26 December 2022

DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS ANALYSIS

 1 – India Nepal Relationship GS II – Topic International Relations

Context:

• Pushpa Kamal Dahal, the head of the legislative branch of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre), was nominated prime minister of the Himalayan nation on Sunday by Nepalese President Bidhya Devi Bhandari.
• The President’s Office in Sital Nivas informed the public that Mr. Dahal, well known as “Prachanda,” would take the oath of office as Prime Minister on Monday at 4 p.m.

The Historical Ties: How are they going?

• Because of the geographical, historical, cultural, and economic ties that go back centuries, Nepal is a significant neighbour of India and holds a special place in its foreign policy.
• Given that Buddha was born in Lumbini, which is today’s Nepal, Hinduism and Buddhism have parallel ties to India and Nepal.
• The two nations have tight relationships through marriages and familial ties, colloquially known as Roti-Beti ka Rishta, in addition to sharing an open border and allowing unrestricted movement of people between them.
• The foundation of the unique ties that exist between India and Nepal is the India-Nepal Treaty of Peace and Friendship of 1950.
• What exactly is the 1950 Treaty of Peace and Friendship?
• In the two nations, Indian and Nepali nationals are to be treated equally in terms of residency, property, business, and mobility, according to the treaty.
• Additionally, it establishes national treatment for firms in both India and Nepal (i.e., once imported, foreign goods would be treated no differently than domestic goods).
• Nepal now has access to Indian-made weapons as well.

What is Nepal’s Importance to India?

• Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Sikkim, and Bihar are the five Indian states with which Nepal has a border. Consequently, a significant hub for commercial and cultural interchange.
• There are two ways to look at the significance for India:
• Their strategic value for the national security of India.
• Their position in the perspective of India’s function in world politics.
• Nepal, along with Bhutan, serves as a northern “borderland” flanks and functions as a buffer state against any potential assault from China. Nepal is located directly in the heart of India’s “Himalayan boundaries.”
• In terms of biodiversity and potential for hydropower, rivers that originate in Nepal feed the enduring river systems of India.
• Nepal is a popular pilgrimage destination for many Indians since it has a huge number of Hindu and Buddhist sacred sites.

What are the areas where the two countries cooperate?

• Trade and Economy: India is Nepal’s major trading partner, the largest source of foreign investment, and it serves as a transit country for nearly all of Nepal’s trade with third countries.
• The total value of bilateral trade in 2018–19 was INR 57,858 crore ($8.27 billion). While Nepal exported INR 3558 cr (US$ 508 mn) to India in 2018–19, India exported INR 54,300 cr (US$ 7.76 bn) to Nepal.
• Indian companies working in the manufacturing, banking, insurance, dry port, power, tourism, and other sectors.
• Connectivity: Tibet, which has very little road connectivity, is open on one side of landlocked Nepal, which is also encircled by India on three sides.
• In order to strengthen inter-personal connections and foster economic growth and development, India and Nepal have launched a number of connectivity initiatives.
• For the construction of an electric rail route connecting Kathmandu with Raxaul in India, MOUs have been signed by the two governments.
• Within the framework of trade and transit agreements, India is attempting to create inland canals for the flow of freight, giving Nepal more access to the sea under the name “connecting Sagarmatha (Mt. Everest) with Sagar” (Indian Ocean).
• Development Assistance: The Indian government helps Nepal grow, concentrating on building infrastructure at the local level.
• Infrastructure, health, water resources, education, and rural and community development are among the areas of aid.
• Defense Cooperation: Through the provision of equipment and training, bilateral defence cooperation helps the Nepalese Army modernise.
• The Indian Army’s Gorkha Regiments are partially staffed via recruiting in Nepal’s hill areas.
• Since 2011, India and Nepal have participated in a joint military exercise called Surya Kiran.
• Cultural: Initiatives have been made to encourage interpersonal connections between various local organisations in Nepal in the fields of academia, media, and art & culture.
• For the twinning of Kathmandu-Varanasi, Lumbini-Bodhgaya, and Janakpur-Ayodhya, India has signed three sister-city agreements.
• Nepal continues to be the largest beneficiary of humanitarian aid from India since it is located in an ecologically fragile area where earthquakes and floods can cause significant damage to property and human lives.
• Indian Community: There are a significant number of Indians living in Nepal, including entrepreneurs, traders, physicians, engineers, and workers (including seasonal and migrant workers in the construction industry).
• Multilateral Partnership: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, and Nepal (BBIN), the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), the Non-Aligned Movement, and the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation are just a few of the multilateral forums that India and Nepal are members of.

