[Mission 2023] Insights SECURE SYNOPSIS: 8 April 2023

 

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

Answer the following questions in 150 words:

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General Studies – 1

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1. Discuss the various aspects of Mahatma Gandhi’s idea of Ram Rajya? How can it be achieved in the present times?

Reference: The Hindu

Introduction

‘Ram Rajya’ envisages a society in which virtue, morality and justice are the core ideals around which day-to-day interactions between citizen and citizen and state and citizen occur. Since it is impossible to imagine such a perfect state of affairs, Ram Rajya, in the modern sense, is often thought of as an idealistic goal which governments should keep in mind and take inspiration from while implementing their governance agenda.

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Various aspects of Mahatma Gandhi’s idea of Ram Rajya

• Though Mahatma Gandhi may have coined the term in its modern avatar, the concept of ‘Ram Rajya’ has been a part of Indian thinking for centuries.
• The term has both a practical and a philosophical-cum-utopian aspect.
• Practically, it can be described as a means of putting the idea of good governance at the centre of all governmental activity.
• But there is a deeper philosophical and spiritual resonance to the concept, which idealises Lord Rama as a perfect ruler.
• A devout Hindu, Gandhi was greatly influenced by the teachings of the Ramayana.
• The twin principle of Gandhi’s Ram Rajya was Right Means and Right Ends.
• Ram Rajya is envisioned as that state of governance where the ruler is wise enough to place the good of the people above the interest of his own.
• Gandhi said that for him a true Ram Rajya would ensure “equal rights to both prince and pauper”.
• Gandhiji implied an ideal Rajya where values of justice, equality, idealism, renunciation and sacrifice were practised
• By Ram Rajya Gandhi do not mean Hindu Raj but the kingdom of God.
• For him, Ram and Rahim were one and the same; He acknowledged no other God than the one God of Truth and righteousness.
• One of the core aspect of Ram Rajya was true democracy in which the meanest citizen could be sure of swift justice without an elaborate and costly procedure.
• For Gandhiji, Ram Rajya was not just a matter of communal harmony and protecting the defenceless, but also a conversation which every Indian should have with the self.

Means to achieve Ram rajya in contemporary times

• The first step towards creating such a benevolent land is to look within.
• This form of introspection involved to magnify one’s own faults a thousand fold and shut your eyes to the faults of your neighbours. That is the only way to real progress.
• We need to learn to love the way Ram loved Sita. There is no way to achieve Ram Rajya or swaraj without observing this svadharma.
• There is a need to establish a strong connection of concern and understanding between political leaders and the people.
• Ram Rajya conveys a sense of duty on those sitting at the helm of public institutions to set the highest of moral and ethical values. Only then a political Utopia will prevail.
• There is a need to emphasize the building of individual moral buildup and the role of the state should be minimized.
• The Justice system should be swift, easily accessible to even the marginalized of the society.
• There should be respect for all religions and faiths, without any discrimination.

Conclusion

Gandhi summed up Ram Rajya as “the sovereignty of the people based on pure moral authority”. Thus, Ram rajya was an ideal society where everybody follows a code of righteous living, lives content and happy and meet their essential needs.

 

2. What is an avalanche? Examine the natural and anthropogenic causes of an avalanche.

Reference: The Hindu , Insights on India , Down to Earth

Introduction

Avalanche is a rapid downslope movement of a large detached mass of snow, ice, and associated debris such as rocks and vegetation. An avalanche is typically triggered when material on a slope breaks loose from its surroundings; this material then quickly collects and carries additional material down the slope. There are various kinds of avalanches, including rock avalanches (which consist of large segments of shattered rock), ice avalanches (which typically occur in the vicinity of a glacier), and debris avalanches (which contain a variety of unconsolidated materials, such as loose stones and soil).

Seven tourists were killed and a dozen injured after an avalanche struck the Gangtok-Nathu La road in Sikkim recently.

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Cause of an avalanche

Natural

• Heavy Snowfall

When a high rate of snowfall occurred leading to the snow accumulation on the mountain slopes triggered the weaker layer of snow in the snowpack of unstable areas of the mountain causes Avalanche.

• Wind Direction

The direction of the wind determines the patterns of the snowfall as well snow accumulation on the mountain slopes. If the strong wind blows, then the upward direction of the winds might trigger the steep slope which causes an avalanche.

• Layering of Snow

The gradual snowfall creates layer by layer accumulation of snow that hypersensitive the snowpack. If something catastrophic events happen then these layers of snow falls down that leads to avalanche.

• Steeper Slopes

An avalanche is also caused by the influence of gravity. If gradual snowfalls accumulated on the slopes of the mountain then it prone to rush downs the slopes at greater speeds.

• Higher Temperatures

Temperature is one of the important factors for the avalanche because of high temperature the surface layer of the snowpack gets melted. The accumulated snow will become highly susceptible to sliding down.

• Earthquakes

It is one of the important factors that triggered the layer of accumulated snowpack because earthquakes generate seismic waves that cause the ground to vibrate.

