Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: DART Mission
Mains level: Not Much
NASA will launch the agency’s first planetary defense test mission named the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART).
What is DART Mission?
- The main aim of the mission is to test the newly developed technology that would allow a spacecraft to crash into an asteroid and change its course.
- It is a suicide mission and the spacecraft will be completely destroyed.
- The target of the spacecraft is a small moonlet called Dimorphos (Greek for “two forms”).
- It is about 160-metre in diameter and the spacecraft is expected to collide when it is 11 million kilometres away from Earth.
- Dimorphos orbits a larger asteroid named Didymos (Greek for “twin”) which has a diameter of 780 metres.
Is there any threat from this asteroid?
- The asteroid and the moonlet do not pose any threat to Earth and the mission is to test the new technology to be prepared in case an asteroid head towards Earth in the future.
- The spacecraft will navigate to the moonlet and intentionally collide with it at a speed of about 6.6 kilometres per second or 24,000 kilometres per hour.
Why Dimorphos?
- Didymos is a perfect system for the test mission because it is an eclipsing binary which means it has a moonlet that regularly orbits the asteroid.
- It is observable when it passes in front of the main asteroid.
- Earth-based telescopes can study this variation in brightness to understand how long it takes Dimorphos to orbit Didymos.
How big is the spacecraft?
- NASA states that DART is a low-cost spacecraft, weighing around 610 kg at launch and 550 kg during impact.
- The main structure is a box (1.2 × 1.3 × 1.3 metres). It has two solar arrays and uses hydrazine propellant for manoeuvring the spacecraft.
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From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: E-Amrit
Mains level: Not Much
India today launched ‘E-Amrit’, a web portal on electric vehicles (EVs), at the ongoing COP26 Summit in Glasgow, UK.
It is a must-go portal for every aspirant. Click here to visit E-Amrit.
E-Amrit Portal
- E-Amrit is a one-stop destination for all information on electric vehicles—busting myths around the adoption of EVs, their purchase, investment opportunities, policies, subsidies, etc.
- The portal has been developed and hosted by NITI Aayog under a collaborative knowledge exchange programme with the UK government.
Features of the portal
- It intends to complement initiatives of the government on raising awareness about EVs.
- It aims to sensitize consumers on the benefits of switching to electric vehicles.
Need for E-Amrit
- In the recent past, India has taken many initiatives to accelerate the decarbonization of transport and adoption of electric mobility in the country.
- Schemes such as FAME and PLI are especially important in creating an ecosystem for the early adoption of EVs.
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From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Integrated Ombudsman Scheme, RBI Retail Direct Scheme
Mains level: Not Much
The PM will launch two innovative customer-centric initiatives of the Reserve Bank of India.
What are the schemes?
[A] Integrated Ombudsman Scheme
- It aims to further improve the grievance redress mechanism for resolving customer complaints against entities regulated by RBI.
- The central theme of the scheme is based on ‘One Nation-One Ombudsman’ with one portal, one email and one address for the customers to lodge their complaints.
- There will be a single point of reference for customers to file their complaints, submit the documents, track status and provide feedback.
- A multi-lingual toll-free number will provide all relevant information on grievance redress and assistance for filing complaints.
[B] RBI Retail Direct Scheme
- It is aimed at enhancing access to government securities market for retail investors.
- It offers them a new avenue for directly investing in securities issued by the Government of India and the State Governments.
- Investors will be able to easily open and maintain their government securities account online with the RBI, free of cost.
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From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Fishing Cats
Mains level: Not Much
The Wildlife Institute of India (WII-Dehradun) Conservation Biologists will begin collaring ten Fishing Cats (Prionailurus viverrinus) in the Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary (CWS) in Andhra Pradesh.
About Fishing Cats
- About twice the size of a typical house cat, the fishing cat is a feline with a powerful build and stocky legs.
- It is an adept swimmer and enters water frequently to prey on fish as its name suggests.
- It is known to even dive to catch fish.
- It is nocturnal and apart from fish also preys on frogs, crustaceans, snakes, birds, and scavenges on carcasses of larger animals.
- It is capable of breeding all year round but in India its peak breeding season is known to be between March and May.
Conservation status
- IUCN Red List: Endangered
- CITES: Appendix II
- Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule I
Various threats
- One of the major threats facing the fishing cat is the destruction of wetlands, which is its preferred habitat.
