EDITORIALS & ARTICLES
10th June 2021
ASEAN Meets China
Recently, China had hosted foreign ministers from the 10 ASEAN countries with Beijing pushing for closer economic cooperation and aligning COVID-19 recovery efforts.
Key Highlights
- The crisis in Myanmar was high on the agenda at a meeting between the foreign ministers of ASEAN and China.
- The other issues tackled in the meeting, which was part of the 30th anniversary of ASEAN-China Dialogue Relations, included:
Re-opening of borders during a surge in Covid-19 infections
- It highlighted the “very effective” cooperation between ASEAN and China in battling Covid-19, pointing to China’s provision of essential medical supplies and support for vaccination across the region.
- It called for more vaccine cooperation with China, especially now that both the Sinopharm and Sinovac jabs have been added to the World Health Organisation’s emergency-use list.
Tensions in the South China Sea
- It highlighted that the countries must jointly maintain stability in the South China Seaand avoid unilateral actions that may intensify conflicts.
- China and the Philippines have clashed over the presence of Chinese vessels near a disputed reef, while Malaysia alleged the intrusion of 16 Chinese aircraft into its airspace.
China’s engagement in ASEAN
- The meeting comes as Beijing has sought to step up engagement of South-east Asia, in part in response to a hardening of the United States’ stance against it.
- It stated that deepening economic cooperation, particularly following the signing of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) trade deal, would be China’s focus.
China’s stand on QUAD Group
- Chinese officials have in recent weeks stepped up criticism of the Quad which is the informal India, Australia, Japan and United States grouping.
- China’s Defence Minister called on Sri Lanka and Bangladesh to reject “military alliances” which is a term that some Beijing are using to describe the Quad.
- China cannot rule out the possibilities that Quad members will further rope in ASEAN members to counter China as Southeast Asia is of great significance to the US’ Indo-Pacific Strategy.
NITI Aayog’s Fast Tracking Freight in India
Recently, the NITI Aayog and Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) India has released a new report titled ‘Fast Tracking Freight in India: A Roadmap for Clean and Cost-Effective Goods Transport’.
- India has been the world’s fastest-growing major economy for four of the past five years, due to rising demand for goods and services.
- The logistics sector represents five percent of India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and employs 2.2 crore people.
- These goods represent a variety of domestic industries and products:
- 22 percent are agricultural goods;
- 39 percent are mining products; and
- 39 percent are manufacturing-related commodities
Key Highlights
Shifting to cost-effective, clean freight transport
- Opportunities for India: The increasing the share of rail transport, optimising truck use and promoting use of fuel-efficient vehicles and alternative fuels will lead to the following benefits:
- Reduced logistics costs – India has set a target of reducing the logistics costs as a share of GDP from 14 percent currently to 10 percent by 2022, which can save up to INR 10 lakh crore.
- Reduced carbon emissions and improved air quality – India can save 10 giga tonnes of CO2, 500 kilo tonnes of particulate matter (PM) and 15 million tonnes of nitrogen oxide (NOx ) caused by freight transport by 2050.
- Less truck traffic on roads – Improved mode share and efficient logistics can reduce the vehicular-freight activity by 48 percent in 2050 over a BAU scenario
Enhance rail mode share in India by increasing rail network capacity
- There are several factors which suggest that rail could be a cost-effective and efficient alternative for a significant share of India’s freight:
- A commodity mix that has a high share of bulk goods – suitable for rail’s bulk-handling capabilities;
- Freight travel is often over longer distances – suitable to rail’s economies of scale relative to road transport; and
- India has a low coast-to-landmass ratio – between the two low carbon freight modes, rail and coastal, India’s geography makes rail more feasible in many areas of the country as compared to coastal
Optimise truck use by improving transportation and warehousing practices
- The logistics costs in India are high, accounting for 14 percent of the GDP and thetransportation and inventory costs account for more than 90 percent of these costs.
- These high costs are a result of low logistics efficiency due to a fragmented market, lack of standardised trucking assets, old vehicles and obsolete warehousing technologies.
