The_Big_Picture_Article_370_India_Pakistan_Relations.134

Bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir

Mains-GS2-Governance, Mains-GS2-Polity

a) Recently the Government of India revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K).

b) This move has raised many constitutional questions.

Which constitutional questions are raised?

a) First question is whether the President had the powers to make all the provisions of India’s Constitution apply to the State.

b) Another question is whether Indian government was authorized to do this in the face of its own obligations to J&K under Article 370.

c) One of the most important questions is whether Parliament has the authority to bifurcate J&K into two Union Territories (UTs).

What changes can be seen in J&K Governance?

a) Bifurcation of a state governed by an elected legislature into a Union Territories can adversely affect a governance system which had earlier enjoyed the greater freedom.

b) In the case of J&K, the centrally appointed administrator, the Lieutenant Governor, will have the power to make a wide range of decisions.

c) It is in contrast to a regular State Governor who must act typically on the aid and advice of the State’s Council of Ministers.

d) Legislature of the UT of J&K will have the power to enact laws on matters in the State List and the Concurrent List of the Constitution.

e) The arenas open to decision-making by elected representatives will be gradually diminished.

How had the Delhi legislature been evolved?

a) Delhi is one example where legislative assembly was deprived of its powers and became the Union Territory.

b) When the Constitution of India was adopted, Delhi was a ‘Part C’ State administered by the President acting through a Chief Commissioner or Lieutenant Governor.

c) From 1952 to 1956, Delhi had a Legislative Assembly empowered to make laws on all matters in the State List except law and order, etc.

d) However, in 1956, Delhi and all the other Part C States were divested of their legislative powers and converted into UTs that would now be administered by the President.

e)Meanwhile, the other UTs were given legislatures. Only the restoration of a Legislative Assembly in Delhi was stalled.

f) In 1992, Delhi received partial Statehood with full legislative powers on subjects in the State List except public order, police, and land.

g) In 2018, the Supreme Court recognized that the Constitution has sought to create a democratic and representative form of government in Delhi.

Why can’t the J&K case be compared with Delhi?

a) Delhi was an integral part of India during Independence and after when the Constitution came into force.

b) J&K was a sovereign Princely State at the time of India’s Independence and acceded to the Indian Dominion in 1947 on terms recorded in a treaty ‘the Instrument of Accession’.

c) Delhi’s conversion into a UT and the subsequent restoration of its Legislative Assembly were both carried out through constitutional amendments, which can’t be amended easily

d) J&K’s conversion into a Union Territory was effected through a regular law of Parliament, which can easily be amended at the behest of a majoritarian consensus from time to time.

Where does the main concern lie?

a) The Constitution of India’s had chosen federal principle to hold together the diverse Indian States in the Union of India.

b) However, the main concern is what if more laws enacted to take away the right to full democratic participation of people just happened in case of J&K people.

Source- The Hindu

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സത്യസന്ധവും ആധികാരികവുമായ വാർത്തകൾ അറിയാനും മറ്റുള്ളവരിലേക്ക്‌ എത്തിക്കാനും താഴെ പറയുന്ന പേജുകൾ/നമ്പറുകൾ ഉപയോഗിക്കുക.

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AUG 1st PART 2019.pdf

Floods in Kerala

Mains-GS-3-Disaster Management

Kerala has been experiencing severe floods in the consecutive years.

Impact of Floods

1. Floods wash away topsoil and substantial biodiversity of the area.

2. This results in a reduced river-water flow, death of earthworms and spread of viral and bacterial diseases among crops.

3. Floods impact the poorest strata of the society the most, causing a loss of lives, livelihood options and assets.

4. They also place an enormous burden on the government in terms of reconstruction budgets.

Causes of floods

1. The root cause of such floods is the high precipitation levels.

2. Anthropogenic factors like unscientific development and over-exploitation of nature aggravate the damages.

3. Global warming has critical effects on the hydrological cycle.

4. Water is the primary medium through which the climate change impacts trickle down to the people.

5. The changing precipitation alters the hydrological systems, resulting in floods and droughts in different regions.

Kerala’s Case

1. In the case of Kerala, a structural transformation and changing patterns of land use are affecting its environment.

2. There is a considerable human-induced natural imbalance in the State.

3. This is making it vulnerable to the vagaries of climate change.

4. Agriculture is becoming insignificant and services and industry sectors dominate the State’s economy.

5. A population density much higher than the national average, shift from joint family system to a single-family one and greater inflow of money particularly from Gulf countries has resulted in an increased construction activities.

