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16th July 2021
WHAT LIES AHEAD FOR AFGHANISTAN AFTER U.S. EXIT?
Recently, India faces a situation in which it may have no role to play in Afghanistan as the Taliban push ahead with military offensives and preparing to take over after the exit of US and NATO forces.
Highlights
Salma Dam
- India built vital roads, dams, electricity transmission lines and substations, schools and hospitals, etc.
- India’s development assistance in Afghanistan is now estimated to be worth well over $3 billion.
- The 2011 India-Afghanistan Strategic Partnership Agreement recommitted Indian assistance to help:
- Rebuild Afghanistan’s infrastructure and institutions;
- Education and technical assistance for capacity-building in many areas;
- Encourage investment in Afghanistan; and
- Provide duty-free access to the Indian market
Salma Dam
- It is a 42MW Dam in Herat province.
- It is known as the Afghan-India Friendship Dam.
- It is the 218-km highway built by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO).
- Zaranj is located close to Afghanistan’s border with Iran.
- The $150-million highway goes along the Khash Rud River to Delaram to the northeast of Zaranj.
- It connects to a ring road that links Kandahar in the south, Ghazni and Kabul in the east, Mazar-i-Sharif in the north, and Herat in the west.
- It provides an alternative route into landlocked Afghanistan through Iran’s Chabahar port.
- The Afghan Parliament in Kabul was built by India at $90 million.
- It was opened in 2015 and the Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the building.
- In 2016, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Prime Minister Modi inaugurated the restored Stor Palace in Kabul.
- It was originally built in the late 19th century.
- It was the setting for the 1919 Rawalpindi Agreement by which Afghanistan became an independent country.
- In 2009, India, Afghanistan, and the Aga Khan Development Network signed a tripartite agreement for its restoration.
- The Aga Khan Trust for Culture completed the project between 2013 and 2016.
- India has reconstructed a children’s hospital it had helped build in Kabul in 1972.
- It was named Indira Gandhi Institute for Child Health in 1985.
- India has also built clinics in the border provinces of Badakhshan, Balkh, Kandahar, Khost, Kunar, Nangarhar, Nimruz, Nooristan, Paktia and Paktika.
- The investors can open and maintain a ‘Retail Direct Gilt Account’ (RDG Account) with the RBI through a portal.
- The scheme will provide access to primary issuance of G-Secs and the secondary market as well.
- The greater participation will support the government’s expanding borrowings plan, estimated at around Rs 12 lakh crore annually.
- It is a tradeable instrument issued by the Central Government or the State Governments.
- The government securities market is dominated by institutional investors like mutual funds, banks, insurance companies.
- The government securities are of two types:
- Short term popularly called treasury bills, with original maturities of less than one year;
- Long term generally called Government bonds or dated securities with an original maturity of one year or more.
- In India, the Central Government issues both, treasury bills and bonds or dated securities while the State Governments issue only bonds or dated securities, which are called the State Development Loans (SDLs).
- G-Secs are called risk-free gilt-edged instruments because practically they carry no risk of default.
- G-Secs offer the maximum safety as they carry the Sovereign’s commitment for payment of interest and repayment of principal.
- G-Secs can be sold easily in the secondary market to meet cash requirements.
- The Central Bank has proposed to provide retail investors with online access to the government securities market (both primary and secondary) directly through the Reserve Bank (Retail Direct).
- Primary markets are the financial markets where a security is issued for the first time.
- Secondary markets are the ones where buying and selling of already issued securities takes place.
- The move will broaden the investor base and provide retail investors with enhanced access to participate in the government securities market.
- It is a major structural reform placing India among select few countries which have similar facilities.
- The directly buying of G-secs by retail investors along with HTM [hold to maturity] relaxation, will facilitate smooth completion of the government borrowing programme in 2021-22.
- It is a bold step towards the financialisation of a vast pool of domestic savings and could be a game-changer.
- It allows retail investors to directly invest in the safest fixed income avenue in the country and gives an alternative safer than bank fixed deposits as G-secs come with a sovereign guarantee.
- The experts argue that although these are safe-asset class, it is better to invest through mutual fund schemes that invest in G-Secs because G-Secs are highly volatile.
- The G-Sec attracts tax on both interest income and capital gains if the papers are traded in the market before maturity.
