[WpProQuiz 425]

Prelims Spotlight is a part of “Nikaalo Prelims 2020” module. This open crash course for Prelims 2020 has a private telegram group where PDFs and DDS (Daily Doubt Sessions) are being held. Please click here to register.

Important International Economic Organizations

---

25 April 2020 

Bank for International Settlements (BIS)

• Bank for International Settlements (BIS) – is an intergovernmental organization of central banks which “fosters international monetary and financial cooperation and serves as a bank for central banks.”
• It is not accountable to any national government.
• The mission of the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) is to serve central banks in their pursuit of monetary and financial stability, to foster international cooperation in those areas and to act as a bank for central banks.
• The Basel Committee for Banking Supervision (BCBS), while technically separate from the BIS, is a closely associated international forum for financial regulation that is housed in the BIS’ offices in Basel, Switzerland
• The BCBS is responsible for the Basel Accords, which recommend capital requirements and other banking regulations that are widely implemented by national governments.
• The BIS also conducts research on economic issues and publishes reports.

European Central Bank (ECB)

• The European Central Bank (ECB) is the central bank responsible for monetary policy of those European Union (EU) member countries which have adopted the euro currency.
• This region is known as the eurozone and currently comprises 19 members.
  The principal goal of the ECB is to maintain price stability in the euro area, thus helping preserve the purchasing power of the euro.
• The European Central Bank (ECB) is headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. It has been responsible for monetary policy in the Euro area since January 1, 1999.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• The European Central Bank (ECB) is the central bank of the combined Eurozone.
• The ECB coordinates EU monetary policy, including setting the region’s target interest rates and controlling the supply of the Euro common currency.
• The ECB’s primary mandate is to achieve price stability through low inflation.

International Monetary Fund (IMF)

• The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is the inter-governmental organisation established to stabilize the exchange rate in the international trade.
• It helps the member countries to improve their Balance of Payment (BOP) condition thorough the adequate liquidity in the international market, promote the growth of global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade.
• It is one of the Bretton woods twins, which came into existence in 1945, is governed by and accountable to the 189 countries that make up its near-global membership.

Objectives of IMF:

• To promote international monetary co-operation.
• To ensure balanced international trade
• To ensure exchange rate stability
• To eliminate or to minimize exchange restrictions by promoting the system of multilateral payments.
• To grant economic assistance to members countries for eliminating the adverse balance of payment
• To minimize the imbalances in quantum and duration of international trade.

IMF Quota & Voting Rights

• Quotas was assigned to member countries reflecting their relative economic power & credit deposit to IMF
• Subscription was to be paid 25% in gold or currency convertible into gold (effectively the dollar, which was the only currency then, still directly gold convertible for central banks) and 75% in the member’s own currency
• Members were provided voting rights in proportion to their quota, hence member countries with higher quota have a higher say at IMF

Special Drawing Rights

• Special drawing rights (SDRs) are supplementary foreign exchange reserve assets defined and maintained by the International Monetary Fund (IMF)
• SDR is not a currency, instead represents a claim to currency held by IMF member countries for which they may be exchanged.
• The value of an SDR is defined by a weighted currency basket of four major currencies: the US dollar, the euro, the British pound, the Chinese Yuan and the Japanese yen
• The central bank of member countries held SDR with IMF which can be used by them to access funds from IMF in case of financial crises in their domestic market

Reverse Tansche

• A certain proportion of a member country’s quota is specified as its reserve tranche.
• The member country can access its reserve tranche funds at its discretion and is not under an immediate obligation to repay those funds to the IMF.
• Member nation reserve tranches are typically 25% of the member’s quota.

Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)

• Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is an inter-governmental organization founded in 1961 to accelerate economic progress and world trade.
• It is a very unique organization where 34 Democracies work together with market economies and 70 non-member economies promote economic growth, prosperity, and sustainable development.
• The setting of the OECD reflects the peripheral discussion forum based on the policy research and analysis that helps governments in order to shape their policies that may lead to a formal agreement among member governments or be acted on in domestic or other international stages.
• Most OECD members are high-income economies with a very high Human Development Index (HDI) and are regarded as developed countries.
• The OECD headquarters at Paris, France. The OECD is funded by contributions from member states.

United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)

• The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) was established in 1964. It is an intergovernmental body of the United Nations Generally Assembly for promoting the development-friendly integration of developing countries into the world economy.
• UNCTAD grew from the view that existing institutions like GATT (now WTO), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and World Bank were not properly organized to handle the particular problems of developing countries.

Functions of UNCTAD

• UNCTAD Objective is to maximize the trade, investment and development opportunities of developing countries and assist them in their efforts to integrate into the world economy on an equitable basis.
• It functions as a forum for intergovernmental deliberations, supported by discussions with experts and exchanges of experience, aimed at consensus building.
• It undertakes research, policy analysis and data collection for the debates of government representatives and experts.
• It provides technical assistance tailored to the specific requirements of developing countries, with special attention to the needs of the least developed countries and of economies in transition.

