NOTE: Please remember that following ‘answers’ are NOT ‘model answers’. They are NOT synopsis too if we go by definition of the term. What we are providing is content that both meets demand of the question and at the same time gives you extra points in the form of background information.
General Studies – 2
Topic: Statutory, regulatory and various quasi-judicial bodies.
Difficulty level: Moderate
Reference: Indian Express
Why the question:
States may have NITI Aayog-like bodies soon
Key Demand of the question: To write how Niti aayog has given new dimentions to the development of planning in India.
Directive word:
Discuss – This is an all-encompassing directive – you must debate on paper by going through the details of the issues concerned by examining each one of them. You must give reasons for both for and against arguments.Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Give a background of Niti Aayog
Body:
Show in what aspects has Niti Aayog given new dimensions to developmental planning in India. Cite examples. Give some limitations of Niti Aayog.
Conclusion:
Conclude with how those limitations can be addressed.
Introduction
The National Institution for Transforming India, also known as NITI Aayog, was formed via a resolution of the Union Cabinet on 1 January 2015. It is the premier policy “Think Tank” of the Government of India, providing directional and policy inputs. Apart from designing strategic and long-term policies and programs for the Government of India, NITI Aayog also provides relevant technical advice to the Centre, States, and Union Territories.
Body
Background
- The NITI Aayog — the think-tank at the Central level — will handhold each state to set up similar bodies, replacing their planning boards for faster and inclusive economic growth, in tandem with the vision of becoming a developed nation by 2047.
- The move is in recognition of the fact that except for sectors like defence, railways and highways, the national gross domestic product (GDP) growth is an aggregation of states’ rates of growth. Health, education and skilling are primarily with the state government.
- The NITI Aayog notes that state governments’ role is critical to improving ease of doing business, land reforms, infrastructure development, credit flows and urbanisation, all of which are vital for sustained economic growth.
Role of NITI Aayog in process of Development Planning
- The institution has to provide governments at the central and state levels with relevant strategic and technical advice
- Dissemination of best practices from within the country as well as from other nations
- The infusion of new policy ideas and specific issue-based support
- To respond to the changing and more integrated world that India is part of
- Ensure that the economically vibrant middle-class remains engaged, and its potential is fully realized
- Incorporate the significant geo-economic and geo-political strength of the Non-Resident Indian Community
- Use technology to reduce opacity and potential for misadventures in governance
- Ensure that India is an active player in the debates and deliberations on the global commons
- NITI Aayog has been providing relevant technical advice to the Centre, States and UTs.
- NITI has also established models and programmes for the development of infrastructure and to reignite and establish private-public partnership, such as the Centre-state partnership model Development Support Services to States and Union Territories (DSSS); and the Sustainable Action for Transforming Human Capital (SATH) programme.
Way forward
- Planning decentralization, but within the framework of a five-year plan. It is necessary to shake bureaucratic inertia by specializing it and establishing performance-based responsibility.
- Over time, the NITI Aayog could become a change agent, contributing to the government’s aim of improving governance and introducing innovative ways to improve public service delivery.
- NITI Aayog continues to be a symbol of the country’s efficient, transparent, innovative, and responsible governance structure, as well as exemplary work ethics.
- Creation of teams that will examine the existing structure of state planning boards, and in the next 4-6 months conceptualise the State Institution for Transformation (SIT).
- Reorienting state planning boards as SITs, a blueprint will be made on how it will guide states in policy formulation, take up monitoring and evaluation of government policies and programmes, and suggest better technology or models for delivery of schemes.
- NITI Aayog should be given a financing function so that it can assist in bridging the gap between states’ development experiences.
- An alternative is to make the Finance Commission a permanent organization that can oversee fiscal transfer mechanisms rather than just giving a five-year tax-sharing formula.
Topics: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.
Difficulty level: Moderate
Reference: The Hindu , Insights on India
Why the question:
The United Nations’ World Population Prospects (WPP), 2022, forecasts India becoming the most populous country by 2023, surpassing China
Key Demand of the question:
Key points of the WPP along with how should India focus on the human capital and healthy ageing.
