Jan 22nd 2025 Current Affairs

Index:

1. Trump Declares End to U.S. Citizenship by Birth

Key Points:

  1. Executive Order:
    • Signed by U.S. President Donald Trump.
    • Ends the provision of birthright citizenship.
    • Directly impacts Indian professionals on H-1B and other temporary visas.
  2. Economic Measures:
    • Proposal to levy 100% tariffs on BRICS nations attempting “non-dollar” transactions.
    • BRICS includes India, Brazil, Russia, China, and South Africa.
  3. Immigration Impact:
    • Plans to crack down on undocumented and illegal immigrants.
    • Estimated 7.25 lakh Indians could be affected, including 18,000 on deportation lists.
  4. Legal and Diplomatic Challenges:
    • Democratic-led states challenge the order in U.S. federal courts.
    • External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar set to discuss bilateral relations with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
    • Concerns raised over potential violation of the U.S. Constitution.

Bilateral Relations: One-on-one meeting planned to prioritize the India-U.S. relationship and cooperation in Quad initiatives.

2. Central Committee Member Among 14 Maoists Killed in Gariaband Encounter

Key Points:

  1. Encounter Details:
    • Location: Gariaband district, near the Chhattisgarh-Odisha boundary.
    • Number of Maoists killed: 14, including Jayaram alias Chalpati, a senior central committee member.
    • Bounty: ₹1 crore on Jayaram.
  2. Operation Highlights:
    • Conducted by joint forces of:
      • District Reserve Guard (DRG).
      • Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).
      • Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA).
      • Special Operation Group (SOG) from Odisha.
    • Area of operation: Mainpur police station jurisdiction.
    • Recovered: Large cache of arms and ammunition.
  3. Significance:
    • Described as “another mighty blow to Naxalism” by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
    • Chhattisgarh CM Vishnu Deo Sai aims for a Naxal-free state by March 2026.
  4. Impact:
    • High-ranking Maoist fatalities weaken Naxal leadership.
    • Boosts morale of security forces.

Further intensifies anti-Naxal operations in the region.

3. Competent’ to Judge Indus Water Treaty Dispute, Says World Bank Neutral Expert

Key Points:

  1. Neutral Expert’s Decision: Michel Lino, the Neutral Expert (NE) appointed under the Indus Water Treaty (IWT), 1960, stated he is “competent” to decide on disputes related to hydroelectric projects under the treaty.
  2. Context:
    • The IWT regulates the use of water from the Indus River and its tributaries between India and Pakistan.
    • Disputes emerged over India’s Kishenganga and Ratle hydroelectric projects.
  3. India’s Stance:
    • India welcomed the decision but seeks resolution through technical discussions rather than arbitration.
    • India decided in January 2023 to renegotiate the treaty but highlighted concerns over parallel dispute resolution mechanisms.
  4. Pakistan’s Stance: Pakistan referred the dispute to the Court of Arbitration in The Hague in 2016, stating it works within the treaty framework.
  5. World Bank’s Role:
    • The World Bank facilitated parallel proceedings by appointing:
      • A Neutral Expert to address technical disputes.
      • A Court of Arbitration for broader issues.

Next Steps: Discussions will involve both nations to address pending technical and treaty concerns.

4. Kerala’s Rising Maternal Mortality Ratio: A Demographic Transition Perspective

Key Points:

  1. Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR):
    • Kerala, despite having the best MMR in India, is witnessing an increase due to its demographic transition.
    • MMR is calculated as the number of maternal deaths per 1,00,000 live births.
  2. Demographic Transition in Kerala:
    • Achieved total replacement-level fertility rate (TFR = 2.1) in 1987-88, ahead of other Indian states.
    • TFR below 2.1 leads to a shrinking population over generations.
    • Reduced fertility and birth rates result in fewer live births, skewing MMR figures.
  3. Political and Economic Implications:
    • Southern states with sub-replacement fertility rates may face disadvantages during Lok Sabha seat delimitation exercises based on population figures.
    • Declining population growth poses challenges similar to countries like South Korea, where fertility rates continue to fall despite incentives.
  4. Challenges of Demographic Transition:
    • Declining working-age population and growing elderly population increase the dependency ratio.
    • Strains on public finances, healthcare, and social support systems.
    • Nations must prepare for societal and economic consequences of aging populations.

