to compete for various seats.

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‘Lapses on part of AMMA… can’t say power group doesn’t exist’: Malayalam star Prithviraj on Hema panel report

Nothing preventing disclosure of names of those accused of misconduct in the report, there should be a serious probe into allegations, he says

Written by Shaju Philip

Thiruvananthapuram | Updated: August 27, 2024 06:19 IST

Actor-producer in the Malayalam film industry, Prithviraj Sukumaran. (Photo: Prithviraj/ X)

Leading Malayalam actor Prithviraj Sukumaran on Monday said there were lapses on part of the influential Association of Malayalam Movies Artistes (AMMA) in addressing women actors’ complaints, and called for a serious probe into the issues raised by the Justice Hema Committee report released last week.

The report, which looked into problems faced by women working in the Malayalam film industry, revealed that sexual misconduct was rampant in the industry. Since its release, several women actors have come out with allegations of sexual abuse and assault against several prominent actors.

Addressing a press conference in Kochi, Prithviraj said the allegations should be investigated. “If the allegations are proven, there should be exemplary action against the culprits. The Hema Committee report should be seriously looked into,” he said.

On how the report would impact the industry, Prithviraj said, “It should be impacted the way it needs to be… I am also interested in knowing what actions will be taken against those who have been found guilty.”

The Hema Committee report said there was a power group that controlled the Malayalam film industry, and Prithviraj said the existence of such a power group could not be denied.

Last week, then AMMA general secretary Siddique had said he had not heard about any such power group.

Prithviraj said: “I have not been affected by the power group, but if there are people affected by such groups, their grievances should be heard. If such a power group exists, it should be done away with. To say that such a group exists, I would have had to experience it. That I have not experienced it, does not mean that the group does not exist,” he said.

While saying that it was up to the authorities to decide on whether the names of those accused of misconduct in the report should be made public, Prithviraj said, “I don’t think that there is anything that prevents disclosure of the names of the alleged accused. Legally, only the names of the victims need to be protected.”

On issues flagged by the Hema panel report, he said: “There should have been strong interventions on the part of AMMA. There were serious lapses on the part of AMMA. If those holding positions of power face allegations, they should keep away from such positions and face probe.

On improving the working environment in the industry, Prithviraj said, “I can promise that the work place around me, or under my control, can be made safe. But the responsibility of people including me does not end with that. Our responsibility does not end in establishing that I am not part of it.”

He also said his responsibility did not end with ensuring an internal complaint committee at his shooting location, and that there should be a system that ensures such a committee in all locations.

He also said there should not be boycotts or bans in the industry, and that women should be brought to leadership positions. “If anyone is banned in a concerted manner, that should be looked into,” he said.

“If corrective steps are taken, the Malayalam film industry will go into the pages of history of Indian cinema as the first to take such a measure,” he said.

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As NC and Congress lock seat sharing, ‘friendly fight’ on the cards in these 5 constituencies

The two parties reached an agreement after day-long negotiations at National Conference president Farooq Abdullah’s residence

Written by Naveed Iqbal

Srinagar | Updated: August 26, 2024 21:53 IST

Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi with National Conference leaders Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah in Srinagar.(PTI)

The National Conference and Congress Monday finalised the modalities of the seat-sharing arrangement for their pre-poll alliance, ahead of the assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir

After the day-long negotiations at National Conference president Farooq Abdullah’s residence ended, the two parties decided to contest 83 seats together – 51 would be fought by the NC and 32 by the Congress. One seat each has been set aside for the CPIM and the J&K Pather’s party.

In five seats, where both NC and Congress have decided to field candidates, a “friendly contest” is on the cards. The five seats, on which the two parties could not come to an agreement, are Sopore, Banihal, Bhaderwah, Doda and Nagrota.

Congress’s KC Venugopal said the “alliance has been formed to save the soul of J&K, which the BJP is trying to destroy”.

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No question of my retirement from active politics: Mayawati

The 68-year-old Bahujan Samaj Party president is a four-time former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh.

By: PTI

Lucknow | August 26, 2024 18:18 IST

Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati. (Express photo)

BSP supremo Mayawati on Monday asserted that she was not retiring from active politics and alleged that the “casteist media” had been “propagating such fake news”.

The 68-year-old Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president is a four-time former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh.

“To foil the conspiracies of opponents to weaken the Ambedkarite caravan of the Bahujans, like Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar and the venerable Kanshi Ram ji, my decision to remain dedicated to the self-respect and self-esteem movement of BSP till my last breath is firm,” she said in a post on X.

“That is, there is no question of my retirement from active politics. Ever since the party has put forward Akash Anand as the successor of BSP in my absence or in dire ill health, the casteist media has been propagating such fake news that people should be cautious,” Mayawati said in Hindi.

“Although earlier also rumours were spread about me being made the president (of India), whereas the venerable Kanshi Ram ji had rejected a similar offer and said that becoming the president meant retiring from active politics which was not acceptable to him in the interest of the party, then how was it possible for his disciple to accept it?” she said.

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Malayalam actor-producer Baburaj accused by junior artiste of sexual assault

Baburaj, the joint general secretary of Kerala’s AMMA, denied the allegation and said he would “initiate legal action” against the junior artiste.

Written by Shaju Philip

Thiruvananthapuram | Updated: August 26, 2024 18:48 IST

Actor-producer in the Malayalam film industry, Baburaj. (Photo: Baburaj/ Facebook)

A day after Kerala State Chalachitra Academy chairman Ranjith and actors’ association general secretary Siddique stepped down over allegations of sexual misconduct, a junior artiste has accused actor-producer Baburaj of sexually assaulting her in 2019. Baburaj, the joint general secretary of Kerala’s Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA), denied the allegation and said he would “initiate legal action” against the junior artiste.

“The complainant should come in public. I think she had worked in my resort. The motive is to prevent me from becoming the general secretary of AMMA. She has no links with films. People who have a grudge towards me are behind this allegation. I will expose the conspiracy behind this,” he claimed.

The junior artist, who did not wish to disclose her identity, claimed while speaking to the media on Monday, “He (Baburaj) offered a role for me in an upcoming movie and asked me to come to his house at Aluva (Ernakulam district), saying that the film’s production controller and other technicians are at his house. I was offered a role which has a presence throughout the movie. I went to him expecting that he would recommend me to get a better career in the industry. When I reached his house, there was nobody.”

She claimed the producer told her that others were expected to come soon and that “until then I can rest”.

“He gave me a room. Later, he invited me for food. When I opened the door, he entered the room and locked it from inside. He started talking vulgarly (sic) and led me to the cot and raped me,” she alleged.

The actor said she was willing to talk to the police. “At any workplace, women should not face this experience. I had informed the police then but could not file a complaint as they had requested. If Baburaj is challenging me, I’m ready to present the entire episode before the media in his presence. I have no other intention, since I have left the industry and am living with family outside Kerala,’’ she claimed.

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Rajasthan’s Bhilwara on edge after ‘cow tail is found on temple premises’

Protesters force shops to down shutters as police struggle to normalise situation

Written by Parul Kulshrestha

Jaipur | Updated: August 27, 2024 09:04 IST

From 11 am onwards, a large number of people started raising slogans and the situation became tense. Police resorted to lathi charge to control the crowd. (Video screengrab)

A day after tensions flared in Rajasthan’s Bhilwara, after a cow’s tail was purportedly found inside the premises of a temple, protesters gathered at the market on Monday and forced shops to down shutters.

Sunday’s incident in Bhavani Nagar area had prompted a crowd to gather at the spot, demanding action against those responsible. Subsequently, police took out marches in the city and appealed to people to maintain peace.

Members of the Sant Samaj as well as local MP Damodar Aggarwal on Monday reached the spot and staged a dharna, demanding the immediate arrest of the accused. Right-wing groups had on Sunday given the police an ultimatum – arrest the culprits by 5 pm or markets will be shut on Monday.

Additional District Magistrate Vandana Khorwal told reporters, “We tried to manage the situation, but there was so much anger in the youth that they started pelting stones. We will take action against the people who are trying to create problems in the city. We have seized vehicles of people who have pelted stones. We are trying to normalise the situation and not let the market shut down.”

According to sources, police personnel were posted at all sensitive areas around the city on Monday, particularly as a WhatsApp message did the rounds in the morning calling on people to gather at a spot.

From 11 am onwards, a large number of people started raising slogans and the situation became tense. Police resorted to lathi charge to control the crowd.

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‘Kangana Ranaut not authorised to speak on party’s policy’: BJP cautions Mandi MP after her farmers’ protest remarks

The BJP further said that Ranaut was "neither permitted nor authorised" to make statements on the party's policy.

By: Express Web Desk

New Delhi | Updated: August 26, 2024 18:45 IST

Lok Sabha MP Kangana Ranaut. (Express file photo)

Expressing disagreement with Kangana Ranaut’s remarks on the farmers’ protests, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday said that the Lok Sabha MP from Mandi had been directed to not make such statements in the future.

“The statement made by BJP MP Kangana Ranaut in the context of the farmers’ movement is not the opinion of the party. The Bharatiya Janata Party expresses its disagreement with the statement made by Kangana Ranaut,” the party said.

The BJP further stated that Ranaut was “neither permitted nor authorised” to make statements on the party’s policy.

The party’s clarification comes after Ranaut’s remarks claiming that “Bangladesh like anarchy” could have taken place in India “in the name of farmers’ protest”.

“Outside forces are planning to destroy us with the help of insiders. If it wouldn’t have been foresight of our leadership they would have succeeded,” the Mandi MP said during the promotion for her upcoming movie ‘Emergency‘.

“The Bharatiya Janata Party is committed to follow the principles of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas and Sabka Prayas’ and social harmony,” the party statement said.

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Satheesan accuses Kerala govt of ‘shielding’ perpetrators of sexual abuse in Malayalam film industry

A day after the state government formed a special team to probe the sexual atrocities faced by female actors, Satheesan questioned why male officers were appointed above the woman IPS officer in the investigation team.

By: PTI

Kochi | Updated: August 26, 2024 16:32 IST

The government on Sunday formed a seven-member team headed by IG Sparjan Kumar, which includes four senior women IPS officers. (Express Archives)

Leader of Opposition in the Kerala Assembly, V D Satheesan, on Monday alleged that the Left government was trying to shield the perpetrators of sexual abuse against women in the Malayalam film industry by not initiating an investigation based on the Justice Hema Committee Report.

A day after the state government formed a special team to probe the sexual atrocities faced by female actors, Satheesan questioned why male officers were appointed above the woman IPS officer in the investigation team.

“The opposition had demanded that a team led by senior women IPS officers should investigate based on the statements given by the victims to the Hema Committee. However, the press release issued by the Chief Minister’s office regarding the investigation does not even mention the Hema Committee,” the Congress leader said at a press conference at his constituency North Paravur near here.

The government on Sunday formed a seven-member team headed by IG Sparjan Kumar, which includes four senior women IPS officers.

The LoP alleged that the government has taken the stance that they will not investigate the official statements and evidence provided by the victims before the committee constituted by the government.

“The government’s stand is unacceptable,” Satheesan said.

The Leader of Opposition pointed out that even the court had asked what the obstacle was in investigating the Hema Committee report.

“Those associated with the government are saying that if the victims stand firm in their statements, we can investigate. In which sexual harassment case have the victims been asked to stand firm in their statements? The government’s effort is to protect the perpetrators,” Satheesan argued. He added that asking the victims to give their statements again was humiliating to them. The government’s stance is to humiliate the victims and protect the perpetrators, the LoP added.

Satheesan also criticised state Cultural Minister Saji Cheriyan on the matter, accusing him of expressing different opinions on the issue since the beginning. He alleged that even in the Hema Committee report, the government had engaged in manipulation.

“The number of pages in the Hema Committee report has been decreasing. According to Section 199 of the Indian Penal Code, it is a criminal act to be aware of offences against women and still fail to take action. This is exactly the crime that Cultural Minister Saji Cheriyan has committed.

“By tampering with the report, protecting the culprits, and humiliating the victims, Cheriyan has committed a serious breach of oath, making him unworthy of continuing as a minister. If he is not prepared to resign, the Chief Minister should demand his resignation,” Satheesan said.

The Congress leader added that the series of crimes that took place is clearly outlined in the Hema Committee report. “It is the government’s legal responsibility to investigate and bring the culprits to justice. Despite this, the government has concealed the fact that a series of crimes occurred over four and a half years,” the LoP said.

Satheesan also criticised actor Dharmajan Bolgatty, a fellow Congress member, who allegedly personally insulted a female journalist during a TV show. “If a mistake is made, we won’t justify it like the CPI(M). Our stance is that we do not justify those who make mistakes,” he said.

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Delhi Confidential

- Delhi confidential: Better Rivals

Delhi confidential: Better Rivals

Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has developed a new style of delivering speeches. Unlike his Cabinet colleagues, who speak from a podium at official events, Chouhan addresses the audience in a way similar to TED Talks.

New Delhi | August 27, 2024 07:02 IST

“Abhaar ke liye dhanyawaad (Thank you for the gratitude),” Akhilesh posted on X. (File Photp)

The rare bonhomie shown by political rivals — BSP supremo Mayawati and SP chief Akhilesh Yadav — on social media continued on Monday. A day after Mayawati expressed “abhaar” to Akhilesh for “acknowledging the truth about her honesty” and reprimanding a BJP MLA for calling her “corrupt”, Yadav thanked the BSP chief for her “gratitude”.

“Abhaar ke liye dhanyawaad (Thank you for the gratitude),” Akhilesh posted on X. He also shared the “abhaar” with others who, he wrote, had been lodging their protest against the BJP MLA for insulting “a respected former woman chief minister” belonging to the deprived section of society.

Walk The Talk

Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has developed a new style of delivering speeches. Unlike his Cabinet colleagues, who speak from a podium at official events, Chouhan addresses the audience in a way similar to TED Talks.

Recently, he attended two events organised to felicitate beneficiaries of Namo Drone Didi and Lakhpati Didi at Pusa complex in the national capital. At the events, while the other speakers spoke from the podium, Chouhan picked up a cordless microphone and delivered his speech while walking on the dais.

Law & Order

The Akhil Bharatiya Adhivakta Parishad, an RSS-linked lawyer outfit, has been hosting study circles on the new criminal laws that came into effect from July 1. Sitting judges of the Delhi High Court are presiding over the study circles. Justice Dinesh Kumar Sharma presided over the session last week, while Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma is slated to speak at the second study circle being held on August 30.

Opinion

- As a woman of colour in the US, my hope for Vice President Kamala Harris is greater than my fear

- Remembering Nari Hira the man who built an empire, who Amitabh Bachchan couldn’t say no to

- Unified Pension Scheme is a win-win for states, Centre and people

- Yogendra Yadav writes: The poverty of political imagination needs remedy, not mourning

- The secret to a long life? Those who lived one can’t tell you

- Kamala Harris and climate change: Setting green terms

- Express View on reception of Hema Committee report: Steps in a journey

- August 27, 1984, Forty Years Ago: Hostages freed

- Awami League lost touch with people, students. But reformed, it deserves political space in Bangladesh

- I am Indian-American and a first-time voter. Watching Kamala Harris live in Chicago melted my cynicism

- ‘Angry Young Men’: Why Deewar’s Vijay may not be so different from Animal’s Vijay

- August 26, 1984, Forty Years Ago: Indian Airlines hijackers surrender

- Hema Committee report: It can happen only in Kerala

- Whether it is President Trump or President Harris, US-India relations must continue on an upward arc

- MUDRA 2.0 loans should target greater equity, deepen financial literacy

- Many questions about ‘one nation, one election’

- Kolkata rape-murder: When a chief minister’s protest becomes a symbol of state abdication

- Truth about women’s abuse in Malayalam cinema is out. Does anyone really care?

As a woman of colour in the US, my hope for Vice President Kamala Harris is greater than my fear

Come November, I will vote for her with a quiet wistfulness rather than ecstatic pride. I will vote for her wishing that I could witness her presidency without wondering what she’s had to sacrifice, or how her enforced infallibility has, like mine, threatened her survival

Written by Mathangi Subramanian

New Delhi | August 27, 2024 11:03 IST

Kamala Harris is the Democratic nominee for the upcoming US Presidential elections. (File Photo)

On a hot, cloudy July afternoon, my husband’s phone lit up with the news: 137 days before the American Presidential election, President Joe Biden was dropping out of the race. In his resignation letter, he endorsed his Vice President, a Black, South Asian and former senator, Kamala Harris, to be his successor. Following this announcement, she quickly made history as the first BIPOC (Black, indigenous, and people of colour) woman to become the Democratic Party’s presumptive nominee.

When I heard the news, I waited for the jolt of happiness I knew I was supposed to feel — for the first time in history, American not only believed that a person like me could run for President, but also that she could win.

My similarities with Vice President Harris far exceed our nearly identical Tamilian roots. We’ve both been raised by immigrant mothers who were deeply invested in our political education early in our lives. We’ve both obsessively climbed professional ladders, collected accolades, and surpassed expectations that were always laid too low. We’ve both developed an expertise in navigating the very systems designed to keep us down, refusing to give into the expectations that we remain silent, submissive, and scared. To see someone so aligned with who I was and what I believed in should’ve made me ecstatic. Instead, my stomach dropped with dread. Because I knew what was coming, and none of it was good.

Predictably, America responded to Harris’s nominations with a cruelty that was, for me, all too familiar. From President Trump’s insistence that Vice President Harris is “not a smart person” to the Republican party’s unyielding racist, sexist lies about her life and record, the Vice President’s first month of campaigning has been a pageantry of bigotry. That being said, her fans have, at times, not been much better. While covering her, the supposedly liberal press perseveres in their astonishment that a biracial woman like Harris has achieved what she has. USA Today claims that Harris has been “underestimated at every turn”, New York Magazine declares that “Kamala Harris’s biographer says she’s always been underestimated” and Vanity Fair warns “Underestimate Kamala Harris at Your Peril.” In popular culture, Maya Rudolf’s portrayal of Harris as a “cool Aunty” combined with the recent rash of coconut tree and brat memes walk a thin line between celebrating the Vice President and questioning her seriousness, despite the fact that her evisceration of Brett Kavanaugh and sternness with Vice President Mike Pence are clear proof that Harris contains a toughness America has not seen in years. Even at the Democratic convention, delegates yelled out “Kamala” instead of “Vice President Harris,” as though she was a cousin or a neighbour or a drinking buddy rather than the most powerful woman in the United States. Could these people, I wonder, imagine cheering on President Obama by calling out “Barack”? Of course not.

And yet, despite these indignities, Harris shows up day after day, night after night, and event after event, tempering her toughness with congenial smiles, perfectly pressed suits, and faultlessly coiffed hair. No matter what the world throws at her, she responds with firmness, poise, grace, and calm.

I may not be a Vice President, and I may not be Black, but I am a woman of colour, and I know that calm. I know what it takes to grin at an American boss who mandates that you come up with a nickname because he, unlike one billion people in India, is unable to pronounce your real one. I know what it’s like to keep a neutral expression while a supervisor calls you “entitled” for asking for pay commensurate with your White, male colleagues. And I know what it’s like to remain composed when, in response to an opinion expressed in a calm and quiet tone, a stranger, friend, or family member says, “Calm down! Why are you always so angry?”

Like I said, I know that calm. I also know the cost of it.

For most of my life, I grew up being told that being born in the United States was a gift I didn’t deserve. In return for this opportunity, I was expected to keep my head down, work hard, overachieve, and never complain. I wasn’t allowed to make mistakes, nor ask for help. Despite the impossibility of this ask, for four decades, I did what was expected, rocketing through life on a stream of fellowships, awards, and honours, building myself a vibrant social life, and maintaining a thoroughly researched and highly demanding parenting practice. I did it all, never a hair out of place or a crack in my façade, never allowing myself even a hint of a frown.

During the pandemic, I broke. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t keep being everyone’s rock. I couldn’t keep doing it all, and I certainly couldn’t keep overachieving. Exhausted, I watched my career slip through my fingers, my friendships fade, my relationships suffer. When even parenting became too much to bear, I finally sought help – real help – for the first time in my life. I got on medication. I got into therapy. While some of my issues can be attributed to genetics, my therapist tells me, more of them can be attributed to simply living as a BIPOC woman in a country that expects so much more of me than my White, male peers.

A country that, now, expects this of Vice President Harris.

Which is why, come November, I will vote for her with a quiet wistfulness rather than ecstatic pride. I will vote for her wishing that I could witness her presidency without wondering what she’s had to sacrifice, or how her enforced infallibility has, like mine, threatened her survival. I will vote for her wishing that her term could be an opportunity for her to be tender and circumspect and vulnerable and flawed, all while embracing her Blackness and her Brownness with honesty and joy. Because if President Harris could do it, then maybe, just maybe, so could I.

In the end, my hope for Vice President Harris is greater than my fear. But that doesn’t mean that the next few months – and, fingers crossed, the next eight years – will be easy for her or for people like me, who will witness her battle a system whose brutality we know so well. I won’t give up on Harris, just like I won’t give up on my country, or a world where Brown and Black women have never shied away from the battle for our humanity. I just hope that Harris’s presidency is a battle that, at long last, wins the war.

Subramanian is a novelist, essayist, and founder of Moon Rabbit Writing Studio

Remembering Nari Hira the man who built an empire, who Amitabh Bachchan couldn’t say no to

Hira changed the media and publishing game in India, inspired many with his generous spirit

Written by Sunanda Mehta

Updated: August 27, 2024 10:06 IST

Nari Hira, Owner of Magna publishing company limited. (Express Archive)

It was 1993. The Pune magazine, Citadel, owned by Magna Publishing Co Ltd, was celebrating its third anniversary. Despite being a small magazine, the chief guest was Amitabh Bachchan. As Bachchan took the stage, he said, “There are two reasons why I am here . First, I proposed to my wife Jaya in Pune, so the city holds a special significance for me. Second, when someone like Nari Hira calls you requesting to be present at a function, you jolly well be there.” All of this fits in with the many names — media mogul, print baron, man with the Midas touch — by which Nari Hira was known. As he was for his flamboyance, bravado, and classy parties with the who’s who of Mumbai. But there was a lesser-known side to his larger-than-life public persona that only those who worked closely with him knew — which social media is awash with at present following his death on August 23. The oft-heard, hyperbolic phrases have been replaced with those straight from the heart — kind, generous, witty, ideal mentor, best boss. And justifiably so.

Born in Karachi on January 26, 1938, Nari Hira came to India and settled in Bombay, post-Partition. He started his career at an advertising agency called Ranjeet Sales & Publicity, and then moved on to Bensons (Ogilvy and Mather) as a management trainee. But the man with bigger dreams wanted to get a feel for the West. He modelled to earn extra money and reached the UK with £10 in his pocket.

Soon, he chanced upon an advertisement for a job at Jaegers. He reached Oxford Circus well in time, only he thought Jaegers started with a Y, and was delayed by 15 minutes. Dejected, he made his way down where serendipitously he met the assistant to the managing director, who took him to meet the MD and Hira got his first job abroad. Ready to wash dishes in case it did not materialise, there was no looking back. He returned to India in 1962 and started his own advertising agency called Creative Unit and set about converting grand dreams and ideas into reality.

It started with Lana Publishing Company Ltd (later changed to Magna Publishing Company Limited) in October 1971 with the launch of Stardust, which always remained the flagship magazine of the company. Buoyed by its success, he launched a slew of other magazines: Society, Savvy, Showtime, Parade, Island, Health & Nutrition, Savvy Cookbook, Citadel, Society Fashion, Family Life, Society Interiors, Mandate, and StarWeek. He opened offices in New York, London and Los Angeles. And brought a new movie concept with Hiba movies available only on video. If the irreverant Stardust broke all the norms of film journalism, opting to be daring instead of diplomatic, Hiba Videos was unarguably the predecessor of OTT films as we know them today. No one had ever made films not meant for theatres, but for home viewing on the VCR. The themes were bold and provocative, but so close to the realities society routinely brushes under the carpet, that they hit home.

Hira never married but at 46, he adopted a son. Vikram, his daughter-in-law Proneeta and grandson Aryan became his world. To Vikram, he was both the father who was never unavailable and the boss who kept him on his toes. To Proneeta, to whom he happily divested a lot of his responsibilities, his most defining characteristic was his generosity: “He gave and gave and gave his all… without a single expectation in return.”

Anyone who knew him well has no trouble believing that. The day he died, I shared a small story on Facebook of my first encounter with Hira when I walked into his office in 1989 for a job interview. After the preliminary questions, he asked me what salary I was expecting. “Rs 1500 a month,” I replied, only to be told “What? You are asking for the Moon! 1,250 now and after 6 months, if you are confirmed, I will make it 1,500.” Three months later, he came down to the Pune office. As the Pune correspondent, I was by now writing extensively for Savvy, Society, Island, Health & Nutrition and Showtime. “I was talking with my magazine editors, who usually don’t agree on anything. But… they all agreed on one thing — your work is um… not bad. So I am confirming you now and increasing your salary to Rs 1,800,” he said as he pushed towards me a box of visiting cards. One look at my lit-up face and his next line was, “Now don’t let all this go to your head!”. He may not have agreed to give me the Moon that day but he sure was responsible for me finding my small place under the Sun.

I sent a silent prayer of gratitude when Vikram told me of his last moments, “He went the same way that he lived, on his own terms. He watched two movies, had a dinner of stir-fried salmon, fruit, and a glass of cognac before it was lights out for my father, in his true Nari Hira style.”

sunanda.mehta@expressindia.com

Unified Pension Scheme is a win-win for states, Centre and people

Along with providing more certainty to pensioners, UPS gives states a fiscally prudent option.

Written by G Kishan Reddy

Updated: August 27, 2024 10:07 IST

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with a delegation from Joint Consultative machinery for central government employees, at his residence in New Delhi. (PTI/File)

Less than 24 hours after the Cabinet decision to implement the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS) for 23 lakh Union government employees, the Maharashtra government decided to adopt the UPS framework for its employees. Fostering cooperative federalism has been one of the biggest successes of the Narendra Modi government. Along with measures such as increasing tax devolution to states from 32 per cent to 42 per cent, incentivising states towards capital spending and pushing them to be transparent about their fiscal situation, the changes in the UPS regime is another positive development for cooperative federalism.

Many have already explained the benefit of the UPS: It provides more certainty to pensioners by assuring them 50 per cent of the average drawn basic pay in the last 12 months in service as pension. This has been done without whittling away the two key pillars of the well-thought-out reforms introduced by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee — the contributory character of pensions, wherein employees contribute to their pensions from the salary they receive while they are in service, and its “funded nature” wherein the government sets aside money in advance to pay for future pension provisions.

However, one aspect that has not been discussed in detail is the potential of this reform to become one of the biggest wins for cooperative federalism. Over the past few years, several states such as Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh reverted to the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) of the pre-2003 era — these states had a non-NDA government at the time of taking the decision. This was a cynical move. The OPS is non-contributory and unfunded. Therefore, in the immediate term, the state government did not have to contribute its share of money to the pension fund, thus saving money. At the same time, a future government would have to pay the money in bulk therefore kicking the problem down the road.

The implications for this decision and the risk of more states adopting this became so alarming that the RBI released a paper in its bulletin in September 2023 stating that “the fiscal cost of reverting to OPS will be enormous as the actual pension burden will increase by around 4.5 times than that of the NPS.” The paper concluded by stating that “any reversion to OPS by states would be fiscally unsustainable, though it may result in an immediate fall in their pension outgo”. Other states are likely to follow Maharashtra’s example and adopt the UPS, ensuring that states have the fiscal space to spend on capital infrastructure that results in more employment opportunities and a better quality of life for its people.

Balancing state finances has been a longstanding concern. Meeting people’s aspirations for opportunities and creating an enabling environment to meet their potential needs to be balanced with setting aside funds for welfare measures for disadvantaged and vulnerable groups. To ensure that states give a thrust to large capital expenditure spending in the post-Covid scenario, the Ministry of Finance has increased the special assistance for capital investment eightfold. It has provided state governments Rs 1 lakh crore in the form of 50-year interest-free loans for capital investment projects. The loan was also to be over and above the normal borrowing ceiling allowed for states. In this year’s Budget, this was further increased to Rs 1.3 lakh crore. The rationale for strengthening the scheme was to ensure that states complement their own budgets in capital expenditure spending and not substitute their own spending through this Union government scheme.

At the same time, to bring transparency and sustainability in state finances, borrowings by state public sector companies, corporations and special purpose vehicles (SPVs), serviced by state government budgets, were considered as borrowings made by the state. The previous government in my own home state of Telangana used such off budget borrowings to push the state finances to the brink. The new push on transparency in off budget borrowings will plug the gap that was exploited by the Telangana government.

Tweaks and improvements in government decisions show its willingness to listen to all stakeholders and engage with them. However, Opposition parties have been speaking in contradictory tones on the adoption of the UPS. There is a lack of a coherent response. On matters such as national security, fiscal policy and other key issues that have larger ramifications, national parties in Opposition need to speak more responsibly rather than in binaries or with forked tongues.

The UPS is a win-win — it provides predictability of pension to retired government employees who have contributed a lifetime of service to nation-building. This has been done by retaining the contributory pay and its funding nature. There is, therefore, a continuity in reforms. However, this would mean looking at the policy through a narrow lens. The change should be seen as a part of a range of steps which comprises boosting capital investment in states through complementary schemes and introducing transparency in borrowings giving states an opportunity to strengthen their finances. That’s why the UPS scheme has far-reaching implications. From that perspective, this is a great win for Prime Minister Modi’s push for cooperative federalism.

The writer is Union Minister of Coal and Mines and represents Secunderabad Lok Sabha constituency

Yogendra Yadav writes: The poverty of political imagination needs remedy, not mourning

The rich and grounded debates on the pluriverse of alternatives to ‘development’ have now moved beyond the shadow of Mahatma Gandhi and could guide our thinking not just on ecology but also on the new economic and political order.

Written by Yogendra Yadav

Updated: August 27, 2024 10:06 IST

Though discussions on social justice have yet to move beyond the shadow of Babasaheb Ambedkar, debates on parallels between caste and race, the political economy of caste and issues of pasmanda Muslims and Mahadalits are forcing open new doors. (Illustration by C R Sasikumar)

What is political theory? Who is a political thinker? How can anyone pronounce the death of political thought? These and many other interesting questions have come my way in response to the opening piece in this column (“Where are our political thinkers?”, IE, August 18). The overwhelming response — articles, social media posts and personal communications — confirms that this question was waiting to be asked. These first set of reactions also suggest that the question needs to be spelt out further.

Let me begin by clarifying what is this “political thought” whose decline I bemoan. It refers to a wide range of political reflections that go beyond day-to-day political commentary, ideological polemic or policy prescriptions. This form of thinking begins with here and now, but takes a step back to offer general answers to three large questions.

One, where do we want to go? What kind of political order do we wish to create? This is a normative question that involves political vision. Two, where do we stand today? How close or distant are we from the desired destination? This is an empirical question that requires political analysis, an understanding of the cause-effect relationship. Three, what is to be done? How do we go from where we are to where we wish to reach? This is a prescriptive question that demands political judgement that translates into political strategy and tactics. Political thinkers respond to all these questions for their desh and kaal. Call it by any name — political theory, political philosophy, political ideology or political imagination — this form of thinking about politics is necessary for any meaningful political action.

Modern India had developed a tradition of political thought in this sense. We had a vast range of political thinkers across the ideological spectrum who offered general and interconnected answers to all these three questions in their own ways and thus helped us to make sense of our past, present and future. Unlike Europe, most of our “thinkers” were political activists. Unlike today, most of them were deeply rooted in their languages. They were exposed to, and freely drew upon, modern western ideas, but they filtered these with their regional context and nationalist sensibilities. “Modern Indian Political Thought” is this repository of ideas-in-contest. It laid the basis of our anti-colonial struggle, our Constitution and post-colonial politics. After flourishing for about a century — say, from the 1870s to 1960s — this tradition met with a precipitous decline, if not a sudden death. The poverty of political imagination, understanding and judgement in today’s India is a result of this atrophy.

There are exceptions to this general trend. I had mentioned three “living” strands of modern Indian political thought — feminism, social justice and critiques of “development”. Feminist debates on the Indian specificity of patriarchy and struggles against it, on how gender intersects with caste and class, on the limits of law and state as progressive forces and LGBTQ rights in the Indian context, have opened our political imagination way beyond the “women’s question” in nationalist thought.

Though discussions on social justice have yet to move beyond the shadow of Babasaheb Ambedkar, debates on parallels between caste and race, the political economy of caste and issues of pasmanda Muslims and Mahadalits are forcing open new doors. The rich and grounded debates on the pluriverse of alternatives to “development” have now moved beyond the shadow of Mahatma Gandhi and could guide our thinking not just on ecology but also on the new economic and political order. Yet, all these, even when put together, do not fill the vast vacuum left by the decline of modern Indian political thought.

This basic argument has been generally recognised and accepted by most responses to my article. Nitin Pai (“Why Independent India has not produced great political thinkers?” Mint, August 25) agrees with this assessment and has taken the next step in this dialogue by offering his explanation of why this may have happened. I hope to follow up on this. Professor Ashutosh Varshney (in a personal communication) offers a corrective to my sweeping judgement of political science by pointing out that the analysis of Indian politics has advanced and that the academic discipline must not be burdened with offering a vision for change. That, in a sense, is my point: The science of politics cannot replace the business of making sense of politics and cultivating our political sensibility. Professor Shruti Kapila (in a post on X) offers a sharp disagreement: “Political ideas and thought [are] very much alive and kicking just not in the usual places or by the same old players”. This is an intriguing suggestion and promises a fruitful dialogue as and when it is substantiated.

Much of the first round of responses has focused on the names of thinkers that I had picked up to illustrate my argument. On this count, I plead guilty. Some of the criticism stems from misunderstanding the scope of my examples. I began with those thinkers who were alive in 1947 (hence no Jyotiba Phule or Gopal Krishna Gokhale). And I had deliberately excluded any reference to the many sharp social and political theorists who happen to be my contemporaries (apologies to all scholar and activist friends). The list was ideology neutral and included Hindutva and Islamic thinkers I have little sympathy for.

I had also limited myself to political thought in a more limited sense (hence no social theorist like Andre Beteille, J P S Uberoi, Imtiaz Ahmed or Veena Das, or philosophers like Daya Krishna and Ramchandra Gandhi or writers like Nirmal Verma and Raghuvir Sahay). Yet the criticism (by Professor Nandini Sundar, among others) about the omission of women thinkers like Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay, Aruna Asaf Ali and Sarojini Naidu is a valuable corrective to my list. On second thoughts, I should have also included E M S Namboodiripad in the post-Independence thinkers, D R Nagaraj and Claude Alvares in the next generation and Aruna Roy, Dilip Simeon, Vandana Shiva, Devanoora Mahadeva and Anand Teltumbde as living examples of what I have characterised as political thought. An indictment of political science must make a reference to an earlier generation of professors — Randhir Singh, Rasheeduddin Khan, Ram Bapat, Shanti Swaroop, Raghavendra Rao and Manoranjan Mohanty, who kept a connect between political science and political sense.

I am deeply aware that I must be ignorant of many more thinkers, especially those who write in languages that I don’t read. But I hope such omissions are my limitations, not the limitations of the basic argument that I have put forward. The purpose of initiating this debate is not just to recognise and mourn the “death” of political thought, but to invite collective deliberation on why we reached this place, and what can be done to reinvigorate this lifeline of our republic. May we turn to that now?

Yadav is member, Swaraj India and national convenor of Bharat Jodo Abhiyaan

The secret to a long life? Those who lived one can’t tell you

Maria Branyas Morera, the world’s oldest person, died at 117. The point, it turns out, is not to live long but to live well

By: Editorial

August 27, 2024 07:50 IST

Self-preservation and a fear of death, ageing and irrelevance are perhaps at the core of complex living organisms.

Age, the ageing often say, is just a number. It is, perhaps, a form of consolation, this self-affirmation, as the inevitable ravages of life and time make their mark, and muscles, bones and even the mind begin to show signs of wear and tear. Maria Branyas Morera, at the age of 117, was the oldest person in the world till she died peacefully in her sleep last week in Spain. She had lived through two major pandemics — the Spanish Flu and Covid-19 — and witnessed two World Wars. And to everyone curious about the secret to her long life, she had told the Guinness Book of World Records, “order, tranquility, good connection with family and friends, contact with nature, emotional stability, no worries, no regrets, lots of positivity and staying away from toxic people”.

Self-preservation and a fear of death, ageing and irrelevance are perhaps at the core of complex living organisms. And while there is much to cherish and learn from the wisdom of elders, especially supercentenarians like Morera, they do not hold the secret to long life. Simply put, living beyond 110 — especially while retaining a modicum of physical and mental acuity — is so rare that there are no broadly applicable lessons to be drawn from people who cross that milestone. Some smoke, others swear that a glass or two of wine a day has kept them healthy. But there is no scientific evidence, no silver bullet, that guarantees longevity. As Morera herself put it, “I think longevity is also about being lucky.”

But there is something more important than living long that people can learn from the elderly — living well. In an age where information is unlimited, the thing most people lack is perspective. At a time when the “good life” is so often about consumption and accumulation, envy and anger, the lesson from Maria Branyas Morera’s life is not about getting to 117 — it’s being happy along the way.

Kamala Harris and climate change: Setting green terms

Harris has done well to frame climate challenges in language of freedom. She will have to integrate energy issues into her campaign

By: Editorial

August 27, 2024 07:46 IST

During her campaign in 2019, Harris said that she would ban the heavily polluting practice of fracking but has since toned down her position.

As the themes in the US presidential elections get delineated in the coming weeks, one closely watched issue will be how Donald Trump and Kamala Harris frame their differences on climate change. At the Democratic National Convention (DNC) last week, Harris mentioned global warming only once. That may appear to contrast with her radical positions as a Democratic challenger in 2019-2020 or Joe Biden’s emphatic criticism of Trump’s climate denialism in his last presidential campaign. However, Harris’s brief mention of global warming mitigation at the DNC attracted attention because she located climate change as one of the “fundamental freedoms” at stake during the November election. Along with “reproductive choice, the elections will be about the freedom to breathe clean air and drink clean water, and live free from the pollution that fuels the climate crisis,” she said last Thursday. Tim Walz used the same language a day earlier when he said that “the elections are about freedom” — he contrasted this freedom with that advocated by Republicans “for corporations to pollute air and water”.

Trump was quick to call out the Democrats for making climate change an “issue of patriotism” without saying much about China. In a similar vein to his 2016 bid for the White House, Trump has couched fossil fuel advocacy in a language of economic nationalism. In July, he told a conference of the National Association of Black Journalists, that along with closing the US-Mexico border, his administration would go all out —“drill, baby drill” — to increase domestic oil production. Domestic drilling, the former president has maintained, will decrease the cost of oil and help lift the sentiment of consumers currently “worried about inflation and high energy costs”. In 2019-2020, the Biden-Harris team made the reduction of drilling one of its major campaign planks. However, environmentalists have called out the Biden administration for not only failing to act on poll promises but also approving the $7 billion Willow Oil Drilling Project in Alaska.

During her campaign in 2019, Harris said that she would ban the heavily polluting practice of fracking but has since toned down her position. The uncertainties of the post-Covid world, aggravated by the Ukraine crisis, could be one reason for the Democrats’ cautious approach. However, it has long been clear that global warming mitigation will require a major overhaul in the energy sector of the highest GHG emitter in history. The Harris-Walz campaign will be watched for how it deals with the issue.

Express View on reception of Hema Committee report: Steps in a journey

In aftermath of release of the report are heartening signs of change. But the road to justice is long and arduous

By: Editorial

Updated: August 27, 2024 07:43 IST

The road ahead, passing through a landscape rutted with deep power asymmetries, won’t be easy either.

A long silence was broken last week with the release of the Justice Hema Committee report, and a swelling chorus of women speaking up has filled its place. In rapid succession, women from the Malayalam film industry began speaking publicly about the toxic, misogynistic work environment they’ve had to navigate, even as idols — including powerful, politically-connected actors — started to crumble. Two prominent figures, director Ranjith and actor Siddique have resigned their positions — as chairman of the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy and general secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes, respectively — following allegations of sexual misconduct. Meanwhile, the state government has announced the formation of a seven-member team of high-ranking police officers — four of whom will be women —to look into the revelations in the report. These are welcome developments, signalling that the tendency to dismiss the complaints of women as “he said, she said” is beginning to shift, and that a culture of accountability, even if only tentatively, is forming.

