(23 Nov, 2020)



G20 Summit

Why in News

Recently, at the G20 (Group of Twenty) summit held virtually India called for a “New Global Index” for the post-Corona world .

  • New Global Index will be based on 4 pillars of
    • Talent,
    • Technology,
    • Transparency and
    • Trusteeship towards the planet.
  • This year's summit was hosted by Saudi Arabia.

Key Points

  • Talent:
  • Technology:
    • Ensuring that technology reaches all segments of the society and the value of new technologies should be measured by their benefit to humanity.
    • India suggested that as follow-up action and creation of a G20 virtual secretariat as a repository of documentation.
    • Digitial India and E-governance campaigns of India have increased people's access to technology and other government services.
  • Transparency:
  • Trusteeship:
    • The world should deal with the environment and nature as trustees rather than owners which would inspire us towards a holistic and healthy lifestyle.
    • Climate change must be fought not in silos but in an integrated, comprehensive and holistic way.
    • A principle whose benchmark could be a per capita carbon footprint. A carbon footprint is the amount of greenhouse gases primarily carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere by a particular human activity.
  • Future meetings: Italy in 2021, Indonesia in 2022, India in 2023 and Brazil in 2024.

India's Initiatives for Lowering Emissions

G20

  • It is an informal group of 19 countries and the European Union, with representatives of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.
  • The G20 membership comprises a mix of the world’s largest advanced and emerging economies, representing about two-thirds of the world’s population, 85% of global gross domestic product, 80% of global investment and over 75% of global trade.
  • Members: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, and the European Union.

Source:IE

India-China on Brahmaputra

Why in News

The construction of several dams along the Brahmaputra river (known as Yarlung in China) on the Chinese side has become a repeated cause of concern for India.

  • As India and China continue to grow demographically as well as economically amid increased consumption among its citizenry, both nations face water constraints and in a race to develop new projects in order to overcome them.

Key Points

  • Brahmaputra:
    • It originates under the name of Siang or Dihang, from the Chemayungdung glacier of the Kailash range near the Mansarovar lake. It enters India west of Sadiya town in Arunachal Pradesh.
      • Tributaries: Dibang, Lohit, Siang, Burhi Dihing, Tista, and Dhansari.
    • It is a perennial river and has several peculiar characteristics due to its geography and prevailing climatic conditions.
    • It is flooded twice annually. One flood is caused by the melting of the Himalayan snow in summer and the other due to the monsoon flows.
      • The frequency of these floods have increased and are devastating due to climate change and its impact on high and low flows.
      • These pose a concern for the population and food security in the lower riparian states of India and Bangladesh.
    • The river is in itself dynamic as frequent landslides and geological activity force it to change course very often.
  • Chinese Perspective:
    • China is home to close to 20% of the world’s population and has only 7% of its water resources, which also faces severe pollution caused by rapid industrialisation.
    • China’s southern regions are water-rich in comparison to the water-stressed northern part and to solve that, it plans to link the major rivers in these regions through canals, aqueducts and other linking projects to ensure water security.
    • For that, China has been blocking rivers like the Mekong and its tributaries, affecting Southeast Asian countries like Thailand, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.
      • China, being an upper riparian state in Asia, sees these projects as a continuation of its historic tributary system.
      • The smaller states have no means of effectively resisting or even have significant leverage in negotiations.
    • In the Himalayas, there are multiple operational dams in the Yarlung Tsangpo basin with more dams commissioned and under construction.
  • Indian Perspective:
    • India has 17% of the world’s population and 4% of water.
    • It is severely water-stressed and in summer, a vast majority of urban areas face water shortage.
    • A majority of India’s population reside in the Gangetic plains which enjoy water throughout the year but the southern and western regions experience harsh and dry summer and the rainfall is scarce and erratic in the eastern coast.
    • An ambitious north-south river-linking project has been proposed in India as well. However, it has come under criticism for potentially disturbing fragile ecosystems.
  • Concerns Raised:
    • Degradation of the Basin:
      • Massive amounts of silt carried by the river would get blocked by dams leading to a fall in the quality of soil and eventual reduction in agricultural productivity.
    • Threats to Flora and Fauna:
      • Brahmaputra basin is one of the world’s most ecologically sensitive zones and is identified as one of the world’s 34 biological hotspots.
      • This region has several species of flora and fauna which are endemic to only this part of the world.
    • Unfavourable Location:
      • The location of the dams also poses a risk as the Himalayas are one of the most vulnerable to earthquakes and seismic activity.
      • Landslides resulting from earthquakes pose a significant threat. For example, the 2015 Nepal earthquake and the resultant landslides wiped out several dams and other facilities.
    • Risk to Inhabitants:
      • Damming this perennial river would result in water security in an era of unprecedented shifting climate patterns.
      • The sheer size of the infrastructure projects undertaken by China and increasingly by India, poses a significant threat to the populations living downstream.
        • Close to a million people live in the Brahmaputra basin in India and tens of millions further downstream in Bangladesh.
    • Strategic Implications:

Way Forward

  • With India-China relations hitting its lowest point since the 1962 war, border infrastructure has come under intense scrutiny. Alternative solutions to solving the water crisis which have to be adopted in order to neutralise this ticking water bomb.
  • Both nations must cease new constructions on the river and commit to potentially less destructive solutions like building a decentralised network of check dams, rain-capturing lakes and using traditional means of water capture.
  • These measures have shown effective results in restoring the ecological balance while supporting the populations of the regions in a sustainable manner.
  • India and China do not have a water-sharing agreement and they should work upon it. Both nations share hydrological data so it becomes important to share genuine data and have a continuous dialogue on issues like a warning of droughts, floods and high water discharges.

Source: IE

Japan Signs Pact with Maldives

Why in News

Japan, India’s strategic partner in the Indo-Pacific region, has recently signed a pact to strengthen Maldives security infrastructure that would contribute to stability in the Southern Indian Ocean.

Key Points

  • The Maldives and Japan recently signed an agreement under the Economic and Social Development Programme of the Government of Japan.
    • Under it, a grant aid of 800 million Japanese Yen is to be extended to the Maldives Coast Guard and the Maritime Rescue and Coordination Center.
  • The grant aid will be utilized to further strengthen the capabilities of the Maldives Coast Guard, the Maritime Rescue and Coordination Center, Sub-Regional Centers and Vessels.
    • This includes the provision of communications equipment, professional search and rescue dive equipment to be used by the Maldives Coast Guard during search and rescue operations.
  • Previously in October 2019, Japan donated 21 paramedic ambulances to the Maldives health sector.
  • Benefits:
    • Combating Piracy,
    • Countering violent extremism and narco-trafficking.
    • Ensuring a free and open Indian Ocean that would bring about peace and prosperity to the region.
      • The Indian Ocean archipelago, that is home to nearly 4 lakh people, assumes geopolitical significance, owing to its strategic location.
  • Significance for India:
    • Maldives, a Toll Gate in Indian Ocean:
      • Located at the southern and northern parts of this island chain lies the two important sea lanes of communication (SLOCs).
      • These SLOCs are critical for maritime trade flow between the Gulf of Aden and Gulf of Hormuz in West Asia and the Strait of Malacca in Southeast Asia.
      • The SLOCs are of vital importance for India since nearly 50% of India’s external trade and 80% of her energy imports transit these westward SLOCs in the Arabian Sea.
    • Pact with a Quad Member: The “grant aid” is the Maldives’s second major pact with a member of the ‘Quad’, an informal strategic grouping of the USA, Japan, Australia and India.

Source:TH

Woes of National Commission for Minorities

Why in News

Recently, it has been highlighted that the seven-member National Commission for Minorities (NCM) has only one member left after the retirement of its vice-chairperson while the other 5 posts have been vacant since May 2020.

Key Points

  • The Ministry for Minority Affairs clarified that the process is underway and there has been a delay in filling the vacancies because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
    • However, it is not the first time that vacancies have not been filled in the NCM. In 2017, all seven posts remained empty for over two months.
  • In 2004, the standing committee on social justice and empowerment, headed by Sumitra Mahajan, made specific recommendations to strengthen the NCM, highlighting its insufficient investigative powers.
    • However, these recommendations were never implemented by the then government. The reports tabled by the NCM are hardly taken up or debated irrespective of the government in power.
  • Section 13 of the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) Act, 1992 mandates that the annual report, together with the memorandum of action taken on the recommendations contained therein, as well as the reasons for non-acceptance of the recommendations, if any, be tabled before Parliament annually.
    • These reports have not been tabled in Parliament since 2010.

