Daily Prelims Notes 28 October 2022

October 28, 2022
Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
Category: DPN

Daily Prelims Notes

28 October 2022

Table Of Contents

1. Monetary policy committee special meeting

Subject: Economy

Context:

The Reserve Bank of India announced an extra meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) on November 3, in addition to the scheduled bi-monthly meetings.

Details:

As per the meeting schedule of the MPC for FY23, the committee’s next meeting was to be held from December 5-7.

Concept:

The additional meeting has been scheduled under the provisions of:
- Section 45ZN of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Act 1934–states that if RBI fails to meet the inflation target, it will need to submit a report to the government explaining the reasons for the failure, remedial actions proposed to be taken, and an estimate of the time-period within which the target may be achieved.
- Regulation 7 of the RBI MPC and Monetary Policy Process Regulation, 2016– states that the MPC must schedule a separate meeting as part of the normal policy process–to discuss and draft the report–to be sent to the central government within one month from breaching the inflation target.

Breach of target/Failure of the Monetary policy :

As per the flexible inflation targetting framework of the MPC, the RBI fails the inflation targetting mandate if the Consumer Price Index (CPI)-based inflation remains outside the 2-6 percent tolerance band for three consecutive quarters.
- The CPI print has now also been above the RBI’s medium-term target of 4 per cent for 36 consecutive months, or three years.
- Breach of target data:

Quarters of FY23	CPI
June- March	6.3%
April-June	7.3%
July-September	7%

The headline inflation rose to 7.4 per cent in September from 7.0 per cent in August.

Monetary Policy Committee (MPC)

Urijit Patel Committee first proposed the idea for the formation of a five-member Monetary Policy Committee. The monetary Policy Committee came into force on 27th June 2016.
Constituted by RBI under section 45ZB of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Act, 1934.
- Section 45ZB lays down that “the Monetary Policy Committee shall determine the Policy Rate required to achieve the inflation target”, and that “the decision of the Monetary Policy Committee shall be binding on the Bank”.
Composition: Section 45ZB says the MPC shall consist of 6 members:
- RBI Governor as its ex officio chairperson,
- Deputy Governor in charge of monetary policy,
- An officer of the Bank to be nominated by the Central Board,
- Three persons to be appointed by the central government.
  - This category of appointments must be from “persons of ability, integrity and standing, having knowledge and experience in the field of economics or banking or finance or monetary policy”.

Mission: Fixing the benchmark policy interest rate (repo rate) to restrain inflation within the particular target level (2% to 6%).
- Repo rate is the base or reference rate that is used to set other interest rates — in India.
MPC conducts meetings at least 4 times a year.
The quorum for the meeting of the MPC is four members.
Each member of the MPC has one vote, and in the event of an equality of votes, the Governor has a second or casting vote.
- Each Member of the Monetary Policy Committee writes a statement specifying the reasons for voting in favour of, or against the proposed resolution.
On the 14th day, the minutes of the proceedings of the MPC are published which includes the resolution adopted by the MPC; the vote of each member on the resolution and the statement of each member on the resolution adopted.
- Once in every six months, the RBI is required to publish a document called the Monetary Policy Report to explain the sources of inflation and the forecast of inflation for 6-18 months ahead.
MPC is assisted by the Monetary Policy Department (MPD) of the Reserve Bank in the formulation of the policy. The Financial Markets Operations Department (FMOD) operationalizes the monetary policy, mainly through day-to-day liquidity management operations.

Note:

In May 2016, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Act, 1934 was amended to provide a statutory basis for the implementation of the flexible inflation targeting framework. The amended RBI Act also provides for the inflation target to be set by the Government of India, in consultation with the Reserve Bank, once in every five years.
Accordingly, the Central Government notified 4 per cent Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation as the target for the period from August 5, 2016 to March 31, 2021 with the upper tolerance limit of 6 per cent and the lower tolerance limit of 2 per cent. On March 31, 2021, the Central Government retained the inflation target and the tolerance band for the next 5-year period — April 1, 2021 to March 31, 2026.
MPC decides the benchmark rate to keep inflation in the given target.

