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TableofContents1.Manypoliticaland legal commentatorsbelieve that thesedition lawshouldbe reviewed and amended. What are your views on this issue? Substantiateyourviewpoints...........................................................................................................................32.What is the freebiemodel of governance? How sustainable and justified isthismodel?Criticallyexamine...............................................................................................43.What are themost striking featuresof theUnlawfulActivities (Prevention)AmendmentAct?Arethesechangesjustified?Shareyourviewpoint......................64. There is an urgent need to strengthen the judicial apparatus in India.Comment.Canyousuggestfewmeasurestoachieveit?...............................................85. In order to increase the efficiency of the overall public expenditure, thereneeds to be a decision-making body like the GST Council that would keep acheckontheexpenditure.Doyouagree?Criticallycomment.................................116.TheSupremeCourt shouldbe there toaddresseveryone’s fears,butPublicInterestLitigationsmustbeforthepoor.Elucidate....................................................127.Onthequestionofgenderequalityversusreligioussentiments,whatshouldtakeprecedence?Shareandsubstantiateyourviews................................................148.Whatareelectoralbonds?Explain.Whatare thecontroversiessurroundingthesebonds?Aretheyjustified?Criticallyanalyse......................................................179.TheGandhiandreamofself-dependentvillagerepublicscanbebestachievedby the constitution of efficiently functioning self-help groups. Do you agree?Illustrate.....................................................................................................................................1910.Examine the factors thathavemade the Indo-pacific regionenter thegeo-strategicdiscourse.WhathasbeenIndia’sstandwithrespecttothisregion?Inthislight,discusstheguidingprinciplesenunciatedintheShangriLadialogue.........................................................................................................................................................2011.Thejudiciaryhas,throughvariouslandmarkjudgements,givenbroaderanddeeperinterpretationstothefundamentalrighttolifeandliberty.Expanduponsomeofthesejudgementsandbringouttheircontemporarysignificance........2212. Is there a way-out to reconcile privacy concerns with identity basedentitlement? Examine in the light of the controversy surrounding the use ofAadhar as amandatory document for passing on government benefits to thecitizens.Whathasthebeentheresponseofthegovernmentandthejudiciaryinthisregard?Discuss................................................................................................................2413. What are your views on the provisions of the draft National EducationPolicy,2019?DoesthedraftpolicyechotheaspirationsofayounganddynamicIndia?Criticallyexamine.......................................................................................................26



14.What are themost constraining impediments affecting the functioning ofPRIs in India? Discuss. What measures would you suggest to address thoseimpediments?............................................................................................................................2815.Whatareyourviewsonthedecisiontoprovide10percentreservationinjobsandhighereducationtoeconomicallybackwardsectionsamongtheuppercastes?Don’tyouthinkawardingreservationstonewersectionsofpeopleisaretrogradestep?Criticallycomment................................................................................3116.What significancedonon-governmentalorganisations (NGOs)hold for theSocio-economic development of the country? Discuss. Is there a need toregulatetheactivitiesofNGOsinIndia?Criticallyexamine.....................................3317. What significance does Russia hold for India’s economic and strategicinterests?Discuss.WhathavebeenthemajorirritantsinIndo-Russiarelations?Examine.......................................................................................................................................3518. The ongoing outreach and deeper engagements with the Islamic nationsshall reap long termeconomic and strategicbenefits for India.Do youagree?Criticallycomment..................................................................................................................3719.DiscussthemostsignificantcontributorstoIndia’ssoftpowerstatusintheworldwithspecialattentiononthecontributionsmadebytheIndiandiaspora.Whatmeasureshavebeentakenrecently toenhanceIndia’softpowerstatus?Examine.......................................................................................................................................3920.KeepinginmindtheevolvinggeopoliticsofSouthandSouthEastAsia,itisimperativeforIndiatohaveamoremeaningfulanddeeperrelationswithherneighbours, particularly Nepal and Bhutan. Would you agree? Comment isanythingbeingdoneonthisfront?Examine..................................................................43



1.Manypoliticalandlegalcommentatorsbelievethattheseditionlawshouldbereviewed and amended. What are your views on this issue? Substantiate yourviewpoints.Introduction:Sedition as defined by Sec.124-A of Indian Penal Codeis any action whether bywords,signsorvisiblerepresentationwhichbringsorattemptstobringintohatredorcontempt,orexcitesorattemptstoexcitedisaffectiontowardsthegovernmentestablished by law. The section also contains a clarification to the effect that theworddisaffectionincludesdisloyaltyandallfeelingsofenmity.Body:There has been severe criticism about existence of sedition law in independentIndiaandthereiscallforremovingitbecause:

• Thelawcontinuestobeusedtosuppresscriticsandadvocatesoffreedomofspeechandexpression.

• SuccessivegovernmentsinIndiahavedeployeditagainstjournalists,activistsandhumanrightsdefenders.

• Thedefinitionisveryexhaustiveandambiguous, itdoesnotleaveoutofitspurviewanypossiblemodeofself-expression,simplybyusingthewords“orotherwise”.

• Itistheordinarypoliceconstablewhowillinthefirstpersondecidewhetherthespeechorexpressionwillcausedisaffection,contemptetc. towardsthegovernment.

• It provides the government with covert means to create Emergency-likesituations,thattoowithnowarning.

• Sedition,wasadraconianlawofthecolonialera,itsobjectwasapparentlytosilencetheIndianvoice.

• However,thesamelawismisusedtilltodayandallaboveflawsintheacthasfrequentlybeenposingdanger to the lifeand libertyof Indiancitizenswhospeakoutagainstthegovernment,thusimpactingthefundamentalrightsofcitizens.

However,theseditionlawalsoneedstobekeptinplaceforcertainreasons:

• Helpsinprotectingtheintegrityandsovereigntyofthenation.• Helpsinmaintaininglawandorder.• Curbsanti-nationalactivities.

Conclusion:Therefore,it isallegedbymanythatthereisanurgentneedtorepealthislawandsection 124-A is unconstitutional. However, the Supreme court upheld the



constitutionalvalidityofSec124A(intheKedarnathSinghv.StateofBiharcase)asanecessary law in the interest of the survival of republic and also the law helps toplacerestrictiononthefundamentalrightoffreedomofspeechArticle19(2).2.Whatisthefreebiemodelofgovernance?Howsustainableandjustifiedisthismodel?Criticallyexamine.Introduction:Freebies are “something that is given to you without you having to pay for it,especiallyasawayofattractingyour support foror interest in something”.TodayfreebiescoverawiderangeofgoodsandservicesanditisgivenbyeachstateoftheIndianUniontotheircitizens.Body:StateslikeU.PandTamilNaduhavedirectedelectioncampaigningbasedonfreebiesinsteadofdevelopmentalagenda.FreeorsubsidizedgoodsandservicesrangefromAmma’scanteensinTamilNadutobicycles in Bihar to items such as colour TVs, cell phones,mixer-grinders, laptops,buffaloes,cows,goats,mangalsutrasforthebridestobeandseveralothers.Atthetimeofelectionsthislistgetsbigger.Freebiesaresustainableone:

• Scholarshipto fivecrorestudents fromminoritycommunitiesandreservinghalfforgirlswillbringpositiveresultinthelongrun.

• Mid-day meal is a successful scheme (freebie) which has given positiveoutcomeintermsofenrolment,retentionandnutritionetc.

• Freebies and subsidies helps inmaking things affordable and accessible fortheweakersection.

• If theseareusedas ‘carrots’, forexample: topurchase ‘cleaner’vehiclesashappensinJapan,itcanleadtosustainability.

Freebiescanbejustified:

• Theyprovidebareminimumneedsandreduceexpenditureforthepoor.• IthelpsinprovidingtheRighttoLifeforindividuals,whichwouldhelpthem

focusonotheraspectsoflife.• Itensuresthepoortogetcertainbenefitfortheirupliftment.• Itcreatesequallevelplayingfield.• ItprovidesawaytoAffirmativeAction.• Itensuresbasichealthandeducationofallcitizens.• Ithelpsa country,especially India- toabideby itsConstitution. (DPSPsand

FundamentalRights).



Freebiesarenotsustainableone:

• Freebiesareband-aidsolutions.• These consume scarce resources of the sector and also shrinks public

investment.• Ittakesawayfocusfromstructuralreforms.• In India, several State Electricity Boards have become defunct because of

subsidies.• FreebiesarecausingirreversiblePublicDebtashappenedinWestBengaland

Tamil Nadu where alarge component of public debt has originated fromunproductivefreebies.

• Anincreaseinsubsidiesonnon-meritgoodssuchasfreebiesisgoingtomakethefiscaldeficitofanygovernmentunsustainable.

Freebiescannotbejustified;infactitdoesmoreharmthangood:

• It puts huge burden on the resources of the country and increases fiscaldeficit.

• Freebiesreducetheworkcultureinacountry.• Ittakesouttheimportancerelatedtohardwork.• It kills the need forwork andmay force individuals to take upwrong path

(Gandhiji).• Itreducescompetitionandfighttoproducethebest.• It increaseddependencyonsubsidizedproductsandreduces innovation.eg-

heavydependenceonchemicalfertilizersinIndia.• Itreducestheworkpotentialofindividualsofthesociety.• InclusionandExclusionerrorspreventthetargetingofsubsidies.

Examples:

• InPunjab,thetrendofexcessivegroundwaterdraftingforagriculturehasledtowatertablesdroppingatanalarmingrate;79percentofthegroundwaterassessment divisions (“blocks”) in the state are now considered'overexploited'and'critical'withextractionexceedingthesupply.

• Punjab isalsograpplingwith theconsequencesof rampantuseofchemicalfertilisers and pesticides, water for irrigation, and power subsidies, in theform of drying up of aquifers, degraded soil quality, polluted groundwaterandrivers,increasedcasesofcancerinfarmingcommunities.

NotonlyIndiabutothercountriesoftheworldhavebeenalsofacingtheproblemofsubsidies. The phenomenon of energy subsidies is a case in point. In Uzbekistan,Turkmenistan,Iraq,Iran,SaudiArabia,andEgypt,energysubsidiesaccountformorethan10percentoftheeconomy.



Thedistributionof freebieswasunsuccessfully challengedbefore theMadrasHighCourt and also before the Supreme CourtinSubramaniam Balaji vs State of TamilNadu.Conclusion:BeingawelfarestateandtofulfiltheDirectivePrinciplesofStatePolicyunderArticle38 and 39, freebies can be treated as legitimate one. But, rather than offeringfreebiesiftaxesareleviedonwaterthanitwillbecomemoresustainable,asitwillreducewastageofwaterashappenedinAustralia.InDenmarkalsohouseholdwaterconsumptionwasreducedby150%becauseoftaxes.3. What are the most striking features of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention)AmendmentAct?Arethesechangesjustified?Shareyourviewpoint.IntroductionTheUnlawfulActivities(Prevention)AmendmentBillwasrecentlyintroducedintheparliament.ThebillseekstoamendtheUnlawfulActivities(Prevention)Act,1967.ItwaspassedbytheParliamentinAugust.BodyUAPA provides special procedures to deal with terrorist activities, among otherthings.Keyamendmentsproposedinthebillare:

• TodesignateindividualsasterroristsoncertaingroundsprovidedintheAct.• TheBillempowerstheDirectorGeneralofNIAtograntapprovalofseizureor

attachmentofpropertywhenthecaseisinvestigatedbythesaidagency.• TheBillempowerstheofficersoftheNIA,oftherankofInspectororabove,

toinvestigatecasesofterrorisminadditiontothoseconductedbytheDSPorACPoraboverankofficerinthestate.

NeedfortheAmendment:India faces one of the highest threats of terrorism in the world and therefore itscounter-terrorismmechanismmustbestringent.

• USA has a very successful example of counter-terrorism mechanism,especiallyafter9/11,andhasbeensuccessfulincurbingterroristactivities.

Designatingindividualsasterroristwouldhelpin:

• Making strong preventivemechanismwhich is muchmore important thantacklingactsofterror.



• Presentlyterroristactivitiesaredoneby“LoneWolf”whodoesnotbelongtoanyorganisation.

• Having a national provision to designate individuals as terrorists wouldsupport India’s demand to designate individuals such as Hafiz Saeed andMasood Azhar as terrorists from international organisations and othercountries

• Terroristactsarecommittednotbyonlyorganizationsbutby individualsaswell.Declaringanorganizationasaterroristorganizationmightnotstoptheindividuals behind it. Not designating individuals as terrorists, would givethem an opportunity to circumvent the law and they would simply gatherunderadifferentnameandkeepuptheirterroractivities.

• The amendment was needed to align the domestic law with internationalobligations as mandated in several conventions and Security Councilresolutions.

