Geography Material by NOS for
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Booklets from Mrunal
IGNOU
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Material by NOS (mrunal)
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Environment and Biodiversity
(EnB) NOS material (Mrunal)
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Delhi Gov Will Help you if
you want To take Sanskrit as
UPSC CSE Optional
अगर आप IAS की परीक्षा में संस्कृत भाषा को िवषय के तौर पर चुनते है िदल्ली सरकार
आपकी तैयारी करने में मदद करेगी।
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17 April The Hindu e paper
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All you need to know about
the Rafale deal
After several twists and turns, the Indian Air Force is reportedly set
to get its share of the French Rafale aircraft.
What is Rafale aircraft?
Rafales are twin-engine Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) manufactured
by Dassault Aviation, a French firm. Rafale fighter jets are positioned as
‘omnirole’ aircrafts that capable to perform a wide-range of combat roles such
as air supremacy, interdiction, aerial reconnaissance, ground support, in-depth
strike, anti-ship strike and nuclear deterrence.
(Source: http://www.dassault-aviation.com/en/defense/rafale/introduction)
Why has India opted for Rafale?
Rafale was not India’s only choice. Several international aviation manufacturers
expressed interest upon knowing the Indian government’s mammoth plan to revamp
its Indian Airforce fleet by introducing MMRCAs.
Six renowned aircraft manufacturers competed to bag the contract of 126 fighter
jets, which was touted to be the largest-ever defence procurement deal of India.
The Initial bidders were Lockheed Martin’s F-16s, Boeing’s F/A-18s, Eurofighter
Typhoon, Russia’s MiG-35, Sweden’s Saab’s Gripen and Rafale.
All aircraft were tested by the IAF and after careful analysis on the bids, two
of them — Eurofighter and Rafale — were shortlisted. Dassault bagged the
contract to provide 126 fighter jets, as it was the lowest bidder and the
aircraft were said to be easy to maintain.
When did the actual procurement process begin?
Indian Air Force sought additional fighter jets in 2001. The current IAF fleet
largely consists of heavy and light-weight combat aircraft. So the Defence
Ministry considered bringing in intermediate medium-weight fighter jets. Though
the idea has been around since 2001, the actual process began in 2007. The
Defence Acquisition Council, headed by then Defence Minister A.K. Antony,
approved theRequest For Proposal to buy 126 aircraft in August 2007. This kickstarted the bidding process.
How many Rafales are we buying and what’s the cost involved?
The deal
The plan
the rest
transfer
was initially estimated to be worth $10.2 billion (Rs.54,000 crore).
included acquiring 126 aircraft, 18 of them in fly-away condition and
to be made in India at the Hindustan Aeronautics facility under
of technology.
So Rafale won the contract. And India is buying 126 jets. That’s it?
No, it’s trickier than that. After Rafale won the contract, the Indian side and
Dassault started negotiations in 2012. While it is usual for such negotiations
to stretch to several months, the Rafale negotiations has been on for almost
four years now. The agreement was signed only in January this year.
Why this delay?
Both India and France witnessed national elections and a change in government
while the negotiations were under way. Pricing was another factor. Even during
the signing of the purchase agreement, both the sides couldn’t reach a
conclusion
(http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/india-france-sign-agreement-on-purchase-o
f-rafale-jets/article8151380.ece) on the financial aspects. According to
sources, the price of an aircraft it about Rs.740 crores and India wants them
for at least 20 per cent lesser cost.
Though the initial plan was to buy 126 jets, India scaled it down to 36, that
too in ready condition.
(http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/parrikar-to-buy-only-36-rafales-no-need-f
or-126/article7268264.ece)
How important is this deal to both India and France?
France: Rafale jets are currently being used mostly by France and also by Egypt
and Qatar. Dassault is hoping that export of Rafale jets will help the company
meet its revenue targets. India was the first country that agreed to buy Rafale,
after it was used in Libyan airstrikes. If India inducts these jets in its
military fold, other nations could express its willingness to buy Rafales.
India: India chose Dassault over its traditional partner Russia’s MiG. It also
ignored U.S.’ Lockheed, at a time when India and U.S. were aiming for closer
ties. Procurement of combat aircraft is long overdue for the Indian Air Force.
Further delay can only make things worse. This deal is India’s biggest-ever
procurement. In the effectiveness of the Rafale deal lies the future of other
defence procurements.
Keywords: Rafale deal, fighter jets
Source: xaam.in
Trick To Remember National
Parks In J & K
Source: xaam.in
Measuring happiness
The World Happiness Report 2016 has listed India at 118th place – the
lowest rank among BRICS. While there is a strong case for holistic metrics
that map actual well-being, research in happiness needs to be taken with a
pinch of scepticism.
When Bhutan hosted the first-ever international conference on gross national
happiness, in the spring of 2004, many of the western delegates represented
start-ups in the business of measuring happiness. The ‘happiness industry’ has
now taken centre stage.
