 A very good evening everyone. Welcome to the Hindu News Analysis by Shankara IS Academy for 23rd March 2021. The list of the articles today are given here along with their page numbers for your reference. Now let's get into the discussion. Getting it right on the LAC Disengagement. As we know, after months of disputes along the LAC in February 2021, India and China have agreed for a peaceful disengagement. So let us discuss this editorial which speaks about LAC, that is line of actual control and the recent disengagement. Here is the syllabus for your reference. First, to begin with, let us understand what the line of actual control is. See, the LAC is the demarcation that separates India control territory from the Chinese control territory. India considers the LAC to be three, four, eight, eight kilometers long, while the Chinese consider it to be only 2000 kilometers wrong. Have a look at the map to understand Indian perception of the statewide length of the border. So this will be the western sector, that is Aksai Chin, then comes the middle sector along the Himachal border. And here in Arnachal Pradesh and Sikkim is the eastern sector. And MacMohan line is this. This is Johnson line. The least contested is the middle sector. The LAC is not fully demarcated and the process of clarifying and confirming the line of actual control is in progress. Also note that the Indo-Tibetan border police force is the border guarding force that the Indochina border. Coming to Aksai Chin. Aksai Chin, some sources say that no Chinese map showed Aksai Chin as its territory before 1920s. Though 1950s, India captured Aksai Chin and consolidated its position through the 1962 Indochina war. Have a look at the map to understand Aksai Chin and LAC in the western sector. See, the line of control is completely different from LAC. Pure the Pangongso lake, it is a saltwater lake and has no major aquatic life except crustaceans. Now let us see about the recent Pangongso dispute. The LAC mostly passes on the land but Pangongso is unique because it passes also through water. The point in the water at which the Indian claim ends and the Chinese claim begins is a subject of dispute. Most of the clashes between the two armies occurs in the disputed portion of the lake. That's what we often came across as finger. Fingers are the extension of the lake which resembles fingers. Some sources say that the 45 kilometer long western portion of the lake is under Indian control while the rest is under China's control. With this, let us discuss the editorial given by the former head of the Indian negotiating team for boundary related confidence building measures. When the Pangongso disengagement happened, so many speculations were raised such as the creation of buffer zone on Indian territory, the surrender of Indian territory, etc. Of course they are all unverified. The present government was also criticized for inadequate budgetary allocation for defense in the face of the two front war, that is with Pakistan and China. But the author refuses this allegation. The author says there has been an 18.7 percentage jump over the previous financial year for the capital procurement, especially the defense for the financial year 2021-2022, which is the highest in 15 years. According to author to facilitate procurement, the Centre has enhanced the delegated financial powers up to 200 crore in senior ranks below the rank of vice chief. Apart from these, procedures have improved and oversight has gotten better and frugal and complete utilization of funds are all noteworthy developments. Hence, the author says that accusing India that it is not according proper priority to its national security is very unfair. India is giving utmost priorities for indigenization, that is local manufacturing of defense equipment and all, and also defense exports. Apart from this, the government is completing the building of long overdue roads, bridges and other infrastructures on mission mode. This investment in infrastructure in the border area has improved the mobility and capacity for a rapid induction of forces. So, looking to the map for an example, the DSDBO, Darbakh Shyok Daulatbeg Aldi road has facilitated seamless access all the way up to the sub-sector north, and this is the Karakoram Pass here. This provides the much needed all-weather access to the Karakoram Pass and the Siachen Glacier. Let us not forget that Siachen is the world's highest battleground, altitude-wise. Another example is the Atal-Rohtak tunnel inaugurated recently in 2020. It provides for a short connecting route to the middle and the western sector of the Indochina border on the Indian side. Author in this article gives a positive appraisal of the government policies on defence. So, according to the author, the present government has also implemented many of the defence reforms recommended by the Nareesh Chandra Committee. Some examples are the creation of Department of Military Affairs, the appointment of Chief of Defence staff, upcoming theatre commands and many others. So, what is this Nareesh Chandra Committee? It is a task force headed by Nareesh Chandra and it was appointed in 2011. It mainly proposed the reforms required for improving the national security system. Over the decade back, Kargil Review Committee that was appointed after the Kargil War had also made many recommendations regarding the defence reforms. Some of the important recommendations of the committee are a permanent chairman for the Chiefs of Staff Committee and next is deputation of Army, Navy and Air Force officers to the Ministry of Defence and etc. It has also made several