0:08 Hello and welcome to Unacademy IAS English a one-stop destination for the English medium civil services aspirants. A very good morning and welcome to the daily Hindu news analysis. So let's begin today's discussion by first looking at the topics that we are going to discuss from the daily edition of the Hindu. I have chosen a total of eight important articles for a detailed analysis. So we will be discussing around five articles which require a very detailed analysis both for prelims and mains. In fact on page six and seven there are two articles related to artificial intelligence and the challenges related to AI innovation in India. So this would be combined into
0:56 one discussion. Apart from these four, we have four smaller articles for prelims. So let's cover all these topics in complete detail so that you don't have to go back and read the newspaper again. If you guys are liking this initiative, do support us with your likes and comments and don't forget to subscribe to our channel. Now those of you who want the PDF of this session, please join my telegram channel by scanning the QR code. After the session ends, I'll be sharing the PDF on my Telegram channel. But before we begin today's analysis, I have a very very big announcement for UPSC civil services aspirants. Yesterday an academy celebrated the Manzil event where we felicitate the toppers of CSSE 2024.
1:43 To mark this success of our students, ANA Academy is providing the lowest ever subscription fee for our IAS courses. You can enroll for our program at just 179. This will not only give you a 12 month subscription, you will also get a 12 month free extension. So essentially, you will avail subscription at just 179. So those interested to avail the offer can click on the link provided in the video description. With this let's get started and look at the first topic. So as I mentioned on page number six and seven there are two articles related to artificial intelligence. The editorial on page six
2:32 is focused upon the environmental cost of artificial intelligence. The column on page number seven talks about the financial challenges that India in particular is going to face when it comes to setting up the AI infrastructure which is needed in the country. So what I'm doing is I'm clubbing both the articles and we'll discuss the topics one by one. So first let's focus on this important editorial. See recently the IMF, the International Monetary Fund brought out a very important report. This report focused on the environmental cost of implementing AI infrastructure because for building AI
3:17 algorithms and for creating AI tools, you need a robust infrastructure on the back end. You need advanced GPUs, graphic processing units. You need massive data centers because all these a AI algorithms are trained with data. It requires massive processing and computing capabilities. So to set up that infrastructure, you need tremendous amounts of electricity. In order to power these advanced processes and to create that computing facility which is needed, you need significant amounts of electricity. In fact, believe it or not, recently there was a very interesting report
4:03 regarding Open AI's chat GPD. It has been reported that the company Open AI is incurring billions of dollars in expenses just because the users that is all of us we tend to be very polite and we often use phrases such as please or thank you when we are giving a prompt to the generative AI tools. We often say please can you generate this image and once it generates the image we say thank you. So these simple phrases which users are using on a massive scale it is it has led open AI to incur significant cost because a computing cost goes up computing capabilities needed goes up
4:50 and this alone is leading open AI to incur millions of dollars in additional cost so I'm just quoting this example so that you can understand the scale at which AI is going to be expensive. It's not just the hardware which is needed but the electricity which is needed would also put a significant cost on the AI companies and on governments which are trying to push AI innovation. So these companies today are facing a big challenge with regard to how they will source the power where will they get that electricity from. So many companies are currently sourcing from the grids which are set up by governments and private electricity companies. But other than that, several
5:37 AI companies and technology companies are looking at their own power solutions. In the United States, where most of the AI companies and the big tech giants are present, some of the big companies like Meta, Google, even Apple and Microsoft, they are looking at their own power sources as well. They're looking to set up their own solar farms. They're looking to set up their own nuclear reactors in the future if necessary. That is the scale at which these companies are thinking because that would be the requirement of electricity in the coming days in the coming years. So this IMF report which evaluated the environmental consequences of AI has a very positive outlook. The report states that the economic gain from AI will basically be much higher
6:25 than the environmental consequences. So this is quite reassuring that despite the significant environmental cost, the economic gains, the social and economic gains that we are going to reap from AI technologies would be far significant compared to the environmental costs. But this does not mean that AI will not leave behind a environmental footprint because setting up such massive facilities and infrastructure will put a strain on our environment. Let me explain how. Now for example, for the GPUs which are being manufactured by companies like Nvidia, you need massive amounts of certain key minerals including critical minerals. So this will increase the scale of mining around the world and in the entire supply chain
7:12 of these minerals and the electronics industry there will be a lot of waste which is generated. This waste could be hazardous to the environment. It increases pollution and across the semiconductor industry, the AI infrastructure industry who provide these computing facilities, there would be increased chances of air pollution, water pollution, increase in emissions because of the increasing demand for electricity. So the question is how will companies and governments solve this problem while ensuring that AI is sustainable while ensuring that AI leaves behind a relatively less carbon footprint? Now if you look at India for example, India has a dedicated mission called the India AI mission
