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WHAT IS NUCLEAR MATERIALS SECURITY INDEX? ENUMERATE THE REASONS FOR INDIA’S LOW SCORE IN NMSI? GIVE YOUR SUGGESTIONS TO IMPROVE THE NUCLEAR SECURITY STATUS IN INDIA? [200 WORDS]
Model Answer:

What is Nuclear Threat Initiative?
• The Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization founded in the United States
• It exists to strengthen global security by reducing the spread of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons, and also to reduce the risk that they will actually be used.
India’s rank in NMSI
• In the 2014 Nuclear Threat Initiative’s Nuclear Materials Security Index released recently, India has been ranked 23rd out of 25 countries with weapons-usable nuclear materials.
• India has been ranked below its two nuclear-armed neighbours – Pakistan and China – in the list of countries with a weak nuclear material security in the world, according to a US-based think-tank.
Criteria
• Only 25 nations are included in this rating. Because only they fulfill the criteria of having one kilogram or more of these nuclear materials.

Nuclear security fund
• The NSF was established to support, amongst others things, the implementation of nuclear security activities to prevent, detect and respond to nuclear terrorism.
• The Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) said this improvement reflects India’s first contribution to the IAEA Nuclear Security Fund.

Factors contributing to India’s score
1. Weak regulations
2. Increasing the quantities of weapons – usable nuclear materials for both civilian and military use.
3. Gaps in regulatory structure
4. Lack of independent regulatory agency
5. High level of corruption

UNSC resolution 1540
• United Nations Security Council resolution 1540 was adopted unanimously on 28 April 2004 regarding the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction
• The resolution establishes the obligations under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter for all Member States to develop and enforce appropriate legal and regulatory measures against the proliferation of chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear weapons and their means of delivery, in particular, to prevent the spread of weapons of mass destruction to non-state actors.
• In comparing both countries, India scored higher than China on the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1540 related to nuclear security issues.
Comparing India with China
• China, however, scored higher in a number of areas, including: the existence of an independent regulatory agency; having invited a peer review of its nuclear security arrangements; and having strong regulations for control and accounting of materials.

Why Pakistan received better score than India
• Pakistan improved its score by publishing new regulations for the physical protection of nuclear facilities.
• In comparing both countries, India scored higher than Pakistan on international legal commitments because India has adopted all of the relevant treaties whereas Pakistan has not.
• Pakistan, however, scored higher in a number of areas, including: the existence of an independent regulatory agency; having invited peer review of its nuclear security arrangements; and having security and other personnel with access to nuclear materials subjected to additional vetting.
• In addition, Pakistan has an operational Center of Excellence (COE), whereas the foundation stone for India’s COE, the Global Center for Nuclear Energy Partnership, was laid on January 3, 2014

What India needs to do to improve NTI score
• NTI recommended that India’s nuclear materials security conditions could be improved by strengthening its laws and regulations for mitigating the insider threat, for the control and accounting of nuclear materials, and for the physical security of materials during transport
• India’s existing regulations could be strengthened by taking a more prescriptive approach to security measures, as most countries already do, rather than simply recommending security measures
• India’s nuclear materials security conditions could also be improved by completing the establishment of an independent nuclear regulatory agency, in fullfilment of a commitment made at the 2012 Nuclear Security Summit.

50. BRIEFLY DESCRIBE THE RECENT STRUCTURAL CHANGES PROPOSED IN EUROPEAN BANKING SYSTEM WITH REGARD TO TBTF BANKS? [200 WORDS]

Model Answer:
Introduction
• The idea that a business has become so large and ingrained in the economy that a government will provide assistance to prevent its failure.
• “Too big to fail” describes the belief that if an enormous company fails, it will have a disastrous ripple effect throughout the economy.

CONCEPT OF T.B.T.F BANKS CONCEPT IN INDIA & ITS SIGNIFICANCE
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) plans to introduce increased capital requirements by 2016 for banks regarded as too big to fail, and make them subject to greater regulatory oversight. [ december 2013]
• Large banks such as the State Bank of India, ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, Canara Bank and Punjab National Bank were likely to fall under this category of systemically important banks (D-SIBs) or too large to fail.
• The Reserve Bank of India released draft rules planning to introduce increased capital requirements by 2016 for banks regarded as too big to fail and make them subject to greater regulatory oversight.
• Banks classified under this category would be required to hold additional capital that would begin from April 2016 and would be implemented in phases until 2019.
• The names of banks classified as D-SIBs would be disclosed in August every year, starting from 2015
• Banks with size of more than 2 percent of GDP will be selected in the sample of banks
• Banks classified as systemically important will be required to hold additional capital in the range of 0.2 percent to 1 percent of their risk weighted assets, according to the central bank proposals.
• The banks designated as D-SIBs will be subjected to more intense supervision in the form of higher frequency and higher intensity of off- and on-site monitoring

Why recently in news
• The EU unveiled long-awaited plans to rein in the “too-big-to-fail” banks Wednesday in what the bloc said was the final step towards preventing a repetition of the 2008 banking crisis.
• France and Germany have warned against going too far with the reforms, saying national laws may be better and that too much meddling will hurt the fragile economic recovery.
• The EU’s proposals would stop the biggest banks from engaging in “proprietary trading” — trading with their own money for their own gain, as opposed for their clients.
• They would also give EU banking supervisors the power to make big banks hive off high-risk activities — such as complex derivatives of the kind that led the banking sector into crisis in the first place — if they were seen as compromising financial stability.

Why C. Asian region relevant? What is current geopolitics of this region? What is current geopolitics of this region? What is strategic significance of India’s ties with Central Asia?

Model Answer:
India and Central Asia shared a long history and relationship marked by oppression and even genocidal levels of violence. Close trade and cultural linkage between them, traced to Indus valley civilization. India among first countries to recognized CARs (Central Asian Republic) and open embassy in Tashkent, Uzbekistan just in 3 months of Soviet dissolution.

Current Geopolitics of Central Asia:-
Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan are landlocked nations. They do not have complete control over the utilization of their natural resources, as they are forced to ship their oil and gas via pipelines that run through other countries in order to reach the global market. Whoever controls the pipelines controls the energy they contain, which is vital to a country’s economy and even military strength, as modern militaries, with aircraft, armoured vehicles, and gas powered ships are reliant an oil. The struggle for control of these pipelines is now being waged, quietly but surely, between many countries including Russia, China, Iran and the United States.
Strategic significance of India’s ties with C.Asia:
In spite of India’s limited trade and few ITEC (Indian Technical and Economic Corporation) and less than $800 million (U.S) trade between India and Central Asia in 2012-13, but due to reason ‘s strategic importance for India on several forts:- 1) Energy requirement .( 2) CAR’s Proximity to Afghans increased China presence. (3) Support for UNSC and SCO.
India unveiled its strategic roadmap- The ‘Connect Central Asia’ policy in 2012 and envisions:
1) agrarian assistance.
2) Closer military ties infrastructure development.
3) Use of India’s IT knowledge.
4) Building for hospitals and established Central Asia e-Network.
The foreign trade policy (2015-20) has highlighted the importance of The International North-South transport corridor (INSTC) in expanding India’s trade and investment links with Central Asia. The INSTC is Multi-model trade transport network that includes rail, road and water transport from Mumbai via Bandar Abbas in Iran to Moscow in Russia.
But key-aspect of its success is development of Afghanistan as a hub of transport and developed Iran’s chabahar port(TAPI Pipeline-PROJECT) will served as a potential entry into Central Asia.