recommendations regarding defence procurement, defence preparedness and connected issues. However, most of the details of such suggestions have not been revealed to the public yet. So, coming back to the article, the author also refuses the allegation of creating a buffer zone with India. This is because technically India has not accepted the unilateral definition of China's so-called LAC. Also, a buffer zone on the other side of LOC is still a buffer zone on Indian side. This is because India considers the entire excise chain as an integral part of Indian territory. Buffer zone creation, so it is not very significant in the author's view. Another positive development is the recently concluded 10th round of India-China Carps Commander level meeting. During the meeting, both the sides have positively appraised a smooth completion of disengagement of frontline troops in the Pangongso lake. This is a significant step that provided a good basis for resolving the remaining issues along the LAC. While concluding, we shall commend the Indian negotiators for ensuring a peaceful and a successful disengagement at Pangongso. We shall also maintain a high vigil in the disputed area to avoid any untoward incident in the coming days. So, this brings us to the end of this article. This editorial article discusses about the governance of Delhi, that is, the national capital territory of Delhi. It is not new that government of Delhi, NCT, is ground scuffle between the Chief Minister of Delhi, CM, and the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi. What are they fighting about? They are fighting over the administration and the jurisdictional power of Delhi. This is where a new bill passed by the Union government regarding NCT holds significance. This bill is the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Amendment Bill 2021, abbreviated as GNCTD Bill 2021. According to this news article, yesterday, the bill has been passed by the Lok Sabha also. Rajasabha had already passed the legislation. So, only the President's Ascent is pending, after which the bill will become an Act, all then procedurally. But the bill has attracted widespread criticism, as it provides exceptional powers to the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi. So, in this discussion, we will see the history of Delhi administration, its importance, and also about the bill. Syllabus relevant to this discussion is given here for your reference. New Delhi is the capital of India, as you know, but Delhi emerged as a capital of India at the end of 12th century itself, with the Muslim conquest of the Northern India. Except for some intervals, Delhi has been the capital of the succeeding empires and dynasties also, which led the legend that he who holds the key to Delhi holds India. So, Delhi has seen the rise and fall of many empires. Under British, however, Calcutta was the imperial capital. During this period, Delhi remained a part of Punjab, till it was made a capital of British India in 1911-1912. British shifted their centre of all governing activities from Calcutta to Delhi, after that. And through a proclamation, Delhi was made and came to be known as Chief Commissioner's Province, headed by a Commissioner. Even the Government of India Act 1919 and Government of India Act of 1935 retained Delhi as the centrally administered territory. Then in 1947, after independence, New Delhi was officially declared as the capital of Republic of India. But remember that even after independence, a kind of autonomy was always conferred on the capital, but it largely remained a Chief Commissioner's regime. Because after the constitution of India came into force, Delhi became a Part C state. You may wonder what is a Part C state? See, the constitution obtained a fourfold classification of the states of Indian Union, namely, Part A, Part B, Part C and Part D states. And in this, Part C states consisted of the erstwhile Chief Commissioner's Province of British India and also some of the princely states. Part C states were centrally administered and Delhi was one among them. Then in 1951, the Government of Part C State Act was enacted, which provided for a legislative assembly in Delhi. It also provided for a Council of Ministers to aid and advise the Chief Commissioner in the exercise of his or her functions. This is in relation to matters in respect of which state assembly was given powers to make laws. But when the constitution, Seventh Amendment Act 1956 was passed to implement the provisions of the State Reorganization Act 1956, it did away with the Part A, Part B, Part C classification. After this, only two categories remained, namely the states and the Union Territories. At this time, a Delhi became Union Territory to be administered by an administrator appointed by the President. Further, legislative assembly of Delhi and the Council of Ministers were also abolished. Here again, Delhi became a centrally administered territory. That was in 1956. After this, limited representative government of Delhi was provided by the Delhi Administration Act 1966, about 10 years later, through establishing Metropolitan Council. But Metropolitan Council was a deliberative organ with absolutely no legislative powers and it had only an advisory role in the governance of Delhi. Therefore, there was a continuous demand for a full fledged state assembly with Council of Ministers to aid and advise the administrator. Here also, Centre had more powers. To resolve the issue, a committee was set up. Balakrishnan committee was set up in the year 1987. It was set up to undertake the various issues connected with the administration of