9 PM Daily Brief – October 23rd,2020

Good evening dear reader.

Here is our 9pm current affairs brief for you today

GS-2

1. 2+2 dialogue amid U.S. presidential election
2. UNSC Reforms
3. Importance of Nutri-cereals

GS-3

4. Fiscal stimulus
5. Air pollution and green recovery
   

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9 PM for Preliminary examination

FACTLY

1. 2+2 dialogue amid U.S. presidential election

Source- The Hindu

Syllabus- GS 2 – Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests.

Context – With 2+2 dialogue this close to the U.S. elections, India has taken a calculated and bold gamble.

What is 2+2 Dialogue?

It is a format of dialogue where the defense and foreign ministers or secretaries meet with their counterparts from another country. 2+2 Ministerial is the highest-level institutional mechanism between the two countries.

• India holds such talks with Australia, at the foreign secretary and defense secretary level but with Japan and the US at the ministerial level.
• First was held in New Delhi in September 2018.

Why 2+2 dialogue amid US presidential election be called as gamble?

1. Paris Climate Change Agreement- 2016, Just month before US presidential election- U.S. urging India to sign this agreement at the earliest.

• S.’s commitment to mobilize $100 billion per year by 2020 as part of a Green Climate Fund (GCF) to help developing countries such as India with climate adaptation methods and renewable technologies.
• However, newly elected President, Trump, announced that the U.S. would exit the Paris agreement, and also revoked U.S. promises towards the GCF, calling it “very unfair”.

2. Un-cleared election result– All presidential polls and predictions for the US Electoral College points to a probable win for Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.

• In the event Mr. Biden wins the election, India will hardly have endeared itself to the incoming administration by making strong statements of solidarity with Trump policy, strategic or otherwise.

Why the upcoming 2+2 dialogue is important to India?

Significance of 2+2 dialogue-

1. Indo-Pacific– On the maritime sphere, discussions will include strengthening ties in the Indo-Pacific region and also include discussions on how free nations can work together to thwart the threats posed by the Chinese Communist Party.

• BECA Agreement – The U.S. wants India to sign the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement for Geo-Spatial Cooperation (BECA), at the India-U.S. 2+2 ministerial dialogue.
• This agreement would facilitate exchange of geospatial information between India and United States for both military and civilian use.

2. LAC front– US could promise to keep the pressure on Pakistan on terrorism, despite the US need for Pakistan’s assistance in Afghan-Taliban talks.
3. Trade issues– U.S. should be pushed on resolving trade issues with India and perhaps commit to restoring India’s Generalized System of Preferences status for exporters.

• The government could press for more cooperation on 5G technology sharing, or an assurance that its S-400 missile system purchase from Russia will receive an exemption from the U.S.’s Countering America’s Adversaries through Sanctions Act (CAATSA)

Way forward-

• The third edition of the two-plus-two dialogue between India and the US will entail a comprehensive discussion on cross-cutting bilateral issues as well as deliberations on regional and global developments. Unlike the experience of 2016, government must drive a harder bargain to consolidate the pay-offs from the visit.

2. UNSC Reforms

Source: The Hindu

Syllabus: GS2: Important International Institutions, agencies and fora – their Structure, Mandate.

Context: Year 2020, marks the diamond jubilee (75 years) of the United Nations.

How UN performed all these years?

• During cold war years: The UN had little room to implement noble visions of peace, development and human rights.
• Post-Cold War years: Regarded as the golden age of the UN. It was actively involved in peacekeeping missions, nation-building interventions and promotion of universal human rights.
• New Cold War years: It represents present increase in geopolitical tensions between U.S and China. This period again witnesses very low activities of UN similar to the cold war period.

Why veto power was deemed necessary?

• If such VIP status have not been given, UN would have seen the same fate like the League of Nations.
• Collective command model (Use of Veto Power) of big powers was seen as a pragmatic step needed to avoid another world war.

What were the negative consequences of Veto power?

• Rule of the few over the many: It gives privilege to the most powerful states of the post-World War II by granting them great command over international politics via the undemocratic instruments of veto power.
• Failed in its objectives: Competitive vetoing by P-5 countries has prevented the UNSC from fulfilling its collective security mandate. For example, failure to cooperate against the immediate global threat of the pandemic.
• Obstacle to reforms: It has also resulted in P-5 countries blocking reforms

What is the way forward?