Conclusion: The rising importance of this region has been due to region’s strategic importance for India on several fronts: India’s pressing energy requirements, and an increased Chinese presence in the region.
Add these also which will make the answer complete :
Relevance of central Asian countries-
Economic worth-
Central aisa owes its significance to its vast economic potential and its geo-strategic location and is fast becoming an economic center of the world. The region has a strategic location at the crossroads of Asia, Europe, the Persian Gulf, the Middle East, and the Far East; surrounded by some of the fastest growing economies in the world including China, Russia and India who are not only investing in the region but are competing for the leading role. From 2000 to 2009, foreign direct investment flows into Central Asia increased nine folds; while the region’s gross domestic product grew on average by 8.2% annually.
• Kazakhastan ranked 6th in the world in terms of natural resource reserves.
Iron and steel reserves
Producer of high quality cotton
• Turkmenistan world’s 4th largest gas reserves
• Uzbekistan Best cotton in the world
• Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan not endowed with great hydrocarbon resources, have water wealth instead which is source of power of production.
Potential for production and export of Al.

Geostrategic Worth-
• Central Asia borders two of the permanent members of the Security Council in Russia and China which are powerful nations. it provide avenues of trade and diplomatic depth for the Central Asian Republics. Being at the centre it is the gateway to the whole of asia. It connects Afghanistan through a narrow road from kushka,Caspian sea facilitate relations with the Caucasus, iran and Russia and connects further west through Volga –don waterway canal.it was also part of the old silk road.

Current geopolitics of central asian region-
As the region is land locked, its-trade, economics and polity totally depends upon its neighbours. Apart from interests in energy resources, Russia is also trying to have its political influence for security reasons so that Russia can be safe along both black sea and and its southern frontier.
Us and EU,though not as active as other neighbouring countries,are trying to have their strategic presence here to contain Russia and iran.they also indulge in exploitation of hydrocarbons from Caspian sea.
Chinese interest in this region are due to its growing need for oil and natural gas. China is trying to create a traditional ‘vassal’ relationship with CARs through investment ,trade , and military cooperation.

Strategic significance of india’s ties with central asia-
India’s strategic approach lies in the development of strong ties with the countries of Central Asia along the energy and security vectors. some of the areas in central asia in which india has shown interest are-
Energy security-
Currently India is dependent on west asia for its oil import through strait of hormuz. With the ongoing conflicts in the region and to diversify its sources, it needs to focus on central asia. This can be supported by the facts that
• Over the past decade, India’s state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) has sought to invest in Kazakhstan.
• The Indian government has been engaged in protracted negotiations regarding the
1680 km-long Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline which is intended to transport 30 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas from natural gas fields in Turkmenistan via Afghanistan
and Pakistan to India.

National security
India’s security depends upon satability in this region.militant groups such as IMU have links with Taliban and Pakistan. Any disturbance in the region will have impact on kasmir issue and subsequently on the whole of India.this region is also vulnerable for drug trafficking which is used to raise money for funding the several terrorist outfits. To secure its national interests india has-
• acquired foreign military outpost in Tajikistanand began to refurbish the airbase at Ayni in2004
• India did join the multilateral SCO as an Observer in 2005, and it aspires to become a full member. The SCO is one of the most prominent multilateral bodies with regard to Central Asia.

Commercial security-

• Indian tea and pharmaceutical industries have already acquired a foothold in the Central Asian market, while potential for Indian investment and expertise has been identified in the areas of IT, banking, construction, and food processing. There is also scope for India to assist Central Asian states in developing small and medium-scale enterprises.

Thus, India and Central Asia are strategic neighbours and natural allies. . To carry forward and strengthen india’s relation with central asia mr. Modi has visited central asia in july 2015.

What is the significance of ISRO's launch of ASTROSAT Satellite? Critically comment on ISRO participation in such commercial ventures?

Model Answer:
What is ASTROSAT?
The 1500-kg ASTROSAT is a multi-wavelength astronomy mission on an Indian Remote Sensing (IRS)-class satellite. It was launched by PSLV-C30 on September 28, 2015. The expected operating life time of the satellite will be more than five years. It is carrying five payloads including ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (UVIT).

Features of Astrosat
Ø It can make observations in different wavelength like ultraviolet, optical, visible, low and X-ray simultaneously.
Ø It will study stars, quasars, pulsars, supernova remnants, black holes and active galactic nuclei.
Ø It carries five experimental payloads: 1)three Large Area X-Ray Proportional Counters (LAXPCs) for X-ray timing studies, 2) Soft
X-Ray Telescope 3)two ultraviolet imaging telescope, 4) hard X-ray new technology imaging detector, and 5) Scanning Sky monitor to monitor and detect bright objects
Ø The instruments are co-aligned.

Objectives are:
• Understand high-energy processes in binary systems
• Search for black hole sources in the galaxy
• Measure magnetic fields of neutron stars
• Study high-energy processes in extra-galactic systems
• Detect new transient X-ray sources
• Perform limited high angular-resolution deep field survey in UV
1)Astrosat, weighing about 1.5 tonnes will be launched by PSLV-XL in a 650 km high near equitorial orbit with a 6°inclination.
2)it carries 5 experimental payloads
a)3 large area x ray proportional counters (LAXPCS)for x-ray timing studies.
b)the soft x ray telescope
c)2uv visible telescopes.
d)cadmium -zinc -telluride imager (CZTI)
e)scanning sky monitor (SSM)
3)the expected life of Astrosat is 5 years.
4 )Astrosat is fitted with x-ray telescope, far uv telescopes etc meant for studying celestial objects.

