Purchasing rice directly from FCI

On August 1, 2024, Union Minister for Food and Consumer Affairs Pralhad Joshi declared that states will be able to buy rice directly from Food Corporation of India (FCI) through the Open Market Sale Scheme (Domestic) without having to participate in online auctions. States can now purchase rice at ₹2,800 per quintal, down from the previous rate of ₹2,900 per quintal, as on August 1. The goal of this new strategy is to give states more control over how they run their food distribution programs and deal with the fluctuations of local demand.

The Framework for Procurement

• Scheme for Open Market Sales (Domestic): The Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food, and Public Distribution can use e-auctions to sell excess wheat and rice supplies from the central pool at predetermined rates thanks to the Open Market Sale Scheme (Domestic), or OMSS(D). The principal aim is to regulate market pricing by the provision of food grains at a discounted rate, consequently mitigating inflation. 3.04 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of rice were sold by the FCI through e-auctions in the open market in 2023. States can now purchase directly from FCI and without going through the e-auction procedure according to a recent regulation change.
• Function of the FCI: As the main tool used by the central government to acquire and distribute rice, wheat, and coarse grains, the FCI is essential. It is also in charge of keeping buffer inventories in order to guarantee food subsidies. The most recent action by the government is intended to lower the massive excess inventory in front of the impending Kharif season purchases.
• Current Stock Levels: As previously announced, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs' paddy purchase program has raised the central pool's rice stock to over 490 LMT, with 160 LMT of rice still awaiting delivery following milling. About 400 LMT of rice are needed annually, and 135 LMT are needed to meet the buffer rules that were in place until July 1. The approach permits more efficient handling of excess stocks because the current stock levels surpass both the annual requirement and the buffer stock standards.

State-Level Consequences

• Advantages of Direct Procurement: States without an abundance of rice and those running their own food distribution programs stand to gain the most from the policy reform. For example, in 2022–2023 the OMSS sold about 2.65 LMT of rice, with the largest part being purchased by Karnataka, followed by Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand, Jammu & Kashmir, and Assam. States can more effectively address increased demand thanks to this direct procurement option.
• Decreased Central-State Tensions: The action also resolves possible disputes between the federal government and the states on the allocation of basic food supplies. One noteworthy instance happened the previous year when the central government stopped selling rice and wheat to the states through the OMSS central pool through a notification dated June 13. This move sparked a political battle with the recently elected Karnataka Congress government, which charged the center with undermining their 'Anna Bhagya' programme. Every month, 10 kg of food grains or rice were promised to Antyodaya card holders and members of households below the poverty line (BPL). The plan was put in risk when the sales of rice were suspended.

Case Study: The Anna Bhagya Scheme in Karnataka
Because the Karnataka government was unable to obtain rice from the central pool, it was forced to pay competitive prices for rice from other states, including Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Chhattisgarh. Instead of the promised free rice, the state temporarily provided ₹170 per month to alleviate the situation. The Congress's General Secretary in charge of Communications, Jairam Ramesh, recently said that this "vendetta-driven decision" not only cost India's food subsidy bill a substantial amount of money but also denied the people of Karnataka more rice.

Prospects and Difficulties for the Future

• Ensuring Adequate Supply: The new policy gives states a simplified way to buy rice straight from FCI, which can improve the way they run their food distribution initiatives. It is nevertheless difficult to make sure there is enough supply to satisfy the states' growing demand. To manage this direct buy model, the FCI's present procurement procedures and storage capacity must be strong.
• Effect on Market Prices: The direct purchase policy's long-term effects on market prices require close observation, even while the OMSS(D) attempts to limit inflation and regulate market prices. Allowing states to directly purchase significant amounts could lead to changes in the dynamics of supply and demand in the market, which could have an impact on prices.
• Management of Buffer Stocks: It is essential that the FCI be able to keep sufficient buffer stocks while satisfying the state's procurement requirements. The policy needs to guarantee that excess stock levels be decreased without jeopardizing the buffer standards that are necessary for food security. To achieve this equilibrium, efficient management of the distribution, storage, and purchase systems is essential.
• Policy Implementation and Monitoring: This policy must be continuously monitored and evaluated in order to be implemented successfully. States will have to report on procurement procedures on a regular basis, along with any difficulties encountered. To maintain the efficacy of the policy framework, the central government must be receptive to these inputs and make the required modifications.
• Examining Political Dynamics: As seen by the Karnataka example, the direct purchase strategy has political ramifications as well. Preventing possible political confrontations can be achieved by making sure the policy is applied equally and transparently throughout the states. To resolve any problems that may occur, the federal government and the state governments must work together and communicate clearly.

