 Good morning aspirants, welcome to the Indian Express News Analysis Discussion session by Shankar A. Sakadami. This week I have picked up important articles from the Indian Express newspaper in the second week of December. These are the list of articles that we will be discussing today. Now, let's start the discussion. Look at this editorial article. This editorial is taken from 14th December Indian Express newspaper. Recently there have been news reports highlighting that the ministries of the union government have paid around 500 crores in fees to global consulting firms in the last 5 years. It is in this context this editorial here is written. The editorial here highlights the reason why government engages with the consulting firms. It also highlights the issue with this trend. This is about the editorial given here. So, in our discussion, let us see the important points mentioned in the editorial in detail. Let us start with the basics. See, a consulting firm or a company is an organization that provides expert advice, guidance and solution. They mainly render their advice to individuals, businesses, NGOs or government entities in various domains. These firms specialize in offering professional services across a wide array of fields. The fields include management, finance, technology, strategy, human resources, marketing, operation and etc. Now, what is consultocracy? Consultocracy refers to a situation where the consulting firms are deeply involved in the functioning and decision making process of the government. The consulting firms involve so much in government functioning that they overshadow the traditional role of the public servants. Consultocracy describes a scenario where the consultants hold significant influence and authority in government functioning. These firms have influence in government policies, programs and the strategic direction that the government takes. Now, I hope you have a clear understanding about the term consultocracy. Consultocracy often comes with some negative side effects. Now, you may have a question. The question being, why do governments all around the world continue to employ consulting firms even though consultocracy has some negative effects? The governments employ the consulting firms because they offer various advantages as well. The first advantage is that the consulting firms provide specialized expertise. See, India lacks civil servants with domain expertise. Consulting firms often possess specialized knowledge and expertise in various areas like agriculture, transport, energy and finance. So, they fill up the gap left by the civil servants. The second reason why the government employs consulting firms is that, with technological innovation, the complexity of the challenges that the government faces increases. Areas like digitalization of public services demand technical expertise that the consultants can provide. Finally, the consulting firms provide the necessary temporary support for the government. Consultants offer temporary support without permanently increasing the bureaucratic load. This is because they can be engaged for specific tasks or projects with clear end dates. This on one hand increases their accountability and on the other hand reduces the financial burden of the government. See, these are the three main reasons why the government employs consulting firms. In India, consulting firms have been heavily involved in various significant initiatives and projects. Consulting firms have been assisting in policy formulation for various flagship projects like cleaning river Ganga, Swach Bharat Mission and Jal Jeevan Mission. Consulting firms have also been aiding states like Uttar Pradesh in achieving economic growth targets. They also have offered their expertise in strategic planning. India has engaged a global consulting firm to prepare the foundational vision 2047 document. The firm has been employed to identify India's strategic priorities. These are some of the instances in India where India has employed consulting firms. But the experts are of the opinion that excessive reliance on consulting firms for the government function could be detrimental in the long run. So moving forward, let us see the issues with consultocracy. Firstly, over reliance on consultants can lead to decline in the skill and the capabilities of government officials. This will diminish the capability of government officials to independently formulate and implement policies. Secondly, government officials may become overly reliant on consulting teams. This might lead to mission creep, that is the consulting firm might be employed far beyond their actual need. The over reliance might also lead to repeated redeployment of consulting firms even for routine normal government functions. This is the second issue. Thirdly, there is a potential for unfair practices. Consultants might attempt to influence the policy directions of the government. They might also lobby for repeat work. Consultocracy might also lead to distortion of public policy objectives. This is because the objectives of the public policy might be distorted or influenced by the consulting firms. It is also possible that in the long run, decisions of the government may not align with the public interest or ethical standards. Lastly, there is an issue of corruption risk. The unchecked involvement of consultants can increase the risk of corruption or unethical practice in the government dealings. These are some of the issues with consultocracy. To address these issues, the editorial offers some steps. Firstly, extensive involvement of consulting firms needs to be regulated to prevent a decline in governmental capabilities. Secondly, consulting firms must maintain transparency in their working. Thirdly, the skill set of the government officials must be improved in line with the changing times. And lastly, the government must ensure that public policy remains aligned with the ethical and public interest consideration. These are some steps that can be taken to address the issues associated with consultocracy. And that's all regarding this discussion. In this discussion, we saw what is consultocracy. We saw why government engages with consulting firms. And we also