Agreements Between India-Bahrain

Why in News

Recently, India and Bahrain have agreed to further strengthen their historic ties, including in areas of defence and maritime security.

• Bahrain is a member of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and signed the Abraham Accord with Israel and the UAE, which was mediated by the USA.

Key Points

• The bilateral issues, as well as regional and global matters of mutual interest, included areas of defence and maritime security, space technology, trade and investment, infrastructure, IT, FinTech, health, hydrocarbon and renewable energy.
• Both sides affirmed to further strengthen their Covid-19 related cooperation.
  
  • Bahrain appreciated the assistance provided by India during the pandemic through the supply of medicines, medical equipment and medical professionals.
  • They expressed satisfaction on the operationalisation of the Air Bubble arrangement between the two countries.
    
    • Air bubbles (travel corridors or travel bubbles) are systems established between two countries that perceive each other to be safe and allow carriers of both the countries to fly passengers either way without any restrictions.
• India renewed invitation to Bahrain for visiting India for the 3^rd India-Bahrain High Joint Commission meeting to be held in the upcoming months.
• In 2019, India launched a USD 4.2 million redevelopment project of the Sri Krishna temple in the Bahraini capital, Manama.
  
  • The 200-year old temple stands as a testimony for the enduring India-Bahrain friendship.
• India also conveyed condolences on the demise of late Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, who significantly contributed to the strengthening of India-Bahrain relations and to the welfare of the Indian community in Bahrain.

India-Bahrain Relations

• Historical Ties:
  
  • Their history goes back to about 5,000 years ago, to the period of Dilmun Civilization in Bahrain to the era of Indus valley civilization in India.
  • Ancient Bahraini traders are believed to have carried out a flourishing trade of Bahraini pearls with Indian spices.
• Bilateral Agreements/Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs):
  
  • Extradition Treaty (January 2004)
  • MoU on cooperation in the field of Information and Communication Technology (May 2012)
  • MoU on the establishment of a Joint High Commission (February 2014)
  • MOU on Water Resources Development and Management (February 2015)
  • Agreement on cooperation in combating international terrorism, transnational organised crime and trafficking in illicit drugs, narcotics and psychotropic substances and precursors chemicals (December 2015)
  • MoU for cooperation in the fields of Renewable Energy and Healthcare and Agreement on Exemption from Short Stay Visa for Holders of Diplomatic and Special/Official Passport (July 2018)
  • MoU on cooperation in the exploration and uses of Outer Space for Peaceful Purposes (March 2019)
• Trade and Economic Relations:
  
  • Total bilateral trade stands at USD 1282.96 million in 2018-19 and USD 753.60 million in 2019-20 (April-Dec).
  • Indian Exports to Bahrain: Mineral fuels and oils, inorganic chemicals, organic or inorganic compounds of precious metals of rare earth, cereals, nuts, fruits, articles of apparel and clothing accessories etc.
  • Indian Imports from Bahrain: Crude oils, mineral fuels and their bituminous substance, distillation, aluminium, fertilizers, ores/slags/ashes of aluminium, iron and copper, pulp, etc.
  • Indian investment in Bahrain:
    
    • India’s total capital investment into Bahrain between January 2003 and March 2018 has been estimated at approximately USD 1.69 billion.
    • Financial services have the highest investment value (40% of total projects), followed by the real estate and hospitality sector.
• Indian Expatriate Community:
  
  • Approximately 3,50,000 Indians are living in Bahrain currently and around 70% are in the category of unskilled labour.
  • In addition to the predominant blue-collar labour force, there is a sizable number of other professionals who play a vital role in Bahrain’s socio-economic development.
  • In November 2015, Bahrain launched ‘Little India in Bahrain’ project to acknowledge and mark the contribution of the Indian community to the history and progress of Bahrain.

Source: IE

Reservation in Super-speciality Medical Courses: SC

Why in News

Recently, the Supreme Court (SC) has reserved its order on the state governments providing a 50% in-service reservation for admissions to super-speciality medical courses (Doctorate of Medicine/DM and Master of Chirurgiae/M. Ch.) in government colleges for the academic year 2020-21.

Key Points

• In August 2020, the SC allowed states to grant the benefit of reservation of seats to in-service doctors in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) postgraduate (PG) degree courses.
• The judgment held that the state has the legislative competence and authority to provide for a separate source of entry for in-service candidates seeking admission to PG/diploma courses in the exercise of powers under Entry 25, List III.
  
  • Entry 25 of List-III: Education, including technical education, medical education and universities, subject to the provisions of entries 63, 64, 65 and 66 of List I; vocational and technical training of labour.
    
