Syllabus: General Studies Paper 3

Why in News?

Recently, the year-end-review of the Department of Science & Technology (DST) under the Ministry of Science & Technology was released.

What are the Major Achievements of DST During 2022?

• India’s Ranking in Global S&T Indices:
  • India is now placed at 40^thposition among the top innovative economies globally as per Global Innovation Index (GII) 2022.
  • The country remains among the top 3 countries in scientific publications as per the National Science Foundation (NSF)database and also in terms of no of PhDs, in size of the Higher Education System, as well as in terms of number of Start-ups.
• Creating a Robust Start-up & Innovation Ecosystem:
  • DST has been a pioneer in establishing a network of Technology Business Incubators (TBI) and Science & Technology Entrepreneur’s Parks (STEP) across the country under the National Initiative for Developing and Harnessing Innovations (NIDHI) program.
  • New PRAYAS centres have been supported during 2022along with support to other ongoing PRAYAS centres across the country that are supporting young innovators to turn their ideas into prototypes.
• New Heights in Supercomputing Capacity:
  • New installations of high-performance computers at five institutes (IIT Kharagpur, NIT Trichy, IIT Gandhinagar, IIT Guwahati, IIT Mandi).
• Development in Cyberphysical Domains:
  • The Union Cabinet approved the National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber Physical Systems (NM-ICPS) in 2018 for a period of five years, to be implemented by the DST.
    • The Mission is being implemented through 25 Technology Innovation Hubs (TIHs)created at reputed academic institutes across the country.
  • Some of the new innovations include:
    • XraySetu: AI researchers at ARTPARK developed an AI-driven platform called XraySetu that helped Chest X-ray interpretation of images.
    • RAKSHAK:A team of scientists from IIT Bombay has developed a tapestry method for screening Covid-19 under Remedial Action, Knowledge Skimming, and Holistic Analysis of Covid-19 (RAKSHAK), an effort supported by the Technology Innovation Hub (TIH) at IIT Jodhpur.
  • India’s Position on International S&T Engagement:
    • India assumes the G20 Presidency recently and will convene the G20 Leaders’ Summit for the first time in the country in 2023.
      • As part of the same, DST takes the responsibility of coordinating the activities of Science-20 (S20) and Research Innovation Initiative Gathering (RIIG) Engagement Groups during India’s G20 Presidency in 2023.
    • India joins hands with Finland to establish Virtual Network Centre in Quantum Computing to jointly develop 20 qubits superconducting-based Quantum Computer in 1st phase and further scale it up to 54 qubits in second phase.
  • Geospatial Data, Infrastructure & Technology:
    • Recently, the2^nd United Nations World Geospatial Information Congress (UNWGIC) on the theme “Geo-Enabling the Global Village: No one should be left behind” was held successfully in Hyderabad.
    • Survey of India (SoI) the National Survey and Mapping Organisation of the country has successfully carried out drone surveys of rural abadi areas of 2,00,000+ villages as part of the SVAMITVA (Survey of villages and mapping with improvised technology in village areas).
    • Online maps portal provides various digital geospatial products (free as well as at fair & transparent price) to the users.
    • High-resolution mapping for major river basins is also being carried out to provide the high resolution GIS (Geographic Information System) and Digital Elevation Model (DEM)for improved flood hazard mapping and other planning purposes.
  • Accessible Scientific Infrastructure for All Stakeholders:
    • Four new Universities under ‘Promotion of University Research and Scientific Excellence (PURSE)’and 65 Departments in various academic organizations and universities were supported under the Fund for Improvement of S&T Infrastructure (FIST).
  • Solutions for Energy & Environment Challenges:
    • Afirst-of-its-kind Distributor System Operator (DSO) report has been prepared that can help in transforming the operational and financial state of the Indian power sector and boost private sector’s confidence attracting much-needed investment and innovation in the industry.
    • A real-time pollution monitoring photonic system, Air Unique Quality Monitoring System (AUM) has been developed which is capable of real-time remote monitoring of all air quality parameters, with high sensitivity and accuracy simultaneously, at a very high frequency of sampling.
    • The first Indigenously Designed High Ash Coal Gasification Based Methanol Production Plant has been opened in Hyderabad.
      • With this, Government owned engineering firm BHEL (Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited) has successfully demonstrated a facility to create methanol from high ash Indian coal.
    • Expansion to Newer Areas:
      • The Department has been implementing two National missions on Climate Change. Four new State Climate Change Cells (SCCCs) have been established in the States of Goa, UT of Chandigarh and Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh.
    • Career Opportunities for Women Scientists:
      • DST is encouraging meritorious girls to pursue higher education and career in underrepresented Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)areas, through its major initiative ‘Vigyan Jyoti’.
      • Women scientists under the Women Scientists Scheme-A (WOS-A) pursue research after breaking into careers in 5 subject areas of Basic and Applied Sciences.
      • The SERB-POWER mobility grantwas introduced to provide an opportunity for women scientists to visit leading institutions/universities across the globe for a period of 1-3 months
    • Conserving the Heritages:
      • Under the Science and Heritage Research Initiative (SHRI) programme of DST, the soundproofing qualities of the Pattamadai mat, a mat made by weaving or interlacing korai grass with cotton threads, has been explored for use in noise guarding classrooms as well as recording studios against external noise disturbances.
        • This can increase the demand for this traditional art of Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu.
      • Research Capabilities in State Universities & Colleges:
        • A dedicated scheme, State University Research Excellence (SERB-SURE)has been launched by Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) to create a robust R&D ecosystem in state universities and colleges including the private ones.
      • Good Laboratory Practice (GLP):
        • DST is implementing the National GLP Compliance Monitoring Programme for certification of Indian Test Facilities/laboratories, conducting non-clinical health and environment safety studies in accordance with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Principles.
      • Policy Formulation in Key Areas
        • Brought out two guidelines during the year and two major policies are in the process of finalisation.
          • Scientific Research Infrastructure Sharing maintenance and Networks (SRIMAN)guidelines
          • Scientific Social Responsibility (SSR)Guidelines
          • Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Policy
          • National Geospatial Policy

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 2

Why in News?

Chanda Kochhar (Ex-ICICI Bank CEO) serves as a cautionary tale of the dangers of greed in the corporate world.

