UPSC Key: Trump’s Board of Peace, India’s record rice output, and Mumbai mayor selection process

— What is the significance of the USA’s invitation to India to be part of the Board of Peace?

— Read about the United Nations Security Council.

— Know about the historical background of the Israel-Palestine conflict?

— What are the geopolitical issues in West Asia?

— How significant is the peace in the region for the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor?

— Map work: Location of Gaza and countries in West Asia.

Key Takeaways:

— In a letter dated January 16, Trump wrote to Modi: “It is my great honour to invite you, as Prime Minister of the Republic of India, to join me in a critically historic and magnificent effort to solidify peace in the Middle East, and at the same time to embark on a bold new approach in resolving global conflict.” He framed it as a new initiative to resolve the conflict that has been going on since October 7, 2023.

— “On September 29, 2025, I announced a comprehensive plan to end the Gaza conflict, an extraordinary 20-point roadmap quickly embraced by all world leaders, including major heads of state across the Arab world, Israel and Europe. In furtherance of this plan, on November 17, the United Nations Security Council overwhelmingly adopted Resolution 2803, welcoming and endorsing this vision,” Trump wrote.

— The US President unveiled the board as part of the second phase of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. In October last year, Israel and Hamas agreed to Trump’s peace plan.

— The White House has already announced that the Board of Peace will play an essential role in fulfilling Trump’s 20-point plan of providing strategic oversight, mobilising international resources and ensuring accountability as “Gaza transitions from conflict to peace and development”.

— The 20-point plan includes making Gaza a de-radicalised terror-free zone that does not pose a threat to its neighbours, and its redevelopment.

— While the White House earlier announced an executive committee of leaders who will carry out the Board of Peace’s vision, Israel has objected that the committee “was not coordinated with Israel and is contrary to its policy” — seen as a criticism of its partner, the US.

— AP reported that Pakistan, Jordan, Greece, Cyprus, Canada, Turkey, Egypt, Paraguay, Argentina and Albania have also been invited.

From the Front Page: “Beyond Gaza: Does Trump seek to bypass UN Security Council?”

— C Raja Mohan writes- “US President Donald Trump’s invitation to world leaders to help create a new global body, the “Board of Peace,” to manage international conflicts, has triggered a debate about the future of the international system built after World War II. Announced in the context of Gaza, the initiative raises a larger question: Is Washington now seeking to sidestep the United Nations Security Council as the principal global forum for addressing issues of war and peace?

— “Critics see the Board of Peace as a frontal assault on the UN Charter’s core principles of sovereign equality, universal membership, and collective decision-making. Where the UN rests on the idea that all states, large and small, are formally equal and participate in open deliberations, Trump’s proposal points in the opposite direction: An exclusive, invitation-only club operating under American leadership and discretion.”

— “With Trump having wrecked the WTO and now ready to risk the future of the long-standing Western military alliance, NATO, and break up with the European Union on his claims to Greenland, Delhi should take Trump’s plans for a new global peace and security mechanism seriously.”

— “For India, which has long championed “reformed multilateralism” , Trump’s move forces a reassessment of deeply held assumptions about the UN’s form and function as well as its centrality and credibility. Delhi’s traditional faith in a gradual reform of the UN system may not survive an American push to redesign global governance from the outside.”

— “The Board of Peace fits neatly into a broader conservative American project to downgrade the UN and build US-led alternatives. It follows Washington’s recent decision to exit more than 60 international organisations, including several UN bodies, on the grounds that they are inefficient, excessively ideological, and inimical to American sovereignty. This approach closely tracks the recommendations of Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation’s blueprint for Trump’s second term, which called for sharp reductions in multilateral commitments and a preference for ad hoc coalitions where the US sets the agenda.”

— “The Board of Peace is an experiment to translate long-standing American frustrations with the UN into a new institutional model. Reports suggest that nearly 60 leaders have received invitations. Few governments may wish to openly spurn an initiative led by the world’s most powerful state, but it is far from certain that others are prepared to anoint Trump as a global arbiter of peace.”