    • The Constitution provides for a three-fold distribution of legislative subjects between the Union and the states, which are List-I (the Union List), List-II (the State List) and List-III (the Concurrent List), described in the seventh schedule.
• In November 2020, Tamil Nadu government allowed counselling and filling of 50% of the super-speciality seats in the government medical colleges with in-service candidates in the state.
  
  • The seats would be filled with candidates who have cleared NEET-Super Speciality Courses (SS) and the selection committee of the Directorate of Medical Education would prepare the merit list and conduct counselling.
    
    • The state government argued that there was an acute need for super-speciality qualified doctors both in the medical academia and in practice.
  • After 50% of seats in DM/M. Ch. courses in government medical colleges are allocated to in-service candidates, the rest will be surrendered to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
    
    • DGHS is a repository of technical knowledge concerning public health, medical education and health care. It is an attached organisation of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
• Doctors, including PG holders qualified in NEET 2020, challenged the decision saying that there is no concept of any reservation for admission to super-speciality medical courses.
  
  • They referred to the verdict in Dr Preeti Srivastava & Anr. versus State of Madhya Pradesh & Ors, 1999 which held that “merit, and merit alone, is the basis for admission at the super-speciality level”.
• Their appeal argued that the State order was contrary to the Postgraduate Medical Education (Amendment) Regulations of 2019, which mandated that the DGHS should be in charge of the admission process.
  
  • The regulations empower DGHS to conduct the counselling for all super-speciality courses in medical educational institutions of the Central and state governments, deemed universities, medical educational institutions established by municipal bodies, trusts, etc.

Source: TH

Protest Against Bru Resettlement

Why in News

Recently, parts of north Tripura have witnessed violent protests over the proposed resettlement of Bru tribals.

Key Points

• Background:
  
  • Bru or Reang is a community indigenous to Northeast India, living mostly in Tripura, Mizoram and Assam. In Tripura, they are recognised as a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group.
  • In Mizoram, they have been targeted by groups that do not consider them indigenous to the state.
  • In 1997, following ethnic clashes, nearly 37,000 Brus fled Mamit, Kolasib and Lunglei districts of Mizoram and were accommodated in relief camps in Tripura.
  • Since then, 5,000 have returned to Mizoram in eight phases of repatriation, while 32,000 still live in six relief camps in North Tripura.
  • In January 2020, a quadrilateral agreement was signed by the Centre, the two state governments and Bru representatives to allow the remaining 32,000 to permanently settle in Tripura.
• 2020 Agreement:
  
  • After the agreement was made in January 2020, the state has planned 12 resettlement spots across six districts with 300 families each.
  • The Centre has announced a special development project with funding of Rs. 600 crore.
    
    • Each resettled family will get an estimated 0.03 acres of land for building a home, Rs. 1.5 lakh as housing assistance, and Rs. 4 lakh as a one-time cash benefit for sustenance, a monthly allowance of Rs. 5,000 and free rations for two years from the date of resettlement.
• Reason for the Protest:
  
  • The 2020 agreement led to protests from Bengali and Mizo groups in Tripura. They claim that settling thousands of migrants permanently in Kanchanpur sub-division of North Tripura district would lead to demographic imbalance, exert pressure on local resources and potentially lead to law and order problems.
  • They alleged that 650 Bengali families from around Kanchanpur and 81 Mizo families from Jampui Hill range, who fled due to “atrocities” by Brus, were yet to be resettled two decades on.
• Conditions of the Brus:
  
  • They are in fear and uncertainty as they suffer an economic blockade due to these protests.
  • They haven’t received foodgrains as per their relief package this month and if the protest continues, their condition will deteriorate further.

Source:IE

Subdued Northeast Monsoon

Why in News

Rainfall over the southern peninsular region has been deficient so far, indicating that the northeast monsoon has remained subdued this year.

Key Points

• Pattern of Rainfall in India: India receives rainfall during two seasons:
  
  • About 75% of the country’s annual rainfall is received from the Southwest monsoon between June and September.
  • The Northeast monsoon occurs during October to December, and is a comparatively small-scale monsoon, which is confined to the Southern peninsula. It is called the winter monsoon.
• Northeast Monsoon and Rainfall:
  
  • After the complete withdrawal of the Southwest monsoon from the country takes place by mid-October, the wind pattern rapidly changes from the south-westerly to the north-easterly direction.
  • The period after the Southwest monsoon season, from October to December, is the peak time for cyclonic activity in the North Indian Ocean region covering the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal.
    