• The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has alleged that ICICI Bank had sanctioned credit of Rs 3,250 crore to the companies of the Videocon Group promoted by Dhoot in violation of the Banking Regulation Act, RBI guidelines, and credit policy of the bank.

What is Corporate Governance?

• About:
  • Corporate governance, which refers to the system of rules, practices, and processes by which a company is directed and controlled, plays a crucial role in ensuring that businesses are run ethically and in the best interests of their stakeholders.
  • One of the key responsibilities of corporate governance is to prevent corporate greed and ensure that businesses are operated in a responsible and transparent manner.
  • By enforcing strong ethical standards and holding individuals accountable for their actions, corporate governance can help to curb greed and protect the interests of shareholders, customers, and the broader community.

Principles of Corporate Governance

• Fairness:
  • The board of directors must treat shareholders, employees, vendors, and communities fairly and with equal consideration.
• Transparency:
  • The board should provide timely, accurate, and clear information about such things as financial performance, conflicts of interest, and risks to shareholders and other stakeholders.
• Risk Management:
  • The board and management must determine risks of all kinds and how best to control them.They must act on those recommendations to manage them. They must inform all relevant parties about the existence and status of risks.
• Responsibility:
  • The board is responsible for the oversight of corporate matters and management activities.
  • It must be aware of and support the successful, ongoing performance of the company. Part of its responsibility is to recruit and hire a CEO. It must act in the best interests of a company and its investors.
• Accountability:
  • The board must explain the purpose of a company’s activities and the results of its conduct. It and company leadership are accountable for the assessment of a company’s capacity, potential, and performance. It must communicate issues of importance to shareholders.

What are the Ethical Issues with Corporate Governance in India?

• Conflict of Interest:
  • The challenge of managers potentially enriching themselves at the cost of shareholders e.g., the recent case of former ICICI bank head Chanda Kochar approved a loan to Videocon for a quid pro quo deal for her husband.
• Weak Board:
  • Lack of diversity of experience and background represents a major area of weakness for these boards. There have been questions about the board performing in the larger interests of the shareholders.
• Separation of Ownership and Management:
  • In case of family-run companies, the separation of ownership and management remains a key challenge in the majority of companies including some of India’s top ones.
• Independent Directors:
  • Independent directors are partisan and are not able to check promoters unethical practices.

What are the Related Initiatives?

• The Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) and Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) is responsible for corporate governance initiatives in India. The corporate sector of India faced major changes in the 1990s after liberalization.
  • SEBI monitors and regulates corporate governance of listed companies in India through Clause 49.
• The Companies Act, 2013 provides a formal structure for corporate governance by enhancing disclosures, reporting and transparency through enhanced as well as new compliance norms.

How Corporate Governance in India can be Improved?

• Diverse Boards are better Boards:
  • In this context, ‘diverse’ is all-encompassing, including gender, ethnicity, skills and experience.
• Robust Risk Management Policies:
  • Adoption of effective and robust risk management policies for better decision making as it develops a deeper insight into the risk-reward trade-offs that all Corporations face.
• Effective Governance Infrastructure:
  • Since the board is ultimately responsible for all the actions and decisions of an organisation, it will need to have in place specific policies to guide organisational behaviour.
  • To ensure that the line of responsibility between board and management is clearly delineated, it is particularly important for the board to develop policies in relation to delegations.
• Evaluation of the Board’s Performance:
  • Boards should improve their governance processes by addressing weaknesses revealed in board evaluations.
• Communication:
  • Facilitating shareholder communication with the board is key. There is a need to provide a contact person with whom shareholders may discuss any issue.

Questions For Practice

Q1. In the light of the Satyam Scandal (2009), discuss the changes brought in corporate governance to ensure transparency and accountability. (UPSC 2015)

Q2. What do you understand by the terms ‘governance’, ‘good governance’ and ‘ethical governance’? (UPSC 2016)

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 2

Why in News?

India is entering 2023 with challenges and opportunities staring at it on the diplomatic and military fronts with the Russia-Ukraine war and China’s belligerence at India’s doorstep.

• With a highly infectious Covid-19 variant spreading across China, a level of uncertainty has again gripped the world. And an economic downturn looms large on the horizon.
• As the G20 Chair, India is looking forward to shaping conversations on issues confronting the world.
• As UN Security Council’s non-permanent member for 2 years, India sought to project its views and contribute to the global conversations.

What were the Major Concerns in 2022?

• Russia-Ukraine War:
  • The Russian invasion of Ukraine has upended the global order in place since World War II, impacted the world’s foodand energy security, and is pushing the global economy towards a
  • The nuclear rhetoric from Russian leaders has caused anxiety, while the strategic embrace of Russia and China is another worry.
• China’s Aggression:
  • The Ukraine war has also made the world sit up and look at China’s aggression in the Indo-Pacific.
  • India too is facing that aggression on its border, with a skirmish in Arunachal Pradesh after the 2020 Galwan clashes that killed 20 Indian soldiers.
  • China’s belligerence can be seen in its recent activities in the South China Sea, where it has been observed to carry out construction on an island.
• Taliban Engagement:
  • Less than a year after Taliban’s recapturing of Afghanistan, India reopened its operations in the Indian embassy in Kabul and began the process of re-engaging by sending humanitarian aid in the form of food grains, vaccines, and essential medicines.
  • While India has made its red lines clear on the Menace of Extremism and Rights of Minorities and women, it has also signalled a long-term commitment to Afghanistan’s future.
    • India has made a commitment of USD 80 million — over and above its USD 3 billion commitment in the last two decades — for improving the lives of Afghans.
  • This means India is looking at the Taliban as a political actor, although it is influenced and even controlled by Pakistan’s military establishment.
• Neighbourhood in Crisis:
  • The Lankan economic and political crisis was a major challenge in the neighbourhood. India provided humanitarian aid, fuel, medicines, more than any other country in such a short period of time.
    • India is also helping Lanka negotiate an economic debt relief package from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
    • With China as a rival in Sri Lanka, India wants a government that understands India’s security and strategic interests.
  • Engagement with Myanmar has continued in low-key visits and assistance to the military junta regime.
    • The key impact has been the influx of refugees from Myanmar to the north-eastern states through the porous borders and concern about non-state actors fomenting trouble in the north-east.

What are the Challenges and Opportunities Ahead?