- The interest income attracts tax at the marginal tax rate, and capital gains at 10% but the G-Secs do not attract capital gains tax if the papers are held till maturity.
- G-Sec yields move on account of various factors, and investors will need to keep an eye on both domestic and global developments.
- The investors suffer capital losses in a rising interest rate regime, and make capital gains in a falling rate environment.
- It was discovered at the prehistoric site of Mangerbani hill forest, Faridabad (Haryana).
- It may be one of the biggest Palaeolithic sites in the Indian sub-continent, where Stone Age tools were recovered from open-air sites as well as from rock shelters.
- It prompted the Haryana Archeology department to conduct exploration in Shilakhari, Mangar, Kot, and Dhauj of Faridabad district and Roj ka Gujjar and Damdama of Gurgaon district.
- It is for the first time that a prehistoric site, along with cave paintings and rock art of a large magnitude, has been found in Haryana.
- The caves are nestled amid a maze of quartzite rocks in the Aravalli mountain ranges.
- The paintings are yet to be dated but at least some of them belong to the Upper Palaeolithic period in all likelihood.
- The Upper Paleolithic Age began around 40,000 years ago and lasted till around 10,000 years ago.
- The earliest examples of visual art in the form of paintings or carvings on rocks could be seen at the protected heritage sites in the country, in the form of rock shelter drawings and cave paintings or hand prints.
- These are believed to be dated earlier than 5500 BC.
- The Bhimbetka Cave Paintings in MP and Ketavaram rock paintings in Andhra Pradesh are made by prehistoric human beings from the Palaeolithic and Mesolithic eras.
- It has the oldest Indian paintings because these paintings are made around the 1st century BC.
- Buddhism sprang in the Indian context and Ajanta caves, situated about 100 km from Aurangabad, remain to substantiate the same.
- They are universally called the masterpieces of Buddhist art.
- It is a very well-known UNESCO World Heritage site, which is located in Maharashtra.
- It is one of the world’s largest rock-cut monastery cave which features the Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain temples.
- It dates back to 600 – 1000 CE period.
- These caves are located in the Elephanta islands of Maharashtra.
- The colonial Portuguese named it Elefante which is morphed to Elephanta after they found elephant sculptures on the island.
- The paintings were made in the 8th century.
- It is a collection of various cave temples, predominantly dedicated to the Hindu god, Shiva.
- The word Bhimbetka derived from Bhim Bhatika which was named after Bhima, one of the five Pandavas from Mahabharata.
- It is found in Bhopal, dating back to 12,700BC or earlier.
- It exhibits the earliest traces of human life.
- It shows the paintings and drawings of wild animals such as bison, tiger, elephant, rhinoceros and many more.
- The program is for 50,000 School Teachers.
- It is jointly designed by Innovation Cell of Education Ministry and All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE).
- It is based on the Education Ministry’s model of “Innovation Ambassador Training Program for Higher Educational Institution’s faculty members”.
- It aims to train the school teachers across country who will nurture the young school students on Ideation, IPR, product development, design thinking, problem-solving and critical thinking.
- Under the programme, the teachers shall be trained on the following five modules:
- Design Thinking & Innovation;
- Idea generation & Ideal hand-holding;
- Intellectual Property Rights;
- Product / Prototype development; and
- Finance, HR and Sales
- Help in creating the culture of Innovation in their respective schools;
- Mentor the teachers and students of their respective schools and nearby schools;
- Provide support to other schools as resource person;
- Spread the message of innovation and start-ups among the students and faculties;
- Act as an evaluator for Idea Competitions conducted at national level; and
- Act as a Mentor for the national level program on Innovation and related activities.
- Involved in developing innovative student projects;
- Has passion for working with students on developing new ideas;
- Demonstrable problem-solving skills;
- Good communication and analytical Skills; and
- Participated in any science/innovation exhibition, hackathons and idea competitions etc.
- It is a nationwide campaign to accelerate the pace of COVID vaccination among tribals in India.
- It has been launched by TRIFED under the Ministry of Tribals for 10.5 crore tribal community people across the country.
- It is being launched in partnership with UNICEF and WHO.
- It hopes to make the Van Dhan Vikas Kendras and villages to be the first in respective states to be declared COVID free and free of all restrictions.
- It will be implemented with the help of traditional village headsmen, SHGs, and ground level workers in villages and the Van Dhan Kendras will become the focal points.
