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Invitations sent by President Droupadi Murmu to the heads of states and governments and the Chief Ministers of Indian States for an official banquet on the occasion of the G-20 Summit in New Delhi created a flutter as the word “India” was replaced with “Bharat”.
Instead of the usual “President of India”, the invitation cards said “President of Bharat”.
The Opposition questioned the reason for the change, while Ministers and leaders of the ruling party welcomed the move.
Government sources told that the word “Bharat” will be used more and more in the coming months for official communication.
BJP national secretary Sambit Patra posted on X (formerly Twitter) the cover of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s function notes for his two-day visit to Indonesia to attend the ASEAN-India Summit, which refer to him as “Prime Minister of Bharat”.
Opposition leaders alleged that the shift to the name “Bharat”, instead of India in communication, was a way to prevent the INDIA bloc from being identified with the country’s name.
Government sources told that all talk of a formal action in the Special Session of Parliament to change the name of India was “rubbish”.
SC Bench reserves verdict in Article 370 abrogation challenge (Page no. 1)
(GS Paper 2, Polity and Constitution)
A Constitution Bench, headed by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud, reserved its judgment on petitions challenging the abrogation of special status given to Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 of the Constitution.
The hearings, which saw submissions made by both petitioners and the government on the constitutionality of the procedure adopted to repeal the Article and the abolition of Statehood of Jammu and Kashmir, spanned 16 days.
The government, represented by Attorney-General R. Venkataramani, Solicitor-General Tushar Mehta and advocate Kanu Agrawal, had argued that the abrogation was necessary to completely integrate Jammu and Kashmir into the Union of India.
The government said the Valley had prospered after the repeal of Article 370. It said elections were due in J&K, which would revert to full Statehood again once the situation on the ground returned to normal.
Mr. Mehta said Jammu and Kashmir became a Union Territory in an “extraordinarily extreme situation”. He said terrorism, infiltration, stone-throwing and casualties among security personnel had reduced by 45.2%, 90.2%, 97.2% and 65.9%, respectively, post the abrogation.
Editorial
The case for elections in Jammu and Kashmir (Page no. 8)
(GS Paper 2, Governance)
The Narendra Modi administration’s recent announcement of a committee to look into simultaneous State and Union elections indicates that Jammu and Kashmir is unlikely to go to the polls anytime soon, despite assurances that the administration is ready whenever the Election Commission of India (ECI) decides.
Meanwhile, the ECI remains bafflingly silent though Jammu and Kashmir’s Chief Electoral Officer has stated that panchayat, municipal and Lok Sabha elections will all be held this ‘financial year’.
If those elections can be held, why not Assembly elections? The reason cannot be security: panchayat elections have to be conducted on a much larger scale as they involve over 30,000 posts.
In March 2023, a delegation of 13 political parties, led by Farooq Abdullah of the National Conference, met ECI officials to urge that Assembly election dates be fixed.
Any further delay, their memorandum said, ‘would amount to denial of fundamental and democratic rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and a breach of constitutional obligations’. The delegation was assured that its request would be considered, but no action has been taken to date.
Jammu and Kashmir has not held legislative elections for the past nine years. The last Assembly election was in 2014, and the last elected administration fell in June 2018.
After almost a year of President’s Rule, the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019 divided the State into two Union Territories. Like the National Capital Territory of Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir is entitled to an elected Assembly with curtailed powers (for example, law and order remained with the Union Home Ministry and security with the Lieutenant-Governor); Ladakh is not.
The implications of the expansion of BRICS (Page no. 8)
(GS Paper 2, International Organisation)
On August 24, the 15th BRICS summit in Johannesburg announced that the five-member grouping (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) had invited six new members — Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from West Asia; Egypt and Ethiopia from Africa, and Argentina from Latin America.
It was reported that 40 countries have shown interest in BRICS’ membership, with 22 having submitted formal applications. From 2009, BRICS has met annually at summit level, and is backed by several ministerial and expert conclaves. It has spawned two major institutions – the New Development Bank (NBD) to provide development assistance and the Contingent Reserve Arrangement that supports countries facing short-term balance-of-payments pressures. The NBD has already financed 96 projects valued at $33 billion.
BRICS members have been united in their dissatisfaction with the West-dominated international institutions that had emerged after the Second World War — the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the United Nations and its various bodies, particularly the Security Council, and more recently, the World Trade Organization.