• Handling China:
  • The recent Tawang Clash has shown that China is challenging the status quo, not just in eastern Ladakh but in other sectors.
  • It is clear that China is the biggest adversary unlike in the past where some gave them the benefit of doubt.
  • India’s strategic response has been guided by a thinking that one has to stand up to the bully, but that has come at a cost, with soldiers braving the harsh winter in eastern Ladakh for the third year in a row.
  • As China sees itself as a superpower and whose time has come, more clashes and competing interests with India are likely, which will have to be resolved through negotiations.
• Engaging with Russia:
  • Russia has been a reliable supplier of defence equipment for the past seven decades, and despite diversification to the US, France and Israel among others, it still dominates the field.
  • But it has been complicated by the Russia-Ukraine war, where the reliability of Russian equipment is being questioned and the supply chain is under strain.
  • For India, China has been the biggest worry and what concerns India is that Russia’s ties with China influences some of its decisions.
    • In the post Cold War-era, economic relations have formed the “new strategic basis” for Sino-Russian relations.
    • China is Russia’s biggest trading partner and the largest Asian investor in Russia.
    • The West’s approach towards Russia after the war has brought Moscow much closer to China. Delhi’s effort will be to engage with both Russia and the West, and put its strategic defence and national security interests first.
  • G20 as a Global Stage:
    • The hosting of the G20 summit will be one of the biggest portrayals of India’s rise at the global stage months ahead of the General Elections in 2024.
    • India has already positioned itself as the “voice of the Global South”— a reference to the developing and the less-developed countries — and will seek to put its priorities on the global forum.
    • In this context, India will also seek to bring Russian and Western interlocutors and leaders together and end the conflict in Europe.
    • If India manages to do so, it will claim a diplomatic win, which will go down well with its domestic constituency.
  • Ties with the West:
    • With India buying cheap oil and not joining the West against Russia, India will have to work to assuage the concerns of European and American partners.In fact, the G20 preparations will give some opportunity to do that.

Challenge in the Neighbourhood:

• Sri Lanka and Maldives:
  • While Sri Lanka will continue to demand India’s humanitarian, financial and political attention in the new year, India will also be part of political conversation in Maldives.
    • The Maldives is going to polls in September 2023, and an “India Out” campaign is likely to fire up the political debate. Delhi will be watching closely as political parties try to project India as the bully and a big brother.
  • Bangladesh:
    • Bangladesh also goes into election mode in 2023, with polls scheduled for January 2024 after an iron-fisted reign of Sheikh Hasina.
    • India will be looking at her prospects after a long and uninterrupted political journey that has brought security in India’s eastern states.
  • Nepal:
    • Nepal witnessed a dramatic turn of events, with rebel-turned-politician Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ becoming the Prime Minister and former PM K P Oli — a known India-baiter in recent years — holding the keys to the government.
    • This will pose a significant challenge for India, which has seen Beijing’s influence grow in Kathmandu in recent years.
  • Pakistan’s Crucial Year:
    • Elections in Pakistan are scheduled for later in 2023. This will again be a contest to observe how the new civilian government and the Army chief will shape their attitude towards India.
    • In India, with Lok Sabha polls due in 2024, how the Pakistan puzzle is raked up and managed might hold the key to the next steps in the relationship.

Way Forward

• India’s domestic efforts will need to be bolstered by smart partnerships with others.
• While building new friends, India needs to keep old partners like Russia by its side,engage all countries including China, and resolve outstanding matters with smaller neighbours which have hobbled foreign policy for decades.

Questions For Practice

Q1. In respect of India-Sri Lanka relations, discuss how domestic factors influence foreign policy. (UPSC 2013)

Q2. At the international level, bilateral relations between most nations are governed on the policy of promoting one’s own national interest without any regard for the interest of other nations. This leads to conflicts and tension between nations. How can ethical consideration help resolve such tensions? Discuss with specific examples. (UPSC 2015)

Q3. ‘The long-sustained image of India as a leader of the oppressed and marginalised nations has disappeared on account of its new found role in the emerging global order.’ Elaborate. (UPSC 2019)

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 2

Why in News?

Recently, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has detected large-scale anomalies in the updating of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam.

What are the CAG’s Concerns?

Irregularities in the Utilisation of Funds:

• At the time, the process to update the NRC was started in December 2014 with a deadline for completion in February 2015 and the project cost was pegged at Rs. 288.18 crores.
• There was, however, a five-fold increase in the cost by March 2022 due to additional time to complete it and changes in the update software.
• As for irregularities, the CAG found that the number of wages paid to the outsourced staff was 45.59%-64.27% less than what was approved by the NRC coordination committee.

Lack of Secure and Reliable Software:

• In the NRC update process, a highly secure and reliable software was required to be developed, however, lack of proper planning was observed in this regard to the extent of 215 software utilities were added in a haphazard manner to the core software.

What has the CAG Recommended?

• The country’s top auditor sought penal measures against Wipro Limited for violating the provisions of the Minimum Wages Act, 1948 and for paying data operators less than minimum wages.
• Information technology firm Wipro Limited was entrusted with one of the prime software installation companies by the NRC Directorate.
• Secondly, the report recommended action against the State Coordinator of National Registration (SCNR) for “excess, irregular and inadmissible payments”.
• The CAG also recommended fixing accountability of the SCNR as the principal employer for “not ensuring compliance with the Minimum Wage Act”.

What is the NRC Exercise?

• An NRC was first created in 1951 in Assam to identify those born in India and migrants from erstwhile East Pakistan, now Bangladesh.
• In 2013, the Supreme Court issued directions to the Centre and State to initiate an exercise in Assam to update the 1951 register.
• The order was based on a petition filed by an NGO named Assam Public Works.
• The first draft was released in 2018.
• The final list, published in 2019, included those who could establish their Indian citizenship by being residents or descendants of people living in Assam before March 25, 1971 (the cut-off date for deportation of foreigners as per the Assam Accord of August 1985).
• As many as 19.06 lakh people out of 3.3 crore applicants were excluded due to a lack of adequate documents to prove their citizenship. Several parties dismissed the final list as “faulty”.
• Three years later, the process is on pause as the Registrar General of India (RGI) is yet to notify the final list.