6. The government has also been developing extensive infrastructure to support the booming services and industry sectors.

7. Land transactions suggest that people in the State have bought land from farmers over the decades for construction.

8. A loss in wetland area will naturally impact the State’s ability to handle floods.

Solution

1.Account for the damage done to natural ecosystems while estimating losses suffered due to natural disasters.

2. Clarity on how the natural assets could be restored.

3. A broader assessment of floods from a ‘sustainable development’ perspective.

4. Limit economic growth options to within the carrying capacity of the ecosystem.

5. Appropriate decision on structure, its location, materials it proposes to use, and permissible damages it will cause to the nature.

6. Gulf model of construction cannot be replicated in Kerala’s fragile and ecologically sensitive landscapes.

Source: The Hindu

Independence Day: ഇന്ത്യയുടെ ചരിത്രം നിർവ്വചിച്ച നിമിഷങ്ങൾ, ചിത്രങ്ങളിലൂടെ

https://malayalam.indianexpress.com/education/images-that-defined-indias-history-independence-day-2019-287381/

ആമസോണ്‍ കാടുകള്‍ കത്തുന്നു; ചാമ്പലാകുന്നത്‌ ഭൂമിയുടെ 'ശ്വാസകോശം'


ലോകത്തിലെ ഏറ്റവും വലിയ മഴക്കാടായ ആമസോൺ വനങ്ങളിൽ അടിക്കടിയുണ്ടാകുന്ന കാട്ടുതീ ലോകത്തിന്റെ പരിസ്ഥിതി സംതുലനത്തിന് ഗുരുതരമായ ഭീഷണിയുയർത്തുന്നു. ചരിത്രത്തിലെ ഏറ്റവും വലിയ കാട്ടുതീയിൽ കാട് കത്തിയമരുകയാണ്. കാട്ടുതീ മൂലം ബ്രസീലിലെ ആമസോണാസ് സംസ്ഥാനത്ത് അടിയന്തിരാവസ്ഥ പ്രഖ്യാപിച്ചതായാണ് ഏറ്റവും പുതിയ വാർത്ത.

2019ജനുവരി മുതൽ ഓഗസ്റ്റ് വരെയുള്ള കാലയളവിൽ ആമസോൺ മഴക്കാടുകളിൽ 74,155 തവണ കാട്ടുതീ റിപ്പോർട്ട് ചെയ്യപ്പെട്ടതായി ബ്രസീലിന്റെ നാഷണൽ ഇൻസ്റ്റിറ്റ്യൂട്ട് ഫോർ സ്പേസ് റിസേർച്ച് വ്യക്തമാക്കുന്നു. പലപ്പോഴും പുറംലോകം അറിയാതെ ദിവസങ്ങളോളം കാട് കത്തിക്കൊണ്ടിരുന്നതായും പഠനം പറയുന്നു. കഴിഞ്ഞ ഒരാഴ്ച മാത്രം 9,500ൽ അധികം കാട്ടുതീ ഉണ്ടായതായാണ്ഉപഗ്രഹ ചിത്രങ്ങൾ വ്യക്തമാക്കുന്നത്.

കഴിഞ്ഞ വർഷത്തേക്കാൾ 85 ശതമാനം അധികം കാട്ടുതീയാണ് ഈ വർഷം ഉണ്ടായത്. എൽ നിനോ പ്രതിഭാസവുമായി ബന്ധപ്പെട്ട് കടുത്ത വരൾച്ചയാണ് ഈ വർഷം ആമസോൺ കാടുകളടക്കമുള്ള മേഖലയിൽ അനുഭവപ്പെട്ടത്. വരണ്ട കാലവസ്ഥ കാട്ടുതീ ഉണ്ടാവുന്നതിനും വ്യാപകമായി പടരുന്നതിനും അനുയോജ്യമായ കാലാവസ്ഥയൊരുക്കുന്നു. എന്നാൽ അറിഞ്ഞോ അറിയാതെയോ മനുഷ്യന്റെ ഇടപടലാണ് തീ രൂപപ്പെടുന്നതിന് ഇടയാക്കുന്നതെന്നും ഗവേഷകനായ ആൽബെർട്ടോ സെറ്റ്സെർ പറയുന്നു.