The road to this moment has been long and arduous, going further back than the 2017 abduction-and-sexual assault case that rocked the Malayalam film industry and led to the formation of the Women in Cinema Collective, which prevailed on the Kerala government to set up the committee headed by Justice K Hema. It goes all the way back to the December 2012 gangrape case in Delhi which shook the nation and brought protesters out on the streets. The burden of shame and silence that had long been inflicted on the victims was sought to be lifted, a process that gained momentum during the 2018 MeToo movement that saw several women speak up about sexual harassment at the workplace. There have been several bumps along the way, particularly when those accused of sexual misconduct wield considerable clout. Consider, for example, how long it took for the police to act in the case of former Wrestling Federation chief and ex-BJP MP, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, accused of sexual assault by women wrestlers. The nearly five-year delay in the release of the Hema Committee report is another example, which shows the persistence that such a fight demands.

The road ahead, passing through a landscape rutted with deep power asymmetries, won’t be easy either. Demands for new laws and stricter punishments have been made, not only in the context of the Malayalam film industry but vis a vis crimes in Kolkata and Badlapur, for instance. These alone, however, cannot be the signposts to a future of greater accountability and justice. That, as actor Urvashi pointed out recently, will require changing existing structures and ensuring that the most vulnerable are heard. There is a need to ensure that the law can keep up with how sexual assault and harassment are now understood, but it cannot take place without chipping away at systems that enable and exculpate abusers. The onus for this, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi pointed out recently, is on both society and government, because “governments will come and go, but protecting lives and safeguarding the dignity of women” is everyone’s responsibility.

August 27, 1984, Forty Years Ago: Hostages freed

August 27, 1984, Forty Years Ago: The hostages, who were held captive by seven pro-Khalistan youths for 38 hours under tremendous tension and mental agony, were received by relieved relatives amidst tearful scenes.

By: Editorial

August 27, 2024 07:35 IST

This is the front page of The Indian Express published on August 27, 1984, Forty Years Ago.

With the arrival of 73 passengers and six crew members of the hijacked Indian Airlines Boeing 737 from Dubai at Delhi airport ended the longest hijack drama in the history of Indian aviation. It lasted almost two days. The hostages, who were held captive by seven pro-Khalistan youths for 38 hours under tremendous tension and mental agony, were received by relieved relatives amidst tearful scenes.

Saving Captives

The Pakistan authorities’ decision to accept the demand of the hijackers of the Indian Airlines Boeing for refuelling of the aircraft appeared to have been taken much before the Indian ambassador K D Sharma reached Lahore. The Pakistani officials informed Sharma soon after his arrival in Lahore that the refuelling of the aircraft had started, Lt General Mohammad Aslan Sham, who headed the Pakistani negotiating team, took the line that his country’s strategy was to save the passengers’ lives.

PM on Bhaskara Rao

The Prime Minister, Mrs Indira Gandhi, declined to make any categorical statement about her party’s support to the Bhaskara Rao ministry in Andhra Pradesh. Mrs Gandhi told newsmen at the Sonali airport in Jamshedpur before leaving for Calcutta that she could not say whether her party would continue to support the new Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister. Mrs Gandhi said the parliamentary elections would be held on schedule.

Tihar hunger strike

As many as 42 life convicts in the Tihar jail stand to gain freedom with their cases due to come up before the Sentence Revising Board of the jail. The home secretary of the Delhi Administration, Kaushal Kumar, said the board will meet “shortly”. The assurance came amid reports of unrest over the failure of the Delhi Administration to hold meetings of the Sentence Revising Board. The convicts have planned a hunger strike from September 3 if they are not given specific assurances about a meeting of the board.

Awami League lost touch with people, students. But reformed, it deserves political space in Bangladesh

Awami League has faced such a political downfall before. But it has never faced a crisis of moral authority of this magnitude. This party has to reorganise after this crisis but also make an effort to reestablish credibility, integrity and moral authority

Written by Ashikur Rahman

August 26, 2024 16:51 IST

Bangladesh Ruling Awami League Party clash with protesters during a demonstration against Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her government. (AP File Photo)

On January 7, 2019, in an article in this newspaper, I wrote about the challenges before the Awami League and the BNP after the 11th National Election. In the closing paragraph, I noted:

“Its staggering majority in Parliament notwithstanding, the Awami League must remain mindful of several significant concerns going forward. Over the last two years, Bangladesh has seen massive public activism driven by social media. People, especially students and the youth, have shown an increasing tendency to occupy the streets. The common thread running through all such acts of public protest has been the burning desire for a just society in which the growing middle class has decent economic opportunities. Simply put, creating more jobs for the educated youth and providing rule of law will remain the twin challenges before Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. And the strength, durability, and effectiveness of her government will depend on how it performs on these two crucial fronts.” (‘Understanding BNP’s decline,’ IE, January 7, 2024)

Of course, no political analyst can predict the exact date and time of a turbulent political transition or the downfall of a major political force like Awami League (AL), but the growing challenges before the party were not hidden from anyone who took an interest in the political process. The emerging conditions between 2019 and 2024 also did not support any course correction.

The Covid-19 outbreak and then the Ukraine conflict meant that former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s access to the wider party, civil society or constructive critical voices was closely guarded by the administrative gatekeepers who were under the payroll of economic oligarchs. This insulated the decision-making process from all the difficulties that were emerging. Perhaps, the event that best captured this phenomenon is the Shiekh Hasina’s press conferences, where the bureaucratic gatekeepers selectively allowed journalists who would shower the sessions with long praises to the government.

In other words, critical social, political and economic issues were never strongly raised. This culminated in acute economic mismanagement over the last 24 months. More precisely, policymakers failed to address the corruption by economic and bureaucratic elites, ignored dysfunctional institutions, undermined the rule of law, ignored large-scale plundering of the financial sector resulting in the insolvency of private and public banks, acceleration of inflationary pressures, and mounting unemployment among the youth.

This monumental mismanagement and political insulation from social and public concerns caused disaffection among the people at large. The students’ protest was just the trigger for an all-out social movement that was catastrophically mishandled by the AL government. That the party viewed every social movement as a conspiracy did not help. Neither did the tendency to look at every political and social problem as a nail and every solution as a hammer. Party hardliners, sycophants and self-serving ministers kept a grip on key positions within the AL and moderate leaders who advocated discussion and compromise were increasingly sidelined.

The humiliating downfall of one of the most dominant political parties of the Subcontinent is, then, the result of a series of undressed and avoidable fractures that weakened the party and disconnected it from the general public.

The Awami League has faced such a political downfall before. But it has never faced a crisis of moral authority of this magnitude. This necessitates a total reset in the AL that not only shapes how the party reorganises after this crisis but also makes an effort to reestablish credibility, integrity and moral authority. This long and painful journey that awaits the party needs to start with an honest admission that not only has the Awami League failed the aspirations of the student fraternity in Bangladesh, but its aversion to democratic values both within the party and country has detached it from the wider sentiments of the society.

For the Awami League to reemerge from the ashes, it cannot play by the old political rules. Most importantly, it must take accurate stock of the political and social reality in Bangladesh – and it should aim to develop a working political relationship with all parties and civil society actors.

A chastened but transformed AL that genuinely cherishes the democratic ethos can only emerge if the party is sincerely apologetic about creating the conditions that ultimately triggered the July Revolution. The party remains the largest body of liberal and secular sentiments and can rebound and become a force for social and economic progress again. That is why it deserves a legitimate political space to function in a truly democratic Bangladesh, which the interim government professes to work towards.

The writer is a Bangladesh-based political worker and political-economy analyst

I am Indian-American and a first-time voter. Watching Kamala Harris live in Chicago melted my cynicism

Harris, despite the formidable efforts of the DNC, is not my idol. However, she gets my vote because, in a twist of fate, she has become the most radical symbol of change I have witnessed in American politics

Updated: August 26, 2024 21:58 IST

Democratic presidential nominee and US Vice President Kamala Harris takes the stage on Day 4 of the DNC. (Reuters file)

Written by Tanvi Chakravarty

“Coco, I want to learn to call you by your real name. Help me pronounce it right!”, said my CNN colleague on the final day of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago. I immediately noticed the sensitivity to my ethnicity when my co-workers took extra care to pronounce my name, even after I had blithely asked them to address me by my family moniker ‘Coco’ for convenience. I went from being called “Coco” by anchor Anderson Cooper on the first day to “Tanvi” by everyone on the final day. After all, a Black, Indian woman was now the leading contender for the next President of the United States of America.

As a 20-year-old who was born in America, grew up in India, studying in the UK and interning with CNN, I cherished the poignance of my identity as I heard Kamala Harris’ nieces teach the world to pronounce their aunt’s name. This was how I experienced first-hand the transformation in American society, driven by Harris’ confirmation. The DNC marked a historic entry-point in American politics and society, and I had the privilege of experiencing the theatrics of the convention at Chicago’s United Centre in all its frenzied grandiosity.

This November, I will be a first-time voter in America. As a female Gen-Z voter, what struck me instantly was how Kamala explicitly avoided acknowledging the history she could be making as the first female president of the world’s oldest democracy. The move seemed intentional, after Hillary Clinton’s 2016 loss. Kamala didn’t use her female identity as a crutch for votes, instead she appealed to the identity she has built for herself as a prosecutor and a public servant. I watched former President Bill Clinton up close, telling us in his characteristic folksy style that Kamala intends to win this election riding on the back of her personal merits and charisma. As flawed as he was as a political leader, I thought it was a riveting endorsement.

But, Harris didn’t shy away from her racial identity entirely. She beseeched us to “consider”. To consider the explicit intents of Donald Trump broaching the coveted American Dream. There is a key distinction she wants the American people to realise with their presidential candidates, Prosecutor vs Felon. A hardworking public servant vs a self-serving billionaire. And she summed it up saying “he is out of his mind”, a phrase aimed more at my generation than the intellectual elders at the event. I have always valued the importance of voting, but the magnitude of this election still hit me like a truck at the convention. The go-go-go environment of working at the DNC seamlessly coincided with the urgency with which we were being told to vote.

Vice President nominee Tim Walz called Harris the president of “Joy”. Walz’s rousing pep-talk as a “normal” American high school teacher was extremely popular at the convention. I was immediately drawn to his relatability. The VP nominee is a clear indication of what Americans want. Not some “whiny billionaire riding down his golden escalator” as President Barack Obama put it, but a return to good old-fashioned American values. Elitism is out. Excessive wealth taints, rather than trumps (pun fully intended). It’s why the convention echoed with “Amens’ and “Preach” as Kamala Harris revered her mother’s humble beginnings. It’s why Kamala Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff, was bombarded with cheers when talking about working at McDonalds. And it’s why thousands of people around me were entranced in deafening silence as Michelle Obama spoke on the importance of family and solidarity on Day 2 of the convention. Meritocracy is the forgotten backbone of America that is making a comeback, despite my personal qualms with that idea.

The United Center was brimming with palpable energy. CNN anchor Van Jones described it to me as one of the most emotionally and politically charged democratic conventions out of the four he has witnessed. The surge in joy and excitement reminiscent of Obama’s 2008 campaign, devoid of the fear of choosing America’s first Black president.

The irony is not lost on me. Four days of televised theatrics, the entire stadium echoing with chants of “Yes SHE can”. Some of the most powerful people in the world idolising Harris to the nation. Even the humblest of public servants would fall prey to such a high decibel, boisterous ego boost. But even I, someone admittedly apathetic to American politics (largely fueled by cynicism) was moved to tears.

Undeniably, there has been a huge surge in the momentum of the democratic campaign for this presidency. Whether it was influencers proudly wearing ‘Kamala IS brat’ badges or the fervor with which Gen-Z hero Jack Schlossberg, JFK’s grandson, urged young Americans to vote. For the first time, I felt significant in this historic reshaping of American politics. Hillary Clinton was right, we are all needed to “break the glass ceiling”. Euphoric as the mood was, there was also cognisance among most present there that there was more work to be done, as ‘Coach’ Walz emphasized with the classic “We can sleep when we’re dead” line.

Glitz and glamour aside, a few simple conversations will stay with me. “My son celebrated New Year’s because it’s an election year. He hasn’t turned off the TV since the convention started,” said an officer in the CNN security detail. We laughed at the text chains between her and her 11-year-old son who educated her on all the big names she was escorting to the main stage, dreaming to be one of them some day. A college professor of psychology in Chicago told me she had never been more excited to vote. A heated conversation on gun control with a colleague ended in us realizing we had the same fundamental beliefs, but different visions on how to actualise it. The DNC had seemingly reaffirmed core American values of freedom and individualism, regardless of race, identity or politics. And a Democratic party can help uphold those characteristic American values too.

Despite being a half Tamil American woman deeply interested in public service, my vote for Kamala Harris is not driven by identity commonality. I am not voting for her because of sparkly, albeit meaningless, buzzwords such as the “opportunity economy”. Harris, despite the formidable efforts of the DNC, is not my idol. However, she gets my vote because, in a twist of fate, she has become the most radical symbol of change I have witnessed in American politics. A week of jargon and speeches does not quite encapsulate what her slogan sums up to me.

“America, we are not going back.”

The writer attended the Democratic National Convention in Chicago as part of CNN

‘Angry Young Men’: Why Deewar’s Vijay may not be so different from Animal’s Vijay

Watching the Amazon Prime documentary raises the question — is Salim-Javed's massy hero a product of its time or a prototype of the violent Indian masculinity women are only too familiar with?

Written by Tanuj Solanki

New Delhi | Updated: August 26, 2024 16:05 IST

Deewar's Vijay played by Amitabh Bachchan and Animal's Vijay played by Ranbir Kapoor.

Early on in Vikram Seth’s A Suitable Boy (1993), two young women use the slang “cad” for a good-looking young man. As Seth’s narrator explains, the term is derived from Cadbury’s chocolate. Just as chocolate goes from milk to dark, the term “cad” accommodates all kinds of skin colour. Given its setting in a Khatri milieu in the post-Independence years, the novel’s characters may betray a preference for fairer skin, but they are alive to the possibility of a dark cad being “bitter but sustaining”.

Only a few months after this assessment, on Holi, the aforementioned Cad gets himself high on bhang and molests his brother’s pregnant wife, who happens to be the elder sister of one of the two young women. After “fondling her a bit”, he “[rubs] the moist powder onto her kameez over her breasts, laughing all the while.” Seth doesn’t spend too much time on these actions and their meaning, for his plans with these characters take him further and elsewhere. But nothing stops us from pausing here.

In itself, the diptych illustrates a degeneration — from cad to caddish — from desirable to detestable — from mint to varmint — that the young women of this country, whether from the previous century or from this one, are all too familiar with. Young men are never too far away from the reprehensible.

Preceding the publication of Seth’s novel by a generation, and following the fictive world created by Seth by a generation, another set of fictive worlds — operative in a different language and different art form, concerned with milieus quite different from Seth’s, and with rather massy aspirations — delivered a category of good-looking man radically different from the Cad: The Angry Young Man. Faced with an indifferent and corrupt system, alert to injustice big and small, and full of hard boiled witticisms and dollops of machismo, the Angry Young Man is easily violent. Additional drama is sourced from his mother worship, his daddy issues, and whether he finds himself on this side or that side of the law.

Salim-Javed, the creators of the trope called the Angry Young Man, have recently been afforded some old-celebrity treatment in a three-episode documentary streaming on Prime Video. By old-celebrity treatment, I mean the cultivation of an air of low-volume, soft-yellow-light applause; the curation of retrospective flourishes that expertly conceal their hagiographic intent (presenting days of “struggle” with more specific detail, say, than days of success-led delirium); and a general, well-paid-for aversion to exploring the subject matter from challenging and contrarian vantage points.The old men’s not-so-young children have produced the documentary, so perhaps it is advisable to curtail one’s expectations. By the end, the whole thing inevitably comes to resemble a tastefully done family video.

Read more – ‘Salim-Javed asked me to dub Amjad Khan’s voice for Gabbar in Sholay,’ recalls director Ramesh Sippy

The only stray squeak of critical inquiry I noted in the documentary was on the question of how Salim-Javed conceived women. One of the talking heads avers that female leads were peripheral to their cinematic vision and even those who started out with strong backgrounds did not get to do anything significant in the storyline. The film gets immediately anxious with this little insight, and feels it necessary to snip any unintended thought-streams in the viewer’s mind by making other talking heads (one of them Javed’s daughter) offer anodyne explanations.

The effect is comic. Elsewhere, the same film draws its dividends from suggesting that Salim-Javed’s personal lacks and longings had seeped into their writing and were crucial to the creation of the Angry Young Man. Here, however, no linkage to their personal worldview can be allowed: They suddenly become men who are products of their times rather than men with claims to shaping a whole era.

Shifting our attention from the creators to the creation, we arrive at another question: Is the Angry Young Man far from the reprehensible? Is the Angry Young Man beyond treating women badly? Not sure the answers are in the affirmative. On Holi, for instance, it may be a stretch to believe that the Angry Young Man would not assume the same licence as the rascal in Seth’s novel.

Besides, if anger is touted as the single biggest quality for a man, then there isn’t much more to look forward to other than violence. The scansion from right violence to righteous violence to Right-O violence is always imperfect, and the trope itself comes with no specified limits. The same cocktail of injustice and daddy issues that creates Deewar’s Vijay or Trishul’s Vijay can also lead to Animal’s Vijay. Lift the trope from the gestalt of poor vs rich and plant it in the arena of the rich fighting an internecine war, and what you get is a rank distortion.

And then the other question — if we note the dialectic in Salim-Javed’s many Vijays and the real mid-70s event of the Emergency, which real event or situation might Animal’s Vijay, and perversions thereof, be in correspondence with?

In culture and in life, insofar as the two remain patriarchal, our hopes must lie with the Cad. Why? Because it’s a term that includes both women’s gaze and women’s judgement. Maan Kapoor, the bhang-addled brute of Seth’s novel, must be read as a vile exception that fails to dent the rule. In movie terms, perhaps we are back to doffing our hats to those dozen-odd years by Shah Rukh Khan — a benign, albeit flawed, path for Indian masculinity.

Solanki is a writer, most recently of, Manjhi’s Mayhem (2022)

August 26, 1984, Forty Years Ago: Indian Airlines hijackers surrender

12 pro-Khalistani hijackers surrendered to the authorities in the United Arab Emirates and released 68 passengers and six members of the crew unharmed.

By: Editorial

August 26, 2024 10:56 IST

The hijackers surrendered themselves on the assurance of a passage to the United States. (Express Archive)

Hijackers Surrender

Almost 38 hours after they seized an Indian Airlines Boeing 737 over Pathankot, 12 pro-Khalistani hijackers surrendered to the authorities in the United Arab Emirates and released 68 passengers and six members of the crew unharmed. The hijackers surrendered themselves on the assurance of a passage to the United States.

Protest Day

Several violent incidents were reported from various parts of the country as the opposition parties observed an “all-India protest day” in protest against the dismissal of the Rama Rao ministry in Andhra Pradesh. Workers belonging to 22 youth and other organisations held a protest demonstration near the Boat Club in the Capital against “the murder of democracy in Andhra Pradesh” and courted arrest by violating prohibitory orders.

Assam Electoral Rolls

The Election Commission has decided that the 1971 electoral rolls in Assam should be the basis for further revision of electoral rolls in the state. Chief Election commissioner R K Trivedi said that he would write to the government seeking suitable amendments in the law to enable the commission to undertake revision. At the meeting, all except Congress (I) and the CPI(M) endorsed the proposal.

Indian Invasion Plan

Prime Minister Indira Gandhi denied a report quoted by Sri Lankan Prime Minister R Premadasa, which purported to give an “Indian invasion plan” of the island in September. Replying to a discussion, Mrs Gandhi asserted that there was “no such plan then” and won’t be in future either.

Hema Committee report: It can happen only in Kerala

Women actors collided with the feudal patriarchal structures of the Malayalam film industry. This resulted in exposure of the rampant exploitation of women in Malayalam cinema, which exists in other film industries

Written by J Devika

Updated: August 26, 2024 10:02 IST

The massive power imbalance between powerful men and women at the bottom in cinema should not be underestimated. Those jeering against young female actors and junior artistes’ claims that they offered sexual favours in return for entry. (File Photo)

Each time something awful happens to women in Kerala, some of my research colleagues ask: “How can this happen in Kerala?” At least half of my academic life has been spent trying to correct over-expectation about nearly everything in Malayali social life, but this time, it seemed different. In the discussions of the revelations of the Hema Committee report on sexual harassment and exploitation of women in Malayalam cinema (edited closely for details about the alleged sexual abusers), I had to say, “Actually, this could happen only in Kerala.”

Of course, rampant exploitation and sexual abuse is not limited to Malayalam cinema — rather, it arises from the very fuzziness of the boundaries between cinema as entertainment/art form and cinema as industry. It also relates to the history of regional cinema in particular — rural-feudal in character, built on pillars of usurious capital and traditional caste hubris — that shaped the manner in which artistes in general, and female artistes in particular, were treated. The questioning of such structures has remained limited and delayed probably because of cinema’s status as “art” and culture, in which genius was never to be questioned, material concerns were secondary (at least for the most powerless of its devotees), and informality was hailed as absolutely central to artistic creativity. We also would not be surprised by the inordinate delay in releasing the report. Nor would the intricate and ultimately silly technicalities, the twists and tangles of bureaucracy, advanced to justify both the delay and the government’s apparent reluctance to act strongly on the report, leave us astonished. For example, the debate on whether it was “Hema Committee” or “Hema Commission” (with their different implications of power) seemed to outweigh the need to urgently curb the abuse, sexual violence, and rampant exploitation of women in Malayalam cinema which the report brings to light on the basis of evidence collected diligently in government-approved ways.

When I said that “it could happen only in Kerala,” I was referring to the Women in Cinema Collective and their struggle which led to the formation of the Hema Committee in 2017. In the new century, Malayalam cinema witnessed the entry of many educated, middle-class or elite women into the film industry, and not just as actors. Women had started entering higher education in larger numbers in the mid-1980s, once colleges spread into the more rural parts of the state. Women were a striking presence in many areas of higher education, media, and cultural and literary publics after the 1990s. With the opening up of the state to global cultural flows, feminism, media, and the internet and digital spaces, individuated young women, empowered by education and also their caste and class capitals, were headed for a collision with the still-feudal patriarchal structures of the Malayalam cinema industry. In the 1990s, these structures had become all the more rigid and centred around “male superstars” — and a female superstar seemed unimaginable, despite highly successful and phenomenally talented women actors like Urvashi. These two distinct developments were such that they could not but collide.

The actor abduction incident which brought women artistes together to form the WCC was only a trigger. Because, historically, such individuation through female education has happened in Malayali society ahead of the other Indian states, I would maintain, this can happen “only in Kerala”.

The massive power imbalance between powerful men and women at the bottom in cinema should not be underestimated. The part of social media jeering against young female actors and junior artistes’ claims that they offered sexual favours in return for entry. Indeed, if the alignments were such that a woman without other kinds of capital to aid her could make her way into the industry only through that route, how can one hold her responsible for making herself sexually available? And even if she did offer herself persistently out of sheer adoration for the “genius” of a male actor/director/script writer, that is still exploitation — because in such relationships, it is the moral responsibility of the more powerful party to point out that it was not they, but their achievements, that are actually being adored.

The Kerala government may try its best to dilute action, to divert attention, but the discourse that the report has triggered in Kerala cannot be curbed so easily. The success of the WCC lies precisely in that. This is an interesting time indeed, to live in Kerala. Not of hope, not of despair — but of a slow, if decisive, struggle to transform the very soul and essence of the Malayali.

The writer is a historian and professor, Centre for Development Studies, Thiruvananthapuram

Whether it is President Trump or President Harris, US-India relations must continue on an upward arc

In recent decades, India has strengthened its relationship with the US under both the Democratic and Republican administrations

Written by C. Raja Mohan

Updated: August 26, 2024 16:00 IST

Prime Minister Narendra Modi (L) and US President Donald Trump. (File Photo)

India is arguably better placed than most of America’s partners to deal with the incipient political change of guard in Washington. Whether it is the Republican candidate, former President Donald Trump, or the Democratic nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, who wins the November election, India’s relations are unlikely to face any disruption.

Unlike America’s allies in Europe and Asia who worry about the return of Trump, India has strengthened its relationship with the US under both the Trump and Biden administrations. Delhi, therefore, has reasons to be confident about continuity in its ties with the US. Yet, change is the only enduring law of the universe, and Delhi must be prepared to deal with either incremental or radical changes within domestic US politics that could affect relations.

India’s relations with the US have been on an upward arc since President Bill Clinton visited India in March 2000. Presidents George W Bush (Republican), Barack Obama (Democratic), Trump (Republican), and Joe Biden (Democratic) pushed the relationship forward. In India, Atal Bihari Vajpayee (BJP), Manmohan Singh (Congress), and Narendra Modi (BJP) have also been as committed to the deepening of the partnership.

The US is now the most comprehensive and consequential partner for India. China is a large trading partner but it is also the biggest contributor to India’s trade deficit. Delhi is also locked in a semi-permanent military confrontation with Beijing on its long and contested border. Russia is a major military partner, but the relationship does not have the economic or technological weight of Delhi’s relationship with Washington. Europe is a major source of trade, technology and capital, but does not have America’s geopolitical heft that can contribute to India’s national security objectives. Cutting across all this is the hugely successful five million-strong Indian diaspora in the US.

Despite the expansive growth of the bilateral partnership over the last two-and-a-half decades, pessimism hangs like a pall over the discourse on the prospects for the bilateral relationship in think tanks, media, and academia. Every dispute between Delhi and Washington is viewed as a deal-breaker even as scepticism greets every breakthrough in the relationship. The gap between the public discourse and the strategic evolution of India-US relations is real, but may be inconsequential as we look ahead to the next administration.

The Indian establishment’s intensive engagement with successive administrations means there is great familiarity with the Republican and Democratic policy establishments that populate the large number of important, politically-appointed administrative positions. This, in turn, is reinforced by the expansive “Track 2” engagements between the Indian and American strategic communities. Over the last few decades, Delhi has also engaged with the US Congress and built solid foundations of support on both sides of the aisle.

The US corporate sector plays a major role in America’s engagement with the world. Thanks to the growing volumes of trade and deepening links between the tech sectors of the two countries, Delhi can count on backing from American businesses for the US partnership with India.

While Trump’s positions on global issues are well known, many critics see Harris as a “mystery” when it comes to foreign policy. But her international record as Biden’s Vice President, the policy platform adopted at the convention last week and her speech accepting the Democratic nomination do give some clues. Four issues are of special interest to India — immigration, trade, technology, and Eurasian security. Unlike Trump, who talks of drastic approaches to curbing immigration, Harris advocates an overhaul of the system to promote legal immigration and deter illegal flows in partnership with the Republicans in the US Congress. So long as the US needs to import global talent and the immigration reform focuses on a merit-based system, Delhi will have little reason for worry. Immigration is now a toxic issue in US politics and Delhi must recognise that there is growing illegal Indian migration into the US and work with Washington to address the issue.

On trade, Harris has attacked Trump’s plan to impose a 10 per cent tariff on all imports as a “national sales tax” that will impose a massive burden on American consumers. That should bring some relief to Indian exporters. Harris is likely to persist with the Biden approach, which has much resonance in India, on building a “durable global economic order” centred around “resilient supply chains” and “deeper trade with trusted partners”. On technology, Harris is likely to continue with the Biden policy of building advanced technology coalitions with key partners like the EU, India, Singapore, and South Korea. For India, Harris’s political roots in California, the world’s leading technological hub, her record in the Biden Administration as the chair of the US National Space Council, and her leadership on the national and global governance of AI are likely to be of great value in deepening the tech partnership with the US in a potential US administration under her.

On issues relating to Eurasian security, Harris attacked Trump for wanting to abandon America’s European allies and reiterated her commitment to NATO and the defence of Ukraine. The Russian question will continue to be a complicating factor in India’s relations with the US. PM Modi’s visit to Kyiv last week underlines Delhi’s commitment and capacity to carefully traverse the Ukraine minefield between Russia, Europe, and America.

China’s challenge to Asian security has been a major source of strategic convergence between Delhi and Washington in recent years. The shared interest in building a multipolar Asia became explicit under Trump and acquired greater traction under Biden. There is nothing to suggest that this will change under a Harris administration. Harris, who visited Asia four times in the last four years, has been at the forefront of building a “latticework” of US alliances aimed at limiting potential Chinese hegemony in the Indo-Pacific.

No partnership can endure without sustained political and bureaucratic tending. India must be prepared to prevent natural differences from becoming disputes. Delhi must also accelerate the effort to build on the solid foundation that exists today for building a more consequential global partnership with Washington under the next administration.

The writer is a visiting research professor at the Institute of South Asian Studies, National University of Singapore and a contributing editor on international affairs for The Indian Express

MUDRA 2.0 loans should target greater equity, deepen financial literacy

Despite its success, Mudra 1.0 faced several challenges, a critical one being that of reaching the smallest and most marginalised entrepreneurs

Written by Gourav Vallabh

Updated: August 26, 2024 10:11 IST

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman (PTI/File Photo)

The Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana (PMMY) was launched in 2015 by the Narendra Modi government. The initiative, which focused on igniting entrepreneurship, provided collateral-free micro-loans up to

Rs 10 lakh and supported numerous small and microenterprises. The Union Budget 2024 has increased the loan amount to Rs 20 lakh.

The Budget has targeted the scheme’s Tarun category for enhancement, doubling the upper loan limit to Rs 20 lakh. The move is set to benefit those who have already availed of and repaid previous MUDRA loans under this category. It is time to move towards a new version of the scheme – MUDRA 2.0. But before that, we should also assess the success of MUDRA 1.0, tackle its challenges and suggests ways to enhance its benefits.

The first phase of the scheme disbursed over Rs 27.75 lakh crore to 47 crore small and new entrepreneurs. This has significantly impacted the grassroots economy and offered financial lifelines to a section of population which had earlier been excluded from formal credit systems. Its inclusive approach is a key feature of the scheme. About 69 per cent of the MUDRA loan accounts are held by women, and 51 per cent belong to SC/ST and OBC entrepreneurs. Focusing on marginalised groups has helped promote gender equality and foster social equity, allowing a wider section of society to participate in the country’s economic growth. The initiative has also been crucial in creating jobs, especially in rural and semi-urban areas. It has encouraged self-employment and supported the development of small businesses.

Despite its success, MUDRA 1.0 faced several challenges. One critical issue was ensuring that benefits reached the intended target groups, particularly the smallest and most marginalised entrepreneurs. While the scheme disbursed over 47 crore loans, the uptake was skewed. Rural and remote regions lagged behind, underscoring the need for more focused outreach. In 2021-22, the top 10 districts were sanctioned more than Rs 26,000 crore. This is about the same as that sanctioned for the bottom 318 districts that year, indicating unequal distribution of credit across regions. Inadequate monitoring and implementation led to leakages and misuse of funds. However, the proportion of the non-performing assets (NPAs) under the scheme has come down 3.61 per cent in FY21 to 2.1 per cent in FY24.

From FY 20 to FY 22, NPAs under the Kishore category (loans ranging between Rs 50,001 and Rs 5 lakh) and Shishu category (loans up to Rs 50,000) made up more than 75 per cent of the bad loans under the scheme. The NPA percentage of the Kishore category was consistently above 4 per cent from FY20 to FY22, whereas the combined NPA was 2.53 per cent, 3.61 per cent and 3.17 per cent for FY20, FY21 and FY24. The higher NPAs under the Shishu and Kishore categories are due to a lack of business knowledge and skills among early-stage entrepreneurs.

The total exposure of MUDRA loans per year has increased consistently since the scheme’s inception, barring FY21, the year of the Covid pandemic. In FY22, the total exposure under the scheme was Rs 3.3 lakh crore. By FY 2024, this crossed the Rs 5 lakh crore mark. However, maintaining quality credit appraisal processes amidst increased lending pressures remains challenging.

The limited financial literacy of beneficiaries was another significant challenge. Many first-time borrowers lack the knowledge to manage their loans effectively, leading to defaults and financial mismanagement. Only 27 per cent of the country’s population is financially literate. The ability to manage loans is, therefore, limited. This has resulted in loan defaults and mismanagement of funds. The lack of a robust credit guarantee mechanism also made banks hesitant to lend, further constraining the growth of small enterprises.

In light of this experience, MUDRA 2.0 should widen its scope, improve its effectiveness, and establish a robust support system for micro-entrepreneurs. For this, a focused outreach and empowerment zone should be set up in rural and semi-urban areas. They can function as centres where micro-entrepreneurs can access comprehensive services, including financial literacy programmes, mentorship, and business support. By consolidating these resources, the government can create an environment that empowers small businesses. Data analytics and beneficiary tracking systems will aid in identifying and supporting enterprises in need of assistance, furthering the cause of empowerment.

MUDRA 2.0 should introduce nationwide financial literacy programmes covering budgeting, savings, credit management, investment strategies, and digital literacy. This will empower entrepreneurs with the knowledge to manage their finances effectively, reduce default rates, improve financial health, and enhance business operations. MUDRA 2.0 should include the Enhanced Credit Guarantee Scheme (ECGS) to encourage banks to lend more to small and micro enterprises. This scheme provides a credit guarantee and reduces the risk for financial institutions.

MUDRA 2.0 should implement a Robust Monitoring and Evaluation Framework (RMEF) leveraging technology to track loan disbursements, utilisation, and repayments in real-time. This will ensure transparency, minimise misuse, and improve the scheme’s efficiency, building stakeholder trust. The RMEF will also include beneficiary impact assessments to measure socio-economic outcomes and provide insights for policy enhancements.

The writer is Professor of Finance, XLRI Xavier School of Management and a BJP member

Many questions about ‘one nation, one election’

The PM's I-day speech brought the issue back to the political centrestage. But the proposal of simultaneous polls needs a more careful debate

Written by S Y Quraishi

Updated: August 26, 2024 10:16 IST

Suggestions were also invited from the public. The Bar Council of India, Confederation of Indian Industry, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, etc, were all given the opportunity to present their points of view. (Illustration by C R Sasikumar)

The issue of simultaneous elections, which has been hanging fire for over a decade, has now been placed on the precipice of the Red Fort by the Prime Minister in his Independence Day speech this year. He has renewed his resolve to implement the idea as soon as possible, most likely by the 2029 general elections.

As far back as in 2013, even before becoming the prime minister, Narendra Modi had reiterated the demand for simultaneous elections for several reasons, mainly because of the exorbitant costs and disruption of normal development activity. Since then, several committees have gone into the subject and have not been able to find an acceptable solution. The last such effort is a high-level committee headed by the former president of India, Ram Nath Kovind. The mandate of this committee was not to debate the pros and cons of the proposal, but to suggest concrete ways to implement it.

The committee presented a detailed report in record time, as mandated. Notified on September 2, 2023, it worked on the subject for 191 days and gave its 18,626 page-long report on March 14, 2024. Its members included eminent persons from diverse backgrounds. It invited suggestions from registered political parties and experts on law, including former chief justices, former chief election commissioners and state election commissioners.

Suggestions were also invited from the public. The Bar Council of India, Confederation of Indian Industry, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, etc, were all given the opportunity to present their points of view.

According to the report, 21,558 responses were received, of which 80 per cent were in favour of simultaneous elections. Responses were also received from 47 political parties, of whom 32 favoured the system and 15 opposed it, calling it anti-democratic and anti-federal. The opposing political parties expressed apprehensions that it will marginalise regional parties, encourage the dominance of national parties and result in a presidential form of government. Based on these inputs and in-depth research, an analysis was undertaken.

Those supporting simultaneous elections were of the opinion that separate elections cause a waste of resources. Though the majority of expert opinion held that amendments would need to be made to the Constitution and related laws, they emphasised that such amendments will not be anti-democratic or anti-federal, they will not be opposed to the basic structure of the Constitution, and will not result in a presidential form of government.

The best thing about the Report is that it is exhaustive (with annexures in 21 volumes), and has faithfully reproduced all opinions, past and present, making it an extremely useful document. The committee gave a unanimous opinion that there should be simultaneous elections in the country. It proposed necessary amendments to the Constitution and relevant laws. It suggested a new article in the Constitution, namely 82A, which says, “notwithstanding anything contained in Articles 83 and 172, all the legislative assemblies constituted in any general election held after the appointed date shall come to an end on the expiry of the full term of the house of the people”. In an explanation, the committee clarified that the expression “simultaneous elections” shall mean general election comprising Lok Sabha and all Vidhan Sabha elections together — leaving out Panchayat elections. For the latter, it proposes elections “within hundred days”.

With due respect, that does not amount to simultaneous elections. In fact, the proposed remedy is worse than the disease. First, you are leaving out over three million elected representatives against the 5,000 included. Then, an election three months later is a new election, with all the required “bandobast”. Polling stations will have to be set up again, polling parties will have to be selected and trained and security deployed all over again. All within three months, when the 15 million staff would have hardly recovered from the fatigue of what is officially described as the largest management exercise in the world. More importantly, the voters would have to come to the booth again. Many of them cannot come from outside so quickly again.

The report also says, “where any state legislative assembly is dissolved on account of no confidence motion, a hung house, or any other event, fresh elections will be held for such new house with tenure ending with that of the house of the people.” This doesn’t obviate a midterm poll. Imagine candidates spending crores of rupees on an election for a truncated term — as low as one to two years. This is certainly not a simultaneous election.

The committee has, however, done well to re-emphasise the need for a single electoral roll, through amendment to Article 325, since the voters for all three tiers are the same. This virtually transfers the local bodies’ electoral rolls to the ECI “in consultation with State Election Commissioners” — certainly not an uncomplicated task.

The committee has noted the EC’s “detailed requirements of equipment such as EVM, VVPAT, polling personnel, security forces, election materials etc” along with expenditure estimates. Although I couldn’t find the amount, it’s obvious that we will need at least three times the number of current EVMs and VVPATs. Their cost would be tremendous and should have been spelt out and commented upon, since cutting costs was basically one of the main reasons for the proposal.

With such dilution, the proposal for simultaneous elections has lost its moral authority. Playing with an established democratic system and the Constitution is a questionable exercise. If the proposal was sincere, why have all the elections been prolonged in the last 10 years? Why have Himachal and Gujarat elections, which were always held simultaneously, been repeatedly segregated and why have the pending elections not been clubbed, as was always the practice? It puts a question mark on the sincerity of the proposal put forward in the name of national interest. The next logical demand could be, why not one nation one political party, or one nation one leader.

On a side note, many people have questioned dragging the former President of India into what is obviously a sarkari committee. They consider it disrespect to the highest constitutional post. I had also repeatedly expressed my concern that dragging the former Rashtrapati into a government committee was inappropriate. Everyone knows that all government committee reports are subject to clerical scrutiny by a section officer and judicial scrutiny, if challenged. But that is besides the point.

The writer is former Chief Election Commissioner of India and author of India’s Experiment with Democracy — the Life of a Nation Through its Elections

Kolkata rape-murder: When a chief minister’s protest becomes a symbol of state abdication

Violence has become grist to the state’s political mill. But the R G Kar incident has triggered a social and public movement calling for safer public spaces, better governance and a more peaceful social order

Written by Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury

Updated: August 26, 2024 10:12 IST

Junior doctors protest against the alleged rape and killing of a trainee doctor, at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. (PTI)

NOT many may be aware of the fact that R G Kar Medical College and Hospital is named after Dr Radha Gobinda Kar, the Renaissance man of medical science in British-ruled Bengal. Kar dedicated his life towards making the healthcare system accessible to the people of Bengal. Today, doctors, staff, students, the entire city, women — not just in Kolkata but across the country — have united to push for what Kar envisaged. Drawing strength from their grief, trauma and shock over the rape and murder of a post-graduate trainee doctor, they have put their foot down — to stand up for their rights.

