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NITI Aayog (National Institution for Transforming India)

◆NITI Aayog is created for the financial planning at pan-India and the important reports it releases for the development assessing various parameters.

◆Before knowing about it in detail, let us briefly explore the earlier version of the planning body in India. Planning Commission was established in March 1950 by a resolution of the Government of India.

◆It was made responsible for assessing national resources and drafting five-year plans for the effective use of the resources. The objective was to the proper and effective utilization of resources.

◆With changing times, and growing needs of the people and effectively address them, a new version of planning body i.e. NITI Aayog was established by a resolution of the Union Cabinet on January 1, 2015, replacing the Planning Commission.

◆NITI Aayog is regarded as the premier policy ‘Think Tank’ of the Government of India. It provides both directional and policy inputs. Besides designing the strategic and long-term policies and programmes for the Government of India, the Aayog also provides relevant technical advice to the Centre as well as the States.

▪️Structural composition of NITI Aayog

●The NITI Aayog consists of two hubs at its core: ‘Team India Hub’ and the ‘Knowledge and Innovation Hub’. These hubs reflect the two key tasks of the Aayog.

●The Team India Hub leads the engagement of states with the Central government.

●The Knowledge and Innovation Hub builds NITI’s think-tank capabilities.

●With necessary resources, knowledge and skills, the NITI Aayog is also developing itself as a State-of-the-Art Resource Centre. It will enable to promote research and innovation, provide strategic policy and fast pace the vision for the government and deal with contingent issues.

▪️Members of the NITI Aayog:

✔️Chairperson: Shri Narendra Modi

✔️Vice-Chairperson: Dr. Rajiv Kumar

✔️Full-time member: Prof. Ramesh Chand

✔️Full-time member: Profile -Shri V.K. Saraswat

✔️Full- time member: Profile- Dr. V.K. Paul

✔️Chief Executive Officer: Shri Amitabh Kant 

▪️Objective of NITI Aayog

◆The NITI Aayog aims to foster involvement and participation in the economic policy-making process by the State Governments of India. It envisions to practice cooperative federalism.  NITI Aayog aspires to transform India across States, UTs, and districts.

◆It envisions development across sectors such as health and nutrition, education, women empowerment, strengthening governance mechanism and applies them in aspirational districts and monitors the progress.

◆In this regard, the NITI Aayog releases reports to assess the performance of the states on various parameters.

▪️Challenges

●To prove its mettle in policy formulation, the NITI Aayog needs to prioritize from the long list of 13 objectives with clear understanding of the difference in policy, planning and strategy.

●To build the trust, faith and confidence more than the planning commission, NITI Aayog needs freedom of various kinds with budgetary provisions not in terms of plan and non-plan expenditures but revenue and capital expenditure as the higher rate of increase in capital expenditure can remove infrastructural deficits at all levels of operation in the economy.

▪️Way Forward

◆Decentralization of planning but within a five-year plan framework.

◆Bureaucratic inertia need to be shaken, specializing it and fixing the accountability on basis of performance.

◆NITI Aayog could emerge as an agent of change over time and contribute to the government’s agenda of improving governance and implementing innovative measures for better delivery of public services.

◆NITI Aayog continues to be representative of efficient, transparent, innovative and accountable governance system in country with distinguished work ethics.

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Indian Army Establishes Quantum Laboratory at Mhow (MP)

◆The Indian Army is making steady, yet significant strides in the field of emerging technology domains.

◆The Army, with support from the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS) has recently established the Quantum Lab at Military College of Telecommunication Engineering, Mhow (MP) MCTE to spearhead research and training in this key developing field.

◆Gen MM Naravane, the Chief of Army Staff was briefed on the facility during his recent visit to Mhow.

◆Indian Army has also established an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Centre at the same institution with over 140 deployments in forward areas and active support of industry and academia.

◆Training on cyber warfare is being imparted through a state of art cyber range, and cyber security labs. Ideation for Army's involvement in Electromagnetic Spectrum Operations was done in a seminar on Electromagnetic Spectrum and National Security organised in October last year.

◆Since then, an impetus has been given to Indian Army’s Technology Institutions for investing in AI, Quantum and Cyber.

◆Research undertaken by Indian Army in the field of Quantum Technology will help leapfrog into next generation communication and transform the current system of cryptography in the Indian Armed Forces to Post Quantum Cryptography (PQC). 

◆Key thrust areas are Quantum Key Distribution, Quantum Communication, Quantum Computing and Post Quantum Cryptography.

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India’s vision for Indo-Pacific{1/2}

What is the recent issue?