Directive:
Discuss – When asked to discuss, you must examine methodically the structure or nature of the topic by separating it into component parts and present them in a summary.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Begin your answer by brief idea about WPP report and demographic dividend
Body:
First, write about the need for India to focus on human capital and policies on ageing.
What have been done in this regard. Briefly cite their limitations. Support your answer with examples.
Next, write what more needs to be done at different levels- societal, government, companies, International, etc.
Conclusion:
Conclude by writing a way forward.
Introduction
The UN report, World Population Prospects 2022, forecasts that the world’s population will touch eight billion this year and rise to 9.8 billion in 2050. What is of immediate interest to India is that its population will surpass China’s by 2023 and continue to surge.
We need better human capital to ensure demographic dividend is reaped.
Body
Challenges with human development in India
- Health:
- Healthcare provisions in India is grossly inadequate and access to healthcare is highly inequitable. Lack of efficient public healthcare and burden of out-of-pocket health expenditures reduces people’s capacity or disables them from investing in the human capital of their children.
- ineffective functioning (corruption and leakages) of the public distribution system (PDS), growing economic inequalities and lack of nutritional awareness pose challenges in combating malnutrition
- Education:
- Basic literacy (the ability to read and write) in the overall population has progressed modestly. However, there is persistent gender differentials, and major differentials by caste and religion.
- The state of functional literacy and professional skills is poor. Indian graduates have low employability and does not meet changing economic structure or support global competitiveness.
- Rising Inequality:
- In India, a large portion of the population is below the poverty line, therefore, they do not have easy access to primary health and education.
- There is growing inequality across social groups and income groups which translates itself into poor socio-economic mobility.
- Lack of socioeconomic mobility hinders human capital development and traps a large section of population to be in the vicious circle of poverty.
- Lack of Skilling:
- According to the National Sample Survey, out of the 470 million people of working age in India, only 10% receive any kind of training or access to skilled employment opportunities.
- There’s a huge mismatch between demand and supply when it comes to skilled workforce and employment opportunities, which could place a strain on the economy in the long run
- Inadequate use of knowledge bases from technology developments:
- There is a disconnect between India’s rate of technological growth and ability to distribute the gains from it by adequately focusing on skilling and health.
- The use of technical advancements has been concentrated in few sectors and benefits accrued by a few elitist sections of the society.
- Jobless growth:
- India’s high growth rate phase (2004-05 to 2010-11) has created significantly fewer jobs as compared to previous decades of economic growth.
- Around 47 % of India’s population is still dependent on agriculture which is notorious for underemployment and disguised unemployment.
- Majority of the workforce is employed by the unorganized sector where workers are underpaid and lack any kind of social security.
- Falling female labour force participation:
- According to data from International Labour Organization and World Bank, India’s female labour force participation rates have fallen from 34.8 % in 1990 to 27 % in 2013.
- Socio-cultural factors and rising family incomes have been identified as the main reasons for this decline.
- Another appalling concern is that a significant proportion of qualified women drop out of the workforce for reasons ranging from no suitable jobs in the locality—particularly in rural areas—to family responsibilities and marriage.
A differential planning approach is needed:
- To engineer an inclusive and sustainable growth for India, the social infrastructure like education, health and social protection are being given utmost priority by the Government
- The gaps in the expenditure on social infrastructure like health and education should be closed by strengthening the delivery mechanisms of the government initiatives. Protecting and investing in people’s health, education, and skilling is vital for reducing income inequality, and sustained inclusive economic growth.
- India needs to increase its spending on health and education. As recommended by the National Health Policy 2017 and the NEP 2020, India needs to increase its spending on health and education to at least 2.5 % in 6 % of GDP respectively from its current levels. Enhancing policies to maintain and even increase health and longevity will therefore be necessary.
- The current situation calls for more and better schools, especially in rural areas. It also calls for better transportation links between rural areas and regional urban hubs.