- These factors have resulted in:
- Low truck utilisation
- High empty running of trucks
- Overloading of trucks
Adoption of fuel-efficient, clean and electric vehicles
- The internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, mostly powered by diesel, dominate India’s road-based freight activity.
- Three market characteristics contribute to these factors:
- Low availability and lack of information about fuel-saving technologies among fleet operators;
- Reluctance to invest in fuel-saving technologies and EVs due to lack of access to finance; and
- High capital cost of EVs
Recommendations for Fast Tracking Freight in India
Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI)
- It is an independent non-profit organisation founded in 1982.
- It transforms global energy systems through market-driven solutions to align with a 1.5°C future and secure a clean, prosperous, zero-carbon future for all.
- It aims to identify and scale energy system interventions that will cut greenhouse gas emissions at least 50 percent by 2030.
RMI India
- It is an independent think-and-do tank that works with diverse stakeholders.
- It takes inspiration from and collaborates with Rocky Mountain Institute.
- Its mission is to accelerate India’s transition to a clean, prosperous and inclusive energy future.
India’s rank on Sustainable Development Goals
Recently, India's rank has slipped by two places on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted as a part of the 2030 agenda by 193 United Nations member states in 2015.
Key Highlights
- The State of India's Environment Report 2021 revealed that India's rank was 115 last year and it dropped to 117 in 2021.
- The fall in India’s ranking is primarily because prevalence of major challenges in India:
- Ending hunger and achieving food security (SDG 2);
- Achieving gender equality (SDG 5); and
- Building resilient infrastructure and promoting inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and fostering innovation (SDG 9)
- India ranks below four South Asian countries i.e. Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka andBangladesh.
- The overall SDG score of India is 61.9 out of 100.
- The report stated that Jharkhand and Bihar are the least prepared to meet the SDGs by 2030, which is the target year.
- It said the states/UTs with the best overall score which are on the path to achieving the SDGs are Kerala, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh.
India’s score in Environmental Performance Index (EPI)
- The report highlighted that that India ranked 168 out of 180 countries in terms of Environmental Performance Index (EPI).
- It is calculated on various indicators, including environmental health, climate, air pollution, sanitation and drinking water, ecosystem services, biodiversity, etc.
- India's rank was 172 in the environmental health category, which is an indicator of how well countries are protecting their populations from environmental health risks.
- According to the EPI 2020 report by Yale University, India ranked 148, 21 positions behind Pakistan which was at 127th position in the category of biodiversity and habitat.
Nigerian government joins Koo App
Recently, the Nigerian government has joined the Koo App after banning American microblogging site Twitter indefinitely.
Reasons for banning Twitter
- Nigeria’s decision to suspend Twitter in the country reportedly came as a result of the US-based social networking platform deleting a tweet by President Muhammadu Buhari for violating rules.
- The Nigerian government had alleged that the microblogging site was being used to undermine “Nigeria’s corporate existence” through the spreading of fake news that has “violent consequences”.
- There was a section that opposed the suspension of Twitter for violation of fundamental right to freedom of speech.
Significance for Koo App
- The Nigerian government’s decision to join Koo after banning Twitter reinforces its position as an alternative platform to Twitter.
- The progress of Koo came in the backdrop of the Indian government’s several disagreements with Twitter.
- Koo also announced a $30-million fundraise from marquee investors including Tiger Global at a time Indian authorities were turning the heat on Twitter.
Koo App
- It is a microblogging site which was co-founded by entrepreneurs Aprameya Radhakrishna and Mayank Bidwatka.
- Its participation and the subsequent winning of the government’s Atmanirbhar App Innovation Challenge brought it under the limelight.
- The app supports multiple Indian regional languages such as Hindi, Telugu, Kannada, Bengali, Tamil, Malayalam, Gujarati, Marathi, Punjabi, Oriya and Assamese.
- It empowers people to express their thoughts in Indian languages with a strong knit local Indian community.
