Meeting of IMCG on Neighbouring Countries

Why in News?

Recently, the first meeting of the Inter-Ministerial Coordination Group (IMCG) at Secretary level was convened by India’s Foreign Secretary.

• The IMCG has been set up as a high-level mechanism towards mainstreaming of India’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy vision that sought to develop better relations with the country’s neighbours.
• IMCG is supported by inter-ministerial Joint Task Forces (JTFs) convened by joint secretaries in the external affairs ministry.

What are the Key Highlights of the Meeting?

• About:
  • The IMCG provided a comprehensive direction with a whole-of-government approach to promote better connectivity, stronger interlinkages and greater people-to-people connect with the neighbours.
  • The focus of the meeting was construction of border infrastructure that would facilitate greater trade with neighbours like Nepal; special needs of countries such as Bhutan and Maldives in terms of supply of essential commodities; opening rail connectivity with Bangladesh; Humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan and Myanmar; and Fisheries issue with Sri Lanka.
• Significance:
  • IMCG will further improve institutional coordination across government and provide comprehensive direction to this whole-of-government approach to India’s relations with its neighbouring countries.

What is the Purpose of ‘Neighbourhood First’ Policy Vision?

• Connectivity:
  • India has entered into MoU(Memorandum of Understanding) with members of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). These agreements ensure a free flow of resources, energy, goods, labour, and information across borders.
• Improving Relations with Neighbours:
  • Priority is to improve the relations with immediate neighbours as peace and tranquillity in South Asia is essential for realising development agenda.
• Dialogue:
  • It focuses on vigorous regional diplomacy by engaging with neighbouring nations and building political connectivity through dialogue.
• Resolving Bilateral Conflicts:
  • The Policy focuses on resolving bilateral issues through mutual agreement.
• Economic Cooperation:
  • It focuses on enhancing trade ties with neighbours. India has participated and invested in SAARC as a vehicle for development in the region.
    • One such example is the Bangladesh-Bhutan-India-Nepal (BBIN) grouping for energy development i.e. motor vehicles, waterpower management and inter-grid connectivity.
• Disaster management:
  • The policy also focuses on cooperating on disaster response, resource management, weather forecasting and communication and also capabilities and expertise in disaster management for all South Asian citizens.
• Military and Defence cooperation:
  • India is also focusing on deepening security in the region through military cooperation by conducting as well as participating in various defence exercises.

What are the Issues in India’s 'Neighbourhood First Policy'?

• Growing Chinese Pressure:
  • It failed to take a meaningful direction and growing Chinese pressure has prevented the country from winning allies in the region.
    • On the maritime front, China is extending its influence across the Indo-Pacific region.
    • The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) also provides China an opportunity to expand in India’s neighbourhood as for instance in the case of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), has brought the Chinese presence close to the Indian border whether in Pakistan Administered Kashmir or in the Sir Creek area.
      • Proposed in 2013, the BRI is an ambitious programme of China.
• Interference in Domestic Affairs:
  • India is interfering in the domestic affairs of neighbouring countries especially in Nepal in the violation of their sovereignty.
  • India is also creating hurdles in free transit and free trade within and beyond Nepal and keeps suppressing its people and government.
• Focus on Military Measures:
  • India is focusing on Military Measures rather than social elements has also helped increase tensions across the region, increasing anti-India sentiment.
• Impact of India’s Domestic Politics:
  • India’s domestic policies are creating problems in Bangladesh, a Muslim-majority country, showing India’s neighbourhood first policy faces serious challenges even in friendly territories like Bangladesh.
  • Many ordinary Bangladeshis find the political leadership of India under current leadership as Islamophobic or anti-Islam.
• Impact of India’s Tilt towards West:
  • India draws closer to the West, particularly through the Quad and other multilateral and mini-lateral initiatives.
  • But Sri Lanka’s connections with the West are not moving in a good direction as the country’s current government faces increasing criticism from Western capitals on human rights issues and freedoms.
  • As a result, Sri Lanka has begun moving toward China, increasing the possibility that Indo-Sri Lankan ties might deteriorate at some point.

