Lay Aff v3
Despite some early success, India’s spaceflight programs are trailing behind the
world’s progress. Raghotham in 2022 writes that
Raghotham 22 [Raghotham, S. “Unignited: Has India Fallen behind in the Space Race?” Deccan Herald, 6
Mar. 2022, www.deccanherald.com/national/unignited-has-india-fallen-behind-in-the-space-race1088424.html.
Raghotham is an Assistant Editor at Deccan Herald.] //AQ
Consider this: China
made 55 space launches in 2021, overtaking the US in the number of missions it undertook last year. As the
world saw a total of 145 space launches in
2021, of which 55 were from China, 51 from the US, and 25 from Russia.” India? Two launches - one of them a failure,
passed off as ‘partial success’.
jingoistic Global Times gushed, it was a “Super 2021” for China in space. “The
This isn’t the only issue India is experiencing. India also has an investment issue as
Mohan in 2022 indicates
Mohan 22 [Mohan, N Chandra. “Why FDI Inflows to India Are Declining.” Financial Express,
Financialexpress, 11 June 2022, www.financialexpress.com/economy/why-fdi-inflows-to-india-aredeclining/2556381/.] //AQ
UNCTAD’s latest World Investment Report suggests a different narrative on foreign
direct investment inflows into India in
sharp contrast to optimistic official statements of record FDI inflows in 2021-22. The publication shows inflows
dropping by 30% to $45 billion in 2021. A proximate cause is that big-ticket mergers and acquisitions (M&As) which boosted FDI
flows in the recent past were not repeated. In 2020, for instance, cross-border M&As surged 83% to $27 billion in ICT, health, infrastructure and
energy to boost overall FDI to $64 billion. During the following year, cross-border M&As were down by a massive 70% to $8 billion, which
impacted overall flows to the country. Nevertheless, India remains among the top 10 global FDI recipients.
Other corroborative evidence of diminishing foreign investor interest was provided last December by Union commerce minister, Piyush Goyal,
on the floor of Parliament. Between
2014 and November 2021, as many as 2,783 foreign companies with
registered offices or subsidiaries in India closed down operations out of a total of 12,458 active foreign subsidiaries
operating in the country. The exit of one-fifth of foreign companies is indeed a huge number. To be sure, there are
various reasons for this such as completion of business objectives and projects, restructuring by
parent company, amalgamation, and other management decisions. But the reasons also include
uncertainties over the policy environment or regulatory hassles. There is definitely a cause of concern if foreign
investors are choosing to exit rather than stay invested.
Fortunately, it’s not too late to fix these issues. Sharma in 2022 finds that
Sharma 22 [Sharma, Mihir. “India Needs to Fix Its Economy, Generate Employment to Become a
Superpower.” Business Standard, 1 July 2022, www.business-standard.com/article/economypolicy/india-needs-to-fix-its-economy-generate-employment-to-become-a-superpower122070100344_1.html.] //AQ
A reversal would carry its own costs, however. In an aspiring superpower the military should be an instrument designed to project power,
ensure domestic security and respond to emerging threats. What India is learning is that, given its failure to create jobs, its army must also
remain something of an employment generation scheme. If
[India] the country wants to play a bigger role in its region
and in the world, it will first need to fix its economy.
Time is of the utmost importance. Because India must act rather than wait, Jasper
affirms Resolved: The Republic of India should sign the Artemis Accords.
Our sole argument is revitalizing India.
The Artemis Accords provide a platform for international cooperation between
signatories, creating a pathway towards the revitalization of India. Mohandas in 2021
explains
Mohandas 21 [Mohandas, Pradeep. “Should India Sign the Artemis Accords? – the Wire Science.”
Thewire.in, 29 May 2021, science.thewire.in/aerospace/should-india-sign-the-artemis-accords/.] //AQ
The accords form a natural extension of the Quad’s Critical and Emerging Technologies Working Group. The US, Japan and Australia are already
signatories of the accords. India’s
addition to the accords would provide a framework for space cooperation
among these Quad countries, and could also be extended to other critical and emerging technologies. India has a lot to offer and a lot to gain
from strengthening this connection. Signing the accords would mak[ing]e
it easier to collaborate with other signatories.
By being a part of the accords, India’s space companies could become part of a global supply chain,
along with Indian SMEs and NewSpace startups. This would also help attract[ing] investment capital towards
Indian space startups and lead to flow of capital into India.
Empirically, this is shown in places like Rwanda and Nigeria that signed the Artemis
Accords. Whittington in 2022 indicates that
Whittington 22 [Whittington, Mark R. “Why Did Nigeria and Rwanda Sign NASA’s Artemis Accords?” The
Hill, The Hill, 25 Dec. 2022, thehill.com/opinion/international/3786847-why-did-nigeria-and-rwandasign-nasas-artemis-accords/.] //AQ
By joining the Artemis Accords, Nigeria and Rwanda have made themselves more attractive to
international investment in their space sectors. The two African countries have joined the same space alliance as the United
States, France, Japan and 20 or so other countries. They have shown themselves to be serious about using space to
develop their countries’ economies and eventually, directly participate in exploration of the moon,
Mars and beyond.
