9 PM Daily Current Affairs Brief – September 9th, 2022

Current Affairs Compilations for UPSC IAS Prelims 2022

Mains Oriented Articles

GS Paper 2

• Our urban spaces need renewal, not new names
• We must demand safe roads and not just more airbags
• Mature leadership in India and Bangladesh has not let minor disagreements threaten shared interests
• Success of the new education policy depends on how we recruit and assess teachers
• The outline of an essential global pandemic treaty
• Indo-Pacific EConomic Framework: Challenges and Opportunities
• Floods in Pakistan and the pulls and pressures of India-Pakistan disaster diplomacy
• RUPP & Tough: EC’s move to weed out shady political parties should look at some funding provisions too
• 1 Doctor Per 1,000 Isn’t Healthcare’s Magic Number

Prelims Oriented Articles (Factly)

• India ranks 132 in UNDP’s Human Development Index, amid a global fall
• Argentina’s mystery pneumonia outbreak finally identified as Legionellosis disease
• DRDO & Indian Army successfully conduct six flight-tests of Quick Reaction Surface to Air Missile system off Odisha coast
• India may see trickle-down benefits of US CHIPS Act
• Study ranks India’s climate pledges 4th in ambition, 5th in compliance
• PM inaugurates ‘Kartavya Path’ and unveils the statue of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose at India Gate
• FTA may boost India’s exports to Bangladesh by $10 billion in five years
• Telangana’s Warangal, Kerala’s Thrissur and Nilambur join UNESCO network of learning cities
• Union Minister of Education participates in the India Ideas Summit organized by US-India Business Council

Mains Oriented Articles

GS Paper 2

Our urban spaces need renewal, not new names

News: As part of the Central Vista’s makeover, the Government of India has decided to rename the historic Rajpath and Central Vista lawns in the national capital as ‘Kartavya Path’.

What is the reason behind renaming Rajpath as Kartavya Path?

After Independence, Kingsway was named Rajpath and Queensway was renamed Janpath. Renaming is a reminder that public service is about “duties and not the right to rule”.

What are the reasons for renaming places after Independence?

1) Bombay to Mumbai, Calcutta to Kolkata and Bangalore to Bengaluru are just a few examples of name switches. Many of these were driven by a need to assert a linguistic identity, 2) More recently, the renaming of Allahabad and Aurangabad, among others were renamed to change the nomenclature from Medival India.

What are the concerns in renaming the Rajpath as Kartavya Path and other name changes?

1) The recent renaming of Rajpath underlines the citizen’s duty to the state, but not the state’s duty to uphold the rights of our people, 2) All the name change costs public money, from revisions in signage to official documents and assorted data sets, 3) It might end up dividing people also, 4) The cost-benefit ratio of such name changes is usually dismal, 5) The original names of places have long been enmeshed in our poetry, music and culture. Renaming them will hamper those experiences, 6) The persistence of people’s memory makes many of these changes irrelevant. For example, Delhi’s Connaught Place was sought to be called Rajiv Chowk but is referred to as such only officially.

What should be done?

The urban landscape at present needs substantive improvement to avoid frequent urban floods that disrupt urban life, other issues associated with civic systems and better urban planning. The government has to focus on these issues.

We must demand safe roads and not just more airbags

News: The tragic death of former Tata Sons chairman in a car accident has turned the spotlight again on lax safety rules for car passengers in India.

What are the challenges to road safety in India?

1) Road safety advocacy group SaveLife Foundation, a non-profit organization, has consistently flagged “fatal” corridors where a disproportionately high number of crashes and fatalities occur as a result of poor road engineering. The recent accident also highlights dubious engineering and design.

2) Government aims to construct Highways at a speed of 50 km per day. But the government fails to focus on the quality and maintenance of these roads.

3) Driving itself is an encounter with chaos on Indian roads, with rules that exist only on paper. Airbags and seat belts are a system that works in conjunction. But many people

4) India’s automotive industry has a record of delaying safety mandates on airbags and anti-skid braking systems. This is because they are trying to keep vehicles affordably priced in India.

