General Studies Paper 2

Context:

• Recently, on the occasion of the 74^th Republic Day, the President of Egypt was invited as the chief guest at the parade, this is the first time that an Egyptian President has been accorded this honour.
• A military contingent from Egypt also participated in the parade.
• Note:An invitation to be Chief Guest is an important honour that is very high on symbolism. New Delhi’s choice of Chief Guest every year is dictated by a number of reasons — strategic and diplomatic, business interest, and geopolitics.

What is the Status of the India-Egypt Relationship?

• History:
  • The history of contact between India and Egypt, two of the world’s oldest civilisations, can be traced back to at least the time of Emperor Ashoka.
    • Ashoka’s edicts refer to his relations with Egypt under Ptolemy-II.
  • In modern times, Mahatma Gandhi and the Egyptian revolutionary Saad Zaghloul shared the common goal of Independence from British colonial rule.
    • The joint announcement of establishment of diplomatic relations at Ambassadorial level was made on 18 August 1947.
  • India and Egypt signed a friendship treaty in 1955.In 1961, India and Egypt along with Yugoslavia, Indonesia and Ghana established the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM).

• In 2016, the joint statement between India and Egypt identified political-security cooperation, economic engagement and scientific collaboration, and cultural and people-people ties as the basis of a new partnership for a new era.

• Recent Scenario:
  • During this year’s meeting, both India and Egypt agreed to elevate the bilateral relationship to a “strategic partnership”.
    • The strategic partnership will have broadly four elements:political, defence, and security; economic engagement; scientific and academic collaboration; cultural and people-to-people contacts.
  • India and Egypt signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for three years to facilitate content exchange, capacity building, and co-productions between Prasar Bharati and the National Media Authority of Egypt.
    • Under the pact, both broadcasters will exchange their programmes of different genres like sports, news, culture, entertainment on bilateral basis.
  • A Partner within the OIC:
    • India views Egypt as a moderate Islamic voice among Muslim-majority countries, and as a partner within the Organization for Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
  • Terrorism & Defence:
    • During this Republic Day meeting, India and Egypt expressed concerns about the spread of terrorism around the world as it is the most serious security threat to humanity. Consequently, the two countries agreed that concerted action is necessary to end  cross-border terrorism.
    • The two countries are looking at deepening defence and security cooperation. Moreover, the two Air Forces collaborated on the development of fighter aircraft in the 1960s, and Indian pilots trained their Egyptian counterparts from the 1960s until the mid-1980s.
      • Both the  Indian Air Force (IAF) and Egyptian air force fly the French Rafale fighter jets.
    • In 2022, a pact was signed between the two countries that have decided to also participate in exercises and cooperate in training.
    • The first joint special forces exercise between the Indian Army and the Egyptian Army, “Exercise Cyclone-I”has been underway since 14 January 2023 in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan.
  • Cultural Relations:
    • The Maulana Azad Centre for Indian Culture (MACIC) was established in Cairo in 1992. The centre has been promoting cultural cooperation between the two countries.
  • Difficult Time for Egypt:
    • Egypt’s economy has been in chaos over the past few years due to the pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war which impacted its supply of food as almost 80% of Egypt’s grain imported from Rusia and Ukraine and impacted Egypt’s foreign exchange reserves.

• In 2022, despite restrictions on the export of wheat India allowed shipments of 61,500 metric tonnes to Egypt.

• From India, Egypt is seeking investments in infrastructure including Metro projects, a  Suez Canal  economic zone, a second channel of the Suez Canal, and a new administrative capital in Egypt.
  • More than 50 Indian companies have invested more than USD 3.15 billion in Egypt.
• Geo-Strategic Concerns:
  • China’s bilateral trade with Egypt is currently at USD 15 billion, double that of India’s USD 7.26 billion in 2021-22.During the past eight years, the President of Egypt has traveled to China seven times to lure Chinese investments.
  • Egypt, the most populous country in West Asia, occupies a crucial geo-strategic location— 12% of global trade passes through the Suez Canal and is a key player in the region.
    • It is a major market for India and can act as a gateway to both Europe and Africa. However, it also has bilateral trade pacts with important West Asian and African nations which is a cause of concern for India.

General Studies Paper 1

Context:

• Recently, the Steering Committee of the Ken-Betwa Link Project (KBLP) held its third meeting in New Delhi.

River-linking in India 

• The idea of river-linking:
  • In the 1970s, the idea of transferring surplus water from a river to a water-deficit area was proposed by the then Union Irrigation Minister (earlier the Jal Shakti Ministry was known as the Ministry of Irrigation).
• National Perspective Plan (NNP):
  • About:
    • It was prepared by the then Ministry of Irrigation (now Ministry of Jal Shakti) in 1980 for water resources development through the inter-basin transfer of water.
    • It aimed for transferring water from water-surplus basins to water-deficit basins. 
  • The NPP comprised two components:
    • Himalayan Rivers Development: 
      • It envisages the construction of storage reservoirs on the main Ganga and Brahmaputra Rivers and their principal tributaries in India and Nepal so as to conserve monsoon flows for irrigation and hydro-power generation, besides flood control.
      • Links will transfer surplus flows of the Kosi, Gandak and Ghagra to the west.
      • Surplus flows that will become available on account of the interlinking of the Ganga and the Yamuna are proposed to be transferred to the drought-prone areas of Haryana, Rajasthan and Gujarat.
    • Peninsular Rivers Development:  
      • The main component of Peninsular Rivers Development is the “Southern Water Grid”which is envisaged to link Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna, Pennar, and Cauvery rivers. 

Significance of River interlinking 

• Balancing the uneven water availability: 
  • Most part of the country is monsoon dependent and the quantum of rain varies widely across different regions.
  • Therefore, interlinking will help in balancing the uneven water availability.
• Tackling droughts and floods:
  • The Indian Rivers Inter-link aims to link India’s rivers with a network of reservoirs and canals and so reduce persistent floods in some parts and water shortages in other parts of India.
• Efficient logistic movement: 
  • The interlinking of river projects can help India in increase connectivity by creating more inland waterways, therefore, cater the logistic deficiency.

