Context

Recently, Botswana’s President threatened to send 20,000 elephants to Germany. 

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Reason for Large Elephant Population in Botswana

• Safe Haven for Elephants: Botswana has been a safe haven for elephants due to its stable government, and small human population.
• Safe Environment: After conflict-spurred mass poaching in Namibia and Angola, elephants stopped crossing the Chobe river, preferring to stay in the safer Botswana instead.
• Implementation of Strict Conservation Policy: Botswana also implemented strict conservation policies. When poaching incidents were on a rise in 2013, it announced a ‘shoot-to-kill’ policy targeting suspected poachers. 
• Ban on Trophy Hunting: The country also imposed a ban on trophy hunting — hunting that previously took place under an official government license.
• Elephant Population in Botswana: While in the early 1960s, there were fewer than 10,000 elephants in Botswana, by the mid-1990s, the population had touched 80,000, according to a report by Conservation Frontlines.

Issue with Large Elephant Population in Botswana

• Rise in Human- Animal Conflict: Botswana’s rising elephant population has led to a spike in human animal conflict.
• Menace for Rural Communities: The Elephant has become a menace for the country’s rural communities, regularly damaging homes, drinking water from pipes, feeding on or destroying crops, and trampling people and cattle to death.
• Loss of Habitat and Biodiversity: A large population of elephants also threatens other species, and leads to significant biodiversity loss and habitat degradation
  • For example: Elephants tear down trees for fodder and consume large amounts of water, which can cause a decline in non-elephant wildlife.

Steps taken to Reduce Elephant Population

• Elephant Donation to Other Countries: Botswana has donated elephants to other countries.
  • For Example: Botswana  gave away around 8,000 elephants to neighboring Angola and, in 2022, it donated 500 elephants to Mozambique
• Lifting Ban on Trophy Hunting: Botswana lifted its ban on trophy hunting in 2019. 
• Benefits of Lifting the Ban: It not only helps limit the number of elephants, but also boosts the local economy with hunters, often from other countries, paying as much as $50,000 for each elephant killed.
  • Trophy hunters injected $250 million into South Africa’s economy yearly and supported 17,000 jobs

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Benefits of Trophy Hunting

• Benefit for Species: Authorities have also argued that regulated trophy hunting ultimately helps the species that hunters target.
• Help in Conservation efforts: Governments can use rich hunters’ money for conservation, and share profits with local communities, which can prevent habitat loss and better protect animals.
• Economic Benefits: In eight key African countries, trophy hunters contribute at most 0.03 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). 

Conclusion

If countries want to ban trophy hunting, they need to have an alternative source of revenue worth hundreds of millions of dollars every year. Banning things without knowing the consequences is actually creating more problems for the species.

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Context

Recently, there has been a rise in anti-India sentiments, seen in the emergence of the “India Out campaign” advocating the boycott of Indian products.

India’s Role in Freedom of Bangladesh

• India’s role in Freedom of Bangladesh: Bangladesh has always credited India for its independence and existence.
  • In the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, India countered Pakistan, China, America, and Europe to free Bangladesh from Pakistan’s oppressed regime.
• Recognizing Bangladesh’s Independence: India was the first country to accept Bangladesh as a sovereign nation.

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India’s Support for Bangladesh’s Sovereignty

• Dependence on India: Bangladesh still depends on India for its sovereignty.
  • For instance, India protected Bangladesh’s sovereignty by being the first to congratulate Sheikh Hasina’s government, providing legitimacy to the election.
• Sanctioning of Bangladesh Officials by Western Nations: In recent Bangladesh elections, America and Western countries openly opposed and even sanctioned Bangladeshi officials
• Boycott of Opposition in Elections of Bangladesh: The opposition party, supported by America, boycotted the election, resulting in only a 40% voter turnout.
• Apprehension of Bangladesh: Bangladesh’s government feared that Western countries would reject the results.
• Aftermath of India’s Support: Western countries were forced to accept the election results due to India’s support.