United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP)

• The Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) serves as the United Nations’ regional hub promoting cooperation among countries to achieve inclusive and sustainable development.
• Established in 1947 with its headquarters in Bangkok, Thailand.
• The largest regional intergovernmental platform with 53 Member States and 9 associate members, ESCAP has emerged as a strong regional think-tank offering countries sound analytical products that shed insight into the evolving economic, social and environmental dynamics of the region.
• The Commission’s strategic focus is to deliver on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which is reinforced and deepened by promoting regional cooperation and integration to advance responses to shared vulnerabilities, connectivity, financial cooperation and market integration.
• ESCAP’s research and analysis coupled with its policy advisory services, capacity building and technical assistance to governments aims to support countries’ sustainable and inclusive development ambitions

UN-ESCAP providing results-oriented projects, technical assistance and capacity building to member States in the following areas:

• Macroeconomic Policy, Poverty Reduction and Financing for Development
• Trade, Investment and Innovation
• Transport
• Environment and Development
• Information and Communications Technology and Disaster Risk Reduction
• Social Development
• Statistics
• Subregional activities for development
• Energy

United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA)

• United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) was established by the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations (UN) in 1958 as one of the UN’s five regional commissions, ECA’s mandate is to promote the economic and social development of its member States, foster intra-regional integration, and promote international cooperation for Africa’s development.
• Made up of 54 member States, and playing a dual role as a regional arm of the UN and as a key component of the African institutional landscape, ECA is well-positioned to make unique contributions to address the Continent’s development challenges.
• ECA’s strength derives from its role as the only UN agency mandated to operate at the regional and subregional levels to harness resources and bring them to bear on Africa’s priorities. T
• o enhance its impact, ECA places a special focus on collecting up to date and original regional statistics in order to ground its policy research and advocacy on clear objective evidence; promoting policy consensus; providing meaningful capacity development; and providing advisory services in key thematic fields.

ECA’s thematic areas of focus are as follows:

Macroeconomic Policy
Regional Integration and Trade
Social Development
Natural Resources
Innovation and Technology
Gender
Governance
Statistic

United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)

• The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) was set up in 1947 by ECOSOC. It is one of five regional commissions of the United Nations.
• UNECE’s major aim is to promote pan-European economic integration. UNECE includes 56 member States in Europe, North America and Asia. However, all interested United Nations member States may participate in the work of UNECE. Over 70 international professional organizations and other non-governmental organizations take part in UNECE activities.
• Providing legal frameworks and assistance activities through instruments like the UNECE Multilateral Environmental Agreements.
• Developing expertise and policy solutions in areas such as resource efficiency, environmental performance, environmental democracy, sustainable transport, sustainable energy, sustainable housing, green real estate markets, and sustainable forest products.
• Measuring sustainable development and improving capacities for environmental monitoring and assessment.
• Encouraging eco-innovations and green investment.
• Raising awareness to change behavioral patterns towards sustainable consumption and production, for example through the UNECE Strategy for
• Education for Sustainable Development.
• Developing green standards, for example the standards for cleaner and smarter vehicles developed by the World Forum for the Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations.
• The Customs Convention on International Transport of Goods under Cover of TIR Carnets, 1975 (TIR Convention) is an international customs transit system under the auspices of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)
• India has become the 71st nation to join the United Nations TIR (Transports Internationaux Routiers) Convention.

World Bank Group

• The World Bank Group (WBG) is a family of five international organizations that make leveraged loans to developing countries.
• It is the largest and most famous development bank in the world and is an observer at the United Nations Development Group.
• Its five organizations are the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), the International Development Association (IDA), the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) and the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID).

The World Bank (IBRD)

• IBRD provides loans and other assistance primarily to middle income and poor but creditworthy countries at interest rates slightly lower than that offered by other financial institutions but with long term maturity<countries which have the capacity to repay the loan amount with interest>

Origins: IBRD, as the name suggests, was created in 1944 to help Europe reconstruct/ rebuild after World War II. To be a member of IBRD, a country has t join IMF first.

Main function:

• Long-term capital assistance to its member-countries for their reconstruction and development
• It works closely with the rest of the World Bank Group to help developing countries reduce poverty, promote economic growth, and build prosperity.

Other functions of IBRD Bank –

• Supports long-term human and social development that private creditors do not finance.
• Preserves borrowers’ financial strength by providing support in times of crisis, when poor people are most adversely affected
• Promotes policy and institutional reforms (such as safety net or anti-corruption reforms)
• Creates a favourable investment climate to catalyze the provision of private capital
• Facilitates access to financial markets often at more favorable terms than members can achieve on their own
• Resources of the Bank consist of the capital and borrowings.

 

International Development Association

• The International Development Association (IDA) is the part of the World Bank group that helps the world’s poorest countries.
• Overseen by 173 shareholder nations, IDA aims to reduce poverty by providing loans (called “credits”) and grants for programs that boost economic growth, reduce inequalities, and improve people’s living conditions.
• IDA complements the World Bank’s original lending arm—the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD). IBRD was established to function as a self-sustaining business and provides loans and advice to middle-income and credit-worthy poor countries.
• IBRD and IDA share the same staff and headquarters and evaluate projects with the same rigorous standards.
• IDA is one of the largest sources of assistance for the world’s 771 poorest countries, 39 of which are in Africa, and is the single largest source of donor funds for basic social services in these countries.
• IDA lends money on concessional terms. This means that IDA credits have a zero or very low-interest charge and repayments are stretched over 25 to 40 years, including a 5- to 10-year grace period. IDA also provides grants to countries at risk of debt distress.
• In addition to concessional loans and grants, IDA provides significant levels of debt relief through the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative and the Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative (MDRI).
• IDA’s work covers primary education, basic health services, clean water and sanitation, agriculture, business climate improvements, infrastructure, and institutional reforms.

IFC

Largest global development institution focused exclusively on the private sector in developing countries established in 1956

Objectives of the IFC

• To further economic development by encouraging the growth of private enterprise in member-countries
• Invests in private enterprise in member-countries in association with private investors and without a Government guarantee, in cases where sufficient private capital is not available on reasonable terms
• Seeks to bring together investment opportunities, private capital of both foreign and domestic origin, and experienced management
• Stimulates conditions conducive to the flow of private capital – domestic and foreign – into productive investments in member-countries
• IFC investment normally does not exceed 40% of the total investment of the enterprise.
• In case of its investment by equity participation, it does not exceed 25% of the share capital.