◆The Russian Foreign Minister has described New Delhi as an "object" of the West's  "persistent, aggressive, and devious" policy against China in the Indo-Pacific. The Russian Minister has also criticised QUAD.
◆In response to this our, External Minister rejected this claim. In fact, India asserts that it has always pursued an independent foreign policy based on its national interest and that its vision for the Indo-Pacific region is not directed against any country.

What are Russia’s concerns with Indo-Pacific & Quad?

●Russia claims that Indo-Pacific ploy was an attempt to “reconfigure the existing structures” and to move away from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-centric consensus.
●The Indo-Pacific ocean system carries an estimated 65% of world trade and contributes  60% of global GDP and ninety per cent of India’s international trade travels on its waters.
●Quad is affecting the non-members of the group especially small nations of ASEAN.
●Inclusion of Australia in the last Malabar exercise sent a clear signal to non-member countries that there is going to be a military phase to the quad.
●The members of Quad do not have a common agenda and are not on board on many issues.

What is India’s view on Indo-Pacific?

●Prime Minister in the Shangri-La dialogue held that Indo-Pacific Region is neither a strategy nor a club of limited members directed against any country but a pure geographical construct.
●It is to ensure a free, open and inclusive region in which countries both inside and outside (countries who have stakes in this region) the Indo-Pacific region would participate.
●India has been trying to explain to Russia the basic cause that is to ensure that in the global commons of this region, there should be freedom of navigation, resolution of disputes through dialogue and international law to regulate all the activities.
●Indian foreign secretary defined India’s view of the Indo-Pacific as stretching from the east coast of Africa all the way to the west coast of the US.
●India’s vision for the Indo-Pacific included ‘securing end-to-end supply chains in the region;  no disproportionate dependence on a single country; and ensuring prosperity for all  stakeholder nations.’
●An Indo-Pacific guided by norms and governed by rules, with freedom of navigation, open connectivity, and respect for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of all states is an article of faith for India.

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India's Vision for Indo-Pacific {2/2}

What is the Role of Quad in the Indo-Pacific region?

◆The QUAD is the grouping of four democracies –India, Australia, the US, and Japan.
◆Quad is an opportunity for like-minded countries to share notes and collaborate on projects of mutual interest.
◆Members share a vision of an open and free Indo-Pacific. Each is involved in the development and economic projects as well as in promoting maritime domain awareness and maritime security.
◆Currently, it is still in a fledgeling phase and a clearer image of what it will evolve to is yet to obtain. But a few improvements within the group are taking place in recent times.
◆There has been an increased participation from all the four countries, they have declared several issues as their agenda of the meeting such as the pandemic, economic recovery, connectivity, infrastructure, cybersecurity, etc.
◆The Quad is believed to have the potential to go from a very loose structure organisation to  a very cohesive structure organisation in a very short span of time.

Vision for the future:

◆All the stakeholders should come together and define the Quad. They should have common agenda also.
◆China is the big elephant in the room and is never abiding the rules. For this, there has to be a military component in the Quad.
◆Small nations in the region must be told that the quad is the fledgeling organisation and it is evolving with the time. Countries should not worry about this.
◆The option of Quad expansion is also there. A number of countries including some in ASEAN and Europe is firming up their Indo-Pacific strategies and outlook.
◆These include France, Germany and the Netherlands.
◆India and France have been collaborating closely on the Indo-Pacific.
◆Germany has announced that one of its warships would be patrolling the Indian Ocean and make port calls in Australia and the French Reunion Islands.
◆Canada is also looking to come out with an Indo-Pacific strategy. The voyage came at a time of heightened military tension between China and Taiwan.

Conclusion

●A lot of progress has been made over the last three years as far as the quad is concerned and it is on its way of institutionalization and formalisation at ministerial meetings.
●Quad can be expanded to ensure the contribution from ASEAN and other nations of the region. Countries like the Philippines, Vietnam and Indonesia can become strong partners in this.
●India needs a strong navy to play a meaningful role in the region, so it must invest in it.

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1. While going for a symposium in City College, you see your opposite group of persons involving in a serious discussion and it heats up with your group. You will...

2. He has to go to final round of interview and the whole city is shut down without transportation a as a big leader dies. you will...

3. A new family settled in your neighbor flat imports smuggled goods, and your wife wants to purchase it for your house at cheaper rate. You will...

4.Your team leader corners you many times before your group and while lunch time discussion, everyone talks badly about team leader in his absence by supporting you. You will..

5. Only three days are there for final submission of project, but the team mate who knows most of the modules left the team in some issue. You will...

6. You are the class representative and in free hours you are calling Engineering mathematics professor more to take class by knowing this, physics professor gets anger and corners you to fail in the lab practical. You will...

7. His mother dies due to cancer at early age and his father left him with second marriage, You will...

8. You are requested to organize a cycling trip, you will...

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Be honest with your preparation and attempt this image and write a desirable story.

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