In summary

States' direct purchases of rice from FCI marks a substantial change in India's food distribution strategy. The goal of the policy is to give governments greater flexibility and efficiency in managing food distribution programs by allowing them to purchase rice without taking part in electronic auctions. Although there are potential advantages to the shift, such as fewer surplus stocks and a reduction in central-state tensions, its effectiveness will depend on how well it is implemented, how closely it is watched, and how well it handles supply, market prices, and buffer stock management. To ensure that the policy accomplishes its intended goals and helps the targeted populations, the central government's support and responsiveness will be crucial as states begin to navigate this new procurement paradigm.

Re-Examining the Sub-Quota Bar

Recently, the Supreme Court of India decided that states might create sub-quotas for Dalits inside the overall quota by splitting Scheduled Castes (SC) into groups. This ruling overturned a 2004 ruling by a five-judge Constitution Bench that declared that this kind of subclassification was illegal since only Parliament was authorized to alter the President's list of SCs as per Article 341 of the Constitution. This landmark decision creates new opportunities for the representation of Dalits' marginalized groups.

The 2004 Decision

• Background
  The Andhra Pradesh Scheduled Castes (Rationalisation of Reservation) Ordinance, 1999, and its follow-up Act, which established four groups (A, B, C, and D) inside the Scheduled Castes and assigned different percentages of reservation to each category, are credited with starting the dispute. The idea was to ensure that the weaker sub-castes were represented by taking into account the disparities in advancement levels across the SC communities.
• Supreme Court Decision
  The Act was first affirmed by the Andhra Pradesh High Court, but this ruling was overturned by the Supreme Court. The Constitution Bench ruled in E.V. Chinnaiah v. State of Andhra Pradesh in 2004 that, in accordance with Article 341, the President was the only person authorized to announce the list of SCs, and that any changes needed an act of Parliament. The Bench ruled that the communities formed a single homogenous class once they were added to the SC list, and state legislatures lacked the authority to further divide them into smaller categories.
• The Problem's Inception Prior to a Bigger Bench
  
  An instance in Punjab
  Balmikis and Mazhabi Sikhs were given priority for half of the jobs under the SC quota under the Punjab Scheduled Castes and Backward Classes (Reservation in Services) Act, 2006, which established a 25% reservation for SCs and a 12% reserve for backward classes in direct recruitment to services. When this was contested, the Punjab and Haryana High Court used the ruling of E.V. Chinnaiah to invalidate the part that favored two particular SC communities.
• Additional Cases Like This
  In a similar vein, the Punjab and Haryana High Court overturned the Haryana government's announcement that split SC communities into two blocks and allocated 50% of the SC quota to each block. One 2009 law in Tamil Nadu gave a sub-quota to Arunthathiyars, who are regarded as the state's weakest SC. A direct challenge to this law in the Supreme Court resulted in a reexamination of the Chinnaiah ruling.
• The 2020 Review of the Supreme Court
  A Constitution Bench observed in 2020 that the Chinnaiah order had inconsistencies, particularly in light of the 1992 Indra Sawhney decision that permitted the subclassification of backward classes. But since Indra Sawhney exclusively dealt with OBC reservations, Chinnaiah had not seen it as a precedent for splitting SC groups. As a result, a bigger Bench was assembled to reconsider the previous decision.

