18 September 2024, The Hindu
Kejriwal exits, Atishi to become Delhi CM
Page 1
GS 2: Issues and challenges pertaining to the federal structure
SC freezes illegal ‘bulldozer’ action till hearing on Oct. 1
Page 1
GS 2: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation
- Describing the Supreme Court order of Tuesday (September 17, 2024) halting demolition of private property owned by people accused in criminal cases till October 1, as the victory against ‘destructive’ politics of those who misused bulldozer, the Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav added that it will create identity crisis for U.P. CM Yogi Adityanath who made the bulldozer his symbol.
- “The supreme order of justice has sidelined not only the bulldozer but also the destructive politics of those who misused the bulldozer. Today the wheels of the bulldozer have come off and the steering has come off the handle. This created an identity crisis for those who have made the bulldozer their symbol,” said Mr. Yadav, without naming Mr. Adityanath.
In Haryana, Shah accuses Cong. of playing politics over Agnipath scheme
Page 4
GS 2: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Human Resources
- In his first election rally in Haryana, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday (September 17, 2024) accused the Congress of playing politics over the Agnipath scheme, and said not a single Agniveer returning from the Army after four years would be without a job in the State.
- His remarks came at a Jan Aashirwad Rally in Bhiwani’s Loharu.
The continuing distribution of the death penalty
Page 6
GS 2: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation
- The life of the death sentence in India has been unending, and like a phoenix revives itself in different forms every now and then. The latest addition to this is the Aparajita Woman and Child (West Bengal Criminal Laws Amendment) Bill, 2024, adopted by the West Bengal government, the reason being the brutal rape and murder of a doctor at Kolkata’s R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital. It seeks to amend the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (BNS), the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012, in their application to the State of West Bengal. Among other things, it introduces the death penalty for the offence of rape.
- While it has been unanimously passed by the Bengal Assembly, the State Governor was critical but has referred it to the President of India Droupadi Murmu for consideration. In the same month of August, there were several such cases in other States with the survivors being Dalit/Adivasi women and children. In 2022 alone, the National Crime Records Bureau recorded 31,516 rapes in India, nearly four each hour, and 248 cases of murder with rape/gang rape. Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh topped the list with 5,399, 3,690, and 3,029 recorded cases of rape, respectively.
Demographic advantage, Indian economy’s sweet spot
Page 6
GS 1: Population and associated issues
- Much has been written about India’s emergence as an economic giant — it is the world’s fastest growing big economy, and is currently the fifth largest. Demographics is a major factor in propelling this rise given that the median age is around 28 years and 63% of the population is of working age. However, the labour force participation rate stood at 55.2% in 2022, according to a recent report released by the International Labour Organization (ILO), which goes on to state that falling labour intensity is likely due to growth being led by the services sector rather than manufacturing. Therefore, while we are certainly not experiencing “jobless growth”, more steps are needed to harness the demographic dividend.
- First and foremost, there is a need to press ahead with the ongoing reforms agenda to maintain, if not accelerate, India’s growth trajectory as that by itself will create opportunities galore. There was a welcome reference to this in Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s Budget speech to initiate and incentivise improvements in productivity and to facilitate markets and sectors to become more efficient. While there is much that the Centre has done to enhance ease of doing business, much of what needs to be done next, especially in the context of production, concerns the States (which is where the action is now). Hence, both need to walk in lockstep to broaden and deepen reforms.
A climate crisis agenda remains urgent
Page 7
GS 3: Environmental Conservation
- The next five years are critical for India’s climate action efforts, given its ambitious 2030 targets. While significant advances in solar and renewable energy are under way, India’s heavy reliance on coal remains a concern, with clean energy accounting for only 22% of the electricity mix. Key environmental issues that need urgent attention include reducing heat stress, improving air quality, managing waste, and enhancing energy efficiency. The growing demand for energy must be matched with comprehensive policies addressing these challenges in the near term. Encouraging businesses to view climate action as an opportunity rather than a challenge is essential, and acting swiftly on India’s carbon market is a crucial step in this direction.
- India is highly vulnerable to heat stress and may soon face heat waves beyond human survivability limits. Mitigating both CO2 emissions and short-lived super pollutants such as methane, black carbon, and hydrofluorocarbons is crucial. These super pollutants, especially methane, contribute significantly to global warming and trap much more heat than CO2 over short periods. Reducing them can prevent more near-term warming than cutting CO2 alone.