- As a result of human settlement, drainage for agriculture, pollution, and wood-cutting most of the wetlands in India are under threat of destruction.
- Another threat to the fishing cat is the depletion of its main prey-fish due to unsustainable fishing practices.
- It is also occasionally poached for its skin.
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From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Not much
Mains level: Paper 2- Relative backwardness
Context
On October 29, the Supreme Court issued notice on an appeal of the Kerala government against a High Court order directing it to award the scholarships by the proportion of minorities in the overall population of the State. This case will be significant for constitutional law.
Background
- The Kerala government passed an executive order in 2015 prescribing that minority communities will be entitled to scholarships.
- Of the scholarships, 80% were distributed to Muslim students.
- In Justine Pallivathukkal v. State of Kerala (2021), the Kerala High Court set aside this order holding that all minorities must be treated alike.
- The government argued that its policy was based on the findings of the Sachar Committee report and the Kerala Padana report on the disadvantages faced by Muslims.
- It pointed out that Muslims were far behind Christians, Dalits and Adivasis in college enrolment, just as they are in employment and land ownership.
Justification
- The different kinds of backwardness of a community must be considered while awarding scholarship schemes.
- Any other scheme defeats the purpose of offering scholarships to students from minority communities.
- The High Court prohibited an allocation sensitive to social realities by adopting a form of blind equality approach.
- It is important, therefore, that the Supreme Court corrects the error of the High Court.
- The High Court’s reasoning suggests that access to the benefits of affirmative action must follow an approach which is blind to the relative backwardness of different communities.
Conclusion
Even when we identify disadvantaged castes or communities, we need to remember the forms of inequality and hierarchy among them. The logic of the High Court’s judgment forbids this.
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From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Not much
Mains level: Paper 3- Opportunities and challenges presented by net-zero approach
Context
India joined the other G20 countries in making a “net-zero” commitment, setting 2070 as its target year.
Why was it important to sign up for net-zero?
- India’s topography — its 7,000 km-long coastline, the Himalayan glaciers in the north, and its rich forest areas which house natural resources like coal and iron ore — make the country uniquely vulnerable to climate change.
- An IMF study suggests that if emissions continue to rise this century, India’s real GDP per capita could fall by 10 per cent by 2100.
- India’s traditional position has been that since its per capita energy use is only a third of the global average, and it needs to continue to grow to fight poverty, costly energy reduction targets should not be applied to it.
Opportunities presented by India’s net-zero approach
- It could give a clear signal of India’s intentions and provide better access to international technology, funding and markets.
- We estimate that 60 per cent of India’s capital stock — factories and buildings that will exist in 2040 — is yet to be built.
- The country can potentially leapfrog into new green technology, rather than being overburdened with “re-fitting” obligations.
- If India can now transition to green growth, it could create a more responsible and sustainable economy.
- If India’s exports achieve a “green stamp”, they may find better market access, especially if the world imposes a carbon tax on exports.
- Around 2-2.5 million additional jobs can be created in the renewables sector by 2050, taking the total number of people employed there to over 3 million.
Challenges
- The finances of power distribution companies need to be improved to fund the grid upgrades necessary for scaling up renewables.
- India needs a coordinated institutional framework that can help overcome multiple levels of complexity like federalism, fiscal constraints and bureaucracy.
- The energy investment requirement will be high, rising from about $70-80 billion per year now to $160 billion per year.
- While the private sector will be required to fund much of this, the government can play a pivotal role, especially in the early days.
- The transition years will be bumpy.
- Inflation could be volatile till renewables reached their full potential.
Conclusion
India is on the right track but needs to redouble its efforts to remove the obstacles.
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From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Project Sampoorna
Mains level: Innovative measures against malnutrition
Project Sampoorna’s success in reducing child malnutrition is a model that can be easily implemented anywhere.
What is Project Sampoorna?
- Project Sampoorna has been implemented in the Bongaigaon district of Assam.
- It aims to target Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) and Moderate Acute Malnutrition (MAM).
- It was launched to target the mothers of SAM/ MAM children with the tagline being ‘Empowered Mothers, Healthy Children’.
- It was based on the success of the community-based COVID-19 management model (Project Mili Juli).
Key features of the project
- Under this project, the mother of a healthy child of an Anganwadi Centre was paired with the target mother and they would be Buddy Mothers.
- They were usually neighbours and shared similar socioeconomic backgrounds.
- They were given diet charts to indicate the daily food intake of their children and would have discussions on all Tuesdays at the Anganwadi centres.
