Security

Answer : The China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a collection of infrastructure projects worth around $46 billion meant to deepen economic ties between China and Pakistan. The CPEC will connect China’s largest province Xinjiang with Pakistan’s Gwadar port in Baluchistan. It is part of BRI (Belt Road Initiative) of China.

India has distanced itself from the CPEC because:

• India has right from the start protested against China’s CPEC push as the corridor passes through PoK or Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
• Security threat near border areas-highway through conflict area of Kashmir to China will allow rapid mobilization of Pakistani troops against India.
• Also, construction of infrastructure like highway would enable better logistics for terror camps situated in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) and thus help terrorists.
• Corridor is constructed to benefit China and bring China at center stage of world economy which ultimately will harm the India’s ambition of becoming future superpower.

While India’s overall stance on PoK remains understated, the commencement of the CPEC warrants more serious attention than what has been accorded so far. There is a need to carefully weigh the situation and devise a suitable and sustainable approach that could serve India’s long-term interests.

Answer : Forty-four districts in the country are no longer under the influence of Maoists or have negligible presence and most of the Left Wing Extremism is now confined only to 30 worst-hit districts. LWE violence has shrunk significantly in the last four years due to a multi-pronged strategy involving security and development-related measures.

In order to holistically address the LWE problem in an effective manner, Government has formulated National Policy and Action Plan adopting multi pronged strategy in the areas of security, development, ensuring rights and entitlements of local communities, etc.

• Special Central Assistance (SCA) for 30 most LWE affected districts: This Scheme has been approved by the Government on 27.09.2017 as a sub-scheme of the Umbrella Scheme, ‘Modernization of Police Forces’ for a period of 3 years i.e. from 2017-18 to 2019-20.
• Special Infrastructure Scheme, along with Construction of Fortified Police Stations in the LWE affected States: On regular demand of the LWE affected States, the Government has approved this Scheme as a sub-scheme of the Umbrellas Scheme, ‘Modernization of Police Forces’ for a period of 3 years i.e. from 2017-18 to 2019-20.
• Scheme of Fortified Police Stations: The Ministry had sanctioned 400 police stations in 10 LWE affected States. Of these 393 of PSs have been completed.
• Assistance to Central Agencies for LWE Management Scheme: This Scheme has been approved by the Government on 27.09.2017 as a sub scheme of the Umbrella Scheme Modernization of Police Forces for a period of 03 years i.e. from 2017-18 to 2019-20. Under the Scheme assistance is provided to Central Agencies (CAPFs/IAF, etc.) for strengthening of infrastructure and hiring for Helicopters.
• Civic Action Programme (CAP): CAP in LWE affected areas is being implemented since 2010-11 to bridge the gaps between Security Forces and local people through personal interaction and bring the human face of SFs before the local population.
• Media Plan: The Maoists have been misguiding and luring the innocent tribals/local population in LWE affected areas by their so called poor-friendly revolution through petty incentives or by following their coercive strategy. Their false propaganda is targeted against the security forces and the democratic set up. Therefore, the Government is implementing this Scheme in LWE affected areas. Under the scheme activities like Tribal Youth Exchange programmes by NYKS, radio jingles, documentaries, pamphlets, etc. are being conducted.
• Road Requirement Plan-I (RRP-I) for LWE Affected Areas: This Scheme is being implemented by Ministry of Road Transport & Highways for improving road connectivity in 34 LWE affected districts of 8.
• Road Connectivity Project for LWE affected areas (RRP-II): The Government approved this scheme on 28.12.2016 for further improving road connectivity in 44 districts of 9 LWE affected States.
• LWE Mobile Tower Project: To improve mobile connectivity in the LWE areas, the Government on 20.08.2014 approved installation of mobile towers in LWE affected States and 2335 mobile towers have been installed in Phase-I. Phase-II of the project has been approved by the Government of India.
• Aspirational District: The Ministry of Home Affairs has been tasked with the monitoring of Aspirational districts programme in 35 LWE affected districts.

Further, the Home Ministry has also enunciated an operational strategy ‘SAMADHAN’ to fight Left Wing Extremism. The elements of this strategy are S for Smart Leadership, A for Aggressive Strategy, M for Motivation and Training, A for Actionable Intelligence, D for Dashboard-based Key Result Areas and Key Performance Indicators, H for Harnessing Technology, A for Action Plan for Each Theatre and N for No access to Financing.

Answer : India emerged as the third most vulnerable country in terms of risk of cyber threats, such as malware, spam and ransomware in 2017, moving up one place over previous year, according to a report by security solutions provider Symantec. In 2017, 5.09% of global threats detected were in India, slightly less than 5.11% in 2016.

The Srikrishna Committee’s report on data privacy and protection is a landmark report in many ways, given its multiple but critical touchpoints: a nascent but growing digital economy, the unmapped and uneasy relation between citizens (the committee calls them “data principals”) and data managers (“data fiduciaries”), the state’s contentious role, the legal dilemma of trying to constrain globally mobile data within local legislative jurisdictions, among many others.

Highlights of Srikrishna Committee Report on Data Protection

• Restrictions on Processing and Collection of Personal Data: Recommends that processing (collection, recording, analysis, disclosure, etc.) of personal data should be done only for “clear, specific and lawful” purposes. Only that data which is necessary for such processing is to be collected from anyone
• Right to be Forgotten: Giving “data principals” (persons whose personal data is being processed) the ‘right to be forgotten’.
• Data Localisation: Copy of all personal data to be stored in India. Critical personal data can only be stored in Indian servers.
• Processing of sensitive personal data to require explicit consent.
• Data Protection Authority: Data Protection Authority which is supposed to “protect the interests of data principals”. The Authority shall have the power to inquire into any violations of the data protection regime, and can take action against any data fiduciaries responsible for the same.
• Aadhaar Act Amendments: The Committee has suggested recommendations to the Aadhaar Act, 2016 to ensure autonomy of the UIDAI and “bolster data protection”.
• RTI Act Amendments: The Committee recommends the amendment of section 8(1)(j) of the RTI Act that pertains to the disclosure of personal information in the larger public interest.

Loopholes in Recommendations

• It recommends heavy penalties for private sector’s breach of data privacy laws but adopts a lenient stand regarding the state’s infractions.
• Lax security standards will empower government to misuse the data collected.
• Under the Bill, all financial data has been classified as sensitive personal data which may be detrimental to financial institutions.
• Amendment of RTI Act will further weaken the act which is important for democracy.

Answer : India is vulnerable to narcotic drug trafficking as it is located between two largest Opium producing regions of the world i.e. Golden Crescent in the West and Golden Triangle in the East. Drugs endanger peace, health and stability across regions. This increases the security concern of India across its borders.

These drug traffickers form cartels and organized crime collaborate once they get familiar with the ways to bypass the authorities and security to traffic human, drugs, money laundering, etc. Drug trafficking and organized crimes are intertwined and they are also correlated. Furthermore, drug trafficking has been the origin and is still the main source of income for many of the criminal organizations operating in the region.

• From Western Border: Afghanistan is the main producer and supplier of drugs and transports it to India through terrorist organizations and organized criminals. Terrorist groups use to do money laundering and human trafficking to gather fund for themselves.
• From Eastern Front: Many insurgent groups act as courier for transporting various illegal items especially high worth items. Drug traffickers use to transport arms and ammunition across the border.

The primary counter narcotics focus areas in India includes:

• Surveillance and enforcement at import points and land borders.
• Preventive and interdiction efforts along the known drug routes.
• Control measures at export points, such as air-passenger terminals, cargo terminals and foreign post offices.
• Improved co-ordination between the various drug law enforcement agencies.
• Identification and eradication of illicit cultivation and the wild growth of cannabis and the opium poppy.
• Strengthening of the intelligence apparatus to improve the collection, collation, analysis and dissemination of operational intelligence.
• Increased international co-operation, both in operational and long-term intelligence as well as in investigations and mutual legal assistance.