- India has to invest more in human capital formation at all levels, from primary education to higher education, cutting-edge research and development as well as on vocational training to increase the skill sets of its growing working-age population.
- The flagship schemes such as Skill India, Make in India, and Digital India have to be implemented to achieve convergence between skill training and employment generation.
- Bridging the gender gaps in education, skill development, employment, earnings and reducing social inequalities prevalent in the society have been the underlying goals of the development strategy to enhance human capabilities.
- Improved infrastructure, skill development, access to easy finance, reducing barriers to entrepreneurship and forums for mentorship of emerging entrepreneurs in partnership with corporates are some of measures.
- Decentralized models of development: Social policies for each state must be differentiated to accommodate different rates of population growth. The populations in south and west India are growing at a much slower pace than in the central and eastern states.
Conclusion:
A multi-pronged approach is imperative to reap the demographic dividend. There is also a need to engage with the youth and create an enabling environment for entrepreneurship. The demographic dividend offers them a unique opportunity to boost living standards, but they must act now to manage their older populations in the near future by implementing policies that ensure a safe and efficient transition from the first demographic dividend to the second demographic dividend.
Topic: India’s relations with Bhutan and Sri Lanka, India’s relations with Pakistan, India’s relations with Afghanistan, Maldives, India – SAARC.
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Why the question:
The question is part of the static syllabus of General studies paper – 2 and mentioned as part of the Mission-2023 Secure timetable.
Key Demand of the question:
To write about the future of SAARC amidst current uncertainties and to argue for its revival.
Directive word:
Critically examine – When asked to ‘Examine’, we have to look into the topic (content words) in detail, inspect it, investigate it and establish the key facts and issues related to the topic in question. While doing so we should explain why these facts and issues are important and their implications. When ‘critically’ is suffixed or prefixed to a directive, one needs to look at the good and bad of the topic and give a fair judgment.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Begin by giving the context of SAARC and its present-day scenario.
Body:
In the first part, write about why SAARC was formed and how it was relevant at that time.
Then, bring out the current uncertainties which forebode a bleak future for SAARC – Crisis in Afghanistan, Myanmar, Indo-Pak equation, Sri- Lankan Crisis, Covid crisis, etc.
Next, mention why India should take the lead in reviving SAARC. It will ensure integrated, connected, secure and prosperous South Asia, and lead to the economic, technological, cultural, and social development of the region.
Conclusion:
Conclude with a way forward and diplomatic steps needed to re-engage and revive SAARC.
Introduction
SAARC was set up in 1985 and today it has 8 members: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Srilanka. Afghanistan joined SAARC only in 2007. SAARC member nations cooperate on a range of issues from agriculture, economy, poverty alleviation, S&T and culture to encourage people to people contact.
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The Future of SAARC remains bleak:
- The region is beset with unsettled territorial disputes, as well as trans-border criminal and subversive activities.
- It remains a theatre for ethnic, cultural, and religious tensions and rivalries.
- A current rise in ultra-nationalism is taking place against the backdrop of a bloody history of repeated inter-state wars and myriad intra-state conflicts.
- Nuclear-armed neighbours India and Pakistan are at loggerheads.
- Cross-border terrorism has again made the region, as former US President Bill Clinton once deemed it, “the world’s most dangerous place.”
- Allowing SAARC to become dysfunctional and irrelevant greatly distorts our ability to address the realities and mounting challenges facing SAARC nations.
- The failure of South Asian nations to act in accord will plunge South Asia into a perilous theatre of discord and escalating tensions with jihadi militias at the forefront, placing the entire region in turmoil.
SAARC is of great relevance for South Asian countries:
- SAARC is needed as institutional scaffolding to allow for the diplomacy and coordination that is needed between member-states in order to adequately address the numerous threats and challenges the region faces.
- Though SAARC’s charter prohibits bilateral issues at formal forums, SAARC summits provide a unique, informal window — the retreat — for leaders to meet without aides and chart future courses of action.