Seizureofpropertiesrelatedwithterrorism:

• Aspecialisedinvestigatingagency,NIA,cannotbedependentonstatepoliceforapprovalforseizureofpropertyrelatedtoterrorismthathas inter-stateandinternationalramifications.

• Investigationbyinspectorrankofficerwouldhelpsolvethehumanresource

crunch in theNIA.Thismovewouldquickenthedeliveryof justice inUAPArelatedcases,whicharereviewedbyseniorofficersatvariouslevels.

ApprehensionsregardingtheAmendment:

• Misuse:ExperiencesofAnti-terrorlawsinIndiasuchasPOTA(PreventionofTerrorismAct)andTADA(TerroristandDisruptiveActivities(Prevention)Act)revealsthattheyareoftenmisusedandabused.

• AgainstIndividualRights:Itgivesthestateauthorityvaguepowerstodetain

and arrest individuals who it believes to be indulged in terrorist activities.Thus, state gives itself more powers vis-a-vis individual liberty guaranteedunderArticle21oftheconstitution.

• Federalism:Someexpertsfeelthatit isagainstthefederalstructuresinceit

neglectstheauthorityofstatepoliceinterrorismcases,giventhat‘Police’isastatesubjectunder7thscheduleofIndianConstitution.

• Some experts feel that designating individuals as terrorists is unnecessary

whentheyarealreadybeingprosecutedforthecrime.Conclusion



Terrorism isundoubtedlyabig threatandmustbe tackledwith stringent counter-terrorismlaws.Thisamendment,iffollowedinletterandspirit,isastepintherightdirection.4.ThereisanurgentneedtostrengthenthejudicialapparatusinIndia.Comment.Canyousuggestfewmeasurestoachieveit?IntroductionWith the advent of economic liberalization, India hasmade significant progress indifferent sectorson theeconomic front, but somewhere thegrowth is stymiedbythejudicialapparatus.Notonlytheadministrationofjusticehasbeeninefficientforgeneralpublicbutalsoithasalsoincreasedinstancesofrentseeking*inIndia.BodyConnectingthedotsinjudicialdispensionandgrowthWewantpeopletocomeand‘MakeinIndia’,wewantpeopletocomeandinvestinIndia, but thosewhomweare inviting are also concernedabout the ability of thejudicialsysteminthecountrytodealwiththecasesanddisputesthatmayariseoutofsuchinvestments.

• Efficacy of the judicial system is therefore vitally connected with thedevelopmentofthecountry.

• Itis,assuch,notonlythepoorlitigantswhoarelanguishinginjails,butalsothedevelopmentofthecountry.

TheproblemwithjudicialdispensioninIndiaare:Pendencyanddelay

• Thereisahighlevelofpendency(acrossthesixtribunals,estimatedatabout1.8lakhcases)

Pendencyhasalsorisensharplyovertime.• Nearlyeverytribunalstartedwithmanageablecaseloads,disposinginstituted

caseseveryyear,butthatsoonspiralledoutofcontrol.• Comparedto2012,thereisnowa25%increaseinthenumberofunresolved

cases.• Theaverageageofpendingcasesacrossthesetribunalsis3.8years.• Itisnoteworthythatintwocases—telecommunicationandelectricity—the

explosioninpendencyresultedfrominterventionsbytheSupremeCourt.

HighCourts



• Evenwith the creationof tribunals at different points in timedid not alter

pendency at the High Courts nor their ability to deal with other economiccases.

• Their average duration of pendency is arguably the worst in most cases,whichisnearly4.3yearsfor5majorHighCourts.

• Theaveragependencyoftaxcasesisparticularlyacuteatnearly6yearspercase.

Reasonsforpendencyanddelay:ExpansionofDiscretionaryJurisdictions

• Thougheconomiccasesarecomplex,insomecasesincreasedoverloadisdueto the expansion of discretionary jurisdictions by Courts, without anycountervailingmeasuresthateitherbalancethescopeofother jurisdictionsorimproveoveralladministrationandefficiency.

• The higher judiciary has transformed into Courts of first rather than lastresort,andhaveconsistentlyfusedconstitutionallawandtortlaw,dissolvingtraditionaldistinctionsbetweenpublicandprivatelaw.

• Theimmediatefalloutofthisexpansionhasbeenthesteadyde-legitimizationofthecapacityoflowercourts’privatelawmechanisms.

• Thepossible reason for this is theever-expendingWritPetitionsunderArt.226.

• TherearecurrentlymorethanonemillionWritPetitionspendingattheHighCourts, constituting between 50-60% of the Court backlog, with averagependencyfluctuatingbetween3-10years.

BurdenfromOriginalSideJurisdiction

• SomeHighCourtsof thecountryretainauniqueoriginal jurisdiction,underwhichtheHighCourt,andnottherelevantlowercourt,transformsintotheCourtoffirstinstanceforsomecivilcases.

• ThesecasesoccupyasignificantshareoftheCourt’sdocket.• The Delhi and Bombay High Courts have original jurisdictions that occupy

nearly10-15%oftheirworkload.• In2014,theshareoforiginalsidecaseswasashighas30%fortheDelhiHigh

Court.SupremeCourt:ExpansionofSpecialLeavePetitionJurisdiction

• RisingpendencyalsoresultsfromtheinjunctionofcasesbyCourts.• For example, in the case of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) cases,

injunctions have led to about 60 percent of cases being stayed, whoseaverage pendency is 4.3 years. The average age of cases waiting for finaljudgmentisinordinatelyhighat7.9years.



Howslowcourtsaredetrimentaltotheeconomy?Slow courts increase the cost of enforcing contracts by delaying the payoff oftakinganagenttocourt.

• Ifcontractsarecostlytoenforcebecausecasestakeyearsorevendecadestoresolve, parties may avoid making investments or engaging in potentiallysurplus-generatingtransactions.

Governmenteffortinimprovingadministrationofjustice:

• Theaverageprovisionforthejudicialsectorisonly0.2%ofGDP.• Judgeshavelamentedtheconditionofinfrastructureofcourtsinjudgements

aswellasinpublicplatformswithlittleimpactonsuccessivegovernments.• Theproblem is further compoundedby the continuous tussle between the

JudiciaryandExecutive.• This canbebestobserved in the changing roleof the SupremeCourt from

beingaConstitutionalCourttoaCourtofAppeal.Wayforward

• Ifenforceabilityproblemistobesolved,sufficientnumberofjudgesmustberecruitedandvacanciesincourtsmustbequicklyfilled.

• Investmentsinjudicialinfrastructureisalsoneeded.• Courtsmay revisit the sizeand scaleof theirdiscretionary jurisdictionsand

avoid resorting to them unless necessary (this can help reclaim theConstitutional and Writ stature of the higher judiciary as originallyenvisaged).

• Further,itishightimetointroducefullydigitalsystemsinthecourts.• There are courts like Delhi High Court, which has adopted a high level of

digital transformation, while the Supreme Court still functions throughmanualsystems.

• Lower courts around the country are mostly yet to be introduced tomeaningfuldigitalization.

• Downsizingor removingoriginal andcommercial jurisdictionofHighCourtsandenablingthelowerjudiciarytodealwithsuchcasescanalsospeedthingsup.

• Early results from the Delhi High Court suggest that reducing the size oforiginaljurisdictionin2016allowedthecourtmoretimetoreduceitsoverallpendency.

ConclusionSupremeCourt’sSuccessfulManagementofTaxLitigation



• TheSupremeCourt’srecentexperimentwithconstitutinganexclusivebenchfortaxationproduced impressiveresults,whichmaybereplicatedforothersubjectmatters,andemulatedbyotherHighCourtsthatdonothavespecialrostersfordailyhearings.

• Thiscanserveasagoodexampleofhowtoreducethespecializedcases.5.Inordertoincreasetheefficiencyoftheoverallpublicexpenditure,thereneedstobeadecision-makingbodyliketheGSTCouncilthatwouldkeepacheckontheexpenditure.Doyouagree?Criticallycomment.IntroductionTheIndianeconomyiscurrentlyfacingaslowdownandthePMEconomicAdvisoryCouncil has suggested that there is a need to form a 'GST Council-like' body tostrategiseexpenditure tohavemaximum impact. Thedecision-makingbodywouldkeep a check on the expenditure of around 300 central sector schemes and 30centrallysponsoredschemes.Also,byMarchof2020,thesunsetclausewouldcomeinto force for the bulk of schemeswhichwere started after Planning Commissionwaswoundupandplanyearsextended.BodyThesignificanceofcreatingsuchabodywouldbe:

• Itcanlookintoneed-basedallocationforstates.• Createatransparentspendingmechanismforthecentreandthestates.• Enhancethespeedandscaleofdecisionmaking.

Challenges:

• In terms of expendituremanagement there are at least 20-30ministers ineach state. So, there will be a council of around 500 members and itsfunctioningwillbehamperedbytoomuchdelay.

• Expenditure is a day today affair. Problems like landacquisition andother

delaysrequiredaytodaymanagement.

• GST council like body will be a challenge as in GST council states cannotdecideunilaterallyamong themselvesand if theywant toveto thecentre’sproposal then some states have to come together which also depends onpoliticalenvironmentandcompositionofcouncil.

• Notall items in thePublicExpenditureListareontheConcurrentList.Why

wouldthestategovernmentswanttogiveuptheirsovereignty.Suggestions:



• ACentre-stateexpenditurecouncilcandirectthestatesoftheirprioritieson

expenditure.• StateHeadquarterscanbeformedforexpendituremanagement.• Thebodycanhaveavotingmechanismforthestates.Thus, itwouldfollow

theprincipleofcooperativefederalism.• Separate ministry wise councils can be formed so that the schemes are

formulated intandemwiththose inthestates.Sothere isoptimizationandefficiencyintheuseofresources.

• FinanceMinistercanbetheheadofthecouncilandtheChiefMinisterofthestatescanbetherepresentatives.

Wayforward:

• Resourcegapbetweenthestatesshouldbemanagedeffectively.

• Two-tier system-Onewith the FinanceMinister andNITI Aayogwith ChiefMinistersandStateFinanceMinisterstogetherformajordecisions.Second-tiercanbeministrywisetounderstandtherequirementsofdifferentstatesunderdifferentschemes.

• Speeduppublicexpenditureandimproveitsefficiency.• Requirementsofthestatesshouldbetakenintoaccountbythecounciland

themeetingtobeheldwithinthementionedstate.ConclusionDevelopmentisthefinalgoalandtherearedifferentiatedneedsofdifferentstates.Theideamustbepushedwithconsentandextensivediscussionswithstakeholdersinvolved.6. The Supreme Court should be there to address everyone’s fears, but PublicInterestLitigationsmustbeforthepoor.Elucidate.IntroductionThe Supreme Court of India on 10th September 2018 stated that Public InterestLitigation are there for people who cannot afford to approach the courts anddismissed a PIL filed by former Navy Chief Admiral Ramdas. Justice Ranjan GogoireportedlysaidthattheSupremeCourtistheretoaddresseveryone’sfearsbutPILsareforthepoor.ThefiledPILwasstatedtobeacaseforVigilanceCommissionerbyabenchofthreejudges.BodyPublic Interest Litigation (PIL) is one of themost potentweapons, the Judiciary inIndia has acquired in recent times in order to enforce the legal obligation of the



executiveandthelegislative.Itsobjectiveistorenderjusticeandhelpinpromotionof the Well-being of the People. It Can be defined as litigation involved in theprotectionoftheinterestsofthepublicatlarge.Itisgenerallyusedtoprotectgroupinterest and not individual interest, for which Fundamental Rights have beenprovided. The right to issue PIL is available to the Supreme Court and the HighCourts.TheconceptofthePILhasemanatedfromthepowerofjudicialreviewoftheConstitution.Thereliefprovidedby theCourt isusually in the formofdirectionorordertotheStateincludingCompensationtotheaffectedparties.Through the Concept of PIL, the traditional rule of “locus Standi” that a person,whoseright is infringedaloneCanfileapetition;hasbeenConsiderablyrelaxedbytheSupremeCourt.Now,theCourtpermitsPublicinterestlitigationattheinstanceoftheSoCalled“publicspiritedcitizens”fortheenforcementofConstitutionalandLegalrights.SignificanceofPILsforpoor:PILhassucceededinitsoriginalpurposeofreachingthehelpless.JudiciaryhastakenupnumberSocialissuesthoughPIL.

• UnderPIL, the rightsofunder trialsheldunder illegaldetentionhavebeenrestored.TheSupremeCourtorderedthereleaseofmanydetenueswithouttrialonthegroundoftheirpersonalliberty,whichCouldnotbeCurbedduetoJudicialorbureaucraticinefficiency.

