New Bhutanese Territory Claimed by China

Why in News

Recently, China has made new territorial claims in the eastern sector of Bhutan’s Trashigang district.

Key Points

• Territorial Claim of China:
  
  • China made this claim at an online meeting of the 58^th Global Environment Facility (GEF) Council, while objecting to the funding request to develop the Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary project in eastern Bhutan.
    
    • However, GEF cleared the funding to the project after Bhutan protested against the Chinese claims.
    • Set up in 1992, GEF is a US-based global body to finance projects in the environment sector.
  • According to China, the Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary is located in the China-Bhutan disputed areas which is on the agenda of China-Bhutan boundary talk.
  • China claims that the boundary between China and Bhutan has never been delimited. It has had disputes over the eastern, central and western sectors of Bhutan.
• Bhutan’s Position:
  
  • Bhutan totally rejected the claim made by China. It said that Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary is an integral and sovereign territory of Bhutan.
    
    • Also, Sakteng Sanctuary in the past too has received such grants, including in 2018-2019, for a project on preventing soil erosion, without any objection from China.
  • Bhutan has conveyed its position to China through its embassy in New Delhi— since both countries don’t have embassies in each other’s countries.
    
    • Bhutan and China do not have any formal diplomatic relations, both the countries conduct their diplomatic communication through their missions in Delhi.
  • China and Bhutan have a dispute in only two sectors of the border, one in the north (central) – Pasamlung and Jakarlung, and second in the west – Doklam.
  • There has been no mention of eastern Bhutan, or Trashigang district, where Sakteng is based, in 24 previous rounds of boundary negotiations held between the two countries between 1984 and 2016.
• Concerns for India:
  
  • China’s new territorial claim is a part of the larger Chinese tactics of putting pressure on India’s smaller neighbours, to punish them for any closeness to India.
    
    • In 2017 China had intruded into Doklam plateau, which is claimed by Bhutan, leading to a standoff between Indian and Chinese Armies.
  • China might be doing this to put a pressure on India, or to divert India’s attention from its aggression at Ladakh.
  • Sakteng is situated along the border with Arunachal Pradesh, some part of which is also claimed by China.
  • Even after the India-Bhutan Friendship Treaty of 2007, Indian military is virtually responsible for protecting Bhutan from the kind of external threat that the Chinese military poses.
    
    • According to the India-Bhutan Friendship Treaty of 1949, Bhutan allowed India to "guide" its foreign policy and defence affairs.
    • However, the 1949 treaty was amended in 2007 to respect the sensitivities of Bhutan regarding its sovereignty.
    • Under the India-Bhutan Friendship Treaty of 2007, the two sides have agreed to cooperate closely with each other on issues relating to their national interests.
      
      • Neither Government shall allow the use of its territory for activities harmful to the national security and interest of the other.
  • China has said that a third party should not point fingers in the China-Bhutan border issue, which is an apparent reference to India.

Way Forward

• Bhutan has protested against Chinese territorial claims in eastern Bhutan and said that it will also contest in future if China refers to the territory as disputed.
• Safety of Border from China is a concern for both India and Bhutan. Therefore, both sides need to work together on this issue.

Source: IE

Non-State Actors in Nagaland

Why in News

Recently, the Governor of Nagaland R.N. Ravi wrote a letter to the state's Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio.

• The letter highlighted that the legitimacy of the constitutionally-established State government is being challenged on a daily basis by armed gangs that question the sovereignty and integrity of the nation.
• Mr. Ravi was appointed as the Centre’s interlocutor for the Naga peace process in August 2014 for his hold on the affairs of the northeast.

Key Points

• Various Taxes Imposed by Non-State Actors:
  
  • The letter pointed out the issue of ‘taxes’ levied by armed gangs or parallel governments as well as the cost escalation of development and infrastructure projects in the state due to the system of handing over a part of the project cost to these armed gangs for the projects to be executed.
  • The extremist groups have been collecting ‘taxes’ or ‘donations’ from people in their areas of operation before and after the ceasefire agreement with the NSCN (IM) in mid-1997.
• Reactions:
  
  • The Working Committee of the Naga National Political Groups (NNPGs), a conglomerate of seven extremist groups, denied indulging in extortion.
  • NSCN (IM) insisted that it does not extort people but levies ‘genuine taxes’ which have been the source of sustenance bringing the Naga political movement this far.
    