- The coming together of leaders, even at the height of tensions, in a region laden with congenital suspicions, misunderstandings, and hostility is a significant strength of SAARC that cannot be overlooked.
- SAARC members are among the top troop-contributing countries to UN peacekeeping missions. With the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, a joint peacekeeping force from the SAARC region under the UN aegis could be explored to fill the power vacuum that would otherwise be filled by terrorist and extremist forces.
Reviving SAARC is in India’s interests:
- India should take the lead and work with its neighbors to slash the tariff and non-tariff barriers.
- SAARC should also seek free and preferential trading arrangements with other regional bodies, notably the EU and the ASEAN. It should also remain fully focused on the SAARC social charter to spread out its reach to the common man.
- There is a need to focus on small politics instead of big politics to resolve conflict in conflicting regions. This would mean that they focus on economic cooperation and other small ways that can create cooperation and more peace
- SAARC cannot be effective unless it places itself on a managerial position to achieve regional order, forcing all the members to act mutually in making the region a ‘zone of peace’ and the center for world business.
- All countries should come together to sort out their differences, either multilaterally or bilaterally. It’s not necessary to sort out the differences but despite that, it is necessary to work with the differences like that of India-China, Japan and China, Russia and Japan.
- The bilateral issues between member nations should be resolved. Bilateral Issues between India- Pakistan, India- Sri Lanka, Pakistan- Afghanistan etc. must be improved with serious engagement and collaboration – working together to bring peace and stability as a common good in the region.
- Information on terrorism, trafficking, smuggling etc. must be shared and joint exercises must be conducted to build mutual trust and capability.
- SAARC needs to work on Improving infrastructure and regional connectivity – Collaboration in scientific research, universities exchange programs, tourism etc. will have a positive effect on relations among countries.
Measures needed to revive SAARC:
- SAARC should also seek free and preferential trading arrangementswith other regional bodies, notably the EU and the ASEAN. It should also remain fully focused on the SAARC social charter to spread out its reach to the common man.
- There is a need to focus on small politics instead of big politics to resolve conflict in conflicting regions. This would mean that they focus on economic cooperation and other small ways that can create cooperation and more peace
- SAARC cannot be effective unless it places itself on a managerial position to achieve regional order, forcing all the members to act mutually in making the region a ‘zone of peace’and the center for world business.
- All countries should come together to sort out their differences, either multilaterally or bilaterally. It’s not necessary to sort out the differences but despite that, it is necessary to work with the differences like that of India-China, Japan and China, Russia and Japan.
- The bilateral issues between member nations should be resolved. Bilateral Issues between India- Pakistan, India- Sri Lanka, Pakistan- Afghanistan etc. must be improved with serious engagement and collaboration – working together to bring peace and stability as a common good in the region.
- Information on terrorism, trafficking, smuggling etc. must be shared and joint exercises must be conducted to build mutual trust and capability.
- SAARC needs to work on Improving infrastructure and regional connectivity– Collaboration in scientific research, universities exchange programs, tourism etc. will have a positive effect on relations among countries.
Conclusion:
SAARC has the potential to transform the South Asian Region. Mutual mistrust and non-cooperation should not be allowed to undermine this potential. SAARC should function as an autonomous institution by which driving principles, strategic actions, and rules of law can be implemented in a way that is relevant to both, its own members and other rising powers.
Topic: India’s relations with Bhutan and Sri Lanka, India’s relations with Pakistan, India’s relations with Afghanistan, Maldives, India – SAARC.
4. India and Sri Lanka share close ties, but distrust and differences remain. Discuss. (10M)
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Why the question:
The question is part of the static syllabus of General studies paper – 2 and mentioned as part of the Mission-2023 Secure timetable.
Key Demand of the question:
To write about the challenges posed to India because of the economic crisis in Sri Lanka and also the opportunities it presents.
Directive:
Discuss – This is an all-encompassing directive – you must debate on paper by going through the details of the issues concerned by examining each one of them. You must give reasons for both for and against arguments.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Begin by giving the context of India- Sri Lankan relations in the past and how it has changed over time.