Other steps to be taken are:

• Appointment of single point of contact agencies to remove multi agency loopholes.
• Utilization of local people for effective community monitoring among people.
• Co-ordination among the neighboring countries for effective monitoring and control.
• Effective monitoring of border areas; for example, use of CBIM (Comprehensive Integrated Border Management System).

Answer : As the World is modernising, it is grappling with new avenues of attack, warfare and security. Before Wright Brothers invented airplane, there was no air force. Similarly, we have a new arena of virtual world, known as cyber world. This cyber world touches every aspect of human life and nation through internet, computer and other digital mediums. Therefore, potential threat of cyber attack may be more dangerous than physical attack.

Potential threats of cyber attack:

• Cyber attack is an attack on computer information system, network and infrastructure through malicious programmes, viruses or worm, etc. Important point is that attackers don’t need to enter the territory of victim. He can attack from his safe home, and attackers have no risk of any kind of losses but can damage extensively.
• The damage due to cyber attack can be very extensive because almost everything is connected or depends on cyber world and internet. There is a big tussle going on in USA.
• Potential threat can be imagined that even the most developed country of the world is not immune from cyber attack which was highlighted by the alleged involvement of cyber warfare to influence US’ presidential elections.
• Recent episodes of cyber attack like Wannacry, ransomeware, petya and many more are affecting life of individuals. In one of such attack London’s health infrastructure was affected badly. Bangladeshi money was hacked out by cyber attackers from international financial institution.
• Financial institutions depend on digital transactions. Financial transactions and operations are prone to cyber attacks. All the services like health, education security are linked to cyber world. Thereby cyber attack has the potential to make any country to freeze and life of every citizen could be affected. All this can be done with very small cost of developing dangerous programmes. These cyber bombs are very cheap and much lethal than real physical bombs.

Security framework to prevent it

As every part of the World is developing cyber security, India is also preparing for it. Various initiatives by India are–

• CERT-In - Indian computer emergency response team
• NTRO - National Technical Research Organisation which develops technological capabilities for cyber security
• National Intelligence Grid
• Cyber Swachhata Kendra - botnet clearing and malware analysis centre
• vInformation Technology Act

All these and many other initiatives are coordinated through National Cyber Security Policy, 2013. CERT-In is the nodal agency for all cyber security efforts. The post of National Cyber Security Coordinator was created in 2014. All of these create a very strong cyber security framework to prevent cyber attacks.

Works have been initiated to set up Indian Cyber Crime Coordination centre on the recommendation of Gulshan Rai Committee. But more needs to be done in the fields of creating cyber security experts. India has very few skilled cyber security experts. However, initiatives have been taken in this direction also. India and the World need the cyber army of cyber security experts to prevent the potential threat of cyber attacks.

Answer : For a very long period North-East region played the role of Buffer region. Development had eluded the region. In this background, we have to analyse various complex reasons for survival of armed insurgency in the region.

Analysis of major reasons:

1. Lack of development of this region is a major reason. Due to this, youth and other sections of population had very limited economic opportunities to explore. They became easy prey to the various insurgent groups who trained them and used them for the purpose of extortions and armed insurgency.
2. Remoteness and very narrow connectivity through land is another hurdle, which is present till date. Prior to the Independence, the region was connected to mainland through the present-day Bangladesh. But now it is connected to the rest of India through a narrow 23 km-wide Silliguri corridor only. This creates a big hurdle for development agencies to effectively develop the region.
3. Internal connection among the 7 sister States is also in poor state, characterized by hilly terrains and very limited availability of train and road connectivity. Insurgent groups have been able to flourish as it has been tough for Indian military and police forces to neutralise them.
4. Various kinds of ethnic strife are inherently present in the North-East regions which create a breeding ground for insurgency. So, they reappear again and again. There are various tribal and ethnic groups with clashing interests e.g. Naga, Mizo, Kuki, Bodo. Continuous tussles go on among them, resulting in continuous insurgency.

• There is another tension created by the migration of Bangladeshis. It is specially a major tension in the regions of Assam.
• The sheer number of insurgent groups also makes it very difficult to control them. There are 30 - 50 insurgent groups in which about 20 groups are active at any time.
• Some separatist elements also get external support; long and porous international boundaries make it difficult to control insurgency hence they are continuing for very long time.
• Administrative apathy is another reason which fuels armed insurgency. Coercive methods of policing including laws like Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) are imposed. These prevent integration of local population with development agencies. Hence, armed insurgent groups find favourable ground.

Lack of development is not only hindering the trade and business opportunities but affecting every aspect of the Indian citizens of North East India. Only few medical colleges and engineering colleges are there. Most of the regions are not even having higher education institutions for normal graduation. This fuels the feeling of alienation among the society of North East.

But, now the interest in North East development has revived and soon there will be effects of two pronged strategy to curb armed insurgency with development and strict law & order.

Answer : Law and order is a State Subject in the Indian Constitutional scheme. But, recent incidences of mob violence are not the case of simple law and order problem. It has become a complex issue with involvement of emotive public sentiment, ICT-based social media, religion and many other issues. Taking note of various example will help to analyse cause and consequence of such violence.

Various example of mob violence

• Jat quota agitation in February 2016
• Cauvery agitation in Bengaluru in September 2016
• Dimapur mob lynching of 2015 after breaking into prison
• 2015 Dadri mob violence case
• Pehlu Khan case
• Various unreported cases of vigilante mob justice after petty crime or theft
• Recent case of Panchkula violence in August 2017
• DSP lynching case of Srinagar in 2017

There are many other examples also. These examples clearly indicate that in every part of India such mob violence is going on. It is not related with just 1-2 state’s law & order problem. There are many underlying trigger points, ranging from religion to political motivation. But these visible causes are not real. Real cause lies elsewhere.

Causes of Mob Violence

All the above-mentioned incidents and causes were the mere trigger points. The real cause lies in the criminal justice system, rule of law and public perception of it—

1. Delay in criminal justice creates a public perception that justice is denied to them. So, when they catch a thief or petty criminal they try to deliver instant justice. It becomes such as emotive charge that 7000-8000 people rallied to break state prison in Dimapur (Assam) and dragged the rape suspect out and lynched to death. There was certainly a sense of delivering immediate justice due to long delays in justice system.
2. The delay in justice delivery plays another role. Criminals and anti-social elements get emboldened because of it as they know nothing will happen to them immediately and they can afford to destroy property and indulge in violence. This was visible in Bengaluru (Cauvery agitaiton) and Jat quota agitation.
3. Many a times some people and organisations purposefully instigate mob violence. As it is alleged that Panchkula violence was instigated and planned by men of one godman to show their strength and influence.
4. Communal hatred and communal politics are another big cause of mob violence. The cow vigilante groups, Dadri lynching and communal riots happen due to spread of religious hatred by vested interest group.
5. Wide connection and fake news, rumours on social media has become another cause. Where instigative information, false or true, is spread to large masses and mob violence occur.

Consequences of mob violence

There are many legal consequences but economy and society is also affected badly.

[A] Legal & administrative consequences

• Decline of faith in police and administration
• Rule of law is compromised
• Law and order further deteriorates
• Criminalisation of common man occurs
• Criminals get emboldened

[B] Economic consequences

• Direct loss of property in the violence.
• Violence and weak law & order hinders economic progress for long time.
• National and international image of the region is affected which becomes an obstacle for stable investment. Like the Cauvery agitation in Bengaluru maligned its image of IT - hub and Silicon Valley of India. This has a very long-term impact.
• Individual and private property is lost in such violence.

Social consequence

• Direct loss of many life in such violence.
• Social fragmentation occurs between different communities.
• Communalization of society occurs.
• Society stands sharply divided and harmony is lost.

Answer : Terrorism is use of fear, terror and violence to achieve one’s objective. After the rise of ISIS to control terrorism has become further challenging.

