EDITORIALS & ARTICLES
18th May 2021
Diplomatic Immunity
Recently, the wife of Belgium’s ambassador to South Korea will now be exercising her diplomatic immunity to avoid criminal charges after she allegedly hit two staff members at a boutique in Seoul.
Diplomatic Immunity
- It is a privilege of exemption from certain laws and taxes granted to diplomats by the country in which they are posted.
- The custom was formed so that diplomats can function without fear, threat or intimidation from the host country.
- The diplomatic immunity is granted on the basis of two conventions, popularly called the Vienna Conventions;
- The Convention on Diplomatic Relations, 1961, and
- The Convention on Consular Relations, 1963
- India ratified the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations in 2008.
What is the extent of this immunity?
- According to the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, 1961, the immunity enjoyed by a diplomat posted in the embassy is “inviolable”.
- The diplomat cannot be arrested or detained and his house will have the same inviolability and protection as the embassy.
- It is possible for the diplomat’s home country to waive immunity but this can happen only when the individual has committed a ‘serious crime’, unconnected with their diplomatic role or has witnessed such a crime.
- The diplomatic immunity is intended to “insulate” diplomats from harm but it does not insulate their countries from a bad reputation and a blow to bilateral ties.
- The privilege of diplomatic immunity is not for an individual’s benefit.
- If a diplomat acts outside his business of conducting international relations, a question arises over whether his immunity still applies.
Applicability of immunity under Vienna Convention
- The Vienna Convention classifies diplomats according to their posting in the embassy, consular or international organisations such as the UN.
- A nation has only one embassy per foreign country, usually in the capital, but may have multiple consulate offices, generally in locations where many of its citizens live or visit.
- The diplomats posted in an embassy get immunity, along with his or her family members.
- The diplomats posted in consulates also get immunity but they can be prosecuted in case of serious crimes, that is, when a warrant is issued.
Significance of Malerkotla
Recently, the Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh has announced on Eid that the former princely state of Malerkotla would be the 23rd district of the state.
Malerkotla
- It is the only Muslim-dominated town of Punjab.
- Malerkotla owes its foundations in the 15th century to Sufi saint Sheikh Sadrauddin Sadar-i-Jahan, also known as Haider Sheikh.
- The initial beginnings were humble with the settlement being called ‘Maler’ which was bestowed by the Behlol Lodhi to the Sheikh whose lineage too was Afghan.
- ‘Kotla’, meaning Fortress, was added later in 17th century with a collection of villages which formed a jagir which was awarded to Bayzid Khan, a descendant of Haider Sheikh, by Mughal Emperor Shah Jehan.
- Bayzid Khan supported Aurangzeb against his brother Dara Shikoh and thus gained favour with the emperor and added permanency to the rule of his family.
- After the decline of the Mughal Empire, Malerkotla’s rulers exercised greater independence and at the time of the invasion of India by Ahmad Shah Abdali from Afghanistan, they aligned with him.
Relations of Malerkotla with neighbouring states
- According to historian Anna Bigelow’s work, ‘Punjab’s Muslims’, after Maharaja Ranjit Singh consolidated his rule in Northern Punjab in the early 19th century.
- Malerkotla aligned itself with the neighbouring Sikh states like Patiala, Nabha and Jindwhich too were feeling threatened by Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s consolidation of the Sikh empire.
- These cis-Sutlej states accepted British protection in 1809 and were free from interference from the Sikh Maharaja.
- Malerkotla continued under the British protection and the alliance with the neighbouring Sikh states till 1947 when it became the only Muslim majority Sikh state in East Punjab.
- After the dissolution of the princely states in 1948, Malerkotla joined the new state of PEPSU or Patiala and East Punjab States Union (PEPSU).
- PEPSU itself was dissolved in 1954 and Malerkotla became a part of Punjab.
Special status of Malerkotla with the Sikh community
- The special relationship between Sikhs and Malerkotla goes back to the period when the tenth Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh, was engaged in a series of battles with the oppressive Mughal rules of the region.