Way Forward

• India’ neighbourhood policy should be based on the principles of Gujral Doctrine.
  • This would ensure India’s stature and strength cannot be isolated from the quality of its relations with its neighbours and there can be regional growth as well.
• Integrating India’s regional economic and foreign policy remains a major challenge.
  • Therefore, India should resist compromising bilateral relationships with neighbours for short economic interests.
• Regional connectivity must be pursued with greater vigour while security concerns are addressed through cost-effective, efficient and reliable technological measures which are in use in other parts of the world.

Source: TH

SVANidhi se Samriddhi

Why in News?

The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) has launched ‘SVANidhi se Samriddhi’ program in additional 126 cities across 14 States/ UTs.

• Quality Council of India (QCI) is the implementing partner for the program.

What is SVANidhi se Samriddhi?

• About:
  • It is an additional program of PMSVANidhi, launched on 4^th January 2021 in 125 cities to map the socio economic profile of the PM SVANidhi beneficiaries and their families.
  • It assesses beneficiaries’ potential eligibility for various Central welfare schemes (8) and facilitates the linkages to these schemes.
    • These schemes include Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana, PM Suraksha Bima Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maandhan Yojana, Registration under Building and other Constructions Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act (BOCW), National Food Security Act (NFSA) portability benefit – One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC), Janani Suraksha Yojana, and Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY).
• Coverage:
  • In Phase 1, it covered approximately 35 Lakh Street vendors and their families.
  • Phase 2 aims to cover 28 Lakh Street vendors and their families, with a total target of 20 Lakh scheme sanctions for FY 2022-23. The remaining cities would be gradually added to the program.
• Achievements:
  • In the year 2020-21 (despite challenges posed due to Covid-19 pandemic), the program was successful in providing social security benefits to the street vendor families and thereby protecting them from any risks and vulnerabilities of life and livelihoods.
  • The program has two-fold achievements:
    • One, a central database of Street vendors and their families is created on various socio-economic indicators.
    • Second, a first of its kind inter-ministerial convergence platform is established between various Central Ministries to extend the safety net of welfare schemes to street vendor households.

What is PM SVANidhi Scheme?

• About:
  • Prime Minister Street Vendors AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi) was announced as a part of the Economic Stimulus-II under the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan.
  • It has been implemented since 1st June 2020, for providing affordable working capital loans to street vendors to resume their livelihoods that have been adversely affected due to Covid-19 lockdowns, with a sanctioned budget of Rs. 700 crore.
• Aims:
  • To benefit over 50 lakh street vendors who had been vending on or before 24th March 2020, in urban areas including those from surrounding peri-urban/rural areas.
  • To promote digital transactions through cash-back incentives up to an amount of Rs. 1,200 per annum.
• Features:
  • The vendors can avail a working capital loan of up to Rs. 10,000, which is repayable in monthly installments in the tenure of one year.
  • On timely/early repayment of the loan, an interest subsidy of 7% per annum will be credited to the bank accounts of beneficiaries through Direct Benefit Transfer on a quarterly basis.
  • There will be no penalty on early repayment of the loan. The vendors can avail the facility of the enhanced credit limit on timely/early repayment of the loan.
• Challenges:
  • Several banks are seeking applications on stamp papers worth between Rs. 100 and Rs. 500.
  • There have also been instances of banks seeking PAN cards and even checking the CIBIL or Credit score of applicants or state authorities asking for voter ID cards, which many migrant vendors do not carry with them.
    • CIBIL score is an evaluation of one's credit history and determines their eligibility for a loan.
  • There have also been complaints of harassment by police and municipal officials.
• Solutions:
  • States should be asked to ensure that street vendors are not harassed by the authorities as all they are asking is a right to livelihood.
  • The Centre has also decided to send the applications directly to bank branches listed by the applicant as a “preferred lender” or where the vendor holds a savings bank account.
  • A software has also been developed that can “push” around 3 lakh applications to the banks.

