Earthquakes and volcanoes are natural phenomena and are closely linked with seismic events. An earthquake is caused by to release of energy along a fault in the earth’s crust, which generates waves that travel in all directions. A volcano is a place where gases, ashes, and/or molten rock material lava – escape to the ground. The spatial distribution of earthquakes and volcanoes shows a close relation between the two as indicated in the figure below: Most of the largest earthquakes that ever happened on Earth, were along the Circum-Pacific belt, which is also called the ‘Ring of Fire. After this, earthquakes have been more frequent in the Alpide or Alpine-Himalayan earthquake belt, which runs from Java to Sumatra through the Himalayas, the Mediterranean, and out into the Atlantic. The third prominent belt follows the submerged mid-Atlantic Ridge. The map of volcanoes also shows a similar pattern. They are distributed along three major belts or zones in the world, namely- (i) Circum-Pacific belt: Also known as the ‘volcanic zones of the convergent oceanic plate margins’, it includes the volcanoes of the eastern and western coastal areas of the Pacific Ocean, of island arcs and festoons off the east coast of Asia and of the volcanic islands scattered over the Pacific Ocean. (ii) Mid-continental belt: Also known as ‘the volcanic zones of convergent continental plate margins’, it includes the volcanoes of Alpine mountain chains and the Mediterranean Sea and the volcanoes of the fault zone of eastern Africa. (iii) Mid-oceanic ridge belt: This belt includes the volcanoes mainly along the mid-Atlantic ridge which represents the splitting/divergent zone of plates. The spatial distribution of volcanoes and earthquakes show similarities as both events are closely linked with the Theory of Plate Tectonics, which explains the formation of convergent and divergent boundaries and the motion of plates.

The Indian economy, during the early years of independence, was characterised as under-developed (with a per capita income of INR 230), import dependent, having poor infrastructure, trapped in a vicious cycle of poverty and illiteracy etc. However, newly independent India was also facing grave concerns like maintaining the integrity and unity of the nation and consolidation of various regions of India in the background of its huge diversity. Thus, more than dealing with economic problems, the immediate task in front of its founders was to shape a nation that was united, yet accommodative of the socio-cultural diversities.

Challenges in socio-cultural integration of people of India:

• Linguistic diversity: Language emerged as an emotive issue which people identified with their core cultural identities. When the Official Language Commission, set up in 1955, recommended the progressive use of Hindi for official purposes of the Union, the southern states felt that it would put them at disadvantage in matters of public employment and political participation, leading to huge protests.
• Integration of religious minorities: Post partition, newly formed India had challenges to build confidence in its religious minorities like Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis and Jews of the secular credentials of the Indian state.
• North East regional diversity: Culturally and ethnically diverse North East region has more than 200 ethnic groups that have diverse languages, dialects, and socio-cultural identities. Integration of this region into the mainland, bringing national consciousness and unity among this region was a challenging task, especially in states like Nagaland, parts of Assam etc.
• Isolated tribes: Tribals made up more than 6% of the population and were dispersed throughout India. Residing mostly in hilly and forest areas in colonial India, they lived in relative isolation. They were politically isolated and were hence untouched by ideas of nationalism and a common unifying bond.
• Removing caste barriers: Untouchability based on the concept of ‘purity’ was a major issue which threatened the social fabric of India at that time. Recognizing its nuisance, the Constitution provided for affirmative actions and made practising untouchability a punishable offence. Threat of regionalism: The politics of some regional parties created a sense of isolation from the nation’s umbrella identity.

This diversity could become a divisive tool, thus transforming India into a disruptive country along the lines of communalism, casteism, and regional exclusivity. To address these challenges and keep the country united, early governments adopted policies of territorial integration, promoting social justice, the preservation of India’s rich diversity, and the inauguration of a civil and libertarian polity.

A landslide is defined as the movement of a mass of rock, debris, or earth down a slope. Landslides are a type of “mass wasting,” which denotes any down-slope movement of soil and rock under the direct influence of gravity.