IFC and India

• IFC makes strategic investments and advisory interventions to promote inclusive growth, help address climate change impacts, and encourage global and regional integration
• In India, IFC is sharpening its focus on increasing access to energy, finance and healthcare; providing the sustainable infrastructure; and boosting regional linkages

Focus Areas –

Building infrastructure
Facilitating renewable energy generation
Promoting cleaner production, energy and water efficiency
Supporting agriculture for improved food security
Creating growth opportunities for small businesses
Helping reform investment climate

The Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA)

• It is an international financial institution which offers political risk insurance and credit enhancement guarantees. Such guarantees help investors protect foreign direct investments against political and non-commercial risks in developing countries.
• MIGA is a member of the World Bank Group and is headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States. It was established in 1988 as an investment insurance facility to encourage confident investment in developing countries.
• MIGA’s stated mission is “to promote foreign direct investment into developing countries to support economic growth, reduce poverty, and improve people’s lives”. It targets projects that endeavour to create new jobs, develop infrastructure, generate new tax revenues, and take advantage of natural resources through sustainable policies and programs.
• MIGA is owned and governed by its member states, but has its own executive leadership and staff which carry out its daily operations. Its shareholders are member governments which provide paid-in capital and have the right to vote on its matters.
• It ensures long-term debt and equity investments as well as other assets and contracts with long-term periods. The agency is assessed by the World Bank’s Independent Evaluation Group each year.

International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID)

• It encourages the flow of foreign investment to develop countries through arbitration and conciliation facilities
• Except for ICSID, India is a member of the other four groups <We don’t like external interference such as arbitration in our decision-making process, hence not the member of ICSID>

Let’s revise World Bank in brief

Name	Main Function	Comment
IBRD (WB)	Infrastructure loan to poor middle income but credit worthy countries at just below market rates	India founder member, largest recipient of loan
IDA	Soft loan at virtually zero rate for poverty eradication to poorest countries	India founder largest recipient, has crossed the per capita threshold for funding but will continue to receive IDA funds
IFC	Private sector arm of WB group, supports private enterprises in developing countries	India founder, IFC launched India’s offshore masala bond
MIGA	Provide a guarantee to investors against non-commercial political risk	India not a founding member
ICSID	Resolve disputes through arbitration and conciliation	India not a member

World Trade Organization (WTO)

• The WTO is an intergovernmental organization that is concerned with the regulation of international trade between nations.
• The WTO officially commenced on 1 January 1995 under the Marrakesh Agreement, signed by 123 nations on 15 April 1994.
• It replaced the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), which commenced in 1948.
• It is the largest international economic organization in the world.

Functions of WTO

• The WTO deals with regulation of trade in goods, services and intellectual property between participating countries.
• It provides a framework for negotiating trade agreements and a dispute resolution process aimed at enforcing participants’ adherence to WTO agreements, which are signed by representatives of member governments and ratified by their parliaments.

---

[WpProQuiz 401]

Prelims Spotlight is a part of “Nikaalo Prelims 2020” module. This open crash course for Prelims 2020 has a private telegram group where PDFs and DDS (Daily Doubt Sessions) are being held. Please click here to register.

Constitutional Developments under British/ British Administrative Measures

---

24 April 2020 

In India, the British Government passed various laws and acts before the formulation of the constitution. The Regulating Act of 1773 was enacted as a first step to regulate the working of East India Company. However, the Indian Independence Act, 1947 finally ended the British rule in India and declared India as an independent and sovereign nation with effect from August 15, 1947.

The Regulating Act of 1773

• The Regulating Act of 1773 was enacted as a first step to regulate the working of East India Company
• The Gov of Bengal was made Gov General of Bengal. He was assisted by 4 people. This 4+1 becomes became Supreme Council of Bengal also known as the GG’s Exec Council.
• A Supreme Court was established in Bengal comprising of a chief justice and three other judges

Pitts’s India Act, 1784

• We see a shrinking of the Council from 4 members to 3 members. Hence 3+1 is the renewed GG’s Executive Council.
• Board of control was established to control the civil, military and revenue affairs of the company
• The Court of Proprietors was no more empowered to revoke or suspend the resolution of the directors approved by the Board of Control.

Charter Act of 1833

• The Governor-General of Bengal was made the Governor-General of India. The first Governor-General of India was William Bentinck.
• He was given legislative powers over entire India including the Governors of Bombay and Madras.
• The company lost the status of a commercial body and was made purely an administrative body.
• This Act. was the first law to distinguish between the executive and legislative powers of the Gov General.
• A 4th member was introduced who could only discuss and vote only on the legislative matter.
• Council of India = [(3+1) +  1(4th member also called the Law Member)]
• The first such Law Member was Macaulay. This Council of India was, to a certain extent, the Legislature. Strength of the Executive remained 3+1 .

Charter Act of 1853

• From here on, we see a gradual increase in the membership of the Council and further separation of powers.
• Access to compete in civil services for Indians.
• It brought out the separation in the legislative and executive functions of the Governor-General’s council.
• The 4th member (Law Member)was included as a full-time Member in the GG’s Executive Council. His position was taken by 6 Members referred to as Legislative Councillors.
• Council of India = [(4+1) + 6(Legislative Councillors) + 1 Commander-in-Chief]
• 6 Councillors were,
  1. 1 Chief Judge of SC of Calcutta.
  2. 1 Judge of SC of Calcutta
  3. 4 members of the ICS

Government of India Act, 1858

• India was to be governed by and in the name of the crown through Viceroy, who would be the representative of the crown in India.
• The designation of Governor-General of India was changed to Viceroy. Thus, Governor-General Lord Canning became the first Viceroy of India
• Board of Control and Board of directors were abolished transferring all their powers to British Crown
• A new office ‘secretary of state was created with a 15 member council of India to assist him. Indian Councils Act, 1861
• The major focus of the act was on administration in India. It was the first step to associate Indians to legislation.
• The act provided that the viceroy should nominate some Indians as non-official members in the legislative council.
• The legislative powers of Madras and Bombay presidencies were restored.
  It provided for the establishment of legislative councils for Bengal, North-Western Frontier Province (NWFP) and Punjab.
• Viceroy was empowered to issue ordinances during an emergency without the concurrence of the legislative council.