Anthropogenic

• Movements or Vibrations Produced By Machines and Explosives

As we know that the population increasing day by day, which requires development activities to meet the population requirement. During the developmental activities, the terrain vehicles in regions with unstable layers of snow can dislodge the layers from the surface and cause them to slide down under gravity.

• Deforestation

Deforestation, clearance, or clearing is the removal of a forest or stand of trees where the land is thereafter converted to a non-forest use. Trees and plants always protect land against natural disasters like floods, tidal waves, strong winds, and also avalanche. Hence, a developmental activity for economic gains makes the mountain region an avalanche-prone area more susceptible to deadlier avalanches.

• Construction activities & Human Excavation

of slope and its toe, loading of slope/toe, a drawdown in reservoir, mining, irrigation, vibration/blast, Water leakage from services. Erosion of slopes due to human interference increases the vulnerability of the terrain to slide down.

• Winter Sports Activities

Above all the factors, this factor will act like the last nail to triggered steep slopes or loose snowpack by skiers or other winter sports activities.

Way forward

Prediction and protective measures:

• In order to reduce fatalities and to protect villages and roads, people attempt to predict and prevent avalanches.
• Accurate avalanche prediction requires an experienced avalanche forecaster who often works both in the field to gather snowpack information and in the office with sophisticated tools such as remotely accessed weather data, detailed historical weather and avalanche databases, weather models, and avalanche-forecasting models.
• Avalanche detention wall.
• Avalanche forecasters combine their historical knowledge of past conditions with their knowledge of the affected terrain, current weather, and current snowpack conditions to predict when and where avalanches are most likely to occur.
• Avalanche mitigation wall.
• Such forecasting work typically takes place along mountain highways, adjacent to potentially affected villages, at ski areas, and in terrain heavily used for backcountry skiing and snowmobiling.
• In addition to predicting avalanches, people employ a variety of techniques to reduce avalanche danger. Explosives are used to trigger avalanches on potentially unstable slopes so that the avalanches will occur when people are not endangered.
• Such avalanche control is particularly effective for ski areas and highway corridors.
• In some areas prone to avalanches, particularly near villages and fixed structures, devices such as avalanche rakes (large reinforced fencing) are used on slopes to hold snow in place, and diversion structures such as dams or wedges are used at the base of the slope to stop, split, or deflect the snow in an avalanche.
• Though expensive, these defensive measures are common throughout the Alps, where numerous villages are found in areas known for dangerous avalanches.

 

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General Studies – 2

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3. India can become a powerful force in shaping the future of the Global South. Critically analyse India’s potential to become the capital of the Global South.

Reference: Indian Express

Introduction

India is playing an increasingly important role on the international stage due to its growing population and sheer economic might. Today the world is fragmented, torn by crosscurrents, contradictions, and multivalent forcefields, not singular visions. Internal political pressures generated by social divides drive domestic political dominance over addressing global existential imperatives. A close look reveals that the world is one in which the values of the West will continue to have relevance in public discourses and civilizational dialogues. And, today’s world is also one in which voices and perspectives of other cultures will drive differentiation and excellence, not universalism and emulation.

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Background: Why India can be voice of Global South

• The Voice of the Global South summit marks an important effort by India to make global governance work for the developing nations, whose concerns tend to get a short shrift in international forums.
• The forum is also about India reconnecting with a global group of nations that had fallen off the Indian foreign policy radar since the end of the Cold War.
•  Over the last three decades, Indian diplomacy’s focus has been on reordering its great power relations, bringing stability to the neighbourhood and developing regional institutions in the extended neighbourhood.
•  That 120 odd nations attended the meeting underlines the willingness across the Global South to support Indian leadership on addressing the global challenges that have had a massive impact on the condition of the many developing countries.
• The twin crises produced by the Covid-19 pandemic and the Russian war in Ukraine have had a devastating and disproportionate impact on the Global South.

Issues affecting the global order

• The Russia-Ukraine war is having an outsized impact on the global supply chain

• Impeding the flow of goods.
• Fueling dramatic cost increases and product shortages.
• Creating catastrophic food shortages around the world, particularly acute in low-income countries in africa. Given that ukraine and russia were generally viewed as the granaries of the world.

• Foreign exchange crisis: Apart from this, nations do face several other problems as well, including, in some cases, a foreign exchange crisis.
  • Many of these problems may have existed earlier but have been aggravated by the ongoing conflict.
• Churn in West Asia:The Abraham Accords in 2020, which brought about the entente between the United Arab Emirates and Israel, has been the harbinger of certain new trends in the tangled web of relationships among countries of West Asia.
  • Iran as fulcrum: China and Russia are continuously trying to firm their relation with West Asia and with Iran in particular, even when U.S.’s relations with Arab nations appear to weaken.
• No unity of purpose in Asia: Unlike the unity and the strength displayed by European nations — backed by the U.S. and NATO — to checkmate Russia, there is no evidence of any such unity of purpose in the event that China was to launch a conflict with Taiwan.
• China-Russia relation: China and Russia appear to have further cemented their relationship and the situation is shifting towards a formal alliance.
  • China’s growing influence in the Pacific region, including in the Indo-Pacific, is further strengthened by the alliance with Russia.