What can be done?

Indian tech-savvy consumers are grown enough to seek 5-star crash-test ratings. It shows the robustness of cars and hence their safety. But they need to strap themselves in a seat belt and encourage their family also irrespective of where they sit in the car.

Mature leadership in India and Bangladesh has not let minor disagreements threaten shared interests

News: Bangladesh is now central to India’s Neighborhood First Policy. It has become more important after economic crisis affecting Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The recent Kushiyara river water agreement is an important development towards it.

Bangladesh is India’s largest trading partner in the Subcontinent, the largest development partner, the most productive connectivity partner and the largest source of foreign tourists.

What has led to the improvement in the bilateral relations between India and Bangladesh?

2008: The bilateral relation started improving with the inauguration of Maitri Express, in April 2008, the first passenger train between Dhaka and Kolkata.

2009: Bangladesh PM took action against Indian insurgent groups, operating from Bangladesh.

2010: Comprehensive Framework of Cooperation was signed by Bangladesh. This helped in the grant of duty-free access to Bangladesh’s exports to India in 2011.

Intelligence cooperation between the nations has helped both sides to tackle extremist groups.

What are the agreements made in the current visit?

There are agreements made in seven sectors between the two nations.

These include – a) connectivity, b) environment, c) water management, d) science and technology, e) railway, f) law, and g) information and broadcasting.

New infrastructure projects have also been announced.

Kushiyara River: There has been an agreement on the water sharing method of the river. This river flows from Assam’s Silchar district into Bangladesh. It is the major agreement on water sharing treaty since the Ganga water treaty in 1996.

Feni River: India has requested to finalise the temporary water sharing agreement of Feni River. This river fulfills the water requirements of Tripura.

Teesta River: This issue of this river has not been resolved due to the unhealthy Centre-state relation. The river fulfills the water requirement of North Bengal. 80 per cent of the river’s catchment area falls in India still the river supports the livelihood of a large population in Bangladesh.

Joint Rivers Commission: It met after 12 years. It has been asked to examine the sharing of 54 Trans-Boundary River between the two nations and share the water stock data. There has also been agreement in strengthening mutual cooperation in solving pollution of common rivers and extending Ganga treaty beyond 2026.

Scholarships: Bangladesh has announced 200 scholarships to descendants of Indian military personnel who lost their lives in the 1971 War of Liberation.

What are the future areas of cooperation between the two nations?

Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA)

It is expected that Bangladesh will become a developing country by 2026 from a Less Developed Country (LDC).

India-Bangladesh CEPA will help in managing the transition and preserving the trade privileges that Bangladesh enjoys.

Energy Requirements

Indian companies are also working on fulfilling the energy requirements of Bangladesh. For example, 1320 MW thermal power plant being built at Rampal by the NTPC in a joint venture 50:50.

A 1,600 MW power plant in Godda, Jharkhand is being built by the Adani group.

“Friendship” pipeline from Assam’s Numaligarh refinery will deliver petroleum products to Parbatipur in Bangladesh.

Defense sector

India has extended around 8-billion-dollar Line of Credit (LoC) to Bangladesh. It includes 500 million dollars, especially related to defense-related procurement.

It will help Bangladesh to diversify its defense procurement as now it is highly dependent on China. It will also help in countering China’s Belt Road Initiative (BRI) and debt-trap policy.

Rohingya issue

Rohingya refugees have become a burden on Bangladesh.

Bangladesh PM has sought help from India to return the refugees to Myanmar.

What measures can be taken to solve the existing issues between the two nations?

Water is a state subject under the Constitution. Therefore, center has little power to settle issues like Teesta River dispute.

It is the time to review the constitutional status of water and declare it as a union subject under the control of the Union government.

This will help in resolving major water sharing issues internationally as well as inter-state water disputes.

Success of the new education policy depends on how we recruit and assess teachers

News: The article discusses the problems related to the recruitment of teachers and measures that can be taken to improve the recruitment process.

What are the problems present with the recruitment of teachers?

