Government gears up to host World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES) in Goa

• The Government is gearing up to host the inaugural World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES), aiming to bolster India’s Media and Entertainment industry and extend its global influence.
• The Summit will be being held in Goa from 20th of November to 25th of November this year.
• With the Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting Ashwini Vaishnaw, launching 25 Challenges under the ‘Create in India Challenge – Season 1’ , WAVES is poised to become a significant platform for icons of the Media and Entertainment fraternity worldwide, focusing on entertainment economics and technology.

About WAVES:

• It is an international summit organized by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Government of India.
• The summit will be hosted in Goa in collaboration with the State Government of Goa.
• The Entertainment Society of Goa will act as the Nodal Agency for the event, following an MOU with Ministry of Information & Broadcasting.
• It is supported by industry partners like the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

Objectives and Significance of WAVES

• WAVES is envisioned as a pivotal platform that will convene industry leaders, stakeholders, and innovators to explore opportunities, tackle challenges, and attract trade to India.
• By facilitating conversations on entertainment economics and the latest technological advancements, WAVES aim to shape the future of the Media and Entertainment industry.
• The summit will highlight India’s potential to serve as a global content creation hub, offering high-quality and cost-effective solutions.

10th Round of India-Australia CECA Negotiations held on five tracks in Sydney

Key Highlights:

• Negotiation Areas: The discussions focused on Goods, Services, Digital Trade, Government Procurement, Rules of Origin, and Agri-tech.

Outcomes:

• Intensive discussions aimed at narrowing differences and achieving convergence on proposals.
• Action plans for further negotiations to be developed through virtual meetings before the next round.
• Future Plans:
  • The next round of negotiations is anticipated in India, likely in November 2024.
  • Australia proposed the first meeting of the India-Australia Agri Tech Forum (IAATF) in New Delhi on 23 September 2024, focusing on agricultural technology and knowledge sharing.
• Economic Partnership: Emphasis on enhancing the bilateral economic relationship, building on the India-Australia ECTA (Effective 29 December 2022).
• Broader Context: Both nations are part of the Indo-Pacific Economic Forum (IPEF) and Trilateral Supply Chain Resilience Initiative (SCRI) to strengthen regional supply chains.

CECA

• CECA is a comprehensive trade agreement between India and Australia.
• It is more comprehensive than earlier India-Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA).
• CECA negotiations were launched in May 2011, which were suspended in 2016 and again re-launched in 2021 with the intention of quickly concluding an ECTA to liberalise and deepen bilateral trade in goods and services, and to then use this foundation to resume negotiations on the more ambitious 
• The CECA is intended to cover 5 main tracks i.e. goods, services, digital trade, government procurement and Rules of Origin/Product Specific Rules
• New areas of interest include competition policy, MSMEs, innovation, agri-tech, critical minerals and sports.

India – Australia Bilateral Relationship

• The historical ties between India and Australia started immediately following European settlement in Australia from 1788.
• All trade to and fro, from the penal colony of New South Wales was controlled by the British East India Company through Kolkata.
• India and Australia established diplomatic relations in the pre-Independence period, with the establishment of India Trade Office in Sydney in 1941.
• Australia and India upgraded their bilateral relationship from ‘Strategic Partnership’ in 2009 to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) in 2020.
• Over the years, an array of institutional mechanism has been put in place to promote bilateral co-operation.

Bilateral mechanisms include:

• High level visits, Annual Meetings of Prime Ministers, Foreign Ministers’ Framework Dialogue, 2+2 Defence and Foreign Ministers'' Dialogue, Joint Trade & Commerce Ministerial Commission, Defence Policy Talks, Australia-India Education Council, Defence Services Staff Talks, Energy Dialogue, JWGs on different issues etc.

Bilateral trade:

• Australia is the 17th largest trading partner of India and India is Australia’s 9^th largest trading partner.
• Bilateral trade between India and Australia was US $ 27.5 billion in 2021, there is potential for it to reach around US $ 50 billion in five years.

