Weekly Current Affairs (15th to 21st April 2023) Part - 2 | Current Affairs & Hindu Analysis: Daily, Weekly & Monthly - UPSC PDF Download

SC and Plea over Probe Agencies

Context: Recently, the Supreme Court (SC) has refused to entertain a plea by some political parties alleging "selective and targeted" use of Central probe agencies such as the CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) and ED (Directorate of Enforcement) by the Central government against their leaders.

• The Enforcement Directorate (ED) frequently summons politicians, celebrities, and NGOs, leading to accusations that it is being used as a tool by the central government to control political opponents.

What is the SC’s Observation?

• The plea sought laying down guidelines for arrest, remand and bail for politicians.
• However, the SC, stated that politicians stand on the same footing as the citizens of the country and cannot have a different set of procedures. The court can intervene only in individual cases when the facts are before it, but it cannot lay down separate general guidelines only for politicians.
• The petitioners alleged a skewed application of the law leading to an "uneven playing field" and shrinking space for dialogue.
• Petitioner argued that there has been a huge increase in CBI and ED cases between 2014 and 2021, but there have been only 23 convictions. Of the 121 political leaders probed by ED and 124 probed by CBI, he said 95 % were from the opposition.
• However, the bench pointed out that the conviction rate in the country was dismal, and a politician is basically a citizen and, as citizens, all are amenable to the same law.

What makes Probe Agencies Vulnerable to Political Interferences?

• The ED and CBI in India are not statutory bodies and are instead governed by executive orders. This makes them more susceptible to political interference by the government of the day.
• As a result, these agencies have often been accused of carrying out politically motivated investigations or turning a blind eye to certain crimes based on political considerations.
• These agencies lack the necessary autonomy and independence to carry out their mandate of investigation and prosecution of crimes in a fair and transparent manner. Additionally, they are also susceptible to budgetary cuts or other forms of pressure that could impact their ability to function effectively.

What are the Concerns Related to Misuse of Central agencies?

• Political Influence: The agencies may be used by the ruling political party to target political opponents and dissenters, leading to the misuse of these agencies for political gains.
  • In 2017 when the CBI had registered a case against Karti Chidambaram and a few others for allegedly receiving kickbacks in exchange for facilitating Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) which was said to be political motive.
• Lack of Transparency and Accountability: The agencies often work behind closed doors, and there is a lack of transparency in their functioning. This opacity can lead to suspicion and mistrust in their actions.
  • There is a lack of accountability and oversight in the functioning of these agencies, which can lead to misuse and abuse of power.
• Abuse of Power: There have been instances where the agencies have been accused of overstepping their authority and misusing their power to intimidate or harass individuals.
• Violation of Human Rights: The agencies may use coercive tactics, such as illegal detentions, torture, and custodial violence, which violate human rights.
  • In 2020, a father and son in Tamil Nadu were allegedly tortured to death in police custody. The incident sparked widespread outrage and calls for justice.
• Delayed Justice: The cases investigated by these agencies often take years to resolve, leading to a delay in justice and causing harm to the reputation and livelihood of individuals who may be innocent.

Way Forward

• There needs to be greater transparency and accountability in the functioning of these agencies. The agencies should operate independently of political influence and their actions should be guided solely by law and evidence.
• It is also important to ensure that the agencies are adequately staffed and resourced to carry out their duties effectively. This includes providing training and support to the staff, as well as ensuring that they have the necessary tools and equipment to carry out their work.
• There is a need to strengthen the legal and institutional frameworks that govern the functioning of these agencies. This will help to build public trust and confidence in the agencies and ensure that they are able to carry out their duties effectively and impartially.
• Giving probe agencies greater autonomy and a constitutional position could go a long way in addressing the issues of political influence and human rights violations in India.
• This would require political will and consensus-building among various stakeholders, but it is a necessary step to ensure that probe agencies are able to carry out their mandate of investigation and prosecution of crimes in a fair and transparent manner.

National Investigation Agency

Context: Recently, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has registered an FIR (First Information Report) against two men who were previously arrested for allegedly Radicalizing youth.

• The NIA has charged the two men under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), 1967.

Note: Radicalization is the process by which an individual or group adopts extreme beliefs and ideologies that reject or oppose the values, norms, and laws of mainstream society. It often involves exposure to propaganda, persuasive rhetoric, and persuasive individuals or groups who promote extremist views and ideologies.

What is the National Investigation Agency (NIA)?