    • It held that it is the inherent right of any sovereign people and nation to collect taxes from the people and commercial establishments and the right was legitimately acknowledged by the earlier interlocutors and Indian authorities.
  • The Chief Minister objected to the Governor’s reminder of Article 371A (1)(b) of the Constitution. He said that terming the organisations as ‘armed gangs’ may not be congenial to the achievement of lasting peace, which is the desire of both the Central and the state governments.

Chronology

• 1917: NSCN (IM) mostly comprises the Nagas of Manipur but it has its roots in the conscription of around 2,000 Nagas by the British as labourers and porters for salvage work and road-building in France in 1917 during the times of World War I (1914-18).
• 1918: The Nagas who returned in May-June 1918 formed the Naga Club, along with some educated locals in October that year. The club aroused a sense of Naga nationalism.
• 1929: The club submitted a memorandum to the Simon Commission, stating that the Nagas should be left alone to ‘determine for themselves as in ancient times’.
• 1946: The club metamorphosed into a political organisation called the Naga National Council (NNC), which campaigned for sovereignty and secession of the Naga Hills (then a district of Assam) from India.
• 1947: Nagas declared independence on 14^th August 1947.
• 1951: A referendum organised by the NNC in May 1951 showed that 99% people had supported an independent Nagaland.
• 1952: The NNC’s movement intensified after it boycotted the 1952 general election.
• 1956: In March 1956, it formed a parallel government and hoisted the flag of the republic.
• 1960: The intensity of the armed movement lessened with the signing of the 16-Point Agreement between the Centre and a group of the people’s representatives in 1960.
• 1963: Nagaland achieved statehood in December 1963.
  
  • Nagaland was formed out of the Naga Hills district of Assam and the then North East Frontier Agency (NEFA) province (now Arunachal Pradesh).
• 1975: The movement was going on intermittently and hopes of peace were raised when the Centre signed the Shillong Agreement with a moderate faction of the NNC in 1975.
  
  • However, a dissident group led by Muivah, Swu and Khaplang, who had been trained in China, rejected the pact outright.
• 1980: After going underground and spending their time in Myanmar, they formed the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) in January 1980.
• 1988: NSCN split into the NSCN (IM) and the NSCN (K) in April 1988 due to differences over initiating a dialogue process with the Indian government.
• 1997: NSCN (IM) received a proposal from New Delhi for peace talks and a ceasefire agreement was signed.
• 2001: NSCN (K) also followed the suit but it unilaterally abrogated the ceasefire in 2015.
  
  • However, at least three of its breakaway factions formed the NNPGs to join the peace process in 2017.

Demand for Greater Nagalim

• The NSCN (IM), dominated by the Tankhuls of Manipur, has held more than 100 rounds of peace talks with the Centre within and outside the country.
• One of its most contentious demands was the creation of a unified Naga homeland, called ‘Greater Nagalim’ by integrating the Naga-inhabited areas of Assam, Manipur and Arunachal with Nagaland.
• The other north-eastern States are opposed to the idea of the pan-Naga homeland and are wary of the Framework Agreement the NSCN (IM) leaders signed at the Prime Minister’s residence in August 2015.
  
  • The contents of the agreement have not been revealed.

Way Forward

• Nagas are culturally heterogeneous groups of different communities/tribes having a different set of problems from the mainstream population.
• In order to achieve the long-lasting solution, their cultural, historical and territorial extent must be taken into consideration.
• Therefore, any arrangement to be worked out should lead to social and political harmony, economic prosperity and protection of the life and property of all tribes and citizens of the states.