What recent developments have there been?

• The cabinet also approved investments totaling 1236 crore for the Arun-3 hydroelectric project in 2019.
• On the Arun River in Eastern Nepal, there is a run-of-river hydroelectric plant called Arun-3 (900 MW).
• Build Own Operate and Transfer (BOOT): A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the project’s execution on a Build Own Operate and Transfer (BOOT) basis for a period of 30 years, including five years of the construction period, was signed between the Government of Nepal and Sutlej Jal Vikas Nigam (SJVN) Limited in 2008.
• India’s International Centre for Buddhist Culture and Heritage is currently being built in the Lumbini Monastic Zone. The India Prime Minister performed the “shilanyas” ritual to kick off construction while he was in town.
• The centre will be a top-notch establishment that will welcome pilgrims and visitors from all over the world to experience the essence of Buddhism’s spiritual qualities.
• The building is designed to serve scholars and Buddhist pilgrims who travel to Lumbini from all over the world.
• Hydropower Projects: The two leaders signed five agreements, including one for the creation and execution of the 490.2 megawatt Arun-4 hydropower project between Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam (SJVN) Ltd and the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA).
• Additionally, Nepal asked Indian businesses to contribute to its West Seti hydropower project.
• Establishing a Satellite Campus: India has proposed to establish a Rupandehi-based IIT satellite campus and has forwarded draught memorandum of agreement for signature between Indian and Nepali universities.
• Projects such as the Pancheshwar Multipurpose Project, a crucial component of the 1996 Mahakali Treaty between Nepal and India, and the West Seti Hydropower Project, a reservoir-style project with a projected capacity of 1,200 megawatts, were discussed in Nepal.
• Cross-border Rail Link: The 35-kilometer rail line that runs from Jayanagar in Bihar to Kurtha in Nepal will be operationalized, and it will then be extended to Bijalpura and Bardibas.
• Another project is for the construction of a 90 km long, 132 kV double circuit transmission line that will run from Tila (Solukhumbu) to Mirchaiya (Siraha), not far from the Indian border.
• Multilateral Projects: Other agreements were also struck to ensure continuous deliveries of petroleum products between Indian Oil Corporation and Nepal Oil Corporation and to provide technical cooperation in the railway industry. Nepal was also admitted to the International Solar Alliance.

What are the difficulties?

• Territorial Issues: The Kalapani boundary dispute is one of the major obstacles to improving relations between India and Nepal. These borders were established by the British in 1816, and in 1947, India took over the territory over which the British had exercised territorial sovereignty.
• While 98% of the border between India and Nepal was marked, Susta and Kalapani were still up in the air.
• In 2019, Nepal published a new political map that included the Uttarakhand regions of Kalapani, Limpiyadhura, and Lipulekh as well as the Bihar region of Susta.
• Problems with the Treaty of Friendship and Peace: The Nepali government requested the 1950 Treaty of Peace and Friendship in 1949 to maintain the unique relations it had with British India, as well as to grant them an open border and the ability to work in India.
• Today, however, it is seen as a manifestation of an unequal relationship and an imposent by Indians.
• Since the middle of the 1990s, it has sometimes and haltingly been mentioned in Joint Statements that it needs to be revised and updated.
• The Irritant of Demonetisation India revoked large value (Rs 1,000 and Rs 500) currency notes totaling Rs 15.44 trillion in November 2016. More than Rs 15.3 trillion worth of new currency has been returned as of late.
• Nevertheless, a large number of Nepalese citizens who were legally permitted to possess Rs 25,000 in Indian money were left out in the cold.
• The central bank of Nepal, the Nepal Rashtra Bank, has assets at Rs 7 crore, while the estimated value of public holdings is Rs 500 crore.
• The undetermined outcome of the report submitted by the Eminent Persons Group (EPG) and India’s unwillingness to accept demonetised currency at the Nepal Rastra Bank have not helped to improve India’s standing in Nepal.

