Sept 19th 2024 Current Affairs

Index:

1. India's demand for a "review and modification" of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT)

CONTEXT: In January 2023, India sent a formal notice to Pakistan to seek a “modification” of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) under Article XII of the treaty.

  • The IWT was signed in 1960, and it governs the use of the waters of six rivers between India and Pakistan.

Key Provisions of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT)

  • The treaty allocates the three “Eastern Rivers” (Beas, Ravi, Sutlej) to India, while Pakistan has control over the three “Western Rivers” (Indus, Chenab, Jhelum).
  • India is allowed limited use of water from the Western Rivers for domestic, non-consumptive purposes, including irrigation and hydropower.

India’s Demands for Treaty Review

  • India’s recent January 2023 notice is qualitatively different from its previous attempts, as it explicitly seeks modifications to the treaty.
  • This action is taken under Article XII(3) of the treaty, which allows changes by mutual agreement between both governments.

 

Reasons for Review and Renegotiation

  • Technological advancements: Since the treaty was designed in the 1960s, modern advancements in water use and hydropower infrastructure need to be considered.
  • Environmental challenges: Climate change, global warming, and other environmental impacts were not factored into the original treaty.
  • Pakistan’s objections to Indian projects, such as Kishanganga and Ratle Hydroelectric Projects, which India argues are within the treaty’s provisions, have been contentious.
  • Neutral Expert and Court of Arbitration (PCA): India and Pakistan had disputes settled by a neutral expert and international arbitration courts.

 

Developments since January 2023

  • April 17, 2023: India chaired the Standing Committee to oversee ongoing modifications to the IWT.
  • July 6, 2023: The committee discussed the Kishanganga Project and India’s consistency in sticking to its interpretation of the treaty.

September 20-21, 2023: Senior officials from both sides discussed the issue.

2. India’s abstention from the UN General Assembly (UNGA) vote on Israel

Context:

  • India’s Stance: India abstained from a UN General Assembly (UNGA) vote on a resolution demanding Israel end its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory within 12 months.
  • Voting Outcome: The resolution was adopted with 124 nations voting in favor, 14 against, and 43 abstentions (including India, Australia, Canada, Germany, and the UK).
  • Resolution Title: The resolution sought an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the legal consequences of Israel’s actions in the occupied territories, including East Jerusalem.

 

Key Points of the Resolution:

  • Demand: Israel should end its presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory within 12 months.
  • International Accountability: Israel must be held accountable for violations of international law, including breaches under the UN Charter, International Humanitarian Law, and International Human Rights Law.
  • Consequences: Israel should bear legal consequences for its internationally wrongful acts, including reparations for injuries and damage caused.

Countries’ Positions:

  • Against: Israel and the United States were among the countries that voted against the resolution.
  • Abstentions: Apart from India, major countries like Australia, Canada, Germany, Italy, Nepal, and the UK abstained.

India’s Approach:

Neutral Stance: India’s decision to abstain is reflective of its long-standing policy of maintaining neutrality on sensitive international issues, balancing its relations with both Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

3. Chandrayaan-4, Venus orbiter, and Gaganyaan projects approved by the Union Cabinet

Key Approvals by Union Cabinet:

  1. Chandrayaan-4 Mission:
    • Purpose: To collect moon rocks and return them to Earth.
    • Includes: Sending a spacecraft to orbit Venus, and an expansion of the Gaganyaan Project aimed at building an Indian space station.
    • Budget: ₹2,104 crore allocated for Chandrayaan-4.
  2. Gaganyaan Expansion:
    • Aim: To build a next-generation launch vehicle capable of placing a heavier payload in orbits, contributing to setting up a space station and landing an Indian astronaut on the moon.
    • Future Targets: Self-sustained space station by 2035 and a crewed lunar mission by 2040.
    • Space Docking Experiment: A space docking experiment to develop India’s capabilities planned for later this year.
  3. Venus Orbiter Mission:
    • Budget: ₹1,236 crore for the Venus Orbiter Mission.
    • Expected Launch: March 2028.
    • India’s second interplanetary mission after Mars Orbiter Mission (2013).
  4. Additional Funding for Gaganyaan:
    • An additional ₹11,170 crore was approved for the expansion of the Gaganyaan programme.
    • Total allocated budget: ₹9,023 crore.