What is significance of ASTROSAT?
 ASTROSAT launch heralds a new era in which India will cease to be regarded only as provider of scientific talent and cheap launch services to the world's space efforts, but to become a scientific partner and contributor to humanity understanding of universe (unlike previous satellite launches which were predominantly technology demonstration projects, e.g. Chandrayan, Mangalyan).
 ASTROSAT will observe the universe in optical, ultraviolet low and high energy X-ray regions of the electromagnetic spectrum, while most other satellites are capable of observing a narrow range of wavelength band.
 It will increase India’s self-reliance as there is no need of other’s country satellites to collect data for research work.
 Indian ground-based telescopes (like IAO in Ladakh) and ASTROSAT (the space based observatory) will complement each other in high-energy astrophysics research work.
 It is for the first time that a majority of instruments (payloads) of any satellite had come from outside ISRO (1 from ISRO, 2 from Mumbai-based TIFR and 1 from Pune Astronomy University and last one from the IIA in Bangalore). ASTROSAT will present an ideal platform for researchers in these institutions.
 With its launch India has entered into group of few select countries (US, Japan, Russia and ESA) which have launched space observatory to study celestial objects.
Ø It will allow observations on a given celestial object and the associated astrophysical phenomena across different wavelengths to gain a total perspective of the dynamics involved.
Ø It is unique because, unlike similar missions in Europe and the U.S., it is a multi-wavelength platform, very high resolution UV observations, and high resolution timing studies and hence being considered as a potential world-class observatory.
Ø It promises to be a true astronomical observatory in the sky
Ø It is expected to make a significant and niche contribution to the important field of X-ray astronomy and the study of the X-ray universe.
1. Its importance is because of its wavelength coverage which will provide a complete picture of the space objects
2. Its a breakthrough for ISRO
3. Space based telescope provide much better information than ground based telescopes as there is no intervening path of light or wavelength that comes through
(A) The launch of the spacecraft will be especially beneficial for the Indian astronomical community, as it will reduce the community's dependence on data from external sources like the Hubble.
(B) The launch will also make India a member of the exclusive space club of countries with space observatories, which currently includes - U.S., Europe, Russia and Japan.
(C) It will mark India's significant and niche contribution to the important field of X-ray astronomy and the study of X-ray universe.
(D) The data received from this world-class observatory could foster greater coordination and cooperation between Indian and foreign scientists in the future.
As with the launch of MOM, the scheduled launch of Astrosat has yet again proved to the world, India's space capabilities.
1)It is significant because, unlike similar missions in Europe and U.S ,it will make observations of celestial objects in different wavelengths from a common platform which enables to give total perspective of the object under observation.
2)With in 1.5 tonne weight range it would be the world's best astronomical satellite. This image helps the Anthrix (commercial wing of ISRO)to undertake such projects from foreign countries and to gain foreign currency.
3)As it is space based it will give better information when compared to ground based observatories and strengthen india's security from air front.
4)It will be a milestone in indian space research which is thriving to explore the secrets of space.

What is the importance of ISRO’s participation on such commercial ventures?
Although there may not be any immediate social or commercial benefits from such commercial ventures but it can benefit India in future as
• They will fillip the global presence of ISRO, which can facilitate more commercial business for Antrix Corporation Ltd.
• They can enhance the FDI in R&D sector in India.
• The success of ISRO will also attract the new generation student to pursue scientific research as their career, which in turn further enhances India’s reputation internationally.
• #India's first space based multi wavelength astronomical satellite.
#Shows and confirms India's capability & technological advancement in space science.
#DEPENDENCY OF INDIA for data on external sources(Hubble) would be negated.
#ASTRONOMICAL STUDIES - Observation and study of stars, Planets,Solar system,Galaxies,Black holes,Nebulae,quasars and pulsars.
#Most of the astronomical objects emit radiations spanning the entire electromagnetic spectrum. Simultaneous recording of all the wavelengths and frequency through wide spectral coverage is a possibility now.Thus enables better and accurate & better understanding of cosmology and astronomy.

• CONCLUSION
Missions like MOM (Mars orbiter mission), Chandrayaan-1,IRNS(Indian Regional Navigation satellite system),Astrosat shows India's capabilities and efforts in the field of space science which would benefit both science and humanity.

Add from following articles:
http://thewire.in/2015/09/23/why-astrosat-is-not-indias-hubble-11421/
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/isro-launches-dedicated-astronomy-satellite-astrosat/article7697712.ece

The debate on Net Neutrality should also focus upon the accessibility of Internet by the poor sections of society which cannot afford the broadband services. Analyze in the light of Free Basics/ internet.org initiative by Facebook.

Model Answer:
WHAT IS NET NEUTRALITY & INTERNET.ORG?
• The principle that Internet service providers should enable access to all content and applications regardless of the source, and without favoring or blocking particular products or websites
• Internet.org is a partnership between Facebook and six companies that plans to bring affordable access to selected Internet services to less developed countries by increasing efficiency, and facilitating the development of new business models around the provision of Internet access. It has been criticized for violating Net neutrality.

WHAT ARE PROS OF INTERNE.ORG LIKE PLATFORM?
• Large coverage- 85% of Indian still can’t access the basic internet. Internet.org will help to connect remotest place & inaccessible part of India thus helping to empower” Digital India Campaign”.
• Economic Empowerment- People will be able to access useful content like weather forecasting, agro related news, various websites relating to agriculture & will be accessing various scheme like MNREGA, DBT, PDS.
• Social Empowerment- Through internet social difference, Ill practices like gender gap, dowry like issue will come down because a common person will be knowing about downside of these practices .In short, it will lead to societal equality.
• Helpful in E-governance- Through these kind of internet.org platforms govt. can extend its certain services like e-chuapal, e-mandi under National agriculture market (NAM) scheme, land digitization, Digital locker services .Thus GOI will be reducing corruption at various level by removing role of the middle man. Similarly banking service could be linked to poor through internet which will include financial inclusion of poor too.

What are cons of Internet.org?
• It has been criticized for violating net neutrality and favoring Facebook's own services over its rivals and providing only selective and regulated content to its users.
• Certain content providers will be allowed to provide content .Thus this is itself against the principle of innovation & equality. Internet can be exploited by the companies who have already setup their dominance and new startups would be unable to survive and grow.
• It has been criticized for violating net neutrality and favoring Facebook's own services over its rivals. An Indian journalist, in his reply to Mark Zuckerberg's article defending Internet.org in India, criticized Internet.org as "being just a Facebook proxy targeting India's poor" as it provides restricted Internet access to Reliance Telecom's subscribers in India. Until April 2015, Internet.org users could access (for free) only a few websites, and Facebook's role as gatekeeper in determining what websites were in that list was criticised for violating net neutrality. In May 2015, Facebook announced that the Internet.org Platform would be opened to websites that met its criteria.

CONCLUSION
• It should be understood that in time in present era of Digital world, there is still a large part of population which is inaccessible to basic internet & which could be benefited by providing basic internet. So Government should ensure & check that there will be level playing field for all content provider in this initiative Internet.org. So that millions of poor would be able to access basic internet facility. Internet.org is the first step towards universal connectivity, it may not be perfect but there is always scope for improvement.

What are the geo-political implications of the tensions in Korean peninsula for Asia and the world community?

