1. Faster, stronger

India must use its supercomputers beyond weather forecasts

Later this year, India will have a new ‘supercomputer’ or, more correctly, an upgraded ‘high performance computing (HPC)’ system that will arguably be its fastest. This system is to be made and installed by the French corporation, Atos — an information technology service and consulting company. The Narendra Modi government signed a deal in December 2018 with France to procure high-performance computers worth ₹4,500 crore by 2025. These HPC systems will run at two institutions, the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune, and the National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting, Noida, that currently host two of India’s most powerful such machines, Mihir and Pratyush. Like their predecessors, the Atos machines will be used primarily to run sophisticated weather models that, for some years now, are being used to prepare a range of forecasts, from long-term monsoon to fortnightly as well as daily weather changes. Extremely powerful machines are needed for this purpose as accurate forecasts are premised on being able to simulate the state of the atmosphere and oceans. ‘Supercomputers’ is a buzzword and term that is in constant flux. Supercomputers of two decades ago are today’s student laptops and gaming consoles.

While many challenging research questions, apart from weather modelling, are extremely dependent on computing — protein biology, aerospace-modelling applications, and now AI-linked applications — the possession of HPCs is also used as a medallion by countries wanting to signify their technological prowess. The Top500 project has for over two decades maintained a list of the top 500 most powerful HPC machines and this is updated twice a year, with countries prominently advertising the presence of their systems if they make it to the list. Currently, a machine housed at Pune’s Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC) is the only Indian machine in the top 100 with a top speed of 13 petaflops. Floating point operations per second (FLOPS) are an indicator of computer processing abilities and 1 petaflop is a 1,000 trillion flops. The to-be installed French machines are expected to be 18 petaflops and India already has a handful of machines at multiple research institutions in the petaflop range. The possession of powerful supercomputers is certainly a reassurance that Indian scientists, wanting to solve intractable problems, can always tap these behemoths, but whether the use of these machines has translated into significant breakthroughs in fundamental science or engineering commercial products is another matter. Much like India has improved its short-term weather forecasts and made cyclone forecasts more accurate on the back of such machines, there should be greater accounting of their worth in other fields, rather than be content with epithets of speed and power.

2. Symbols, substance

Religious rituals at the opening of new Parliament building defied propriety

The inauguration of the new Parliament building by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday was true to a style he has mastered: using every occasion to advance a form of politics that many of his critics find problematic. Mr. Modi presented the aesthetics of the new building as a representation of India’s myriad diversity, its rich cultural heritage and its soaring aspirations. A multi-religious prayer was a part of the ceremony, but there was no mistaking that Hindu ritualism overshadowed all else. By weaving an artful tale around a Sengol, a sceptre gifted to the first Prime Minister of India by a Shaivite sect of Tamil Nadu, the current dispensation has sought to reimagine the founding principles of India’s republican sovereignty. A Sengol symbolised divine right and is now installed in the Assembly of people’s representatives. The symbolism strengthens Tamil Nadu’s connection to the political centre of India, and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is trying to make political gains from it. It is also notable that the day of the inauguration was also the birth anniversary of V.D. Savarkar, the founding father of Hindutva. A quest to transition Indian republicanism to a new iteration was apparent in the style and substance of the ceremony.

The new building also turns the spotlight, tangentially, on an approaching challenge of representation that will be upon India within the next decade. A nationwide delimitation will reallocate representation as per the current population, leading to a significant, relative reduction of the voice of linguistic minorities of the southern States in Parliament. The size of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha will likely expand in order to avoid an absolute reduction of representation of States that have stabilised their populations. But that may not be enough to assuage the feeling of disenfranchisement that is already palpable among many regions due to the geographical fragmentation of Indian politics. The BJP wins its parliamentary majority from its strongholds while many States remain outside its sphere of influence. On 38% of popular votes, the BJP has 55% of Lok Sabha seats currently. This imbalance will be aggravated after the delimitation. The BJP’s outreach to regions and communities outside of its current catchment areas is to be welcomed. But the Centre and the BJP will have to show more seriousness, sensitivity and maturity to deal with the regional imbalances of India. For this, they will need to take recourse to more than just symbolism.

3. Performance review: How Parliament has functioned till now

The 17th Lok Sabha could be the shortest full-term Lok Sabha since 1952

PRS LEGISLATIVE RESEARCH

DATA POINT

On Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated India’s new Parliament building. “It is not only a building. It is a reflection of the aspirations and dreams of 140 crore Indians. This is the temple of our democracy giving the message of India’s determination to the world,” he said. The Congress-led Opposition boycotted the inauguration.