— “The immediate context for the Board of Peace is Gaza. In November 2025, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 2803 authorising the creation of a Board to supervise a transitional administration for stabilising and reconstructing Gaza until the end of 2027. Russia and China abstained, but the countries of the Global South voted for it. Prior to the UNSC resolution, a group of Islamic countries backed Trump’s peace plan for Gaza.”

— “The structure of the Board, approved by the UNSC in the context of Gaza peace, marks a sharp departure from postwar multilateral norms. Trump would chair it, ensuring White House control over agenda-setting and decision-making. An executive committee, reportedly staffed by trusted loyalists, would handle security, deradicalisation, and reconstruction. At the operational level, a Palestinian technocratic body would manage essential services such as water, power, and education.”

— “For India, this moment demands a fresh appraisal of its own multilateral strategy. As the global institutional order enters a period of extraordinary flux, Delhi will need to think beyond inherited orthodoxies and rework its multilateral sums.”

Do You Know:

— For India, peace in the region is important, for its diaspora, its economic interests and its strategic needs. There are about 18,000 Indians in Israel, about 5,000-10,000 in Iran, and some 90 lakh in the region as a whole.

— The region provides India with 80 per cent of its oil supplies. Also, major Arab countries have been keen to invest in the Indian economy; those plans will get a boost with peace. Then there is the India-Middle East-Europe Economic corridor, which India has high hopes from.

— India hopes to reap the dividends from peace in the region, which is beneficial for its access to Europe and Central Asia, and its economic and trade corridor. 

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍India gets invite to Trump’s Board of Peace — and to deal with many tricky questions

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:

(1) The term “two-state solution” is sometimes mentioned in the news in the context of the affairs of (UPSC CSE 2018)

(a) China

(b) Israel

(c) Iraq

(d) Yemen

India pushes for easier access to EU’s steel scrap

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national importance, Economic development, General issues on Environmental Ecology. 

Mains Examination: General Studies-II: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests.

What’s the ongoing story: Indian negotiators have sought easier access to steel scrap produced in the European Union under their upcoming trade deal as a workaround to soften the impact of the bloc’s new import duty linked to carbon emissions that came into effect on January 1, The Indian Express has learnt.

—— What is Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM)?

— What are India’s reservations against CBAM?

— What do you understand by the term “non-tariff barrier”?

— How does India’s steel production method make it vulnerable under CBAM?

— European Union: Know in detail.

— What is India’s Green Steel Initiative?

— What are the challenges in the signing of trade deals between India and Europe?

Key Takeaways:

— The move follows concerns raised by Indian manufacturers that the new duty, called Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, combined with the EU’s recycling policy, acts as a “non-tariff barrier” by restricting metal exports to the 27-nation bloc — and limiting scrap exports from the EU to other countries to support the domestic industry.

— The EU is the world’s largest producer of steel scrap, a critical input for low-carbon steel production. Steel production emissions are typically highest for blast furnace-basic oxygen furnace (BF-BOF) routes, lower for gas-based direct reduced iron (DRI), and lowest for scrap-based electric arc furnace (EAF) routes. Indian manufacturers largely use the blast furnace route and are currently underprepared to tackle CBAM.

— The Government has plans to ramp up steel production using steel scrap with the arc furnace technology under the “green steel initiative”.

— CBAM is imposed by the EU on goods produced in other countries by processes that lead to greater carbon emissions than domestic European manufacturers are allowed to emit. Think tank Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) estimates that CBAM will hurt India’s exports of metals such as iron, steel and aluminium products to the EU and will translate into a 20-35 per cent tax on select imports into the EU.

— However, under the green steel initiative, the Government aims to increase the share of scrap in steelmaking to 50 per cent by 2047. Steel production via electric arc furnace and induction furnace routes using scrap can reduce carbon emissions by 1.5 metric tonnes per ton of scrap used and cut energy consumption by 75 per cent, compared to traditional blast furnace methods using virgin iron ore, according to the World Steel Association.