Delhi and to recommend measures for streamlining the administrative setup. The committee recommended that Delhi should continue to be a Union Territory, but there must be a legislative assembly. It also recommended that appropriate constitutional measures should be taken to confer special status to the national capital among the Union Territories to ensure stability. This is because it was felt in the national interest that there was also a need for keeping the national capital under the control of Union Government. So, in accordance with committee's recommendations, parliament passed the Constitution 69th Amendment Act 1991, which inserted two new articles, Article 239AA and 239AB. This amendment accorded a special status to the Union Territory of Delhi by designating it as the NCET of Delhi that is the National Capital Region. This amendment accorded a special status to the Union Territory of Delhi and by providing a legislative assembly. Further, to supplement the constitutional provisions, another comprehensive legislation was passed by parliament called the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Act 1991. This act introduced a kind of diarchy, that is, two power centers was provided, that is, under this a legislative assembly and council of ministers was provided to aid and advise the lieutenant governor. Here the elected government was given wide powers with the exception of law and order. The law and order remained with the central government, but the demand for full statehood to Delhi even continues today. But this could not materialize because due to the fact that if statehood was given, the administration of national capital would be divided into rigid compartments. That is, there will be a constitutional division of sovereign, legislative and executive powers between the Union and the state of Delhi. That is one. Next is also because of the fear that conflicts would arise in the crucial matters. If the two governments, that is, the government of Delhi and the center, were run by different political parties, already the same is happening in the present scenario, where the central government and the Delhi government is administered by different political parties. The scenario is so worse that author calls it a mortal combat. This enacted the jurisdictional fight between the chief minister and the lieutenant governor of Delhi, where the chief minister accused the lieutenant governor of taking decisions of an elected government and delaying work. For this, the center, which appoints the lieutenant governor, responded that for any centrally administered territory, especially Delhi, which is the capital, responsibility is on the Union government. So the matter was taken to the court and it was finally resolved in 2018 judgment by the Supreme Court. In its judgments, Supreme Court held that the aid and advice given by the council of ministers as per article 239AA4 is binding on the lieutenant governor unless the lieutenant governor decides to act in his discretion. Most importantly, the government need not obtain LG's concurrence in every issue of day-to-day governance. But looks like the judgment has ruffled the Union's feathers. So this piece of legislation enacted by the aggrieved center is in such a way to ensure the superiority of LG of Delhi. Consequently, that will also ensure its control over the capital. This step is the introduction of GNCTD bill 2021. We have discussed this bill and the issues in detail on 20th March, Hindu news analysis. We request the viewers to view the analysis for better understanding. Simply, just know that the bill ensures without the permission of the lieutenant governor, the elected government in Delhi can do absolutely nothing. This makes the elected government of Delhi just a surviving organ, a vestige. And Delhi will become an unrepresentative administration because the elected representatives will have very less powers than that of the lieutenant governor who is an unelected nominee and appointee of the central government. This is clearly against the interpretation of the Supreme Court regarding article 239AA. The bill indirectly means that council of ministers and the CM of Delhi will be acting on the aid and advice of the lieutenant governor. But the constitution mandates the other way around. It directly lays that down. That explains the title of the article that is why author feels that instead of dog wagging its tail, the tail is wagging the dog. So that brings us to the end of this discussion. In this article, the author discusses the responsibility of India towards fleeing population of Myanmar in response to human rights violations committed by the military janta in Myanmar. So this is the syllabus for your reference. As we have seen in the last few weeks, Myanmar has been descending into a brutal military dictatorship. Peaceful protesters are being detained and killed on a daily basis, as the report says. Communities across Myanmar are being threatened and terrorized by the brutal acts, and police and security personnel who are refusing the orders to attack the protesters are seeking refuge in India. The cruel fact is that this is not the first time that this is happening. With the escalating violence, the people of Myanmar have been pleading with the international community to support them in the hour of need. They are also growing calls from the international community to consider these brutal acts as possible crimes against humanity. In this context, the author says it is moral and legal responsibility of India, a friendly labor of Myanmar to stand up for rule of law, democracy and the human