Question For Practice

1. Exercise of CAG’s powers in relation to the accounts of the Union and the States is derived from Article 149 of the Indian Constitution. Discuss whether audit of the Government’s policy implementation could amount to overstepping its own (CAG) jurisdiction. (UPSC 2016)

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 2

Why in News?

Recently, the year-end-review of the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) under the Ministry of Science & Technology was released.

What are the Key Achievements of CSIR?

First-Ever Biofuel-Powered Flight:

• CSIR facilitated India’s First-Ever Biofuel-Powered Flight paving the way for sustainable and alternative fuels when the first biofuel-powered flight was flagged off from Dehradun to Delhi.
• The bio-aviation fuel was produced indigenously by the CSIR-Indian Institute of Petroleum (IIP) from Jatropha oil and was based on the patented technology of the institute.

Aroma Mission:

• CSIR launched the CSIR-Aroma Mission in 2016 which seeks to bring about transformative change in the aroma sector through interventions in agriculture, processing and product development for fuelling the growth of the aroma industry and boosting rural employment.

Indigenous Autoclave Technology:

• CSIR-National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL) has successfully developed state-of-art Indigenous Autoclave Technology for processing advanced lightweight composites that are integral to modern-day civil and military airframes.

Conversion of Plastic into Diesel:

• CSIR-IIP and GAIL (Petroleum Business Company) have developed a technology that can convert 1 tonne of plastic waste and other Polyolefin products into 850 litres of the cleanest grade of diesel.

Anaerobic Gas Lift Reactor (AGR):

• CSIR- Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT) has developed and patented a high-rate biomethanation technology known as AGR for the generation of biogas and bio manure from organic solid waste like poultry litter, food waste, press mud, cattle manure, Organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW), sewage sludge etc.

RENEU Technology:

• CSIR- National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) has developed this technology for the construction of wetlands that are sustainable wastewater treatment processes. Restoration of Nallah with Ecological Units (RENEU) was successfully implemented as a part of the National Mission to keep the Ganges clean for the pilgrims during the holy festival.

Drishti Transmissometer:

• CSIR-NAL has developed and transferred the technology of Drishti Transmissometer that has been deployed in many airports in India. The transmissometer is a visibility measuring system, useful for safe airport operations and landings.

Head-Up Display:

• A transfer agreement for the manufacturing of a new variant of Head-Up Display (HUD) for the Tejas Fighter Aircraft for commercial production has been signed between CSIR-Central Scientific Instruments Organisation (CSIO), Chandigarh and Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL).

Bharatiya Nirdeshak Dravya:

• Bharatiya Nirdeshak Dravya (BND 420) is India’s first home-grown high purity gold reference standard developed through a collaboration among the India Government Mint (IGM), Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), CSIR-NPL and National Centre for Compositional Characterisation of Materials.

Shale Gas:

• CSIR-CIMFR has discovered shale gas in two areas in the Gondwana basin in Central India and Godavari basin. The total shale gas discovered so far in the country in these two basins is estimated to be about 63 trillion Cubic Feet (TCF).
• It is considered as one of the best sources of non-conventional natural gas.

Portable Reading Machine (PRM):

• A reading device developed by CSIR-CSIO helps the visually impaired by reading the text aloud. The advanced reading machine named “Divya Nayan” is a stand-alone, PRM.

Dimethyl Ether:

• CSIR-NCL has set-up an indigenous process technology to create Dimethyl Ether (DME) from
• DME is a clean fuel with potential to replace diesel and will be a non-fossil additive to LPG gas. This will also help the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana program, by reducing LPG imports.

Earthquake Warning System:

• A first-of-its-kind earthquake warning system has been developed by CSIR-CSIO. The system can sense tremors, record them and generate an SMS to the concerned action points, in real-time.

Sindhu Sadhana:

• The first indigenously built research vessel Sindhu Sadhana to gather samples for genome mapping of microorganisms in the Indian Ocean.
• To understand the biochemistry and the response of the ocean to climate change, nutrient stress and increasing pollution.

Green Crackers:

• CSIR-NEERI developed Green Crackers in a bid to curb air pollution. A green logo and QR coding system were also launched to track manufacture & sale of counterfeit crackers.

Heeng Cultivation:

• For the first time, CSIR- Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology (IHBT) introduced asafoetida (Heeng) cultivation in the Indian Himalayan region.

Kisan Sabha App:

• Kisan Sabha App has been developed by CSIR- Central Road Research Institute (CRRI) to connect farmers to the supply chain and freight transportation management system.
• This portal acts as a one-stop solution for farmers, transporters, and other entities engaged in the agriculture Industry.

Ksheer Scanner:

• CSIR has developed a low-cost and portable Ksheer Scanner, a technology to detect adulterated milk.

Rice Variety:

• CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Rice Research at Hyderabad has released a new variety of rice that resists pests and is also beneficial for those with diabetes.
• The new Improved Samba Masuri (ISM) rice variety is resistant to Bacterial Blight (BB).

JIGYASA:

• It is one of the major initiatives taken up by CSIR at national level to widen and deepen CSIR’s Scientific Social Responsibility (SSR) by connecting school students to scientists at CSIR.

Purple Revolution:

• CSIR enabled the famed Purple Revolution by introducing Lavender Cultivation in J&K benefiting farming families. India from being one of the importers of Lemongrass essential oil a few years back, now becomes one of the largest exporters in the world.
• Indigenous development of Tulip bulb production under the Floriculture mission helped reduce the import of planting material.

Gaon Ka Pani Gaon Mein:

• CSIR has led a Mission mode project for developing Village Level Water Management (VLWM) Plans for augmenting water resources in selected villages.
• Mission on High-Resolution Aquifer Mapping & Management in Arid Regions of North-Western India has also been launched and implemented in association with the Ministry of Jal Shakti under Jal Jeevan Mission.

India’s First Indigenously Developed Hydrogen Fuel Cell Bus:

• The bus uses hydrogen fuel cells and air to generate electricity for power and can run for 600 km without stopping. The only emission from the bus is water, thus making it the most environment friendly mode of transportation.

Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL):

• Recently, the Cabinet approved widening access of the TKDL database to users, besides patent offices, The opening up of the TKDL database to users will drive research & development, and innovation based on India’s valued heritage across diverse fields.

