The Hindu – 19 June 14 – Opinion

0) The shattering Middle East

TAKEAWAY – The situation in Middle East compared – 1919 and 2014; how to resolve the big issue!!- MUST MUST READ.

In which topic of the CS Mains syllabi, can this article fit in? –

• Paper -1, History of the world will include events from 18th century such as industrial revolution, world wars, redrawal of national boundaries,
• Paper -2  Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests; Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests
• Paper -4  dimensions of ethics; Ethical issues in International relations and funding

---

1) India must find its voice in West Asia

TAKEAWAY – India’s traditionally strong and currently weak flip-flop policy in West Asia- MUST READ.

In which topic of the CS Mains syllabi, can this article fit in? –

• Paper -1, Distribution of key natural resources across the world
• Paper -2  Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests; Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests
• Paper -3, Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways, etc.
• Paper -4  dimensions of ethics; Ethical issues in International relations and funding

---

2) Ending a marriage of convenience

TAKEAWAY – Zarb-e-Azb (Sword of Prophet) – an all-out operation against militants in North Waziristan undertaken by the Pakistan Govt. and the Military together  CAN READ the need to start this operation.

In which topic of the CS Mains syllabi, can this article fit in? –

• Paper -2, India and its neighborhood- relations.
• Paper -3, Role of external state and non-state actors in creating challenges to internal security
• Paper -4  laws, rules, regulations and conscience as sources of ethical guidance; accountability and ethical governance; ethical issues in international issues

---

3) Curbing hate crimes

TAKEAWAY – Govt apathy and communal riots – role of social media –  CAN READ for a rebrush

In which topic of the CS Mains syllabi, can this article fit in? –

• Paper -1, Communalism, Secularism & Regionalism
• Paper -2, Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability
• Paper -3,  Challenges to internal security through communication networks, role of media and social networking sites in internal security challenges, basics of cyber security
• Paper -4  moral and political attitudes; social influence and persuasion, Probity in Governance, emotional intelligence, Aptitude and foundational values

---

4) Scientists warn of tourism threat to Antarctica

TAKEAWAY – Threat to indigenous specis diversity – MUST READ

In which topic of the CS Mains syllabi, can this article fit in? –

• Paper -1, Geographical features and their location – changes in critical geographical features (including water bodies and ice-caps) and in flora and fauna and the effects of such changes.
• Paper -3, Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment.
• Paper -4 Essence, determinants and consequences of Ethics in human actions; dimensions of ethics; laws, rules, regulations and conscience as sources of ethical guidance

---

BE Consistent!

The Hindu – 19 June 14 – Beyond Bogota’s ballot

The mandate that Colombian centre-right President Juan Manuel Santos won on Sunday for a second term is bound to trigger huge expectations from among the mainstream left parties that backed, with good reason, his re-election. <the reason??>> The peace negotiations that the President has held in the past four years with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), with support from Cuba, have progressed to some degree. Mr. Santos’s government and the FARC have reached an agreement to promote agrarian reform, facilitate political participation for members of the militia, and to sever links with the drug mafia. But nothing less than a decisive end to the country’s 50-year old civil war, <the backgrounder>> that has killed over 200,000 people and displaced millions, could ensure stability and security in this Andean country. In fact, the conflict in Colombia is viewed widely as the longest in recent memory and the displacement of people, the largest until the recent tragic developments in Syria. But justice for the victims and the demobilisation of the FARC remain contentious issues in the negotiations. The President’s pursuit of peace with an extremist insurgency had pitted him against the conservative party of two-term President Alfaro Uribe, which denounced the peace process as little more than one granting impunity for terrorists. His right-wing challenger in the recent polls, Óscar Iván Zuluaga, topped in the first round although the margin was not good enough to avoid a run-off. The surge in support for Mr. Santos in Sunday’s run-off was reminiscent of the 2002 French presidential election that saw the left and centrist rally behind Jacques Chirac’s UMP party.

<the working of Mr. Santos>> Mr. Santos’s own record in dealing with public officials, a large number of whom are linked with paramilitary groups and organised crime, has strengthened the perception of him as a leader who was not particularly effective, even if guided by the best of intentions. A controversial recent decision relates to his endorsement of the ouster of the Mayor of Bogota, a senior directly elected politician, and a prolonged bar on his standing for public office. <the impact>> Indeed, Amnesty International observed recently that peace talks have had little influence in preventing large-scale human rights violations in the country. <the need>> Colombia has emerged in recent years as the third largest economy in Latin America. Sustaining the benefits of economic growth would be inconceivable in the absence of genuine adherence to the values of a free and democratic order underpinned by the rule of law and respect for human rights. <Conclusive Comment>> Mr. Santos can ill-afford to fritter away the advantage of a decisive mandate, one that could potentially transform the prospects of the people of Colombia.