— According to a report by Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER), despite environmental and economic benefits, scrap currently constitutes only 20 per cent of India’s steelmaking feedstock, constrained by limited domestic availability of approximately 25 Million Metric tonnes (MMt) annually.

— As the world’s second-largest scrap importer, India sources scrap primarily from developed countries like the US, the UK and EU. Many of these nations are now restricting exports to prioritise their own decarbonisation goals, and globally, the availability of scrap for trade is expected to tighten significantly by 2030, as major exporting countries consume more scrap domestically.

— A European Commission (EC) report titled ‘A European Steel and Metals Action Plan’ indicated that the EU has been pushing for enhancing circularity to decarbonise the metal industries and curbing the diminishing volume of scrap. EC says ferrous scrap exports have more than doubled over the last few years, reaching a maximum of 19.43 million tonnes in 2021.

— To reverse this trend, the first objective is to stimulate demand by increasing the use of such resources in the EU, and to achieve this, scrap should be better sorted and treated to ensure its usability in high-quality applications such as automotive, the EC report said.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍 In a year of unpredictability, India ‘needs to accelerate EU FTA

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:

(2) Consider the following statements: (UPSC CSE 2023)

The ‘Stability and Growth Pact’ of the European Union is a treaty that:

1. limits the levels of the budgetary deficit of the countries of the European Union

2. makes the countries of the European Union to share their infrastructure facilities

3. enables the countries of the European Union to share their technologies

How many of the above statements are correct

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) All three

(d) None

(3) Consider the following statements: (UPSC CSE 2023)

Statement-I: Carbon markets are likely to be one of the most widespread tools in the fight against climate change.

Statement-II: Carbon markets transfer resources from the private sector to the State.

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

(a) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is the correct explanation for Statement-I

(b) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is not the correct explanation for Statement-I

(c) Statement-I is correct but Statement-II is incorrect

(d) Statement-I is incorrect but Statement-II is correct

NATION

UAE President arrives today, to hold bilateral talks with PM

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Mains Examination: General Studies-II: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests.

What’s the ongoing story: United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed will pay a visit to New Delhi on Monday, aiming to strengthen bilateral ties and explore strategic partnership opportunities. During the day-long visit, he will discuss regional and global issues of mutual interest with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The visit comes amid UAE’s standoff with Saudi Arabia in Yemen, as the former allies are now backing rival groups there.

— Read about the evolution of the India-UAE bilateral relations.

— What is the status of the India-UAE relationship?

— What are the emerging areas of cooperation between India and the UAE?

— What is the significance of West Asia for India?

— What is India’s foreign policy towards West Asia?

— Map work: Locate the UAE on the map. (Refer to Atlas)

Key Takeaways:

— This will be his third official visit to India since assuming office as President of the UAE, and his fifth visit to India over the past decade. New Delhi shares close ties with both Riyadh and Abu Dhabi as the Gulf neighbours are now competing for influence across West Asia and Africa, with Yemen emerging as the most volatile flashpoint.

— Tensions rose in December 2025 when UAE-backed forces launched an offensive to seize oil-rich provinces, at times fighting Saudi-backed units. The situation escalated further when Saudi-led airstrikes hit a UAE shipment at Mukalla port, prompting Abu Dhabi to announce a withdrawal from Yemen. Earlier this month, Saudi deployed naval forces off Yemen’s coast after Riyadh-backed troops began what they called a “peaceful” ground offensive against UAE-backed separatists.

— Announcing UAE President’s visit, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in a statement on Sunday said: “The visit builds on the strong momentum generated by recent high-level exchanges, including the visit of Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, in September 2024, and the visit of Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy PM and Minister of Defence of the UAE, in April 2025,” the MEA said. India and the UAE share warm, close, and multi-faceted relations, underpinned by strong political, cultural, and economic ties, it added.