Body:
In the first part, write about the historical bilateral ties between India and Sri Lanka.
Next, Mention how India and Lanka had maintained close relations in the past. Cultural ties with India etc. Recent Sri Lankan crisis and how India helped in that situation.
Then, mention about factors that led to the difference between the two nations. China factor etc.
Conclusion:
Conclude by writing a way forward.
Introduction
The relationship between India and Sri Lanka is more than 2,500 years old. Both countries have a legacy of intellectual, cultural, religious and linguistic interaction. In recent years, the relationship has been marked by close contacts at all levels. Trade and investment have grown and there is cooperation in the fields of development, education, culture and defence. Both countries share a broad understanding on major issues of international interest. In recent years, significant progress in implementation of developmental assistance projects for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and disadvantaged sections of the population in Sri Lanka has helped further cement the bonds of friendship between the two countries.
Body:
Uniqueness of India-Sri Lanka bilateral ties:
- The India-Sri Lanka relationship, de jure, is between equals as sovereign nations.
- However, the relationship is asymmetric in terms of geographic size, population, military and economic power, on the one hand, and also social indicators and geographical location, on the other.
- The relationship is also steeped in myth and legend, and influenced by religious, cultural and social affinities.
- Hardships of COVID-19 present an opportune time for Sri Lanka and India to nourish the roots of the relationship using modern toolkits, but leveraging age-old wisdom and experience.
Evolution of the ties:
- Historical times:
- The advent of Buddhism in Sri Lanka during the time of Emperor Ashoka was the result of cross-border discourse.
- For many centuries, later on, the ancient capital city of Anuradhapura housed an international community that included traders from India, China, Rome, Arabia, and Persia.
- Buddhist temples in Sri Lanka also contain shrines for Hindu deities.
- Colonial era:
- Labor from south India was brought to Sri Lanka to work in plantations.
- The Indian freedom struggle had its influence on Sri Lanka as well. There was cross-border support for the revival of culture, tradition, local languages, spiritual practices and philosophies, and education.
- Both countries transformed into modern nations with constitutional and institutionalized governance under colonial rule.
- Process engineering by colonial powers for identification and categorization of people was a factor in the emergence of separatist ideologies based on ethnicity, language, and religion.
- This mindset is now ingrained and accentuated in politics. Episodic instances of communal hostility are referenced often to suit tactical political gain.
- Contemporary times:
- Sri Lanka’s strategic location makes it apparent that not only economic fortunes but the security of both countries are inextricably linked. Therefore, the calamity in one country can adversely impact the other.
- Currently, freedom of navigation in the Indo-Pacific together with a rules-based international order and peaceful settlement of disputes are of common interest.
Issues and Conflicts:
- In recent years, China has extended billions of dollars of loans to the Sri Lankan government for new infrastructure projects, which is not good for India’s strategic depth in Indian Ocean Region.
- Sri Lanka also handed over the strategic port of Hambantota, which is expected to play a key role in China’s Belt and Road Initiative, to China on a 99-year lease.
- The opposition parties and trade unions in Sri Lanka have already dubbed the port deal as a sellout of their country’s national assets to China.
- China has also supplied arms as well as provide huge loans to Sri Lanka for its development.
- China also invested sufficiently in the infrastructure of Sri Lanka, which included building of Colombo international container terminal by China Harbor Corporation.
- However, the relation between Sri Lanka and India are improving. In order to allay Indian concerns that the Hambantota port will not be used for military purposes, the Sri Lankan government has sought to limit China’s role to running commercial operations at the port while it retains oversight of security operations.
- The two countries have signed civil nuclear cooperation agreement which is Sri Lanka’s first nuclear partnership with any country.
- India is also investing into Sri Lanka’s infrastructure development in the Northern and Eastern provinces.
- India is also planning to build Trincomalee Port to counterweight the Chinese developments at Hambantota Port.
