10 January 2023

DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS ANALYSIS

 1 – India Brazil Relations: GS II International Relations

Context:

• On January  -, 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his concern over the riots that had started in Brasilia after supporters of the former President Bolsonaro attacked the National Congress, the presidential residence, and the Supreme Court of Brazil.

Historical Connection:

• For five centuries, Brazil and India have been partners.
• During his expedition to India in 1500, Portuguese explorer Pedro Alvares got aground and found Brazil.
• To get to Goa, he travelled through Brazil. Because of this, there were Portuguese connections between Brazil and India as well as a colonial interchange of various cattle and crops.
• India and Brazil changed their behaviour during the Cold War to resist the superpowers’ hegemony over the international system (US and USSR). For instance, both nations were against the Non-Proliferation Treaty’s adoption in 1967. (NPT).

Political coexistence:

• Brazil and India’s strategic alliance, which was formed in 2006, has been stronger as a result of their close cooperation in the BRICS, IBSA, G4, G20, and more international framework of the United Nations.
• Along with Germany and Japan, Brazil and India fought to create a multipolar world in which powerful emerging nations could make decisions about international law and democratise institutions. These countries also desired permanent seats on the UN Security Council.
• Both nations played a crucial role in the formation of the Global South or South-South cooperation.
• India’s strategic autonomy approach to international affairs complements Brazil’s reciprocal multilateralism plan.

Economic coordination:

• India’s largest trading partner in the entire LAC (Latin America and the Caribbean) region is Brazil.
• However, the $8 billion in bilateral trade each year between the two nations is pitiful.
• In 2018, Brazil and India each made investments of approximately $1 billion and $6 billion, respectively.

Defence collaboration:

• Brazil and India signed a “Defence Cooperation Agreement” on a bilateral basis in 2003. In particular, it calls for cooperation in the areas of R&D, acquisition, and logistical support when it comes to defense-related issues.
• A “Joint Defence Committee (JDC)” has been established and regularly meets within the parameters of the agreement.

Harmony between cultures:

• In Brazil, Indian philosophy, performing arts, and culture have a devoted following.
• In Brazil, there is a sizable following of both yoga and ayurveda. ABRA, a nonprofit organisation, with chapters in nine different Brazilian states and members all throughout the country.
• In Brazil, the government and NGOs are promoting Mahatma Gandhi’s nonviolent ideology among students, young people, and law enforcement.

Challenges:

• Brazil and India’s relationship has largely stayed stable. But recently, a few minor problems have surfaced.
• Brazil has complained to the World Trade Organization about New Delhi’s payments to sugarcane growers.
• The greatest producer and exporter of sugar in the world, Brazil, asserts that Indian subsidies are against the norms governing international trade.
• China is already Brazil’s largest trading partner. India finds it challenging to compete with China’s financial might.
• The BRICS group as a whole has great growth potential, but it has also drawn criticism for lacking a unifying objective.
• In contrast to Brazil, which has disputed climate change science, India is committed to halting global warming. As a result, India and Brazil have different perspectives on how to collaborate in this industry.

How to Continue:

• There are numerous opportunities for cooperation between Brazil and India. Examples include revising the Strategic Partnership Action Plan, the Bilateral Investment Treaty, MLATs on crime, agreements to avoid double taxation, the production of bioenergy or ethanol, cybersecurity, health, mining, oil and gas exploration and investment, and animal husbandry.
• The Social Security Agreement (SSA), which Brazil and India signed in March 2017, will facilitate corporate operations and promote investment flow by enabling investments in each other’s pension systems.
• The oldest, most sophisticated, and most effective ethanol producing systems in the world are thought to be found in Brazil. At a time when India imports more than 4 million barrels of crude oil per day, other energy sources are urgently needed.
• India and Brazil could work together to transition from fossil fuels to ethanol in order to meet India’s energy demands.
• There are problems with the infrastructure, universal education, and health. India and Brazil can create policies to address these problems with the aid of the IBSA and BRICS, which are significant venues.

Source The  Hindu

2 – Address of Governor: GS II – Parliament related issues

Context:

• Governor R.N. Ravi of Tamil Nadu left out references to Periyar, the Dravidar Kazhagam’s founder, B. R. Ambedkar, past Chief Ministers K. Kamaraj and C. N. Annadurai, as well as the “Dravidian model” of administration, which was referenced in the 65th paragraph of the speech’s printed version.

Address of the Governor:

• The Governor must address both Houses when they are all present at the start of the first session after each general election to the Assembly and the first session of every year, as required by Article 176(1) of the Indian Constitution, to inform the Legislature of the grounds for its summons.

Other details:

• In addition to a brief synopsis of the session’s agenda, the Governor’s Address contains a summary of the government’s successes from the previous year, a discussion of their approach to pressing domestic concerns, and a list of their accomplishments.

When is the Governor’s address discussed:

• On the first day that it is discussed in the House, a copy of the Governor’s Address is put on the table.
• The Business Advisory Committee is consulted before the Speaker allots time for discussion of the governor’s address’s subjects.
• A motion to thank the governor for the address is made by one member, and it is seconded by another.
• Both the themes stated in the address and any other aspect of administration were open for debate during the event.
• Members may alter the motion of thanks in any manner the speaker deems appropriate.

Source The  Hindu

3 – Young Professionals Scheme: GS II – Government Policies and Interventions

Context:

• Up to 3,000 degree-holding citizens between the ages of 18 and 30 are permitted to live and work in each other’s countries for a period of two years under the Young Professionals Scheme, which was launched by the governments of India and the U.K. on January 9, 2023.

What are the scheme’s main characteristics?