About:

• The NIA is a federal agency of the Indian government responsible for investigating and prosecuting crimes related to Terrorism, Insurgency, and other national security matters.
• Federal agencies in a country typically have jurisdiction over matters that affect the country as a whole, rather than just individual states or provinces.
• It was established in 2009 following the Mumbai terrorist attacks in 2008, under the National Investigation Agency (NIA) Act, 2008, operates under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
• The National Investigation Agency (Amendment) Act, 2019 was passed in July 2019, amending the NIA Act, 2008.
• The NIA has the power to take over investigations of terrorism-related cases from state police forces and other agencies. It also has the authority to investigate cases across state boundaries without obtaining prior permission from state governments.

Functions:

• Collecting, analyzing, and disseminating intelligence related to terrorism and other national security matters.
• Coordinating with other law enforcement agencies, both within India and internationally, in matters related to terrorism and national security.
• Conducting capacity building programs for law enforcement agencies and other stakeholders.

Probe:

• The NIA can take up a probe in different ways. The State government can refer cases related to scheduled offences to the Central government for NIA investigation under Section 6 of the NIA Act 2008.
• The Central government can also direct the NIA to investigate a scheduled offence, either within or outside India, on its own accord.
• For prosecuting the accused under the UAPA and certain other scheduled offences, the NIA seeks the sanction of the Central government.
• There is a special cell to deal with LWE (Left Wing Extremism) cases related to terror financing. During the investigation of a scheduled offence, the NIA can also investigate any other offence connected to it. Finally, after investigation, the cases are presented before the NIA Special Court.

World Heritage Day

Context: The International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) declared April 18th as the International Day for Monuments and Sites, also known as World Heritage Day, in 1982.

• The theme for this year is "Heritage Changes," which focuses on the role of cultural heritage in climate action and its importance in protecting vulnerable communities.

What is the Status of Heritage Sites in India?

About:

• India is currently home to 40 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, making it the country with the sixth-largest number of sites in the world.
• Out of these, 32 are cultural sites, 7 are natural sites, and one is a mixed-type site, the Khangchendzonga National Park.
• The cultural heritage sites in India include ancient temples, forts, palaces, mosques, and archaeological sites that reflect the rich history and diversity of the country.
• The natural heritage sites in India include national parks, wildlife reserves, and natural landscapes that showcase the country's unique biodiversity and ecological significance.
• The mixed-type site in India, the Khangchendzonga National Park, is known for its cultural significance as well as its biodiversity, as it is home to several rare and endangered species.

Constitutional and Legislative Provisions Related to Indian Heritage:

• Directive Principles of State Policy: Article 49 puts obligation on the State to protect every monument or place or object of artistic or historic interest, declared by or under law made by Parliament to be of national importance.
• Fundamental Duty: Article 51A of Constitution states that it shall be the duty of every citizen of India to value and preserve the rich heritage of our culture.
• Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act (AMASR Act) 1958: It is an act of the Parliament of India that provides for the preservation of ancient and historical monuments and archaeological sites and remains of national importance, for the regulation of archaeological excavations and for the protection of sculptures, carvings and other like objects.

Heritage Influence on India’s Cultural Identity:

• StoryTellers of India’s Glory: Heritage is the legacy of physical artefacts and intangible attributes of society that are inherited from past generations, maintained in the present, and preserved for the benefit of future generations.
• Reflection of Unity in Diversity: India is a museum of different types, communities, customs, traditions, religions, cultures, beliefs, languages, castes and social system.
• But even after having so much external diversity, in Indian culture there is Unity in Diversity.
• Tolerating Nature: Indian society gave every culture the opportunity of prospering that is reflected in its diverse heritage. It does not try to suppress diversity in favour of uniformity.

Issues Related to Heritage Management in India:

• Lack of Centralised Database for Heritage Sites: India lacks a complete national level database with state wise distribution of heritage structure.
• Indian National Trust for Art & Cultural Heritage (INTACH) has inventoried about 60,000 buildings in around 150 cities which is still only the tip of the iceberg as there are estimated more than 4000 heritage towns and cities in the country.
• Outdated Mechanism of Excavation and Exploration: Due to the prevalence of outdated mechanisms, Geographic Information System and Remote Sensing are rarely used in exploration.
• Also, local bodies involved in urban heritage projects are often not equipped enough to handle heritage conservation.
• Environmental Degradation and Natural Disasters: Heritage sites in India are vulnerable to environmental degradation and natural disasters, such as pollution, erosion, flooding, and earthquakes, which can cause irreversible damage to their physical structures and cultural significance.
• For example, the Taj Mahal in Uttar Pradesh, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and an iconic symbol of India's cultural heritage, has faced challenges due to air pollution, which has caused yellowing and deterioration of its marble.
• Unsustainable Tourism: Popular heritage sites in India often face high tourism pressure, which can result in issues such as overcrowding, unregulated visitor activities, and inadequate visitor management.
• Uncontrolled tourism can cause damage to heritage structures, impact the local environment, and disrupt the local community's way of life.