Since 2012, the United Nations (UN) has commissioned an annual world happiness
report which ranks countries on the basis of gross domestic product (GDP) per
capita, life expectancy, and polling data on how much social support and freedom
people feel they have to make life choices. Some of the data produced by this
survey appears counter-intuitive: for instance, Somalia’s happiness ranking at
76 is higher than both China’s, at 83, and India’s, at 118.
This anomaly is best illustrated by juxtaposing the Happiness Report (HR) rankings
of some countries with their ranking on the UN’s Human Development Index (HDI).
South Africa is the only country that has the same score–116th–in both the HR and
HDI. Many countries rate higher than India on the HR but rank much lower on the
HDI(see table).
Bhutan, for example, features at a low 132nd place in the 2015 HDI
while it ranks 84
th
in the HR ranking.
The reason for such skewed data is that while the HR and HDI both account for
life expectancy and per capita income, HR focuses more on people’s perceptions.
Every year, HR researchers ask a sample group of 1,000 people in each of the 157
countries it covers to respond to a set question: “Please imagine a ladder with
steps numbered from 0 at the bottom to 10 at the top. The top of the ladder
represents the best possible life for you, and the bottom of the ladder
represents the worst possible life for you. On which step of the ladder would
you say you personally feel you stand at this time?” Each country’s HR ranking
is determined by an average of life evaluation scores it receives, correlated
with the average received in the previous three years.
Such surveys are based on the premise that measuring people’s perception of the
quality of life is key to assessing the progress of societies. For instance, in
2013 the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
published Guidelines on Measuring Subjective Well-being covering 11 domains of
well-being, including jobs, health and housing, civic engagement, and the
environment[1].
Nonetheless, happiness research remains somewhat contentious with many disputes
over methodology and the parameters that deserve to be measured. This may be why
the UN maintains an arm’s length distance from its happiness reports. This
year’s report carries the following disclaimer: “The World Happiness Report was
written by a group of independent experts acting in their personal capacities.
Any views expressed in this report do not necessarily reflect the views of any
organization, agency or program of the United Nations.”[2]
One way to understand the limitations of the HR is to contrast it with the Happy
Planet Index (HPI) compiled by the New Economics Foundation, a private nonprofit think tank based in London.
While the HR’s primary focus is on subjective happiness, the HPI, which was last
compiled in 2012, is more expansive. It takes Gallup Poll data on experienced
levels of well-being for each country, multiplies that with the life expectancy
rate in the country, and then divides the figure arrived at by the country’s
ecological footprint. Most countries that rank high on both HDI and HR–such as
the United States, Denmark, and the United Kingdom–do poorly on the HPI, mainly
on account of their enormous ecological footprint.
Bhutan, which strangely was left out of the HPI, remains the lone country to
have created a metric that is more holistic than GNP, HR, HDI, and HPI
combined. Its gross national happiness (GNH) measure is based on monitoring nine
domains – psychological well-being, standard of living, good
governance, health, education, community vitality, cultural diversity and
resilience, time use, and ecological diversity and resilience.[3]
Bhutan’s ongoing experiment with GNH is far from perfect, both in terms of
measurement methodology and how it intersects with the growth of the economy.
However, it does serve as a beacon for politicians and policymakers who
understand that GNP is a misleading measure of the state of a nation or its
long- term prospects.
Policymakers who set up systems to internally monitor the nine domains which
make up the GNH can happily ignore the pollsters of the happiness business and
the global rankings of their surveys.
Various
Country
Happiness Report
2016*
Happiness
Rankings
HDI 2015**
Happy Planet Index
2012***
India
118
130
32
Pakistan
92
147
16
Bangladesh
110
142
11
South Africa
116
116
142
Ethiopia
115
174
94
Brazil
17
75
21
Russia
56
50
122
China
83
90
60
Bhutan
84
132
—
U.S.A
13
8
105
UK
21
14
41
Denmark
1
4
110
*Ranking by World Happiness Report
**Ranking by Human Development Index 2015
**Ranking by Happy Planet Index
Rajni Bakshi is Gandhi Peace Fellow, Gateway House.
This feature was exclusively written for Gateway House: Indian Council on Global
Relations. You can read more exclusive blogs here.
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References
[1] Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, OECD Guidelines on
Measuring Subjective Well-being, 20 March
2013,<http://www.oecd.org/statistics/oecd-guidelines-on-measuring-subjective-wel
l-being-9789264191655-en.htm>
[2] World Happiness Report, World Happiness Report 2016, Volume 1,
<http://worldhappiness.report/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/03/HR-V,
1_web.pdf, p 1.>
[3] Gross National Happiness, Nine
Domains,<http://www.grossnationalhappiness.com/nine-domains/>
Source: xaam.in