Criticisms around River interlinking

• Damage to ecology: 
  • Changes to Rivers natural course will have an impact on all the flora and fauna, the wetlands and the floodplains that are intricately linked to the river system.
  • The long-term environmental impact of such a project is a major concern.
• Threat to Fertile deltas:
  • The River Linking Projects will not only reduce the inflow of the northern rivers but also significantly reduce the sediments deposited by the rivers in deltas.
    • Fertile deltas will be under threat,with coastal erosion expected to threaten the land and livelihoods of local economies.
  • Costly affair:
    • River inter-linking is an expensive business from building the link canals to the monitoring and maintenance of infrastructure.
  • Disagreement between the states: 
    • The states couldn’t agree on how water would be shared, particularly in the non-monsoonal months.
  • Regarding Ken-Betwa river link project:
    • Issues of water security:
      • Critics are concerned that the project will endanger the water security of Panna.
      • According to them, there may not even be enough water in the Ken, a non-perennial river, to meet the projected needs of the Betwa.
    • Inter-state conflicts:
      • This linking may also intensify water conflicts between Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh;
    • Endangering Panna Tiger Reserve & Ken Gharial Sanctuary:
      • Out of the 6,017 ha of forest area coming under submergence of Daudhan dam of Ken Betwa Link Project, 4,206 ha of the area lies within the core tiger habitat of Panna Tiger Reserve.
        • Panna is exceptional tiger habitat because of its deep gorges, which will be drowned if the new dam is built.
      • Downstream of the national park lies the Ken Gharial Sanctuary, created to protect the critically endangered Gangetic gharial.
      • Accoding to the experts, the destructive impact of the proposed dam on the flow of water into and outside of this sanctuary should be immediately clear.

Way ahead

• River interlinking can lead to large-scale displacement of people and animals.
  • Hence appropriate rehabilitation measures should be taken by the Government.
• A careful scientific assessment of the project and its impact on the environment is necessary in case of a project of this magnitude.

General Studies Paper 2

Context: Children with disability/disabilities (CWD) do not have accessible spaces and other guiding infrastructure in schools to get safely.

Children with disability/disabilities (CWD):

• There are more than 78 lakh children with disabilities in India between 5-19 years.
• Only 61% of children were attending an educational institution.
• About 12% had dropped out, while 27% had never been to school at all.
• There are fewer girls with disabilities in schools than boys
  • School enrollment: more girls with disabilities get left behind than boys.

UNESCO 2019 report:

• Census 2011: CWD comprises 7(one point seven)% of the total child population in India
• More than 70% of five-year-olds with disabilities in India have never attended any educational institution
• Many CWD also tend to drop out of school as they grow older.

Barriers to accessibility:

• Inaccessible school buses
• Inaccessible facilities in schools (drinking water facilities, canteens and toilets)
• Inappropriate infrastructure in classrooms (uncomfortable seating, slippery flooring and low illumination).
• Misinformed attitudes and perceptions among parents, teachers, staff, and communities.
• The lack of teaching and learning practices that integrate inclusive technologies and digital equipment to engage the child, such as assistive devices, are additional challenges.
• At training programmes conducted by UN-Habitat India and IIT Kharagpur: Accessible infrastructure within schools, such as ramps or tactile paths, are either in deficit or have not been constructed utilizing suitable materials.

Different laws for providing accessible education to all:

• Article 21A of the Constitution
• Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009: the fundamental right to education and the right to have free and compulsory education for children aged 6-14 years.
• The Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, which adopted a ‘zero rejection policy’
  • It emphasizes that “every child with special needs, irrespective of the kind, category and degree of disability, is provided with a meaningful and quality education”.
• India ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities:
• Accessible India Campaign (Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan) in 2015: Accessibility to built environment.
• Principle of Leave No One Behind (LNOB): which is the central, transformative promise of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

What steps need to be taken?

• Awareness and sensitisation programmes for children, parents, and caregivers
• Training trainers for upskilling of school faculty and special educators and providing access to updated teaching toolkits and materials
• Technical training for local government departments
• co-learning platform for knowledge-sharing between all.

Constitutional Provisions related to education:

• Part IV of Indian Constitution, Article 45 and Article 39 (f) of Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSP), has a provision for state-funded as well as equitable and accessible education.
• The 42nd Amendment to the Constitution in 1976 moved education from the State to the Concurrent List.
• Article 21A: It provides free and compulsory education of all children in the age group of six to fourteen years as a fundamental Right in such a manner as the State may, by law, determine. The 86th Amendment in 2002 made education an enforceable right under Article 21-A.
• Article 39(f): It provides that children are given opportunities and facilities to develop in a healthy manner and in conditions of freedom and dignity and that childhood and youth are protected against exploitation and against moral and material abandonment.
• Article 45: The State shall endeavor to provide, within a period of ten years from the commencement of this Constitution, for free and compulsory education for all children until they complete the age of fourteen years.

ARTICLE 46: The State shall promote with special care the educational and economic interests of the weaker sections of the people, and in particular, of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes, and shall protect them from social injustice and all forms of exploitation.

Government Initiatives:

• National Education Policy 2020.
• Samagra Shiksha (SS) 2.0
• NIPUN Bharat Mission
• PM Poshan Scheme
• Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE).
• Performance Grading Index
• National Education Policy (NEP) 2020: It gives high priority to the acquisition of foundational literacy and numeracy skills especially for children in early grades.
• “NIPUN Bharat” (where NIPUN is National Initiative for Proficiency in Reading with Understanding and Numeracy) the government’s flagship programme designed to translate policy into practice, is beginning to have traction in many States.

Way Forward

• To motivate all children to meaningfully participate in all indoor and outdoor activities without barriers or limitations, the school ecosystem has to be made safe, accessible, and reliable.
• The cooperation, involvement, and sensitisation of parents and caregivers, teachers, school management authorities, and the local government departments are required so that all these barriers are actively addressed.
• Mainstreaming LNOB project by UN-Habitat: pilot training programmes on enhancing accessibility and inclusion were implemented in two schools in Delhi with support from IIT Kharagpur and the Department of Social Welfare, Delhi government.
• Through interactive training sessions and simulation exercises that encourage empathy-building.
  • It can go a long way in creating inclusive spaces.
• Developing inclusive and accessible schools will be a big step towards not only challenging perceptions about CWD, and the associated discrimination, but also in actualising the zero-rejection policy in schools.
• A multi-pronged participatory approach towards providing an enabling environment for the empowerment of future citizens is needed to ensure that stakeholders in the school ecosystem collectively work towards promoting accessibility and inclusion in schools.
• Five principles:
  • Equitability, usability and durability, affordability, cultural adaptability, and aesthetic appeal.
  • They should be embedded from the planning to implementation to evaluation stages of providing infrastructure services in schools.

