Daily Editorial Discussion. 15 July,2017

Transcription

1 Daily Editorial Discussion 15 July,2017

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3 Tamil Nadu Story Before 2005 Entrance exam for Medical Seats After 2006, only on the Basis of 12 th Marks, Why? Rural People Disadvantage in Coaching. Now Union Govt. Brought NEET, All admission on the basis of this. Tamil nadu Govt. unhappy, Tamilnadu State Board syllabus has not been updated Bill in their legisalure, Assent to president needed. Meanwhile Given 85% reservation to State boards

4 NEET and Tamil Nadu The Madras High Court verdict striking down the Tamil Nadu government order that had earmarked 85% of seats in undergraduate medical and dental courses Once it was laid down by law as well as by the Supreme Court that the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test will be the sole basis for admission to medical courses,

5 Continue.. The State government will have to shoulder the blame for the confusion over its admission policy this year, as well as the tension it has caused to students. It ought not to have given the impression to students that presidential assent to its Bills was imminent and that NEET would not be the basis for admission this year. Last year it managed to convince the Centre to amend the law for a one-time exemption for undergraduate courses, but it did not utilize the time to prepare students to master the demanding NEET syllabus.

6 Continue However, the fact that the State government failed to upgrade its educational standards does not mean Tamil Nadu s apprehensions about NEET do not merit consideration. The fear that NEET would be insurmountable for students from rural and underprivileged backgrounds and those who cannot afford coaching centres is real. So too is the concern that the government may not get committed doctors to serve in rural areas if most of the seats are cornered by CBSE students. if a NEET-based merit list is drawn up, 72% of medical seats in government colleges and government quota seats in private colleges would go to CBSE school students. Tamil Nadu is able to run its network of hospitals efficiently mainly

7 Way forward NEET may be an answer to rampant commercialisation of medical education, but it should not be at the cost of the government s socio-economic goals. In a country with regional, economic and linguistic disparities, uniformity is no virtue, especially when it is thrust on unwilling States. The political leadership at the Centre as well as in the States would do well to work together to evolve a flexible admission policy that gives some leeway to the States and meets the triple goals of fairness, transparency and freedom from exploitation in admissions.

8 Larsen C

9 Larsen C The dramatic but inevitable calving of a trillion-ton iceberg from the Larsen C Ice Shelf in Antarctica raises the question, did a warming atmosphere have a significant impact on the process? Some Scientists formation of icebergs is natural, and no link to humaninduced climate change was available in this case. Should it disintegrate, glaciers normally feeding into the floating shelf may have nothing to restrain them, and could then contribute to sea level rise, possibly at a slow rate.

10 Continued This erosion has been interspersed by two previous collapses of smaller ice shelves, Larsen A in 1995 and Larsen B in 2002, the latter providing strong evidence of subsequent accelerated glacier flow into the sea. While any negative impact of the latest event will likely be felt years or decades later, it highlights the need to stop continued warming of the planet from manmade carbon emissions.

11 Continue Antarctica is a climate stabilising factor, and the importance of the marine West Antarctic ice sheet was highlighted by U.S. scientists over four decades ago. In the context of rising emissions from the burning of fossil fuels, a cautionary note was sounded, on warming seas hastening the melting of the shelves that hold its great mass. Indeed, the point made was that except for man-made causes, there was no anticipated factor in the natural geological cycle that would disturb Antarctica. The separation of an iceberg almost 6,000 sq. km in size from the ice shelf shows the importance of such alarms. Fortunately, newer satellite technologies, which were not available during earlier instances of iceberg calving, will help in the study of the fragile peninsular region and Antarctica as a whole.

12 Way forward Among the stark effects of changes could be a shift in biodiversity: species like emperor penguins which depend on sea ice to complete their life cycle are at risk if ice cover declines. Any dramatic changes will only add to the worry of irreversible effects of climate change, given that the Arctic and Greenland have also been losing ice cover. Clearly, the loss of a massive portion of the Larsen C Ice Shelf marks another milestone in the evolution of this remote region. Yet, the lack of long-term data on Antarctica, as opposed to other regions, makes it difficult to arrive at sound conclusions. What is clear is that the last pristine continent should be left well alone, with a minimum of human interference,.

13 Utility Paper 1 Discuss the factors that are aggravating retreatment of Glaciers in Antarctica and other parts of the world. In your opinion, what kind of response is needed to deal with climate change consequences?

14 Myanmar military chief

15 Context India-Myanmar The commander-in-chief of Myanmar defence forces, senior general Min Aung Hlaing, is currently on an eight-day tour of India. He is visiting numerous cities such as Gaya, Varanasi, Ahmedabad and Vishakhapatnam and will meet several military and civilian leaders. On 14 July in New Delhi, he is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, defence minister Arun Jaitley and national security adviser Ajit Doval, which indicate the importance that India is according to the visit.

