Current Affairs – November 16, 2024

{GS2 – Governance – Reforms} Enhancing Public Policy Education in India

• Context (TH): Governance in India lags behind private sector management in efficiency and effectiveness, largely due to the lack of formal training in public policy and public management.

Current State of Public Policy Education in India

• Limited Institutions: Only around 130 universities offer public administration programs & just 29 institutions provide public policy courses.
• Low Demand and Batch Size: Public policy courses often have small batch sizes of 20-60 students, with limited career opportunities, discouraging both students and institutions.
• Theoretical Focus: Public policy education relies heavily on Western frameworks and case studies, neglecting India’s unique social, cultural, and political context.
• Lack of Practical Exposure: Civil servants receive minimal training in public management before service, with departmental induction focusing more on roles than on effective policymaking.

Why Public Policy Education is Neglected?

• Inadequate Focus: Insufficient integration of public management education at undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
• Minimal Exposure for Civil Servants: Few opportunities to study public management, both pre-service and in-service.
• Concentration of Executive Power: Centralization of policymaking limits the role of policy analysts and commentators.
• Weak Ecosystem: Limited access for academia, think tanks and civil society to influence policy, coupled with instability in public life and shifting power dynamics.

Implications of Neglecting Public Policy Education

• Inefficient Governance: Poorly crafted policies hinder economic growth and public welfare.
• Limited Citizen Participation: Lack of awareness and understanding of policymaking processes.
• Policy Disconnected from Local Realities: Overreliance on top-down approaches that overlook grassroots dynamics.
• Weak Global Standing: India lacks globally recognized institutions like Harvard Kennedy School or London School of Economics.

Benefits of Improving Public Policy Education

• Enhanced Governance: Training future leaders to craft effective, adaptive policies while developing empathetic professionals attuned to local realities.
• Economic Growth & Innovation: Entrepreneurs with policy knowledge can navigate regulations and foster innovation.
• Cross-Sector Collaboration: Bridging academia, government, and civil society for holistic solutions.
• Empowered Citizens: Better public understanding of policies fosters engagement and accountability.

Suggestions to Boost Public Policy Education

• Policy-Centric Ecosystem: Facilitate a stable policy ecosystem unaffected by political regime changes.
• Undergraduate and Postgraduate Inclusion: Incorporate public policy education across disciplines for foundational learning.
• Curricular Integration: Make public management a compulsory UPSC CSE subject to incentivize academic institutions.
• Enhanced Civil Servant Training: Revise induction training to include comprehensive public management modules.
• Case Study Repositories: Create a bank of India-specific case studies for practical, contextual learning.
• Specialized Roles and Institutions: Develop policy analyst positions and establish a premier public policy school tailored to India’s socio-political realities.
• Innovative Learning: Introduce immersive programs, hybrid learning models, and intensive summer schools for hands-on, cross-disciplinary learning.
• Collaborative Networks: Build partnerships across academia, civil society, bureaucracy, and media.

{GS2 – Polity – IC – Municipalities} CAG Report on 74th CAA

• Context (IE | TP): CAG highlighted weak compliance in the devolution of functions to Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) as mandated by the 74th Constitutional Amendment, even 31 years after its enactment.

Key Highlights of the CAG Report

Compliance Status

• Limited Autonomy: Only 4 functions (burial grounds, public amenities, animal cruelty prevention, slaughterhouse regulation) were fully devolved across 18 states.
• Partial Devolution: 17 functions devolved in most states, but urban planning and fire services remain the least transferred.
• Full Compliance: Only 9 states (e.g., Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Jharkhand) devolved all 18 functions.

Fiscal Challenges

• Revenue Dependence: ULBs generated only 32% of their revenue themselves; the rest came from state and central grants.
• Revenue-Expenditure Gap: A 42% gap between ULB resources and expenditures across 18 states.
• Property Tax Collection: ULBs realized only 56% of the total property tax demand.
• Low Fund Utilization: 11 states utilized just 61% of available funds.

Administrative Issues

• Staff Shortages: 37% average vacancy rate in sanctioned posts, with Madhya Pradesh (61%) and Telangana (53%) faring worse.
• Lack of Recruitment Autonomy: ULBs in 16 states lack control over hiring processes.