Indian Councils Act of 1861

• After 1861, the Council was called Imperial Legislative Council(ILC) or Indian Legislative Council(ILC). The Executive was further enhanced by 1 member.
• The Viceroy now had the power to Nominate 6 – 12 Non-Official members in the Legislature who would be holding the office for 2 years.
• ILC = [(5+1) + (Additional Members -> Minimum 6, Maximum 12)]
• The composition of Additional Members was as follows:
  1. 50% Nominated Official Members
  2. 50% Nominated Non-Official Members
• The Act thus sowed the seed for the future Legislative as an independent entity separate from the Executive Council.

Indian Councils Act of 1892 

• Due to the excessive demand of the Congress, the Additional Members were increased. Additional Members -> Minimum 10, Maximum 12.
• ILC = [(5+1) + (Additional Members -> Minimum 10, Maximum 16)]

The composition of Additional Members was as follows:

• Nominated official members (those nominated by the Governor-General and were government officials)
• 5 Nominated Non-Officials (nominated by the Governor-General but were not government officials)
• 4 Nominated by the Provincial Legislative Councils of Bengal Presidency, Bombay Presidency, Madras Presidency and North-Western Provinces.
• 1 Nominated by the Chamber of Commerce in Calcutta.

Indian Councils Act of 1909: The Morley-Minto reforms

• It introduced for the first time the method of election.
• The additional members of the Governor-General Council were increased from 16 to a maximum of 60.
• The composition of Additional Members was as follows:
  1. Nominated official members (those nominated by the Governor-General and were government officials)
  2. Nominated non-official members (nominated by the Governor-General but were not government officials)
  3. Elected Members (elected by different categories of Indian people)
• It provided for the association of Indians in the executive council of the Viceroy and Governors. Satyendra Prasad Sinha joined the Viceroy’s executive council as a law member.
• It introduced Separate Electorate for Muslims.

Indian Councils Act of 1919: The Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms

• Central Legislature thereafter called the Indian Legislature was reconstituted on the enlarged and more representative character.
• The act set up bicameral legislatures at the centre consisting of two houses- the Council of the States (Upper House) and the Central Legislative Assembly (Lower House).
• It consisted of the Council of State consisted of 60 members of whom 34 members were elected and the Legislative Assembly consisted of about 145 members, of whom about 104 were elected and the rest nominated.
• Of the nominated members, about 26 were officials.  The powers of both the Chambers of the Indian Legislature were identical except that the power to vote supply was granted only to the Legislative Assembly.
• The central and provincial subjects were demarcated and separated.
• The Provincial subjects were further divided into Transferred Subjects and Reserved Subjects, the legislative council had no say in the latter. This was known as the system of Diarchy.
• The principle of separate electorate was further extended to Sikhs, Indian Christians, Anglo-Indians and Europeans.
• It provided for the appointment of a statutory commission to report the working of the act after ten years

The Government of India Act 1935

• It marked the next great stride in the evolution of the Legislatures.
• The Federal Legislature was to consist of two Houses, the House of Assembly called the Federal  Assembly and the Council of States.
• The Federal Assembly was to consist of 375 members, 250 to represent Provinces and 125 to represent the Indian States, nominated by the Rulers.
• The representatives of the Provinces were to be elected not directly but indirectly by the Provincial Assemblies.
• The term of the Assembly was fixed as five years.
• The Council of State was to be a permanent body not subject to dissolution, but one-third of the members should retire every three years.
• It was to consist of 260 members.  104 representatives of Indian States, six to be nominated by the Governor-General, 128 to be directly elected by territorial communal constituencies and 22 to be set apart for smaller minorities, women and depressed classes.
• The two Houses had in general equal powers but demands for supply votes and financial Bills were to originate in the Assembly.
• The principle of Separate Electorate was extended to depressed classes, women and workers.
• Provided for the formation of Reserve bank of India

Indian Independence Act, 1947

• The act formalized the Lord Mountbatten Plan regarding the independence of India on June 3, 1947.
• The Act ended the British rule in India and declared India as an independent and sovereign nation with effect from August 15, 1947.
• Provided for the partition of India into two dominions of India and Pakistan
• The office of Viceroy was abolished and a Governor-General was to be appointed in each of the dominions
• The Constituent Assemblies of the two dominions were to have powers to legislate for their respective territories.
• Princely states were free to join any of the two dominions or to remain independent.

---

Prelims Spotlight is a part of “Nikaalo Prelims 2020” module. This open crash course for Prelims 2020 has a private telegram group where PDFs and DDS (Daily Doubt Sessions) are being held. Please click here to register.

Important IR Pacts in News

---

23 April 2020 

Joint Press Statement 14th Meeting of India-France Joint Working Group on Counter-Terrorism

• India and France held the 14th Meeting of Joint Working Group on Counter-Terrorism in New Delhi on February 28, 2020
• Both sides condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and stressed the need for strengthening international cooperation to combat terrorism in a comprehensive and sustained manner.
• They exchanged views on current counter-terrorism challenges including countering radicalization, combating the financing of terrorism, preventing the use of the internet for terrorist purposes, threats posed by internationally designated terrorist entities as well as cross-border terrorism in South Asian region.
• Both sides stressed upon the need to deny safe havens and sources of financing to terrorists.
• It was decided that the next meeting of the Joint Working Group on Counter-Terrorism shall be held in France in 2021 on a mutually convenient date.

US-Taliban Pact

• The US and Taliban signed an agreement for “Bringing Peace to Afghanistan”, which will enable the US and NATO to withdraw troops in the next 14 months.
  The pact is between the “Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan which is not recognized by the United States as a state and is known as the Taliban” and the US.
• The four-page pact was signed between Zalmay Khalilzad, US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation, and Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, political head of the Taliban.

Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership

• Prime Minister Modi and President Trump pledged to deepen defence and security cooperation, especially through greater maritime and space domain awareness and information sharing; joint cooperation; exchange of military liaison personnel; advanced training and expanded exercises between all services and special forces; closer collaboration on co-development and co-production of advanced defence components, equipment and platforms; and partnership between their defence industries.
• Prime Minister Modi and President Trump resolved to enhance the security of their homelands through cooperation and to jointly fight international crimes like human trafficking, terrorism and violent extremism, drug-trafficking and crimes in cyberspace.

List of MoUs/Agreements exchanged and announced during State Visit of President of Portugal

• Memorandum of Understanding for Cooperation for Setting Up a National Maritime Museum
• Heritage Complex in Lothal (Gujarat) between Portuguese Ministry of Defence and the Indian Ministry of Shipping.
• MOU between Economic and Food Safety Authority (ASAE) and DPIIT, Ministry of Commerce or co-operation in the field of industrial and intellectual property rights Co-operation Agreement on Maritime Transport and Port Development between India and  Portugal.
• MoU between the Portuguese Diplomatic Institute and Foreign Service Institute for training

Israel-Palestine Peace Plan

• The Israel-Palestine peace plan or the West Asia peace plan is the proposal unveiled by U.S. President Donald Trump
• This plan seeks to address most of the contentious issues in the conflict.
• The solutions, Mr. Trump has proposed to almost all of these issues, favour the Israeli positions.
• He seeks to give to the Israelis, Jerusalem and part of the West Bank.
• With his plan, he is actually pushing to revive the stalled two-state talks between the Israelis and the Palestinians, but on his own terms.

What is the plan?

• The Palestinian refugees, who were forced out from their homes during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war that followed the declaration of the state of Israel in historic Palestine, would not be allowed to return.
• Jerusalem would be the undivided capital of Israel, with Palestine gaining its capital in the east of the city.
• In return, Israel would freeze further settlement activities on the West Bank for 4 years (the time for negotiations).
• During this period, the Palestinian Authority should dismiss its current complaints at the International Criminal Court against Israel and refrain itself from taking further actions.
• It should crack down on certain terrorist groups like the Hamas

US-Guatemala Asylum Deal

• In July 2019, the then President of Guatemala signed an asylum deal with the US.
• Under the “safe third country” agreement, migrants have to apply for asylum in the first country they land in.
• If they fail to do so and proceed to the second country, they can be sent back to the first country.
• The US first signed such an agreement with Canada in 2002.

What is the US-Guatemala agreement

• In 2019, the US administration signed “safe third country” agreements with the Northern Triangle countries of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras.
• This made it more difficult for refugees to seek asylum in the US.
• This agreement allowed the US to send asylum seekers from third countries to Guatemala.
• So far, Guatemala is the only country which has implemented the agreement.
• Unless migrants apply for protection in Guatemala before proceeding to the US, they are sent back to Guatemala

Indo-German Partnership

• German Chancellor Angela Merkel is the first foreign leader to visit India after Jammu and Kashmir was officially bifurcated into two Union Territories on October 31
• Germany and India signed 17 agreements and five joint declarations of intent in fields spanning space, civil aviation, maritime technology, medicine, yoga and education.

PM Modi’s Saudi Visit – Future Investment Initiative Forum

• The forum is formally called the Future Investment Initiative and was launched in 2017.
• The Indian PM will be joining Brazil’s president, Jair Bolsonaro, U.S. President Trump’s senior adviser and son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
• Other leading international figures also join at the annual international forum popularly known as “Davos in the Desert”.
• It seeks to elevate Saudi Arabia’s international economic engagement.
• It is part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s (MbS’s) efforts to rapidly transform Saudi the economy under the “Vision 2030” that he unveiled in 2016.

Mamallapuram Summit – India and China

• PM Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping recently held an informal summit in the ancient coastal town of Mamallapuram or Mahabalipuram in Tamil Nadu.
• The two countries convened their first Informal Summit in central China’s Wuhan in April 2018, where they exchanged views on issues of global and bilateral significance.
• Irrespective of the rhetoric of a Wuhan spirit, the relationship is facing difficulties, reflected in a number of disputes between the two countries.

Informal Summits

• Informal Summits act as supplementary exchanges to annual Summits and other formal exchanges such as the G20 Summit, EU-India Summit and the BRICS Summit among others.
• It allows for direct, free and candid exchange of views between countries, something that may not be possible to do through formal bilateral and multilateral meetings that are agenda-driven.
• Informal Summits may not take place on a fixed annual or biennial schedule; they are impromptu in the sense that they take place when a need for them is perceived by the concerned nations.

Wuhan Spirit

• Wuhan Spirit is in line with the five principles of peaceful coexistence (Panchsheel) jointly advocated by China and India in the 1950s.
• Wuhan Spirit highlighted To form the “backbone” of economic globalization, and they should jointly make positive contributions to global peace and development.
• To cooperate, for the first time ever, on a joint project in Afghanistan.
  China has indicated that India’s refusal to join the Belt and Road Initiative will not come in the way of economic cooperation.

Extradition Treaty between India and Belgium

• Recently, the Union Cabinet has approved the signing and ratifying of the Extradition Treaty between the Republic of India and the Kingdom of Belgium.
• This will replace the pre-Independence Extradition Treaty between Great Britain and Belgium of 1901 that was made applicable to India through the exchange of Letters in 1958.
• The Treaty provides a legal framework for seeking the extradition of terrorists, economic offenders, and other criminals from and to Belgium.

Multilateral Export Control Regimes

• MECR is voluntary and non-binding agreements created by the major supplier countries that have agreed to co-operate in their effort to prevent and regulate the transfer of certain military and dual-use technology.
• It aims at preventing the proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD).
• They are independent of the United Nations.
• Their regulations apply only to members and it is not obligatory for a country to join.
• India is now a member of three of the four MECRs, except the Nuclear supplier Group.