16 Continue.. Given the political transition in Myanmar and the emergence of a civilian leadership led by Aung San Suu Kyi, some may find the weight that India is giving to the visiting military chief to be unwarranted. However, such an assessment would be erroneous. In spite of the recent political changes, the Myanmar military (called Tatmadaw) as an institution and its chief continue to play a pre-eminent role. The constitution of Myanmar, in its basic principles, states that the Tatmadaw will participate in the National political leadership role of the State. Twenty-five percent of the seats in Union and provincial legislatures are reserved for the Tatmadaw. The Myanmar military chief appoints defence, interior (home) and border affairs ministers in the Union government. As a consequence of these institutional arrangements, the Tatmadaw and its chief retain considerable power in the political process.

17 Myanmaar military Diversification The Tatmadaw under Hlaing has been rapidly diversifying its defence procurement as well as military partnerships with other countries. For instance, Austria and Germany were on his itinerary in April, and in June he visited Russia to explore defence procurement and military-to-military cooperation. His visit to India is part of the effort to diversify and strengthen defence cooperation between Myanmar and other countries. India, on its part, has scaled up its defence cooperation by selling artillery guns, naval boats, road-building and other defence-related equipment. According to news reports, India has reportedly agreed to sell lightweight torpedoes as well.

18 China-Myanmaar Relations There may be a temptation in India to look at the Myanmar military chief s visit as an attempt at balancing China. It should be noted that China is a dominant player in Myanmar s economic and political landscape. China is a leading investor in Myanmar, the largest trade partner and has been playing a proactive role in bringing various armed groups in Myanmar to negotiate with Suu Kyi s government. To ensure China s continued cooperation on ethnic issues, Myanmar has signalled its interest in participating in China s One Belt One Road initiative. Given all these developments, Myanmar will be very reluctant to join hands with India against China. Neither is the Indian government approaching Myanmar solely through the lens of containing China.

19 Why Myanmaar is important for India? Myanmar is critical for maintaining stability and peace in Northeast India. Some Northeast Indian insurgent groups operate out of bases across the border. In 2015, India conducted a cross-border strike on insurgent groups operating out of Myanmar. More than the strikes, the considerable publicity given by India generated disappointment in Myanmar. The current reception is also an attempt to assuage such concerns and ensure continued cooperation between the two militaries on counterinsurgency issues.

20 Minority violence the fact that Myanmar is a fast growing economy and is a land bridge to Southeast Asia is prompting Indian leaders to reach out to the country. While there is a significant convergence between the two countries, probably Indian leaders will have a well-calibrated conversation on sectarian violence in Rakhine state in Myanmar. Technically, the sectarian violence in Myanmar is its internal matter. India disassociated itself from the resolution of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva to send a fact-finding mission to study the alleged human rights violations in Rakhine. However, it should be recognised that violence in Rakhine state also has regional implications.

21 Way forward As global politics is increasingly becoming multipolar, India will have to strengthen its multi-alignment strategy involving major powers, middle powers and others such as Myanmar. In spite of its current economic and military status, Myanmar located between China, India and Southeast Asian countries can soon emerge as an important pillar in the Asian security architecture.

22 Paper 2 Assess the importance of Myanmar for India and also discuss the current phase of engagement with Myanmar. Paper 2

23 (AMASR) Act, 1958 The government has approved changes to the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (AMASR) Act, 1958 to allow public works near these structures. If Parliament clears these amendments, national monuments will be threatened

24 Continue.. All these are designated as ancient monuments of national importance and protected under the AMASR Act. The Archaeological Survey of India is the custodian of these monuments. That these monuments are in trouble is no secret. the government has decided to dilute an important piece of legislation Encroachments and illegal construction close to these monuments were happening on a large-scale. Penal provisions in the AMASR Act for endangering ancient monuments were not stringent enough to provide effective deterrence. As a result of the increased pressure of habitation, especially in urban areas, protected monuments and sites were getting hemmed in from all sides. This affected their safety, security and aesthetics. The AMASR Act was substantially amended in 2010 to strengthen several of its provisions.

25 Continue The main features of the amendments were the creation of a prohibited area 100 metres around every national monument where no construction, public or private is permitted, regulated area 200 metres beyond the prohibited area, where any construction requires permission of a newly constituted National Monuments Authority. upheld by the Supreme Court of India The notification was issued by the Central Government for implementing the policy enshrined in Article 49 of the Constitution and the 1958 Act i.e. to preserve and protect ancient and historical monuments and archaeological sites and remains of national importance.

26 Continue The National Monuments Authority has been steadfast in refusing permission for construction within the prohibited areas despite tremendous pressure from private companies, and even the government. But the government in its zeal to push development at any cost social, environmental or cultural has proposed to dilute the AMASR Act. It must be kept in mind that any construction, whether for a public project or private purpose, will pose risks to a monument. Allowing an exception for public works will open a Pandora s Box, but impossible for the National Monuments Authority or the Archaeological Survey of India to ensure that such construction do not pose a threat to a monument.

27 Way forward Public works are more often than not very large infrastructure projects. Allowing these in the immediate vicinity of a protected monument will defeat the very purpose of the AMASR Act will be a violation of Article 49 of the Constitution.

28 Ethics Social values are more important than economic values. Discuss the above statement with examples in the context of inclusive growth of a nation.