- Its objective is that the tribal communities should not only remain safe and healthy during the pandemic but should also be able to continue their livelihood activities.
- It focusses on reassurance, pride and self-efficacy.
- It promotes ‘Livelihoods with Health’ in tribal areas, fast tracks the activities of VDVK, and accelerates the pace of COVID vaccination among tribals.
- It is aligned with UNICEF’s equity approach to survival, growth and development of children.
- The campaign will highlight the three key J’s:
- Jeevan (Life): Every life and livelihood is precious, so vaccination is key to life and is free.
- Jeevika (Livelihood): The tribal population can continue Van Dhan Vikas Kendra and livelihood activities without any fear of getting the disease if you are vaccinated.
- It also saves you from hospitalization and other opportunity costs.
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- Jaagrookta (Awareness): Simplification of the process of registration for vaccination, place, accessibility to different audiences and age groups, especially women and elderly population.
- Van Dhan Vikas Kendras collaborate and work with other stakeholders with service as a motto and with dedication and commitment that they have a key role to make Panchayats and villages coronavirus free.
- It will leverage the 45,000 Van Dhan Vikas Kendras (VDVK) of the Tribal Co-operative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED).
- It will help to beat the infodemic against the coronavirus vaccine, and myths, rumours, misinformation and disinformation are adding to the infodemic.
- It will leverage the strength and network of Self Help Groups and other common touch points to promote vaccine uptake and COVID Appropriate Behaviour.
- It aims to clear all the misconceptions related to vaccination among the tribal people and to motivate them to get themselves vaccinated so that they do not suffer in the future.
- Its goal is to connect over 50 lakh tribals emphasizing COVID-19 vaccination is free and available in the nearby centres.
- The project “Development of Varanasi under PRASHAD Scheme – Phase II” was approved by the Ministry of Tourism with the cost of Rs. 44.69 crores in Feb. 2018.
- The components viz. ‘Panchkoshi Path’, ‘Pilgrim Facilitation Center’, ‘Rameshwar’, ‘Road Development’ and ‘Signages’ have been successfully completed and dedicated to the nation.
- The project “Development of River Cruise in Varanasi under PRASHAD Scheme” was approved by the Ministry of Tourism with the cost of Rs. 10.72 crores in Feb. 2018.
- The components viz. ‘Passenger Cum Cruise Vehicle’, ‘Modular Jetty’, ‘Audio Visual Interventions’, and ‘CCTV Surveillance’ have been successfully completed and dedicated to the nation.
- It is a National Mission on Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation Drive (PRASHAD).
- It is a Central Sector Scheme fully financed by the Government of India.
- It is launched by the Ministry of Tourism in the year 2014-15 with the objective of integrated development of identified pilgrimage and heritage destinations.
- It is aimed at infrastructure development such as entry points (Road, Rail and Water Transport), last mile connectivity, basic tourism facilities etc.
- A Central Sanctioning and Monitoring Committee is set up for sanctioning of the projects submitted by the Mission Directorate.
- Rejuvenation and spiritual augmentation of important national/ global pilgrimage destinations;
- Enhance tourism attractiveness of identified pilgrimage destinations and heritage cities under integrated tourism development of heritage city in planned, prioritized and sustainable manner;
- Position pilgrimage and heritage tourism as a major engine for its direct and multiplier effects of economic growth and employment generation;
- Follow community-based development through ‘Pro-Poor’ tourism concept and ‘responsible tourism’ initiatives;
- Creating awareness among the local communities about the importance of tourism for them in terms of increase in sources of income, improved living standards and overall development of the area; and
- Enable convergence of state and central government schemes as well as private sector developments for integrated site/ destination development
- Pilgrimage footfall: The tourism footfall to any particular pilgrimage destination gives an idea about number of tourists visiting that particular destination and its importance on national pilgrimage map.
- Cultural, historical & heritage importance of the places: These factors should be deployed for selection of destinations under the program.
- Status on existing level of development: Existing level of development shall encompass the state and center initiatives for development of physical and social infrastructure in pilgrimage footprint of destinations to be considered under PRASHAD.
- Resident population of the destination: Population is directly proportionate to the area under the local government and carrying capacity of destination to handle the influx of pilgrims.
