Editorial Analysis By Date

Context

Recently, Ecuador raided Mexico’s Embassy which is a violation of the Vienna Convention.

Relevance For Prelims: Mexico Ecuador Diplomatic Crisis, How Effective is the United Nations (UN) in Conflict Mitigation, United Nations, UNSC Reform, and Is The United Nations Toothless In Ending Wars?.

Relevance For Mains: International Relations (IR) & Global Affairs.

Ecuador’s Raid On Mexico’s Embassy

Violation of the Vienna Convention: Ecuador’s raid on the Mexico embassy in Quito breaches diplomatic norms outlined in the Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations.
Diplomatic Tensions: Motivated by the arrest of former Vice-President Jorge David Glas, accused of corruption, sparking tensions between the two nations.

Mexico Ecuador Diplomatic Crisis Escalates to the International Stage

Political Motivations: Glas and former President Rafael Correa claim political motivations behind the corruption charges against them.
Diplomatic Fallout: President Daniel Noboa sees the anti-corruption drive as a central aspect of his administration’s agenda, leading to a diplomatic standoff with Mexico.
Escalating Diplomatic Crisis: Mexico’s move to seek expulsion of Ecuador from the UN signals a further escalation of tensions on the international stage.

Domestic Challenges and Political Fallout

Rising Gang Violence: President Noboa faces criticism over his handling of escalating gang violence domestically.
- Despite promises to tackle corruption and violence, his administration grapples with worsening security conditions, especially in cities like Guayaquil.
Political Opportunism Amidst Crisis: Critics accuse Noboa of using the diplomatic crisis to bolster his political standing amidst growing domestic challenges.
- The failure to address underlying issues of gang violence undermines the credibility of the administration’s response to the crisis.

Conclusion

As Ecuadorians prepare to vote in a referendum to empower the government in combating gang violence, the administration must focus on addressing domestic challenges within legal and diplomatic boundaries.

Also Read: Iran-Israel Conflict

Mains Question: Examine the impact of the veto powers of the permanent members on the effectiveness of the United Nations Security Council in maintaining international peace and security. (15 M, 250 Words)

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Decoding the Supreme Court Judgment on Jim Corbett National Park

Context

The Supreme Court exposed the corrupt collaboration between politicians, forest officials, and local contractors responsible for the unlawful felling of 6,000 trees in the Jim Corbett National Park.

Relevance For Prelims: Supreme Court Order On Tree-Felling In Corbett Tiger Reserve, BIODIVERSITY, and Forest In India, National Parks In India.

Relevance For Mains: Challenges in Conserving Biodiversity and Human- Animal Conflicts

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Recent Supreme Court Judgement on Jim Corbett National Park

Revenue Over Conservation: Despite laws like the Wildlife Protection Act and Forest (Conservation) Act, revenue remains the state’s primary focus.
Rural Litigation and Entitlement Kendra vs. State of Uttar Pradesh: The Supreme court said that “economic growth cannot be achieved at the cost of environmental destruction and people’s right to a healthy environment.”

Key Points of the Supreme Court Judgement on Jim Corbett

Shift from Anthropocentrism to Ecocentrism: The Supreme Court emphasized the importance of an eco-centric approach rather than anthropocentrism in ecotourism management.
Ban on Tiger Safaris in Core Areas: The court ordered the ban on tiger safaris in core areas of national parks, with the goal of minimizing environmental damage and disturbance to wildlife habitats.
Committee Formation for Feasibility Study: A committee was formed to investigate the potential of allowing tiger safaris in the peripheral parts of national parks across India, showing a cautious approach to balancing tourist and conservation objectives.
Precautionary Principle and Biodiversity: Court invokes precautionary principle to minimize potential harm caused by banning safaris in core areas.
Safeguarding Biodiversity: Urgent need to prioritize biodiversity conservation, as underscored by British environmentalist Norman Myers.

Limitations of Restoration Plans

Undefined Methodology: Court’s plan to recover restoration costs lacks a clearly defined methodology, raising concerns about its efficacy.
Ecosystem-Based Valuation: Call for a valuation method based on ecosystem services to accurately assess environmental damage. Emphasis on prioritizing conservation efforts over revenue generation in restoration plans.