Steps that India must take

• India has the capabilities to take adequate care of its national interests and play a central role in ensuring peace, prosperity and security around the world.
• From the era of non-alignment to bilateral strategic partnerships to memberships of multilateral groupings such as SCO, BRICS, QUAD and now I2U2, Indian diplomacy has smartly engineered its move to achieve its national economic and strategic objectives.
• Under its Neighbourhood First Policy, India has been supplying power to Bangladesh and Nepal while championing a South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation electricity grid.
  • Besides, India has been liberal in extending aid to its neighbours whenever required.
  • India must work to a well thought out strategy to achieve its well-deserved place in the emerging world order.
• India can make a collective call for reforms in the UNSC. If not, then efforts must be taken to make UNGA ultimate authority to decide on international security.
• India’s presence in Indian ocean and being net security provider in the region is already noted by littoral states and India must go on to leverage this to stop Chinese dominance.
• Bilateral tie-ups with Japan in Asia-Africa Growth Corridor must come into fruition. Quad can counter Chinese narrative in the South China Sea.
• India can use its closeness to Russia to negotiate a peace deal with Ukraine.

Conclusion and way forward

• The way to manage the global agenda in a multivalent world order is to accept complexities, contradictions, and contrariness as realities
• Delink issues from one another to prevent singular difference from overwhelming other functional relations.
• Decentralize global negotiating forums from one another; devise diverse ways to work on issues that are distinctly different.
• Encourage varying clusters of country officials to lead on different issues; nurture plurilateral leadership groups by rotating their composition from issue to issue
• Embrace variety and avoid blocs; invite innovation; focus on substance; and dial back on polemics.

 

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General Studies – 3

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4. What is ChatGPT? Assess the potential opportunities and threats associated with Artificial Intelligence (AI) language models, including ChatGPT?

Reference: Insights on India

Introduction

ChatGPT, OpenAI’s new chatbot, is a ‘conversational’ AI which answers queries just like a human would. It is a variant of GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) which is a large-scale neural network-based language model developed by OpenAI.

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Chat GPT & contours of conversational artificial intelligence (AI)

• ChatGPT is a chatbot powered by artificial intelligence that can be used to ask questions.
• This chatbot is designed in such a way that the responses to queries are both technical and jargon-free.
• It is a natural language processing (NLP)model that works with a large corpus of conversational data.
• It can generate human-like responses, allowing for natural conversation between the user and the virtual assistant.
• The chatbot employs Reinforcement Learning from Human Feedback (RLHF) technology. It is, however, altered to appear more human-friendly.
• It is based on GPT-3.5, a deep-learning language model that generates human-like text.
• Because it improves over time and understands queries better through machine learning, the technology will produce different answers for the same question in the future.

Opportutnities

• It can be used in real-world applicationssuch as digital marketing, online content creation, answering customer service queries or as some users have found, even to help debug code.
• The bot can respond to a large range of questions while imitating human speaking styles.
• It is being seen as a replacement for the basic emails, party planning lists, CVs, and even college essays and homework.
• It can also be usedto write code, as examples have shown.
• Chatbots are convenient for providing customer service and support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
• They also free up phone lines and are far less expensive over the long run than hiring people to perform support.
• Using AI and natural language processing, chatbots are becoming better at understanding what customers want and providing the help they need.
• Companies also like chatbots because they can collect data about customer queries, response times, satisfaction, and so on.

Threats

• Governance: Companies such as OpenAI are self-governing the space through limited release strategies, and monitored use of models, however, self-governance leaves chances for manipulation
• Fear of Job losses: automation of tasks that were previously done by humans, such as writing news articles or composing music.
• Reduced need for human cognition: young children who will see AI as their friend to do their homework.
• Fear of Societal Biasbeing replicated by AI
• Issues surrounding intellectual property and copyright: The datasets behind generative AI models are generally scraped from the internet without seeking consent from living artistsor work still under copyright
• Fear of Misinformation and Mistrust by manipulation of information, creating fake text, speech, images or video
• Fear of Concentration of Power in the hand of a few companies
• Risks for national security using automated troll bots, with advanced capabilities

Way forward

• Need to make generative AI modelsmore transparent, so that the public can understandhow and why the model is making certain decisions
• Use of diverse training data, as well as techniques like fairness constraints or adversarial training to mitigate bias.
• Privacy: Ensuring the privacy of people
• Accountable governance esp.of BigTech companies using a designated “AI ethicist” or “AI ombudsman”
• Designing a system wherein humans make the final decisionand AI can be used as a support system
• Collaboration with civil society and policymakers: To mitigate the impact of Generative AI on -the disruption of labour markets, legitimacy of scraped data, licensing, copyright and potential for biased or otherwise harmful content, misinformation, and so on.