Source: PIB

Global Wind Report 2022

Why in News?

Recently, the Global Wind Report for 2022 was published by the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC).

• GWEC was established in 2005 to provide a credible and representative forum for the entire wind energy sector at an international level.

What are the Key Highlights of the Report?

• Wind Energy Installations Must Quadruple Every Year:
  • Wind energy installations every year across the world must quadruple from the 94 GW (Gigawatt) installed in 2021 within this decade to meet the global climate targets.
    • Without the necessary amplification, restricting global warming over pre-industrial levels to 1.5 degrees Celsius — a target set by the Paris Agreement — and achieving Net Zero emissions by 2050 may become difficult.
• Capacity Installed in 2021:
  • New installations of 93.6 GW in 2021 brought global cumulative wind energy capacity to 837 GW, a Year-on-Year (YoY) growth of 12%.
  • The onshore wind market added 72.5 GW worldwide. That is 18% lower than the previous year due to a slowdown in China and the US, the world’s two largest wind markets.
  • The offshore wind market enjoyed its best ever year in 2021, with 21.1GW commissioned.
• New offshore installations likely to Decline:
  • New offshore installations in 2022 are likely to decline to the 2019 / 2020 levels.
    • Decline will be primarily due to the reduction of installations in China.
  • However, market growth is expected to regain momentum from 2023, eventually passing the 30GW-mark in 2026.
• Offshore Wind Energy Generation Increases Return:
  • Offshore wind energy generation increases return on investment, along with reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
  • Carbon dioxide emissions can reduce by 0.3-1.61 gigatonnes every year by 2050 if offshore wind energy generation is scaled up.

What are the Challenges to Growth of the Wind Energy Sector?

• Inconsistent policy environments focused on short-term political aims.
• Badly designed markets which do not enable bankable renewable energy projects.
• Infrastructure and transmission bottlenecks.
• A lack of adequate industrial and trade policies related to renewable technologies
• Hostile political or misinformation campaigns.

What is the Scope of the Wind Energy Sector in India?

• In India, more than 1.4 GW of wind was installed in 2021, exceeding the 1.1 GW of installations during the previous year.
• The Government has set a target of installing 5 GW of offshore capacity by 2022 and 30 GW by 2030.
  • India is yet to develop its offshore wind energy facility.
• India can generate 127 GW of offshore wind energy with its 7,600 km of coastline.
  • Onshore wind energy refers to turbines that are located on land and use wind to generate electricity.
  • Offshore wind energy is the energy generated from the wind at sea.
• The Indian wind market outlook for 2022 and 2023 is projected at 3.2 GW and 4.1 GW of onshore wind installations, respectively.

What are the Related Initiatives?

• National Wind-Solar Hybrid Policy: The main objective of the National Wind-Solar Hybrid Policy, 2018 is to provide a framework for promotion of large grid connected wind-solar PV hybrid systems for optimal and efficient utilization of wind and solar resources, transmission infrastructure and land.
• National Offshore Wind Energy Policy: The National Offshore wind energy policy was notified in October 2015 with an objective to develop the offshore wind energy in the Indian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) along the Indian coastline of 7600 km.

Way Forward

• Governments need to tackle issues such as planning barriers and grid connection challenges.
• To sustain and increase growth in wind-based generation capacity, policymakers need to streamline the procedures to grant permits, including land allocation and grid connection projects.
• Workforce planning for large-scale renewables deployment should be an early policy priority and investment in grids must treble from current levels through to 2030.
• There is also a need for greater public-private co-operation to confront “the new geopolitics of the wind supply chain”.
• A stronger international regulatory framework is needed to address the increased competition for commodities and critical minerals.