ഇരുട്ടിലായ സാവോ പോളോ നഗരം


കാട്ടുതീയുടെ ഫലമായി അന്തരീക്ഷത്തിലുയർന്ന രൂക്ഷമായ പുകപടലങ്ങൾ പല പ്രദേശങ്ങളെയും വലയംചെയ്തിരിക്കുകയാണ്. സാവോ പോളോ അടക്കമുള്ള നഗരങ്ങളിൽ നട്ടുച്ചയ്ക്കു പോലും രാത്രിയുടെ പ്രതീതിയാണെന്നാണ് റിപ്പോർട്ടുകൾ. നഗരത്തിൽ കറുത്ത പുക മൂടിയിരിക്കുന്നതിനാൽ സൂര്യപ്രകാശം എത്തിച്ചേരാത്തതാണ് ഈ സാഹചര്യമുണ്ടാക്കുന്നത്. അന്തരീക്ഷത്തിൽ പുകപടലങ്ങൾ രൂക്ഷമായതിനാൽ മഴ പെയ്യുമ്പോൾ കറുത്ത നിറത്തിലുള്ള വെള്ളമാണ് ഭൂമിയിലെത്തുന്നത്.

മേഖലയിൽ കാർബൺ മോണോക്സൈഡ് വലിയ തോതിൽ വർധിച്ചതായി യൂറോപ്യൻ യൂണിയന്റെ കീഴിലുള്ള കോപർനിക്ക്സ് ക്ലൈമറ്റ് ചേഞ്ച് സെർവീസ് എന്ന സംഘടന വ്യക്തമാക്കുന്നു. കൂടാതെ കാർബൺ ഡൈയോക്സൈഡും വലിയ തോതിൽ പുറന്തള്ളുന്നുണ്ട്. ഇതെല്ലാം ചേർന്ന് മനുഷ്യനടക്കമുള്ള ജീവജാലങ്ങളുടെ ആരോഗ്യത്തിന് വലിയ ഭീഷണിയുയർത്തുന്നു. കൂടാതെ ആഗോള താപനം രൂക്ഷമാക്കുന്നതിൽ ഇത് വലിയ പങ്കുവഹിക്കുമെന്നും ഗവേഷകർ ഭയപ്പെടുന്നു.








ഭൂമിയിലെ ഏറ്റവും സമ്പന്നമായ ജൈവവൈവിധ്യം നിലനിൽക്കുന്ന മേഖലയാണ് ആമസോൺ മഴക്കാടുകൾ. ബൊളീവിയ, ബ്രസീൽ, കൊളംബിയ, ഇക്വഡോർ, ഫ്രഞ്ച് ഗയാന, ഗയാന, പെറു, സുരിനേം, വെനിസ്വേല എന്നീ രാജ്യങ്ങളിലായാണ് ഈ വനമേഖല പരന്നുകിടക്കുന്നത്. ഇതിന്റെ 60 ശതമാനവും ബ്രസീലിലാണ്.

മൊത്തം 55 ലക്ഷം ചതുരശ്ര കിലോമീറ്റർ വിസ്തൃതിയാണ് ആമസോൺ വനമേഖലയ്ക്കുള്ളത്. വലിയതോതിൽ കാർബൺ ഡൈയോക്സൈഡ് വലിച്ചെടുത്ത്, ഭൂമിയുടെ അന്തരീക്ഷത്തിലെ ആകെ ഓക്സിജൻറെ 20 ശതമാനവും പുറത്തുവിടുന്നുണ്ട്ആമസോൺ മഴക്കാടുകൾ. അതുകൊണ്ടുതന്നെ ഭൂമിയുടെ ശ്വാസകോശം എന്നാണ് ആമസോൺ മഴക്കാടുകൾ റിയപ്പെടുന്നത്. ആഗോള താപനത്തിന്റെ രൂക്ഷത കുറയ്ക്കുന്നതിൽ ഈ വനമേഖലയ്ക്ക് വലിയ പങ്കുള്ളതായിഗവേഷകർ ചൂണ്ടിക്കാട്ടുന്നു.

