Whatsapp 93125-11015 For Details
India and Bhutan remain in “close coordination” over all security matters, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said. He indicated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bhutanese King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck discussed the latest situation along the India-Bhutan border as well as the progress in boundary talks between China and Bhutan, particularly above the Doklam trijunction point, during a meeting in Delhi.
Responding to a number of questions about the possibility of a boundary deal between China and Bhutan that could negatively impact India’s strategic interests in the region, Mr. Kwatra told presspersons that the two leaders had discussed the “entire gamut” of bilateral cooperation and issues of national and regional interests, and that the two countries share an “exemplary” relationship of “trust, goodwill and mutual understanding”.
However, Mr. Kwatra declined to comment on any specific details of the conversation between Mr. Modi and the Bhutanese King relating to the latest developments between Thimphu and Beijing, or to a statement by Bhutan’s Prime Minister Lotay Tshering that a demarcation line could be drawn on disputed areas to Bhutan’s north with China within the next couple of rounds of border talks.
India and Bhutan remain in close touch and close coordination relating to our shared national interests including security interests,” Mr. Kwatra said at a briefing after the meeting.
He said that India had noted comments made by Mr. Tshering in an interview last week, adding that New Delhi has reiterated its position that any questions over the trijunction between India, China and Bhutan would be resolved “trilaterally”.
World Bank lowers India’s growth forecast to 6.3% (Page no. 1)
(GS Paper 3, Economy)
The World Bank has forecast a 6.3% economic growth rate for India in the current fiscal year, which ends March 31, 2024, a downgrade of 0.7 percentage points since its October forecast.
The primary reasons for this are high borrowing costs and slower income growth causing weaker consumption, as well as the government tightening fiscal expenditure, the World Bank said in its South Asia Economic Focus: Expanding Opportunities: Toward Inclusive Growth report, released ahead of next week’s Spring Meetings in Washington DC.
While India fared better than the rest of the South Asian region, two major concerns were the female labour participation rate, which had dropped to below 20%, and the informal sector neither becoming more productive nor shrinking, according to the study’s lead economist.
The Indian economy is expected to grow at 6.4% in FY 2024-25, an upgrade of 0.3 percentage points from the previous forecast. The South Asia region as a whole is expected to grow at 5.6% this calendar year.
“In general, the situation in India is better than in many of the other countries in South Asia,” World Bank Chief Economist for South Asia Hans Timmer told reporters at a virtual briefing.
And especially the situation in the financial sector is healthier than many of the other countries,” he said, adding that banks were “in good shape” and had improved after the pandemic.
However, the female labour participation rate and the size, and (low) productivity of the informal sector were concerns. So there is still a huge structural agenda in India to make growth more inclusive to increase participation,” adding that private investment from abroad needed to be increased, especially in the services sector.
The services sector — and then the construction sector — were the fastest growing industries in India, according to the World Bank. Investment growth remained strong and business confidence was high in India.
The government has done a lot to improve social protection, but that is by itself not enough. Ultimately, it is about increasing more opportunities in the labour market and there’s still a long way to go”.
Editorial
A new economics for a new world (Page no. 6)
(GS Paper 3, Economy)
The Indian government is grappling with three economic challenges at the same time. One is management of inflation, interest rates, and exchange rates, for which the Reserve Bank of India is expected to find a solution.
The second is negotiating bilateral and multilateral trade agreements that protect the interests of India’s farmers and workers, for which coordination is required amongst the Ministries of Commerce, Industry, and Agriculture.
The third problem that is affecting all citizens is secure employment with adequate incomes, which involves all Ministries and all State governments.
The third one is linked with the other two: it has become a principal cause of social tensions and political conflicts in the country.
Economists do not have a systemic solution for this “poly-crisis”. Consensus among them has broken down even about solutions to its separate parts.
They are divided on whether central bankers should operate independently of governments; whether inflation should take precedence over employment; whether imports should be made less costly for consumers or protection of workers’ incomes should take precedence to increase their purchasing power; and who is hurt by the depreciation of the rupee.
Economists agree that more investments will boost growth. Therefore, there are lessons in China’s history. China and India opened their economies to global trade around the same time, some 35 years ago.
Both countries had similar levels of per capita incomes then, and similar levels of industrial technologies. Since then, China attracted foreign investment that was many times more than in India, and the incomes of its citizens increased five times faster.
Moreover, China became an industry and technology powerhouse, which the United States is being threatened by. The West wants to encircle and contain China.
Since wages in China have become much higher, India seems well-placed to attract global investors. To attract investors, India must compete with other countries.
Vietnam is often cited as a country that is proving to be more attractive than India to western and Japanese investors. Therefore, after China, economists are turning towards Vietnam also to understand why.
Explainer
What was discussed at the UN water conference? (Page no. 8)
(GS Paper 3, Conservation)
The United Nations 2023 Water Conference held on March 22-24 was the first such meeting in 46 years. In a recent report entitled ‘Water for Sustainable Development 2018 – 2028’, the UN recognised the urgent need for action given that we are not on track to meet the 2030 Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) for water — “Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all”.
The water sector is prone to fragmentation because water problems tend to be local. If a particular lake is polluted or a particular area is often flooded, it needs local solutions.
Therefore, there is an inherent problem in mobilising globally for local problems. The last UN Water Conference, held in 1977, was ground breaking as it resulted in the first global ‘Action Plan’ recognising that “all peoples, whatever their stage of development and social and economic conditions, have the right to have access to drinking water in quantities and of a quality equal to their basic needs.”
This declaration led to several decades of global funding and concerted effort to lower the population without access to safe drinking water.
Extending services to underserved populations is relatively uncontroversial: it comes down to finding the money to pay for it. This is already occurring in India through programmes such as the Swachh Bharat Mission and the Jal Jeevan Mission.