Steel Slag Roads:

• CSIR developed the steel slag valorisation technology to convert waste steel slag as road-making aggregates. Processed steel slag aggregates as developed through waste steel slag have been successfully utilized in the construction of India’s First Steel Slag Road in Surat.

Maiden Flight of HANSA NG:

• CSIR-NAL designed and developed Hansa NG aircraft which is an all composite two seat light trainer aircraft to be used as an ab-initio flying training aircraft for the flying clubs in India, with significant modifications on Hansa 3 aircraft to make it more useful as a trainer aircraft.
• HANSA-NG is an upgraded version of HANSA, which saw the first flight in 1993, and was certified in 2000.

3D-Printed Patient-Specific Medical Implants:

• CSIR-CSIO developed a technology for manufacturing patient-specific medical implants for several human body parts. The technology has been transferred to industry for commercial production and marketing of the product.

Connect Global Indian Scientific Community on Digital Mode:

• CSIR has developed a virtual platform – PRABHASS (Pravasi Bharatiya Academic and Scientific Sampark) Portal to connect with the global Indian S&T Diaspora for jointly addressing societal challenges/ problems.

CSIR ‘Skill India Initiative’:

• This initiative aims to equip young minds with the necessary technological skills through exposure to CSIR labs. More than 2 lakh people have been trained under the initiative.

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 2

Why in News?

Hunger has remained grisly in several parts of the world including India in 2022, so much so that the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) called 2022 ‘The year of Unprecedented Hunger’.

• According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), about 307 crore people worldwide could not afford a healthy diet in 2020. India is home to almost a third of this global population.

What are the Highlights from Various Reports?

World Food Programme:

• The number of people facing acute food insecurity has almost tripled since 2019 and as many as 828 million people go to bed hungry every night, according to WFP (World Food Programme).
• Food security shot past pre-pandemic levels, especially in war-torn places and those wrecked by climate disasters.

The Future of Food and Agriculture by FAO:

• According to FAO’s report Future of Food and Agriculture — Drivers and triggers for transformation, the world will witness persistent food insecurity if agrifood systems remain the same.
• The world will witness persistent food insecurity, degrading resources and unsustainable economic growth in the future if agrifood systems remain the same.
• The world was “tremendously off track” to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), including agrifood targets.
• By 2050, there will be 10 billion people in the world to feed and this will be an unprecedented challenge if significant attempts are not made to reverse current trends.

Global Hunger Index (GHI):

• India ranked an abysmal 107 out of 121 countries on the Global Hunger Index (GHI) 2022.
• Among the South Asian countries, India (107) is ranked below Sri Lanka (64), Nepal (81), Bangladesh (84), and Pakistan (99).
• Globally, the progress against hunger has largely stagnated in recent years, with a global score of 18.2 in 2022 as compared to 19.1 in 2014, there is only a slight improvement. However, the 2022 GHI score is still considered “moderate”.

State Food Security Index (SFSI) by FSSAI:

• Tamil Nadu scored the highest among major states on all indicators, followed by Gujarat and Maharashtra.
• Tamil Nadu scored a total of 82.5 points on a scale of 100 where the indicators included human resource and institutional data, compliance, food testing infrastructure and surveillance, training and capacity building and lastly, consumer empowerment.
• Among Union Territories (UT), Jammu and Kashmir topped the list, performing better than the national capital with a score of 68.5, followed by National Capital Territory of Delhi (66) and Chandigarh (58).

Promises and Reality Report:

• More than 90 million eligible people have been excluded from legal entitlements under the Targeted Public Distribution System (TDPS), India’s tool to combat food insecurity.
• The Census of India 2011 remains the source of data for arriving at the number of people to be covered by the scheme. As a consequence, subsequent years have seen the exclusion of a large chunk of the population.
• This in-built fallacy in the legal framework led to exclusion of at least 12% of the population from the legal entitlements in the most legitimised way.

What are the Suggestions given by the Various Reports?

Systemic Policy Changes:

• Systemic policy changes and global concerted efforts are necessary to alleviate the condition of these people and meet the UN-mandated Sustainable Development Goal of ‘Zero Hunger’ by 2030.

Sustainable Agricultural Systems:

• With the rapid growth of the human population, our demand for food has also risen.
• Agricultural systems will need to produce more food in a sustainable manner in the future to cope with this.

Population Decline of Insects:

• Without an abundance of insect pollinators, humans face the mind-boggling challenge of growing food and other agricultural products at scale.
• Insects are important because of their diversity, ecological role and influence on agriculture, human health and natural resources.
• They create the biological foundation for all terrestrial ecosystems, further, they cycle nutrients, pollinate plants, disperse seeds, maintain soil structure and fertility, control populations of other organisms and provide a major food source for other taxa.

Think Beyond Short Term Needs:

• Decision makers need to think beyond short-term needs. A lack of vision, piecemeal approaches and quick fixes will come at a high cost for everyone
• There is an urgent need to change course so that a more sustainable and resilient future for agrifood systems is created.

Viewing Nutrition Through Different Lenses:

• Better nutrition involves more than just food, it includes health, water, sanitation, gender perspectives, and social norms. Therefore, there is a need to look forward to comprehensive policy to fill the nutritional gap.

Bringing Social Audit Mechanism:

• States and Union Territories should compulsorily carry out the social audit of the mid-day meal scheme in every district, with the help of local authorities and simultaneously work on nutritional awareness.
• Use of information technology to improve program monitoring can be thought of too.

Re-orienting PDS:

• There is a need to be re-orient and an up-scale Public Distribution System to make it more transparent and reliable and ensure availability, accessibility and affordability of nutritious food, also making a positive impact on the purchasing power of the lower socio-economic segment of the population

Women-led SDG Mission:

• There is a need to redesign existing direct nutrition programs and linking it with women’s self-help groups can make India realise the Sustainable Development Goal- 2 to end hunger and all forms of malnutrition by 2030.

Reducing Waste, Reducing Hunger:

• India wastes about 7% of its total annual food production and almost 30% of the fruits and vegetables because of inadequate warehousing facilities and cold storages.
• According to the International Institute of Refrigeration, if developing countries had the same level of refrigeration infrastructure as developed countries, they would save 200 million tonnes of food or around 14% of their food supply, which can help in tackling hunger and malnutrition.

What are India’s Initiatives to Eradicate Hunger/Malnutrition?