Landslide Vulnerability Zones in India:

• Very High Vulnerability Zone: Highly unstable, relatively young mountainous areas in the Himalayas and Andaman and Nicobar, high rainfall regions with steep slopes in the Western Ghats and Nilgiris, the North-Eastern regions, along with areas that experience frequent ground- shaking due to earthquakes, etc. and areas of intense human activities, particularly those related to construction of roads, dams, etc. are included in this zone.
• High Vulnerability Zone: Areas that have almost similar conditions to those included in the very high vulnerability zone are also included in this category. The only difference between these two is the combination, intensity and frequency of the controlling factors. All the Himalayan states and the states from the North-Eastern regions except the plains of Assam are included in the high vulnerability zones.
• Moderate to Low Vulnerability Zone: Areas that receive less precipitation such as the Trans-Himalayan areas of Ladakh and Spiti (Himachal Pradesh), undulated yet stable relief and low precipitation areas in the Aravalli, rain shadow areas in the Western and Eastern Ghats and Deccan plateau also experience occasional landslides. Landslides due to mining and subsidence are most common in states like Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Goa and Kerala.
• Other Areas: The remaining parts of India, particularly states like Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal (except district Darjeeling), Assam (except district Karbi Anglong) and coastal regions of the southern states are safe as far as landslides are concerned.

Measures to mitigate the effect of landslides:

• Need of area-specific measures: Restriction on construction and other developmental activities such as building of roads and dams in the high vulnerability zones should be strictly enforced.
• Horizontal drain to dewater the landslide areas: A horizontal drain can be used to drain water to reduce pressure on the soil. Holes are drilled into a cut slope or embankment. They are then encased with a liner comprised of slotted-plastic or perforated-metal.
• Afforestation drive: Positive actions like promoting large-scale afforestation programmes and construction of bunds to reduce the flow of water can be taken to mitigate the impact of landslides.
• Ground anchor walls: Reaction blocks are anchored to slopes or existing retaining walls to stabilize them. The blocks are often placed in a row pattern across the slope or wall.
• Reducing pressure on vulnerable areas: Limiting agriculture to valleys and areas with moderate slopes, and control on the development of large settlements in the high vulnerability zones should be enforced.
• Measures for North-Eastern states: Terrace farming should be encouraged in the North- Eastern hill states where jhumming (slash and burn/shifting cultivation) is still prevalent.

Landslide hazard is one of the more difficult ones to address, as it involves extensive risk analysis and geotechnical investigations, in addition to risk maps. For critical infrastructure, the non structural mitigation measures for reducing consequences such as warning system, evacuation plans, and restriction of construction should be given importance along with structural mitigation measures to reduce the impact on operational activity during such a hazard.

Answer: The aforementioned case highlights ways in which a firm’s business practices are inextricably linked to both tangible and intangible aspects. In the given case, a telecom major finds itself grappling with allegations of questionable business practices, thereby threatening its reputation amongst both local and global markets.
(a) The challenges presented by the given situation are multi-fold ranging across both ethical and purely commercial aspects, including:

• Ethical business culture: An organization must rely upon strong commitment to ethical values and practices to further its objectives. Its pursuit of profit cannot enable it to compromise on ethical norms, as are prescribed both by convention as well as statutes of the land.
• Principle of fairness: Fair competition i.e. one based on quality, price, and service rather than unfair practices, is an essential condition for market economies to prosper. Use of unfair means is not just unethical but also illegal across geographies since it thwarts several benefits, especially redistribution of wealth and stifles innovation.
• Public trust: Because of the very nature of the company’s business, it has to contract with governments and with the public sector, including publicly owned entities. Therefore, the need to uphold ethics in business practices increases manifold, owing to public trust and money being involved.
• Shareholder value: Not only do unscrupulous activities erode public trust, they may also lead to a significant erosion of shareholder value. The company must be accountable to its shareholders for all its actions.
• Tarnishing India’s image: Such allegations not only affect the reputation of the concerned organization but also tarnish the image of the parent nation. It may also lead to flight of capital and colour investor perception about India as a business destination.

(b) The stakeholders in the given case include the following:

• Company’s European arm: Since the allegations emerge from a distant geography where the company conducts its operations and the local management and staff of the firm are primarily responsible for the same.
• Senior management of the parent firm: As key decision-makers, the company’s senior management and Board of Directors are directly responsible for any act of the firm.
• Local government and people: The government of the nation wherein the incident is alleged to have occurred must take necessary steps to ensure a fair and impartial destination to conduct business and punish the culprits if charges are proved. .
• Company’s Indian shareholders: The people who are directly invested in the firm have to be informed of any such malpractices or lack thereof, since their private wealth is involved.
• National media: Since the company is an Indian major, any such act(s) that may bring disrepute to the parent nation automatically becomes a topic of interest to the Indian citizens. The national media must keep the citizens abreast of all the developments which may take place.

