India and Australia are fast-tracking negotiations on a Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA). Bilateral trade between the two countries amounted to $12.28 billion in FY21, with India's exports to Australia being $4.04 billion and imports from Australia being $8.24 billion. Key items of bilateral trade include petroleum, medicines, coal, and education services. Meanwhile, China dismantled the Pillar of Shame sculpture at Hong Kong University, which memorialized victims of the Tiananmen Square crackdown, as Beijing tightens control over Hong Kong under the national security law.

1. www.iasnext.com

2. www.iasnext.com
Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA):
Reference News:-
India and Australia are fast-tracking
negotiation regarding the
bilateral Comprehensive Economic
Cooperation Agreement (CECA).
India- Australia bilateral trade:
 India’s exports to Australia amounted to $4.04 billion while imports were $8.24
billion in FY21.
 Major Indian exports to Australia are petroleum products, medicines, polished
diamonds, gold jewellery, apparel etc, while key Australian exports to India include
coal, LNG, alumina and non-monetary gold.
 In services, major Indian exports include travel, telecom and computer, government
and financial services, while Australian services exports were principally in
education and personal travel.
 In 2020, India was Australia’s seventh-largest trading partner and sixth largest
export destination, driven by coal and international education.
China- Hong Kong Relations:
Reference News:-
Pillar of Shame, a memorial to the victims
of the Tiananmen crackdown, was recently
dismantled by China.
Pillar of Shame:
The Pillar of Shame, a haunting eight-metre
tall sculpture showing intertwined bodies
with hollowed eyes and open mouths — an
anguished mass of humanity — was created
by Danish artist Jens Galschiot as a tribute to the victims of China’s crackdown in
Tiananmen Square in June 1989.
What’s the issue now?
 The statue has been at Hong Kong University (HKU) since 1997, installed shortly
after one of Hong Kong’s annual June vigils at Victoria Park, where thousands
gathered every year to mark the anniversary.
 The vigil itself had been symbolic of Hong Kong’s special status under the “one
country, two systems” model that granted it freedoms that are denied on the
mainland, where commemorations of June 4 are banned.

3. www.iasnext.com
 The vigil did not take place in June this year for the first time, with the police
cordoning off the park.
 If the end of the vigil was seen as a significant symbol of one of Hong Kong’s distinct
freedoms slipping away, the removal of the statue has now been added to the list.
Recent changes:
 Hong Kong’s changes, including the shutting down of newspapers and an overhaul
of the curriculum in schools and colleges, have come thick and fast in recent months
after Beijing, in June 2020, passed a new national security law that lists stiff
penalties for subversion and secession.
 The passing of the law followed months of pro-democracy protests in 2019 calling
for direct elections, including for the top post of Chief Executive, who is now
nominated.
 Beijing has also overhauled the electoral system, reducing the share of directly
elected representatives in Hong Kong’s Legislative Council (LegCo), down from 50%
to 22%. The new rules also introduced a review committee to decide on the
eligibility of candidates to ensure only “patriots” could run for office.
How is Hong Kong ruled?
It is ruled under One Country Two
Systems approach.
As per the policy, the Hong Kong and
Macau Special Administrative
Regions, both former colonies, can
have different economic and political
systems from that of mainland China,
while being part of the People’s
Republic of China.
Hong Kong returned to Chinese
control on July 1, 1997, and Macau’s
sovereignty was transferred on
December 20, 1999.
 The regions would have their own currencies, economic and legal systems, but
defence and diplomacy would be decided by Beijing.
 Their mini-Constitutions would remain valid for 50 years — till 2047 for Hong Kong
and 2049 for Macau. It is unclear what will happen after this term.
Chinese law in Hong Kong to respond to foreign sanctions:
 The law is proposed to be introduced through Hong Kong legislation rather than
Beijing legislation, by adding it to an annex of Hong Kong’s mini-constitution,
known as the Basic Law.