Missed Opportunities in Environmental Policy

Prioritizing Ecosystem Services: Court misses the opportunity to set a precedent by prioritizing ecosystem services over ecotourism in conservation efforts.
Referring to ICJ Rulings: Supreme Court overlooks the potential insights from International Court of Justice’s ruling in Costa Rica v. Nicaragua.
- The ICJ asserted that damage to the environment, and the consequent loss of the ability of the environment to provide goods and services, is compensable.

Conclusion

The Supreme Court’s verdict highlights the crucial need for an ecocentric approach to conservation, emphasizing the need of valuing ecosystem services and implementing robust methodology for assessing environmental damage and restoration costs.

Also Read: Rising Human Wildlife Conflict (Human-Animal Conflict)

Mains Question: Critically assess the enforcement mechanisms outlined in the Wildlife Protection Act. How effective are these mechanisms in deterring wildlife-related offenses? (250 words, 15 Marks)

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BR Ambedkar thoughts On Urbanization and Caste

Context

The Indian cities has failed the aspirations and expectations that the Dalit liberation movement had placed in urbanization.

Relevance For Prelims: Urbanization In India, Salient Features Of Indian Society Caste System, and Gandhi And Ambedkar: Exploring Divergent Visionaries.

Relevance For Mains: Issues with Urbanization, Segregation of castes in Urban spaces

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Perspectives on Village Life

Contrasting Views of Ambedkar and Gandhi: B.R. Ambedkar and Gandhi ji held contrasting views on the role of Indian villages in society.
- Ambedkar saw villages as bastions of caste oppression, while Gandhi idealized them as equitable and self-reliant communities.
Ambedkar’s Opposition to Village Autonomy: Ambedkar opposed the idea of recognizing villages as autonomous administrative units in the Constituent Assembly.
- He believed such recognition would exacerbate caste-based discrimination, particularly affecting Dalits.

BR Ambedkar thoughts On Urbanization and Caste

Opportunity for Liberation: Ambedkar viewed urbanization as an opportunity for Dalit liberation, as cities weaken systems of caste oppression prevalent in villages.
Anonymity in Cities: He believed anonymity in cities offered a chance to transition from caste-based to class-based social orders.
Acknowledgement of Challenges: Ambedkar recognised the continuation of caste-based prejudice in urban settings, as evidenced by his difficulty to locate home in Baroda.

Caste and Spatiality in Indian Cities

Language of ‘Purity-Pollution’: Caste emerges in urban spatiality through conceptions of ‘purity-pollution,’ which influence housing choices and public policy.
Segregation and Discrimination: Dalits and Muslims are severely segregated and discriminated against in terms of housing, access to public facilities, and environmental quality.
State Sanctioned Discrimination: State-sanctioned discrimination occurs when governments impose Brahminical restrictions, such as banning meat sales and promoting caste-based segregation in public settings.

Impact of Urban Governance Policies

Housing Crises and Segregation: Urban governance practices exacerbate caste-based segregation, limiting housing access and public service delivery.
Forced Evictions: Forced evictions disproportionately affect Dalits and Muslims, aggravating housing insecurity and marginalization.
- A recent report by the Housing and Land Rights Network on forced evictions in India also shows that Dalits and Muslims are the most impacted by slum demolition drives.
Failure of Indian Cities: Despite BR Ambedkar’s promises, Indian cities have failed to deliver on the promise of urbanization, leaving Dalits marginalized and trapped in ghettos.

Conclusion

To achieve BR Ambedkar’s vision of urban emancipation, substantial policy interventions and social transformations must be implemented to address caste-based segregation and discrimination.

Also Read: Backward Class And Dalit Movements In India

Prelims PYQ (2020):

Which one of the following categories of Fundamental Rights incorporate protection against untouchability as a form of discrimination?

(a) Right against Exploitation

(b) Right to Freedom

(d) Right to Equality

Ans: (d)

Mains Question: Analyse the impact of urbanization on the Dalit community in India. Discuss how, despite B.R. Ambedkar’s belief in the liberating potential of cities, caste-based discrimination continue to persist in urban areas. Suggest measures to address these issues and create more inclusive cities. (15 M, 250 Words)

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Employment Trends In India: Addressing Challenges and Solutions for Job Creation

Context

India faces a significant challenge in creating enough jobs to sustain its burgeoning population.