8:00 through which the government is backing the AI industry in the country. The government is looking at setting up sovereign AI infrastructure. The government is planning to create a common pool of resources through the India AI mission where the government is investing in the infrastructure from the chips needed to the data centers which are necessary including the power sources which are necessary. So those countries which have already invested in clean renewable energy they will have an edge they will have an advantage. If countries have solar capabilities, wind power and even nuclear power, especially the small modular reactors, then we can easily power the upcoming AI infrastructure through these
8:45 clean and renewable sources. Instead of relying on fossil fuel-based energy such as thermal power plants, it would be environmentally friendly to rely upon clean and renewable sources of energy such as solar, wind, and especially nuclear energy. That's why American tech giants are looking at these options. As I said, these big companies are looking at nuclear power as well to have small modular reactors on site at their data centers, at their AI facilities so that they can reduce the environmental burden. But this will require significant investments in clean and renewable energy. So this is where India actually is in a slightly better position given the massive shift that we are making towards clean and renewable
9:31 energy given that India has prioritized solar power, wind power and in the recent budget the government has started backing the small modular reactors to be set up across the country. So greater investments in clean renewable energy will reduce the environmental cost of AI. It will bring down the overall emissions because don't forget India has a carbon neutrality target by 2070. Most countries have a more ambitious carbon neutrality target by 2050. Many countries have committed to achieve a net zero target by then, which means they have to bring down their overall carbon emissions. And while these new technologies are promoted,
10:16 it's important to shift the source of power towards clean renewable forms of energy. So this is one important issue that is being highlighted in the editorial. It's not just about the energy requirement and the emissions associated with it. It's also about the pollution, the affluent discharge which could happen from the semiconductor electronics industry and the environmental cost of large scale mining. So all these environmental consequences will have to be considered not just by the AI companies and the tech companies but also by governments. So that is why it is important to prioritize clean renewable energy as it will help drive the future of AI. This
11:02 could become a better viable alternative to power AI data centers and the backend infrastructure of AI algorithms. Now coming to the column on page number seven. This column talks about a recent policy that has been notified by the Ministry of Electronics and IT with regard to financing for AI infrastructure. As I told you, India has an ambitious mission, the India AI mission under which the government is looking to set up sovereign AI infrastructure. When I say sovereign, it means governmentowned. Governmen owned AI infrastructure is being set up in the country and the government is looking to
11:49 collaborate with the private sector to realize the AI ambitions of India. So with regard to setting up this infrastructure which includes procurement of the GPUs, the advanced processes and chips which are needed, setting up the massive data centers, this entire infrastructure is being backed by the government and with involvement of private vendors and private suppliers, the government is trying to create this facility so that the end users which would be the tech startups and the AI companies, they can make use of the common infrastructure which the government would have created and thus they could focus on AI innovation. It'll reduce the cost of investments for these small startups and
12:36 AI companies. They can utilize the common pool of infrastructure that the government is creating to the India AI mission. So in order to set up this common infrastructure, the ministry of electronics and IT has recently notified a procurement policy to procure these chips to set up the data centers. The government has notified certain guidelines regarding how this initiative would be executed. According to this guideline issued by the Ministry of Electronics and IT, the ministry is providing for a continuous empanelment process. Now what do you mean by continuous empanelment process? It basically means the vendors who are looking to
13:21 supply the infrastructure set up the basic facilities they will be continuously empanled by the government brought on board the project which is being run by the government. So those vendors who are looking to procure and supply the processing chips or set up the data centers, they will have to undergo a tender process, a bidding process. They will have to submit their proposal and those who are able to submit the lowest bid, the lowest price, they would be awarded the contracts to procure the chips and to set up the data centers. So this approach of the Indian government to continuously empanel vendors to bring new vendors on board continuously. It won't be a one-time
14:07 process. Every now and then new vendors would be onboarded. India AI mission so that there are new companies, new suppliers who can provide the infrastructure and the essential supplies that are needed to create the common infrastructure that the government is setting up. So this continuous onboarding process is actually good in the short term. In the short term it can reap better benefits for India because this will ensure that there is greater competition amongst the vendors. It will prevent monopolization or cartilization. If the government let's say onboards only one or two companies initially and doesn't provide
14:54 opportunity for newer companies to enter later then what will happen is that those one or two companies will end up creating a monopoly over the market they will form a cartel as well and they will have a excessive control over AI infrastructure of the country and this could be detrimental for competition and innovation. Small companies may not be able to afford the infrastructure. So in that regard in the short term the policy to empanel vendors continuously is a good policy because it will ensure that even smaller players can be onboarded. They can provide cheaper infrastructure at a cheaper cost because only those who submit the lowest price bid will be awarded these tenders to procure the chips and to set up the data centers. But think about the long-term
