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On a windswept island 50 miles north of Seattle sits a U.S. Navy monitoring station. For years, it was kept busy tracking whale movements and measuring rising sea temperatures.
Last October, the Navy gave the unit a new name that better reflects its current mission: Theater Undersea Surveillance Command.
The renaming of the spy station at the Whidbey Island facility is a nod to a much larger U.S. military project, according to three people with direct knowledge of the plans: conducting the biggest reconstruction of America’s anti-submarine spy program since the end of the Cold War.
The revival of the multibillion-dollar effort, known as the Integrated Undersea Surveillance System (IUSS), comes as China has ramped up military exercises around Taiwan, heightening concerns about a potential conflict over the democratically ruled territory, which Beijing wants brought under its control.
The IUSS revamp project has not previously been reported. It involves modernizing America’s existing network of underwater acoustic spy cables and retrofitting a fleet of surveillance ships with cutting-edge sensors and subsea microphones, moves aimed at boosting the military’s ability to spy on its foes. The United States has agreed to sell Australia similar technology to help bolster allied defenses in the Pacific region.
Leaders hold talks on Nagorno – Karabakh as Azerbaijan claims full control of region (Page no. 2)
(GS Paper 2, International Relation)
Representatives from Nagorno-Karabakh and the Azerbaijan government held a first round of talks on the future of the breakaway region that Azerbaijan now says it fully controls following a military offensive this week.
The discussions in the city of Yevlakh focused on the “reintegration” of Nagorno-Karabakh, along with its local ethnic Armenian population, into Azerbaijan in the decades-old conflict, according to the office of Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev.
Representatives from the region asked for fuel and food, and Azerbaijani officials agreed to provide humanitarian aid, including energy to heat kindergartens and schools.
There were reports of blackouts in Stepanakert, the regional capital, and some people had to use campfires to cook what food they could find.
Nagorno-Karabakh has been deprived for months of basic supplies, including medicine, due to a blockade by Azerbaijan that severed the only road link to Armenia in the southern Caucasus Mountains region. The quick capitulation by the separatists reflected their weakness from the continuing blockade.
A contingent of 2,000 Russian peacekeepers was sent to the region after a six-week war in 2020 that allowed Azerbaijan to reclaim some territory, but that force apparently has been limited in what actions it can take.
Recent tensions between Russia and Armenia likely further dampened the Kremlin's desire to provide support and assistance. Another round of talks will be held soon.
The local Armenian self-defense forces agreed Wednesday to disarm and disband following a military operation launched by Azerbaijan, which had sparked fighting that was later ended by a Russian-mediated cease-fire.
Front Page
Women’s bill gets Parliament seal (Page no. 1)
(GS Paper 2, Social Justice)
History was scripted night when The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Eighth Amendment) Bill, 2023, seeking to reserve 33% of seats in Lok Sabha and state Assemblies for women, was passed unanimously by Rajya Sabha, a day after it sailed through Lok Sabha.
The women’s reservation Bill, the first legislation to be cleared by both Houses in the new Parliament building, secured 214 votes in its favour with none against it in the Upper House. There was no abstention during the voting proceedings presided by Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar.
Both Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha were adjourned sine die, ending the special session of Parliament. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who came to the Upper House before the voting process got underway at night, thanked all members for their support to the Bill.
In a post on X, Modi said, “A defining moment in our nation’s democratic journey! Congratulations to 140 crore Indians. I thank all the Rajya Sabha MPs who voted for the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam. Such unanimous support is indeed gladdening.”
Sub-categorisation: On Centre table, proposal for quotas within SC quota (Page no. 1)
(GS Paper 2, Social Justice)
The Modi Government is weighing its options on a controversial and far-reaching step: introducing “sub-categorisation” among Scheduled Castes (SC).
This entails fixing a separate quota for some castes within the SC category ostensibly to ensure that a few “influential SC communities” don’t corner most of the benefits.
The immediate provocation for this, sources said, is the demand by the Madiga community in poll-bound Telangana.
Of the nearly 17 per cent SC population in Telangana, Madigas account for nearly 50 per cent but they argue that most opportunities are cornered by another influential SC community Mala.
So they have launched an agitation asking for a distinct quota for them. There are Mala-like examples in other states, too: the Paswans in Bihar or the Jatavs in UP.