Recent Government Initiatives Related to Heritage Conservation: 

• Adopt a Heritage Programme
• Project Mausam

Way Forward

• Sustainable Funding Models: Exploring and implementing innovative funding models for heritage conservation, such as public-private partnerships, corporate sponsorships, crowdfunding, and community-based funding.
  • This can help generate additional financial resources for heritage sites and ensure their sustainable conservation and maintenance.
  • Example: Encouraging corporate sponsorships for specific conservation projects, where companies can contribute funds and resources in exchange for brand recognition and promotional opportunities.
• Technology- enabled Conservation: Leveraging advanced technologies such as remote sensing, 3D scanning, virtual reality, and data analytics for documentation, monitoring, and conservation of heritage sites.
  • This can enable more efficient and effective heritage management practices, including condition assessment, preventive conservation, and virtual tourism experiences.
  • Example: Using 3D scanning and virtual reality to create digital replicas of heritage structures, which can be used for virtual tours, educational purposes, and as a reference for restoration and conservation work.
• Innovative Measures to Increase Engagement: Monuments that do not attract a large number of visitors and those which have no associated cultural/religious sensitivity should be used as venues for cultural programmes with the twin objectives:
  • Promoting the associated intangible heritage
  • Increasing visitor numbers to such sites.

India’s Export Capabilities

Context: Jamnagar in Gujarat is the top exporting district in India. It formed about 24% of India's exports in value terms in FY23 (till January).

• Surat in Gujarat and Mumbai Suburban in Maharashtra feature second and third by a distance, forming only about 4.5% of the country's exports in the period.
• The other districts in the top 10 are Dakshina Kannada (Karnataka), Devbhumi Dwarka, Bharuch and Kachchh (Gujarat), Mumbai (Maharashtra), Kancheepuram (Tamil Nadu) and Gautam Buddha Nagar (Uttar Pradesh).

What is the Status of the Export Sector in India?

Status of Trade:

• The merchandise trade deficit, which is the gap between exports and imports, increased by over 39% in 2022-23 to record USD 266.78 billion, as compared to USD 191 billion in 2021-22.
• Merchandise imports increased by 16.51% in 2022-23, while merchandise exports rose by 6.03%.
• Overall trade deficit, however, stood at USD 122 billion in 2022-23, as compared to USD 83.53 billion in the 2022, gaining support from trade surplus in services.

India’s Major Export Arenas:

• Engineering Goods: They registered a 50% growth in exports, at USD 101 bn in FY22.
• Currently, all pumps, tools, carbides, air compressors, engines, and generators manufacturing MNC companies in India are trading at all-time highs and shifting more production units to India.
• Agriculture Products: Agricultural exports were buoyed by the government's push to meet global demand for food amid the pandemic. India exports rice worth USD 9.65 bn, the highest among agricultural commodities.
• Textile and Apparels: India’s textile and apparel exports (including handicrafts) stood at USD 44.4 billion in FY22, a 41% increase on a YoY basis.
• Government’s scheme like Mega Integrated Textile Region and Apparel (MITRA) Park are giving a strong boost to this sector.
• Pharmaceuticals and Drugs: India is the third-largest producer of medicines by volume and the biggest supplier of generic drugs.
• India supplies over 50% of Africa’s requirement for generics, around 40% of generic demand in the US and 25% of all medicine in the UK.

Challenges Related to Export Sector:

• Access to Finance: Access to affordable and timely finance is crucial for exporters.
• However, many Indian exporters face challenges in obtaining finance due to high interest rates, collateral requirements, and lack of credit availability from financial institutions, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
• Limited Diversification of Exports: India's export basket is concentrated in a few sectors, such as engineering goods, textiles and pharmaceuticals, which makes it vulnerable to global demand fluctuations and market risks.
• Limited diversification of exports poses a challenge to India's export sector as it can limit its resilience to changing global trade dynamics.
• Rising Protectionism and Deglobalisation: Countries around the globe are moving towards protectionist trade policies due to disrupted global political order (Russia-Ukraine War) and weaponization of supply chain, that is in way shrinking India’s export capacities.