ഭൂമിയുടെ സമൃദ്ധമായ വനസമ്പത്താണ് ഇപ്പോൾ കാട്ടുതീയിൽ കത്തിയെരിഞ്ഞുകൊണ്ടിരിക്കുന്നത്. അപൂർവമായ സസ്യങ്ങളും വൃക്ഷങ്ങളുമെല്ലാം കാട്ടുതീയ്ക്ക് ഇരയായിക്കൊണ്ടിരിക്കുന്നു. വിവിധങ്ങളായ ലക്ഷക്കണക്കിന് കാട്ടുമൃഗങ്ങളെയാണ് കാട്ടുതീ കവർന്നെടുത്തത്. നാശനഷ്ടങ്ങളുടെഇപ്പോൾ പുറത്തുവരുന്ന റിപ്പോർട്ടുകളും ചിത്രങ്ങളും ആരെയും ഞെട്ടിക്കുന്നതാണ്.





മനുഷ്യനിർമിതമായ ദുരന്തമാണ് ഇപ്പോൾ ആമസോൺ മഴക്കാടുകൾ നേരിടുന്നതെന്നാണ് ഒരു വിഭാഗം ഗവേഷകർ പറയുന്നത്. കൃഷി ആവശ്യങ്ങൾക്കും കന്നുകാലി വളർത്തലിനും മറ്റുമായി ഈ വനമേഖലവലിയതോതിൽ നശീകരണങ്ങൾക്കും മറ്റ് മനുഷ്യ ഇടപെടലുകൾക്കും വിധേയമായിക്കൊണ്ടിരിക്കുകയാണ്. അതു കൂടാതെയാണ് മനഃപൂർവമോ അല്ലാതെയോ ഉള്ള കാട്ടുതീ. അനിയന്ത്രിതമായ കാട്ടുതീ വലിയ കാലാവസ്ഥാ വ്യതിയാനത്തിന് ഇടയാക്കുമെന്നാണ് ഗവേഷകർ മുന്നറിയിപ്പു നൽകുന്നത്. ബ്രസീൽ സർക്കാരിന്റെ ഭൂവിനിയോഗ നയങ്ങൾ സംബന്ധിച്ച് കടുത്ത വിമർശനങ്ങൾക്കുംഇത് വഴിതെളിച്ചിട്ടുണ്ട്.





അതേസമയം, സന്നദ്ധ സംഘടനകൾ മനഃപൂർവം ആമസോൺ കാടുകൾക്ക് തീയിടുകയാണെന്നാണ് ബ്രസീൽ പ്രസിഡന്റ് ബൊൽസോനാരോ പറയുന്നത്. ആമസോൺ കാടുകളിൽ ഖനനവും കൃഷിയും വ്യാപിപ്പിക്കുന്നതിനുള്ള ശ്രമങ്ങൾക്ക് തുരങ്കംവെക്കാനുംതന്റെ പ്രതിച്ഛായ നശിപ്പിക്കുന്നതിനുമാണ്ഇങ്ങനെ ചെയ്യുന്നതെന്നും അദ്ദേഹം ആരോപിക്കുന്നു.

Amazon fires

Mains-GS3-Environment, Mains-GS3-Disaster Management

Man-made fires in the Amazon have sent smoke to populated cities and the Atlantic coast.

Where is the Amazon rainforest located?

a) It is a moist broadleaf tropical rainforest in the Amazon biome that covers most of the Amazon basin of South America.

b) It is a vast region that spans across the following countries,

i) Brazil

ii) Bolivia

iii) Peru

iv) Ecuador

v) Colombia

vi) Venezuela

vii) Guyana

viii) Suriname

viii) French Guiana, an overseas territory of France.

x) Some parts of Argentina

What is the significance of the Amazon region?

a) Amazon contains nearly a third of all the tropical rainforests left on Earth.

b) Despite covering only around 1% of the planet’s surface, the Amazon is home to 10% of all known wildlife species, i.e. roughly three million species.

c) It is home to around one million members of indigenous communities.

d) People around the world, as well as locally, depend on the Amazon for food, water, wood, and medicine.

e) The region helps in stabilizing the climate by playing a critical role in global and regional carbon and water cycles.

