UPSC Key: India-Canada relations, Communalism and Shanghai Cooperation OrganisationSubscriber Only

Important topics and their relevance in UPSC CSE exam for October 15, 2024. If you missed the October 14, 2024 UPSC CSE exam key from the Indian Express, read it here

FRONT PAGE

India-Canada chill deepens: Flurry of diplomat exits, trading of charges

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Mains Examination: General Studies II: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests.

What’s the ongoing story-In A sharp escalation of the row between the two countries, India on Monday ordered the expulsion of six Canadian diplomats, while also announcing its decision to withdraw the Indian High Commissioner to Canada and “other targeted diplomats”, citing security concerns after Ottawa identified them as “persons of interest” in its investigation into the killing of Khalistan separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

Key Points to Ponder-

• What is the reason for India’s expulsion of six Canadian diplomats?

• Before that, what is the historical background of India-Canada relations?

• What is the current issue between India and Canada?

• “Canada’s “preposterous imputations” on the involvement of Indian diplomats in the Nijjar case”-Elaborate

• What exactly Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said?

• What are the allegations against India as per Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau?

• Allegation and then expulsion of Indian diplomats-connect the dots

• How India reacted?

• What India said?

• Who was the Hardeep Singh Nijjar?

• What were the allegations against Nijjar?

• ‘India has raised concern over interference of Canadian diplomats in India’s internal matters and their involvement in anti-India activities’-know in detail

• ‘Anti-India elements operating from Canadian soil’-Discuss

• Why New Delhi is facing an unprecedented diplomatic challenge?

• A diplomatic escalation of this kind could potentially damage some of the structured and organic exchanges between the two sides-comment

• What is Five Eyes Alliance?

• Who are in Five Eyes Alliance?

• How recent India-Canada standoff can impact India’s geopolitical structure?

• What you know about the Khalistan movement?

• What are the Historical events responsible for Khalistan?

• How Khalistan movement affected or can affect Indo-Canadian relationship?

• Khalistan and Canada-Connect the dots

• Canada has for long been considered a safe haven for Khalistan supporters and militant voices accused of terrorism in India-Why so?

• Why do Canadian politicians pander to Sikh extremists?

• What is the principle of reciprocity in diplomatic relations?

For Your Information-

• The deepening chill between the two countries came days after the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit in Laos last week. The day of fast-paced developments began with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) issuing a hard-hitting response to Canada’s “preposterous imputations” on the involvement of Indian diplomats in the Nijjar case, warning that India “reserves the right to take further steps in response”.

• According to the MEA, “We have received a diplomatic communication from Canada yesterday (Sunday) suggesting that the Indian High Commissioner and other diplomats are ‘persons of interest’ in a matter related to an investigation in that country. The Government of India strongly rejects these preposterous imputations and ascribes them to the political agenda of the Trudeau Government that is centred around vote bank politics,”.

• While the MEA statement did not name Nijjar, it referred to “certain allegations” made by Trudeau in September 2023, when the Canadian PM had alleged the Indian government’s “potential” involvement in the killing of the Canada-based Khalistan separatist on June 18, 2023. While India had rejected the charges as “absurd” and “motivated”, the ties between the two countries have suffered a setback since then.

• India reiterated its allegation that the Trudeau government has “consciously provided space to violent extremists and terrorists to harass, threaten and intimidate Indian diplomats and community leaders in Canada”, including “death threats to them and to Indian leaders”. “Some individuals who have entered Canada illegally have been fast-tracked for citizenship. Multiple extradition requests from the Government of India in respect of terrorists and organised crime leaders living in Canada have been disregarded,” it said.

• Citing instances of Trudeau’s “hostility to India”, the MEA said: “In 2018, his visit to India, which was aimed at currying favour with a vote bank, rebounded to his discomfort. His Cabinet has included individuals who have openly associated with an extremist and separatist agenda regarding India. His naked interference in Indian internal politics in December 2020 showed how far he was willing to go in this regard.” In December 2020, Trudeau had extended his support to farmers protesting against the farm laws, calling the situation “concerning”.

• “Under criticism for turning a blind eye to foreign interference in Canadian politics, his Government has deliberately brought in India in an attempt to mitigate the damage. This latest development targeting Indian diplomats is now the next step in that direction. It is no coincidence that it takes place as Prime Minister Trudeau is to depose before a Commission on foreign interference. It also serves the anti-India separatist agenda that the Trudeau Government has constantly pandered to for narrow political gains,” it said.

