Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Mains level: India and Indonesia relations;
Why in the News?
On October 20, Indonesia saw a big change in leadership. Nationalist Prabowo Subianto became president.
What are the implications of Indonesia’s new leadership for India-Indonesia relations?
- Increased Competition with China: Prabowo’s administration may lead to a more assertive Indonesian foreign policy that seeks to leverage its strategic position between China and India. However, the extent of this assertiveness will depend on how Indonesia navigates its growing economic reliance on China while maintaining its sovereignty.
- Potential for Enhanced Cooperation: Despite the challenges posed by China’s influence, India has an opportunity to deepen its engagement with Indonesia. This could involve collaborative efforts in sectors such as defence, maritime security, and trade, particularly given Indonesia’s strategic location and resource-rich economy.
How does Indonesia’s relationship with China impact its foreign policy choices?
- Strategic Balance: Prabowo’s decision to make China his first visit signals Indonesia’s pragmatic balancing between major powers. Despite concerns about China’s assertiveness in the Natuna Sea, Indonesia engages China for its economic clout and investments, especially in sectors like infrastructure and technology.
- Wariness Over Chinese Influence: Indonesia’s hesitance toward China’s extensive control over economic assets provides India an opportunity to position itself as a complementary partner that respects Indonesia’s sovereignty, especially given mutual interests in upholding maritime security in the Indo-Pacific.
- US-Indonesian Relations: Prabowo’s tenuous ties with the U.S. due to historical human rights allegations might encourage him to seek alternative partnerships, where India can play a constructive role in regional stability.
What opportunities exist for India to enhance its economic engagement with Indonesia?
- Energy and Mineral Resources: Indonesia’s rich reserves of coal, palm oil, nickel, and tin offer significant opportunities for India to secure its mineral and energy requirements, which aligns with India’s growing manufacturing and EV industries.
- Infrastructure and Maritime Cooperation: India’s existing partnerships in infrastructure, such as developing the Sabang port, can be expanded to reinforce connectivity and enhance trade routes between the Nicobar Islands and Indonesia.
- Services Sector Collaboration: India’s strength in IT and financial services can support Indonesia in reducing business costs and improving economic efficiency, particularly as it seeks to modernize and diversify its economy.
- Tourism and Cultural Exchange: Given Indonesia’s growing middle class and India’s appeal as a tourist destination, there is potential to expand tourism and cultural exchanges that celebrate shared heritage, including Hindu-Buddhist traditions.
Way forward:
- Strengthen Strategic and Economic Partnerships: India should actively engage Indonesia in joint initiatives across defense, maritime security, and infrastructure, leveraging Indonesia’s strategic location and resources to build a resilient Indo-Pacific framework that counters China’s regional influence.
- Deepen Cultural and Economic Ties: Expanding collaborations in sectors like IT, energy, and tourism, and celebrating shared heritage, will foster goodwill and position India as a trusted and complementary partner to Indonesia, reinforcing mutual growth and stability in the region.
Mains PYQ:
Q Indian Diaspora has an important role to play in South-East Asian countries’ economy and society. Appraise the role of Indian Diaspora in South- East Asia in this context. (UPSC IAS/2017)
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Mains level: Significance of IMEC;
Why in the News?
The India-Middle East-Europe Corridor (IMEC), announced at the 2023 G20 summit, aims to cut travel time by 40% and costs by 30%, which could transform global shipping once it’s up and running.
What is IMEC (India-Middle East-Europe Corridor)?
- The IMEC (India-Middle East-Europe Corridor) is a major trade route connecting India, the Middle East, and Europe to reduce transit times and transportation costs, launched in 2023 during the G20 Summit.
- It aims to strengthen regional partnerships through improved infrastructure, energy grids, and digital connectivity, providing an alternative to traditional maritime routes like the Suez Canal.
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What are the current challenges facing the IMEC initiative?
- Geopolitical Tensions: The Israel-Palestine conflict, which escalated in October 2023, has stalled progress on the IMEC’s western segment, with Saudi Arabia and Jordan delaying collaboration due to potential geopolitical and optics issues related to their interactions with Israel.
- Lack of Progress in West Asia: Due to the conflict, connectivity efforts in West Asia are moving slowly, affecting the northern part of the corridor, particularly the integration of infrastructure and trade processes with Israel and other stakeholders.
- Incomplete Development of Additional Infrastructure: Beyond basic connectivity, elements such as clean energy exports, undersea fiber-optic cables, and telecommunication linkages are delayed and are expected to proceed only once stability is restored in West Asia.
- Organizational and Logistical Framework: The absence of a central governing structure, like an IMEC secretariat, hinders streamlined cross-border trade processes and systematic project implementation, leading to coordination challenges among participating nations.
How IMEC Aims to Enhance Regional Cooperation and Economic Growth?
- Strengthening India-UAE Economic Relations: India and the UAE are advancing bilateral trade, leveraging frameworks like the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) and the Virtual Trade Corridor to standardize trade processes, reduce costs, and simplify logistics.