Measures needed to strengthen the bilateral ties during the pandemic:
- As both countries have a democratic setup there is scope for broadening and deepening the ties.
- Both countries should try to work out a permanent solution to the issue of fishermen through bilateral engagements.
- Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) must be signed to improve the economic cooperation between both countries.
- India needs to focus more on its traditional and cultural ties to improve relations with Sri Lanka.
- Starting of ferry services between India and Sri Lanka can improve people to people linkages.
- Mutual recognition of each other’s concerns and interests can improve the relationship between both countries.
Way forward:
- The socio-economic development of Sri Lanka has remained linked to India.
- Though robust partnerships with other countries have been often sought in line with the non-alliance foreign policies of both countries, such efforts must be bounded by an atmosphere needed for peace, prosperity, and stability.
- Sri Lanka can also encourage Indian entrepreneurs to make Colombo another business hub for them, as logistical capacities and facilities for rest and recreation keep improving in Sri Lanka.
- Integrating the two countries but with special and differential treatment for Sri Lanka due to economic asymmetries can be fast-tracked for this purpose.
- There is immense potential for both countries to accentuate or create complementariness, using locational and human resource potential, for harnessing benefits in the modern value chains.
- Robust partnerships across the economic and social spectrum can also promote people-to-people bonhomie.
General Studies – 3
Topic: Awareness in the fields of IT, Space, Computers, robotics, Nano-technology, biotechnology and issues relating to intellectual property rights.
Reference: Indian Express
Why the question:
The US is looking to remove special protection available to social media platforms, called ‘safe harbour’. In India, too, the IT Rules place significant due diligence requirements on large platforms like Facebook and Twitter.
Key Demand of the question:
Explain the ‘safe harbour’ and need to remove it. Regulation of Big Social media firms.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Begin by defining safe harbour and briefly give why it was brought in initially.
Body:
Give reasons- why safe harbour provisions need to be removed and why Social Media firms needs to be regulated- issues with it.
Mention steps taken in this regard at international and national level.
Briefly give what more needs to be done.
Conclusion:
Conclude with a balanced view.
Introduction
Safe harbor refers to a legal provision to reduce or eliminate liability in certain situations as long as certain conditions are met.
Safe-harbour Protection can provide protection against liability, it is like an immunity clause.
Safe-harbor laws can be understood in the Indian context by comparing with laws like the AFSPA that grant special powers to the Indian Armed Forces in which each act terms “disturbed areas”.
Body
About Safe harbour protection
- Section 79 of the Information Technology (IT) Act provides for the Safe Harbour protection to social media giants.
- It says that any intermediary shall not be held legally or otherwise liable for any third-party information, data, or communication link made available on its platform.
- However, the intermediary should not involve any way in initiating the transmission of the message in question, select the receiver of the transmitted message, and do not modify any information of the transmission.
- This means that as long as a platform acts just as the messenger carrying a message from point A to point B, it will be safe from any legal prosecution due to the transmission of a message. However, it should be without any interference with its content in any manner.
Global norms on safe harbour
- As most of the bigger social media intermediaries have their headquarters in the US, the most keenly watched is Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act.
- This provides Internet companies a safe harbour from any content users post of these platforms.
- Experts believe it is this provision in the US law that enabled companies such as Facebook, Twitter, and Google to become global conglomerates.
- Like Section 79 of India’s IT Act, this Section 230 states that “no provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be treated as the publisher or speaker of any information provided by another information content provider”.
- This effectively means that the intermediary shall only be like a bookstore owner who cannot be held accountable for the books in the store unless there is a connection.
New guidelines in India
- The guidelines had asked all social media platforms to set up a grievance redressal and compliance mechanism.
- This included appointing a resident grievance officer, chief compliance officer and a nodal contact person.
- The IT Ministry had also asked these platforms to submit monthly reports on complaints received from users and action taken.
- A third requirement was for instant messaging apps was to make provisions for tracking the first originator of a message.
