UPSC Key | India and Austria, Planetary defence, Informal sector and more

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India and Austria

UPSC Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

Mains Examination: GS-I, II: History,  International Relations

What’s the ongoing story- Narendra Modi’s visit to Vienna this week was the first by an Indian Prime Minister to Austria since June 1983, when Indira Gandhi travelled to the country. The Prime Minister’s decision to travel to Vienna immediately after he met President Vladimir Putin in Moscow was significant — Austria is a European country that is not a part of NATO, the US-led anti-Russia trans-Atlantic military alliance, whose 32 leaders gathered in Washington DC this week.

Prerequisites:

— What is NATO?

— What was the outcome of WW II?

— Map work: Location of Austria and neighbouring countries.

Key takeaways: 

— Vienna was under Nazi occupation during World War II. After the end of the war, it was divided into four sectors by the US, the UK, France, and the Soviet Union, supervised by the Allied Commission. The Allies occupied Austria for a decade after the war ended.

— In 1955, the four occupying powers signed the Austrian State Treaty with the Austrian government to establish Austria as an independent state. The Soviet Union demanded that Austria… maintain neutrality on the model of Switzerland, with the four powers pledging to the integrity and inviolability of Austrian territory.

— The 1955 treaty, which was ratified by all countries, thus bound Austria to neutrality. The constitution of Austria prohibits entering into military alliances, and the establishment of foreign military bases on Austrian territory.

— In 1952-53, the Austrians approached Jawaharlal Nehru, who was respected by both Western nations and the Soviets, for help in securing a sovereign nation.

— India was among the few countries that supported Austria’s appeal at the United Nations General Assembly in 1952 for an end to the Allied occupation and the restoration of its sovereignty.

— In June 1955, about a month after Austria had gained full independence through the conclusion of the State Treaty, Nehru paid a State Visit to the country, the first by a foreign leader.

— Diplomatic relations between India and Austria were established on November 10, 1949 — this year marks its 75th anniversary.

— Austria offers tremendous opportunities for bilateral collaboration in infrastructure, renewable energy, e-commerce, fintech, enterprise tech, consumer services, and media and entertainment.

— Both countries have taken balanced positions in the Russia-Ukraine war.

For Your Information:

— Concerning the war in Ukraine, both leaders supported any collective effort to facilitate a peaceful resolution consistent with international law and the UN Charter.

— The two leaders also reiterated their unequivocal condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border and cyber- terrorism and emphasised that no country should provide safe haven…

— The two leaders emphasised that India and the European Union have the largest and most vibrant free-market space in the world, and noted that deeper EU-India ties will be mutually beneficial as well as have a positive global impact.

— They reiterated their commitment to achieving comprehensive reforms of the United Nations, including its Security Council.

Points to Ponder: 

— How has the relationship between India and Austria evolved over time?

— Why Austria has not joined NATO?

— What role did India play in the decolonisation process?

Post Read Question:

Consider the following statements:

1. During World War I, Austria-Hungary was part of the Triple Alliance along with Germany and Italy.

2. The Treaty of Versailles prohibited any union between Germany and Austria.

3. The most ambitious project of Hitler was the annexation of Austria in March 1938, known as Anschluss.

Which of the following statements is correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

How Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Austria sends a message both to Moscow and the West

Why location sharing can’t be bail condition

UPSC Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Indian Polity and Governance

Mains Examination: GS-II: Polity, Constitution

What’s the ongoing story- The Supreme Court on Monday held that courts cannot impose bail conditions that require accused persons to share their location on Google Maps. A Bench comprising Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan also held that in cases where the accused is a foreign national, courts cannot demand a “certificate of assurance” from relevant Embassies or High Commissions that the accused will not leave the country.

Prerequisites:

— What is the Right to privacy?

— What are the constitutional provisions related to the Right to Privacy?

Key takeaways: 

— The court also held that “any bail condition which enables the Police/ Investigation Agency to track every movement of the accused by using any technology or otherwise would undoubtedly violate the right to privacy guaranteed under Article 21”. The court then ordered the removal of this condition.

— On the subject of the “certificate of assurance”, the court held that the grant of such a certificate is “beyond the control of the accused”, and ordered the removal of this condition as well. It stated that if the Embassy does not grant such a certificate within a reasonable time, the accused “cannot be denied bail” on the basis of a condition which is simply “impossible for the accused to comply with”.

Points to Ponder: 

— How a bail conditions differ from citizens to foreigners?

— What are the constitutional provisions for safeguarding the dignity of the offenders?

— How the scope of Article 21 has expanded?