China’s Intervention:

• As India’s influence over Nepal has waned in recent years, China has progressively stepped in with loans, investments, and other forms of assistance.
• As part of its broad aspirations to increase international trade, China views Nepal as a crucial partner in its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and wants to invest in Nepal’s infrastructure.
• Nepal’s status as a buffer state between China and India may be weakened by growing collaboration between the two countries.
• China, on the other hand, wants to prevent any anti-Chinese sentiment among the Tibetans who reside in Nepal.
• Internal Security: This is a huge issue for India because the Indo-Nepal border is mostly unguarded and used as a recruiting ground for terrorist organisations and rebel groups from the country’s North East.
• Differences between ethnicity and trust: The trust gap between India and Nepal has gotten worse over time as a result of India’s reputation for putting off the start of different projects.
• Some ethnic groups in Nepal harbour animosity toward India because they believe that India interferes with their political independence and shows excessive courtesy to them.

What might the future hold?

• Dialogues for Territorial Disputes: Today, it is important to steer clear of territorial nationalist rhetoric in favour of establishing a low-key debate in which both parties exhibit tact while they consider their options. For the neighbourhood first policy to take hold, India must be a considerate and giving partner.
• Under the auspices of international law on trans-boundary water disputes, the matter shall be arbitrated through diplomatic negotiations.
• The resolution of the boundary issue between India and Bangladesh should be used as a guide in this situation.
• Sensitization to Nepal: India should be more proactive in its dealings with Nepal on a political, bureaucratic, and interpersonal level.
• In the meantime, India should steer Nepal toward more inclusive discourse in the spirit of friendship while continuing its policy of staying out of Nepal’s domestic affairs.
• Strengthening Economic Relations: India and Nepal must be able to develop trust through the power trade deal. Even if more solar energy projects are being built in India, hydropower is the only energy source that can meet the country’s peak demand.
• By purchasing electricity from Nepal, India would be able to control its peak demand and avoid spending billions of dollars on the construction of new power facilities, many of which would emit pollution.

Source The  Hindu

2 – NGT: GS II – Topic Statutory and Non-Statutory Bodies

Context:

• According to a study from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) in November but made public this week, the number of polluted lengths in India’s rivers has decreased from 351 in 2018 to 311 in 2022 despite the number of most polluted sections remaining almost unchanged.

About:

• NGT stands for National Green Tribunal.
• It is a specialised organisation established under the National Green Tribunal Act of 2010 to dispose of environmental protection and the preservation of forests and other natural resources matters effectively and quickly.
• With the creation of the NGT, India became the first developing nation and third country in the world (after Australia and New Zealand) to establish a specialised environmental tribunal.
• Within six months after the application or appeal’s submission, the NGT is required to render a final decision.
• The NGT meets in five locations; New Delhi serves as its principal location, with the other four locations being Bhopal, Pune, Kolkata, and Chennai.

What Does NGT’s Structure Look Like?

• The Chairperson, Judicial Members, and Expert Members make up the Tribunal. They cannot be reappointed and must serve for a term of three years or until they reach the age of 65, whichever comes first.
• In conjunction with the Chief Justice of India, the Central Government appoints the Chairperson (CJI).
• The federal government will establish a selection committee to choose the judicial members and expert members.
• The tribunal must have a minimum of 10 and a maximum of 20 full-time judges and expert members.

 What are its authorities and domain?

• All civil matters containing significant environmental questions are within the Tribunal’s purview (including enforcement of any legal right relating to environment).
• In October 2021, the Supreme Court ruled that the National Green Tribunal (NGT) had the authority to address environmental matters nationwide as a “unique” forum with suo motu (on its own initiative) authority.
• According to SC, the NGT’s job is not just adjudicatory in nature; it must also carry out equally important preventative, ameliorative, or remedial roles.
• Being a statutory adjudicatory body like Courts, NGT has appellate jurisdiction to hear appeals in addition to initial jurisdiction side on filing of an application (Tribunal).
• The Code of Civil Procedure of 1908 does not bind the Tribunal; instead, it will be guided by the notions of “natural justice.”
• The concepts of sustainable development, precaution, and polluter pays must all be considered before making any decision or reward.
• In accordance with the Tribunal’s discretion, the NGT may issue an order to provide relief and compensation to those who have suffered environmental harm from pollution and other causes (including accidents involving the handling of hazardous substances), as well as to restore damaged property and the surrounding environment.
• A tribunal’s order, decision, or award may be carried out as a civil court’s decree.
• The NGT Act also outlines a system for penalties for non-compliance, including three years in prison, a fine up to 10 crore rupees, and both.
• Within ninety days of the date of communication, a person may appeal an NGT order, decision, or award to the Supreme Court.