Conclusion

While generative AI is a game-changer in numerous areas and tasks, there is a strong need to govern the diffusion of these models, and their impact on society and the economy more carefully.

Value addition

Generative AI is a type of artificial intelligence that involves creating new, original content or data using machine learning algorithms.

• It can be used to generate text, images, music, or other types of media.

A Generative Pretrained Transformer (GPT) is a type of large language model (LLM) that uses deep learning to generate human-like text.

• “generative” because they can generate new text based on the input they receive
• “pretrained” because they are trained on a large corpus of text data before being fine-tuned for specific tasks
• “transformers” because they use a transformer-based neural network architecture to process input text and generate output text

 

5. What is the Open Source Seeds movement? Evaluate the benefits and challenges of similar movements for Indian farmers in order to make plant breeding more accessible.

Reference: The Hindu

Introduction

The Open Source Seed Initiative simply asks for a pledge, that an individual won’t “restrict others’ use of these seeds or their derivatives by patents or other means, and to include this pledge with any transfer of these seeds or their derivatives”.

OSSI (The Open Source Seed Initiative) was created by plant breeders, farmers, seed companies, and sustainability advocates whose collective mission is to maintain open access to global plant genetic resources ensuring its accessibility to all farmers, plant breeders and communities for this generation and all to come.

It was inspired by the success of open-source software, a Canadian plant breeder suggested (in 1999) a similar approach to seeds.

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Benefits

• An open-source crop variety is one that is not restricted by plant patents or other proprietary limitations used by F1 hybrids and crops of CMS and GMO technologies.
• The open-source seed movement affirms that plant genetics and their physical traits cannot, and should not, be owned by individuals or corporations.
• In other words, plants should never be privatized or restricted because they are a collective resource.
• The genetics of open-source seeds are protected and pledged to forever remain in the public domain.
• Open-source principles can help overcome these two challenges by facilitating testing, improvisation, and adoption – all of which will ultimately be beneficial to India’s food security and climate resilience.

 

• The open-source approach leads to farmer-led seed conservation and distribution systems.

 

• The open-source approaches also play a significant role in ensuring food security and climate resilience in the country.

 

• The open-source seed model also helps in promoting farmer-led participatory plant-breeding exercises.

Challenges

• Extreme temperatures or rain triggered byclimate change has caused a decline in the quality and size of seeds across India.

Way forward

• Under the Plant Variety Protection and Farmers’ Rights Act (PPVFRA) 2001, farmers can register varieties as ‘farmer varieties’ if they meet certain conditions, and have the right to reuse, replant and exchange seeds.
• However, they can’t breed and trade in varieties protected under the Act for commercial purposes.
• Using the open-source approach here will enable farmers to gain more rights over germplasm and seeds and facilitate innovation.
• Open-source principles can facilitate testing, improvisation and adoption – all of which will ultimately be beneficial toIndia’s food security and climate-disease resilience.

 

Answer the following questions in 250 words(15 marks each):

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General Studies – 1

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6. Highlight the challenges faced by the senior citizens. There is a need in our society to recognize and value the contributions of the elderly and ensuring they live with dignity and respect. Elucidate.

Reference: Indian Express , Insights on India

Introduction

Currently, India’s population is among the youngest in an ageing world, however, a major proportion of India’s population will be aged by 2050. This calls for more forward-looking policies incorporating population dynamics, education and skills, healthcare, gender sensitivity and most importantly geriatric care.

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Demographic transition in India

• NFHS-5 places the total fertility rate (TFR) at 2.0. known as replacement level of fertility. This decline is spread evenly across the country.
  • 28 statesand UTs have a TFR of 9 or less, with seven below 1.6.
  • All southern states have a TFR of 1.7-1.8,similar to that of Sweden.
• Even states that have not reached replacement fertility —Bihar and Uttar Pradesh — seem to be head in that direction.
• Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan that were part of the lagging states have achieved TFRs of
• With falling fertility (currently 2.0), the median age of India has risen from 24 years in 2011 to 29 years now and is expected to be 36 years by 2036.
  • With a falling dependency ratio (expected to decrease from 65% to 54% in the coming decade taking 15-59 years as the working age population), India is in the middle of a demographic transition.
  • However, the elderly care is neglected in policies till date.
• Elderly population : Age division of Indian population (0-14) is 30.8%, (15-59) is 60.3%, (60+) is 8.6%.
  • According to Population Census 2011, there are nearly 104 million elderly persons in India.
  • It has increased from 5.5% in 1951 to 8.6% in 2011.
  • Projected a rise upto 19% in 2050