— The two countries are among each other’s top trading and investment partners, bolstered by the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), the Local Currency Settlement (LCS) system, and the Bilateral Investment Treaty. India and the UAE also enjoy a robust energy partnership, including long-term energy supply arrangements, the MEA said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday received United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan at the Delhi airport. (Source: X/ @narendramodi)

— India-UAE trade, driven by CEPA, is robust, exceeding $100 billion in FY2024-25, making UAE India’s third-largest partner and second-largest export destination. Key Indian exports include jewellery, refined petroleum, electronics and agricultural products, while India imports significant crude oil, gold, and diamonds, with ongoing efforts to boost non-oil trade further.

— The UAE has recently welcomed the launch of the second phase of the comprehensive Gaza peace plan and the announcement by US President Donald Trump of the “Board of Peace” as an important framework supporting efforts to consolidate stability and advance the political process.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍India-UAE, a decade of successful engagement

 

THE EDITORIAL PAGE

To complete reform drive, rationalise food and fertiliser subsidies

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance, social and economic development.

Mains Examination: General Studies-II, III: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors, Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, Agriculture and issues related to direct and indirect farm subsidies and minimum support prices.

What’s the ongoing story: Ashok Gulati writes-“Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that his government is in “Reform Express” mode. It has carried out reforms in income tax, GST, and the job guarantee scheme, and concluded free trade agreements (FTAs). These are commendable moves.US President Donald Trump’s tariff shock has stirred the Modi government into implementing long-overdue reform. The results have been better than expected. The first advance estimates project the Indian economy to grow at 7.4 per cent in 2025-26 (FY26)… Here are a few areas in the agri-food space that have been crying out for intervention for a long time.”

— How does the fertilizer and food subsidy work?

— Read about the Mission on Pulses and Oilseeds.

— What is the Nutrient-Based Subsidy (NBS) regime?

— What are the issues associated with the food and fertiliser subsidy?

— What are the consequences of imbalanced N:P:K ratios on soil health and agricultural productivity?

— What steps should be taken to make food and fertiliser subsidies more effective?

Key Takeaways:

— “Let us begin by noting that the agri-GDP growth is likely to be only 3.1 per cent in FY26, a substantial drop from 4.6 per cent in the previous year, FY25. The lesser-known fact is that the primary reason for the low consumer price inflation is the virtual collapse in some food prices.”

— “In such a depressed price scenario, it is not feasible for the government to achieve its objective of atmanirbharta (self-sufficiency) in pulses, even with its Mission on Pulses and Oilseeds. We need crop-neutral incentive structures — they are currently heavily skewed in favour of water and fertiliser-intensive crops like rice, sugarcane, and wheat. This is a fallout of the massive subsidies doled out by states and the Centre — in particular, free or highly subsidised power and fertilisers, especially urea. This gets compounded by the open-ended procurement of these crops, in some states at least.”

— “If the Modi government is really in “Reform Express” mode, it needs to focus urgently on at least two items in the Union budget. The food subsidy is likely to touch Rs 2.25 trillion and the fertiliser subsidy may go up to Rs 2 trillion, in a total budget of around Rs 51 trillion. Together, these are about 8 to 8.5 per cent of the budget. Both are operating at a sub-optimal level.”

— “The food subsidy is the difference between the economic cost of procuring, stocking and distributing rice and wheat by the Food Corporation of India (FCI) and the amount it generates from the beneficiaries of the public distribution system (PDS). In the case of rice, the economic cost hovers around Rs 42/kg, and for wheat, it’s around Rs 30/kg to FCI. It gives 5 kg of free rice or wheat to about 813 million people under the PM Garib Kalyan Yojana. Roughly 56 per cent of the country’s population of around 1.5 billion is covered.”