General Studies Paper 3

Context: On National Tourism Day (January 25) the Ministry of Railways, in partnership with the Ministry of Tourism, is launching its Jagannath Yatra train package.

Tourism:

• India ranks 6th according to the World Travel and Tourism Council in terms of Travel & Tourism total contribution to GDP in 2021.
• India is currently ranked 54th in World Economic Forum’s Travel & Tourism Development Index (2021).
• India has 40 sites listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List (32 cultural, 7 natural, and 1 mixed) as of 2021.
  • Dholavira and Ramappa Temple are the latest ones.

Jagannath Yatra train package:

• It is an eight-day tour that begins from Delhi, traverses Kashi and other places and ends at the Vishnupad temple in Gaya.
• It is launched by the Ministry of Railways, in partnership with the Ministry of Tourism.
• This is linked to using Bharat Gaurav Trains (or theme-based tourist circuit trains): To highlight India’s rich cultural heritage and history.

Promotion of India’s tourism by Government:

• The Ministry of Tourism has prioritized the task of inter-ministerial cooperation and coordination, breaking down silos and working together effectively with other Ministries.
• The Ministry of Tourism coordinates with over 20 central government Ministries in the promotion and the development of tourism in the country.
• The Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Home Affairs organized the National Conference on Tourist Police.
  • To develop tourist specific policing
  • Aim: working with the police and sensitizing them on addressing the needs of foreign and domestic tourists.
• With The Ministry of Education: Tourism Ministry has begun establishing ‘Yuva Tourism’ clubs to nurture young ambassadors of Indian tourism.
• The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways is aiming to make India an attractive cruise tourism destination using state-of-the-art infrastructure.
• In partnership with the Ministry of External Affairs: tourism officers have been placed in 20 Indian missions in countries that contribute to some of the highest foreign tourist arrivals in India.
  • Role:
    • Facilitating and providing inputs for country-specific sensibilities and having them reflected in tourism products.
  • With the Ministry of Roadways and the Petroleum Ministry: steps are being taken to ensure that highways and fuel stations have clean sanitation infrastructure.
  • The Ministry of Tourism is funding several commercial flight routes in partnership with the Ministry of Civil Aviation, making them viable.

Tourism policy:

• To promote investment in the tourism sector: granting of industry status to the sector, along with formally granting infrastructure status to hotels.
• Five key areas would be given significant focus in the next 10 years:
  • green tourism
  • digital tourism
  • destination management
  • skilling the hospitality sector
  • supporting tourism-related Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).
• Relief Measures and Taxation Breaks
• It doesn’t deal with specific operational issues, but offers framework conditions to help the sector, especially in the wake of the pandemic.

Recent Initiatives Related to Tourism in India:

• Swadesh Darshan Scheme
• Draft National Tourism Policy 2022
• Dekho Apna Desh Initiative
• National Green Tourism Mission

Way Forward

• The new draft National Tourism Policy 2022 has been formulated after situational analysis including the impact of COVID-19 and taking into account future projections for the tourism sector with a vision for India@100.
• G-20 presidency: Every delegate or visitor who is in India to attend the G-20 summit will return as a brand ambassador and spread the word on India’s rich cultural, spiritual and natural heritage.
• The Ministry of Tourism declaration of “Visit India Year 2023” aims to promote various tourism products and destinations to increase India’s share in the global tourism market.
• Domestic tourism has recovered to pre-pandemic levels, even exceeding it in some cases.
  • Jammu and Kashmir: record 84(one point eight four)crore domestic tourists visiting in 2022.
• For centuries many great foreign travelers have visited India and shared their experiences in the form of memoirs, travelogs, poetry and books, as Megasthenes, Hiuen-Tsang, Marco Polo, and Fa-Hien have shown.
• As the birthplace to four major world religions, i.e., Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism
  • India can truly claim to be the world’s spiritual beacon.

General Studies Paper 2

Context:

• The External Affairs Minister of India recently visited Maldives. In a bid to strengthen the India-Maldives Relationship, the two countries signed pacts on several development projects. The EAM’s visit comes at a crucial time. Presidential elections are set to be held in Maldives in September 2023. The elections are important for India as well, because the trajectory of India-Maldives relationship will depend on the outcome of the elections. Domestic politics of Maldives have come about to be the most vital aspect of the India-Maldives Relationship. The increasing Chinese influence in Maldive’s domestic politics poses a new challenge to Indian diplomacy.

What is the significance of Maldives to India?

• Geographical Location: Maldives is geographically located in a position that makes it resemble a ‘toll gate’ between the chokepoints of the western Indian Ocean (Gulf of Aden and the Strait of Hormuz), and the eastern Indian Ocean (Strait of Malacca).
• Economic Significance: It is strategically located at the crossroads of several important trade routes that run through the Indian Ocean. Through this region passes more than 97% of India’s total international trade by volume and 75% by value.
• Strategic Significance: The significance of the Maldives has steadily increased since China’s naval expansion into the Indian Ocean. Maldives is now at the centre of geopolitical affairs on a global scale. The Republic of Maldives is a party to the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation(SASEC).
• Security: Under the Presidency of Abdullah Yameen, there was a rapid increase in radicalization. It was frequently said that the archipelago was responsible for one of the highest numbers of foreign fighters in Syria in terms of the number of fighters per capita. Yameen’s Government (2013-18) also had a very prominent pro-China tilt which was detrimental to India’s interests in Maldives and the Indian Ocean Region.
• Indian Diaspora: There is a sizeable population of people descended from India living in Maldives. There are numerous Indians employed in the Maldives’ education and medical care systems, as well as in the tourism and hospitality sector.