This is remarkable. In these divided times, their cause finds a united echo across the country. Left, right or centre, poor or rich, rural or urban, everyone is invested in the future being a place where their children are safe and can follow their dreams. Parallels have been drawn between the Kolkata rape-murder and the Delhi rape in 2012. That was in an empty bus being steered along the Capital’s streets by a group of predatory men. This was in a hospital in the heart of the city.

There are several deeply disquieting aspects to the incident, symptomatic of West Bengal’s steady “transformation” towards deterioration. I know this as someone who has spent decades in public life here; I have been a witness to this, I have spoken against this, I have resisted this. So when Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee writes to Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking for a tougher law against rape, I wish to remind her that law and order is on the Concurrent List, that the police are under her watch, the hospital is under her government. When her nephew and party potentate Abhishek Banerjee says “hooliganism and vandalism” have “exceeded all acceptable limits” and adds, that the rapists “who don’t deserve to live in society, should be dealt with either through encounter or by hanging”, I wish to tell him that these words ring hollow. This call for vigilante justice doesn’t betray sincerity, it is bluster meant to conceal a larger rot in the system, a rot that his party has helped nurture.

Violence, including crime against women, has become grist to the state’s political mill. Just look at the string of incidents involving alleged sexual assault where ruling-party supporters are complicit and accused. Over the years, almost every aspect of life in West Bengal has come to be touched by the corrupt syndicates led by the ruling elite. These operate at all levels – from a city neighbourhood to a remote village – with ill-gotten wealth. Not just that. Every institution is hijacked by the ruling establishment so that there is a toxic nexus between rulers, lawmakers, criminals and lawkeepers. When the line between the party office and the thana gets blurred, the social compact between the citizen and the state breaks down. The Chief Minister setting out on a padyatra fails to instil a sense of security or hope. Instead, it becomes a symbol of state abdication.

As a public representative in the Lok Sabha from West Bengal for five consecutive terms before the 18th Lok Sabha election, and parent to a daughter, what pains me at a personal level, is that this has happened in a city with an illustrious tradition of respect for women. Where women have claimed the public space long before their sisters did in other states. Where almost a century ago, revolutionary leader Matangini Hazra stood up to imperialist rulers and paid with her life. The architects of the Renaissance, social reformer Raja Ram Mohan Roy, writer Rabindranath Tagore, physicist Satyendra Nath Bose, poet Kazi Nazrul Islam and educationist Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain, all brought about a deep awakening across the country. Indeed, the Bengal Province was the nerve centre of the cultural Renaissance in India in the run-up to Independence.

The epicentre of the current protests is a hospital that’s part of the same history. Kar, having graduated with honours in medical science from the University of Edinburgh, had the option of practising medicine in the UK. But he chose to return to his motherland, Bengal, to dedicate his life to serving the poor. It was his relentless campaign to raise funds from the rich and his dogged perseverance in treating the poor in north Kolkata that made the hospital a boon for those in need. Established in 1886 as the Calcutta School of Medicine, it was in 1948, at the initiative of then chief minister of West Bengal, Bidhan Chandra Roy, that the hospital acquired its present name.

That’s why I hold hope. The RG Kar rape-murder doesn’t need to be just a statistic. It has triggered a social and public movement calling for change, one that demands safer public spaces, better governance in the state and a more peaceful social order. In the picket lines, we have seen everyone: Girls, women, boys, men, all speaking up spontaneously at the risk of being blacklisted or arrested. Consequently, the nervousness of the state’s ruling elite is becoming more evident. I am sure that these protests are not in vain. As a politician, I know that change is never easy but I also know that when people decide to speak up, to stand up, to not be afraid of any threat or intimidation, change is inevitable. For, this is Bengal’s history, its present, and it will remain its future.

The writer was Lok Sabha MP for five consecutive terms, former Minister of State for Railways. He was chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament in the 17th Lok Sabha; and served as president of West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee. Views are personal

Truth about women’s abuse in Malayalam cinema is out. Does anyone really care?

It took seven years, four months and two days of women actors’ activism for the Hema Committee report to come out. What will it take to shake the film industry, government and society out of their apathy?

Written by Padmapriya Janakiraman

Updated: August 27, 2024 10:05 IST

Veterans of the Malayalam film industry Siddique (left) and Ranjith have been accused by actors. (File Photos)

“The most dangerous thing in the world is apathy. We think of weapons, violence, warfare, disease as terrible dangers, and indeed they are, but we can take measures to avoid them. But once our apathy takes hold of us, then it is a disaster which has no recourse.”

— His Holiness the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje

The Hema Committee (HC) report commissioned by the Chief Minister of Kerala to examine the issues at the workplace faced by women in the Malayalam film industry came out amidst massive media and public furore on August 19. The committee was set up at the behest of the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC), a first-of-its-kind movement that works towards creating equal spaces and equal opportunities for women in the film industry. It took seven years, four months and two days of the WCC members’ activism — and being cast out in varied ways — for this report to come out. We congratulated each other, but immediately came a gnawing sense of what would follow. I am not referring to the incessant follow-ups from various quarters on what we at the WCC are going to do next, but a familiar noise, conveying apathy, that has followed.

This familiar noise is of sensationalism, rather than engagement with the gravity of the issue. Sexual harassment overshadowing structural and social inequities has become the key narrative. The committee’s findings are damning not just because of the serious sexual-harassment crimes it notes, but also the constitutional, labour and human-rights violations. The committee identified at least 17 forms of exploitation experienced by women working in 30 different categories within the industry. Some of these violations have been recorded as taking place across genders, although women are the most vulnerable.

This familiar noise is of taking the issue back to the women in order to find a resolution. How insensitivite is it to ask women to file cases and relive the demons they fought in order to share their truth in front of a committee? All this, while knowing well that legal recourse will amount to nothing as there wouldn’t be sufficient evidence to stand the test of judicial enquiry. This is apart from the harrowing mental agony and time that this process would take.

This familiar noise is of pitting one woman’s account and experience against another so that divergent experiences in an unorganised industry like cinema are invalidated. “She said this does not happen” is placed against “she said all is ok” until this she-said tussle becomes the mainstream conversation and sidelines the issue that really needs to be addressed.

This familiar noise is of universalising an issue instead of feeling responsible to find solutions. A film association member remarked, “Don’t these issues exist in other industries, why only blame us?” Apart from the morally corrupt nature of this statement, it is appalling that a peculiarly-structured unorganised sector like cinema, with 70-plus trade occupations engaged with no accountability loop, should be compared to any other industry.

The familiar noise is also of the bystander —- the sense of apathy here is shaped by the assumption that someone else is better positioned to handle the situation and hence they themselves need not have any sense of accountability and agency. Bystanders, please note, the problem of apathy is broken when you speak up.

The familiar noise is also of those feigning ignorance by stating that they haven’t read the report. This is especially shocking coming from government officials who have been sitting on the report for the past four years. To their credit, the Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan-led Left government did set new standards in conversations around gender inclusion by initiating some key measures, including setting up the Hema Commission. But thereafter, its actions have not lived up to its initial enthusiasm. A case in point is the years of silence and non-publication of the Hema Committee report, until a court order mandated its release in the public domain. When it comes to sexism, misogyny and violence against women, there is an underlying layer of human nature that is sinister – apathy. Media spotlight and legal recourse are important in spotlighting issues and bringing about grievance redressal. But I wonder what it will take for us to be able to care for them.

In 1991, Kerala became the first Indian state to be recognised as a completely literate state. A big reason for this accomplishment is seeded in the cultural revolution led by social reformers and the then Left government in 1957. Decades later, the state is at a similar juncture.

At a time when the burden of any reform for pushing gender inclusion and safety in cinema rests on the shoulders of the state government, the question is this: Will it remain apathetic or stand up and do what is right? Will it move beyond brand-building exercises, spending precious public money in organising mega conclaves for a public show of concern for the HC report? Or, will it demonstrate the political will to do what is needed? For, on this depends not only the future of the many women and men who aspire to tell stories that shape Kerala society. The Kerala government’s actions will be indispensable for other state governments to chart a roadmap and create gender-inclusive spaces through their film policies.

The writer is a National Award-winning film actor, dancer and public policy researcher. She is a member of the Women in Cinema Collective

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UPSC Essentials : Daily subject-wise quiz | Polity and Governance MCQs on Parliamentary sessions, Money Bill, ECI and more (Week 73)

Are you preparing for UPSC CSE Prelims 2025? Check your progress and revise your topics through this quiz on Polity and Governance.

Written by Nitendra Pal Singh

New Delhi | August 26, 2024 19:20 IST

Check your progress and revise your topics through this quiz on Polity and Governance. Find a question on parliamentary sessions in today's quiz. (File Photo)

UPSC Essentials brings to you its initiative of daily subject-wise quizzes. These quizzes are designed to help you revise some of the most important topics from the static part of the syllabus. Attempt today’s subject quiz on Polity and Governance to check your progress. Come back tomorrow to solve the History, Culture, and Social Issues MCQs. Don’t miss checking the answers and explanations.

🚨 The Indian Express UPSC Essentials brings to you the August edition of its monthly magazine. Click Here to read. Share your views and suggestions in the comment box or at manas.srivastava@indianexpress.com🚨

QUESTION 1

Which of the following statements about the Election Commission of India (ECI) is correct?

1. The President appoints the Chief Election Commissioner and all election commissioners.

2. The chief and the other two election commissioners get the same pay and benefits as judges of the High Court.

3. The ECI is empowered to supervise, oversee, and manage elections to municipalities and panchayats.

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 1 only

(d) 1 and 3 only

Explanation

— The Election Commission of India (ECI) is a permanent, independent, and constitutional authority responsible for conducting free and fair elections in the Union and the States of India.

— The ECI is empowered to supervise, oversee, and manage elections to Parliament, state legislatures, and the offices of President and Vice President of India. Since the ECI does not oversee elections to state-level urban bodies like municipalities and panchayats, there is a separate State Election Commission. Hence, statement 3 is not correct.

— The Chief Election Commissioner and all election commissioners are appointed by the President. The President determines his or her tenure of office and the conditions of service for each commissioner. Hence, statement 1 is correct.

— The chief and the other two election commissioners get the same pay and benefits as judges of the Supreme Court, along with the same authorities. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.

— The President appoints the Election Commissioner and the other Election Commissioners. They serve in that capacity for a certain period of time, not to exceed six years, or until they turn 65. They are on the same level as Indian Supreme Court justices.

Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 2

Which of the following provisions comes under the definition of the Money Bill?

1. the imposition, abolition, remission, alteration or regulation of any tax

2. borrowing of money or the giving of any guarantee by the Government of India

3. the custody of the Contingency Fund of India

4. imposition of fines or other pecuniary penalties

5. payment of fees for licences or fees for services rendered

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

(a) 1, 2 and 4 only

(b) 2, 3 and 5 only

(c) 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5

(d) 1, 2 and 3 only

Explanation

— A Bill shall be deemed to be a Money Bill if it contains only provisions dealing with all or any of the following matters, namely:

(a) the imposition, abolition, remission, alteration or regulation of any tax;

(b) the regulation of the borrowing of money or the giving of any guarantee by the Government of India, or the amendment of the law with respect to any financial obligations undertaken or to be undertaken by the Government of India;

(c) the custody of the Consolidated Fund or the Contingency Fund of India, the payment of moneys into or the withdrawal of moneys from any such Fund;

(d) the appropriation of moneys out of the Consolidated Fund of India;

(e) the declaring of any expenditure to be expenditure charged on the Consolidated Fund of India or the increasing of the amount of any such expenditure;

(f) the receipt of money on account of the Consolidated Fund of India or the public account of India or the custody or issue of such money or the audit of the accounts of the Union or of a State; or

(g) any matter incidental to any of the matters specified in sub-clauses (a) to (f).

— A Bill shall not be deemed to be a Money Bill by reason only that it provides for the imposition of fines or other pecuniary penalties, or for the demand or payment of fees for licences or fees for services rendered, or by reason that it provides for the imposition, abolition, remission, alteration or regulation of any tax by any local authority or body for local purposes.

Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.

(Other Source: Constitution of India)

QUESTION 3

With reference to the parliamentary sessions, consider the following statements:

1. The Constitution specifies that six months should not elapse between two parliamentary sessions.

2. This provision of parliamentary sessions is borrowed by the framers of the Constitution from the Government of India Act of 1919.

Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Explanation

— The government determines the date and duration of parliamentary sessions. The Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs takes this decision.

— It currently has ten Ministers, including those for Defence, Home, Finance, Agriculture, Tribal Affairs, Parliamentary Affairs, and Information and Broadcasting.

— The Law Minister and the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs have been invited as special guests to the Committee. The decision of the Committee is communicated to the President, who then convenes Members of Parliament for the session.

— The Constitution specifies that six months should not elapse between two parliamentary sessions. Hence, statement 1 is correct.

— This provision is a colonial legacy. The framers of the Constitution borrowed it from the Government of India Act of 1935. It allowed the British Governor General to call a session of the central legislature at his discretion, requiring that the gap between two sessions should not be more than 12 months. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 4

With reference to the amendment to the constitution, consider the following statements:

1. Provisions related to Fundamental Rights can be amended by a simple majority.

2. Provisions related to abolition or creation of legislative councils need the amendment Bill to be passed in both Houses of Parliament by a majority of not less than two thirds of the members present and voting.

Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Explanation

— The Constitution prescribes three different standards for amending different provisions.

Simple majority

— Several provisions of the Constitution can be amended using the same simple legislative procedure used to pass any ordinary legislation in Parliament. This is accomplished by a simple majority of those present and voting. For example, admission or establishment of new states, formation of new states, abolition or creation of legislative council. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.

— Article 368, interestingly, does not directly make a list of such ‘less significant’ provisions. However, such provisions are excluded from the scope of Article 368 throughout the Constitution, creating a separate category.

Special majority

— For amending provisions that do not fall under the first category, Article 368 requires that the amendment Bill is passed in both Houses of Parliament by a majority of not less than two thirds of the members present and voting. For example, Fundamental Rights and Directive Principle of State Policy. Hence, statement 1 is not correct.

— According to Rule 158 of the Lok Sabha Rules, ‘total membership’ refers to the total number of members of the House, regardless of any current vacancies or absentees.

Ratification by states

— A third category of provisions need not just a special majority to be amended, but also require ratification by the legislatures of at least half of the states. Only after the states’ ratification can such an amendment be presented to the President for assent. For example, Election of the President and its manner, distribution of legislative powers between the Union and the States.

Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 5

Which of the following articles of the Constitution of India provides for the separation of judiciary from executive?

(a) Article 48

(b) Article 49

(c) Article 50

(d) Article 51

Explanation

— Article 50 of the Constitution of India provides for the separation of judiciary from executive.

— The State shall take steps to separate the judiciary from the executive in the public services of the State.

Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.

(Source: Constitution of India)

Previous Daily Subject-Wise-Quiz

Daily subject-wise quiz — Polity and Governance (Week 72)

Daily Subject-wise quiz — History, Culture, and Social Issues (Week 72)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Environment, Geography, Science and Technology (Week 72)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Economy (Week 72)

Daily subject-wise quiz – International Relations (Week 71)

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UPSC Key | Atacama salt flat, New Ramsar sites, Simultaneous elections and more

Exclusive for Subscribers Daily: How are the New Ramsar sites and Atacama salt flat relevant to the UPSC Exam? What significance do topics like the simultaneous elections and Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana have for the preliminary and main exams? You can learn more by reading the Indian Express UPSC Key for August 26, 2024.

Written by Roshni Yadav

New Delhi | Updated: August 27, 2024 10:40 IST

A brine pool reflects clouds at a lithium mine in the Atacama salt flat, close to San Pedro de Atacama area, Antofagasta region, Chile May 4, 2023. Know more in our UPSC Key. (REUTERS/Ivan Alvarado)

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Important topics and their relevance in UPSC CSE exam for August 26, 2024. If you missed the August 25th, 2024 UPSC CSE exam key from the Indian Express, read it here.

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Explained

Chile’s Atacama salt flat sinking due to lithium mining: New study

UPSC Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national importance and environment

Mains Examination: GS-I, GS-III: Geography and environment

What’s the ongoing story- According to a new study, Chile’s Atacama salt flat is sinking at a rate of 1 to 2 centimetres per year due to lithium brine extraction — a process in which salt-rich water is pumped to the surface and into a series of evaporation ponds to eventually obtain lithium.

Prerequisites:

— Read about the lithium.

— What is lithium brine extraction?

— Read about the Atacama Desert.

Key takeaways:

— Lithium, also known as “white gold”, is one of the most sought-after metals on Earth. It is used in rechargeable batteries, which power not only laptops and mobile phones but also electric vehicles — a crucial part of the world’s plan to tackle climate change. However, over the years, research has shown that lithium mining has had severe environmental fallouts, especially in countries such as Chile which are the leading producers of the metal.

— For their study, the researchers at the University of Chile analysed the satellite data collected between 2020 and 2023 to see deformations in the Earth’s crust of Atacama salt flat — one of the largest sources of lithium in the world. The researchers noted that the worst affected areas are those where mining companies are doing most of their pumping of lithium-rich brine.

— The brine evaporation method used to produce lithium requires massive quantities of fresh water, which is already scarce, especially in the Atacama Desert. In the Atacama, it takes 2,000 tons of water to produce one ton of lithium, according to a 2020 study by Ingrid Garcés, a scientist at Chile’s University of Antofagasta. This leaves indigenous communities and wildlife living in the region parched.

— Chemicals such as sulfuric acid and sodium hydroxide that are used for lithium extraction contaminate soil and water, poisoning ecosystems and endangering species.

For Your Information:

— Argentina, Chile, and Bolivia form the “Lithium Triangle” and account for more than half of the world’s total lithium resources.

— India presently imports all of the lithium it requires. The domestic exploration effort extends beyond J&K exploration to include work to extract lithium from brine lakes in Rajasthan and Gujarat, as well as mica belts in Odisha and Chhattisgarh.

Points to Ponder:

— What is the significance of lithium?

— What are the leading lithium-producing countries?

— What are the issues and challenges associated with lithium mining?

Post Read Question:

(1) With reference to Lithium, consider the following statements:

1. The lithium Triangle comprises Argentina along with Brazil and Ecuador.

2. India and Argentina have signed for the first ever lithium exploration and mining project.

3. India is the third highest producer of lithium.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) All three

(d) None

Govt announces three new Ramsar sites: Why do wetlands need protection?

UPSC Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: General issues on Environmental ecology, Bio-diversity and Climate Change

Main Examination: GS-III: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment.

What’s the ongoing story- Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav announced three new Ramsar sites in Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh earlier this month, taking the total of such sites in India to 85.

Prerequisites:

— What are Ramsar Sites?

— What are wetlands?

— What are the different definitions of wetlands?

Key takeaways:

— The new additions are the Nanjarayan Bird Sanctuary and the Kazhuveli Bird Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu, and the Tawa Reservoir in Madhya Pradesh.

— Ramsar sites are also known as wetlands of international importance. The Ramsar convention, which led to their establishment, has been a landmark in raising awareness around this key ecosystem.

Tamil Nadu has the maximum number of Ramsar sites (14), followed by Uttar Pradesh (10). (Source: Twitter/Supriya Sahu IAS)

— According to the convention, wetlands are defined as “areas of marsh, fen, peatland or water, whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is static or flowing, fresh, brackish or salt, including areas of marine water the depth of which at low tide does not exceed six metres”.

— Wetlands help regulate climate conditions through carbon sequestration, that is, carbon storage from the atmosphere. The plant communities and soil in wetlands capture carbon instead of releasing it to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide, one of the major drivers of global warming.

— According to Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, the main threats plaguing wetlands are: Unsustainable development, Pollution, Invasive species, and Climate change.

For Your Information:

— The Ramsar Convention is an intergovernmental treaty signed in 1971 in Ramsar, Iran. It encourages the protection and conservation of wetlands worldwide by designating them as such.

— Organisations like the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the World Wide Fund for Nature, and other environmental agencies are associated with the treaty. It also has 172 signatory countries. They are obligated to create wetland reserves and promote the wise use of wetland habitats. India joined it in 1982, initially designating the Chilika Lake in Orissa and Keoladeo National Park in Rajasthan. Today, the country has among the highest number of Ramsar sites in Asia.

Points to Ponder:

— Why are Wetlands important?

— What are the other Ramsar sites in India?

— What is the significance of the Ramsar listing?

— What are the threats to the wetlands?

Post Read Question:

(2) Consider the following pairs:

Ramsar site

Location

Nanjarayan Bird Sanctuary

Gujarat

Kazhuveli Bird Sanctuary

Tamil Nadu

Tawa Reservoir

Maharashtra

How many of the pairs given above are correctly matched?

(a) Only one pair

(b) Only two pairs

(c) All three pairs

(d) None of the above pairs

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

Explained: Ramsar Sites, and the significance of the listing

UPS vs NPS vs OPS

UPSC Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national importance

Mains Examination: GS-II: Government policies and interventions

What’s the ongoing story- The Union Cabinet on Saturday (August 24) approved the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS), which will provide government employees with assured pension after retirement. The scheme will be effective from April 1, 2025, according to the government’s announcement.

Prerequisites:

— What is Unified Pension Scheme (UPS)?

— Read about the National Pension Scheme (NPS) and Old Pension Scheme.

— What is Inflation indexation?

Key takeaways:

— The UPS promises retirees a fixed pension, unlike the NPS. This was one of the major criticisms of the NPS. According to the government’s notification, the UPS has five key features:

1. Assured pension

2. Assured minimum pension

3. Assured family pension

4. Inflation indexation

5. Lumpsum payment at superannuation

— The NPS replaced the OPS on January 1, 2004 as part of the Centre’s effort to reform India’s pension policies. Those joining government service after this date were put under the NPS.

— Under the OPS, pension to government employees both at the Centre and the states was fixed at 50% of the last drawn basic pay, like it is in the proposed UPS. In addition, there was Dearness Relief — calculated as a percentage of the basic salary — to adjust for the increase in the cost of living.

— The NPS was introduced by the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government because of a fundamental problem with the OPS — that it was unfunded, i.e., there was no corpus specifically for pension. Over time, this led to the government’s pension liability to balloon to fiscally unhealthy, if not unsustainable, levels. With better healthcare facilities leading to longer average lifespans, the OPS could not have continued in the long run.

— The NPS was different from OPS in two fundamental ways. First, it did away with an assured pension. Second, it would be funded by the employee himself/ herself, along with a matching contribution by the government.

For Your Information:

From The Editorial Page “Reframing Pension”

— While the UPS has incorporated elements from both the old and the new pension scheme, it has partially rolled back some of the more fiscally appealing, hard-won features of the National Pension System.

— Under the unified pension scheme, government employees will receive a “defined benefit” — a pension equivalent to 50 per cent of their average basic pay drawn in the year prior to retirement. To finance this, there will also be a “defined contribution” — the government will now contribute 18.5 per cent of the basic salary of employees, up from 14 per cent, while employees will continue to contribute 10 per cent.

— While this new scheme will be unlike the unfunded OPS, and may also benefit from greater clarity, assuring a “defined benefit”, a key feature of both the old pension scheme and the unified pension scheme raises the possibility of the fiscal burden on the government increasing as it will have to make up for any shortfalls.

— A return to defined benefits, which essentially involves providing generous benefits to only a tiny section of the labour force, runs the risk of not just increasing the burden on the exchequer, but also further constraining the space for spending on other avenues.

Points to Ponder:

— What was the basis for the opposition to NPS ?

— What are the benefits of UPS?

— What can be the impact of UPS on the long-term fiscal sustainability of the Indian economy?

Post Read Question:

(3) Consider the following statements:

(1) Unified Pension Scheme will be available to all those who have completed 25 years of service in the government.

(2) An assured minimum pension of Rs 10,000 per month would be given on superannuation after minimum 10 years of service to employees.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 Nor 2

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

ExplainSpeaking | The need to reform India’s pensions system, beyond the OPS-NPS debate

Front Page

Zelenskyy red-flags ‘balancing’ act on war as he pitches for India to host peace summit

UPSC Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

Mains Examination: GS-II: Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests, Indian diaspora.

What’s the ongoing story- Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has told Prime Minister Narendra Modi that India can be a possible venue for a peace summit, and New Delhi is examining the offer to bring together the warring parties of Russia and Ukraine, The Indian Express has learnt. This comes even as Zelenskyy said that he needed India on his side and “not balancing between US and Russia”.

Prerequisites:

— Read about the Ukraine-Russia war and its impact.

— What is the history of bilateral ties between India and Ukraine?

— Map work: Location of Ukraine, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia, Important places in news related to the Ukraine-Russia war.

Key takeaways:

— Whether that summit will be the next one or later is a question that will be something South Block needs to weigh in the pros and cons. The inaugural peace summit was held at a resort near Lucerne in Switzerland in June and was attended by more than 90 countries and global institutions with a sole focus on bringing peace to Ukraine.

For Your Information:

From the Editorial Page- “Momentous in Kyiv”

— Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s talks with the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in Kyiv must be seen as the beginning of a long overdue rebalancing in India’s relations with Russia and Ukraine.

—  Quite clearly, India is no longer self-deterred by a presumed “Russian veto” in expanding engagement with Ukraine. That no Indian Prime Minister travelled to post-Soviet Ukraine, the second-largest nation in Europe, underlines Delhi’s self-imposed restraint in engaging Kyiv.

— The political deference to Russian sensitivities also played a role in limiting India’s engagement with former members of the Warsaw Pact. Modi is the first Indian Prime Minister to travel to Poland since 1979.

— That no Indian PM has travelled to the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia since the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact in 1991 underlines the long and regrettable political neglect of these countries. In contrast, India’s high-level engagement with these nations was impressive during the Soviet era.

— Delhi’s political emphasis on sustaining the Moscow links and preventing Russia from engaging with Pakistan at the highest level since the turn of the 1990s may provide some context for this neglect. But it does not absolve its decision to abandon high-level engagement with Central Europe even as the region’s global salience grew after it broke away from Soviet Russia and drew closer to the European Union and the United States.

— Delhi’s rebalancing does not mean a downsizing of India’s relationship with Moscow, which will remain a major power in the neighbourhood and an important partner, but an elevation of its engagement with Ukraine and Central Europe. India’s rebalancing sends a clear signal that Delhi will no longer let the ideological inhibitions inherited from the 20th century guide its European policy in the 21st.

Points to Ponder:

— What is the significance of Ukraine for India?

— What is India’s stand on the Ukraine-Russia war?

— How has the global support for Ukraine and what peace efforts have been made so far.

— What are the challenges in the India-Ukraine bilateral ties?

— What is the significance of Central Europe for India?

Post Read Question:

In the evolving global landscape, India needs to reconsider its relationship with Russia and Central Europe. Comment.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

PM Modi in Kyiv today: Deep concern, offer all cooperation in returning peace via talks

The Editorial Page

On an upward arc

UPSC Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

Mains Examination: GS-II, GS-III: Bilateral agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests; Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests

What’s the ongoing story- C. Raja Mohan writes— “India is arguably better placed than most of America’s partners to deal with the incipient political change of guard in Washington. Whether it is the Republican candidate, former President Donald Trump, or the Democratic nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, who wins the November election, India’s relations are unlikely to face any disruption.”

Prerequisites:

— Read about the history of India-US bilateral ties.

— What are the areas of cooperation between India and the US?

Key takeaways:

— “India has strengthened its relationship with the US under both the Trump and Biden administrations. Delhi, therefore, has reasons to be confident about continuity in its ties with the US.”

— “India’s relations with the US have been on an upward arc since President Bill Clinton visited India in March 2000. Presidents George W Bush (Republican), Barack Obama (Democratic), Trump (Republican), and Joe Biden (Democratic) pushed the relationship forward. In India, Atal Bihari Vajpayee (BJP), Manmohan Singh (Congress), and Narendra Modi (BJP) have also been as committed to the deepening of the partnership.”

— “The US is now the most comprehensive and consequential partner for India. China is a large trading partner but it is also the biggest contributor to India’s trade deficit. Delhi is also locked in a semi-permanent military confrontation with Beijing on its long and contested border.”

— “Russia is a major military partner, but the relationship does not have the economic or technological weight of Delhi’s relationship with Washington.”

— “Europe is a major source of trade, technology and capital, but does not have America’s geopolitical heft that can contribute to India’s national security objectives. Cutting across all this is the hugely successful five million-strong Indian diaspora in the US.”

— “The Russian question will continue to be a complicating factor in India’s relations with the US. PM Modi’s visit to Kyiv last week underlines Delhi’s commitment and capacity to carefully traverse the Ukraine minefield between Russia, Europe, and America.”

— “China’s challenge to Asian security has been a major source of strategic convergence between Delhi and Washington in recent years. The shared interest in building a multipolar Asia became explicit under Trump and acquired greater traction under Biden.”

For Your Information:

— Moving to deepen their defence ties, India and the United States have agreed to advance priority co-production projects, including jet engines, unmanned platforms, munitions and ground mobility systems, under the US-India Roadmap for Defence Industrial Cooperation.

Points to Ponder:

— What are the challenges to India-US bilateral ties?

— What is QUAD?

— What are the key defence agreements signed between India and the US?

(Thought Process: Know about the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement for Geospatial Intelligence (BECA), Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA), Communication Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA), and General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA).

— What steps should be taken to streghten India-US relations?

Post Read Question:

Europe is a major source of trade, technology and capital, but does not have America’s geopolitical heft that can contribute to India’s national security objectives. Considering this statement, analyse the importance of America for India.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

Jet engines to munitions: India and US to speed up co-production

The Ideas Page

One election, many questions

UPSC Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Indian Polity

Mains Examination: Parliament and State Legislatures

What’s the ongoing story- S Y Quraishi writes— “The issue of simultaneous elections, which has been hanging fire for over a decade, has now been placed on the precipice of the Red Fort by the Prime Minister in his Independence Day speech this year. He has renewed his resolve to implement the idea as soon as possible, most likely by the 2029 general elections.”

Prerequisites:

— Read the constitutional provisions related to the elections in India.

— What are Simultaneous Elections?

— Know about the Election Commission of India.

Key takeaways:

— “Several committees have gone into the subject and have not been able to find an acceptable solution. The last such effort is a high-level committee headed by the former president of India, Ram Nath Kovind. The mandate of this committee was not to debate the pros and cons of the proposal, but to suggest concrete ways to implement it.”

— “The committee presented a detailed report in record time, as mandated…It suggested a new article in the Constitution, namely 82A, which says, “notwithstanding anything contained in Articles 83 and 172, all the legislative assemblies constituted in any general election held after the appointed date shall come to an end on the expiry of the full term of the house of the people”.

— “In an explanation, the committee clarified that the expression “simultaneous elections” shall mean general election comprising Lok Sabha and all Vidhan Sabha elections together — leaving out Panchayat elections. For the latter, it proposes elections “within hundred days”.”

— “The report also says, “where any state legislative assembly is dissolved on account of no confidence motion, a hung house, or any other event, fresh elections will be held for such new house with tenure ending with that of the house of the people.” This doesn’t obviate a midterm poll. Imagine candidates spending crores of rupees on an election for a truncated term — as low as one to two years. This is certainly not a simultaneous election.”

— “The committee has, however, done well to re-emphasise the need for a single electoral roll, through amendment to Article 325, since the voters for all three tiers are the same. This virtually transfers the local bodies’ electoral rolls to the ECI “in consultation with State Election Commissioners” — certainly not an uncomplicated task.”

— “Those supporting simultaneous elections were of the opinion that separate elections cause a waste of resources. Though the majority of expert opinion held that amendments would need to be made to the Constitution and related laws, they emphasised that such amendments will not be anti-democratic or anti-federal, they will not be opposed to the basic structure of the Constitution, and will not result in a presidential form of government.”

Points to Ponder:

— What are the benefits of simultaneous elections?

— What are the issues and challenges associated with the simultaneous elections?

— What are the recommendations of the High-Level Committee (HLC) on “One Nation, One Election”?

— What electoral reforms have been introduced in India?

Post Read Question:

(4) With reference to the High-level Committee (HLC) on “One Nation, One Election”, consider the following statements:

1. In the event of a hung House, a no-confidence motion, or any such event, fresh elections should be held to constitute the new Lok Sabha or state Assembly.

2. The committee recommended the preparation of single electoral roll and electoral photo identity cards.

3. The Constitution should be amended to enable simultaneous elections.

How many of the above are the recommendations of the High-level Committee (HLC)?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) All three

(d) None

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

One Nation, One Election: Highlights of the Kovind panel’s recommendations

The 360° UPSC Debate | Does India Need Simultaneous Elections?

The ease of financing

UPSC Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development

Mains Examination: GS-II, GS-III: Government policies and interventions, Economic Development

What’s the ongoing story- Gourav Vallabh writes— “The Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana (PMMY) was launched in 2015 by the Narendra Modi government. The initiative, which focused on igniting entrepreneurship, provided collateral-free micro-loans up to Rs 10 lakh and supported numerous small and microenterprises. The Union Budget 2024 has increased the loan amount to Rs 20 lakh.”

Prerequisites:

— What is the Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana (PMMY)?

— What are the main objectivesof PMMY?

— What are the different categories of loans provided under the PMMY?

Key takeaways:

— “The Budget has targeted the scheme’s Tarun category for enhancement, doubling the upper loan limit to Rs 20 lakh. The move is set to benefit those who have already availed of and repaid previous MUDRA loans under this category. It is time to move towards a new version of the scheme – MUDRA 2.0.”

— “Its inclusive approach is a key feature of the scheme. About 69 per cent of the MUDRA loan accounts are held by women, and 51 per cent belong to SC/ST and OBC entrepreneurs.”

— “The initiative has also been crucial in creating jobs, especially in rural and semi-urban areas. It has encouraged self-employment and supported the development of small businesses.”

— “Despite its success, MUDRA 1.0 faced several challenges. One critical issue was ensuring that benefits reached the intended target groups, particularly the smallest and most marginalised entrepreneurs.”

— “Inadequate monitoring and implementation led to leakages and misuse of funds. The higher NPAs under the Shishu and Kishore categories are due to a lack of business knowledge and skills among early-stage entrepreneur…The limited financial literacy of beneficiaries was another significant challenge.”

— “In light of this experience, MUDRA 2.0 should widen its scope, improve its effectiveness, and establish a robust support system for micro-entrepreneurs. For this, a focused outreach and empowerment zone should be set up in rural and semi-urban areas.”

— “MUDRA 2.0 should introduce nationwide financial literacy programmes covering budgeting, savings, credit management, investment strategies, and digital literacy.”

For Your Information:

— Loans are classified as MUDRA loans under PMMY. Commercial Banks, RRBs, Small Finance Banks, MFIs and NBFCs can disburse these MUDRA loans. Three products namely ‘Shishu’, ‘Kishore’ and ‘Tarun’ were created under to signify the stage of development, funding needs of the beneficiary and also provide a reference point for the next phase of growth.

Points to Ponder:

— What are the key features of PMMY?

— What has been the impact of the PMMY on financial inclusion and employment generation in India?

— What are the issues and challenged associated with the PMMY?

— What initiatives have been taken by the Government for the financial inclusion and literacy?

Post Read Question:

(5) Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana is aimed at ( UPSC CSE 2016)

(a) bringing the small entrepreneurs into formal financial system

(b) providing loans to poor farmers for cultivating particular crops

(c) providing pensions to old and destitute persons

(d) funding the voluntary organizations involved in the promotion of skill development and employment generation

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

30 cr MUDRA Yojana loans for women entrepreneurs: What is Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana?

ALSO IN NEWS

SC panel stressed on environmental study for Gangotri route, BRO says not needed

The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has told the Uttarakhand forest department and an Environment Ministry panel that the Chardham road project on the Gangotri-Dharasu route does not require either environment impact assessment (EIA) study or environmental clearance (EC), according to official records.The Gangotri-Dharasu route falls in the Bhagirathi Eco-Sensitive Zone (BESZ).

India, Singapore to identify new areas to elevate strategic ties

India and Singapore are going to hold the second round of ministerial roundtable Monday, which will review various aspects of their Strategic Partnership and identify new avenues to further elevate and broaden it.

Financial sector sees Rs 23k-cr pull out by FPIs on credit-deposit gap concerns

The financial services sector witnessed outflows to the tune of Rs 23,000 crore by foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) between July 16 and August 15, according to National Securities Depository Ltd (NSDL) data. Analysts said that selling by FPIs in the financial sector was mainly on concerns over slower deposit growth compared to loan growth, which can affect profitability of banks.

Prelims Answer Key

1. (a)  2. (a)  3. (c)  4. (c)   5. (a)

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Art and Culture with Devdutt Pattanaik | The significance of Vedas and their rituals

The three primary Vedas - Rig Veda, Sama Veda and Yajur Veda - were part of public rituals. Why was the Atharva Veda neither seen as part of the primary Vedic canon nor as part of public rituals?

Written by Devdutt Pattanaik

New Delhi | Updated: August 27, 2024 10:54 IST

Rigveda manuscript page (Source: Ms. Sarah Welch/Wikimedia Commons)

(The Indian Express has launched a new series of articles for UPSC aspirants written by seasoned writers and erudite scholars on issues and concepts spanning History, Polity, International Relations, Art, Culture and Heritage, Environment, Geography, Science and Technology, and so on. Read and reflect with subject experts and boost your chance of cracking the much-coveted UPSC CSE. In the following article, Devdutt Pattanaik, a renowned writer who specialises in mythology and culture, explains Vedic poetry, Vedic prose, and Vedic philosophy.)

When we talk about the Veda, we have to differentiate between Vedic poetry, Vedic prose, and Vedic philosophy. Vedic poetry is the oldest part of the Veda, which is over 3,000 years old. Vedic prose came later and was followed by Vedic philosophy. They were transmitted orally by Brahmin families and put down in writing less than 2,000 years ago.

Vedic poetry, or mantra, exists as collections or Samhitas. The Rig Samhitas are the oldest collection of Vedic poetry. There are about 1,000 poems divided into 10 books or mandalas. Ninety percent of these are invocations to gods who live in the sky, invited to a meal in exchange for which the host asks for success in worldly matters, such as having children, health, victory in battle and so forth. Ten percent are linked to various kinds of philosophies and speculations about the world.

Vedas and rituals

A portion of the Rig Vedic poetry becomes part of the Sama Veda, where words of the Rig Veda are turned into melodies. The melodies are of two types: the first is sung in the settlement called the Grama Gan, and the second is sung in the forest known as the Aranya Gan.

The Yajur Veda also contains many Rig Vedic poems. Additionally, it has a few original ones too. But these poems are specifically linked to performing rituals. There are special poems or mantras, known as yajus, which are meant to be said when performing certain ritual actions.

The Rig Veda can be said to be the lyrics, Sama Veda the music, and Yajur Veda the instructions, all three of which form the Trayi or the primary Vedas.

In many scriptures, it is these three that are considered the Veda. They were part of public rituals.

The Atharva Veda is also a set of poems, but these were primarily spells used for domestic matters such as health, good fortune, and to ward off malevolent spirits and people’s jealousy and anger. There are some speculative hymns here too, but generally, the Atharva Veda was not seen as part of the primary Vedic canon. They were not part of public rituals.

Brahmanas and Aranyakas

Rig Veda was compiled in the Haryana region. The other Vedas were composed in the Ganga-Yamuna basin east of the river Gandak. While Rig Veda refers to a nomadic pastoral people, the Yajur Veda refers to a people establishing farms and living a settled life, moving eastwards.

Over time, prose started being written. These were known as the Brahmanas and Aranyakas, which were meant to perform large congregational ceremonial rituals related to kingship. Aryanakas (forest texts) are for rituals performed outside the village. Brahmanas are prose texts of rituals.

The rituals were performed fortnightly on full moon days and new moon days, or they were performed every four months to mark the end of the pre-monsoon period, the monsoon period, and the post-monsoon period. They were also related to the king’s coronation and annual rituals to increase the king’s power.

These were gradually documented in the Sulba Sutras. However, these started losing value after 500 BCE when Buddhism arose in the eastern part of India. After this period, we find mostly domestic Vedic rituals becoming important, and these were documented in the Grihya Sutras. Another set of prose that emerged around this time was the Shastra literature, such as the Dharmashastras.

