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Certain countries support terrorism as part of their foreign policy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at an international conference on terror financing, noting that “state support” is one of the financial sources of terror groups.
In an indirect reference to Pakistan and China, Mr. Modi said that certain countries offer political, ideological and financial support to terror groups and sometimes, there are indirect arguments made in support of terrorism to block action against terrorists. Pakistan is not participating in the conference while China did not send a delegation.
Exhorting international organisations not to think that the absence of war means peace, Mr. Modi also asked countries to jointly address the problem of radicalisation and extremism, adding that anyone who supports radicalisation should have no place in any country.
Proxy wars are also dangerous and violent. There must be a cost imposed upon countries that support terrorism. Organisations and individuals that try to create sympathy for terrorists must also be isolated.
There can be no ifs and buts entertained in such matters. The world needs to unite against all kinds of overt and covert backing of terror.
The Prime Minister was speaking at the inaugural session of the third “No Money for Terror” conference being attended by around 450 delegates from 72 countries, as well as other multilateral bodies such as Interpol and the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
It is significant that this conference is happening in India. Our country faced the horrors of terror long before the world took serious note of it.
Over the decades, terrorism in different names and forms tried to hurt India. We lost thousands of precious lives, but we have fought terrorism bravely.
Punjab govt nod for Old Pension Scheme (OPS) (Page no. 1)
(GS Paper 2, Social Justice)
The Punjab cabinet on Friday gave approval to the notification for implementing the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) in the State.
An official statement said that the State government has approved the Old Pension Scheme for its employees currently covered under National Pension Scheme (NPS), which the statement claimed will benefit more than 1.75 lakh government employees currently covered under NPS.
In addition to this, 1.26 lakh employees are already covered under the existing Old Pension Scheme. The scheme is expected to benefit more than 4,100 Employees in the next five years alone.
The statement said the scheme is aimed at safeguarding the future of government employees and recognizing their immense contribution towards the State.
In order to ensure that the scheme being introduced is financially sustainable for the exchequer in future also, the State government will be contributing proactively towards the creation of a pension corpus which will service the pension in future to the beneficiaries of the scheme.
This contribution towards the pension corpus will be ₹1,000 crore per annum initially and will gradually increase in the future. In addition to this, the current accumulated corpus with NPS is ₹16,746 crore for which the state government will request Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA), Government of India to refund this amount for effective utilization at its end.
Draft Digital data protection bill tabled for comments (Page no. 1)
(GS Paper 2, Governance)
The Centre’s significantly shortened and revised draft Bill on personal data protection proposes a hefty increase in penalty amounts up to ₹500 crore, while also easing rules on cross-border data flows, in a big relief for large tech firms.
The revised draft — now called The Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, 2022 — comes just over three months after its earlier avatar was withdrawn from Parliament by the Central government.
The new draft Bill, on which stakeholder comments have been invited till December 17, also narrows down the scope of the data protection regime to personal data protection, leaving out non-personal data from its ambit — a move welcomed by the industry.
The Digital Personal Data Protection Bill (DPDPB), 2022, has been uploaded for public consultation today. We have made sure that all the principles of privacy which have been laid down by the Honourable Supreme Court in various judgements and basis the experience of various countries.
The personal data protection bill has been in the works for about five years. The first draft of the Bill was presented by an expert panel headed by Justice B.N. Srikrishna in July 2018, after a year-long consultation process.
That draft was revised, and a final Bill was tabled in Parliament in December 2019. However, it was soon referred to a joint parliamentary committee, which submitted its report in December 2021.
The Ministry of Electronics and IT withdrew the Bill from Parliament this August, and stated that a new bill would be presented, which fit into the “comprehensive legal framework.
States
India’s first private rocket, lifts off from ISRO spaceport (Page no. 5)
(GS Paper 3, Science and Tech)
It was a historic moment when Vikram-S, India’s first privately-developed rocket, lifted off precisely from Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) launchpad in Sriharikota.
Developed by Hyderabad-based startup Skyroot Aerospace Private Limited, the 6-metre tall vehicle hit a peak altitude of 89.5 kilometers and then splashed into the Bay of Bengal about five minutes after the launch. This mission was titled Prarambh.