At Johannesburg, the UN Secretary General António Guterres described them as reflecting “yesterday’s world”. The United States has led the western alliance in both the political and economic areas.
BRICS challenges this West-led world order: it promotes intra-BRICS economic and political cooperation, builds institutions outside western control, and agitates robustly for wide-ranging reforms to accommodate the presence and interests of emerging economies.
The Johannesburg Declaration categorically asserts that the members’ “strategic partnership” will be directed at achieving “a more representative, fairer international order”.
Opinion
Decoding the Nyaya Sanhita Bill (Page no. 9)
(GS Paper 2, Governance)
The government, by introducing in the Lok Sabha three penal Bills which is says “aim to decolonise the Indian justice system,” has rightly exercised its prerogative. Earlier governments dithered over this move for years. However, in matters of law-making and reform, mere initiative may not be sufficient.
In this case, we need to particularly focus on three points. The first is that penal law-making and reform are serious issues which require deep deliberation and empirical validation.
Second, we must keep in mind the diversity of considerations of substantive and procedural laws, and engage with the two sets separately.
Substantive laws govern how people behave; they define criminal offences and specify punishment, whereas procedural laws are aimed at enforcement agencies that are to provide safeguards and due process even to the “worst” offenders.
Third, we need to realise that penal laws are an instrument for actualising and propagating a wide variety of interests as per the constitutional vision and the dominant ideology.
Which interests need protection and priority is a matter of democratic process. In view of these issues, let us analyse the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Bill.
The colonial penal law had to be replaced not because it was inherently flawed, but because it lacked participation from the very people for whom it was meant. There is an imposition of foreign ideas and values.
Therefore, a wide and diverse debate that includes the participation of the ‘governed’ should be integral to this exercise. Thomas Babington Macaulay had said in the House of Commons in 1833 that the basis of a uniform code of laws for India should be “uniformity when you can have it, diversity where you must have it, but in all cases certainty.”
The ensuing penal law should be aimed at achieving the target of equal and uniform application and should be structured in precise terms to impart maximum certainty.
Text & Context
Laws governing forests of the Northeast (Page no. 10)
(GS Paper 3, Environment)
On August 22, the Mizoram Assembly unanimously passed a resolution opposing the Forest (Conservation) Amendment Act, 2023, “to protect the rights and interest of the people of Mizoram”.
The amendment allows the diversion of forest land for roads, railway lines or “strategic linear projects of national importance and concerning national security” within 100 km of India’s international borders or lines of control, without a forest clearance under the Forest (Conservation) Act (FCA) 1980.
Most of India’s Northeast falls in this 100 km range. When it meets next week, the Nagaland Assembly will also face strident demands to pass a resolution against the Amendment.
Tripura, Mizoram, and Sikkim — ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) or its allies — have also opposed the 100-km exemption clause.
Special constitutional protections, such as Article 371A for Nagaland and 371G for Mizoram, prohibit the application of any law enacted by Parliament that impinges on Naga and Mizo customary law and procedure, and ownership and transfer of land and its resources. Such laws can be extended to these States only if their Legislative Assemblies decide thus in a resolution.
In 1986, Nagaland extended the application of the FCA “to government forests and such other forests and Wildlife Sanctuaries under the control of [the] State Government”.
Government forests make up only 2.71% of the State’s Recorded Forest Area. However, in December 1997, the Home Ministry, in consultation with the Ministry of Law and Justice, confirmed to the Union Environment Ministry that the FCA is covered under the term “land resources” and is not applicable to Nagaland, as its Legislative Assembly had not adopted any resolution to apply FCA to the State.
Later, in November 1998, the Environment Ministry contradicted itself, when it informed the Nagaland government that FCA is indeed applicable to the State as clarified by the Ministry of Law and Justice. Nevertheless, since 1980, the Environment Ministry has not granted an FCA clearance to forests in Nagaland.
News
Indo-Pacific, China map on agenda as PM leaves for Jakarta (Page no. 12)
(GS Paper 2, International Relation)
Future cooperation on the Indo-Pacific, trade issues, the situation in Myanmar, and the recent controversy over China’s map are likely to be on the agenda as Prime Minister Narendra Modi leaves for a two-day visit to Jakarta to attend the annual ASEAN-India Summit and the East Asia Summit hosted by Indonesian President Joko Widodo.
The visit is seen as a diplomatic gesture to Indonesia, as Mr. Modi was originally reluctant to travel just before the G-20 summit and the arrival of U.S. President Joseph Biden to Delhi, whom he is scheduled to meet, as well as other G-20 leaders.