Solution to the growing menace of terrorism

• The very first and essential step to solve terrorism is to have an objective and very broad definition of terrorism. Small form of terrorism or precursor to terrorism are not at all considered terrorism by many. This leads to sowing of seeds of terrorism.
• We need to focus on the security aspect and social aspect to solve terrorism. Security surveillance on borders should be modernised. Crime and criminal tracking network should be implemented throughout the country to monitor crime and terrorism in real time. Effective control on arms smuggling should be done.
• Apart from above, laws should be made stricter. Bail should be denied in case of terrorism. Laws should be drafted for effective surveillance of digital world where terrorist organisations leave definite trail of their activity.
• Apart from security aspect, society also needs attention. Deradicalization of society should be done. Youth, educational institutions should be the focus of deradicalization programmes. Secularization of administration and politics be achieved in letter and spirit.

Major sources of terrorist funding

• External sources of funding are the major sources to fund terror. Many states provide such terror funding. Even arms industries are also alleged to be funding terror to support their business.
• Money laundering and Tax Havens are also involved in funding terrorism. Evidences of terror funding were also unearthed by the Panama Paper leaks. Fake currency is also a big source.
• Drug trafficking, human trafficking, arms smuggling and extortion are the major source. Now they are also generating resources from trade in illegal wildlife products.
• Resources generated from various sources are channelised through digital means and laundered to the terror organisations.

Answer : Surgical strike refers to swift and targeted attack on specific targets such as on enemy base located behind enemy lines, with an aim to neutralise them while ensuring minimum collateral damage to the surrounding areas and civilians. Hot pursuit means chasing an enemy behind the border of another nation when he is retracting.

The terms ‘hot pursuit’ and ‘surgical strike’ become a matter of public discussion after the Indian army carried out a surgical strike against terrorists along Indo-Pak border and the hot pursuit of Naga rebels behind Myanmar border.

Strategic impacts:

• The surgical strike and hot pursuit reflects dropping the policy of ‘strategic restraint’ and such on offensive approach at times becomes inevitable so as to have a minimum credible deterrent against enemies. Too much peaceful response sometimes considered as a sign of weakness by the enemies including state and non-state actors.
• These kind of actions could also ignite another spiral of violence in Kashmir and the anti-India elements might push for similar attacks against India. However the aftermath showed that the surgical strike could achieve its desired objectives without any strong response from the enemies.
• In the case of the hot pursuit in Myanmar, even though an initial chest-thumping invited displeasure from the military junta of Myanmar, issues were amicably solved and Myanmar extended cooperation to the Indian army.
• Both the surgical strike and hot pursuit pose a credible deterrence to the terrorists and instill in them the fear of repercussions. Both of these are critical strategies of the army; however these are extremely sensitive in nature. Choosing the right time and place is of vital importance.

Answer : Terrorism refers to unlawful use of violence in order to further the social, political or religious ideology of a group of people, referred to as terrorists.

• Terrorism is no longer a very isolated or concealed activity especially in the digital era. People are getting trained in hardcore doctrines and ideologies and ideology inspired attacks are on the rise in the recent years.
• The global outlook of terrorism in the past decade shows that it has several characteristics of a competitive industry. There has been a proliferation of numerous terror outfits spreading terror in the same manner as numerous industries producing the same type of goods. Just like competition among industries, these terror outfits are often competing with each other to be the leader.
• In the recent years, the terror outfits have started controlling the factors of production such as land (eg: IS still controls substantial portion of land in Syria and Iraq), labour (by recruiting more and more people to their ranks) capital (state sponsored terror outfits Hezbollah by Iran, Hamas by Qatar; revenues generated from selling oil in the case of IS) and entrepreneurship (emerging new leaders setting up newer terror outfits in the same manner as starting new business ventures).
• Terror outfits have also started to expand their reach and resources by engaging in drugs trade, human trafficking and partnering with organized criminal groups. By setting up branches in different countries and continents, they have started a new style of franchising terror. Al Qaeda has its branches in Africa as well as in south Asia, while several outfits across the world have pledged allegiance to Islamic state.
• Terrorism as an industry is also characterised by leveraging of social media for marketing their ideologies and recruiting new employees (fighters in their ranks) through mass propaganda.
• There is a need for the world to join hands and take concrete steps to address these issues. There needs to have a strong counter propaganda against the terror groups. Multilateral cooperation is extremely crucial in this context. Accepting and ratifying the comprehensive conventions on international terrorism (CCIT) proposed by India would be a welcome step in this regard.

Answer : For India, with its 15,000 km of land border running through 17 states and coastline of 7500 km touching 12 states and union Territories, border management always poses a complex challenge. The international border traverses through different and adverse climatic conditions, physiography and relief.

• Border management does not mean erecting static structures or walls with mounted electronic complements, rather it implies the coordination and concerted action by political leadership and administrative diplomatic, security, intelligence and economic agencies to secure one frontiers on all counts.
• Border management in India is the responsibility of the central Armed Police Forces (Commonly known as paramilitary forces) along with the army in certain places. Both the Indo-Pakistan and Indo-Bangladesh borders are guarded by the Border Security Force (BSF). The Indo-China border is guarded by the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), a specialized mountain force. Both the Indo-Nepal and Indo-Bhutan borders are guarded by the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), while the Indo-Myanmar border is guarded by the Assam Rifles.
• Since the international borders are not uniform in character along with different threat perceptions the number of personnel required to guard the borders varies from border to border and sector to sector.
• The dynamic nature of the problem, concerning border management is brought out by the increasing sensitivity of the porous borders with Nepal, Bangladesh and Myanmar. While the once peaceful Indo-Nepal border was an avenue for cultural exchanges it is increasingly being used by the ISI (Inter-services intelligence) backed terrorists as a safe passage to India. In the recent years security has been beefed up in the sectors and the intelligence agencies were successful in tracing terrorists.
• The Indo-Bangladesh border is particularly notorious for its porosity. A large part of this border is riverine and rivers keep changing their course. The illegal migration of Bangladeshis to India is also a pressing issue.
• The porous border and the free movement regime between India and Myanmar eventhough promote integration and exchanges between same tribal communities (eg. Nagas) of both the countries, it is being exploited by the insurgent groups of north east.
• A discordant political relationship, recurrent wars and Pakistan’s material support for militants compelled India to harden its international border with Pakistan. Whenever there was an initiative to gradually open up the border for increased trade and travel, a number of issues such as infiltration by terrorists and militants, cross-border shelling and sniping, trafficking of drugs and arms pose a challenge to the effective management of the border.
• Some of the main problems currently affecting the management of our borders include maritime boundaries, some of which are still undefined just like our land border un-demarcated at certain places (e.g. Indo-Chinese border).

Suggestions:

• Border guarding forces need to be strengthened both in terms of equipment and man-power. A more dynamic mode of border management and surveillance is expedient with deployment of all terrain vehicles, drones and hovercrafts.
• Setting up of more integrated check posts (ICP) such as in Petrapole in West Bengal will help in strengthening bilateral trade as well as the border management process.
• The forces hostile to India have tended to occupy the vacuum created by the inadequate reach of the national media. Timely release of information to the media would help in addressing such invidious propaganda. However the access to sensitive data has to remain restricted.
• Above all the bordering countries need to resolve land and maritime boundary disputes or at least constantly engage through bilateral talks (ministerial level, defence attache level or track II diplomacy) and confidence building measures.

Answer : With the rise of Islamic State (IS) and the massive propaganda of their ideology through online platforms, the security challenge faced by intelligence agencies has become much more complex. Thousands have joined the ranks of terror outfits after being persuaded by the constant propaganda; and the ideology inspired lone-wolf attacks are on the rise throughout the world.

• The purpose of using the internet for terrorist activities is two-fold i.e., it can be used for communicative or instrumental activities. This includes psychological warfare data mining, publicity and propaganda, fund raising, recruitment and mobilization, networking, sharing information, and planning and coordinating attacks. Social media sites connect likeminded individuals together, create in group identification and increase their animosity towards specific issues. The internet is a very powerful and effective accelerant that plays a role in the radicalization process. However, it is not a substitute for in-person gathering rather it complements in-person communication.