• The SupremeCourt has also taken up steps to free bonded labourers, and

issuesoftribals,slumdwellers,womeninrescuehomes,Childreninjuvenilehomes,Childlabouretc.

• InCaseofenvironmentalpollutionandecologicaldestruction, theSupreme

Court has ordered closure of a few factories, banned mining, roadConstruction,etc.

• It has enormously increased the awareness among themasses about their

rightsandthe institutionalarrangements intheformoftheJudiciarytogetthemimplemented.ItissaidthatthePIL,hasdemocratizedtheJudiciary.

• Through the PIL, the SupremeCourt hasVastly expanded the Scopeof the

Fundamental Rights, Such as article 21, article 14 etc. It has forced theexecutive and the legislature to discharge their Constitutional Obligationstowardsthepeople.

CriticismofPILs:TheprincipledcriticismagainstPublicInterestLitigation(PIL)isthatitdetractsfromthe Constitutional principle of ‘Separation of powers’ by allowing the Courts to



arbitrarilyinterferewithPolicy-choicesmadebythelegislatureandpassordersthatmay be difficult for the executive agencies to implement. In respect of practicalConsideration, the criticism revolves around the behavior of litigants as well asjudges.Fromtimetotime,ithasbeenurgedthattheinventofPIL'shasopenedupthefloodgatesforfrivolouscasesthateitherinvolvethelitigants’privateinterestsorare vehicles for gaining publicity. Rather than seeking justice for disadvantagedgroups.IthasalsobeencontendedthatinefficiencyofCourts.FromtheStandpointofthejudges,itisreasonedthatquiteoftentherearenochecksagainstdecisionsorordersthatamountto‘Judicialoverreach’Or‘JudicialPopulism’.ConclusionPublic Interest Litigation is effectively serving one of the Purposes of law as aninstrumentofSocialChange.IthasbeenusedasastrategytoCombattheatrocitiesprevailinginSociety.Theinnovationofthis legitimateinstrumentprovedbeneficialfor the developing country like India. It’s an institutional initiative towards theWelfareof theneedyClassof theSociety.“TheadventofPublic InterestLitigation(PIL) is one of the key Components of the approach of ‘judicial activism’ that isattributed to the higher Judiciary in India. The Courts interventions have played apivotal role in advancing the protection of Civil liberties, the rights of workers,genderjustice,accountabilityofpublic,institutions,environmentalConservationandtheguaranteeofSocioeconomicentitlementssuchashousing,healthandeducationamongothers.ThishasnotonlyStrengthenedthepositionofthejudiciaryvis-à-vistheotherwingsofgovernment,buthasalso raised itsprestigeamongthegeneralpopulace.7. On the question of gender equality versus religious sentiments, what shouldtakeprecedence?Shareandsubstantiateyourviews.IntroductionIn the west, the idea of secularism has been an extension of classical liberalism,wherethestateneitherprotectsnorpromotesareligion.Inasociety,wherethereisonemajorreligion,thisseemedtoflowfromtheideaof“separationofpowers”ofstateandthechurch.However,intheIndiancontext,wherethesocietyisessentiallymulticulturalandsomanysectsandreligionsthrivetogether,itwasdifficulttoadoptthisversionofsecularism.BodyAlso,theconservativenatureofIndiansocietyandcommunaltensionsprevalentatthetimeofframingoftheConstitutionmadeitevenmoredifficulttotransgressintosuchanopenandliberalsociety.Thus,Indiansecularismbecamemoreofaconceptpromoting“communalharmonyandcoexistence”where thestateprotectsaswellaspromotesallthereligionsequally.



Notwithstanding,thatIndiansecularismhasbeenlaudedbythewestaswell,ithasmetwith criticisms for being in contradiction to “freedom of expression”when itcomestocriticizingreligion,nomatterhowgroundedthatcriticismis.In the recent case of Indian Young Lawyers Association v. State of Kerala, thatquestionsrules tobarwomenfromtheage10-50toenter theSabarimalatemple,“freedom of religion” and “gender equality” are the two counter-arguments thathave been put forward by the defenders of the customary practice and thepetitionersrespectively.FreedomofReligion

• Article 25: Freedom of conscience and free profession, practice andpropagation of religion. According to it, all persons are equally entitled tofreedomofconscienceandtherightfreelytoprofess,practiceandpropagateareligion.

• Article 26: Freedom to manage religious affairs. Subject to public order,moralityandhealth,everyreligiousdenominationoranysectionthereofshallhavetherighttoestablishandmaintainreligiousinstitutionsandmanageitsownaffairsinmattersofreligion.

• InSriVenkataramanaDevaruv.StateofMysore(1958), thepetitionershadclaimedthat theMadrasTempleEntryAuthorisationActwhichallowedtheentry of Harijans into the temple, was against the Article 26 of theConstitutionandthetemplewasadenominationalonehavingbeenfoundedexclusivelyfortheGowdaSaraswathBrahmins.However,theSupremeCourtheld that notmerely temples dedicated to the public as a whole but alsothose founded for thebenefitof somesectionsarecontemplated inArticle25(2)whichprovidesforsocialwelfareandreformorthethrowingopenofHindureligiousinstitutionsofapubliccharactertoallclassesandsectionsofHindus

• Rule 3(b) of the Kerala Hindu Places of Public Worship (Authorisation ofEntry)Rules,1965,whichstates,“Womenwhoarenotbycustomandusageallowed toenteraplaceofpublicworship shallnotbeentitled toenteroroffer worship in any place of public worship.” The petitioners havechallengedthislawincourtintherecentcase.

• Ithasbeenarguedthat religionandsocialpracticesare interlinked.So, theprohibition of entry of women should not be seen as a gender inequalityissue,butasareligiouspracticewhichhasbeenfollowedbythepeopleforages.Suchreligiousritualsshouldnotbetamperedwith.

• Another argument which is being put forward is that Sabarimala templeought to be seen as an institutionwhere onlymales are allowed. Just likethere are boy’s schools and girl’s school. Also, there are other institutionswheremenarenotallowed.Further,evenMosquesdonotallowtheentryofwomen.



• Another point raised by the defenders is that there is no “god” inside theSabarimalatemple.Whatispresentinsidethetempleisa“deity”.Adeityisasocio-culturalenergycentreandontheotherhand“god”isuniversal.Hence,adeityisalegalentity,andbeingso,itsrightsareprotectedbyconstitutionalprivileges.

GenderEquality

• Article 14: Equality before law: The State shall not deny to any personequality before the law or the equal protection of the laws within theterritoryofIndia.

• Article 15: Prohibition of discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste,sexorplaceofbirth,statesthat“TheStateshallnotdiscriminateagainstanycitizenongroundsonlyof religion, race, caste, sex,placeofbirthoranyofthem.”

• Article 51A(e) makes it a fundamental duty of every citizen of India torenouncepracticesderogatorytothedignityofwomen

• ThebanontheentryofwomenofcertainagegroupswasviolativeofvariousfundamentalrightsincludingArticle17whichdealswithuntouchability.

• Article25(2)(b)enablesthestate“(toprovide)forsocialwelfareandreformorthethrowingopenofHindureligious institutionsofapubliccharactertoallclassesandsectionsoftheHindus.”Insuchcase,thestateoughttohavebroughtanappropriatelegislationtofacilitatetheconstitutionaldirection.

• Discriminating against women on the basis of a biological process i.e.menstruationisunscientificandisagainstArticle51A(h)withstatesthatitisthedutyofeverycitizenofIndiatodevelopscientifictemper,humanismandthespiritofinquiryandreform.

• Besidesthegenderinequalityargument,theideaofindividuallibertyisalsoatstakehere.Monopolisationofreligiousrightsbyafew,undertheguiseofmanagementofreligiousinstitutions,corruptstheideaofindividualliberty.

• Fromthesocietalpointofview,suchregressivepracticesinanyspherewouldinevitablyconstrictthenaturaldevelopmentofhumanpotential.

HowDoWeNeedtoLookUponIt?

• Historically, legal reforms usually precede socio-political change. LegalabolitionofseveralantiquatedpracticessuchasSatioruntouchabilitydidnotwitnessasocialtransformationovernight. Ittooktimeforpractices likeSatitovanish.Lawveryoftenstimulatesasubsequentsocio-culturalevolution.

• Thecourt should lookat itaswhether theSabarimala temple isa separate

denomination or not. As it is open to the public, it is difficult for theauthoritiestoclaimthat it isaseparatedenomination.Thismaystrengthenthecaseofthepetitioners.

• Also,itneedstoinquirewhetherthereactuallyisanyreligiouscustomofnotallowingwomenfromtheage10to50fromentering.Wealsoneedtorevisit



ourhistorytoevaluateeveryactofdiscriminationthathasbeendefendedonthegroundsofcustoms,traditionsandreligiouspractices.

• The court should see this as an opportunity not to rationalise religious

practices, but to overturn its existing passé ideas on the subject. It is hightime that the extent of applicability of religious rights is defined rationally.We need to keep inmind that our Constitution doesn’t acquire its secularcharacter merely from the words in the Preamble, but from a collectivereadingofmanyofitsprovisions,DPSPincluded,andparticularlythevariousfundamentalrightsthatitguarantees.

ConclusionGiventhe inexorablerelationship in Indiabetweenreligionandpublic life, it's timethe court shattered the conventional divides of the public and the private. If thecourtcanlookbeyondtheessentialpracticesdoctrineandseethiscaseforwhatitreally is — a denial to women not only of their individual rights to freedom ofreligion but also of equal access to public space— it can help set the tone for aradical re-reading of the Constitution. This can help the court reimagine it'sjurisprudenceindiverseareas,makingameaningfuldifferencetopeople’scivilrightsacrossspectrumsofcaste,class,genderandreligion.8. What are electoral bonds? Explain. What are the controversies surroundingthesebonds?Aretheyjustified?Criticallyanalyse. Introduction:Electoralbondsareabearer instrument in thenatureofaPromissoryNotethat ispayabletothebearerondemandandisinterest-free.Body:

• Theelectoralbondscheme,whichwasintroducedthroughtheFinanceActof2017,allowsanindividual,orany“artificial juridicalperson,” includingbodycorporates, to purchase bonds issued by the State Bank of India duringspecifieddaysoftheyear.

• These bonds, which are in the nature of promissory notes, and which areissued in denominations extending from Rs 1,000 to Rs 1 crore, can bedonatedbythepurchasertoapoliticalpartyofitschoice,andthepartycanthenhavethebondsencashedondemand.

• TheprovisionsoftheRepresentationofPeopleAct,theIncomeTaxAct,theCompaniesActandtheReserveBankofIndiaActhadbeenamendedundertheFinanceAct,2017andFinanceAct,2016toaccommodatethescheme’sobjective of keeping the donors identity and details of the political partiesreceivingtheelectoralbondanonymous.



Controversysurroundingthebonds:

• Theamendmentscreatenoobligationsonthepoliticalpartytodisclosetheamount received through electoral bonds to either the poll panel or theincometaxdepartment.

• FloutstherighttofreedomofexpressioncontainedinArticle19(1)(a)oftheConstitution:In a democratic system that does not have publicly-fundedelections (such as ours), it therefore becomes crucially important for thepublic to know who funds political parties, in order to critically evaluatewhetherthatparty’spoliciesaredesignedtoactuallyservethepublicgood,orwhethertheyarewrittentobenefititsfunders.

• Favours ruling party: The instrument finds itself in the centre of a majorcontroversyoverallegationsthatitisskewedtowardstherulingparty.

• Transparency:floutstheconceptoffreeandtransparentelections,as itwillprovidethedonor’snamebutnotthesourceofmoney.

• Corporatedonations:ItiscriticizedthatitopenedthefloodgatestounlimitedcorporatedonationstopoliticalpartiesandanonymousfinancingbyIndianaswell as foreign companies,which can have serious repercussions on Indiandemocracy.

• Anonymity:There isdonoranonymityandeliminationofcapsoncorporatedonations which could lead to channelling of money laundering and dirtymoneyintopolitics.

Theamendmentsarejustifyingbecause:

• Election expense: India's election expenses are among the highest in theworld due to diversity and frequency of elections and donor anonymity isnecessarytoensurethatfundsflowintomeetthecountry'sburgeoningpollexpenses.

• Nostatefundingofelection:Indiadoesn’thavestatefundingofelectionsandfundsarereceivedfromwealthyindividuals,publicandcompaniesforwhichtheseamendmentswerenecessary.

• Revenge:Theperson/companiesfundingtoaparticularpartywantittowinand in case the opposition party finds out then theirmaybe repercussionswhichthedonorsmaywanttoavoid.