Sardar Sarovar Narmada Dam
Recently, in the ongoing summer, the Sardar Sarovar Narmada Dam has released about 1.3 Million Acre Feet (MAF) water for irrigation between April 1 and May 31 in its command area of 21.29 lakh hectares.
Sardar Sarovar Narmada Dam
- It is built on Narmada River.
- It is located in the village of Kevadia in the state of Gujarat.
- It is one of the largest interstate, multipurpose river valley infrastructure development projects in the country.
- It is part of the Narmada Valley Development Project, a major plan to generate power and supply water for drinking and irrigation to states of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.
- The Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam (SSNL), a state-owned company, is responsible for implementing and managing the SSP.
- The dam will be the third highest concrete dam (163 meters) in India, the first two being Bhakra (226 metres) in Himachal Pradesh and Lakhwar (192 meters) in Uttar Pradesh.
Features of Sardar Sarovar Narmada Dam
- It is a 1,210m long concrete gravity dam with a proposed final height of 163m above the deep foundation.
- The Sardar Sarovar reservoir, built for the main dam, has 0.95 million hectare metre (M.Ha.m) of gross storage capacity and 0.586M.Ha.m of live storage capacity.
- It occupies an area of 37,000ha with an average length of 214km and width of 1.7km.
- The SSP has two hydropower generating units:
- The 1,200MW underground river bed power house (RBPH) station has six 200MW units of reversible Francis type turbines.
- The 250MW surface canal head power house (CHPH) consists of five 50MW Kaplan turbines.
Benefits of Sardar Sarovar Narmada Dam
- Irrigation: It will provide irrigation facilities to 18.45 lac ha of land, covering 3112 villages of 73 talukas in 15 districts of Gujarat.
- It will irrigate 246,000 ha of land in the strategic desert districts of Barmer and Jallore in Rajasthan and 37,500 ha in the tribal hilly tract of Maharashtra through lift.
- Drinking water supply: A special allocation of 0.86 MAF of water has been made to provide drinking water to 173 urban centres and 9490 villages within and out-side command in Gujarat.
- Power generation: There are two power houses viz. River Bed Power House and Canal Head Power House with an installed capacity of 1200 MW and 250 MW respectively.
- The power would be shared by three states i.e. Madhya Pradesh (57%), Maharashtra (27%) and Gujarat (16%).
- Flood Protection: It will provide flood protection to riverine reaches measuring 30,000 ha covering 210 villages and Bharuch city and a population of 4.0 lac in Gujarat.
- Wildlife Protection and Conservation: Wild life sanctuaries viz. "Shoolpaneshewar wild life sanctuary" on left Bank, Wild Ass Sanctuary in little Rann of Kachchh, Black Buck National Park at Velavadar, Great Indian Bustard Sanctuary in Kachchh, Nal Sarovar Bird Sanctuary and Alia Bet at the mouth of River will be benefited.
Narmada River
- The origin of the river is a tiny reservoir named as Narmada Kund, which is situated on the Amarkantak Hill in Anuppur District of East Madhya Pradesh.
- The river moves down from the Amarkantak range at the Kapildhara waterfalls on top of a steep rocky formation.
- It is the only river in India, which runs in a rift valley running west amid the Vindhya and Satpura Mountain Ranges
- It creates the conventional border between South India and North India.
- The river runs to the west for a span of 1,312 km (815.2 miles) prior to flowing through the Gulf of Khambat (Cambey) into the Arabian Sea.
- It runs through the states of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat.
- Its tributaries are Shakkar, Sher, Tawa (longest tributary), Dudhi, Ganjal, Barna, Hiran, Karam, Choral and Lohar.
Appointment of United Nations (UN) Secretary-General
Recently, the United Nations Security Council has formally approved Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for a second term.
How is the UN Secretary-General chosen?
- The Secretary-General is appointed by the General Assembly on the recommendation of the Security Council.
- The Secretary-General’s selection is therefore subject to the veto of any of the five permanent members of the Security Council.
- The Secretary-General is chosen during closed-door sessions of the Security Council, and approval by the General Assembly is seen more as a formality.