• Eat Right India Movement
• POSHAN Abhiyan
• Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana
• Food Fortification
• National Food Security Act, 2013
• Mission Indradhanush
• Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Scheme
• Amendments in the Essential Commodities Act, 1955
• Make India Trans Fat free.
• International Year of Millets.
• Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY).

Question For Practice

Q.1 In what way could replacement of price subsidy with Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) change the scenario of subsidies in India? Discuss. (UPSC 2015)

Q.2 What are the salient features of the National Food Security Act, 2013? How has the Food Security Bill helped in eliminating hunger and malnutrition in India? (2021)

Q.3 What are the major challenges of Public Distribution System (PDS) in India? How can it be made effective and transparent? (UPSC 2022)

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 2

Why in News?

Recently, the year-end-review of the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation under the Ministry of Jal Shakti, Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) & Swachh Bharat Mission – Grameen (SBM – G) for the year 2022 was released.

What are the Key Achievements of the JJM?

• Coverage Under Jal Jeevan Mission: 
  • As on 21st December 2022, under the Jal Jeevan Mission, more than 10.76 Crore (55.62 %) of rural households are being provided with tap water connection in adequate quantity, of prescribed quality on a regular basis.
  • Four States namely Goa, Telangana, Gujarat, and Haryana and 3 Union Territories of Puducherry, Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Andaman & Nicobar Islands, reported as “Har Ghar Jal”, i.e. Every rural household has provision of tap water supply.
  • Goa becomes the First ‘Har Ghar Jal’ Certified State & Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu becomes the First ‘Har Ghar Jal’ Certified Union Territory (UT) in India in August, 2022.
  • Burhanpur District of Madhya Pradesh becomes the first ‘Har Ghar Jal’ certified district in India in July, 2022.
  • Har Ghar Jal Certification: 
• Once a village is declared as “Har Ghar Jal”, the Gram Panchayat of that village conducts a special Gram Sabha and passes a resolution with the concurrence of all the village members that all the households, schools, Anganwadi, and public institutions in their village have functional tap connection and thus declare themselves as “Har Ghar Jal Certified”.

Coverage of Potable Tap Water to JE-AES Affected Districts:

• The government of India accords priority to Japanese Encephalitis (JE)-Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) affected Districts to ensure potable tap water supply in all the households under Jal Jeevan Mission.
• In 61 districts affected with JE/AES across 5 states, tap water connection increased from 8 lakh (2.69%) to 147.14 lakh (49.29%) households, resulting in improvement in the health profile of the rural population of these areas.

Status of Water Quality Monitoring and Surveillance:

• There are a total of 2,074 water testing laboratories in the country. Of these, 1,005 are National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL)

Implementation Support Agencies (ISAs):

• The States/ UTs are extending support to the Panchayats by engaging Implementation Support Agencies (ISAs) to facilitate constitution of Village Water Sanitation Committee (VWSC), under participatory rural appraisal for community mobilization, support in preparing Village Action Plan and carry out activities post infrastructure construction.
• About 14 thousand ISAs have been engaged, which are actively working in the field.

National WASH Expert:

• National Centre for Drinking Water, Sanitation, and Quality has been entrusted with the task of empanelment and deployment of National WASH Experts for ground truthing and technical assistance to States in the implementation of the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM).
• During 2022, 62 teams have visited around 1,035 villages for ground truthing of the implementation work done under JJM.

Use of Technologies for Drinking Water Supply and Water Quality:

• JJM focuses on various technologies for the community-led implementation of:
• Source sustainability measures such as aquifer recharge, rainwater harvesting, increased storage capacity of water bodies, reservoirs, desilting, etc. to improve the lifespan of water supply systems.
• Technologies like Internet of Things (IoT) for Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA), remote sensing, and design software have been used in building climate resilience through water accounting, water quality control, water use efficiency, water resource planning, and impact assessment.

Grievance Redressal Mechanism:

• Grievance Redressal Cell has been constituted in the Department to address the grievances related to the water supply. People are lodging their complaint through the Centralized Public grievances Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS).

Jeevan Survekshan (JJS) Toolkit:

• The Vice President of India launched ‘Jal Jeevan Survekshan’ toolkit and dashboard on 21st October, 2022.
• The purpose of Jal Jeevan Survekshan 2023 is to incentivize States/ Districts functionaries to strive for better performances and improved water service delivery in rural areas.

What are the Key Achievements of Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen)?

About SBM (G):

• Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen), a Centrally Sponsored Scheme, was launched by Prime Minister 2nd October, 2014, with the main aim to make the country Open Defecation Free (ODF) by 2nd October, 2019, the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, by providing access to toilets to all the rural households in the country.
• All the villages in the country had declared themselves ODF by 2nd October, 2019.

Achievements:

• Around 25 lakhs villages declared Open Defecation Free (ODF) Plus between 1st January, 2022 to 20th December, 2022.
• To prioritize Liquid Waste Management “Sujlam” campaign was launched.
• Under Sujlam 1.0 and Sujlam 2.0 campaigns, more than 23 lakh soak pits were constructed.
• Under the “GOBARdhan” initiative of SBM(G), 96 community/cluster level Biogas Plants have been established since January 2022.
• GOBARdhan’s objective is to ensure cleanliness in villages and generate wealth and energy by converting bio-waste including animal waste, agri-residue into bio-slurry and biogas and to improve the lives of villagers.
• The Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS) is also coordinating the implementation of GOBARdhan: Waste to Wealth initiative involving various Departments/ Ministries to provide an enabling environment for the Biogas/Compressed Biogas (CBG) sector.

Retrofit to Twin Pit Abhiyan:

• Retrofit to Twin Pit Abhiyan was launched by Union Minister of Jal Shakti on 2nd October 2022.
• The campaign will promote the safe disposal of faecal sludge through a simple on-site methodology of retrofitting single pit toilet to twin pit toilet.
• During the first phase of the Campaign from 2nd October – 19th November 2022, States have completed the baseline assessment of 97% villages.