Suggestions:

• In order to eliminate the threats posed by internet and social media use by terrorists and their sympathisers, there needs to be an effective and enhanced international cooperation coupled with increased information sharing between domestic and foreign intelligence agencies and local and national law enforcements.
• Law enforcement agencies need to work alongside social media corporations to shut down accounts that support or sympathise with terror outfits such as Islamic State (IS). Self-policing by users to identify objectionable content often poses challenges to freedom of expression. So, the task needs to be carried out with a pro-active involvement of the social media companies. Facebook and Twitters terms of service already condemn the promotion of terrorism and the accounts that engage in the promotion of terrorist acts would be suspended.Messenger apps like whatsapp and telegram with data encryption facility is another challenge faced by intelligence agencies. This needs to be addressed along with the issue of social media.
• The national cyber security policy needs to take care of these issues on a priority basis. A coordinated effort among security and intelligence agencies and cyber crime task forces is the need of the hour. Along with these, awareness to prevent the youth from falling to such propaganda by terror groups should also be accorded priority.

Answer : The essence of the important sections of AFSPA, opposed by activists are as follows:

(a)Sec 4. gives the army powers to search premises and make arrests without warrants, to use force even to the extent of causing death, destroy arms/ammunition dumps, fortifications, shelters and hideouts and to stop, search and seize any vehicles.

(b)Sec 6. stipulates that arrested persons and seized property is to be handed over to the police with least possible delay.

(c)Sec 7. offers protection of personnel acting in good faith in their official capacity. Prosecution is permitted only with the sanction of the Central Govt.

• During exceptional situations of internal disturbance in India, the Indian Army is called in to quell the potential and actual violence. In such a context, the army is given extraordinary powers under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act. By any reckoning, the AFSPA provides harsh powers, but tough situations require tough measures. Critics of the AFSPA may not recognize that insurgents are now often well-trained. Insurgent or rebel groups may be funded and armed by foreign powers with the intention of creating a secessionist movement within India. The trained rebels carry modern arms and munitions which are often better than what the local police use, and they use this fire power to inflict huge casualties on the security forces. A case in point is the massacre, in a single ambush, of more than 70 men of the Central Reserve Police Force by Maoist rebels in Dantewada in the state of Chattisgarh in April 2010. The human rights aspects of this law also need to be clearly understood. Civilian casualties in areas of insurgency tend to be cited as “atrocities” committed by the armed forces. It is important to remember that in most counter-insurgency situations the rebel fires first, he also almost always takes cover behind innocent bystanders, he is not in uniform and the weapon is the only thing that differentiates him from a civilian. In such crossfire, civilians will be injured or killed as in any war zone. The army cannot be faulted for this.
• The Supreme Court in its judgment in 1997, in the case of the Naga Peoples’ Movement for Human Rights vs Union of India, upholded the constitutional validity of the AFSPA. The Supreme Court made the following observations:
• AFSPA is constitutionally valid. Parliament is competent to enact this Act in view of Entry 1 of the State List and Article 248 read with Entry 97 and Entries 2 and 2-A of the Union List. Since Parliament is competent to enact AFSPA, it is not open to challenge on the ground of being a colourable legislation or a fraud on the legislative power conferred on Parliament. Under Article 355 of the Constitution, a duty has been imposed on the Union to protect every State against external aggression and internal disturbance and to ensure that the Government of every State is carried on in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution. ‘Disturbed or dangerous condition’ with which AFSPA deals is not similar to ‘armed rebellion’ within the meaning of Art. 352 and therefore, validity of the Act cannot be challenged on ground of Parliament seeking to bypass Art. 352 or 356 which pertain to more drastic powers. For an area to be declared as a “disturbed area” there must exist a grave situation of law and order on the basis of which the Governor of the State or the Central Government can form an opinion that the area is in such a disturbed or dangerous condition that the use of armed forces in aid of the civil power is necessary. It cannot, therefore, be said that an arbitrary and unguided power has been conferred in the matter of declaring an area as disturbed area under Section 2(b) read with Section 3 of the Central Act. The powers under Section 4(a) of AFSPA can be exercised only when (a) a prohibitory order of the nature specified in that clause is in force in the disturbed area; (b) the officer exercising those powers forms the opinion that it is necessary to take action for maintenance of public order against the person/persons acting in contravention of such prohibitory order; and (c) a due warning as the officer considers necessary is given before taking action. The laying down of these conditions gives an indication that while exercising the powers the officer shall use minimal force required for effective action against the person/persons acting in contravention of the prohibitory order. In the circumstances, it cannot be said that clause (a) of Section 4 suffers from the vice of arbitrariness or is unreasonable.
• Immediately after any operation and especially so if it leads to the death of a terrorist or any collateral damage, over ground workers of various insurgent groups take the legal route. If the safeguards of AFSPA are not there, the army’s leadership will be answering court summons far more often than leading operations. It will also have a telling effect on one of the basic tenets of counter insurgency – officers will not take any initiative to launch anti-terror operations. In effect, we will have played into the hands of the terror groups, comprehensively. Without the army’s counter-terrorism measures under the AFSPA, India could have lost Jammu and Kashmir in the 1990s. The government at the time had almost given up, but the army stood firm in its constitutional duty to safeguard and retain every inch of Indian territory. This remains the standing order for the army to this day.

Answer : The Islamic State of Iraq and the Syria is a Salafi jihadist militant group that adheres to an Islamic fundamentalist, Wahhabi doctrine of Sunni Islam. The mission of ISIS encompasses establishing a worldwide caliphate which is basically an idea of an enormous Islamic state that encompasses all Muslims worldwide. The group has named Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi as its caliph. As a caliphate, it claims religious, political and military authority over all Muslims worldwide. ISIS’s apparent strategy seems to be to overthrow the existing governments of unstable, heavily Muslim nations and establish their own theocratic state in its place. The path to this full-fledged Islamic State may be a very bloody one. Most Muslims won’t submit to Al-Baghdadi’s particularly brutal interpretation of Islam and ISIS’ have its own atrocious ways of dealing with such nonbelievers.

• The major concern for the country is a spillover of the sectarian strife in the middle-east and neighboring region to India and its effects on the internal security of India. The ISIS is no longer a distant phenomenon. It has reached our neighbourhood. The Pakistan Taliban has declared its allegiance to the ISIS. In Bangladesh, there have been arrests of individuals engaged in recruiting Bangladeshis for the ISIS. In Maldives, entire families have left the country to participate in the battles being waged by the ISIS. Actually, the ISIS has made its presence felt in India already, particularly in Jammu and Kashmir, where its flags are displayed by Kashmiri youths now and then. If and when the ISIS targets India directly, it would have full support of transnational terrorist groups like the Lashkar-e-Taiba, Hizbul Mujahideen and Jaish-e-Muhammad as also the indigenous outfits like the Indian Mujahideen and Students Islamic Movement of India. The official view is that very few Indians have gone to join the ISIS. True, but as stated in the US Country Report on Terrorism for 2014, ‘given India’s large Muslim population, potential socio-religious marginalisation and active ISIL online propaganda efforts, there remains a risk of increased ISIL recruitment of Indian nationals”. There is enough evidence to suggest that the Indian Muslims are gradually getting radicalised. A conflict between Shias and Sunnis erupting in the immediate future or later in the country is not being ruled out.The social media campaign by the ISIS is ideally placed to exploit alienated members of the society. This has already been witnessed to a lesser degree, in which a small number of people have volunteered to fight for the terrorist group in Iraq. This can potentially achieve sharper focus if it is brought to bear on Indian targets, especially in the immediate aftermath of communally surcharged incidents.
• Therefore, it is clear that India needs to strengthen the capacity building of the police forces in states through training programmes, to be organized by central intelligence and security agencies. We need to sensitise the states about the existing and emerging threats to the internal security situation in the country. The country requires a measured approach and a community outreach to counter the ISIS threat to its security.