rights in the Myanmar. See, many in India are supportive of those in Myanmar calling for democracy, but the author feels that Indian government has been deliberately unclear in its stand. So let's take an example. India made a strong statement supporting the people of Myanmar in the UN Security Council and also in UN Human Rights Council, which is a welcome step. So we'll get back to the UNSC and UNHRC a little later in the discussion. So as you can see, on one hand, Indian government is making steps supporting the Myanmar people, but on the other hand, it is also detaining and preparing to deport Rohingya refugees to Myanmar. So who are these Rohingyas? The Rohingyas are refugees who have fled years of atrocities and genocidal campaign by the Myanmar. They are considered stateless and they used to reside in Rakhine state of Myanmar. In addition to the deportation, the Ministry of Home Affairs has also issued an order to border states to check the illegal influx from Myanmar to India. According to the Indian government, those fleeing into India are considered to be as infiltrators, illegal migrants, etc. The Indian side calls them infiltrators and illegal migrants because India has not signed the UN Refugee Convention and that is the Indian stand. See the UN Refugee Convention is a united nation multilateral treaty that defines who is a refugee. So it sets out the rights of the individual who are granted asylum and the responsibilities of nations that grants asylum. It also grants certain rights to people fleeing persecution because of race, religion, nationality, affiliation to a particular social group or political opinion. The author feels that these acts of the Indian government are deliberately ambiguous. It is an erroneous position in the international law as the author says that is it is illegal in the international context too. So let's see how. See according to the customary international law, no state can send individuals back to a situation of danger which is clearly the case The author says that these fleeing individuals would fall within the legal definition of refugees as they have a well-founded fear of persecution. It is to be noted that this law applies to those countries which have signed the convention as well as those that have not. We should note that India has not signed the convention so irrespective of signing or not of the convention, it is legally binding upon India to shelter these refugees. Besides this, India should also allow the IIMM to access these refugees. So what is this IIMM? IIMM stands for independent investigative mechanism for Myanmar. So quickly taking into what is IIMM? IIMM is a UN-established body that is mandated to investigate and build case files for international crime committed in Myanmar since 2011. IIMM recently issued a public call to the refugees to reach out and provide information regarding the illegal orders and policies of Myanmar. These statements are a necessary component of building cases against those higher up in the chain of command of Myanmar. In addition to that, India should also allow the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in India to access Rohingyas detained in Delhi. So why? This will help the international legal proceedings ongoing in relation to Rohingyas. So what is the international proceeding regarding this? See in international court of justice, a case has been brought by Gambia, Canada, Netherlands and Maldives against Myanmar as it had violated the Genocide Convention. Simultaneously, the prosecutor of the international criminal court is also investigating international crimes against the Rohingya. These international legal proceedings are indications of the seriousness and the gravity of the crimes committed against the Rohingya. So the author suggests that India should support these investigations in any way possible. India turns its back on the people of Myanmar. It would be an unjust breach of international law. That is, besides taking a morally inferior position. So coming to the discussion on UNSC and that is United Nations Security Council and United Nations Human Rights Council that was mentioned in this article before. The United Nations Security Council is one of the five principal organs of the United Nations. It has five members which are China, USA, UK, France and Russia. It is the only UN body with authority to issues binding resolutions to the member states. It has been criticized for its undemocratic nature. Coming to the Human Rights Council, it is an intergovernmental body within the United Nations system responsible for strengthening the promotion and protection of human rights around the world. So UNHRC as it is called was reconstituted from its predecessor organization the United Nations Commission on Human Rights. UNHRC is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland and it has 47 members and these 47 members are elected every year and the seats are filled based on the allocation to regions across the world to ensure geographical representations. Say for example, African states are allocated 13 seats and Western Europe is allocated about 7. So that's how each elected members serve for a term of three years and the countries are not allowed more than two consecutive terms. So that brings us to the end of the discussion on this topic. This article is about the significance of the visit of US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. This visit was significant because it was the first visit from a senior ranking official of the midden administration. A visit this early in the new US President's tenure indicates the important place