Governance Concerns

• Election Provisions:
  • Only 5 states (e.g., Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand) allow direct election of mayors.
  • Only 9 states ensure mayors’ tenure aligns with ULBs for five years.
  • Ward delimitation remains under state control in 11 states.
• Representation of Women: Only 6 states reserve 50% seats for women in ULBs.

Challenges in Empowering ULBs

• Fragmented Governance: ULBs lack control over urban planning, limiting their influence on city development.
• Special Purpose Agencies: These agencies often reduce ULB autonomy by managing key services like water and transport.
• Restricted Taxation Powers: State control over property tax limits ULBs’ revenue-raising abilities.
• Budget Variances: Unrealistic budgeting, as seen in HP, creates significant fiscal discrepancies.
• Insufficient Staffing: High vacancy rates in ULBs hinder effective service delivery.
• Inconsistent Elections: Delays in ULB elections affect their operational efficiency.

Recommendations and Way Forward

• Direct Election of Mayors: Implement in more states for stronger local leadership.
• Strengthen Devolution: Grant ULBs full autonomy in areas like urban planning and fire services.
• Institutional Mechanisms: Establish frameworks to support and strengthen ULB operations.
• Increase Revenue Autonomy: Provide ULBs greater control over local taxes and user charges.
• Efficient Budgeting: Align ULB resource allocation with realistic expenditure targets.
• Address Staff Vacancies: Prioritize recruitment and improve working conditions for ULB employees.
• Empower State Election Commissions: Transfer ward delimitation & election duties to State ECs.
• Other Recommendations to strengthen ULBs

Learn in detail about the Constitutional and Legal Provisions related to ULBs in India & Issues related to Urban Local Bodies.

{GS2 – Vulnerable Sections – PwDs} SC Ruling on Accessibility for PwDs

• Context (IE): The Supreme Court has directed the Union Government to frame mandatory rules ensuring accessibility for persons with disabilities under the RPwD Act.

Issues faced by PwDs

• Accessibility Disparities: The report from NALSAR revealed discrepancies in accessible transport across states, with Delhi having 3,775 low-floor buses, while Tamil Nadu had only 1,917 out of 21,669.
• Intersectional Disadvantages: Accessibility challenges are compounded by factors like caste, gender, and region, creating further barriers for persons with disabilities, especially in rural areas.

Issues in Current Accessibility Standards

• Self-Regulatory Guidelines vs. Mandatory Rules: The RPwD Act established mechanisms for mandatory compliance, but the 2017 rules only offered self-regulatory guidelines, leading to inconsistencies in enforcement across sectors.
• Inconsistent Standards: The existing guidelines across different sectors are often not uniform, resulting in varied accessibility standards, which hinders enforcement.
• Non-Compliance: The absence of enforceable, non-negotiable standards under the RPwD rules has led to significant gaps in accessibility, impacting persons with disabilities’ participation in public life.
• Implementation Gaps: The guidelines issued so far are often illustrative and lack the rigor of enforceable rules, leading to inconsistent implementation.
• Lack of Universal Standards: Existing accessibility standards differ across sectors, such as transport, education and public infrastructure, making it difficult to ensure uniform compliance.

Supreme Court’s Judgment and Directives

• Mandatory Rules Enforcement: SC ruled that the Union Government must frame mandatory rules for enforcing accessibility standards within three months.
• Consultation with Stakeholders: The Court instructed the government to consult NALSAR’s Centre for Disability Studies and other relevant stakeholders during the rule-making process.
• Penalization for Non-Compliance: Once mandatory rules are in place, non-compliance will be penalized by withholding completion certificates and imposing fines on responsible authorities.

Benefits of Enforcing Mandatory Accessibility Rules

• Equal Participation: Ensures that persons with disabilities can fully engage in all aspects of public life, including education, employment and transportation.
• Enhanced Dignity and Rights: Facilitates a more inclusive society where individuals with disabilities are not discriminated against or excluded from societal opportunities.
• Systematic Enforcement: Clear, mandatory rules will promote uniformity and consistency in the accessibility features required across different sectors, making compliance easier to monitor.

Concerns with the Mandatory Accessibility Rules

• Burden on Implementation Bodies: Enforcing uniform accessibility standards across the country may strain state and local authorities, particularly in rural or underdeveloped areas.
• Financial Constraints: Implementing the necessary changes, such as upgrading infrastructure and public transportation, may be financially challenging for some state governments and local bodies.
• Resistance from Stakeholders: Some sectors might resist changes due to lack of resources, or unawareness about the needs of persons with disabilities.