4. www.iasnext.com
What’s the law all about?
1. Beijing adopted a law in June under which individuals or entities involved in making
or implementing discriminatory measures against Chinese citizens or entities could
be put on a Chinese government anti-sanctions list.
2. Under China’s law, such individuals could then be denied entry into China or be
expelled.
3. Their assets in China may be seized or frozen. They could also be restricted from
doing business with entities or people in China.
Why was such a law introduced?
The law comes as the United States and European Union step up pressure on China over
trade, technology, Hong Kong and the far western region of Xinjiang.
Concerns and issues associated with the law:
Critics have warned that Hong Kong’s adoption of the law could undermine its reputation
as a global financial hub.
India seeks early return of democracy in Myanmar:
Reference News:-
India has conveyed to the military rulers of Myanmar that it seeks early return
of democracy in Myanmar.
What’s the issue?
Myanmar has been internationally isolated because of the violent crackdown on
protesting citizens.
India’s demands:
1. Myanmar’s return to democracy at the earliest.
2. Release of detainees and prisoners.
3. Resolution of issues through dialogue.
4. Complete cessation of all violence.
Significance of India’s move:
Since February 2, India has expressed concern at the ongoing military campaign against
the democratic elements in Myanmar but this statement has additional significance, as it is
the first time the government has hinted that India is ready to mediate among various
sides to end the crisis.
What’s happening in Myanmar?
The elected leaders of Myanmar were overthrown on February 1 this year in a coup by the
army, which accused Aung Sang Suu Kyi’s ruling party of cheating in the November

5. www.iasnext.com
elections. The army’s allegation has been rejected by the previous election commission
and international monitors.
India’s stand on Myanmar at the UN:
India recently abstained from voting on the United Nations General Assembly‘s
(UNGA’s) resolution for an arms embargo against Myanmar.
 119 countries voted ‘yes’, Belarus voted ‘no’ and 36 countries abstained, including
Myanmar’s neighbors China and India, along with Russia.
Reasons behind India’s move:
1. India said its views were not reflected in the draft resolution before the Assembly
passed it.
2. India also said it does not believe that the tabling of this resolution for adoption at
this juncture, is “conducive to aiding the country’s joint efforts towards
strengthening the democratic process in Myanmar.”
About the UN Resolution:
 The UN’s resolution demonstrated widespread global opposition to the Myanmar
military and demanded that the country’s democratic transition be restored.
 The resolution called upon the Myanmar armed forces to respect the people’s will
as freely expressed by results of the general election of November 8, 2020.
India is supporting ASEAN initiative on Myanmar and the ‘Five-Point Consensus’:
It includes:
1. Immediate cessation of violence.
2. Dialogue among all stakeholders in Myanmar for a peaceful solution.
3. The appointment of a special Asean envoy to facilitate mediation.
4. Aid to Myanmar.
5. A visit to the country by the envoy.
Why should India be concerned about the situation in Myanmar?
For India, the stakes are high as instability within Myanmar has grave implications for the
Northeast.
 There are reports of guerrilla groups in Myanmar reviving their activities and any
breakdown of law and order will allow militant groups in the Northeast to take
advantage of the situation.
What lies ahead for India?
India’s reaction is likely to be different this time. India does care about democracy in
Myanmar, but that’s a luxury it knows it will not be able to afford for the time being. Why?
Because,

6. www.iasnext.com
1. India’s security relationship with the Myanmar military has become extremely
close, and it would be difficult to “burn bridges” with them given their assistance in
securing the North East frontiers from insurgent groups.
2. Changed image of Ms. Suu Kyi herself: Her image as a democracy icon and Nobel
peace laureate has been damaged by her time in office, where she failed to push
back the military, and even defended the Army’s pogrom against Rohingya in
Rakhine State in 2015.
3. Benefits for China: A harsh reaction from India, on the lines of that from the U.S.,
which has threatened action against those responsible for the “coup” unless they
revoke the military’s takeover, would only benefit China.
4. Apart from strategic concerns, India has cultivated several infrastructure and
development projects with Myanmar, which it sees as the “gateway to the East” and
ASEAN countries (For example: India-Myanmar-Thailand trilateral highway and the
Kaladan multi-modal transit transport network, as well as a plan for a Special
Economic Zone at the Sittwe deep-water port).
5. Besides, India still hopes to help resolve the issue of Rohingya refugees that fled to
Bangladesh, while some still live in India, and will want to continue to engage the
Myanmar government on that.
Myanmar’s military Constitution:
It was the military that drafted the 2008 Constitution, and put it to a questionable
referendum in April that year.
 The Constitution was the military’s “roadmap to democracy”, which it had been
forced to adopt under increasing pressure from the west.
 It was also due to its own realisation that opening up Myanmar to the outside world
was now no longer an option but a dire economic necessity.
 But the military made sure to safeguard in the Constitution its own role and
supremacy in national affairs.
 Under its provisions, the military reserves for itself 25 per cent of seats in both
Houses of Parliament, to which it appoints serving military officials.
 Also, a political party which is a proxy for the military contests elections.
‘Meendum Manjappai’ scheme:
Reference News:-
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has launched the ‘Meendum Manjappai’
campaign aimed at creating awareness on the usage of cloth bags instead of single-use
plastic bags.
Background:
The Tamil Nadu government has already banned 14 types of plastic materials.