Tensions in Korean peninsula
What?
• Tensions among Koreans once again rose high as Some light skirmishes took place along the DMZ (demilitarized zone).

Why?
• Korea which was a colony of JAPAN after its retreat(1945) was occupied by both USA and USSR and the land of Koreans became a victim of cold war politics thus dividing it into two regions with a controversial boundary line along the DMZ.
• POLITICAL:-
As the governments of both countries are reluctant to find a permanent solution and repeatedly violate commitments to resolve the dispute, the issues keeps on hanging with nations like US, Russia taking full advantage of it to fulfill its geopolitical, strategic interests.

IMPACT on Asia and World
• The tensions have proliferated a humanitarian crisis taking large toll of deaths and fear among people not only living in both countries but of diaspora of various countries of the world community living on Korean land.

How can the world Economy get affected?

• Ships entering and leaving east china sea, Japan sea, Yellow sea intending to trade face a threat because of the ongoing conflict which can have serious repercussions on many trading economies.
• Rising military expenditure, declining social expenditure declining investor confidence worsens economies not only on both countries but in turn affecting economy of Asia and ultimately world.
• The extraction of sizeable marine resources available in the region faces a constant threat.
• Strategic:-
Such conflicts create a feeling of insecurity among the neighboring nations and also creates geopolitical competition among the allies of the nations (in this case N & S Korea) what happened in the cold war( USA & USSR) period just like what is happening today in West Asia( Syria, Iraq).

• POLITICAL:-
1)Though this is a bilateral issue still it facilitates the need to be discussed multilaterally in Asian groupings like SAARC, ASEAN, etc.
• This issue also gives rise to a need to realign foreign policies of most stakeholder nations.
(INDIA in particular)
• International Institutions like UNSC, WTO, IMF should try to resolve this ‘regular conflict’ to build a ‘peaceful Asia’ integral to the development of world economy as a whole
40. Q. Discuss India's economic and defence relationship with Australia and its significance for India's ambitions in Asia Pacific region.

Model Answer: During Cold War, ideological differences kept India and Australia far apart. However, since 2006, existing economic security, people-to-people ties and Australia's strategic discovery of a shared-values partner in India, has brought the two countries closer.

Economic Relationship
1. Bilateral trades involving Australia exporting gold, coal, copper, LNG and uranium to India, while India exporting pearls, medical instruments, motor vehicle parts etc. Annual trade worth is nearly AU$16 billion
2. Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA), under progress, will strengthen bilateral trade and investment
3. Australia views India as a key strategic partner as the world economy becomes increasingly reliant on the Indian Ocean trade
4. Australia, accepting to become a long-term reliable supplier of Uranium to India with the signing of the Civil Nuclear Cooperation Agreement in 2014, is likely to increase cooperation between the two countries at the level of nuclear science and technology and India's energy demands
5. Indians migrating to Australia for higher studies and jobs and settling down there, contribute to India's remittances. Australia, in turn, makes up for its labour shortage. Services exports to India have also been growing rapidly with education leading from the front. Australia is now the 2nd biggest overseas education destination for Indian students
6. Increase of tourist traffic is increasing steadily in both countries. Indian tourist arrivals have also been on the rise contributing to Australia’s services exports to India.
7. Major IT companies are having an increasing presence in Australia
The Australian Trade Commission has embarked a very focused sector specific strategy to offer Australian technology, expertise & solutions for Indian businesses in the areas of Resources, Mining & Energy; Infrastructure; Building & Construction; Food & Beverage; Agri Business; ICT; Film, Media & Entertainment; Retail; Financial Services”

The Australian Trade Commission offers services for Indian businesses in identifying potential Australian business partners; sourcing Australian technology, products, services & expertise and in identifying Australian joint venture partners & investors.

(For more information, please visit www.utsavaustralia.in )

Defence Relationship
1. Framework for Security Cooperation has been formalised to facilitate greater defence interaction over time, such as :
 Joint naval cooperation to build a secure maritime environment in the strategic Indian Ocean ( e.g. the first Bilateral Maritime Exercise-Exercise AUSINDEX was held in Vishakhapatnam )
 Bilateral Air Force relationship
 Army staff talks and people-to-people links through personnel and training exchanges
2. MoU on Defence Cooperation has been signed, as well as a Joint Declaration on Security Co-operation, 2011.
3. Potential areas in maritime security include in naval exercises and training (such as use of the Australian Submarine Escape Training facility in Fremantle), greater cooperation in humanitarian and disaster relief operations and search and rescue, maritime border protection and maritime domain awareness.
4. There are also opportunities for greater cooperation between the Indian and Australian armies and air forces (reflecting the greater use of shared platforms).
5. Part of the framework for security co-operation includes annual Prime Ministerial meetings and joint maritime exercises. Areas of increased co-operation include counter-terrorism, border control and regional and international institutions

Significance for India's ambition in the Asia-Pacific region
1. Improved ties and cooperation with countries of Asia-Pacific like Australia will help India gather support for her candidature as permanent member of UNSC
2. With the shift of the centre of gravity to the Asia-Pacific region, India's role in shaping up political, economic, social, and security process in the region will raise her image as the next superpower
3. Indian Ocean is fast emerging as a competitive arena between India and China as India tries to retain its position as the dominant maritime power in what it views as its backyard. Australia, on the other hand, is wary of China trying to push the envelope in the South China Sea. So, bilateral ties help countering China's assertiveness
4. India's increased activity in the Asia-Pacific boosts policies such as the 'Act East Policy' , 'Make in India'
Should computer softwares be given patents? How does India’s patent law deal with this issue? Also examine latest developments in this regard.