Do You Know-

• The principle of reciprocity in international law involves treating foreigners on par with citizens to the extent provided and regulated by specific intergovernmental agreements. The principle of reciprocity involves permitting the application of the legal effects of specific relationships in law when these same effects are accepted equally by foreign countries. In international law, reciprocity means the right to equality and mutual respect between states. This principle has served as a basis for attenuating the application of the principle of territoriality of laws.

Trivia-

• Canada hosts one of the largest Indian diasporas in the world, numbering 16 lakh people of Indian origin, accounting for more than 3 percent of the total Canadian population and 700,000 NRIs. India became the top source of foreign students studying in Canada — 2.3 lakh, according to 2022 data. India’s total trade with Canada (goods and services) in 2021-22 was US $11.68 billion, much below potential, but when it comes to India’s import of pulses, almost 30% of the total import comes from Canada.

• Canadian pension funds have cumulatively invested around US $55 billion in India. Cumulative FDI from Canada since 2000 is about US$4.07 billion. All these have continued despite speed bumps like the recent pause in trade talks — and despite challenges over the Khalistan issue.

• As per the 2021 Canadian census, Sikhs account for 2.1 per cent of Canada’s population, and are the country’s fastest growing religious group. After India, Canada is home to the largest population of Sikhs in the world. Today, Sikhs lawmakers and officials serve at all levels of Canada’s government, and their burgeoning population is one of the most important political constituencies in the country. In 2017, Jagmeet Singh, 39, became the first Sikh leader of a major Canadian political party when he took the reins of the left-leaning New Democratic Party (NDP).

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

????Canada’s claims against Indian officials: threats, extortion, Lawrence Bishnoi angle, and other details

Previous year UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme:

????‘Indian diaspora has a decisive role to play in the politics and economy of America and European Countries’. Comment with examples. (UPSC GS2, 2020)

Day after youth killed, Bahraich tense, Internet suspended

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Indian Polity and Governance

Mains Examination: General Studies I: Social empowerment, communalism, regionalism & secularism.

What’s the ongoing story-A day after a 22-year-old man was killed amid communal clashes, police in Uttar Pradesh’s Bahraich district Monday detained 30 persons in connection with the violence and murder. In the Maharajganj area, ground zero of the clashes, streets were empty — apart from police personnel who conducted flag marches. Internet services have, meanwhile, been suspended in Bahraich. Key Points to Ponder-

• Why Violence erupted in Bahraich?

• Map Work- Bahraich

• What preventive measures have been taken by the administration?

• What is communalism?

• What is an example of communalism?

• What are the main features of communalism?

• What is the most common form of communalism?

• What is meant by communal violence?

• How communalism and communal violence are interconnected?

• What is the origin of the rise of communalism in India?

• What are the main causes of Communalism in India?

• What are the significant instances of Communalism seen in India?

• What is the difference between communalism and secularism?

For Your Information-

• According to the NCERT textbook, in everyday language, the word ‘communalism’ refers to aggressive chauvinism based on religious identity. Chauvinism itself is an attitude that sees one’s own group as the only legitimate or worthy group, with other groups being seen – by definition – as inferior, illegitimate and opposed. Thus, to simplify further, communalism is an aggressive political ideology linked to religion. This is a peculiarly Indian, or perhaps South Asian, meaning that is different from the sense of the ordinary English word.

• In the English language, “communal” means something related to a community or collectivist as different from an individual. The English meaning is neutral, whereas the South Asian meaning is strongly charged. The charge may be seen as positive – if one is sympathetic to communalism – or negative, if one is opposed to it. It is important to emphasise that communalism is about politics, not about religion. Although communalists are intensely involved with religion, there is in fact no necessary relationship between personal faith and communalism.

• A communalist may or may not be a devout person, and devout believers may or may not be communalists. However, all communalists do believe in a political identity based on religion. The key factor is the attitude towards those who believe in other kinds of identities, including other religion-based identities.

• Communalists cultivate an aggressive political identity, and are prepared to condemn or attack everyone who does not share their identity. One of the characteristic features of communalism is its claim that religious identity overrides everything else. Whether one is poor or rich, whatever one’s occupation, caste or political beliefs, it is religion alone that counts. All Hindus are the same as are all Muslims, Sikhs and so on. This has the effect of constructing large and diverse groups as singular and homogenous.