Answer : According to RAW, Naxalism is the biggest internal security threat to India. The people in Naxalite zone want exactly the same things we want. They want basic amenities, infrastructure and opportunities to grow. Oppressed population, including tribes and rural dalits, wanted their share of land which was denied to them for generations. These conflicts go back to the failure to implement the 5th and 6th Schedules of the Constitution of India. Consider Odisha, one of the most mineral-rich states in the country. Like its mineral-rich neighbours Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh, Orissa is also encouraging steel, aluminium and power companies like POSCO, Vedanta etc to set up factories, promising them mines to extract iron ore, bauxite and coal, but it is witnessing people’s resistance to these projects because as per critics the state government signed pacts with various companies promising them thousands of acres of land without taking into account the concerns of locals. Such issues gave rise to the menace of naxalism. Landless farmers and peasants feel cheated for being denied cultivable lands on which they toiled for a pittance. Naxalite groups systematically capitalize on this resentment.

• In the face of repeated failure of traditional ‘security’ approach, new approach needs to be explored towards addressing Naxalism, having three distinct pillars - security, development and political mobilization. We need greater representation of local people in the police and paramilitary forces to bridge the trust deficit.We also need a better understanding of local social and tribal networks and need to make a proactive effort to engage with local communities and proper sensitization and training of the security forces. Next, the local administration must be given the flexibility to hire locals to deliver public services. The administration must work closely with local NGOs and Community Based Organizations (CBOs) which have well-developed relationships of trust with local communities. Also, sustainable livelihood opportunities for tribals need to be expanded. Also, we need to create conditions for political engagement, bringing locals into the political mainstream as partners and decision-makers. Political parties must conduct local membership drives and provide opportunities to local leadership in state politics. Tribals should have more secure property rights and a greater say in local decisions, especially those relating to their land and livelihoods.
• Naxalism has long presented the greatest threat to the country’s security and has also highlighted the underlying weakness of the Indian government, which has failed to establish refined political institutions and have failed to provide sound socio-economic structures. We need to find the loopholes in the law and order of the country and curb this dangerous menace.

Answer : With an aim to monitor and protect information and strengthen defenses from cyber attacks, the National Cyber Security Policy 2013 was released on July 2, 2013 by the Government of India. The purpose of this framework document is to ensure a secure and resilient cyberspace for citizens, businesses and the government. With rapid urbanization and the concept of smart cities, which mainly depends on information and communication technologies (ICT) to provide public services, we can expect cyber attacks on important infrastructures of the smart cities that are facilitated by ICT and technology. The Cyber Security Policy aims at protection of information infrastructure in cyberspace, reduce vulnerabilities, build capabilities to prevent and respond to cyber threats and minimize damage from cyber incidents through a combination of institutional structures, people, process, technology and cooperation.

• The release of the National Cyber Security Policy 2013 is an important step towards securing the cyber space of our country. However, there are certain areas which need further deliberations for its actual implementation. The provisions to take care of security risks emanating due to use of new technologies e.g. Cloud Computing, has not been addressed. Another area which is left untouched by this policy is tackling the risks arising due to increased use of social networking sites by criminals and anti-national elements. There is also a need to incorporate cyber crime tracking, cyber forensic capacity building and creation of a platform for sharing and analysis of information between public and private sectors on continuous basis.
• Creating a workforce of 500,000 professionals needs further deliberations as to whether this workforce will be trained to simply monitor the cyberspace or trained to acquire offensive as well as defensive cyber security skill sets. Indigenous development of cyber security solutions as enumerated in the policy is laudable but these solutions may not completely tide over the supply chain risks and would also require building testing infrastructure and facilities of global standards for evaluation.
• Indian Armed forces are in the process of establishing a cyber command as a part of strengthening the cyber security of defence network and installations. Creation of cyber command will entail a parallel hierarchical structure and being one of the most important stakeholders, it will be prudent to address the jurisdiction issues right at the beginning of policy implementation. The global debate on national security versus right to privacy and civil liberties is going on for long. Although, one of the objectives of this policy aims at safeguarding privacy of citizen data however, no specific strategy has been outlined to achieve this objective.
• The key to success of this policy lies in its effective implementation. The much talked about public-private partnership in this policy, if implemented in true spirit, will go a long way in creating solutions to the ever-changing threat landscape.

Answer : Production of the Indian defence product was entirely lying up in the government hands. The Defence sector was totally restricted for the private players to enter, until the defence industry in India was thrown open to the private sector in May 2001. However, the policy of increasing the FDI to 26% has failed to attract any substantive FDI in the defence Sector. With the increase in the cap to 49%, there will be following changes in the Indian Economy:

• Firstly, there will be increase in the substantive economic advantages such as the increased flow of funds from a foreign source, greater FDI leads to more employment opportunities for the local population which in turn will lead to taxes and other revenues will flow back to the local economy.
• Secondly, with the increase in cap, private players such as companies from USA, China, U.K., etc., will be attracted towards, the Indian economy as now they can have share in the Indian defence Companies.
• Thirdly, it will add to the technologies to the Indian defence sector as it will have more of foreign players. Transfer of technology will be an important factor in the defence area.
• Fourthly, the management of the Indian Company will definitely lie towards the Government as there was an apprehension that there can be threat to the national security.

Answer : India does remain threatened by terrorist attacks and, like all governments facing such dangers, has to defend the country against further deadly incidents. Counterterrorism measures need to be adopted to deal with the different ways in which these attacks are administered. The problems of terrorism are grave and real, and India needs to confront these challenges in a vigorous and forceful manner to prevent attacks from happening, and to prepare an adequate response mechanism when attacks occur.

Different strategies –

1. Enhancing Capabilities with Networking of Border and Coastal Security Management
2. Successfully revamping the institutional structure to deal with terrorism such as the creation of a National Counterterrorism Center, modernization of police forces.
3. Bolstering institutional capacity to counter terror is going to be a long and demanding task, but it is an essential aspect of an effective and comprehensive counterterrorism policy. All this requires political will and leadership.
4. Issues of economic backwardness, underdevelopment and unemployment need to be revisited by the political elite, and efforts to overcome some of these root causes should be addressed. For a comprehensive strategy, India should combine the military, judicial and economic aspects into the counterinsurgency doctrine. Most of the strategies that the government plans to undertake move in the direction of preventing the symptoms but do not necessarily eradicate the disease.
5. Counterterrorism strategies have to be an international effort due to the transnational nature of terrorism in matters of networking, funding, armaments and weapons, and political and religious support. India has been a victim of cross-border terrorism not only within the Indian borders but also in Kabul, Afghanistan, where it is the second largest donor of aid and has been investing a lot in infrastructure development.

Answer : Large-scale and unchecked illegal immigration from neighboring countries like Bangladesh and Nepal has tremendous implications on India. India’s border states – North-East states and West Bengal – have been major entry points for millions of illegal immigrants from neighbouring countries.

For the Indian state, the security implications of large-scale migration from both Bangladesh and Nepal are varied but inter-related, given the complex nature of migration and the multiple identities that migrants profess. They cover demographic changes, growth of radicalism, particularly Islamic fundamentalism, regionalism, and more importantly, involvement and even encroachment of foreign powers on the country’s sovereign space. All these threats to territorial integrity, core values or socio-political practices of the Indian state interact, sometimes reinforcing each other.

Factors that give impetus to such migration are:

• Not enough jobs/ opportunities at origin country
• Famine/drought
• Political instability and persecution
• Poor medical care
• Natural Disasters
• Slavery

Strategies to curb

• Both the Indo-Bangladesh and Indo-Nepal borders must be managed to India’s best advantage.
• Effective border management, including regulation of the porous and open border, border fencing, effective utilisation of border guarding forces and control by immigration check posts (ICPs) will check illegal migration from both Bangladesh and Nepal.
• The porous and open nature of the Indo-Nepal border must be changed.
• India should contribute to the economic development of Bangladesh in order to check migration needs to be carefully examined.
• In order to control illegal migration that brings with it other problems like smuggling of narcotics, arms and weapons and cross-border terrorism, there should be compulsory registration of all citizens and non-citizens living in India.