Power asymmetry between China and Russia
Page 8
GS 2: Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests
- The Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 has brought about a major shift in the world order. Not only did it bring about a stronger trans-Atlantic alignment vis-a-vis Russia, but it has also pushed the latter closer to China. Consequently, strategists around the globe have been preoccupied with the repercussions of such a partnership between the two countries. The deepening Sino-Russian relationship has become a subject of discussion in India as well. The concern that one of India’s most trusted partners now possibly shares an indispensable friendship with India’s primary adversary has instigated debate around the reliability of Russia as a security partner. In this context, the most recurrent question that is being raised is: has Russia become a junior partner of China? The answer to the question will determine the autonomy that the Kremlin can exercise when it comes to choosing between Beijing and New Delhi.
- The two countries have a shared grievance against the dual hegemony of the dollar and the SWIFT messaging system central to the current global financial system. Their perpetual tension with the U.S.-led geopolitical order of the West puts them in a vulnerable spot — the effects of which have become more pronounced lately.
Centre took key decisions in first 100 days, says PM
Page 10
GS 2: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday (September 17, 2024) highlighted important steps taken by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government for the poor, farmers, youth, and women during the first 100 days of its current term.
- “Today marks 100 days of the NDA government’s current term. In this time, numerous key decisions have been made to benefit the poor, farmers, youth, and to empower women. Among these, the government has committed to build three crore new concrete houses and announced a ₹2 lakh crore package aimed at uplifting the youth,” Mr. Modi said addressing beneficiaries of Subhadra, a newly launched scheme for women in Odisha, at Bhubaneswar.
After a decade-long wait, J&K votes today in Assembly election
Page 11
GS 2: State legislatures—Elections
- The first phase of the long-awaited Jammu and Kashmir elections is underway, with seven districts voting on September 18, 2024 - the first Assembly polls since the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019.
- The polling has been peaceful and incident-free so far according to the Election Commission. “Polling is being conducted on a large scale. The way polling is progressing indicates a high turnout. We anticipate over 60% polling, said J&K Chief Electoral Officer P. K. Pole.
Govt. plans to review wage limit for EPS contribution
Page 12
GS 2: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation
- Union Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Tuesday (September 17, 2024) said the Centre was trying to remove the ceiling for contributions towards the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) and the Employees’ Pension Scheme (EPS) run by the EPFO. He said 92% of the subscribers paid a consolidated amount and the government was thinking to ease the upper limit so that they could invest more money in the EPFO. Mr. Mandaviya was talking to reporters about the decisions taken by his Ministry in the first 100 days of the third Narendra Modi government.
- At present, the contributions are payable on the maximum wage ceiling of ₹15,000 and the pension contribution is at the rate of 8.33% of the maximum wage ceiling. “We are trying to increase this limit of ₹15,000,” the Minister said, adding that a suggestion on this had already reached his table. Mr. Mandaviya said consultations were going on in the Ministry on increasing the minimum pension under the EPS. Asked about the delay in distributing the higher pension to those who applied after a Supreme Court verdict, he said the EPFO’s platform would be reviewed soon and mission 3.0 would be implemented to help the subscribers.
No progress in resolution of Demchok and Depsang friction points in 2 years
Page 12
GS 2: India and its neighborhood- relations
- There has been much hype over External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar’s comments that 75% of disengagement has been completed by India and China along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh and the Chinese response that both sides have undertaken disengagement from four areas in the border areas.
- However, the fact remains that both sides have undertaken mutually agreed and verified disengagement from five friction points while two more friction points, Demchok and Depsang, remain and there has been no progress towards their resolution in the past two years.
Ukraine, Gaza war figure in India-U.S. discussion before Modi’s visit for Quad summit
Page 12
GS 2: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests
- Senior Indian and U.S. officials discussed global issues, including the Russia-Ukraine conflict and Israeli operations in Gaza during a ‘2+2 intersessional dialogue’ in Delhi, as defence officials and diplomats met ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the U.S. this week. Mr. Modi will attend the Quad summit in Wilmington, hosted by American President Joseph Biden for leaders of the U.S., India, Japan and Australia on Saturday, which a Senior State Department official said will be “historic”.
- Announcing Mr. Modi’s visit, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Tuesday that he will be in the U.S. from September 21-23. “At the Quad Summit, the leaders will review the progress achieved by the Quad over the last one year and set the agenda for the year ahead to assist the countries of the Indo-Pacific region in meeting their development goals and aspirations,” the MEA said, outlooking plans for Mr. Modi to address a diaspora event on Sunday; hold meetings with business leaders of AI, semiconductors and other technology fields; speak at the UN ‘Summit of the Future’; and meet with other leaders present in New York.