- Sher Mohammad Khan was the Nawab of Malerkotla at the time and though a supporter of Aurangzeb, has expressed his anguish at the bricking alive of two young sons of Guru Gobind Singh, Zorawar Singh (aged nine years) and Fateh Singh (aged seven years), by the Subedar of Sirhind Wazir Khan in 1705.
- The ‘Haa da Naara’ or cry for justice was made by Sher Mohammad Khan before Wazir Khan when the order to brick the two young boys was pronounced.
- Iftikhar Khan, the last Nawab of Malerkotla, has declared in his history of the kingdom that Malerkotla was spared because of ‘Haa Da Naara’.
Relations of Malerkotla rulers with Sikhs after the ‘Haa Da Naara’
- It is documented that even after the Haa Da Na, the Malerkotla rulers continued their affinity with the Mughal rulers.
- The Malerkotla rulers aligned with the Afghan invader Ahmed Shah Abdali once the suzerainty of the Mughals was on the decline.
- Nawab Jamal Khan of Malerkotla fought against rulers of Patiala and also against Abdali before joining hands with him.
- His successor Nawab Bhikam Shah is said to have fought on the side of Abdali’s forces in a battle against the Sikhs in 1762 which is known as ‘Wadda Ghallugara’ or the Great Holocaust.
- In 1769, a treaty of friendship was signed with Raja Amar Singh of Patiala by the then Nawab of Malerkotla.
- The Patiala princely state was often to the aid of Malerkotla especially in 1795 when Sahib Singh Bedi attacked Malerkotla over the issue of cow slaughter.
- The Namdhari (a sect of Sikhs) massacre of 1872 in Malerkotla is an important incident in the historical annals of the town.
Impact of Climate Change on World’s Oldest Cave Art
Recently, the researchers in the online peer-reviewed open access journal ‘Scientific Reports’ have reported that world’s oldest cave art are weathering at an alarming rate due to climate change.
World’s Oldest Cave Art
- It is a Pleistocene-era rock paintings dating back to 45,000-20,000 years ago.
- It is located in cave sites in southern Sulawesi, on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi.
- The limestone cave walls are adorned with hand stencils of red and mulberry tint, in addition to paintings of native mammals and human-animal hybrids.
Significance of the cave paintings
- A team of Australian and Indonesian archaeological scientists, conservation specialists, and heritage managers examined 11 caves and rock-shelters in the Maros-Pangkep region in Sulawesi.
- The artwork in the area includes what is believed to be the world’s oldest hand stencil created by pressing the hand on a cave wall, and spraying wet red-mulberry pigments over it.
- A nearby cave features the world’s oldest depiction of an animal, a warty pig painted on the wall 45,500 years ago.
- The cave art of Sulawesi is much older than the prehistoric cave art of Europe.
Key Highlights
- The researchers studied flakes of rock that have begun to detach from cave surfaces to find that salts in three of the samples comprise calcium sulphate and sodium chloride.
- The artwork made with pigments was decaying due to a process known as haloclasty.
- It is triggered by the growth of salt crystals due to repeated changes in temperature and humidity, caused by alternating wet and dry weather in the region.
- Indonesia has also experienced several natural disasters in recent years, which have quickened the process of deterioration.
- The extreme patterns of increased seasonal moisture from monsoonal rains and worsening droughts are accelerating rock art deterioration.
Recommendations for protecting World’s Oldest Cave Art
- The area is known to be home to over 300 cave paintings, and more are being discovered with further explorations.
- It is only recently that accurate dating has been made possible with newer techniques, enriching our knowledge of their cultural and historical significance.
- The researchers have recommended regular physical and chemical monitoring of the sites, akin to the preservation efforts at the French and Spanish prehistoric cave art sites.
COVID-19 Drug by DRDO
Recently, the Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan have released the first batch of the COVID-19 Drug by DRDO ‘2DG’.
2DG Drug
- It is an indigenously developed anti-Covid-19 drug called 2-deoxy-D-glucose or ‘2-DG’.
- The national drug regulator, Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI), had cleared theformulation for emergency use as an adjunct therapy in moderate to severe Covid-19 patients.