Issues associated with elderly population in India

• Feminisation of ageing: The sex ratio of the elderly has increased from938 women to 1,000 men in 1971 to 1,033 in 2011 and is projected to increase to 1,060 by 2026.
  • The report also noted that between 2000 and 2050, the population of 80-plus people would have grown 700% “with a predominance of widowed and highly dependent very old women”and so the special needs of such old women would need significant focus of policy and programmes.
• Financial issues: Retirement and dependence of elderly on their child for basic necessity.
  • Sudden increase in out-of-pocket expenses on treatment.
  • Migration of young working-age persons from rural area have negative impacts on the elderly, living alone or with only the spouse usually poverty and distress.
• Health: Multiple disabilities among the elders in old age.
  • Health issues like blindness, locomotor disabilities and deafness are most prevalent.
  • Mental illness arising from senility and neurosis.
  • Absence of geriatric care facilities at hospitals in rural area.
• Social issues:Indian society is undergoing rapid transformation under the impact of industrialization, urbanization, technical & technological change, education and globalization.
  • Consequently, the traditional values and institutions are in the process of erosion and adaptation, resulting in the weakening of intergenerational ties that were the hallmark of the traditional family.
  • Feeling of powerlessness, loneliness, uselessness and isolation in elderly.
  • Generational gap.

Roadmap for elderly care with passage of time

• Increasing the monthly pension of elderly to minimum of Rs 2,000 per month.
• Under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, Housing for the aged, particularly the aged poor, must be a priority.
• Assisted living facilities for indigent elderly, particularly those with age-related issues like dementia, needs policy focus.
• More tax benefits, or at least removing tax on deposit interest for seniors.
• Enhancing the geriatric care health infrastructure especially in rural area.
• Allocation of special budget for elderly population at both levels.
• Providing entertainment facilities like libraries and clubs at panchayat level.
• Appreciations for the contributions of elderlies at village level.

Conclusion

Social security is the concurrent responsibility of the central and state governments as, mandated under Indian constitution i.e., Well-being of senior citizens – Article 41 in particular and 46 in general of Indian constitution. In this regard, National Policy on Senior Citizen, 2011 was framed.

For the welfare and care for the older persons, we must focus on the protection of already existing social support systems/traditional social institutions such as family and kinship, neighbourhood bonding, community bonding and community participation must be revived and kins should show sensitivity towards elderly citizens.

 

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General Studies – 2

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7. The principles of natural justice are essential to ensure fairness and equity in decision-making and the doctrine of proportionality is an important principle in ensuring that the government and public authorities do not unduly interfere with the fundamental rights of individuals. Elaborate.

Reference: Indian Express

Introduction

The Supreme Court, on Wednesday (April 5), set aside the orders passed by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (MIB) on January 31, 2022, and the Kerala High Court on March 2, 2022, refusing to renew Malayalam news channel Media One’s broadcast license

The principles of natural justice have great significance in the study of Administrative law. It is also known has substantial justice or fundamental justice or Universal justice or fair play in action. The principles of natural justice are not embodied rules and are not codified.

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About Natural justice

1. No one should be a judge in his own cause.
2. Justice should not only be done, but manifestly and undoubtedly be seen to be done.

The above rules make it clear that judiciary must be free from bias and should deliver pure and impartial justice. Judges must act judicially and decide the case without considering anything other than the principles of evidence

• The bench allowed the challenge to the order of the MIB and judgment of the High Court on account of the principles of natural justice constitutionalized by its judgment in its 1978 ruling in “Maneka Gandhi vs Union of India”.
• The Court observed that “that there is an inherent value in securing compliance with the principles of natural justice independent of the outcome of the case.”
• Actions which violate procedural guarantees can be struck down even if non-compliance does not prejudice the outcome of the case, the court held.
• It also stated that “the core of the principles of natural justice breathes reasonableness into procedure”.
• Additionally, the court clarified that in the present case, the burden is on the claimant to prove that the procedure followed infringes upon the core of procedural guarantees.

 

Doctrine of proportionality

Proportionality means that the administrative action should not be more drastic than it ought to be for obtaining the desired result. This implies that canon should not be used to shoot a sparrow. Thus this doctrine tries to balance means with ends.

• The judgment went on to explain that the validity of the claim of involvement of national security considerations must be assessed on the test of
  • whether there is material to conclude that the non-disclosure of information is in the interest of national security; and
  • whether a reasonable prudent person would draw the same inference from the material on record;
• Even assuming that non-disclosure is in the interest of confidentiality and national security, the means adopted by the respondents do not satisfy the other prongs of the proportionality standard as per the apex court. The top court then reiterated that courts can assess the validity of public interest immunity claims albeit based on the “structured proportionality standard”.

 

Conclusion

The principles of natural justice have been adopted and followed by the judiciary to protect public rights against the arbitrary decision by the administrative authority. One can easily see that the rule of natural justice include the concept of fairness: they stay alive and support to safeguard the fair dealing.

 

8. In order to have humane policing, the police force needs structural reform and better training to prioritize the protection of human rights and improve community relations, with accountability mechanisms to ensure that police officers who commit misconduct are held responsible. Examine.