15:42 consequence. There is a long-term effect of this policy. What could happen is that since vendors are forced to submit the lowest price possible, they will obviously end up compromising on quality. They will try to cut some corners because this is not a very profitable industry as of now. in order to keep the profit margins what the vendors might do just to win the tender to win the contract they might submit the lowest bid but however they might have compromised on quality and this could hurt India's AI innovation ecosystem in the long run and also if you look at this from users perspective in this case the users
16:28 here would be the AI startups in the country and the AI tech companies They are the ones who are looking to make use of this sovereign AI infrastructure that the government is setting up under India AI mission. Now these startups and the tech companies they have to go through very strict conditions. They have to meet certain qualifying criteria to be able to access the AI infrastructure that the government is setting up with the help of these vendors. Under India AI mission, the government is providing nearly 40% subsidy to the AI equipment which the vendors are going to set up. The government will subsidize the user cost as well. Almost 4,500
17:13 crores has been allotted under the compute pillar of India AI mission. So the government has taken the right steps. But however, what will happen is that when you place very strict conditions and criterias for startups and tech companies to qualify to be able to use the AI grids and infrastructure, the problem is it could exclude many companies which may not meet that criteria. So what is this criteria that the government has laid down? The government has already said that if users want to access the AI infrastructure then they will have to show that they already have some prior experience in the field of AI and machine learning. They will have to be recognized by startup India initiative or by the department for promotion of
17:58 industry and internal trade. They should have a minimum revenue of 50 lakh rupees to 2 cr rupees perom or they should have a funding of at least 1 cr rupees and above. Now these are criterias which may not be met by the newer startups by the smaller tech companies. They may not be able to fulfill this eligibility criteria. So this limits the access to the AI infrastructure which is being set up. So this will end up favoring certain larger companies whereas smaller and newer entrance may not get the required access to this sovereign AI infrastructure. This could innovation in the long run. And also don't forget when the government increases these checks and scrutinies, it leads to bureaucratic
18:44 delays. See on one side the advantage of these criterias and conditions is that it will actually ensure better accountability. It'll bring more transparency. It'll ensure that the initiative is not misused. But the problem is when you try to introduce more rules and criterias and guidelines, it will bring bureaucratic delays into the picture. Now let's say when new vendors are continuously onboarded, the problem is vendors are trying to propose the lowest price so that they will win the contract. But each and every time there would be a delay in approving the process in approving that tender by the bureaucracy. This could significantly delay the setting up of the infrastructure itself. So if let's say
19:29 every year there are different vendors being empanled into this initiative then each time when a proposal or a bid is submitted the bureaucratic decision-m if it slows down or if they take their own sweet time to make the decisions it will have an impact on the speed at which the infrastructure would be built and scaled. Similarly, if the users, the startups and the AI companies, if they have to time and again prove their eligibility and criteria, then they'll have to go through the bureaucratic process. So, they will be facing that hurdle which will slow down the access to AI infrastructure which is being created. So, this financing conundrum could end up slowing down innovation in the country. It could slow down AI
20:17 innovation because see if you look at China, you look at Deep Seek, Deep Seek was able to disrupt the AI industry primarily because it had the freedom to experiment. Deep Seek was a private entity funded by a hedge fund, not dependent on government funds or government infrastructure. Also, it was not focused on a profit model or a business model. They were focused only on innovation. So they were able to build a much cheaper alternative compared to the western AI counterparts and they disrupted the AI industry because they had the freedom to innovate, the freedom to experiment. They didn't have to go through a lot of hurdles and bureaucratic delays. So this could become a drawback for India's AI mission.
21:05 The concern here is the excessive bureaucratization and the hurdles which are being created in the name of criterias in the name of a tendering process could slow down India's AI innovation progress. So if you can understand these two points I think it's more than sufficient to analyze these two articles. So based on this take up a practice question. As India pushes for AI innovation, it faces significant policy challenges owing to environmental and financial risks critically examined. On one hand, there are few environmental challenges because of the power requirement and the pollution concerns. On the other hand, there are financial challenges with regard to the AI infrastructure and how the government is
21:51 going to set up this infrastructure. What will be the financing model? Will it be easier for the vendors to set up the required infrastructure or will it be easier for the users the AI startups to make use of the infrastructure the government is trying to create? You see right now India's plans are very very moderate compared to the more ambitious initiatives of US and China. India's plan is to have around 19,000 GPUs in the country as part of this sovereign AI infrastructure which is being built. This pales in comparison if you look at let's say western companies or let's say China what they are investing the kind of GPUs they are procuring a company like Meta has a 10 billion program just to create the AI