— “The introduction of point of sale (POS) machines in more than 5 lakh fair price shops (FPS) was a significant reform of the Modi government. It helped to reduce massive leakages in PDS. But how rational is giving free food to 56 per cent of the population, when, according to the World Bank’s extreme poverty criteria — $3 per capita/day/in purchasing power parity (PPP) terms at 2021 prices — India’s poverty came down to just 5.3 per cent of the population in 2022? Even at a higher poverty line of $4.2/per capita/day, poverty in India was about 24 per cent. One can argue that the extremely poor need to be given free food (antyodaya). Viewed from this perspective, only about 5 per cent of the country’s population needs free food, while others should pay at least half of the MSP.”

— “How can one reform this system? Scale down the coverage gradually from the current level of about 56 per cent of the population to 40 per cent, then to 25 per cent, and finally to about 15 per cent. If it does not have the political courage to do so, the government should at least embark on direct cash transfers to rice and wheat producers. Further, convert at least 20 per cent of FPS into nutrition hubs, which have pulses, oilseeds, milk, eggs, fruits and vegetables, which are more nutritious than just wheat and rice. Beneficiaries can be given coupons to buy more diversified food.”

— “Now, let us turn to the fertiliser subsidy. It is the second largest subsidy (about Rs 2 trillion) in the Union budget, and bigger than the entire budget of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare (MoAFW) (Rs 1.37 trillion). The excessive subsidy for urea amounts to subsidising toxins.”

— “Urea is not being used in a balanced manner — the excessive use of phosphatic (P) and potassic (K) fertilisers is contaminating groundwater and increasing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. A sizeable part (20 to 25 per cent) also leaks away. The solution is direct cash transfers to farmers and decontrolling fertiliser pricing. If the government can’t do that immediately, it can at least bring urea under the nutrient-based subsidy (NBS) and give the same subsidy as on DAP and MOP. Also, shift the fertiliser subsidy from the Department of Fertilisers to MoAFW, which deals with farmers directly.”

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Reforming the fertiliser subsidy demands political courage, offers high rewards

Previous year UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme:

Despite Consistent experience of high growth, India still goes with the lowest indicators of human development. Examine the issues that make balanced and inclusive development elusive. (UPSC CSE 2016)

EXPLAINED

India’s record rice output comes with challenges

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national importance and economy. 

Mains Examination: General Studies-I, II, III: Indian & World Geography – Physical, Social, Economic Geography of India & the World, Government policies and interventions, Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilisation of resources, Major crops-cropping patterns in various parts of the country.

What’s the ongoing story: Last week, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that India had surpassed China to become the world’s largest rice producer in 2024-25.

— What are the climate conditions required for rice cultivation?

— What are the factors behind India’s emergence as the world’s largest rice producer?

— What are the top 3 rice-producing countries in the world?

— Why is Paddy India’s most widely grown crop?

— What are the concerns related to rice production?

— What are the challenges associated with new seed varieties?

— What is the minimum support price (MSP)?

— What is the significance of crop diversification?

— Read about the world’s first genome-edited (GE) rice varieties and their characteristics.

Key Takeaways:

— India produced around 150 million metric tonnes while China produced 145.28 million tonnes in that year. India currently accounts for around 28% of global rice production.

— A decade ago, however, India’s rice production was 104.4 million metric tonnes while China’s was 148.5 million metric tonnes — pointing to a steady growth in India output and a stagnation in China’s.

— While Chouhan described India’s pole position as an “extraordinary achievement”, this is not all good news. The advantages offered by paddy has led to its cultivation even in water-scarce areas. Its yield is uneven across different states. And the dominance of paddy raises questions over crop diversification and nutritional security. 

— India’s rice production has increased steadily over the years. Between 1969-70 and 2024-25, the area (for all seasons) under paddy cultivation increased by more than 36%, yield tripled and production almost quadrupled. 

— In recent years, the government has tried to offload rice in the open market. It has also provided rice for making ethanol. Despite these measures, however, the stock has remained high. 