Multilateral Cooperation:

• Both are members of the Quad, Commonwealth, Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), ASEAN Regional Forum, Asia Pacific Partnership on Climate and Clean Development, and have participatedin the East Asia Summits.
• Both countries have also been cooperating as members of the Five Interested Parties (FIP) in the World Trade Organization
• Australia is an important player in Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and supports India''s membership of the organisation.

Challenges in India-Australia Relations

Adani coal mine controversy:

• There was controversy over the Adani coal mine project in Australia, with some activists protesting against it, which created a strain in the relationship between the two countries.

Visa issues:

• There have been concerns over visa restrictions for Indian students and professionals seeking to work in Australia.

Violence with Indian Diaspora:

• Attacks on Indian Diaspora and temples in the recent past by Khalistan supporters have been an issue of strain.

Way Forward

• The India-Australia relations have strengthened in recent years due to shared values, interests, geography, and objectives.
• Both countries envision a free, open, inclusive, and rules-based Indo-Pacific region, unilateral or coercive actions are not preferred and are to be avoided in resolving any disagreements or conflicts.
• Renewed relationship between India- Australia through initiatives such as India Australia bilateral Summits give an opportunity to further strengthen the ties between the two countries to play an active role in ensuring rule-based order in the Indo-Pacific.

The rise and rise of red sanders mafia

• Seshachalam Hills, one of India’s richest biospheres, has become the hot spot of red sanders smuggling and allied crimes threatening the survival of the endangered tree species. Over the years, despite changes in the governments and people in power, the smuggling of the precious wood continues unabated, indicating that the problem is of a socio-economic-political nature

Red Sanders (Pterocarpus santalinus) 

About Red Sandalwood:

• Red Sanders (Red Sandalwood) is a flora-species that is endemic to the tropical dry deciduous forest in Eastern Ghatsregion of Andhra Pradesh.
• It is locally known as Yerra Chandanam, Rakta Chandanam.
• It is a very slow-growing tree species that attains maturity after 25 – 40 years.
• It is fire-hardy and resistant to droughts. 

High Demand & applications:

• Red Sanders is under severe pressure from illegal logging and harvesting. It is in demand in both domestic and international markets.
• Its rich hue and therapeutic properties are responsible for its high demand across Asia, particularly China, for use in cosmetics, medicinal products and high-end furniture/woodcraft.
• While the red dye obtained from the wood is used as a colouring agent in textiles and medicines.

Conservation Status:

• It is under ‘endangered list’ in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. 
• It is listed in Appendix-II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wildlife Fauna and Flora (CITES).
• Listed under Schedule IV of The Wildlife Protection Act.

Seshachalam Hills:

• Seshachalam Hills, one of India’s richest biospheres which form the tip of the Eastern Ghats in Andhra Pradesh is considered a floristic hotspot for it houses many endemic and rare species including five gecko species, 12 species of lizards and 22 species of snakes.
• Spread over 5,000 square kilometres across Kadapa, Annamayya, Tirupati and Chittoor districts,besides covering substantial forest cover in Nellore district in the State, the Seshachalam Hills is the first biosphere reserve in Andhra Pradesh identified under UNESCO’s Man and Biosphere programme in 2010.
  • However, it is red sanders (Pterocarpus santalinus), the tall trees which give one of the world’s finest and rarest woods, growing in these hills makes Seshachalam a hotspot of crime and a hub of mafia.

Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh chaired bilateral meeting on US-India Civil Nuclear Commerce

Key highlights:

• Bilateral Cooperation: Dr. Jitendra Singh chaired a pivotal meeting on US-India Civil Nuclear Commerce, focusing on deepening collaboration in science, technology, and clean energy.
• Space Collaboration: An Indian astronaut from the Gaganyaan Mission is set to join the International Space Station, marking a significant milestone in Indo-US space cooperation.
• Green Hydrogen Mission: Dr. Singh emphasized the Green Hydrogen Mission as crucial for decarbonizing industries, transportation, and power generation, and achieving global climate goals.
• Small Modular Reactors (SMRs): India is exploring international partnerships and regulatory frameworks to support the deployment of SMRs, aiming for energy self-reliance and climate commitment fulfilment.
• Research Foundations: Drawing parallels between India’s National Research Foundation (NRF) and the US National Science Foundation (NSF), both are seen as vital for advancing scientific research and innovation.
• Climate Goals: India reaffirms its commitment to the "Panchamrit" climate action plan, which includes increasing non-fossil energy capacity to 500 GW, reducing carbon emissions by 1 billion tons, and achieving net-zero emissions by 2070.
• Technological Advancements: Discussions included progress in ocean energy, Carbon Capture, Utilisation, and Storage (CCUS), biomass to energy conversion, and advancements in Lithium-Ion Battery development.
• US Delegation: The high-level US delegation was led by John Podesta and David Turk, focusing on enhancing cooperation in emerging technologies for mutual economic growth and global leadership.

Overview of India and US Bilateral Relations

Bilateral Trade: 

• The bilateral trade between the two countries has risen by 72 percent between 2017-18 and 2022-23.
• The US accounted for 18% of the gross FDI inflows into India during 2021-22, ranking second behind Singapore.

Defence and Security:

• India and the US have signed a troika of “foundational pacts” for deep military cooperation, beginning with the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) in 2016, followed by the Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA) after the first 2+2 dialogue in 2018, and then the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA) in 2020.
• In 2016, the United States elevated India to a major defence partner.

Space:

• Artemis Accords signed by India established a common vision for the future of space exploration for the benefit of all humankind.

Multilateral Cooperation:

• India and the United States cooperate closely in multilateral organisations and forums, including the United Nations, G20, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, and World Trade Organization.
• Together with Australia and Japan, the United States and India convene as the Quad, a diplomatic network, to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific.

Nuclear Cooperation:

• Civil Nuclear Deal was signed in 2005, under the agreement, India agreed to separate its civil and military nuclear facilities and place all its civil resources under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) 
• In exchange, the United States agrees to work toward full civil nuclear cooperation with India.

New initiatives: 

• Several new initiatives have been announced like GE-HAL deal to manufacture jet engines in India and the initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET), to bring revolution between the relations of the two nations.

Concerns for India

Strategic Trust and China: 

• India and the U.S. have made significant strides in strategic cooperation, particularly in countering China’s aggression in the Indo-Pacific. However, concerns persist about India’s reliance on Russian military imports and its perceived reluctance to unequivocally condemn Russia’s actions in Ukraine.
• Balancing these interests remains a challenge.

Dependency on China: 

• US aid in the Russia-Ukraine war strengthens Ukraine’s defence and counter offensives, forcing Russia to rely more on China for support.
• It diminishes Russian autonomy and potentially its ability to honour defence agreements with India in an India-China conflict.

Democratic Values and Friction: 

• While the partnership is anchored in shared democratic values, there are areas of friction. The U.S. expresses concerns about India’s treatment of minorities, especially Muslims, and its illiberal policies. The revocation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status, the Citizenship Amendment Act, and religious freedom issues have raised eyebrows.

Trade and Structural Agreements:

• Despite steady growth in trade, disagreements over critical issues and the lack of structural trade agreements have hindered realising the full potential of the relationship.
• Addressing trade challenges and enhancing economic ties is crucial.

Securing Interests and Promoting Values: 

• The U.S. and India must balance securing their interests with promoting democratic values. India’s trajectory as a secular and tolerant nation is closely watched, especially given recent developments.

Conclusion and Way Forward

Multilateral Cooperation: 

• While bilateral engagement thrives, multilateral cooperation on global conflicts remains a challenge.

Complexities and Priorities: 

• The future path of U.S.-India relations depends on navigating complexities, fostering trust, and prioritising mutual interests for a stable and prosperous partnership.
• India-U.S. relationship is at a crucial juncture, with significant potential for growth but also substantial challenges to overcome. As leaders engage once again, they must chart a course that balances ambition with pragmatism, ensuring a robust and enduring partnership.
• The strategic convergence of India and the US is because of the common threat posed by China. The more the US focuses on Russia or any other adversary and India focuses on Pakistan, the more their strategic convergence weakens.