Content:

1. A chance to strike gold during the Kuwait visit
2. Change Is Constitutional

A Chance to Strike Gold During the Kuwait Visit

Context and Significance

• First visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Kuwait in 43 years; Indira Gandhi visited in 1981.
• Previously scheduled in 2022, delayed due to COVID-19.
• Fills a critical gap in India’s Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) engagement.

Relevance : GS 2(International Relations )

Practice Question : Assess the strategic significance of Kuwait in India’s foreign policy and the potential areas of cooperation that could define the future of bilateral ties .(250 Words )

Strategic Importance of Kuwait

• Geopolitical Location: Borders Iraq and Saudi Arabia, positioned at the Persian Gulf’s northeastern end.

• Regional Influence: Maintains neutrality in regional conflicts; active in dispute resolution.

• Oil Wealth:
  • Sixth-largest global oil reserves.
  • Founding member of OPEC.

• Sovereign Wealth:
  • Kuwait Investment Authority (KIA) manages funds worth $924 billion (March 2024), fourth-largest globally.

• Hosts vital U.S. military bases, adding to its strategic heft.

Current State of Bilateral Ties

• Trade Relations:
  • Bilateral trade in FY 2023-24: $10.47 billion.
  • Kuwait is the sixth-largest crude oil supplier to India (3% of energy needs).
  • KIA’s indirect investments in India exceed $10 billion.

• Cultural & Historical Bonds:
  • Indian rupee used as legal tender until Kuwait’s independence in 1961.
  • Significant Indian expatriate population (1 million) out of 4.9 million total.
  • 26 Indian schools with over 60,000 students follow CBSE curriculum.

• COVID-19 Cooperation:
  • Mutual aid during the pandemic: vaccine doses from India; medical supplies from Kuwait.

• Humanitarian Ties:
  • Rapid repatriation of mortal remains of Indians after a June 2024 fire tragedy in Kuwait.

Potential Areas of Cooperation

• Strategic Partnerships:
  • Signing a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement.
  • Defence cooperation pact.

• Energy Collaboration:
  • Kuwait joining India’s strategic oil reserve program.
  • Renewable energy partnerships under the International Solar Alliance (ISA).

• Infrastructure and Investment:
  • Collaboration on Kuwait’s Vision 2035 infrastructure projects.
  • Agreement between KIA and India’s National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF).

• Education and Healthcare:
  • Establishing IITs, IIMs, and modern hospitals in Kuwait.

• Aviation:
  • Considering additional seats for Kuwait Airlines beyond the existing 12,000 per week.

• Space and Technology:
  • Cooperation in space programs, including satellite launches.

Challenges in Bilateral Ties

• Stagnation in elevating ties beyond traditional areas of trade and cultural exchange.
• Ensuring strategic agreements materialize amid global competition for Kuwait’s resources and investments.

Opportunities for a “Golden Era”

• Leveraging this visit to redefine Kuwait-India ties across multiple domains.
• Consolidating India’s role as a key partner in Kuwait’s development agenda and global diplomacy.

Source- The Hindu

Change Is Constitutional

Intro : Constitution as a Living Document

• A democratic constitution, like India’s, not only protects rights but also implicitly allows for errors and corrections.

• Rights such as life, property, and religion are fundamental, but the Constitution also ensures that mistakes are part of the democratic process.

• Without the freedom to err and amend, a constitution would become stagnant and authoritarian, rather than living and adaptive.

Relevance : GS 2(Polity )

Practice Question : Analyze the importance of amendments in the Indian Constitution and the role they play in refining governance .(250 Words )

Amendments: Essential for Progress

• Need for Amendments: Constitutional amendments are necessary for a functioning democracy to correct past mistakes and improve the system.
• Relevance of Amendments: Changes such as the ‘one nation, one election’ proposal or the economic subdivision of Scheduled Castes and Tribes require constitutional amendments for implementation.
• Misunderstanding of Sacrosanct Constitution: A growing view in Parliament treats every aspect of the Constitution as untouchable, missing the point that the Constitution should evolve to address new challenges and correct prior oversights.

Importance of Correcting Errors

• Democratic Growth: By accepting errors and correcting them, democratic constitutions improve. This process of continuous refinement is critical for the strengthening of democracy.
• Samuel Beckett’s Philosophy: “Fail again, fail better” — this idea emphasizes learning from past mistakes to make better decisions in the future.
• Constitutional Corrections: A constitution that allows for changes avoids becoming a dogmatic document and instead serves its purpose as a tool for progress.

Constitutions and Religious Inerrancy

• Unlike religious texts, which are often viewed as perfect and unchanging, democratic constitutions are human-made and should allow for adjustments.
• Democratic constitutions must be flexible and responsive to the evolving needs of society and governance.

International Examples of Constitutional Amendments

• Britain’s Evolution: The extension of voting rights to women and the revocation of the 16th-century Test Act in Britain showcase the role of amendments in rectifying past injustices.
• The Test Act: It restricted non-Anglican Christians from holding public office for centuries, only rectified in 1889, demonstrating how amendments help societies correct long-standing inequalities.

India’s Constitutional Amendments

• Zamindari Abolition: This amendment freed serfs, marking a major step in addressing historical injustices.
• Linguistic States: The creation of linguistic states empowered grassroots activism and fostered national integration.
• Panchayati Raj Act: Gave a greater role to Scheduled Caste women in governance at the local level, strengthening democracy.
• Economic Reservation: The introduction of 10% reservation for economically weaker sections directly aided the marginalized.
• Women’s Reservation (2023): The reservation of 33% seats in Parliament and the Delhi legislature for women was another significant step towards gender equality.

Negative Amendments

• Emergency Provisions: During the Emergency, the right to life was suspended, and the judiciary failed to uphold citizen rights.
• Undemocratic Amendments: These negative changes are examples of when amendments were made to consolidate power rather than enhance democratic participation, highlighting the dangers of unchecked constitutional changes.

Secularism and Freedom of Thought

• Secularism: A constitution must allow questioning of state actions and authority. This questioning is essential for democratic vitality and the safeguarding of fundamental freedoms.
• Emergency Rule as a Negative Amendment: The imposition of Emergency rule in India undermined the freedom of speech and the right to participate in democratic processes.

The Derivative Right to Be Wrong

• Democracy thrives on the ability to correct errors. This process is mirrored in politics, economics, and history, where mistakes are seen as opportunities for learning and progress.
• Human Nature of Error: Unlike absolutist monarchies, which punish errors, democratic systems embrace the human tendency to err and provide mechanisms for rectification.

Conclusion: To err is human, but to amend is constitutional.

Source – The Times of India