7. www.iasnext.com
Way ahead?
Enforcement is key for the ban to be effective.
 The government also needs to address important structural issues such as policies
to regulate the use of plastic alternatives, improve recycling and have better waste
segregation management.
 In addition to improving recyclability, investment in research and development for
alternatives should also be a priority.
What are single use plastics?
Single-use plastics refer to disposable items like grocery bags, food packaging, bottles and
straws that are used only once before they are thrown away, or sometimes recycled.
Why plastics?
 As plastic is cheap, lightweight and easy to produce, it has led to a production boom
over the last century, and the trend is expected to continue in the coming decades,
according to the United Nations.
 But countries are now struggling with managing the amount of plastic waste they
have generated.
About 60% of plastic waste in India is collected — that means the remaining 40% or
10,376 tons remain uncollected.
Background:
In 2019, the Union government in a bid to free India of single-use plastics by 2022, had
laid out a multi-ministerial plan to discourage the use of single-use plastics across the
country.
The strategy:
A government committee has identified the single use plastic (SUP) items to be banned
based on an index of their utility and environmental impact. It has proposed a three-stage
ban:
1. The first category of SUP items proposed to be phased out are plastic sticks used in
balloons, flags, candy, ice-cream and ear buds, and thermocol that is used in
decorations.
2. The second category, proposed to be banned from July 1, 2022, includes items such
as plates, cups, glasses and cutlery such as forks, spoons, knives, straws, trays;
wrapping and packing films used in sweet boxes; invitation cards; cigarette packets;
stirrers and plastic banners that are less than 100 microns in thickness.
3. A third category of prohibition is for non-woven bags below 240 microns in
thickness. This is proposed to start from September next year.
Challenges ahead:
1. It is not going to be an easy task given that close to 26,000 tons of plastic waste is
generated across India every day, of which more than 10,000 tons stays uncollected.
2. A significant amount of plastic ends up in rivers, oceans and landfills.

8. www.iasnext.com
What needs to be done?
1. The government has to do a thorough economic and environmental cost-benefit
analysis.
2. The plan has to take into account social and economic impacts for the ban to be
successful.
3. We need better recycling policies because resources are poor and there needs to be
a much broader strategy.
National Investigation Agency (NIA):
Reference News:-
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed a chargesheet against three accused in
connection with the recovery of an improvised explosive device (IED) at Bhatindi in
Jammu & Kashmir in June this year.
Background:
During investigation it was found that the three accused persons were receiving
instructions from Pakistan-based handlers via WhatsApp. Investigation has unearthed a
larger conspiracy of recruitment and plans to activate a significant number of radicalised
youths in Kashmir to target security personnel and public places to wage war against the
government of India.
About NIA:
It is a central agency to investigate and prosecute offences:
 affecting the sovereignty, security and integrity of India, security of State, friendly
relations with foreign States.
 against atomic and nuclear facilities.
 smuggling in High-Quality Counterfeit Indian Currency.
It is also the Central Counter Terrorism Law Enforcement Agency.
 It is empowered to deal with terror related crimes across states without special
permission from the states.
 Established under the National Investigation Agency Act 2008.
 Works under the Ministry of Hime Affairs.
Jurisdiction:
 A State Government may request the Central Government to hand over the
investigation of a case to the NIA, provided the case has been registered for the
offences as contained in the schedule to the NIA Act.
 Central Government can also order NIA to take over investigation of any scheduled
offense anywhere in the India.