2. World Energy Outlook 2022

Subject: Economy

Context:

Energy demand in India is expected to be the highest globally, during the current decade aided by rapid urbanisation and industrialisation according to the World Energy Outlook 2022 report of the International Energy Agency (IEA).

Details:

India’s energy demand would increase by more than 3 per cent per year in the Stated Policies Scenario (STEPS) from 2021 to 2030.
Energy role:
- Coal demand in the STEPS rises by 25 per cent to 2030 rising above 770 million tonnes of coal equivalent (Mtce) by 2030
  - In both the STEPS and Announced Pledges Scenario (APS), coal generation is projected to continue to rise in absolute terms, though its share of electricity generation declines.
  - India became the world’s second‐largest coal producer in 2021 (in energy terms), overtaking Australia and Indonesia,
- Oil demand meets a further quarter of the energy demand growth and rises to nearly 7 million barrels per day by 2030.
- Renewables meet 30 percent of demand growth to 2030, notably through a rapid increase in solar PV deployment.

Concept:

IEA Reports:

The International Energy Agency (IEA) medium to long-term outlooks – the World Energy Outlook (WEO) and the Energy Technology Perspective (ETP) – use a scenario approach to examine future energy trends relying on the Global Energy and Climate (GEC) Model.
The GEC Model is used to explore various scenarios, about how the energy system might respond to the current global energy crisis and evolve thereafter.
- Various scenarios seek to enable readers to compare different possible versions of the future and the levers and actions that produce them, with the aim of stimulating insights about the future of global energy.
The WEO-2022 and ETP-2023 – based on the integrated GEC modelling cycle – explore three scenarios:
- The Net Zero Emissions by 2050 Scenario (NZE) is normative.
  - It shows what is needed across the main sectors by various actors, and by when, for the world to achieve net zero energy related and industrial process CO2 emissions by 2050 while meeting other energy-related sustainable development goals such as universal energy access.
- The Announced Pledges Scenario (APS), and the Stated Policies Scenario (STEPS) are exploratory, in that they define a set of starting conditions, such as policies and targets, and then see where they lead.
  - The Announced Pledges Scenario assumes that all climate commitments made by governments around the world, including Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and longer-term net zero targets, as well as targets for access to electricity and clean cooking, will be met in full and on time.
  - Stated Policies Scenario (STEPS) reflects current policy settings based on a sector-by-sector and country by country assessment of the specific policies that are in place, as well as those that have been announced by governments around the world.

International Energy Agency

The International Energy Agency is an autonomous Intergovernmental Organisation established in 1974 in Paris, France.
MISSION – To ensure reliable, affordable and clean energy for its member countries and beyond. Its mission is guided by four main areas of focus: energy security, economic development, environmental awareness and engagement worldwide
India became an Associate member of IEA in March 2017 but it was in engagement with IEA long before its association with the organization.
The World Energy Outlook Report is released by the IEA annually.
IEA Clean Coal Centre is dedicated to providing independent information and analysis on how coal can become a cleaner source of energy, compatible with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Established in the wake of the 1973-1974 oil crisis, to help its members respond to major oil supply disruptions, a role it continues to fulfil today.
- IEA’s mandate has expanded over time to include tracking and analyzing global key energy trends, promoting sound energy policy, and fostering multinational energy technology cooperation.
It has 30 members at present. The IEA family also includes eight association countries.
- A candidate country must be a member country of the OECD. But all OECD members are not IEA members.
- To become member a candidate country must demonstrate that it has:
  - Crude oil and/or product reserves equivalent to 90 days of the previous year’s net imports, to which the government has immediate access (even if it does not own them directly) and could be used to address disruptions to global oil supply.
  - A demand restraint programme to reduce national oil consumption by up to 10%.
  - Legislation and organisation to operate the Co-ordinated Emergency Response Measures (CERM) on a national basis.
  - Legislation and measures to ensure that all oil companies under its jurisdiction report information upon request.
  - Measures in place to ensure the capability of contributing its share of an IEA collective action.
Reports:
- Global Energy & CO2 Status Report.
- World Energy Outlook.
- World Energy Statistics.
- World Energy Balances.
- Energy Technology Perspectives.