Model Answer:
Software patents may be defined as patents on the performance of a computer realised by means of a computer programme. Patenting of software is not permitted in several jurisdictions due to following reasons:-
● Software patents encourage monopolization, restrict technological progress and massively enhance lists user,divert funds from R&D to litigation for licenses and sue innovative companies for various innovations.
● Massively enhance costs through creation of patent thickets
● Programmers generally, lack the resources to defend their trolls,this basically means a stunting of technological progress and innovation.
● Usually Mathematical models and computer programme are considered to be natural and hence can only be discovered not invented.As Mathematical models forms basis of software so patent protection cannt be extended to them.(Global Patent Principle).
● A program is the transcription of an algorithm in a programming language, and being every (Turing-complete) programming language equivalent to Church's lambda calculus by virtue of the Church-Turing thesis, a program is thus the transcription of a mathematical function. Since math is not patentable, neither is software.
● A patent thicket is a dense web of patents that companies must decipher in order to develop new technology. There are various types of patent thickets such as when a single innovation is protected by multiple patent holders or when a product is covered by numerous patents. The consequences of patent thickets are increased difficulty of innovation, cross-licensing relations between companies will be too complex, and it discourages newcomers to enter the software industry.
● Some scientific studies and expert reviews have concluded that patent systems paradoxically hinder technological progress and allows monopolies and powerful companies to exclude others from industrial science in a manner that is irreconcilable with anti-trust laws.
● Gary Becker, Nobel Prize–winning economist, argues, "Their exclusion from the patent system would discourage some software innovations, but the saving from litigation costs over disputed patent rights would more than compensate the economy for that cost.”
● Software programs are different than other electromechanical devices because they are designed solely in terms of their function. The inventor of a typical electromechanical device must design new physical features to qualify for a patent. On the other hand, a software developer need only design new functions to create a working embodiment of the program
● Software is a component of a machine. The computer’s hardware is generic; it performs functions that are common to all of the software that is capable of being executed on the computer. Each software program that is capable of executing on the computer is a component of the compute
● Computers "design" and build the structure of executable software. Thus, software developers do not design the executable software's physical structure because they merely provide the functional terms.
Patent examination is too slow
• For 2005, the projected average pendency for patent applications in the "Computer Architecture, Software & Information Security" department of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office was 3 and a half years.
• In Europe, the average time taken to grant a patent in any field of technology was almost 4 years in 2005,with the computer related fields probably[vague] being greater than the average.
• Software patents' usefulness as an information source is limited:
Some patent disclosures in the software field are not readable to some programmers; as a result, patents are rarely used as a source of technical information by software developers.

Whereas,countries like USA promote Software patents due to:-
● SP must be granted to spur innovation
● Patenting of software has the potential of bringing hitherto unknown patents in the public domain and this can help educate masses about their potential uses.
● SP can bring economic benefit to small companies as SP increases valuation of such companies => spurring investment.
● Software patents increase the return on investment made by the public on federally sponsored university research, and ensures the flow of knowledge that is required for society to progress.
● Patents protect functionality. Copyright on the other hand only protects expression. Substantial modification to an original work, even if it performs exactly the same function, would not be prevented by copyright. To prove copyright infringement also requires the additional hurdle of proving copying which is not necessary for patent infringement.
In India , Patent Act 1970 provided no blanket cover on patenting of software. While patenting of software per se is prohibited, the Act permits software patenting under some limited circumstances. In 2002,Section 3(k) was introduced in Patent Act after the recommendations of JPC report given in 1999. This did not mean for software to be granted patent protection,but only permitted patents for those innovations comprising both hardware and software,where entire device was worthy of patent protection and not merely software portion protection. The combination could be patented if it satisfied other criteria of patentability - innovation,industrial,applicability etc.
Recently Patent office laid down Guidelines for Examination of Computer Related Inventions (GECRI) that a Patent should not be denied if:-
● Industrial applicability of the software is est. , it can then considered to be an invention
● If the software with known hardware goes beyond the normal interaction with that hardware and affects a change in functionality of that hardware.
● if a claim specifies an apparatus in connection with or a technical process for carrying out a business method or demonstrates a practical application for a mathematical method, it can be considered an invention (i.e. could be the subject of patenting if it meets the other tests of patentability).

As per World Intellectual Property Organisation statistics, only about 22 per cent of all patents granted by the Indian Patent Office were to Indian residents questioning whether it makes economic and strategic sense to permit enhancement of patent protections — thereby excluding Indians from being able to access knowledge that is vital in today’s day and age.

Conclusion:
The software patent debate is the argument about the extent to which, as a matter of public policy, it should be possible to patent software and computer-implemented inventions. Policy debate on software patents has been active for years. The opponents to software patents have gained more visibility with less resource through the years than their pro-patent opponents. Arguments and critiques have been focused mostly on the economic consequences of software patents.
38. Essay type topic/Question: WOMEN EMPOWERMENT NOT JUST A MORAL CAUSE BUT AN ABSOLUTE ECONOMIC CAUSE.ANALYSE

Women’s empowerment – that is, their capacity to bring about both social & economic change for themselves – is increasingly viewed as the most important contributing factor to achieving equality between women and men. But economically strengthening women – who are half the world’s workforce – is not only a matter of advancing women's human rights but means to spur economic growth. When governments, businesses and communities invest in women, and when they work to eliminate inequalities, developing countries are less likely to be plagued by poverty. Entire nations can also better their chance of becoming stronger players in the global marketplace.
Women Empowerment refers to policies and measures designed to increase the degree of autonomy and self-determination in the lives of women.
Women's Empowerment Principles: Equality MeansBusiness. Empowering women to participate fully in economic life across all sectors is essential to build stronger economies, achieve internationally agreed goals for development and sustainability, and improve the quality of life for women, men, families and communities.
Due to abject poverty, women are exploited as domestic helps and wives whose incomes are usurped by the man of the house. Additionally, sex slaves are a direct outcome of poverty. If poverty were not a concern, then the girl child will be able to follow her dreams without concerns of sexual exploitation, domestic abuse and no education or work.

Some major areas where if empowerment provided to women can bring drastic changes:

• The Food and Agriculture Organization, has estimated that giving women the same access to farming resources as men could increase output in developing countries by up to 4 per cent — lifting over 100 million out of hunger. When women farmers can access the resources they need, their production increases, making it less likely that their families are hungry and malnourished.
• Where women's participation in the labor force grew fastest, the economy experienced the largest reduction in poverty rates. If the number of female workers were to increase to the same level as the number of men, GDP in the United States would expand by 5 per cent, by 9 per cent in Japan, and by 27 per cent in India, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has estimated.

• When women own property and earn money from it, they may have more bargaining power at home. This in turn can help reduce their vulnerability to domestic violence and HIV infection.

• The Food and Agriculture Organization has estimated that giving women the same access to farming resources as men could increase output in developing countries by up to 4 per cent — lifting over 100 million out of hunger. When women farmers can access the resources they need, their production increases, making it less likely that their families are hungry and malnourished.

• When women have access to time-saving technologies – such as a foot-pedaled water pump or a motorized scooter – economic benefits can follow. ICRW research has found that technology helps women increase their productivity as well as launch income-generating pursuits and entrepreneurial ventures. Those kind of outcomes empower women to become stronger leaders and to more effectively contribute financially to their families, communities and countries.

In words of Ms Lagarde(IMF chief ) “Greater gender equality not only raises absolute income, it also helps to reduce income inequality. The message is clear: girls’ education is probably the single best investment a country can make”i.e. one extra year of primary school boosts a woman’s earning potential by 10 to 20 per cent. One extra year of secondary school boosts her earning potential by 25 per cent.
Women have the potential to change their own economic status, as well as that of the communities and countries in which they live. Yet more often than not, women’s economic contributions go unrecognized, their work undervalued and their promise unnourished.So
Their empowerment should not only be restricted to their protection from domestic violences or their empancipation be it in health context or education or human trafficking but also economically as well which makes them independent &powerful enough to combat the atrocities of society &contribute equally as men do in all sectors.