Conclusion:Alsothecontroversyofcompleteanonymityandsecrecydoesn’tstandbecauseitisnoted that, the Income Tax department will have access to this information, theinstrument is, after all, purchased through proper banking channels using whitemoney and political parties have to file returns before the poll panel givingaccountabilityonhowmuchmoneyhascomethroughelectoralbonds.



9.TheGandhiandreamofself-dependentvillagerepublicscanbebestachievedbythe constitution of efficiently functioning self-help groups. Do you agree?Illustrate.Introduction:MahatmaGandhiasavisionaryof India,hadaveryclearperceptionof its villagesand made an emphatic assertion that “India lives in its villages”. Naturally thedevelopmentofthecountrydependsonthedevelopmentofvillages.Allthegoodsandservicesnecessaryforthevillagemembersshouldbegrownwithinthevillage.Inaword,everyvillageshouldbeaself-containedrepublic.Body:A Self-Help Group (SHG) is a group that consists of about 10 to 20 persons of ahomogenous classwho come togetherwith a view to address commonproblems.They collect voluntary savings on a regular basis and use the pooled resources tomakesmallinterestbearing-loanstotheirmembers.Collectivewisdomofthegroupandpeerpressurearevaluablecollateralsubstitutes.RoleofSHGsinmakingvillageself-dependent:

• MITCON: Self Employment Centre, Amravati MITCON has become bestconsultancyandtrainingservicecenterfromlast25years.Itiswellknownforthecontributiontowardspovertyalleviationandself-employment/settingupofenterpriseintheAmravatidistrict.Almost,alltheschemerelatedtoself-employment and poverty alleviation is being conducted/implemented bygovernmentinadistrictofAmravati.

• Kudumbashree in Kerala: It was launched in Kerala in 1998 to wipe outabsolute poverty through community action. It is the largest womenempoweringprojectinthecountry.Ithasthreecomponentsi.e.,microcredit,entrepreneurship and empowerment. It has three tier structure -neighborhood groups (SHG), area development society (15-20 SHGs) andCommunitydevelopmentsociety(federationofallgroups).Kudumbashreeisa government agency thathas abudget and staff paidby the government.Thethreetiersarealsomanagedbyunpaidvolunteers.

• Mahila Arthik Vikas Mahamandal (MAVIM) in Maharashtra: SHGs inMaharashtra were unable to cope with growing volume and financialtransactions and needed professional help. Community managed resourceCentre (CMRC) under MAVIM was launched to provide financial andlivelihoodservicestoSHGs.CMRCisself-sustainingandprovidesneed-basedservices.

• Finance:Providesmall finance to itsmembers toengage inentrepreneurialventures that help in employment generation and securing economicIndependence.

• Banking: Reducing the dependence of rural people on informal sector oflendingthuspromotingfinancialinclusionbySHGbanklinkageprogramme.



Socialdevelopment:

• Reduction in poverty by improving livelihood avenues by skill developmentthroughschemelikeDAY-NRLM.

• Women empowerment by raising confidence of women, increasing theirparticipationinfamilyandvillageandbreakingshacklesofpatriarchy.

RoleofSHG’sinmakingvillagerepublics:

• Ajeevika programme :anexampleofSHG-hasbeenchangingthe livesofwomen across the state. It plays a crucial role in women empowerment,checking corruption, information dissemination, and eradication ofuntouchability.

• Agriculture:Femalefarmersgettogethertopurchasebetterseeds,testnew&innovativetechnology.

• Corruption: the group raise voice against corruption against PDS dealers -whichisquiterampant.

• Literacy:LiteratewomeninthegrouphelpothersaccessfinancialschemesofGovt.IthasalsotakenstepstowardAdultLiteracy.Agreattooltoempowerwomen.

• Freedom: providesaplatformwhere they can share the informationwhichotherwisetheywouldnotsharewithanyone.Ex:Menstruation.

• Information Dissemination: They talk about education, health, sanitation,security,etc.

• Remove untouchability:Women fromdifferent community and caste sit&eattogether.

Conclusion:Gandhiisoftheviewthatfullemploymentofhumanresourcesisthebasicneedofacountry.Thiscannotbepossibleonlywiththedevelopmentoflarge-scaleindustriesbecause of their labor-saving nature. Self-dependent village economy is analternativesolutionandinthiscontexttheroleofinstitutionsintheruralsectorlikethevillagepanchayatandruralmultipurposeco-operativecanplayavitalrole.10. Examine the factors that have made the Indo-pacific region enter the geo-strategicdiscourse.WhathasbeenIndia’sstandwithrespecttothisregion?Inthislight,discusstheguidingprinciplesenunciatedintheShangriLadialogue.Introduction:

The Indo-Pacific, is an integrated theatre that combines the IndianOcean and thePacific Ocean, and the landmasses that surround them. Even though it is still anevolvingconcept,mostanalystsseeitasanideathatcapturestheshiftinpowerandinfluence from theWest to the East. It is both a strategic aswell as an economicdomaincomprising importantsea-linesofcommunicationthatconnectthe littorals



of the two oceans. Since it is primarily a maritime space, the Indo-Pacific isassociatedwithmaritimesecurityandcooperation.Body:FactorsResponsibleforIndo-pacificregion’sgeo-strategicdiscourse.

Ø China`sassertiveforeignpolicyanduseofmilitarystrengthtoassertitssovereigntyondisputedislandsintheSouthChinaSea

Ø Rise of India as an economic powerhouse and influential politicalactorinworldaffairs,particularlyinAsianaffairs.Indiaisplayingabigrole in the Quad, or the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue thatinformally brings together for strategic talks andmilitary exercises,theUS,Japan,AustraliaandIndia.

Ø Erosionofself-confidenceofAssociationofSoutheastAsianNations(ASEAN) that used to display its image as a triumphant politicalgrouping in a region, despite diversity in terms of political system,economicphilosophy,religiousbeliefsandsocio-culturaltraditions

Ø Non-traditional security threats, such as terrorism, nuclearproliferation,environmentaldegradation,drugstraffickingandhealthhazards.

Ø Critical regional security issues, such as sovereignty issues in SouthChinaSea,

India’sStandwithRespecttoIndo-PacificRegion.India’sPrimeMinisterenunciatedIndia'svisionofafree,open, inclusiveandrules-based Indo-Pacific, ofwhich India is an important part. He explained India's Indo-Pacificvisionatthe“Shangri-LaDialogue”inSingapore.

• IndiahasbeenanactiveparticipantinmechanismsliketheIndianOceanRimAssociation(IORA).

• IndianotedthattheIndo-Pacificisanaturalregion,andhometoavastarrayofglobalopportunitiesandchallenges.

• A key aspect of India’s policy in the Indo-Pacific is inclusiveness, opennessandthecompleteabsenceofexpansionisttendencies.ForIndia'sapproachtoflourish,arules-basedorderisimperative.

• ThetencountriesofSouthEastAsiaconnectthetwogreatoceansinboththegeographical and civilizational sense. Thus, India recognized that ASEANcentralityandunitylieattheheartofthenewIndo-Pacific.

• IndiadoesnotseetheIndo-PacificRegionasastrategyorasacluboflimitedmembers,orasagroupingthatseekstodominate.Itisnotdirectedagainstanycountry.

• For India, Indo-Pacific peace stands for security, stability, prosperity andrules.



Shangri-Ladialogue:

The Shangri-La Dialogue (SLD) is a “TrackOne” inter-governmental security forumheldannuallybyanindependentthinktank,theInternationalInstituteforStrategicStudies(IISS)whichisattendedbydefenseministers,permanentheadsofministriesand military chiefs of 28 Asia-Pacific states. The forum gets its name from theShangri-LaHotelinSingaporewhereithasbeenheldsince2002.Thesummitservesto cultivate a senseof community among themost importantpolicymakers in thedefenseandsecuritycommunityintheregion.Governmentdelegationshavemadethebestoutofthemeetingbyholdingbilateralmeetingswithotherdelegationsonthesidelinesoftheconference.Guidingprinciplesintheshangriladialogue:

• Increasing engagement with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations(ASEAN)

• DevelopingfriendshipwithChina• MaintainingcordialtieswithRussia• PursuinginterestswithAustraliaand• EngagingmorewiththeU.S.• Equalaccessasaright:equalaccessasarightunderinternationallawtothe

useofcommonspacesonseaand intheairthatwouldrequirefreedomofnavigation, unimpeded commerce and peaceful settlement of disputes inaccordancewithinternationallaw.Callingforanendtoprotectionisminthisageof globalizationhe said that solutions cannotbe foundbehindwalls ofprotection,butinembracingchange.

Conclusion:Economically and strategically, the global Centre of gravity is shifting to the Indo-Pacific.TheIndo-Pacifichaslatelyenteredthegeo-strategicdiscourseasasubstitutefor the more established term ‘Asia-Pacific’. India must ensure openness,transparency,andahealthybalanceofpowerintheregion.11. The judiciary has, through various landmark judgements, given broader anddeeper interpretations to the fundamental right to life and liberty. Expanduponsomeofthesejudgementsandbringouttheircontemporarysignificance.Introduction:Article 21 of theConstitution says that “Noperson shall be deprivedof his life orpersonal liberty except according to procedure established by law.” It is themostprecious and sacrosanct right. Having found it to be inadequate and unrealistic inview of the changing socio-economic needs and aspirations of the society, theSupremeCourtresortedtoliberalinterpretationoftheArt21.



Body:InthebeginningwithA.KGopalancase,SCtook literalsenseofPersonal libertybynarrowly interpretingmeaningto“libertyofpersonconcerninghisbody”andovertheyearsithasevolved.

• RighttoTravelAbroad:TheRighttotravelabroadisoneofthevitalelementsofPersonalliberty.Itisalsoahumanright.ThescopeofpersonallibertywasenlargedbytheSupremeCourtinMenakaGandhi.

• Righttoeducation:Bymakingreferenceto InternationalcovenantsofChildrights,SCheldthattherighttoeducation isapartofrightto life. It furtherstatedthatthedignityofanindividualwhichincludesbasicrequirementsforsubsistenceincludesrighttoeducation.

• RighttoHealth:Inthewakeofhealthhazards,thejudiciaryinterpretedrightto life to include right to health. Life is notmere living but living healthy.Healthisnottheabsenceofillnessbutaglowingvitality.

• RighttoShelter:Oneofthebasicneedsofmanisadequatehouse.• Right to work: It was in Olga Tellis v. Bombay Municipal Corporation, the

CourtinterpretedtheRighttoLivelihoodunderRighttoLife.• RighttoLivewithDignity:SCheldthatrighttoliveindignityandtherightto

livewithout one's reputation being degraded by others. It opined that thelossof reputationandconsequent lossofcharacteranddignity inone's lifecannotbecompensatedintermsofmoney.

• RighttoDecentburial:Therighttoaccordadecentburialorcremationtothedeadbodyofaperson,shouldbetakentobepartoftherighttosuchhumandignity.

• RighttoFood:Therighttofood isahumanright. Itprotectstherightofallhuman beings to live in dignity, free from hunger, food insecurity andmalnutrition.Courtemphasizedthattherighttolifenecessarilyincludestherighttofoodwithinitsfold.

• Right to Live in Clean environment: The Supreme Court observed that theright to life is a fundamental right under Art. 21 of the Constitution and itincludes the right of enjoyment of pollution free water and air for fullenjoymentoflife.

• Right toDie: SCwhile recalling thewords ofMahatmaGandhi, stated that“deathisourfriend,thetrustoffriends.Hedeliversusfromagony.Idonotwanttodieofacreepingparalysisofmyfaculties-adefeatedman”.

• RighttoPrivacy:InalandmarkJusticePuttaswamycase,SCheldthatRighttoPrivacyalsoformspartofRighttoLife.

Conclusion:The above interpretation illustrates the fact that the expressionsRight to Life andPersonal Liberty have much wider meaning than its primary sense. The liberalinterpretationoftheexpressionhasbroughtevery laworeveryfacetof lifewithinthepurviewofArt.21.



12. Is there a way-out to reconcile privacy concerns with identity basedentitlement?ExamineinthelightofthecontroversysurroundingtheuseofAadharas a mandatory document for passing on government benefits to the citizens.What has the been the response of the government and the judiciary in thisregard?Discuss.IntroductionAadhaarCardisarectangularpaperthatgivesitsholderi.eIndianresident,aunique12-digit number alongwith displaying the details of the holder's residence, bloodgroup,retinascanandthumbimprintwhichisknownasbiometricanddemographicdata.BodyUniqueIdentificationAuthorityofIndia(UIDAI),astatutoryauthority.Aadhaarasabiometric ID system views India in future as a country where each resident isaccounted with a unique ID and hence aims for inclusion in necessity to addressseveral problems including financial inclusivity, unemployment, benefits ofgovernment schemes. Currently, the Supreme Court has decided that non-possessionofAadhaarCardcannotbeusedtopreventsubsidiesorbenefitstothepublic.AadharCardandRighttoPrivacy–CanTheyCo-Exist?