    • The winds associated with the formation of low pressure systems, depressions, or cyclones influence this monsoon, and therefore, the rainfall.
• Regions associated with Northeast Monsoon:
  
  • The rainfall associated with the Northeast monsoon is important for Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Karaikal, Yanam, coastal Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, north interior Karnataka, Mahe and Lakshadweep.
  • Tamil Nadu records about 48% of its annual rainfall during these months, making it the key factor for undertaking agricultural activities and reservoir management in the state.
  • Some South Asian countries such as Maldives, Sri Lanka and Myanmar, too, record rainfall during October to December.
• Reasons for deficient rainfall this Northeast monsoon:
  
  • Prevailing La Niña conditions in the Pacific Ocean:
    • La Niña conditions enhance the rainfall associated with the Southwest monsoon, but has a negative impact on rainfall associated with the Northeast monsoon.
    • La Niña (Spanish for ‘little girl’) refers to the large-scale cooling of the ocean surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean, coupled with changes in the tropical atmospheric circulation, namely winds, pressure and rainfall.
    • It usually has the opposite impacts on weather and climate as El Niño, which is the warm phase of the so-called El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO).
      • El Niño (Spanish for ‘little boy’) is the abnormal surface warming observed along the eastern and central regions of the Pacific Ocean (region between Peru and Papua New Guinea).
      • La Nina and El Nino are large-scale ocean phenomena which influence the global weather winds, temperature and rainfall.
      • They have the ability to trigger extreme weather events like droughts, floods, hot and cold conditions, globally.
      • Each cycle can last anywhere between 9 to 12 months, at times extendable to 18 months and re-occur after every three to five years.
  • Inter Tropical Convective Zone (ITCZ):
    • The current position of the ITCZ has also contributed to the poor rainfall during the ongoing monsoon season.
    • The ITCZ is a low-pressure belt, whose northward and southward movements along the equator determine the precipitation in the tropics.
    • Currently, the ITCZ is located to the north of its normal position.

Source: IE

Cyclone Nivar

Why in News

Recently, the tropical cyclone Nivar has made landfall along the Tamil Nadu-Puducherry coast.

• Landfall refers to the phenomenon of a cyclone’s outer wall moving over the coastline and beyond.

Key Points

• Tropical Cyclone:
  
  • A tropical cyclone is an intense circular storm that originates over warm tropical oceans and is characterized by low atmospheric pressure, high winds, and heavy rain.
  • A characteristic feature of tropical cyclones is the eye, a central region of clear skies, warm temperatures, and low atmospheric pressure.
  • Storms of this type are called hurricanes in the North Atlantic and eastern Pacific and typhoons in SouthEast Asia and China. They are called tropical cyclones in the southwest Pacific and Indian Ocean region and Willy-willies in north-western Australia.
  • Storms rotate anticlockwise in the northern hemisphere and clockwise in the southern hemisphere.
• Cyclone Nivar:
  
  • It is the fourth cyclone that has taken shape in the North Indian Ocean region this year. The first three cyclones were Cyclone Gati (made landfall in Somalia in November), Cyclone Amphan (eastern India witnessed it in May), and Cyclone Nisarga (in Maharashtra).
  • Nivar will be the second cyclone to hit Tamil Nadu in two years after Cyclone Gaja in 2018.
  • The storm has been named Cyclone Nivar, based on the guidelines of the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO). Nivara has been selected from the list of names given by Iran.
    
    • According to WMO guidelines, countries in every region are supposed to give names for cyclones.
    • The North Indian Ocean Region covers tropical cyclones formed over Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea.
    • The 13 members, which come under the region, are Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Iran, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Yemen.
    • A total of 169 cyclones were named by these countries for this year, with 13 names from each country.
  • It has weakened from a very severe cyclonic storm to a severe cyclonic storm with a wind speed of 100-110 km per hour.

• Government Steps:
  
  • The Tamil Nadu government has announced a public holiday under the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881, in 16 districts, including Chennai, considering the impact of Cyclone Nivar.
  • Fishing activities have been restricted and residents evacuated in coastal areas hit by the cyclone. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has deployed its teams in the affected regions.

Source:IE

Scheme for Creation of Infrastructure for Agro-Processing Cluster: PMKSY

Why in News

Recently, the Union Minister of Food Processing Industries has attended the Independent Management Advisory Committee (IMAC) meeting to consider the proposals received under the Scheme for Creation of Infrastructure for Agro-Processing Cluster (APC) of Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana (PMKSY).

Key Points

• IMAC approved 7 proposals with a total project cost of Rs. 234.68 crore including grants-in-aid of Rs. 60.87 crore in Meghalaya, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra.
• These projects will leverage private investment of Rs. 173.81 crore and are expected to generate employment for 7750 persons.
• Scheme for Creation of Infrastructure for Agro-Processing Cluster:
  
  • It was approved in May 2017 under the PMKSY, to incentivise the setting up of APCs in the country.
  • Aims: To develop modern infrastructure and common facilities to encourage a group of entrepreneurs to set up food processing units based on cluster approach by linking groups of producers/farmers to the processors and markets.
    