Allowing for increased investment towards India is crucial in both the long term and
short term for two reasons.
The first is solving overpopulation.
Current projections predict that India’s current population issue will continue to
worsen. Krishnan in 2022 warns that
Krishnan 22 [Krishnan, M. (2022, November 18). How will India's growing population impact its
progress? – DW – 11/18/2022. DW. Retrieved February 7, 2023, from https://www.dw.com/en/howwill-indias-growing-population-impact-its-progress/a-63812976. Murali Krishnan, India, is currently an
international broadcaster based in New Delhi, India.] // YQ
India is projected to surpass China as the world's most populous country in 2023, according to the United
Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). It put India's population at 1.41 billion in 2022, compared to China's 1.43 billion for the same year. By
2050, India is projected to have a population of 1.67 billion, higher than the 1.32 billion people
forecast for China by the middle of the century. However, the UN report said that China's contribution to the next billion will
be negative. More than half of the projected global population increase by 2050 is expected to be concentrated in eight countries, one of which
is India. It's not just about the numbers. Rapid
population growth can exacerbate challenges related to hunger
and poverty, according to Liu Zhenmin, the UN's Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs. "Rapid population
growth makes eradicating poverty, combating hunger and malnutrition, and increasing the coverage
of health and education systems more difficult," Zhenmin said in a report. Population experts and economists believe that
focusing solely on numbers would distract from the real challenges faced by India. They say that in order for progress to be enjoyed equally and
sustainably, the focus needs to shift onto reforming the government's education, economic and social policies.
Indeed, Bansal in 2022 confirms
Bansal 22 [Bansal, Vaishali. “Food Insecurity and Hunger Continue to Plague India.” Deccan Herald, 10
July 2022, www.deccanherald.com/business/business-news/food-insecurity-and-hunger-continue-toplague-india-1125469.html.] //AQ
Using the data presented in the report, it can be estimated that about 56
crore [560 million] people, 40.6% of the
population, in India suffered from moderate or severe food insecurity in 2019-21. The proportion of the
population that is severely food insecure in the country has risen from 20.3% in 2018-20 to 22.3% in
2019-21. The corresponding proportion for the world was about 10.7% in 2019-21. India alone accounts for 37% of the
world’s total severely food-insecure population.
Fortunately, space colonization offers a solution. Busireddy 21 writes that
Busireddy 21 [Busireddy, Ishan. “Why Humans Should Pursue Space Colonization?” TalkDiplomacy, Talk
Diplomacy, 27 Dec. 2021, www.talkdiplomacy.com/post/whyhumansshouldpursuespacecolonization.]
//AQ
With the global population rising at dangerous rates, space colonization would help alleviate future
overpopulation on Earth. Currently, the global population is approximately 7.8 billion. By 2050, the global population is projected to
reach 11.5 billion. In other words, the global population could increase by 3.7 billion in just 30 years. At this rate, Earth will not be able to
sustain such a large population. Space
colonization would eventually allow a large portion of the human
population to move to other planets, preventing overpopulation and its negative effects.
It’s not rocket science, either; this solution is entirely viable. Guenot finds in 2022 that
Guenot 22 [Guenot, Marianne. “Humans to Live and Work on the Moon by 2030, Says NASA Official.”
Business Insider, Insider, 21 Nov. 2022, www.businessinsider.com/nasa-artemis-humans-to-live-moonby-2030-says-official-2022-11. Dr Marianne Guenot is a science reporter for Insider. She was a
biomedical scientist before editing news and opinion at The Lancet and Nature Medicine.] //AQ
Humans are on track to live and work on the moon by 2030, a NASA official has said.
"We're going to be sending people down to the surface and they're going to be living on that surface and doing science," said Howard Hu,
who leads the Orion lunar spacecraft program for NASA, the BBC reported Sunday.
Luckily, the Artemis Accords provide a solution as they aim to explore space to find
new areas, with Lea in 2023 finding that
Lea 23 [Lea, Robert. “What Are the Artemis Accords?” Space.com, Space, 22 Jan. 2023,
www.space.com/artemis-accords-explained.] //AQ
The Artemis Accords are a set of statements that set out common principles, guidelines, and best practices that are
applicable to the safe exploration of the moon and eventually beyond as humanity extends the duration of space
missions and its reach to Mars.