- Failure to comply with any one of these requirements would take away the indemnity provided to social media intermediaries under Section 79 of the Information Technology Act.
Conclusion
India is also working on a complete overhaul of its technology policies and is expected to soon come out with a replacement of its IT Act, 2000, which will look at ensuring net neutrality, data privacy, and algorithmic accountability of social media platforms.
Topic: Security challenges and their management(Cybercrimes)
Difficulty level: Moderate
Reference: The Hindu , Insights on India
Why the question:
A leading digital news platform reported that the cellphones of at least 300 Indians had been hacked with Pegasus spyware
Key Demand of the question:
To write about the gaps in the India’s surveillance framework and how it impacts India’s democractic system.
Directive:
Critically analyze – When asked to critically analyze , you must write pros and cons associated with that
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Begin by introducing the recent issues and cases of surveillance in India.
Body:
First, what are the gaps in the India’s surveillance framework.
Next, write about its impact (esp on India’s democracy, people’s rights etc.)
Next, give some examples of steps taken by India and other countries.
Next, suggest more measures that are needed
Conclusion:
Conclude by writing a way forward.
Introduction
A year has passed since the disclosures about the Pegasus Project revealed the threat to India’s democracy.
A leading digital news platform reported that the cellphones of at least 300 Indians had been hacked with Pegasus, the spyware from the Israel-based NSO Group; 10 of the cases were confirmed by Amnesty International’s Security Lab using forensic analysis.
The victims, important members of India’s constitutional order, included cabinet Ministers, Opposition leaders, journalists, judges and human rights defenders.
Body
Impact of surveillance
- Threat to Press Freedom: Surveillance affects press freedom. In 2019, similar allegations were made about the use of Pegasus against journalists and human rights activists.
- The World Press Freedom Index produced by Reporters Without Borders has ranked India 142 out of 180 countries in 2021.The press requires greater protections on speech and privacy.
- Privacy and free speech are what enable good reporting. They protect journalists against threats of private and governmental reprisals against legitimate reporting.
- Against Right to Privacy: The very existence of a surveillance system impacts the right to privacy and the exercise of freedom of speech and personal liberty under Articles 19 and 21 of the Constitution, respectively.
- The fear of citizens knowing that their email is being read by the government may impact their ability to express, receive and discuss unorthodox ideas.
- In the absence of privacy, the safety of journalists, especially those whose work criticises the government, and the personal safety of their sources is jeopardised.
- Authoritarian Regime: The surveillance promotes spread of authoritarianism in the government functioning since it allows the executive to exercise a disproportionate amount of power on the citizen and impacts their personal lives.
- Against Due Process: Surveillance, when carried out entirely by the executive, curtails Articles 32 and 226 of the Constitution as it happens in secret.
- Thus, the affected person is unable to show a breach of their rights. This violates not only the ideals of due process and the separation of powers but also goes against the requirement of procedural safeguards as mandated in S. Puttaswamy v. Union of India (2017).
Background
- Surveillance using Pegasus: Reports that appeared in July 2021 from the Pegasus Project, which includes The Wire in India, The Guardian in the U.K., and The Washington Post in the U.S., said that in India, at least 40 journalists, Cabinet Ministers, and holders of constitutional positions were possibly subjected to surveillance using Pegasus.
- The reports were based on a database of about 50,000 phone numbers accessed by the Paris-based non-profit Forbidden Stories and Amnesty International.
- Signs of attempted penetration: According to The Guardian, Amnesty International’s Security Lab tested 67 of the phones linked to the Indian numbers in the database and found that “23 were successfully infected and 14 showed signs of attempted penetration”.
- Governments as clients: Since Pegasus is graded as a cyberweapon and can only be sold to authorized government entities as per Israeli law, most reports have suggested that the governments in these countries are the clients.
Way forward: Reforms needed
- Protecting privacy: Considering the severity of the threat posed by these disclosures, and the credibility of the evidence which backs them, it is important to examine how each branch of the Indian state has responded, or failed to respond, in protecting the privacy of citizens.
