21 September 2022

DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS ANALYSIS

1 – Three Capitals in Andhra Pradesh: GS II – Topic Constitution-related issues

Context:

• According to BJP Rajya Sabha member G.V.L. Narasimha Rao, the State government’s proposal to have three capitals is illegal given that Amaravati has already been chosen and acknowledged as the sole capital of Andhra Pradesh.

About:

• The AP Decentralisation and Inclusive Development of All Regions Act, 2020, and the AP Capital Region Development Authority (Repeal) Act, 2020 were announced by the state government on July 31, 2020.
• Three state capitals are now possible thanks to this law.
• Legislative capital: Amaravati.
• Executive capital: Visakhapatnam.
• Kurnool is the seat of justice.

Need of three capitals:

• The administration claims that it opposes the development of a single, massive metropolis while neglecting other regions of the state. The state’s three capitals guarantee that all of its regions will flourish equally.
• The central theme of all the committees established to recommend a suitable location for the capital of Andhra Pradesh has been decentralisation. These include the G N Rao Committee, Justice B N Srikrishna Committee, and K Sivaramakrishnan Committee, among others.

Why will it be difficult to put this notion into practice?

• Fear of coordination and logistics: Since the legislature’s and the executive’s offices are in separate cities, it will be difficult to coordinate between them. In addition, since the government has not provided any details about its logistics strategy, both officers and regular citizens are concerned.
• Travel distance and costs: The distance between the legislative capital Amaravati and the executive capital Visakhapatnam is 400 km and 700 km, respectively. The distance from Amaravati to Kurnool is 370 kilometres. The journey time and expenses will be substantial.

Which other states in India have more than one capital?

• The two capitals of Maharashtra are Nagpur and Mumbai (which holds the winter session of the state assembly).
• Shimla and Dharamshala serve as the capitals of Himachal Pradesh (winter).

Source The Hindu

 2 – National Logistics Policy: GS II – Topic Government Policies and Interventions

Context:

• India Inc., in particular the logistics sector, has applauded the government’s announcement of the New Logistics Policy (NLP).
• The eagerly anticipated policy framework was unveiled on September 17 and addresses the needs of all the major players in the enormous yet disjointed logistics sector of the nation. The new framework places a strong emphasis on streamlining procedures for seamless collaboration and lowering overall logistical costs, in addition to encouraging job creation and workforce skill development.
• The Budget for 2022–2023 also included an announcement about the National Logistics Policy.
• In the 2018 World Bank Logistics Performance Index, India came in at number 44.
• The Logistics Ease Across Different States (LEADS) 2021 rating shows Gujarat at the top.

Need:

• In India, the cost of logistics is higher than in other industrialised economies (about 13–14% vs. 8%).
• The logistics industry in India is extremely complicated and highly fragmented.
• More than 22 million people are employed in this industry, which is predicted to grow at a 10.5% annual rate over the next five years.
• The backbone of India’s foreign trade is logistics, which will aid in the diversification of not only India’s exports but also of goods and nations.

Aim:

• lowering logistics industry expenses by 10% over the course of five years.
• Increase youth skill levels and open up job chances.
• Encourage the smooth movement of commodities and raise the level of industrial competition across the country.
• Process re-engineering, digitisation, and multi-modal transportation should all be prioritised.

Four significant actions under the National Logistics Policy:

• Integration of Digital System (IDS): Various systems from seven distinct departments (such as the ministries of road transport, railroad, customs, aviation, and foreign trade) will be digitally integrated.
• The Unified Logistics Interface Platform (ULIP) will result in improved cargo flow that is quicker and more seamless. Additionally, it will make it possible for confidential real-time information transmission.
• ULIP was created using data from the Logistics Data Bank Project of NICDC (National Industrial Corridor Development Corporation).
• Ease of Logistics (ELOG): The rules will be made simpler, which will make the logistics industry easier.
• System Improvement Group (SIG): routinely tracking and removing roadblocks from all logistics-related tasks.

Government action in other areas:

• The Commerce department now has a division for logistics.
• Gati Shakti Plan
• Hindustan Program (building about 84,000 Km of new highways).
• The Sagarmala Project aims to utilise the nation’s 14,500 km of navigable waterways and 7,5000 km of coastline.
• Railways: Routes for moving cargo.
• The Multimodal Transportation of Goods Act, 1993 (MMTG), was previously scheduled to be replaced by the National Logistics Efficiency and Advancement Predictability and Safety Act (NLEAPS)

Source The Hindu

 3 – Commonwealth Nations: Prelims Specific Topic

Context:

• In addition to the end of an era for the British monarchy, Queen Elizabeth II’s death, who ruled the United Kingdom for more than 70 years, also represents a turning point for the 14 Commonwealth states, of which she was the Head of State. The socioeconomic climate in these nations has changed significantly since the Elizabethan era, and numerous countries have made proposals to declare republics and dissolve their historical links to the British monarchy. Thus, it is feasible that additional countries will follow in the footsteps of Barbados, which in 2021 became the 18th nation to do away with the British monarch as head of state in favour of a national government functionary, during the reign of the current King Charles III, the Queen’s successor.

What is the History?