22:38 infrastructure which is much larger than India's sovereign program so that tells you a lot about where India stands in the AI race in the AI competition so how will we overcome these environmental concerns and the financial concerns that is the key argument of these articles. Now let's move on to the next article on page number six. We have an article related to arbitration. We need to understand what is arbitration. What is the focus of this article and what is the writer trying to discuss about arbitration in India. See arbitration is a type of alternate dispute resolution mechanism. Generally when two parties have a dispute we often take the litigation
23:24 route which means we go to the courts. Let's say one party has breached the terms of a contract or let's say one party has not fulfilled the commitments to the other party which was promised. So in such disputes which come up one route to resolve to red address those disputes is to take up the litigation route where you file a case and go to the court seeking justice. The problem with litigation approach is that it is hostile. When you file a court case and seek litigation against the opposing party, you are initially taking a hostile approach which could rupture the relations between the two parties. It could also slow down the justice process
24:10 as well. You may not get the remedy quickly because the courts are already overburdened. Judiciary already dealing with plenty of cases, plenty of litigations and there is a huge backlog of cases in a judiciary. So as a result the parties in a litigation case, they may not get quick judicial remedy. They may have to wait for months and years and moreover the very process of litigation turns hostile. The very nature of litigation is confrontation. you're accusing the other party. So it turns hostile and it ruptures the relationship as well between the two parties. Now this can be detrimental in the economy especially when let's say two companies are involved. So this could become a huge hindrance for economic growth and progress. So what you need is a easier
24:58 process to redress some of the disputes. That is where alternate dispute resolution comes up. There are different forms of alternate dispute resolution and one one very popular method is arbitration and this is legally recognized. We have a specific law the arbitration and consiliation act 1996 that governs arbitration in the country and other forms of alternate dispute resolution. In case of arbitration the cases are not heard by the courts or the judges. it is taken up by a neutral arbiter. A neutral expert will take up the matter and in a fair manner will try to settle the dispute without leading to hostility between the parties and it
25:43 will provide for quicker resolution as well. This is very very crucial especially for contractual enforcement. If you want to enforce contracts which is critical for businesses, what you need is quick, efficient and swift arbitration. But unfortunately, India is not known as a hub of arbitration. You might have heard many companies from India, they seek arbitration in other jurisdictions, usually Singapore or other jurisdictions where arbitration is very smooth and well established. But in India, the process of arbitration has become very complex and challenging because we have simply copied the judicial system itself. Usually the arbiter happens to be a former judge or
26:30 an advocate. The arbiters who are appointed they happen to be judicial officers. So they bring that baggage of their litigation experience and they try to rule over arbitration cases just like they would rule over litigation cases. So in our arbitration process, this is the big flaw which has come up. The human capital itself which has been dedicated for arbitration is flawed. The writer says that by appointing former judges, judicial officers and advocates, we are simply mirroring the judicial system. Then what's the difference between litigation and arbitration? Arbitration requires subject experts. A neutral expert who has a mastery of that
27:16 field of that domain who can be fair and neutral to both the parties and provide for a quick resolution. It is like a out of court settlement. But by appointing former judges and judicial officers and advocates, India's arbitration system has ended up mirroring the judicial process. And even in the arbitration process, there are delays. There are very ineffective solutions which are provided. The award which is given at the end the arbitral awards they don't satisfy either of the parties. That is why Indian companies, Indian businesses, investors, they have no confidence in India's arbitration process. Either they take the litigation route where the cases will drag for years together. This will harm business interests. or those who want quicker
28:02 solutions they go to other jurisdictions like Singapore hoping for a quicker arbitration award. So this is an area which India needs to improve upon. That's what the writer is saying. The writer is arguing that we need to streamline the arbitration process. Ensure the right human capital is allotted. Ensure that the right arbittors are brought in to speed up arbitration process and to make it faster. Make it efficient so that it can aid India's economic growth and progress. That is what we learn from this important article. So take up this practice question. Arbitration in India pales in comparison to other jurisdictions. Evaluate the challenges and suggest a way forward. So it's a very simple straightforward question. You can start out by explaining what is
28:48 arbitration, how it is a type of alternate dispute resolution and then compare the challenges in India's arbitration process with other jurisdictions like Singapore where a arbitration hub has been created where the right policies right ecosystem has been created and why investors and companies prefer those jurisdictions as compared to India and suggest a way forward. You can suggest that better human capital has to be allotted. We can't simply bring in former judges or other judicial officers and uh advocates. What we need is specialist arbiters who have expertise, who have a certain experience in this domain. That is how India can turn itself into a hub of arbitration. Next on page number six, we have another important
29:35 editorial related to the rights of the transgender community. This is a topic which has been in debate especially over the last couple of years particularly in western countries. There has been a very strong divisive debate which has come up over trans rights. See, for example, in Britain, there has been a recent ruling by the UK Supreme Court where the UK Supreme Court has ruled that trans women who are not biologically women, biologically they're not female, they they would have undergone um gender change operation and a sex realignment operation. Even if they possess gender recognition certificate, they will not