Which are the major reasons for Amazon fires?

a) ‘Fire Day’ was organized by farmers to clear forest lands along the highway that runs through the heart of the Amazon rainforest.

b) The Brazilian government has announced opening up the Amazon region for business. The region has large reserves of gold and other minerals.

c)   Government’s short-term economic interests led to mass deforestation. Fires are the direct result of this deforestation.

e) Dry seasons have created favorable conditions for the fires.

Why are the Amazon fires a cause for concern?

a) The Amazon rainforest is a repository of rich biodiversity and produces approximately 20% of oxygen in the Earth’s atmosphere.

b) The Amazon region is a vital carbon store that slows the pace of global warming.

c) A study by the University of Leeds (2017) states that the carbon intake of the region has already matched up to the carbon emissions released by the region.

d) On-going fires imply additional carbon emissions in the atmosphere.

e) These fires can affect the Global Water Cycle adversely.

f) Research states that more deforestation can lead to Amazon’s transformation from the World’s largest rainforest to Savanna.

g) Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research (INPE) has reported that forest fires in the region have doubled since 2013 and increased by 84% compared to 2018.

How is the world reacting?

a) Germany and Norway have suspended the funding for programs that aim to stop deforestation in the Amazon.

b) Many countries are putting pressure on Brazil, the main stakeholder, to control the fires.

c) Indigenous groups and environmental activists have led protests.

d) Mass social media campaigns, fund-mobilization campaigns have been launched

Project FEDOR

Prelims-Science and Technology

Recently Russia launched its first humanoid robot FEDOR into space.

About FEDOR

a) FEDOR stands for Final Experimental Demonstration Object Research.

b) It is the first robot ever sent up by Russia. It is also known as ‘Sky-bot F850’.

c) The robot will spend 10 days learning to assist astronauts on the International Space Station.

d) FEDOR copies human movements. It allows it to remotely help astronauts or even people on Earth to carry out tasks.

e) Such robots will eventually carry out dangerous operations such as spacewalk.

Similar projects

a) NASA sent up ROBONAUT 2. It was a humanoid robot developed that had a similar aim of working in high-risk environments.

b) Japan also sent up a small robot called KIROBO along with the ISS's first Japanese space commander.

Climate Targets

Prelims – Environment, Mains -GS3- Environment

In the recent G7 summit, India and France issued a statement related to climate change, biodiversity, renewable energy, and ocean resources.

What does the statement talk about?

1. Commitment to enhanced climate actions, support for new low-carbon technologies, and ongoing efforts to accelerate the development and deployment of renewable energy.

2. Need for sustainable use of marine resources, acknowledgment of the link between environment and security, and ocean governance.

3. India and France also promised to develop, by next year, strategies for containing their greenhouse gases in the long-term period, possibly for the next 30 or 50 years.

4. From India’s point of view at least, a longer-term low-carbon pathway would be a new development.

When did Countries announce their climate targets?

1. Under the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change, which will come into force next year, every signatory country is supposed to declare and implement a climate action plan, called Nationally Determined Commitments (NDCs).

2. Until now, countries have mostly announced their targets for 2025 or 2030.  India has declared targets for 2030.

3. NDCs have to be updated every five years. The first set of NDC was declared in 2015 ahead of the climate change conference in Paris.

4. The Paris Agreement asks all signatories to ensure that successive NDCs represent a progression from their current targets.

5. Countries have also been asked to evolve a common timeframe for their action plans. Successive NDCs, therefore, would all be five-year or ten-year action plans.

Which are India’s targets?

1. To bring down its emission intensity, or emission per unit of GDP, by 33 to 35 per cent by 2030 compared to 2005 levels.

2. To ensure that at least 40 per cent of its electricity in 2030 would be generated from non-fossil sources.

3. To create an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes through forests.

Why is Longer-term vision the need of the hour?