3. Pesticide regulation

Subject: Environment

Context:

The Centre for Environment and Agriculture has claimed that the European Union has put trade barriers on agriculture imports by setting stiff quality standards.

Details:

The pesticide maximum residue level of less than 0.01 ppm (parts per million) followed by the European Union on imports is inconsistent with the provisions of the SPAs agreement (on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures) of the World Trade Organisation.
- A level of less than 0.01 ppm maximum residue levels (MRLs) means one gram of pesticide residue in 100 tonnes of food commodity.
The almost zero tolerance level of less than 0.01 ppm acts as a strong non-tariff barrier to agriculture imports, especially from developing countries.
- The default of less than 0.01 ppm is not the risk-based assessment required by SPA agreement but is hazard-based.

Concept:

Under the SPS agreement, the WTO has set out basic rules for food safety and animal and plant health standards.
The agreement, which says that the SPS standards should be based on science, should be applied only to the extent of protecting human, animal, and plant life.
The Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (the “SPS Agreement”) entered into force with the establishment of the World Trade Organization on 1 January 1995.
It sets out the basic rules on food safety and animal and plant health standards that governments are required to follow.
The basic aim of the SPS Agreement is to maintain the sovereign right of any government to provide the level of health protection it deems appropriate, but to ensure that these sovereign rights are not misused for protectionist purposes and do not result in unnecessary barriers to international trade.
Members are encouraged to use international standards, guidelines and recommendations but may adopt higher levels of protection if there is scientific justification for it, or if they are based on appropriate assessment of risks.
- The SPS Agreement allows countries to use different methods of control, inspection and approval procedures to verify compliance with adopted standards.
The SPS Committee is the forum where WTO members discuss issues related to the implementation of the SPS Agreement and potential trade concerns. All decisions are reached by consensus. The Agreement also mandates the SPS Committee to develop a procedure to monitor the process of international harmonization and to coordinate with the relevant organizations.
Which are the relevant standard-setting organizations for the SPS Agreement?
- FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex): for food safety
- World Organization for Animal Health (OIE): for animal health and zoonoses
- FAO International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC): for plant protection.

The Codex Committee on Pesticide Residues (CCPR)

It is responsible for establishing Codex Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) for pesticide residues in specific food items or in groups of food or feed that move in international trade.
Before a Codex MRL can be established human health risk assessments must be conducted to ensure the food supply is safe.
It is the responsibility of the Joint FAO/WHO Meeting on Pesticide Residues (JMPR) to review the appropriate toxicology and data obtained mainly from supervised trials, that reflect approved pesticide use in accordance with “good agricultural practice.”
JMPR conducts dietary risk assessments and recommends specific MRLs to the Codex Committee.

4. European Central Bank

Subject: Economy

Context:

The European Central Bank (ECB) raised interest rates again and signalled it was keen to start shrinking its balance sheet, taking another big step in tightening policy to fight off a historic surge in inflation.

Details:

ECB curbed the subsidy it provides to lenders of ultra-cheap three-year loans called Targeted Longer-Term Refinancing Operations, or TLTROs.
Changes may encourage banks to repay them early– shrinking the ECB’s balance sheet.

Concept:

The targeted longer-term refinancing operations (TLTROs)

Launched by the Eurosystem
It provides financing to credit institutions.
By offering banks long-term funding at attractive conditions they preserve favourable borrowing conditions for banks and stimulate bank lending to the real economy.
A first series of TLTROs was announced on 5 June 2014, a second series (TLTRO II) on 10 March 2016 and a third series (TLTRO III) on 7 March 2019.
How do they work?
- The TLTROs are targeted operations, as the amount that banks can borrow is linked to their loans to non-financial corporations and households.
- In TLTRO III, similarly to TLTRO II, the interest rate to be applied is linked to the participating banks’ lending patterns. The more loans participating banks issue to non-financial corporations and households (except loans to households for house purchases), the more attractive the interest rate on their TLTRO III borrowings becomes.