• In its zeal to aggregate data in electronic formand target subsidies better,thegovernmentcannot ignore its responsibility toprotectcitizens fromtheperilsofthecyberera.

• Legislation- it is imperative that the Union Government enact a privacylegislation that clearly defines the rights of citizens and it should beconsistentwiththeprovisionoftheConstitution.

• The government should factor in privacy risks and include procedures andsystemstoprotectcitizeninformationinanysystemofdatacollection.

• ItshouldcreateaninstitutionalmechanismsuchasthePrivacyCommissionertopreventunauthoriseddisclosureoforaccesstosuchdata.

• Our national cyber cell should be made well capable of dealing with anycyber-attackintheshortesttime.

• WeneedtoeducatepeopleontherisksinvolvedandhighlightexamplesofIDtheftsandfraud.

• Thegovernmentshouldrecognisealldimensionsof theright toprivacyandaddress concerns about data safety, protection from unauthorisedinterception,surveillance,useofpersonalidentifiersandbodilyprivacy.

• Weneedtotakealevel-headedapproachandensurethatamplesafeguardsareputinplacefordataprotectionandprivacy.



Government’sResponse:DataProtectionBillAfter a landmark judgment by the Supreme Court on theright to privacy, RaviShankar Prasad, Minister of Electronic and Information Technology, has indicatedthatthedataprotectionlawwouldbeinplace.Theunionministersaidthatthenewbillwouldbedraftedkeepingtherecentrighttoprivacyjudgmentinmind.Thebillwill be drafted taking key inputs from the former Supreme Court Judge, BNSrikrishna.Asoftoday,thecommitteehassubmitteditsreports.SupremeCourt’sResponseThe Supreme Court declared the Centre’s flagship Aadhaar scheme asconstitutionallyvalid.Theapexcourt,however,struckdownsomeof itsprovisionsincludingitslinkingwithbankaccounts,mobilephonesandschooladmissions.A five-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra held thatAadhaar would remain mandatory for the filing of IT returns and allotment ofPermanentAccountNumber(PAN).But,itwouldnotbemandatorytolinkAadhaarto bank accounts and also telecom service providers cannot seek its linking formobileconnections.Aadhaarwouldnotbemandatoryforschooladmissions,asalsofortheexaminationsconductedby theCentralBoardofSecondaryExamination,NationalEligibility cumEntranceTestformedicalentranceandtheUniversityGrantsCommission.ThebenchstruckdownthenationalsecurityexceptionundertheAadhaar(TargetedDeliveryofFinancialandotherSubsidies,BenefitsandServices)Act.ItsaidAadhaarismeant tohelp thebenefits reach themarginalised sectionsof society and takesintoaccountthedignityofpeoplenotonlyfrompersonalbutalsocommunitypointofview.ThetopcourtsaidAadhaarisservingmuchbiggerpublicinterest.Aadhaarmeansuniqueanditisbettertobeuniquethanbeingbest.ConclusionAadhaarpresentsauniqueopportunityforpeople-centricgovernancebyimprovingtheprocesses andoutcomes. It not only helps in social and financial inclusionbutalsohelpsinmaintainingfiscaldeficitsandreducingtheburdenonStateexchequer.It a policy tool necessary for the upliftment of the marginalised sections of thesocietyandinclusivegrowth.



13.WhatareyourviewsontheprovisionsofthedraftNationalEducationPolicy,2019?Does thedraft policy echo the aspirations of a young anddynamic India?Criticallyexamine.Introduction:TheGovernmentofIndiahasbroughtoutaDraftNationalEducationPolicytomeetthe changing dynamics of the population’s requirement with regards to qualityeducation,innovationandresearch.Body:ProvisionsofthedraftNationalEducationpolicy:Theideathatlifelongeducationisbasedonfourpillars—learningtoknow,learningtodo,learningtolivetogetherandlearningtobe—hasinspiredthecommitteetocover every aspect of the education sector: school, higher, vocational and adulteducation.Earlychildhoodeducation:

• Inschooleducation,theideaistocoverchildrenof3-18years[insteadofthe

present6-14yearsundertheRighttoEducation(RTE)Act],threeyearsunderearly childhood care and education (ECCE) and four years under secondaryeducation.

• Restructuringthe10+2educationstructureintoa5+3+3+4structuresothatthe fiveyears fromage’s threetosevenor till theendofStd2areseenasone“foundationalstage”.

• The next two stages, of three years each, are “preparatory” and “upperprimary”, first ensure the acquisition of foundational skills and then theirdevelopment.Thesestagesarenotonlyconsistentwiththedevelopmentofchildren,but theyarealsouseful tomeettheoverallgoalofensuringbasiclearningoutcomesstage-by-stage.

• Highereducation:TheaimistodoubletheGrossEnrolmentRatiofrom25%

to50%by2035andmakeuniversitiesthehubsofresearch.o TierIuniversities/institutionsdevotedprimarilytoresearchandsome

teaching.o Tier2universitiesdevotedtoteachingandsomeresearch.o Tier3institutionscomprisingmainlycollegesthataretobeconverted

graduallyintodegree-givingautonomousinstitutions.• Achieve‘universalfoundationalliteracyandnumeracy’throughinitiativeslike

the National Tutors Programme and the Remedial Instructional AidesProgramme.

• Introductionof school complexes,a systemofmodularBoardExaminationsto allow flexibility, setting up Special Education Zones in disadvantaged



regions, recognising teachers at the heart of the system, moving teachereducation into the university system, and stressing the importance oflearningnewlanguagesareamongthekeyrecommendations.

• The policy recommends community and volunteer participation incollaborationwith schools toovercome thecurrentcrisis. Schoolsgenerallyworkinisolationfromthecommunitytheyserve.

• The policy recognises the crucial importance ofliberal arts (it recommendssettingupfiveIndianInstitutesofLiberalArtsofferingfour-yearcourses)andthe study of modern and classical languages (it recommends setting upNationalInstitutionsforPali,PrakritandPersian).Reintroductionofthefour-yearundergraduateprogrammeinLiberalArtsScienceEducation(LASE)withmultiple exit options, and scrapping of the MPhil programme. The LASEcurriculum will be designed to develop broadly “useful capacities” (criticalthinking,communicationskills,scientific temper,social responsibilitiesetc.),while offering rigorous education in specialisations (called majors or dualmajors)acrossdisciplines.

• Itproposesseparateinstitutionsforregulation,funding,standardsettingandaccreditation, a National Research Foundation, and a Rashtriya ShikshaAayog/NationalEducationCommission.

• Vocational education, meant for 50% of the students, is sought to beintegratedwithschoolandhighereducation.

• TechnologyinEducation• Training of teachers in the use of educational technology, and use of

educationaltechnologyforprofessionaldevelopmentofteachers• Classroom tools and curriculum, such as “computational training”, online

coursesoftwareetc.• Access for those disadvantaged students who cannot attend a physical

school.• Overall educational records management with a National Repository of

EducationalData.Certainprovisionsofthepolicyhavebeencriticizedbyvariousbodiesasagainsttheneeds of aspirations of young and dynamic India, saying it has many drasticrecommendations that would damage, rather than improve, the entire fabric ofeducationsystem

• Thedraftpolicydoesnotmakeacompellingcaseforwhyradicalalterationsneedtobecarriedouttothefundamentalstructureoftheeducationsysteminthecountry.

• The scientific community is against the government on introducing asemestersysteminschools,clubbinglastfourstandardsstartingwith9intooneslab.

• SeveralSouthIndianstatesareagainstimposingthethree-languageformulaonbelowtheclassof6.

• The draft does not focusmore on how to teach and but only on what toteach.



• While an adequate exposure of ancient Indian educational traditions andinstitutions is desirable, thismay be limited to the need to teach studentsabout significant ancient Indian contributions to early developments insciences,mathematics,medicine,engineering,agricultureandthefinearts.

• Inaddition,itwouldalsobeadvisabletoincludeinstructionsongeo-heritage,archaeology, palaeontology and biodiversity of India (in both marine andterrestrial realms) to provide a wholesome view of India and its naturalheritage.

Conclusion:The“learningcrisis”isverydeep.Theeducationsystem—publicandprivate—hasbeendeteriorating rapidly andhasaffected thequalityofourhuman resources. Ifthis trend is not reversed, the dysfunctional system will becomemore and moreexpensive but will not deliver the goods. It will require a huge commitment andconvictiontomakeithappen.14.WhatarethemostconstrainingimpedimentsaffectingthefunctioningofPRIsin India? Discuss. What measures would you suggest to address thoseimpediments?Introduction



PanchayatiRajInstitution(PRI)isasystemofrurallocalself-governmentinIndia.LocalSelfGovernment isthemanagementof localaffairsbysuchlocalbodieswhohavebeenelectedbythelocalpeople.BodyPRIwasconstitutionalisedthroughthe73rdConstitutionalAmendmentAct,1992tobuild democracy at the grass roots level andwas entrustedwith the task of ruraldevelopmentinthecountry.InitspresentformandstructurePRIhascompleted27years of existence. However, a lot remains to be done in order to furtherdecentralisationandstrengthendemocracyatthegrassrootlevel.IssuesaffectingthefunctioningofPRIsinIndiaare:

• Thegreyarea is the lackofadequate funds.There isaneed toenlarge thedomainofpanchayatstobeabletoraisetheirownfunds.

• TheinterferenceofareaMPsandMLAsinthefunctioningofpanchayatsalsoadverselyaffectstheirperformance.

• The 73rd amendment only mandated the creation of local self-governingbodies,and left thedecisiontodelegatepowers, functions,and finances tothestatelegislatures,thereinliesthefailureofPRIs.

• The transfer of various governance functions—like the provision ofeducation, health, sanitation, and water was not mandated. Instead theamendment listedthefunctionsthatcouldbetransferred,and left it tothestatelegislaturetoactuallydevolvefunctions.

• Because these functions were never devolved, state executive authoritieshaveproliferatedtocarryoutthesefunctions.Themostcommonexampleistheterriblestatewaterboards.

• Themajor failure of the Amendment is the lack of finances for PRIs. Localgovernments can either raise their own revenue through local taxes orreceiveintergovernmentaltransfers.

• Thepowertotax,evenforsubjectsfallingwithinthepurviewofPRIs,hastobe specificallyauthorisedby the state legislature.The73rdAmendment letthis be a choice open to the state legislatures—a choice that most stateshavenotexercised.

• A second avenue of revenue generation is intergovernmental transfers,where state governments devolve a certain percentageof their revenue toPRIs. The constitutional amendment created provisions for State FinanceCommissions to recommend the revenue share between state and localgovernments. However, these are merely recommendations and the stategovernmentsarenotboundbythem.

• Though finance commissions, at every level, have advocated for greaterdevolutionoffunds,therehasbeenlittleactionbystatestodevolvefunds.



• PRIs are reluctant to takeonprojects that requireanymeaningful financialoutlay,andareoftenunable tosolveeventhemostbasic localgovernanceneeds.

• PRIs also suffer from structural deficiencies i.e. no secretarial support andlower levels of technical knowledge which restricted the aggregation ofbottomupplanning.

• There isapresenceofadhocism i.e. lackofclear settingofagenda ingramsabha,gramsamitimeetingsandnoproperstructure.

• Though women and SC/STs has got representation in PRIs throughreservationmandatedby73rdamendmentbutthereisapresenceofPanch-PatiandProxyrepresentation incaseofwomenandSC/STsrepresentativesrespectively.

• Accountability arrangements remain veryweak even after 27 years of PRIsconstitutionalarrangement.

• The issue of ambiguity in the division of functions and funds has allowedconcentrationofpowerswiththestatesandtherebyrestrainingtheelectiverepresentativeswhoaremoreawareandsensitivetothegroundlevelissuestotakecontrol.

Suggestionstoimproveitsfunctioning:

• Genuine fiscal federalism i.e. fiscal autonomy accompanied by fiscalresponsibilitycanprovidealongtermsolutionwithoutthisPRIswillonlybeanexpensivefailure.

• 6th report of 2nd ARC, ‘Local Governance- An inspiring journey into thefuture’’,hadrecommendedthatthereshouldbeaclear-cutdemarcationoffunctionsofeachtierofthegovernment.