National Commission for Minorities

  • Genesis:
    • In 1978, setting up of the Minorities Commission (MC) was envisaged in the Ministry of Home Affairs Resolution.
    • In 1984, the MC was detached from the Ministry of Home Affairs and placed under the newly created Ministry of Welfare, which excluded linguistic minorities from the Commission’s jurisdiction in 1988.
    • In 1992, with the enactment of the NCM Act, 1992, the MC became a statutory body and was renamed as the NCM.
    • In 1993, the first Statutory National Commission was set up and five religious communities viz the Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Zoroastrians (Parsis) were notified as minority communities.
    • In 2014, Jains were also notified as a minority community.
  • Composition:
    • NCM consists of a Chairperson, a Vice-Chairperson and five members and all of them shall be from amongst the minority communities.
    • Total of 7 persons to be nominated by the Central Government should be from amongst persons of eminence, ability and integrity. The Ministry for Minority Affairs recommends the names to the Prime Minister’s Office.
    • Tenure: Each Member holds office for a period of three years from the date of assumption of office.
  • Functions:
    • Evaluation of the progress of the development of minorities under the Union and States.
    • Monitoring of the working of the safeguards for minorities provided in the Constitution and in laws enacted by Parliament and the state legislatures.
    • Making recommendations for the effective implementation of safeguards for the protection of the interests of minorities by the central or state governments.
    • Looking into specific complaints regarding deprivation of rights and safeguards of minorities and taking up such matters with the appropriate authorities.
      • Aggrieved persons belonging to the minority communities may approach the concerned State Minorities Commissions for redressal of their grievances.
    • Getting studies to be undertaken into the problems arising out of any discrimination against minorities and recommending measures for their removal.
      • It investigates matters of communal conflict and riots. For example, the 2011 Bharatpur communal riots, as well as the 2012 Bodo-Muslim clashes in Assam, were investigated by the commission and their findings were submitted to the government.
    • It observes the Minorities Rights Day every year on 18th December which marks the adoption of the “Declaration on the Rights of Persons belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities” by the United Nations in 1992.
      • The declaration states that countries shall protect the existence of the national or ethnic, cultural, religious and linguistic identity of minorities within their respective territories and encourage conditions for the promotion of that identity.

Constitutional and Legal Provisions Related to Minorities

  • The NCM Act defines a minority as “a community notified as such by the Central government.''
    • The Government of India has declared six religions namely, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Parsis (Zoroastrian) and Jain as religious minorities in India.
  • National Commission for Minority Education Institution (NCMEI) Act, 2004:
    • It gives the minority status to the educational institutions on the basis of six religious communities notified by the government.
  • The term "minority" is not defined in the Indian Constitution. However, the Constitution recognises religious and linguistic minorities.
  • Article 15 and 16:
    • Prohibition of discrimination against citizens on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth.
    • Citizens’ right to ‘equality of opportunity’ in matters relating to employment or appointment to any office under the State, and prohibition in this regard of any discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth.
  • Article 25 (1), 26 and 28:
    • People’s freedom of conscience and right to freely profess, practise and propagate religion.
    • Right of every religious denomination or any section to establish and maintain institutions for religious and charitable purposes, manage its own religious affairs, and own and acquire property and administer it.
    • People’s freedom as to attendance at religious instruction or religious worship in educational institutions wholly maintained, recognized, or aided by the State.
  • Article 29:
    • It provides that any section of the citizens residing in any part of India having a distinct language, script or culture of its own, shall have the right to conserve the same.
    • It grants protection to both religious minorities as well as linguistic minorities.
    • However, the Supreme Court held that the scope of this article is not necessarily restricted to minorities only, as use of the word ‘section of citizens’ in the Article includes minorities as well as the majority.
  • Article 30:
    • All minorities shall have the right to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice.
    • The protection under Article 30 is confined only to minorities (religious or linguistic) and does not extend to any section of citizens (as under Article 29).
  • Article 350-B:
    • The 7th Constitutional (Amendment) Act 1956 inserted this article which provides for a Special Officer for Linguistic Minorities appointed by the President of India.
    • It would be the duty of the Special Officer to investigate all matters relating to the safeguards provided for linguistic minorities under the Constitution.