1. Countries are asked to finalize and commit to longer-term climate targets, over 30-year or 50-year time horizons.

2. This will help in bringing more predictability into climate actions and also make it easy to monitor whether the world was progressing adequately to avoid the catastrophic impacts of climate change.

3. Short-term targets are seen to lack the urgency of the task and delay ambitious actions making it more difficult or even impossible to act on climate change in the future .

4. There is growing pressure on the big emitters – China, the United States, European Union, India, Russia, Brazil, Australia – to come up with long-term action plans, in particular, to aim for net-zero emissions in the year 2050.

5. The public pressure is also a reason, which is growing stronger in Europe.

6. As climate-induced extreme weather events bring in more and more disasters across the world, the demand for longer-term commitments on climate action has been increasing.

7. Two recent reports by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), have also stressed the need for more urgent and ambitious climate action in the longer term. The reports are -

a. The feasibility of containing the global rise in temperatures to within 1.5°C from pre-industrial times.

b. State of climate-induced land degradation.

How does the European Union respond to the pressure?

1. As part of its NDCs, the European Union of 27 countries has set a combined target of 40 per cent reduction in its greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 from the 1990 levels.

2. It also came up with a long-term vision to become climate-neutral or attain the goal of net-zero emissions, by 2050.

3. Recently, the United Kingdom became the first major economy to legislate a law to make itself climate-neutral by 2050.

4. The UK had been previously aiming to achieve an 80 percent reduction from the 1990 levels.

Where does India stand?

1. India, being a developing country, is treated differently from developed country parties in the Paris Agreement.

2. But India

is the third single largest emitter of greenhouse gases, after China and the United States.

3. There have also been demands from India, and other major developing economies such as Brazil and South Africa, to come up with longer-term commitments

5. India’s commitments based on its development imperatives.

6. In terms of NDC,  India is on the course of achieving all its targets well in time and may even over-achieve them.

7. On the other hand, developed countries are far from delivering on their climate promises, especially on their obligation to provide money and technology to help developing and poor countries in fighting climate change.

RBI’s Money transfer to the Government

Prelims- Economy, Mains-GS3- Economic Development

The Reserve Bank of India has announced to transfer Rs. 1.76 lakh crores to the Government of India.

About the transfer 

a) This amount includes the Reserve Bank of India’s 2018-19 surplus of ₹1.23 lakh crore and ₹52,637 crore of excess provisions identified as per the revised Economic Capital Framework (ECF).

b) The transfer aims to address the precarious financial situation of the government to a great extent.

c) The revision of ECF was based on the recommendations of the Bimal Jalan Panel.



d) The transferred amount is over three times the five-year average of Rs 53,000 crore.

About the Jalan Panel

a) The RBI formed a committee chaired by former Governor Bimal Jalan to review its economic capital framework.

b) The committee was tasked to suggest ways to transfer the quantum of excess to the government.

c) The panel recommended a clear distinction between the two components of economic capital,

i) Realized equity-  It can be used for meeting all risks/ losses as it is primarily built up from retained earnings.

ii) Revaluation balances- It can be reckoned only as risk buffers against market risks as it is unrealized valuation gains.

d) The committee recognized that RBI’s provisioning for monetary, financial and external stability risks is the country’s savings for a ‘Rainy day’- a monetary or financial stability crisis.

e) This risk provisioning made primarily from retained earnings is referred to as the Contingent Risk Buffer (CRB). CRB should be within a range of 6.5% - 5.5% of the RBI’s balance sheet

f) CRB comprises 5.5 to 4.5% for monetary and financial stability risks and 1.0% for credit and operational risks.

g) The committee recommended the ‘Surplus Distribution Policy’ which says only if realized equity is above its requirement, the entire net income will be transferable to the Government.

h) Currently, the available realized equity stood at 6.8% of the balance sheet.

Cautions

a) Transfer of excess reserves can hit the RBI’s ratings and increase its borrowing cost.

b) This move may have inflationary pressures on the economy.

c) This transfer does not give RBI very much space to maneuver.

