Strategic Autonomy: India’s Guiding Principle in Foreign Policy, 16th Finance Commission, Mashco Piro

(General Studies II – International Relations Section – Bilateral, Regional and Global Groupings and Agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests. Effect of Policies and Politics of Developed and Developing Countries on India’s interests, Indian Diaspora.)

• Strategic autonomy has been a cornerstone of India’s foreign policy since independence. This principle allows India to make decisions based on its national interests, free from external pressures or alliances.
• In the current global landscape, marked by shifting power dynamics and increasing great power competition, India’s commitment to strategic autonomy has come under scrutiny, particularly in light of its stance on the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Recent events have highlighted the challenges India faces in maintaining its strategic autonomy –

1. Russia-Ukraine Conflict: India’s refusal to condemn Russia’s actions and its continued economic engagement with Moscow has led to tensions with Western partners, particularly the United States.
2. US Pressure: American officials, including Ambassador Eric Garcetti, have questioned the viability of strategic autonomy during times of crisis, suggesting that India needs to align more closely with the West.
3. Balancing Act: India is navigating a complex geopolitical landscape, maintaining ties with Russia while strengthening partnerships with the US and other Western nations.
4. Energy Security: India’s increased oil imports from Russia, driven by economic considerations, have been a point of contention with Western allies.
5. defence Dependence: India’s historical reliance on Russian military equipment (over 40% of defence imports) necessitates ongoing engagement with Moscow.

India’s approach to strategic autonomy has evolved over time –

1. Non-Alignment: Under Jawaharlal Nehru, India adopted non-alignment as a way to maintain independence from Cold War power blocs while advocating for newly decolonized nations.
2. Tilt towards USSR: In the 1970s and 1980s, India moved closer to the Soviet Union in response to US-Pakistan ties and China’s alignment with the US.
3. Post-Cold War Realignment: After 1991, India diversified its partnerships, engaging more with the West while maintaining ties with Russia.
4. Multi-Alignment: In the 21st century, India has pursued a policy of multi-alignment, engaging with multiple power centres to maximize its strategic interests.
   

Necessity of Strategic Autonomy for India –

1. Geopolitical Flexibility: Allows India to navigate complex global issues without being constrained by alliance obligations as seen in recent conflicts between Israel- Palestine and Russia- Ukraine or the tensions between Iran-Iraq.
2. Economic Interests: Enables pursuit of economic partnerships based on national interest rather than ideological alignment. India has a trade of $ 138 billion with China.
3. Regional Stability: Helps India maintain a balanced approach in its neighbourhood, particularly in dealing with China and Pakistan.
4. Energy Security: Permits diversification of energy sources, crucial for India’s growing economy. India needs nuclear partnership with USA and Russia while for critical minerals it needs to maintain status quo with China.
5. Defence Modernization: Allows India to source military equipment from various countries, reducing dependence on any single supplier.
6. Global South Leadership: It positions India as a voice for developing nations in international forums.
7. Diplomatic Leverage: Enhances India’s ability to act as a mediator in global conflicts.

Challenges to Strategic Autonomy –

1. Great Power Pressure: Increasing expectations from partners like the US to align on global issues.
2. Economic Interdependence: Growing economic ties may limit policy options in certain scenarios.
3. Technological Dependencies: Reliance on foreign technologies in critical sectors could impact decision-making.
4. Regional Security Dynamics: Balancing relationships with countries like China, Pakistan, and Afghanistan requires careful diplomacy.

India’s strategic autonomy represents a positive-sum approach to foreign policy, not a zero-sum game. It allows India to engage constructively with multiple power centres while supporting a multilateral global order. Western partners should recognize that India’s non-aligned stance doesn’t equate to being unfriendly; rather, it reflects a nuanced understanding of the emerging multipolar world order. In this post-unipolar era, India’s strategic autonomy enables it to be a responsible global player, balancing diverse interests for mutual benefit.

• Kerala’s forests recorded 845 elephant deaths between 2015 and 2023, with studies indicating an increasing trend in the death rate over time.
• As per the report of an elephant population estimation undertaken in the State’s four elephant reserves.
• Elephants under 10 years face the highest risk, with an alarming mortality rate of approximately 40%, mainly due to Elephant Endotheliotropic Herpesviruses – Haemorrhagic Disease (EEHV-HD).
• Larger herds provide better survival rates for calves due to shared immunity and exposure to various strains, which helps develop effective antibodies against EEHV-HD.
• The report emphasises the need to restore natural habitats and reduce herd fragmentation to prevent EEHV-HD from becoming a major threat.
• The study recommends adopting a structured protocol similar to Tamil Nadu’s Elephant Death Audit Framework (EDAF) to investigate elephant deaths, identify patterns, assess threats, and implement targeted conservation measures effectively.

Dig Deeper: List diseases among Indian fauna caused due to habitat fragmentation and interbreeding between small populations.