- 100 millilitres of milk and an egg on alternate days for the children for the first 3 months were provided so that their mothers could stabilise themselves in the newly found jobs.
- Children who had not improved were checked and treated by doctors under the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK).
Success of the project
- This project has prevented at least 1,200 children from becoming malnourished over the last year.
- National Nutrition Mission and the State government recognised this project in the ‘Innovation Category’.
- The mothers were enrolled in Self Help Groups (SHGs) under the National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM) and were thus working.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Global Drug Policy Index
Mains level: Not Much
The first-ever Global Drug Policy Index was recently inaugurated.
Global Drug Policy Index
- It is released by the Harm Reduction Consortium, ranks Norway, New Zealand, Portugal, the UK and Australia as the five leading countries on humane and health-driven drug policies.
- It is a data-driven global analysis of drug policies and their implementation.
- It is composed of 75 indicators running across five broad dimensions of drug policy:
- Criminal justice
- Extreme responses
- Health and harm reduction
- Access to internationally controlled medicines and
- Development
Highlights of the 2021 ranking
- The five lowest-ranking countries are Brazil, Uganda, Indonesia, Kenya, and Mexico.
- Norway, despite topping the Index, only managed a score of 74/100.
- And the median score across all 30 countries and dimensions is just 48/100.
India’s performance
- India’s rank is 18 out of 30 countries
- It has an overall score of 46/100.
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From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: LEADS Index
Mains level: Not Much
The Logistics Ease Across Different States (LEADS) 2021 Index Rankings has been recently released.
About LEADS
- The LEADS index was launched in 2018 by the Commerce and Industry Ministry and Deloitte.
- It ranks states on the score of their logistics services and efficiency that are indicative of economic growth.
- States are ranked based on quality and capacity of key infrastructure such as road, rail and warehousing as well as on operational ease of logistics.
Highlights of the 2021 report
- India’s logistics costs account for 13-14 per cent of GDP, compared to 7-8 per cent in developed countries.
- Gujarat, Haryana and Punjab have emerged as the top performers in the LEADS 2021 index respectively.
- West Bengal, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Goa, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh and Assam were ranked 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th and 21st respectively.
- North Eastern States, and J&K and Ladakh have been considered a separate group for LEADS rankings.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI)
Mains level: Not Much
The 17th edition of the Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) 2021 was released recently.
It’s a very rare feat that India has performed so better in any climate-related index. We can use this data to highlight India’s dedicated efforts for Paris Agreement.
About CCPI
- The CCPI is an independent monitoring tool for tracking countries’ climate protection performance. It has been published annually since 2005.
- It is compiled by Germanwatch, the New Climate Institute, and the Climate Action Network.
- It evaluates 57 countries and the European Union, which together generate 90%+ of global greenhouse gas emissions.
Parameters of the index
- The CCPI looks at four categories, with 14 indicators: Greenhouse Gas Emissions (40% of the overall score), Renewable Energy (20%), Energy Use (20%), and Climate Policy (20%).
- The CCPI’s unique climate policy section evaluates countries’ progress in implementing policies working towards achieving the Paris Agreement goals.
Highlights of the 2021 report
- The first three ranks of the overall rankings were kept empty because no country had performed well enough in all index categories to achieve an overall very high rating.
- The 2021 report places Sweden on top, while countries such as Morocco and the UK are also ranked high.
- The bottom-ranked country, the United States, therefore, was placed at 61.
Low performers
- Iran and Russia are ranked the lowest in this category.
- Overall, Australia, South Korea and Russia are among the lowest performing countries along with Kazakhstan and Saudi Arabia.
- China is ranked 33 overall and has an overall rating of “low”.
India’s performance
- In the overall rankings, India is at number 10 with a score of 63.98.
- It is a high performer except in the renewable energy category, in which it is ranked “medium”.
- The report says that India is benefiting from its relatively low per-capita emissions.
- In terms of greenhouse gas emissions, Sweden, Egypt, Chile and the UK are in the top 7. India is ranked 12.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Leonid Meteor Shower
Mains level: Not Much
The annual Leonid’s Meteor Shower has begun.
Try this question from CSP 2014:
Q.What is a coma, in the content of astronomy?
(a) Bright half of material on the comet
(b) Long tail of dust
(c) Two asteroids orbiting each other
(d) Two planets orbiting each other
Post your answers here.