Vedic philosophy

After 500 AD, we find both Vedic poetry and Vedic prose losing their value and a gradual rise in Vedic philosophy, which is traced to the Upanishads. Seen from the present lens, we know that there were different Vedic schools across India. Each one focused on one poetry book, either the Rig Veda, Sama Veda, or the Yajur Veda. Each of these has a prose text and a philosophy or Upanishads.

But today, when people talk about the Vedas, they refer to Vedic philosophy or Vedanta. These became popular after 500 AD, especially after 800 AD, thanks to Adi Shankaracharya and those who followed him. In Vedic philosophy, ritualism is downplayed and more importance is given to philosophical ideas like Atma and its relationship with the human body and the world around us. These are concepts like moksha or liberation.

The ritual school or Mimamsa school eventually merged with temple practices. Even today, when people refer to the word Veda, they really refer to Vedic philosophy and very little to Vedic poetry, Vedic chanting, and Vedic rituals.

Post Read Question

Discuss the essence of the Vedas?

What are the salient features of  the Vedic period?

Comment on the significance of Vedic rituals in Hinduism.

What is the difference between the Vedas and the Vedic philosophy?

(Devdutt Pattanaik is a renowned mythologist who writes on art, culture and heritage.)

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UPSC Current Affairs Pointers of the past week | August 19 to August 25, 2024

Are you preparing for the UPSC Prelims 2025? Worried about your Current Affairs preparation? Don't miss out on important current affairs tidbits for your Prelims and Mains preparation. Learn about the Orangutan, recent visits by Prime Minister Modi, the Justice Hema Committee Report, Californium, and more. You can also test your knowledge by solving MCQs.

Written by Khushboo Kumari

New Delhi | Updated: August 27, 2024 10:14 IST

Currently, the orangutan population stands at about 120,000 and is threatened by rapid deforestation primarily due to palm oil plantations, according to a report by the World Wildlife Fund. (Wikipedia Commons)

UPSC Current Affairs Pointers is an initiative of UPSC Essentials to consolidate your prelims exam prep. Every Monday, take a quick look at last week’s current affairs tidbits curated specially for those preparing for UPSC, State PSC, and various other competitive examinations.

If you missed the UPSC Current Affairs Pointers of the past week | August 12 to August 18, 2024, from the Indian Express, read it here.

🚨 The Indian Express UPSC Essentials brings to you the August edition of its monthly magazine. Click Here to read. Share your views and suggestions in the comment box or at manas.srivastava@indianexpress.com🚨

Polity

- Lateral entry in UPSC

—  Recently the UPSC has invited invitations for 45 posts (director, secretary, and joint secretary) through lateral entry without any provision for reservation however, the notification has now been withdrawn.

— The lateral entry was recommended by NITI Aayog in its three-year Action Agenda and Sectoral Group of Secretaries (SGoS) on Governance in 2017.

A timeline of the MUDA land ‘scam’

- MUDA Land Scam

— Karnataka Governor Thawarchand Gehlot has accorded sanction for prosecution against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah over the allotment of 14 housing sites in Mysuru to his wife in 2021 in exchange for 3.16 acres of land acquired from her by Mysuru authorities.

— It alleged that the CM’s wife was an illegal beneficiary of a controversial land exchange scheme that was devised by the Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) in 2020 to resolve cases in which the authority had illegally acquired land without informing owners about the acquisition.

— The land was exchanged under the “50:50” Scheme- where land equivalent to half the acquired land is allotted in a developed area.

- Revised Model Foster Care Guidelines

— The Women and Child Development (WCD) Ministry has permitted single individuals-  including those who are unmarried, widowed, divorced, or legally separated — aged 35 to 60 years, to foster a child and adopt after two years.

— A single woman can foster and eventually adopt a child of any gender, a man can only do so for male children.

—  The revised guidelines have specified – to foster a child in the six to 12 years and 12 to 18 years age brackets, the “composite age of the married couple” is to be a minimum of 70 years, while a single foster parent is to be of minimum 35 years.

Environment

- Orangutan diplomacy

— In line with China’s ‘Panda diplomacy,’ Malaysia announced its own ‘Orangutan diplomacy’ in May this year, intending to gift orangutans to palm oil-buying countries. However, after widespread criticism regarding the removal of orangutans from their natural habitat, the policy has been changed.

— According to the latest proposal, importers of Malaysian palm oil will be offered to “sponsor” one or more orangutans.

— Malaysia, the world’s second-largest palm oil producer, has been under immense pressure to make its palm oil industry more sustainable.

— These apes are found in the rainforests of the islands of Borneo and Sumatra — shared by Malaysia, Indonesia, and Brunei.

Orangutans have an element of yogic gentleness about them (Wikimedia Commons)

- Orangutan Status

— Orangutans are found only in Indonesia and Malaysia.

— IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Critically Endangered

— Species: Bornean (Pongo pygmaeus), Sumatran (Pongo abelii), and Tapanuli orangutan (Pongo tapanuliensis).

(Source: iucn.org)

Bilateral Relationship

PM Narendra Modi paid respects at the Jam Saheb of Nawanagar Memorial in Warsaw, Poland. (X/@PMOIndia)

- Jamsaheb Memorial Youth Exchange Programme

— Recently, the Prime Minister of India visited Poland. This was the first visit by the Indian Prime Minister after 45 years.

— During the visit, he noted that the Dobry Maharaja, Kolhapur, and Battle of Monte Cassino memorials were shining examples of vibrant people-to-people ties

— He paid tribute to the Dobry Maharaja Memorial in Warsaw, which honors the Jamsaheb of Nawanagar, Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja, for sheltering over a thousand Polish children during World War II. The Jamsaheb, from modern-day Jamnagar in Gujarat, is fondly remembered in Poland as the “Dobry (Good) Maharaja.

— PM Modi also paid tributes at the monument dedicated to the Battle of Monte Cassino. This Monument commemorates the sacrifice and valour of soldiers from Poland, India, and other countries who fought alongside each other in the famous Battle of Monte Cassino in Italy during the Second World War.

- India-Malaysia

— Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is on a three-day visit to India. This is Ibrahim’s first visit to India as the Prime Minister.

— Malaysia appreciated India’s initiative in hosting the Voice of the Global South Summit (VOGSS), providing a platform by which countries of the Global South could deliberate and address their concerns, interests, and priorities as well as exchange ideas and solutions.

- India-Japan

— The third Japan-India 2+2 Foreign and Defence Ministerial Meeting was held in New Delhi. The next 2+2 Ministerial Meeting will be held in Japan.

— In defence cooperation, both countries welcomed the first air visit by Japanese fighters and their participation at Tarang Shakti.

— Tarang Shakti-2024 is the Indian Air Force’s first multinational air exercise. The phase-2 of the exercise is scheduled to be held in Jodhpur.

Science and Technology

- Californium

— On August 9, Bihar’s Gopalganj police seized what they suspected was a highly ‘radioactive’ substance Californium.

— Californium is a silvery-white synthetic radioactive metal with the atomic number 98 on the periodic table.

— It was first made in 1950 at Berkeley, California — from where it derives its name — Californium is a very strong neutron emitter and is used in portable metal detectors for identifying gold and silver ores, to help identify water and oil layers in oil wells, and detect metal fatigue and stress in aeroplanes.

— It is highly radioactive and prohibitively expensive, with one gram costing Rs 17 crore in the international market.

- Neffy

— The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved the first-ever nasal spray called Neffy for treating anaphylaxis.

— Anaphylaxis is a severe and life-threatening allergic reaction that demands immediate medical attention and an injection of epinephrine.

— Epinephrine is a hormone medication that relaxes the muscles in the airways and constricts the blood vessels, making it the only life-saving treatment for anaphylaxis.

- Mars Insight Lander

— According to the data from NASA’s Mars Insight Lander, the scientists have discovered liquid water on Mars.

— The Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport (InSight) robotic lander was designed to study the deep interior of the red planet. It landed on Mars in 2018 and retired in December 2022. It was the first spacecraft to document a marsquake.

The training will cover monitoring of patients for adverse effects and determining the appropriate line of treatment. (File Photo)

- BPaLM

— India is set to roll out training of healthcare professionals in administering BPaLM, after nearly two years of WHO recommendations to use it for drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB).

—  BPaLM is composed of bedaquiline, pretomanid, linezolid and moxifloxacin (BPaLM) for treating multi-drug-resistant or rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis (MDR/RR-TB).

- Tanager-1

— A coalition of companies and organisations developed tanager-1 which was launched by SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on August 16.

— The satellite will use imaging spectrometer technology developed at Jet Propulsion Laboratory to track methane and carbon dioxide emissions.

— Methane is an invisible but strong greenhouse gas, and the second largest contributor to global warming after carbon dioxide that’s why researchers want to track it.

- Hayflick limits

— Leonard Hayflick, who discovered that normal somatic cells can divide (and thus reproduce) only a certain number of times, died on August 1 at the age of 98.

— He has discovered that cell division in somatic (non-reproductive) cells stopped after roughly 40-60 times. This cessation causes aging. This means that there is an in-built cellular clock in the human body. This “ultimate Hayflick limit”, as scientists have termed it, is around 125 years for humans.

Report

Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan receiving the report of the Hema Commission from Retired Justice K Hema. (Photo: Facebook/File)

- Justice Hema Committee report

— In 2017, the Justice Hema committee was formed by the Kerala government based on the petition filed by the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) to study the challenges faced by women in the industry.

— The report was released on 20th August and it made significant revelations, highlighting extreme discrimination and exploitation faced by women in the Malayalam film industry.

Persons in News

- Maria Branyas

— Maria Branyas, the world’s oldest person, passed away at the age of 117 in a Spanish nursing home.

— Branyas became the world’s oldest person in January 2023 and celebrated her 117th birthday on March 4.

— According to the Guinness World Record, Tomiko Itooka became the world’s oldest living person at age 116.

- Rakesh Pal

— The Director General of the Indian Coast Guard Rakesh Pal dies of cardiac arrest on August 18.

— He had taken charge as the 25th Indian Coast Guard Chief on July 19 last year.

— Dinesh Kumar Tripathi is the Chief of the Naval Staff.

Places in News

(Just FYI: The location of places is important, considering that UPSC has asked several questions about places that were in the news, such as Aleppo and Kirkuk, in the 2018 UPSC Prelims. In 2014, a question was asked about the location of the Chechnya region. Similarly, in 2017, a direct question was asked about the Teesta River. The best way to remember these locations is to plot them on a map.)

- Chechnya

— Russian President Vladimir Putin recently visited Chechnya, a mainly Muslim republic within the Russian Federation. This marked his first visit in nearly 13 years.

— It is situated on the northern flank of the Greater Caucasus range. Grozny is the capital of Chechnya.

- Pokrovsk

— Civilians in Ukraine’s eastern strategic logistics hub of Pokrovsk have no more than two weeks to evacuate as Russian troops press towards it.

— The Pokrovsk front remains the area with the most intense fighting in eastern Ukraine.

— Myrnohrad (Ukraine), less than five kilometres further northeast of Pokrovsk, has also been under Russian artillery fire for three days now.

- Dipu Dara

— A massive landslide at Dipu Dara near Singtam in the Gangtok district of Eastern Sikkim damaged a dam on the Teesta river and affected the hydroelectric project.

— Teesta is a 414 km-long river flowing through the Indian states of Sikkim and West Bengal, before flowing into the river Meghna in Bangladesh. It is the fourth-largest trans-boundary river shared between India and Bangladesh after the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna river systems.

Magic practitioner Xurobh Nath, who completed his BA from Mayang Anchalik College in 2013. (Express photo by Sukrita Baruah)

- Magic Festival – Mayong

— A ‘magic festival’ was organised by the district administration in Assam’s Mayong on 18th August.

— Mayong, a region in Central Assam’s Morigaon district, has long been associated with mysticism and ‘magic’ practices, including ‘magical healing’ and folk medicine.

Sports

(Just FYI: With the unpredictability of the UPSC examinations and questions like the ICC World Test Championship question 2021, you can’t be sure of anything. It is wise to know what it is and not go into too much detail.)

India’s Neeraj Chopra in action during the men’s javelin throw. (Reuters)

- Lausanne Diamond League

— Neeraj Chopra stood second at the Lausanne Diamond League with a javelline thrown of 89.49m.

— The first position was taken by Anderson Peters of Gernada with 90.61m javelline throw. The third position was acquired by  Julian Weber of Germany with a throw of 87.08 metres.

- Paris Paralympics

— Satya Prakash Sangwan has been appointed as the chef de mission (CDM) of the Indian contingent at the upcoming Paris Paralympics.

— The Paris Paralympics is scheduled between 28 August and 8 September 2024.

Terms making buzz

Prime Minister Narendra Modi being welcomed as he arrives at the Kyiv Central Railway Station from Poland to begin his one-day visit to Ukraine on Friday. (ANI Photo)

— Rail Force One: Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv from neighbouring Poland by train on August 23. This train is nicknamed as “Rail Force One.” The Ukrainian airspace has been closed ever since Russia launched its invasion in February 2022. Political leaders have since used trains to visit the country.

— Long-pimple rubber: It is a defensive ploy used in Table tennis. It puts the opposite effect on the spin that the opponent plays. If the opponent plays a backspin shot, when one returns with this rubber, the ball will have topspin and vice-versa.

— Fahrenheit 451: It is a book written by American writer Ray Bradbury which was published in 1953 at the height of the “McCarthy era” of political repression and persecution of left-wing individuals and ideas in the United States. It is about a dystopian society where books are banned, and “firemen” like the protagonist Guy Montag, are hired to burn them.

— Namdharis: This sect was founded by Satguru Ram Singh on Baisakhi in 1857. He challenged the status quo, advocated social reform, and resisted the Raj in various ways. The British inflicted terrible punishments on the Namdharis and deported Ram Singh to Rangoon.

Test Your Knowledge

(Note: The best way to remember facts for UPSC and other competitive exams is to recall them through MCQs. Try to solve the following questions on your own.)

A. With reference to river Teesta, consider the following statements: (UPSC CSE 2017)

1. The source of river Teesta is the same as that of Brahmaputra but it flows through Sikkim,

2. River Rangeet originates in Sikkim and it is a tributary of river Teesta.

3. River Teesta flows into Bay of Bengal on the border of India and Bangladesh.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 and 3 only

(b) 2 only

(c) 2 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

B. Which one of the following makes a tool with a stick to scrape insects from a hole in a tree or a log of wood? (UPSC CSE 2023)

(a) Fishing cat

(b) Orangutan

(c) Otter

(d) Sloth bear

C. Jamsaheb Memorial Youth Exchange Programme is started by India which of the following countries?

(a) Ukraine

(b) Poland

(c) Finland

(d) Italy

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For your answers, queries and suggestions write at khushboo.kumari@indianexpress.com

UPSC Key | Unified Pension Scheme, Vigyan Dhara, Naxalism and more

Exclusive for Subscribers Daily: How are the Unified Pension Scheme and Vigyan Dhara relevant to the UPSC Exam? What significance do topics like Naxalism and Mpox have for the preliminary and main exams? You can learn more by reading the Indian Express UPSC Key for August 25, 2024.

Written by Roshni Yadav

New Delhi | Updated: August 27, 2024 10:42 IST

Centre approved the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS), which aims to provide ‘Assured Pension’, ‘Assured Family Pension’ and ‘Assured Minimum Pension’ for government employees. Know more in our UPSC Key. (PTI)

🚨 Attention: UPSC Key is now all 7 Days a Week!🚨

Important topics and their relevance in UPSC CSE exam for August 25, 2024. If you missed the August 24th, 2024 UPSC CSE exam key from the Indian Express, read it here.

🚨 The Indian Express UPSC Essentials brings to you the August edition of its monthly magazine. Click Here to read. Share your views and suggestions in the comment box or at manas.srivastava@indianexpress.com🚨

Front Page

Increasing its share, Centre rolls out new plan, guarantees 50% of salary as pension

UPSC Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national importance

Mains Examination: GS-II: Government policies and interventions

What’s the ongoing story- The Union Cabinet on Saturday approved a new Unified Pension Scheme (UPS) for Central government employees which assures 50 per cent of the average salary drawn over the last 12 months of their service as pension.

Prerequisites:

— Read about the National Pension Scheme (NPS) and Old Pension Scheme.

— What is Inflation indexation?

— Read about the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA)

Key takeaways:

— To ensure this, the government has decided to raise its contribution towards the pension corpus to 18.5 per cent of the basic pay and dearness allowance of employees from 14 per cent now. This is estimated to entail an additional cost of Rs 6,250 crore in the first year. The employees’ contribution will, however, remain unchanged at 10 per cent of basic pay plus dearness allowance.

— To be effective April 1, 2025, the UPS will be available to all those who have completed 25 years of service in the government. Its other key features include a family pension to the spouse equal to 60 per cent of an employee’s pension income after death, a minimum pension of Rs 10,000 for those who have completed a minimum 10 years of service, inflation indexation to take care of price rise of goods and services, and a facility to withdraw a lump sum amount at retirement.

— The Cabinet announcement comes more than a year after the government had announced the formation of a four-member committee under the then Finance Secretary and now Cabinet Secretary TV Somanathan in April 2023 to review the pension system for government employees.

For Your Information:

—- Under UPS, the pension corpus would be divided into two parts and separately invested. The first part equal to 10 per cent of the contribution of the employee and the government towards the corpus will be invested as per the choice of investment made by the individual employee. The second part equal to 8.5 per cent of the government’s contribution towards the pension will be pooled and invested separately.

— Other features of the UPS include minimum pension of Rs 10,000 to employees whose service tenure is less and sufficient amount would not be there for pension for central government employees or those associated with the existing National Pension System (NPS). An assured minimum pension of Rs 10,000 per month would be given on superannuation after minimum 10 years of service to employees, an official statement said.

Points to Ponder:

— How is UPS different from the Old Pension Scheme and NPS?

— What are the benefits of UPS?

— What can be the impact of UPS on the long-term fiscal sustainability of the Indian economy?

Post Read Question:

(1) Who among the following can join the National Pension System (NPS)? (UPSC CSE 2017)

(a) Resident Indian citizens only

(b) Persons of age from 21 to 55 only

(c) All State Government employees joining the services after the date of notification by the respective State Governments

(d) All Central Government employees including those of Armed Forces joining the services on or after 1st April, 2004

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

Explained: In Unified Pension Scheme, extra burden on govt but no pushing back on reforms

Jet engines to munitions: India and US to speed up co-production

UPSC Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

Mains Examination: GS-II, GS-III: Bilateral agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests; Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests

What’s the ongoing story- Moving to deepen their defence ties, India and the United States have agreed to advance priority co-production projects, including jet engines, unmanned platforms, munitions and ground mobility systems, under the US-India Roadmap for Defence Industrial Cooperation.

Prerequisites:

— What is the history of India-US bilateral ties?

— Read about the US-India Roadmap for Defence Industrial Cooperation.

— What are Sonobuoys?

— Read about the MH-60R Seahawk helicopters.

Key takeaways:

— The US government also approved Friday the proposed sale of $ 52.8 million anti-submarine warfare (ASW) sonobuoys and related equipment to India for the multi-role MH-60R Seahawk helicopters being inducted by the Indian Navy to hunt submarines.

— Sonobuoys help naval ASW forces to track hostile submarines and subsequently hunt them with air-launched weapons. The ASW helicopters usually drop sonobuoys, which transmit information back via radio link, to track the locations of hostile submarines.

— On Thursday, India and the US signed two key pacts: a non-binding Security of Supply Arrangement (SOSA) and a Memorandum of Agreement regarding Assignment of Liaison Officers.

For Your Information:

— The progress made in defence co-production projects comes at a time when the US is headed to polls, reflecting the bipartisan consensus there on the ties with India, especially in Indo-Pacific. Incidentally, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh was holding talks in the Pentagon the day PM Modi was in Kyiv, asking President Zelenskyy to sit at the table with President Putin and find a way out of the crisis over the war.

Points to Ponder:

— What are the areas of cooperation between India and the US?

— What are the key defence agreements signed between India and the US?

(Thought Process: Know about the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement for Geospatial Intelligence (BECA), Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA), Communication Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA), and General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA).

— What are the challenges to India-US bilateral ties?

Post Read Question:

Prelims

(2) With reference to the Security of Supply Arrangement (SOSA), consider the following statements:

1. It is signed between India and Ukraine.

2. It is a binding agreement.

3. The arrangement will enable both countries to acquire the industrial resources to meet national security needs.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 2 only

(b) 1 and 3 only

(c) 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Mains

‘What introduces friction into the ties between India and the United States is that Washington is still unable to find for India a position in its global strategy, which would satisfy India’s National self-esteem and ambitions’. Explain with suitable examples. ( UPSC CSE 2019)

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

India-US together can ensure global peace, prosperity, stability: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh

After year in enclosures, Kuno cheetahs set to be freed into the wild

UPSC Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

Mains Examination: GS-III: Environment

What’s the ongoing story- After spending a year inside enclosures, the African cheetahs brought to India as part of the world’s first intercontinental translocation of the wild cats will soon be released into the wild again at Kuno National Park.

Prerequisites:

— What is the Cheetah Reintroduction Project?

— What is the IUCN status of Cheetah?

— Location on Map: Kuno National Park.

Key takeaways:

— The cheetahs were brought to the enclosures on August 13, 2023 after three adult cheetahs “died due to septicaemia after wounds beneath their dense winter coat on the back and neck regions became infested with maggots” in July. It was a major setback to the translocation project that began in September 2022.

— Currently, there are 25 cheetahs at Kuno — 13 adults and 12 cubs, born at the national park. Under the translocation project, 20 cheetahs were brought to India in two batches — eight from Namibia in September 2022 and 12 from South Africa last February — of which seven have died until this January. The adult cheetahs gave birth to 17 cubs, of which 12 survived.

For Your Information:

— Cheetahs are the fastest land animals and can, in short sprints on open ground, reach speeds in excess of 100 kph. Asiatic Cheetahs were once abundant in India but their numbers dwindled over the centuries due to loss of habitat and widespread hunting. The last cheetah in the country died in 1952.

Points to Ponder:

— What is the significance of the Project Cheetah?

— What are the challenges of the cheetah reintroduction project?

Post Read Question:

(3) Consider the following: (UPSC CSE 2012)

1. Black-necked crane

2. Cheetah

3. Flying squirrel

4. Snow leopard

Which of the above are naturally found in India?

(a) 1, 2 and 3 only

(b) 1, 3 and 4 only

(c) 2 and 4 only

(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

One year of Project Cheetah: Hits, misses and paradigm shift ahead

The 360° UPSC Debate: Project Cheetah — Is it problematic, or is it too early to judge?

Govt & Politics

To boost research, Cabinet clears Vigyan Dhara, biotech initiatives

UPSC Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

Mains Examination: GS-II, GS-III: Government policies and interventions, Science and Technology

What’s the ongoing story- The Centre Saturday approved two key science initiatives to strengthen the research base and accelerate search for science and technology solutions to some of the country’s pressing needs in sectors like clean energy.

Prerequisites:

— What is biotechnology and its applications?

— What is Vigyan Dhara?

— Read about the INSPIRE program.

Key takeaways:

— The Union Cabinet decided to merge several existing science promotion programmes being run by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) under a new initiative called Vigyan Dhara that, it hopes, would result in better fund utilisation, and improve efficiency. It also approved a biotechnology initiative that will push for research and development, industrialisation and manufacturing in the biotechnology sector.

— Vigyan Dhara merges several existing DST schemes including the INSPIRE programme that works to attract young talent to science research. It has three broad components — human and institutional capacity building, research and development, innovation and technology development, and also deployment.

— On the biotechnology side, the new initiative aims to support innovation-driven research and development across six thematic areas.

1. The first will focus on bio-chemicals, bio-enzymes, and bio-polymers, which will mainly have industrial, consumer, and scientific applications.

2. The second pillar will focus on smart proteins and functional foods.

3. The third will focus on bio-therapeutics. Targeted therapy is emerging as the cutting-edge treatment for several genetic conditions and cancers.

4. The fourth will focus on agriculture, supporting development of bio-fertilizers and bio-pesticides.

5. The fifth will focus on developing bio-fuels and bio-chemicals, especially those that are developed from captured carbon emissions.

6. The last area was marine and space application to focus on developing products from marine ecosystems.

Points to Ponder:

— What are the benefits of Vigyan Dhara?

— What is the status of the biotechnology sector in India?

— What are the ethical and regulatory challenges associated with biotechnology in India?

— What measures have been taken by the government for promoting R&D in biotechnology?

Post Read Question:

Examine the Assess role of public-private partnerships (PPPs) in propelling the development of the biotechnology sector in India.

Ruthless strategy to deal final blow, will end Naxalism by March 2026: Shah

UPSC Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national importance

Mains Examination: GS-II, GS-III: Government policies and interventions, Linkages between development and spread of extremism, role of external state and non-state actors in creating challenges to internal security.

What’s the ongoing story- Declaring that the last fight with Maoists is near and it will be “ruthless”, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said the country will be free of the Left Wing Extremism (LWE) by March 2026.

Prerequisites:

— What is naxalism?

— What is Left-wing Extremism?

— Read about the Origin of Naxalism in India.

— Know about the Maoist-affected areas in Chhattisgarh.

Key takeaways:

— Shah said his two-day visit to Chhattisgarh is aimed at reviewing the implementation of all Central and state government-funded schemes and projects in LWE-affected areas and finding out ways to deal with the obstructions coming in the way.

— Shah said nearly 17,000 people, including Maoists, security forces and civilians, have died in LWE-related incidents in the country.

— Shah said a special drive will be carried out in LWE-affected areas to make all people literate, regardless of their age. He also said a new surrender policy will be brought in Chhattisgarh very soon and appealed to the youth to quit violence and take the path of development.

For Your Information:

— LWE in Chhattisgarh: Chhatisgarh is the only state in which Maoists continue to have a significant presence, and retain the capability to mount big attacks. According to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) website, there are 70 LWE-affected districts in the country. Of these, 15 are in Chhattisgarh alone. Of the 25 “Most LWE affected Districts”, seven are in Chhattisgarh, while eight are in Jharkhand

— Chhattisgarh, and to a lesser extent Jharkhand, is a part of the government’s “final push” against LWE. This has seen central forces such as CRPF setting up bases deeper inside Maoist strongholds such as the jungles of Abujhmad. In the past few years, more than two dozen bases have been set up in Abujhmad, with Kanker’s Rowghat jungles too seeing new camps.

Points to Ponder:

— What is the difference between terrorism and naxalism?

— What is a Red Corridor region?

— What are the determinants of left-wing extremism in the Eastern part of India?

— What initiatives have been taken by the government to counter Naxalism?

— What strategy should be adopted to counter the Naxalism in the affected areas?

Post Read Question:

Naxalism is a social, economic and developmental issue manifesting as a violent internal security threat. In this context, discuss the emerging issues gets a multilayered strategy to tackle the menace of Naxalism. (UPSC CSE 2022)

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

Anti-Maoist operations status report

Express Network

‘Tribals will be protected’: Govt defends Nicobar Infra Project

UPSC Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Mains Examination: GS-II, GS-III: Government policies and interventions, Infrastructure and environment

What’s the ongoing story- The Great Nicobar infrastructure project was granted statutory environmental, forest and coastal clearances after observing “meticulous due diligence” and after adhering to all rules and regulations, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav has said.

Prerequisites:

— What is the Great Nicobar Island Project?

— Know about the Island Coastal Zone Regulation (ICRZ), 2019

— Organisation to look for: National Green Tribunal.

— Know the Location, Extent and Major Islands in the Andaman and Nicobar groups.

Key takeaways:

— The project, which involves the construction of a transhipment port, an international airport, a power plant, a township and allied infrastructure in the Greater Nicobar island, was given a green signal by the environment ministry in 2022. The move invited criticism from the Opposition that said the mega project posed grave threat to indigenous tribal groups and flora and fauna.

— “It is only after due deliberations and after incorporating exemplary mitigation measures that the decision on the project was taken by the Central Government keeping the strategic, national and defence interests in mind and without compromising with the environmental and social aspects,” Yadav stated.

— The minister then went on to point out that the green clearances granted have withstood legal scrutiny before the National Green Tribunal (NGT).

— Yadav also reiterated the stand of an NGT-appointed high-powered committee and said that no part of the project fell in the Coastal Regulation Zone – IA (CRZ-IA) classification, where ports are prohibited.

For Your Information:

— The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are a cluster of 836 islands, split into two groups — the Andaman Islands to the north and the Nicobar Islands to the south — by the 150-km wide Ten Degree Channel. Great Nicobar is the southernmost and largest of the Nicobar Islands, a sparsely inhabited 910-sq-km patch of mainly tropical rainforest in southeastern Bay of Bengal.

— Reasons for the Slow Pace of Infrastructural Development in the A&N Islands:

1. Distance from the mainland and difficulties in developing infrastructure.

2. Complex procedures for obtaining environmental clearances.

3. Significant coordination challenges among ministries, departments, and agencies.

— The Great Nicobar ‘Holistic Development’ Project was conceived by the NITI Aayog and the key plan includes construction of an international container transshipment terminal; township and area development, a 450 MVA gas and solar-based power plant, an airport for civilian and defence use.

Points to Ponder:

— What are the tribes found in Andaman and Nicobar?

— What are the issues and concerns related to the Great Nicobar Project?

— What is the significance of Andaman and Nicobar?

— What initiatives have been taken by the government for the development of Andaman and Nicobar Islands?

Post Read Question:

(4) Consider the following places:

1. Sabang (Indonesia)

2. Coco Island (Myanmar)

3. Hope Island (India)

Arrange these places in decreasing order of their distance from Andaman and Nicobar Islands

(a) 1—2—3

(b) 2—1—3

(c) 3—2—1

(d) 3—1—2

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

Explained: Legal challenges to the Great Nicobar infrastructure project

The World

WHO’s slow process under fire as mpox vaccines not reaching hard-hit Africa

UPSC Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

Mains Examination: GS-II, GS-III: Health, Science and Technology and important international institutions

What’s the ongoing story- There are no vaccines for mpox available in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the epicentre of a global health emergency declared last week, even though the country first asked for the shots two years ago and the manufacturers say they have supplies.

Prerequisites:

— What is Mpox and how is it transmitted?

— What is the history of Mpox outbreaks?

— Organisations to look for: World Health Organisation (WHO), UNICEF and Gavi,

Key takeaways:

— Three years after the last worldwide mpox outbreak, the W.H.O. still has neither officially approved the vaccines — although the United States and Europe have — nor has it issued an emergency use license that would speed access.

— One of these two approvals is necessary for UNICEF and Gavi, the organization that helps facilitate immunizations in developing nations, to buy and distribute mpox vaccines in low-income countries like Congo.

— While high-income nations rely on their own drug regulators, such as the Food and Drug Administration in the United States, many low- and middle-income countries depend on the W.H.O. to judge what vaccines and treatments are safe and effective, a process called prequalification.

— A new variant of the virus, spread by close intimate contact, has now crossed Congo’s eastern border into 13 countries, prompting the W.H.O. to declare a global health emergency on Aug. 14.

For Your Information:

— Mpox, previously known as monkeypox, is a self-limiting viral infection caused by mpox virus (MPXV). The most common symptoms of mpox include fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, low energy, and swollen lymph nodes, along with pox-like rashes that last for two to three weeks. It is a self-limiting disease but can lead to death, especially among children and those with weak immune systems.

— This is the second time that mpox has been declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). The global outbreak of mpox was first declared a PHEIC on July 23, 2022.

Points to Ponder:

— What are the powers and responsibilities of WHO?

— What does the WHO’s declaration of a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) mean?

— What are the different virus clades of Mpox and how do they differ in impact?

Post Read Question:

(5) With reference to the Mpox, consider the following statements:

1. It was first discovered in humans in Nigeria.

2. It is not transmitted from animals to humans.

3. The vaccines developed for smallpox are up to 80% effective against mpox.

4. The World Health Organization (WHO) classified mpox as a global public health emergency.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) Only three

(d) All four

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

UPSC Issue at a Glance | Mpox and Public Health Emergency: 5 Key Questions You Must Know for Prelims and Mains

ALSO IN NEWS

Adani, Birla keen to tap Mongolian copper, but face logistics challenge

Two large companies Adani Enterprises Ltd and Aditya Birla group-owned Hindalco Industries Ltd are keen to source raw material from copper-rich Mongolia, but are concerned about the logistics of transporting copper concentrate from the landlocked Central Asian country to India.
Copper concentrates is a key input for refined copper, and India relies on imports for nearly 90 per cent of its supply due to limited domestic mining of this critical mineral. India imports its requirements almost entirely from Indonesia, Chile and Australia.

Mongolia exported copper ore worth $2.7 billion in 2022 and was the world’s 10th largest exporter of the commodity. Much of its exports go exclusively to China.

Prelims Answer Key

1. (c)   2. (c)   3. (b)   4. (d)   5. (b)

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International Day for Remembrance of the Slave Trade and Abolition: The memory of Indian indentured labourers

Movements to end slavery around the world led to a surge in demand for labourers in plantation economies. Why and how did India and other south Asian colonies fill this gap by supplying a new version of ‘indentured labourers’ around the world?

New Delhi | Updated: August 27, 2024 10:57 IST

Girmitiyas in Trinidad. (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

— Aakanksha Jha

(The Indian Express has launched a new series of articles for UPSC aspirants written by seasoned writers and erudite scholars on issues and concepts spanning History, Polity, International Relations, Art, Culture and Heritage, Environment, Geography, Science and Technology, and so on. Read and reflect with subject experts and boost your chance of cracking the much-coveted UPSC CSE. In the following article, Aakanksha Jha recalls the history of slavery and Indian indentured labourers.)

Ever since the first sails were lifted on Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria (Ships of Christopher Columbus) in the last decade of the 15th century, the political map of the world underwent significant changes. Conquistadors and explorers like Ferdinand Magellan, Bartolomeu Diaz, Christopher Columbus, Vasco da Gama showed to their Portuguese and Spanish masters that the world was much more than the continent of Europe.

Routes to the ‘Orient’ (Eastern) world were searched with the clarion call of ‘God, Gold and Glory’. Within the next century, European colonisers occupied and divided the landmasses of newly discovered America, Caribbeans, Africa and Spice islands in South Asia.

This period in the 15th century was called the Age of Discovery, and slavery was a direct result of the same. A huge number of native men and women in the colonised and ‘discovered’ land were employed to do the plantation job of the colonisers. Thousands of hectares of native lands of the American mainland and the Caribbean were used for the plantation of sugar, cotton and tobacco.

Slavery and the plantation economy

This needed cheap labour round the clock. The colonisers used brute force to enslave the native unsuspecting population of Africa to fuel this plantation economy thereby giving birth to transatlantic slave trade. According to the Heritage collections of the UK Parliament, roughly 12 million slaves were shipped between 1500-1800, with Britishers alone accounting for 3 million.

Any version of modern American history cannot be written without mentioning slavery and the subsequent struggle for the emancipation of slaves. It was the Haitian Revolution of 1791- 1804 that led to the first struggle of slaves against their colonisers. Haiti was colonised after its discovery by Columbus in 1492. He called it La Isla Española. The Spanish colonisers literally mined gold from the Caribbean Island and after exhaustion passed it onto the French. It was from here that French colonisers took the reins of Saint-Domingue and Port de Paix (new trading stations in Haiti).

At the time of the French Revolution in 1789, the population of Saint Domingue was 5,56,000 with 5,00,000 slaves of African origin, 32,000 European colonisers and 24,000 affranchis (people of mixed European and African descent). Revolt started during the night of August 22-23, 1791 in Saint Domingue which lasted till 1804.

It was the joint revolution of affranchis and slaves working in the Haitian plantation economy that resulted in the birth of the first slavery free country in the world.

By 1804, the world had its first slavery-free country, i.e. Haiti (a native origin Arawak name) under Jean Jacques Dessalines, a former slave of African origin.

Therefore, August 23 is commemorated as the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave trade and its Abolition.

Abolitionist movements

The saga of slave emancipation did not end here but next unfolded in the isles of British dominions. In the 1830s, the abolitionists started gaining weight in British politics. These were the group of politicians and merchants in Britain who wanted to end the slave-led plantation economy in the American and tropical British colonies. This was very unusual on the surface but if looked deeper within, had reasons in decolonisation politics.

Ever since the birth of the USA in 1776, Britain lost a big colony and its slave led plantation economy. It was not on amicable terms with the independent US and hence wanted to end the monopoly of big plantation economies like the US. British politicians with their new age Victorian liberalism and protestant ethics started talking against forced labour and instead supported ‘Laissez Faire’ or free trade policy.

This was coupled with abolition movements like ‘Baptist War’ in Jamaica in 1831 and anti-slavery movements in Upper Canada. All these led to the passing of the Slavery Abolition Act in 1833 by the British Parliament freeing roughly 8,00,000 slaves in Caribbean, South Africa and Canada. It received royal assent on August 1, 1834.

The American civil war

The biggest saga of slave emancipation was however starting to take shape in the courtroom of St Louis Circuit Court, Wisconsin in the US. A person named Dread Scott and his wife Harriet pleaded to the court to grant them freedom from bondage and servitude because they now lived in a ‘free state’ Wisconsin in 1846. Back then the US was divided in free and non-free states (slave state) as far as slave trade was concerned. Slavery was largely prevalent in the South American plantation economy.

The Supreme Court finally in the judgement to Scott vs. Sandford in 1857, opined that slaves were not part of the citizenry of the US and hence could not get protection of civil liberty from the Federal Government. This led to deep anguish and fissures in the political and social circles of the US. Abolition question in the US also snowballed into a constitutional crisis. Slavery and plantation fuelled southern states under Jefferson Davis started talking about the right to secede from the Union.

All these developments led to the American Civil War starting in 1861. The 13th and 14th Amendments to the US constitution argued for giving equal citizenship rights to all the men and women born on American soil thereby ending slavery and the overturning of the Scott judgement. President Abraham Lincoln emerged as the leader and biggest advocate of the abolition movement around the world.

In December 1865, slavery was abolished in the US. However, as the former slaves in the US and Caribbean began to breathe in free air, the air started choking for the cheap labour available in countries like India, Burma, Malaysia, Indonesia etc. Abolition movements around the world led to sudden huge demand for labourers in plantation economies around the world. India and other south Asian colonies filled this gap by supplying a new version of ‘indentured labourers’ around the world.

Indian ‘indentured labourers’

These labourers originating from mostly northern India, coastal Burma and South East Asia were made to sign an agreement by their employers. The agreement stipulated the wages for the period of employment, which ran into several years. The wage was not enough to secure a good earning, not the least for their return journey to their native land. The labourers who signed these agreements were new age slaves – bound by economic hardship in an alien land. Today as we see Indian origin diaspora in the Caribbeans or in Mauritius – they all bear an imprint of the indentured labour system.

Historian Brij Lal in his seminal book, Chalo Jahaji: On a Journey through Indenture in Fiji (2012), talks about his personal and community history of 60,000 Indians who travelled to Fiji during this time period. It is worth noting how these indentured labourers used to call themselves as ‘girmitiyas’ – the one who has signed the agreement or Girmit. The National Archives of India holds these agreements which sent Indians to places like Mauritius, British Guiana, Ceylon, Cape Colony, St Kitts, Windward Islands, Grenada, Kenya, Uganda, Trinidad and Jamaica – roughly accounting for 1.6 million labourers.

The National Archives summary notes that most of these labourers were mostly young, active, able-bodied people. They demanded agricultural jobs but were often ignorant of the places they agreed to go to or the challenges they were going to face. Before 1840, a large proportion of the labourers were so-called ‘Hill coolies’, aboriginal people from the plains of the Ganga. Later many others signed indentured labour contracts, including Hindus, Brahmins, high castes, agriculturists, artisans, Muslims, low castes (untouchables) and Christians.

Over 41,000 Bengali labourers were sent to Mauritius in 1834, but the Indian government banned ‘coolie’ shipments in 1838 because there were reports of repression and abuse. In 1842 the British Prime Minister Robert Peel directed the Indian government to re-open these lines of emigration under proper safeguards. A Protector of Emigrants was appointed to ensure that the labourers had adequate space, food, water and ventilation on the journey.