Source: DTE

Jallianwala Bagh Massacre

Why in News?

Recently, the Prime Minister paid tributes to people killed in the Jallianwala Bagh massacre in 1919.

• He asserted that their unparalleled courage and sacrifice will keep motivating the coming generations. 13^th April, 2022 marks the 103 years of the incident.
• Earlier, the Gujarat government marked 100 years of the Pal-Dadhvav killings, calling it a massacre “bigger than the Jallianwala Bagh”.

What is the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre?

• About: The Jallianwala Bagh massacre or the Amritsar massacre of 13^th April 1919 accounts for the gruesome execution of hundreds of innocent people by the Gurkha British Indian army on the orders of the then Anglo-Indian Brigadier R.E.H. Dyer.
  
  • These people were protesting peacefully against the Rowlatt Act 1919.

• Background: Mahatma Gandhi wanted non-violent civil disobedience against such unjust laws, which would start with a hartal on 6^th April 1919.
  
  • In Punjab, on 9^th April 1919, two nationalist leaders, Saifuddin Kitchlew and Dr. Satyapal, were arrested by the British officials without any provocation except that they had addressed protest meetings, and taken to some unknown destination.
  • This caused resentment among the Indian protestors who came out in thousands on 10^th April to show their solidarity with their leaders.
  • To curb any future protest, the government put martial law in place and law and order in Punjab was handed over to Brigadier-General Dyer.
• Day of the Incident: On 13^th April, Baisakhi day, a large crowd of people mostly from neighbouring villages, unaware of the prohibitory orders in Amritsar gathered in the Jallianwala Bagh.
  
  • Brigadier-General Dyer arrived on the scene with his men.
  • The troops surrounded the gathering under orders from General Dyer and blocked the only exit point and opened fire on the unarmed crowd killing more than 1000 unarmed men, women, and children.
• Aftermath/Significance of the Incident
  
  • Jallianwala Bagh became a key point in the history of India’s struggle for independence and it is now an important monument in the country.
  • The Jallianwala Bagh tragedy was one of the causes that led Mahatma Gandhi to begin organising his first large-scale and sustained nonviolent protest (satyagraha) campaign, the Non Cooperation Movement (1920-22).
  • The Bengali poet and Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore renounced the knighthood that he had received in 1915.
  • The then government of India ordered an investigation of the incident (the Hunter Commission), which in 1920 censured Dyer for his actions and ordered him to resign from the military.

Source: TH

Cardless Cash Withdrawals at ATMs

Why in News?

Recently, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced cardless cash withdrawals at ATMs across the country which will enable consumers to use Unified Payment Interface (UPI) on their smartphones to withdraw cash from Automatic Teller Machine (ATMs).

How is this Step Significant?

• Enhance Security of Cash Withdrawal:
  
  • It would help prevent frauds like card skimming and card cloning.
• Enable users to Take Cash from Any ATM:
  • Currently, only existing customers of a few banks are allowed to withdraw cash without cards, and from specific bank’s ATM networks.
  • However, the RBI's move to allow interoperability in cardless withdrawals will enable users to take cash from any and all ATMs.
• Invite More Players into the Payment Ecosystem:
  
  • The move will invite more players into the payment ecosystem in India to innovate and solve further problems of customers.

What are the Challenges in Cardless Cash Withdrawal Feature?

• Limitation on Cash Withdrawal:
  
  • Currently, ICICI Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, HDFC Bank and SBI allow cardless cash withdrawals for their users. But, accessing the feature is cumbersome as it has certain withdrawal limits, and the transaction is charged.
• Scalability of this Feature:
  • Scalability of this feature might be a challenge as it has to be seen how many banks quickly roll it out to their customers.
• Security Related Issue:
  • In cardless withdrawal, the security vulnerability of a card is minimised, but the risk will soon transfer to a mobile-enabled feature.
    • The mobile can now become the epicentre of transactions, making it the next target for fraudsters.