• States should adopt the concept of ‘activity mapping’, wherein each stateclearlydelineates the responsibilitiesand roles for thedifferent tiersof thegovernmentinrespecttothesubjectslistedintheScheduleXI.

• Thesubjectsshoulddividedandassignedtothedifferenttiersonthebasisofaccountabilitytothepublic.

• StateslikeKarnatakaandKeralahavetakensomestepsinthisdirectionbutoverallprogresshasbeenhighlyuneven.

• Thereisneedforbottomupplanningespeciallyatthedistrictlevel,basedongrassrootsinputsreceivedfromGramSabha.

• Karnataka has created a separate bureaucratic cadre for Panchayats to getawayfromthepracticeofdeputationofofficialswhooftenoverpoweredtheelectedrepresentatives.

• Thecenteralsoneedstofinanciallyincentivizestatestoencourageeffectivedevolutiontothepanchayatsinfunctions,finances,andfunctionaries.

• Trainingshouldbeprovidedtolocalrepresentativestodevelopexpertisesothat they contributemore in planning and implementation of policies andprogrammes.

• To solve the problem of proxy representation social empowerment mustprecedethepoliticalempowerment.



• Recently states like Rajasthan and Haryana have set certain minimumqualificationstandardsforPanchayatelections.Suchnecessaryeligibilitycanhelpinimprovingeffectivenessofgovernancemechanism.

• These standards should apply forMLAs andMPs also and in this directiongovernmentshouldspeedenupeffortsforuniversaleducation.

• There should be clear mechanisms to ensure that States comply with theconstitutional provisions, particularly in the appointment andimplementationof the recommendationsof theStateFinanceCommissions(SFCs).

ConclusionTheneedofthehouristobringaboutaholisticchangeinthelivesofbeneficiariesamong the villagers by uplifting their socioeconomic and health status througheffective linkages through community, governmental and other developmentalagencies. Government should take remedial action in the interest of democracy,social inclusion and cooperative federalism. People’s demands for the sustainabledecentralisation and advocacy should focus on a decentralisation agenda. Theframeworkneedstobeevolvedtoaccommodatethedemandfordecentralisation.Itisimportanttohaveclarityintheassignmentoffunctionsandthelocalgovernmentsshouldhaveclearandindependentsourcesoffinance.15.Whatareyourviewsonthedecisiontoprovide10percentreservationinjobsandhighereducationtoeconomicallybackwardsectionsamongtheuppercastes?Don’tyouthinkawardingreservationstonewersectionsofpeopleisaretrogradestep?Criticallycomment.Introduction:The Constitution (103rd Amendment) Act, 2019, the Act providing 10 percentreservationingovernmentjobsandeducationalinstitutionstoEconomicallyWeakerSections (EWS) of General Category, came into effect on January 14, 2019. ThereservationofEWSofgeneralcategorywillbegivenwithouttamperingtheexistingquotasforSC,STandOBCspeople.Body:Thegovernmenthasrecentlyprovided10%reservationsofeconomicallybackwardsectionsamonguppercastes,thishasresultedin:

• InstructionshavebeenissuedbytheMinistryofHRDforincreasingthetotalnumber of seats over a period of two years, to provide for 10% EWSreservation,withoutadversely affecting theproportionate seatsof SCs, STsandOBCs.



• An amount of Rs.4315.15 crores has been sanctioned for creation ofadditional2,14,766seats(1,18,983additionalseatsduring2019-20and9,783additionalseatsduring2020-21)in158CentralEducationalInstitutions.

• 10%reservationunderEWScategoryisapplicabletothosepersonswhoarenot covered under the existing scheme of reservations for the ScheduledCastes, the Scheduled Tribes and the Socially and Educationally BackwardClasses.

ReservationsforEWSisaretrogradestepandcanalsobecalledafailureonpartofgovernmentstodoawaywithreservationswhichwasprovidedonlyfor10yearsduringtheinitialyearsofimplementation:

• WhenthereservationpolicywentbeyondSCsandSTs,despitethefactthattheexpansionwasjustified,iteffectivelydilutedthesharpnessofthetool—thatitwouldbeemployedforextremecasesofdiscriminationandexclusion.

• Themoralbasisofthereservationpolicyisalmostlost.Now,thereservationpolicy will no more be seen as an intermediate tool to address ingrainedsocialinjusticeintheIndiansocialorder.

• Theenablingprovision in theConstitutionwaspredicatedon the logic thatthe social order is fundamentally unjust and therefore the state shouldintervene in favour of the most oppressed sections to enable them tocompete in the public sphere and stake their claims for a share in publicpower.Thislogicisnomoreapplicable.

• Instead, the logicnow is that therearedifferentgroups insocietyandtheyneed to be accommodated, as far as possible, in a proportionatemanner.Thisnewlogic impliesthatreservation isnotaremedyfortraditionalsocialillsbutaroutinepolicytooltoarrangepoliticalandadministrativepower.

• Casteas theprimarybasis formakingclaimson the state:Not the injusticeperpetrated by the caste system, but caste in itself has emerged as theprimarysocialgroupforwhichdemandsaremade,robbingpolicy-makingofthemorejustifiablebasesofdeprivation.

TheEWSreservationscanbejustifiedincertaincircumstances:

• Right toequality:Thereareseveral familiesandcommunitiesamonguppercastes in Indiawhohave lived in chronic poverty over generationswith noaccess toquality education and jobs, thiswill provide ameansof hope forthem.

• Completely Deprived: Children of below poverty line upper caste familiescannot compete equallywith the 2nd/3rd generation bureaucrat children ofreserved category for government jobs or higher educational institutionseats.

• ItcanalsobehighlightedthatseveralCommitteeshavebeensetupwhereinquantifiable data has been collected highlighting the need for havingreservationfortheeconomicallyweakersectionsofthesociety.

Conclusion:



Therehasbeenseverecriticismaboutthe legalityandconstitutionalvalidityoftheEWsreservationsbut theCentrehasdefendedtheamendmentbystating that thenewly insertedprovisionsare inconformitywith theprincipleofaffirmativeactionand that the argument that EWSquotawill breach50% limit of reservation is nottrue as this limit imposed by the Supreme Court in Indira Sawhney case is notapplicableafterconstitutionamendment.16. What significance do non-governmental organisations (NGOs) hold for theSocio-economicdevelopmentofthecountry?Discuss. IsthereaneedtoregulatetheactivitiesofNGOsinIndia?Criticallyexamine.Introduction:A non-governmental organization (NGO) is a non-profit, citizen-based group thatfunctions independentlyofgovernment.NGOsareorganizedon local,nationalandinternational levelstoservespecificsocialorpoliticalpurposes. In India,NGOscanberegisteredunderaplethoraofActssuchastheIndianSocietiesRegistrationAct,1860,ReligiousEndowmentsAct,1863,IndianTrustsAct,etc.Body:RoleofNGO’sinsocio-economicdevelopmentofthecountry:

• It brings in accountability and transparency to governance and Improvesgovernmentperformance.

• Itactsasahumanrightswatchdoginthesociety.• NGOsactaschannelsfordonorstoprovideinternationaldevelopmentfunds

tolow-incomecountriesordevelopingcountries.• Theyplayavitalroleinmobilizingpublicattentiontosocietalproblemsand

needs.• Theyenhancetheefficiencyofthedeliveryofmanyservicesatthelocallevel

throughtheinvolvementofresidents.• They also improve policy monitoring and evaluation as Comptroller and

auditorgeneral(CAG)takescognizanceofreportsandsocialauditsbyNGOswhilepreparingitsreports.

• NGOshelpinconstructiveconflictresolution.IntheinternationalarenaTrackII diplomacy (involving non-governmental bodies) plays a crucial role increatinganenvironmentoftrustandconfidence.

• Many NGOs work to preserve and promote India’s diverse culture. Forexample, SPICMACAY is a society for promoting Indian classicalmusic andcultureamongsttheyouth.

ThereisaneedtoregulatetheactivitiesofNGO’sbecause:



• NGOshaveactedasacoverfororganizedcrimeinpastandareoftenseenasfrontsforfundamentalistcauses.

• Foreign-funded NGOs have been responsible for organizing agitations andscuttling development projects in India and have become detrimental tonational development. Ex. NGO Green Peace International in KudankulamProtest.

• Misappropriationof funds:ReligiousNGO likeZakirNaik’s IRF is accusedofdivertingfundsforterroristactivitiesandpropagationofradicalization.

• Non-accountable, non-transparent undemocratic functioning: Only 10% ofthe total registered NGOs under the Societies Registration Act file annualfinancialstatements.

• Absorberofblackmoney:Duetotaxexemptiontheyabsorbblackmoneyasdonationsandthenuseitforanti-socialactivities.

• MoneyLaundering:CorruptorunscrupulousNGOsthatreceiveforeignfundsmayserveasconduitsformoneylaunderingandaroundtripofmoney.

• Create Hurdle in the internal security of the country. Ex. AFSPA againstmilitants and LWE, opposed byNGO like Amnesty international for Humanrightsconcerns.

• Politicalthreat:InternationalfundingtoNGOandPoliticalpartiesmanipulateelectionisathreattoafreeandfairelectionandunderminesdemocracy.Itcanevendestabilizegovernments.

• Encroachingtraditions-NGOsareoftenseenasencroachingoncenturies-oldtraditionandcultureofthepeople,andleadtomassprotestattimes.BanofJallikattu,afterthePILbyPETAisonesuchexample.

Theyarealsoahurdleineconomicgrowthanddevelopmentofcountry:

• Stallingprojects: They createhurdle for startingor runningof theprojects.Ex:Kudankulam,Narmadadam,Sardarsarovaretc.

• Judicial cases:Approach court andobtain stayorder evenwhen clearedbyconcernedministries.

• Employment: Due to stalling of projects, huge potential for employmentgenerationisprevented.

• Costoverrun:Duetodelayinprojectcompletion,judicialcasesetc.thecostsovershootleadingtofinancialissues.

• NPA:Due to delayed production and cost overrun, the break-even point isnotachievedasexpectedleadingtoNon-performingassets.

• Strikes and lockouts: They pursue workers to indulge in strikes againstmanagementleadingtolossofpreciousmanhoursandproduction.

• Anti-development: Certain NGO’s are misleading farmers to strike againstGMOcropsandHybridcropvarieties leading to increase in importbills.Ex:Edibleoils,Vegetablesetc.

Conclusion:



TheNGO’ssponsoredbycorporatesandforeignbodiesareworkingfortheinterestsof their sponsors and negatively impacted GDP growth of 2-3% as per the recentclaimsbyIBreport.RegulationofNGOsisverymuchrequiredbutitshouldbe‘light’and consistentwith the fundamental rights, so as to give effect to theobjects forwhichvoluntarismisbeingpromoted.Thenewframeworkshouldenablea“nationaluniformity”ofapproachfollowingtheprincipleof“cooperativefederalism”.17.WhatsignificancedoesRussiaholdforIndia’seconomicandstrategicinterests?Discuss.WhathavebeenthemajorirritantsinIndo-Russiarelations?Examine.Introduction:Thediplomatic relationsbetween IndiaandRussiawereestablishedmore than70years back. Thus began a long journey ofmutual discovery, resulting into a deeprooted friendship between the two countries. The Indo-Russian friendship is timetested and is based on trust, historical intimacy, mutual understanding andcontinuity.Body:TheIndiaRussiarelationsaremultidimensional,andwide-ranging.Thesearespreadover many domains covering economy, defense, science and technology, politicalandculturalspheres.Thesearebasedonsimilarityinviewsonvariousregionalandinternationalissues.SignificanceofRussiaforIndia’seconomicinterests:

• Banking sector: The Indian ICICI Bank has opened its subsidiary ICICI Bank

EurasiainRussia,withbranchesinMoscowandStPetersburg.• EnergySector:ONGC-Videshacquired20%stakeintheSakhalin-Ioilandgas

project in theRussianFederation,andhas investedaboutUS$1.7billion intheproject.Gazprom,theRussiancompany,andGasAuthorityofIndiahavecollaborated in joint development of a block in theBay ofBengal.KudankulamNuclearPowerProjectwithtwounitsof1000MWeachisagoodexampleofIndo-Russiannuclearenergyco-operation.

• ScienceandTechnology: IntegratedLong-TermProgrammeofCo-operation(ILTP)iscoordinatedbytheDepartmentofScienceandTechnologyfromtheIndian side and by the Academy of Sciences, Ministry of Science andEducation, and Ministry of Industry and Trade from the Russian side.Development of SARAS Duet aircraft, semiconductor products, supercomputers, poly-vaccines, laser science and technology, seismology, high-puritymaterials,software&ITandAyurvedahavebeensomeofthepriorityareasofco-operationundertheILTP.Underthisprogramme,eightjointIndo-Russian centers have been established to focus on joint research anddevelopment work. Two other Joint Centers on Non-ferrous Metals andAcceleratorsandLasersarebeingsetupinIndia.