Source: TH

Use of Winter Diesel in Ladakh

Why in News

Recently, the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) has sought approval from the Directorate General of Quality Assurance (DGQA) for the use of winter diesel by armed forces for operations in high altitude areas such as Ladakh.

• The winter diesel was introduced as a technological solution by the IOC in 2019 in high-altitude sectors like Ladakh, Kargil, Kaza and Keylong, which face the problem of freezing of diesel in their vehicles in extreme weather conditions.

Key Points

• Winter Diesel:
  
  • It is a specialised fuel specifically for high altitude regions and low-temperature regions such as Ladakh, where ordinary diesel can become unusable.
  • It also meets the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) specification of BS-VI grade.
• Characteristics:
  
  • Low Viscosity: It contains additives to maintain lower viscosity by enabling the fuel to remain fluid in such conditions.
    
    • Regular diesel fuel contains paraffin wax which is added for improving viscosity and lubrication. At low temperatures, the paraffin wax thickens or “gels” and hinders the flow of the fuel in the car engine.
    • The viscosity of a fluid is a measure of its resistance (due to internal friction) to deformation thereby maintaining the state of being thick and semi-fluid in consistency.
    • Paraffin wax is a soft colorless solid derived from petroleum, coal or shale oil that consists of a mixture of hydrocarbon molecules.
  • Low Pour Point: It has a low pour point (as low as minus 30-degree celsius). It is the temperature below which the liquid loses its flow characteristics.
    
    • The flow characteristics of regular diesel change at low temperatures and using it may be detrimental to vehicles.
    • Earlier, the IOCL provided the Diesel High sulphur Pour Point (DHPP -W) to armed forces, which also has a pour point of -30°C.
  • Higher Cetane Rating: It has a higher cetane rating — which is an indicator of the combustion speed of diesel and compression needed for ignition.
  • Lower Sulphur Content: It would lead to lower chemical deposits in engines and better performance.
• Significance:
  
  • Border Tensions with China in Ladakh: It is expected that demand for the winter fuel may rise due to the border tensions in the Galwan valley in Ladakh for the patrolling purposes.
  • Boost to Local Economy: Supply of the special fuel to Ladakh would reduce the hardships faced by the local people for transportation and mobility during winter months, therefore facilitate the local economy and tourism.
  • Curb in Air Pollution: Before the launch of winter diesel, consumers in such areas were using kerosene to dilute diesel to make it usable, which leads to more air pollution.
    
    • Now use of winter diesel would replace use of Kerosene therefore helping in the reduction of air pollution.

Source: IE

Friends of Police in Tamil Nadu

Why in News

Recently, the services of Friends of Police (FOP) has been suspended in Tamil Nadu.

Key Points

• The move came after a controversy over FOP volunteers being engaged in beating of P. Jayaraj and his son J. Benicks, which led to their death in custody.
• The FOP is a Community Policing initiative that aims to bring police and public closer. It was started in 1993 in Ramanathapuram district of Tamil Nadu.
  
  • FOP helps to promote crime awareness among the people and enables prevention of crimes. It imparts fairness, transparency and impartiality in the working of police.
  • Volunteers can apply for FOP following minimum criteria like no political affiliation or criminal background, etc.
• Issues Involved:
  
  • The 3^rd Tamil Nadu Police Commission Report, 2008 has said that the FOP scheme is not evaluated by an independent body and its usefulness is doubted by a section of people.
  • It has also mentioned that some undesirable persons enroll themselves under the FOP scheme and misuse the position.
• Suggestion: The 2008 police report had recommended that the FOP scheme should be modified as Citizen Volunteers Scheme.
  
  • It mentioned that the effort of Police must be to develop such a bond with the public that all citizens are friends of Police, and not only a designated few.

Way Forward

• Any volunteers under the Community Policing should be allowed to help police, but not to take the role of police. The criminal background of the volunteers must be checked before their deployment.
• Community policing is a philosophy, not a program. If the philosophy of community policing is not understood by all of those that are involved, then the programs will not succeed. The biggest obstacle that community policing and the community-based programs have to face is the idea of change. Officers have to change the concept of policing and citizens have to be willing to accept that change.