Swachh Survekshan Grameen 2023 (SSG 2023):

• DDWS has launched Swachh Survekshan Grameen (SSG) 2023 on 2nd November 2022 with an objective to create healthy competition amongst States, Districts and Gram Panchayats and to ascertain progress of SBM-G Phase II.
• Under SSG 2023, assessment will be undertaken at Gram Panchayat and District level.
• To make SSG 2023 more participatory, Gram Panchayats will undertake village self-assessment on ODF Plus parameters

Question For Practice

1. “To ensure effective implementation of policies addressing the water, sanitation and hygiene needs the identification of the beneficiary segments is to be synchronized with anticipated outcomes.” Examine the statement in the context of the WASH scheme. (150 words) (UPSC 2017)

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 2

Why in News?

Pushpa Kamal Dahal “Prachanda” was sworn in as Nepal’s new Prime Minister.

• It is believed that Deuba’s predecessor – KP Sharma Oli was pro-China, and the coming together of Communist forces is a turning back of the clock for India.
• After the bitterness in ties during Oli’s terms in office from 2015-2016 and 2018-2021, India-Nepal relations had improved after Deuba became PM in 2021.

What are the Areas of Cooperation Between the Two Countries?

Trade and Economy:

• India remains Nepal’s largest trade partner, with bilateral trade crossing USD 7 billion in FY 2019-20.
• India provides transit for almost the entire third country trade of Nepal.
• Indian firms are among the largest investors in Nepal, accounting for more than 33% of the total Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) stock in Nepal, worth nearly USD 500 million.

Connectivity:

• Nepal being a landlocked country is surrounded by India from three sides and one side is open towards Tibet which has very limited vehicular access.
• India-Nepal has undertaken various connectivity programs to enhance people-to-people linkages and promote economic growth and development.
• India is looking to develop the inland waterways for the movement of cargo, within the framework of trade and transit arrangements, providing additional access to sea for Nepal calling it linking Sagarmatha (Mt. Everest) with Sagar (Indian Ocean).

Defence Cooperation:

• Bilateral defence cooperation includes assistance to the Nepalese Army in its modernisation through the provision of equipment and training.
• The Gorkha Regiments of the Indian Army are raised partly by recruitment from hill districts of Nepal.
• India from 2011, every year undertakes a joint military exercise with Nepal known as Surya Kiran.

Humanitarian Assistance:

• Nepal lies in the sensitive ecological fragile zone which is prone to earthquakes and floods causing massive damage to both life and money, whereby it remains the biggest recipient of India’s humanitarian assistance.

Multilateral Partnership:

• India and Nepal share multiple multilateral forums such as BBIN (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, and Nepal), BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation), Non Aligned Movement, and SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) etc.

What are the Challenges?

Territorial Disputes:

• One of the main challenges in the Indo-Nepal ties is the Kalapani boundary issue. These boundaries had been fixed in 1816 by the British, and India inherited the areas over which the British had exercised territorial control in 1947.

Issues with Peace and Friendship Treaty:

• The 1950 Treaty of Peace and Friendship was sought by the Nepali authorities in 1949 to continue the special links they had with British India and to provide them an open border and the right to work in India.
• But today, it is viewed as a sign of an unequal relationship, and an Indian imposition.

China’s Intervention:

• In recent years, Nepal has drifted away from India’s influence, and China has gradually filled the space with investments, aid and loans.
• China considers Nepal a key partner in its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and wants to invest in Nepal’s infrastructure as part of its grand plans to boost global trade

Internal Security:

• It is a major concern for India as the Indo-Nepal border is virtually open and lightly policed which is exploited by terrorist outfits and insurgent groups from North Eastern part of India e.g., supply of trained cadres, fake Indian currency.

Way Forward

• The need today is to avoid rhetoric on territorial nationalism and lay the groundwork for quiet dialogue where both sides display sensitivity as they explore what is feasible. India needs to be a sensitive and generous partner for the neighbourhood first policy to take root.
• India should engage more proactively with Nepal in terms of people-to-people engagement, bureaucratic engagement as well as political interactions.
• The Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (BIPPA) signed between India and Nepal needs more attention from Nepal’s side.

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 3

Why in News?

The Indian economy is projected to record relatively healthy Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth of 6.9% in 2022-23 and inflation has started moderating.

• In 2020, the main event was the nationwide lockdown in the wake of the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic that determined the shape of India’s economy.
• In 2021, it was the vicious second wave of Covid that shaped our economy and recovery.
• In 2022, it was Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that largely determined the fate of India’s economy.
• As a result, issues such as inflation, rupee’s exchange rate and India’s forex reserves dominated more than the routine concerns about GDP growth.

What are the Recap Highlights?

 Inflation:

• Headline Retail inflation was already above 6% when 2022 started.
• The inflation situation flared up after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
• In April 2022, retail inflation hit an eight-year high. By the time RBI decided to raise Repo Rates in a hurriedly convened MPC (Monetary Policy Committee) meeting in May 2022.
• The US and the actions of the US Federal Reserve were cited as prime factors for global inflation.

Rupee’s Exchange Rate and Forex Reserves:

• Many of India’s macroeconomic indicators started getting adversely affected because of higher crude oil prices.
• Trade deficits started rising as the financial year started and there were concerns about India’s Current Account Deficit (CAD), Forex Reserves and Balance of Payment.
• Eventually, the rupee hit the politically sensitive 80-to-a-dollar mark. But the rupee was not the only currency losing ground against the dollar. Dollar had risen against the euro to achieve parity.

All-round Monetary Tightening:

• By the middle of the year, central banks across the world started raising interest rates in order to reduce liquidity and contain inflation.

GDP Growth Slides:

• India had grown by almost 9% in the previous financial year (2021-22) that ended in March 2022.
• In September 2022 India had overtaken the UK to become the world’s 5th largest economy.
• India’s growth rate is expected to slow down from almost 9% last financial year (2021-22) to under 7% in the current year (2022-23) and further to around 6% (or possibly lower) in the next financial year (2023-24).

Budget, Unemployment and Poverty:

• In the run-up to the Union Budget, the key concern was to figure out whether the government can come up with a plan to boost employment in the country. That’s because India had historically high levels of labour market stress even before Covid and the pandemic had just made matters worse.
• In the Budget 2022-23, Indian bet on significantly ramping up capital expenditure to start a virtuous cycle of growth.
• But experts argued that while this strategy had obvious benefits in normal times, India’s economy was still scarred by Covid and it was unclear if the Budget will do enough to boost employment.

How is the Global Economic Outlook for 2023?