- The five permanent members of the 15-nation-strong Security Council i.e. China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, are the most powerful players in this process.
- The 10 elected non-permanent members of the Security Council, of which India is currently a part, do not have veto power.
- The backing of non-permanent members of the Security Council is still crucial as acandidate requires at least nine out of 15 votes to be recommended for the top job.
Resolution for choosing UN Secretary-General
- A recommendation by any UN member state is essential for any candidate to have a real chance at being considered for the top post.
- A resolution adopted by the General Assembly in 2015 made the selection process more open and transparent.
- It will allow member states for the first time to see basic information about all candidates, including their resumes, and to question them at open sessions.
Functions of UN Secretary-General
- The UN Charter refers to the Secretary-General as the body’s “chief administrative officer”.
- He shall act in that capacity and perform “such other functions as are entrusted” to them by the Security Council, General Assembly, Economic and Social Council and other United Nations organs.
- The UN website defines the role as:
- Equal parts diplomat and advocate, civil servant and CEO;
- A symbol of United Nations ideals; and
- A spokesperson for the interests of the world’s peoples
- The Secretary-General’s day-to-day work includes:
- Attendance at sessions of United Nations bodies;
- Consultations with world leaders, government officials, and others; and
- Worldwide travel intended to keep the Secretary-General in touch with the peoples of the UN member states
- All Secretaries-General have come from member states considered to be small- or medium-sized neutral powers, and a regional rotation is observed.
Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban (PMAY-U)
Recently, the Government has approved 708 proposals for construction of 3.61 lakh houses under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban (PMAY-U).
- The ‘PMAY-U Awards 2021-100 Days Challenge’ was also launched by the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA).
What is Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban (PMAY-U)?
- It is a flagship Mission of Government of India being implemented by Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA).
- It was launched in 2015.
- The main stakeholders are State Level Nodal Agencies (SLNAs), Urban Local Bodies (ULBs)/ Implementing Agencies (IAs), Central Nodal Agencies (CNAs) and Primary Lending Institutions (PLIs)
- All houses under PMAY (U) have basic amenities like toilet, water supply, electricity and kitchen.
Objectives of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban (PMAY-U)
- It is aimed at providing pucca houses to all eligible beneficiaries of Urban India by2022 with the vision of ‘Housing for All’.
- It addresses urban housing shortage among the EWS/LIG and MIG categories including the slum dwellers.
- It adopts a cafeteria approach to suit the needs of individuals based on the geographical conditions, topography, economic conditions, availability of land, infrastructure etc.
Significance of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban (PMAY-U)
- It adopts a demand driven approach wherein the Housing shortage is decided based on demand assessment by States/Union Territories.
- It covers the entire urban area consisting of Statutory Towns, Notified Planning Areas, Development Authorities, Special Area Development Authorities, Industrial Development Authorities or any such authority under State legislation.
- It promotes women empowerment by providing the ownership of houses in name of female member or in joint name.
- It ensures dignified living along with sense of security and pride of ownership to the beneficiaries.
PMAY-U Awards 2021-100 Days Challenge
- The awards are given to recognize and celebrate the outstanding contribution and performances by States, Union Territories (UTs), Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) and beneficiaries.
- It aims to encourage healthy competition among States/UTs/ULBs and recognize their best performance.
- The awards have broadly been classified into 3 major levels:
- State Awards, Municipal Corporations, Municipal Councils and Nagar Panchayats Awards
- Special Category Awards
- Beneficiary Awards
- The objectives of the PMAY-U award may be outlined as follows:
- To recognize the achievements in the Mission;
- To encourage healthy competition among States/UTs/ULBs for achieving the goal of 'Housing for All' within stipulated time;
- To disseminate knowledge on effective methods of design and implementation;
- To encourage innovations in successful implementation of projects; and
- To promote cross learning in resolving problems, mitigating risks and planning for successful implementation of the Mission
Eligibility for Awards
- All States, Municipal Corporations, Municipal Councils and Nagar Panchayats are eligible for the Awards.