The teacher recruitment process in the country is not efficient. The recruitment process varies from regions and types of schools.

This leads to multiple criteria and processes in hiring teachers which brings inequality in teacher quality.

The process is also inadequate in measuring the candidate’s competency.

The most common and widely taken test for teachers is the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) conducted at both the state (STET) and central levels (CTET). However, this test is required only for government school teacher recruitment at the elementary stage (Class 1-8).

The test has its drawbacks such as low pass percentages, poor test quality, lengthy test papers, etc.

What steps have been taken to tackle the issues?

NEP-2020 has recommended a revision of the existing test and supplementing it with other processes such as classroom demonstrations and interviews.

It has also recommended extending these processes to all stages of education in public and private schools.

What can be the further done to improve the teacher recruitment process?

There should be a comprehensive competency framework that provides details for the required skills that a teacher should possess.

There should be a proper guideline for judging a teacher’s competency (knowledge, skills) that contributes to the teaching-learning process.

The competency can be checked by taking tests and involving others methods of assessment like classroom demonstrations and teacher interviews.

The curriculum provided by NEP can be adopted towards providing training in classroom and making learning joyful.

What will be the benefits of adopting such holistic recruitment process?

There will be multiple long-term benefits to adopting such a holistic model of teacher recruitment.

First, it will contribute to a fair education for students from diverse sections of society.

Second, it will ensure uniformity in the quality of teachers recruited across the country.

Third, the recruitment process will also become reliable.

Fourth, it will help in checking a teacher’s ability in explanation of the concept and selecting appropriate study materials for the students.

Fifth, it will also help to evaluate a teacher’s empathy towards students.

Sixth, this will reduce the coaching culture as the assessment processes will be non-standardised, which cannot be easily studied from coaching materials and guidebooks.

The outline of an essential global pandemic treaty

News: COVID-19 was one of the most severe pandemics the world has seen in the last 100 years. The impact of the pandemic can be seen even now and an effective global treaty is required to face future challenges.

What were the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic?

Health care system

Health-care systems have been utilized beyond their capacity.

There has been gross health inequality in distribution of vaccines, diagnostics and therapeutics across the world.

Low-income countries

The low-income countries have faced major impact of the pandemic.

The socioeconomic consequences of the pandemic are irreversible in these countries.

Only 3% of people in low-income countries had been vaccinated with at least one dose when compared to 60.18% in high-income countries.

The international target to vaccinate 70% of the world’s population by mid-2022 was missed. Because poorer countries were left behind when vaccines were rolled out.

Pharma companies

The pandemic has caused enormous increase in the wealth of pharma companies (Pfizer, BioNTech, and Moderna) because they had monopoly over the Covid vaccines.

There have also been other reasons of increasing inequality across the world such as inadequate precautionary measures taken by countries, lack of interest in giving funds for developing coronavirus vaccines, etc.

What can be the course of action?

The creation of Global Pandemic Treaty has been proposed at the Special Session of the World Health Assembly (WHASS) to mitigate future challenges. The declaration of monkey pox as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) has highlighted this need.

The global treaty should include the following features:

First, a treaty should cover important aspects of data sharing and genome sequencing of emerging viruses.

Second, it should formally commit governments to implement an early warning system and a properly funded rapid response mechanism.

Third, it should ask nations to agree on a set of common measures that are related to health investments with an aim to reduce the public-private sector gap.

Fourth, a global pandemic treaty should not only reduce socioeconomic inequalities but also enhance global pandemic preparedness for future health emergencies.

What role has been played by India in the pandemic?

India has played an important role worldwide in tackling the pandemic.

First, India never restricted the shipment of vaccines even when it experienced shortage at the domestic level.

• India has shipped 594.35 lakh doses of Made in India vaccines which is an example of global cooperation.

Second, India also acted as a global leader in dealing with vaccine patent issue with major pharma companies across the world.

• It recommended World Trade Organization (WTO) to allow all countries to choose to neither grant nor enforce patents on covid-19 drugs and technologies until global herd immunity is achieved.