With the new building coming in to use from the next Parliament session, this is a review of the performance of the MPs in the old building. The 17th Lok Sabha, entering its final year, has functioned for 230 sitting days so far. Of all the Lok Sabhas that completed the full five-year term, the 16th Lok Sabha had the lowest number of sitting days (331). With one more year remaining, and 58 average sitting days a year, the 17th Lok Sabha is unlikely to sit for more than 331 days. This could make it the shortest full-term Lok Sabha since 1952.

Chart 1 shows the number of sittings in the last 17 Lok Sabhas, including the ongoing term. The terms of the fourth, sixth, ninth, eleventh and twelfth Lok Sabha were shorter than five years and so the number of sittings were fewer. Among those terms which lasted for at least five years, the 17th Lok Sabha may end up being the shortest. The term of the fifth Lok Sabha was extended for six years.

The Parliamentary Standing Committees were created in 1993 to assist Parliament in its legislative and financial business. Since 2004, of the total Bills introduced in Parliament, only 45% have been referred to Committees. The decline has been more in recent years with the 16th Lok Sabha and 17th (ongoing) Lok Sabha seeing fewer Bills being sent to Committees. Chart 2 shows the % of Bills referred to the Committees.

In this Lok Sabha, so far, 150 Bills have been introduced and 131 have been passed (excluding Finance and Appropriation Bills). In the first session, 38 Bills were introduced and 28 were passed. Since then, the number of Bills introduced and passed has declined. Fewer than 10 Bills have been introduced or passed in each of the last four consecutive sessions. Chart 3 shows the number of Bills passed by each Lok Sabha.

The latest Budget session was the sixth shortest Budget session since 1952. The Lok Sabha spent 18 hours on financial business, of which 16 hours were spent discussing the Budget. In the previous Budget sessions of the 17th Lok Sabha, financial business was discussed for 55 hours on average. Chart 4 shows the time spent on Budget discussions in hours.

The Motion of Thanks on the President’s Address was the only item discussed in the latest session. It was discussed for about 28 hours in both Houses, with 150 members participating in total. The Rules of Procedure of both Houses provide for various devices which can be used to draw attention to matters of public importance, and hold the government accountable. These include half-an-hour discussions, short duration discussions, and adjournment motions. In the 17th Lok Sabha, only 11 short duration discussions and one half-an-hour discussion have been held so far. None were held in the latest session. Chart 5 shows the number of debates conducted in the Lok Sabha.

Article 93 of the Constitution states that the Lok Sabha will choose two Members of the House to be Speaker and Deputy Speaker, as soon as possible. The 17th Lok Sabha has not elected a Deputy Speaker even as it enters the final year of its five-year term. This is despite the Supreme Court issuing a notice to the Central government in February 2023 to respond to a PIL regarding the delay. Chart 6 shows the days to election of Deputy Speaker.

4. What has India done to curb unnecessary hysterectomies?

What guidelines has the government put in place to check hysterectomy rates? What are treatment options?

The story so far: The Union Health Ministry recently urged State governments to audit hysterectomy trends in public and private hospitals, in response to a Supreme Court petition arguing that women from marginalised locations are at risk of unjustified hysterectomies for economic gains and exploitation. The Court also gave a three-month deadline to States, directing them to implement the guidelines previously issued by the Centre.

What are the criteria for getting a hysterectomy?

The highest percentage of hysterectomies were to treat excessive menstrual bleeding or pain (51.8%); 24.94% for fibroids; 24.94% for cysts and 11.08% for uterine disorder or rupture, according to NFHS-5 data. Yet, studies have shown that “many of these causes were considered to be treatable and surgery could be avoided”. A majority of these cases were reported among socially and economically disadvantaged women. The procedure can easily be misused by either private clinics who earn profits (from insurance money) or by contractors in unorganised sectors such as the sugar-cane-cutting industry, where ‘wombless women’ are the norm to eliminate the need for menstrual care and hygiene among workers.

What measures has the govt. taken?

The Union Health Ministry in 2022 issued guidelines to prevent unnecessary hysterectomies — listing possible indications of when hysterectomy may be required and alternative clinical treatments for gynaecological issues. Further, they recommended setting up district, State-level and national hysterectomy monitoring committees to monitor and collect data on age, mortality, and occupations, among other details. The monitoring committees are also tasked with creating awareness, among both practitioners and patients, about bodily anatomy, the role of uterus and when hysterectomies are actually indicated. A 2017 study from Gujarat found most women assumed that the uterus served no role outside of pregnancy and that removing the uterus would solve their health issues. There is a dearth of awareness, experts say, and in the absence of sexual and reproductive health education, “informed consent” to conduct the procedure can never be taken.