Factors Behind the “India Out Campaign”

• Ploy to Gain Power: Opposition parties want to create negative sentiment against India to regain power, like in Maldives. 
  • They believe that to remove the Hasina government, India’s dominance in Bangladesh must be reduced and thus they adopted the “India Out campaign” from Maldives. 
• Historic Opposition: The main opposition party, BNP, has historically opposed India since its formation by military dictator Ziaur Rahman in 1975.
• Negative Image and Publicity: Negative image of India among Bangladeshis due to India’s CAA laws and sentiments against Bangladeshi migrants in Assam.
• Bilateral Disagreements: Economic factors, such as the one-sided trade between India and Bangladesh, causing a trade deficit for Bangladesh, and the ongoing Teesta River issue.
• Chinese Influence: China’s alleged conspiracy behind the campaign to reduce India’s dominance in Bangladesh and increase its own influence in South Asia.

India’s Perspective on the India Out Campaign

• Rejecting Claims: The Indian foreign minister rejected the campaign, stating that India does not need to fear China’s growing influence.
• Propaganda driven by foreign entities: The India out campaign was primarily driven by foreign entities and only visible online, lacking wide participation from Bangladeshis.
• Baseless Accusations: The accusation of political interference against India is baseless, as other countries like China and Russia also supported the election results.
• Economic Impact of Boycotting India: Boycotting India would harm Bangladesh more, as its textile sector, which contributes 9% to its GDP and employs 70% of Bangladeshi women, depends on Indian cotton exports and garment imports.
• Loss of Tariff Concessions: Bangladesh will graduate from the least developed country list by 2026, losing tariff concessions, making it difficult to reduce trade with India.
• High Inflation in Bangladesh: India exports essential goods to Bangladesh, and stopping exports could cause 35% inflation in Bangladesh.
• Exporting Electricity to Bangladesh: India exports 1160 MW of electricity to Bangladesh, ensuring its energy security.

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Importance of India Bangladesh Relations

• Security reason: India cannot ignore the campaign as Bangladesh is crucial for India’s security.
• Connectivity issue: India depends on the Chicken’s Neck corridor for connectivity to its northeastern region, requiring good relations with Bangladesh.
• North- East Security: The ongoing unrest in Manipur is partly due to assistance provided to Kuki militants from Bangladesh.
• Challenge in Countering China: India is already facing problems countering China’s heavy financial and strategic presence in South Asia.
• • India cannot allow Bangladesh to become the next Maldives.

China’s Role and Regional Implications

• Chinese Campaign Against India: The campaign is seen as part of China’s efforts to reduce India’s influence in South Asia and increase its own.
• Inroads by China: China has already made inroads in Sri Lanka and Maldives, putting pressure on India.
• Benefits of India’s presence:  American report suggests that South Asian countries benefit from India’s presence, as evident in Sri Lanka, where India provided the most help during the China-induced crisis .
  • South Asian countries can effectively handle China only if India’s presence remains strong in their countrie.

Way Forward

• Engaging in Proactive Diplomacy: India should engage in proactive diplomacy with Bangladesh to address the concerns raised by the opposition parties and the public.
• Balancing Trade and Bilateral Ties: Efforts should be made to balance trade relations and resolve outstanding issues like the Teesta River dispute.
• Continued Support for Development: India should continue to support Bangladesh’s development and sovereignty while being mindful of its internal political dynamics.

Conclusion

To preserve the long-term viability of the India-Bangladesh alliance, both governments must prioritise fostering confidence and collaboration through diplomatic initiatives and direct interaction with people.

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Context

• In 2022, the Indian Medical Association filed a case against Patanjali’s founder Baba Ramdev who had made statements against allopathy, creating a negative perception among people.