There are currently four such regimes under MECR

• The Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), for the control of nuclear-related technology.
• The Australia Group (AG) for control of chemical and biological technology that could be weaponized.
• The Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) for the control of rockets and other aerial vehicles capable of delivering weapons of mass destruction.
• The Wassenaar Arrangement on Export Controls for Conventional Arms and Dual-Use Goods and Technologies.

Joint Economic Trade Committee

• JETCO provides a forum to United Kingdom companies to enhance their links and develop new partnerships with India business and decision-makers.
  Government to Government negotiations, which address issues of market liberalization and market access, are conducted through the JETCO process.
• The UK India Business Council plays a key role in feeding the views of the UK business community into JETCO process with a view to achieving favourable outcomes for UK companies.
• One of the key objectives of the JETCO process is to unveil opportunities for London’s most prominent institutional investors to invest in India.

---

[WpProQuiz 424]

Prelims Spotlight is a part of “Nikaalo Prelims 2020” module. This open crash course for Prelims 2020 has a private telegram group where PDFs and DDS (Daily Doubt Sessions) are being held. Please click here to register.

National Parks, Biosphere Reserves, Wildlife Sanctuaries in India – Part 2

---

22 April 2020 

India is one of the 17 megadiverse countries of the world. With only 2.4% of the world’s land area, 16.7% of the world’s human population and 18% livestock, it contributes about 8% of the known global biodiversity, however, putting enormous demands on our natural resources. India is home to world’s largest wild tigers population and has a unique assemblage of globally important endangered species like Asiatic lion, Asian Elephant, One-horned Rhinoceros, Gangetic River Dolphin, Snow Leopard, Kashmir Stag, Dugong, Gharial, Great Indian Bustard, Lion Tailed Macaque etc. The following steps have thus been taken to protect and manage the wildlife of the country:

 

---

Prelims Spotlight is a part of “Nikaalo Prelims 2020” module. This open crash course for Prelims 2020 has a private telegram group where PDFs and DDS (Daily Doubt Sessions) are being held. Please click here to register.

Important Sessions of Indian National Congress

---

21 April 2020 

Important sessions of Congress

• 1885- 1st, Bombay, presided by W.C. Banerjee
• 1887- Badruddin Tyabji became 1st Muslim to preside over congress session
• 1907- Surat, Ras Bihari Ghosh not Bose, split in Congress between moderates and extremists
• 1916- Lucknow, Reunion on congress, Lucknow pact between Congress and Muslim league
• 1919 – Amritsar, Motilal Nehru Jallianwala Bagh Massacre is condemned
• 1920 – Nagpur C.Vijayraghavachair a new constitution for reorganized
• 1924 – Belgaum Mahatma Gandhi.
• 1927 – Madras M.A.Ansari, adoption of Independent Resolution, resolved to boycott the Simon Commission
• 1929- Lahore, J.L. Nehru, Purna Swaraj Resolution
• 1931- Karachi, Vallabh Bhai, Resolution on Fundamental Rights and National Economic Programme.
• 1936 – April, Lucknow Jawaharlal Nehru, urged the Congress to adopt Socialism as its goal
• 1938- Haripura, S.C. Bose, National Planning Committee under J.L. Nehru

Leaders of the session

• Womesh Chandra Bonnerjee was the president of the first session of the Indian National Congress.
• Annie Beasant was the first female President of the Indian National Congress.
• Sarojini Naidu was the first Indian woman president of the Indian National Congress.
• Badruddin Tyabji was the first Muslim President of the Indian National
  Congress.
• Rahimtulla Sayani was the second Muslim President of the Indian National
  Congress.
• George Yule was the first European President of the Indian National Congress.
• Dadhabhai Naoroji was the first Parsi President of the Indian National Congress.
• Sankaran Narayan was the first & the only Keralite President of the Indian National Congress Session.
• Hakim Ajmal Khan was the only person to be appointed as the President of INC, All India Muslim League & All India Khilafat Committee.

 

 

---

[WpProQuiz 423]

Prelims Spotlight is a part of “Nikaalo Prelims 2020” module. This open crash course for Prelims 2020 has a private telegram group where PDFs and DDS (Daily Doubt Sessions) are being held. Please click here to register.

Species in News

---

20 April 2020 

Trimeresurus Salazar

• Salazar’s pit viper belongs to the genus Trimeresurus Lacépède comprising “charismatic venomous serpents with morphologically as well as ecologically diverse species”.
• Pit vipers are venomous snakes distinguished by their heat-sensing pit organs between the eye and the nostril.
• The name was inspired by Salazar Slytherin, the co-founder of J.K. Rowlings’ fictional Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Himalayan Ibex

IUCN/WPA Status:    Least Concern / Schedule I

• Himalayan Ibex (Capra ibex sibirica) is widely found in arid and rocky mountain of Karakoram, Hindukush and Himalayas of Gilgit-Baltistan.
• The males are characterized by heavy body, large horns, long bears while females have small body small horns.
• The threats that Himalayan ibex face are the illegal hunting, human disturbance, habitat loss and competition for forage with domestic livestock.

Red Panda

IUCN Red List Status: Endangered

• The red panda (Ailurus fulgens) is a mammal native to the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China.
• Its wild population is estimated at fewer than 10,000 mature individuals and continues to decline due to habitat loss and fragmentation, poaching, and inbreeding depression.
• Despite its name, it is not closely related to the giant panda
• The animal has been hunted for meat and fur, besides illegal capture for the pet trade.
• An estimated 14,500 animals are left in the wild across Nepal, Bhutan, India, China and Myanmar.
• About 5,000-6,000 red pandas are estimated to be present in four Indian states – Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Sikkim and West Bengal.
• The diminishing habitat is a major threat to the species which is a very selective feeder and survives on selected species of bamboos.