Post Read Question:

Prelims

‘Right to Privacy’ is protected under which Article of the Constitution of India? (UPSC CSE 2021)

(a) Article 15

(b) Article 19

(c) Article 21

(d) Article 29

Mains

Examine the scope of Fundamental Rights in the light of the latest judgement of the Supreme Court on the Right to Privacy. (UPSC CSE 2017)

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

Tracking accused on bail by agency violate right to privacy: Supreme Court

Chasing asteroids: Why ISRO wants to venture into planetary defence

UPSC Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

Mains Examination: GS-III: Achievements of Indians in science & technology; indigenization of technology and developing new technology.

What’s the ongoing story- Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman S Somanath said last week that “we should be able to go and meet” the asteroid Apophis when it passes by Earth at a distance of 32,000 km in 2029. However, “it is yet to be decided in what way [ISRO] should participate”.

Prerequisites:

— What are asteroids?

— How asteroids are different from satellites?

Key takeaways: 

— Somanath’s remarks reveal ISRO’s intent to develop capabilities in planetary defence — an area it has so far not entered. A mission to study an asteroid would be the first step towards building a programme aimed at preventing celestial bodies from colliding with Earth with potentially catastrophic consequences.

Objects in space.

— Apophis may not pose a threat, but asteroids are headed towards Earth all the time.

— In fact, thousands enter the Earth’s atmosphere every day. Most are very small and burn up in the atmosphere due to friction…

— Once in a while, however, asteroids do cause damage. In 2013, a 20-metre wide asteroid entered the atmosphere and exploded about 30 km above a Russian town… shock waves travelled to the ground, flattened trees, damaged buildings, and injured 1,491 people, according to the Russian Ministry of Health.

— Scientists know of at least 1.3 million asteroids, but there could be more surprises in store. A planetary defence programme seeks to track and neutralise these threats.

— A spacecraft launched in the previous year crashed into an asteroid named Dimorphos, and changed both its shape and its trajectory.

— ISRO’s intention to join such an endeavour displays its growing confidence in taking on newer challenges, and contributing proactively to global space objectives.

For Your Information:

— In 2022, the DART spacecraft successfully managed to change the motion of the asteroid Dimorphos by crashing into it. This is the first time that humanity has changed the motion of a celestial object. This is also the first demonstration of the “kinetic impactor” method of asteroid mitigation.

Points to Ponder: 

— What was the objective of the DART mission?

— What is the need for planetary defence?

— What efforts have been made to protect the Earth from future asteroids?

Post Read Question:

With reference to the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) Mission, consider the following statements:

1. It is the first demonstration of the kinetic impactor technique to change the motion of an asteroid in space.

2. It is a joint Mission of NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).

Which of the statement given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

NASA’s DART Mission successfully changed the course of an asteroid. What next?

 

Front

After three shocks, 16.45 lakh jobs lost in informal sector over 7 years

UPSC Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Economy

Mains Examination: GS-III: Economy

What’s the ongoing story- The number of workers employed in the informal sector in 2022-23 has dropped by 16.45 lakh or about 1.5 per cent to 10.96 crore compared to 11.13 crore in 2015-16, according to the latest Annual Survey of Unincorporated Enterprises (ASUSE) for 2021-22 and 2022-23 released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI).

Prerequisites:

— What is the informal sector?

— What is Gross Value Added (GVA)?

— What is the difference between the formal and informal sectors?

Key takeaways: 

— The data available for the first time since 2015-16, provides an understanding of the impact of the three major exogenous shocks viz., demonetisation in November 2016, rollout of the Goods and Service Tax in July 2017, and the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020, on the growth of unincorporated enterprises and the employment in these enterprises.

— The ASUSE for 2021-22 and 2022-23 also showed that the number of unincorporated enterprises increased by 16.56 lakh from to 6.50 crore in 2022-23 from 6.33 crore in 2015-16.

— Among the top ten states that account for nearly three quarters of the informal sector workers employed in India, five states — Maharashtra, Bihar, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha — recorded an increase in the informal employment between 2015-16 and 2022-23.

— On the other hand, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh registered a decline in the number of informal sector workers during the same period, the survey showed.

— Bihar, which is among the largest source of migrant workers in the country, stood out among other states by recording a decline in informal sector workers during 2015-16 and 2021-22, but recording a sharp increase in 2022-23 to surpass the pre-pandemic level of informal employment.

— The unorganised sector contributes over 44 per cent to the country’s GVA and employs nearly 75 per cent of the workforce employed in non-agricultural enterprises. The surveys for the unincorporated sector enterprises have been released by the Ministry after a long gap since the data collection.