What is Leonid Meteor Shower?
- Meteor showers are named after the constellation they appear to be coming from.
- The Leonids originate from the constellation Leo the Lion– the groups of stars that form a lion’s mane.
- They emerge from the comet Tempel-Tuttle, which requires 33 years to revolve once around the Sun.
- These meteors are bright and among the fastest moving– travelling at speeds of 71 km per second.
- During this year’s showers, peaks of around 10 to 15 meteors are expected to be seen every hour.
- The Leonid showers include fireballs– bright and large meteors than can last longer than average meteors, and “earthgazers”– meteors which appear close to the horizon with colourful and long tails.
What is a meteor shower?
- On its journey around the Sun, the Earth passes through large swathes of cosmic debris.
- The debris is essentially the remnants of comets — great frigid chunks of matter that leave behind dirty trails of rocks and ice that linger long after the comets themselves have passed.
- As the Earth wades through this cloud of comet waste, the bits of debris create what appears from the ground to be a fireworks display in the sky — known as a meteor shower.
- Several meteor showers can be seen around the year. According to NASA, over 30 meteor showers occur annually and are observable from the Earth.
Back2Basics:
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Froth Formation
Mains level: Not Much
The visuals of devotees taking a dip in the froth-filled waters of the Yamuna River sent chills down the spine of the residents of Delhi.
What is Froth Formation?
- This is a phenomenon that takes place on many lakes and streams.
- Foam bubbles are produced when organic matter decomposes.
- These foam-producing molecules have one end that repels water and another that attracts water and they work to reduce the surface tension on the surface of the water.
- These foam bubbles are lighter than water, so they float on the surface as a thin film that gradually accumulates.
What causes the froth?
- The presence of phosphates and surfactants in untreated sewage from Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh is a major reason behind frothing.
- While these two components comprise of 1 per cent, the remaining 99 percent is air and water.
What are the sources of pollution that cause foam formation?
- Untreated sewage may contain soap-detergent particles.
- The other sources are industrial effluents, organic matter from decomposing vegetation, and the presence of filamentous bacteria.
- The pollution from the sugar and paper industries in Uttar Pradesh also causes pollution in the Yamuna.
What are its health hazards?
- Short-term exposure can lead to skin irritation and allergies.
- If ingested, these chemicals may cause gastrointestinal problems and diseases like typhoid.
- Long-term exposure to heavy metals in industrial pollutants can cause neurological issues and hormonal imbalances.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Non-refoulment principle
Mains level: Paper 2- Usage of international law for furthering national security interests
Context
Military experts, international relations academics, and practitioners like retired diplomats dominate the debates on global security in India. International lawyers are largely absent in these debates despite security issues being placed within the framework of international law.
Using international law to further security interests
In recent times, several examples demonstrate India’s failure to use an international law-friendly vocabulary to articulate its security interests.
- First, India struck the terror camps in Pakistan in February 2019, after the Pulwama attack India did not invoke the right to self-defence; rather, it relied on a contested doctrine of ‘non-military pre-emptive action’.
- Second, after the Pulwama attack, India decided to suspend the most favoured nation (MFN) status of Pakistan.
- Under international law contained in the General Agreements on Tariffs and Trade, countries can deviate from their MFN obligations on grounds of national security.
- Instead of suspending the MFN obligation towards Pakistan along these lines, India used Section 8A(1) of the Customs Tariff Act, 1975, to increase customs duties on all Pakistani products to 200%.
- The notification on this decision did not even mention ‘national security’.
- Third, India wishes to deport the Rohingya refugees who, it argues, pose a security threat.
- India’s argument to justify this deportation is that it is not a signatory to the Refugee Convention.
- This is a weak argument since India is bound by the principle of non-refoulment.
- National security is one of the exceptions to the non-refoulment principle in international refugee law.
- If India wishes to deport the Rohingya, it should develop a case on these lines showing how they constitute a national security threat.
- Fourth, to put pressure on the Taliban regime to serve India’s interest, India has rarely used international law.
- India could have made a case for the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) using its implied powers under international law to temporarily suspend Afghanistan from SAARC’s membership.
Reasons for international law remaining at the margins
- First, there is marginal involvement of international lawyers in foreign policymaking.
- The Legal and Treaties Division of the Ministry of External Affairs, which advises the government on international law matters, is both understaffed and largely ignored on policy matters.
- Second, apart from the External Affairs Ministry, there are several other Ministries like Commerce and Finance that also deal with different facets of international law.