How has the India-Maldives Relationship evolved?

• India and Maldives have close cultural relationship since ancient times. The name Maldives is believed to be of Sanskrit origin (Mala(garland) + Dweep (Island)). There is reference of Maldives in ancient texts like Mahavamsa. The islands are believed to have been inhabited as early as 5th century BC by settlers from Sri Lanka and Southern India. The origins of Dhivehi (the Maldivian language) traces back to Sanskrit and Pali, which are also the roots of many southern Indian languages. There were close trade relationships between India and Maldives during ancient and medieval times.
• After Maldives gained independence from British rule in 1966, both countries moved quickly to establish diplomatic relations. India was one of the earliest countries to acknowledge Maldives’ status as an independent nation. Since then, India and the Maldives have developed close military, economic, and cultural relationship.
• India’s relationship with the Maldives has largely remained free of any politically contentious issues. The one-time claim to Minicoy Island by Maldives was resolved by the Maritime Boundary Treaty of 1976 between the two countries, whereby Maldives has recognized Minicoy as an integral part of India.
• India and Maldives signed comprehensive trade agreement in 1981.
• In 1988, there was an attempt to overthrow the Government of Maldives. The coup attempt was made by local Maldivians assisted by mercenaries from a Tamil secessionist group from Sri Lanka, the People’s Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam. The Indian Armed Forces moved swiftly, launched Operation Cactus. The swift action by the Indian Forces coupled with accurate intelligence prevented the coup from succeeding.
• India was the first to assist Maldives after the 2004 Tsunami as well as the water crisis in Malé in December 2014. India’s timely interventions to support Maldives at the time of crises has laid the foundation of a strong India-Maldives Relationship. There has been a notable expansion in the level of cooperation between India and Maldives since the 1990s. In Malé, the capital of the Maldives, India built the Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital. Additionally, India increased the number of scholarships available to Maldivian students and expanded both telecommunications and air links.
• During the COVID-19 crisis, India offered Maldives assistance in the form of vaccines, financial, material, and logistical support etc.

What are the areas of cooperation in India-Maldives Relationship?

• Both India’s policy of ‘Neighbourhood First’ and the Maldives’ policy of ‘India First’ appear to be perfectly coordinated with one another.
• Security Cooperation: Maldives relies heavily on trilateral maritime security cooperation with India and Sri Lanka. The purpose of such collaboration is to counter common maritime security threats and challenges such as illicit trafficking, piracy, and illegal and unregulated (or unreported) fishing. India and Maldives have agreed on energizing cooperation in maritime security, maritime domain awareness, Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief(HADR) through the implementation of underway projects and capacity building initiatives.
• Military Cooperation: (a)India has donated Landing Assault Craft and 24 Utility Vehicles to Maldives in order to bolster maritime security; (b) A grant assistance of US$ 50 million Line of Credit facility has also been approved for carrying multiple defense projects; (c) To establish new horizons in the defence ecosystem, Maldives hosted the 5th Meeting of Colombo Security Conclave in Male’ in March 2022 which witnessed membership expansion as well as addition of a new pillar (Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief, HADR); (d) A comprehensive Action Plan for Defence was signed in April 2016 to consolidate defence partnership. India also provides the largest number of training opportunities for Maldivian National Defence Force (MNDF), meeting around 70% of their defence training requirements.
• Economic Cooperation: (a)India and the Maldives have also signed multiple bilateral agreements in recent years, including US$ 500 million in grants and financing to support maritime connectivity, a US$ 800-million line of credit from the Export-Import Bank of India, and an agreement on exchanging information on the movement of commercial maritime vessels; (b) From 4th in 2018, India has become Maldives’ 2nd largest trading partner; (c) In 2021, there was a rise of 31% in bilateral trade compared to the 2020; (d) The Maldives’ economy is almost entirely dependent on the tourism sector. Maldives is an important tourist destination for many Indians.
• Infrastructure Cooperation: (a) India is the partner for the ambitious Greater Male Connectivity Project. This is one the largest project infrastructure project in Maldives. The project aims to connect Male to Villingili, Gulhifalhu and Thilafushi islands through a series of bridges, causeways and roads. The project is crucial for the proposed Gulhifalhu Port, and will be a major catalyst for the Maldivian economy in the future through jobs and economic activity; (b) Buyers Credit Agreement has been signed for design and construction of 61 police infrastructures across Maldives. This will contribute to improved access to policing and to ensure the safety and security of the communities in the islands; (c) Indian-Maldives are carrying strategic harbour projects viz  Uthuru Thila Falhu. The island has been selected for the development of a dockyard facility and a harbor for the coast guard of the Maldives National Defence Force; (d) India is also undertaking Airport Redevelopment Project at the Hanimaadhoo International Airport.
• Humanitarian Assistance: (a)In 2019, an MoU for grant assistance for High Impact Community Development Projects (HICDPs) was signed. A number of socio-economic development projects are planned to be implemented throughout the country under this funding; (b) India provided 100,000 Covishield vaccines to Maldives in January 2021, during the peak of the pandemic; (c) India  has handed over the two sea ambulances to the Ministry of Defence of Maldives; (d) The main government-affiliated hospital in the Maldives, the Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital in the capital, was built with aid from the Government of India; (e) India provided assistance to Maldives during recovery efforts after the 2004 Tsunami. India also helped address the shortage of drinking water in 2014; (f) Water and Sanitation in 34 Islands: The project seeks to improve water supply and sewerage facilities in 34 identified islands by installing proper water supply distribution network, ensuring protection of ground water aquifer and sustainable water source management. The project was awarded as 6 packages to 4 Indian contractors after a tendering process. Work has commenced on all islands.
• Education and Technology Cooperation: (a) The National Knowledge Network is a multi-gigabit national network for research and education. It has recently established connections with the academics and research institutions of the Maldives. The National Informatics Centre is in charge of its operation (NIC); (b) Both countries have signed the Peering Agreement, which will now help over 1,500 Indian institutes and a host of universities and centres of learning from Singapore, Europe and the United Stated are now connected to Maldives; (c) India has helped Maldives in establishing the National College for Policing and Law Enforcement (NCPLE) at Addu City which was inaugurated in March 2022; (d) India has support for the development of a sports complex in Gahdhoo. Cochin University of Science and Technology and the Maldives National University are collaborating in the academic field; (e) India will send 10,000 school books to be distributed in 260 schools in Maldives.