— Paddy is India’s most widely grown crop. It is grown in 614 of India’s approximately 800 districts and covers an area of 514.23 lakh hectares (as of 2024-25).  For context, the second most widely grown crop in India, wheat, covered an area of 328 lakh hectares.

— It’s not difficult to understand why. Paddy provides higher returns to farmers than other crops and its procurement is assured on the basis of a minimum support price (MSP). Another key factor is the stagnant or declining yield of other crops. India is also the world’s leading rice exporter.

 — Issues with paddy cultivation: The paddy crop is highly water intensive — it takes about 1-3 tonnes of water to produce a single kilogram of rice. 

— The fact that it is grown so widely means that it has led to a depletion in groundwater levels in several parts of the country. For instance, the excessive withdrawal of groundwater in Punjab has caused several health and environmental challenges. It has also been grown in states that have already been experiencing a decline in groundwater levels. 

— With more and more farmers preferring paddy, the Union government has been focusing on crop diversification. It is not only looking at farm income and nutritional security, but also conservation of water resources.

— The Agriculture Ministry recently came up with an idea to incentivise farmers who stop paddy cultivation and start sowing alternative crops. The ministry, late last year, said this incentive could be funded using the savings from the economic cost of rice — which is pegged at Rs 1.36 lakh per hectare.

Do You Know:

— While India and China are nearly neck and neck at the top two places as rice producers, other countries are far behind them. Bangladesh (36.6 million metric tonnes) and Indonesia (34.1 million metric tonnes) are at a distant third and fourth place, respectively.

— The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has developed the world’s first genome edited (GE) rice varieties with superior yields, drought and salinity tolerance, and high nitrogen-use efficiency traits.

— Two of its affiliate institutions — the Hyderabad-based Indian Institute of Rice Research (IIRR) and the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) at New Delhi — have bred improved GE mutants of the popular Samba Mahsuri (BPT-5204) and Cottondora Sannalu (MTU-1010) varieties using CRISPR-Cas SDN-1 (Site-Directed Nucleases-1) technologies.

— These have been named ‘Kamala’ and ‘Pusa DST Rice 1’. They have better stress tolerance, improved yields, and climate adaptability without any compromises with their existing strengths.

— DRR DHAN 100 (KAMALA): Developed by the ICAR-Indian Institute of Rice Research (ICAR-IIRR), Hyderabad, this variety promises significantly higher yields, improved drought tolerance, and early maturity compared to its parent variety, Samba Mahsuri (BPT 5204).

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Chouhan: India has surpassed China, is now world’s largest rice producer

📍Why farmers prefer growing rice and wheat

📍Knowledge Nugget: What to know about gene editing for UPSC as world’s first GE rice varieties make headlines

Previous year UPSC Prelims Questions Covering similar theme:

(4) Among the following crops, which one is the most important anthropogenic source of both methane and nitrous oxide? (UPSC CSE 2022)

(a) Cotton

(b) Rice

(c) Sugarcane

(d) Wheat

(5) “System of Rice Intensification” of cultivation, in which alternate wetting and drying of rice fields is practiced, results in:  (UPSC CSE 2022)

1. Reduced seed requirement

2. Reduced methane production

3. Reduced electricity consumption

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Election, lottery, election: How Mumbai will get new mayor

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national importance, Polity and Governance.

Mains Examination: General Studies-II: Indian Constitution—historical underpinnings, evolution, features, amendments, significant provisions and basic structure, devolution of powers and finances up to local levels and challenges therein.

What’s the ongoing story: The much-watched elections to Mumbai’s municipal corporation are over, but the city will not get a mayor immediately. This is not just because the winning Mahayuti alliance partners, the BJP and the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, are locked in a tussle over who will get the prized post. It is because the mayor’s election is governed by a separate legal process that begins only after the new House is formally constituted.

— What are the constitutional provisions related to the urban local bodies?

— Know about the 74th Constitutional Amendment. 

— How is a mayor elected in urban local bodies in India?

— What is the reservation system for the mayor’s post?