What is the Future of Debit Cards?

• Issuing cards will not be stopped as they have several other utilities beyond cash withdrawals. They can be used at a restaurant, shop, or for payments in a foreign country.
• A debit card is a very evolved financial product and has already gone through a lot of iterations to reach its current perfection.
• Thus, the debit card will continue to serve some segments of the economy.

Source: TH

Initiatives Launched under InTranSE-II

Why in News?

Recently, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has launched an indigenous Onboard Driver Assistance and Warning System (ODAWS), Bus Signal Priority System and Common SMart IoT (Internet of Things) Connectivity (CoSMiC) software.

• It has been launched under Intelligent Transportation System Endeavor Phase-II (InTranSE -II).

What is Intelligent Transportation Systems Endeavor for Indian Cities?

• Intelligent Transportation System(ITS) is a revolutionary state-of-the-art technology.
• It will achieve traffic efficiency by prompting efficient infrastructure usage, minimising traffic problems, enriching users with prior information on traffic, reducing travel time and enhancing safety & comfort of commuters.
• This system can detect any accident and receive alerts for ensuring that an ambulance reaches the accident spot within 10-15 minutes.
• To synergize the transformation in ITS with more energy and pace MeitY took early steps by bringing together premier academic institutes like Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Indian Institute of Management (IIM) etc. and Premier R&D Centre like Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) under one umbrella.
• Such an initiative formulated the Collaborative Intelligent Transportation Systems Endeavor for Indian Cities (InTranSE) during the year 2009-2012 (Phase-I).
• The InTranSE Phase-II program (2019-2021) is an extension of the InTranSE Phase-I program which is aiming at undertaking R&D projects collaboratively with IIT Bombay, IIT Madras, IISc Bangalore and C-DAC Thiruvananthapuram.

What is ODAWS?

• ODAWS incorporates vehicle-borne sensors for monitoring driver propensity and vehicle surroundings to deliver acoustic and visual alerts for driver assistance.
• The project involves the development of sub-modules such as the navigational unit, driver assistance console, and Millimetre Wave RADAR (mmWave radar) sensor.
  • The mmWave RADAR is an extremely valuable sensing technology ideal for detection of objects and providing information on range, velocity and angle of these objects.
• The navigational sensor provides a precise geo-spatial orientation of the vehicle as well as trends in driving behaviour.
• The ODAWS algorithm is used to interpret sensor data and offer real-time notifications to the driver, boosting road safety.

What is a Bus Signal Priority System?

• Bus signal priority System is an operational strategy that modifies normal traffic signal operations to better accommodate in-service public buses at signal-controlled intersections.
• Unlike a blind priority that is given for emergency vehicles, here it is a conditional priority, which is given only when there is an overall reduction in delay for all vehicles.
• The developed system will enable to minimise person delay by providing priority to public transport buses, either through Green extension or Red truncation, considering all vehicles approaching a signalised intersection.
  • Green Extension provides extra time for a detected transit vehicle to clear an intersection. Green extension is most applicable when transit runs at the back of the vehicle queue, as is common at the first signal after a far-side stop.
  • Red Truncation provides a green phase earlier than otherwise programmed, clearing an intersection approach with a waiting transit vehicle sooner than otherwise.

What is CoSMiC?

• It is a middleware software providing standard based deployment of IoT adhering to oneM2M (Machine -To Machine) based global standard.
  • oneM2M is the global standards initiative that covers requirements, architecture, API (Application Programming Interface) specifications, security solutions and interoperability for Machine-to-Machine and IoT technologies.
• It facilitates users and application service providers in various vertical domains to use application agnostic open standards and open interfaces for end to end communication with well-defined common service functionalities complying with oneM2M standard.
• With this in view, CoSMiC common service layer is used to interface any vendor specific standards and for increasing interoperability with smart city dashboard.

Source: PIB

Concessional Tax Rate Regime

Why in News?