Sources said key Ministries are discussing the proposal. If the government decides to go ahead with sub-categorisation of SCs in any state or across the country, it will need to amend Article 341 of the Constitution.
Sources said one option is the legal one: for the Government is to wait for a larger bench of the Supreme Court to be constituted – since the court has been requested to do so — and rule on the matter. Another suggestion is to go ahead with the amendment.
Govt & Politics
Not must to link Aadhaar with voter list, EC tells SC (Page no. 7)
The Election Commission (EC) has told the Supreme Court that it is not mandatory to provide Aadhaar numbers for linking with the electoral roll, and it is considering issuing “appropriate clarificatory changes” in enrolment forms to reflect this.
Appearing for the EC, Senior Advocate Sukumar Pattjoshi and Advocate Amit Sharma told a three-judge Bench presided by Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud that submission of Aadhaar number is not mandatory under Rule 26-B of the Registration of Electors (Amendment) Rules 2022.
Rule 26B, dealing with “special provision for providing Aadhaar number by existing electors”, states that “every person whose name is listed in the roll may intimate his Aadhaar number to the registration officer in Form 6B in accordance with sub-section (5) of Section 23 of the Act”.
The Bench was hearing a plea filed by G Niranjan, senior Congress leader from Telangana, who had urged the court to direct the Centre and the EC “to make amendments in the application forms (for) enrolment and updating the electoral rolls… on the basis of amended provisions/ rules notified by Union of India for the authentication of Aadhaar number with the electoral rolls on or before 1st April, 2023.”
In Parliament
As Rajya Sabha debates quota, women chair the proceedings (Page no. 8)
(GS Paper 2, Social Justice)
Rajya Sabha was Thursday chaired by a number of women MPs across party lines amid the discussion on the Women’s Reservation Bill, tabled by Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, through the morning and afternoon sessions.
With a visitors’ gallery packed with women watching on, the following members took over the chair in quick succession — P T Usha, S Phangnon Konyak (BJP), Jaya Bachchan (SP), Saroj Pandey (BJP), Rajani Ashokrao Patil (Congress), Fauzia Khan (NCP), Dola Sen (TMC), Indu Bala Goswami (BJP) Kanimozhi (DMK), Kavita Patidar (BJP), Mahua Maji (JMM), Kalpana Saini (BJP) and Sulata Deo (BJD).
They will have the occasion, along with the panel (of existing vice-chairpersons) to be in the chair for some time, in order to send a message to the world that they were in a commanding position at a time when this historic change was taking place.
Dhankhar took over the chair for several short stints, while deputy chairperson Harivansh did so once.
So unusual were the day’s proceedings that when SP MP Jaya Bacchhan took the chair, DMK MP R Girirajan addressed her as “Chairman sir”. She was quick to correct him — “Chairwoman”.
Express Network
Govt: Don’t give space to persons with terror links (Page no. 9)
(GS Paper 2, International Relation)
In the wake of India-Canada diplomatic row over Khalistani extremism, the government has now issued an advisory to television channels to not offer a platform to persons against whom there are charges of terrorism or those belonging to proscribed organisations.
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting issued the advisory. The advisory has been issued in light of a recent discussion on a television channel of a person from a foreign country against whom there are serious cases of crime, including terrorism, belonging to an organisation proscribed by law in India.
On Wednesday, a news channel (ABP News) aired a 20-minute interview with Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, who was designated a terrorist by India in 2020, and is facing 22 criminal cases, including three of sedition, in Punjab.
Pannun, the leader of the banned outfit Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), has issued threats to Canadian Hindus and asked them to leave Canada, saying they are working against the interest of the country.
The Khalistani terrorist, who is wanted in India, also heaped praises on pro-Khalistan Sikhs of Canada saying that they have always been loyal to Canada and upheld the country’s laws and constitution.
India and Pakistan attend crucial meet in Vienna to discuss Indus water row (Page no. 9)
(GS Paper 2, International Relation)
Highlighting that India is committed to support the resolution of issues in accordance with the provisions of the Indus Waters Treaty, the Ministry of External Affairs said that India attended a two-day meeting of the Neutral Expert proceedings in Vienna — aimed at the resolution of a dispute between New Delhi and Islamabad on the Kishenganga and Ratle hydroelectric projects in Jammu and Kashmir.
The ministry said in a statement, “A delegation from India, led by the secretary, Department of Water Resources, attended a meeting of the Neutral Expert proceedings in the Kishenganga and Ratle case at the permanent court of arbitration in Vienna on September 20 and 21.