The European Central Bank (ECB):

The European Central Bank (ECB) is the prime component of the Eurosystem and the European System of Central Banks (ESCB) as well as one of seven institutions of the European Union.
It is the central bank for the euro and administers monetary policy within the Eurozone, which comprises 19 member states of the European Union.
Governing Council – It is the main decision-making body of the ECB.
- It consists of the Executive Board plus the governors of the national central banks from eurozone countries.
- It makes monetary policy for the Eurozone and the European Union, administers the foreign exchange reserves of EU member states, engages in foreign exchange operations, and defines the intermediate monetary objectives and key interest rate of the EU
Executive Board – It handles the day-to-day running of the ECB.
- It consists of the ECB President and Vice-President and 4 other members appointed by national governments of eurozone countries.
- It enforces the policies and decisions of the Governing Council, and may direct the national central banks when doing so.
Functions–the ECB’s tasks include:
- Defining and implementing monetary policy
- Managing foreign exchange operations
- Maintaining the payment system to promote smooth operation of the financial market infrastructure under the TARGET2 payments system and being currently developed as a technical platform for settlement of securities in Europe (TARGET2 Securities).
- Consultative role: by law, the ECB’s opinion is required on any national or EU legislation that falls within the ECB’s competence.
- Collection and establishment of statistics
- International cooperation
- Issuing banknotes: the ECB holds the exclusive right to authorise the issuance of euro banknotes. Member states can issue euro coins, but the amount must be authorised by the ECB beforehand (upon the introduction of the euro, the ECB also had exclusive right to issue coins).
- Financial stability and prudential policy
- Banking supervision: since 2013, the ECB has been put in charge of supervising systemically relevant banks.
It is located in Frankfurt (Germany).
Mandate and inflation target-Unlike many other central banks, the ECB does not have a dual mandate where it has to pursue two equally important objectives such as price stability and full employment (like the US Federal Reserve System). The ECB has only one primary objective – price stability – subject to which it may pursue secondary objectives.

5. Emissions in India: 6 other nations top pre-Covid levels

Subject: Environment

Context-

UNEP has said that the world is falling short of the goals set forth in the Paris Climate Agreement adopted in 2015, and no current mechanism in place is effective enough to restrict global warming to 1.5⁰C above the pre-industrial level.

What the report said-

The UNEP report titled ‘Emissions Gap Report 2022: The Closing Window — Climate Crisis Calls For Rapid Transformation of Societies’, has found that in India and six other top emitters, emissions have rebounded and increased after the pandemic.

Top emitters-

The top seven emitters (China, the EU27, India, Indonesia, Brazil, the Russian Federation and the United States of America) plus international transport accounted for 55 per cent of global GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions in 2020.
Collectively, G20 members are responsible for 75 per cent of global GHG emissions.

Per Capita emission-

The global average per capita GHG emissions was 6.3 tonnes of CO2 equivalent (tCO2e) in 2020.
The US remains far above this level at 14 tCO2e, followed by Russia at 13 tCO2e,China at 9.7 tCO2e, Brazil and Indonesia at about 7.5 tCO2e, and the European Union at 7.2 tCO2e.
India remains far below the world average at 2.4 tCO2e.
For most major emitters, including China, India, the Russian Federation, Brazil and Indonesia, GHG emissions (excluding land use and forestry sectors) rebounded in 2021, exceeding pre-pandemic 2019 levels.

6. Now at Asola Bhatti wildlife sanctuary in Delhi, four artificial waterfalls

Subject: Environment

Why in news-

Delhi L-G VK Saxena dedicated four artificial waterfalls at Neeli Jheel in Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary to the public.
The waterfalls are “expected to develop the area into a world-class eco-tourism hub”.

About the Jheel-

The jheel is a perennial source of water for the wildlife at the sanctuary.
It is an abandoned mining pit that is now filled with both groundwater and rainwater.
A report recently prepared by the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) and the Delhi Forest Department noted that several leopard sightings were from the area around the Neeli Jheel since the animals use it for water.
The density of leopards was found to be most at two places in the sanctuary, one of which was the jheel.

Related concerns-

The jheel is also a habitat for birds.
There are migratory birds as well in the jheel area.
Further interference in the area will increase anthropogenic pressure on the wildlife.