How does Women Empowerment cause economic growth?
Greater gender equality enhances economic efficiency along with improving moral status of women. Women Empowerment makes the availability of the productive workforce of women for jobs that were hitherto reserved for men.
Empowering women to participate fully in economic life across all sectors is essential to build stronger economies, achieve internationally agreed goals for development and sustainability, and improve the quality of life for women, men, families and communities. The private sector is a key partner in efforts to advance gender equality and empower women.
The Women's Empowerment Principles offer practical guidance to business and the private sector on how to empower women in the workplace, marketplace and community. Developed through a partnership between UN Women and the United Nations Global Compact, the Principles are designed to support companies in reviewing existing policies and practices — or establishing new ones — to realize women's empowerment.
According to the World Bank’s 2012 World Development Report: “Gender Equality and Development”, Greater gender equality can enhance economic productivity, improve development outcomes for the next generation, and make institutions and policies more representative.
• Women represent 40 percent of the global labour force and more than half the world’s university graduates, but are debarred form a category of work (New World Bank Group Report) Overall productivity would increase if their skills and talents are used more comprehensively.
• FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) estimates that agricultural output in developing countries could increase by as much as 2.5 to 4 percent if women are given equal access to land as men.

• According to Mckinsey report on “The Power Parity”, it would be possible to add 60% to India’s GDP and 47% according to IMF report,by mending gender gap and allowing women to join workforce.

Countries that discriminate women and do not promote gender equality suffer economically, and there is a strong correlation between poverty and Women Empowerment.
Recognising this Rio20+, adopted Gender equality and Women Empowerment as one of the Sustainable Developmental goals and Indian Government initiated National Mission for Empowerment of Women (NMEW).

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Recently the Supreme Court rejected the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) Act and the 99th Constitutional Amendment which sought to give politicians and civil society a final say in the appointment of judges to the highest courts. Critically comment on the judgement and its implications.
Model Answer:
NJAC
The 99th Constitutional Amendment provides for National Judicial Appointments Commission which will replace the existing collegium system,which came in existance through famous “Three Judges Case”, will institutionalise the appointment & transfer of Judges which is currently opaque & cumbersome thus influenced by nepotism.
A new article 124 B, provides for the functions of the NJAC which include:
1. Recommending persons for appointment as CJI, Judges of SC& HC, CJ of HC.
2. Recommending transfer of CJ & other Judges of HC from one HC to any other.
3. Ensuring that the persons recommended are of ability & integrity.
Composition
In NJAC there are 6 members:
CJI & 2 senior most judges (judiciary),union law minister (executive) and two eminent persons chosen by a panel comprising PM (executive), CJI (judiciary) & leader of biggest party in opposition in LS (legislative).
However constitution amendment was struck down by 5 judges constitutional bench of supreme court and called it unconstitutional and void on the ground that
1) Presence of Law minister (executive ) as a member of commission violates the doctrine of separation of powers also mentioned in Article 50 deals with the independence of judiciary & non-inference of executive. The independence of judiciary free from the influence of executive and legislature could be endangered as the National Judicial Appointment Commission under the NJAC Act consists of the Union Minister of Law and Justice as an ex-officio member. This also disrupts the balance of power.
2)The other 2 member having power to Veto any decision will undermine and dilute the primacy of judiciary which enshrined in constitution.
3) The above said Acts threaten the primacy of the judiciary, which is the basic structure of the Constitution, as the recommendations of the Chief Justice of India and the two Senior-most judges who are a part of the National Judicial Appointments Commission, can be vetoed.
4) Since the Government of India is the largest litigator in the cases before the High Courts and Supreme Court, it is not meaningful for the executive to play a part in the appoint of judges to these courts.
5) The National Judicial Appointments Commission has two 'eminent persons' as its members. But there is no unambiguous definition of 'eminent persons' given by the NJAC Act.

The mixed implication of this judgement-
a)It prohibited the political interference and assure independence of judiciary which is important in democratic country for protecting constitution and rights of people against arbitrary action of state. The court has highlighted the need for
separation of judiciary and it’s need to be free from the ‘spoils system’ of
the government. The court has taken the view that the basic
structure of the constitution is violated. Separation of powers should be maintained.
b)However reverting back to old system has raise further question of effective method of appointment procedure.
c)NJAC act seek for check and balance over judiciary which is at present not accountable to anyone. d) Not prudent to empower civil society to appoint
sensitive posts like judges.
So SC has taken right step but it need to come with more power and effective method of appointment.
Considering the above broad factors, the five -judge bench of the Supreme Court struck down the NJAC Act and the 99th Constitutional Amendment Act. It instead suggests the legislature to make changes such that the Collegium system could be more transparent and reflecting the integrity of the judiciary.

33. As there are increasing demands for the special category status by the Indian states, discuss the benefits associated with such status and the criteria adopted for awarding the same?
Model Answer:

What is a Special-Category State?
A special-category state is a state with the special status in the context of Centre-state financial aid. A special category state gets preferential treatment in federal assistance and tax breaks. They are given a higher share of the Union government's resource allocation because of the inherent features of these states and the relatively lower income base.
What are the traits for categorizing states as Special Category State?
‘Special Category’ status had been granted in the past by the Union government to States having certain characteristics based on the recommendations of the National Development Council. These included:
 Hilly and difficult terrain.
 Low population density and/or sizeable share of tribal population.
 Strategic location along borders with neighbouring countries.
 Economic and infrastructure backwardness.
 Non-viable nature of State finances.

Which all states presently enjoy the “Special-Category Status”?
The states of J& K, HP , Uttarakhand and 7 sister states of NE

What are the benefits enjoyed by Special Category States over General Category states?
Under the Gadgil – Mukherjee Formula, many benefits are enjoyed by the Special- Category States. Funds allocated to states through central assistance for state plans can be broadly split into three components: Normal Central Assistance (NCA), Additional Central Assistance (ACA) and Special Central Assistance (SCA).
NCA:
 Special Category states get 30% of the total assistance while the other states share the remaining 70%.
 The ratio between grants and loans is 90:10 for Special Category states while the ratio is 30:70 for other states.
ACA:
 Assistance for externally-aided projects in the grant-loan ratio of 90:10, whereas such assistance to other States is on back-to-back basis.
 Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS) is usually lower for ‘Special Category States’, especially North-eastern region.
 Central incentives for promotion of industries.
SCA
 Funds for special plan assistance for projects (90 per cent grant)
 Funds for untied special central assistance (100 per cent grant).
States demanding Special Category Status:
 Bihar
 Chhattisgarh
 Jharkhand
 Odisha
 Rajasthan
 Andhra Pradesh

34. What are the problems faced by tea industry in India? What is the importance of industry to Indian economy?
Answer: (FAQ format)

