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For the first time in four decades, the number of deaths of civilians and security forces in Left Wing Extremism (LWE) came down under 100 in 2022, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said.
Shah, who chaired the meeting of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee of the Ministry of Home Affairs to discuss Left Wing Extremism, said the MHA is determined to destroy the entire ecosystem of LWE by “financial choking”.
The BSF air wing has been strengthened with the induction of new pilots and engineers in the last one year to aid operations in LWE-affected areas and save lives of our soldiers.
The minister said there is no place for violence and LWE ideas in “self-reliant New India” and the central government has adopted a policy of zero tolerance in this direction.
The MHA’s policy to deal with LWE has three main pillars – strategy to curb extremist violence with ruthless approach, better coordination between Centre and states, and eliminating support for LWE through public participation in development.
Express Network
New Zealand Foreign Minister meets Jaishankar, discusses ties, Indo-Pacific (Page no. 12)
(GS Paper 2, International Relations)
New Zealand Foreign Minister NanaiaMahuta met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and they exchanged views on regional and international issues of mutual interest.
The two ministers discussed India and New Zealand’s shared vision for a rules-based, peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific.
Mahuta, who is on an official visit to India from February 7 to 10, is accompanied by a high-level official and business delegation. This is her first visit as Foreign Minister. She will also visit Mumbai as part of her trip.
Mahuta and Jaishankar discussed the whole range of bilateral matters, including economic cooperation, educational exchanges, defence engagements and people-to-people contacts, according to Ministry of External Affairs.
They exchanged views on regional and international issues of mutual interest and discussed India and New Zealand’s shared vision for a rules-based, peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific.
Mahuta handed over signed copies of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) Framework Agreement to Jaishankar, paving the way for New Zealand’s membership of this initiative.
“India and New Zealand share close bilateral relations based on commonalities of democratic traditions and shared values bolstered by strong people-to-people ties.
The two countries are engaging in cooperation across a wide range of areas, including economic, political, defence, education, and science & technology.
“Reconnecting New Zealand remains a key priority as we look to strengthen our economic resilience and progress ties with our international partners,” Mahuta said. “New Zealand and India have an energetic and vibrant relationship.
We share strong people-to-people links with more than 240,000 people of Indian descent calling New Zealand home.New Zealand sees India as a core and influential partner in the Indo-Pacific and we have welcomed their participation in the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework.
This framework offers a key vehicle for engaging with India as part of a broader regional agenda. Both of our countries value each other’s perspectives on the Pacific region and we will discuss opportunities to work together on climate change and our views on regional security.
Virginity test unconstitutional, archaic even on accused: Delhi HC (Page no. 13)
(GS Paper 1, Social Issues)
Declaring that “virginity test” conducted on a woman detainee or accused is unconstitutional, “sexist and in violation of the right to dignity”, the Delhi High Court observed that this test rests on a gender bias and “society’s view and obsession with the false concept of virginity being equated with purity of a woman”
Among its several directions, the single-judge bench of Justice SwaranaKanta Sharma directed circulation of information regarding unconstitutionality of the test to all investigating agencies or stakeholders through the Union Home Secretary, Union Health and Family Welfare Secretary and Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, Delhi government.
The court holds that this test is sexist and is in violation of human right to dignity even of a female accused if she is subjected to such a test while being in custody. The long-term and short-term negative effects of such a test have been reported in many reports,” Justice Sharma said.
The HC was hearing a plea by Sister Sephy, a nun from St Pius Convent in Kerala’s Kottayam, who has been convicted and sentenced to life in Sister Abhaya’s murder case by a Kerala trial court.
In her 2009 plea, Sephy had challenged the conduct of the virginity test on her by the CBI and pleaded that it be declared unconstitutional.
She also sought punishment for officials who subjected her to undergo the test against her free will and leaked the result to the media.