Emigration to Jamaica, British Guiana and Trinidad was legalised in 1844. Emigration to Grenada and St Lucia was legalised in 1856 and 1858 respectively. The last indentured labourers went to the West Indies in 1916. Repatriation continued for many years after the time limit. The last ship carrying returning emigrants left the West Indies for India in 1954.

Breaking silence on the history of slavery

In 1994, the UNESCO “Routes of Enslaved Peoples: Resistance, Liberty and Heritage” Project contributed to the production of innovative knowledge, the development of high-level scientific networks and the support of memory initiatives on the theme of slavery, its abolition and the resistance it generated. At the international level, the project has thus played a major role in “breaking” the silence surrounding the history of slavery and placing this tragedy that has shaped the modern world in the universal memory.

But for India, the memory of indentured labourers and emigration pain came alive when Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau apologised in Canadian Parliament for the Komagata Maru incident in May of 2016. Komagata Maru was a Japanese ship carrying Indian emigrants to Canada in April of 1913. The Canadian authorities denied entry of the ship in Canada, starving the passengers of food and water, involved them in litigations and ultimately forced the ship to return to India by Sept of 1914.

This created a huge uproar in the Budge Budge port of Calcutta (Kolkata), leading to firing and death of 16 passengers. Incidents like these led to the Ghadar Movement in India against British imperialism. On the one hand, the Indian cheap labourers were sent to plantation colonies for rigorous work, on the other hand, educated Indians were never encouraged to travel to and work in other prosperous British dominions. Thus, the hypocrisy of British emancipation was long exposed and emigration became an important issue in Indian nationalism.

In recent years, memorials such as the Apravasi Ghat in Mauritius unveiled by the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in 2005, the Kolkata Memorial inaugurated in 2011 at the Kidderpore Depot and the Mai-Baap Memorial at the Suriname Ghat unveiled by former External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in 2015 symbolise the tragedies of indentured slavery and the resilience of human spirit. They celebrate the momentous contributions of the diaspora originating from the indentured system in their adopted countries as well as the Indian spirit that these communities have kept alive all these years.

Post Read Question

Why is the International Day for the Remembrance of Slave Trade and its Abolition celebrated on August 23 every year?

Why were indentured labourers taken by the British from India to their colonies? Have they been able to preserve their cultural identity over there?

Discuss the role of Mahatma Gandhi in the abolition of Indentured servitude from India.

(Aakanksha Jha teaches at the Delhi University.)

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National Space Day: All you need to know for UPSC Prelims and Mains

What is the significance of the Chandrayaan-3 Mission? After a successful moonshot, what are the other important space missions of ISRO?

Written by Roshni Yadav

New Delhi | Updated: August 26, 2024 13:28 IST

India's first National Space Day theme is "Touching Lives while Touching the Moon: India's Space Saga." (Source: ISRO/X)

National Space Day commemorates the groundbreaking success of the Chandrayaan-3 mission, which achieved the safe landing of the Vikram Lander on the lunar surface on August 23, 2023. With this achievement, India proudly became the fourth country to successfully land on the moon, making history as the first to land near the southern polar region. India’s first National Space Day theme is “Touching Lives while Touching the Moon: India’s Space Saga.”

(Source: ISRO)

National Science Day

On February 28th every year, we celebrate National Science Day to honour the remarkable discovery of the “Raman Effect” by Bharat Ratna Dr. C.V. Raman in 1928. On this day, Dr C V Raman announced the discovery of the ‘Raman Effect’ for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize in physics in 1930.

Chandrayaan-3 Mission

The Chandrayaan-3 mission was India’s third lunar mission and second attempt to make a soft landing on the surface of the Moon. It was launched by Launch Vehicle Mark-III (LVM3).

The propulsion module carried the lander and rover configuration to a 100 km lunar orbit. The propulsion module had a Spectro-polarimetry of Habitable Planet Earth (SHAPE) payload to study the spectral and Polari metric measurements of Earth from the lunar orbit.

Launch Vehicle Mark-III (LVM3)

LVM3 is India’s heaviest rocket, with a gross lift-off weight of 640 tonnes, an overall length of 43.5m and 5m-diameter payload fairing (nose-shaped equipment to protect the rocket from aerodynamic forces). The launch vehicle can carry up to 8 tonnes of payload to the lower earth orbit (LEO), which is about 200 km from the Earth’s surface. But when it comes to the geostationary transfer orbits (GTO), which lie much further ahead, up to about 35,000 km from the Earth, it can carry much less, only about four tonnes. LVM3 made its first journey into space in 2014 and also carried the Chandrayaan-2 in 2019.

According to Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the Chandrayaan-3 mission’s three objectives were to demonstrate a safe and soft landing on the lunar surface, to demonstrate a Rover roving on the Moon and to conduct in-situ scientific experiments.

Characteristics of Chandrayaan-3

Chandrayaan-3 consisted of an Indigenous Lander module (LM), Propulsion module (PM) and a Rover to develop and demonstrate new technologies required for Interplanetary missions.

Payloads of Chandrayaan-3 and their objectives

Lander Payloads

1. Chandra’s Surface Thermophysical Experiment (ChaSTE): To measure the thermal properties of lunar surface near polar region.

2. Instrument for Lunar Seismic Activity (ILSA): For measuring the seismicity around the landing site and delineating the structure of the lunar crust and mantle.

3. Radio Anatomy of Moon Bound Hypersensitive ionosphere and Atmosphere (RAMBHA): To estimate the plasma density and its variations.

4. Laser Retroreflector Array (LRA): A passive experiment to understand the dynamics of Moon system.

Rover Payloads

1. Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS): To determine the elemental composition of Lunar soil and rocks around the lunar landing site.

2. Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscope (LIBS): For deriving the elemental composition in the vicinity of the landing site.

Propulsion Module Payload

Spectro-polarimetry of HAbitable Planet Earth (SHAPE): Future discoveries of smaller planets in reflected light would allow us to probe into a variety of Exo-planets that would qualify for habitability (or for presence of life).

What makes the Moon’s Polar Regions Special?

The polar regions of the Moon are distinct, as they are completely dark without sunlight, and temperatures can drop below 230 degrees Celsius, making equipment operation challenging. As a result, the Moon’s polar regions have remained untouched. Notably, the Chandrayaan-2 mission of India intended to land in this region in 2019, but it was unable to achieve a smooth landing and lost contact after impacting the surface.

Significance of Chandrayaan-3 Mission

The success of the Chandrayaan-3 mission is of great significance to India, as it established India’s reputation as a serious player in planetary exploration. It consolidated India’s position as a space power.

Compared to other countries, India has a comparatively low-budget aero-space programme. But the efficiency and cost-effectiveness with which ISRO carries out its projects have helped in building a formidable brand name for the space agency. Chandrayaan-3 was accomplished at a cost of Rs 615 crore (a fraction of the cost of an Airbus).

Amitabh Sinha writes—

“It is a landmark event, no doubt. But if you look beyond the event, it gives us a very important capability. It gives us physical access to another planetary body. The fact that we are only among a handful of countries with this capability means we are at the forefront of this technology. And therefore, we will be part of all decision-making related to future planetary explorations and even extraction of resources from space. We are naturally part of the club that formulates these policies.

Space capabilities will occupy a central place in deciding the equations between countries in the 21st century, and the influence they have in the international community. The important thing is that we should be able to participate and contribute on equal terms. And we should be able to play a more decisive role in space-related international decision-making processes. Chandrayaan-3 gives us that confidence and capability.”

Findings of Chandrayaan-3 Mission

After one year since Chandrayaan-3 landed on the lunar surface, Indian scientists have revealed the findings from studies carried out by one of the rover module’s instruments.

Sohini Ghosh writes—

“The findings comprise the first analysis of the composition of the topsoil in the Moon’s southern latitudes, and support the widely-accepted hypothesis that the lunar surface in the immediate aftermath of the Moon’s formation was covered by a sea of molten material.

The data collected by the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) also contain new information about the elemental composition of the lunar surface that can help to better understand the evolution of the Moon. The findings were published in the journal Nature on Wednesday. Scientists have reported three key findings.

1. The terrain around Chandrayaan 3’s landing sight is fairly uniform;

2. The Moon’s crust was formed layer by layer, which adds weight to the lunar magma ocean (LMO) hypothesis; and

3. The topsoil around the lunar south pole has a greater-than-expected sprinkling of minerals which compose the lower layers of the lunar crust.”

Artemis Accords

India is now a signatory to the Artemis Accords, an agreement with the other leading Space Agencies of the world – NASA (US), ESA (Europe), JAXA (Japan) and the CSA (Canada) — for moon exploration.

What are the Chandrayaan missions?

India’s Chandrayaan missions are aimed at lunar exploration.

Chandrayaan-1

Launched on October 22, 2008, Chandrayaan-1 was India’s first Lunar mission that took off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR, Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. The Chandrayaan-1 gave a major fillip to the Indian space program as it was the country’s indigenously developed technology to explore the Moon.

A huge victory was achieved on November 14, 2008, when the MIP (Moon Impact Probe) was separated and it struck the lunar South Pole in a controlled manner. And with that, India became the fourth country in the world to hoist its national flag on the lunar surface. Chandrayaan-1’s biggest discovery was to find traces of water on the Moon, which was in itself a path-breaking achievement in international space science. This discovery gave the ISRO renewed interest in pursuing the Chandrayaan-2 for the mission to Moon. Besides this, the spacecraft also found water ice in the North polar region of the Moon as well as detected Magnesium, Aluminium and Silicon on its surface.

Why don’t some parts of the lunar polar regions receive any sunlight?

Unlike the Earth, whose spin axis is tilted with respect to the plane of the Earth’s solar orbit by 23.5 degrees, the Moon’s axis tilts only 1.5 degrees. Because of this unique geometry, sunlight never shines on the floors of a number of craters near the lunar north and south poles. These areas are known as Permanently Shadowed Regions, or PSRs.

Chandrayaan-2

Chandrayaan-2 consisted of an Orbiter (to orbit the planetary body), a Lander (intended to land on the Moon’s surface), and a Rover (designed to move on the Moon’s surface). The mission aimed to explore the south pole of the Moon. Launched in July 2019, the mission was only partially successful, as its lander, Vikram, and rover, Pragyaan, crashed on the Moon’s surface on September 7 of the same year.

After a successful moonshot, ISRO aimed for the Sun Through Aditya-L1

It was launched with the mission of observing and helping us better understand the Sun. Aditya-L1 is placed outside of the Earth’s atmosphere, and its instruments can study ultraviolet radiation from the corona, allowing scientists to better understand how it works.  Aditya-L1 consists of seven instruments to observe all radiation and charged particles. Its location is 1.5 million kilometres away from Earth, towards the Sun.

ISRO’s Next Goal: Gaganyaan

Announced in 2018, Gaganyaan is one of India’s most ambitious space programmes. Gaganyaan project aims to demonstrate human spaceflight capability by sending a crew of 3 members to a 400 km orbit for a 3-day mission and safely returning them to Earth by landing in the Indian sea waters. Just three countries – the United States, Russia and China – have executed human spaceflight missions till now.

The task of sending humans into the vast unknown and bringing them back safely is more expensive and challenging than the Mars and Moon missions. A successful execution would put India in the company of the US, Russia and China.

As stated on the ISRO website, the short-term goal of Gaganyaan is to demonstrate human spaceflight to Low Earth Orbit, while the long-term goal is to lay the foundation for a “sustained Indian human space exploration programme”. Success in its ultimate objective — proving that India is capable of indigenously developing this complex technology — would be a huge boost for ISRO.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi hands over wings to astronauts-designate Shubanshu Shukla, Prashanth Balakrishnan Nair, Angad Prathap and Ajit Krishnan who have been selected to be the astronauts on India’s first crewed mission to space ‘Gaganyaan Mission’, at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), in Thiruvananthapuram. (PTI Photo)

The names of the four Air Force officers selected for the Gaganyaan Mission were revealed in March. ISRO has targeted to launch the first mission of the ambitious Gaganyaan project by December, a top official said.

POST READ QUESTIONS

(1) With reference to the following lines, answer the question below:

It is India’s heaviest rocket, with a gross lift-off weight of 640 tonnes, an overall length of 43.5m and 5m-diameter payload fairing (nose-shaped equipment to protect the rocket from aerodynamic forces). It made its first journey into space in 2014 and also carried the Chandrayaan-2 in 2019. Most recently, in March this year, it placed 36 OneWeb satellites, weighing about 6,000kg, in LEO, showing its capabilities to deliver multiple satellites into space. This was the second time that it made a commercial launch — the first one came in October 2022 when it delivered the OneWeb India-1 mission.

It refers to:

(a) LVM3

(b) GSLV

(c) PSLV

(d) None of the above

(2) With reference to the LVM-3, consider the following statements:

1. It is capable of placing the 4 tonne class satellites of the GSAT series into Geosynchronous Transfer Orbits.

2. It is a two stage launch vehicle.

3. It uses only solid propellant.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) All three

(d) None

Mains

What is the significance of the Gaganyaan Mission? Discuss about the Test Vehicle Abort Mission-1 (TV-D1).

Prelims Answer Key

1. (a)   2. (a)

(Sources: isro.gov.in, Chandrayaan-1, What Chandrayaan-3 means for India as a space exploration player,  Chandrayaan-3 Mission , What the first findings from ISRO’s Chandrayaan 3 mission tell us about the Moon,Important Space Mission)

For your queries and suggestions write at roshni.yadav@indianexpress.com

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Conflicts in West Asia: Israel-Iran war of abrasion

Besides the historical developments since 1948, the religious and ideological differences between Iran and Israel are deep-rooted. Amidst the fear of escalation in violence after the killing of a Hamas leader, what are the prospects of Iran’s retaliation? How would it impact India’s interests in the region?

New Delhi | Updated: August 26, 2024 13:29 IST

An anti-missile system operates after Iran launched drones and missiles towards Israel, as seen from Ashkelon, Israel April 14, 2024. (Reuters)

— Md. Muddassir Quamar

(There are areas in the world that remain beset by conflicts. West Asia is one such region that has been in the grip of conflicts at least since the mid-20th century. The escalation after the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war further upended the political landscape of the region. What are the prospects for containing the conflicts? How does regional instability affect India’s interests? We feature a series of articles on major conflicts in West Asia, exploring the root cause of the conflicts, the reasons behind the recent escalation, and its effect on India’s interests. In the following article, Md. Muddassir Quamar explores the Israel-Iran ties in broad strokes to help understand the ongoing tensions.)

On 31 July 2024, the chief of Hamas’s political bureau, Ismael Haniyeh, was assassinated in Tehran shortly after attending the swearing-in ceremony of the newly-elected President of Iran, Masoud Pezeshkian. Hamas, as well as Iran, blamed Israel for the killing and pledged a response.

Referring to the Israeli involvement in Haniyeh’s killing, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said that by killing “our guest”, the Zionist state has “paved the way” for a “harsh punishment”. The incident heightened the tensions in the Middle East with fears of expansion of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

Although Iran has so far not retaliated and is under international pressure to show restraint for the sake of a ceasefire in Gaza, the chances of Iran not responding at all are slim. In all likelihood, a symbolic response is expected to set the record straight and reinstate deterrence after the high-profile security breach in the heart of the Iranian capital. Hamas has also been prepping for a response, although it has not taken any major action.

The Haniyeh episode is the second major conflagration between Israel and Iran since October 2023. In April 2024, Israel and Iran had reached the cusp of a direct war after an Israeli strike in the Iranian embassy complex in Damascus led to the killing of Mohammed Reza Zahedi, a commander of the Quds Force, the overseas arm of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). In response, Iran launched hundreds of coordinated rockets, missiles and drones inside Israel that, although they did not lead to any serious casualties, showed Iran’s military capability to target Israel.

The question that arises is why are Israel and Iran fighting. Why cannot the two Middle Eastern states resolve their difference through diplomacy? What makes them the sworn enemies? These are difficult questions, and there are no easy answers. The Israel-Iran conflict emerges from a combination of historical, religious, ideological and geopolitical factors.

Map showing the Middle East. (Google Maps)

Israel and Iran, 1948-1979

The formation of Israel in 1948 was a watershed moment in the history of the Middle East. It triggered an Arab-Israeli war and the long Israeli-Arab and Israeli-Palestinian conflicts. Iran, although opposed to the formation of Israel and voted against the Partition Plan (1947) and Israel’s admission into the United Nations (1949), was the second Muslim-majority country after Türkiye to recognize Israel in 1950. During the Pahlavi regime, Iran and Israel shared friendly relations with notable economic and military ties.

The friendly relations between the two states were not always reflected among the wider population in Iran, as a section of the clergy and intelligentsia were sympathetic to the plight of the Palestinians and their struggle for a state.

As Iran experienced domestic turbulence that eventually led to the overthrow of the Shah and ended the Pahlavi rule in 1979, Israel-Iran relations deteriorated with both considering each other enemy states.

The 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran

The Islamic Republic of Iran cut off all official and diplomatic relations with Israel. Ayatollah Khomeini called Israel “Little Satan”, while the United States was declared the “Great Satan”. Iran and Israel also ceased all economic activities, and Israel refused to pay Iranian dues it had incurred for oil supplies and operation of the Asia-Europe oil pipeline that passed through Israel. Despite these problems, strategic considerations during the Iraq-Iran war (1980-88) led Tehran to develop clandestine relations with Tel Aviv.

Iran reportedly received weapon and military supplies worth US$500 million during the 1980s from Israel, and the majority of the cost was paid in the form of oil supplies to Israel. The secretive ties between Israel and Iran were not entirely unknown. They had the sanctions of the Reagan administration in the US that was following a policy of dual containment against Ba’athist Iraq and Revolutionary Iran.

Religious and Ideological problems

Besides the historical developments since 1948, the religious and ideological differences between Iran and Israel are deep-rooted. Although it was the Sunni-Arab republics that took the mantle of fighting Israel after 1948, the Shia theologians opposed the formation of Israel as the mandate Palestine and especially the Old City of Jerusalem was considered holy for Muslims as the first Qibla (the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, to which Muslims turn at prayer) and the location of Prophet Muhammed’s ascendance to heaven during Mera’aj. The holy places are considered waqf property, and Shia clergy in Iran are opposed to it coming under Israeli control.

After the revolution, the Islamic Republic supported the idea of a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, terming Israel an “illegal” Zionist entity that needs to be obliterated. Hence, Israel considered Iran an existential threat. The ideological basis of Iranian opposition to Israel emanates from anti-imperialist and anti-Americanism rooted in the 1979 revolution. Besides Islam, these form the most important component of the revolutionary zeal of Khomeini, who considered Israel as an American and imperial outpost in the Middle East.

Geopolitical tensions

Since the revolution, Iran has called for the expulsion of all external forces from the region and to form a regional security architecture through collaboration among the regional states. Iran, therefore, is considered a revisionist power that wants to replace the US-led regional order with an Iran-led order. Understandably, other regional countries, including the Arab monarchies in the Gulf, Egypt, Israel and Türkiye, view this as a threat to their interest and ambitions. While the Iranian relations with Egypt and Türkiye have remained ambivalent, countries such as Israel and Saudi Arabia have been emphatic in denouncing Iran’s “hegemonic” ambitions.

Iran’s regional activities of creating, arming and supporting non-state actors, especially in the vicinity of Israel and its pursuit of nuclear energy, are viewed in Israel with suspicion. Israeli leaders and experts consider these a part of the Iranian plan to encircle Israel militarily and a preparation for a future war against Israel. Moreover, Iran’s ability to develop strategic depth in Lebanon (Hezbollah), Iraq (Hash al-Shabbi [Popular Mobilisation Forces or PMF]) and Syria (Fatemiyoun and Zaynebiyoun brigades) and the deployment and presence of the Quds Forces in the three countries is considered a serious military threat in Tel Aviv.

Iran is also a major regional supporter of Hamas and Islamic Jihad and has been suspected of arming and training them as part of its ideological and geopolitical commitment to support Palestine and contain Israel. Hence, Israel considered Iran responsible for the October 7 attacks, even though any direct Iranian involvement has not been proven.

The Ongoing tensions

Before the current state of affairs, Iran and Israel had been, for most of the 2010s, engaged in a proxy war but had avoided attacking each other directly. Israel targeted Iranian nuclear scientists to reduce and delay Tehran’s ambition of attaining nuclear weapons capability. On several occasions, it targeted weapon depots, transport lines and infrastructure in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon to destroy Iranian supply lines to its regional proxies. On the other hand, the Iranian proxies, namely Hezbollah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, PMF and Houthis, have often targeted or threatened Israel.

The Israel-Hamas war has, however, started a new phase in the Israel-Iran war, with the two gradually moving to a direct confrontation. The Israeli attack on the Iranian diplomatic complex in Syria and killing of IRGC commanders and officers, its constant targeting of Hezbollah commanders in Lebanon and the killing of Haniyeh in Tehran are part of the pattern that underlines that Israel is taking on not only Hamas and Hezbollah but is testing the Iranian will and capacity to respond.

Iran, too, is no longer satisfied with showing restraint and issuing verbal threats, as was visible during the 13 April rocket, missile and drone attacks. Tehran has used its proxies to target Israel and its interests constantly. For example, the Houthis in Yemen have been targeting Israeli and international shipping to and from Israel passing through the Red Sea to increase the cost of the Israeli war against Hamas. They have continued with their activities despite the US-UK air strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen.

For Iran, the killing of Haniyeh was a serious provocation as it was a direct challenge to Iranian sovereignty and also to its military capacity and deterrence. The thought process in Tehran is that the killing cannot go unanswered as this will be construed as a weakness and leave Iranian deterrence exposed. Tehran nonetheless faces the dilemma because any reckless action can lead to an all-out war and might force the US to join Israel, which Iran would like to avoid at this point. Hence, it is likely that the Iranian response will be measured, coordinated, and symbolic, which can reinstate deterrence without necessarily leading to major conflagration.

Implications for India

The situation in the Middle East remains tense, and any serious escalation in violence in the region would adversely impact Indian interests. Notwithstanding the fear of serious disruption in hydrocarbon supplies and price rise, India’s growing diplomatic, strategic and geoeconomic investments in the Gulf and Middle East would be seriously tested.

New Delhi would also like to avoid a situation wherein two of its close friends enter into a direct war, forcing it to choose sides, which it has carefully avoided. Indian strategic thinking favours a peaceful Middle East, with diplomacy taking precedence over conflict. However, in the divisive Middle East, confronted with multiple and escalating war fronts, peace remains an elusive commodity, thus posing serious questions for India’s strategic choices.

Post Read Question

How did the Iran-Israel ties turn from friendly relations to sworn enemies?

How have India’s relations with Iran and Israel evolved?

How would the escalation in violence in the Middle East impact India’s stake in the region?

(The author is an Associate Professor of Middle East studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. Views are personal. @MuddassirQuamar)

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UPSC Essentials | Daily subject-wise quiz : Economy MCQs on Agriculture sector, imports of the electronic components and more (Week 72)

Are you preparing for UPSC CSE Prelims 2025? Check your progress and revise your topics through this quiz on Economy.

Written by Nitendra Pal Singh

New Delhi | Updated: August 26, 2024 13:30 IST

In fact, in 2023-24, electronic components imports stood at $34.4 billion, according to data sourced from the Ministry of Commerce. Find a question on imports of electric components in today's quiz. (File Photo)

UPSC Essentials brings to you its initiative of subject-wise quizzes. These quizzes are designed to help you revise some of the most important topics from the static part of the syllabus. Attempt today’s subject quiz on Economy to check your progress. Come back tomorrow to solve the International Relations Quiz.

🚨 The Indian Express UPSC Essentials brings to you the August edition of its monthly magazine. Click Here to read. Share your views and suggestions in the comment box or at manas.srivastava@indianexpress.com🚨

QUESTION 1

With reference to the SCOMET items, consider the following statements:

1. Dual-use goods are categorised under the SCOMET list in India.

2. Nuclear materials are exempted from the list.

3. They have potential for both civil as well as military applications.

4. They are not capable of being deployed as weapons of mass destruction.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

(a) 1, 2 and 4 only

(b) 1 and 3 only

(c) 2, 3 and 4 only

(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

Explanation

— US government officials are sensitising Indian companies and exporters to deter them from supplying Russia with items and technology that could end up being used in Russian missiles and other defence equipment, which would attract Western sanctions, a government official said on condition of anonymity.

— Electronic components, machine tools, drones, and drone software are examples of dual-use commodities that can be used for both civil and military applications and are on the sanctions list issued by the West as a result of the Ukraine conflict.

— SCOMET stands for Special Chemicals, Organisms, Materials, Equipment, and Technologies. Dual-use goods are categorised under the SCOMET list in India. Hence, statement 1 is correct.

— This list includes dual-use things, such as goods, technology, chemicals, organisms, and so on, that have the potential for both civil and military applications and can be used as weapons of mass destruction. Hence, statement 3 is correct and statement 4 is not correct.

— The SCOMET items are classified under 9 distinct categories: Nuclear materials, Toxic chemical agents and other chemicals, Micro-organisms, Materials Processing Equipment and related technologies, Nuclear-related other equipment and technology, Aerospace systems, Munitions list, Reserved, and :Special Materials and Related Equipment, Material Processing, Electronics, Computers, Telecommunications, Information Security, Sensors and Lasers, Navigation and Avionics, Marine, Aerospace and Propulsion. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.

Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.

(Other Source: content.dgft.gov.in)

QUESTION 2

With reference to the imports of the electronic components, consider the following statements:

1. The electronics imports from China and Hong Kong have far outnumbered imports from all ASEAN countries combined.

2. The import of electronic components is the largest commodity to be imported by India followed by crude and gold.

Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Explanation

— In the financial year 2023-24, India imported electronic components worth over $12 billion from China and $6 billion from Hong Kong, with the two accounting for more than half of total such imports to India.

— Over the past five years, electronics imports from China and Hong Kong have greatly surpassed those from other major manufacturing hubs such as South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and all ASEAN countries combined. Hence, statement 1 is correct.

— According to data from the Ministry of Commerce, electronic component imports in 2023-24 totalled $34.4 billion, making them the fifth largest commodity imported into India after crude, gold, petroleum products, and coal. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.

— The overall picture of India’s reliance on Chinese supply of electronic components becomes apparent when compared to imports from other electronics hubs such as South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and ASEAN countries such as Vietnam and Malaysia.

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 3

With reference to the cotton in India, consider the following statements:

1. It has a roughly two-thirds share in India’s total textile fibre consumption.

2. The pink bollworm (PBW) is a monophagous pest that feeds mainly on cotton.

3. It is a semi-xerophyte which grows in tropical and sub tropical conditions.

4. The optimum temperature for vegetative growth is 21-27 degrees Celsius.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) Only three

(d) All four

Explanation

— One of India’s most significant cash crops and sources of fibre, cotton is vital to the nation’s industrial and agricultural economies. Cotton has a roughly two-thirds share in India’s total textile fibre consumption. Hence, statement 1 is correct.

— Six million Indian farmers rely only on cotton for their income, while the commerce and processing of the crop employs 40–50 million people.

— Ten major cotton-growing states in India are divided into three zones: north, centre, and south. Rajasthan, Haryana, and Punjab comprise the North Zone. Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh are all in the central zone. The South Zone comprises the states of Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh.

— Cotton crops are particularly susceptible to pests and illnesses. The pink bollworm (PBW) is a monophagous pest that primarily consumes cotton. The Bt poisons were originally intended to guard against both Helicoverpa and PBW caterpillars, which burrow into the cotton plant’s bolls or fruits and produce lint and seeds. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

— Cotton, a semi-xerophyte, is grown in tropical and subtropical climates. A minimum temperature of 15 degrees Celsius is essential for optimal germination in the field. The optimum temperature for vegetative growth is 21-27 degrees Celsius, and it can handle temperatures up to 43 degrees Celsius; however, temperatures below 21 degrees Celsius are damaging to the crop. Hence, statements 3 and 4 are correct.

Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.

(Other Source: http://www.nfsm.gov.in)

QUESTION 4

Which of the following leads to high bond yield?

1. High government borrowing

2. Low crude oil prices

3. High interest rate

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) 1, 2 and 3 only

(d) 1 and 2 only

Explanation

— There are various factors like rising crude oil prices, inflation risks and interest rate signals from the US Federal Reserve have contributed to the hardening of bond yields. If inflation is likely to rise, investors will demand higher yields on their bond investments. Hence, 2 is not correct.

— Higher government borrowing is also a reason for the rise in bond yields. Hence, 1 is correct.

— Bond prices and interest rates have an inverse relationship. The rise indicates that the cost of funds in the financial system is rising and interest rates are on the upswing. Hence, 3 is not correct.

— The rising bond yield means the government will have to pay more as yield (or return to the investors), leading to a rise in cost of borrowings.

— This will have an overall impact on the financial system, putting upwards pressure on the general interest rates in the banking system.

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 5

With reference to the agriculture in India, consider the following statements:

1. The agriculture sector in India accounts for the largest share of the total workforce.

2. The agriculture sector has been growing consistently over the past decade.

3. The maximum agricultural households have small landholdings, i.e. between 0.4 and 1 hectares.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2 only

(c) 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Explanation

— Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated that the “biggest castes” in his opinion are women, youth, farmers, and the impoverished, and that uplifting these four will drive the country’s progress.

— The Prime Minister addressed the country on the 78th Independence Day, and these four “castes” and the government’s attempts to lift them were highlighted in his speech at the Red Fort.

Women

— According to forecasts based on the 2011 Census, women would make up approximately 68 crore of India’s 140 crore population by 2024. Despite their numbers, women continue to be under-represented in India’s workforce. According to the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation’s (MoSPI) most recent Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS), only 20.3% of urban women worked between January and March 2024, while 58% of urban men did.

Youth

— India is one of the world’s youngest countries, with about one-third of the population aged 15 to 29 years. According to forecasts based on the 2011 Census, 74.5 crore Indians were under the age of 30, with 37 crore aged 15 to 29 in 2021.

— According to the PLFS for January-March 2024, just 40.7% of urban India’s population aged 15 to 29 was employed, with an unemployment rate of 17%.

Farmers

— Agriculture, while not the largest contribution to the Indian economy, employs the most people. In 2022-23, agriculture accounted for 18.3% of the economy’s Gross Value Added (GVA), but employed 45.8% of the entire workforce. Hence, statement 1 is correct.

— According to data published by the Reserve Bank of India, the agricultural industry has grown steadily over the last decade. In 2014-15, India produced 2,527 lakh tonnes of foodgrains on 1,243 lakh hectares, with a yield of 728 kilogrammes per hectare. By 2022-23, these values have increased to 3,305 lakh tonnes, 1,322 lakh hectares, and 944 kilogrammes per hectare. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

— Data published by the National Statistical Office (NSO) for 2019 showed that most agricultural households have small landholdings – 27.8% between 0.01 and 0.4 hectares, 34.4% between 0.4 and 1 hectares, and 20.2% between 1 and 2 hectares – and it’s these households that have the lowest average monthly incomes and the highest indebtedness. Hence, statement 3 is correct.

Poor

— India has only quantified poverty a few times in its history, most recently with the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) produced by the NITI Aayog. To calculate the poverty rate, the MPI takes into account “acute deprivations in health, education, and living standards that a person faces simultaneously” as well as income and expenditure levels.

Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.

Previous Daily Subject-Wise-Quiz

Daily subject-wise quiz — Polity and Governance (Week 72)

Daily Subject-wise quiz — History, Culture, and Social Issues (Week 72)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Environment, Geography, Science and Technology (Week 72)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Economy (Week 71)

Daily subject-wise quiz – International Relations (Week 71)

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UPSC Issue at a Glance | Mpox and Public Health Emergency: 5 Key Questions You Must Know for Prelims and Mains

Recently, the World Health Organization declared Mpox a global health emergency. With the increasing cases of various viral diseases, it becomes crucial to understand Mpox and the significance of WHO’s declaration of a public health emergency.

Written by Roshni Yadav

New Delhi | Updated: August 26, 2024 13:31 IST

A nurse tends to a child suspected of having contracted mpox in DRC. (Reuters)

UPSC Issue at a Glance is a new initiative of UPSC Essentials to focus your prelims and mains exam preparation on an issue that has been in the news. Every Thursday, cover a new topic in Q&A format and don’t miss MCQs, Points to Ponder and key takeaways. Also, don’t forget to check the answers of MCQs towards the end of the article. This week’s topic is Mpox and Public Health Emergency. Let’s get started!

If you missed the UPSC Issue at a Glance | Bangladesh Crisis and India: 4 Key Questions You Must Know for Prelims and Mains from the Indian Express, read it here.

What is the issue?

The World Health Organization (WHO) has once again classified Mpox as a global public health emergency, following a surge in cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the spread of the virus to neighboring countries. With the growing cases of viral diseases and the threats presented by them to mankind, it becomes crucial to understand Mpox and the significance of a public health emergency from a broader perspective.

UPSC Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance; General Science

Mains Examination: GS-II, GS-III: Government policies and interventions, Health, Science and Technology

Other areas of relevance:  UPSC Aspirants will find it useful in Essays, and Current affairs for their Personality tests.

What will you learn from this article?

1. What is Mpox and how is it transmitted?

2. What is the history of Mpox outbreaks?

3. How is Mpox different from COVID-19?

4. What does the WHO’s declaration of a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) mean?

5. Which diseases have been declared PHEICS by WHO?

Question 1: What is Mpox and how is it transmitted?

Mpox, previously known as monkeypox, is a self-limiting viral infection caused by mpox virus (MPXV). The most common symptoms of mpox include fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, low energy, and swollen lymph nodes, along with pox-like rashes that last for two to three weeks. It is a self-limiting disease but can lead to death, especially among children and those with weak immune systems.

Mpox is caused by the monkeypox virus, a species of the genus Orthopoxvirus. Two different clades exist: clade I and clade II. (Source: WHO)

What are the different virus clades of Mpox and how do they differ in impact?

According to WHO, there are two broad clades of the Mpox virus: clade I and II. Clade I leads to more severe disease and death than clade II in the populations where it is endemic. Clade II was behind the global mpox outbreak that began in 2022. At least 99,176 cases and 208 deaths due to monkeypox have been reported from 116 countries since 2022, according to WHO data.

In 2022–2023 a global outbreak of mpox was caused by a strain known as clade IIb. (Source: WHO)

A new offshoot of clade I virus, called clade Ib, was first reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2023, and has been spreading through sex and other types of close contact.

How mpox is transmitted?

From person to person: Mpox spreads from person to person mainly through close contact with someone who has mpox. Close contact includes skin-to-skin and mouth-to-mouth, or mouth-to-skin contact, and can also include being face-to-face with someone who has mpox (such as talking or breathing close to one another, which can generate infectious respiratory particles).

It is also possible for the virus to persist for some time on clothing, bedding, towels, objects, electronics and surfaces that a person with mpox has touched. Someone else who touches these items may become infected. The virus can also spread during pregnancy to the fetus, during or after birth through skin-to-skin contact, or from a parent with mpox to an infant or child during close contact.

From animals to humans: Someone who comes into physical contact with an animal that carries the virus, such as some species of monkeys or a terrestrial rodent (such as the tree squirrel) may also develop mpox.

From humans to animal: According to WHO, Since many species of animals are known to be susceptible to the virus, there is the potential for spillback of the virus from humans to animals in different settings. People who have confirmed or suspected mpox should avoid close physical contact with animals, including pets (such as cats, dogs, hamsters, gerbils), livestock and wildlife.

Symptoms of mpox

Points to Ponder:

— Why does stigma related to Mpox matter?

Question 2:  What is the history of Mpox outbreaks?

On 14th August WHO declared Mpox as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern but this is not the first time we have seen the mpox outbreak. The history of mpox outbreaks dates back to the 1970s.

According to the WHO,

Caused by an Orthopoxvirus, mpox was first detected in humans in 1970, in the DRC. The disease is considered endemic to countries in central and west Africa.

The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that mpox has occurred sporadically in Central and East Africa (clade I) and West Africa (clade II) since 1970. In 2003, an outbreak in the United States of America was linked to imported wild animals (clade II). Since 2005, thousands of suspected cases have been reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) every year.

In 2017, mpox re-emerged in Nigeria and has since spread within the country and to other destinations. In May 2022, an outbreak of mpox appeared suddenly and rapidly spread across Europe, the Americas, and then all six WHO regions. In 2022, outbreaks of mpox due to Clade I MPXV occurred in refugee camps in the Republic of the Sudan. A zoonotic origin has not been found.

Do you know?

This is the second time that mpox has been declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). The global outbreak of mpox was first declared a PHEIC on July 23, 2022. However, the current threat is more severe. The number of cases has skyrocketed this year, with the Democratic Republic of Congo alone reporting over 14,000 mpox cases and 524 deaths.

Question 3: How is Mpox different from COVID-19?

With the WHO declaration of Mpox as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), concerns have emerged regarding the severity of the disease. In this context, understanding the differences between Mpox and COVID-19 is crucial for better preparedness in controlling the viral infection.

Maria Cheng writes—

“Mpox spreads very slowly unlike the coronavirus. Shortly after the coronavirus was identified in China, the number of cases jumped exponentially from several hundred to several thousand; in a single week in January, the case count increased more than tenfold.

By March 2020, when WHO described COVID-19 as a pandemic, there were more than 126,000 infections and 4,600 deaths — about three months after the coronavirus was first identified.

In contrast, it’s taken since 2022 for mpox cases to hit nearly 100,000 infections globally, with about 200 deaths, according to WHO.

Are there vaccines for Mpox?

There are at least two vaccines currently in use for mpox, which have been recommended by the WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization.
Last week, an Emergency Use Listing for mpox vaccines was triggered by the WHO, which will accelerate vaccine access for lower-income countries which have not yet issued their own national regulatory approval. This listing also enables bodies such as GAVI and UNICEF to procure vaccines for distribution in these countries.

There are vaccines and treatments available for mpox unlike in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. “We have what we need to stop mpox,” said Dr. Chris Beyrer, director of Duke University’s Global Health Institute. “This is not the same situation we faced during COVID when there was no vaccine and no antivirals.”

Points to Ponder:

— What is the difference between Pandemic, Epidemic, and Endemic?

Question 4: What does the WHO’s declaration of a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) mean?

The WHO’s declaration of a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) is its highest level of alert. A PHEIC is defined in the  International Health Regulations(IHR) (2005) as, “an extraordinary event which is determined to constitute a public health risk to other States through the international spread of disease and to potentially require a coordinated international response”. This definition implies a situation that is serious, sudden, unusual or unexpected; carries implications for public health beyond the affected State’s national border; and may require immediate international action.

Under the IHR — a legally-binding agreement that commits governments to certain actions when responding to the international spread of disease — the declaration of a PHEIC permits the WHO to issue temporary recommendations to national governments to support a coordinated and effective global response to such events.

By designating a disease outbreak as a PHEIC, the WHO can expedite research, funding, and global public health efforts to control and contain the disease.

Points to Ponder:

— Is PHEIC only confined to infectious diseases and may it cover events caused by chemical agents or radioactive materials?

— What are the criteria for declaring PHEIC?

Question 5: Which diseases have been declared PHEICS by WHO?

Since the IHR took effect in 2007, the following diseases have been declared PHEICS:  H1N1,  Ebola, Polio,  a second Ebola outbreak, Zika,  COVID-19, Mpox (Declared PHEICS twice . i.e., 2022 and 2024)

1. H1N1 Influenza: According to WHO, before the H1N1 pandemic in 2009, the influenza A(H1N1) virus had never been identified as a cause of infections in people. Genetic analyses of this virus have shown that it originated from animal influenza viruses and is unrelated to the human seasonal H1N1 viruses that have been in general circulation among people since 1977. The H1N1 (2009) virus continues to circulate as a seasonal virus and is included in the vaccines against seasonal influenza.

2. Ebola: It is a virus that can spread quickly and can be fatal in up to 90% of cases. Symptoms include fever, vomiting, diarrhoea, muscle pain and at times internal and external bleeding and can start to occur between two and 21 days from infection, according to WHO.  The virus is most often spread by close contact with bodily fluids of people exhibiting symptoms and with contaminated objects such as sheets.