Important Details:

 

·         Chandrayaan-4 is a follow-up mission to Chandrayaan-3, focusing on demonstrating India’s capability to collect lunar samples and safely bring them back to Earth.

·         The Venus mission will be an important milestone as India’s second interplanetary mission, showing advancements in space exploration after Mars.

·         The Gaganyaan project, once completed, will position India among the few countries capable of building and maintaining a space station.

4. Environment Minister’s statement on climate finance

CONTEXT:

  • Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bhupender Yadav, stressed the need for an exact definition of climate finance at the Renewable Energy Investors (RE-Invest) summit in Gandhinagar.
  • The focus is on closing the inequality gap between countries regarding technology and finance to tackle climate change

 

Key Points Raised by the Minister:

  1. Need for a Clear Definition:
    • Yadav emphasized that a precise definition of climate finance is required to ensure proper allocation and utilization of resources.
    • This comes as developed nations have a commitment to provide $100 billion annually to help developing nations combat climate change, a goal that has become outdated.
    • India’s position is that resources should be increasingly allocated to developing countries, and there should be transparency in what constitutes climate finance.
  2. Climate Finance:
    • Climate finance refers to investments made to tackle climate change either through mitigation (reducing emissions) or adaptation (preventive steps to reduce the impacts of climate change).
    • Funds can be sourced locally, nationally, or internationally from public, private, or alternative sources, as per the United Nations.
  3. Developed Nations’ Responsibility:
    • Developed nations are obliged to support developing nations with climate finance, but Yadav highlighted that the Common but Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities (CBDR-RC) principle must guide these negotiations.
    • This principle ensures that developing nations are given the necessary resources and support while recognizing that their per capita emissions are much lower than developed nations.
  4. India’s Position:
    • India is the third or fourth largest emitter of greenhouse gases globally, but on a per capita basis, its contributions are still lower than developed countries.
    • India accounts for 17% of the world’s population, but its emissions remain lower when compared per capita to those of developed countries.
    • The developed world must fulfill its climate finance obligations, particularly as the current $100 billion annual target will need to be revised after 2025 as per the Paris Agreement.

 

  1. Upcoming Negotiations:

The 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29) will discuss the new climate finance targets and measures to be implemented post-2025. The host for this year’s conference, Azerbaijan, is expected to lead discussions on these issues later in the year.

5. India’s potential to produce energy from blue renewable sources

Key Findings:

  • Indian oceanographers have mapped the Indian coastline, identifying sites with the potential to generate energy from blue renewable sources such as tidal waves and currents.
  • Researchers from the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) developed an Integrated Ocean Energy Atlas.
  • The study estimates that India’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) has the potential to generate approximately 2 lakh Terawatt-hours (TWh) from multiple blue renewable energy sources.

 

Details of the Atlas:

  1. Mapping Area:
    • The mapping was done for sites within the EEZ, which extends up to 220 km from India’s coastline.
    • The atlas provides an assessment with a resolution of 5 km x 5 km for potential renewable energy sites.

 

  1. Types of Blue Renewable Energy:
    • Tidal waves, currents, salinity gradients, ocean thermal energy, and winds are the primary sources of energy considered.
    • Other offshore renewable energy sources like the sun and wind have been considered for integrating into the energy generation models.

 

  1. Significance:
    • The atlas will help India move towards a blue economy, aiding the energy transition and achieving net-zero goals.
    • It will assist industries in the renewable energy sector with planning and decision-making, using a first-of-its-kind comprehensive assessment of blue energy potential.

 

  1. Data and Methodology:

The assessment is based on 20 to 30 years of data, obtained from weather models, satellites, and in-situ observations.

6. Government's initiative to transform tribal houses into homestays

Key Highlights:

  1. ₹5 Lakh Assistance:
    • The Union Cabinet approved a package providing ₹5 lakh per tribal household or village to convert their homes into tourist homestays or build new ones under the Tourism Ministry’s Swadesh Darshan scheme.
    • Objective: To tap the tourist potential of tribal areas and provide alternative livelihoods to tribal communities.

 

  1. Pradhan Mantri Janjatiya Unnat Gram Abhiyan (PMJUGA):
    • This homestay scheme is part of the PMJUGA, an umbrella initiative aimed at implementing existing development schemes in 63,000 Scheduled Tribe-majority villages across India.
    • The total package will involve an outlay of ₹79,156 crore over five years.
      • Central share: ₹56,333 crore
      • States’ share: ₹22,823 crore

 

  1. Focus on Tribal Development:
    • The scheme is focused on ensuring saturation of basic services in tribal villages and is inter-ministerial.
    • It involves the implementation of various schemes related to tourism, infrastructure, and livelihood creation.