Asola-Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary

It is spread over 32.7 square kilometres and is at the end of an important wildlife corridor that starts from Sariska National Park in Alwar, Rajasthan and passes through Mewat, Faridabad and Gurugram districts of Haryana.
The Asola wildlife sanctuary has both floral and faunal diversity in form of
a wide variety of trees, shrubs, herbs and grasses.
A large number of mammals, reptiles, amphibians, butterflies and dragonflies.
Sanctuary comprises Around 200 species of resident and migratory birds.
Wildlife habitats inside the sanctuary act as water recharge zone for Delhi, Faridabad and Gurugram.

7. Going green- T.N.’s conservation, climate change announcements are Avante-garde

Subject: Environment

Context-

Tamandu has taken several steps for ensuring sustainable development and countering climate change.

A few of these steps are-

It has declared its intention to create green parks in 100 villages, that would cater to local requirements too
Getting the Ramsar Site declaration for a record number of ecological zones as a well-planned and implemented initiative
It has also proposed are an elephant reserve at Agasthiyarmalai in the south
India’s first dugong conservation park in the Palk Bay
A new bird sanctuary at Tiruppur
Establishing India’s first-ever wildlife sanctuary for the slender loris in Dindigul and Karur district.
The recently appointed governing council on Climate Change has experts including Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Nandan Nilekani and Erik Solheim.
It will provide policy directives to the Climate Change Mission,advise on climate adaptation and mitigation activities, provide guidance to the State Action Plan on Climate Change and provide strategies for implementation.
The setting up of a Green Climate Fund corpus.
Additionally, a special purpose vehicle, Tamil Nadu Green Climate Company, has been set up to advise on managing three important missions — Climate Change, Tamil Nadu Green and Wetlands.

RAMSAR SITES IN TAMILNADU-

Dugongs-

Dugong (Dugong dugon) also called ‘Sea Cow’ is one of the four surviving species in the Order Sirenia and it is the only existing species of herbivorous mammal that lives exclusively in the sea including in India.
Dugongs are an important part of the marine ecosystem and their depletion will have effects all the way up the food chain.
Distribution and Habitat: They are found in over 30 countries and in India are seen in the Gulf of Mannar, Gulf of Kutch, Palk Bay, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Conservation Status:
- IUCN Red List status: Vulnerable
- Wild (Life) Protection Act, 1972: Schedule I
- CITES: Appendix I

Threats:

Dugongs graze on seagrass and the loss of seagrass beds due to ocean floor trawling is one of the most important factors behind decreasing dugong populations in many parts of the world.
- Trawling is a method of fishing that involves pulling a fishing net through the water behind one or more boats.
- It is harmful to the environment because it damages the seafloor, coral reefs and other marine animals.
Human activities such as the destruction and modification of habitat, pollution, rampant illegal fishing activities, vessel strikes, unsustainable hunting or poaching and unplanned tourism are the main threats to dugongs.
Dugong meat is consumed under the wrong impression that it cools down human body temperature.

About slender lorises-

The slender lorises (Loris) are a genus of lorisnative to India and Sri Lanka.
Slender lorises spend most of their life in trees, travelling along the tops of branches with slow and precise movements.
They generally feed on insects, reptiles, plant shoots, and fruit.

Habitat:

They are found in tropical rainforests, scrub forests, semi-deciduous forests, and swamps.

Types:

There are two species of Slender Loris, the only members of the genus ‘Loris’:

Red Slender Loris (Loris tardigradus)
Grey Slender Loris (Loris lydekkerianus)

Protection Status:

IUCN: Endangered,
Wildlife (Protection) Act of India, 1972: Schedule I
CITES: Appendix II

Threat:

It is believed that they have medicinal properties and they are captured and sold. Since there is great demand for keeping these animals as pets, they are illegally smuggled.
Habitat loss, electrocution of live wires and road accidents are other threats that have caused its populations to dwindle.

8. Record greenhouse gas emissions: Time running out, warns UN

Subject: Environment

Context-

Atmospheric levels of all three greenhouse gases — carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide — reached an all-time high in 2021, according to the United Nations agency- World Meteorological Organization

Report findings-

The increase in CO2 levels from 2020 to 2021 was higher than the average annual growth rate over the last decade.
The biggest year-on-year jump in methane concentrations was also seen in 2021 since systematic measurements began nearly 40 years ago, said the Greenhouse Gas Bulletin by the WMO.
These levels continued to rise in 2022 over the globe, showed measurements from WMO’s Global Atmosphere Watch network stations.
Radiative forcing — the warming effect on our climate — by long-lived GHG jumped nearly 50 per cent from 1990 levels; CO2 accounted for about 80 per cent of this increase.