Patanjali Misleading ADs Case in Supreme Court

• Statements Against Allopathy: Baba Ramdev claimed that allopathy was a “stupid and bankrupt science” and that lakhs of people were dying from taking allopathic pills.
• SC Action: The Supreme Court (SC) took a stern stance, and Baba Ramdev had to apologize in court.

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About Allopathy

• Origin of the Term: The term “allopathy” was coined by the founder of homeopathy, Samuel Hahnemann, in 1810.
  • He believed that allopathic treatment was crude, such as the use of bloodletting to cure diseases and illnesses
• Genesis of Confrontation: The confrontation between Ayurveda and Allopathy in India started in the 16th century.
• Introduction of Allopathy in India: Portuguese ships brought many allopathic doctors to India. When allopathic doctors successfully treated smallpox, the struggle for dominance between Ayurveda and Allopathy began. 
• Current State of Allopathy in India:
  • Number of Allopathic Doctors in India: There are over 12 lakh doctors in India, with many practicing abroad.
  • Lives Saved by Allopathy: According to a report, allopathy saves the lives of 20 lakh people in India every year

Shortcomings of Allopathy

• Lacking Solutions: Despite improvements in modern medicine, allopathy still lacks solutions for many side effects and diseases.
• High Cost: The biggest problem with allopathy is the heavy charges by pharmaceutical companies, leading to out-of-pocket expenditure in countries like India.
• Shift from Allopathy: However, several shortcomings in allopathy have led people to turn towards traditional medicine like Ayurveda and Yoga.
• Medical Negligence: According to a WHO report, 2.6 million people worldwide die due to medical mistakes.

Rise of Traditional Medicine

• Shortcomings of Allopathy: This made Ayurveda and other alternative medicines popular worldwide, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Demand For Alternative Medicines: When allopathic doctors and beds fell short, the demand for alternative medicine increased.
• Economic Growth: Today, the traditional medicine and well-being economy has reached 1.5 trillion dollars.

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Concerns with Traditional Medicine

• Lack of Knowledge: 

  • The biggest marketing claim of traditional medicine is that these medicines have no side effects, which is a myth
    • Research in India has found that alternative medicines contain significant amounts of heavy metals, leading to cancer detection in many people.
    • For example, recently, some people died in Ahmedabad after consuming Ayurvedic syrup.

• Non- Recognition of Traditional Medicines: 

  • Many Western countries, including the United States, do not recognize traditional medicine and categorize it only as food supplements.

• Absence of Research and Proof: 

  • Traditional medicine systems lack strong research and clinical proof of their efficacy.
    • Allopathic medicines go through rigorous trials before being approved.

• Lacking Standardization: 

• • Traditional medicine lacks standardization, meaning there is no uniformity in how to treat specific diseases.
    • Allopathy, however, has a standard operating procedure (SOP) for treating each disease.

• Commercialization of Traditional Medicines: 

  • While allopathy is criticized for its commercial nature, the same problem is now seen in traditional medicine systems
    • For Example: Large Ayurvedic pharmaceutical companies charge hefty amounts despite poor research.
    • Scams have been observed where cancer patients are sold expensive Ayurvedic medicines with no proven effectiveness. and prices 10 times higher.

• Misleading Advertisements: 

• • The Supreme Court has reprimanded Patanjali and the government for this issue. For Example: advertisements often make fake claims about treating life-threatening diseases like BP and diabetes, which can only be controlled, not cured
    • Making misleading claims about drugs is a criminal offense under the Drugs and Magic Remedies [Objectionable Advertisements] Act 1954 and the Drugs and Cosmetic Acts 1945.

• Failure of Government to Take Action: 

  • However, the government has not taken strong action, leading to an increase in false advertising cases.
    • According to the AYUSH Ministry, false advertising cases rose from 411 in 2018 to 25,657 in 2022.

Conclusion

The government should strongly handle the issue of misleading claims. Traditional medicine and allopathy should complement each other instead of opposing each other thus ensuring a healthy India progress.

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