A 2019 investigation found that women from rural areas look at hysterectomies as a way of increasing days of productive work and earning more wages. While on the one side are patients in need of medical care for different ailments, “on the other side of the table is somebody who is just out to make quick money and do quick surgery” as “people have turned healthcare into a business”, says Dr. Somya Gupta, a Delhi-based gynaecologist.

The government’s flagship health insurance programme, the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana provides health cover of ₹5 lakh for 1,949 procedures, including hysterectomies. The government has authorised 45,434 hospitals to conduct these operations.

Is there an implementation gap?

The gap thrives in a culture where gynaecological care and disorders — outside of pregnancy — exist in oblivion, experts say.

The Supreme Court and Centre’s reiteration of guidelines came in response to a petition by Dr. Narendra Gupta, a public health expert. He argued that despite the provisions, private hospitals in Bihar, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan engaged in unethical practices, unnecessary procedures and did not inform women of side effects or take their informed consent. In doing so, they “failed in providing and regulating constitutionally mandated reproductive healthcare to women” and violated their “rights to health, bodily integrity and informed consent,” the petition said.

Hysterectomies may cause long-term injuries and disabilities, requiring follow-up and post-operative care, both rarely available or affordable. In some cases, where hysterectomies are not justified yet still done, women may continue to suffer post-surgery and might need additional surgery. “If they had pelvic pain due to endometriosis, it might not be solved by hysterectomy alone,” Dr. Gupta says. In other cases, patients may need medical support such as hormone replacement therapies. But these interventions are limited to private hospitals and remain unaffordable for low-income groups.

THE GIST

The Union Health Ministry recently urged State governments to audit hysterectomy trends in public and private hospitals, in response to a Supreme Court petition arguing that women from marginalised locations are at risk of unjustified hysterectomies.

The SC’s reiteration of guidelines came in response to a petition by Dr. Narendra Gupta. He argued that private hospitals in Bihar, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan engaged in unethical practices, unnecessary procedures and did not inform women of side effects or take their informed consent.

A 2019 investigation found that women from rural areas look at hysterectomies as a way of increasing days of productive work and earning more wages.

5. Northeast gets its first Vande Bharat Express

All aboard: Ministers Ashwini Vaishnaw, Sarbananda Sonowal and Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma flagging off the train.PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off northeast region’s first Vande Bharat Express virtually on Monday. The train will connect Guwahati in Assam with New Jalpaiguri in West Bengal and the journey will take five-and-a-half hours. Earlier, the fastest train on the route took 6.5 hours to cover the distance of nearly 400 km.

Mr. Modi also dedicated 182 route km of newly electrified sections to the nation. Now, 425 km of railway tracks in Assam and Meghalaya have been electrified. This will help provide pollution-free transportation at higher speeds and less running time.

Mr. Modi said that prior to 2014, the average Railway budget for the northeast was about ₹2,500 crore, which has grown to more ₹10,000 crore in the current year, which is a four-fold increase. “Now, the capitals of Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Meghalaya and Sikkim are being connected to the rest of the country. Very soon, all capital cities of the northeast are going to be connected by a broad gauge network,” he said.

Mr. Modi said the Guwahati-New Jalpaiguri Vande Bharat train will strengthen the centuries-old ties between Assam and West Bengal. This will increase ease of travel and bring huge benefits to students as well as generate more job opportunities through tourism and business.

6. Muslims lag behind all communities in higher education; U.P. shows worst decline, says study

Be it learning or teaching, the Muslim community is lagging behind all communities, including the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, in higher education. These are the findings of the latest All India Survey on Education conducted under the Ministry of Education.

The AISHE Survey 2020-21 presents a dismal picture of the community. At a time when the enrolment of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in higher education improved by 4.2%, 11.9% and 4%, respectively, compared with 2019-20, the Muslim community’s enrolment declined by 8%, numbering around 1,79,000 students. This unprecedented decline, caused partially by the COVID-19 pandemic, points to the relative economic impoverishment of the community, which forces its talented students to pursue earning opportunities after completing schooling rather than enrolling for higher education, beginning at the graduation level.

The most drastic decline was reported from Uttar Pradesh (36%), followed by Jammu and Kashmir (26%), Maharashtra (8.5%) and Tamil Nadu (8.1%). In Delhi, every fifth Muslim student failed to enrol for higher education after completing the Senior School Certificate Examination. This takes away some of the sheen from the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) much talked about improvements in education in the national capital.