India holds with respect to the US. A visit of this caliber shows that US treats India at par with Japan and South Korea. Let us not miss that Japan and South Korea are a very important allies of the US. So this visit is also after the first ever Quad Leaders Summit. So we had discussed Quad before in our previous sessions. So it confirms that the US is focused on greater manner time cooperation in the Indo-Pacific. After India, the US Secretary of Defense had an unannounced stop in Kabul, Afghanistan. As you can see, this visit is significant because all three important areas that is bilateral ties, the Indo-Pacific and Afghanistan came up for discussion during these talks. On bilateral front, the two sides agreed to boost their defense relationship through the use of four foundational agreements like LEMOVA, Comcast and BECCA. They also agreed to increase cooperation in areas of information sharing and logistics and artificial intelligence space and build more linkages with the US command. When it comes to Indo-Pacific strategy, India affirms its resolve to maintain a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region with the US. On the Afghanistan front, the discussions were just consultative and did not yield a major result. See, in Afghanistan, US is considering a big policy shift. It is undertaking a major review of its true pull-out schedule and peace plan. The US government also have been in talks with the Taliban for a conditional ceasefire. India wants to be a part of these talks. It also wants the US to prioritize the present Afghan government over the Taliban. Why? Afghan government is an elected one, whereas Taliban has the dubious distinction of having terror links. So, India has gained a seat in the negotiation table in Afghan Taliban talks through US, which is a noteworthy development. The US-bidder administration also made it clear that it is committed to cuts and sanctions against all countries procuring high-value military hardware. So, remember Katsa from our previous discussion on 21st. This is of concern for India as we are also planning to procure S-400 missile systems from Russia, which is a high-value purchase, a military purchase. The defense secretary conveyed that the determination on India would come only after India takes delivery of the S-400 missile systems. In addition to the above challenges, the issue of human rights violation also popped up. The US defense secretary's sensitivity to India's concern was exhibited when India's challenge from China was discussed without making any direct reference to Beijing or about the LAC dispute. Let us take a moment to understand what is that sensitivity that we just spoke about. If there is going to be a direct reference to China, China will get agitated. Air of distress might settle in, especially when the disengagement is on process. Also see, India considers China's challenge as a bilateral issue. This means India wants restraint from the US when it comes to the discussion of India-China ties. This was respected by the defense secretary. From bilateral relations to China, plenty of important issues were discussed during this visit. This visit will form the foundation of future India-US talks. For further information regarding this topic, I advise the aspirants to refer the Hindu News Analysis by Shankara AS Academy, the video posted on 21st March 2021. Now look at this news article. It talks about government's draft district export plan, which aims to transform every district into an export hub. So let us first know what is the need for it. Know that foreign trade constraints about 45% of India's GDP and most of the exports promotion efforts are driven by the center with minimal role played by the grassroot levels, say the districts and the states. Government is aiming to harvest the potential for exports and so it is aiming for a double-digit export growth from 500 districts in the next 3-5 years. And for this, the government has prepared a draft district-wise export promotion plan for 451 districts which are identified to have the export potential. So in this slide, let us discuss about the recent export trend of India and the draft district export action plan. So this is the syllabus for your reference. Remember, goods and services that are produced in one country and sold to buyers in another country is called as exports. Generally, exports play a very important role in the modern economics because they offer people and firms many more markets for their goods. That is, market is not only within the political boundary, world is the market for exports. And this is the reason why governments encourage exports and imports for the benefit of the trading parties. As per the recent statistics, India's overall exports include both goods and services and it was estimated to be around 396.60 billion USD for the period from April to January 2020-2021. And it marked a negative growth of 10.60% when compared to the estimates of the same period last year. So this is because of the COVID-19 where the people consumed very less across the world. So in this regard, to revive our export sector, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry has taken states to prepare an annual export ranking index of districts to rank each district on its export competitiveness with the help of Director General of Foreign Trade. Quickly, what is Director General of Foreign Trade? That is DGFT. Director General of Foreign Trade is an organization attached with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and is headed by Director General of Foreign Trade. It acts as a national facilitator of the