However, after India conveyed its concerns, Indonesian officials rescheduled both summits to be convened back-to-back on Thursday morning, with only a short break in between.
During the ASEAN-India summit, the first since the two sides upgraded their relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2022, Mr. Modi will review progress on issues such as strategic cooperation and military exercises as well as connectivity, including physical, digital and people-to-people ties, Saurabh Kumar, Secretary (East).
He said that while ASEAN-India trade ties would be reviewed, plans to revise the ASEAN-India trade in goods agreement would be taken up by the ministerial dialogue.
Asked if the recent controversy over China’s publication of a map that angered India and several other neighbours could also come up, Mr. Kumar was non-committal.
Modi, Biden to hold bilateral talks on Friday: White House (Page no. 13)
(GS Paper 2, International Relation)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and U.S. President Joe Biden will hold bilateral talks on Friday in New Delhi, U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan confirmed.
Mr. Biden, who is being closely watched for symptoms of COVID-19, after U.S. First Lady Jill Biden tested positive on Monday, tested negative and is still on track to travel to India for the G-20 Summit, as per the White House.
In New Delhi, the U.S. will focus on “delivering for developing countries, making progress on key priorities for the American people from climate to technology, and showing our [its] commitment to the G 20.
He said the U.S. welcomed the addition of the African Union as a new permanent member of the G-20 and that scaling up and reshaping development banks and institutions (the World Bank and IMF) would also be a focus of the discussions this weekend.
Mr. Biden will call on the G-20 countries to provide debt relief for low- and middle-income countries, and play a constructive role in this, with “no exceptions”, Mr. Sullivan said, presumably referring to China’s role as the world’s largest creditor.
Other global issues on the agenda at the G-20, as per Mr. Sullivan, include the inclusive digital transformation, the responsible use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), climate and digital technology and infrastructure investment.
Mr. Biden will also call for a “just and durable peace” for Ukraine and respect for the United Nations Charter and international law, following Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
Mr. Sullivan acknowledged that getting consensus on a G-20 statement on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was going to be “challenging” because Russia is a part of the G-20 (albeit not at the New Delhi summit).
‘Xi Jinping skipping G-20 Summit a deliberate signal to India, West’ (Page no. 13)
(GS Paper 2, International Relation)
With Chinese President Xi Jinping skipping a G-20 Summit for the first time, Beijing is sending “deliberate signals” to India and the West by essentially downgrading its involvement in a key international forum, according to current and former officials and people familiar with Beijing’s thinking.
Missing the summit, they said, conveys China’s displeasure both with the current state of bilateral ties with India — and New Delhi’s stand that normalcy in broader ties is not possible without a restoration of peace on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) — and with what Beijing sees as a “politicisation” of the G-20, which it believes should be limited to economic issues and not involve itself with issues such as the war in Ukraine.
Beijing offered no reason on Monday for Mr. Xi’s decision to skip the summit. The Chinese Foreign Ministry, asked if tensions with India were a factor behind the decision, suggested otherwise, saying that Beijing “always attaches high importance to and actively participates in relevant activities”.
China-India relations have been stable on the whole and our two sides have maintained dialogue and communication at various levels.
The continued improvement and growth of China-India relations serves the common interests of the two countries and two peoples. We stand ready to work with India to further improve and advance bilateral relations.”
In second action by ISTRAC, Aditya-L1 enters new orbit (Page no. 14)
(GS Paper 3, Science and Technology)
The second earth-bound manoeuvre of the Aditya L-1 mission to study the sun has been performed successfully by the ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC), Bengaluru. ISTRAC/ISRO’s ground stations at Mauritius, Bengaluru and Port Blair tracked the satellite during this operation.
The manoeuvre was performed in the early hours and the new orbit attained was 282 km x 40,225 km. Three more manoeuvres are scheduled, with the next scheduled for around 2.30 a.m. on September 10.
After the final manoeuvre on September 18, Aditya-L1 will undergo a trans-Lagrangian1 insertion manoeuvre, marking the beginning of its 110-day trajectory to the destination around the L1 Lagrange point.
Upon arrival at the L1 point, another manoeuvre will bind Aditya-L1 to an orbit around L1, a balanced gravitational location between the earth and the sun.
The satellite spends its whole mission life orbiting around L1 in an irregularly shaped orbit in a plane roughly perpendicular to the line joining the earth and the sun.