Which are the major tea growing areas in india?
Tea plantation is mainly located in rural hills and backward areas of N-E and Southern states.
Major areas:
Ø Assam
Ø West Bengal
Ø Tamil Nadu
Ø Kerala

What are the features associated with the tea industry ?
Ø It is the oldest organized industry in india(172years).
Ø India is the 2nd major exporter of tea in world accounting for 12 – 13% of world 's export.
Ø It has a rise of 44% from 2002 to 2012.
Ø Agro based labour intensive industry.
Ø India account for 31% of global production.
What are the problems associated with the tea industry in india?
Tea industry of india is facing problem of sustainability :-
Ø Agricultural issues:-
Replantation rate is 0.5% as against the desired level of 2%.
Old age of bushes with >30% of tea area being above the economic threshold age limit.
Ø Quality and safety issues:-
Due to excessive use of pesticides.
Rising production cost .
Ø Trade policy:-
FTP 2015 has reduced export concessions for tea from 5% to 3 % which affects its competitiveness.
Ø Global constraint: Global price shocks and civil strife in middle-east has adversely affected our exports
Ø Stiff competition from other producing and exporting countries like sri lanka china Indonesia Vietnam Kenya.
Ø Social issues or Labour issues::-
Agitation for better pay and working condition.
Ø Monsoon dependence.
Ø Structural constraints in management by tea board.
Ø Low technology implementation and ageing tea bushes are also worrisome issues
How does tea industry impact Indian economy?
Ø It provides employment to more than 2 million people in india and women constitute 51% of this work force.
Ø Tea industry is a substantial foreign exchange earner.
Ø It account for 1% of india’s export.
Ø Indian tea industry is having highest market capatalisation in the world with over 13,000 gardens.
Ø Tea plantation support the economic life of hilly areas through employment generation and social welfare and provides high standard of living at grass root level.
What are the future prospects related to it?
Ø Medium term export strategy.
Ø Financial and technical assistance to various plantation development activites.
Ex:- replanting,Rejuvenation ,creation of irrigation facilities,modernization.
Ø Explore new market like kazakisthan, iran ,Egypt, chile etc.
Ø For small farmers :
1 Quality Upgradation Programme.
2. Fixation of price sharing.
3. Price subsidy scheme.
4. Special tea term loan package.
Ø To keep farmer fully engaged to cope with threats of global warming and increasing erratic weather pattern.
Ø Go back to nature:- by restoring environment in best possible way,soil improvement,water and pest management.
Ø 'Tea development and promotion scheme' by the tea board
Ø Taxes needs to be rationalised.
Ø Increasing global demand for Indian tea has raised the hopes of the industry.
Ø Recent delegation to Georgia is an excellent initiative to increase depth of markets for Indian tea
Ø Implementation of Plant Protection Code will allay all apprehensions about pesticides in tea and boost its sales
Ø Favourable export condition and domestic market promotion can also benefit the industry.
Ø Diversification of tea leave products can open up new avenues
Ø Impetus to food processing industry will lead to employment generation helping economic development in NE states.
Ø Improved supply chain and storage management will enhance shelf life

35. ¬¬Explain India’s performance vis-à-vis the MDGs. How are the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) different from MDGs? What are the challenges before India in meeting the targets of SDGs?
WHAT IS MDG?
The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are the eight international development goals that were established in 2000 and to achieve by 2015.
DISCUSS THE INDIA’S PERFORMANCE REGARDING MDG?
S.no
(MDG) India’s performance vis-à-vis the MDGs
1. To eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
Target achieved: (current: 21.1%, target 21.8%)
On track: reduce hunger (current: 40%)
2. To achieve universal primary education
Male literacy rate: 94.81, Female literacy rate : 92.47 Improved
3. To promote gender equality
School enrolment increases. Lags in: wages equality and political representation.
4. To reduce child mortality
(U5MR): 49/1000 (2013), target of 42/1000. Moderate progress.
5. To improve maternal health
(MMR): 167/100000 (2009) against a target of 109/100000.
6. To combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases Targets set against Tuberculosis, AIDS and Malaria control almost achieved.
7. To ensure environmental sustainability Access to drinking water and forest cover increased but sanitation lags.
8. To develop a global partnership for development Indian telecom network 2nd largest in the world, increase in internet users.

WHAT IS SDG?
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) extends the MDG which gets expires at the end of 2015. The proposal contained 17 goals with 169 targets.
WHAT IS DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SDG AND MDG?
3 BASIC DIFFERENCES ARE -
From halfway to all the way: The MDGs were designed to get us halfway to the goal while SDGs intend to finish the job completely.
From some countries to all countries: MDGs goals were implied on some countries. SDG, objectives applies to all countries.
From top-down to bottom-up: The MDGs were created through a top-down process. The SDGs are being created through bottom-up approach by millions of citizen inputs on websites.
From the perspective of THP, here is the Top 10 Differences between the MDGs and the SDGs.

1. Zero Goals: The MDG targets for 2015 were set to get us “half way” to the goal of ending hunger and poverty, with similar proportional goals in other fields. The SDGs are designed to finish the job – to get to a statistical “zero” on hunger, poverty, preventable child deaths and other targets. This approach will call for very different strategies: getting “halfway there” encouraged countries to “do the easiest parts first.” Getting to zero requires a real focus on the empowering the poorest and hardest to reach. Much of the impetus and evidence for the success of zero-based goals comes from Brookings Institute, the new World Bank “Zero Poverty” goals, and the second inaugural address of US President Obama.

2. Universal Goals: The MDGs were in the context of “rich donors aiding poor recipients.” Since then the world has changed dramatically. Official development assistance (ODA) is now tiny compared to other resources flows, and the majority of the poorest people live in the middle-income countries. Inequality is the issue, not national-level poverty – and this applies to rich and poor countries alike. The SDGs will then be a set of goals applicable to every country.

3.More Comprehensive Goals: There were 8 MDGs. The High Level Panel recommended 12 Goals, and the Open Working Group final report recommends 17 “Focus Areas” that go beyond the symptoms of poverty, to issues of peace, stability, human rights and good governance. This will undoubtedly make mobilization around these goals more difficult, but everyone would agree that the complexity of sustainable global development was not fully represented by the MDGs.

4. Addressing THP Pillars: While THP celebrated and firmly committed to the MDGs, they largely ignored the three pillars of what we see as crucial for the sustainable end of hunger: empowering women, mobilizing everyone, and partnering with local government. The SDGs address these critical elements (to date) much more effectively, with far stronger gender goals, people’s participation and government “at all levels.”

5. Inclusive Goal Setting: The MDGs were created through a top-down process. The SDGs are being created in one of the most inclusive participatory processes the world has ever seen (click here for the diagram) – with face-to-face consultations in more than 100 countries, and millions of citizen inputs on websites. Civil society has been well-organized throughout – coordinated globally through Beyond2015

6. Distinguishing Hunger and Poverty: In the MDGs, Hunger and Poverty were lumped together in MDG1 – as if solving one would solve the other. So much has been learned about nutrition since that time, and the SDGs treat the issue of poverty separately from Food and Nutrition Security.