Challenges in the India-Maldives Relationship

• Political: (a)While the incumbent President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has a very prominent pro-Indian approach, the political opposition under former President Abdulla Yameen is seen as anti-India. Abdulla Yameen had allotted lot of development projects to China during his tenure; (b) Abdulla Yameen also led the India out Campaign. He is opposed to India’s military presence in Maldives.
• Radicalisation: A large number of Maldive citizens had joined violent extremist organisations such as the Islamic State (IS). There has been a steady rise in recruits joining jihadi groups in Pakistan over the last decade. There is now a greater risk that terrorist organisations based in Pakistan will use the Maldives as a staging ground for attacks on India and Indian assets.
• Chinese Influence: China has enhanced its influence in Maldives (and in Indian Ocean). Maldives is an essential ‘pearl’ in China’s ‘String of Pearls’ initiative in South Asia.

What can be done to enhance India-Maldives Relationship?

• First, India should increase development assistance to Maldives. India should target projects that have larger impact on general population of Maldives. This will enhance India’s goodwill among the people of Maldives.
• Second, India should also engage with political opposition of Maldives. The concerns of the opposition can be addressed through suitable discussions. India should also convey that the projects being undertaken are for the general good of the people of Maldives e.g., the US$ 136.6-million development of the airport at Hanimadhoo includes the development of a 2.46-km runway that can accommodate large aircraft, and a terminal with an annual capacity for 1.3 million passengers. This will improve tourist inflow, which is the mainstay of economy of Maldives.
• Third, It should be ensured that India is not seen as interfering in the internal politics of Maldives including Presidential elections. Political interference by India will be exploited by opponents to India’s detriment.
• Fourth, As part of India’s Neighbourhood First policy, the exemplary bilateral cooperation between India and Maldives could serve as a useful template for developing our ties with other This would be in keeping with India’s commitment to putting its neighbours first. The Maldives have always benefited from India’s assistance and development.

Conclusion

• Maldives is vital to India’s interests due to its strategic location in the Indian Ocean. India-Maldives Relationship has a strong foundation based on India’s historic assistance to Maldives during multiple crises. However, the relationship has seen new challenges in recent times, especially since China’s rising influence in the Indian Ocean Region. India must give a rigorous push to ties with Maldives while being mindful of Maldives’ sensitivities.

General Studies Paper 3

Context: India’s Electric Vehicle future shines bright with ambitious government targets and advancements in technology.

Roadmap for Electric vehicles

• India has set an ambitious goal to become a leader in the electric vehicle market by 2030 with the government laying out a comprehensive roadmap to achieve this goal, which includes several initiatives and policies to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles in the country.
• One of the key initiatives is the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric vehicles (FAME) scheme, which provides subsidies to customers who purchase electric vehicles.
• The government has also set a target to achieve 30% electric vehicle penetration in the country by 2030.
• In this regard, the government is also taking steps for development of domestic manufacturing capabilities for electric vehicles and their components.

Key highlights:

• Electric vehicle adoption, including four, three, and two-wheelers, and buses, has seen a significant uptick in recent years.
• Target of net-zero carbon emissions in the future will help promote the e-vehicle industry.
• Push for electric mobility will reduce dependence on oil imports and free up foreign exchange reserves.
• Last-mile mobility is a defining sector that will help carry this momentum, with partnerships with companies like Spoctech Green Ventures.
• Decisive growth in the mass-market category of private vehicles in 2023, particularly in Tier II and III cities will promote demand.
• Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric vehicles (FAME) scheme extended until March 31, 2024 to provide subsidies will aid electric vehicle adoption.
• Volumes, mass adoption, and large-scale component manufacturing will drive prices down.

Various initiatives to promote e-vehicles

About: In India, the government has implemented several schemes to promote the use of electric vehicles (EVs). These include:

• FAME I & II: Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles is a government scheme, which provides incentives for the purchase of EVs and the installation of charging infrastructure.
• NEMMP: National Electric Mobility Mission Plan was launched in 2020, which aims to have at least 30% of vehicles on Indian roads be electric by 2030.
• Tax benefits: The Government has announced plans to provide an additional income tax deduction of INR 1.5 Lakh on the interest paid on loans taken to purchase electric vehicles.
• PLI: The government has announced a Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme to boost domestic manufacturing and attract global companies to invest in the Indian market.
• NTTM: The Government also plans to set up a National Technical Textiles Mission (NTTM) to promote the use of technical textiles in various sectors, including the EV industry.
• Manufacturing plants: Setting up of battery manufacturing units in India to promote the use of electric vehicles.
• Public transport: The Government has also announced plans to promote the use of electric vehicles in the public transportation sector, by providing financial assistance to states for the purchase of electric buses.E.g., E-buses in Delhi
• Ensuring last-mile connectivity: The government has also identified last-mile mobility as a key sector to drive the adoption of electric vehicles E.g., deployment of a fleet of over 5,000 vehicles in Chennai.
• Promoting e-vehicles in government:  In an attempt to promote use of electric vehicles in the public sector, the government has plans to replace existing government vehicles with electric vehicles.
• Phased Manufacturing Programme (PMP): Indigenous manufacturing of electric vehicles, their assemblies/sub-assemblies, and parts/sub-parts/inputs of the sub-assemblies to be promoted over time through a graded duty structure.
• National Mission on Transformative Mobility and Storage: Government aims to drive strategies for transformative mobility and Phased Manufacturing Programmes for electric vehicles, electric vehicle Components and Batteries.

What more can be done?

• Government can devise strategies for transformative mobility for electric vehicles, electric vehicle Components and Batteries
• Creating a Phased Manufacturing Program (PMP) to localize production across the entire electric vehicle value chain.
• Coordination with key stakeholders in Ministries/ Departments/states to integrate various initiatives to transform mobility in India.
• Ensuring holistic and comprehensive growth of the battery manufacturing industry in India with initial focus on large-scale module and assembly plants on Gigascale manufacturing in future.
• Preparing roadmap for enabling India to leverage its size and scale to produce innovative, competitive multi-modal mobility solutions that can be deployed globally in diverse contexts

Conclusion

• In an attempt to leverage the potential of e-vehicles, the Indian Government needs to provide more incentives and subsidies for the purchase of EVs, invest in charging infrastructure and battery technology, and promote domestic manufacturing capabilities for electric vehicles and their components.