Senior advocate Harish Salve KC was present in the capacity of India’s lead counsel… Representatives of India and Pakistan were present at the meeting.
In July this year, a court of arbitration (CoA) had ruled that it has “competence” to consider matters over the Kishenganga and Ratle hydroelectric projects in Jammu and Kashmir — a construction that Pakistan has opposed strongly.
Govt launches AI chatbot for PM -KISAN scheme (Page no. 11)
(GS Paper 3, Economy)
The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare launched an AI chatbot — the first of its kind to be integrated with a major flagship scheme of the central government — for the PM-KISAN scheme.
The AI chatbot was launched by Kailash Choudhary, Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, in presence of Agriculture Secretary Manoj Ahuja and Additional Agriculture Secretary Pramod Meherda.
During the event, Meherda gave a detailed presentation on features of the chatbot and how it is beneficial for the farmers.
The ministry said in a statement that the AI chatbot launch marks a “significant” step towards enhancing the efficiency and reach of the PM-KISAN scheme, while providing the farmers with “prompt, clear and accurate” responses to their queries.
The introduction of the AI Chatbot in the PM-KISAN grievance management system is aimed at empowering farmers with a user-friendly and accessible platform.
In the first phase of the development, the AI Chatbot will assist farmers in seeking information related to their application status, payment details, ineligibility status and other scheme-related updates.
The AI Chatbot, accessible through the PM-KISAN mobile application, is integrated with Bhashini which offers multilingual support, catering to the linguistic and regional diversity of the PM-KISAN beneficiaries.
This integration of advanced technology will not only enhance transparency but also empower farmers to make informed decisions.
Editorial
Delhi need not choose (Page no. 12)
(GS Paper 2, International Organisation)
The recent BRICS summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, which witnessed more than a doubling of its original membership of five major emerging economies, has led to exaggerated expectations of the grouping’s rising influence on the global economy and on the restructuring of global governance regimes.
The grouping was established in 2009 with Brazil, Russia, India and China as members. South Africa joined a year later. At the initiative of China, supported by Russia, six new members — Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the UAE — have been inducted. Several other developing countries have reportedly conveyed their interest in joining the group and there could be more rounds of expansion.
Earlier there were indications that India and Brazil were not enthusiastic about an expansion. Neither would have wanted BRICS to become a blatantly anti-Western platform.
India would additionally have had reservations about an expanded membership adding further clout to an already dominant China. However, it appears that the choice of new members is the result of political compromise rather than the application of any agreed criteria.
The new members, with the exception of Iran, have significant stakes in their relationship with the West. Therefore, China has not succeeded in transforming BRICS into an anti-West lobby.
Changing how we move (Page no. 12)
(GS Paper 3, Economy)
International oil prices are surging, nearing $100 per barrel once again. India’s import dependence on crude oil and products stood at an all-time high of 87.3 per cent in FY2023, and 25.8 per cent of the country’s import bill was spent on it.
Our economy has the third-largest crude and product demand in the world with significant room for consumption growth.
At the same time, estimates from the International Energy Agency suggest that in the last decade, up to 20 per cent of our total primary energy supply was met by biomass, and a large portion of it was used by households.
The newly formed Global Biofuel Alliance under India’s G20 presidency must now convert this fuel into a form that can supply clean bio-energy to multiple end uses, improve energy security and get value for public spending.
In a bid to arrest the dependence on imported crude, India launched its ethanol blending programme in 2003 but it saw little progress for more than a decade.
In 2022, after a concerted policy push for five years, India’s blending programme achieved the significant milestone of 10 per cent ethanol blending in petrol.
Plans are now afoot to increase the blending share to 20 per cent (E20) by FY25-26, a target that was brought ahead by five years.
Ideas Page
Seek world, not its validation (Page no. 13)
(GS Paper 2, Education)
The goal of becoming a vishwaguru in the knowledge society requires transformational reforms in education.
The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, is indeed a unique framework, for it brings in continuity with change, and merges specialisation with a holistic approach.
The stress on interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary aspects of knowledge introduces a balance between science, technology, social sciences, humanities and languages; between the local and the regional, the national and the international, as well as the universal.
The State’s role in education is very important, for it is public education that bridges the gap between social, economic and regional disparities.