• Transport: The North–South Transport Corridor is the ship, rail, and roadrouteformovingfreightbetweenIndia,Russia,Iran,EuropeandCentralAsia.Therouteprimarily involvesmoving freight from India, Iran,AzerbaijanandRussiavia ship, rail and road. Dry runsof two routes (Mumbai toBakuviaBandarAbbasand thesecondwasMumbai toAstrakhanviaBandarAbbas,Tehran and Bandar Anzali) were conducted in 2014. The results showedtransportcostswerereducedby"$2,500per15tonsofcargo.

• Automobile sector: TATAMotors launched a project to assemble its light-duty trucks at Russia’s Urals Automobile andMotors plant and assemblingplantforbusesatVolzhaninandSamotlor.

• Pharmaceutical sector: pharmaceutical companies like Dr. Reddy’sLaboratoriesLtdandLupinLtdhaveinvestmentsinRussia.

• Other sectors: Indian companies are exploringmajor investment options inRussia,especiallyinnaturalresourcessuchascoal,fertilizers,hydrocarbons,minerals,andrareearthmetals.Companiesthatareexploringpossibilitiesforinvestment in Russia includeGAIL, IndianOil, Coal India, Reliance and TataTea.

SignificanceofRussiaforIndia’sstrategicinterests:

• IndiaandRussiahaveenhancedtheirco-operationinthekeyareasofrocket,

missileandnavaltechnologies.TheBrahMosmissilesystemisanexampleofthistypeofco-operation.

• India and Russia have completed the trials of theVikramadityaaircraftcarrier,deliveryoftheTrikantfrigate,thesixthstealthfrigatethatRussiahasbuilt for the Indian Navy, as well as licensed production of the Su-30MKIfighterplaneandT-90Stanks.

• The sides also noted progress in the construction of the fifth-generationfighteraircraftandmulti-roletransportaircraft.

• Indiaimportmorethan70percentofitdefenseequipmentfromtheRussiaandRussiaretaliatebyprovidingtransferoflatesttechnology.

• Russia ishelping India in itsspaceexplorationby jointprojectsovervarioustechnologiesegcryogenictechnology.

• India’smajorpurchasesfromRussiaoverthelast18yearshavebeenvariedand extensive, including aircraft (MIG 29, MIG 29 SMT, SU 30K, SUMK1),helicopters(Mi-17,Mi-18,etc.)andair-defensesystems(AK63030mm,etc.)

• Twospace-relatedbilateralagreementsweresignedviz.Inter-Governmentalumbrella Agreement on co-operation in the outer space for peacefulpurposes and the Inter Space Agency Agreement on co-operation in theRussiansatellitenavigationsystemGLONASS.

Somemajorirritantsinrelationare:

• India and USA defense relationship: There is growing discomfort in theMoscow by India signing various defense pact with USA like COMCASA,LEMOA.



• Tilt towards china : Russia is increasing engagementwith China evident byperformmilitaryexercise, transferdefense technology,andbecomepartoftheOBORprojectignoringIndiareservationonthesame.

• DefensetradewithPakistan:RussiaistryingtosellSu-35andsu-30fighterjettoPakistanandchinadespitethefacttheyaretheycanbeusedagainstIndia.

• Visa regime remains a major hurdle for business: Getting a business visa,even for an industrial head likeRatan Tata, involves delays and all sorts ofproceduralrequirements.

• Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Agreement: Russia had been puttingpressureon India,during lastmanyyears, to sign the“IntellectualPropertyRightsAgreement”regardingcooperationinthefieldofdefense.

• CustomandBureaucraticBarriers:Bureaucracy isanotherbottleneck in theIndia-Russia relations. The practices such as providing indicative priceestablishedbytheRussiancustomsforthegoodsexportedfromIndiaarenotright. Bureaucracies in both countries are often unaware of the nationalobjectivesandinterestsofthestate.

Conclusion:The fact is that Russia has been a long standing, significant partner of India. ThebilateralrelationshipwithRussiaformsacornerstoneofIndia’sforeignpolicyanditis likely to continue so despite occasional concerns. The two countries have apoliticalunderstandingunderpinnedbyastrongeconomicandstrategicrelationshipwhichcontinuestoevolveandendure.18.TheongoingoutreachanddeeperengagementswiththeIslamicnationsshallreaplongtermeconomicandstrategicbenefitsforIndia.Doyouagree?Criticallycomment.Introduction:Thecurrentoutreach to the Islamicworld ismarkedby four important conceptualshiftsinIndianforeignpolicy.Thefirstisthetransitionfromanideologicalapproachtoapragmaticone.AsecondimportanttransitioninIndianpolicyisontheeconomicfront - from the mercantilism of the past to the quest for deeper economicintegration.Thirdoneisdiscoveringanewcommongroundwiththekeynationsofthe Islamic world on the political front - support for political moderation andopposition to religious extremism. Finally, the biggest transition has been India'shandlingofthePakistanfactorindealingwiththeIslamicworld.Body:DeeperengagementswithIslamicnations:

• India and UAE: UAE is India’s third largest foreign trading partner withbilateral trade at around 53 billion USD.India is UAE’s largest trading



partner.UAE is the second largest export destination of Indian Goods andServices.IndiansformthelargestForeignDiasporainUAEwithover3millionpeople. It is also largest population of Indian expatriates anywhere in theworld.TheyformthesoftpowerofIndiaandthemostimportantelementinbilateral relationship – people to people tie.UAE is one of the importantcrudeoilsupplierstoIndiaandimportantforIndia’senergysecurity.

• India-Indonesia: Indonesia isanattractivedestination for Indian investmentin the region. Indian companies have made significant investments ininfrastructure,power,textiles,steel,automotive,miningmachinery,bankingand consumer goods sectors. Prominent Indian groups/companies such asTata Power, Reliance,Adani, L&T,GMR,GVK, TrimexVideocon, Punj Lloyd,CG Power, Madhucon, Spice, Indo Rama, Aditya Birla, BombayDyeing, JKIndustries, Jindal Stainless Steel, ESSAR, Ispat, TataMotors, Mahindra,TVS,Bajaj, Minda, Classic Stripes, BEML, Godrej, Wipro, Balmer & Lawrie, SBI,BankofIndia,etc.haveestablishedfully-ownedsubsidiaries/jointventuresinIndonesia.

• InvitationinOIC:ExternalAffairsMinisterwasinvitedasaguestofhonortoOIC. This is the first time India has been invited to theOIC after 1969,Thismove is a major diplomatic victory for the country and a severe blow toPakistanthathasopposedIndia’sentrytothisgroup,despiteIndiabeingthethirdlargestMuslimpopulatedcountryintheworld.

EconomicbenefitsforIndia:

EconomicimportanceofWestAsiaforIndia:

• Energy security: 70 per cent of India’s imported energy needs come fromWest Asia and this dependence will only increase as the Indian economycontinuestogrowat8percentormore.

• Security of Indian community: India is the largest recipient of foreignremittances from west Asia. 11 million Indians working in West Asia.Therefore,stabilityintheregionishighonIndia’scoreagenda.

• Qatar: it is an important trading partner for India in the Gulf region withbilateraltradein2014-15standingat$15.67billionofwhichIndia’sexportsaccountedfornearly$1billion. It isalsooneof India’skeysourcesofcrudeoil. India is the third largest export destination for Qatar after Japan andSouthKorea,withLNGbeing themajor itemof trade. Indianscomprise thesinglelargestgroupofmigrantsinQatar.

StrategicimportanceofWestAsiaforIndia:

• To counter radicalization: close cooperation is essential to counterradicalizationinIndia.RiyadhalsoextraditedseveralterrorsuspectstoIndia.

• GatewaytocentralAsia:WestAsiaisgatewaytolandlockedandenergyrichcentralAsia.



• Geostrategicimportance:ToreducetheinfluenceofchinainwestAsiaandinArabianSea.ChinaiscontinuouslymakinginroadtowestAsiathroughOBORinitiative.

• India-UAE:TheUAE’ssupportforIndia’scandidatureforapermanentseatintheUnitedNation’sSecurityCouncil(UNSC).

• India-Iran:Chabaharportbuiltbybothcountriesissituatedjust100kmfromPakistan’s Gwadar port, the centerpiece of a $46 billion economic corridorthatChina is building. TheChabaharportwill act as a gateway for India toCentralAsiabypassing theChina-Pakistanarc. India’spresence inChabaharwilloffsettheChinesepresenceinPakistanportofGwadar.

Majorconcerns:

• USsanctionsonIranhindersgrowthofIndianenergysector.• De-hyphenatingindiasrelationswithIsraelandtheIslamicworld• Saudi–Pakistanrelationisa“Historically”oftheSaudis.• Saudi-Iran rivalry: destabilizing West Asia and influencing West Asian

geopolitics.• WhileSaudiArabiadenouncesallformsofterrorism,Saudimoneyisfunding

WahhabiIslamicgroupsaroundtheworld.• ManyextremistoutfitsareinspiredbytheWahhabibranchofIslam.• SaudiArabia’saggressiveforeignpolicyinWestAsia:foreignpolicyisdoing• Theriseofnewreligiousfanaticismandextremismthatthreatenspeaceand

regimestabilityinlargepartsoftheIslamicworld.Conclusion:India'srecentengagementoftheIslamicworldhasoftenbeenmisrepresentedasastrategy to cut Pakistan off from its traditional allies and friends. That is farthestfromthetruth.WhatIndiaistryingtodoistranscendthePakistanquestionandfindways to build mutually beneficial political and economic relationships with keyIslamicstates.19. Discuss the most significant contributors to India’s soft power status in theworld with special attention on the contributionsmade by the Indian diaspora.What measures have been taken recently to enhance India’ soft power status?Examine.Introduction:ThetermsoftpowercoinedbyjosephNyeofHarvardUniversity."Softpower"istheabilityofacountrytopersuadeotherstodowhatitwantswithoutforceorcoercion.Insimplewords,softpowerisapowerofappealandattraction,whichhastheabilityto shape the preferences of others. The basis of India’s soft power is its Culture,Secularism, Spiritualism, Music, dance, Bollywood, Yoga. Most importantly the“IndianDiaspora(ID)”.



Body:MostsignificantcontributorstoIndia’ssoftpowerare:

Culture:Culturebeingoneof theworld’soldestcivilizations, India’s richcultureconstitutesthe single most important source of its soft power. India is the birthplace ofBuddhism,which spread toCentral, East andSoutheastAsia, andHinduism,whichleft its strong imprint on Southeast Asian cultures. India’s art, classicalmusic anddance,yoga,traditionalmedicine(Ayurveda),principlesofnon-violence,philosophy,spiritualityandevencuisineand fashion findmoreandmore followersaroundtheworld.

PoliticalValues:With its open, multi-ethnic and multi-cultural society and a secular, federal anddemocraticstate,Indiahasabundantresourcesforsoftpower.Asatolerantcountrybuiltontheideaof‘unityindiversity’,Indiacanpossiblyserveasamodelformanyother internally divided countries. The endurance of a democratic system in arelativelypoor,illiterateandimmenselydiversesocietyprovidesastrongargumentfor promotion of democracy as the best political system. Many in the West,therefore, hoped that India would become an important ally in global efforts forpromotionofdemocracy.Foreignpolicy:India’s non-violent struggle for independence and its support for decolonization,disarmamentandpeacefulco-existenceofnationshelpedthecountrygarnermuchappreciationinmanypartsoftheworld.ItsactiveroleintheNAMcontributedtoitspositiveimageandhelpedpositionitselfasaspokespersonforthedevelopingworld.ThecontributionsmadebytheIndiandiasporatoshowcaseIndia’ssoftpower:

• Culture:TheIndiandiasporafromtheverybeginningisconsciousabouttheir

rich cultural heritage, knowing the fact that they are the inheritors of theworld’s oldest civilization. Therefore, they are naturally keen to maintaintheir cultural prestige as being part of such a rich legacy. This deepcommitment to theirculturalprestigehasshown innumerousways,and inevery aspect of the Indian diaspora. Probably there is no other diasporaacross the globe, having such an extra-ordinary diversity. This diversity isvisible intermsof linguistic,ethnicandreligiousgroups.Therefore,thefirstgeneration diaspora always carries with them the rich traditions ofharmonizingdifferentvalues,beliefs,customsandpractices.

• Innucleardeal:themostsuccessfulrolethediasporaplayedwasinensuringthepassageoftheIndia-USNuclearDealin2008.