Way Forward

• Investment in Infrastructure: Improved infrastructure and logistics are critical for enhancing export competitiveness.
• India should prioritise investments in transportation networks, ports, customs clearance processes, and export-oriented infrastructure such as export promotion zones and specialised manufacturing zones.
• This can reduce transportation costs, improve supply chain efficiency, and boost export capabilities.
• Skill Development and Technology Adoption: Skill development programs should be implemented to enhance the availability of skilled labour in export-oriented industries.
• Additionally, incentivizing and promoting technology adoption, such as automation, digitization, and Industry 4.0 technologies, can boost productivity, competitiveness, and innovation in the export sector.
• Exploring Joint Development Programmes: Amidst a wave of deglobalisation and slowing growth, exports cannot be the sole engine of growth.
• India can also explore joint development programmes with other countries in sectors like space, semiconductor, solar energy to improve India’s medium-term growth prospects.

National Quantum Mission

Context: Recently, the union cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister has approved the National Quantum Mission (NQM) to aid scientific and industrial research and development in quantum technology.

What is National Quantum Mission?

About:

• It’ll be implemented by the Department of Science & Technology (DST) under the Ministry of Science & Technology.
• The mission planned for 2023-2031 aims to seed, nurture, and scale up scientific and industrial R&D and create a vibrant & innovative ecosystem in Quantum Technology (QT).
• With the launch of this mission, India will be the seventh country to have a dedicated quantum mission after the US, Austria, Finland, France, Canada and China.

Salient features of NQM:

• It will target developing intermediate scale quantum computers with 50-100 physical qubits in 5 years and 50-1000 physical qubits in 8 years.
• Just like bits (1 and 0) are the basic units by which computers process information, ‘qubits’ or ‘quantum bits’ are the units of process by quantum computers.
• The mission will help develop magnetometers with high sensitivity for precision timing (atomic clocks), communications, and navigation.
• It will also support design and synthesis of quantum materials such as superconductors, novel semiconductor structures and topological materials for fabrication of quantum devices.

The mission will also help developing:

• Satellite based secure quantum communications between ground stations over a range of 2000 km within India.
• Long distance secure quantum communications with other countries
• Inter-city quantum key distribution over 2000 km
• Multi-node Quantum network with quantum memories

Four Thematic Hubs (T-Hubs) would be set up in top academic and National R&D institutes on the domains of Quantum Technology:

• Quantum computation
• Quantum communication
• Quantum Sensing & Metrology
• Quantum Materials & Devices

Significance:

• This will accelerate QT led economic growth and make India one of the leading nations in the development of Quantum Technologies & Applications (QTA) ranging from healthcare and diagnostics, defence, energy and data security.
• It will work towards indigenously building quantum-based computers which are far more powerful and are able to solve the most complex problems in a highly secure manner.

What is Quantum Technology?

• Quantum technology is a field of science and engineering that deals with the principles of quantum mechanics, which is the study of the behaviour of matter and energy at the smallest scale.
• Quantum mechanics is the branch of physics that describes the behavior of matter and energy at the atomic and subatomic level.

What are the Advantages of Quantum Technology?

• Increased Computing Power: Quantum computers are very much faster than the computers we today have. They also have the capability to solve complex problems that are currently beyond our reach.
• Improved Security: Because they rely on principles of quantum mechanics, quantum encryption techniques are much more secure than traditional encryption methods.
• Faster Communication: Quantum communication networks can transmit information faster and more securely than traditional networks, with the potential for completely unhackable communication.
• Enhanced AI: Quantum machine learning algorithms can potentially enable more efficient and accurate training of Artificial Intelligence models.
• Better Sensing and Measurement: Quantum sensors can detect extremely small changes in the environment, making them useful in areas such as medical diagnostics, environmental monitoring, and geological exploration.

What are the Disadvantages of Quantum Technology?

• Expensive: The technology requires specialized equipment and materials which make it more expensive than the traditional technologies.
• Limited Applications: Currently, quantum technology is only useful for specific applications such as cryptography, quantum computing, and quantum communication.
• Sensitivity to Environment: Quantum technology is highly sensitive to environmental interference, such as temperature changes, magnetic fields, and vibrations.
  • Qubits are easily disrupted by their surroundings which can cause them to lose their quantum properties and make mistakes in calculations.
• Limited Control: It is difficult to control and manipulate quantum systems. Quantum-powered AI could create unintended consequences.
  • Quantum-powered AI systems could potentially arrive at conclusions that are unexpected or difficult to explain as they operate on principles that are fundamentally different from classical computing.

Conclusion

• Overall, while quantum technology has enormous potential, there are still many challenges that must be overcome before it can be widely adopted.