30:22 be given the same rights as women. the rights given to biological women will not be accorded to trans women in the UK as per this ruling which has been passed. So this has divided the society of United Kingdom. There are those who stand up and support trans rights. There are those especially from the conservative sections who oppose who oppose the third gender, right? Because especially conservative elements look at gender as a binary. They look at gender as just male and female and they they're completely opposed to the very idea of recognizing the third gender and rec giving them rights because see there have been instances where giving rights to the trans community has often been misused as
31:08 well. For example, there was a case in UK u a man who had committed two rapes later underwent a sex change operation and and became a trans woman. Essentially post conviction. This criminal was lodged in a female prison because of the gender change operation since the trans woman was now recognized as a female because of the gender recognition certificate. This convicted criminal who had committed two rapes when she was a man ended up being lodged in a female prison. So this raised alarm not just amongst the convicts but the society itself. We have also seen instances in sporting
31:53 events where men have undergone gender change operations and then uh tried to compete in female events. So this raises a very crucial debate in the society as to what kind of right should be provided to the trans community and what kind of right should not be provided. This has become a highly divisive topic especially in the west you can see in the US for example Donald Trump given that he comes from the far right-wing ideology he and his Republican party they've taken a stand against trans rights they have abolished diversity equity inclusion across US government departments and Trump has issued an executive order as well revoking some of the rights which were given to the trans community but please don't forget that most members of the
32:38 trans community are part of the vulnerable section of the society. They face lot of discrimination, oppression in the society. They don't have equal access to the basic rights. That's why India has a dedicated law in place to protect the trans community and their rights. In 2019, we enacted a landmark legislation, the protection of transgender rights act in 2019. So this sets out a set of rights for the third gender in India. But in countries like US and UK, this issue has become more and more divisive where even the governments and courts are intervening to prevent the misuse of trans rights because there might be few elements who might try to misuse the rights accorded to the trans community. But if such actions are taken as we have
33:24 seen in US and UK, this will end up disenfranchising the entire trans community for the mistakes of few. There might be few who are misusing the opportunity that's available. For example, under Britain's Equality Act, all genders, not just male and female, all genders were recognized as equal. The gender recognition act in the UK allowed for sex change operation, sex realignment, and based on the sex realignment, a gender recognition certificate would be provided. So with that certificate the trans women could access all the rights could secure the same rights as that of a man or a woman. But because of certain cases of misuse such rulings are coming up such cases are coming up where attempts are being
34:11 made to curb trans rights the rights of the trans community. So this leaves them even more vulnerable. This could lead them towards a path of subjugation oppression. That is what we have seen throughout history. So as the society progressed especially in progressive societies more rights were accorded to the trans community but today attempts are being made to take back those rights just because few elements have misused the provisions and the rights available to them. So it it is a debatable topic as I said but the path which many countries are taking is quite concerning. In that regard India is much better. The law that we have in India the transgender person's protection of rights act it actually provides a sweeping set of rights for the third gender in the country. So the editorial
34:58 is striking a note of caution for India. The editorial is urging India, the society, the government to ensure that we deal with the cases of misuse of trans rights. But that should not be an excuse to the rights that should be provided to the third gender. Given the vulnerable nature of the trans community, the various challenges they face in the society, it's important to protect their rights while dealing with the cases of misuse. So let me know what you think on this debatable topic. Let me know what's your view, what's your uh think thinking on this particular sensitive issue. Now coming to the next topic, there's a very interesting discussion here in this article. The writer is talking about a theory known as political
35:45 trillemma. It was a theory that was proposed by a well-renowned economist Danny Rodrik. Students with economy as their optional or those who have studied economics would definitely be familiar with the work of Danny Rodrik, a very well-known renowned economist who came up with the idea of political trillemma. So what is this political trillemma? What are we witnessing under this under this disturbing phenomena which has come up and how is it a threat to democracies around the world? The writer is arguing that democracies are at risk. Democracies are facing a big challenge because of the political trilmma which has come up. So what is this political trillemma? I'm sure you would have heard about the term dilemma. Dilemma is when
36:33 when you face a conflicting choice between two options. Let's say you have to make a choice. Two options are available, right? And it appears to be a conflicting choice. So that's a dilemma. A trilmma is when you have three options, three choices and it's very hard to choose one over the other. If you try to choose one option, it might compromise the other. So that's a trilmma trifecta situation. So according to the political trilmma theory of of Danny Rodrik, at one end of this trillemma we have democracy. On the other end of this trilmma we have globalization. And finally the third end of this trilmma is sovereignty.