Recent Government data has shown that the concessional corporate tax rate announced by the Union government in September 2019 saw two out of every five new domestic manufacturing companies incorporated in 2019-20 (April-March) opting for the reduced 15% tax rate.

What is Corporation tax?

• Corporation tax is a direct tax placed on a company's net income or profit from its operations.
• Corporation tax is payable by both public and private companies registered in India under the Companies Act 1956.
• Corporate tax is a tax imposed on the net income of the company, whereas income tax is a type of tax imposed on an individual’s income, such as wages and salaries.

What is the Concessional Tax Rate Regime?

Tax Concession: A reduction made by the government in the amount of tax that a particular group of people or type of organization has to pay or a change in the tax system that benefits those people.

• Before, this scheme, Corporate tax rate, was 22% without exemptions.
• Under the new regime introduced in September 2019, a tax rate of 15% was announced under Section 115BAB for newly incorporated domestic companies, which make fresh investments by 31st March, 2023, for manufacturing, production, research or distribution of such articles or things manufactured.
• This was extended by one year in this year’s Budget (2022-23) to 31st March, 2024.
• A similar concessional rate regime was also introduced by the Centre for personal income taxpayers effective 2020-21 (Income Tax Act), under which assessees willing to forgo deductions and exemptions such as those under sections 80C, 80D, house rental allowance and leave travel allowance could choose to pay tax on their income at a reduced rate.
  • Even though the government has not yet published data on taxpayers opting for the new personal income tax regime, it is indicated that the new regime has not drawn taxpayers in large numbers prompting the government to take a relook.

What is the Impact of the Concessional Tax Rate Regime?

• The tax cut resulted in an economically meaningful 7% additional investments by beneficiary firms.
• The Reserve Bank of India had earlier noted that the new tax regime did not help kick-start the intended investment cycle.
  
  • The tax rate cut may have been “utilised in debt servicing, build-up of cash balances and other current assets rather than restarting the Business cycle”.

Source: IE

CALM Systems

Why in News?

Recently, the Indian Army has issued a Request for Information (RFI) for the Canister Launched Anti-Armour Loiter Ammunition (CALM) System of its mechanised forces.

• Earlier, the Indian Army had issued a RFI for the supply of Articulated All-Terrain Vehicles to be deployed in Ladakh and Kutch.

What exactly is a CALM System?

• The CALM System is a pre-loaded canister with loiter ammunition or a drone. Loiter munitions are a mix of a surface-to-surface missile and a drone.
• Once fired it can remain aloft for a period of time over the area of operation, and when a target is sighted it can be guided down to destroy the target with the explosive payload that it carries.
• Usually, loiter ammunition carry a camera which is nose-mounted and which can be used by the operator to see the area of operation and choose targets.
• These munitions also have variants which can be recovered and reused in case they are not used for any strike.
• The top down attack capability of the loiter ammunition gives it a big advantage over targets such as tanks which are vulnerable to any attack on the top where the armour protection is weak.
  • Loiter munitions are smaller, cheaper and less complex systems than combat or armed drones.

Has it been Used by Any Country?

• The CALM System had been very effectively used in the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict in 2021 where the Azerbaijan forces made extensive use of Israeli systems to wreak havoc on Armenian tanks, radar systems, communication hubs and other military targets.
• The Russian military is also using their ZALA KYB loiter ammunition in Ukraine while some reports say that the US has also provided Ukraine with its Switchblade loiter munitions that could target Russian armour 10 km away.

Where will the Army use CALM Systems?

• The CALM Systems will be used in the plains and deserts of the Western parts of the country as well as the Northern high altitude areas of heights up to 5,000 metres.
• It will be employed by the Mechanised Infantry units of the Army for surveillance of beyond line of sight targets by day and night in real time and beyond visual range engagement of enemy armoured fighting vehicles and other ground based weapon platforms over extended ranges.

Source: IE