Reasons for increased emissions-

The increase in CO2 levels is primarily because of emissions from the combustion of fossil fuels and cement production.
Global emissions have rebounded since the COVID-related lockdowns in 2020.
In some parts of the world, the transition of land sink into CO2 sources is already happening.
Analysis indicates that the largest contribution to the renewed increase in methane since 2007 comes from biogenic sources, such as wetlands or rice paddies.
The dramatic increase might also be because of natural interannual variability.
The years 2020 and 2021 saw La Niña events, which are associated with increased precipitation in the tropics.
The increase in nitrous oxide levels from 2020 to 2021 was slightly higher than that observed from 2019 to 2020 and higher than the average annual growth rate over the past 10 years.
Methane has a relatively short lifetime of fewer than 10 years and so its impact on climate is reversible.

About the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO)-

The WMO is an intergovernmental organization with a membership of 192 Member States and Territories.
India is a member of WMO.
It originated from the International Meteorological Organization (IMO), which was established after the 1873Vienna International Meteorological Congress.
Established by the ratification of the WMO Convention on 23rd March 1950, WMO became the specialized agency of the United Nations for meteorology (weather and climate), operational hydrology and related geophysical sciences.’
WMO is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.
Greenhouse Gas Bulletin report is released by the WMO.

9. EC model code of conduct proposal

Subject: Polity

Context:

Recently the political parties have responded to the Election Commission (EC) on the poll panel’s proposal to amend the Model Code of Conduct to guide political parties to disclose how they plan to finance promises made in election manifestos and assess the impact on fiscal sustainability
Most political parties had called EC’s proposal on electoral freebies an overreach.

What is Model Code of Conduct:

It is a set of guidelinesissued by the Election Commission of India for the conduct of political parties and candidates during elections mainly with respect to speeches, polling day, polling booths, portfolios, election manifestos, processions, and general conduct.
This set of norms has been evolved with the consensus of political parties who have consented to abide by the principles embodied in the said code in its letter and spirit.
The Model Code of Conduct comes into force immediately on the announcement of the election schedule by the commission for the need of ensuring free and fair elections.
Its main purpose is to ensure that ruling parties, at the Centre and in the States, do not misuse their position of advantage to gain an unfair edge.
It is designed to avert practices that are deemed corrupt under the model code of conduct.

What is in the new Model Code of Conduct guidelines.

The new guidelines state that the political parties should provide details of how they will finance the promises made in their manifestos if elected to power.
The new guidelines include the financial ramifications of promises in their manifestos and whether they are sustainable within the financial space of the state or the Union government.

10. Under It Act govt must share blocking reasons

Subject: Polity

Context:

Twitter has challenged 39 blocking orders issued by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology in 2021 in Karnataka High Court.
While a provision under the Information Technology Act, 2000, empowers the government to order the blocking of access to online content, it also necessitates the recording of reasons for the order which must be communicated to the users.

What is Information Technology Act, 2000.

The Information Technology Act, 2000 was enacted by the Indian Parliament in 2000.
It is the primary law in India for matters related to cybercrime and e-commerce.
The act was enacted to give legal sanction to electronic commerce and electronic transactions, to enable e-governance, and also to prevent cybercrime.
Under this law, for any crime involving a computer or a network located in India, foreign nationals can also be charged.
The law prescribes penalties for various cybercrimes and fraud through digital/electronic format. It also gives legal recognition to digital signatures.

What are the laws related to blocking of Internet Content:

Information Technology Act, 2000:

The Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000governs all activities related to the use of computer resources.
It covers all intermediaries who play a role in the use of computer resources and electronic records. The role of the intermediaries has been spelt out in separate rules framed for the purpose in 2011 i.e The Information Technology (Intermediaries Guidelines) Rules, 2011.