— Know the key functions of a mayor in a municipal corporation.

— Distinguish between the roles of the mayor and the municipal commissioner.

Key Takeaways:

— Unlike ward results, which are decided directly by voters, the mayor is elected by corporators, and the post is subject to reservation by rotation.Until this reservation is decided through a draw of lots and officially notified, political parties cannot name their candidates, making it unlikely that Mumbai will get a mayor this week.

— Under the law for most Urban Local Bodies across the country, the mayor’s post must be reserved by rotation for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes and women. This reservation is not fixed in advance. Instead, it is decided through a draw of lots conducted by the Urban Development Department. Only after this lottery is held and the category is officially announced can the process of electing the mayor begin.

— The system of reserving the mayor’s post flows from the 74th Constitutional Amendment, which gave constitutional status to urban local bodies and mandated reservation for SCs, STs and women in leadership positions. In Maharashtra, this is implemented through the Municipal Corporations Act, which extends reservation to OBCs as well. To ensure fairness, the law requires that the mayor’s post rotate among these categories over successive terms.

— The process begins with the Urban Development Department issuing a notification to conduct the lottery. Based on past terms, officials prepare a rotation list of eligible categories. A public draw is then held. Once a chit is drawn, the reservation category is finalised and formally notified.

— Only after this step can the BMC convene a special meeting of corporators to elect the mayor from among members belonging to the reserved category or the open category as per the lottery. The mayor is chosen by a simple majority, which in Mumbai means the support of more than 114 corporators in the 227-member House. The last two mayors of Mumbai as per the reservation lottery were from the open general category.

— As per the Constitution and the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act, the mayor is the ceremonial head of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. The mayor is elected by corporators from among themselves for a term of two-and-a-half years. The role mainly involves presiding over meetings of the general body, maintaining order during debates, and using a casting vote if there is a tie.

— The mayor also represents Mumbai at official functions as the city’s first citizen and acts as a bridge between elected representatives and the administration. However, the mayor does not control civic departments or finances. These powers rest with the Municipal Commissioner, an IAS officer appointed by the state government.

Do You Know:

— The BMC was founded in 1865 and is the country’s richest and most influential municipal body.

— Urban local bodies (ULBs), i.e. Municipal Corporations, Municipalities, or Nagar Panchayats are the fundamental unit of urban governance in our cities. They are the first point of contact for citizens and are responsible for providing essential services such as waste management, sanitation, and urban planning.

— The first municipal body was established in Madras in 1687, followed by Bombay and Calcutta. In 1882, Lord Ripon (often called as father of local self-government in India) introduced the resolution for local-self governments, thereby laying the foundations of a democratically elected municipal government to manage cities. 

— By 1935, Government of India Acts recognised the importance of local self governments and they were treated under provincial or state subjects. 

— The Part IX-A of the Indian constitution details the compositions, roles and responsibilities of these ULBs and grants them powers to manage a range of services, from urban planning and land use to public health and waste management. 

— With the introduction of the 74th Constitutional Amendment Act in 1992 (the law came into effect in June 1993), ULBs gained constitutional recognition as the third tier of governance, alongside the central and state governments. 

— The 12th Schedule of the constitution specifies 18 functions that are devolved to these ULBs. The amendment also mandated elections every five years, with municipal councillors elected from local constituencies (wards). While the elected mayor serves as the ceremonial head, real executive power rests with the municipal commissioner, a state-appointed bureaucrat.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Significance of empowering local bodies for effective urban governance in India

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:

(6) Local self-government can be best explained as an exercise in (UPSC CSE 2017)

(a) Federalism 

(b) Democratic decentralisation

(c) Administrative delegation 

(d) Direct democracy 

 

THE IDEAS PAGE

Patent rights and public health: What are Bharat’s options?

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination:Current events of national and international importance.

Mains Examination: General Studies-II: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.