For Your Information:

— The surveys for the unincorporated sector enterprises have been released after a long gap after the data collection. The data for these non-agricultural sector enterprises is seen as a crucial indicator as the informal sector is closely watched for its employment generation capacity and absorption of labour force, especially in case of a slowdown in the formal sector.

Points to Ponder: 

— What are the challenges related to the informal sector?

— How has the pandemic, demonetisation, and GST impacted the informal sector in India?

— What are the government initiatives related to the informal sector?

Post Read Question:

Prelims

With reference to casual workers employed in India, consider the following statements: (UPSC CSE 2021)

1. All casual workers are entitled for Employees Provident Fund coverage.

2. All casual workers are entitled for regular working hours and overtime payment.

3. The government can by a notification specify that an establishment or industry shall pay wages only through its bank account.

Which of the above statements are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Mains

How globalization has led to the reduction of employment in the formal sector of the Indian economy? Is increased informalization detrimental to the development of the country? (UPSC CSE 2016)

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

Retail, apparel dominate informal enterprises, employ most workers

 

The Editorial

Righting a wrong

UPSC Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

Mains Examination: GS-II: Government policies and interventions

What’s the ongoing story- In a landmark judgment, the Supreme Court has ruled that a divorced Muslim woman can seek alimony from her husband under section 125 of the Code of Criminal Code (CrPc). We have travelled a significant distance from the Shah Bano case in 1985 to this verdict by the bench of Justices BV Nagarathna and A G Masih.

Prerequisites:

— What was triple talaq?

— What is alimony?

— What is the conflict between the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Divorce) Act, 1986, and Section 125 of the CrPC?

Key takeaways: 

— Section 125 is nothing new, it has existed since 1973. Upholding diversity and pluralism is important in a secular democracy. This includes a diversity of personal laws. But we must not confuse diversity with unjust patriarchal practices. There is nothing laudatory or “personal” about the subjugation of women and the violation of their rights.

— The Quran emphasises maintenance to be provided to the wife after divorce. However, husbands often continue to look for loopholes. This happened in the case of Shah Bano.

— In seven decades since Independence, no government felt obliged to enable Muslim women to attain legal parity with their Hindu and Christian counterparts who enjoy the protection of reformed personal laws enacted by Parliament.

— Indian Muslims are governed by Shariat Application Act, 1937. This law is archaic. It merely states that Shariat will decide all personal law matters for Muslims.

— Muslim marriage is a contract. But most women don’t possess a copy of their nikahnama and are unaware of their rights.

— We live in an era of religious polarisation. The condition of Muslim women is used to portray the community negatively…The orthodoxy would club it with the ongoing onslaught on Muslim identity and dismiss it as unwarranted. The silver lining is that there are a large number of people within the community who welcome this judgment.

— The women-led movement against instant triple talaq received support from the whole community after it was highlighted that it does not enjoy Quranic sanction.

— The Supreme Court outlawed instant triple talaq in 2017. This judgment is yet another step forward towards legal equality for Muslim women. Justice Nagarathna emphasised that maintenance must not be viewed as charity but as a fundamental right. It is a right that transcends religious boundaries.

For Your Information:

In respect of this article, the quote by B.R. Ambedkar in Wordly Wise can be used in your Mains answer writing:

I measure the progress of a community by the degree of progress which women have achieved.

— The Sachar Committee Report (SCR) submitted in 2006 showed that the condition of Muslims in education was comparable to, or even worse than, the country’s most backward communities.

— According to the All India Survey on Higher Education 2020–21, the enrollment of Muslim students dropped by 8 per cent from 2019-20 – that is, by 1,79,147 students.

— The apex Court also shows wisdom in framing the issue of gender justice not as antagonistic to freedom of religion. It sees both as complementing the rights secured under the Constitution. This framing is especially resonant given the Constitution’s high visibility as a symbol and motif in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections.

— It is also a timely reminder for other battles pending in court — from temple entry to the right to excommunicate. The Constitution should be the guiding principle for all, even for personal law.

Points to Ponder: 

— What was the role of the Shah Bano case in the interpretation of personal laws?

— What are the challenges faced by Muslim women in India?

— What are the protections provided by the constitution to women?

Post Read Question:

Prelims

Which Article of the Constitution of India safeguards one’s right to marry the person of one’s choice? (UPSC CSE 2019)

(a) Article 19

(b) Article 21

(c) Article 25

(d) Article 29

Mains

How the Constitution and the Supreme Court have protected the rights of women. Analyse.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

Muslims in higher education: A sobering tale

SC verdict on Muslim women’s right to maintenance: A promise of dignity

What is a divorced Muslim woman’s right to maintenance under the CrPC?