9. www.iasnext.com
Composition:
Officers of the NIA are drawn from the Indian Police Service and Indian Revenue Service.
Special NIA Courts:
 Various Special Courts have been notified by the Central Government of India.
 Any question as to the jurisdiction of these courts is decided by the Central
Government.
 These are presided over by a judge appointed by the Central Government on the
recommendation of the Chief Justice of the High Court with jurisdiction in that
region.
 Supreme Court of India has also been empowered to transfer the cases from one
special court to any other special court within or outside the state.
Powers:
The NIA Special Courts are empowered with all powers of the court of sessions under
Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 for trial of any offense.
Appeals:
An appeal from any judgement, sentence or order, not being an interlocutory order, of a
Special Court lies to the High Court both on facts and on law. State Governments have also
been empowered to appoint one or more such special courts in their states.
Need for a Public Health Data Architecture for India
What is the issue?
In a country perennially thirsty for reliable health data, the National Family Health Survey
(NFHS) is like an oasis, prompting for a few comprehensive national surveys than being
over-dependent on the omnibus NFHS.
What is the range and scope of NFHS?
 The NFHS is a large survey conducted in a representative sample of households
throughout India which started in 1992-93 and is repeated at an interval of about
four to five years.
 It is the Indian version of the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS), as it is known
in other countries.
 The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, has
designated International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS) as the nodal
agency for the NFHS.
 The fifth round covered 6,36,699 households costing upwards of Rs. 250 crore.
 The funding has been provided by the United States Agency for International
Development (USAID), Department for International Development (DFID), Bill and

10. www.iasnext.com
Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), UNICEF, United Nations Population Fund
(UNFPA), and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
 Scope- Currently, the survey provides district-level information on fertility, child
mortality, contraceptive practices, reproductive and child health, nutrition, and
utilisation and quality of selected health services.
 Its scope has been expanded to include HIV, non-communicable diseases, or NCDs
(tobacco and alcohol use, hypertension, blood sugar, etc.), Vitamin D3.
What are the other surveys and goals?
 Health Ministry has conducted various surveys in the last five years, including the
o National NCD Monitoring Survey (NNMS)
o National Mental Health Survey (NMHS)
o Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS)
o Alcohol survey
o Comprehensive National Nutrition Survey (CNNS), etc.,
 However, the requirements for the monitoring of NCD targets are not met by the
NFHS, as it covers an age group different than that needed for the global set of
indicators.
What is the difficulty in aligning these surveys?
 Previous attempts to align these surveys have failed as different advocates have
different demands and push for inclusion of their set of questions.
 The Department of Planning, Statistics and Programme Monitoring lacks the
technical capacity and ends up using a please all approach of accepting all requests.
 The household which is selected for the survey have no power of negotiation.
 NFHS is the only major survey that India has a record of doing regularly and one
does not know if and when the other surveys will be repeated.
 Multiple surveys also raise the problem of differing estimates due to sampling
differences in the surveys.
o For instance, there is a wide divergence in sex ratio at birth reported by the
NFHS and the Sample Registration System (SRS).
What is the road map for public health data architecture for India?
 National surveys- There is a need to identify a set of national-level indicators and
surveys that will be done using national government funds at regular intervals.
 National surveys can be done every 3-5 years in a staggered manner such as
o A concise NFHS focusing on Reproductive and Child Health (RCH) issues,
o A Behavioral Surveillance Survey (focusing on HIV, NCD, water sanitation and
hygiene (WASH)-related and other behaviours)
o A nutrition-biological survey (entails collection of data on blood pressure,
anthropometry, blood sugar, serology, etc.)
 State participation- A national-level sample for such surveys can be taken and
States can be asked to invest in conducting focused State-level surveys.

11. www.iasnext.com
 States have to become active partners including providing financial contributions to
these surveys.
 Specific studies- Important public health questions can be answered by specific
studies conducted by academic institutions on a research mode based on
availability of funding.
 Transparency of data- It is very important to ensure that the data arising from
these surveys are in the public domain.
 This enables different analyses and viewpoints to be presented on the same set of
data enriching the discussion thus unlocking the full potential of the survey.