India currently produces 60% of the world’s vaccines and is said to account for 60%-80% of the United Nations’ annual vaccine procurement.

Indo-Pacific EConomic Framework: Challenges and Opportunities

News: The article explains challenges are opportunities presented by the Indo-Pacific Economic framework and what should be India negotiating strategy for IPEF.

The USA is hosting the first in-person meeting of the grouping on 8-9 September in Los Angeles. The formal launch of rule-setting for the group is expected at this meeting.

Indian earlier participated in its meetings as an “observer”.

What are specific features of IPEF when compared with mega regional trade agreements?

It is not an alternative to RCEP and Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). IPEF has a trade pillar but it is not a trade agreement.

Trans-Pacific Partnership, which seems to be a subset of CPTPP, was an economic instrument as part of the USA’s “Pivot to Asia” strategy for containing China. Its WTO++ provisions related to IPR; state-owned enterprises was to establish a rule-based world order that China will find difficult to abide by.

CPTPP is a water-down provision of TPP with relaxed provisions related to investment, labor, and environmental standards to make it for China easier to seek its membership.

Membership of both RCEP and CPTPP will give China a dominant position in rule setting. This is the reason behind IPEF gaining salience by excluding China.

What are the opportunities provided by IPEF for India?

First, it has nine members from East Asia and its two pillars are focused on trade and connectivity and supply chain resilience. It provides an opportunity to integrate with East Asian value chain hubs.

Second, In the post-pandemic era and in the wake of the Ukraine crisis, large corporations are seeking China plus one relocation strategy.

Third, ASEAN is also looking for supply chain resilience through bilateral FTAs and diversification beyond RCEP.

Fourth, it provides a flexible framework to seek remedial action against non-tariff barriers in the context of the ASEAN-India FTA.

What are the challenges for India?

First, it does not include tariff preferences and there is less scope for India to have enhanced market access.

Second, it may have deliberately designed to have focus on modern day provision related to digital trade, regulatory policies, trade facilitation, labour and environmental standards and sustainable social development similar to US-Mexico Canada agreement. These rules are not in confirmation with India negotiating position on trade agreements.

Third, trade facilitation rules are likely to be drawn from Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation rules. All members of IPEF are also APEC members and they have reached consensus on modern day provision related to trade facilitation at APEC summit in 2017. Almost all of them have unleashed domestic reforms. India will have to overcome these challenges.

How can India deal with these challenges?

India is in the midst of advanced negotiation on a free trade agreement with the EU and Australia.

The EU is providing leadership in concluding free trade agreements with emphasis on provisions like labour and environmental standards.

Australia is a founding and leading member of the APEC and has been acknowledged for its contribution to trade and investment facilitation and establishing regulatory ease for cross-border supply chains.

India’s ability to conclude FTA with these countries will help in unleashing domestic reforms and signaling mechanisms to the world of its readiness to be part of IPEF.

Floods in Pakistan and the pulls and pressures of India-Pakistan disaster diplomacy

News- The article explains the Indian-Pakistan disaster diplomacy.

Recently Pakistan has been devastated by heavy floods which led to heavy loss of life, essentials shortages. Indian Prime Minister expressed his condolences.

What are the recent developments related to India-Pakistan relations?

Modi invited Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif to his swearing- in ceremony and both leaders held the promise of a new beginning in their bilateral relationship.

The sequence of events that followed like- red line on meeting between Hurriyat separatists and Pakistan diplomats; terror attack in Uri and Pathankot impacted relations negatively. India took a stand that talk and terror cannot go together.

Relations further deteriorated when India abrogated the special status of Jammu & Kashmir. It led to downsizing the officials in both High Commissions.

After Shehbaz Sharif assumed power in Pakistan, there have been some positive signals. He has urged India to resolve the Kashmir issue and focus on tackling poverty and unemployment;

India’s PM also congratulated the him on forming the government.

In a letter to Modi; Sharif said that Pakistan remains committed to “regional peace and security” and sought “peaceful and cooperative ties” with Pakistan.

What were earlier responses to the disasters by both countries?