Specifically, Upadhyaya in 2022 furthers that
Upadhyaya 22 [Upadhyaya, Shrikrishna. “Takshashila Issue Brief: India & Artemis Programme: Next Step
for Space Cooperation.” The Takshashila Institution, 26 Sept. 2022, takshashila.org.in/research/indiaamp-artemis-programme-next-step-for-space-cooperation.] //AQ
The participating countries
in the Artemis Programme, which today includes the United Kingdom, France, and Canada, apart
from the United States, offer an opportunity to India to boost its lunar exploration capacity through
collaboration. Joining the Artemis Programme could also benefit India in terms of opportunities for
co-financing lunar and other space projects, and gaining access to critical space technologies.
Since India has also opened up its space sector to private enterprises, Artemis can pave the way for cross-border commercial opportunities.
It opens
up the possibility of creating supply chains and technology transfers between India and other
participating countries.
The second benefit of increased investment is the Indian economy.
Since the pandemic, the Indian economy has suffered to rebound. The Wire this year
writes that
The Wire 23 [“Four Reasons Why 2023 Is Starting on a Grim Note for India’s Economy.” The Wire, 2023,
thewire.in/economy/four-reasons-why-2023-is-starting-on-a-grim-note-for-indias-economy.] //AQ
India’s unemployment rate rose to 8.3% in December, the highest in 16 months, from 8% in the previous
month, data from the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) showed. The figures look particularly bad for the urban
unemployment rate – which went up to 10.09% in December from 8.96% in the previous month. The
rural unemployment rate slipped to 7.44% in December from 7.55% in November.
Fortunately, the Artemis Accords’ increased investment in the space sector would spill
over into other sectors as well. Sachdev in 2019 elaborates that
Sachdev 19 [Sachdev, Navanwita. “The Human Side of Space Exploration: Societal Benefits of
Spaceonomics.” The Sociable, 14 Aug. 2019, sociable.co/technology/the-human-side-of-spaceexploration-societal-benefits-of-spaceonomics/.] //AQ
Space programs are increasing economic benefits, and not just in the commercial sector but also the
social. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) found that the implementation of space
activities created new revenue streams for firms, often beyond the space sector. It’s spaceonomics
with societal benefits.
Activities in space have gone up in the last decade, creating a whole new ecosystem around space, whether
its government policy, private investments, or creation of industries. Digitalization is transforming space
manufacturing activities, downstream space applications, and space exploration. Space programs, government and private, are
showing benefits to countries involved in areas such as enhanced operations, skilled jobs, and new
products or services created from past or more recent space R&D programs.
According to the OECD’s latest report, The Space Economy in Figures: How Space Contributes to the Global Economy, the
overall
economy has grown by 11.6% because of space programs. Environmental management has benefited
the most with 11.3%, while transport and urban planning benefited 9.7%. Among other top
beneficiaries are sectors like R&D and science, climate monitoring and meteorology, telecom, and defense. Most benefits are
found in the form of commercial revenues. As the OECD found, the implementation of space activities created new
revenue streams for firms, often beyond the space sector. Other types of benefits were creation of
new jobs, as well as social welfare and macroeconomic benefits.
Space programs aren’t just helping us delve into the unknown, they are making a social impact in several sectors
right here on Earth. As the OECD report says, “The benefits of space do not exclusively impact actors
operating in the space sector, as many studies report positive effects in non-space firms and at the
broader societal level.”
Thus, the Artemis Accords would be invaluable to India’s economy. That’s important
because a strong economy is key to stopping India’s current poverty issue. McKinsey
of 14 indicates that
McKinsey 14 [McKinsey Global Institute from Poverty to Empowerment: India’s Imperative for Jobs,
Growth, and Effective Basic Services. Feb. 2014.
https://www.mckinsey.com/~/media/mckinsey/featured%20insights/asia%20pacific/indias%20path%20
from%20poverty%20to%20empowerment/from_poverty_to_empowerment_indias_imperative_for_job
s_growth_and_effective_basic_services_executive_summary.ashx.] //AQ
In applying this metric for 2011–12, we find that 56
percent of India’s population lacks the means to meet their
essential needs. By this measure, some 680 million Indians are deprived—more than 2.5 times the population of 270 million
below the official poverty line. Hundreds of millions have exited extreme poverty, but their lives are still marked by a continuous struggle to
achieve a modicum of dignity, comfort, and security. The Empowerment Gap, or the additional consumption required to bring these 680 million
people to the level of the Empowerment Line, equates to 4 percent of GDP. The cost of bridging this gap is seven times higher than the cost of
eliminating poverty based on the official poverty line.
Merely increasing government subsidies can achieve only a fraction of this goal, however. Our estimates indicate that as in the past, almost
three-quarters of the potential impact of raising people above the level of the Empowerment Line
depends on unlocking investment, job growth, and productivity. More public spending alone, without
addressing issues of waste and inefficiency, is likely to deliver at most 8 percent of total potential impact.
Absent this, 680 million Indian citizens would be faced with harsh circumstances, and
to prevent this, we affirm.