The 2024 Verdict

• Opinion of the Majority
  Six judges out of seven decided that the 2004 decision was wrong. Writing on behalf of both himself and Justice Manoj Mishra, Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud contended that SC communities are not a homogeneous class as earlier decided. Despite having experienced discrimination and untouchability, they have a common constitutional identity, but there is also a great deal of variation among them.
• Evidence from History and Empiricism
  In order to illustrate the disparities across SC communities, the Chief Justice provided historical and factual data, including examples of prejudice that certain SC communities experienced from other SC communities. He therefore contended that subclassification was acceptable if it was founded on a "intelligible differentia," or a defining feature that sets one group apart from another, and provided it made sense in relation to the subclassification's intended use. A judge might consider such a subclassification, and the State would have to provide evidence to support it.
• Interpretation of Article 341
  Additionally, the Chief Justice argued that subclassification is not the same as manipulating the Presidential list in accordance with Article 341. Article 341 served to define the Scheduled Castes, but it did not prohibit states from defining groups with varying levels of backwardness in order to provide quota advantages.
• Contrarian Viewpoint
  In her dissent, Justice Bela Trivedi maintained the Chinnaiah concept, contending that subclassifying a homogeneous class was illegal and amounted to manipulating the President's list in violation of Article 341.

The Creamy Layer Argument

Present Situation
Dalit communities have not yet been included in the creamy layer idea, which separates the more evolved OBCs from reservation benefits by identifying them.

Justice B.R. Gavai's Opinion

Justice B.R. Gavai, in a separate but concurring opinion with the Chief Justice, emphasised the need to identify the more advanced among the SCs and exclude them from affirmative action benefits. He noted significant differences in access to resources and opportunities between urban and rural areas and between elite institutions and under-resourced schools. Treating all members of SC communities as equal, regardless of their socio-economic status, would violate the principle of equality. However, he acknowledged that the criteria for identifying the creamy layer among SCs should differ from those used for OBCs.

Direction from the Government
Despite these viewpoints, as the topic did not specifically come up in this case, the Supreme Court's decision does not amount to a command to the government to apply the creamy layer concept for SCs.

Consequences and Potential for the Future

Promotion of Sub-Quotas

States are anticipated to be encouraged by the recent verdict to set aside sub-quotas for the most marginalized Dalit groups who have not yet benefited from reservation rules.

Review by the Court and Empirical Basis
States must present empirical evidence to support their choices about sub-classification, which will be subject to judicial review and ensure that sub-quotas are established on well-defined and logical standards.

Passage of Laws
The ruling might lead to additional state and federal legislative action to resolve the complexities of reservation regulations and guarantee that the benefits are received by the intended recipients.

In summary

The Supreme Court's decision represents a major change in how India's Scheduled Caste reservation laws are interpreted. The Court has recognized the diversity within Dalit communities and the necessity for more focused affirmative action policies by permitting subclassification under the SC quota. The ruling opens the door for a more nuanced approach to reservations, ensuring that the poorest segments of SC communities have appropriate representation and opportunities even while the discussion about the creamy layer among SCs rages on.

The Modern Indian Army: Achieving a Balance Between Quantity and Quality

There has been much talk about the continuing modernization and restructuring of the Indian military. Despite the frequent overlap in usage, there are notable distinctions between these phrases in terms of their intent, consequences, size, and reach.

Transformation vs. Modernization
Modern military technology must be acquired, and new concepts of operations, tactics, command and control, supporting infrastructure, organizational structure, training, and personnel policies must be implemented in order to improve military effectiveness. The aforementioned procedure encompasses not only the procurement of contemporary materials and technology but also their suitable integration with the organization, operational concepts, tactics, command and control systems, and auxiliary infrastructure.

Transformation: In contrast, military transformation entails significant and drastic adjustments to organizational culture in order to establish new establishments that are equipped to handle upcoming strategic difficulties. In order to respond to conflicts at all levels, transformation entails adjustments based on anticipated future combat, which necessitates the creation of newer force structures, operational preparedness, and sustainability.

Forecasting Future Combat

Predictability presents challenges. As Lawrence Freedman pointed out in "The Future of War," "prediction is difficult and likely to be wrong." In the past, there have been very few successful forecasts regarding the evolution of warfare. Future conflict scenarios as they exist now don't give the Indian Armed Forces a strong enough foundation on which to evolve. However, it is not sustainable to keep things as they are; instead, the armed forces need to plan forward and change their doctrines, organizations, and gear.