What’s the ongoing story: J Sai Deepak writes- “In my debut article titled ‘Enforcing the Patent Bargain’ (IE, January 30, 2023) under this column, I shared my views on striking a balance between enforcement of intellectual property rights (IPRs) and public health obligations in the context of Bharat. The broad undertone of the article was that while Bharat had obligations under TRIPS to enforce IPRs, it equally had the right under TRIPS to protect its national interest in the context of public health, among other things.”

— What are intellectual property rights?

— What is a patent?

— What is TRIPS (Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights)?

— What is the evergreening of patents? Why is it considered problematic in the pharmaceutical sector?

— What is the significance of Section 66 of the Patents Act in safeguarding public interest?

Key Takeaways:

— “Simply put, protection of public health concerns through TRIPS-compliant statutory mechanisms to prevent grant or enforcement of “evergreening patents” would not qualify as “protectionism”. “

— “As a sequitur, I had also taken the position that incentivising unlawful and inequitable conduct of evergreening patentees (especially in the pharmaceutical and agricultural sectors) would come at the expense of statutory rights and legitimate interests of other stakeholders such as the state, society and generic manufacturers. This would lead to sub-optimal and anti-competitive market outcomes.”

— “The purpose of the argument was not to advocate for disincentivising genuine innovation and the investment made towards it. Rather, the point being made was to prevent pharmaceutical innovators from having a second bite at a patent monopoly over substantially the same drug by repackaging it in a manner that does not enhance its therapeutic efficacy.Simply put, the patent regime of the country prevents the grant of a second patent on old wine in a new bottle in relation to any area of technology.” 

— “Under Section 47(4) of the Patents Act, the government (central and state) does not need the consent of a patentee to import a patented drug from any jurisdiction for its own use or for distribution in any dispensary, hospital or other medical institution maintained by or on behalf of the government. It can, through gazette notification, extend the same facility to a non-governmental institution if the latter has a record of public service in the realm of healthcare.”

— “This wiggle room available under the Patents Act must be explored to ensure adequate availability of patented oncology drugs and the like, especially in rural areas where there is an acute paucity of quality tertiary private healthcare. The prevalence of life-threatening conditions is no longer an urban phenomenon, nor is their affliction limited to the affluent or influential.”

— “Next, under Section 66 of the Patents Act, the central government has powers of fairly wide amplitude to revoke a patent in public interest, after hearing the patentee, if the government is of the opinion that the patent or the mode in which it is exercised by the patentee is mischievous to the state or generally prejudicial to the public.”

— “Given that it has been the pharmacy of the Global South, especially Africa, under Section 92A of the Patents Act, Bharat could cater to the public health needs of African nations whose manufacturing capabilities in the pharmaceutical sector are either inadequate or non-existent. Simply put, it is possible for an Indian generic drug manufacturer to be granted a compulsory licence by the Indian Patent Office to manufacture the patented drug in Bharat for export to an African nation. Of course, the patentee may be compensated on reasonable terms for the issuance of the compulsory licence.”

Do You Know:

— Evergreening involves drugmakers making only minor changes to an existing medicine and then seeking new patents. This does not reflect any significant innovation but prolongs a company’s monopoly over a drug and keeps low-cost generics out of the market. Evergreening is prohibited by Section 3(d) of Indian Patents Act, 1970.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Enforcing the Patent Bargain: Intellectual property rights sensitivity should not be at the expense of public health obligations

📍Knowledge Nugget of the day: Patent evergreening

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:

(7) Consider the following statements: (UPSC CSE 2019)

1. According to the Indian Patents Act, a biological process to create a seed can be patented in India.

2. In India, there is no Intellectual Property Appellate Board.

3. Plant varieties are not eligible to be patented in India.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 and 3 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Previous year UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme:

How is the Government of India protecting traditional knowledge of medicine from patenting by pharmaceutical companies. (UPSC CSE 2019)

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PRELIMS ANSWER KEY

1. (b)  2. (a)  3. (b)   4. (b)   5. (d)   6. (b)  7. (c)

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