3. Polio: According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “Polio is a crippling and potentially deadly disease that affects the nervous system… Because the virus lives in the faeces (poop) of an infected person, people infected with the disease can spread it to others when they do not wash their hands well after defecating (pooping). People can also be infected if they drink water or eat food contaminated with infected feces.

The virus multiplies in the intestine, from where it can invade the nervous system and can cause paralysis. Once that happens, the patient is crippled for life because there is no treatment for the affliction. Polio infection, however, can be easily prevented by a vaccine.

4. Zika: A mosquito-borne disease—Zika virus—has gained global attention in recent years due to its potential to cause serious health complications, particularly in pregnant women and their unborn children. It mainly occurs in tropical and subtropical areas of Africa, the Americas, Southern Asia, and the Western Pacific.

It is infected by Aedes species mosquitoes, which are the same ones that spread dengue and chikungunya viruses, and bite during the first week of infection. It is primarily transmitted through mosquito bites, sex, and breastfeeding.

5. COVID-19: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are fever chills, sore throat.

POST READ QUESTIONS

Prelims

(1) With reference to the Mpox, consider the following statements:

1. It was first discovered in humans in Nigeria.

2. It is not transmitted from animals to humans.

3. The vaccines developed for smallpox are up to 80% effective against mpox.

4. The World Health Organization (WHO) classified mpox as a global public health emergency.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) Only three

(d) All four

(2) Among the following, which were frequently mentioned in the news for the outbreak of Ebola virus recently? (UPSC CSE 2015)

(a) Syria and Jordan

(b) Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia

(c) Philippines and Papua New Guinea

(d) Jamaica, Haiti and Surinam

(3) H1N1 virus is sometimes mentioned in the news with reference to which one of the following diseases? (UPSC CSE 2015)

(a) AIDS

(b) Bird flu

(c) Dengue

(d) Swine flu

(4) With reference to the vaccine-derived polio infection, consider the following statements:

1. It is a strain related to the weakened version of the live poliovirus contained in the oral polio vaccine.

2. No cases of vaccine-derived polio infection have been reported in India.

Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Mains

(1) COVID-19 pandemic accelerated class inequalities and poverty in India. Comment. (UPSC CSE 2020)

PRELIMS ANSWER KEY

1. (b)   2. (b)   3. (d)  4. (a)

(Source: http://www.who.int, Why WHO has called the latest mpox outbreak an ‘emergency of international concern’,  WHO declares Mpox a global health emergency again, Mpox declared a global health emergency: will it trigger another pandemic?)

PREVIOUS UPSC ISSUE AT A GLANCE

UPSC Issue at a Glance | Landslides : 5 Key Questions You Must Know for Prelims and Mains

UPSC Issue at a Glance | Economic Survey 2023-24: 4 Key Questions You Must Know for Prelims and Mains

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UPSC Essentials | Daily subject-wise quiz : Environment, Geography, Sci-Tech MCQs on PraVaHa, orangutans and more (Week 72)

Are you preparing for UPSC CSE Prelims 2025? Check your progress and revise your topics through this quiz on Environment, Geography, Science and Technology.

Written by Nitendra Pal Singh

New Delhi | Updated: August 26, 2024 13:24 IST

The grey lava, seen flowing through streets, was captured by locals on their phones. Find a question on Mount Canlaon in today's quiz. (Representational/Wikimedia Commons)

UPSC Essentials brings to you its initiative of subject-wise quizzes. These quizzes are designed to help you revise some of the most important topics from the static part of the syllabus. Attempt today’s subject quiz on Environment, Geography, Science and Technology to check your progress. Come back tomorrow to solve the Economy Quiz.

🚨 The Indian Express UPSC Essentials brings to you the August edition of its monthly magazine. Click Here to read. Share your views and suggestions in the comment box or at manas.srivastava@indianexpress.com🚨

QUESTION 1

With reference to the PraVaHa, consider the following statements:

1. This software has been launched to simulate external and internal flows on launch vehicles.

2. PraVaHa has been used extensively in the Chandrayaan-3 program.

3. Currently, the PraVaHa code is operational to simulate chemical reactions that occur during air dissociation upon ‘earth re-entry’.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) All three

(d) None

Explanation

— The Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software “Parallel RANS Solver for Aerospace Vehicle Aero-thermo-dynamic Analysis” (PraVaHa) is developed in VSSC to simulate external and internal flows on launch vehicles, winged & nonwinged re-entry vehicles. Hence, statement 1 is correct.

— Any aerospace vehicle is subjected to severe aerodynamic and aerothermal loads in terms of external pressure and heat flux while moving through the earth’s atmosphere during ‘launch’ or ‘reentry’.

— The shape, structure and thermal protection system (TPS) are essentially designed to understand the ‘airflow’ around aircraft, rocket bodies, or Crew Module [CM] during earth re-entry

— PraVaHa has been used extensively in the Gaganyaan program for aerodynamic analysis of human-rated launch vehicles, viz, HLVM3, Crew Escape System [CES], and Crew Module [CM]. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.

— At present, the PraVaHa code is operational to simulate airflow for Perfect Gas & Real Gas conditions. Validations of the code are underway for simulating the effect of chemical reactions that occur during air dissociation upon ‘earth re-entry’ and ‘combustion’ as in scramjet vehicles. Hence, statement 3 is not correct.

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

(Source: www.isro.gov.in)

QUESTION 2

With reference to the cyanobacterial engineered living material (C-ELM), consider the following statements:

1. It incorporates living cyanobacteria within translucent panels that can be mounted on the interior walls of buildings.

2. This material helps to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Explanation

— An Indian student at University College London (UCL) has created a revolutionary construction biomaterial that uses live microorganisms to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, possibly transforming the building industry’s carbon footprint.

— The biomaterial, known as a cyanobacterial engineered living material (C-ELM), contains living cyanobacteria within translucent panels that can be put on the inner walls of buildings. As microorganisms grow through photosynthesis, they absorb CO2 from the atmosphere. Hence, statements 1 and 2 are correct.

— A kilogramme of C-ELM can collect up to 350g of CO2, whereas the same amount of ordinary concrete would emit around 500g. A wall covered with 150 square metres of solar panels could trap approximately one tonne of CO2.

Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 3

With reference to the orangutans in Asia, consider the following statements:

1. These are found in the rainforests of the islands of Borneo and Sumatra.

2. The population of orangutans is threatened by rapid deforestation primarily due to palm oil plantations.

Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Explanation

— Malaysia’s Plantation and Commodities Minister Johari Ghani tweaked his earlier proposal of sending critically endangered orangutans as gifts to palm oil-purchasing countries.

— According to the most recent proposal, importers of Malaysian palm oil will be offered the opportunity to “sponsor” one or more orangutans, with the proceeds going towards their conservation within Malaysia rather than transferring the chosen monkeys abroad.

— Malaysia, the world’s second-largest palm oil producer, has faced significant pressure to make its palm oil sector more sustainable. The industry has been related to deforestation, which results in the loss of habitat for orangutans. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

— These apes live in the rainforests of the Borneo and Sumatra islands, which are shared by Malaysia, Indonesia, and Brunei. According to a World Wildlife Fund estimate, the orangutan population is currently around 120,000 and is under threat from fast deforestation, mostly caused by palm oil plantations. Hence, statement 1 is correct.

Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 4

Which of the following countries will be first to impose a CO2 tax on farms?

(a) Australia

(b) New Zealand

(c) Finland

(d) Denmark

Explanation

— Denmark, a major pork and dairy exporter, will impose a carbon price on animal emissions beginning in 2030, becoming the first country to do so and seeking to persuade others to follow suit.

— In February, government-commissioned scientists proposed a tax to help Denmark meet a legally binding 2030 target of 70% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from 1990 levels.

— Farmers will be entitled to a 60% income tax deduction, which means that the actual cost per tonne will begin at 120 crowns and rise to 300 crowns by 2035, while subsidies will be available to encourage changes in farm operations.

Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 5

Mount Canlaon was in the news due to cold lava eruptions. It is located in:

(a) Philippines

(b) Iceland

(c) Japan

(d) Italy

Explanation

— BBC footage showed chilly lava flowing out into the streets and rivers downstream following an eruption at Mount Canlaon in the Philippines. Locals recorded images of the grey lava running through the streets on their phones.

— The explosion sent a plume of ash several kilometres into the sky, cancelling scores of flights and evacuating hundreds of people, according to the BBC.

— Cold lava is a cooled mixture of volcanic debris and stones. This can contain smooth, glossy textures as well as harsh, jagged textures. It flows like wet concrete and can go quickly.

— According to the United States Geological Survey, the cold wave can crush and bury anything in its path, perhaps proving more destructive than conventional lava flows.

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

Previous Daily Subject-Wise-Quiz

Daily subject-wise quiz — Polity and Governance (Week 72)

Daily Subject-wise quiz — History, Culture, and Social Issues (Week 72)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Environment, Geography, Science and Technology (Week 71)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Economy (Week 71)

Daily subject-wise quiz – International Relations (Week 71)

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UPSC Essentials | Mains answer practice — GS 2 : Questions on Public Accounts Committee and skill development (Week 65)

Are you preparing for UPSC CSE 2024 or CSE 2025? Here are questions from GS paper 2 for this week with essential points as the fodder for your answers. Do not miss points to ponder and answer in the comment box below. Try them out.

Written by Nitendra Pal Singh

New Delhi | Updated: August 26, 2024 13:25 IST

People sign up for the skill fair in Greater Noida on Sunday. Attempt a question on the programmes for skill development in today's answer writing practice. (Express Photo)

UPSC Essentials brings to you its initiative for the practice of Mains answer writing. It covers essential topics of static and dynamic parts of the UPSC Civil Services syllabus covered under various GS papers. This answer-writing practice is designed to help you as a value addition to your UPSC CSE Mains. Attempt today’s answer writing on questions related to topics of GS-2 to check your progress.

🚨 The Indian Express UPSC Essentials brings to you the August edition of its monthly magazine. Click Here to read. Share your views and suggestions in the comment box or at manas.srivastava@indianexpress.com🚨

QUESTION 1

Examine how programmes for skill development have been successful in boosting the availability of human resources across industries.

QUESTION 2

Discuss the role and significance of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) in the Indian parliamentary system.

General points on the structure of the answers

Introduction

— The introduction of the answer is essential and should be restricted to 3-5 lines. Remember, a one-liner is not a standard introduction.

— It may consist of basic information by giving some definitions from the trusted source and authentic facts.

Body

— It is the central part of the answer and one should understand the demand of the question to provide rich content.

— The answer must be preferably written as a mix of points and short paragraphs rather than using long paragraphs or just points.

— Using facts from authentic government sources makes your answer more comprehensive. Analysis is important based on the demand of the question, but do not over analyse.

QUESTION 1: Examine how programmes for skill development have been successful in boosting the availability of human resources across industries.

Note: This is not a model answer. It only provides you with thought process which you may incorporate into the answers.

Introduction:

— India’s greatest asset is its labour force. To benefit from the demographic dividend, we must increase labour force participation by raising labour force employability through widespread skill development. In addition, job possibilities for the young people who enter the workforce each year must be created.

— The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) provides skill, re-skill, and up-skill training through a wide network of skill development centres, colleges, and institutes under the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS), Jan Shikshan Sansthan (JSS), Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), and Craftsman Training Scheme (CTS) through Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) to all segments of the nation’s society. These programs are administered by the Government of India’s Skill India Mission (SIM).

Body:

You may incorporate some of the following points in the body of your answer:

Skill development programmes

— The Skill India Mission aims to equip India’s young with future- and industry-ready skills. The training is also provided by the National Institute for Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development (NIESBUD), the Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship (IIE), National Skill Training Institutes (NSTIs), and Training Centres registered on the Skill India Digital (SID) platform.

— Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana: This project provides skill development training through Short-Term Training (STT), as well as up-skilling and re-skilling through Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), to youngsters across the country, including rural areas.

— National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme: This Scheme aims to promote apprenticeship training and increase apprentice involvement by providing financial assistance to industrial institutions that are implementing apprenticeship programmes under the Apprentices Act of 1961. Training is divided into two parts: basic training and on-the-job training or practical training at the workplace in the industry. Apprentices were hired by a total of 42453 organisations nationwide.

— The Craftsmen Training Scheme offers long-term training through Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) around the country. The ITIs provide a variety of vocational/skill training courses in a wide range of economic areas with the goal of providing skilled labour to industry as well as self-employment for youth.

— Jan Shikshan Sansthan (JSS): The primary goal of the JSS is to teach vocational skills to non-literates, neo-literates, and people with a basic level of education, as well as school dropouts up to the 12th grade, between the ages of 15 and 45, with age relaxations for “Divyangjan” and other deserving cases. Women, SC, ST, OBC, and minorities receive priority in rural and low-income urban regions.

Conclusion:

— India has an average age of 29 years, while the average ages in the United States, China, France, Germany, and Japan are 38, 38, 42, 45, and 48 years, respectively. India, with its large population, is currently experiencing an increase in the working-age population while decreasing old-age dependency ratio.

— Most industrialised countries have been able to capitalise on their advantageous demographics to achieve higher growth and living standards. In Asia, China has already established itself as a superpower by capitalising on its demographic dividend from the early 1980s to 2008-2009. China’s early emphasis on labour-intensive manufacturing and subsequent structural restructuring resulted in a nearly 10% annual average growth rate across four decades, which is unprecedented.

(Source: How India can leverage its biggest strength by Pravakar Sahoo and Sweta Sen, pib.gov.in)

Points to Ponder

MSMEs

Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana

Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS)

Related Previous Year Questions

Skill development programmes have succeeded in increasing human resources supply to various sectors. In the context of the statement analyse the linkages between education, skill and employment. (2023)

Besides the welfare schemes, India needs deft management of inflation and unemployment to serve the poor and the underprivileged sections of the society. Discuss. (2022)

QUESTION 2: Discuss the role and significance of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) in the Indian parliamentary system.

Note: This is not a model answer. It only provides you with thought process which you may incorporate into the answers.

Introduction:

— The Committee on Public Accounts was established in 1921 following the Montague-Chelmsford Reforms.

— The Public Accounts Committee is presently formed annually under Rule 308 of the Lok Sabha’s Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business. The Public Accounts Committee is made up of no more than 22 members, 15 of whom are elected by Lok Sabha every year using the proportional representation principle and a single transferable vote, and no more than 7 Rajya Sabha members who are elected in the same manner.

Note: Prior to 1954-55, the Committee was made up of 15 members elected by the Lok Sabha from among its members. Nevertheless, seven Rajya Sabha members became connected with the Committee as of 1954–1955.

Body:

You may incorporate some of the following points in the body of your answer:

Role and significance of the Public Accounts Committee

— The Committee’s functions, as enshrined in Rule 308(1) of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha, include the examination of accounts showing the appropriation of sums granted by Parliament for the expenditure of the Government of India, the annual finance accounts of the Government, and any other accounts laid before the House as the Committee deems appropriate.

— When reviewing the Government of India’s Appropriation Accounts and the Comptroller and Auditor General’s Report on them, the Committee must satisfy:

(a) that the funds represented in the accounts as having been expended were lawfully available for and relevant to the service or purpose to which they had been applied or charged;

(b) that the spending complies with the authority that governs it;

(c) that each reappropriation was made in line with the requirements made in this regard under rules framed by the competent authority.

— It shall also be the duty of the Committee –

(a) analyse the statement of accounts indicating the state’s revenue and expenditure;

(b) analyse the statement of accounts indicating the income and expenditure of autonomous and semi-autonomous bodies;

(c) to review the Comptroller and Auditor General’s report in circumstances where the President may have directed him to audit receipts or check store and stock accounts.

Conclusion:

— An important function of the Committee is to ensure that money provided by Parliament is spent by the government “within the scope of the demand.”

— The Committee members’ terms of office are limited to one year at a time. A Minister is not elected as a member of the Committee, and if a member is made a Minister after being elected to the Committee, he no longer serves on the Committee as of the date of such appointment. The Speaker appoints the Committee’s Chairman from among its Lok Sabha members.

(Source: Process begins to reconstitute Parliamentary committees, Parliament Committees, their leaders, and their role in law-making, sansad.in)

Points to Ponder

Ad Hoc committee

Estimate and public undertaking committee

Related Previous Year Questions

Discuss the role of Presiding Officers of state legislatures in maintaining order and impartiality in conducting legislative work and in facilitating best democratic practices. (2023)

Explain the structure of the Parliamentary Committee system. How far have the financial committees helped in the institutionalisation of Indian Parliament? (2023)

Previous Mains Answer Practice

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 1 (Week 63)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 1 (Week 64)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 2 (Week 64)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 2 (Week 63)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 3 (Week 63)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 3 (Week 64)

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Election Commission of India: Composition, powers and functions

The Election Commission of India (ECI) is responsible for conducting free and fair elections in the Union and the States of India. What are its jurisdiction and functions?

New Delhi | Updated: August 26, 2024 13:26 IST

The Election Commission of India is a permanent, independent, and constitutional authority responsible for conducting free and fair elections. (Representational image)

— Madhukar Shyam

(The Indian Express has launched a new series of articles for UPSC aspirants written by seasoned writers and erudite scholars on issues and concepts spanning History, Polity, International Relations, Art, Culture and Heritage, Environment, Geography, Science and Technology, and so on. Read and reflect with subject experts and boost your chance of cracking the much-coveted UPSC CSE. In the following article, Madhukar Shyam discusses the roles and responsibilities of the Election Commission of India.)

From the recent conclusion of the 18th Lok Sabha elections to the announcement of dates for Assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana, the Election Commission of India (ECI) plays a crucial role in ensuring transparent, free and fair elections.

But what is the ECI, how did it come into existence and evolve? What is the composition and responsibilities of the body? Most importantly, what does the Constitution say about it?

Election Commission of India (ECI)

The Election Commission of India (ECI) is a permanent, independent, and constitutional authority responsible for conducting free and fair elections in the Union and the States of India.

The ECI is empowered to supervise, oversee, and manage elections to Parliament, state legislatures, and the offices of President and Vice President of India. Since the ECI does not oversee elections to state-level urban bodies like municipalities and panchayats, there is a separate State Election Commission.

It is interesting to note that in accordance with Dr. B. R. Ambedkar’s instructions at the Constituent Assembly, a committee appointed to deal with Fundamental Rights proposed that the independence of elections and the prevention of executive intervention in legislative elections should be regarded as a fundamental right and provided for in the chapter dealing with Fundamental Rights.

Although there was no opposition in the House to the idea, some urged that it be included in a different section of the Constitution rather than the Chapter on Fundamental Rights. Following the House’s decision, the Drafting Committee removed this question from the category of Fundamental Rights and put it in another part.

Constitution on ECI

The Constitution has the following articles (Articles 324–329) to empower the Election Commission and provide insight into the potential roles and functions of the commission.

Article 324: The superintendence, direction and control of the preparation of the electoral rolls for, and the conduct of, all elections to Parliament and the Legislature of every state and of elections to the offices of President and Vice-President.

Article 325: No individual to be excluded from electoral rolls on the basis of religion, race, caste, sex or any of them.

Article 326: Adult suffrage shall be the basis for elections to the House of the People and to the Legislative Assemblies of States.

Article 327: Parliament may, according to the provisions of this Constitution, from time to time enact laws with respect to all matters relating to elections to Parliament and Legislative Assemblies of States.

Article 328: A state’s Legislature may from time to time by law make provision with respect to all matters relating to, or in connection with, the elections to the House or either House of the Legislature.

Article 329: The article prohibits the courts from becoming involved in electoral matters.

Jurisdictions and functions

The jurisdictions and functions of the ECI can be classified into advisory, quasi-judicial, and administrative.

Advisory: The Constitution grants the ECI advisory authority over the post-election disqualification of sitting members of Parliament and State Legislatures. The commission is also consulted in matters involving individuals found guilty of engaging in corrupt activities during elections that are brought before the Supreme Court and High Courts to determine whether or not they should be disqualified from contesting elections and, if so, for what period. In all such cases, the President, or, if applicable, the Governor to whom such a request is made, is bound by the commission’s opinion.

Quasi-Judicial: A candidate who fails to submit an account of his election costs within the legally mandated time frame and format may be disqualified by the ECI. Along with other legal disqualifications, the commission also has the authority to eliminate or shorten the duration of such disqualifications.

It also resolves conflicts pertaining to the recognition of political parties and the assignment of electoral symbols to them. The EC establishes a model code of conduct and ensures that all candidates and political parties follow it throughout the election season.

Administrative: The ECI also has administrative roles. It is responsible for the delimitation of electoral constituencies.

Delimitation means the process of determining the number of seats and boundaries of Lok Sabha and State Assembly constituencies as decided by the Delimitation Commission.

It is also responsible for the registration of all eligible voters and for producing and updating electoral rolls on a regular basis. It sends out election schedules and dates and reviews nomination documents. It recognises political parties and assigns them election emblems. The ECI also invalidates voting in cases of violence, booth capture, tampering, or other anomalies. It controls, without bias, the amount of money each political party spends on a candidate’s campaign.

The ECI also designates the following seats in order to register political parties for the purpose of elections and to confer upon them the status of national or state parties based on their polling performance: (i) In charge of elections, (ii) Officer for District Elections, and (iii) Election Registration and Returning Officer

Composition

The Chief Electoral Commissioner (CEC) has been the only member of the ECI since it was established in 1950. Following the reduction of the voting age from 21 to 18 in 1989, a significant number of new voters were added. To alleviate the load on the one election commissioner, two more commissioners were recruited, and the body was subsequently expanded to include three election commissioners.

Moreover, some changes were made to the composition of the ECI in January 1990, which was changed back to its original position. But after the debate and discussion in the political arena, ultimately, two further election commissions were constituted by the President in 1993, and this is considered the final composition of the commission.

The Chief Election Commissioner and all election commissioners are appointed by the President. The President determines his or her tenure of office and the conditions of service for each commissioner. The chief and the other two election commissioners get the same pay and benefits as judges of the Supreme Court, along with the same authorities.

In the event of a difference of opinion among the three members, the Commission decides by majority. The President appoints the Election Commissioner and the other Election Commissioners. They serve in that capacity for a certain period of time, not to exceed six years, or until they turn 65. They are on the same level as Indian Supreme Court justices.

The sole way for Parliament to remove the Chief Election Commissioner from office is through the same process that removes a Supreme Court judge. As a result, the President may dismiss him with a resolution endorsed by a special majority of both Houses of Parliament based on demonstrated misbehaviour or incapacity.

To sum up, as specified by the Constitution, the ECI is empowered to supervise, oversee, and manage elections for the offices of President, Vice President, state legislatures, and Parliament. Since the ECI does not oversee elections for state-level urban bodies like municipalities and panchayats, there is a separate State Election Commission. As a result, it becomes an essential institution for the basic process by which democracy operates. As it is authorized to conduct free and fair elections for all dignitaries who are responsible for the political system of our country.

Post-Read Questions

Discuss the functions of the Election Commission of India?

How does the Election Commission of India manage the election process?

Evaluate the functions of the Election Commission of India in the light of the Model Code of Conduct.

What do you understand by the delimitation? Discuss the constitutional provisions which deal with it?

What are the challenges for the Election Commission of India in conducting elections and how should it deal with them?

(Dr. Madhukar Shyam is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Christ (Deemed to be University), Delhi NCR.)

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Share your thoughts and ideas on UPSC Special articles with ashiya.parveen@indianexpress.com.

Explained

- Two new US-India agreements: a short history of growing defence ties

- Why a new, homegrown missile can be a game-changer for Ukraine’s fight against Russia

- Who is Telegram co-founder Pavel Durov, and why did French authorities arrest him?

- China-Philippines clash: What is the South China Sea dispute?

- Why Baloch militants targeted Punjabi travellers in recent attack which killed 23

- RBI to launch Unified Lending Interface: What is it and how will it benefit borrowers

- RHFL fraud: Why has Sebi fined Anil Ambani and banned him from the market?

- What was the Great Moon Hoax of 1835, which claimed winged humans lived on the Moon?

- All about Singapore’s $2.3 billion money laundering scandal, in which Chinese nationals have been arrested

- Badlapur sexual abuse case: Can political parties exercise their right to protest to call for a bandh?

- What is Hezbollah and what do we know about its military capabilities?

- Luxury yacht sinks off Sicily: what questions must investigators answer?

- Chile’s Atacama salt flat sinking due to lithium mining: What a new study says

- Centre announces Unified Pension Scheme: How will UPS differ from OPS, NPS?

Two new US-India agreements: a short history of growing defence ties

The Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA) of 2020 aimed to facilitate the sharing of military information including maps, nautical charts, and other unclassified imagery and data.

Written by Amrita Nayak Dutta

New Delhi | August 27, 2024 08:55 IST

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh with US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin in Washington. (PTI Photo)

India and the US have signed a Security of Supply Arrangement (SOSA) and Memorandum of Agreement regarding the Assignment of Liaison Officers, the latest in a series of bilateral military agreements that have enhanced defence and security cooperation between the two countries over the past decade.

During Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s four-day official visit that concluded on Sunday, the partner nations agreed to advance priority co-production projects including jet engines, unmanned platforms, munitions, and ground mobility systems under the 2023 US-India Roadmap for Defence Industrial Cooperation.

Two new agreements

SOSA: Under SOSA, the US and India will provide reciprocal priority support to each other for goods and services that promote national defence. It will “enable both countries to acquire the industrial resources they need from one another to resolve unanticipated supply chain disruptions to meet national security needs”, the US Department of Defense (DoD) said in a statement.

India is the 18th SOSA partner of the US. While SOSA, according to the DoD, are an important mechanism to strengthen interoperability with US defence trade partners, it is legally non-binding. The DoD has been working to conclude another agreement with India, the Reciprocal Defence Procurement (RDP) Agreement, which will be binding.

RDP Agreements are intended to promote rationalisation, standardisation, interchangeability, and interoperability of conventional defence equipment with US allies and other friendly governments. The US has signed RDP Agreements with 28 countries so far.

MOU ON LIAISON OFFICERS: The Memorandum of Agreement regarding the Assignment of Liaison Officers is a progression on a decision taken earlier to increase information-sharing between India and the US, and to post Indian armed forces officers in key strategic US Commands. India will deploy the first Liaison Officer to the US Special Operations Command headquarters in Florida.

Cooperation milestones

The vision for bilateral defence cooperation was encapsulated in the September 2013 Joint US-India Declaration on Defence Cooperation and the 2015 Framework for the US-India Defence Relationship, in which the two countries committed themselves to increasing cooperation in the sector.

2023 ROADMAP: The roadmap for defence industrial cooperation released last year envisioned the conclusion of SOSA and the RDP Agreement. The US endorsed the integration of the Indian defence industry into global supply chains, and extended support to India to develop naval and maritime infrastructure to create an Indo-Pacific regional hub for ship and aircraft repair and maintenance.

Priority areas of cooperation identified in the roadmap included Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR), Undersea Domain Awareness, Air Combat and Support, including Aero engines, munitions systems, and mobility.

iCET: In January 2023, the US-India initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET) was discussed to expand the strategic technology partnership and defence industrial cooperation. National Security Advisors Ajit Doval and Jake Sullivan discussed opportunities for greater cooperation in critical and emerging technologies, including co-development and co-production, and ways to deepen connectivity across our innovation ecosystems.

INDUS-X: In June 2023, during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s official state visit to the US, the DoD and Ministry of Defence launched the India-US Defence Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X), which took forward the commitment to build a defence innovation bridge under iCET.

FOUNDATIONAL AGREEMENTS: In 2002, India and the US had signed the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) to facilitate sharing of military information. Between 2016 and 2020, the two sides signed four more agreements.

The Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) of 2016 established the basic terms, conditions, and procedures for reciprocal provision of logistic support, supplies, and services between the two militaries.

In 2018, the Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA), an India-specific version of the Communications and Information Security Memorandum of Agreement (CISMOA), was signed to secure military communication between the countries, facilitate access to advanced defence systems, and enable India to optimally utilise its existing US-origin platforms.

The Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA) of 2020 aimed to facilitate the sharing of military information including maps, nautical charts, and other unclassified imagery and data.

Additionally, in 2019, the Industrial Security Annex (ISA) to the GSOMIA was signed to facilitate the exchange of classified information between the defence industries of the two countries.

Other deals and sales

In 2016, the US designated India as a Major Defence Partner. Commensurate with this designation, in 2018, India was elevated to Strategic Trade Authorisation tier 1 status, which gave it licence-free access to a range of military and dual-use technologies regulated by the US Department of Commerce.

Earlier in 2012, the Defence Trade and Technology Initiative (DTTI) agreement was signed to promote industrial cooperation and defence trade between the two countries.

There is also a Memorandum of Intent between the US Defence Innovation Unit (DIU) and the Indian Defence Innovation Organization-Innovation for Defence Excellence (DIO-iDEX).

Big-ticket Indian military procurements from the US include MH-60R Seahawk multirole helicopters, Sig Sauer Rifles, and M777 ultra light howitzers.

Negotiations are underway to manufacture GE F-414 jet engines in India for the LCA MK 2 fighters, and to procure 31 MQ-9B High-Altitude Long-Endurance (HALE) UAVs. Deliveries of the GE-F404 engines for the LCA Tejas Mark-1A are underway.

Why a new, homegrown missile can be a game-changer for Ukraine’s fight against Russia

Ukraine already has access to comparable Western-supplied long-range missiles. This development can nonetheless be a game-changer. Here is why

By: AP

August 27, 2024 07:32 IST

"Our enemy will know what the Ukrainian way for retaliation is. Worthy, symmetrical, long-ranged," Zelenskyy said on Saturday. (AP)

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, on Saturday, confirmed the existence of a new homegrown long-range weapon — a missile-drone hybrid — which can strike deep into Russia. The Palianytsia was used for the first time on Saturday to target a Russian military installation, officials said without providing further details.

Born out of necessity

The Palianytsia was born out of necessity, with its development starting some 18 months ago. Currently, the United States and other Western allies provide long-range weapons to Ukraine but restrict their usage deep into Russian territory out of fears of further escalation.

The Institute for the Study of War said that Russia was “leveraging sanctuary space in deep rear areas” for military infrastructure. It estimated at least 250 militarily significant targets in Russia were within range of the ATACMS missiles, but current restrictions allow Ukraine to strike only 20 of them.

Possibly, a game-changer

The Palianytsia with a 700-km range, comparable to the ATACMS, will allow Ukraine to bypass western restrictions.

Ukraine’s technology minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, told The Associated Press that “this will be a game changer” because Ukraine will be able to “strike where Russia doesn’t expect it today”. He added: “It’s impossible to produce enough air defense systems to protect such a large territory [Russia]… [the Palianytsia] opens up the possibility of operating deep behind enemy lines.

The missile has a solid-fuel booster that accelerates it, followed by a jet engine, a specialist told The AP. Each missile costs less than $1 million, and the military is turning to the private sector to bring down production costs further.

Who is Telegram co-founder Pavel Durov, and why did French authorities arrest him?

France and Telegram are the latest in cases of governments and tech companies clashing over the regulation of content posted online. Here is what we know about Durov and the French government’s problems with Telegram.

Written by Rishika Singh

New Delhi | Updated: August 27, 2024 11:06 IST

Pavel Durov, co-founder and CEO of Telegram, delivers a keynote speech during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, in 2016. (REUTERS/Albert Gea/File Photo)

French authorities arrested Pavel Durov, co-founder and CEO of the secure messaging app Telegram, at an airport outside Paris on Saturday (August 24).

A source told Reuters that Durov was arrested as part of a preliminary police investigation into “allegedly allowing a wide range of crimes due to a lack of moderators on Telegram and a lack of cooperation with police”. In a post on X, Telegram’s official account said that it was “absurd” to claim that a platform or its owner was responsible for the abuse of that platform.

France and Telegram are the latest in cases of governments and tech companies clashing over the regulation of content posted on social media apps and websites.

Who is Pavel Durov?

Durov, 39, was born in the former Soviet Union and went on to study at the St Petersburg University in Russia. He then co-founded a social media app called VKontakte, which became popular in the country.

According to a Time Magazine profile, Durov left Russia after authorities told him to provide users’ encrypted data. Encryption is a method for safeguarding information and making it accessible only to users exchanging said information, not telecom providers or app owners.

“It was a bit painful because my first company was my baby,” Durov said in a 2024 interview. “But, at the same time, I understood that I would rather be free; I wouldn’t want to take orders from anyone,” he added.

On August 14, 2013, Pavel and his brother founded Telegram, an app billed as centring users’ privacy. Nikolai designed its encryption. The app also allowed the formation of large groups, allowing one group to have up to 2,00,000 members at present. Telegram also syncs with multiple devices for users. These features gave it an edge over apps like WhatsApp.

Telegram has since become one of the most used social media apps globally, with over 900 million users as of early 2024. Thanks to its success, Durov is now a billionaire. He also holds citizenships of France and the UAE and it is unclear whether he still has Russian citizenship.

What is France’s case against Telegram and Durov?

According to the French newspaper Le Monde, Durov’s arrest at the Le Bourget airport was linked to “proceedings accusing Telegram of complicity in numerous cases linked to drug trafficking, support for terrorism and cyberstalking.” Telegram’s high degree of user privacy has helped some users sell drugs, dupe people through online scams, and engage in other illegal activities through the app across the world.

Telegram’s FAQ section lays down its policy on taking down content. It says, “We have to process legitimate requests to take down illegal public content (e.g., sticker sets, bots, and channels) within the app.”

However, there are exceptions. “Please note that this does not apply to local restrictions on freedom of speech. For example, if criticizing the government is illegal in some country, Telegram won’t be a part of such politically motivated censorship. This goes against our founders’ principles. While we do block terrorist (e.g. ISIS-related) bots and channels, we will not block anybody who peacefully expresses alternative opinions.”

Durov also allegedly did not cooperate in the investigation, leading to an arrest warrant against him. Le Monde reported, “The OFMIN, an office responsible for combating violence against minors, had discreetly launched an investigation into the dissemination of child pornography on Telegram”. Other offences were gradually added to the investigation.

What has been the response to these events?

The issues arise out of balancing the need to protect speech, and to regulate hate speech and illegal activities. Durov’s arrest has led to some criticism of the French government for an “overreach”.

Former US National Security Agency contractor-turned-whistleblower Edward Snowden said in a post on X, “The arrest of @Durov is an assault on the basic human rights of speech and association. I am surprised and deeply saddened that [French President Emmanuel] Macron has descended to the level of taking hostages as a means for gaining access to private communications. It lowers not only France, but the world.”

Earlier in April, Durov said some governments had sought to pressure him, but said the app should remain a neutral platform and not a “player in geopolitics”, Reuters reported.

Telegram’s case has similarities with government actions against Meta (which owns Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram), X and other tech giants. Earlier this year, a judge of the Brazilian Supreme Court ordered X to comply with its orders against accounts spreading false information deliberately. X owner Elon Musk criticised the order for not being transparent and cited his commitment to free speech for not following the order. Finally, X shut down its operations in Brazil.

In India too, the Central government has engaged with WhatsApp to combat fake news. While WhatsApp introduced some changes, such as labels showing forwarded messages, it declined to reveal the source of messages citing security concerns.

China-Philippines clash: What is the South China Sea dispute?

The countries have bickered over territorial control in the South China Sea for centuries, but in recent years tensions have soared to new heights. That is mainly due to China’s rise as a global power. Here is a look at the dispute.

Written by Alind Chauhan

New Delhi | Updated: August 26, 2024 18:21 IST

Chinese Coast Guard vessels fire water cannons towards a Philippine resupply vessel Unaizah May 4 on its way to a resupply mission at Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea, March 5, 2024. REUTERS/Adrian Portugal/File Photo

On Monday (August 26), the Philippine government accused China of carrying out “repeated aggressive, unprofessional and illegal” actions in the South China Sea. The statement came after the two countries got involved in a series of clashes and incidents on air and at sea over the past week.

The development once again brought the South China Sea dispute to the forefront. What is the dispute? When and why did it emerge? What countries are involved? Here is a look.

What is the South China Sea dispute?

The South China Sea is situated just south of the Chinese mainland and is bordered by the countries of Brunei, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam. The countries have bickered over territorial control in the sea for centuries, but in recent years tensions have soared to new heights. That is mainly due to China’s rise as a global power. The South China Sea is one of the most strategically critical maritime areas and China eyes its control to assert more power over the region.

Map of the South China Sea, with “nine-dash line” highlighted in green. (Source: Wikimedia Commons/US Central Intelligence Agency)

In 1947, the country, under the rule of the nationalist Kuomintang party, issued a map with the so-called “nine-dash line” (for a detailed explanation, scroll down). The line essentially encircles Beijing’s claimed waters and islands of the South China Sea — as much as 90% of the sea has been claimed by China. The line continued to appear in the official maps even after the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) came to power.

In the past few years, the country has also tried to stop other nations from conducting any military or economic operation without its consent, saying the sea falls under its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

China’s sweeping claims, however, have been widely contested by other countries. In response, China has physically increased the size of islands or created new islands altogether in the sea, according to the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR).

“In addition to piling sand onto existing reefs, China has constructed ports, military installations, and airstrips—particularly in the Paracel and Spratly Islands, where it has twenty and seven outposts, respectively. China has militarised Woody Island by deploying fighter jets, cruise missiles, and a radar system,” it added.

To challenge China’s assertive territorial claims and protect its own political and economic interests, the US has intervened in the matters. It has not only increased its military activity and naval presence in South Asia but also provided weapons and aid to China’s opponents.

What’s the importance of the South China Sea?

There are 11 billion barrels of oil and 190 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in deposits under the South China Sea, according to the estimates of the United States Energy Information Agency.

Moreover, the sea is home to rich fishing grounds — a major source of income for millions of people across the region. The BBC reported that more than half of the world’s fishing vessels operate in this area.

Most significantly, the sea is a crucial trade route. “The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development estimates that over 21% of global trade, amounting to $3.37 trillion, transited through these waters in 2016,” the news outlet added.

What is the ‘nine-dash line’?

As mentioned before, the nine-dash line demarcates China’s territorial claims in the sea on Chinese maps. It was initially the “eleven-dash line” but in 1953, the CCP-led government removed “the portion encompassing the Gulf of Tonkin, simplifying the border to nine dashes,” CFR said.

The line runs as far as 2,000 km from the Chinese mainland to within a few hundred kilometres of the Philippines, Malaysia and Vietnam.

But on what parameters the line has been drawn? China’s claim on the waters and islands within the boundary is based on its “historical maritime rights”. However, the country has never clearly stated the line coordinates and the line runs many miles beyond what is allowed under the United Nations treaty on maritime territorial issues, which China has signed.

Take the example of the Scarborough Shoal, also known as Huangyan Island. While it comes under the Philippines’ EEZ, Beijing claims that the records show “China’s sailors discovered Huangyan Island 2,000 years ago and cite extensive records of visits, mapping expeditions and habitation of the shoal from the Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD) right through to the modern period,” a report published by The Indian Express noted.

Similarly, China says it has centuries-old ties with the Paracel and Spratly island chains as they were once an integral part of the Chinese nation. But Vietnam disputes the claim, saying it has actively ruled over both the Paracels and the Spratlys since the 17th Century — and has the documents to prove it, the BBC report said.

In 2016, after the Philippines took China to an international tribunal pertaining to the dispute over the Scarborough Shoal, the tribunal in its ruling largely rejected the nine-dash line and said, “China had broken international law by endangering Philippine ships and damaging the marine environment,” The New York Times reported.

Although the tribunal’s judgement was binding, there was no enforcement mechanism. China boycotted the proceedings, claiming the tribunal had no jurisdiction and that it would ignore any decision.

How can the dispute be resolved?

It’s hard to say. A quick solution to the dispute seems quite impossible, especially after China refused to abide by the international tribunal’s ruling.

Some believed that ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) — a 10-member regional grouping that comprises Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Brunei, Laos, Vietnam, Myanmar and Cambodia — might find a way to tackle the issue.  Due to internal conflicts, the group has largely failed to do so.

Therefore, there is a palpable fear that the South China Sea dispute can soon become the next global conflict, with grave consequences.

“The failure of Chinese and Southeast Asian leaders to resolve the disputes by diplomatic means could also undermine international laws governing maritime disputes and encourage destabilising arms buildups,” CFR noted.