Reference: The Hindu , Insights on India

Introduction

The primary role of police forces is to uphold and enforce laws, investigate crimes and ensure security for people in the country. Under the Constitution, police is a subject governed by states. There has been almost 30 years of debate on policing and reform in India.

The serious complaint of human rights violation recently against an IPS officer in Ambasamudram in south Tamil Nadu should greatly embarrass the State government and the police hierarchy. The officer has been suspended from service and his alleged misconduct is being probed.

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Need for Police Reforms:

• If India is to achieve its status as a great power, it is absolutely essential that police is restructured and modernised.
• Without the police ensuring good law and order in the country, the other services would find it difficult to operate.
• To transform the colonial police structure of the country into a progressive, modern force sensitive to the democratic aspirations of the people.
• To eliminate the undue political interference. The police of today are victims of politicization as well as criminalization.
• To instil the confidence of the people in the institution of police by making police more people friendly.
• The security of the society and the welfare of the people is dependent on the efficiency of the police.

Hindrances for the reforms

• An overburdened police force:
  • Police force is overburdened especially at lower levels where constabulary is forced to work continuously 14-16 hrs and also for 7 days a week. It adversely impacts their performance.
  • While the sanctioned police strength was 181 police per lakh persons in 2016 when the United Nations recommended standard is 222 police per lakh persons.
  • 86% of the state police comprises of constabulary. Constables are typically promoted once during their service. This could weaken their incentive to perform well.
• Improving police infrastructure:
  • Failure of police infrastructure like vehicles, weaponry. Also audits have found that the POLNET network is non-functional in various states.
  • For example, an audit of the Gujarat police force reported that the network had not been operationalised till October 2015 due to non-installation of essential infrastructure, such as remote subscriber units and generator sets.
  • Funds dedicated for modernisation of infrastructure are typically not utilised fully. For example, in 2015-16, only 14% of such funds were used by the states.
• Political influence:
  • Second Administrative Reforms Commission has noted that ministers have used police forces for personal and political reasons.
• Police accountability:
  • Police forces have the authority to exercise force to enforce laws and maintain law and order in a state. However, this power may be misused in several ways.
• Poor quality of investigation:
  • Crime per lakh population has increased by 28% over the last decade (2005-2015). However, convictions have been low. So it shows the poor quality of investigation.
  • The Law Commission and the Second Administrative Reforms Commission have noted that state police officers often neglect investigation because they are understaffed and overburdened with various kinds of tasks.
  • Further, they lack the training and the expertise required to conduct professional investigations.
  • They also have insufficient legal knowledge and the forensic and cyber infrastructure available to them is both inadequate and outdated. In light of this, police forces may use force and torture to secure evidence.
  • Crime investigations may be influenced by political or other extraneous considerations
• Forensic labs:
  • Expert bodies have however said that these laboratories are short of funds and qualified staff. Further, there is indiscriminate referencing of cases to these labs resulting in high pendency.
• Lack of co-ordination between centre and states is matter related to maintenance of law & order results in ineffective functioning of police force.
• Police force is not in the position to tackle present problems of cybercrime, global terrorism, Naxalism because of structural weaknesses.
• Prevalence of Rank system within the police force results in abuse of power by top level executive over lower level personnel.

Way forward

• Directions of the Supreme Court in Prakash Singh vs Union of India:
  • Fixing the tenure and selection of the DGPto avoid situations where officers about to retire in a few months are given the post.
  • In order to ensure no political interference, a minimum tenure was sought for the Inspector General of Police so that they are not transferred mid-term by politicians.
  • Postings of officers should be done by Police Establishment Boards (PEB)comprising police officers and senior bureaucrats to insulate powers of postings and transfers from political leaders.
  • Set up State Police Complaints Authority (SPCA) to give a platform where common people aggrieved by police action could approach.
  • Separate investigation and law and order functions to better improve policing.
  • Set up of State Security Commissions (SSC)that would have members from civil society.
  • Form a National Security Commission.
• Independent Complaints Authority:
  • The Second Administrative Reforms Commissionand the Supreme Court have observed that there is a need to have an independent complaints authority to inquire into cases of police misconduct.
  • Example is that of the New York City Police which has a Civilian Complaint Review Board comprising of civilians appointed by local government bodies and the police commissioner to investigate into cases of police misconduct.
• Investigation:
  • Experts have recommended that states must have their own specialized investigation units within the police force that are responsible for crime investigation.
• Padmanabhaiah commission:
  • It has also been recommended that constables, and the police force in general, should receive greater training in soft skills given they need to deal with the public regularly.
• Housing:
  • Importance of providing housing to the constabulary (and generally to the police force) to improve their efficiency and incentive to accept remote postings has also been emphasised by expert bodies, such as the National Police Commission.
• Community policing: Janamaithri Suraksha in Kerala
  • This project is an initiative of the Kerala Police to facilitate greater accessibility, close interaction and better understanding between the police and local communities. For example, Beat Constables are required to know at least one family member of every family living in his beat area.
  • Meira Paibi (Torch-bearers) in Assam:The women of the Manipuri Basti in Guwahati help with improving the law and order problem in their area, by tackling drug abuse among the youth. They light their torches and go around the basti guarding the entry and exit points, to prevent the youth of the area from going out after sunset
• Courts:
  • The Madras High Court has said that the state government should contemplate giving policemen a day off in a week like other government officials in order to spend time with their families.
  • The court suggested introducing an 8-hour, three-shift system for police personnel. It will help them rejuvenate themselves and relieve them from stress.
• Evidence based policingis gaining credibility day by day – Indian police force must be exposed to it.
• Second ARCrecommended that the government should declare certain crimes as “federal” and entrust their investigation to a Central agency.
• Police need to have the operational freedom to carry out their responsibilities professionally, and satisfactory working conditions, while being held accountable for poor performance or misuse of power.
• Gender Parity in Police force:The 2nd Administrative Reform Commission recommended that the representation of women in police at all levels should be increased through affirmative action so that they constitute about 33% of the police.
• Improvement in Intelligence gathering: The intelligence gathering machinery in the field needs to be strengthened and at the same time, made more accountable. Human intelligence should be combined with information derived from diverse sources with the focus on increased use of technology.