7. Funding: The MDGs were largely envisioned to be funded by aid flows – which did not materialize. The SDGs put sustainable, inclusive economic development at the core of the strategy, and address the ability of countries to address social challenges largely through improving their own revenue generating capabilities.

8. Peace Building: Over the past 15 years, we’ve seen that peaceful, reasonably well governed countries prosper. After 2015, experts predict that the majority of those in extreme poverty will live in conflict-affected states. The inclusion of peace-building is thus critical to the success of ending hunger and poverty — yet was totally ignored in the MDGs. It is controversial in the SDGs, but so far it has remained there.

9. Data Revolution: The MDGs said nothing about monitoring, evaluation and accountability – the SDGs target by 2020 to “increase significantly the availability of high-quality, timely and reliable data disaggregated by income, gender, age, race, ethnicity, migratory status, disability, geographic location and other characteristics relevant in national contexts.”
10. Quality Education: The MDGs focused on quantity (eg, high enrollment rates) only to see the quality of education decline in many societies. The SDGs represent the first attempt by the world community to focus on the quality of education – of learning – and the role of education in achieving a more humane world: “education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship, and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development.

WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES AHEAD OF INDIA IN MEETING THE TARGETS OF SDG?
Some of the areas where India is facing serious challenges are –
1) Broad-based and employment-creating economic growth.
(2) Adequate allocation of resources towards the social sectors and basic services.
(3) Strong design and effective implementation of MDG related programmes.
(4) Creating basic infrastructure for better access and delivery of MDG related services.
(5) Women’s empowerment.
Challenges for India in attaining SDGs
For me, there are broadly 4 main areas of concern.
Defining Indicators: Past record indicates that we have been not very successful in setting relevant indicators to measure outcomes. Quality education has not successfully been defined. India’s myopic definition of “safe” drinking water (with hand pumps and tube wells considered as safe as piped water supply) means that official data suggests 86% of Indians have access to safe drinking water and, as a result, we are “on track” for the MDG goal on drinking water.
However, the number of waterborne diseases and deaths due to diarrhoea clearly indicate, this is not the case.
Financing SDGs: A new study estimates that implementing SDGs in India by 2030 will cost around US$14.4 billion. Given the recent cut in social sector schemes by the Union government, unless states devote a significant portion of their resources on the social sector, there is likely to be a significant funding gap. High growth and redistribution itself are also not enough. According to the United Nations MDG 2014 report, despite high economic growth, in 2010, one-third of the world’s 1.2 billion extreme poor lived in India alone. Given these constraints, it is likely that domestic revenues aside, private finance could be a crucial source for financing the SDGs.
Monitoring and Ownership: Relatedly, a third significant challenge is going to be with respect to ownership. Reports suggest that NITI Aayog will play a significant role in tracking progress. However, members at the Aayog have expressed reservations on being able to take on this mammoth task. Moreover, if states are expected to play a pivotal role (giving the devolution post 14th Finance Commission), it will require ownership not just nationally, but also at the state and local level.
Measuring Progress: Lastly but most importantly is the question of measuring progress or achievement. By the government’s own admission, non-availability of data (particularly in respect to sub-national levels), periodicity issues and incomplete coverage of administrative data, made accurate measuring progress of even MDGs virtually impossible.
These 4 challenges aside, it is important to remember, that while SDGs provide broad goals and targets, it will be up to the national, and state governments to identify priorities, decide appropriate locally relevant policies, harness innovation and ensure that an implementation and monitoring plan is in place. Only then we will have any chance in ensuring that the ‘S’ in SDGs, also stand for successful.

Recently the Supreme Court rejected the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) Act and the 99th Constitutional Amendment which sought to give politicians and civil society a final say in the appointment of judges to the highest courts. Critically comment on the judgement and its implications.
Model Answer:
NJAC
The 99th Constitutional Amendment provides for National Judicial Appointments Commission which will replace the existing collegium system,which came in existance through famous “Three Judges Case”, will institutionalise the appointment & transfer of Judges which is currently opaque & cumbersome thus influenced by nepotism.
A new article 124 B, provides for the functions of the NJAC which include:
1. Recommending persons for appointment as CJI, Judges of SC& HC, CJ of HC.
2. Recommending transfer of CJ & other Judges of HC from one HC to any other.
3. Ensuring that the persons recommended are of ability & integrity.
Composition
In NJAC there are 6 members:
CJI & 2 senior most judges (judiciary),union law minister (executive) and two eminent persons chosen by a panel comprising PM (executive), CJI (judiciary) & leader of biggest party in opposition in LS (legislative).
However constitution amendment was struck down by 5 judges constitutional bench of supreme court and called it unconstitutional and void on the ground that
1) Presence of Law minister (executive ) as a member of commission violates the doctrine of separation of powers also mentioned in Article 50 deals with the independence of judiciary & non-inference of executive. The independence of judiciary free from the influence of executive and legislature could be endangered as the National Judicial Appointment Commission under the NJAC Act consists of the Union Minister of Law and Justice as an ex-officio member. This also disrupts the balance of power.
2)The other 2 member having power to Veto any decision will undermine and dilute the primacy of judiciary which enshrined in constitution.
3) The above said Acts threaten the primacy of the judiciary, which is the basic structure of the Constitution, as the recommendations of the Chief Justice of India and the two Senior-most judges who are a part of the National Judicial Appointments Commission, can be vetoed.
4) Since the Government of India is the largest litigator in the cases before the High Courts and Supreme Court, it is not meaningful for the executive to play a part in the appoint of judges to these courts.
5) The National Judicial Appointments Commission has two 'eminent persons' as its members. But there is no unambiguous definition of 'eminent persons' given by the NJAC Act.

The mixed implication of this judgement-
a)It prohibited the political interference and assure independence of judiciary which is important in democratic country for protecting constitution and rights of people against arbitrary action of state. The court has highlighted the need for
separation of judiciary and it’s need to be free from the ‘spoils system’ of
the government. The court has taken the view that the basic
structure of the constitution is violated. Separation of powers should be maintained.
b)However reverting back to old system has raise further question of effective method of appointment procedure.
c)NJAC act seek for check and balance over judiciary which is at present not accountable to anyone. d) Not prudent to empower civil society to appoint
sensitive posts like judges.
So SC has taken right step but it need to come with more power and effective method of appointment.
Considering the above broad factors, the five -judge bench of the Supreme Court struck down the NJAC Act and the 99th Constitutional Amendment Act. It instead suggests the legislature to make changes such that the Collegium system could be more transparent and reflecting the integrity of the judiciary.