• Indian young professionals can work in the UK for up to two years through the UK-India Young Professionals Scheme.
• It will help 3,000 degree-holding Indians between the ages of 18 and 30.
• Starting in the first quarter of 2023, this Plan will be implemented on a reciprocal basis.
• As decided in 2021, the initiative will improve the Mobility Partnership and international migration.
• India is the first nation with a visa system to gain from this strategy.
• It was started in the UK at a time when there was a severe labour shortage there.

Why is this tactic so important?

• Manufacturing, hospitality, and construction are just a few of the industries in the UK that are experiencing a labour crisis. According to a recent survey, the labour crisis in the UK was having an effect on three-quarters of enterprises. Concerns about a labour shortage have been attributed to BREXIT. Prior to the outbreak, there was a labour shortage in particular for those industries that were strongly dependent on the EU nations. The nation’s labour shortfall will be resolved through the new initiative.
• The new approach will also strengthen relations between India and the UK in terms of trade and culture. India accounts for one-fourth of all foreign students in the UK. This serves as an example of the close ties that exist between the two nations. Over 95,000 employment nationally are directly supported by India’s investment in the UK.
• Additionally, the programme will strengthen UK ties to the Indo-Pacific area. The UK had taken a number of steps to deepen its connections with the nations in the area, particularly in terms of security.

What negative aspects of this tactic exist?

• The UK-India Young Professionals Scheme is currently open to applications from millions of Indians. Visa overissuance will be a concern as a result. Concerns about the programme becoming monopolised have also been voiced.

Source The  Hindu

4 – Uniform Civil Code: GS II – Constitution-related issues

• Context:
• The Supreme Court declared on Monday that no state government’s constitutional authority to appoint a committee to examine how the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) is being administered can be challenged.

• About:

• In relation to matters of personal status, such as adoption, inheritance, and marriage, a UCC would establish a single national law that would be applicable to all faith communities.
• The government is required by Article 44 of the Constitution to use all reasonable efforts to make UCCs available to its citizens throughout India.
• Article 44 is one of the Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSP).
• Despite the fact that the DPSP as described therein is not justiciable, the concepts outlined in Article 37 are crucial to governance (not enforceable by any court).
• In India, a common body of law, including the Evidence Act of 1872, Civil Procedure Code, Transfer of Property Act of 1882, and Partnership Act of 1932, governs the majority of civil proceedings.
• States have, however, made many modifications, thus there are differences in some areas even under these secular civil standards.
• A few states recently voiced opposition to the 2019 Uniform Motor Vehicles Act.
• Background: The British administration emphasised the necessity for uniformity in the codification of Indian law relating to crimes, evidence, and contracts in a report it submitted in 1835, which is where the UCC’s origins may be found. Additionally, it was particularly warned against codifying the personal laws of Muslims and Hindus.
• As a result of an expansion in legislation addressing personal concerns after the end of British control, the government established the B N Rau Committee to codify Hindu law in 1941.
• The legislation governing intestate or unwilled succession among Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, and Sikhs was altered and codified as a result of the 1956 approval of a measure known as the Hindu Succession Act, which was based on these recommendations.
• The personal laws, however, were different for Parsis, Christians, and Muslims.
• The government should switch to a UCC, the courts have regularly ruled in their judgements, in order to bring uniformity.
• The 1985 Shah Bano case judgement is well-known.
• Another instance was the Sarla Mudgal Case (1995), which involved the issue of bigamy and a conflict between the existing personal rules on marriage.
• The Centre has argued that acts like triple talaq and polygamy have a detrimental effect on a woman’s right to a life of dignity and that it is questionable whether the constitutional protection for religious practises should extend to those that breach fundamental rights.
• Effects of the Uniform Civil Code on Personal Laws
• Protection of Society’s Vulnerable Groups: According to Ambedkar’s vision, the UCC aims to protect marginalised groups in society, including as women and religious minorities, while also igniting nationalistic fervour through cooperation.
• Simplification of Rules: The code will simplify and make more widely applicable all the intricate laws relating to marriage, inheritance, succession, and adoption. The same civil law will subsequently apply to all citizens, regardless of their affiliation with a particular religion.
• Following the Secularist Ideal: As mentioned in the Preamble, a secular republic requires a common law for all citizens as opposed to discriminating standards based on religious traditions.
• Gender Justice: If a UCC is put into place, all personal laws will be eliminated. The present laws’ prejudice against women will be eliminated.

Challenges:

• Since Independence, all central family law Acts passed by Parliament have included an exclusion that states “nothing herein mentioned shall apply to the Renoncants in the Union Territory of Pondicherry” and mention in their introductory sections that they will apply to “the entire of India except the state of Jammu and Kashmir.” In 1968, this exclusion was added.
• Thirdly, neither Goa, Daman, nor Diu are covered by any of these Acts.
• The Constitution’s Articles 371A and 371G, which say that no legislative legislation may replace customary law and a form of government based on religion in the northeastern states of Nagaland and Mizoram, provide the basis for a fourth exemption.
• Community politics: The quest for a uniform civil code has been framed by community politics.
• The majority of people think it’s majoritarianism disguising itself as social transformation.
• Legal Barrier: The equality values outlined in Article 14 of the Indian Constitution collide with Article 25, which preserves the freedom to practise and disseminate any religion.

How to Proceed:

• Society and the government must find common ground with social reformers rather than religious conservatives in addition to working hard to build trust.
• Instead of adopting an all-encompassing strategy, the government might gradually merge separate elements like marriage, adoption, succession, and maintenance into a UCC.
• It is essential that all personal laws be codified so that prejudices and preconceptions can be exposed and compared to the fundamental liberties guaranteed by the Constitution.

Source The  Hindu