About South Asia Wildlife Enforcement Network (SAWEN)

• SAWEN is a Regional network is comprised of eight countries in South Asia: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
• It aims at working as a strong regional intergovernmental body for combating wildlife crime by attempting common goals and approaches for combating illegal trade in the region.
• The South Asia region is very vulnerable to illegal traffic and wildlife crimes due to the presence of precious biodiversity and large markets as well as traffic routes for wildlife products in the south East Asian region.
• The collaboration in harmonizing as well as enforcing the wildlife protection in the region is considered very important for effective conservation of such precious biodiversity.
• India adopted the Statute of the SAWEN and became its formal member in 2016.

Swamp wallaby

IUCN Status: Least Concerned

• The swamp wallaby is a small macropod marsupial of eastern Australia. It is likely the only mammal pregnant and lactating all lifelong.
• Female wallabies and kangaroos have two uteri and two separate ovaries.
• At the end of a pregnancy in one uterus, a new embryo develops in the other uterus.
• Kangaroos and wallabies regularly have an embryo in the uterus, a young joey in the pouch, and a third semi-dependent young at foot, still drinking its mother’s milk.

How it is different from Kangaroo?

• In kangaroos, the new embryo is conceived a day or two after the previous birth.
• In the swamp wallaby (Wallabia bicolor), the new conception happens one or two days before the previous joey is delivered.

Eurasian Otters

• IUCN Status: Near Threatened
• Species in India: Smooth-coated, Asian small-clawed and Eurasian Otters
• Habitat: Smooth-coated — all over India; Asian small-clawed — only in the Himalayan foothills, parts of the Eastern and southern Western Ghats; Eurasian — Western Ghats and Himalayas.
• Diet comprises several small animals, mainly crabs and small fishes.
• Lives in small packs, is mostly nocturnal, but can be diurnal in areas which are less disturbed.

Thanatotheristes

• Tyrannosaurs were one of the largest meat-eating dinosaurs to have ever lived, with very large and high skulls, and the best known among them is the Tyrannosaurus rex, celebrated in the Jurassic Park series.
• The 79-million-year-old fossil that the researchers have found is the oldest tyrannosaur known from northern North America.
• Thanatotheristes preyed on large plant-eating dinosaurs such as the horned xenoceratops and the dome-headed colepiochephale.
• The research suggests that tyrannosaurs did not have one general body type; rather different tyrannosaur species evolved distinct body sizes, skull forms and other such physical features.
• The fossil specimen is important to understand the Late Cretaceous period, which is the period when tyrannosaurs roamed the Earth.

Flame-throated Bulbul

IUCN status: Least Concern

• The Flame-throated Bulbul is endemic to southern peninsular India where it is locally distributed in southern Andhra Pradesh, eastern Karnataka, Goa, Orissa, eastern Kerala and northern Tamil Nadu.
• It prefer habitats like rocky, scrub-covered hills mostly in the Eastern Ghats and central peninsular India but also in some places in the Western Ghats.
• It is a Schedule – IV bird under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

Archaea

• Archaea (singular archaeon) are a primitive group of microorganisms that thrive in extreme habitats such as hot springs, cold deserts and hypersaline lakes.
• These slow-growing organisms are also present in the human gut, and have a potential relationship with human health.
• They are known for producing antimicrobial molecules, and for anti-oxidant activity with applications in eco-friendly waste-water treatment.
• Archaea are extremely difficult to culture due to challenges in providing natural conditions in a laboratory setting.
• As archaea are relatively poorly studied, very little is known about how archaea behave in the human body.
• The organism has potential gene clusters that helps maintain the metabolism of the archaea to survive in extreme harsh conditions.

Steppe Eagle

• A lone endangered steppe eagle (Aquila nipalensis) has been sighted by a group of birdwatchers in a paddy field near Vijayawada.
• The Steppe Eagle is a migratory raptor which has undergone extremely rapid population declines within all its range.
• It breeds in Russia, Kazakhstan, and Mongolia during the winter season.
• Steppe eagle is the second-largest migratory eagle species to India.
• IUCN Status: It has moved from ‘Least Concern’ to ‘Endangered’

IVF of White Rhinos

• Researchers had created another embryo — the third — of the nearly extinct northern white rhino. This is seen as a remarkable success in an ongoing global mission to keep the species from going extinct.
• IVF is a type of assisted reproductive technology used for infertility treatment and gestational surrogacy.
• A fertilised egg may be implanted into a surrogate’s uterus, and the resulting child is genetically unrelated to the surrogate.
• Some countries have banned or otherwise regulate the availability of IVF treatment, giving rise to fertility tourism.
• Restrictions on the availability of IVF include costs and age, in order for a woman to carry a healthy pregnancy to term.
• IVF is generally not used until less invasive or expensive options have failed or been determined unlikely to work.

Types of Rhinos

• The northern white is one of the two subspecies of the white (or square-lipped) rhinoceros, which once roamed several African countries south of the Sahara.
• The other subspecies, the southern white is, by contrast, the most numerous subspecies of rhino, and is found primarily in South Africa.
• There is also the black (or hook-lipped) rhinoceros in Africa, which too, is fighting for survival, and at least three of whose subspecies are already extinct.
• The Indian rhinoceros is different from its African cousins, most prominently in that it has only one horn.
• There is also a Javan rhino, which too, has one horn, and a Sumatran rhino which, like the African rhinos, has two horns.

Greylag goose

• Greylag goose, a migratory specie was recently spotted in Telangana
• This is the third recorded sighting of the large-sized bird in Telangana, which makes it ‘eligible’ to be the latest addition to the State’s exhaustive list of birds.
• As per scientific and accepted norms, a species has to be seen three different times in three different places, or by three independent observers, before it can be accepted as an addition to a State’s list.
• The Greylag geese are common visitors to North India in winters, and are found mostly in wetlands there feeding generally on aquatic weeds and grass.
• IUCN Status: Least Concerned.