(c) As the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), my course of action must be informed by a keen understanding of the challenges involved and choosing the most appropriate alternative that addresses them. It will include the following:

• I shall undertake a stocktaking of the situation, beginning with a detailed analysis of the business culture in the jurisdiction where this subsidiary operates.
• I would set in place a mechanism to ascertain, beyond reasonable doubt, the veracity of the allegations and to understand whether there appear to be any violation of the laws of the land.
• I would direct the company executives to proceed quickly yet carefully and avoid alerting any potential wrongdoers who are under investigation. The necessary information is to be collected through interviews and investigative evaluation of company documents and other sources, while protecting legal privilege at all times.
• When conducting this type of internal investigation, the concerns of the shareholders and the need to avoid lengthy, expensive, and possibly disruptive internal investigations has to be balanced. Therefore, I will rope in a third party investigative consultancy to ensure that the investigation remains fair and far from any doubt.
• The investigative firm would be entrusted with the following tasks:
  • to secure the company’s servers,
  • interview relevant employees,
  • conduct a forensic IT investigation for collection and preservation of all electronic evidence; and,
  • conduct background investigations and asset tracing of target subjects.
• If, at the conclusion of the internal investigation, there is evidence that links the executive and the third party, I would ask the General Counsel of the company to ascertain if the case pertains to commercial bribery or any such illegal act, as per the law of the land.
• If the act has been conducted against the law of the land, I would ensure that the firm self- reports the case to the local government. I will also hand over the detailed findings of the internal investigation alongside the requisite evidence.
• If the act is found to be in accordance with the local laws or a generally accepted business practice, I would ensure that the public relations and communications team conducts a global reach out campaign to present the findings of the report in a palatable format. The objective of this exercise would be to reverse any damage to the company’s reputation across all regions, especially where it operates.

Answer: This case pertains to the issue of whether student politics should be allowed in colleges. One view is that student politics is necessary for raising issues of students before the colleges and also making future citizens of the country aware and interested about the political system of the country. While a contrary view sees student politics as only a platform for politicization of educational institutes which interferes with the academic functions of colleges. (a) Issues involved in this case are following:

• Student participation: Student politics facilitates participation of students in college administration and raises the issues and grievances of students and get their resolution in a democratic manner.
• Political awareness: It helps students understand the principles of democracy and political system of the country. Besides, many national leaders, both before and after independence, evolved from student politics.
• Pending student elections: Student elections in the college have not happened for the last two years.
• Personal belief vs professional ethics: Some professors including the principal and students believe that student politics hamper academic activities of the college and thus want a ban on student politics. However, the law in India allows student politics.
• Destruction of public property: Student leaders who came to meet the Principal indulged in destruction of college property which goes against principles of debate and peaceful protest.

(b) It is my personal belief that student politics is not good. This personal belief of mine is in contravention to my professional ethics which requires me to act as per the long tradition of college and conduct student elections provided they are indeed working for the benefit of students. In this situation, I can take following measures to separate my personal belief from interfering in my official role:

• Emotional intelligence: The awareness about my personal belief against student politics will help me approach the issue from a more neutral perspective.
• Objectivity and rationality: I need to base my decision on sound logic and objectivity without any value judgement.
• Wider consultation: Consulting with other people including students will help me weed out any personal bias that may creep into the decision making process.
• Appointing a committee: I can appoint a committee to look into the whole issue and then take decisions based on the report of that committee.
• Openness and getting feedback: I can openly declare my personal views and the reasons behind those views.
• Following rules of college: Strictly following rules of college regarding conduct of student politics and penalizing those violating any provisions of the rules will help me avoid my personal belief clouding my judgement.

(c) As the Principal of the college, I have the responsibility of conducting the affairs of the college in a lawful and just manner and take effective steps to ensure that academic activities are not hampered by extraneous factors. While student politics per se is not undesirable, politicization of student unions in India has resulted in many undesirable consequences. Therefore, I will take following steps in order to balance the need of student politics vis-à-vis maintaining an effective academic environment in campuses:

• Firstly, I will call law enforcement agencies on the campus and ensure that no further damage to college property is done. Further, I will take strict legal action against students involved in this incident.
• I will take steps as discussed above to ensure that my personal belief does not interfere with my professional duties as the Principal of the college.
• I will call for persons who had submitted representation against student politics to substantiate their points through evidence and detailed instances of banning student politics due to their harmful activities.
• I will call various students’ unions in the college to discuss the utility of student politics and assess their own activities in this regard.
• Lastly, I will appoint a committee to study the matter in detail and also rules of the college in this regard. Further, if the committee after study is of the opinion that student politics should not be allowed, then I will suggest alternative mechanisms to ensure participation of students in the administration of college through various committees etc.

A vibrant and politically aware student community is crucial to the furtherance of parliamentary democracy. However, student politics should be practised in such a way that campuses do not become turf wars for political parties of the country.