Way Forward

• Comprehensive Rule Framework: The Union Government must develop a clear, uniform framework for accessibility standards that can be consistently applied across all sectors and regions.
• Stakeholder Involvement: Involving persons with disabilities, their organizations, and stakeholders ensures practical and effective standards.
• Continuous Monitoring: There should be a robust monitoring system to track compliance with accessibility standards, with regular audits and penalties for non-compliance.
• Awareness and Training: Efforts must be made to raise awareness and train public officials, private sector players, and the general public on the importance of accessibility and inclusivity.

{GS3 – Envi – Conservation} Exemption from dual approval

• Context (PIB): MoEFCC has issued a notification on the requirement to obtain dual approvals, Environmental Clearance (EC) and Consent to Establish (CTE) for setting up new industries.

What is Dual Approval?

• It is the process by which industries must secure two key – EC and CTE — from State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs) by the Air Act, 1981, and the Water Act, 1974, before commencing operations.

Key Changes

• Exemption for Non-Polluting Industries: Non-polluting ‘white category’ 39 industries will no longer need to obtain CTE or Consent to Operate (CTO).
• Merging of Approvals: The EC and CTE approvals have been effectively merged, with a standard procedure issued for obtaining EC.
• Consultation with SPCBs: SPCBs will be consulted during the EC process to ensure all aspects covered by CTE are addressed.
• CTE Fees: Industries will still need to pay CTE fees to ensure no loss of revenue for states.

About Environmental Clearance (EC)

• It is a comprehensive and prolonged process required for projects that exceed a specific size threshold.
• It typically involves an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of the potential project and may include public hearings with local communities that could be impacted.
• This clearance is for compulsory projects, such as mining, hydropower, and thermal power, etc.
• The process for obtaining EC is detailed in the EIA Notification of 2006.

About Consent to Establish (CTE)

• Also known as a Consent for Establishment (CFE) or No Objection Certificate (NOC), it is required before establishing an industry, project that could pollute the environment.
• The State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) or Pollution Control Committee (PCC) issues the CTE.
• Validity: CTEs are usually valid for 3–5 years but can be extended.
• Fees: Consent fees are charged on the basis of capital investment.

{GS3 – Envi – RE} Green Transition India Needs

• Context (IE): India’s renewable energy transition faces critical challenges but offers transformative opportunities for sustainable growth and development amidst rising energy demands and climate risks.

Advantages of Green Transition

• Economic Growth: Attract billions in climate finance and generate green job opportunities.
• Energy Security: Enhance self-reliance by reducing dependence on fossil fuel imports.
• Environmental Benefits: Improve air quality and mitigate climate-related risks.
• Social Equity: Ensure equitable access to clean energy and address regional disparities.

Key Challenges in India’s Green Transition

• Rising Power Demand: India’s power demand is set to double by 2030, with peak demand reaching 370 GW by 2031-32, necessitating scalable and sustainable energy infrastructure.
• Climate Vulnerability: Over 80% of districts face high climate risks, requiring resilient and adaptive energy systems to manage non-linear climate impacts.
• Financial Barriers: Green technologies like rooftop solar and EVs face high upfront costs, while the energy transition requires an estimated $10 trillion by 2070.
• Dependence on Fossil Fuels: Coal accounts for 73% of power generation, posing significant challenges to decarbonisation efforts.
• Geographical Disparities: Uneven resource distribution impedes equitable adoption of renewable technologies across regions.
• Social Concerns: The transition risks land-use conflicts and job losses in traditional energy sectors, requiring inclusive policies.