37:20 democracy, sovereignty, globalization, making a choice between them is essentially a conflict. And according to Danny Rodrik, you cannot ensure all the three options or choices are protected. If you choose democracy and sovereignty, globalization will get compromised. If you focus on globalization and sovereignty, democracy could get undermined. And if you choose globalization and democracy, sovereigntity of the nation of the government could get compromised. I know it's a slightly complex uh concept but let's break it down. Let's understand this in an easier manner. What is this trilmma? What are these choices? And are there any real examples to understand this political trilmma? Let me give you the example of
38:07 the European Union. I'm sure all of you have heard about European Union. What is the EU? The EU is a political economic grouping of western democratic governments in Europe. Right? The democracies in Europe have come together to form a political economic union. So under the European Union, what did they do? They prioritized democracy as a value. Only democratic European states are allowed to be members of EU. They prioritized globalization. They came out with a free market. They abolished the tariffs. They created open borders. They provided for free movement of goods, services, people. Creating a common market, a common economy. This
38:54 also meant they compromised on their sovereignty. They chose democracy and globalization. But it compromised the individual sovereignty of the nations. How? They had to agree to a common monetary policy. Those countries which adopted euro as their currency, they had to give up their monetary policy, they had to give up the sovereign right to control their own currency. Similarly, with regard to various laws and policies, be it the policy on immigration, be it the national security policy, be it the policy on communication, be it the policy on AI, the policies on agriculture, the policies on fishing. Since common policies would be adopted for the entire EU market, countries would compromise their individual
39:39 sovereignty. This is exactly the problem which triggered the rise of anti-EU sentiments in United Kingdom. Since many people in UK believed that UK sovereignty was being compromised because they were part of this organization, it led to the rise of the Brexit sentiment. Especially those on the right wing, they would believe that EU policies which was inclined towards globalization and democracy. It created a free path for even illegal migrants to enter the EU zone creating negative sentiments amongst the local people. This led to a strong demand for Brexit, for Britain to exit from the EU. And you see this
40:26 across the European Union region, even in France, in Germany, in Italy, because of the common immigration policy, there is a rising sentiment against illegal migration. And this has contributed to the rise of far right-wing politics. The concern in countries like Germany is that neo-Nazi parties are rising. They're gaining more popularity because the compromise of the sovereignty of the government became a rallying point for extremists, radicals. They could highlight that all the problems in their country was because of illegal migration because of the job losses and in a way these right-wing radical groups are now undermine under undermining democracy in these countries. In many European countries there is a concern for the very future of the democracies here
41:13 because of the sovereignty which was compromised which led to weaker policies on immigration and other common policies which affected the local people. Look at the United States as well. In the US, the support base of Donald Trump is primarily from middle-class Americans who lost their jobs as manufacturing was largely outsourced as US preferred globalization and democracy. It affected US sovereignty in some way or the other. So this sentiment that sovereignty of the government has been compromised because democracy is being prioritized, globalization is being prioritized. This creates resentment amongst the local population and the resentment will create a fertile ground for radical extremist groups, right-wing groups and that could in in turn threaten
41:59 democracy. And the other way around also is true. Those who focus only on sovereignty and democracy will end up hampering globalization. For example, India has made a very unique choice in this trilmma which is popularly known as the Bretonwood compromise. If you look at the trilma and what India has chosen, India has chosen the Bretonwood compromise. So what is the Bretonwood compromise? India has chosen democracy and sovereignty while accepting limited globalization. We have limited globalization by levying some tariffs, by protecting some key industries so that we can protect our domestic economy. We can boost our
42:46 domestic production. We can protect our farmers and small industries. So we have accepted limited globalization while embracing democracy and sovereignty. So this is the Bretonwood compromise. This is the approach India has taken. Now look at China. What has China done when it faced this trilmma? China of course is not a democracy but has clearly prioritized its sovereignty and globalization. Look at the Chinese model. It's a single state party where the political authority is supreme and the communist party will never allow the capitalist to exercise any control over the state. The Chinese state has strictly controlled its sovereignty, its rights. It has ensured market economy is
43:32 implemented. Today, China is one of the one of the few countries which is completely aligned with the market economy. Though it's a communist state, it's it's quite of irony here, right? Though it's not exactly capitalist, it's at least aligned with the market economy principles. But however, China has done this at the cost of democracy. By erasing democracy, it has strengthened the sovereign control of the state over policies and allowed for globalization. China's economy is globalized, but its democracy has been crushed because the Chinese state has retained full sovereignty over every aspect of Chinese economy and Chinese life. So this is the trilmma that countries face. If countries opt for the European approach or the American approach, if
44:20 they look at democracy and globalization, they compromise on their sovereignty. The compromise on sovereignty will affect their native population because of job losses, because of illegal migration, etc. And this creates a sentiment, a populist resentment against the government itself. And then you will see the rise of farr right-wing politics like we have seen in US and Europe. In countries like India where the Britainwood compromise is struck where we embrace democracy and sovereignty. The Indian state has retained its sovereignty. It has retained its commitment to democratic ideals but our globalization is limited. This hampers economic growth and development. It limits our our link with the global supply chains. We have lot of economic hindrances. Right? we don't