- Prevent indiscriminate monitoring: An overhaul of surveillance laws is necessary to prevent the indiscriminate monitoring of people and entities by the state and private actors.
- Independent oversight provisions: The Information Technology Act, 2000 and the Indian Telegraph Act 1885 which empower the Government to survey, concentrate surveillance powers in the hands of the executive, and do not contain any independent oversight provisions, judicial or parliamentary.
- These legislations are from an era before spyware such as Pegasus were developed, and, thus, do not respond to the modern-day surveillance industry.
- Lacunae in proposed Data protection law: The proposed data protection law does not address these concerns despite proposals from members of the Joint Parliamentary Committee. Instead, the proposed law provides wide exemptions to the Government relating to select agencies from the application of the law
- The Freedom House ‘Freedom in the World’ report : The past year has showcased why the need for comprehensive surveillance reform is so urgent. The Freedom House ‘Freedom in the World’ report — it tracks global trends in political rights and civil liberties — changed India’s status from ‘free’ to ‘partly free’ in 2021.
- It has cited the alleged use of Pegasus on Indian citizens as one of the reasons for the downgrade.
- Surveillance reforms: In the absence of immediate and far-reaching surveillance reform, and urgent redress to those who approach authorities against unlawful surveillance, the right to privacy may soon become obsolete.
Conclusion
This is also the right time across the world, there is an increasingly urgent debate about how to protect basic rights against encroachment by an aggressive and intrusive state, which wields the rhetoric of national security like a sword.
General Studies – 4
Topic: Attitude: Content, Structure, Function; its Influence and Relation with Thought and Behaviour; Moral and Political Attitudes; Social Influence and Persuasion.
Difficulty level: Moderate
Why the question:
The question is part of the static syllabus of General studies paper – 4 and part of ‘Conceptual Tuesdays’ in Mission-2023 Secure.
Key Demand of the question:
To write about how different factors influence a person’s outlook towards social issues and write measures to address them.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Begin by introducing attitude, and how it is formed.
Body:
First, mention positive behavioral changes one develops toward social issues.
Next, write about negative behavioral changes because of certain factors.
Then, mention measures that can help tackle these negative attitudes.
Conclusion:
Conclude by stating a balanced opinion.
Introduction
Attitude refers to a set of emotions, beliefs, and behaviors toward a particular object, person, thing, or event. Attitudes are often the result of experience or upbringing, and they can have a powerful influence over behavior.
Body
Factors responsible for formation of our attitude towards social issues like poverty, gender discrimination and casteism
Attitude is pattern of behavior of individual towards other individuals or circumstances. This is shaped by various factors like familial values, values taught by teachers, societal values and autonomous determined values.
`Lawrence Kohlberg’ attitude formation model explains the formation of attitude (The examinees may briefly explain it in the answer) . Contrasting attitudes about caste system stem from following factors — High caste people based in urban areas favour merit based system.
However, for higher caste urban people, the virtue of their caste has enabled them resources like education, finances and opportunities due to which caste has became invisible for them and they are successful on basis of merit alone. This makes them favour egalitarian system and against reservation.
Rural high caste people favour stratified caste system as it gives them advantage in society and prestige and protects their favoured position. Lower caste has emerged in recent years but has not been able to advance beyond reservations benefits.
Due to historical bias in society, they have huge gap in terms of socio-economic mobility with upper caste and due to this, they view caste as negative factor keeping them suppressed and favour affirmative action as judicious.
Academics and intellectuals regardless of their castes support welfare measures for vulnerable communities due to formation of autonomous attitude based on knowledge. These contrasting positions are formed due to societal and parental values inculcated in the individuals along with in the circumstances one lives in and how they interpret it.
Conclusion
Neither the attitude nor the behavioral intent instrument, alone or together is effective in predicting the person’s actual behaviour if, it has not been designed carefully. Attitude is important because attitudes reflect past experience and shape future behavior. In this way, the caste biases and prejudices can also be corrected and overcome.
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