• Knowledge:Indiaregarded,asaknowledgehouseanditsengineers,doctors,scientists and software professionals have easy acceptability by theinternational community. Indian education boosted with highcompetitiveness, which shown in information technology sector whereIndians like Sundar Pichai and Satya Nadella have made their majorcontribution. Due to the knowledge competiveness of Indians, India’s softpowerhasalsoincreased.

• Yoga:Oneof India’smost important therapyof longevity i.e.yogahasnowembraced by almost everyone in the world. It is no less than a culturalwinningforIndia.ItisalsotruethatmuchefforttopropagateitatworldlevelbyIndiandiasporaiscommendable.Ithasmanifestedbythefactthatalargechunk of people of host countries practice yoga in Indian diasporic yogacenters.

• Secularism:Indiansknownforthevaluesoflove,peaceandgoodwillanditsprime examples are Gautama Buddha,Mahaveer, Swami Vivekananda andMahatmaGandhi.IDalsoknownforthesamevaluesoflove,peaceandunityandduetotheseveryqualitiestheyarewinningtheheartsofthepeopleofthehostsociety

• Food:Indiancuisine,spreadingaroundtheworld,raisesourculturehigherinpeople’sreckoning;thewaytoforeignersheartsisthroughtheirplates.

• Bollywood: Indian films and TV daily soaps are popular in many countriesIncluding the US Bollywood became popular abroad also because of ID.Indiandiasporicpeoplewhetheritisfirst,second,thirdorfourthgenerationarealwaysattachedwithIndiaandthisstrongbondisshownwhenoneseesthatBollywoodstarshavethesamefanfollowingamongtheIDastheyhavehereinIndia.

• Indian Fusions: The Indian fusions whatever it is in Indian music, food,apparels, dance, etc.have an immense soft power potential. The famouswesterndancersandsingerssuchas,MichaelJackson,Madonna,andShakirahaveadoptedelementsofIndiandancesormusicintheirperformances.Theefforts of Renowned figures like Pandit Ravi Shankar, the sitar player andcomposer is worth mentioning among those who have done much topopularizeIndianinstrumentalmusicinthewest.

• IndianDiasporaasastrategicAsset:TwogoodexamplesareAntonioCosta,thePortuguesePrimeMinister, and LeoVaradkar, Ireland'sPrimeMinister.BothbelongtotheIndiandiaspora,andcomefromtwoeconomicallystrongcountries thatcan tradewith India.PortugalhasalreadysignedMOUswithIndiainscienceandtechnology,doubletaxationavoidance,space,tradeandinvestment.Further,thetwocountrieshaveagreedtocreateajointsciencefund of four million Euros where they will collaborate in science researchprojects.AsforIrelandandothercountriesliketheNetherlandswithalargeIndiandiaspora, theyaremore likely to support India inherbid to join theUnited Nations Security Council (UNSC) and the Nuclear Suppliers Group(NSG).Thiswillbeevenmorelikelywithenoughpressurefromthediaspora.

• Indian diaspora’s role in other countries: India can also benefit from thediasporainNorthAmericainachievingherspace,defenseandsecuritygoals.



Groups like the United States India Political Action Committee (USINPAC),Friends of India, Canada India Foundation (CIF) and Canada India BusinessCouncil(CIBC),arealreadyactivelypushingforIndia'sinterests.

• DiasporaandForeignPolicy Implications: in thewakeof globalizationandradical structural changes in the Indian economy, Indian Diaspora wasconsideredaviableandpotentialsourcetobailout thethreatening foreigncurrencycrisisof1990s.TheresumptionofengagementwithIndianDiasporaresulted in major implications on internal as well as external political andeconomic processes for India. US Indian community’s stupendous lobbyingefforts were laudable in relation with the cracking of the Indo-US CivilNuclear Co-operation Agreement, defeating the Burton Amendment andjustifyingIndia’snucleartestsin1998andtheKargilwarin1999.

• Diaspora and Economic Implications: Diaspora finance in the form ofremittanceandinvestmenthelpedIndiatocomeoutfromitsforeignreservecrisisandfuelleditseconomicgrowth.IndiahasovertakenChinaintermsofreceiving foreign remittance recently. Some Venture capitalists of IndianoriginintheUShavefundedIndianR&DcompanieswhoarelikelytoproduceIntellectual Property and innovative products in the areas of wirelesstechnology,semiconductordesigntechnology.

ThefollowingmeasureshavebeentakentoenhanceIndia’ssoftpowerstatus:

• India has begun to play its soft power cards more systematically. BesidessettingupapublicdiplomacydivisionwithintheMinistryofExternalAffairsandexpandingthe IndianCouncil forCulturalRelations (ICCR)worldwide, ithasroped intheMinistryofTourism,which isbehindthe“Incredible India”campaign.

• foreign policy initiatives such as the Look East Policy (now Act East), theConnect Central Asia policy, and developing strategic aid and tradepartnershipsinAfrica.

• UnderCentralSectorSchemeof InternationalCooperation(IC),theMinistryof AYUSH undertookmeasures for global promotion and popularization ofYoga.

• TheUnionMinistryofHomeAffairsintroducedshorttermyogaprogramsinTouristVisaande-TouristVisa. Inordertopromotetheimportanceofyogaworldwide, the Union Government decided to include “attending a shorttermyogaprogram”inthelistofpermissibleactivitiesunderTouristVisaande-TouristVisa.

Conclusion:WiththeversatileroleofDiaspora, Indiacouldfulfil itscherisheddreamofbeingasuper power and it could make much head way in its international and foreignaffairs. Soft power has enabled the global recognition of India in spheres, whereothernationscannoteventhinkofcompetingwithit.Infact,thepreservationofthis



verystatusof‘unityindiversity’canbeattributedtoIndia,becauseofitsstrengthinsoftpower.20. Keeping inmind the evolving geopolitics of South and South East Asia, it isimperative for India to have a more meaningful and deeper relations with herneighbours, particularly Nepal and Bhutan. Would you agree? Comment isanythingbeingdoneonthisfront?Examine.Introduction:Overtheyears,certaingeopoliticaldevelopmentsmouldedtheSouthandSouthEastAsianlandscape,forcingIndiatoadaptandchangetheirforeignpolicypriorities. Inthe last two decades, the rise of China as an economic and military power haschallenged India in its own neighborhood. China's assertiveness in the militarydomainanditsgrowingtieswithotherSouthAsiannationssuchasBangladesh,SriLanka,andPakistanhaveforcedIndiatoreviewitsrelationships.ItisimperativeforIndiatohavedeepermeaningfulrelationswithherneighboursbecause:Nothing has had a more profound impact on South Asia than the rise of anincreasingly aggressive China. While China has continued to portray its political,economicandmilitaryriseas‘peaceful’itsrelationshipwithPakistanandactionsintheSouthChinaSeaandIndianOceanhavedemonstratedotherwise.China's approach to South Asia rests on policies that prevent the rise of regionalpowerssuchasIndia.Ithasdonethisinseveralways,

• primarily by increasing its influence in India's immediate neighborhood:Afghanistan,Nepal,Bangladesh,Myanmar,andSriLanka,

• denying India any support inregional and international organizations, suchastheUnitedNations,

• Aswell as by providing economic,military, anddevelopment assistance toPakistan.

AsignificantdriverofchangeinSouthAsia’spoliticalgeographyhasbeenthestringofinfrastructureprojectsinthesubcontinent.

• China’sBeltandRoadInitiative(BRI)whichenvisagesalargeroadandrailwaynetwork.

• The China-Pakistan-Economic Corridor or CPEC, a vital part of BRI, whichconnectsthewesternpartofChinatotheGwadarPortinBaluchistan,givesChinaeasyaccesstotheArabianSea.

• InSriLanka,China’sdevelopmentaidhasgrownatarapidpacewithBeijing

acquiringthestrategicallylocatedHambantotaportinthecountry.



• These projects in Pakistan and Sri Lanka have given China, strategic accesspointsintheoceanssurroundingIndia,akeyareaofIndianinfluence.Beijinghas realized that maritime strength in the Indo-Pacific will provide it thestrategicleveragenecessarytobecomearegionalhegemon.

• Nepal alwayshasenjoyeda specialplace inChina's SouthAsiapolicy giventhesituationinTibet.

• Overthelastfewyears,Chinahasexploitedtheanti-IndiasentimentamongtheNepalielitebyengagingthemaslocalpartnersintheirinvestments.

• Inaddition,BeijinghasworkedtoaddressNepal'sacutepowershortagesbybuildinga$2.5billionhydropowerplantnearKathmandu.

• ChinaispursuingvirtualandphysicalconnectivitywithNepal,withproposalsto build railway lines connecting Lhasa, Tibet, and Kathmandu, cementfactories,hydropowerplants,airports,andseveralrailwaylines.

• Bhutanhasrecentlyopenedupfortheworld.• BhutanisoneamongthefewcountriesIndiahashadafriendshiptreatywith.• Bhutan isnomoreasubservient region to Indiaandnotguidedby the ‘aid

andadviceofIndia’.• Bhutan has been taken as safe haven by insurgent elements like National

Democratic Front for Bodoland (NDFB), United Liberation Front of Assam(ULFA)militantsandKamtapurLiberationOrganization(KLO)thatoftenposethreattointernalpeaceandsecurityinthenortheastregionofIndia.

• China’ssoftpowerdiplomacy,increasingChinesetouristsinBhutan,massiveChineseinvestmentinTibetduringrecenttimeswhichislikelytomakeTibeta possible access point for the nascent Bhutanese traders, visit of Chineseofficial to Bhutan can be seen as measures for opening up of bilateralengagementsbetweenthetwocountries.

ActionstakenbyIndia:Acting on its perceptions of China's increasing footprint in South Asia, India hasawakened, albeit late, to the realization of the importance of establishing its ownfootprint on the larger subcontinent, particularly its neighbours. India's relationswithSoutheastAsiaareundergoingmonumentalchanges.

• In January 2018, India hosted all ten ASEAN leaders as chief guests forRepublic Day, setting a new benchmark in India's engagement with theregion.

• ASEAN is India's fourth largest tradingpartner,accounting for10.2percentofthecountry'stotaltrade.

• The creation of the India-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement in 2003 and theAgreementofTradeinGoods,implementedin2010,bolsteredoveralltradebetweenIndiaandASEAN.

• TheASEAN-IndiaFreeTradeArea,completedinJuly2015,isexpectedtohelpin the facilitating the movement of both manpower and investmentsbetweenASEANandIndia.



• The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and EconomicCooperation (BIMSTEC) is a two-decade-old regional grouping of sevennations(Bangladesh,Thailand,Myanmar,SriLanka,Nepal,BhutanandIndia)thathasbeenlargelyignoreduntilarecentpushforrevivalfromIndia.

• Atitscore,theorganizationseekstopromoteeconomicandotherformsofconnectivity to revive the bay's past levels of integration and mutualinterdependence.

IndiaandNepal.

• India and Nepal have launched bus services from Kathmandu in Nepal toSiliguriinWestBengal.

• India-NepalLogisticsSummitwasorganizedinKathmanduinJuly2019.• India extended a financial aid of 1.6 billion Nepalese Rupees to Nepalese

Government for rebuildingearthquakehithouses in twodistricts thatweremostlyhit.

• India funded theRs.3.24 billion rupee Motihari-Amlekhgunj oil pipelineproject, which has an annual capacity of 2 million metric tonnes and willenableNepaltoimportfuelfromIndiaatalowercost.

IndiaandBhutan.• ThePrimeMinisterofIndiainhisrecentvisittoBhutaninvitedmorestudents

tovisitIndiaforstudiesintraditionalareassuchasBuddhism• The 720 megawatts Mangdechhu hydel power project was recently

inaugurated• AnewblueprintforcooperationbetweenIndiaandBhutan,identifiedspace,

education, and health as areas that would add a fresh dimension to tiesdominatedsofarbycooperationinthehydelpowersector.

• Jointly inaugurated the Ground Earth Station and SATCOM network,developedwithassistancefromISROforutilizationofSouthAsiaSatelliteinBhutan

Conclusion:New Delhi has gone from championingdecolonizationand non-alignment, tooutright distrust of theASEAN countriesduring the height of the Cold War, to anewfound interest via Prime Minister Narasimha Rao's “Look East” policy of the1990sandtotheModigovernment's“ActEast”policyoftoday.

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T L P P L U S - 2 0 1 9 T E S T - 1 7 S Y N O P S I S · T L P P L U S - 2 0 1 9 T E S T - 1 7 S Y N O P S I S G S - 2. TLP Plus Comprehensive Mock-2 2019 Page 1 Table ... 9. The