- Improving Connectivity in the East: Progress on the eastern segment, particularly between India and UAE, is increasing trade and setting a foundation for cooperation through standardized trade practices and growing non-oil trade, which diversifies exports and enhances India’s regional integration.
- Capacity Building: As the western segment awaits resolution of the regional conflict, eastern countries, especially India, are enhancing port infrastructure, digitalizing logistics, and developing economic zones to support connectivity and reduce trade barriers.
- Potential for Economic Integration: Once operational, IMEC can link South Asia, the Middle East, and Europe, encouraging deeper economic ties, lowering costs, and creating a stable trade pathway that could foster regional development and integration.
What are the implications of IMEC for global trade dynamics?
- Reduced Dependency on the Suez Canal: IMEC offers a strategic alternative to the Suez Canal, with an anticipated reduction in transit time by 40% and costs by 30%, which could significantly impact global trade routes by diversifying options and lowering shipping times and expenses.
- India’s Role as a Supply Chain Alternative: By leveraging IMEC, India can enhance its position in global value chains as an alternative supply chain hub, aligning with its manufacturing ambitions and increasing export competitiveness through improved infrastructure and reduced logistics costs.
- Reshaping Trade Infrastructure: The project introduces a new corridor that supports not only connectivity but also potentially includes energy infrastructure and digital linkages, providing a comprehensive trade infrastructure model that could influence future trade frameworks in the Indo-Pacific and beyond.
- Attracting Participation: The IMEC secretariat, once established, could guide strategic decision-making, build empirical support for trade benefits, and encourage more countries to join the corridor, potentially expanding IMEC’s impact on international trade and cooperation in regions connected to it.
Way forward:
- Strengthen Geopolitical Stability: Address regional tensions, especially in West Asia, to ensure smoother collaboration among stakeholders and accelerate the development of the western segment of the IMEC.
- Develop an IMEC Secretariat: Establish a central coordinating body to streamline operations, facilitate cross-border trade, and guide infrastructure projects, ensuring systematic progress and attracting further global participation.
Mains PYQ:
Q How will I2U2 (India, Israel, UAE and USA) grouping transform India’s position in global politics? (UPSC IAS/2022)
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: NISAR Satellite
Why in the News?
- The NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) satellite is aimed at advancing our understanding of Earth’s natural processes and environmental changes.
- Set to be launched into Low Earth Orbit (LEO), NISAR will act as a comprehensive Earth observation observatory.
About NISAR Satellite:
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Details |
| Collaboration |
• Joint mission between NASA (United States) and ISRO (India). |
| Purpose |
• Designed to monitor Earth’s natural processes and environmental changes, contributing to disaster preparedness, climate research, and sustainable management. |
| Launch Date |
• Planned for early 2025. |
| Launch Location |
• Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Andhra Pradesh, India. |
| Launch Vehicle |
• ISRO’s Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark II (GSLV Mk II). |
| Orbit |
• Low Earth Orbit (LEO). |
| Dual-Band Radar System |
• L-band radar (provided by NASA): Penetrates dense vegetation and tracks ground motion.
• S-band radar (provided by ISRO): Enhances precision for surface monitoring. |
| Day and Night Functionality |
• Operates 24/7, unaffected by weather conditions. |
| Large Antenna |
• Diameter: 12 meters.
• Structure: 39-foot reflector made from gold-plated wire mesh to focus radar signals effectively. |
| Features |
• Scans Earth’s entire surface every 12 days.
• Measures surface changes with accuracy down to fractions of an inch.
• Can penetrate vegetation and soil layers, providing 3D reconstructions of subsurface structures. |
| Areas of Study |
• Ecosystems and Environmental Changes (forest biomass, deforestation, wetlands, agricultural lands, glaciers, and ice sheets).
• Natural Disasters (seismic shifts, volcanic bulging, landslides, and tsunamis). |
| Benefits and Applications |
• Disaster Preparedness: Early warning data for natural disasters.
• Infrastructure Monitoring: Tracks structural changes in critical infrastructure.
• Environmental and Climate Research: Studies carbon storage, vegetation dynamics, and climate change impacts. |
| Unique Advantages |
• Largest collaboration between NASA and ISRO.
• Successfully tested in thermal vacuum conditions in Bengaluru in 2023. |
PYQ:
[2015] The term ‘IndARC’ sometimes seen in the news, is the name of?
(a) An indigenously developed radar system inducted into Indian Defence.
(b) India’s satellite to provide services to the countries of Indian Ocean Rim.
(c) A scientific establishment set up by India in Antarctic region.
(d) India’s underwater observatory to scientifically study the Arctic region. |
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Inter-State Council and its functioning
Why in the News?
The Inter-State Council has been reconstituted with Prime Minister as its chairman, all CMs and 9 Union ministers as members and 13 Union ministers as permanent invitees.