- They have negligible expertise in international law.
- Third, there has been systemic neglect of the study of international law.
- Fourth, many of the outstanding international law scholars that India has produced prefer to converse with domain experts only.
Way forward
- If India wishes to emerge as a global power, it has to make use of ‘lawfare’ i.e., use law as a weapon of national security.
- To mainstream international law in foreign policymaking, India should invest massively in building its capacity on international law.
Conclusion
Notwithstanding the central role that international law plays in security matters, India has failed to fully appreciate the usage of international law to advance its national security interests.
Back2Basics: Non-refoulement principle
- The principle of non-refoulement constitutes the cornerstone of international refugee protection.
- It is enshrined in Article 33 of the 1951 Convention, which is also binding on States Party to the 1967 Protocol.
- Article 33(1) of the 1951 Convention provides:
“No Contracting State shall expel or return (“refouler”) a refugee in any manner whatsoever to the frontiers of territories where his [or her] life or freedom would be threatened on account of his [or her] race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion.”
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From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Not much
Mains level: Paper 2- Integrated approach to Eurasia
Context
Delhi’s Indo-Pacific strategy has acquired political and institutional traction, thanks to intensive Indian diplomacy in recent years. It must now devote similar energy to the development of a “Eurasian” policy.
Need for Eurasian strategy and challenges
- This week’s consultations in Delhi on the crisis in Afghanistan among the region’s top security policymakers is part of developing a Eurasian strategy.
- National Security Advisor Ajit Doval has invited his counterparts from Pakistan, Iran, Central Asia, Russia, and China to join this discussion on Wednesday.
- Pakistan has declined to join.
- Pakistan’s reluctance to engage with India on Afghanistan reveals Delhi’s persisting problem with Islamabad in shaping a new Eurasian strategy.
- But it also reinforces the urgency of an Indian strategy to deal with Eurasia.
Factors shaping India’s Eurasian policy
- The most important development in Eurasia today is the dramatic rise of China and its growing strategic assertiveness, expanding economic power and rising political influence.
- Beijing’s muscular approach to the long and disputed border with Bhutan and India, its quest for a security presence in Tajikistan, the active search for a larger role in Afghanistan, and a greater say in the affairs of the broader sub-Himalayan region are only one part of the story.
- Physical proximity multiplies China’s economic impact on the inner Asian regions.
- These leverages, in turn, were reinforced by a deepening alliance with Russia that straddles the Eurasian heartland. Russia’s intractable disputes with Europe and America have increased Moscow’s reliance on Beijing.
- Amidst mounting challenges from China in the Indo-Pacific maritime domain, Washington has begun to rethink its strategic commitments to Eurasia.
- Whether defined as “burden-sharing” in Washington or “strategic autonomy” in Brussels, Europe must necessarily take on a larger regional Eurasian security role.
- More broadly, regional powers are going to reshape Eurasia.
What should be India’s approach to Eurasia
- Like the Indo-Pacific, Eurasia is new to India’s strategic discourse.
- To be sure, there are references to India’s ancient civilisational links with Eurasia.
- While there are many elements to an Indian strategy towards Eurasia, three of them stand out.
- Put Europe back into India’s continental calculus: As India now steps up its engagement with Europe, the time has come for it to begin a strategic conversation with Brussels on Eurasian security.
- This will be a natural complement to the fledgling engagement between India and Europe on the Indo-Pacific.
- India’s Eurasian policy must necessarily involve greater engagement with both the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.
- Intensify the dialogue on Eurasian security with Russia: While Indo-Russian differences on the Indo-Pacific, the Quad, China, and the Taliban are real, Delhi and Moscow have good reasons to narrow their differences on Afghanistan and widen cooperation on continental Eurasian security.
- Indian collaboration with both Persia and Arabia: If Persia’s location makes it critical for the future of Afghanistan and Central Asia, the religious influence of Arabia and the weight of the Gulf capital are quite consequential in the region.
- India’s partnerships with Persia and Arabia are also critical in overcoming Turkey’s alliance with Pakistan that is hostile to Delhi.
Challenges
- Contradictions: India will surely encounter many contradictions in each of the three areas — between and among America, Europe, Russia, China, Iran, and the Arab Gulf.
- As in the Indo-Pacific, so in Eurasia, Delhi should not let these contradictions hold India back.