• Since the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, the socioeconomic climate of the 14 kingdoms countries has seen tremendous change.
• Several of these 14 nations demanded the creation of a republic in order to sever their historical links to the British monarchy.
• A republic is a system of government in which “the people and their elected representatives hold supreme power.”
• Therefore, it is possible that additional countries may follow Barbados’ example during the reign of the current King Charles III, the Queen’s successor.
• Barbados became the 18th nation in 2021 to do away with the British monarch as head of state and replace them with a member of the national government.

What does Commonwealth mean?

 About:

• The 56 nations that make up the Commonwealth of Nations were formerly British colonies.
• The 1949 London Declaration established it.
• The three European members of the organisation are Cyprus, Malta, and the U.K., despite the fact that members of the Commonwealth are primarily found in Africa, the Americas, Asia, and the Pacific, many of which have developing economies.
• Australia, Canada, and New Zealand are Commonwealth countries that have developed economies.

Realms and Republics:

• Republics and Realms are both part of the Commonwealth.
• Except for five nations—Brunei Darussalam, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malaysia, and Tonga—each a self-governing monarchy, the realms are headed by the British monarch, while the republics are controlled by elected governments.
• Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, the Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, the Solomon Islands, and Tuvalu are among the realms.

What role does the Commonwealth play in the modern world?

• The Commonwealth has maintained itself over time even after the decolonization of the British Empire, despite the fact that it may appear to be an out-of-date forum in the wake of the queen’s passing.
• The Commonwealth offers just such a forum in the era of multilateral diplomacy, as states seek a venue to voice their opinions, advance their interests, and influence international standards.
• The Commonwealth is run by the leaders of the free world; the monarch is merely the organization’s symbolic head.
• Queen Elizabeth travelled frequently to meet with the leaders of Commonwealth countries all over the world, and she was instrumental in promoting the organisation and preserving the group’s importance during her reign.

What is the Commonwealth’s Future?

• In the future, it’s conceivable that Australia, New Zealand, and the Bahamas will all become republics.
• Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Grenada, Jamaica, and Saint Kitts and Nevis are the other five Caribbean countries whose governments have indicated that they intend to take similar actions.
• Therefore, it is not improbable that after the passing of Queen Elizabeth, the Commonwealth states may become an anachronism and countries who experienced colonialism in the past, with all of the associated brutality and resource extraction, may advance to become republics.

Source The Hindu

 4 – INS Vikrant: Prelims Specific Topic

Context:

• According to senior shipyard officials, the Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL), which built the indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant, must finish installing the Long Range Surface to Air Missile (LR-SAM) system and the MF-STAR (multi-functional digital active electronically scanned array) radar. According to the Navy, aviation trials will probably start by November.
• INS The Cochin Shipyard (CSL) in Kochi, Kerala, constructed Vikrant (IAC-I), the first aircraft carrier built in India and the first of its class, for the Indian Navy. The ship’s motto is Jayema Sam Yudhi Sprdhah, which is translated as “I beat those who battle against me” and is borrowed from the Rig Veda.
• The ship is 262 m long, 62 m wide at its widest point, and 30 m deep when the superstructure is removed. There are a total of 14 decks, five of which are in the superstructure.
• It has a ski-jump and a Short Take-Off But Arrested Recovery (STOBAR) arrangement. The deck is made to allow carriers to operate from aircraft like the MiG-29K. Up to thirty aircraft, including up to 24 to 26 fixed-wing combat aircraft, notably the Mikoyan MiG-29K, are anticipated to be carried by it.
• On December 2, 2016, the navy rejected the HAL Tejas naval variant due to its weight. In addition to transporting 10 Westland Sea King or Kamov Ka-31 While the Sea King will be capable of anti-submarine warfare (ASW), the Ka-31 will perform the airborne early warning (AEW) function.
• Four General Electric LM2500+ gas turbines mounted on two shafts provide over 80 megawatts (110,000 horsepower) of power for Vikrant. Elecon Engineering created and provided the gearboxes for the carriers.
• Vikrant will have a gender-sensitive living environment and infrastructure once it is operational, with space for eight female officers. The ship will then have a total capacity of 1,645 people, including 196 officers.
• The Navy currently only possesses one carrier, the INS Vikramaditya, which was purchased from Russia for $2.3 billion and put into service in November 2013.
• After a combined total of more than 50 years of service to the British and Indian Navies, INS Viraat was recently retired from active duty. In keeping with that, when the brand-new INS Vikrant eventually joins the Navy in 2020, it will be the fourth aircraft carrier to protect the coastline of India. Every one of these carriers has increased in size, capacity, and sophistication, giving the Navy’s force projection greater fangs.
• With a fleet that included Westland Sea Kings, HAL Chetak, and Sea Harrier planes, the first Vikrant had a displacement of 20,000 tonnes. Vikramaditya moved 45,400 tonnes, while Viraat moved 28,500 tonnes. 40,000 tonnes will be displaced by the new Vikrant.

Relevance to India:

• An aircraft carrier is a command platform that symbolises “control” over enormous oceanic stretches and all other facets of maritime power. After the US, Russia, Britain, and France, India is the only other nation with the capabilities to produce indigenous aircraft carriers.

Source The Hindu