saw various instances where Indian government sought the help of consulting firms. After that, we saw the issues with consultocracy. Finally, we saw the steps that can be taken to address the issues with consultocracy. And that's all regarding this discussion. Now, let us conclude this and take up the next news article. Look at this news article from the Indian Express newspaper dated 15th December. The news here is that Chile is going to hold a referendum on 17th December for its new constitution. Since Chile has been in news for quite some time, we can expect a map-based question regarding Chile in the upcoming problems examination. So, as a part of this discussion, let us look at Chile in detail. See, Chile is an important country located in the southwest of the South American continent. It borders South Pacific Ocean. In the north, we could see Peru. Then if you could move clockwise, you could see that Chile borders Bolivia and then Argentina. So, in total, Chile shares a land border with three countries. Also, note that the tropic of Capricorn passes through Chile. The other South American countries through which the tropic of Capricorn passes through are Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil. Another interesting fact about Chile is that it is the longest north-south trending country in the world as it extends across 39 degrees of latitude. We could find that the Andes mountain in Chile. See, the Andes mountain runs along the entire length of the western coast of South America. The Andes mountain range is about 7000 km long. It passes through Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela. No doubt the countries through which Andes mountain passes through, you can expect a question here also. Now coming back, the Andes mountain have been formed as a result of convergence of the Nazca Plate and the South American Plate. The Nazca Plate subjects under the South American Plate leading to the formation of the Andes mountain. As the Andes mountain is formed along the ocean-continent convergent boundary, there are many active volcanoes in the Andes mountain. The famous Navados Ojos del Salado, which is the highest active mountain in the world, is located in the Chile-Argentina border. Here note that Navados Ojos del Salado is the second highest summit of Andes and it is the highest summit in Chile. The other important geographical feature in Chile is the Teradil Fugo. Teradil Fugo is an archipelago. It is located in the southern tip of South America. The Teradil Fugo archipelago is shared between Chile and Argentina. The Strait of Magellan runs across the Teradil Fugo. It connects the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. Then there is the Drake's Passage below the Teradil Fugo. It is a body of water that is located between the southern tip of South America and Antarctica. The next important physical feature in Chile is the Atacama Desert. Atacama Desert is located in the northern part of Chile. The Atacama Desert is the driest non-polar desert in the world. The reason why the Atacama Plateau is a desert is due to the presence of cold, humboldt current along the coast of Chile. Here note that the Patagonia Desert is located in Argentina and not Chile. The aridness of the Patagonia Desert is due to its location in the leeward side of the Andes mountain. Finally, let us look at the rivers of Chile before concluding this discussion. Chile has a number of short rivers that typically flows from the Andes ranges to the Pacific Ocean. Laos is the longest river in Chile with a length of 440 km. The river flows from the Andean ranges through the Atacama Desert, finally draining in the Pacific Ocean. Biobio is Chile's second longest river covering a distance of 380 km. It is also the widest river in Chile. Note that the most important river system of South America that is the Amazon river system does not flow through Chile. Also, have in mind that the main Amazon river runs mostly through Brazil and Peru. Amazon has a series of major tributaries in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. So, have these also in your mind. And that is all regarding this discussion. In this discussion, we covered the important physical features of Chile. That's all regarding this discussion. Now let us conclude this and take up the next news article. Look at this article from the 13th December Indian Express newspaper. The article is about the Advocates Amanman Bill 2023. The Amanman Bill makes some changes to the Advocates Act 1961. The changes are mainly regarding weeding out of touts. So, in our discussion, we will see who are touts and the changes brought about by the Advocates Amanman Bill 2023. As I already mentioned, the Advocates Amanman Bill 2023 aims to weed out touts from the legal system. Now, who are touts? A touted someone who procures claimed or legal business for a legal practitioner in exchange for payment or remuneration. These individuals, frequent courts, revenue officers or other places to procure claims for the legal practitioners. Here, legal practitioners are nothing but advocates, lawyers and vacals. Now, coming back. The 2023 amendment introduces Section 45A. Section 45A allows high courts and the district judges to frame and publish the list of touts. However, the 2023 amendment also states that inclusion in the list cannot happen without giving the individual an opportunity to defend themselves. If a particular person is proven to be a tout, the person's name will be included in the list of touts and it will be displayed in every court. Such individuals can then be excluded from the court premises. According to the newly included Section 45A, acting as a tout while on the list can result in imprisonment for up to three months of fine or both. This is how the 2023 amendment through Section 45A tries to weed out the touts from the legal system in India. And that is all regarding this discussion. In this discussion, we learned a new term called tout. Now, with this, let us conclude this discussion and take up the next news article. Look at this article from the 12th December Indian Express newspaper. This article is about the SR Bombay case of 1994. Now, why is this case suddenly in the news? The Bombay