Similarly, in Uttar Pradesh, where Muslims are about 20% of the population, the community’s enrolment for higher education stands at a mere 4.5% even though the State has reported a significant increase in the number of colleges during the year.

Kerala is the only State which bucks the trend of Muslims languishing at the bottom of the education pile. Here, 43% Muslims go for higher education.

The survey presents a bright picture of the OBCs, which accounts for 36% of the total enrolment in higher education in the country. The SCs bring up another 14%. The two communities cover nearly 50% of the seats in universities and colleges.

The Muslim community proves a laggard, accounting for only 4.6% higher education enrolment though the community’s share in the country’s population stands at over 14%.

Interestingly, Muslims and other minorities have more female students than male students, pointing to a gradual uplift of the women of the minority communities. It also point towards the pressure to earn a living at the earliest on the male members of the community.

The poor entry-level presence of Muslims in pursuing higher education is mirrored by the equally bleak presence of Muslim teachers in institutions. At an all-India level, teachers belonging to the General Category account for 56% of all teachers. OBC, SC and ST teachers make up another 32%, 9% and 2.5% of the teachers, respectively. Muslims constitute only 5.6% of the teachers.

In Delhi, every fifth Muslim student failed to enrol for higher education after completing Class 10

7. ISRO’s GSLV rocket takes navigation satellite into transfer orbit successfully

GSLV rocket carrying navigation satellite NVS-01 lifts off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre on Monday.B. JOTHI RAMALINGAM

This mission happened after the debacle during the F10 mission where there was an issue in the cryogenic stage, says ISRO Chairman S. Somanath congratulating the team responsible for the feat

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Monday successfully placed the NVS-01 navigation satellite, weighing about 2,232 kg, into Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit.

The Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV), which placed the satellite, lifted off with a thunderous roar precisely at 10.42 a.m. from the second launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR, Sriharikota.

“After a flight of about 19 minutes, the NVS-01 satellite was injected precisely into a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit. Subsequent orbit-raising manoeuvres will take NVS-01 into the intended Geosynchronous orbit,” ISRO said.

Talking from the control room, ISRO Chairman S. Somanath congratulated the team responsible and said GSLV has placed the satellite in the precise orbit. He said, “This mission happened after the debacle during the F10 mission where there was an issue in the cryogenic stage. I’m very happy about the corrections and modifications that we have done and the lessons that we learnt to make our cryogenic stage more reliable.”

He also mentioned that NVS-01 is the first in the series of five satellites.

According to details provided by ISRO, the GSLV-F12 is the 15th flight of India’s GSLV and the 9th flight with indigenous cyro stage. This is the 6th operational flight of GSLV with an indigenous cryogenic stage. The NVS-01 carried navigation payloads L1, L5 and S bands. Interestingly, for the first time, an indigenous atomic clock was flown in NVS-01.

Later during a press meet, the Chairman said the space agency is planning to launch weather satellite INSAT-3DS on the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV). Mr. Somanath said that ISRO will have to complete the navigation satellite constellation by launching four more NVS series satellites.

ISRO is also working on designing a new rocket that can carry much higher luggage and also upgrading the LVM3 rocket to lift up to 5.5 ton from the current 4 ton capacity.

Noting that the next few months will be busy, Mr. Somanath said in July ISRO will test the crew escape systems for the Gaganyaan project rocket.

8. January-April imports from China rise 4.6% to $37.86 bn

Two-way trade climbs 4.5% to reach $44.34 billion at the end of April, data from China’s General Administration of Customs shows; India’s exports to China increase by 3.7% but share stays small

India’s imports of Chinese goods continued to rise in 2023, growing 4.6% in the first four months to $37.86 billion.

Two-way trade climbed 4.5% year-on-year to $44.34 billion at the end of April, data from China’s General Administration of Customs showed. India’s exports to China also rose by 3.7%, but still accounted for a smaller share of the bilateral trade.

In 2022, trade with China hit a record $135.98 billion, driven by a 21% rise in imports. The trade deficit crossed $100 billion for the first time last year.

Analysts said the continuing increase in imports of Chinese goods highlight a rise in demand for intermediates required by Indian industry, as well as continued reliance on sourcing from China, a matter of concern for New Delhi amid frayed political ties.

In recent years, India’s biggest imports from China have included active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), chemicals, electrical and mechanical machinery, auto components, and medical supplies.

Trade with the EU and the United States, China’s second- and third-biggest trading partners that have both been highlighting the need to “de-risk” supply from China, however, showed declines.

While trade with the EU slid 3.5% to $262.53 billion, that with the U.S. contracted 11.2% to $217.92 billion.