foreign trade. It can place and lift restrictions on trade as well. So it is a very powerful body. So coming back to the article, export ranking index is a district specific approach. Here, the states will identify the potential export sectors specific to the state and district. In doing so, the export bottlenecks like transport, availability of cheap raw materials, etc. will come up to the notice of the state. Note that the initiative has its roots in 2019 Independence Day speech by the PM where our PM insisted that every district has to be an export hub and for the value added goods from every district should reach the global markets. With this information, it has now seen about the draft district export action plan. See, the Commerce Ministry through the DGFT is engaging with the states and union territories to prepare and implement a unique DEP for each district in every state and union territory. To implement this plan, an institutional structure is also proposed. So at the State and District Export Promotion Council is to be set up. At the district level, it will be headed by the Chief District Development Officer along with other district level officers as the members. And these committees are available in districts of all the states except one state which is West Bengal. Please pay attention here except West Bengal. At preliminary level, every district's current export profile and future export potential will be assessed and in the meetings held under the chairmanship of Chief District Development Officer. So and all key officers and lead bank manager, promotion councils, quality and technical standard bodies and government of India departments will be a part of this in the initial period. Also, the regional authorities of DGFT and the concerned state agencies are expected to work with the state governments and the district level officers in promoting every district as a district hub for export. So this plan will cover the support required by the local industry to boost their manufacture and therefore their exports. The informative material on various incentives provided by the center and the respective states is also covered under this plan and also a strategy to enhance the logistics that is transport and infrastructure at the district level is also covered. So to conclude, as per the news article, a draft district-wise export promotion plan has been prepared for about 451 districts in the country after identifying the products and services with export potential in about 725 districts across the country. Also, the DGFT is developing a portal in its website where the states can upload their information related to the products with export potential with every district. It is right to say that this is a pan India plan with a local character. Now let's move on to the practice question discussions. The first question, which of the following statements regarding CATSA that is countering America's adversaries through sanctions act is our or correct? First statement, CATSA is a US federal law enacted in 2015. So this statement is incorrect because CATSA is a US federal law that was enacted in 2017 and not 2015. It imposes sanctions against countries that engage in significant transactions with Russia's defense and intelligence sector. The second statement, CATSA is used to impose sanctions against countries that engage in significant transactions with Russia's defense and intelligence sector. Statement two is correct. CATSA was mainly enacted to minimize Russian influence on the countries. North Korea's Iran were subject to CATSA earlier. So the answer will be B2 only. Next question, consider the following statements about the Director General of Foreign Trade. It is responsible for formulating and implementing the foreign trade policy with the main objective of promoting India's exports. So statement one is correct. So that is a chief objective of DGFT. Statement two, it is an attached office of the Ministry of External Affairs. This statement is wrong because the Director General of Foreign Trade Organization is an attached office under Ministry of Commerce and Industry and it is headed by the Director General of Foreign Trade. Third statement, it is headquartered in Mumbai. It is headquartered in Delhi and not in Mumbai. So statement two and three are wrong and only the first statement is correct. So the correct option is A. Third question, which of the following statement is correct with reference to Lieutenant Governor of National Capital Territory of Delhi? Statement one, Chief Minister of Delhi is appointed by the Lieutenant Governor. Statement A is incorrect. As per article 239AA clause five, the Chief Minister will be appointed by the President and not by the Governor. So statement one is wrong. Statement two, Lieutenant Governor has no discretionary powers but to act on the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers headed by the Chief Minister. Statement B is also incorrect. As according to article 239AA clause four, Lieutenant Governor can act on his discretion. Third statement, Lieutenant Governor may dissolve the Legislative Assembly of Delhi in case of failure of Constitutional Machinery. Statement C is also incorrect because according to article 239AB, President can only dissolve the Legislative Assembly of Delhi either after a report is received from LG or otherwise. So the correct answer is option D. And here are some practice main questions. You can write the answers and post it in the comments section. So that brings us to the end of today's news analysis. If you like the video kindly like share and subscribe to our channel. Good day.