Answer : Following increasing cases of piracy near Somalia that occasionally extended as far as Lakshadweep, industry bodies working in tandem with International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS) — constituted in 2009 following a U.N. resolution with States and international bodies as members to work together to rid the seas of piracy — decided to move the longitude marking off the high-risk area in the Arabian Sea from 65 degrees to 78 east. The new classification extended the high-risk area much closer to the Indian coast barring the nation’s territorial waters of 12 nautical miles. The guidelines for ships advise them on evasive action against piracy.

The changed classification resulted in ships hugging the Indian coast and often cruising in Indian territorial waters — from Mangalore to Kanyakumari — while transiting the Arabian Sea. Many of these merchant vessels have armed guards as allowed by IMO. The fallout of the classification was an exorbitant hike in insurance premiums of vessels bound for zones with enhanced risk. The premiums came down following deployment of armed guards on their ships, as most providers of security collaborated with insurance groups.

Answer : China and Pakistan have kicked off their multi-billion dollar Economic Corridor project that passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) by laying the foundation of a fenced four-lane motorway. Planned to connect Kashgar in China’s Xinjiang with Pakistan’s Gwadar Port in Balochistan province, the corridor is expected to serve as a terminal for China to pump oil procurement from Persian Gulf.

According to China, the Corridor a “flagship” project to strengthen its connectivity with neighbouring countries and an initiative set to aid strategic framework for pragmatic cooperation between the two nations. The two countries should facilitate the development of Gwadar Port in south-western Pakistan, strengthen cooperation in energy and electricity projects and the planned industrial parks along the corridor,

India has expressed its reservations to China over the corridor as it will pass through the PoK. It may weaken the claim of India over the PoK and it will make the issues of PoK an international dispute by China making claim about its interest in the region. China, meanwhile, defends the project saying it will help in regional development.

Answer : India’s emerging status as financial centre, large system of cross border money flows and widely perceived tax avoidance problems, all constitute to money laundering. This process is of critical importance, as it enables the criminal to enjoy these profits without jeopardising their source.

Illegal arms sales, smuggling, and the activities of organised crime, including for example, drug trafficking and prostitution rings, can generate huge sums. Embezzlement, insider trading, bribery and computer fraud schemes can also produce large profits and create the incentive to “legitimise” the ill-gotten gains through money laundering.

Steps which are required to control this menace are as follows:

• Stronger legislations
• International institutional cooperation.
• Transparency in financial deals.
• Border management

India has amended its Act recently in 2012, that is, Prevention of Money Laundering Act (2002) amendment in 2012 included clauses like concept of “reporting entity” and “corresponding laws” to link with law of other countries. It has also joined FATF (Financial Action Task Force) and various other international groups like Egmont group, etc. at global level in crusade against this menace. India has also gained Membership of the Eurasian Group (EAG).

India has joined the Task Force on Financial Integrity and Economic Development in order to bring greater transparency and accountability in the financial system.

Answer : Social networking sites are broadly defined as, web based services that allow individuals to construct a public or semi-public profile within a bounded system, articulate a list of other users with whom they share a connection, and view and traverse their list of connection and those made by others within the system.

Example of some of the social networking sites are Face book, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.

Security challenges which these sites present:

• Account hacking, malware and social engineering, brand attacks and information leaks can all lead to a loss of productivity, customer trust, or even a loss of confidential data vital to business.
• Another significant security risk involves malware and social engineering. While the two aren’t always connected, one of the easiest ways to spread malicious software is through social engineering. The facebook worm is one example of this type of social engineering at work. There are plenty of similar examples of malware that spread on social media sites. Aside from the loss of productivity due to time spent removing malware, a malicious program can have severely negative effects on a computer leading to data loss and computers being rendered completely inoperable without a fresh image being put onto the machine, leading to significantly more productivity loss.
• There is also the potential for confidential information to be leaked through social media site
• The rapid spread of false information through social media is among the emerging risks
• Its constituent, content and evolving power could not be controlled. It has to be understood and adopted.
• Servers are located outside, so even structural constraints create problem.
• Communalism, regionalism can easily gather its momentum. Law and order problems.

Answer : Cyber warfare is the fourth dimension of warfare apart from land, air and water arena. Cyber warfare is Internet-based conflict involving politically motivated attacks on information and information systems. Cyber warfare attacks can disable official websites and networks, disrupt or disable essential services, steal or alter classified data, and cripple financial systems -- among many other possibilities. In other words, it is a form of information warfare which is politically motivated to conduct sabotage and espionage.

The cyber threats to which India is vulnerable are:

• Cyber espionage and national security breaches which includes act of obtaining secrets of sensitive and classified information.
• Cyber sabotage which involves destruction of vulnerable components of system.
• Cyber hacking which includes DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attack by making resources unavailable to intended users.

The recent DRDO breach was a classical case of cyber war attack rather than mere hacking. It was an attack on India’s critical information infrastructure. Over the past few years, India has witnessed a growing number of cyber assaults, with government departments, particularly defence establishments, coming under attack. Hacker group ‘Anonymous’ carried out a series of Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks against a number of government websites, in retaliation against the alleged Internet censorship.

Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) and other agencies regularly review India’s preparedness to fight/ward off various cyber security threats including security on a regular basis. The Government has also set up a Committee to look into the aspects of interception of encrypted communications comprehensively for all types of services so as to address the needs of security agencies. Besides, the Government of India has showed its preparedness to tackle cyber threat by releasing National Cyber Security Policy, 2013.

The provisions of National Cyber Security Policy 2013, endorse India’s preparedness to address cyber threats. The provisions are:

• Protection of information infrastructure in cyberspace, reduce vulnerabilities, build capabilities to prevent and respond to cyber threats and minimize damage from cyber incidents through a combination of institutional structures, people, process, technology and cooperation
• A national and sectoral 24×7 mechanism has been envisaged to deal with cyber threats through National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre (NCIIPC).
• Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) has been designated to act as a nodal agency for coordination of crisis management efforts.
• Calls for effective public and private partnership and collaborative engagements through technical and operational cooperation.
• Emphasis has been given in the promotion of research and development in cyber security.
• Creating a workforce of 500,000 professionals trained in cyber security in the next 5 years is also envisaged in the policy through skill development and training.
• Plans to promote and launch a comprehensive national awareness programme on security of cyberspace through cyber security workshops, seminars and certifications with a view to develop awareness of the challenges of cyber security amongst citizens.
• Organizations are required to develop their information security policies properly dovetailed into their business plans and implement such polices as per international best practices.
• Provisions of fiscal schemes and incentives have been incorporated in the policy to encourage entities to install trustworthy ICT products and continuously upgrade information infrastructure with respect to cyber security.2013

Answer : Article 244 (1) lays down the provisions of Fifth Schedule wherein Tribal Advisory Council need to be constituted, with (3/4) representative of scheduled tribe in the legislative assembly of state. It shall be the duty of TAC to advice on such matters pertaining to the welfare and advancement of scheduled tribe in the state, as referred by governor. Similarly, Article 244(2) deals with the provisions of regional and district councils in states like Meghalaya, Assam, Tripura and Mizoram.

Subjects of both Article 244(1) and 244 (2) deal with constituents like management of forests, allocation, occupation and the use of land, social customs and inheritance of property.

However, non-implementation of the provisions of 5th Schedule has had a considerable impact on the growth of left wing extremism. Under the Fifth Schedule, the Governors can not only direct that any particular law or part thereof may not apply to a Scheduled Area, but also make regulation for good governance and peace in these areas. The Governors can intervene in areas relating to-prohibition or restriction of the transfer of land by or among Scheduled Tribe members; regulation of allotment of land in such areas; and the regulation of money-lending activities. Hence, it is not merely a matter of coincidence that Left-Wing Extremism is prevalent in the Schedule V areas.