Source: IE

Laxmi Devi Temple: Hoysala

Why in News

Recently, a Hoysala-era idol of Goddess Kali of the Lakshmi Devi Temple at Doddagaddavalli, Karnataka has been found damaged.

Key Points

  • Lakshmi Devi Temple:
    • Lakshmi Devi temple was built by the Hoysalas in the year 1114 CE during the rule of king Vishnuvardhana.
    • The building material is Chloritic schist, more commonly known as soapstone.
    • The temple does not stand on a jagati (platform), a feature which became popular in later Hoysala temples.
    • The temple is a chatuskuta construction (4 shrine and tower). The towers are in Kadamba nagara style. The mantapa is open and square. The reason for the square plan is the presence of shrines on all four sides of the mantapa.
    • There is a separate fifth shrine of Bhairava, an avatar of Lord Shiva.
    • The main deity is Goddess Lakshmi whereas all Hoysala temples are dedicated to either Lord Vishnu, Lord Shiva and in some cases to Jains.
    • An archaeological Survey of India (ASI) monument and is also among the monuments proposed for the UNESCO World Heritage Site.

  • Hoysala Temple Architecture:
    • It is the building style developed under the rule of the Hoysalas and is mostly concentrated in southern Karnataka.
    • Hoysala temples are sometimes called hybrid or vesara as their unique style seems neither completely dravida nor nagara, but somewhere in between.
      • They are easily distinguishable from other medieval temples by their highly original star-like ground-plans and a profusion of decorative carvings.
      • The temples, instead of consisting of a simple inner chamber with its pillared hall, contain multiple shrines grouped around a central pillared hall and laid out in the shape of an intricately-designed star.
      • The most characteristic feature of these temples is that they grow extremely complex with so many projecting angles emerging from the previously straightforward square temple, that the plan of these temples starts looking like a star, and is thus known as a stellate-plan.
    • Some of the famous temples are:
      • Hoysaleshvara (Lord of the Hoysalas) Temple: At Halebid, Karnataka and built in dark schist stone by a Hoysala king in AD 1150.
      • Chennakeshava Temple: At Somnathpur, Karnataka and was built around AD 1268 under Narasimha III.
      • Kesava Temple: At Belur, Hassan district of Karnataka built by Vishnuvardhana.

Hoysala

  • During the 12th and 13th centuries, Hoysalas of Karnataka grew to prominence in South India and became the most important patrons centred at Mysore.
  • They ruled almost all the present day Karnataka.
  • Their capital was Belur which was later shifted to Halebidu.
  • The period was an important era for the growth of the art, architecture and religion in South India.

Source:TH

Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor

Why in News

Rajasthan government has planned two special investment regions along the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) to generate developmental opportunities for the State.

Key Points

  • Background:
    • The Government of India is developing various Industrial Corridor Projects as part of the National Industrial Corridor programme which is aimed at development of futuristic industrial cities in India which can compete with the best manufacturing and investment destinations in the world.
      • The same will create employment opportunities and economic growth leading to overall socio-economic development.
      • The Programme has an overall sanctioned corpus of Rs. 20,084 crore. 11 Industrial Corridors Projects are being taken up for development with 30 Projects to be developed in four phases up to 2024-25.
      • National Industrial Corridor Development and Implementation Trust (NICDIT) is under the administrative control of Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) for coordinated and unified development of all the industrial corridors which are at various stages of development and implementation.
  • DMIC:
    • Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) is the first Industrial Corridor project which was announced.
      • DMIC Development Corporation (DMICDC) incorporated in 2008, is the implementing agency for the project.
      • DMICDC has been registered as a company with 49% equity of Government of India, 26% equity of the JBIC (Japan Bank for International Cooperation) and the remaining held by government financial institutions.
    • The project aims to create smart, sustainable industrial cities by leveraging high speed, high capacity connectivity backbone provided by the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) to reduce logistic costs in an enabling policy framework.
      • These new cities will come up in the States of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra.
      • The 1,504 kms long Western DFC is from J N Port in Mumbai, Maharashtra to Dadri in the state of Uttar Pradesh.
        • The DFC project is one of the Indian Railways’ largest infrastructure projects, undertaken by the government at a cost Rs. 81,459 crore.
    • This is the first time that India has embarked on the process of planned urbanisation with manufacturing as the key economic driver.
      • The vision for DMIC is to create a strong economic base with a globally competitive environment and state of the art infrastructure to activate local commerce, enhance foreign investments and attain sustainable development.