• It is noteworthy that this is done for one’s own group as well as for others. This would obviously rule out the possibility that Hindus, Muslims and Christians who belong to Kerala, for example, may have as much or more in common with each other than with their co-religionists from Kashmir, Gujarat or Nagaland. It also denies the possibility that, for instance, landless agricultural labourers (or industrialists) may have a lot in common even if they belong to different religions and regions. Communalism is an especially important issue in India because it has been a recurrent source of tension and violence. During communal riots, people become faceless members of their respective communities. They are willing to kill, rape, and loot members of other communities in order to redeem their pride, to protect their home turf.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

????Communal violence is not new to India. But something is different now

Previous year UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme:

????Distinguish between religiousness/religiosity and communalism giving one example of how the former has got transformed into the latter in independent India. (UPSC CSE GS 1, 2017)

????Communalism arises either due to power struggle or relative deprivation’. Argue by giving suitable illustrations. (UPSC CSE GS1, 2018)

????Discuss the impact of post-liberal economy on ethnic identity and communalism (UPSC CSE GS1, 2023)

THE EDITORIAL PAGE

Publish and perish

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Mains Examination: General Studies III: Awareness in the fields of IT, Space, Computers, robotics, nano-technology, biotechnology and issues relating to intellectual property rights.

What’s the ongoing story– Shailaja Chandra Writes: If defamation cases against academics become a trend, as is happening in other countries, it will hurt independent research, especially on drugs and vaccines. The biggest losers would be consumers and that’s a huge concern

Key Points to Ponder-

• Understand the context -“A research paper on the side effects of a Covid vaccine has snowballed into a huge controversy; it has attracted international attention”

• ‘Long-term safety analysis of the BBV152 coronavirus vaccine in adolescents and adults: Findings from a 1-year prospective study in North India,’ is about what?

• What were the two vaccines authorised by the Union Health Ministry for the prevention of Covid-19?

• What is issue and controversy with the paper titled ‘Long-term safety analysis of the BBV152 coronavirus vaccine in adolescents and adults: Findings from a 1-year prospective study in North India’?

• What do you understand by “adverse events of special interest” or AESIs?

• Why ICMR and Bharat Biotech demanded the retraction of the paper?

• Academic freedom and defamation-connect the dots

For Your Information-

• A research paper on the side effects of a Covid vaccine has snowballed into a huge controversy; it has attracted international attention. Authored by the faculty and students of the Banaras Hindu University and titled ‘Long-term safety analysis of the BBV152 coronavirus vaccine in adolescents and adults: Findings from a 1-year prospective study in North India,’ the study was published in May 2024 in a peer-reviewed international journal, Drug Safety.

• The controversy started after the journal’s editor and authors were upbraided by the head of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) for “implicitly (making) conclusions about vaccine safety, unsupported by evidence.” Besides its flawed methodology, the apex research institution found the use of the term AESIs or “adverse events of special interest” to be inconsistent with its globally accepted definition.

• The episode raises important questions, which go beyond the paper. The first is about editorial accountability. The second question relates to ICMR, India’s highest body responsible for the formulation, coordination and promotion of biomedical research. Because ICMR has a role as the co-owner of the Covaxin patent for Covid-19, along with Bharat Biotech, it needs to remind the public about that role. It was ICMR’s National Institute of Virology that had provided the virus strains to Bharat Biotech. The third question is for the researchers. Advising caution and monitoring is easy. The difficult part is to answer how and who should be cautioned, and who should supervise the exercise. Covaxin, or any other Covid vaccine, will only be used again if there is a serious outbreak of Covid-19 or its variants.

• The BHU story has nevertheless flagged three larger concerns. First, if defamation cases against academics become a trend, as is happening in other countries, it will hurt independent research, especially on drugs and vaccines. The biggest losers would be consumers and that’s a huge concern. Second, ICMR and universities must see that medical research proposals are screened institutionally to avoid causing public mistrust or impacting the delivery of essential public health services, including vaccination. Third, medical research methodology must expect research to be mindful of drawing unworkable conclusions. Pursuing medical research is critical, but so also is staying down-to-earth.

Do You Know-

• Adverse events of special interest are conditions that vaccine manufacturers pre-identify or identify during the roll-out to be tracked for longer durations. International organisations such as Brighton Collaboration and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) have come together to define and track these events for newly-developed Covid-19 vaccines.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

????ICMR calls out BHU study on Covaxin side effects, says poorly designed: Find out why

EXPLAINED

Jaishankar in Pakistan: Low expectations, some possibilities

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Mains Examination: General Studies II: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s Interests.