• Overall, electric vehicles offer a cleaner, more efficient, and cost-effective alternative to traditional gasoline-powered vehicles, and with the right infrastructure and policies in place, they can play a major role in reducing air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions while improving energy independence

General Studies Paper 2

Context: China is constructing a new dam on the Mabja Zangbo river in Tibet, close to the tri-junction which is a matter of concern for both India and Nepal.

• The new dam is located around 16 km north of the tri-junction and is opposite the Kalapani area of Uttarakhand.
• The Mabja Zangbo river originates in Nagari county of Tibet and flows through Nepal into the Ghaghara River before joining the Ganga in India.

About

• China’s upstream actions like dams (on Brahmaputra, Indus, tributaries of the Ganga), diversion of water, hydropolitics, and power asymmetry poses a security threat to India and water scarcity downstream.
• There is no legally binding international treaty on water sharing between India and China.
• Under CPEC, China plans to build two mega-dams on the Indus, named Bunji Dam and Bhasha Dam.
• In 2021, China announced that it would construct a massive dam on the lower reaches of Yarlung Zangbo  (also known as Brahmaputra) to generate up to 70 GW of power, three times that of the country’s Three Gorges dam, which is the world’s largest hydropower plant in terms of installed capacity.

Impact of Building Dams on India 

• Used as a tool in Hydropolitics: China is a critical player in the hydro-politics of the region. Its hydrological position is one of complete upper riparian supremacy giving it enormous latitude in shaping larger political equations with its riparian neighbours.
  • India is an upper, middle, and lower riparian. India’s middle riparian position increases its dependency (water insecurity) on the headwaters of the rivers such as the Indus, Sutlej, and Brahmaputra which originate in the Tibetan plateau.
  • China wants to maintain continuous pressure on India be it all along the Himalayan range or the Indian Ocean region through building dams alongside border areas.
• India and its Neighbourhood: China was one of the three countries that did not approve of the 1997 UN Convention on the Law of the Non-Navigational Uses of International Waterways.
  • China has built eleven mega-dams on the Mekong River, causing water levels there to fluctuate widely without prior notice in Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam.
  • Impact on earlier signed Treaty:  Treaties have been signed to provide definite amount of water to lower riparian states like the 1960 Indus Water Treaty  with Pakistan and the 1996 Ganga Treaty with Bangladesh.
• Military threat to India from Border Infrastructure: China’s rapid build-up of infrastructure along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with India is alarming and adds to overall destabilising and corrosive behaviour along the entire India-China border.
  • The satellite images of the dam on Mabja Zangbo river shows the formation of an embankment type dam with a reservoir leading to a possibility of military establishment by China near the tri-junction already witnessed from Yarlung Zangbo dam.
  • From the multiple intrusions into Indian territory in eastern Ladakh, China has assiduously built and consolidated its military positions and border infrastructure along LAC as well upgraded its air bases facing India. E.g., China construction of a bridge across Pangong Tso  in Khurnak Fort Area.
• Impact on people lives Downstream: China projects alongside Brahmaputra will impact lower riparian states local economy and ecology due to future plans of water diversion and dam projects.
  • China’s construction of hydroelectricity dams in ecologically and seismically active areas shows reassertion of its aggressive ‘supply-side hydraulic’ approach of increasing storage capacity by building dams and reservoirs.
  • These steps can impact food and water security needs of people living in low riparian regions as well increase disaster risk.
• Water Resources of North-East: Even running of the river hydroelectric dams can reduce water flow downstream, especially during the dry season.
  • India is also worried about the release of water during the monsoons, when north-eastern states such as Assam experience floods.
  • Several species of flora and fauna are endemic to the North-East part of India and some of them are critically endangered. The ecosystem in the Himalayan region is already on the decline.
• Seismological Impact: The Himalayan region is vulnerable to earthquakes and other seismic activities. The sheer size of the infrastructure projects undertaken there poses a significant threat to the populations living downstream.
  • Chins building hydrological projects along geographical fault lines. E.g., Projects on Yarlung Zangbo river are along the collision boundary of Indian plate and Eurasian plate.
  • The glaciers have been retreating due to climate change. Deforestation, soil erosion and landslides are some of the other issues.
• Water as a Weapon during Standoff: Being an upstream area, China has a clear advantage in building dams and other infrastructure to store or divert the flow of the river system.
  • There is the potential to significantly change the flow rate during times of stando? between the countries.
  • During the 2017 Doklam border stando? between India and China, China stopped communication of water flow levels from its dams.

Way Forward

• By terming water resources in Tibet as a ‘commons’, India can draw international attention. China should be pressurized to reconsider signing of 1996 UN Convention on Non- Navigation Use of Water which requires watercourse states to cooperate on the equitable and reasonable use and management of international watercourses.
• India needs to strengthen agreements with China that require the latter to share hydrological data of the river during monsoon season between May and October to alert downstream areas in the event of floods.
• India to articulate its middle riparian position, first to change the perception in the neighbourhood that India is a ‘water hegemon’.
• India to draw China into the South Asian water equation through a multi-lateral basin approach, thereby sensitising China to downstream concerns and upstream responsibilities.
• Water Treaty on lines of Indus and Ganga Treaty need to be devised with China for rivers originating from Tibet region.
• India should initiate a lower riparian coalition, stretching from the Ganga Brahmaputra Meghna basin to the Mekong, in order to draw China into a water dialogue.
• Tibet has an essential influence over Asia, providing sustenance to some of the world’s most productive agricultural zones, so it is the collective responsibility of all riparian states to preserve the ecology of this region.

General Studies Paper 2

Context: A report by the World Bank, released last year, on financing India’s urban infrastructure needs, focuses on private investments ameliorating urban problems.