Why Baloch militants targeted Punjabi travellers in recent attack which killed 23

Gunmen offloaded passengers from trucks and buses early on Monday in Balochistan’s Musakhail district, and shot them after checking their identities, an official said

Written by Arjun Sengupta

New Delhi | Updated: August 27, 2024 06:19 IST

A charred vehicle, after separatist militants conducted deadly attacks, according to officials, in Balochistan province, Pakistan, August 26, 2024 (REUTERS)

Armed men stopped buses and trucks early Monday (August 26) morning in Balochistan’s Musakhail district, offloaded passengers and shot dead 23 people after checking their identities.

“Vehicles travelling to and from Punjab were inspected, and individuals from Punjab were identified and shot,” Musakhail Assistant Commissioner Najeeb Kakar said, according to Dawn. The militants also set fire to 10 vehicles, he said.

This is not the first such attack reported in Balochistan. In April this year, militants offloaded and shot dead nine Punjabi travellers near Balochistan’s Noshki city after checking their IDs. In October last year, six Punjabi labourers were shot dead in Balochistan’s Kech district in what authorities described as “targeted killings”. In 2015, gunmen killed 20 construction workers — all from Sindh and Punjab — in an attack on a labour camp near Turbat.

Why do Baloch militants target Punjabis? The answer to this question lies in the nature of the Pakistani state, and Balochistan’s complicated history with it.

Baloch insurgencies, and repression by Pakistani state

Since the birth of Pakistan, Balochistan has witnessed a series of bloody insurgencies, brutal state repression, and an enduring nationalist movement. The first insurgency began in 1948, after the forced accession to Pakistan of the chiefdom of Kalat, the largest and strongest of four chiefdoms that made up what would become the province of Balochistan.

The ‘Khan’ of Kalat had long advocated for an independent Baloch state. But British fears of Soviet expansion in the region, and Pakistan’s eagerness to consolidate as much territory as possible post the “losses” of the Partition spilt water on his dreams. The Khan signed the instrument of accession on March 27, 1948, a day after the Pakistan Army entered Baloch land to force his hand.

Soon, protests broke out against the accession. By July, Prince Abdul Karim, the Khan’s brother, had launched the first of five Baloch “wars of independence” — fought in 1948, 1958–59, 1962–63 and 1973–1977, and currently ongoing since 2003. These bloody insurgencies have perhaps been the biggest challenge to Pakistani sovereignty apart from the Bangladesh liberation movement.

They have thus been brutally repressed by the Pakistani state, with Pakistani forces accused of committing numerous atrocities, including abductions, torture, arbitrary arrests, and extra-judicial executions. While exact numbers are not available, conservative estimates suggest that tens of thousands of Baloch nationalists and innocent civilians have been killed by Pakistani forces since 1948. According to NGO Voice for Baloch Missing Persons, around 5,228 Baloch people have gone missing (presumed dead) in the period between 2001 and 2017 alone.

Baloch nationalist groups too have resorted to violence. They have been accused of various human rights violations including the attempted ethnic cleansing of non-Baloch people living in the province.

According to the ‘Pakistan Security Report 2023’ by the Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies, an Islamabad-based NGO, “Baloch insurgent groups, mainly the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) and Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF), perpetrated 78 attacks in Balochistan killing 86 people and wounding 137 others” in 2023. These attacks were “spread over 19 districts, mainly in central, southern and southwestern parts of the province, and largely targeted security forces”.

The BLA has claimed responsibility for Monday’s attack, and warned of more such attacks, Reuters reported.

Behind targeting of Punjabis

What lies behind Baloch nationalism? And what has fuelled the insurgency for the past 75 years? Two factors stand out.

First is ethnic differences. This was the basis of Baloch nationalism at the time of Independence, and remains a crucial driver today. The Baloch people share a common history, language and culture, all central features of the birth of a national consciousness.

It does not help matters that since its very creation, the province of Punjab has dominated Pakistani politics, with Punjabis having a near unchallenged hold over the country’s bureaucracy and institutions. Even Pakistan’s cricket team has historically been dominated by Punjabis. For a country created solely on the basis of religion, ethnic differences have historically fuelled division and disunity, leading to the East Pakistan breaking away in 1971, and driving Baloch nationalism till date.

Second is a feeling of economic alienation and injustice held by the Baloch people. Balochistan is the largest — albeit most sparsely populated — province of Pakistan, abundant in natural resources (including oil), and strategically located on the country’s western border with Iran and Afghanistan. Yet its people remain relatively impoverished compared to the rest of the country.

This adds to the Baloch people’s sense of political disenfranchisement. Baloch nationalists argue that the Punjabi-dominated Pakistani state appropriates the fruits of Balochistan’s abundant natural resources. Take for instance the construction of the China-backed Gwadar port, a project which has garnered billions of dollars in investment but passed on little benefit to the local economy. Instead of educated and unemployed Balochi youth, Punjabi and Sindhi engineers and technical specialists, as well as Chinese experts, were hired en masse for the project.

The targeting of Punjabis in Balochistan takes place in this context. The dominance of Punjabis in the Pakistani state, the Baloch people’s continuing sense of injustice and alienation due to actions of this Punjab-dominated state, make people from Punjab prime targets for insurgents.

RBI to launch Unified Lending Interface: What is it and how will it benefit borrowers

According to the RBI Governor, the ULI platform will facilitate a seamless and consent-based flow of digital information, and reduce the time taken for credit appraisal, especially for smaller and rural borrowers.

Written by Hitesh Vyas

Mumbai | Updated: August 27, 2024 09:04 IST

RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das addresses the inaugural session of ‘Global Conference on DPI and Emerging Technologies’, in Bengaluru, Monday, Aug. 26, 2024. (PTI Photo)

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das on Monday said that a nationwide launch of the Unified Lending Interface (ULI) will happen in due course. Similar to Unified Payment Interface (UPI), which has revolutionised the retail payment system in the country, ULI will transform the lending landscape.

What has RBI Governor announced?

In August last year, the RBI launched a pilot project for a public tech platform for frictionless credit, as announced It is aimed to bring about efficiency in the lending process in terms of reduction of costs, quicker disbursement, and scalability.

The RBI Governor on Monday proposed to call the tech platform for frictionless credit as Unified Lending Interface (ULI). He said just like UPI transformed the payments ecosystem, he expects that ULI will play a similar role in transforming the lending space in the country.

What is Unified Lending Interface?

With rapid progress in digitalisation, India has embraced the concept of digital public infrastructure which encourages banks, NBFCs, fintech companies and start-ups to create and provide innovative solutions in payments, credit, and other financial activities.

For digital credit delivery, the data required for credit appraisal are available with different entities like Central and State governments, account aggregators, banks, credit information companies and digital identity authorities. However, these data sets are in separate systems, creating hindrance in frictionless and timely delivery of rule-based lending.

The RBI Governor said that ULI platform will facilitate a seamless and consent-based flow of digital information, including land records of various states, from multiple data service providers to lenders. It will cut down the time taken for credit appraisal, especially for smaller and rural borrowers.

He said that the ULI architecture has common and standardised APIs (Application Programming Interface), designed for a ‘plug and play’ approach to ensure digital access to information from diverse sources.

The platform will reduce the complexity of multiple technical integrations, and will enable borrowers to get the benefit of seamless delivery of credit, and quicker turnaround time without requiring extensive documentation.

“In sum, by digitising access to customer’s financial and non-financial data that otherwise resided in disparate silos, ULI is expected to cater to large unmet demand for credit across various sectors, particularly for agricultural and MSME borrowers,” Das emphasised.

“The ‘new trinity’ of JAM-UPI-ULI will be a revolutionary step forward in India’s digital infrastructure journey,” he stated.

The JAM (Jan Dhan, Aadhar and Mobile) trinity is a tool used by the government to transfer cash benefits directly to the bank account of the beneficiary.

What is Unified Payment Interface?

Unified Payments Interface or UPI is a real-time payment system launched in India in April 2016 by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI). It is a system that powers multiple bank accounts into a single mobile application (of any participating bank), merging several banking features, seamless fund routing & merchant payments into one hood.

UPI also caters to the “Peer to Peer” collect request which can be scheduled and paid as per requirement and convenience. It helps in immediate money transfer through mobile device round the clock. It allows a single mobile application for accessing different bank accounts.

UPI has played a significant role in the growth of retail digital payments in the country. While initial participants on the UPI platform were banks, non-bank third-party app providers and use of QR (quick-response) codes have all combined in popularising UPI.

It has emerged as a robust, cost effective and portable retail payment system and is attracting active interest across the globe.

RHFL fraud: Why has Sebi fined Anil Ambani and banned him from the market?

SEBI has also slapped a Rs 25 crore fine on Ambani for orchestrating a fraudulent scheme that adversely affected RHFL’s stakeholders, as well as confidence in the integrity of governance structures in regulated financial sector entities.

Written by Hitesh Vyas

Mumbai | Updated: August 26, 2024 20:21 IST

Anil Ambani, ADAG Chairman, in 2017. (Express Photo)

Securities markets regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has banned ADAG chairman Anil Ambani and 24 other entities, including former key managerial personnel (KMPs) of Reliance Home Finance Ltd (RHFL), from the securities market for five years for diversion of funds from the company.

Sebi has also slapped a Rs 25 crore fine on Ambani for orchestrating a fraudulent scheme that adversely affected RHFL’s stakeholders, as well as confidence in the integrity of governance structures in regulated financial sector entities. The total penalty imposed on Ambani and the other 24 entities works out to more than Rs 625 crore.

The RHFL case

Sebi opened an investigation into RHFL, a non-banking finance company (NBFC) focused on housing loans, loans against property, and construction finance after receiving multiple complaints/ reports of alleged diversion or siphoning of funds within the company.

The major promoter of RHFL was Reliance Capital Ltd (RCL), with a shareholding of 47.91%. Ambani was the promoter and non-executive and non-independent director of RCL during FY2018-19.

Sebi found that loans extended by RHFL to corporates increased from Rs 3,742.60 crore in 2017-18 to Rs 8,670.80 crore in 2018-19. It found that through FY2018-19, RHFL disbursed a series of large general purpose working capital (GPC) loans to nondescript borrowers with extremely weak financials.

These borrowers had negative or negligible net worth, profits, assets, cash flows, and businesses. Inexplicably, no collateral or security or assurance was recorded while disbursing these loans, Sebi has said in its detailed, 222-page order.

The order has noted that as per information submitted by RHFL, the company had disbursed 97 GPC loans amounting to Rs 8,470.65 crore to 45 borrower entities during FY2018-19. An analysis of 70 loan applications for GPC loans worth Rs 6,187 crore showed that as many as 62 applications were approved on the same date and, in 27 cases, the loan too, was disbursed to the account of the borrower entity on the date of application.

On February 11, 2019, the RHFL board explicitly instructed the company to desist from disbursing any more GPC loans. However, RHFL continued to disburse such loans with the approval of Ambani in his capacity as Group Head, even though he was an outsider to RHFL.

“…Noticee No. 2 (Anil Ambani) approved 14 loan applications involving an amount of Rs 1,472.16 crore in his capacity as Chairman of Reliance ADA Group during a period of just over 1.5 months (between February 11, 2019 – March 31, 2019),” the regulator has said.

Sebi’s observations

Even though around half the assets of RHFL as of March 31, 2019 were in the form of GPC loans disbursed to dubious and credit-unworthy entities, RHFL’s FY18-19 financials projected a very low Expected Credit Loss (ECL), the Sebi order says. ECL is a bank’s internal estimate of anticipated future losses on a loan exposure due to default, which is expected to occur during the normal course of business.

In approving the GPC loans, in many cases, RHFL inexplicably, repeatedly, and widely deviated from standard credit due diligence and processes, Sebi has found.

“Investigation in the matter has concluded that the Noticees (Ambani and 24 other entities) were involved in perpetrating a fraudulent scheme by disbursing GPC ‘loans’ resulting in erosion of the company’s finances due to such loans eventually being declared NPA,” the order says.

The transfer of monies, structured as GPC loans, were directly or indirectly made to entities that were related to the Reliance ADA Group, the order says.

“The abrupt and thoroughly irregular manner in which ‘loans’ were disbursed, the evidence of senior officials having canvassed for disbursing loans to such entities, the absolute lack of interest in recovering the dues, and Anil Ambani’s own involvement in approving such ‘loans’ all point to the pressing desire on their part to transfer funds one way or another,” it says.

“Coupled with this, the ownership and management pattern of these companies (both lender and borrowers) leads to the conclusion that the ‘loans’ were motivated by Noticee No. 2’s (Anil Ambani) direct or indirect benefit through fund transfers to these companies,” it says.

Anil Ambani’s response

Anil Ambani is exploring legal options after Sebi banned him from the stock market for five years and imposed a fine of Rs 25 crore, according to a statement from his spokesperson.

Ambani’s spokesperson stated that he had resigned from the boards of Reliance Infrastructure and Reliance Power in the wake of Sebi’s interim order dated February 11, 2022 and “is in compliance with the said interim order for the last two and a half years”.

He is now reviewing the final order dated August 22, 2024 and will take appropriate action as advised, the statement from the spokesperson said.

What was the Great Moon Hoax of 1835, which claimed winged humans lived on the Moon?

In 1835, The New York Sun published the first of six stories describing in breathtaking detail the purported discovery of life on the moon. The catch – none of this was true. Here’s what happened.

Written by Anagha Jayakumar

New Delhi | Updated: August 26, 2024 15:25 IST

A lithograph of the scenes conjured up through the hoax about life on Moon, as printed in The Sun. (Via Wikimedia Commons)

On August 25, 1835, the American newspaper The New York Sun published the first of six articles detailing unprecedented astronomical discoveries – most notably that life had been discovered on the moon.

In a period when great astronomical discoveries were being made, it would have passed for pioneering scientific research, if not for the sheer audacity and outrageousness of the claims made.

What was intended as a journalistic exercise in satire snowballed worldwide over the next few weeks, becoming a colossal prank gone wrong. It also highlighted the power wielded by the press at a time when few trustworthy sources of information were readily available. Here’s what happened.

What did the articles claim?

The Sun’s news reports referred to new scholarly research authored by Sir John Herschel in the Edinburgh Journal of Science, a journal which incidentally ceased all publication months before the stories came out, and claimed he had built a telescope “of vast dimensions and an entirely new principle.”

His being the son of William Herschel, an eminent philosopher who had discovered the planet Uranus in 1781, added to his credibility.

The paper said, “The younger Herschel, at his observatory in the Southern Hemisphere, has already made the most extraordinary discoveries in every planet of our solar system; has discovered planets in other solar systems; has obtained a distinct view of objects in the moon… has affirmatively settled the question whether this satellite be inhabited, and by what order of beings; has firmly established a new theory of cometary phenomena; and has solved or corrected nearly every leading problem of mathematical astronomy.”

The reports described how Herschel had reportedly sighted forests and plants with a few mammals such as miniature bison and beavers that stood upright, single-horned goats birds, and even unicorns.

The most outrageous of all the claims was the “sighting” of human beings with bat-like wings, which they designated Vespertilio-homo or man-bats. The newspaper also carried illustrations to reinforce these ideas.

The final installment described how the endeavour came to an untimely end as the telescopic lens caught fire from concentrated solar rays, disrupting all research.

How and why was this hoax conceived?

The New York Sun was a daily newspaper based in New York City, circulated between 1833 and 1950. Costing a penny, it had a wider readership than its costlier counterparts, which were targeted at the elites. The New York Sun also popularised the use of newsboys announcing the headlines and hawking newspapers to sell on the street.

When publisher Richard Adam Locke joined The Sun, its readership had fallen to 8,000 copies a day. He used the opportunity to try to ridicule the increasing influence of religion in scientific discovery at the time, specifically the field of “religious astronomy”.

Locke was reportedly inspired by Reverend Thomas Dick, a British church minister who had estimated that the Solar System was home to over 21 trillion inhabitants, with the moon alone housing 4.2 billion of these.

How were these articles received?

The news reports were widely read and reproduced in competing newspapers, with The New Yorker saying, “The promulgation of these discoveries creates a new era in astronomy and science generally.” The New York Times raved about the articles and said that “the account of the wonderful discoveries in the moon… are all probable and plausible, and have an air of intense verisimilitude.”

Some like The Philadelphia Inquirer took a neutral tone, saying, “It is not worthwhile for us to express an opinion as to the truth or falsity of the narrative, as our readers can, after an attentive perusal of the whole story, decide for themselves. Whether true or false, the article is written with consummate ability, and possesses intense interest.”

On September 16, 1835, The Sun finally admitted that the articles had been a hoax. This did not affect its readership, which swelled with every passing day.

Locke’s intention seemed to have gone completely undetected thus far. Matthew Goodman, the author of The Sun and the Moon, told the BBC, “What he had not anticipated – and this is the great irony of the moon hoax – was that the people of New York, and subsequently America generally, had been so schooled in these ideas of the religious astronomers that when these articles came out, they simply believed them… because it was so much like what they had already been reading.”

Author Edgar Allan Poe was one of the most prominent voices to critique the stories, taking offence to the similarities between the articles and his fictional story, “The Unparalleled Adventure of One Hans Pfaall”, also published by Locke. In his story, Poe describes the lead character’s voyage to the moon in a hot air balloon.

Poe was reportedly both impressed at the scale of the hoax and disappointed at its unironic acceptance by the masses, saying, “A grave professor of mathematics in a Virginia college told me seriously that he had no doubt of the truth of the whole affair!” (The Complete Works of Edgar Allan Poe)

All about Singapore’s $2.3 billion money laundering scandal, in which Chinese nationals have been arrested

Exactly one year after the scandal broke, Singapore authorities arrested finance professionals in connection with the case. The case raises questions about the city-state’s stature as a global financial hub.

Written by Anagha Jayakumar

New Delhi | Updated: August 26, 2024 11:59 IST

The city-state, also called the “Switzerland of Asia,” was named the world’s best place to do business by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) in April 2024. (File Photo - New York Times)

A year after a major money laundering scandal emerged in Singapore, authorities arrested two former bank relationship managers on August 14. This marks the first criminal action against finance professionals in the S$3 billion (US$ 2.3 billion) case.

Chinese nationals Wang Qiming and Liu Kai were accused of helping their wealthy foreign clients launder money through real estate and cryptocurrencies. Qiming, a former employee of Citibank Singapore, was charged with 10 counts, including forgery and money laundering in the range of S$500,000 (US$ 379,708).

Kai, formerly with Bank Julius Baer and Co, has been accused of aiding a convicted money launderer in submitting a forged Chinese tax document to open a Swiss bank account.

What exactly happened? And does the case have any implications for Singapore, one of the major financial centres in the world? We explain.

What is the Singapore money laundering case?

On August 15, 2023, Singapore Police conducted raids and arrested 10 people of Chinese origin on suspicion of engaging in money laundering and fraudulent activity. All held multiple passports from countries such as Cambodia, Dominica, Cyprus and Vanuatu, violating China’s law against dual citizenship.

The 10 people were implicated on charges such as forging documents and money laundering. Authorities suspected that the money they attempted to show as having legitimate sources was connected with illegal online gambling and unlicensed money-lending operations outside Singapore.

Major banks, property agents and precious metal traders have been implicated in the case. The police seized 94 properties and 50 vehicles, worth over S$815 million, as well as jewellery and alcohol. Additionally, they recovered cash, including foreign currencies, amounting to more than S$23 million. All 10 people arrested lived in luxury condominiums.

According to Bloomberg, the 10 accused people, along with their companies and associates, held over S$370 million with a big portion in major banks. Credit Suisse held S$79.6 million, Citigroup S$79.3 million and United Overseas Bank S$41.6 million.

What are the implications of this scam?

For long, Singapore has had a reputation as an economic supercentre. The city-state, also called the “Switzerland of Asia,” was named the world’s best place to do business by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) in April 2024. It is well-regarded for its low tax rates and strategic location in proximity to key markets in the Asia-Pacific region.

Decades of socio-economic reforms powered its growth, aimed at correcting Singapore’s apparent disadvantages — its small geographical area with a lack of viable natural resources and a poor unskilled labour force early on.

By 1984, Singapore had established itself as Asia’s third-most important financial centre with its footing strongly established in portfolio management, foreign exchange and other financial and business services. Today, Singapore is recognised as a global fintech hub.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, too, many ultra-wealthy individuals relocated to benefit from Singapore’s relatively loose controls and favourable tax policies. The country notably runs a global investment programme allowing individuals to earn permanent residency if they invest a minimum amount in the country.

With low rates of crime and corruption being reported and its cultural proximity to China, Singapore has become a refuge favoured by Chinese individuals looking to escape increasingly authoritarian policies on corruption and private industry.

However, as the BBC reported, the ongoing case “has spotlighted the country’s struggle with welcoming the super wealthy, without also becoming a destination for ill-gotten gains.”

The report also noted the challenge and inherent contradiction places like Singapore face in wanting to encourage the growth of trade and commerce, while also maintaining transparency. For instance, it said that Singapore does not limit the amount of cash that can be carried in and out of the country, only requiring a declaration if the sum exceeds S$20,000.

Such measures incentivise high-net-worth individuals and companies to move to the country, but they also make illicit dealings easier. Singapore Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam has earlier said, “We can’t close the window, because if we did that, then legitimate funds will also not be able to come. And legitimate business also can’t be done, or becomes very difficult to do…” he said.

In the present case too, the absence of coordination across banks and their existing client review processes has shown to be inadequate. Over the past year, banks have increased their scrutiny and terminated accounts of “high-risk” clients, although the move could potentially discourage Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) flows.

The scandal has also affected the reputation of the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) with a series of political scandals coming to light recently, including a corruption investigation into the transport minister this year, and the investigation of two cabinet ministers for allegedly renting out state-owned bungalows in 2023.

Badlapur sexual abuse case: Can political parties exercise their right to protest to call for a bandh?

In the past, the SC has held that the rights to freedom of speech and expression and to assemble peaceably without arms gives people the right to protest peacefully. However, the court has often been tasked with balancing the right to protest with the ‘reasonable restriction’ of maintaining public order.

Written by Omkar Gokhale , Ajoy Sinha Karpuram

Mumbai, New Delhi | Updated: August 26, 2024 14:59 IST

Shiv Sena UBT leader Arvind Sawant participates in a demonstration against the alleged sexual assault of two four-year-old school children at Badlapur in Mumbai on August 21, 2024. (Express photo by Sankhadeep Banerjee)

The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance in Maharashtra withdrew its calls for a statewide ‘bandh’ on Saturday (August 24) to protest the alleged sexual assault against minors in Badlapur.

The decision followed a Bombay High Court order on Friday that said, “Until further orders, all concerned are restrained from proceeding with the call for bandh in the State of Maharashtra on 24th August 2024 or any other subsequent date”. The opposition MVA then staged a statewide silent protest.

Why did the high court call off the bandh? And why have courts refused to recognise bandhs as a valid expression of the right to protest in the past?

Why Bombay HC ordered against Maharashtra bandh

The bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Amit Borkar highlighted the impact that a bandh would have on the economy and public services after taking note of news reports saying “the local trains, buses and roads shall be closed.”

The court stated that a bandh was a “call for cessation of all kinds of activities” and that “it may lead to crippling the life of entire Maharashtra”. Referring to past Supreme Court and high court verdicts, it added that such a bandh would adversely impact emergency services and public conveniences.

The high court also provided its reasoning for passing this order without first hearing MVA in court, stating it was not possible to send notice and hear all the parties due to “paucity of time”. The bandh was to come into effect the day after the hearing.

Speaking with The Indian Express, Advocate Gautam Bhatia, a public law expert, criticised the court’s decision, stating, “It appears to me that the right to call for bandh is enshrined under Article 19 (1) (a) (right to freedom of speech and expression) of the Constitution and calling for bandh per se is not a violation of public order. In my opinion, it was not correct to restrain the political parties from calling Maharashtra bandh”.

Bhatia also observed that the burden of maintaining public order should fall on the police rather than the courts, saying, “It is the state police’s job to address the issue and maintain law and order”.

Supreme Court on the right to protest

When dealing with cases concerning the right to protest in the past, the Supreme Court has traced it to Article 19(1) of the Constitution of India. Specifically, it has held that the right to freedom of speech and expression and to assemble peacefully without arms gives people the right to protest peacefully.

However, the court has often been tasked with balancing it with the “reasonable restriction” of maintaining public order under Article 19(2).

In 2011, the Supreme Court took suo motu cognisance of the Ramlila Maidan incident of June 4 that year. The police forcibly evicted sleeping protesters who supported Baba Ramdev’s hunger strike against corruption.

The apex court condemned the imposition of Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code, which allows a Magistrate to issue an order directing persons to “abstain from a certain act” to prevent, among other things, “disturbance of the public tranquillity, or a riot, or an affray”.

The SC also issued guidelines saying that seeking police permission to conduct protests “would squarely fall within the regulatory mechanism of reasonable restrictions, contemplated under Articles 19(2) and 19(3)”. It held that Section 144 should only be imposed when the facts show a need to maintain public order, and the police should act in a manner which causes the “least invasion” of the rights of protestors.

In 2020, protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act resulted in a road closure in New Delhi. The court then held, “However, while appreciating the existence of the right to peaceful protest against a legislation… we have to make it unequivocally clear that public ways and public spaces cannot be occupied in such a manner and that too indefinitely”.

The difference between a ‘bandh’ and other protests

While courts have established guidelines for the right to protest, a more hardline stance has been adopted on ‘bandhs’.

In July 1997, the Kerala High Court defined a ‘bandh’, stating “When the organisers call for a bandh, they clearly express their intention that they expect all activities to come to a standstill on the day of the bundh…”

The court said this is often accompanied by a “concerned person being threatened with consequences…if he went for his work or if he kept his shop open”, which violates the rights to move freely and practise any profession (Article 19), as well as the right to life with dignity (Article 21).

Political parties like the Communist Party of India (Marxist) argued that the court should not declare the act of calling for a bandh unconstitutional as it is a manifestation of the right to protest.

But the court held, “No political party or organisation can claim that it is entitled to paralyse the industry and commerce in the entire State or Nation and is entitled to prevent the ‘citizens not in sympathy with its view point, from exercising their fundamental rights”. It said calling for a bandh was illegal and unconstitutional.

This decision was challenged in the Supreme Court and later upheld. The bench stated, “There cannot be any doubt that the fundamental rights of the people as a whole cannot be subservient to the claim of fundamental right of an individual or only a section of the people… the High Court has rightly concluded that there cannot be any right to call or enforce a “bandh””.

In its 2004 judgment in the B G Deshmukh case, the Bombay High Court relied on these decisions to hold that any party or organisation calling for a bandh will be sent a notice stating they will be “liable for legal action and compensation for loss of life, injury or for loss livelihood due to ‘bandh’”.

Senior advocate Shrihari Aney, a former Advocate General of Maharashtra, said bandhs have “no legal sanction as per common law principles.” He added, “People have a right to protest, but there is no such thing as an unbridled right of protest under civil law. Therefore, it is fallacious for political parties to say that their rights are stopped, as they do not have such a legislated statutory right of protest”.

What is Hezbollah and what do we know about its military capabilities?

Israel and the Lebanon-based militant group Hezbollah saw a major exchange of fire on Sunday, raising concerns over another front of conflict opening up in the Middle East.

By: Explained Desk

New Delhi | Updated: August 26, 2024 11:59 IST

A view shows smoke on the Lebanese side of the border with Israel, after Israel said it had noted armed group Hezbollah preparing to attack Israel and had carried out pre-emptive strikes on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, as seen from Tyre, southern Lebanon August 25, 2024. (REUTERS/Aziz Taher)

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) and Lebanon-based militant group Hezbollah exchanged fire in the early hours of Sunday (August 25), in one of the largest cross-border attacks in months.

Ever since the Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, the Iran-backed Hezbollah has pledged allegiance to the Palestinian cause and opposed Israel’s ongoing military offensive in Gaza.

On Sunday, the group reportedly launched hundreds of rockets and drones, while Israel said it sent 100 jets to thwart a bigger attack. Hezbollah’s offensive was in retaliation for Israel assassinating Hezbollah senior commander Fuad Shukr in July this year.

While Hezbollah reported three casualties, Israel said it had none. According to a Reuters report, Hezbollah indicated it was not planning further strikes. Israel’s Foreign Minister also said the country did not seek a full-scale war. Fears of another front of the Israeli-Hamas conflict opening up have loomed in the region for months now.

On Sunday, Hezbollah deployed a wide range of weapons, from Katyusha rockets to anti-tank missiles. Here is what we know about the group and its arsenal.

What is Hezbollah?

Hezbollah translates to “Party of God”. The think tank Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) has previously described it as “The world’s most heavily armed non-state actor, with a large and diverse stockpile of unguided artillery rockets, as well as ballistic, antiair, antitank, and antiship missiles.”

In modern history, Lebanon was under a French mandate until 1943. After it ended, important official posts, such as Prime Minister and President of the country, were reserved for people of particular religious denominations given the diversity within the population.

Hezbollah originated during the Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990), which was a result of “long-simmering discontent over the large, armed Palestinian presence in the country”, according to the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR).

Lebanon borders Israel to its north. Amid its internal ethnic and religious divisions, the arrival of Palestinian refugees from 1948 onwards — after the creation of Israel as a state for Jewish people that year — led to added tensions. Israeli forces invaded southern Lebanon in 1978 and again in 1982 to expel Palestinian guerrilla fighters.

Hezbollah was formed around this time, inspired by the formation of a theocratic Islamic government in Iran in 1979. Iran and its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) also provided funding to the group.

What are Hezbollah’s aims?

It opposes Israel and Western influence in the Middle East. Hezbollah’s positioning also reflects West Asia’s two major powers and their rivalry – the Sunni Muslim-dominated Saudi Arabia and the majority Shia Muslim-dominated Iran. The US, which is a staunch ally of Israel and Saudi Arabia, estimates that Iran supplies hundreds of millions of dollars in funding to Hezbollah and that it has thousands of fighters.

Hezbollah became more visible in Lebanese politics in the mid-2000s and currently holds 13 of the 128 seats in the country’s Parliament. Along with its allies, it forms the ruling government. But in recent years, many in Lebanon have protested against it amid worsening poverty, unemployment and government debt.

What do we know about Hezbollah’s arsenal?

Hezbollah has kept under wraps the exact nature of its capabilities over the years. Much of what is known comes from statements by the group and its leader, Hasan Nasrallah, according to The Washington Post. He has said his fighters have only used “a portion of our weapons” in their attacks over the last few months.

According to CSIS, “The party’s arsenal is comprised primarily of small, man-portable, unguided artillery rockets. Although these devices lack precision, their sheer number makes them effective weapons of terror.” Israeli estimates peg the number at 15,000 rockets and missiles on the eve of the 2006 war fought between Israel and Hezbollah. “Hezbollah has since expanded its rocket force, today estimated at 130,000 rounds,” it added.

Nasrallah has also said the biggest change in Hezbollah’s arsenal since 2006 has been the expansion of its precision guidance systems.

The US Central Intelligence Agency’s (CIA) World Factbook says Hezbollah was estimated in 2022 to have up to 45,000 fighters, roughly 20,000 of them full-time.

Hezbollah said it had fired 320 Katyusha rockets towards Israel and hit 11 military targets on Sunday. Made by the Soviet Union originally, the Katyushas can travel up to 25 miles (around 40km).

The group also has rockets of Iranian models, such as Raad (Arabic for Thunder), Fajr (Dawn) and Zilzal (Earthquake) rockets, which have a more powerful payload and longer range than Katyushas. According to a CNN report, Zilzal-1 has a 125-60km range, the longest among all rockets and missiles.

Iranian-made Falaq 2 rockets can carry a bigger warhead than the previously used Falaq 1 and have a range of around 10 to 11 km.

Further, Hezbollah has used the Russian-made anti-tank Kornet missiles, as well as an Iranian-made guided missile known as “al-Mas”.

Additionally, the group has Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), such as the Iran-made Shahed-129 has a 2,000km range.

(With inputs from Reuters)

Luxury yacht sinks off Sicily: what questions must investigators answer?

One week after a luxury yacht sank off the coast of Italy, the investigators seeking answers about the shipwreck face questions about extreme weather and possible human error or problems with the yacht itself.

By: New York Times

New Delhi | Updated: August 26, 2024 11:59 IST

The $40 million sailing yacht sank within minutes and with fatal results: seven dead, including British technology billionaire Michael Lynch, his teenage daughter, four of Lynch’s friends and a member of the crew. (Reuters Photo - Louiza Vradi)

Written by Alan Yuhas

More than 180 feet long, with a mast towering about 240 feet and a keel that could be lowered for greater stability, the Bayesian luxury yacht did not, in the eyes of its maker, have the vulnerabilities of a ship that would easily sink.

“It drives me insane,” Giovanni Costantino, CEO of the Italian Sea Group, which in 2022 bought the company that made the ship, said after its wreck last week. “Following all the proper procedures, that boat is unsinkable.”

But the $40 million sailing yacht sank within minutes and with fatal results: seven dead, including British technology billionaire Michael Lynch, his teenage daughter, four of Lynch’s friends and a member of the crew. Fifteen people, including the captain, escaped on a lifeboat.

Lynch had invited family, friends and part of his legal team on a cruise in the Mediterranean to celebrate his acquittal in June of fraud charges tied to the sale of his company to tech giant Hewlett-Packard.

Italian authorities have opened a manslaughter investigation, searching for answers from the survivors, the manufacturer and the wreck itself. They face a range of questions and possible factors.

An ‘earthquake’ in the sky?

When the Bayesian sank around 4 a.m. Monday, the waters in its area, about half a mile off the Sicilian port of Porticello, were transformed by an extremely sudden and violent storm, according to fishermen, a captain in the area and meteorologists.

But what kind of storm is still a mystery, compounded by the fact that a sailing schooner anchored nearby did not have its own disaster. Also unclear is whether the crew was aware that Italian authorities had issued general warnings about bad weather the night before.

Karsten Börner, the captain of the nearby passenger ship, said he’d had to steady his ship during “really violent” winds. During the storm, he said, the Bayesian seemed to disappear behind his ship.

Severe lightning and strong gusts were registered by the Italian air force’s Center for Aerospace Meteorology and Climatology, according to Attilio Di Diodato, its director. “It was very intense and brief in duration,” he said.

The yacht, he said, had most likely been hit by a fierce downburst — a blast of powerful wind surging down during a thunderstorm — or by a waterspout, a phenomenon similar to a tornado over water. His agency put out rough-sea warnings the previous evening, alerting sailors about storms and strong winds.

Locals have said the winds “felt like an earthquake,” and a fisherman in Porticello told an Italian newspaper he had seen a waterspout shortly before 4 a.m., and a flare go off around 4:10. He ventured to the site once the weather had calmed about 20 minutes later, he said, finding only cushions and planks.

What if the hatches or doors were left open?

Costantino has argued that the Bayesian was an extremely safe vessel that could list even to 75 degrees without capsizing. His company, the Italian Sea Group, in 2022 bought the yacht’s manufacturer, Perini Navi, which launched the ship in 2008.

Costantino said that if some of the hatches on the side and in the stern, or some of the deck doors, had been open, the boat could have taken on water and sunk. Standard procedure in such storms, he said, would be to switch on the engine, lift the anchor and turn the boat into the wind, lowering the keel for extra stability, closing doors and gathering the guests in the main hall inside the deck.

At a news conference Saturday, investigators said the yacht had sunk at an angle, with its stern — where the heavy engine was — having gone down first. The wreck was found lying on its right side at the bottom of a bay, about 165 feet deep.

Water pouring into open hatches or doors could have contributed to the sinking, experts say, but that on its own may not account for the speed at which such a large boat vanished underwater.

Asked about the hatches at the news conference, authorities declined to comment on whether they had been found open at the wreck.

Authorities have also not specified whether the boat had been anchored, whether it was under power at the time or whether its sails had been unfurled.

Could human error have possibly played a role?

Ambrogio Cartosio, the prosecutor in charge of the case, said at the news conference that it was “plausible” crimes had been committed, but that investigators had not zeroed in on any potential suspects.

“There could be responsibilities of the captain only,” he said. “There could be responsibilities of the whole crew. There could be responsibilities of the boat makers. Or there could be responsibilities of those who were in charge of surveilling the boat.”

It remains unclear what kind of emergency training or preparation took place before the disaster, or what kind of coordination there was during it. So far, none of the surviving crew members have made a public statement about what happened the night the ship sank.

Prosecutors said they want to ask more questions of the captain and crew, who have been in a Sicilian hotel with other survivors. They said that neither alcohol nor drug tests had been performed on crew members, and that they have been allowed to leave Italy.

Prosecutors also said they were also investigating why the captain, an experienced sailor, left the sinking boat while some passengers were still on board.

Besides possible manslaughter charges, authorities are investigating the possibility of a negligently caused shipwreck.

The bodies of five passengers were found in one cabin, on the left side of the yacht, authorities said. The five were most likely trying to flee to the higher side of the boat and were probably sleeping when the boat started to sink, they said.

Chile’s Atacama salt flat sinking due to lithium mining: What a new study says

Lithium, also known as 'white gold', is one of the most sought-after metals on Earth. However, over the years, research has shown that lithium mining has had severe environmental fallouts, especially in countries such as Chile which are the leading producers of the metal

By: Explained Desk

New Delhi | Updated: August 26, 2024 12:00 IST

A brine pool reflects clouds at a lithium mine in the Atacama salt flat, close to San Pedro de Atacama area, Antofagasta region, Chile May 4, 2023. REUTERS/Ivan Alvarado

According to a new study, Chile’s Atacama salt flat is sinking at a rate of 1 to 2 centimetres per year due to lithium brine extraction — a process in which salt-rich water is pumped to the surface and into a series of evaporation ponds to eventually obtain lithium.

The study, which was published in the journal IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing last week, was carried out by researchers at the University of Chile.

In an interview with Reuters, Francisco Delgado, the lead author of the analysis, said that the sinking area is in the southwest part of the salt flat where lithium miners operate.

Lithium, also known as “white gold”, is one of the most sought-after metals on Earth. It is used in rechargeable batteries, which power not only laptops and mobile phones but also electric vehicles — a crucial part of the world’s plan to tackle climate change. However, over the years, research has shown that lithium mining has had severe environmental fallouts, especially in countries such as Chile which are the leading producers of the metal.

Here is a look at the findings of the new study and the impact of lithium mining on Chile’s biodiversity.

What does the new study say?

For their study, the researchers at the University of Chile analysed the satellite data collected between 2020 and 2023 to see deformations in the Earth’s crust of Atacama salt flat — one of the largest sources of lithium in the world.

The researchers noted that the worst affected areas are those where mining companies are doing most of their pumping of lithium-rich brine.

That is happening because the pumping takes place at a faster rate than the recharge of aquifers, leading to subsidence, or the downward vertical movement of the Earth’s surface, Delgado told Reuters.

The affected area measures approximately 8 km north to south and 5 km east to west, according to the study.

What are the fallouts of lithium mining?

The brine evaporation method used to produce lithium requires massive quantities of fresh water, which is already scarce, especially in the Atacama Desert. In the Atacama, it takes 2,000 tons of water to produce one ton of lithium, according to a 2020 study by Ingrid Garcés, a scientist at Chile’s University of Antofagasta. This leaves indigenous communities and wildlife living in the region parched.

Chemicals such as sulfuric acid and sodium hydroxide that are used for lithium extraction contaminate soil and water, poisoning ecosystems and endangering species.

A 2022 study found that lithium mining has led to a decline in the number of flamingos in the area — due to a drop in water levels in the Atacama, fewer flamingos are reproducing.

(With inputs from Reuters)

Centre announces Unified Pension Scheme: How will UPS differ from OPS, NPS?

Former Finance Secretary T V Somanathan, who led the committee which came up with the UPS, said that the latest pension scheme incorporates the best elements of both the NPS and the OPS. Here is how it will work

Written by Harikishan Sharma

New Delhi | Updated: August 26, 2024 11:58 IST

Finance Secretary T. V. Somanathan during a media briefing on the Cabinet's decision on UPS, in New Delhi, Saturday, Aug. 24, 2024. (PTI Photo/Ravi Choudhary)

The Union Cabinet on Saturday (August 24) approved the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS), which will provide government employees with assured pension after retirement. The scheme will be effective from April 1, 2025, according to the government’s announcement.