Q: Discuss the mandate as obtained in the recent presidential elections held in the Andean country of Colombia.

In which topic of the CS Mains syllabi, can this article fit in? –

• Paper -2, Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests
• Paper -4, Probity in Governance, Essence, determinants and consequences of Ethics in human actions; dimensions of ethics; laws, rules, regulations and conscience as sources of ethical guidance; accountability and ethical governance; strengthening of ethical and moral values in governance;

BE Consistent!

The Hindu – 19 June 14 – Democratic Credentials on test

The National Democratic Alliance government’s attempt to nudge some Governors appointed by the previous regime to quit, amidst reports that not all of them are willing to go on their own, has revived the debate on the politicisation of the office of Governor. <the backgrounder>> In 2004, the United Progressive Alliance government removed some Governors appointed by the regime that preceded it, and the present dispensation wants to follow that precedent. The difference between 2004 and the present is quite marked. <How??>> Until 2010, the predominant notion was that since a Governor holds office at the pleasure of the President, subject to a five-year term, she could be removed at any time and for no reason at the Centre’s instance. However, in B.P. Singhal vs. Union of India (2010), the Supreme Court ruled that a Governor’s removal is justiciable and there should be good, valid and compelling reasons for such a removal. The power should not be exercised arbitrarily, capriciously or unreasonably. <So, the irony now is..??>> It is quite ironic that the Bharatiya Janata Party, which was aggrieved by the removal of its appointees as soon as the UPA took charge in 2004, is now in a hurry to ease out at least some of the UPA appointees.

<the matter is…>> The view that a new regime can remove a Governor on the ground that she is out of sync with the policies and ideology of the party in power at the Centre or that the ruling party has lost confidence in her, has been rejected by the Supreme Court. For too long, the office has been used to rehabilitate politicians defeated in elections or as a reward for retired bureaucrats and intelligence officials. <for example>> It is surprising that in over six decades since the Constitution was adopted very few eminent persons in fields other than politics and civil or military service have been appointed Governors. Several Governors have acted as partisans of the ruling party at the Centre and hindered the smooth functioning of State governments. <The Sarkaria Commission says…>> The Sarkaria Commission on Centre-State relations suggested that a Governor should be someone eminent in some walk of life, one “not too intimately connected with the local politics of the State,” and should not be one “who has taken too great a part in politics generally, and particularly in the recent past.” It suggested that a politician from the ruling party at the Centre should not be appointed Governor of a State run by another party. If only these norms are followed in practice, the need to ease out “inconvenient” Governors will not arise. <Conclusive Comment>> The real test of the new government’s democratic credentials would be whether it resists the temptation to replace the Congress politicians and favourites with its own party men put out to pasture, and appoints suitable eminent personalities in line with the Sarkaria Commission’s recommendations.

Q: Comment on the issue of politicisation of the Governor’s post as taken up time and again in different governmental regimes.

In which topic of the CS Mains syllabi, can this article fit in? –

• Paper -2, Important aspects of governance,transparency & accountability and institutional and other measures.
• Paper -2, Functions and responsibilities of the Union and the States, issues and challenges pertaining to the federal structure
• Paper -2, Appointment to various Constitutional posts, powers, functions and responsibilities of various Constitutional Bodies.
• Paper -4 Accountability and ethical governance; strengthening of ethical and moral values in governance; laws, rules, regulations and conscience as sources of ethical guidance, Probity in Governance; integrity, impartiality and non- partisanship,  objectivity, dedication to public service

BE Consistent!

Indian Express – 18 June 14 – Opinion

1) The river must flow 

TAKEAWAY – How to clean up the Ganga river without deviating to other activities and focussing on river flow – MUST READ .

In which topic of the CS Mains syllabi, can this article fit in?  

• Paper -1, Urbanization, geographical features and their location – changes in critical geographical features (including waterbodies and ice-caps) and in flora and fauna and the effects of such changes.
• Paper -2 Development processes and the development industry- the role of NGOs, SHGs, various groups and associations, donors, charities, institutional and other stakeholders; Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.
• Paper-2, Structure, organization and functioning of the Executive
• Paper -3, Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment.
• Paper -4  Laws, rules, regulations and conscience as sources of ethical guidance; accountability and ethical governance; strengthening of ethical and moral values in governance; Probity in Governance

---

2) ‘If you want to deliver a last-mile solution, the best way is to ask those affected how they might do it’

TAKEAWAY -The confluence of govt, aid institutes, bureaucracy and NGOs to provide development- MUST READ  to know about World Bank’s initiative – Development Marketplace.