Formulation of 2DG Drug
- 2-DG has been developed by the Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS), New Delhi.
- INMAS is a lab of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), in collaboration with Hyderabad-based pharma company Dr Reddy’s Laboratories (DRL).
Working of 2DG Drug
- The clinical trial data show that the molecule helps in faster recovery of patients hospitalised with Covid-19, and reduces their dependence on supplemental oxygen.
- The drug accumulates in virus-infected cells, and prevents the growth of the virus by stopping viral synthesis and energy production.
- Its selective accumulation in virally-infected cells makes this drug unique.
Advantages of 2DG Drug
- According to the government, 2-DG being a generic molecule and an analogue of glucose, it can be easily produced and made available in large quantities.
- The drug is available in powder form in a sachet, and can be taken orally after dissolving in water.
Covid-19 Emergency
Recently, several doctors have often said that Covid patients reach hospitals very late, due to which they either die on the way, while waiting for a bed, or land straight in the ICU.
- The symptoms which can be considered as signs of Covid emergency are:
- Falling oxygen saturation,
- Haemodynamic instability,
- Non-resolving high grade fever,
- Pain in the chest,
- Severe headache,
- Oxygen saturation below 92, and
- Respiratory distress
- In addition to this, if a person is unable to do the 6-minute walk test, it should not be taken lightly and hence one should consider it an emergency situation.
Which symptoms shouldn’t be taken lightly?
- Feeling breathless, not being able to maintain oxygen saturation above 94 per centor feeling restless while standing even for a few minutes.
- Palpitations, high pulse/heart rate above 100 per minute;
- High blood pressure or low BP and dehydration due to persistent loose stools/vomiting; and
- Blood in sputum or cough are few of the symptoms
Prevention of COVID Symptoms
- The patients should practice deep breathing, monitor oxygen/pulse rate on a regular basis and also stay hydrated.
- The accumulation of carbon dioxide in the blood can cause dizziness and deep-breathing helps in maintaining a fair balance of gases in the blood.
Medication to avoid COVID Emergency
- Oral and inhaled steroids along with bronchodilators have to be given.
- The antibiotic, vitamin C, Zinc supplements and steam inhalation should be part of medication to avoid emergencies.
How can patients with co-morbidities avoid Covid emergency?
- The people with co-morbidities like diabetes/heart or kidney diseases or stroke need to continue their medications and ensure a good control over their diseases.
- They should regularly practice deep-breathing, keep calm but motivated and stress-free.
- They need to stay physically active, even in their home environment.
Manufacturing Job Loss in India
Recently, the researchers at Azim Premji University have released the State of Working India (SWI) 2021.
Key Highlights
- A report brought out jointly by the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) and Centre for Economic Data and Analysis (CEDA).
- It pointed to an ailment of the Indian economy that has not only been a longstanding one but also one that has gotten worse over the past few years even without the help of Covid.
- The CMIE-CEDA report looked at the employment in India and its distribution across different sectors such as agriculture, industry and services.
- The number of people employed in the manufacturing sector of the economy has come down from 51 million to 27 million i.e. almost halving in the space of just four years.
Why are these trends worrisome?
- It is important to understand that traditionally Indian policymakers have been of the view that the manufacturing sector is our best hope to soak up the surplus labour.
- Manufacturing is well suited because it can make use of the millions of poorly educated Indian youth, unlike the services sector, which often requires better education and skill levels.
- The most of the manufacturing jobs lost are in labour-intensive sectors such as textiles, construction material (like tiles etc.) and the food processing industry.
- The jobs in textiles manufacturing have come down from 12.6 million in 2016-17 to just 5.5 million in 2020-21.
- The employment in construction material firms has shrunk from 11.4 million to just 4.8 million.
Why is Indian manufacturing failing to create jobs?
- The commencement of a manufacturing unit requires the highest amount of fixed investment upfront.
- It implies that it is a big commitment on the part of an entrepreneur to put up a huge amount of money without necessarily knowing how it will all pan out.
- The combination of corrupt government and bribe by officials and politicians makes starting a manufacturing firm that much riskier and that explains the slow growth.