What’s the ongoing story– External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has arrived in Islamabad, Pakistan, for the 23rd meeting of the Council of Heads of Government (CHG) of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). This two-day summit has attracted leaders from member states and is taking place under heightened security measures due to recent militant activity in the region.

Key Points to Ponder-

• Why this visit is significant?

• What is Shanghai Cooperation Organisation?

• What kind of a grouping is the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation?

• Know the members and observer countries in Shanghai Cooperation Organisation

• Map Work-Mark Shanghai Cooperation Organisation member countries with their capital

• Is India a part of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation?

• When did India become permanent member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation?

• What is the importance of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation for India?

• Under what circumstances did India enter the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation?

• How does membership of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation help India?

• How does global geopolitics play out for Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and India?

• How does it play out in the India-Pakistan or India-China relationship?

For Your Information-

• After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the then security and economic architecture in the Eurasian region dissolved and new structures had to come up. The original Shanghai Five were China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan. The SCO was formed in 2001, with Uzbekistan included. It expanded in 2017 to include India and Pakistan. Since its formation, the SCO has focused on regional non-traditional security, with counter-terrorism as a priority: The fight against the “three evils” of terrorism, separatism and extremism has become its mantra. Today, areas of cooperation include themes such as economics and culture.

• While Central Asian countries and China were not in favour of expansion initially, the main supporter — of India’s entry in particular — was Russia. A widely held view is that Russia’s growing unease about an increasingly powerful China prompted it to push for its expansion. From 2009 onwards, Russia officially supported India’s ambition to join the SCO. China then asked for its all-weather friend Pakistan’s entry.

• New Delhi expressed its serious interest to join the grouping in 2009. Months after the Mumbai terror attacks in November 2008, Prime Ministers Manmohan Singh and Asif Ali Zardari had their first meeting in Ekaterinberg in Russia in June 2009. The occasion was the annual summit of the SCO, where both India and Pakistan were “observers”.The highlight was Singh’s message to Zardari: “”I am happy to meet you, but my mandate is to tell you that the territory of Pakistan must not be used for terrorism.” It was the first time India had shown an interest in joining the SCO. Ten years of efforts, pushed by then Joint Secretary (Eurasia) Ajay Bisaria, who is currently India’s High Commissioner to Pakistan, fructified in June 2017, when the SCO inducted both India and Pakistan in Astana in Kazakhstan.

• The summit will fulfill India’s long-time desire to attain full membership of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). India has been an observer of SCO meeting since 2005 and has participated in ministerial-level meetings, which focused on security and economic co-operation in the Eurasian region. With India gaining a full membership, the country aims to achieve regional and global stability and prosperity. But, Pakistan’s inclusion in the body poses potential difficulties in India’s plan.

• SCO was formulated in 1996 with five countries- Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, China, Tajikistan. Uzbekistan joined in the group in 2001. The primary motive behind the formation was to ensure stability along the borders. India and Pakistan, who have been observers, will become permanent members of the body.

• Becoming a full member of the body will strengthen India’s position in Central Asia. It will also help the country’s aim to regional integration, promote connectivity and stability across borders.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

????EAM Jaishankar attends Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit: What the grouping is, why it matters

????What is the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit?

????Iran in the SCO: The background, context, and relevance

Previous year UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme:

????Terrorist activities and mutual distrust have clouded India-Pakistan relations. To what extent the use of soft power like sports and cultural exchanges could help generate goodwill between the two countries? Discuss with suitable examples.(UPSC CSE GS2, 2015)

Why nations fail or succeed

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development-Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, etc.

Mains Examination: General Studies III: Inclusive growth and issues arising from it.

What’s the ongoing story-The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences on Monday (October 14) awarded the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel for 2024 to three US-based economists — Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson, and James A Robinson — “for studies of how institutions are formed and affect prosperity”. The Nobel citation states the three economists “have helped us understand differences in prosperity between nations”.

Key Points to Ponder-

• “The Nobel citation states the three economists “have helped us understand differences in prosperity between nations”-analyse

• What questions have puzzled economists for decades?

• Why are some nations rich and others poor?

• Why do some nations fail while others succeed in achieving prosperity?

• “This year’s laureates in the economic sciences have demonstrated the importance of societal institutions for a country’s prosperity”-know what it is?

• ‘The three laureates have distinguished between inclusive and extractive institutions’-know in detail

• What is inclusive institutional framework?

• What is extractive institutional framework?

• How do we know that the causality flows from the existence of institutions to economic prosperity and not the other way round?