Conclusion:

The police force needs to be freed from the stranglehold of the executive and given functional autonomy to enforce the rule of law. Police should be a SMART Police -a police which should be strict and sensitive, modern and mobile, alert and accountable, reliable and responsible, tech-savvy and trained.

 

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General Studies – 3

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9. Enumerate the key features of Foreign Trade Policy 2023 (FTP 2023). Critically analyse the potential of FTP 2023 in boosting India’s export competitiveness and making the country a key player in the global trade landscape.

Reference: Indian Express , Live Mint  , pib.gov.in

Introduction

Foreign Trade Policy is a government policy that affects the number of goods and services a country exports and imports. Ministry of Commerce and Industry launched the Foreign Trade Policy 2023, which will come into effect from April 1, 2023. FTP 2023 sets a $2 trillion target for exports of goods and services by 2030 with a shift from incentives to remission and entitlement-based regime.

Body

Objectives of FTP 2023

• To enhance the competitiveness of Indian exportsin the global market (India’s overall exports are about to reach US $760 billion this year)
• Promote sustainable development of the country’s trade sector
• Make India a leader in specific sectorssuch as pharmaceuticals, engineering goods, and textiles
• To promote a digital economy and leverage technologyto enhance the competitiveness of Indian exports.

Major Features of FTP 2023:

Critical analysis of FTP 2023

Conclusion

The previous foreign trade policy for 2015-2020 had targeted exports of USD 900 billion by 2020. FTP 2023 is a policy document which is based on continuity of time-tested schemes facilitating exports as well as a document which is nimble and responsive to the requirements of trade.

 

10. India finds itself sandwiched between the two biggest drug trading regions globally, the Golden Crescent and the Golden Triangle. This not only breaches India’s territorial boundaries but also constitutes a substantial hazard to its national security. Examine.

Reference: Indian Express , Insights on India

Introduction

India is wedged between the world’s two largest areas of illicit opium production, the Golden Crescent and the Golden Triangle.  This proximity has traditionally been viewed as a source of vulnerability, since it has made India both a destination and a transit route for opiates produced in these regions.  the lockdown restrictions during Covid-19 have accelerated drug trafficking using the Internet. The drug trafficking scenario in India is largely attributed to various external and internal factors.

Body

Background

• According to a report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), opium production in Afghanistan has crossed 6,000 tonnes for the fifth consecutive year.
• The reported rise in global opium prices has resulted in the exponential production of opiates increasing by 8%.
• The Taliban, cash-strapped and still looking to establish a semblance of order in the country they captured in August 2021, could indeed be looking to generate revenue from the illegal cash crop, as cases of smuggling and seizures of large consignments of drugs in India have started increasing, indicating a turn towards this trend.

 