Reasons can be traced to:

• Absence of sufficiently empowered Tribal Advisory Council:- In most of the scheduled areas the Tribal Advisory Council are notsufficiently empowered to address the local issues like land transfer.
• Undermining the role of tribal advisory council or bypassing it.
• This makes the locals feel alienated leading to creation of chasm between government and local people. Violation of land laws and encroachment of tribal peoples rights have further strengthened the cause for people to get disillusioned and hence, their tacit support, sometime for LWE.

Answer : India’s internal security is very complex and dynamic because of its diversified socio-economic and political background. Having hostile neighbours stretched on most of our north and west border also doesn’t help ease these problems and instead from time to time external forces have helped domestic dissidents in order to jeopardize India’s internal security. The infiltration of armed mercenary terrorists from Pakistan, mass migrations from Bangladesh into lower Assam, the smuggling of consumer goods and fake Indian currency from Nepal, the operations of ULFA militants from safe hideouts in Bhutan and the sanctuaries available to the insurgent groups of the north-eastern states in Myanmar and Bangladesh, have all posed serious security challenges before India.

• By and large, all these internal security challenges are one way or the other linked to porous border. In the other way round, the porous border inevitably leads to a volatile internal security situation in the bordering states of the country.
• The challenge of coping with long-standing territorial and boundary disputes with China and Pakistan, combined with porous borders along some of the most difficult terrain in the world, has made extremely effective and efficient border management mandatory.
• The porous India-Nepal border has proved to be a haven for terrorists who easily escape to Nepal after each attack. Besides, vulnerability of India-Nepal border facilitate in drug-trafficking, money laundering, and counterfeit currency trading.
• The Government needs to fence the border with Nepal to address these security challenges. It would also help in setting up checkposts, deploy more security personnel and introduce a visa system to curtail infiltration/illegal entry into India.
• The border with Myanmar also remains operationally active. Several insurgent groups have secured sanctuaries for themselves in Myanmar despite the co-operation extended by the Myanmarese army. The cross border movement of Nagas and Mizos for training, purchase of arms and shelter when pursued by Indian security forces, combined with the difficult terrain obtaining in the area, makes this border extremely challenging to manage.
• Similarly, India’s border with Bangladesh has a peculiar problem of ‘Enclaves and Adverse Possessions’.
• Such a situation exacerbates the challenges of border management, making it more complex for India in guarding its border.

Answer : The Indus Water Treaty was brokered between India and Pakistan by the World Bank in 1960. The treaty was a result of Pakistani fear that since the Source Rivers of the Indus basin were in India, it could potentially create droughts and famines in Pakistan, especially at times of war. As per the treaty, the water usage pattern was divided with India getting approximately 20% control over Indus water resources and the rest should be left untouched for Pakistan.

• Since then the situation has undergone a sea change. With energy needs rising, hydro electric projects have become very important and Indus and its tributaries present itself with massive potential for such projects. India has already set up some projects on its side such as Baglihar dam on Chenab and Kishenganga on Jhelum. Pakistan has been expressing concerns that such dams are creating problems in the flow of river water to Pakistan. India has a strategic advantage as it is an upper riparian state and holds the power to cause floods when it wants by releasing excessive water from the dams. Moreover with reports of Himalayan glaciers melting at a fast pace, water scarcity fears loom Pakistan. Siltation of Dams and its consequence on flow of river water was also not accounted for in the previously signed Indus Water Treaty. Thus Pakistan has been demanding a revaluation of the treaty to account for contemporary issues.
• The treaty thus is favourable to India and its review may not be good for India. But a fair review by independent bodies can also help in resolving the water issue for ever and elimination of at least one contentious issue in India-Pakistan's sensitive relation.

Answer : Marine piracy has become a huge threat to the international marine shipping community. Laws recommending severe punitive actions are being written to penalise the wrongdoers. On account of increasing piracy threats in the oceanic area surrounding the country and other oceanic routes taken by Indian vessels, Indian authorities have also started taking serious measures to actively combat the insurgence of marine pirates.

Some of the oceanic channels highly tormented by ship piracy are the Gulf of Aden and the areas off Somali coast. The pirates’ insurgency causes to draft several proposals to counter the threat of maritime piracy. Some of the measures taken by Indian authorities are:-

1. Planning to frame staunch antipiracy laws. Because at present the Indian laws do not specifically define shipping piracy and therefore the law enforcing authorities find this lack of definition.
2. Indian government has also taken coalition efforts along with Omani counterpart to take stringent naval measures to fight modern ship piracy.
3. In order to tackle the threats of ship hijacking, the government of India has set up an Inter-ministerial Group of officers which is the main body responsible for taking pertinent decisions in case of emergency situations.
4. In addition to these measures Indian government has decided for deployment of Indian war vessels in the oceanic areas where piracy is highly rampant.

Answer : The "String of Pearls" refers to China's supposed aim to leverage diplomatic and commercial ties to build strategic bases stretching from the Middle East to southern China in order to protect its energy interests as well as "broader security objectives". The "String of Pearls" theory is based partially on the fact that China possesses one of the world's largest commercial shipping fleets and relies heavily on international maritime commerce. Energy imports carried on tankers from the Persian Gulf and Africa traverse often treacherous regions, including the threat of long-range pirates operating from Somalia. In accordance with those threats, China has developed diplomatic, economic and military relations with respective Indian Ocean countries. However, it is a large hypothetical leap to assert these relations are driven by a longer-term desire to construct actual military bases along its SLOC. There is no denying that China has an interest in building relations with strategically located countries, it is important to understand the great power context these countries face. To openly side with China over other regional powers, including India and the United States, would be extremely risky diplomacy for these smaller countries. Bangladesh's Chittagong port is the country's principal seaport, currently handling around 92% of its import-export trade. The cash-strapped government in Dhaka does not have the finances needed to modernize the port and China, a long standing ally, recently agreed to help fund upgrades. The strengthening of Sino-Bangladeshi relations is a matter of strategic concern for both India and the US. China's involvement in building a deep sea port was only for economic purposes. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said that Bangladesh was acting as a "bridge" between China and India and would never let its territory be used for military attacks. She said that the plans were part of her government's strategy to connect Bangladesh to the greater Asian region in order to develop its markets and promote economic growth "in the interest of the people of this country". China is also using the current port at Sittwe but its main interest is in the Kyaukphyu port in Rakine state and its access to the Bay of Bengal in order to pipe oil and gas from the Middle East and Africa to its land-locked southern and western hinterlands. Beijing is currently building two parallel oil and gas pipelines that will connect Kyaukphyu port to the Chinese city of Kunming in southern Yunnan province. It has also been interpreted by New Delhi as Chinese strategy to encircle India and its long term policy to reduce India's influence within South Asia. Growing Chinese influence in Indian Ocean region is a challenge to India's geopolitical importance in the region. As geopolitical influence is a zero sum game, increase in Chinese influence will lead to decrease in Indian influence.

Answer : India signed the Joint Counter-terrorism mechanism with China in 2002 recognizing that "terrorism anywhere is a threat everywhere." It was one among many such bilateral mechanisms signed by India with other countries after the 9/11 attacks. A significant addition was made to this mechanism in 2005, the Joint counter-terrorism was extended to include "separatism and extremism", so as to suit Chinese problem of Uighur extremism and Dalai Lama's separatism movement. Despite the working of this bilateral mechanism since 2002, Beijing's policy, like that of the US, shows a marked disinclination to hold Pakistan accountable for the jihadi terrorism in the Indian Territory. The recent incidents in Xinjiang and its probable links with the ISI, though has not led to any change in China's policy except supporting Pakistan for its efforts towards dismantling terrorism, and it is this aspect which has strategic implication for India.

• Xinjiang as a hopeful sign of a rift between Beijing and Pakistan -- which India believes China uses as a so-called "cat's paw" to restrict India's rise. Terrorists captured after a bomb attack had admitted that one of the group's leaders was trained in making explosives and firearms at camps in Pakistan before infiltrating back into China. The police have killed five of the terrorists representing the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, which runs a separatist movement in Xinjiang province. In the past, China has always downplayed Pakistan's role as a haven for terrorist groups, although Indian foreign policy makers believe that it is Beijing's conscious policy to use Pakistan as a "terror proxy" against India -- with the logic that as long as New Delhi remains mired in neighborhood problems it won't be able to ascend to the same level of global influence that Beijing enjoys.