Growth Forecast:

• In its ‘State of the Economy’ update, the Reserve Bank of India warned of “a darkening global outlook”, and emerging market economies (EMEs) appear to be “more vulnerable”.
• The expectation that global growth could average around 3% in 2022 seems to be a commendable achievement.

Inflation:

• Global food, energy and other commodity prices may have eased moderately over the past few months, but inflation continues to stay high.
• Global inflation, according to the IMF (International Monetary Fund), is forecast to decline from 8.8% in 2022 to 6.5% in 2023 to 4.1% by 2024 — still high by most yardsticks.
• The problem going into 2023 is the implications of stubbornly high inflation for the US Federal Reserve, especially the fact that the American labour market remains red hot, defying the impact of the Fed’s monetary tightening.

Impact of US Fed Rate Hikes:

• The difference between interest rates in the US and countries such as India widens every time the Fed raises policy rates, thus making the latter less attractive for the currency carry trade;
• Higher returns in US debt markets could trigger a churn in emerging market equities, tempering foreign investor enthusiasm.
• Currency markets would be potentially impacted by the outflow of funds to the US; sustained rate hikes by the Fed would also mean a lower impetus to growth in the US, which could be bad news for global growth, especially when China is facing a new Covid outbreak.

What are the Prospects of the Indian Economy 2023?

Positives:

• The near-term growth outlook for the Indian economy is supported by domestic drivers, some of which are reflected in the buoyant trends in high frequency indicators.
• There has been significant deleveraging over the last five years, with the corporate debt-to-GDP at its lowest in nearly a decade and a half, and bank books have shed much of the legacy bad loans.
• The lower the debt-to-GDP ratio, the more likely the country will pay back its debt and the lower its risk of default, which could cause financial stability in the domestic and international markets.
• Waning input cost pressures, surging corporate sales, and a turn-up in investments in fixed assets seem to be heralding the beginning of an upturn in the Capex Cycle, which could potentially contribute to a reboot of India’s growth momentum.
• Bank credit has been growing in double digits for eight months now, reflecting in part an uptick in investment appetite.
• The China-plus-one strategy being adopted by most multinational companies could be an opportunity, given that China is vacating large amounts of space in low-skilled, unskilled labour intensive manufacturing such as textiles, shoes, leather, and ceramics, and India has a chance to fill part of this vacuum.
• Agriculture has been a sustained driver for overall GDP growth, with the rabi outlook showing good prospects for wheat production with higher support prices, adequate reservoir levels, and climatic factors supporting higher acreage.

Negatives:

• The Ukraine war drags on, threatening an energy-linked downturn in the European Union, India’s biggest export market.
• The US continues to grapple with cooling inflation pressure, and a let-up in the Fed’s rate hikes is unlikely until well into the second half of the year.
• 2023 will see higher protectionism worldwide, greater fervour for de-globalisation, and more economic balkanisation: a worrying prospect for countries such as India that are keen to tap exports as a driver for growth.
• Given that no country in the world has grown at over 7% for a decade without strong export growth, the protectionist mood around the world is a major dampener for emerging economies.
• In India, manufacturing continues to be wobbly. Factory output, as measured by the Index of Industrial Production (IIP), slumped to a 26-month low in the festive month of October, 2022. Core sector growth for October was just 0.1%, the lowest for 20 months. That has led to a rapid downward revision of India’s growth projections by analysts for the next fiscal.
• Capacity utilisation — the ratio of actual output to the potential output that can be produced under normal conditions — has shown a minor uptick but continues to hover around the 75% mark.
• Unless this goes up on a sustained basis, private investments are unlikely to pick up perceptibly.
• There is continuing distress among the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) firms, reflecting the deep cleavages in industrial recovery where the bigger companies are doing far better than the smaller firms.
• Capital expenditure of the states has remained weak. Investments by states typically tend to have a higher multiplier effect.
• India’s significant dependence on imported energy, at 4% of the country’s GDP, is a challenge that shows up on the balance of payments side. A current account deficit of well over 3% is projected for FY23.
• The buoyancy in farm output notwithstanding, rural wages contracted for the ninth consecutive month in September, pointing to continuing distress in the hinterland.

Question For Practice

1. Do you agree with the view that steady GDP growth and low inflation have left the Indian economy in good shape? Give reasons in support of your arguments. (UPSC 2019)
2. Do you agree that the Indian economy has recently experienced V-shaped recovery? Give reasons in support of your answer. (UPSC 2021)

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 2

Why in News?

Recently, the President of India amended the regulations governing eSports and requested that the Sports Ministry and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology include “eSports in multi-sport events.”

• The President is empowered under Article 77 (3) of the Constitution to make rules for the more convenient transaction of the business of the Government of India, and for the allocation among Ministers of the said business.
• According to a gazette notification, E-Sports will now be a part of the “multisports event” category in India.

What is E-Sports?

About:

• Esports (Electronic Sports) is a competitive sport where gamers use their physical and mental abilities to compete in various games in a virtual, electronic environment.Example: Counter Strike, League of Legends, Overwatch, Fortnite, DOTA 2.
• There had been a growing demand for Esports to be included in the curriculum of multi-discipline events after it was included in the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games.
• This, however, boosted E-sport enthusiasts and has come as a shot in the arm for Esports enthusiasts in India.
• India won a bronze medal in 2018 Asian Games, where esports was included as a demonstration title.
• It has received its sporting recognition from the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which is the apex body of sports along with Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), Commonwealth Games etc.
• IOC organised Virtual Olympic Series (Esports Tournament), before the Tokyo Olympics 2020;
• Esports has been included in OCA events since 2007. Esports is a medal sports in Asian Games 2022.
• In a similar effort to popularise e-Sport, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has announced that Singapore will host the inaugural Olympic Esports Week in June, 2023.

Nodal Ministry:

• E-Sports will be taken care of by the Department of Sports under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.
• While ‘Online Gaming’ will be overseen by MEITY (Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology).

Recognition of E-Sport as a Sport:

• By now, countries such as the US, Finland, and even the somewhat reticent Germany have acknowledged esports as a sport.
• The very first few nations (along with South Korea) to recognise esports as a sport were China and South Africa. Russia, Italy, Denmark, and Nepal have also joined.
• Ukraine officially recognized esports as a sport in September of 2020.