In 2001, when an earthquake hit Bhuj, Pakistan sent tents and blankets. Vajpayee thanked the Pakistan General for the gesture.

In 2005, when an earthquake hit both countries, India sent aircraft with relief supplies and pledged $ 5 million through the UN to support Pakistan.

During 2010 super flood in Pakistan, India offered $ 5 million in help, however, the offer was declined.

What is Case for help?

PM Modi’s outreach by way of the message created a potential opening for “disaster diplomacy”.

The Pakistan ruling class is well disposed to humanitarian gestures from India.

State of Pakistan Finance Minister said that the government can consider importing vegetables and edible oils from India.

General Bajwa spoke in favour of improving ties.

India has a desire to be “first responder” in times of disaster and crisis in neighbouring countries.

Vaccine diplomacy has already been billed as a major achievement for India.

What are possible options for India?

The help can be at micro level by sending emergency essential supplies.

At macro and medium-to-long-term, it could help in construction of damaged properties and cultural heritage.

However, the current regime’s policy of zero tolerance for terrorism and extending help, to tackle disaster, are at conflict with each other.

RUPP & Tough: EC’s move to weed out shady political parties should look at some funding provisions too

News- The article explains the issues related with registered Unrecognised Political Parties(URPP) in India.

Recently, Income tax officials recently carried out raids on URPPs in a larger clean-up process.

What are some facts about Unrecognised Political Parties(URPPs)?

EC data shows that in 2021 there were 2796  Registered unrecognised political parties. It is an increase of 300% over last two decades. In 2019, Lok Sabha elections, only 30% of these parties contested elections.

100% tax exemptions are given to them subject to certain conditions.

Like recognised parties they need not to disclose cash donations upto Rs. 2000.

Why does the system get abused?

Combination of tax exemptions, anonymity in funding and easy registration encourages formations of such parties.

Introduction of electoral bonds is also problematic because it allows anonymity and problematic sources of funding political parties.

1 Doctor Per 1,000 Isn’t Healthcare’s Magic Number

News: The article explains India’s obsession with achieving WHO recommendation of 1 doctor per 1000 population and neglecting other aspects of the public healthcare system.

The National Medical Commission website shows 692 medical colleges with 92,793 seats.

How does India perform when compared with countries in the same economic category?

Sri Lanka-In 2000, its doctor population ratio was lower than India but health indices were better than India. It had a maternal mortality rate of 56 in 2000 compared with 370 in India.

Countries like Bangladesh, Indonesia and Vietnam have better health indices than India despite having lower doctor-population ratio. In contrast, Pakistan’s case is the reverse.

What are the possible reasons for better health in other lower- and middle-income countries despite the lower doctor-population ratio?

There is a strong emphasis on public health, a conscious move away from doctor-driven health systems. Furthermore, they have been focusing on improving social determinants of health such as access to clean drinking water, sanitation, education, and food security.

Sri Lanka case: From 1980s, it worked on maternal health surveillance and training to midwives to improve use of antenatal and natal services. It has not allowed privatization of medical education till date.

Iran case: It has established a network of “rural health houses” by recruiting workers from the community and giving them proper training.

What are the challenges faced by the current healthcare setup in India?

First, there is the collapse of the three-tier healthcare system, and rampant privatization of healthcare.

Second, India’s obsession with quantity has resulted in a large number of colleges without inadequate infrastructure and facilities, and inadequate, not enough faculty. Colleges for nursing and paramedical staff are in the worst condition.

Third, on paper the number of healthcare staff are increasing but in reality, in rural India, there is an acute shortage of doctors and nursing staff. They end up moving to other countries or adding to the number in cities.

Prelims Oriented Articles (Factly)

India ranks 132 in UNDP’s Human Development Index, amid a global fall

Source: The post is based on the article “India ranks 132 in UNDP’s Human Development Index, amid a global fall” published in The Hindu on 9th September 2022.

What is the News?

India ranks 132 out of 191 countries in the Human Development Index(HDI) 2021.

What is the Human Development Index(HDI)?