Chinese paddlefish

• The Chinese paddlefish (Psephurus gladius) was an iconic species, measuring up to 7 m in length, dating back from 200 million years ago, and therefore swimming the rivers when dinosaurs ruled the Earth.
• Its ancestral home was the Yangtze River.
• It was once common in the Yangtze, before overfishing and habitat fragmentation — including dam building — caused its population to dwindle from the 1970s onwards.
• Between 1981 and 2003, there were just around 210 sightings of the fish. The researchers estimate that it became functionally extinct by 1993, and extinct sometime between 2005-2010.

Senna spectabilis

• The Senna spectabilis species was planted as avenue trees in Wayanad. The vayal ecosystem (marshy land) of the forest area now has this plant in large numbers.
• The spread is posing a major threat to the forest areas of the reserve, owing to its quick growth and coppicing character.
• The tree species was found in nearly 10 sq km area of the 344.44 sq km sanctuary around five years ago.
• The plant has started to invade the adjacent Bandipur and Nagarhole tiger reserves in Karnataka and the Mudumalai tiger reserve in Tamil Nadu.
• Now, it had invaded to more than 50 sq km of the sanctuary Wayanad WLS.
• A recent study of the Ferns Nature Conservation Society recorded the presence of the plant in 78.91 sq km area of the sanctuary.

Locusts

• Locusts are certain species of short-horned grasshoppers that have a swarming phase.
• Swarming refers to a collective behaviour in which locusts aggregate together just like flocks of birds.
• These insects are usually solitary, but under certain circumstances they become more abundant and change their behaviour and habits, becoming grouped.
• They form bands of wingless nymphs which later become swarms of winged adults.
• Both the bands and the swarms move around and rapidly strip fields and cause damage to crops.
• The adults are powerful fliers; they can travel great distances, consuming most of the green vegetation wherever the swarm settles.

Bar-headed goose

• IUCN conservation status: Least Concern.
• The Bar-headed geese (Anser Indicus) are found in central China and Mangolia and they breed there.
• They start migration to the Indian sub-continent during the winter and stay here till the end of the season.
• They return to their homes by crossing the Himalayan ranges.
• Their migration has been a fascination for birders as they cross the Himalayas on one of the most high-altitude migrations in the world.

Himalayan gold’

• Caterpillar fungus (Ophiocordyceps Sinensis) is a fungal parasite of larvae (caterpillars) that belongs to the ghost moth.
• It is endemic to the Tibetan Plateau, including the adjoining high Himalaya (3,200-4,500 metres above sea level).
• It is locally known as Kira Jari (in India), Yartsagunbu (in Tibet), Yarso Gumbub (Bhutan), Dong Chong Xia Cao (China) and Yarsagumba (in Nepal).
• In the Indian Himalayas, the species has been documented in the region from the alpine meadows of protected areas such as Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve, Askot Wildlife Sanctuary, Kanchendzonga Biosphere Reserve and Dehan-Debang Biosphere Reserve.

About Gangetic Dolphins

• The Gangetic river dolphins can only live in freshwater, are blind and catch their prey in a unique manner, using ultrasonic sound waves.
• These dolphins prefer deep waters and, as per WWF, they are distributed across seven states in India: Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal.
• Their numbers have dwindled in the last few decades mainly because of direct killing, habitat fragmentation by dams and barrages and indiscriminate fishing.

Protection status

• The Gangetic river dolphins were officially discovered in 1801 and are one of the oldest creatures in the world along with some species of turtles, crocodiles and sharks, a/c to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
• They once lived in the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna and Karnaphuli-Sangu river systems of Nepal, India, and Bangladesh, but are now mostly extinct from many of its early distribution ranges, as per WWF.
• In 2009, the Gangetic dolphins were declared India’s National Aquatic animal during the first meeting of the erstwhile National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA).
• It is placed under the “endangered” category by the IUCN.
• Additionally, the Gangetic dolphins have been included in Schedule -I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, which means they have the highest degree of protection against hunting.
• They are also one among the 21 species identified under the centrally sponsored scheme, “Development of Wildlife Habitat”.

Trachischium apteii

• It was found under fallen logs inside a thickly forested area of the Tally Valley Wildlife Sanctuary near the town of Ziro in Arunachal Pradesh during a field expedition by researchers in July 2019.
• It belongs to a group of fossorial snakes that live mostly underground, and surface mainly during or after a heavy monsoon shower.
• Due to the burrowing habits of species of this genus, snakes belonging to the group are seldom seen and hence remain poorly studied.
• This could have been one of the reasons that the species had eluded the researchers.

Pliosaurs

• Over 150 million years ago, enormous reptiles swam the Jurassic oceans.
• The largest aquatic carnivorous reptiles that have ever lived, they are often dubbed “sea monsters”.
• Scientifically, they are placed in the suborder Pliosauroidea, whose members are called pliosaurs.
• Interest in these giants has been revived with the recent discovery of their bones in a cornfield in the Polish village of Krzyzanowice. Remains of pliosaurs are rare in Europe.

What makes them special?

• They measured over 10 metres in length and could weigh up to several dozen tons.
• They had powerful, large skulls and massive jaws with large, sharp teeth.
• Their limbs were in the form of fins.

Swietokrzyskie Mountains

• The Swietokrzyskie Mountains are a mountain range in central Poland.
• In the Jurassic era, the Swietokrzyskie Mountains area is believed to have been an archipelago of islands, where there were warm lagoons and shallow sea reservoirs, home to the marine reptiles discovered by the palaeontologists.
• The locality where the remains were discovered is considered to be rich in the fossils of coastal reptiles. Researchers now hope to find more remains in the coming months.

 

---