45:06 produce a number of essential goods and components. We end up importing most of it. So India has its own economic limitations because of the limited embrace of globalization. But China on the other hand has embraced the market economy really globalized its economy protected the sovereignty of the communist party but democracy has been crushed in the process. So there are no easy answers here there's no easy choice when when you face this political trilmma. But clearly one thing is very clear. Democracy has to be upheld and protected at any cost. There can be a slight compromise on globalization. Slight compromise on sovereignty of the state. Democracy cannot be compromised. The moment you compromise democracy, you will see that the rights of the people are being
45:52 undermined. It's important to strike a balance between the three and the Bretonwood compromise seems to be the better approach. the approach that India has taken where you globalize in a limited manner, protect your sovereignty, the state and its sovereignty while upholding democracy. So other countries like European countries and United States, they are facing a big challenge today. The undermining of their sovereignty today has created a threat for democracy. The rise of neo-Nazi parties, far right-wing extremist radical organizations is threatening democracy in the US and Europe. And this happened because of the complete embrace of globalization and the weakening of sovereignty of their governments. So how will they deal with this trilmma is something we need to wait and
46:37 watch. This completes my analysis of all the big articles in today's paper. Now let's move towards the prelim section and quickly wrap up the discussion for today. On page 10, we have a very very important update. Please make a note of this. The government of India has made a very big change. The I4C Indian cyber crime coordination center which is a nodal agency under Ministry of Home Affairs deal with cyber crimes to keep track of cyber crimes and to assist state governments to deal with cyber frauds. This important agency has now been listed under section 66 of the PMLA, the prevention of money laundering
47:26 act. The I4C, Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Center, which is under Ministry of Home Affairs, has now been given statutory status under section 66 of the prevention of money laundering act. Why is this such a big change? It is a very big change because it recognizes the linkages between cyber frauds, cyber crimes and money laundering. Under the prevention of moneyaundering act, we have a law enforcement agency that tackles money laundering that is the ED, enforcement directorate. So India has implemented the FATF standards when it comes to countering moneyaundering. We have implemented the FATF standards as
48:12 recommended by the financial action task force and you can find those provisions in the prevention of moneyaundering act. As per the FATF recommendations, we have declared moneyaundering as a crime as a criminal offense. The PMLA allows the enforcement directorate which is the law enforcement authority to confiscate the proceeds of the crime and attach the proceeds of moneyaundering to the ongoing case. We have also set up a financial intelligence unit India as recommended by FATF to keep a check on the financial activity flag any suspicious financial transactions which could be linked with money laundering. But today the evolution of cyber crimes, cyber frauds especially frauds like digital arrests and the various cyber scams which are being pulled off crypto
48:58 scams for example they are closely linked with money laundering. So I4C Indian cyber crime coordination center which was set up by MHA as a nodal agency to tackle cyber crimes. It has been dealing with many cyber frauds which are linked with money laundering. So there is a need for I4C to coordinate with enforcement directorate to share information to receive information from the other agencies. So for this purpose it has now been brought under section 66 of the prevention of money laundering act. Now this will allow I4C to easily share information and data with other law enforcement agencies such as the ED and also receive information and data from other concerned agencies. This will help India strengthen its fight against
49:44 money laundering and cyber frauds especially those cyber crimes which are linked with moneyaundering. That is why this is a big change that has been done by the government. Next on page 14 is an article referring to a very important location in South China Sea. As you know, South China Sea has many maritime disputes going on where China has made unsubstantiated claims over the territory of other countries. China has drawn this so-called 9 dash line, a U-shaped line in South China Sea, claiming most of the exclusive economic zone for itself. So in the South China Sea, there is a group of islands called the Spratlay Islands, which is disputed between China and many
50:31 other Southeast Asian countries. Part of Spratlay Islands and the EZ around it is claimed by Vietnam. Even Malaysia is a party to the dispute. Indonesia also is a party to the dispute. Brunai and of course Philippines. All these countries are locked in a territorial dispute with China where China is claiming several islands, small reefs and shores just to strengthen its claims over the EEZ and this goes against the sovereignty of these countries. China, Philippines in particular have been locked in this aggressive conflict for many years at Spratlay Islands where China has claimed sovereignty over many
51:18 islands that should belong to Philippines. In fact, China has resorted to very aggressive military action as well and it has disrupted the movement of ships, the movement of aircraft. So this is a violation of freedom of navigation, freedom of overflight which is guaranteed under the UN convention on law of the sea. So in this regard, Philippines has built close defense relations with the US. The United States which opposes China's expansionism. It has built close defense ties with Philippines. And both US and Philippines, they've regularly conduct military exercises to deter China. So recently, US and Philippines have started their annual military exercises focused on naval drills and naval exercises. So please note down the name
52:03 of this military exercise. The Bali Katan exercise. Bali Katan is a annual military exercise of Philippines and American defense forces. So this military exercise has gained more significance this time because China has claimed that it has occupied one of the important reefs which is present in Spratlay Island group. Chinese state media they have recently claimed that China has enforced full maritime control over TXN reef which should actually belong to Philippines. So identifying the location of this reef where it is located what's the other name of this reef can be important for your prelims for a map