Consider the question ” Eurasia involves the recalibration of India’s continental strategy. India has certainly dealt with Eurasia’s constituent spaces separately over the decades. What Delhi now needs is an integrated approach to Eurasia. In the context of this, examine the challenges in India’s engagement with Eurasia and suggest the elements that should form part of India’s strategy towards Eurasia.”
Conclusion
The current flux in Eurasian geopolitics will lessen some of the current contradictions and generate some new antinomies in the days ahead. The key for India lies in greater strategic activism that opens opportunities in all directions in Eurasia.
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From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Gati Shakti plan
Mains level: Paper 2- Gati Shakti plan's impact beyond border
Context
The Gati Shakti National Master Plan will have an important economic multiplier effect at home, it must also be leveraged to have an external impact by aligning it with India’s regional and global connectivity efforts.
Main components of the Gati Shakti National Master Plan
- The Gati Shakti plan has three main components, all focused on domestic coordination.
- Increase information sharing: The plan seeks to increase information sharing with a new technology platform between various ministries at the Union and state levels.
- Reduce logistics’ costs: It focuses on giving impetus to multi-modal transportation to reduce logistics’ costs and strengthen last-mile connectivity in India’s hinterland or border regions.
- Analytical tool: The third component includes an analytical decision-making tool to disseminate project-related information and prioritise key infrastructure projects.
- This aims to ensure transparency and time-bound commitments to investors.
How Gati Shakti Plan can strengthen India’s economic ties with its neighbours
- The plan will automatically generate positive effects to deepen India’s economic ties with Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Sri Lanka, as well as with Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean region.
- India’s investment in roads, ports, inland waterways or new customs procedures generate positive externalities for these neighbours, who are keen to access the growing Indian consumer market.
- Any reduction in India’s domestic logistics costs brings immediate benefits to the northern neighbour, given that 98 per cent of Nepal’s total trade transits through India and about 65 per cent of Nepal’s trade is with India.
- In 2019, trade between Bhutan and Bangladesh was eased through a new multimodal road and waterway link via Assam.
- The new cargo ferry service with the Maldives, launched last year, has lowered the costs of trade for the island state.
- And under the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation Programme, India’s investments in multimodal connectivity on the eastern coast is reconnecting India with the Bay of Bengal and Southeast Asia through integrated rail, port and shipping systems.
- Whether it is the alignment of a cross-border railway, the location of a border check post, or the digital system chosen for customs and immigration processes, India’s connectivity investments at home will have limited effects unless they are coordinated with those of its neighbours and other regional partners.
- While India recently joined the Transports Internationaux Routiers (TIR) convention, which facilitates cross-border customs procedures, none of its neighbouring countries in the east has signed on to it.
Suggestions for Gati Shakti Plan to have maximum external effect
- First, India will have to deepen bilateral consultations with its neighbours to gauge their connectivity strategies and priorities.
- Given political and security sensitivities, India will require diplomatic skills to reassure its neighbours and adapt to their pace and political economy context.
- A second way is for India to work through regional institutions and platforms. SAARC’s ambitious regional integration plans of the 2000s are now defunct, so Delhi has shifted its geo-economic orientation eastwards.
- The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) has got new momentum, but there is also progress on the Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal (BBIN) Initiative.
- Finally, India can also boost the Gati Shakti plan’s external impact by cooperating more closely with global players who are keen to support its strategic imperative to give the Indo-Pacific an economic connectivity dimension.
- This includes the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank, but also Japan, the US, Australia, EU and ASEAN.
Conclusion
Gati Shakti plan must also leveraged to have an external impact by aligning it with India’s regional and global connectivity efforts.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Net-Zero
Mains level: Roadmap for net-zero targets
India has joined a high-profile group of countries pledging for net-zero target by 2070.
What does Net-Zero mean?
- Net-zero, which is also referred to as carbon-neutrality, does not mean that a country would bring down its emissions to zero.
- That would be gross-zero, which means reaching a state where there are no emissions at all, a scenario hard to comprehend.
- Therefore, net-zero is a state in which a country’s emissions are compensated by absorption and removal of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere.
What’s the difference between gross zero and net-zero?
- Gross zero would mean stopping all emissions, which isn’t realistically attainable across all sectors of our lives and industry.
- Even with best efforts to reduce them, there will still be some emissions.
- Net-zero looks at emissions overall, allowing for the removal of any unavoidable emissions, such as those from aviation or manufacturing.