In an interim order on June 23 last year, a division bench of Kerala High Court suspended the life imprisonment and granted Sephy and co-accused Father Kottoor bail until disposal of their petition challenging the trial court’s verdict.
The Delhi HC noted that Sephy had filed the plea before the Supreme Court declared the virginity test unconstitutional. On the test’s constitutionality, the HC observed that “even as an accused, fundamental rights available to an accused/ prisoner/ detainee are not suspended so far as the question of their privacy and dignity is concerned”.
Ideas Page
As Asia arms Europe (Page no. 15)
(GS Paper 3, Defence)
The war in Ukraine, which began a year ago this month, is accelerating the breakdown of familiar geopolitical antinomies, such as Europe and Asia.
Nothing illustrates the new landscape more powerfully than South Korea’s emergence as a major supplier of arms to Europe, which is at war with itself.
Korea’s rise in the European theatre highlights two important new strategic trends. One, Asia has long ceased to be a passive theatre for rivalry among the Western powers.
We are now beginning to see Asian powers contribute to European security. No wonder, the trans-Atlantic military alliance NATO is stepping up its engagement with Asian powers.
China, which churned out so much propaganda about India joining an “Asian NATO” for nearly a decade-and-a-half, now has something real to chew on.
Two of Beijing’s most important neighbours and economic partners — South Korea and Japan — are not only bringing NATO into Asia, but also taking Asia to NATO’s frontlines with Russia.
Second, the idea that Europe and Asia are separate strategic theatres is becoming difficult to sustain. China’s alliance “without limits” unveiled last year with Russia has broken through that mental block.
The US has, in turn, responded by promoting greater cooperation between NATO and America’s Asian allies. NATO’s Madrid summit last June, which took place in the aftermath of Russia’s Ukraine invasion, saw the participation for the first time of Asian leaders from Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and South Korea.
Last week, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg followed up the initiative by travelling to Seoul and Tokyo. His main message was simple: European and Asian security are deeply interconnected. And that NATO and Asia can help each other in dealing with the dangers from Russia and China.
Explained
Row over Nagaland DGP: How are state police chiefs appointed? (Page no. 18)
(GS Paper 2, Governance)
The Nagaland government issued an order appointing Rupin Sharma as Director General of the state police, and relieved him of the charge of Home Guards and civil defence.
On January 23, the Supreme Court had directed the Nagaland government to appoint the 1992-batch IPS officer as police chief within a week.
The order was passed after Nagaland challenged the Union Public Service Commission’s (UPSC) recommendation of Sharma as the only candidate for the post.
Nagaland’s previous DGP, T John Longkumer, was due to retire in August 2022, but the Union Home Ministry gave him a six-month extension, allowing him to remain in office beyond the date of his superannuation.
Following a legal challenge by a students union, the Supreme Court asked the state to send a panel of eligible officers for the post to the UPSC.
The state’s list had Sharma and A Sunil Achaya, an officer of the 1991 batch of the IPS. But Achaya, an additional secretary in the Cabinet Secretariat, was unwilling to return to his parent cadre, so the UPSC sent only Sharma’s name to Nagaland for consideration. Sharma alone met the criterion of a minimum 30 years of service, the UPSC said.
The state objected, arguing that the Supreme Court had said in the Prakash Singh judgment (2006) that the panel must have at least three officers — and UPSC must therefore reduce the service length criterion to 25 years (so that more officers become eligible).
PACS (Page no. 18)
(GS Paper 3, Agriculture)
The Union Budget has announced Rs 2,516 crore for computerisation of 63,000 Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) over the next five years, with the aim of bringing greater transparency and accountability in their operations and enabling them to diversify their business and undertake more activities.
PACS are village level cooperative credit societies that serve as the last link in a three-tier cooperative credit structure headed by the State Cooperative Banks (SCB) at the state level.
Credit from the SCBs is transferred to the district central cooperative banks, or DCCBs, that operate at the district level. The DCCBs work with PACS, which deal directly with farmers.