case is in the news because the Supreme Court referred to this case during its recent judgment regarding Article 370. The Supreme Court referred to the SR Bombay case to uphold the constitutional validity of the President's action during the President's rule in Jammu and Kashmir. This is why the SR Bombay case is in the news. I am going to take this as an opportunity to revise about the SR Bombay case. First, let us look at the background. SR Bombay served as the Chief Minister of the Jantadal government in Karnataka. His government faced dismissal on April 21, 1989 after Article 356 of the constitution leading to the imposition of President's rule. The ground for the dismissal was based on the allegation that the Bombay government had lost its majority due to large-scale defection. When Mr Bombay tried to prove his majority, the then governor of Karnataka denied him the opportunity to prove a majority. In response to the governor's decision to recommend President's rule, Bombay and his party approached the Supreme Court seeking redressal against this action. This is the background and this led to the famous SR Bombay case of 1994. Here I mentioned Article 356, right? What is Article 356? According to Article 356, President's rule can be imposed on any state of India on the grounds of the failure of the constitutional missionary. President's rule can be imposed when the president is satisfied based on a report from the governor of the state or other ways that a situation has arisen where the government of the state cannot be carried out as per the provision of the constitution. Any proclamation issued by the president under Article 356 must be laid before both houses of the parliament and needs their approval. The approval is through a simple majority. If not approved, it ceases to operate after two months. The maximum duration for such a proclamation without approval is six months, extendable in exceptional circumstances up to three years. The president's rule can be revoked anytime. A proclamation of revocation does not require approval by the parliament. The president can simply revoke the proclamation of president's rule. These are some important points about Article 356. See, here I intentionally left out the changes brought about to Article 356 by the 44th Constitutional Amendment Act. People who are aware of the changes brought about by the 44th Constitutional Amendment Act to Article 356 can post it in the comment section. Now coming back to the Bombay case. In the Bombay case, a nine-judge bench of the Supreme Court held that the president's decision would be subject to judicial review on grounds of illegality, malefied intention, external consideration, abuse of power or fraud. It basically said that the power of the president to impose president's rule is not absolute. The Supreme Court held that the material relied by the president for making the decision on imposing president's rule is subjected to judicial review. The Supreme Court also held that only after the parliamentary approval can the president dissolve the state legislature. Till then, the president can suspend the state legislature. If the parliament does not approve the proclamation within two months, then the dismissed state government would automatically stand divided. That is, it will come back to functioning. The Supreme Court judgment in this case outlined specific conditions that must be met before imposing the president's rule in a state. The Supreme Court said that to impose the president's rule, the state government must have actually lost the confidence of the assembly. And the floor test should be the primary method to prove the loss of majority. See, these are some basic points about the SR-Bomay case of 1994. Finally, before concluding this discussion, let us look at the impacts of the SR-Bomay case. Firstly, it restrained the arbitrary use of Article 356. The Bombay case has set clear guidelines and curbed the misuse of Article 356 as a political tool by the central government. Then, the SR-Bomay case strengthened the federal structure by reinforcing the autonomy of the states. It also protected the state governments from unwarranted interference by the central government. Finally, the Bombay case established the principle of democracy, parliamentary law and rule of law in the context of central state relations. These are some important positive impacts of the SR-Bomay case of 1994. So, take note of all the points we discussed. Since SR-Bomay case is currently in the news, we can expect a question about this in the upcoming examination. Now with this, let us conclude this discussion and take up the next news article. Look at this article from the Indian Express newspaper dated 13th December. This article is about India's oil imports from Russia. After the G7 nations imposed a price cap on Russian oil, India started increasing its Russian oil imports. India now accounts for nearly half of the Russia's crude oil exports. Similarly, Russia is now India's largest source of crude oil accounting for over 30%. India imports Russian oil through an opaque fleet. Now, what is this term opaque fleet? The opaque tanker fleet refers to vessels involved in Russian, Iranian and Venezuelan crude oil and petroleum products trade. Oil tanker operators from various western countries are very scared to get involved in Russian oil trade due to the fear of sanction. Due to this, operators from countries like Greece, Russia and China and tax havens like Marshall Islands, Liberia and Panama has emerged as major players in Russian oil trade. These opaque oil fleet tankers are registered in countries with very weak regulatory oversight. These fleet tankers are quite old and operate with substandard insurance and certification. This is all about the opaque fleet. See, this new term has made news for quite some time. So, we can expect a question about this in the upcoming problems examination. So, make note of it. Now, with this, we have come to the end of the Indian Express news analysis session. If you like today's video, like, comment and share it with your friends. For more updates regarding UPSC preparation, subscribe to Shankara IS Academy's YouTube channel. Thank you for listening.