What are NGT’s advantages?

• The NGT has established itself as a key player in environmental control throughout time, issuing stringent directives on everything from waste management to deforestation to pollution.
• NGT provides a route for the development of environmental law by establishing an alternative conflict settlement system.
• It lessens the burden of environmental litigation in the higher courts.
• NGT is a quicker, less expensive, and less official means to settle environmental issues.
• It is essential for reducing actions that harm the environment.
• Since the Chairperson and the members are not up for reappointment, they are likely to make decisions independently and without caving to outside pressure.
• The tight adherence to the Environment Impact Assessment procedure has been made possible thanks in large part to the NGT.

What are the Difficulties Affecting NGT’s Operation?

• The Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972 and the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act of 2006 are two significant laws that fall beyond the purview of the NGT. Due to the important forest rights issue being closely related to the environment, this limits the NGT’s authority and occasionally interferes with its ability to function.
• With many stating that a High Court is superior to the NGT since it is a “constitutional body while NGT is a statutory body,” the NGT judgements are being contested in several High Courts under Article 226 (authority of High Courts to issue certain writs). Although the NGT Act states that a decision may be appealed to the Supreme Court, this is one of the Act’s shortcomings because it is unclear what decisions may be challenged.
• Due to their effects on economic growth and development, NGT decisions have also drawn criticism and challenges.
• The tribunal has also come under fire for not using a formula-based process to determine the compensation.
• Neither the government nor the stakeholders fully comply with the NGT’s rulings. Its choices are occasionally pointed out as being impractical to implement within a specified timeframe.
• The NGT’s stated goal of disposing of appeals within six months has been undermined by the huge case backlog caused by a lack of human and financial resources.
• The insufficient number of regional benches also interferes with the delivery of justice.

What are the NGT’s Important Landmark Decisions?

• A Memorandum of Understanding was signed by the Odisha government and the South Korean steelmaker POSCO in 2012 to establish a steel project.
• The NGT postponed the law, which was seen as a bold move in support of the nearby towns and forests.
• The most significant case pertaining to solid waste management in India is the 2012 Almitra H. Patel vs. Union of India case, in which the NGT issued a ruling completely forbidding open burning of rubbish on lands, including landfills.
• Alaknanda Hydro Power Co. Ltd. was compelled to compensate the petitioner in the Uttarakhand floods case in 2013; in this case, the NGT specifically cited the “polluter pays” principle.
• The National Green Tribunal (2013) stopped a $6,400 crore hydro project to save a bird’s habitat in the Save Mon Federation v. Union of India case.
• All diesel vehicles older than ten years will no longer be allowed to operate in Delhi-NCR, the NGT ruled in 2015.
• The NGT invalidated an EIA 2006 notification amendment from December 2016 because it was seen to be a “ploy” (by the government) to get around the regulations. The amendments essentially intended to give local authorities the authority to award environmental clearance to builders.
• Numerous illegally granted projects, including the Aranmula Airport in Kerala, the Lower Demwe Hydro Power Project, Nyamnjangu in Arunachal Pradesh, mining projects in Goa, and coal mining projects in Chhattisgarh, were either cancelled or given new assessments.
• The Yamuna Food Plain’s Art of Living Festival was found to have violated environmental standards in 2017, and the NGT panel assessed a penalty of Rs. 5 crore.
• In 2017, the NGT issued a temporary ban on plastic bags in Delhi that were less than 50 microns thick because “they were killing animals, clogging sewers, and damaging the environment.”

Source The  Hindu

3 – River Pollution: GS III – Topic Environmental Conservation

Context:

• According to a study from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) in November but made public this week, the number of polluted lengths in India’s rivers has decreased from 351 in 2018 to 311 in 2022 despite the number of most polluted sections remaining almost unchanged.