Relevance For Prelims: Employment Trends In India, Unemployment In India, India Employment Report 2024, Demography Of India, Interim Budget 2024-2025, India Skills Report 2024 And Skill Development In India, Vision India@2047, India GDP Growth Rate, Trends And Analysis, and Job creation: A big challenge for the government.

Relevance For Mains: Challenges in Employment in India, Issues with ONDC, and Unemployment.

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Employment Trends In India: Introduction

India’s Economic Growth: India’s economy is poised to ascend to the position of the world’s third-largest, marked by robust expansion, a youthful demographic, widespread smartphone adoption, and the emergence of a wealthy elite amidst ongoing poverty.
Employment Disparity Hindering Economic Dynamism: However, despite these promising signs, merely 46.6% of the working-age populace is engaged in active employment, thereby diminishing the economy’s overall dynamism contrasting with other developing markets boasting employment rates nearing 70%.

Job Creation Challenges in India

Skills Deficit in the Workforce: Despite India’s large workforce of approximately 950 million, there is a notable skills deficit hindering employment opportunities.
- The 2024 India Skills Report revealed that only half of young Indians are considered employable, indicating a gap between the skills possessed by the workforce and those demanded by employers.
Lack of Job Creation: Skill deficit not only affects high-end services sectors but also impacts the availability of skilled labor across various industries, constraining economic growth and job creation efforts.
Reliance on Low-Skilled Services: With limited opportunities for skilled employment, many individuals are forced to seek work in low-skilled service sectors.
- Construction, street vending, domestic labor, and similar occupations serve as the primary sources of employment for a significant portion of the population.
- However, these roles often offer minimal wages and lack opportunities for upward mobility, perpetuating cycles of poverty and income inequality.
Crisis in Service Sector: India’s economic development strategy has largely focused on services rather than traditional manufacturing-led growth. However it has contributed to jobless growth.
- The IT sector, once a pillar of India’s services economy, is experiencing its first contraction in 25 years, attributed to automation and artificial intelligence displacing traditional roles and slowing demand for new hires.

How India Can Promote Job Creation?

Growth Potential of Global Capability Centres (GCCs): GCCs provide a range of services to multinational corporations (MNCs) and present significant growth opportunities, with the potential to employ millions by 2030 and stimulate demand for lower-skilled services.
- Global Capability Centres provide services to the parent that range from finance, legal and HR to high-tech innovation clusters in cyber, analytics and AI.
- There are already over 1,500 GCCs employing 1.6 million people, expected to grow to 4.5 million by 2030.
High-End Services Exports: Services out of such centers could become one of India’s biggest exports, generating incomes and demand for even more services from lower-skilled tiers.
Tech Startups: Despite recent setbacks, India’s tech startups offer potential for job creation, particularly in industries like AI, Software as a Service (SaaS), defence, and green technology.
Green Transition: India’s commitment to renewable energy presents an opportunity to create millions of new jobs in the Green economy, including roles in renewable energy production, hydrogen production, and emissions reduction.
- The World Economic Forum projects 50 million net new “green economy” jobs in India.
Reviving Manufacturing: Small and medium-sized manufacturers should be supported to become reliable job creators
- Small and medium manufacturers are likely to be less automation-intensive and more reliable labour absorbers.
Leveraging India’s Digital Public Infrastructure: India’s digital public infrastructure , Open Network for Digital Commerce that connects market players on a single protocol can be leveraged for access to credit, resources, logistics, warehousing and customers.
- This can help small-and-medium manufacturers replicate the benefits of larger players.

Conclusion

India’s economic future is dependent on its capacity to handle the urgent need for job creation through a diversified approach that includes promoting high-end service exports, nurturing tech entrepreneurs, embracing the green transition, and revitalizing the manufacturing sector.

Also Read: Gig Economy And Gig Workers In India

Prelims PYQ (2018):

With reference to Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana consider the following statements:

1. It is the flagship scheme of the Ministry of Labor and Employment.

2. It, among other things, will also impart training in soft skills, entrepreneurship, financial and digital literacy.

3. It aims to align the competencies of the unregulated workforce of the country to the National Skill Qualification Framework.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 and 3 only

(b) 2 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Ans: (c)

Mains Question: Analyse the factors contributing to the elevated levels of unemployment in India in recent years. Propose strategies to facilitate sufficient employment generation within the Indian economic framework. (15 M, 250 Words)

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