• Emergency measures to be immediately taken in a case of bus accident are:-
• Effective rescue operations of casualty with the help of other passerby.
• Immediate arrangement of first aid and medical care to the casualties at the roadside;
• Immediate transport of the casualty to a nearest hospital; and
• To inform the local police and other concerned authorities about the accident.

Answer : During the Cold War years, India while not a member of any bloc due to her non-aligned activism enjoyed a proximate relationship with Soviet Union. This proximate relationship embraced intense political, economic and military cooperation. With the disintegration of Soviet Union in 1991, India’s security and strategic interests were badly impacted. At that time Soviet Union was one of the largest and most trusted suppliers of defence equipments and technology to India. As Soviet Union disintegrated and consequently the United States emerged as the only super-power, Russian defence supplies to India declined to a great extent. With pressure from the United States, which believed the engines and technology could be diverted to ballistic missile development, led the Russians to cancel most of the deal in July 1993.

• In post 1991, Russia itself started to forge close relationship with Western powers particularly the United States. So India lost its support from a super-power that had earlier acted as a balancer in the South-Asia and Indian Ocean region. Despite Yeltsin’s call for a realignment of Russia, India, and China to balance the West, Russia shares interests with the developed countries on nuclear proliferation issues. In November 1991, Moscow voted for a Pakistani-sponsored UN resolution calling for the establishment of a South Asian nuclear-free zone. Russia urged India to support the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and decided in March 1992 to apply “full-scope safeguards” to future nuclear supply agreements. Russia also shares interests with the United States in cooling antagonisms between India and Pakistan, particularly with regard to Kashmir, thus making it unlikely that India could count on Russia in a future dispute with Pakistan.
• In economic aspect financial aid form Soviet Union almost dried which was also an important reason of 1991 balance of payment crisis in India. Besides, bilateral trade between the two counties drastically fallen during the initial years after disintegration of Soviet Union. A dispute was also occurred over New Delhi’s debt to Moscow and in 1992 1978 rupee-ruble trade agreement was abandoned in favor of the use of hard currency.
• Suggested measures in India’s foreign policy to accommodate the above mentioned implication:
• India should reduce its military dependence over Russia. India should find new partners for defence cooperation particularly defence technology and equipments. She had already taken some measures in this regard by forging closer defence contacts with Israel, United States and France.
• To balance power equation in South Asia and Indian Ocean region, India should diversify its relationship with other major powers of the world. To counter growing influence of China in this region, India needs to reduce dependence on Russia and rather cooperate closely with United States and South-east Asian countries.
• India needs to diversify its economic relationship with major powers of world like China, Japan, United States, European Union and South-east Asian countries.

Answer : The Gilgit-Baltistan Empowerment and Self Governance Order 2009' seemed to have further strengthen the terrorist foot hold in the region. The ordinance had granted the political autonomy to Pakistan's Northern Areas. It assigned the region a new identity of Gilgit-Baltistan. The granting of Legislative Assembly of Gilgit-Baltistan the autonomy in making laws on certain subjects of internal security and governance will substantially empower the extremists to expand their power and activities that would have anticipated implications on India's internal security.

Answer : The Indian Railways is the third largest railway network of the world, but in the context of the people that it carries every day, it is the largest transportation system of the world. On the contrary, everyday Indian railway carries single Australia in itself.

• But there are many instances of railway accidents, insecurity of passengers and property in recent times. Many criminal elements are nurtured in railway premises. To makes the railways a safe transportation medium the first and for most thing required is that the perceived notion that railways is one of the most easy target for any sort of vendetta should be changed. It could be done only by making the 'government baton' used in a more ' sovereign' way so that no man is allowed to break open the regular operation of the railways any time for the instant one minute fame that he gets.
• Recently naxalites blown up railway track and trains in Jharkhand, Bihar and WB. This should be prevented. Railway signals should be installed with CCTV camera on them with a long distance visual capabilities and the monitoring should be done by the nearest police station. Effective Railway Police system can make railway premises crime free. There should be no incidence of pick-pocketing, theft or looting in those areas. Railway guards should be provided effective communication system.
• GRPs and the RPF should be coordinated properly to deal with all threats to railway security. Better man management, healthy working environment and utilization of more technology like the ACDs (Anti-Collision Devices) that has been successfully employed in the Kankan Railway must be made applicable throughout. The Khanna committee recommendation that called for the minimization of human errors in the train accident must be instantly applied.

Answer : The Wakhan Corridor is roughly 210 kilometres long land corridor that forms the northeastern extremity of Afghanistan in the Pamir Mountains. It is a sparsely located place with geostrategical importance. It separates the Gorno-Badakhshan region of Tajikistan from the North-West Frontier Province and Gilgit-Baltistan of Pakistan. Afghanistan has asked China on several occasions to open the border in the Wakhan Corridor as an alternative supply route for fighting the Taliban, however China has resisted, largely due to unrest in its far western province of Xinjiang which borders the corridor.

Answer : Terrorism is not a new phenomenon. Over the years the face of terrorism has changed. It has become more lethal, more widespread more different to control. Terrorism is the random use of violence to achieve political ends that inflicts damage on innocent people and property, creating terror or fear in them. The terrorist aim at focusing, attention on his problem by destroying innocent people besides property. Almost all the countries are facing the problem of terrorism. Political, economic and social causes are some of the causes for mushrooming of terrorism.

• Technological advances has helped terrorist group to arm themselves with advanced weapons. Today’s terrorist groups are also having global network or have established contact with groups in different countries. International funding has increased. The nexus between terrorists and drug barons has increased. Narcotics dealers having enough funds to finance the terrorists. There is growth of fundamentalism. Socio-economic conditions of rising unemployment, lack of opportunity to earn a living, growing awareness of inequality in distribution of wealth and well-being, exploitation at the hands of powers, are creating a situation which encourages youth to join terrorist groups and others to support them.
• Terrorism is not only a problem of India. It has become an international issue. There should be cooperation between countries to combat terrorism. Now terrorist groups have spread their tentacles anywhere and everywhere. The modern face of terrorism can be combated only by a superior intelligence network. The law enforcement agency has to think faster and anticipate the terrorist movements. Here not only government can work, but common people also have to coordinate. They have to take initiative to tackle this problem. There should be coordinated and cooperative role required by government, non-governmental organization and also the common people.

Answer : Whether it's 9/11, the Bali bomb blast, Indian parliament attack or Mumbai local train blast, Pakistan is always the connection. That's raises some questions. The roots of Pakistan's reputation as a haven for jihadists run deep. It was, after all, in the city of Peshawar that Al-Qaeda was born after ISI, Pakistan's military intelligence, started to recruit Arabs to fight in the Afghan jihad. It was ISI that turned the Taliban from a bunch of religious students into a movement that took over Afghanistan. According to Hamid Karzai, president of Afghanistan, ISI continues to provide a safe haven, training them to fight British soldiers in Helmand. According to one source, in 1987, 90% of all reported terrorist activities worldwide were located in Pakistan. Intelligence agencies around the world have long suspected Pakistan as the source of extremism, and terrorism. The culture of unregulated madrassas have made Pakistan ideally situated to house terrorist training camps that carry out operations in South Asia and around the world. Pakistan has between 10000 and 40000 religious schools or madrassas. A small number of these are supposed to provide military training which give inspiration to European extremists of South Asian descent. Pakistan has used Islamist militants to fight its wars in Afghanistan and Kashmir.

Answer : Cyber Crimes consist of specific crimes dealing with computers and networks (such as hacking) and the facilitation of traditional crime through the use of computer (child pornography, hate crimes, telemarketing/internet fraud). Cyber-crimes can be protected by passing stringent laws, developing security codes and use of digital signatures.