Implications of Drug trafficking in India

• Challenges in the Northeast
  • Indo-Myanmar border encounters non-conventional security challenges as it provides a secure channel for the movement of insurgents, narcotics trafficking, gunrunning, smuggling of wildlife etc.
• Proxy-wars: In the context of the proxy war in J&K, Pakistan’s ISI has been using the narcotics trade to
  • Generate funds to sustain militancy.
  • Erode the vitality of the populace in the border belt.
  • Win over the local youth, as informers.
  • Increase the level of criminal activity.
• Narco-terrorism: Terrorism and militancy in India, especially in Jammu and Kashmir, waged by Islamist extremist groups based in and supported by Pakistan. This is mainly funded by trading narcotics illegally.
• Drug Abuse on rise: The easy availability of drugs in Indian market is increasing drug abuse cases, particularly amongst the youth.
  • According to a report by Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, around 2.1% of Indians use opioids like opium, heroin, and non-medical sedatives.
  • Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, and Mizoram have the highest prevalence of this opioid use.
  • Drug-peddling is taking place over the Dark Web eluding the scrutiny of enforcement officers.
• Endangering lives: The illicit drug cultivation causes environmental damage in the form of river pollution.
  • Toxic chemical wastes generated are stealthily dumped into rivers flowing in the region.
• Militancy: The nexus between Pakistan ISI and Pakistan Army with the drug mafia is a well-documented and established fact.
  • This brought in a lot of easy money to the Pakistan’s ISI.
  • With time, this money had been increasingly diverted towards fomenting, sustaining and exalting militancy in the peaceful paradise state of J&K in India.
• Funds Naxalism: The region is near the Naxal affected areas who exploit the corridor for expanding their revenues and arms smuggling.
  • Due to lack of infrastructural development, they illicitly grow opium and cannabis providing them ready money.
• Socio Economic impact:
  • The Covid-19 crisis has pushed more than 100 million people into extreme poverty, and has greatly exacerbated unemployment and inequalities, as the world lost 255 million jobs in 2020.
  • Mental health conditions are also on the rise worldwide. Such socioeconomic stressors have likely accelerated demand for the drugs.

Measures taken by the government

Government of India has devised a well laid out strategy to ensure inter agency coordination and revamp the prosecution mechanism to end the menace of drug trafficking.

• There is zero tolerance policy followed by Government of India against narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances trade.
• Strong Legislation: Accordingly, the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS) was enacted in 1985.
  • Under this act, cultivation, manufacturing, transportation, export and import of all narcotics drugs and psychotropic substances is prohibited except for medicinal and scientific purposes and as authorised by the government.
  • The Act provides for rigorous punishment for any person violating this act and if a person is caught peddling drugs for the second time, death penalty could be awarded to the offender.
  • In addition, the government of India has also enacted the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act in 1988, which allows detention of persons suspected to be involved in illicit trafficking of drugs.
• The Government has taken several policy and other initiatives to deal with drug trafficking problem.
• It constituted Narco-Coordination Centre (NCORD) in November, 2016 and revived the scheme of “Financial Assistance to States for Narcotics Control”.
• In 2017, the government approved new Reward Guidelines with increased quantum of reward for interdiction or seizure of different illicit drugs.
• Global Cooperation: For effective coordination with foreign countries, India has signed 37 Bilateral Agreements/Memoranda of Understanding.
• Narcotics Control Bureau has been provided funds for developing a new software i.e. Seizure Information Management System (SIMS) which will create a complete online database of drug offences and offenders.
• The government has constituted a fund called “National Fund for Control of Drug Abuse” to meet the expenditure incurred in connection with combating illicit traffic in Narcotic Drugs; rehabilitating addicts, and educating public against drug abuse, etc.
• The government is also conducting National Drug Abuse Survey to measure trends of drug abuse in India through Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment with the help of National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre of AIIMS.
• Pro-active border patrol: For instances, in 2009, the BSF seized 23 kg of heroin along with 12 pistols and several rounds of ammunition in Punjab. In the same year, consignments of 58 kg of heroin, 10 kg of hashish as well as pistols and RDX were seized by the BSF along Rajasthan border.
• Cooperation with neighbours: India is a signatory to the SAARC Convention on Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic substances, 1993.
  • India is also a party to the Pentalateral Cooperation on Drug Control, which focuses on the prevention of illicit trade of precursor and other chemicals used for the manufacture of heroin.

Way Forward:

• Combating misinformation on the impact of the use of cannabis products is crucial.
• Awareness-raising and communication efforts that disseminate scientific information without stigmatizing people.
• Increasing the capacity of law enforcement agencies to address drug trafficking over the darknet remains a priority.
• Joint responses by Governments and the private sector can involve controlling and removing advertisements and listings of illegal drugs on the Internet.
• Continuously update scientific standards to keep abreast of the acceleration of Internet-based services.
• Prevention and solid support are the ways in which drug abuse can be dealt with.
• Prevention programmes involving families, schools and the immediate communities are important in this regard.
• Government must notify minimum standards for running de-addiction centres.
• Fast track courts.
• Integrating drug de-addiction centre’s with rehabilitation centres.
• Unlicensed centres and those committing human rights violations must be liable to closure.
• A chapter on the impact of drug abuse should be included in school curriculum so that children understand how addiction destroys lives of people.
• Focused sensitisation programmes on drug abuse in schools and a substance abuse policy could go a long way in curbing the menace.
• Parents must consult specialists in case there is change in behaviour of their children as it could be signs of drug abuse.

Conclusion

Prevention of drug trafficking has to be accorded greater priority. At present it forms part of the larger mandate of the border guarding forces to ‘prevent smuggling and any other illegal activity’. Special measures need to be formulated to check trafficking of drugs through the borders. Various domestic laws enacted for the control of drug trafficking should be implemented stringently and severe punishments should be accorded to drug stockists.

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