The Hindu Editorial Analysis- 21st July, 2021 - UPSC PDF Download

1. Spy in Hand: On Pegasus Spyware Issue 

GS 3- Security

Context 

• At least 1,000 Indian phone numbers are on a list of prospective surveillance targets for the Pegasus spyware offered by the Israeli business NSO Group to "vetted nations" with the Israeli government's agreement.
• Instead of being forthright and clarifying what it wants to do to protect individuals, the government of India has resorted to a deceptive claim that no illegal surveillance is conceivable in India.

Depth of the Breach

• The list of prospective targets – journalists, lawmakers, a Supreme Court judge, and a former Election Commissioner — does not suggest that the surveillance was required for national security or public safety reasons.
• The composition shows that the offenders were driven by personal desire, turpitude, and even voyeurism.
• This invasion of privacy is about a lot more than that.
• Illegally obtained information may have been used to undermine institutions, steal elections, destroy opposition campaigns, and even destabilise a government.
• It is disconcerting for a democracy that governmental agencies may trample on citizens' lives in this manner while elected politicians claim ignorance.
• This is against to democracy's basic tenets.

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Conclusion

• The truth regarding these revelations must be discovered through a JPC investigation, the Supreme Court, or some other trustworthy method.
• The government's first step should be to answer the most pressing issue it is avoiding: has any Indian agency purchased Pegasus?

2. Sharing During Scarcity: On Krishna and Godavari River Management Boards 

GS 2- Water Sharing

Context

• Despite being delayed, the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti's gazette notification on the Krishna and Godavari River Management Boards' jurisdiction over projects and assets in the domains of irrigation and hydropower is a positive step.
• To ensure prudent water use in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, the two river boards can now govern, regulate, operate, and maintain 36 projects in the Krishna Basin and 71 in the Godavari.

Current Status of Legal Battle

• Although Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, the Union Minister of Jal Shakti and the chairperson of the supreme council of the two river boards, had stated that the Centre would proceed with notifying the boards' jurisdiction, it took nine months to see if a reluctant Telangana would follow suit.
• The seven-year-old State had argued that the notification should follow the completion of a tribunal on Krishna water sharing by the two States, which would broaden the scope of the existing Krishna Water Dispute Tribunal (KWDT)-II's jurisdiction.
• Telangana had even filed a plea with the Supreme Court, but the Centre said it would only consider Telangana's request if the state withdrew its suit, which it did.
• Telangana requested that its complaint be submitted to the existing Tribunal to avoid duplication of investigation.

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Duty of Legislative Bodies

• The Centre must now ensure that the empowered Boards operate fairly, as the Union government's decision on matters pertaining to the two organisations' jurisdiction would be final.
• Both states have their own reasons for pursuing additional water and electricity projects, citing the need for economic development in numerous locations.
• Rayalaseema is an arid region, and one of the factors that contributed to the bifurcation was dissatisfaction with the poor use of the two rivers in then-undivided Andhra Pradesh.
• Simultaneously, the two countries should concentrate on water and energy conservation, as well as enhancing the efficiency of irrigation programmes and hydroelectric dams.

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Conclusion 

• Given the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the federal and state budgets, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh should examine these low-cost alternatives.
• The Centre should look into making the much-discussed concept of river basin organisations a reality after reviewing the experiences of the redesigned Boards.