Strategic Shifts for a Sustainable Energy Transition Needed

• Decentralised Energy Systems: Promote distributed renewable energy (DRE) sources like rooftop solar and community solar models to solarise 10 million households to generate 30 GW of clean power.
• Redirecting Subsidies: Shift subsidies from fossil fuels to renewable energy projects; boost adoption of green technologies through enhanced tax incentives and grants.
• Focus on Community Solar Models: Implement community-led solar initiatives to make renewable energy accessible and affordable for low-income groups.
• Shift to Operational Expenditure (Opex) Models: Replace capital-heavy investments with pay-as-you-go models for energy services; examples include district cooling systems and electric buses.
• Consumer-Centric Financing: Provide loans and subsidies for green technologies like EVs and rooftop solar; aggregate small-scale investments into portfolios to unlock market opportunities.
• Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs): Foster collaborations to share risks in large-scale renewable projects; example: Kashi Vishwanath Corridor integrating tourism with renewable energy solutions.
• Sustainable Mobility: Expand sustainable mobility options like electric buses & shared EV networks.
• Integration into Global Supply Chains: Collaborate in clean energy supply chains for solar PV and green hydrogen to foster interdependence to enhance competitiveness and energy security.
• Combining Decarbonisation with Digitalisation: Use AI, IoT and smart meters to optimise energy distribution, reduce wastage using circular practices, and improve grid resilience.
• Strengthen Global Collaborations: Engage in rule-based frameworks like the International Solar Alliance to foster shared growth and clean energy solutions.

{GS3 – IE – Securities} Market Correction

• Context (IE): India’s stock market correction is linked to China’s economic stimulus measures, which made Chinese stocks more attractive to investors, leading to a sell-off in Indian shares.

What is a Market Correction (MC)?

• MC happens when price of an asset, like stocks/currencies, drops by 10% or more from its recent high.
• It can happen to individual stocks, entire indices or the whole market, lasting for days, weeks, or months.
• Generally, market corrections are short and last around three to four months.

Why Do Market Corrections Happen?

• MC are a sign of a healthy market. If prices only go up, it can lead to problems like high inflation.
• Continuous rising stock prices mean economic growth, but too much can hurt low-income individuals due to inflation.
• It prevents assets from becoming overpriced, stopping potential bubbles. Although it’s unpredictable, they encourage long-term investments.

How to Spot a Market Correction?

• Financial experts use various charts and tools to predict and monitor corrections.
• It is tough to pinpoint when a correction will happen because it can be caused by many factors, from broad economic shifts to issues within a single company.
• Price changes during trading sessions are risky for short-term traders, who might face significant losses during corrections.

{GS3 – S&T – AI} EU’s Draft AI Code of Practice

• Context (IE): EU introduced draft rules to ensure transparency, risk assessment and governance for companies deploying general-purpose AI (GPAI) models, part of its broader Artificial Intelligence (AI) Act.

Key Features of the Draft Code

• Transparency Requirements: AI companies must provide detailed information on the data used for training, testing and validating their models.
• Data Scraping Restrictions: Companies must use web crawlers that follow the Robot Exclusion Protocol to avoid scraping the protected content without permission.
• Safety and Security Framework: A comprehensive framework for assessing and mitigating systemic risks associated with AI models at each stage- pre-training, during training and post-deployment.
• External Experts: The draft mandates that AI companies bring in external experts for independent testing and risk assessments. External experts must evaluate AI tools to ensure they meet safety standards.
• Compliance with Copyright: AI companies are required to adhere to copyright laws, with special emphasis on ensuring creators are informed if their content is used to train AI systems.
• Detailed Summaries: Companies must disclose summaries of the content used in training their models, ensuring transparency while considering trade secrets.
• Risk Management Policies: Companies must create a Safety and Security Framework to proactively mitigate risks posed by AI systems. These policies need to be updated at every stage of the AI lifecycle.

Challenges and Reasons for Opposition to the Act

• Trade Secrets vs. Transparency: AI companies argue that revealing detailed training data threatens their trade secrets, with some fearing exposure of proprietary algorithms and data.
• Copyright Disputes: The EU AI Act addresses concerns over AI models using copyrighted materials without compensation, sparking lawsuits globally.
• Balancing Innovation with Rights: The EU struggles to balance protecting intellectual property rights with fostering AI innovation, as Google and Meta push for more flexible regulations.
• Startup Concerns: Smaller companies fear stringent compliance requirements may hinder their competitiveness against larger AI industry players.
• Complexity of Enforcement: The need for independent testing and constant risk assessment at multiple stages of the AI lifecycle could prove difficult to enforce.
• Content Licensing Deals: Companies like OpenAI have made licensing deals with media organizations, but transparency about the content used remains contentious.
• Global Implications: Companies based outside the EU may face difficulties in complying with these regulations when developing AI tools for global markets.

Benefits of the New Rules

• Public Trust through Transparency: These rules aim to increase public trust in AI technologies by making it clearer how AI models are trained and validated.
• Risk Mitigation: The emphasis on risk assessment will help prevent potential harm from AI systems, such as cyberattacks, large-scale discrimination, and misinformation.
• Consumer Protection: The AI Act enshrines consumers’ rights to be informed about AI systems affecting their lives, ensuring greater accountability.