Source: IE

Demand for Compulsory Licencing of Remdesivir

Why in News

Recently, the CPI (Marxist) party has suggested that the government shall issue compulsory licences for the manufacturing of a generic version of Remdesivir which is being used to treat Covid-19 patients.

• Generic medicines and vaccinations are copies of originally researched drugs, but at much lower prices.

Key Points

• Background:
  
  • Remdesivir is developed to treat Ebola and related viruses.
  • According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the drug helps to prevent Covid-19 viral replication. It has the best potential and can be used in high doses without causing toxicities.
  • It has been observed that the USA has bought the entire stock of Remdesivir for the next three months. It will therefore not be available for the rest of the world.
    
    • Vaccine nationalism occurs when a country manages to secure doses of vaccine for its own citizens or residents before they are made available in other countries.
    • It is done through pre-purchase agreements between a government and a vaccine manufacturer.
  • Also, the manufacturing firm of the drug Remdesivir has a patent monopoly and thus charging a price that is hundreds of times its original cost.
• Proposals:
  
  • With the USA buying up all the stocks of the drug and high cost may cause unavailability of the drug for other countries including India.
  • Thus, the party has suggested the government invoking Clause 92 of the Patent Act (1970) that allows it to issue compulsory licences.
    
    • Clause 92 of the Patent Act states that the Central Government in circumstances of national emergency or in circumstances of extreme urgency can issue the compulsory licenses for any patent in force.
    • It can be issued at any time after the sealing thereof to work the invention by notification in the Official Gazette.
  • The issuance of compulsory licences will allow Indian manufacturers to produce a more affordable generic version.

Way Forward

The government should work towards breaking the patent monopoly as access to medicine especially during this pandemic time is one of the fundamental rights (Right to Health under Article 21) of every person in the country.

Source:TH

More Metallic Moon: NASA

Why in News

Recently, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has found evidence of greater quantities of metals such as iron and titanium on the Moon’s subsurface.

• The metallic distribution was observed by the Miniature Radio Frequency (Mini-RF) instrument aboard the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) spacecraft.

Key Points

• The LRO’s Mini-RF instrument was measuring dielectric constant within lunar soil in crater floors in the Moon’s northern hemisphere.
  
  • Dielectric constant, an electrical property, is the ratio of the electric permeability of a material to the electric permeability of a vacuum.
  • Dielectric properties are directly linked to the concentration of metal minerals.
• The level of this property increased while surveying larger craters and kept rising in crater sizes up to 5 km in diameter. Beyond that size, the value of the dielectric constant leveled off.
• It raised the possibility that the dielectric constant increased in larger craters because the meteors that created them dug up dust containing iron and titanium oxides from beneath the Moon’s surface.
• The Mini-RF findings were backed by metal oxide maps from the LRO Wide-Angle Camera, Japan’s Kaguya mission and NASA’s Lunar Prospector spacecraft, which showed that larger craters with their increased dielectric material were also richer in metals.
  
  • The metal oxide maps suggested that more quantities of iron and titanium oxides were dug up from 0.5 to 2 km below the Moon’s surface as compared from the first 0.2 to 0.5 km.
• Significance:
  
  • If the findings are proven to be true, it would imply that there are large quantities of iron and titanium oxides beyond a few meters of the Moon’s upper surface.
  • The finding could aid in drawing a clearer connection between Earth and the Moon.
• NASA has now undertaken further research to find whether the same relation between metal deposits and crater size holds true on the southern hemisphere of the Moon.

Connection with Moon Formation

• A Mars-sized protoplanet collided with the newly formed Earth around 4.5 billion years ago, breaking off its piece that went on to become a satellite.
• The hypothesis is backed by substantial evidence, such as the close resemblance between the Moon’s bulk chemical composition with that of Earth.
• However, scientists have been trying to explain how Earth’s crust has fewer amounts of iron oxide than the Moon. Now, the new discovery of even greater quantities of metal on the Moon makes the process more difficult.
• A possible reason could be that the Moon was created from a material much deeper beneath Earth’s surface than was believed before, or that the newly found metal presence could be the result of molten lunar surface cooling down gradually.