- Credibility of Implementation: It can be evaluated through the UC pendency of state/ UT governments and its implementing agencies for project sanctioned by ministry of tourism.
- Parity for pan India development in selection of destinations: The final list of destination shall be prepared by prioritizing destinations from the states which are not covered in the existing list of destinations.
- India organized the BRICS Labour & Employment Ministers’ Meeting to exchange views on the impact of Covid-19 on global labour market and enhance information sharing.
- The meeting discussed four priority areas of cooperation which are:
- Promoting Social Security Agreements amongst BRICS Nations;
- Formalisation of Labour Markets;
- Participation of Women in the Labour Force; and
- Gig and Platform Workers: Role in the Labour Market
- The Ministerial Declaration recognized that the COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted the efforts made to address unemployment, decent work deficits and inequality.
- It also illustrates the strong determination of BRICS Member countries to recover with stronger national economies, inclusive labour markets and social protection systems.
- India stressed on enhancing the intra-BRICS solidarity and promoting sustained, inclusive, full and productive employment and decent work for all.
- It highlighted that the new Labour Codes provide integrated pathways towards:
- Robust formalization of the labour market;
- Increasing participation of women in the labour force and
- Enhancing the role of gig and platform workers in the labour market
- The meeting emphasised on need for signing of Social Security agreements amongst BRICS nations to promote welfare of the international migrant workers.
- It is important to take into account the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) labour standards which provide guidance on decent labour migration conditions.
- It is necessary to carry out exchange of information among BRICS countries on employment and social security for cross border labour flows and initiate social security agreements between BRICS nations.
- It is time to enhance the transition from informality to formality as a means towards improving living and working conditions and productivity & job growth.
- The use of technology has high potential to facilitate faster transition to formality for aspects such as providing access to social protection simplifying registration, increasing productivity etc.
- The BRICS Network for Labour Research Institutes aims to undertake an in-depth research on E-formality practices.
- The sustained participation of women in the labour market and strategies for the promotion of women participation are top priorities of BRICS nations.
- The BRICS nations agreed towards commitment to gender-responsive employment and social protection policies for medium and long-term recovery.
- The BRICS nations reaffirm their commitment to support the development of the digital economy including digital delivery of services and acknowledging the role digital platforms in providing resilience.
- It is an informal group of states comprising the Federative Republic of Brazil, the Russian Federation, the Republic of India, the People’s Republic of China and the Republic of South Africa.
- It was the Russian side that initiated the creation of BRICS.
- In 2006, the first BRICS Ministerial Meeting was held at the proposal of Russian President Vladimir Putin on the margins of a UN General Assembly Session in New York
- In 2009, Yekaterinburg hosted the first BRIC Summit.
- BRICS countries are influential members of leading international organisations and agencies, including the UN, the G20, the Non-Aligned Movement and the Group of 77.
- The Russian Federation is a member of the Commonwealth of Independent States, the Collective Security Treaty Organisation and the Eurasian Economic Union.
- Russia, India and China are members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation.
- Brazil is a member of the Union of South American Nations, MERCOSUR and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States.
- The Republic of South Africa is a member of the African Union and the Southern African Development Community.
- India is a member of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation and BIMSTEC.
- The one of the factors behind the persistence of international institutions is because of “sunk costs” i.e. efforts expended to set up an institution that cannot be recovered and binding the actors involved in setting it up permanently.
- New Delhi has often equated BRICS with its participation in other “Western-led” groupings such as the Quad, in order to signal to domestic constituencies that its commitment to strategic autonomy remains intact.
- The “cost” India would pay from dissolving the BRICS is far higher than simply playing along, despite its diminishing dividends from participation in that grouping.
- The BRICS also allows India and China to modulate their rivalry within the setting of a small grouping, even when bilateral relations remain rocky.
- The groupings like the BRICS and the SCO afford both India and China the opportunity to “decouple” their strategic contest from the other dimensions of the relationship.
- BRICS provides India a transcontinental reach by virtue of Brazil and South Africa’s presence.
- India is a proudly revisionist power when it comes to the extant structure of international organizations and the United Nations system.
- It continues to maintain that the international system does not recognize the country’s economic and political heft and demands top-down reform, beginning with the U.N. Security Council (UNSC) where it seeks permanent membership.
POSTED ON 16-07-2021 BY ADMIN
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