• The Sixteenth Finance Commission, headed by Arvind Panagariya, has commenced its work by inviting public suggestions on its mandate set by the Centre.
• Constituted in December last year, the commission comprises five members and is expected to submit its recommendations by October 2025.
• These recommendations will be valid for five years starting from April 1, 2026.
• The Finance Commission is a constitutional body under Article 280 of the Indian Constitution that recommends how the Central government’s tax revenues should be distributed between the Centre and the States.
• Although the Centre is not legally bound to implement these suggestions, the commission is reconstituted every five years and typically takes a couple of years to submit its recommendations.
• The commission decides the proportion of the Centre’s net tax revenue allocated to the States (vertical devolution) and the distribution among various States (horizontal devolution).
• Horizontal devolution is based on a formula considering factors like a State’s population, fertility level, income level, and geography.
• The vertical devolution of funds is not based on an objective formula, but recent commissions have recommended increasing the share of tax revenues to States.
• The 13th, 14th, and 15th Finance Commissions recommended sharing 32%, 42%, and 41% of funds, respectively, from the divisible pool with States.
• The Centre can also provide additional grants to States for certain jointly funded schemes.
• As of 2015, only about 3% of public spending in India occurred at the local body level, compared to over half in countries like China.
• Analysts suggest the Centre has devolved an average of only 38% of funds from the divisible pool under the current Fifteenth Finance Commission, against the recommended 41%.
• Cesses and surcharges, which are not shared with States, can constitute up to 28% of the Centre’s tax revenues, leading to significant revenue loss for States.
• This can reduce the effective share of States in the Centre’s overall tax revenues to as low as 32% under the 15th Finance Commission.

Dig Deeper: Read about the State Finance Commission and the Article associated with it.

• The Hmar Inpui, the apex body of the Hmar tribe in Northeast India, has condemned the “orchestrated extrajudicial killing” of three members of the community by the Assam Police.
• The Hmar Students’ Association said that the persons who died were village volunteers who valiantly defended the Kuki-Zomi-Hmar villages against Meitei militants.
• The police said the extremists were killed in an encounter.

• The Hmar tribe, originally from Central China, migrated to Assam and other northeastern regions of India. They have a rich cultural heritage and belong to the Sino-Tibeto-Burman family.
• Their material culture includes intricate weaving of traditional garments like Tawnlo puon and Ngotekher, and crafting various bamboo and cane products.

• The Hmars practice Christianity predominantly, though they originally followed animism.
• Festivals like Sikpui Lam and traditional dances are vital cultural expressions, alongside sports and musical instruments like the khuong and theihle.
• Politically, Hmar society is organized around village administration, with traditional institutions like the Zawlbuk.
• Ethno-medicine, including the use of medicinal plants for humans and animals, is integral to their healthcare practices.

Dig Deeper: Read about various tribal communities that are involved in militant conflict with the government in Northeastern India.

• The Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime in India, enacted in 2017 to simplify and consolidate the country’s tax system, imposes a five per cent tax on essential mobility aids such as prosthetic limbs, Braillers, and wheelchairs.
• This tax affects millions of disabled Indians, who must pay an additional amount for these necessary aids.

• This is contradictory to the proclaimed concern for the disabled, whom the Prime Minister refers to as “divyang” (divine).
• According to Article 14 of the Constitution, any tax penalising movement and learning, which are untaxed for able-bodied individuals, fails the test of reasonableness.
• Under Article 15, which prohibits discrimination based on “place of birth,” a purposive interpretation could include disability.
• This tax on essential goods for the disabled has been described as a form of discrimination.
• The Supreme Court has consistently struck down taxes that indirectly curtail fundamental rights in landmark cases.
• The GST on disability aids may perpetuate negative stereotypes and discriminate against the disabled, who should not bear such a tax for basic tasks like walking and reading.
• The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, specifically prohibits discrimination against disabled individuals.

Dig Deeper: Read observations of the Supreme Court in the Vikash Kumar Vs UPSC case in the context of the recent alleged disability certificate fraud of Pooja Khedkar.

• Survival International, an indigenous rights NGO, has released rare pictures of the Mashco Piro tribespeople, one of the world’s 100-odd uncontacted tribes.
• The photographs of tribespeople on the banks of a Las Piedras River near a logging site surfaced recently.
• The Mashco Piro, possibly numbering over 750, are nomadic hunter-gatherers living in the Amazon jungles of the Madre de Dios Region, near Peru’s border with Brazil and Bolivia.

• The Peruvian government has forbidden all contact with the tribe to prevent disease spread.
• The tribe is reclusive, occasionally contacting the Yine indigenous people, from whom much of the known information about the Mashco Piro comes.
• In 2002, Peru created the Madre de Dios Territorial Reserve to protect the Mashco Piro territory.
• However, large parts of their traditional land lie outside the reserve.
• The Mashco Piro have expressed their disapproval of the logging companies to the Yine. They feel increasingly pressured and upset due to assaults by these companies.
• This is not the first invasion of Mashco Piro territory. During Peru’s rubber boom in the 1880s, they were forcibly displaced, enslaved, and killed.
• Survivors moved upstream on the Manu River, living in isolation since.

Dig Deeper: Read about the Sentinelese of North Sentinel Island of India.