For Your Information-

• This year’s laureates in the economic sciences have demonstrated the importance of societal institutions for a country’s prosperity. By institutions, the laureates refer to the broad set of rules that govern the behaviour of individuals in a society or a country. “Societies with a poor rule of law and institutions that exploit the population do not generate growth or change for the better,” states the citation.

• The three laureates have distinguished between inclusive and extractive institutions. An inclusive institutional framework refers to the existence of democracy, law and order, protection of property rights, etc. By contrast, an extractive institutional framework typically refers to a lack of rule of law, of power being concentrated in the hands of a few (autocracy or dictatorship), and the associated risks of expropriation.

• These two opposite types of institutional frameworks lead to very different incentives for people in an economy or society. For instance, if people are assured that their property will not be taken away at will, or that their incomes and profits will be protected for generations, they tend to focus on boosting long-term growth and prosperity. In the absence of an inclusive institutional framework, the incentives collapse, undermining longer-term prosperity.

• The laureates examined the European colonisation of large parts of the world, and summarised their findings in a paper titled ‘The Colonial Origins of Comparative Development: An Empirical Investigation’, which was first published in The American Economic Review in 2001. They found that one important explanation for the current differences in prosperity is the political and economic systems that the colonisers introduced, or chose to retain, from the 16th century onward. More precisely, they found that “in some colonies, the purpose was to exploit the indigenous population and extract natural resources to benefit the colonisers”, while in other cases, “the colonisers built inclusive political and economic systems for the long-term benefit of European settlers”.

• This effect can be understood in relation to what happened in India under British rule. As the Academy notes, as late as the mid-18th century, industrial production in what is now India was higher than in the US. “This has changed fundamentally since the start of the nineteenth century, which speaks to the reversal primarily being a result of differences in institutions. The technical innovations sweeping across the world were only able (to) take hold in places where institutions had been established that would benefit the wider population,” it says.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

????Explained Books: Why the paths to development vary from nation to nation

Why SpaceX ‘catching’ Starship booster with robotic arms is significant

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Mains Examination: General Studies III: Awareness in the fields of IT, Space, Computers, robotics, nano-technology, biotechnology and issues relating to intellectual property rights.

What’s the ongoing story– A pair of giant robotic arms caught the more than 70-metre-long first stage booster of SpaceX’s Starship on Sunday, bringing Elon Musk’s company a step closer to its goal of building a fully and rapidly reusable rocket system.

Key Points to Ponder-

• What is Starship?

• Why was this mission significant?

• Why is Starship important for the future of space travel and exploration?

For Your Information-

• Starship is a two-stage heavy lift vehicle comprising a booster (called Super Heavy), and an upper section (the Starship spacecraft). Together, the rocket system is nearly 120 metres tall, making it the largest rocket ever — taller than even the Saturn V (111 metres), which took Neil Armstrong to the Moon. For perspective, the Qutab Minar is 72.5 m tall, roughly the length of the first stage booster that was caught on Sunday.

• Starship is designed to carry crew or/ and cargo to Earth orbit, the Moon, Mars, and beyond, and once fully operational, can revolutionise space travel.

• Most rocket systems are expendable, meaning they can be used only once. This makes rocket launches quite costly and time-consuming. For decades, engineers have attempted to devise reusable space vehicles — but with limited success. SpaceX is the latest space organisation to want to transcend the limitations of expendable rocket systems, by creating a system that is fully and rapidly reusable. Catching the Super Heavy is a milestone to this end. In future, the company hopes it will be able to rapidly stack a Starship spacecraft back on top of the landed booster, allowing the rocket to launch again, almost immediately.

• Notably, over the years, SpaceX has mastered the process of landing its smaller workhouse rocket, the Falcon 9. That process, however, is very different, with the booster landing on specially-built platforms using landing legs strapped to its side, rather than being caught in mid-air.

• Starship is a key part of SpaceX’s plans to send astronauts or/and cargo to celestial bodies. The company wants to use the Starship HLS (Human Landing System) to take NASA astronauts back to the moon by 2026 as a part of the Artemis III mission. SpaceX has received government contracts worth up to around $4 billion to complete the task, according to a report by CNN. Eventually, SpaceX hopes that Starship will put the first humans on Mars. However, before executing these ambitious plans, the company needs to prove that Starship is safe and reliable, while keeping costs low. Historically, this has been a daunting task for space flight programmes.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

????What caused the rare failure of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket

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