Over the last few years, the political opposition has tapped into the unhappiness of government employees about the National Pension Scheme (NPS), which is popularly known as the new pension scheme. The Congress governments in Himachal Pradesh in 2023, and Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh in 2022, as well as the AAP government in Punjab (in 2022) have reverted to the Old Pension Scheme (OPS).

The Cabinet’s announcement of a novel pension scheme is a major political signal ahead of the Assembly elections in Jammu & Kashmir, Haryana, Maharashtra, and Jharkhand.

What does the UPS entail?

Most importantly, the UPS promises retirees a fixed pension, unlike the NPS. This was one of the major criticisms of the NPS. According to the government’s notification, the UPS has five key features:

Assured pension: This would amount to 50% of the employee’s average basic pay drawn over the last 12 months before superannuation for a minimum qualifying service of 25 years. The amount would proportionately go down for a smaller service period, up to a minimum of 10 years of service.

Assured minimum pension: In the case of superannuation after a minimum 10 years of service, the UPS provides for an assured minimum pension of Rs 10,000 per month.

Assured family pension: Upon a retiree’s death, their immediate family would be eligible for 60% of the pension last drawn by the retiree.

Inflation indexation: Dearness relief will be available on these three kinds of pensions, which will be calculated based on the All India Consumer Price Index for Industrial Workers, as is the case with serving employees.

Lumpsum payment at superannuation: This will be in addition to gratuity, and will be calculated as 1/10th of the monthly emolument (pay plus dearness allowance) on the date of superannuation for every six months of service completed.

What was the NPS, and why was it introduced?

The NPS replaced the OPS on January 1, 2004 as part of the Centre’s effort to reform India’s pension policies. Those joining government service after this date were put under the NPS.

Under the OPS, pension to government employees both at the Centre and the states was fixed at 50% of the last drawn basic pay, like it is in the proposed UPS. In addition, there was Dearness Relief — calculated as a percentage of the basic salary — to adjust for the increase in the cost of living.

The NPS was introduced by the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government because of a fundamental problem with the OPS — that it was unfunded, i.e., there was no corpus specifically for pension. Over time, this led to the government’s pension liability to balloon to fiscally unhealthy, if not unsustainable, levels. With better healthcare facilities leading to longer average lifespans, the OPS could not have continued in the long run.

Data show that over the last three decades, the pension liabilities of the Centre and states have jumped manifold. In 1990-91, the Centre’s pension bill was Rs 3,272 crore, and that of all states put together was Rs 3,131 crore. By 2020-21, the Centre’s pensions bill had jumped 58 times to Rs 1,90,886 crore; for states, it had shot up 125 times to Rs 3,86,001 crore.

How does NPS work, and what was the basis for the opposition to it?

The NPS was different from OPS in two fundamental ways. First, it did away with an assured pension. Second, it would be funded by the employee himself/ herself, along with a matching contribution by the government. The defined contribution comprised 10 per cent of the basic pay and dearness allowance by the employee and the government’s contribution of 14 per cent (now proposed to be increased to 18.5 per cent). Individuals under NPS can choose from a range of schemes from low risk to high risk, and pension fund managers promoted by public sector banks and financial institutions, as well as private companies.

Schemes under the NPS are offered by nine pension fund managers — sponsored by SBI, LIC, UTI, HDFC, ICICI, Kotak Mahindra, Aditya Birla, Tata, and Max. The risk profiles of the schemes vary from ‘low’ to ‘very high’.

For government employees, the NPS not only gave lower assured returns, it also implied employee contributions — which was not the case with the OPS. This was what drove the opposition to the NPS.

In the wake of persistent demands for a return to OPS, Prime Minister Narendra Modi constituted a committee under the chairmanship of then Finance Secretary (and now Cabinet Secretary) T V Somanathan in 2023. This committee held more than 100 meetings with different organisations and states. The recommendations of this committee have now resulted in the announcement of the UPS.

Who can avail of the UPS?

The UPS will be applicable to all those who have retired under the NPS from 2004 onwards, Somanathan said on Saturday. “In their case (NPS retirees), they will get arrears adjusted with whatever they have already drawn under the NPS,” he said.

“I think in over 99 per cent of cases it will be better to go into the UPS [rather than the NPS]… to the best of my knowledge, almost nobody will want to remain in the NPS, but if there is somebody we are leaving options with them,” he said.

Simply put, employees can still opt to remain under the NPS, but it is unlikely to be beneficial to them. However, an employee can only opt for once. once opted, the option can not be changed.

Currently, the new scheme is for central government employees, but states can adopt it as well, Somanathan said.

What about the fiscal concerns that had led the government to move away from the OPS two decades ago?

Somanathan said that the expenditure on arrears will be Rs 800 crore in the first year of implementation, and would cost the exchequer roughly Rs 6,250 crore.

The UPS is more fiscally prudent, Somanathan said. “One, it remains in the same architecture of a contributory funded scheme. That is the critical difference. The OPS is an unfunded non-contributory scheme. This (the UPS) is a funded contributory scheme,” he said.

“The only difference in the changes that are made today is to give an assurance and not leave things to vagaries of market forces. The structure of UPS has the best elements of both [OPS and NPS],” Somanathan said on Saturday.

Harikishan Sharma

Harikishan Sharma, Senior Assistant Editor at The Indian Express' National Bureau, specializes in reporting on governance, policy, and data. He covers the Prime Minister’s Office and pivotal central ministries, such as the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, Ministry of Cooperation, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Ministry of Rural Development, and Ministry of Jal Shakti. His work primarily revolves around reporting and policy analysis. In addition to this, he authors a weekly column titled "STATE-ISTICALLY SPEAKING," which is prominently featured on The Indian Express website. In this column, he immerses readers in narratives deeply rooted in socio-economic, political, and electoral data, providing insightful perspectives on these critical aspects of governance and society. ... Read More

Business

- To catch the IPO boom, law firms race to scale up capital markets practices

- Gas demand uptick driven by power sector bumps up India’s LNG imports in April-July

- Last-ditch efforts gather pace as port workers’ strike over wage dispute looms large

- For ‘frictionless credit’, RBI to launch technology platform; to call it Unified Lending Interface: Governor Shaktikanta Das

- India to launch platform for rural, small business lending, RBI governor says

To catch the IPO boom, law firms race to scale up capital markets practices

This is where capital markets teams come in — to draft offer documents to be submitted to the Sebi and any other transaction agreements that may be required.

Written by Ajoy Sinha Karpuram

New Delhi | Updated: August 27, 2024 07:53 IST

The level of due diligence required to get approval for a public listing from the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) is quite high. (File Photo)

On August 9, Ola Electric Mobility became the first purely electric vehicle company in India to list its shares on the stock exchange after floating an initial public offering (IPO). Spearheading the process behind the scenes were two Indian corporate law firms, Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas (CAM) and Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas (SAM) — who advised Ola Electric and the bankers, respectively.

“Right now, the market is booming. It’s on an upward trend,” says Sayantan Dutta, a partner from the capital markets team at SAM. The number of companies launching IPOs has surged in the last couple of years. According to the Economic Survey 2023-24 released by the Ministry of Finance, “The number of initial public offers (IPOs) increased by 66 per cent in FY24 from 164 in FY23 to 272 in FY24, while the amount raised grew by 24 per cent (from Rs 54,773 crore in FY23 to Rs 67,995 crore in FY24)”.

The level of due diligence required to get approval for a public listing from the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) is quite high. This is where capital markets teams come in — to draft offer documents to be submitted to the Sebi and any other transaction agreements that may be required.

“It’s important for you to be able to tell the public what your company is about and what are the risks involved in investing in your company. What is your business model? Who are your directors? What sort of cases do you have against you? What is your liability?,” says Debanjan Mandal, managing partner at Fox & Mandal.

These are some of the questions that companies have to address in their draft red herring prospectus (DRHP) that is sent to Sebi before it allows the company to list its shares. “Which brings me to the key point of all this…capital markets, unlike other practices, is a very labour intensive practice,” Mandal states. To meet the demands of the booming IPO market, law firms have been expanding their capital markets practices.

In July, rebounding from the loss of key partners from the capital markets team, CAM hired former IndusLaw Capital Markets partner Manan Lahoty, along with his team of nearly 50 lawyers (including 8 partners). Though this was perhaps the most notable exodus in recent times, CAM is far from being the only firm strengthening its capital markets practice. Large firms like SAM and Trilegal have also made key hires in 2024 at the partner level and mid-sized firms, such as Fox & Mandal and Crawford Bayley, have been building or expanding their capital markets practices.

According to Dutta, part of the reason that the market has been so robust is the decreased reliance on foreign investors due to the rise of Indian mutual funds. Dutta details how this directly affects the market for Indian lawyers, stating, “the moment you draft the full book (the necessary agreements for listing shares), you can charge a much higher fee compared to if you have to share the drafting with an international legal counsel … At the same time, it’s also straining the bandwidth.”

This strain on the bandwidth also has a role to play in firms’ active hiring practices. “So three people on a transaction could do the deal last time, but now you need four to five people on the transaction,” Dutta adds.

Further, it is not just established companies like Ola that are getting on the IPO boom. Apart from larger ‘Main Board’ listings, there is the small and medium enterprises board (SME). Smaller companies which don’t see the the benefit of going for a oversight heavy Main Board listing — where the IPO process could go on for six months to a year — will list its shares on the SME board.

This opens the door for mid-sized firms to get in on the action, says Mandal.

However, the optimism about the IPO boom comes with a note of caution from lawyers — the market is cyclical, and what goes up must come down. “Every law firm is trying to scale up right now. But at the same time, they have to scale up in a very, very methodical way because we all know capital market is a cyclical practice. So markets are up today and overnight you make 200 lawyers team, markets will go down tomorrow or day after tomorrow, and then you will be left to fire half of the team,” says Dutta. Or, as Sanjay Asher, senior partner at Crawford Bayley & Co (a mid-sized firm) states, “Once the market goes down it will be as dry as a desert.”

Some firms indicate that they have evolved practices to deal with the ebb and flow of the market. Abhinav Maker, partner at Trilegal, says “Larger firms understand the practice needs to be incubated. There will be times where it (capital markets) is the highest earning practice and times where the market is down”.

Lawyers from these teams often take up tasks in other areas of corporate law which see an increase in business when the market is lean.

Some mid-sized firms also indicate they have plans in place for these situations. “We don’t fire lawyers … we deploy them in mergers & acquisitions teams to do due diligence,” adds Asher.

Gas demand uptick driven by power sector bumps up India’s LNG imports in April-July

The rise in LNG imports pushed up India’s reliance on imported gas to 48.9 per cent in April-July from 46.9 per cent on the year-ago period.

Written by Sukalp Sharma

New Delhi | Updated: August 27, 2024 10:16 IST

The rise in LNG imports pushed up India’s reliance on imported gas to 48.9 per cent in April-July from 46.9 per cent on the year-ago period. (File Photo)

Growth in domestic demand for natural gas amid reasonable prices and ample availability of liquefied natural gas (LNG), or super-chilled gas, in the international market led to a double-digit growth in India’s LNG imports in the first four months of the current financial year (FY25). Notably, the uptick in imports came amid a growth in domestic gas production as well.

The consumption growth was primarily driven by the power sector, given that the government’s thrust on raising power production to meet high summer demand led to higher-than-usual electricity generation by gas-based units.

The country’s LNG imports rose 13.1 per cent year-on-year in April-July to 11,423 million standard cubic metres (mscm), while natural gas consumption was higher by 8.6 per cent at 23,364 mscm, per latest provisional data available with the Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell (PPAC) of the oil ministry. Net domestic natural gas production for the four-month period was 11,941 mscm, up 4.6 per cent year-on-year.

The rise in LNG imports pushed up India’s reliance on imported gas to 48.9 per cent in April-July from 46.9 per cent on the year-ago period. For the full FY24, India’s natural gas import dependency was 47.1 per cent, the PPAC data shows.

For the April-June quarter (Q1)—the peak summer quarter in most parts of India—power generation by gas-based plants jumped 62.5 per cent year-on-year to 13.49 billion units (1 unit is 1 kilowatt hour), per data from the Central Electricity Authority (CEA). The overall plant load factor (PLF)—capacity utilisation of power generation units—for gas-based plants in Q1 was almost 25 per cent, up from 15.3 per cent in the year-ago quarter. PLF for gas-based power plants in June this year was 25.8 per cent, up from 17 per cent in June 2023.

For April-July, the PLF for gas-based power plants was 22.2 per cent, against 15 per cent a year ago. Power generation from these units in April-July jumped to 16.17 billion units from 10.54 billion units in the corresponding four months of last year.

According to ship tracking data from commodity markets analytics firm Kpler, India’s LNG imports touched a near four-year high in June as gas-based power plants operated at notably higher run rates than their usually subdued capacity utilisation levels amid a surge in electricity demand due to the severe heatwave. With the monsoon covering most parts of the country in July, the power demand has evidently softened from the supernormal levels during the peak summer months.

To be sure, gas-based power plants use domestic natural gas as well as imported LNG as feedstock. As domestic natural gas production is able to meet just around half of India’s total gas consumption, the cheaper local gas is allocated as per a priority list in which city gas distribution and fertiliser sectors have a higher priority than the power sector. As imported LNG is usually costlier than domestic gas, gas-based power plants have been operating at very low capacity use levels mainly due to unfavourable economics.

In anticipation of a severe summer, the Power Ministry had invoked the Section 11 of the Electricity Act, 2003, on April 12, issuing a set of instructions to the power generation companies to ensure that electricity demand is met. As part of the instructions, idling gas-based power plants were asked to operate from May till the end of June. At almost 25 gigawatts, India’s gas-based power generation capacity accounts for 5.6 per cent of the country’s overall installed generation capacity, per Power Ministry data.

In May, S&P Global Commodity Insights had said that with subdued prices of LNG in the spot market and growing demand for the fuel in India, there was a ramp-up in India’s spot LNG purchases.

The government has been pushing for higher consumption of natural gas in India, with an aim to increase the share of the fuel in the country’s primary energy mix to 15 per cent by 2030 from over 6 per cent at present. The push for higher natural gas consumption, even if it leads to higher imports, is not without reason. Natural gas is far less polluting than conventional hydrocarbons like crude oil and coal, and is usually cheaper than oil, for which India depends on imports to meet over 85 per cent of its requirement.

As the country moves towards green energy and future fuels, natural gas is seen as a key transition fuel in that journey. Various sectors, including the likes of city gas distribution, fertilizer, power generation, and refineries and petrochemicals, are seen as major growth areas for natural gas demand in India.

Sukalp Sharma

Sukalp Sharma is a Senior Assistant Editor with The Indian Express and writes on a host of subjects and sectors, notably energy and aviation. He has over 13 years of experience in journalism with a body of work spanning areas like politics, development, equity markets, corporates, trade, and economic policy. Before joining The Indian Express, Sukalp had long and enriching stints at financial newswire Informist and the Express Group’s pink paper The Financial Express. He considers himself an above-average photographer, which goes well with his love for travel. ... Read More

Last-ditch efforts gather pace as port workers’ strike over wage dispute looms large

The workers’ unions are affiliated with five federations: All India Port and Dock Workers’ Federation, All India Port and Dock Workers Federation (workers), Water Transport Workers Federation of India, Indian National Port and Dock Workers Federation, and Port, Dock and Waterfront Workers Federation of India.

Written by Ravi Dutta Mishra

New Delhi | Updated: August 27, 2024 07:47 IST

The last-minute negotiations spanning two days have gathered pace after about 20,000 permanent workers across 12 major ports in the country decided to strike starting Wednesday citing unmet demand of pay revision and allowances. (File Photo)

The Indian Ports Association (IPA), under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, began negotiations with representatives of port workers’ unions from various parts of the country on Monday to dissuade them from going on an indefinite strike starting on 28 August, sources familiar with the development told The Indian Express.

The last-minute negotiations spanning two days have gathered pace after about 20,000 permanent workers across 12 major ports in the country decided to strike starting Wednesday citing unmet demand of pay revision and allowances. The major port operators and the workers’ federations were reportedly set to sign a five-year wage revision agreement before the expiry of the previous wage pact on 31 December 2021. However, it has been pending for the last two years.

While the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways is leading the negotiations, exporters have reached out to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry seeking help in resolving the issue. Exporters are worried over the loss of Christmas orders from the West, which typically begins around this time. Moreover, they are concerned about disruptions amid already strained maritime routes due to the Red Sea crisis.

The annual cargo handling capacity of major Indian ports such as Chennai, Cochin, and Mumbai is about 1.62 billion metric tonnes, according to the official numbers. India exported goods worth $437 billion, with imports estimated at $677 billion in FY24. Queries emailed to the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways and the Ministry of Commerce and Industry on Monday remained unanswered at press time.

“The strike could have a massive impact. If the stevedoring (loading and unloading operations) process carried out by the workers is hit, all incoming consumables and exports will be stuck at the 12 major ports. Right now, they are saying private ports will not be impacted, but labour unions may stand outside ports and terminals and force the private sector labour to participate as well,” Anil Devli, Chief Executive Officer, Indian National Shipowners’ Association, told The Indian Express.

Devli said that the timing of the strike call is worrying since exporters are gearing up to cater for Christmas orders from Western markets, and a possible disruption could also hurt Indian imports of raw materials and fuel. He stated that a disruption in ports could also raise the risk of the congestion surcharge that ships charge.

“No resolution could be found during the National Coordination Committee (NCC) meeting that took place on Saturday, and various workers’ federations who have assembled under NCC are, at the moment, going ahead with the strike called from 28 August unless a last-minute solution is found,” Devli said.

Notably, the shipping ministry formed a bipartite wage negotiation committee in March 2021, and the workers submitted their demands six months later, ahead of the expiration of the previous agreement in December 2021. Although the wage negotiation committee met seven times, it failed to meet the port workers’ demands, according to a Reuters report last week. The workers’ demands include pay scale revisions, payment of arrears, and protection of existing benefits.

The workers’ unions are affiliated with five federations: All India Port and Dock Workers’ Federation, All India Port and Dock Workers Federation (workers), Water Transport Workers Federation of India, Indian National Port and Dock Workers Federation, and Port, Dock and Waterfront Workers Federation of India.

Director General and CEO of the Federation of Indian Export Organizations (FIEO), Ajay Sahai, said that exporters have reached out to the Ministry of Commerce and are also working towards finding a resolution to avert any disruption in trade.

“The government is constructively engaging with the workers, and there is another meeting on Tuesday to reach a resolution. We have also reached out to the commerce ministry. However, the timing of the strike call is extremely unfortunate as there are already shortages of ships and containers, and a disruption at this point could hit the domestic industry as well as international trade,” Sahai said.

Sahai added that a disruption at this point could drive up air freight rates for essential goods and cause disruptions in the domestic industry too. Air freight rates have already surged sharply as the Red Sea crisis has pushed demand for air transport.

For ‘frictionless credit’, RBI to launch technology platform; to call it Unified Lending Interface: Governor Shaktikanta Das

Going beyond understanding the risks posed by AI, financial institutions should clearly outline the liabilities and ensure a calibrated and responsible adoption.

Written by Hitesh Vyas

Mumbai | Updated: August 27, 2024 09:35 IST

Shaktikanta Das, Governor, Reserve Bank of India. (File Photo)

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das on Monday said the Unified Lending Interface (ULI), to enable frictionless credit, will soon be introduced.

The pilot project for a public tech platform for frictionless credit was already announced in August last year.

Speaking at the Global Conference on Digital Public Infrastructure and Emerging Technologies, Das highlighted that ULI will play a similar role in transforming the lending space in the country, just as United Payment Interface (UPI) revolutionized the payment ecosystem.

“Continuing on the journey of digitalisation of banking services, last year we launched the pilot of a technology platform which enables frictionless credit. From now on, we propose to call it the Unified Lending Interface (ULI),” Das said.

While announcing the pilot project for frictionless credit in August last year, the RBI had said that for digital credit delivery, the data required for credit appraisal are available with different entities like Central and State governments, account aggregators, banks, credit information companies and digital identity authorities. However, they are in separate systems, creating hindrance in frictionless and timely delivery of rule-based lending, it has said.

Das noted that ULI facilitates seamless and consent-based flow of digital information, including even land records of various states, from multiple data service providers to lenders thereby cutting down the time taken for credit appraisal, especially for smaller and rural borrowers.

The ULI architecture has common and standardised APIs (Application Programming Interface), designed for a ‘plug and play’ approach to ensure digital access to information from diverse sources, which reduces the complexity of multiple technical integrations. It will also enable borrowers to get the benefit of seamless delivery of credit, quicker turnaround time without requiring extensive documentation, he said.

“In sum, by digitising access to customer’s financial and non-financial data that otherwise resided in disparate silos, ULI is expected to cater to large unmet demand for credit across various sectors, particularly for agricultural and MSME borrowers,” Das explained.

He further said that while the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) can make processes simpler and more efficient, lenders need to be mindful of adopting such new-age technologies in critical decision-making segments such as loan sanctioning.

“AI promises to make processes simpler and efficient. It can also emulate decision making to a great extent. However, when it comes to regulated financial institutions, there should be careful adoption of AI in critical decision-making segments, for example, in loan sanctioning,” he said.

He said since AI is a data-driven science, the authenticity of data being used in training the models, the possibility of biases and concerns about data privacy need to be carefully examined.

Going beyond understanding the risks posed by AI, financial institutions should clearly outline the liabilities and ensure a calibrated and responsible adoption.

“It is important to be proactive to leverage the capabilities of new technologies, but at the same time it is essential to be abundantly mindful of the associated risks and challenges,” he said.

The Governor said that the AI technology poses various challenges such as data privacy concerns arising from handling fast volumes of personal information and spreading misinformation, which can potentially cause severe damage and disruption to Digital Public Infrastructure (DPIs), as well as other digital systems.

“Ethical AI governance is essential to ensure fairness and prevention of bias. Financial institutions must ensure that AI models are explainable, that is, the ability to explain why certain results are produced,” he said.

Digital Public Infrastructure refers to basic technology systems, created mainly in the public sector, that are openly available to users and other developers. DPIs are scalable, and thus can support systems that operate on a population-wide scale; they are interoperable, and therefore spur innovation by being accessible to innovators; and they are also cost efficient by virtue of their economies of scale.

shal He noted that there should not be any rush to roll out system-wide CBDC before one acquires a comprehensive understanding of its impact on users, on monetary policy, on the financial system and on the economy.

“Such understanding would emerge from generation of user data in pilots. Actual introduction of CBDC can be phased in gradually,” he said.

On cross-border payments, Das said while much efficiency has been achieved in case of wholesale markets, the retail cross-border space is still fraught with multiple layers that add to the cost and delays in cross-border remittances.

Commenting on the development, BankBazaar.com’s CEO Adhil Shetty said that the ULI platform not only promises a more streamlined credit ecosystem but also bolsters the capabilities of lenders and fintechs to innovate and expand their offerings effectively. By providing access to a diverse range of data sources, including land records, ULI empowers these entities to craft more precise lending solutions that cater to the unique needs of consumers.

“The full potential of ULI will be realised by integrating fintech loan service providers alongside traditional regulated entities within its robust ecosystem,” he said.

India to launch platform for rural, small business lending, RBI governor says

The Unified Lending Interface (ULI) is built to ensure digital access to information from diverse sources.

By: Reuters

Mumbai | August 26, 2024 12:40 IST

The RBI governor said the ULI platform is built to ensure digital access to information from diverse sources.

India will launch a platform to transfer credit to small and rural borrowers, catering to the large unmet demand across various sectors, especially agricultural and small companies, the governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said on Monday.

The Unified Lending Interface (ULI), to be launched “in due course”, will cut the time for credit appraisal for these borrowers and facilitate a consent-based flow of digital information, Shaktikanta Das said at an event.

The governor said the ULI platform is built to ensure digital access to information from diverse sources.

Das said the pilot was launched last year as part of the central bank’s efforts to digitalise banking services, which has made India one of the fastest-growing digital payments markets globally.

These initiatives include digital wallets, mobile banking as well as the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), which allows users to transfer money between bank accounts using a mobile device.

“Just like UPI transformed the payments ecosystem, we expect that ULI will play a similar role in transforming the lending space in India,” Das said.

Tech Review

- I used the Clicks keyboard case for my iPhone 15 Pro, and it’s a love letter to BlackBerry

I used the Clicks keyboard case for my iPhone 15 Pro, and it’s a love letter to BlackBerry

The Clicks Creator keyboard, a case and a keyboard combo that transforms your iPhone into a BlackBerry-like device.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Rs. 11900 ($139)

Written by Anuj Bhatia

New Delhi | Updated: August 27, 2024 08:27 IST

The Clicks has a command key, which you can use to trigger shortcuts. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)

In the early 2010s, when I began my career as a tech journalist, BlackBerry was at its prime. As a young journalist, I was always curious and would often ask our editors about the newly launched BlackBerry phones. Fortunately for me, and as a newbie, I was able to attend many BlackBerry launch events—contrary to the norms of the time—which gave me access to the last of the iconic BlackBerry devices with physical keyboards. I still remember the time I spent with the BlackBerry Priv and Passport, two of my favourite BlackBerries.

After years—although many have forgotten BlackBerry, I haven’t—a startup company named Clicks Technology, founded by veteran tech journalists Michael Fisher (MrMobile) and Kevin Michaluk (CrackBerry Kevin), aims to bring back the BlackBerry we remember and love with Clicks, a keyboard case for the iPhone. This isn’t just a separate keyboard attachment or a replication of the physical keyboard BlackBerry was known for, but a genuine keyboard with real buttons for the iPhone.

I have been using the Clicks keyboard case for my iPhone 15 Pro (the company shipped the unit straight from London to Delhi) daily for a few days, and here’s what I think of it.

Clicks keyboard case for iPhone 15 Pro (as reviewed): Rs 11,900 ($139)

Why a physical keyboard for the iPhone

The Clicks is a case with a BlackBerry-style keyboard you can drop your iPhone 14 or 15 into. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)

I’d be lying if I said I had always wanted a physical keyboard for my iPhone. As a long-time iPhone user, and as many others might feel, I am accustomed to typing on a virtual keyboard. In fact, even when I was using the iPhone 13 mini, I never had major issues typing on its smaller screen. However, there were times when I wished for a physical keyboard, especially while typing on a busy Delhi metro, sitting in an auto, or standing in a queue at a grocery store.

Truth be told, I come from a generation that used physical keyboards on phones for a long time and has since adapted to all-virtual keyboards on modern smartphones. So I have experienced both phases—phones with and without physical keyboards. I can imagine how a user born after the 2000s might react to a smartphone with a built-in physical keyboard. They might not be accustomed to typing on a physical keyboard and may lack the emotional connection and fond memories associated with BlackBerry. You might question the need for the Clicks keyboard case, but I believe the makers are trying to reach two types of audiences: those who were once huge fans of BlackBerry and those who are new to the physical keyboard experience. The common thread is the iPhone, perhaps the most popular smartphone on the market, which, ironically, was designed to free users from the BlackBerry-style physical keyboard.

It makes your iPhone distinct

The Clicks doesn’t require a Bluetooth connection for pairing to happen. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)

A banana yellow. That’s the first thing that comes to mind when I look at the Clicks keyboard case for the iPhone. It’s hard to ignore Clicks. I received so many queries about the case when I posted a picture of it on LinkedIn. In fact, my office colleagues were under the impression that Apple had secretly introduced a limited-edition iPhone in bright yellow with a physical keyboard. Everyone wanted to hold the device, touch and feel it, and take pictures—without realizing that it was just an iPhone case. Now, after days of using the Clicks keyboard case for my iPhone 15 Pro, I’m used to the extra attention I get when I enter a room full of new people. I can’t hide it, even if I wanted to. The bright yellow colour makes Clicks distinctive, though it still feels very much like itself. At one point, I even forgot it was just a phone case and thought I was using a new device.

Maybe the reason is that the iPhone looks longer when it’s inside the Clicks case. The case is about 1.5 inches longer than the iPhone alone and also adds a little more weight. That being said, I can easily carry my iPhone 15 Pro in my cargo pants; the case actually feels lighter in daily use. However, if you’re using the iPhone 15 Pro Max with Clicks, it might be a bit bulky.

I must say the build quality and design of Clicks are fantastic. The silicone material of the case is of premium quality, and there’s a small rectangle vegan leather patch on the back that adds a nice touch for your fingers to rest. Clicks also include a protective layer for the iPhone cameras, and two small cutouts above the keyboard that allow the sound to pass through from the iPhone microphone and speaker. The Clicks feels both retro and new, bringing me a lot of joy, and I think it might do the same for you too.

Easy to use and no charging required

The keyboard case does make a huge difference when using social media apps. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)

Perhaps the best part is how easy it is to slip the case onto my iPhone 15 Pro. Just press gently on the back to pop the top of the phone forward, then slide it into place. It’s that simple. When you insert your iPhone into the case, it connects via the port on the bottom—USB-C, in the case of my iPhone 15 Pro—so the case doesn’t require a Bluetooth connection or a battery. There’s also a matching USB-C port on the bottom of the case for passthrough charging—that’s the port you use to charge your iPhone. I wish support for MagSafe could have been there but it’s not. I wouldn’t be surprised if MagSafe would be added in the next version of Clicks. Though wireless charging support is there, I find it very slow.

During my testing, I found that the case drew minimal power; I didn’t notice a significant drain on my iPhone 15 Pro’s battery. The only part of the keyboard that needs power is the backlight, which can be easily turned on and off. I preferred to use the Clicks keyboard case as it is, but a companion app from the App Store allows you to adjust the backlight brightness and timeout, change the behaviour of the Caps Lock, Alt Lock (123 key), and Return keys, enable battery saving, and update the firmware.

The keys have tactile feedback and customisability won me over

The keys are reminiscent of the best BlackBerry keyboard. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)

It was a dream to use a physical keyboard with the iPhone, but my initial experience with the keys wasn’t great. I made a lot of mistakes while typing. However, after more than a week with the physical keyboard, I’ve grown accustomed to the typing experience, making fewer typos and typing faster. So yes, I’d say it takes some time to get used to a physical keyboard—perhaps more than a week. But once you adjust, it’s a joy to type on, even though the keys are small. They are tiny but still fantastic to use. Each key covers a nickel-plated dome that provides the right amount of travel. The keys are clicky and offer tactile feedback, reminding me of using a BlackBerry keyboard all over again—this time on the iPhone.

As I mentioned, even after spending time with the physical keyboard, I still make typos and sometimes end up with incomplete texts. The good thing is that the iPhone’s keyboard features, such as auto-correct, are still there to help if I mistype something. Of course, I can’t write an article on the iPhone with a physical keyboard at the same speed as I can on a virtual keyboard. However, there are times—often throughout the day—when typing a message on a physical keyboard is deeply satisfying. Nothing beats the satisfying typing experience you get from physical keys. I wish the company would find a way to make the keys a little larger while keeping the overall dimensions the same, especially for a phone the size of the iPhone 15 Pro.

But more than the charm of using physical keys on the iPhone, one significant benefit of the Clicks case is the change in screen size while typing. Since the case includes a keyboard, the digital keyboard no longer appears on your screen, giving you far more space. This difference is particularly noticeable when using social media apps like Instagram and LinkedIn. I could see how a draft post looked, and with the digital keyboard no longer occupying screen space, I had more real estate for viewing and editing.

Another advantage of the Clicks keyboard case is access to several preprogrammed keyboard shortcuts and the ability to customize additional shortcuts of your own. The command key functions similarly to that on a Mac or iPad, giving me access to all my favourite shortcuts, like copy and paste. This is a great productivity feature, I’d say.

After using physical keys for typing, I didn’t stop going back to the virtual keyboard whenever I felt the need. The good part is that you can easily switch between the iPhone’s virtual keyboard and the Clicks keyboard anytime.

Should you buy the Clicks keyboard case?

The Clicks connects directly to the iPhone through Lightning or USB-C. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)

It depends. If you ask me, the Clicks keyboard case has its shortcomings but also strengths, especially if you are the right audience for a niche product like this. This is a first-generation device, and the company did a lot of things right to make the keyboard case shine. I love the idea of a physical keyboard case for the iPhone. It really seems like an opportunity the company seized to do something special, despite having some rough edges. Not everyone needs a physical keyboard, and that’s okay. Clicks is a homage to the golden days of BlackBerry, and the attempt is to bring the best of BlackBerry to the iPhone. It is a premium product priced at Rs 11,900 for the iPhone 15 Pro (Clicks can be purchased from the company’s website for the iPhone 14 and other iPhone series; the price varies by model). I can’t wait to see what Michael Fisher and the team do next with the second-generation Clicks.

Clicks keyboard case for iPhone

Feature

Pros

Cons

Keyboard

Fans of BlackBerry keyboards will love it

N/A

Design

Designed for creative users who want additional screen real estate

Adds extra bulk to iPhone

Display

Bright and well-designed

N/A

Functionality

Fantastic keyboard shortcuts

No MagSafe

Durability

N/A

Missing waterproofing

Price

N/A

Expensive

Anuj Bhatia

Anuj Bhatia is a personal technology writer at Indianexpress.com who has spent a decade covering gadgets, apps, and gaming. He specialises in writing longer-form feature articles and explainers on trending tech topics. His unique interests encompass delving into vintage tech and composing in-depth narratives on the intersection of history, technology, and popular culture. Prior to joining The Indian Express in late 2016, he served as a senior tech writer at My Mobile magazine and previously held roles as a reviewer and tech writer at Gizbot. Anuj holds a postgraduate degree from Banaras Hindu University. You can find Anuj on Linkedin. ... Read More

Science

- What is space anemia and why does it affect astronauts like Sunita Williams?

- Can ISRO bring Sunita Williams back to Earth? Chairman S Somanath has an answer

- NASA is monitoring 5 asteroids speeding towards Earth next week

What is space anemia and why does it affect astronauts like Sunita Williams?

Extended exposure to microgravity in space could lead to several health-related complications for astronauts.

By: Science Desk

Bengaluru | Updated: August 27, 2024 08:15 IST

Sunita Williams seen 'training' in the video posted by NASA. (Photo captured from NASA video/X)

It is now confirmed by NASA that Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore will continue to stay at the International Space Station (ISS) at least until early 2025 and will be making their way back to Earth using SpaceX Dragon instead of Boeing’s Starliner. Both astronauts went to the ISS as part of Starliner’s Crew Flight Test and will soon become full-time crew members of the space station.

Although both astronauts are trained to be full-time crew members, the extended stay at the space station could lead to some health complications, primarily due to microgravity. One such problem is space anemia, in which the human body tends to destroy red blood cells faster than on Earth, increasing from two million per second to three million per second.

According to a research paper titled Hemolysis Contributes to Anemia During Long-Duration Space Flight, published in the Nature Medicine journal in 2022, space anemia in astronauts can lead to “increased levels of products of hemoglobin degradation, carbon monoxide in alveolar air and iron in serum”.

This study was conducted on 14 astronauts throughout their six-month missions onboard the International Space Station, indicating that extended exposure to microgravity in space leads to “increased levels of hemolysis, reticulocytosis, and hemoglobin”.

The study further highlights that within the first 10 days in space, there will be a “10–12% decrease in the red blood cell (RBC)” count and that the count will return to near-Earthly values after 10 days. Space anemia can affect functions like “astronaut orthostatism, exercise tolerance, and fatigue”.

Once they come back to Earth, space anemia will have a different effect on these astronauts, which includes a further increase in the destruction of red blood cells. Other effects of long-term exposure to microgravity include the loss of bone density and the development of vision-related issues. Depending on the physical condition of the body, it could take months for astronauts to recover from these complications.

Can ISRO bring Sunita Williams back to Earth? Chairman S Somanath has an answer

Right now, ISRO can't help directly, as it doesn't have a spacecraft, says chairman S Somanath.

By: Science Desk

Bengaluru | Updated: August 26, 2024 08:11 IST

Astronauts don't enjoy food as much in space, and it's hard for them to eat enough. (File Photo)

NASA has confirmed that Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore, the two astronauts who flew to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard a Boeing Starliner capsule in June, will only be returning to Earth in SpaceX’s Crew-9 Dragon capsule in February 2025.

If you were wondering if the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) could have played a role in bringing the Indian-origin astronaut and her colleague back to Earth, its chairman, S Somanath, in a BeerBiceps podcast on YouTube, has said, “Right now, we can’t do anything as a direct help. Because we don’t have a spacecraft which can go there and save her. It is not possible. The only possibilities are from Russia or the US. The US has the Crew Dragon vehicle which can go. Russia has a Soyuz. Either of these can go and save them.”

Somnath also said, “Boeing Starliner showed some anomaly; they (Nasa) don’t want to take a risk, as the return is more dangerous than the onward flight, and as the Starliner has shown some issues in the past, even before the launch.” This had caused several postponements of the mission.

Considering the recent development of Nasa choosing the SpaceX Dragon capsule as the rescue vehicle, it’s clear that the space agency and Boeing are still not confident enough to use the Starliner, which encountered helium leakage and failure of several thrusters after the capsule docked on to the International Space Station (ISS).

This development also means that Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore will become full-time expedition crew members of the ISS and take up new responsibilities.

NASA is monitoring 5 asteroids speeding towards Earth next week

At least five asteroids are on their way to cross paths with Earth. Although none of them pose any threat, this is a great opportunity for scientific observation.

By: Science Desk

New Delhi | Updated: August 26, 2024 08:09 IST

All asteroids approaching Earth vary in size and present a unique opportunity for astronomers to study their movement in the universe. (Illustration: Pixabay/Izhar Ahamed)

Between August 27 and September 1, at least five asteroids––which do not pose any immediate threat––are expected to fly by Earth. Asteroids, each time they cross Earth, offer significant opportunities for astronomers and researchers to closely study their components. Such closer examinations can lead to vital clues about the origin story of the Universe.

Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory actively tracks asteroids and shares vital information with the world. The laboratory has given some details about the asteroids that are approaching Earth.

Asteroid 2020 RL

The first asteroid named 2020 RL is expected to make its closest approach to Earth on August 27 by coming within a distance of 46.8 lakh km. This 110-feet asteroid is as big as a modern-day aeroplane. Nasa monitors such asteroids in its efforts to track near-Earth objects helping scientists assess the potential impacts and understand the dynamics of objects within the solar system.

Asteroid 2021 RA10

The 2021 RA10 asteroid is 92 feet and is also as big as an aircraft. This asteroid is expected to make its closest approach––within a range of 26.1 lakh km––on August 28. Objects of this size are commonplace and astronomers track their orbits to assess future risks. This kind of flybys allow scientists to study the characteristics and behaviour of asteroids, and help implement planet defence strategies.

Asteroid 2012 SX49

This asteroid is roughly the size of a house and has a 64-feet diameter. The 2012 SX49 will make its closest approach to Earth at 42.9 lakh km on August 29. Similar to other asteroids, this space rock will pass at a safe distance. Monitoring asteroids help scientists refine their predictions about future approaches and ensure that potential threats are identified well in advance.

Asteroid 2016 RJ20

It is 210 feet in size and will be as close as 69.9 lakh km to Earth on August 30. There is no risk associated with this asteroid which also is roughly the size of an aeroplane. Asteroids of this size and magnitude are fairly common.

Asteroid 2021 JT

This is perhaps the smallest asteroid approaching Earth at this point of time. The 2021 JT Asteroid will pass by at a safe distance of 63.6 lakh km. Scientists keep a track on this too, despite its small stature.

Can asteroids destroy Earth?

The damage caused by an asteroid is mainly dependent on its size. It needs to be noted that only an asteroid as big as Earth can destroy us. There have been no known dangerous impacts so far. However, small meteors keep crossing Earth on a daily basis. The Planetary Science Institute says that an asteroid needs to be at least 16 feet wide to land on Earth. Also, based on statistics, most asteroids have a high chance of falling into the ocean or areas of Earth that are largely uninhabited.

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What is space anemia and why does it affect astronauts like Sunita Williams?

Can ISRO bring Sunita Williams back to Earth? Chairman S Somanath has an answer

NASA is monitoring 5 asteroids speeding towards Earth next week