• Outmoded procedures based on the discriminatory prerogatives to P-5 countries have to be discarded.
• The obstacles to UNSC reforms would reduce by replacing the P-5 consensus method to the simple majority voting method.

To ensure a renaissance of the UN, there must be a global push against discriminatory rules which have privileged ‘rule’ of the few over the many.

3. Importance of Nutri-cereals

Source- The Indian Express

Syllabus- GS 2 – Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.

Context- The promotion of the production and consumption of nutri-cereals seems to be a policy shift in the right direction.

What are Millets and its benefits?

Millet is a common term to categorize small-seeded grasses that are often termed nutri-cereals or dryland-cereals. It includes jowar (sorghum), bajra (pearl millet) and ragi (finger millet), small millet, foxtail millet, proso millet, barnyard millet, kodo millet and other millets.

Benefits of millets-

1. Nutrition- High in dietary fibre, nutri-cereals are a powerhouse of nutrients including iron, folate, calcium, zinc, magnesium, phosphorous, copper, vitamins and antioxidants.

• Millets can provide nutritional security and act as a shield against nutritional deficiency, especially among children and women.
• Reduce the risk of heart disease and diabetes in adults.

2. Photo-insensitive & resilient to climate change– millets are hardy, resilient crops that have a low carbon and water footprint, can withstand high temperatures and grow on poor soils with little or no external inputs.

• Adapted to low or no purchased inputs and to harsh environment of the semi-arid tropics, they are the backbone for dry land agriculture.
• These unique features make millets suited for and resilient to India’s varied agro-climatic conditions.

What are the reasons for decline in the production of millets?

1. Green revolution- The focus was on food security and high-yielding varieties of wheat and rice. An unintended consequence of this policy was the gradual decline in the production of millets.
2. Change in consumer demand– Due to change in consumption pattern, dietary habits, unavailability of millets, low yield, less demand and conversion of irrigated area for cultivation of rice and wheat.4

What are steps taken to address this situation?

To address this situation, a multi-pronged strategy has been adopted for the promotion of nutri-cereals by the current government-

1. Rebranding– In order to promote ‘millets’, India had on its part notified these climate resilient crops as Nutri-Cereals.
2. Increment in MSP– The government hiked the MSP of nutri-cereals so that more and more farmers may opt for cultivation of these less water consuming crops.

• MSPs have been calculated so that the farmer is ensured at least a 50 per cent return on their cost of production.

3. Marketplace– To provide a steady market for the produce, the government included millets in the public distribution system for improving nutritional support.
4. Farmer friendly schemes– the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare is running a Rs 600-crore scheme to increase the area, production and yield of nutri-cereals.

• With a goal to match the cultivation of nutri-cereals with local topography and natural resources.
• The government is encouraging farmers to align their local cropping patterns to India’s diverse 127 agro-climatic zones.
• Provision of seed kits and inputs to farmers, building value chains FPO and supporting the marketability of nutri-cereals.

5. Generate demand– The Ministry of Women and Child Development has been working at the intersection of agriculture and nutrition by setting up nutri-gardens, promoting research on the interlinkages between crop diversity and dietary diversity and running a behaviour change campaign to generate consumer demand for nutri-cereals.

Way forward-

• The multi-ministerial policy framework is a strategic move towards building an Atmanirbhar Bharat which resonates with the global call for self-sufficiency and sustainable development.
• People should take small steps towards choosing healthier foods, which are good for the environment and bring economic prosperity to farmers.
• Partially processed millet products can be made available in the market to promote its consumption and thus, create a demand for these nutritious grains and simultaneously reduce the reliance on staples like rice and wheat.

Read also:-  Daily Current Affair

4. Fiscal stimulus

Source: The Hindu

Syllabus: Gs3: Indian Economy and issues relating to Planning, Mobilization of Resources, Growth, Development and Employment.

Context: Need for a strong stimulus for a quick recovery.

What is the state of economy?