Way Forward

• Feedback and Refinement: The EU seeks feedback on draft AI rules, aiming for a final version by May 2025 that balances transparency with intellectual property protection.
• Global Coordination: As AI regulation progresses, global collaboration will be essential to harmonize standards and avoid fragmentation in the AI industry.
• Continuous Monitoring: A robust framework for post-deployment monitoring will be crucial in ensuring that AI tools do not pose unforeseen risks to society.

{Prelims – Envi – Species} Red-Headed Vulture (Sarcogyps calvus)

• Context (TH): A Rare Red-Headed Vulture was spotted in Kasaragod, Kerala.

Source: Wikipedia

• It is one of the nine species of Vulture found in India.
• It is also called the Asian King vulture or Pondicherry Vulture.
• Uttar Pradesh established the world’s first conservation and breeding centre named Jatayu Conservation and Breeding Centre for Red-Headed Vulture.
• Habitat: Found in Central India, Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, and parts of Southern India, including Kerala, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu.
• Reasons for Decline: Habitat loss, food scarcity, and the use of diclofenac.
• IUCN Status: Critically Endangered

Read More > Efforts to Conserve Vulture in India.

{Prelims – In News} 58^th Meeting of National Mission for Clean Ganga

• Context (PIB): The 58th Executive Committee meeting of the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) was held to discuss and approve projects to conserve the Ganga River and its aquatic life.

Key Projects Approved

• Environmental Flow (EF) Assessment: Assess the EF of the Chambal, Son, Damodar, and Tons rivers.
• Ganges River Dolphin Conservation: Advancing Rescue System for Protection of Stranded Ganges River Dolphins. Development of a rescue vehicle, ‘Dolphin Ambulance,’ to assist dolphins in distress.
• Turtle Conservation: It was approved to rehabilitate endangered turtles and reintroduce threatened species in the Ganga basin in UP.
• “Rag-Rag Mein Ganga – Ek Jeevan Dhara”: It is a Travelogue Series. Season three is approved. The series will be aired on Doordarshan and showcase the conservation journey of the Ganga River.

{Prelims – In News} AI-Enabled e-Tarang System

• Context (PIB): AI-enabled e-Tarang System was launched by Joint Electromagnetic Board (JEMB).

About AI-Enabled e-Tarang System

• It was launched to automate and enhance the planning and management of Defence Spectrum.
• Developed in collaboration with Bhaskaracharya National Institute for Space Applications and Geo-informatics (BISAG-N).
• It aims to support the development of newer technologies in higher frequency bands and ensure interference-free operation of defence equipment during both wartime and peacetime.

Joint Electromagnetic Board (JEMB)

• It is a subcommittee of the Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC) in the Indian Armed Forces.
• Its primary focus is coordinating and integrating electronic warfare, emerging technologies, and spectrum management efforts across the three services.

{Prelims – In News} Indian Ocean Experiment (INDOEX)

• Context (IE): Indian Ocean Experiment (INDOEX) study highlighted the impacts of air pollution.

• A 1999 study measured the transportation of air pollution from Southeast Asia into the Indian Ocean.
• Discoveries: Identified the Indian Ocean Brown Cloud, created by burning biomass and fossil fuels.
• Goals: To improve our understanding of the aerosols, clouds, and chemistry-climate interactions;

{Prelims – PIN World – Asia} Solomon Islands

• Context (TH): A team of scientists discovered the world’s largest coral colony in the Solomon Islands, which is estimated to be around 300 years old.

About Solomon Islands

• It is located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, forming two parallel chains of volcanic islands and coral atolls. Predominantly mountainous terrain with extensive forests, along with some large plains.
• Nearest neighbours: Vanuatu to the southeast and Papua New Guinea to the west.
• Comprises nearly 1,000 islands: Six main large islands and over 900 smaller islands.
• Independence: It was a British protectorate until independence as a republic in 1978.
• Economy: Fisheries, timber, and exports such as copra and palm oil. Mining, especially of gold and nickel, contributes more to the economy.

• Culture and Society: Rich in diverse cultures with over 70 distinct languages spoken (English is the official Language). Predominantly Melanesian population with Polynesian and Micronesian minorities.
• Political Structure: It is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system.