About the Inter-State Council (ISC):
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Details |
| Formation |
- Established on May 28, 1990, by a presidential order following the Sarkaria Commission (1988) recommendations.
- Headquartered in New Delhi.
- The Council has met 12 times since its formation in 1990.
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| Constitutional Provisions |
- Not a permanent body nor a constitutional body;
- Created by the President under Article 263 of the Constitution.
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| Powers and Functions |
- Investigate and discuss subjects of common interest.
- Make recommendations for better coordination on subjects.
- Deliberate on matters referred by the Chairman.
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| Composition |
- PM as Chairman.
- Chief Ministers of all states and union territories with legislative assemblies.
- Lieutenant Governors/Administrators of union territories without assemblies.
- 6 Union Cabinet Ministers nominated by the Prime Minister.
- Governors of states under President’s rule.
Standing Committee:
- Union Home Minister as Chairman.
- 5 Union Cabinet Ministers and 9 Chief Ministers.
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| PYQ:
[2013] Which of the following bodies is/are not mentioned in the Indian Constitution?
1. National Development Council
2. Planning Commission
3. Zonal Councils
Select the correct answer using the codes given below:
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3 |
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Corpse flower
Why in the News?
The study of Corpse Flower’s (Amorphophallus titanum) heat generation and odor emission has revealed how it attracts pollinators through unique adaptations for reproduction.
About the Corpse Flower (Titan Arum):
|
Details |
| Scientific Name |
Amorphophallus titanum |
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| Habitat |
Rainforests of western Sumatra, Indonesia |
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| Features |
- Grows up to 10-12 feet in height.
- Blooms once every 5-10 years; bloom lasts 24-48 hours.
- Carrion-feeding insects (flies, beetles) are attracted by smell and heat.
- Strong smell of rotting flesh to attract pollinators;
- Smells like cheese, garlic, decaying fish, sweaty socks, and feces
- Odor Compounds: Dimethyl trisulfide, trimethylamine, isovaleric acid, indole, putrescine
- Produces around 400 red-orange fruits, each containing two seeds
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| Structure |
- Spadix: Central phallic structure; grows up to 12 feet tall
- Spathe: Large, dark red petal-like structure around the spadix
- Corm: Underground energy storage; can weigh up to 45 kg
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| Conservation Status |
Endangered; fewer than 1,000 individuals left in the wild |
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PYQ:
[2018] Why is a plant called Prosopis juliflora often mentioned in news?
(a) Its extract is widely used in cosmetics.
(b) It tends to reduce the biodiversity in the area in which it grows.
(c) Its extract is used in the synthesis of pesticides.
(d) None of the above |
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Gotti Koya Tribals
Why in the News?
The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes has asked the Union Home Ministry and the states of Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, and Odisha to submit a detailed report on the condition of Gotti Koya tribals.
Why did the NCST urge the Centre and States?
- An estimated 50,000 Gotti Koya tribals were displaced due to Left-Wing Extremism and now live in 248 settlements across Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Maharashtra.
- Reports indicate that Telangana has reclaimed land from internally displaced persons (IDPs) in 75 settlements, impacting the tribals’ livelihoods and increasing their vulnerability.
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About the Gotti Koya Tribe:
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Details |
| Location |
- Multi-racial and multi-lingual communities found in the forests, plains, and valleys on both sides of the Godavari River in AP, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, and Odisha.
- Migrated from Bastar, northern India.
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| Society and Culture |
- Koya language (Koyi) is a Dravidian language related to Gondi and influenced by Telugu.
- Most speak Gondi or Telugu alongside Koyi.
- Divided into five subdivisions (gotrams).
- Patrilineal and patrilocal family structure, with a focus on monogamous, nuclear family.
- Worship their own ethnic religion alongside Hindu gods, with Mother Earth being a significant deity.
- Burial or cremation of the dead, with the erection of menhirs in memory.
- Pastoralists and shifting cultivators (Podu), are now engaged in settled cultivation, animal husbandry, and seasonal forest collection.
- Grow Jowar, Ragi, Bajra, and other millets.
- Maintain community funds and grain banks for food security.
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| Festivals |
- Vijji Pandum (Seeds charming festival) and KondalaKolupu (Festival to appease hill deities).
- Perform the Permakok (Bison horn dance) during festivals and marriages.
- Sammakka Saralamma Jatra, held once every two years on the full moon day of Magha Masam (January/February) at Medaram village, Warangal district.
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| Challenges Faced |
- Many fled to Andhra Pradesh (now Telangana) in the mid-2000s due to violent conflicts between Maoist insurgents and Salwa Judum (Govt backed tribal militia).
- Salwa Judum was later banned by the Supreme Court of India in 2011.
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PYQ:
[2014] Every year, a month long ecologically important campaign/festival is held during which certain communities/tribes plant saplings of fruit-bearing trees. Which of the following are such communities/ tribes?
(a) Bhutia and Lepcha
(b) Gond and Korku
(c) Irula and Toda
(d) Sahariya and Agariya |
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