Source: IE

Rise in Food Grain Offtake by States

Why in News

The food grain procurement by states has risen sharply due to relief measures being implemented in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

• The total amount of rice utilised by the States and Union Territories (UTs) from the Food Corporation of India (FCI) under the Centre’s various schemes is 192.34 lakh tonnes in 2020 as compared to 90.71 lakh tonnes in 2019.

Key Points

• Reasons:
  
  • Increased Entitlements:
    
    • After the breakout of the Covid-19 pandemic, it was announced that Priority Household (PHH) and Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) cardholders in the country would receive free entitlement of 5 kg per person per month, initially for three months (April to June) and now extended up to November 2020.
      
      • This was in addition to their entitlement under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) 2013.
    • The Centre has also announced a scheme for providing wheat and rice to ration cardholders not covered under the NFSA or Non-Priority Household (NPHH) cardholders at the rate of Rs. 21 per kg and Rs. 22 per kg respectively.
      
      • This has been used by Tamil Nadu to provide additional entitlement of rice to about 85.99 lakh such cardholders.
  • Needs of Migrants Labourers: Aimed at addressing the requirements of migrant labourers who were not covered under the NFSA or any scheme of the States, the central government announced one more scheme i.e. distribution of free food grains at 5 kg per person per month for May and June.
• Related Data:
  
  • The data by FCI has revealed that the seven States i.e. Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Maharashtra Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka availed over 60% of the total quantity of rice during the pandemic.
  • As for wheat, the rate of increase in offtake was not so high (around 30%). Compared to 59.45 lakh tonnes lifted in the three months of 2019, it was 78.16 lakh tonnes in 2020.
    
    • Rajasthan had drawn the highest quantity of 14.84 lakh tonnes of wheat followed by Uttar Pradesh which has drawn14.01 lakh tonnes.

Source: TH

244th Independence Day of USA

Why in News

The USA celebrated the 244^th anniversary of American Independence Day on 4^th July 2020.

• Indian Prime Minister also congratulated the USA on the same occasion.

Key Points

• Background:
  
  • Throughout the 1760s and early 1770s, the American colonies found themselves increasingly at odds with British imperial policies regarding taxation and frontier policy.
  • When repeated protests failed to influence British policies the Continental Congress worked with local groups, originally intended to enforce the boycott, to coordinate resistance against the British.
  • British officials throughout the colonies increasingly found their authority challenged by informal local governments, although loyalist sentiment remained strong in some areas.
  • Finally, the United States was founded on an ideal of democracy on the 4^th July 1776 by adopting the Declaration of Independence from the 13 colonies.
• Declaration of Independence :
  
  • The Declaration of Independence was a one-page document, but it laid the foundation for other documents that followed, including the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
  • It contains three main ideas:
    
    • All men are created equal.
    • All men have certain inalienable rights, which include life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
    • People have a civic duty to defend these rights for themselves and for others.

Source:TH

Article 78

Why in News

Recently, the Prime Minister of India briefed the President on ‘issues of national and international importance’.

• The meeting took place against the backdrop of border tensions with China, economic crisis and the Covid-19 situation.
• Article 78 of the Constitution deals with the duties of the Prime Minister with respect to the furnishing of information to the President.

Key Points

• As per Article 78, following are the duties of the Prime Minister:
  
  • To communicate to the President all decisions of the Council of Ministers (CoM - Article 74) relating to the administration of the affairs of the union and proposals for legislation;
  • To furnish such information relating to the administration of the affairs of the Union and proposals for legislation as the President may call for; and
  • If the President so requires, to submit for the consideration of the CoM, any matter on which a decision has been taken by a Minister but which has not been considered by the CoM.
• Article 167 of the Constitution is a corresponding article in the state executive.

Source: IE