- Given the smaller share in overall housing shortage, Union Territories (UTs) shall be awarded under Special Category Awards.
- The Mission Director/ State Level Nodal Officer of PMAY-U shall be the focal person for awards in the respective States/UTs.
- Municipal Corporations are eligible to apply directly and the concerned Municipal Commissioner will be the focal person.
- Municipal Councils and Nagar Panchayats are eligible to apply through their respective States where they shall be nominating three best performing ULBs each for these two levels of awards, based on criteria described in forthcoming sections of this document.
Indo-Thai Coordinated Patrol (CORPAT)
Recently, the 31st edition of India-Thailand Coordinated Patrol (Indo-Thai CORPAT)between the Indian Navy and the Royal Thai Navy is being conducted
About Indo-Thai Coordinated Patrol (CORPAT)
- The two navies have been carrying out CORPAT along their International Maritime Boundary Line twice a year since 2005.
- The aim of the Indo-Thai CORPAT exercise is to keep the vital part of the Indian Ocean safe and secure for commercial shipping and international trade.
- It builds up the understanding and interoperability between navies.
- It facilitates institution of measures to prevent and suppress Illegal Unreported Unregulated (IUU) fishing, drug trafficking, maritime terrorism, armed robbery and piracy.
- It enhances the operational synergy by exchange of information for prevention of smuggling, illegal immigration and for conduct of SAR operations at sea.
- It will contribute towards Indian Navy’s efforts to consolidate inter-operability and forge strong bonds of friendship with Royal Thai Navy.
- The Indian Naval Ship (INS) Saryu, and His Majesty’s Thailand Ship (HTMS) Krabi, along with Dornier Maritime Patrol Aircraft from both navies are participating in the CORPAT.
- The other countries with which India conducts CORPAT exercise are Bangladesh (IN-BN CORPAT) and Indonesia (IND-INDO CORPAT).
INS Saryu
- It is an indigenously built Naval Offshore Patrol Vessel (NOPV) .
- It is designed and built by Goa Shipyard Limited.
- It is aimed at meeting the increasing ocean surveillance and patrollingrequirements of the Indian Navy.
- Its primary role is to undertake EEZ surveillance, anti-piracy patrols, fleet support operations, provide maritime security to off shore assets and carry out escort operations for high value assets.
Appointment of Election Commissioner
Recently, Shri Anup Chandra Pandey has assumed charge as the new Election Commissioner (EC) of India.
Composition of Election Commission
- Article 324 of the Constitution has made the following provisions with regard to the composition of election commission:
- The Election Commission shall consist of the chief election commissioner and such number of other election commissioners, if any, as the president may from time to time fix.
- The appointment of the chief election commissioner and other election commissioners shall be made by the president.
- When any other election commissioner is so appointed, the chief election commissioner shall act as the chairman of the election commission.
- The president may also appoint after consultation with the election commission such regional commissioners as he may consider necessary to assist the election commission.
- The conditions of service and tenure of office of the election commissioners and the regional commissioners shall be determined by the president.
Powers and Tenure of Election Commissioners
- The chief election commissioner and the two other election commissioners have equal powers and receive equal salary, allowances and other perquisites, which are similar to those of a judge of the Supreme Court.
- In case of difference of opinion amongst the Chief election commissioner and/or two other election commissioners, the matter is decided by the Commission by majority.
- They hold office for a term of six years or until they attain the age of 65 years, whichever is earlier.
Independence of Election Commissioners
- Article 324 of the Constitution has made the following provisions to safeguard and ensure the independent and impartial functioning of the Election Commission:
- The chief election commissioner is provided with the security of tenure.
- He cannot be removed from his office except in same manner and on the same grounds as a judge of the Supreme Court.
- He can be removed by the president on the basis of a resolution passed to that effect by both the Houses of Parliament with special majority, either on the ground of proved misbehaviour or incapacity.
- The service conditions of the chief election commissioner cannot be varied to his disadvantage after his appointment.
- Any other election commissioner or a regional commissioner cannot be removed from office except on the recommendation of the chief election commissioner.
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