- Removing greenhouse gases could be via nature, as trees take carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, or through new technology or changing industrial processes.
What is carbon negativity?
- It is even possible for a country to have negative emissions if the absorption and removal exceed the actual emissions.
- *Bhutan has negative emissions because it absorbs more than it emits.
What is the outlook for India’s emissions?
- Analysis of India’s growth path points to rising GDP per capita, with a rise in carbon emissions in the short term, primarily from energy.
- There is pressure from absolute increase in population and consumption, but population growth is slowing.
India’s major emission sources
- In terms of sectoral GHG emissions, data from 2016 show that electricity and heat account for the highest share (1.11 billion tonnes).
- It is followed by agriculture (704.16 million tonnes), manufacturing and construction (533.8 million tonnes), transport (265.3 million tonnes), industry (130.61 million tonnes).
- Land-use change and forestry (126.43 million tonnes) is also a major source.
- Other fuel use (119.04 million tonnes), buildings (109.2 million tonnes), waste (80.98 million tonnes), fugitive emissions (54.95 million tonnes) accounts for major urban sources.
- Aviation and shipping (20.4 million tonnes) accounts for the least source of emission.
Immediate interventions that can be made
- Legal mechanism: India needs to create a legal mandate for climate impact assessment of all activities.
- Investment: This can facilitate investment by dedicated green funds.
- Wholistic participation: Public sector institutions promoted by the government, co-operatives and even market mechanisms will participate.
- Renewable energy: The 500 GW renewables target needs a major boost, such as channeling more national and international climate funding into decentralized solar power.
- Hydrogen economy: Another emerging sector is green hydrogen production because of its potential as a clean fuel. India has a National Hydrogen Mission now in place.
- Waste Management: India’s urban solid waste management will need to modernise to curb methane emissions from unscientific landfills.
- Stored carbon mitigation: Preventing the release of stored carbon in the environment, such as trees and soil, has to be a net zero priority.
Role of developed countries
- India’s argument is that it has historically been one of the lowest emitters of GHGs.
- The impetus has to come from the developed economies that had the benefit of carbon-intensive development since the Industrial Revolution.
Way forward
- These plans need a political consensus and support from State governments.
- Net-zero will involve industrial renewal using green innovation, green economy support and supply chains yielding new jobs.
- It also needs low carbon technologies, zero-emission vehicles, and renewed cities promoting walking and cycling.
- The industry will need to make highly energy-efficient goods that last longer, and consumers should be given a legal right to repair goods they buy.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Not much
Mains level: India's quest for Afghan Peace
India is hosting the National Security Advisors (NSAs) level ‘Delhi Regional Security Dialogue on Afghanistan’ this week.
About the dialogue
- It will be headed by NSA Ajit Doval.
- It aims to organise a conference of regional stakeholders and important powers on the country’s current situation and the future outlook.
- Invitations are sent to Afghanistan’s neighbours such as Pakistan, Iran, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, and other key players including Russia, and China.
Pakistan’s response
- Not surprisingly, Pakistan has denounced India’s invitation. China too followed Pakistan’s footsteps.
- Had Pakistan consented to come, it would have been the first high-level visit to India from Pakistan since 2016.
- Pakistani position reflects its mindset on Afghanistan, where it has played a conspiring role.
- It reflects its mindset of viewing Afghanistan as its protectorate.
Response from the other countries
- India’s invitation has seen an overwhelming response.
- Central Asian countries as well as Russia and Iran have confirmed participation.
Significance of the dialogue
- This will be the first time that all Central Asian countries, and not just Afghanistan’s immediate neighbours, would be participating in this format.
- The enthusiastic response is a manifestation of the importance attached to India’s role in regional efforts to promote peace and security in Afghanistan.
- If peace is established in Afghanistan, it could become a major trading hub as a corridor of connectivity in the heart of Asia.
When you are not at the table, you are on the menu… this conference is India’s attempt to set the table, be on the table, and decide the agenda.
India’s motive for the conference
- This is India’s attempt to secure for itself a seat at the table to decide the future course of action on Afghanistan.
- It underlines the need to actively engage with the world to protect India’s security interests.
- Until the fall of Kabul, India had not engaged with the Taliban through publicly-announced official channels.
India’s expectations form Taliban Govt
- Taliban should not allow safe havens for terror on its soil.