About

• World Bank Estimates: 
  • The World Bank estimates that nearly $840 billion (?70 lakh crore) would be needed for investment in urban India to meet the growing demands of the population, and $55 billion would be required annually.
• Revenue by Cities:
  • This report already points out that nearly 85% of government revenue is from the cities.
  • This means that urban citizens are contributing large revenues even as the World Bank report emphasises the levying of more burdens in Urban Settlements in India

Urbanization: Urbanisation is the increase in the proportion of people living in towns and cities. 

• Urbanisation occurs because people move from rural areas to urban areas (towns and cities).
  • This usually occurs when a country is still developing.
• Employment Factor:
  • In India, people have been attracted to move from rural to urban areas on account of improved employment opportunities.

India’s Urban Growth: India is witnessing one of the largest urban growth spurts in history.

• This presents Indian cities with an unprecedented opportunity to look at urban planning and development through a long-term strategic lens to enable economic, environmental and social impact.
• Data on Urban Settlements:
  • India is home to 11% of the total global urban population.
  • From a population of 377 million in 2011, Indian cities are projected to house 870 million people by 2050, according to the UN’s projections which is by far the highest among all nations.
  • Delhi is likely to become the world’s most populous urban agglomerationby 2030, surpassing Tokyo.
• Funding patterns:
  • Urban finance predominantly comes from the government in India.
    • Of the finances needed to fund urban capital expenditures, 48%, 24% and 15% are derived from the central, State, and city governments, respectively.
    • Public–private partnership projects contribute 3% and commercial debt 2%.
  • The flagship programmes of the government, the Smart City mission, the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT), the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), etc., are not more than ?2 lakh crore (that too for a period of five years).

Issues & Challenges faced by Cities

• Affordable Housing: 
  • Inadequate affordable housing has meant that almost one-sixth of the urban population lives in slums.
• Water Supply & Waste Management:
  • Water supply is unreliable.
  • Mountains of solid waste sit on the fringes of our cities.
  • Poor drainage, congested roads and deteriorating air quality are other challenges.
• Poor Urban Planning:
  • The existing urban planning and governance framework is complex, which often leads to ambiguity and a lack of accountability.
  • City planning has become a highly technocratic exercise with long delays and there is a need for the demystification of the master plans.
• Lack of Coordination:
  • Lack of synergy between urban and rural planning and development. The ‘State Town and country planning acts need to be revisited to harmonise the two.
• Funding: 
  • More sources for funding are required like resources other than the public budget need to be tapped. High prices will make services unaffordable.
• Migrant Crisis:
  • Urban dwellers are ignored and unable to live, work and play safely and happily.
  • An urbanisation policy needs to take cognisance of future mobility patterns.
• Connectivity & Congestion:
• Congestion and delays in both passenger and commercial traffic are widespread in Indian cities
• Issues of Urban Slums:
  • Urban Slums are subject to insecure land tenure, lack of access to basic minimum civic services such as safe drinking water, sanitation, storm drainage, solid waste management, internal and approach roads, street lighting, education and health care, and poor quality of shelter.

Suggestions

• World Banks’s Suggestions:
  • The solutions suggested include improving the fiscal base and creditworthiness of the Indian cities.
  • Cities must institute a buoyant revenue base and be able to recover the cost of providing its services.
  • In simpler terms, it means increasing property taxes, user fees and service charges to name a few.
• Bottom-up planning:
  • For the urban context, plans must be made from below by engaging with the people and identifying their needs.
• Empowering the city governments: 
  • National task force chaired by C. Sivaramakrishnan suggested the following:
    • Empowering the people,
    • Transferring subjects to the city governments, suggesting that10% of the income-tax collected from cities be given back to them and
    • Ensuring that this corpus fund was utilised only for infrastructure building.
  • This would ensure that city governments had an advantage in ensuring rapid transformation.
• Urban governance with regular elections:
• Another important aspect of urban infrastructure is linked to urban governance, which is in shambles in most parts of the country.
• Regular elections should be held in cities and there must be empowerment through the transferring of the three Fs: finances, functions, and functionaries.
• Steps for Enhancing the Role of the Private Sector:
• These include the adoption of fair processes for
  • procuring technical consultancy services,
  • strengthening project structuring and management skills in the public sector, and
  • empanelment of private sector consultancies.
• Clarity & expertise:
• There is a need to bring in more institutional clarity and also multi-disciplinary expertise to solve urban challenges.
  • The key aspects that would need to be addressed in this effort are:
    • Clear division of the roles and responsibilities of various authorities, appropriate revision of rules and regulations, etc.
    • Creation of a more dynamic organizational structure,
    • Standardisation of the job descriptions of town planners and other experts,
    • Extensive adoption of technology for enabling public participation and inter-agency coordination.

Way ahead

• Cities should also aim to mainstream the use of spatialised social, economic and environmental data to create robust links across the urban-rural continuum.
• Adequate political will for financial inputs and enforcement of regulations will be essential for often fund-starved urban administrations.

General Studies Paper 2

Context:

• The Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Bill, 2022 provides for mandatory parental consent for all data processing activities by children, defined as any person aged under 18 years.
• Background of data privacy law: Started in 2010 with the constitution of the Justice Srikrishna Committee.

Justice BN Srikrishna Committee Data Protection Report:

• The Committee was constituted by the union government in July 2017, to deliberate on a data protection framework.
• The Supreme Court in its Puttaswamy judgment, 2017: It declared privacy a fundamental right.
• Interests of citizens:The report has emphasized that interests of the citizens and the responsibilities of the state have to be protected, but not at the cost of trade and industry.
• It proposed a draft Personal Data Protection Bill.

New Data Protection Bill:

• Inclusion of the word “digital” in the Bill’s title speaks to India’s long-standing goal of being a digitally forward society.
• Bill has two major stakeholders:
• Data Principal
• Data Fiduciary.
• Data Principal: It refers to the subject whose data is being processed
• Data Fiduciary: It is an entity that processes this data.
• fiduciary” whilst referring to a data processor is significant.
• The relationship between the two is guided by:
• Trust, assurance and good faith.
• Data Fiduciary: It is responsible for safeguarding the interests of Data Principals.
• Bill describes:
• The obligations of the Data Fiduciaries towards Data Principals
• The rights and duties of the latter
• Regulatory framework through which data will be processed.
• Bill lists the “duties” of the Data Principals: these have no bearing on the realization of the rights provided by the Bill.