The rocket Vikram-S is a single-stage solid fuelled, sub-orbital rocket developed over two years by incorporating advanced technologies including carbon composite structures and 3D-printed components.
Equipped with a gross lift off mass of 545kg, and payload mass of 80 kg, Vikram-S carried with it three customer payloads, which will map the measurement and validation of certain flight parameters and payload integration processes.
This was a technology demonstration flight to showcase the capabilities of the company. The rocket will help validate the technologies that will be used in the subsequent Vikram-1 orbital vehicle of Skyroot that is planned for launch next year, subject to technical clearance by IN-SPACe.
Founded by Pawan Kumar Chandana and Naga Bharath Daka in June 2018 Skyroot Aerospace is a two-time national award-winning space startup, with 200 employees, and is the largest funded private space start up in India with ₹526 crore raised as capital till date.
Sweet, not protein, in bamboo fruits triggers rat boom (Page no. 5)
(GS Paper 3, Environment)
A study spanning 13 years has shed interesting light on flowering in Melocannabaccifera, a tropical bamboo species that has long fascinated researchers for its association with the occurrence of ‘bamboo death,’ ‘rat floods’ and famines in northeast India.
Among other things, researchers detected a correlation between the sugar content in the fruit of Melocannabaccifera and the frenzied feeding and population boom in rats during ‘Mautam’, the cyclical, mass bamboo flowering that occurs once in 48 years.
Researchers observed and listed a surprisingly large variety of animal visitors/predators attracted by the fruit and flowers of this bamboo. They also reported the highest-ever fruit production in a bamboo clump (456.67 kg).
The Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute (JNTBGRI), Thiruvananthapuram, conducted the study between 2009 and 2022 at its Bambusetum where the species was introduced during 1988-1996.
A paper on the findings by K. C. Koshy, B. Gopakumar, Antony Sebastian, Ajikumaran Nair S., Anil John Johnson, Balaji Govindan, and B. Sabulal (director, JNTBGRI) has appeared in the scientific journal PLOS One on November 16.
Called ‘Muli’ in northeast India, Melocannabaccifera is the largest fruit-producing bamboo and is native to the northeast India-Myanmar region.
During its gregarious flowering, the bamboo produces large fruits which draw animal visitors/predators. Of these, black rats greatly relish the fleshy, berry-like fruit.
During this period, they also multiply rapidly, a phenomenon dubbed as ‘rat flood.’ Once the fruits are gone, they start devouring standing crops, causing famines that have claimed thousands of human lives.
Editorial
The Governor is under the Constitution, not above it (Page no. 6)
(GS Paper 2, Polity and Governance)
In recent years, there has been a grave erosion of constitutional provisions, constitutional morality, and constitutional ethos being witnessed among various constitutional bodies. If the manner of functioning by institutions such as the Election Commission of India and the Comptroller and Auditor General of India has left much to be desired, the conduct of the Governors of some States (especially where there are non-Bharatiya Janata Party governments) has made a complete mockery of the Constitution and its limitations.
Article 153 provides a Governor for each State, and by virtue of Article 154, the executive power of the State shall be vested in the Governor (“Shall be exercised by him directly or through officers subordinate to him in accordance with this Constitution”). However, Article 154(2)(a) prohibits the Governor from exercising any function “conferred by existing law on any other Authority”.
Article 163 categorically provides that “there shall be a council of ministers with the Chief Minister at the head to aid and advise the Governor... except in so far as he is by or under this Constitution required to exercise his function or any of them in his discretion”.
The Supreme Court, in Shamsher Singh vs State of Punjab and Anr., decided on this issue in 1974: The Governor exercises “all his powers and functions” by making rules for the convenient transactions of the business of the government of the State in accordance with Article 166 of the Constitution.
These are called Rules of Business. The Court however amplified that “wherever the constitution requires satisfaction of the President or the Governor for the exercise of any power or function by the President or the Governor, as the case may be, as for example in Articles 123, 213, 311(2) proviso (c), 317, 352(1), 356 and 360.