    • These clusters will help in reducing the wastage of the surplus produce and add value to the horticultural/agricultural produce which will result in an increase of income of the farmers and create employment at the local level.
  • Under the scheme, each APC has two basic components:
    
    • Basic Enabling Infrastructure like roads, water supply, power supply, drainage, etc.
    • Core Infrastructure/Common Facilities like warehouses, cold storages, tetra pack, sorting, grading, etc.
  • Requirements for Setup:
    
    • At least 5 food processing units with a minimum investment of Rs. 25 crore and at least 10 acres of land is required for at least 50 years.

Source: PIB

Sea Guardian Drones from US

Why in News

Recently, two American MQ9B Sea Guardian unarmed drones have been inducted by the Indian Navy.

• The drones would be on lease with India for one year.

Key Points

• MQ9B Sea Guardian:
  
  • It is the maritime variant of the Predator MQ9 Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV).
  • It has a maximum endurance of 40 hours and a maximum flying altitude of 40,000 feet.
  • It has a 3600 maritime surveillance radar and an optional multimode maritime surface search radar.
  • It can be used in operations such as Anti-Surface Warfare, Anti-Submarine Warfare, Humanitarian Assistance/Disaster Relief, Search and Rescue, Law Enforcement (Drug Trafficking, Illegal Immigration and Piracy), etc.
• Procurement:
  
  • The Navy has for the first time inducted two surveillance drones through a lease agreement with an American firm, using the emergency powers granted by the Centre to the Armed forces amid the China standoff.
    
    • Under the emergency power, the government has granted emergency funds up to Rs. 500 crore per procurement project to the three armed services to buy ammunition and weapons in view of the escalating border standoff with China.
  • Drones were procured under the option for leasing military platforms introduced in the Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020.
• Significance:
  
  • The drones are meant for carrying out surveillance in the Indian Ocean Region and can be deployed on the China border if asked for and if needed.
    
    • Already the Navy's P8I Poseidon aircraft have been deployed in Ladakh.
    • The P-8I aircraft is a variant of the P-8A Poseidon aircraft that have been developed by Boeing company.
    • Boeing’s P-8A Poseidon is designed for long-range Anti-Submarine warfare (ASW), Anti-Surface Warfare (ASuW), and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions.
  • As part of its force restructuring to offset budgetary constraints, the Navy is looking to induce more unmanned solutions in future.
  • Till the time the government approves buying the drones, which has to get the Defence Acquisition Council's nod, leasing is a more economic and viable option.
    
    • The Defence Acquisition Council is the highest decision-making body in the Defence Ministry for deciding on new policies and capital acquisitions for the three services (Army, Navy and Air Force) and the Indian Coast Guard.

Source:TH

PRAGATI Meeting

Why in News

Recently, the Prime Minister (PM) has chaired the 33^rd PRAGATI meeting.

• Interaction through PRAGATI is held once every month on Fourth Wednesday, known as PRAGATI Day.

Key Points

• Highlights of the Meeting:
  
  • The PM asked states to develop a state-specific export strategy, and reviewed development projects worth Rs. 1.41 lakh crore spread across 10 states and union territories.
  • Grievances related to Covid-19 and to the PM Awas Yojana (Gramin) were also taken up.
  • PM SVANidhi, agriculture reforms and development of districts as export hubs were reviewed.
• PRAGATI:
  
  • Launched in 2015, PRAGATI is the multimodal platform for Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation involving central and state governments.
    
    • It has been designed by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) team with the help of the National Informatics Center (NIC).
  • It enables the PM to discuss the issues with the concerned central and state officials with full information and latest visuals of the ground-level situation.
  • It is a three-tier system (PMO, Union Government Secretaries, and Chief Secretaries of the States).
  • Objective:
    
    • Grievance Redressal
    • Programme Implementation
    • Project Monitoring
  • The PRAGATI platform uniquely bundles three latest technologies: Digital data management, video-conferencing and geo-spatial technology.
  • Significance:
    
    • It promotes cooperative federalism as it brings together the Secretaries of Government of India and the Chief Secretaries of the States.
    • It is a robust system for bringing e-transparency and e-accountability with real-time presence and exchange among the key stakeholders.
    • It is an innovative project in e-governance and good governance.
  • Concerns: The direct interaction of the PM with the state secretaries without involving the political executives of the states is undermining the state political executive.
    
    • It is also said that this is leading to a concentration of power in the extra-constitutional office of PMO.

Source: IE