- The Indians have always consumed relatively less of manufacturing goods and relatively more of food and services.
- India did not push for integrating its labour-intensive manufacturing in the global supply chains by aggressively following exports.
Challenges faced by manufacturing sector
- Skilled manpower is in short supply: The quality of training provided by Indian vocational trade schools lack the necessary equipment and infrastructure to impart relevant training.
- Supply chains are largely inefficient: An array of external factors affect supply chain networks, including market volatility and skewed demand patterns, infrastructure and transportation bottlenecks, and poor structuring of supply chain networks to optimize on sales and excise taxes.
- Suppliers fail to provide high-quality products: The tier 1 or tier 2 suppliers tend to be small or medium-size enterprises with limited engineering or process capabilities.
Steps to be taken to improve manufacturing sector
- Make smart investments in asset productivity: The manufacturers can drive incremental innovation and leverage know-how of vendors and industry groups to keep their manufacturing practices up to date.
- Develop employee skills across all levels: The industry can establish and support vocational training institutes for developing skilled labor pools around key manufacturing clusters.
- Increase agility to reduce waste across the supply chain: The supply chain agility is crucial to a lean organization as agile companies carry fewer inventories, manage flow better, and have fewer stock-outs.
Indian Language Learning App
Recently, the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology has launched a challenge for creating Indian Language Learning App.
- It is an initiative of MyGov in partnership with Department of Higher Education.
- It has been launched to take forward Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of celebrating India’s cultural diversity through greater interaction among its constituent parts.
- It aims to create an app that will enable individuals to learn simple sentences of any Indian language and acquire working knowledge of a language.
- Its objective is to create an app that will promote regional language literacy, thereby creating greater cultural understanding within the country.
- The key parameters that will be looked into will include ease of use, simplicity, Graphical User Interface, gamification features, UI, UX and superior content that makes it easy and fun to learn an Indian language.
Eligibility Criteria
- The participants should be Indian Citizens or companies/Start-up with a majority stake of Indian Citizens.
- The contest is open to the following entities:
- Start-ups,
- Indian Legal Entities
- Registration proof shall be submitted at the time of application;
- It should have a minimum of 51% shareholding of Indian citizens and should not be barred or blacklisted anywhere for government work.
- If Applicant (Individuals) is not yet registered as Start-up, they are still allowed to submit ideas, but are required to be registered as a private limited company or registered as a partnership firm or a limited liability partnership in India on or before 30 days from the date of declaration of stage 1 result.
- An entity shall be considered a ‘start-up' as per definition of startup notified by Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT).
SAMVEDNA Platform
Recently, the Ministry of Women and Child Development has called for SAMVEDNA Platform for children affected by COVID-19.
SAMVEDNA Platform
- SAMVEDNA is Sensitizing Action on Mental Health Vulnerability through Emotional Development and Necessary Acceptance.
- It is a Toll-Free Helpline launched to provide psycho-social mental support for Children affected during COVID 19 Pandemic.
- The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) is providing Tele-Counselling to children through SAMVEDNA.
- The tele-counselling is being provided through a network of qualified Experts/Counselors/Psychologists.
- It is for psychological support to children to address their stress, anxiety, fear and other issues during the Pandemic.
- The tele counselling is provided to the children under three categories:
- Children who are in Quarantine/isolation/COVID Care centers;
- Children who have COVID positive parents or family members and near ones; and
- Children who have lost their parents due to Covid-19 Pandemic
- It aims to cater to the children from all over India in various regional languages like Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Oriya, Marathi, Gujarati, and Bengali etc.
National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR)
- It is a statutory body under the Commissions for Protection of Child Rights (CPCR) Act, 2005.
- It works under the aegis of Ministry of Women and Child Development.
- Its mandate is to ensure that all Laws, Policies, Programmes, and Administrative Mechanisms are in consonance with the Child Rights perspective as enshrined in the Constitution of India and also the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
- The Child is defined as a person in the 0 to 18 years age group.
- It visualizes a rights-based perspective flowing into National Policies and Programmes, along with nuanced responses at the State, District and Block levels.
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