Facts:

• In India, 351 river sections were found to be polluted in 2018 according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
• The most river sections that are contaminated are in Maharashtra.

Reasons for contaminated river segments include:

• Discharge of sewage from cities, municipalities, and industrial effluents that hasn’t been fully or completely treated into the catchments where they originated.
• Issues with sewage and wastewater treatment plants’ operation and upkeep.
• Inadequate dilution
• Solid waste disposal along riverbanks
• Various other non-point causes of pollution Pollutants that are released from diffuse sources or a greater region, such as highways, streets, grazing grounds, building sites, abandoned mines and pits, and agricultural runoff.
• Between-treatment sewage generation and generation: The delay between sewage production and treatment continues to be a significant point source for the rise in river pollution.
• According to a report released by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the country’s estimated daily sewage production from metropolitan areas is 72,368 million litres (MLD), compared to the 31,841 MLD daily sewage treatment capacity.
• Polluted river lengths are a problem that has been made worse by rapid industrialization and urbanisation.

Actions the government has taken:

• National Water Quality Monitoring Programme (NWMP): Under the National Water Quality Monitoring Programme, the CPCB has been working with State Pollution Control Boards and committees in various states and Union territories to monitor the water quality of rivers and other water bodies across the nation.
• The treatment of sewage and industrial effluents to the required standards before discharge into water bodies, coastal waters, or land is the duty of the states / UTs and local bodies. River cleaning / rejuvenation is a continuous process.
• Namami Gange and the NRCP: The Union ministry supports state and local government operations. Through the Central Sector Namami Gange Scheme for rivers in the Ganga basin and the Centrally Sponsored National River Conservation Plan (NRCP) Scheme for other rivers, it offers financial and technical assistance for the reduction of pollution in designated stretches of rivers throughout the nation.
• NRCP: The Ganga Action Plan (GAP), which was introduced in 1985, was the catalyst for the nation’s river cleanup initiative. In 1995, the National River Conservation Plan (NRCP) added additional rivers to the Ganga Action Plan.
• Through the execution of pollution abatement measures, the NRCP seeks to improve the water quality of the rivers, which are the main water sources in the nation.

Source  The Hindu

4 – Omicron Variant: Prelims Specific Topic

Context:

• Up until this point: Since the original COVID-19 epidemic in Wuhan, China, in 2019, there have been numerous further waves of COVID-19 infections around the world. These waves have been primarily fueled by the newly emerging variants of concern (VOCs) of the causal virus, SARS-CoV-2. But up until recently, China was successful in keeping the disease under control thanks to its fervent “zero-COVID” policy, which includes widespread lockdowns, huge quarantines, and early vaccination campaigns. The unexpected reversal of the policy has led to an increase in COVID-19 cases across the nation.

What is the Coronavirus’ BF.7 Variant?

• The predominant viral strain in China is BF.7, an Omicron subvariant that has been around for more than a year.
• There are already more than 500 different Omicron sub-variants available.
• The BA.5.2.1.7, also known as BF.7, developed from the BA.5 sub-variant.
• It is not just China that has BF.7.
• In October 2022, it was the cause of more than 5% of illnesses in the US and more than 7% of cases in the UK.
• As the main stem of the SARS-CoV-2 tree sprouts branches and sub-branches, so do viruses when they change, creating lineages and sub-lineages.
• According to a study, the BF.7 sub-variant is 4.4 times more resistant to neutralisation than the original D614G variant, which means that in a lab setting, antibodies from vaccinated or infected people were less likely to eliminate BF.7 than the original Wuhan virus that broke out globally in 2020.
• A variant is more likely to propagate in a population and supplant other variants if it has a higher neutralisation resistance.

How Do New Variants Develop?

• A virus doesn’t always succeed in creating an exact duplicate of itself when it multiplies.
• As a result, the virus’ genetic sequence may begin to gradually diverge over time.
• A mutation is any alteration to the viral genomic sequence that occurs throughout this process.
• Viruses having fresh mutations are occasionally referred to as Variants. Variants might differ by a single mutation or several.
• It is frequently referred to as a new strain of the virus when a new variety develops in a population and differs functionally from the original virus.
• Although not all variants are strains, all strains are variants.

 Source The Hindu