Section 69 of the IT Act:

It confers on the Central and State governments the power to issue directions to intercept, monitor or decrypt any information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer resource.
The grounds on which these powers may be exercised are:

In the interest of the sovereignty or integrity of India, defence of India, the security of the state.
Friendly relations with foreign states.
Public order or for preventing incitement to the commission of any cognizable offence relating to these.
For investigating any offence.

Process of Blocking Internet Websites:

Section 69A for similar reasons and grounds, enables the Centre to ask any agency of the government, or any intermediary, to block access to the public of any information generated, transmitted, received or stored or hosted on any computer resource.
Any such request for blocking access must be based on reasons given in writing.

11. States should have a uniform policy on law and order

Subject : Security

Context : Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that States should have a uniform law and order policy as certain crimes such as cross-border terrorism and cybercrimes transcend regional and international boundaries.

Concept :

The Home Minister also called for the centralisation of data on terror and other crimes and said that each State would have a National Investigation Agency (NIA)office by 2024.
The agency had been accorded extra-territorial jurisdiction and additional powers to confiscate property in terror-related cases in order to tackle terror activities.
The Home Minister also urged the States to use the National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID)which brings datasets of 11 agencies on a common platform.
He also highlighted the importance of the border and coastal States to make more concerted efforts with the Central agencies and security forces to ensure border and coastal security and that the government was working on the principle of “one data, one entry”.

About NATGRID

National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID) is an attached office of Ministry of Home Affairs
It has been created as an IT platform to assist the intelligence and law enforcement agencies in ensuring national and internal security, with the ultimate aim to counter terror.
NATGRID, an integrated intelligence grid which will connect databases of core security agencies, gathered pace in 2016
NATGRID will have data related to all immigration entry and exit, banking and financial transactions, credit card purchases, telecom, individual taxpayers, air flyers, train travellers besides others to generate intelligence inputs.
The 11 agencies which will be able to access the NATGRID data on real-time basis are:
- Central Bureau of Investigation
- Directorate of Revenue Intelligence,
- Enforcement Directorate
- Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs
- Central Board of Direct Taxes (for the Income Tax Department)
- Cabinet Secretariat
- Intelligence Bureau
- Directorate General of GST Intelligence
- Narcotics Control Bureau
- Financial Intelligence Unit, and
- National Investigation Agency

Initially, no state agencies will be given direct access to the NATGRID data.
However, whenever any relevant information is required, they can approach the NATGRID through any of the user agencies.

For further details about NIA, Refer – https://optimizeias.com/nia-2/

12. One Nation One Uniform for Police

Subject: Governance/Security

Context: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while addressing the first Chintan Shivir (brainstorming session) of state home ministers and top police officers, pitched the idea of a single uniform for police forces across the country.

Concept:

The Prime Minister stressed that all the states should think of a ‘one nation, one uniform’ policy.
It will also provide profit and also will give a common identity to law enforcement as citizens will recognise police personnel anywhere in the country.
Just like there is a post box that has a distinct identity, police uniforms should be identifiable uniformly across the country.

About One Nation One Police

The Government of India has been talking of “One Nation, One Ration Card”, “One Nation, One Registry”, “One Nation, One Gas Grid”, and even “One Nation, One Election”.
These ideas are laudable and would contribute to an integrated scheme in different facilities and networks across the country.
However, in Police related matters, we are confronted with a situation where states are legislating different Police Acts. Eighteen states have already passed Police Acts.

Need for One Nation, One Police:

First, in the absence of central guidelines, many states have passed their respective acts to give legislative cover to the existing arrangement.
This has allowed them to circumvent the implementation of judicial directions on police reforms given in the Prakash Singh case, 2006.
Second, the archaic police structure continues is not able to meet the democratic aspirations of the people.
Third, a greater uniformity was observed in colonial times for better policing. The Police Act legislated in 1861.

History of Police Act

The Police Act legislated in 1861 applied to almost the whole of India.
The colonial government was of the view that the “conditions of police service, machinery and work must be fairly uniform throughout India”.
The Police Commission appointed by Lord Curzon in 1902 found that the Act V of 1861was not applicable in the provinces of Madras and Bombay — it, therefore, recommended that the Act be enforced in these provinces as well.
In due course, the states passed their own Police Regulations/Manuals, but these were essentially within the framework of the central legislation.
It is a galling thought, but the British showed greater vision and far-sightedness in the matter.