Released by: United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) 

Purpose: HDI was created to emphasize that people and their capabilities should be the ultimate criteria for assessing the development of a country, not economic growth alone.

Dimensions and Indicators

What are the key findings of the index?

India’s Rank: India’s rank on the Index has slipped from 130 in 2020 to 132 in 2021.

– India’s HDI value stood at 0.633 in 2021 which was lower than the world average of 0.732.

– The drop in India’s HDI can be primarily attributed to falling life expectancy — 69.7 in 2020 to 67.2 years in 2021.

– India’s expected years of schooling stand at 11.9 years, and the mean years of schooling are at 6.7 years. The Gross National Income(GNI) per capita level is $6,590.

– India has shown a slight improvement in its Gender Inequality Index value in 2021 as compared to the 2020 index (0.490 vs 0.493), after gender inequality worsened between 2019 and 2020.

– India’s policies on the 3Is (investment from renewable energy to preparedness for pandemics; insurance including social protection; and innovation) hold promise for the rest of the world.

– For instance, over the last decade, India has lifted a staggering 271 million out of multidimensional poverty. The country is improving access to clean water, sanitation and affordable clean energy.

– India has also boosted access to social protection for vulnerable sections of society, especially during and after the pandemic with a 9.8% increase in the budgetary allocation to the social services sector in 2021-22 over 2020-21.

Global findings

The index has been topped by Switzerland.

– 90% of countries have registered a reduction in their HDI value in 2020 or 2021.

– A large contributor to the HDI’s recent decline is a global drop in life expectancy, down from 72.8 years in 2019 to 71.4 years in 2021.

– The key reasons behind the decline in Human Development in the last two years are the crises the world faced. This included COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine coupled with social and economic shifts and dangerous planetary changes.

Argentina’s mystery pneumonia outbreak finally identified as Legionellosis disease

Source: The post is based on the article “Argentina’s mystery pneumonia outbreak finally identified as Legionellosis disease” published in Down To Earth on 6th September 2022

What is the News?

A mysterious pneumonia outbreak in Argentina has been identified as Legionellosis disease.

What is Legionellosis disease?

Legionellosis is a pneumonia-like illness that varies in severity from mild febrile illness to a serious and sometimes fatal form of pneumonia.

Caused by: The causative agents are Legionella bacteria from water or potting mix.

Symptoms: It includes fever, muscle and abdominal pain and shortness of breath. 

Transmission: The disease typically spreads via inhalation of contaminated aerosols from contaminated water, which could come from — air conditioning cooling towers, evaporative condensers associated with air conditioning and industrial cooling, hot and cold-water systems, humidifiers and whirlpool spas.

Vulnerable Group: People who have comorbidities like hypertension, diabetes, obesity, respiratory problems, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), or those who follow poor habits like smoking are more prone to the condition.

Treatment: Treatments exist, but there is no vaccine currently available for Legionnaires’ disease. Patients with this disease always require antibiotic treatment following diagnosis.

Prevention: The public health threat posed by legionellosis can be addressed by implementing water safety plans by authorities responsible for building safety or water system safety.

DRDO & Indian Army successfully conduct six flight-tests of Quick Reaction Surface to Air Missile system off Odisha coast

Source: The post is based on the article “DRDO & Indian Army successfully conduct six flight-tests of Quick Reaction Surface to Air Missile system off Odisha coast” published in PIB on 8th September 2022

What is the News?

Defence Research and Development Organization(DRDO) and the Indian Army have successfully completed six flight tests of the Quick Reaction Surface to Air Missile(QRSAM) system from Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur, off the Odisha coast.

What is a Quick Reaction Surface to Air Missile(QRSAM)?

QRSAM is a short-range Surface to Air Missile(SAM) system.

Developed by: Defence Research and Development Organization(DRDO)

Purpose: To provide a protective shield to the moving armoured columns of the Army from aerial attacks.

Range: 30 Kms

Other key Features

QRSAM is equipped with state-of-the-art guidance and control algorithms including warhead chains. 

It is unique in its ability to operate on the move, searching for and tracking enemy targets; and then fire on a short halt. 