In which topic of the CS Mains syllabi, can this article fit in? –

• Paper -2 Development processes and the development industry- the role of NGOs, SHGs, various groups and associations, donors, charities, institutional and other stakeholders.
• Paper -2, Role of civil services in a democracy, Important International institutions, agencies and fora- their structure, mandate
• Paper -3, Infrastructure
• Paper -4 Probity in Governance, Aptitude and foundational values for Civil Service; laws, rules, regulations and conscience as sources of ethical guidance; accountability and ethical governance; ethical issues in international relations and funding; utilization of public funds

---

3) Aadhaar and the rhetoric of fear

TAKEAWAY -the debate on privacy vs. security – CAN READ to brush up the aadhaar issue with current updates.

In which topic of the CS Mains syllabi, can this article fit in? –

• Paper -2 Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation; mechanisms, laws, institutions and Bodies constituted for the protection and betterment of these vulnerable sections.
• Paper-3, Challenges to internal security through communication networks, role of media and social networking sites in internal security challenges
• Paper -4 Laws, rules, regulations and conscience as sources of ethical guidance; ethical concerns and dilemmas in government and private institutions.

---

4) The great game folio: US and Iran

TAKEAWAY -points in history which offered collaboration between US and Iran- CAN READ to analyse these points in US & Iran history.

In which topic of the CS Mains syllabi, can this article fit in? –

• Paper -2 Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests, Indian diaspora.
• Paper -4 Ethical issues in International Relations

---

BE Consistent!

Indian Express – 18 June 14 – Color coded

SUMMARY – By viewing governors through a partisan lens, Modi government would be repeating old mistakes.

The Modi government came in with the declared ambition of a “Congress-free India”, sweeping away the old ways of governance and forcing its imprint on institutions. That change, it now seems, could extend even to offices that are purportedly non-political, like the constitutional office of governor. <the current events>> UP Governor B.L. Joshi has already sent in his resignation and there is speculation that more resignations may be on the anvil, with Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh unsubtly suggesting that UPA-appointed governors should step down of their own volition. <the meaning>> Any move to replace governors appointed by political rivals, with no reason furnished, would be an undermining of the constitutional office. A governor is appointed by the president, and is not an agent of the Centre. <the background>> Of course, the UPA, in 2004, had also removed governors it considered vestiges of the NDA — and it had invited rebuke. <the SC perspective>> As a constitutional bench of the Supreme Court has underscored, the Union government is obliged to furnish relevant, non-arbitrary, non-whimsical and bona fide reasons for changing a governor. <the background story>> The office of governor has been used in a partisan manner by all political dispensations, beginning with the Janata government, which in 1977 used governors to dismiss Congress governments in nine states, only to have Indira Gandhi impose president’s rule in states run by the Janata Party after she returned to power. With president’s rule mostly becoming an option in disuse now, there is less scope for such egregious misuse of power. But both the Congress and the BJP have used governorships as retirement homes for battle-scarred political veterans and favoured officials, as reward for services rendered or to delicately remove someone from the fray. <the Sarkaria recommendation??>> This despite the Sarkaria commission, which had recommended that a governor be a person of eminence, not involved in the local politics of the state to which she is sent, and not a politician associated with the ruling party at the Centre, in order to preserve the federal balance. <other inferred meanings>> The Modi government’s signalling on UPA-appointed governors could even be seen to be of a piece with the PMO’s directive to ministers to remove civil servants who have previously worked with the UPA. While ministers do have the discretion to choose civil servants based on their competence and uses, these decisions are meant to be free of vindictiveness and favouritism. <Conclusive Comment>> By openly suggesting that those who worked in one dispensation are unwelcome in another, the government risks corroding the impartiality of the administration.

Q: Elucidate as to how the post of Governor has been perceived and utilised for political advantages; and the comments made in response to such mischievous acts.

In which topic of the CS Mains syllabi, can this article fit in? –

• Paper -2, Important aspects of governance,transparency & accountability and institutional and other measures.
• Paper -2, Functions and responsibilities of the Union and the States, issues and challenges pertaining to the federal structure
• Paper -2, Appointment to various Constitutional posts, powers, functions and responsibilities of various Constitutional Bodies.
• Paper -4 Accountability and ethical governance; strengthening of ethical and moral values in governance; laws, rules, regulations and conscience as sources of ethical guidance, Probity in Governance; integrity, impartiality and non- partisanship,  objectivity, dedication to public service,

---

BE Consistent!