Aditya-L1 will be the first Indian space-based observatory to study the sun from a halo orbit around first sun-earth Lagrangian point (L1), which is located roughly 1.5 million km from earth.
The first earth-bound manoeuvre was successfully performed on September 3. The ISRO’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C57) successfully launched the Aditya-L1 spacecraft from the Second Launch Pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), Sriharikota, on September 2.
World
Myanmar won’t be allowed to lead ASEAN in 2026, in blow to Generals (Page no. 15)
(GS Paper 2, International Organisation)
Southeast Asian leaders decided that Myanmar won’t take over the rotating leadership of their regional bloc as scheduled in 2026, Asian diplomats and a leader said, in the latest blow to efforts by its ruling Generals to gain international recognition after violently seizing power in 2021.
Western governments led by the U.S. have condemned the Myanmar Army’s ouster of Aung San Suu Kyi’s democratically elected government in 2021 and have demanded her immediate release from years-long detention along with other officials.
The Philippines agreed to take over the regional bloc’s chairmanship in 2026 at an ASEAN summit hosted by Indonesia on Tuesday, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said in a statement, citing what he told fellow leaders in the closed-door meetings.
It is my pleasure to announce that the Philippines is ready to take the helm and chair ASEAN in 2026,” Mr. Marcos told his ASEAN counterparts in Jakarta, the statement said.
Mr. Marcos did not explain why Myanmar lost the prestigious year-long ASEAN chairmanship, but two ASEAN diplomats said it was related to the civil strife in the country and fears that the bloc’s relations with the U.S. and the EU, among others, might be undermined because of their non-recognition of the military-led government in Myanmar.
The diplomats spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss the delicate issue publicly.
Business
FM flags threats to financial system from crypto, tax havens (Page no. 16)
(GS Paper 3, Economy)
Union Finance & Corporate Affairs Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said cryptocurrencies (crypto), drug mafias, tax havens and cyber intrusions posed major threats to the global financial ecosystem and a global collaborative effort was needed to counter such challenges.
We should be well seized of the threats which are conventional warfare or border threats and other threats such as cyber threats, crypto threats; as far [as] it is an opportunity it is [also] a threat.
Also threats of drug, drug wars and drug mafias, tax havens, round tripping of resources and tax evasion; we need to work on all these so that we can address them,” Ms. Sitharaman said while addressing delegates at the Global Fintech Fest (GFF) 2023 which is underway in Mumbai.
Urging the fintech industry to guard against these threats, the minister asked these firms to invest heavily to counter cyberthreats.
We need to have fintech companies invest heavily in robust security measures utilising advanced encryption and other measures to protect user data and financial transactions. A secured system is what will build trust and therefore it is a must for the financial ecosystem.
India can lead in making the financial ecosystem inclusive, resilient and sustainable. We have the tools but we have to make it responsible. That is why we need global cooperation.
Emphasising that India’s priority was to have an enhanced cross-border payment arrangement considering the volume of remittances to the country, she said one of the priority areas for the G20 under India’s presidency was sharing of information and seeking cooperation.
August services PMI shows momentum sustaining, tad slower (Page no. 16)
(GS Paper 3, Economy)
Growth in services sector output, as measured by the S&P Global India Services Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI), eased to 60.1 in August, from July’s 13-year high of 62.3. Still, new export orders rose the fastest in at least nine years.
Despite sales waning slightly from July’s highs, demand remained robust and firms raised prices at the fastest pace in more than six years, though input cost pressures eased from the previous month.
To cope with the additional workflow, firms ramped up hiring at the strongest pace since November, by roping in a blend of permanent and temporary staff on both part-time and full-time basis.
Overall, positive sentiment among services businesses rose to the highest level so far in 2023, with firms expecting continued growth in the coming year.
Participants in the survey attributed positive consumer appetite and favourable market conditions for the sustained demand, and export order books rose due to fresh contracts from customers in the Asia Pacific, Europe, North America and the Middle East.
“Indian services companies achieved a remarkable milestone in August, as they welcomed a series record surge in new export business,” said Pollyanna De Lima, economics associate director at S&P Global Market Intelligence.
This spike in international demand supported one of the best sales performances recorded over the past 13 years, and acted as a catalyst for firms to expand their workforces as well as output.
However, favourable demand trends also led to the joint-fastest increase in prices charged for Indian services in over six years, which may prompt attention from policymakers and potentially delay cuts to the benchmark repo rate.