• The OECD expects the world economy to shrink by as much as 7.6 per cent in 2020. India’s full-year economic contraction is estimated between 9 and 12.5 per cent.
• The pandemic has severely impacted both demand and supply.
• With two years of slowdown the balance sheet of both the government and the industry has already strained.
• The banking system is in deep distress to support growth.
• All the four engines of growth (Private consumption, Exports, domestic consumption, government spending) are declining.
• The pandemic has forced most central banks and the governments to announce large stimulus to ensure rapid post-Covid recovery.

What were the steps taken by government to revive the economy?

• Tight fisted approach: The government has chosen structural reforms and debt support, rather than offering large scale stimulus to revive the economy or a GST rate-cut, to revive economic growth.
• Agri-reforms: It has brought in agriculture reforms to boost the farm sector growth.
• Conditional Loans: It has allowed the cash-strapped States, to borrow more but on conditional basis. For example, undertaking reforms like ending free power to farmers.

Why government is not resorting to Fiscal stimulus?

• The stimulus offered so far is just 1.2 per cent of GDP whereas Japan’s stimulus stands at 21.1 per cent of GDP and US’ at 13.2 per cent.
• The government strongly believes of a V-shaped recovery is in progress but it is unclear whether this recovery will sustain.
• The government is worried that any fiscal stimulus if provided will have same impact that of the 2008 stimulus which caused sustained inflation.

What is the way forward?

• It is clear that without a strong stimulus, the recovery will be slow.
• Only a sustained increase in demand will push the industry to start investing again.
• If that happens, three of the four engines of growth will fire (public consumption, private investment and government spending) causing economic growth to return.

5. Air pollution and green recovery

Source: Down To Earth

Syllabus: GS-3- Environment

Context: The newly released the state of Global Air 2020 report shows that India recorded the highest increase in air pollution related deaths and infant mortality.

What is the state of air pollution in India?

• India recorded the highest PM2.5 exposure and the most increase in deaths between 2010 and 2019.
• Air pollution accounts for 20 per cent of newborn deaths worldwide, 24 per cent of these infant deaths occur in India which is the highest. This defies the principles of inter-generational justice.
• The State of Global Air that is a collaborative study of Health Effect Institute and Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation of Global Burden of Disease Project has presented that:
• Out of the total tally of 6,670,000 particulate matter (PM) 2.5-attributable deaths globally, 980,000 deaths occurred in India which was a 61 per cent increase since 2010.
• The other silent killer sidling up in India is ozone: the country has recorded an 84 per cent increase in ozone-related deaths since 2010.

What is the effect of air pollution on newborns?

• The effect of air pollution on infants that shows an estimated 1.8 million deaths worldwide, mostly within 27 days of childbirth. Mothers’ exposure to toxic air leads to pre-term birth and lower birth weight.
• Babies born too small or too early become more vulnerable to lower-respiratory infections, diarrhoeal diseases, brain damage, inflammation, blood disorders and jaundice.
• Inflammation and oxidative stress deeply affect the health of pregnant women and babies as particles and toxic components move across membranes of the lungs and get carried to different parts of the body and affect placental function and the fetus.
• Burning of solid fuels for cooking accounts for 64 per cent of infant deaths while the rest is due to outdoor air pollution. Hence, vulnerability of poorer women increases.
• According to director of All India Institute of Medical Sciences, the young and the infants whose lungs and respiratory systems are not yet developed have higher chances of chronic illness, lung damage, and death. This compromises their quality of life.
• COVID-19 and air pollution : Exposure to air pollution can compromise immune defense, making people more prone to respiratory and other infections.

What are the steps to be taken for green recovery?

• The National Clean Air Programme should improve legally due multi-sector action across regions to clean up all air shelters.
• Deeper sectoral reforms are required to clean up emissions from vehicles, power plants, industries and local sources like construction and waste.
• Effective intervention can lead to verifiable improvement in health outcome as this is evident in the reduction in household pollution exposure from 54 per cent to 36 percent due to improved access to clean fuels in India.

Way forward

• There can be substantial economic benefit from improvement in health outcomes related to air pollution, as a lot of these diseases are preventable and so required changes should be made to improve the existing situation.

9 PM for Preliminary examination

Click on “Factly articles for October 23rd,2020”

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