Demographic Transition Theory:

  • Transition involves four stages:
    1. High birth and death rates (stable population).
    2. Declining death rates (population growth).
    3. Declining birth rates (levelling out).
    4. Low birth and death rates (population decline).
  • Driven by advancements in education, economic development, and technology.
  1. Policy Recommendations:
    • Strengthen public finances and healthcare systems.
    • Develop policies to support elderly care and healthcare financing.

Promote equal participation in household responsibilities to enable economic participation by all genders.

5. India-France Cooperation on Maritime Security in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR)

Key Points:

  1. Maritime Surveillance and Cooperation:
    • India and France agreed to explore opportunities for coordinated maritime surveillance to counter threats to maritime security in the IOR.
    • Both countries committed to enhancing existing mechanisms and supporting each other in maritime engagements.
  2. Strengthening Information Exchange:
    • Implementation of the agreed framework for information sharing between:
      • Information Fusion Centre-Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR), Gurugram.
      • Regional Coordination Operations Centre (RCOC), Seychelles.
      • Regional Maritime Information Fusion Centre (RMIFC), Madagascar.
  1. Threats Addressed:
    • Piracy and armed robbery.
    • Maritime terrorism.
    • Contraband smuggling.
    • Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
    • Hybrid threats (including cyber security).
    • Marine pollution.
  2. Joint Assessments:
    • India and France to develop joint threat assessments for maritime security in the IOR.
    • Collaborative efforts to address emerging challenges such as cyber threats and marine pollution.
  3. Significance:
    • Enhances India’s maritime domain awareness (MDA) in the IOR.
    • Strengthens Indo-French ties in defense and maritime cooperation.
    • Contributes to regional stability and the rule of law in international waters.

Recent Development: Agreement was reached during the seventh India-France Maritime Cooperation Dialogue.

6. India-France Cooperation in Civil Nuclear and High-End Technologies

Key Highlights:

  1. India-France Cooperation:
    • Discussions focused on boosting collaboration in high-end technology sectors such as civil nuclear energy, defense, space, cyber, and Artificial Intelligence (AI).
    • Foreign Office consultations were held in Paris ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to France for the Summit for Action on Artificial Intelligence on February 10-11.
  2. Civil Nuclear Energy:
    • A Special Task Force on Civil Nuclear Energy was convened as agreed during French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to India in January 2024.
    • Talks focused on the Jaitapur Nuclear Power Project in Maharashtra:
      • Initial civil nuclear agreement signed in 2008; first MoU for the 990-MW Jaitapur plant inked in 2009.
      • French energy company EDF provided a revised techno-commercial offer in 2022.
      • Pending issues include:
        • High project costs and time overruns.
        • Challenges with India’s Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, 2010.
      • Potential future collaboration on Small Modular Reactors (SMRs).
  1. PM’s Upcoming Visit:
    • Modi to co-chair the AI Summit, discussing bilateral priorities with French leadership.
    • Collaboration opportunities in defense, cyber security, digital innovation, and AI.
  2. Bilateral Cooperation Areas:
    • Defense and strategic technology: Continued discussions on enhancing ties.
    • Space programs: Future collaboration in space technology and exploration.
    • Cyber and digital infrastructure: Cooperation to counter cyber threats.

Significance:

  • Strengthens India-France strategic partnership.
  • Jaitapur, if finalized, would become the world’s largest nuclear power plant.
  • Highlights the potential for renewable and sustainable energy solutions like SMRs.
  • Enhances India’s positioning in global AI and digital technology leadership.

Challenges:

  • Civil nuclear liability law remains a significant hurdle for foreign investments in nuclear energy.

Delays in major projects like Jaitapur could impact bilateral relations in energy cooperation.

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