India may see trickle-down benefits of US CHIPS Act

Source: The post is based on the article “India may see trickle-down benefits of US CHIPS Act” published in Livemint on 9th September 2022

What is the News?

According to experts, the ban on American chipmakers building advanced technology facilities in China if they have received funding from the US under the CHIPS Act could benefit countries such as India over the years.

What is the US CHIPS Act?

The US Government has passed the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) and Science Act, 2022.

The Bill provides subsidies and additional tax credits to companies that manufacture chips in the US.

However, the semiconductor companies that receive financial assistance through this bill are barred from building high-tech facilities in China for the next 10 years.

How will this bill benefit India?

In the short term, the US will benefit from this bill but in the medium term, i.e., three years or more, it could benefit markets like India.

This is because incentives from this bill may be utilized by firms to expand globally and India would be a good choice for them.

Does India have an ecosystem for semiconductor manufacturing?

India currently does not have an ecosystem in place for advanced semiconductor manufacturing. 

But there is a semiconductor laboratory(SCL) in Mohali, Punjab that manufactures semiconductor chips in partnership with local and Israeli suppliers.

Moreover, conglomerates such as the Tata group and Vedanta have expressed interest in setting up chip operations here, and the government has also received interest from some global firms.

India has also introduced a Production-linked incentive(PLI) scheme for chipmakers.

Study ranks India’s climate pledges 4th in ambition, 5th in compliance

Source: The post is based on the article “Study ranks India’s climate pledges 4th in ambition, 5th in compliance” published in Down To Earth on 8th September 2022

What is the News?

A study has ranked India’s updated climate pledge to the Paris Agreement fifth in compliance and fourth in ambition.

About the study

The study was published in the scientific journal Nature Climate Change.

It included eight countries — India, the US, China, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Australia and Brazil — and the European Union.

The study ranked these countries’ climate pledges or the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) under the Paris agreement, in the compliance and bold commitments category.

What are the key findings of the study?

Compliance category: In this, the EU took the lead which was followed by China, Australia, South Africa, India, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Brazil and the US.

Ambition Category: In this, the EU was followed by China, South Africa, India, Australia, Brazil, Russia, the United States and Saudi Arabia.

India: India has been ranked fifth in compliance and fourth in ambition. India has been pretty careful not to make bold pledges far beyond what the Indian government is confident it can deliver.

Other key findings: The study has found that nations with more stable governments are more likely to have bold and highly credible pledges.

Besides, China and other non-democracies are also likely to honour their commitments. Their administrative and political systems enable them to implement complex national policies.

PM inaugurates ‘Kartavya Path’ and unveils the statue of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose at India Gate

Source: The post is based on the article “PM inaugurates ‘Kartavya Path’ and unveils the statue of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose at India Gate” published in PIB on 8th September 2022.

What is the News?

The Prime Minister has inaugurated ‘Kartavya Path’.He also unveiled the statue of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose at India Gate on occasion.

What is the Kartavya Path?

The name of the iconic Rajpath stretching from Rashtrapati Bhavan to India Gate has been renamed as Kartavya Path. 

The whole stretch and area from the statue of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose to Rashtrapati Bhavan will now be considered as Kartavya Path.

Click Here to read more

About Statue of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose

It is a 28 feet tall statue that is a little taller than a two-storey building. 

The statue has been carved out of a monolithic block of granite weighing 280 tonnes. 

The statue stands at the same place where his hologram statue was unveiled earlier this year by the Prime Minister on Parakram Diwas, January 23 — Netaji’s 125th birth anniversary.

The canopy under which the statue has been placed previously featured a bust of Britain’s King George V, which was removed in 1968. For decades, the canopy housed the Amar Jawan Jyoti, which was merged with the eternal flame of the National War Memorial Torch on Republic Day.

Who was Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose?

Click Here to read

FTA may boost India’s exports to Bangladesh by $10 billion in five years

Source: The post is based on the article “FTA may boost India’s exports to Bangladesh by $10 billion in five years” published in Business Standard on 9th September 2022

What is the News?