Source: TH

Global Conference on Criminal Finances and Cryptocurrencies

Why in News

Recently, the 4th Global Conference on Criminal Finances and Cryptocurrencies was held virtually.

Key Points

  • The Conference was organised by Interpol, Europol and the Basel Institute on Governance.
    • The annual Conference is an initiative of the Working Group on Cryptocurrencies and Money Laundering established in 2016 by the three organisations.
  • Aim:
    • To strengthen knowledge, expertise and best practices for investigations into financial crimes and intelligence on virtual assets and cryptocurrencies.
  • Participants:
    • Over 2,000 representatives from 132 countries attended the Conference. Representatives from Law enforcement agencies, Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs), International organisations and the private sector etc. participated.
  • Issues Discussed:
    • They met virtually to shape international cross-sector solutions against the criminal use of cryptocurrencies, exploring criminal flows and operations in the dark markets, ransomware and sextortion, money laundering involving virtual assets, and the transfer of drug proceeds using cryptocurrencies.
    • The conference served as an opportunity to underline the need for countries and jurisdictions to increase the exchange of tactical information and best practices.
  • Importance of the Conference:
    • A multi-agency and multidisciplinary approach involving both the private and public sectors is a key to tackling criminal finances and the misuse of cryptocurrencies.
    • By combining the expertise and data on financial crime held by the private sector with the investigative capabilities of law enforcement, collective capabilities can be enhanced.

Interpol

  • The International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) is an intergovernmental organization that helps coordinate the police force of 194 member countries.
  • Each of the member countries hosts an INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB). This connects their national law enforcement with other countries and with the General Secretariat.
    • The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is designated as the National Central Bureau of India.
  • It is headquartered in Lyon, France

Europol

  • It is the European Union’s law enforcement agency. Its main goal is to achieve a safer Europe for the benefit of all the EU citizens.
  • Headquartered in The Hague, the Netherlands, it supports the 27 EU Member States in their fight against terrorism, cybercrime and other serious and organised forms of crime.

Basel Institute on Governance

  • Established in 2003, the Basel Institute on Governance is a not-for-profit Swiss foundation dedicated to working with public and private partners around the world to prevent and combat corruption.
  • The Basel Institute is an Associated Institute of the University of Basel.

Source:TH

Trilateral Maritime Exercise SITMEX-20

Why in News

Recently, the second edition of the India, Thailand and Singapore trilateral Naval exercise SITMEX-20 concluded in the Andaman Sea.

Key Points

  • Background:
    • The Prime Minister of India, during his keynote address at Shangri-La Dialogue in June 2018 announced the conduct of a trilateral naval exercise between India, Singapore and Thailand.
      • The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) Shangri-La Dialogue is Asia’s premier defence summit. It was launched in 2002.
    • The first edition of Singapore-India-Thailand Maritime Exercise (SITMEX), hosted by Indian Navy, was conducted off Port Blair in September 2019. SITMEX is conducted annually.
  • Aim: The SITMEX series of exercises are conducted to enhance mutual interoperability and imbibing best practices between Indian Navy, Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) and Royal Thai Navy (RTN).
  • 2020 Edition: The 2020 edition of the exercise is being hosted by RSN (Singapore).
    • The Indian Navy deployed indigenous Anti-Submarine Warfare corvette INS Kamorta and missile corvette INS Karmuk for the exercise.
  • Other Military Exercises between India and Thailand:
  • Other Military Exercises between India and Singapore:
    • Bold Kurukshetra (Army)
    • Joint Military Training (Air Force)
    • SIMBEX (Navy)
      • Indian Navy (IN) is scheduled to host the 27th edition of India - Singapore Bilateral Maritime Exercise SIMBEX-20 from 23rd to 25th November 2020 in Andaman Sea.
      • It has been conducted annually since 1994.

Source: PIB