 

  1. Implementation of Forest Rights:
    • As of June 2024, over 24 lakh Forest Rights Act (FRA) titles have been granted to tribal communities and traditional forest-dwelling groups.
    • However, out of 5 lakh claims, 34.83% have been rejected and 15.9% are still pending.
    • The package aims to catalyze pending claims under the FRA and help secure forest rights for eligible tribal communities.

 

  1. Additional Benefits:
    • Electrification of 35 lakh houses in tribal areas and unconnected villages.
    • 25 lakh LPG connections will be provided.
    • Broadband connectivity for 5,000 tribal villages under the BharatNet project.
    • Support for sustainable agricultural practices for Forest Rights Act (FRA) patta holders to help them maintain and conserve forests.

 

  1. Tourism and Homestays:
    • The tourism aspect of the scheme aims to create five to ten homestays in villages that have tourism potential, with an overall goal of setting up 1,000 such homestays.

The initiative will boost rural tourism and promote cultural exchange while providing an economic upliftment to tribal communities.

7. Simultaneous Polls Roadmap and the Kovind Panel

Context:

  • The Union Cabinet initiated the process for conducting simultaneous elections (Lok Sabha, State Assemblies, and Local Governments) based on the recommendation of the High-Level Committee on One Nation, One Election headed by former President Ram Nath Kovind.
  • The idea is to hold elections at the national, state, and local levels in a synchronized manner.

 

Key Proposals by the Kovind Panel:

  1. Phased Implementation:
    • The first phase will involve holding Lok Sabha and Assembly elections together, within 100 days of each other.
    • Local body elections will be held separately after necessary amendments.

 

  1. Constitutional Amendments Required:
    • The Committee recommended a series of constitutional amendments to facilitate simultaneous elections.
    • Amendments will be needed to allow:
      • Article 83 and Article 85: Related to the tenure of the Lok Sabha and the dissolution of Parliament.
      • Article 172 and Article 174: Relating to the State Legislative Assemblies’ tenure and dissolution.
      • Article 356: Regarding the dissolution of State Assemblies under President’s Rule.
    • The Representation of the People Act and other associated laws will also require changes to adjust election procedures.

Political Parties’ Stance:

  • 32 out of 47 political parties supported the idea of simultaneous polls.
    • This includes BJP allies and friendly parties.
  • 15 parties, including Congress, opposed the idea, while some parties like the TDP did not express any opinion.

Current Parliamentary Numbers

1.       Lok Sabha:

o    To pass the required constitutional amendments, the government needs the support of two-thirds of the MPs (at least 439 MPs out of 543).

o    The NDA has 293 MPs and needs support from additional MPs to reach the required numbers.

2.       Rajya Sabha:

o    The NDA has 121 MPs, but to reach the two-thirds majority, 164 MPs are needed.

o    Non-NDA parties and independents will be crucial for the government’s push.

Implementation and Challenges:

  1. Building Consensus:
    • One of the key challenges for simultaneous polls is building consensus among political parties, especially those in opposition.
    • The Constitution Amendment Bill will need to be referred to a Parliamentary Standing Committee for detailed examination.
  2. Simultaneous Elections:
    • If the bill passes, the elections will transition to a simultaneous system, avoiding mid-term disruptions.
    • If any Assembly is dissolved mid-term, the Kovind panel suggests a mechanism to ensure continuity without disrupting the synchronized election cycle.
  3. Logistics: There will need to be amendments to the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) rules and electoral roll synchronization to ensure smooth conduct of simultaneous polls.
  4. Key Advantages:
    • Cost Savings: Holding elections simultaneously will reduce the financial burden on the government.
    • Focus on Governance: Frequent elections disrupt governance. Simultaneous elections will ensure uninterrupted governance and policymaking.
  5. Opposition Arguments:
    • It elections could weaken federalism by centralizing electoral processes and limiting state autonomy.

Concerns have also been raised about the feasibility of conducting such large-scale elections simultaneously.

8. Air Pollution and Brain Health – Infographic

9. MINI – MOON 2024 : Infographic

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