However, the challenge is that improving access to water and sanitation no longer translates directly to sustained access to water and sanitation.
For example, many drinking water projects have failed because they drew too much groundwater or the water sources were contaminated, leaving communities again with no access to water.
Groundwater over-abstraction is mostly driven by agricultural pumping. The only way to solve this problem in heavily irrigated places like Punjab is to pump less.
This would need a policy change which requires many agencies and ministries to cooperate. As such, the water problem is no longer about access to water.
The remaining SDG targets pertain to sustainable agriculture, industry, and natural ecosystems. These targets are harder as they need, among other things, tough political choices and a stronger democracy.
Text & context
A ‘casteless’ society: an aspiration or a myth to cover up privilege? (Page no. 9)
(GS Paper 1, Society)
Despite attempts to create an egalitarian and modern society, the caste system remains a prominent feature of Indian society. Historically, castes, which are often associated with certain occupations, were arranged in a hierarchy, with some castes considered superior to others and thus accorded more power and privileges than others.
This system of social stratification and power relations has been a major problem in India as it has led to discrimination and inequality for those belonging to lower castes.
The word ‘casteless’, simply refers to ‘an individual who does not have a caste or is an outcaste’. Yet, its implications and manifestations as a social concept run much deeper.
The term ‘casteless’ refers to the ‘absence of caste’ in society. It advocates for a society free of caste-based discrimination and oppression. It aims to create an inclusive society that provides equal opportunity for every individual regardless of inheritance and birth.
In a ‘casteless’ society, people from different backgrounds would be treated with dignity and respect. People would interact and work together freely, without caste-based discrimination or prejudices and everyone would have access to quality education, healthcare, and job opportunities irrespective of their caste or social status.
Here a person’s worth and success would be solely judged based on their abilities, character, and hard work rather than their social position
The idea of such a casteless society has been a goal that many, including social reformists, have aspired to achieve. However, the reality is that the caste system remains deeply ingrained in our society with roots that extend back thousands of years.
The term ‘casteless’, as a sociological concept was popularised by M. N. Srinivas, an Indian sociologist who has written immensely about caste, sanskritisation and social stratification. Srinivas in his book Caste in Modern India argues that caste is a complex social structure that has adapted and changed throughout history but remains a powerful force in modern Indian society. One of Srinivas’s key arguments is that the notion of being “casteless” is a myth in the Indian context. He explains that even though some people may claim to be casteless or advocate for a casteless society, they are often still influenced by caste in various ways.
News
Vacancies of judges remain high, cases pile up: India Justice Report (Page no. 12)
(GS Paper 2, Judiciary)
Indian courts are jammed with cases and are seeing pendency increase by the day. At the same time, they are also functioning with fewer judges than the sanctioned number, the India Justice Report (IJR).
As of December 2022, against a sanctioned strength of 1,108 judges, the High Courts were functioning with only 778 judges. The subordinate courts were found functioning with 19,288 judges against a sanctioned strength of 24,631 judges.
Correspondingly, the number of cases pending per judge is rising in most States over the past five years, while the sanctioned strength has remained more or less the same.
At High Court level, Uttar Pradesh has the highest average pendency; cases remain pending for an average of 11.34 years, and in West Bengal for 9.9 years. The lowest average High Court pendency is in Tripura (1 year), Sikkim (1.9 years) and Meghalaya (2.1 years.
The number of cases a judge has to deal with has steadily increased. Between 2018 and 2022, the caseload per judge increased in 22 States and Union Territories.
The case clearance rate (CCR), or the number of cases disposed of in a year measured against the number filed in that year, is a common metric used to determine the rate at which cases are disposed of.
A CCR of more than 100% indicates that the number of pending cases is reducing. The report found that the High Courts are clearing more cases annually than the subordinate courts.
Between 2018-19 and 2022, the national average improved by six percentage points (88.5% to 94.6%) in High Courts, but declined by 3.6 points in lower courts (93% to 89.4%).
At the same period, Tripura is the only State where the CCR in district courts remained above 100%, with the exception of 2020 — the year of the pandemic.
In 2018-19 only four High Courts had a CCR of 100% or more. In 2022, this more than doubled to 12 High Courts. The High Courts of Kerala and Odisha have higher case clearance rates — 156% and 131% respectively — while the High Courts of Rajasthan (65%) and Bombay (72% ) have the lowest case clearance rates.
Nationally, the number of court halls appears sufficient for the number of actual judges, the IJR said. However, it added that space will become a problem if all the sanctioned posts are filled.
World
Finland joins NATO bloc; Russia says move will escalate Ukraine conflict (Page no. 13)
(GS Paper 2, International Relation)
Finland formally joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation on Tuesday, roughly doubling the length of the border that the alliance shares with Russia and bolsters its eastern flank as the war in Ukraine grinds on with no resolution in sight.
Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto completed the accession process by handing over an official document to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken at NATO headquarters in Brussels.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, welcoming Finland to its ranks, noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin had cited opposing NATO expansion as one justification for his invasion.
He is getting exactly the opposite...Finland today, and soon also Sweden will become a full-fledged member of the alliance.
The Kremlin said Russia would be forced to take “counter-measures” to Finland’s accession. Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said the move raised the prospect of the conflict in Ukraine escalating further.
Russia said it would strengthen its military capacity in its western and north-western regions in response to the move.
The event marks the end of an era of military non-alignment for Finland that began after the country repelled an invasion attempt by the Soviet Union during the Second World War and opted to try to maintain friendly relations with Russia.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the NATO expansion was an “encroachment on our security and on Russia’s national interests”. Moscow would watch closely for any NATO military deployments in Finland.