Since these are cooperative bodies, individual farmers are members of the PACS, and office-bearers are elected from within them. A village can have multiple PACS.
PACS are involved in short term lending — or what is known as crop loan. At the start of the cropping cycle, farmers avail credit to finance their requirement of seeds, fertilisers etc.
Banks extend this credit at 7 per cent interest, of which 3 per cent is subsidised by the Centre, and 2 per cent by the state government. Effectively, farmers avail the crop loans at 2 per cent interest only.
A report published by the Reserve Bank of India on December 27, 2022 put the number of PACS at 1.02 lakh. At the end of March 2021, only 47,297 of them were in profit.
The same report said PACS had reported lending worth Rs 1,43,044 crore and NPAs of Rs 72,550 crore. Maharashtra has 20,897 PACS of which 11,326 are in losses.
The attraction of the PACS lies in the last mile connectivity they offer. For farmers, timely access to capital is necessary at the start of their agricultural activities. PACS have the capacity to extend credit with minimal paperwork within a short time.
India’s big millets push, and why it makes sense to have these grains (Page no. 18)
(GS Paper 3, Agriculture)
The Union Budget has accorded high priority to millets — grains such as jowar, bajra, ragi — citing their health benefits. “We are the largest producer and second largest exporter of ‘Sree Anna’ (millets) in the world.
The Indian Institute of Millet Research-Hyderabad will be supported as the Centre of Excellence for sharing best practices, research and technologies at the international level,” the Finance Minister said.
Two years ago, the UN General Assembly adopted India’s resolution to declare 2023 as the International Year of Millets. Through the year, several central ministries and government organisations will work towards promoting this “nutri cereal”. Delegates at G20 meetings will be given a “millet experience” through tasting, meeting farmers, and interactive sessions.Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya has said that food regulator Food Safety and Standards Association of India (FSSAI) will formulate guidelines to include millets in the food menu of schools, hospitals, and government canteens.
Hospitals such as the All India Institute of Medical Sciences are working to set up a “millets canteen” to produce millets-based foods from March onward.
The Youth Affairs Ministry has done webinars and conferences with leading athletes, nutritionists, and dieticians on millets through the Fit India app.
The Ministry of Food Processing Industries has organised millet fair-cum-exhibitions in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, and Madhya Pradesh; the diversity of Indian millets will be showcased at international trade shows.
Indian embassies in more than 140 countries will organise exhibitions, seminars, and cooked millet dish competitions.The government also intends to increase procurement of these grains under the public distribution system.
Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said last year that it was time for public distribution programmes to focus on a more diverse food basket to improve nutritional status.
Economy
Google’s bard to take on ChatGPT: How does it work? (Page no. 19)
(GS Paper 3, Science and Technology)
Google has made a decisive move in the generative artificial intelligence (AI) race, announcing that it is working on a competitor to ChatGPT called ‘Bard’.
Google has said that its chatbot would launch “in the coming weeks” — a clear response to ChatGPT, the hugely sensational Microsoft-backed AI chatbot that has been developed by the tiny San Francisco-based startup OpenAI.
Google’s announcement intensifies the competition to determine what many believe is the future of Internet search. It comes amid reported concerns at the world’s biggest web search company about the increasingly popular ChatGPT stealing a march over it.
However, the company has not announced any plans to merge Bard with Google Search results.
The service will use artificial intelligence to generate answers in text when people type in queries, similar to what ChatGPT does. In a blog post, Google said Bard can help people perform tasks like planning a baby shower, compare two Oscar-nominated movies, or explain discoveries by NASA to a 9-year-old child.
Sundar Pichai, Google’s CEO, said Bard, which is already available to “trusted testers”, is designed to put the “breadth of the world’s knowledge” behind a conversational interface.
Bard is based on Google’s AI model called LaMDA, which the company had introduced in 2021 as its generative language model for dialogue applications which can ensure that the Google Assistant would be able to converse on any topic.