52:49 based question. The Txian reef is also called the Sandy K. It's a very small sand bank present near the T2 island. T2 island clearly belongs to Philippines. Philippines has sovereignty over the T2 island. In fact, near Tito Island. Philippines has a major military base as well. In the local Filipino language, the Tito Island is called Pagasa. This is clearly a Filipino territory. So, next to the island, there's a small sand bank, a reef known as the Sandy K reef or the Txian reef. So, China has claimed to have captured this recently though it has not been confirmed. Philippines and US have not
53:35 raised their objection to it or they have not confirmed whether China has really seized this important reef in the Spratley Island group. Please note down the name the Txian reef also called the Sandy case reef. It is essentially a small strip of sand bank. It's a small strip of sand bank near the T2 island in Spratlay group that belongs to Philippines which China has claimed to have occupied and established full maritime control over it. Coming to the next article, Iran suffered a deadly tragedy just the other day at the strategic Bandaras port. A massive explosion was
54:21 reported and as a result 40 people have been killed. More than thousand people have been injured. This mega explosion occurred at a very important terminal, a strategic terminal, the Shahid Rajay port located at Bandhar Abbas. This is strategically very vital because it is present at the opening of straight of Hormuz. If you look at the map here, you can identify the Hormuz trait which is a maritime choke point. It links the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and a vast majority of global oil supplies passes through the Hermus trade. According to the article, 1/5th of the world oil output that is almost
55:08 20% of the global oil output passes through the Hermus trade. So right at the opening of Hermus trade, the Bandaras port is located which is strategically vital for INA. So there are two terminals present here and one of the terminal is Shahid Rajay port where this massive explosion was reported. This explosion is said to have occurred because of hazardous chemicals or rocket fuel which might have been transported through containers. But there are a lot of speculation and conspiracy theories as well regarding a possible Israeli covert attack or it is being connected with the ongoing nuclear talks and tensions between Iran and US but they all remain as conspiracy
55:53 theories and speculation because most reports are saying that it occurred because of a chemical explosion that happened at the port terminal. So what for whatever reason it happened it is indeed a big disaster. It can disrupt the operations at the Bandhar Rabas port which is strategically vital. Now India is also linked to the Bandaraba port. India is working with Iran on the INSTC project. India, Russia, Iran, Azharbaijan. These countries are working on INSTC the international north south transport corridor. So under the INSTC project the plan is to connect India's ports with Iranian ports like Bandar Aas so that goods can be transported and from Iran they can be transported to these ports over here in
56:39 northern Iran which faces the Caspian Sea. This would be the Caspian Sea here where Azarbaijan also has inland navigation infrastructure. From here the goods can be easily transported directly to Russia. So this is a alternate route that India, Iran, Russia are working upon to reduce their dependency on the Su kennel. Is that clear? And right next to Bandaras we have the Chabahar port which has been developed by India. So knowing these locations, understanding their significance is very important. So please note down the other ports of Iran as well. The Iranian ports facing the Caspian Sea can also be important. So just mark the names and the locations so that you can answer any map based questions. Coming to the last article of today on the supplement page, the Hindu
57:26 carries an article which refers to a deadly plant virus called the CMV. The CMV is one of the deadliest plant viruses to be present out there. CMV stands for cucumber mosaic virus. You might have seen in the market might have seen cucumber or even other fruits and vegetables which don't look very appealing to buy. For example, a cucumber which is stunted in its growth which doesn't look very appealing and edible which has this mosaic pattern. I'm sure none of us go and buy this vegetable, right? Same with certain melons. Even with banana and other important food crops, they all are
58:12 affected by a type of a pathogen, a virus called the CMV, the cucumber mosaic virus. So this is a deadly virus that affects hundreds and hundreds of plant species and this has a direct impact on crop yield. According to food and agriculture organization, plant pests and diseases, they destroy nearly 40% of the food which is produced. This is a direct impact on food security. In India, CMV is directly responsible for a yield loss of 25 to 30% with regard to the yield of banana. Similarly, a yield reduction is seen in cucumbers and melons and pumpkins and infection rates can be as
58:57 high as 70% in these food crops. So CMV is a deadly agri virus, a plant virus which has to be caught. So recently there has been a scientific breakthrough where researchers have developed a RNA based antiviral which can be administered to the plants so that they can fight back the infection and this can protect the yield of the plant. Now how does this virus spread? It is spread through a insect. Insects that belong to a group known as the aphids. The aphid category of insects. They are the carriers of this virus. They spread the virus to different plants and various crop species of
59:44 plants are affected. Almost 1,200 species of plants can be affected and it directly affects the yield the eventual output. You you will see that the fruits and vegetables they develop this mosaic pattern. the growth becomes stunted and the fruit or vegetable it doesn't look appealing or edible and this directly affects the consumption of these fruits and vegetables. So this is a significant contributor to food wastage. It contributes to food insecurity as well. So this new treatment which has been developed RNA based antiviral it has the potential to combat the CMV cucumber mosaic virus. So please make a note of this for your prelims. On this note I bring my discussion to an end. I hope it's been an insightful useful discussion and if you felt benefited do
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