PLA's Warfare Concept: The PLA emphasizes the need for change by recognizing systems conflict, system destruction, and multi-domain precision warfare as 21st-century combat modes. The PLA emphasizes the doctrine of victory through system destruction warfare, holding that the enemy "loses the will and ability to resist" once its operating system is rendered inoperable.

The Battlespace's Certainties

The "Sino-Indian Rivalry" by Sumit Ganguly, Manjeet S. Pardesi, and William R. Thompson states that China has advanced its military technology three to five times faster than India has. In warfighting, surprise is essential, but operational surprise is becoming harder to achieve with PLA's improved sensors.

China's Satellite Fleet: With over 600 satellites, including over 360 for intelligence, surveillance, or reconnaissance (ISR), China has quickly grown its satellite fleet. With the use of passive and active sensor arrays, these satellites improve combat transparency.

Electronic Warfare Capabilities: China's state-of-the-art electronic warfare (EW) capabilities, which were showcased in a recent conflict with US forces, highlight the country's superiority in multi-domain operational strategy that incorporates quantum and artificial intelligence.

operational preparedness of the Indian Armed Forces

Border Management: The Indian Armed Forces place a high priority on operational readiness, which includes the capacity to develop, maintain, and prepare for a balanced warfighting capability in order to accomplish strategic goals. The management of contested borders, including the LOC and LAC, during peacetime is crucial.

LOC Dynamics: Terrorist infiltrations and ceasefire violations are frequent along the LOC, which acts as a de facto border with Pakistan. Pakistan still has strong feelings for Jammu & Kashmir, which frequently leads to heightened hostilities and proxy conflicts.

LAC with China: Mistrust and significant Indian Army deployments define the LAC with China following 2020 incursions. Jammu and Kashmir's internal security situation has also gotten worse, with a rise in terrorist attacks planned by Pakistan utilizing weaponry abandoned by US forces in Afghanistan. A continual reevaluation of personnel and operational commitments is necessary in light of these developments.

Rigidity in Organizations and Structure

Need for Flexibility: The Army must let go of organizational and structural rigidity in order to allocate the defense budget in a regulated manner. Even though battlefield lethality and transparency have improved since independence, war establishment tables (WE) have not altered much.

Sectoral Specialization: Reevaluating forces in accordance with operational requirements, sectoral specialization, and dynamism are all necessary. In order to offset manpower shortages and provide sufficient peace tenures for units to refit and retrain, the internal assessment should prioritize these two issues.

Qualitative Shift

Enhanced Capabilities: The process of qualitative transformation include building a digital backbone network, augmenting lethality, precision, and battlefield transparency, and substituting inferior capabilities with superior ones. In order to ensure that tactical units, formations, sensors, shooters, and command and control systems are interconnected, this transition must be in line with warfighting ideals.

Setting priorities in qualitative transformation should follow warfighting principles rather than acting as a retrospective analysis of technology adoption.

Handling Threats of System Destruction

Defensive Measures: Using missiles, rockets, EW, loitering munitions, drones, and directed energy weapons, transformation must also counter the threat of system annihilation. Systems for destroying missiles, both soft and hard, such as anti-aircraft guns, decoys, electronic countermeasures, missile defense, and missile approach warning systems, are crucial.

Cybersecurity: To improve defense and neutralize attacks, cybersecurity measures, secure communication protocols, and cyber countermeasures are required. It is necessary for several agencies to work together in a coordinated manner while purposefully containing turf battles.

In summary

The process of implementing new warfighting concepts, doctrines, procedures, organizations, technology, and skilled personnel is known as military transformation. Some verticals may need to be reengineered or modernized in order to close gaps and build stronger capabilities, while others will need significant modifications in order to successfully address upcoming strategic issues. To attain desired outcomes in future wars, the Indian Armed Forces must strike a balance between qualitative and quantitative transformations, assuring operational preparedness, structural flexibility, and the incorporation of sophisticated technologies.