Yes, the Indian Air Force needs a new doctrine (Page no. 6)
(GS Paper 3, Defence)
There is a deafening crescendo around the pitch for aatmanirbhartain the field of the defence inventory and not a day passes without the media featuring stories on some breakthrough or the other about indigenisation.
Things have improved vastly but what is debatable is whether these events are being guided by some long-term institutionalised thinking and planning — another term for which is doctrinal guidance.
A layman’s definition of doctrine is that it is ‘the best way of doing a thing’. It is developed with many inputs, the important ones being ideas influenced by past experience, present capability and capacity of technological research and development and manufacturing, human resource availability and an organisational environment that encourages free thinking and a deliberation of fresh ideas.
An aatmanirbharta campaign that is not based on a foundation of doctrinal thought is on a shaky wicket. And as we debate (unfortunately) whether air power is a support force (an abominable thought), some recent writings have tended to downplay its vital importance in any future conflict.
It is time that the doctrine of the Indian Air Force (IAF) — it is of 2012 vintage — is reviewed and made public to guide the future development and application of India’s air power.
Doctrine drives technology and given the ongoing advancements, the IAF doctrine would have to spell out the following to meet the challenges of the mid-century.
Technology has progressed exponentially. Artificial intelligence and machine learning are being refined to mimic human cognitive abilities and intuition.
Their incorporation, despite monies remaining elusive for another decade or so, would be a challenge that needs doctrinal analysis.
News
India-Russia agree to deepen cooperation on counterterrorism at UN (Page no. 10)
(GS Paper 2, International Relations)
Ahead of India’s presidency of the UN Security Council in December, India and Russia agreed to “deepen cooperation” on counter-terrorism issues and “enhance bilateral coordination” at the United Nations.
The statements followed talks between Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin and Secretary (West) Sanjay Verma in New Delhi, and come four days after India abstained from yet another vote at the UN General Assembly that called for reparations to be paid by Russia for the war in Ukraine.
Apart from a few procedural votes, India has refused to support any vote at the UN Security Council, UN General Assembly and other UN agencies that have criticised Russia in the past nine months, since President Vladimir Putin first ordered strikes on Ukraine in February this year.
The consultations reaffirmed mutual commitment to further strengthen bilateral coordination and constructive cooperation at the UN platform on the basis of its Charter and in line with the special and privileged strategic partnership between Moscow and New Delhi,” a statement issued in Moscow said after the talks, the third such UN consultations between India and Russia in the past year, adding that they had discussed the situation in Ukraine, Afghanistan, Syria, Myanmar, and conflict on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border.
The two sides also discussed India’s presidency of the UNSC in the month of December, which will be India’s last month in the UNSC, as its two-year elected tenure comes to an end.
Among other events, India plans to chair a special briefing on challenges to the global counter-terrorism architecture on December 15, and Mr. Verma briefed Mr. Vershinin on India’s “priorities” during the month, the MEA said.
News
Boost investment in smart tech AIIB urged (Page no. 12)
(GS Paper 3, Economy)
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman asked the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) to scale up investment in renewal energy and smart technologies and also urged the multilateral agency to set up a regional office in India.
AIIB President JinLiqun called upon the finance minister here and discussed various issues of relevance to the bank.
While appreciating AIIB’s growing portfolio in India, FM Smt.@nsitharaman suggested that @AIIB_Official should scale-up #investments and mobilise private finance in India’s key priority areas including #RenewableEnergy, #EnergyEfficiency and climate #SmartTechnologies,” the finance ministry said in a tweet.
India is a founding member of AIIB with the second-highest voting share. India holds 7.74% equity in the multilateral bank, next only to China (29.9%).
As India is the largest client of @AIIB_Official, FM Smt.@nsitharaman reiterated that AIIB should plan to set up a regional presence in India to facilitate dialogue and outreach to the project authorities.
AIIB began its operations in Beijing in January 2016 and has since grown to 105 approved members worldwide.
The bank is a multilateral development lender whose mission is financing the ‘Infrastructure for Tomorrow’ with sustainability at its core.