- The administration should be inclusive, and the rights of minorities, women, and children must be protected.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Freedom of Air
Mains level: Not Much
A flight from Srinagar to Sharjah had to avoid flying over Pakistan after the country denied permission to use its airspace for the said flight. With this refusal, Pakistan has violated the first freedom of air.
Freedom of Air
- Following the Chicago Convention in 1944, the signatories decided to set rules that would act as fundamental building blocks to international commercial aviation.
- As a part of these rules, initially, six ‘freedoms of air’ were decided.
- These freedoms or rights still operate within the ambit of multilateral and bilateral treaties.
- It allows to grant airlines of a particular country the privilege to use and/or land in another country’s airspace.
‘Freedoms’ accorded
- Flying over a foreign country without landing
- Refuel or carry out maintenance in a foreign country without embarking or disembarking passengers or cargo
- Fly from the home country and land in a foreign country
- Fly from a foreign country and land in the home country
- Fly from the home country to a foreign country, stopping in another foreign country on the way
- Fly from a foreign country to another foreign country, stopping in the home country on the way
- Fly from a foreign country to another foreign country, without stopping in the home country
- Fly from the home country to a foreign country, then on to another destination within the same foreign country
- Fly internally within a foreign country
Why did Pakistan deny use of its airspace?
- There has been no official explanation given by Pakistan authorities.
- Indian has approached Pakistan to raise the issue of the refusal to use its airspace for the said flight.
- Notably, other Indian airlines flying to west Asia from airports such as Delhi, Lucknow, etc have not been barred from using Pakistan airspace.
- This also raises the concern of Pakistan violating the first freedom of air.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Not much
Mains level: Financial inclusion in India
India is now ahead of China in financial inclusion metrics, with mobile and Internet banking transactions rising to 13,615 per 1,000 adults in 2020 from 183 in 2015.
What does one mean by Financial Inclusion?
- Financial inclusion is defined as the availability and equality of opportunities to access financial services.
- It refers to a process by which individuals and businesses can access appropriate, affordable, and timely financial products and services.
- These include banking, loan, equity and insurance products etc.
Key highlights of the Report
- Boosted by PM Jan-Dhan Yojana, the number of bank branches per 100,000 adults in India rose to 14.7 in 2020 from 13.6 in 2015.
- It is higher than Germany, China and South Africa.
- Data shows that states with higher Jan-Dhan accounts balances have seen a perceptible decline in crime.
How did India achieve financial inclusion?
- Financial inclusion policies have a multiplier effect on economic growth, reducing poverty and income inequality, while also being conducive for financial stability.
- India has stolen a march in financial inclusion with the initiation of PMJDY accounts since 2014.
- It was enabled by a robust digital infrastructure and also careful recalibration of bank branches and thereby using the BC model judiciously.
- Such financial inclusion has also been enabled by use of digital payments.
What is the BC Model?
- The report highlighted that the Banking Correspondent (BC) model in India is enabled to provide a defined range of banking services at low cost.
- The new branch authorisation policy of 2017 –recognises BCs that provide banking services for a minimum of 4-hours per day and for at least 5-days a week as banking outlets.
- The BCs are enabled to provide a defined range of banking services at low cost and hence are instrumental in promoting financial inclusion.
- This has progressively done away the need to set up brick and mortar branches.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: UCCN
Mains level: Not Much
The UNESCO has picked up Srinagar among 49 cities as part of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) under the Crafts and Folk Arts category.
What is UCCN?
- UCCN created in 2004, is a network of cities that are thriving, active centers of cultural activities in their respective countries.
- These cities can be from all continents with different income levels or with different levels of populations.
- UCCN believes that these cities are working towards a common mission by placing creativity at the core of their urban development plans to make the region resilient, safe, inclusive and sustainable.
- Ministry of Culture is the nodal Ministry of the Government of India for all matters in UNESCO relating to culture.
Objective of UCCN
- Placing creativity and the creative economy at the core of their urban development plans to make cities safe, resilient, inclusive and sustainable, in line with the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
The 7 categories for recognition under UCCN are as follows:
- Crafts and Folk Arts
- Design
- Film
- Gastronomy (food)
- Music
- Media Arts
- Literature
Previously, 3 Indian cities were recognized as members of UCCN namely-
- Jaipur-Crafts and Folk Arts (2015)
- Varanasi-Creative city of Music (2015)
- Chennai-Creative city of Music (2017)
- Mumbai-Film (2019)
- Hyderabad- Gastronomy (2019)
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