RBI transfer to Government

Prelims – Economy, Mains -GS3- Economic Development

1. Recently, the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) Central Board decided to transfer a record surplus of Rs 1.76 lakh crore to the government.

2. It includes the surplus or dividend of Rs 1,23,414 crore and a one-time transfer of excess provisions amounting to Rs 52,637 crore. 

How does the RBI make profits?

1. The RBI is a “full service” central bank, it is mandated to following functions/operations –

a. Keep inflation or prices in check.

b.  Manage the borrowings of the Government of India and state governments.

c. Supervise or regulate banks and non-banking finance companies.

d. Manage the currency and payment systems.

2. While carrying out these functions or operations, it makes profits such as -  

a. Returns it earns on its foreign currency assets, which could be in the form of bonds and treasury bills of other central banks or top-rated securities, and deposits with other central banks.

b. Interest on its holdings of local rupee-denominated government bonds or securities, and while lending to banks for very short tenures, such as overnight.

c. Management commission on handling the borrowings of state governments and the central government.

3. Its expenditures mainly include –

a. Printing of currency notes and on staff.

b. Commission it gives to banks for undertaking transactions on behalf of the government across the country, and to primary dealers, including banks, for underwriting some of these borrowings.

c. RBI’s total costs, which includes expenditure on printing and commissions forms, is only about 1/7th of its total net interest income.

Why such a huge pay-out was approved?

1. The level of surplus or profits the RBI pays to the government has been an issue of conflict for long.

The Government’s Argument

1. Over the last decade, the government had sought higher pay-outs saying the RBI was maintaining reserves or capital buffers that were much higher than many other global central banks’ buffers.

2. The government has argued that such relatively lower transfers crimped public spending for infrastructure projects and social sector programmes, considering the pressure to meet deficit targets and to provide space for private firms to borrow.

RBI’s Stand

1. RBI on its part has traditionally preferred to be more cautious and build its reserves, keeping in mind potential threats from financial shocks, and the need to ensure financial stability and provide confidence to the markets.

2. From the central bank’s perspective, bigger reserves on its balance sheet are crucial to maintaining its autonomy.

3. After the global financial crisis when central banks had to resort to unconventional means to revive their economies, the approach has been to build adequate buffers in the form of higher capital, reserves and other funds as potential insurance against future risks or losses.

4. A higher buffer enhances the credibility of a central bank during a crisis and helps avoid approaching the government for fresh capital and thus maintain financial autonomy.

Bimal Jalan Committee

1. To sort out the issue, the government appointed the Jalan committee to review the capital structure, statutory provisions and other issues relating to the RBI balance sheet.

2. The committee after making a distinction on the RBI’s capital structure especially on unrealised gains (which are gains not booked) and considering the role of the central bank in ensuring financial stability, potential risks and global standards, the committee suggested a total transfer of Rs.1.76 lakh crore.

Which are the rules relating to the payment of dividends by central banks in other countries?

1. In many top central banks — US Federal Reserve, Bank of England, German Bundesbank, Bank of Japan— the laws make it clear that profits have to be transferred to the government or the treasury.

2. The quantum of profits or percentage to be distributed is also specified in the laws.

What is the difference in India now and compared to the past?

1. The quantum is discusse

d and decided between the government and RBI.

2. Periodically, this has been guided by the policies set out internally by RBI. Last time, RBI appointed a committee headed by Y H Malegam, who recommended distributing 100% of the profits made to the government.

3. The difference now is that the Jalan committee’s recommendation on a profit distribution policy has been endorsed by the Central Board.

4. That will mean a more transparent and rule-based pay-out from next year, as in many other central banks, which could help narrow differences between the government and RBI.

Where lies the potential issues relating to a higher pay-out?

1.  According to former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan, much of the surplus the RBI generates comes from the interest on government assets (securities or bonds) or from capital gains made off other market participants.

2. When this is paid to the government, the RBI is putting back into the system the money is made from it; there is no additional money-printing or reserve creation involved.

3. But when the RBI pays an additional dividend, it has to create additional permanent reserves or, print money.

4. To accommodate the special dividend, the RBI will have to withdraw an equivalent amount of money from the public by selling government bonds in its portfolio.