According to a study, India’s exports to Bangladesh may increase by an additional $10 billion in a time span of five years if both countries sign a free trade agreement (FTA).

What is the current bilateral trade between India and Bangladesh?

The bilateral trade between India and Bangladesh has been growing significantly over the past few years. Currently, India enjoys the second-largest trade surplus with Bangladesh after the US. 

Bangladesh became India’s fourth-largest export destination in FY22 jumping five places in two years.

How does an FTA between India and Bangladesh help both countries? 

India: India’s exports to Bangladesh may increase by an additional $10 billion in a time span of five years if both countries sign a free trade agreement(FTA).

– India’s largest increase in exports to Bangladesh will be observed for motor vehicles, cotton, man-made filaments, iron and steel, plastic goods, paper and paper products.

Bangladesh: For Bangladesh, the potential of additional exports to India could range from $3 billion to $5 billion in a time span of 10 years if the FTA is signed.

– Bangladesh export gains could occur in broad categories such as textile and apparel goods, containers of iron/steel, plain woven fabrics of cotton, plastic products, leather bags, footwear, and processed foods such as biscuits among others.

Note: Bangladesh is on track to graduate from The Least Developed Country(LDC) status to developing country by 2026.

– After this, Bangladesh will no longer be eligible to continue to put high tariffs and will have to provide duty-free quota-free market access to India under the existing (South Asian Free Trade Area) SAFTA commitments.

Telangana’s Warangal, Kerala’s Thrissur and Nilambur join UNESCO network of learning cities

Source: The post is based on the article “Telangana’s Warangal, Kerala’s Thrissur and Nilambur join UNESCO network of learning cities” published in Financial Express on 6th September 2022

What is the News?

Warangal from Telangana and Thrissur and Nilambur from Kerala have joined the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities(GNLC).

Note: These Indian cities became the nation’s first entrants in the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities.

What is the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities(GNLC)?

It is an international network consisting of cities that successfully promote lifelong learning across their communities.

The network supports the achievement of all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in particular SDG 4 (‘Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all’) and SDG 11 (‘Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable’).

What are the features of a learning city?

There are six features that define a learning city. These include cities that 1) Effectively mobilize their resources in every sector to advocate inclusive learning, 2) Revitalizes learning in families and communities, 3) Facilitate learning for and at workplaces, 4) Extend the use of modern learning technologies, 5) Augments quality and excellence in learning and 6) Fosters a culture of learning throughout life.

Why were Warangal, Thrissur and Nilambur included in the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities(GNLC) list?

Thrissur: Popularly known as the cultural capital of Kerala. Thrissur is home to academic and research institutions. It is also known for its jewellery industry, especially gold. The city has been included because of its initiatives focusing on vulnerable groups.

Warangal: It has a rich cultural heritage. The city is a major tourism venue. The city has been included for its good practices such as advocating healthy environments for children and caregivers, free training for the transgender community and self-help groups.

Nilambur: It is an ecotourism destination in Kerala. It is a city with various socio-economic patterns marked by an urban and rural mix. The majority of the population depends on agriculture and allied industries.

Union Minister of Education participates in the India Ideas Summit organized by US-India Business Council

Source: The post is based on the article “Union Minister of Education participates in the India Ideas Summit organized by US-India Business Council” published in PIB on 8th September 2022

What is the News?

The Union Minister of Education has participated in the 47th India Ideas Summit.

What is the India Ideas Summit?

Organized by: US-India Business Council and the US Chamber of Commerce, International Affairs, South Asia.

Purpose: The summit has been a trusted platform for the U.S.-India dialogue on commercial and strategic cooperation for over 47 years.

Theme: “Maximizing the Next 75 years of US–India Prosperity”.

What is the US-India Business Council(USIBC)?

USIBC was established in 1975 at the behest of the U.S. and Indian Governments. 

Aim: To create an inclusive bilateral trade environment between India and the United States by serving as the voice of the industry, linking governments to businesses, and supporting long-term commercial partnerships.