SC guidelines on Prakash Singh Case, 2006 :

In September 2006, the court issued various directions to the centre and states including:

Constitute a State Security Commission in every state that will lay down policy for police functioning, evaluate police performance, and ensure that state governments do not exercise unwarranted influence on the police.
Constitute a Police Establishment Board in every state that will decide postings, transfers and promotions for officers below the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police, and make recommendations to the state government for officers of higher ranks.
Constitute Police Complaints Authorities at the state and district levels to inquire into allegations of serious misconduct and abuse of power by police personnel.
Provide a minimum tenure of at least two years for the DGP and other key police officers (e.g., officers in charge of a police station and district) within the state forces, and the Chiefs of the central forces to protect them against arbitrary transfers and postings.
Ensure that the DGP of state police is appointed from amongst three senior-most officers who have been empanelled for the promotion by the Union Public Service Commission on the basis of length of service, good record and experience.
Separate the investigating police from the law and order police to ensure speedier investigation, better expertise and improved rapport with the people.
Constitute a National Security Commission to shortlist the candidates for appointment as Chiefs of the central armed police forces.

13. The dismal case of slashing schemes and cutting funds

Subject: Government Schemes

Context:

Over the past three years, over 50% of existing central government sponsored schemes have been discontinued, subsumed, revamped or rationalised into other schemes.

What is the issue:

The impact has been varied across Ministries. For example, for the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development, there are just three schemes now out of 19 schemes, i.e. Mission Shakti, Mission Vatsalya, Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0.Mission Shakti itself replaced 14 schemes which included the Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao scheme.
In the case of the Ministry of Animal Husbandry and Dairy, just two schemes remain out of 12. Additionally, the Ministry has ended three schemes which include Dairying through Cooperatives, National Dairy Plan-II
For the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, there are now three out of 20 schemes i.e Krishonnati Yojana, Integrated Scheme on Agricultural Cooperatives and the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana.
There is a lack of information on the National Project on Organic Farming or the National Agroforestry Policy.
There are funding cuts in the Nirbhaya fund (2013) which focuses to improve the public safety of women in public spaces was allocated Rs. 1,000 annually (2013-16) but remains largely unspen
The fertilizer subsidies have been in decline with NPK fertilizers allocation 35% lower than revised estimates in FY 21-22.
The allocation for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act went down by approximately 25% in the FY22-23 Budget, with the allocated budget at Rs. 73,000 crore.
In the case of Garib Kalyan Rojgar AbhiyaanRs. 39,293 crore was spentagainst an announced budget of Rs. 50,000 crore.
The Salaries of the Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) have been delayed for up to 6 months.
Moreover funding for wildlife habitat development under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change had declined along with the allocations for Project Tiger, which have been slashed.

What is the reason behind rationalisation:

Various Finance Commissions including the 15th Commissionrecommended the rationalisation of CSS schemes.
The rationalisation of the CSSs would ensure the optimum utilization of resources with better outcomes through area-specific interventions.
This would also ensure a wider reach of the benefits to the target groups and result in greater autonomy and fiscal space available to states.
In 2015, the Central Government constituted a sub-group of chief ministers on the rationalisation of CSS.
A reshaping of CSSs into 28 umbrella schemes was carried out by them with six ‘Core of the Core’, 20 ‘Core’ and two ‘Optional’ schemes.
This was done in order to enhance the impact of the CSSs, maintain their budget allocation, and grant states flexibility on scheme implementation.

What need to be done:

State governments should have the flexibility to ensure that the schemes benefit the targeted groups since they implement the schemes.
There should be proper debates and dialogues with relevant stakeholders on the restructuring of the CSS.
Blockages in budgetary processes in the schemes, such as delays in the flow of funds, and in releasing sanction orders for spending shall be addressed.
There is a need to build capacity for an efficient civil service to meet today’s challenges by providing a corruption-free welfare system, running a modern economy and providing better public goods.
Rather than having a target of fewer government schemes, we should raise our aspirations towards better public service delivery