Private players can never replace the State as the autonomy of educational institutions is guaranteed by democracies such as India.
The weighty yet indispensable responsibility of fostering education and driving innovation is intricately tied to the architecture of our education system.
Within this framework, the role of higher education institutions, particularly exemplified by institutions such as Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), assumes an outsized and pivotal significance. This calls for a higher investment in education by the State to more than 10 per cent of the GDP.
One election many solutions (Page no. 13)
(GS Paper 2, Governance)
In Bharat, the world’s largest democracy, the concept of One Nation, One Election has been a topic of fervent debate for several years.
In recent times, it has gained currency with the Union government concretising plans in this direction. The proposal of One Nation, One Election calls for holding simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies, emphasising the need for consensus in the national interest.
Beyond the political discourse on the issue, we need to delve into the compelling argument of cost-saving, as well as the historical context of One Nation, One Election.
One of the most pressing issues facing the Indian electoral system is the staggering cost incurred in each election cycle. With elections being held at different levels of government throughout the year, India’s election machinery is perpetually active.
Conducting elections, securing polling stations, deploying security forces, and the logistics involved are costly endeavours. Beyond the monetary cost, comes the question of logistics and the toll it takes on human resources.
Frequent elections require human resources, including police personnel, administrative staff drawn from various departments, teachers and lecturers, who are often deployed for election duties.
This results in the disruption of regular government work and hampers development projects. It also cuts into the academic schedules of schools and colleges.
Explained
The India – Canada standoff (Page no. 14)
(GS Paper 2, International Relation)
India and Canada are dealing with an unprecedented diplomatic crisis, which can have political as well as geopolitical consequences.
It started after Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau dropped a bombshell allegation earlier this week, telling Parliament that it is possible the Indian government had a hand in the murder of a Khalistani separatist in Canada in June.
He said he had taken up the issue with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit for the G20 Leaders’ Summit on September 9-10. At their bilateral meeting in New Delhi, Modi had raised the concerns about pro-Khalistan elements in Canada.
The Ministry of External Affairs called Trudeau’s accusation “absurd and motivated”. It said he had made similar allegations during his meeting with the PM, which had been “completely rejected”.
The diplomatic escalation happened quickly — and shows the seriousness of the crisis.
Fertiliser and pulses: The two big agri imports from Canada (Page no. 14)
(GS Paper 3, Economy)
Diplomatic tensions between New Delhi and Ottawa continued to escalate with India stopping visa services in Canada and Canada “adjusting its staff presence in India”.
Amid the ongoing standoff, we take a look at India and Canada’s trade ties. India’s total trade with Canada in the last (2022-23) financial year was $8 billion — that’s 0.7% of India’s total trade ($1.1 trillion) with the world.
The share has remained this way at least for the past five years, even though the export and import numbers have gone up and down, especially during the Covid year.
Bilateral trade has also been fairly evenly balanced; in 2022-23, for instance, roughly $4 bn of imports were matched by $4 billion of exports even though India enjoyed a tiny trade surplus of $58 million.
Among what India imports from Canada, three categories of goods dominate and account for 46% (that is, almost half) of the total import by value. These are:
1. Mineral fuels, mineral oils and products of their distillation; bituminous substances; mineral waxes.
2. Pulp of wood or of other fibrous cellulosic material; waste and scrap of paper or paperboard
3. Edible vegetables and certain roots and tubers
The top three exports, on the other hand, accounted for only 30% of the total exports. These were:
1. Pharmaceutical products
2. Articles of iron or steel
3. Nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery and mechanical appliances; parts thereof
Economy
Declare wilful defaulters within 6 months of NPA tag: RBI Proposal (Page no. 17)
(GS Paper 3, Economy)
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) proposed that lenders should classify a borrower as a “wilful defaulter” within six months of their account being declared a non-performing asset (NPA). The RBI did not earlier have a specific timeline within which such borrowers had to be identified.
The revision of norms comes after a review of the instructions and consideration of various judgments and orders from the Supreme Court and High Courts, as well as representations and suggestions received from banks and other stakeholders.
The RBI identifies wilful defaulters as those who have the ability to pay a bank’s dues but do not or divert bank funds. While large defaulter means a defaulter with an outstanding amount of Rs 1 crore and above, and whose account has been classified as doubtful or loss, a wilful defaulter means a borrower or a guarantor who has committed wilful default and the outstanding amount is Rs 25 lakh and above.