Important aspects of bill:

• In addition to the general obligations to prevent the misuse of the personal data of individuals
• The Bill has outlined a category of Significant Data Fiduciaries entities: that are required to comply with additional measures to safeguard the personal data of individuals.
• Only companies that process vast amounts of data or have a potential impact on the country’s sovereignty and integrity need to take such stringent measures.
• Such measures reduce the compliance cost of companies that are at a nascent stage.
• Data localisation” in the previous versions of the Bill, have been omitted:The reworked Bill permits the government to notify countries to which data transfers may be permitted.

The gaps in the Bill:

• The Bill relies on parents to grant consent on behalf of the child in all cases.
• In a country with low digital literacy, where parents in fact often rely on their children (who are digital natives)
• This is an ineffective approach to keep children safe online.
• It does not take into account the “best interests of the child”, a standard originating in the Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1989,to which India is a signatory.
• The Bill does not factor in how teenagers use various Internet platforms for self-expression and personal development and how central it is to the experience of adolescents these days.
• Bill does allow the government to provide exemptions in the future from strict parental consent requirements, profiling, tracking prohibitions, etc
• It does not acknowledge the blurring lines between what a platform can be used for.
• For example: Instagram is a social media platform, but is regularly used as an educational and professional development tool by millions of artists around the world.
• Each platform will have to obtain ‘verifiable parental consent’ in the case of minors.
• It can change the nature of the Internet
• It is not possible to tell if the user is a minor without confirming their age, platforms will have to verify the age of every user.
• Risk for citizens: The government will prescribe whether verifiability will be based on ID-proof, or facial recognition, or reference-based verification etc
• All platforms will now have to manage significantly more personal data than before
• Citizens will be at greater risk of harms such as data breaches, identity thefts, etc.

India laws for child Protection;

• Protection of Child Rights Act, 2005
• The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009
• Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012.

Way Forward

• We need to shift our approach with respect to children’s data before this Bill is brought to Parliament.
• To avoid the folly of treating unequals equally and blocking off access to the Internet for teenagers these steps are needed.
• Move from a blanket ban on tracking, monitoring, etc. and adopt a risk-based approach to platform obligations.
• Platforms should be mandated to undertake a risk assessment for minors and not only perform age-verification-related corresponding obligations
• Design services with default settings and features that protect children from harm.
• This approach will bring in an element of co-regulation, by creating incentives for platforms to design better products for children.
• Relax the age of mandatory parental consent for all services to 13 years in line with many other jurisdictions around the world.
• It will minimize data collection, which is one of the principles that the Bill is built on.
• Experience and deliberations in the United Kingdom, and in the United States (California, New York, etc.) where age appropriate design codes have been introduced. To
• The government should conduct large-scale surveys of both children and parents to find out more about their online habits, digital literacy, preferences and attitudes.
• Design a policy in India that balances the safety and the agency of children online.
• We should not put the onus of keeping our young safe only on parents, but instead it should make it a society-wide obligation.
• Get the data protection framework right as India’s ‘techade’ cannot be realized without its youth.

General Studies Paper 2

Context:

• India sent written financing assurances to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), becoming the first bilateral creditor of the island nation to officially support its crucial debt restructure programme after last year’s economic meltdown.
• A bilateral agreement between India and Sri Lanka on raising the limit of the High Impact Community Development Project (HICDP) was also signed during the India’s External Affairs Minister’s Visit.

Significance of India’s Financing Assurance

• The International Monetary Fund’s provisional USD 2.9 billion package to Sri Lanka will be cleared only after  Sri Lanka’s official creditors — China, Japan and India — have provided adequate financing assurances.
• The decision of financing assurance was also a reassertion of India’s belief in the principle of  “neighborhood first””, and not leaving a partner to fend for themselves.

How are India’s Relations with Sri Lanka?

• About:
  • India and Sri Lanka are two South Asian nations situated in the Indian Ocean region. Geographically, Sri Lanka is located just off the southern coast of India, separated by the Palk Strait.
    • This proximity has played a significant role in shaping the relationship between the two countries.
  • The Indian Ocean is a strategically important waterway for trade and military operations, and Sri Lanka’s location at the crossroads of major shipping lanes makes it a critical point of control for India.
• Relations:
  • Historical Ties:India and Sri Lanka have a long history of cultural, religious, and trade ties dating back to ancient times.
    • There are strong cultural ties between the two countries, with many Sri Lankans tracing their heritage to India. Buddhism,  which originated in India, is also an important religion in Sri Lanka.
  • Economic ties:India is Sri Lanka’s third largest export destination, after the US and UK. More than 60% of Sri Lanka’s exports enjoy the benefits of the India-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement. India is also a major investor in Sri Lanka.
    • Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)from India amounted to around USD 1.7 billion over the years from 2005 to 2019.
  • Defence:India and Sri Lanka conduct joint Military (Mitra Shakti)  and Naval exercise (SLINEX). 
• Issues in India-Sri Lanka Relations:
• Killing of Fishermen:Killing of Indian fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy is a lingering issue between these two nations.
  • In 2019 and 2020, a total of 284 Indian fishermen were arrested and a total of 53 Indian boats were confiscated by the Sri Lankan authorities.
• Influence of China:   China’s rapidly growing economic footprint (and political clout as a corollary) in Sri Lanka is straining India-Sri Lanka relations.

• China is already the largest investor in Sri Lanka, accounting for 23.6% of the total Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) during 2010-2019 as against 10.4% from India.
  • 13^thAmendment of the Sri Lankan Constitution: It envisages devolution of necessary powers to the provincial councils to address the just demand of the Tamil people for equality, justice, peace, and respect within a united Sri Lanka.
    • India supports its implementation but the Sri Lankan government is yet to “fully implement” the 13^th

Conclusion

• India, which has followed the “Neighbourhood First policy” to cement bonds with its neighbours, can walk that extra mile to help Sri Lanka out of the current crisis and help Sri Lanka towards realising its potential, to reap the rewards of a stable, friendly neighbourhood.