The Ideas Page

For J&K, better days lie ahead

UPSC Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

Mains Examination: GS-III: Security

What’s the ongoing story-  M N Sabharwal and Manish Sabharwal write: The most valuable tribute to the 1,608 J&K Police, 511 CRPF officers and thousands of other force brave hearts martyred fighting terrorists since 1989 is the massive decline in Valley terrorism since 2019. As the fifth anniversary of Article 370 abrogation approaches, let’s honour their memory…

Prerequisites:

— What is Article 370?

— What are the challenges to the Internal Security of India?

— What is the difference between militancy and terrorism?

Key takeaways: 

— The Pakistan military believed cross-border military strikes by India were an impossibility after it tested nuclear bombs. But the Uri and Pulwama responses answered the decades-old prayers of the security leadership in J&K for the hot and cold pursuit of terrorists.

— Global Acceptance of Radical Islam fuelling terrorism

— Pakistan’s geopolitical importance … greatly diminished with the 9/11 US terrorist attacks, Osama Bin Laden’s role, and US-China rivalry. Internal anger is also rising against Pakistan’s economically-incompetent garrison state weaponising Islam and sabotaging mass prosperity.

— India’s rising strengths: A massive renovation of India’s intellectual, security, financial, diplomatic, investment, welfare and economic infrastructure is underway. India is now the fifth-largest economy and will soon be third after China and America.

— Historian Herodotus warned us thousands of years ago, “In peace, sons bury their fathers. In war, fathers bury their sons.”

— In recent decades, too many parents of uniformed brave hearts and unarmed civilians in J&K have needlessly buried their children. The recent decline in Valley violence represents the possibilities of what is called Saadi Set Nairin (end of seven and a half) in Kashmiri. Better days lie ahead. Aman Ki Alamat.

For Your Information:

— With the Supreme Court’s deadline (September 30) to hold elections fast approaching, it may well be the case that terrorists and their backers across the border have stepped up their activities to scupper the return of political normalcy.

— For long-term security, it is essential that steps are taken to address the alienation in the UT. The best way to ensure this is to facilitate people’s engagement with, and participation in, processes of representation and accountability.

Points to Ponder: 

— What are the reasons and issues behind militancy in J&K?

— What is the impact of militancy on the lives and livelihoods of the people?

— What are the steps taken by the government?

(Thought Process: Rehabilitation policy, assurance of conducting Assembly election, abrogation of Article 370, Nai Manzil, USTAAD, and more.)

Post Read Question:

Winning of Hearts and Minds’ in terrorism-affected areas is an essential step in restoring the trust of the population. Discuss the measures adopted by the Government in this respect as part of the conflict resolution in Jammu and Kashmir. (UPSC CSE 2023)

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

J&K terror attack: Dealing with Pakistan without playing tit-for-tat

 

Govt & Politics

At BIMSTEC meet, Jaishankar calls for better cooperation

UPSC Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

Mains Examination: GS-II: International Relations

What’s the ongoing story- Underlining that BIMSTEC should harbour higher aspirations, External Affairs minister S Jaishankar said Thursday that the grouping should infuse new energies, resources and a fresh commitment to bolster cooperation among the Bay of Bengal countries.

Prerequisites:

— What is BIMSTEC?

— Why was this grouping formed?

— Map work: Locate BIMSTEC countries on the world map

Key takeaways: 

— Jaishankar, while speaking at a two-day retreat of foreign ministers and officials from BIMSTEC countries in Delhi, said, “We all benefited from the last such exercise in Bangkok. This one now has a particular importance as it serves to prepare strong outcomes for the Summit to be held later in the year.”

— The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), brings together seven countries of South and Southeast Asia for multifaceted cooperation.

— Besides India, the BIMSTEC comprises Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Nepal and Bhutan. Thailand is the current chair of BIMSTEC and it is set to host the annual summit of the grouping later this year.

For Your Information:

— BIMSTEC includes countries of the Bay of Bengal region, and seeks to act as a bridge between South and Southeast Asia. Originally formed as BIST-EC (Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka and Thailand Economic Cooperation) in 1997, it became BIMST-EC after Myanmar joined, and BIMSTEC in 2004 with the inclusion of Nepal and Bhutan.

Points to Ponder: 

— What is the significance of BIMSTEC for India?

— What are the challenges of BIMSTEC?

— Do you think BIMSTEC is losing relevance?

Post Read Question:

Do you think that BIMSTEC is a parallel organisation like the SAARC? What are the similarities and dissimilarities between the two? How are Indian foreign policy objectives realized by forming this new organisation? (UPSC CSE 2022)

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

What is BIMSTEC, the Bay of Bengal grouping of nations?

 

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