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  • Digital India Initiatives

    5G revolution and challenges

    op-ed snap | Science Tech | Mains Paper 3: Awareness in various sc and tech fields

    5G revolution Context

    • Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently announced that 5G revolution deployment in India will commence sooner than expected.

    What is 5G technology?

    • 5G or fifth generation revolution  is the latest upgrade in the long-term evolution (LTE) mobile broadband networks.
    • 5G enables a new kind of network that is designed to connect virtually everyone and everything together including machines, objects, and devices.
    • It’s a unified platform which is much more capable than previous mobile services with more capacity, lower latency, faster data delivery rate and better utilisation of spectrum.

    How it evolved from 1G to 5G?

    • 1G: Launched in the 1980s. Analog radio signals and supported only voice calls.
    • 2G: Launched in the 1990s. Uses digital radio signals and supported both voice and data transmission with a Bandwidth (BW) of 64 Kbps.
    • 3G: Launched in the 2000s. With a speed of 1 Mbps to 2 Mbps it has the ability to transmit telephone signal including digitized voice, video calls and conferencing.
    • 4G: With a peak speed of 100 Mbps-1 Gbps it also enables 3D virtual reality.
    • 5G: with a speed of more than 1Gbps, it is capable of connecting entire world without limits.

    5G revolutionSalient features

    • Capability: 5G will provide much faster mobile broadband service as compared to the previous versions and will provide support to previous services like mission critical communication and the massive Internet Of Things (IoT).
    • Upgraded LTE: 5G is the latest upgrade in the long-term evolution (LTE) mobile broadband networks.
    • Speed: With peak delivering rate of up to 20 Gbps and an average of 100Mbps, it will be much faster as compared to its predecessors. The speed increment is partly achieved partly by using higher-frequency radio waves than previous networks.
    • Capacity: There will be up to 100 x increase in traffic capacity and network efficiency.
    • Spectrum usage: Will provide better usage for every bit of spectrum, from low bands below 1 GHz to high bands.
    • Latency: It’s expected to have lower latency with better instantaneous, real-time access of the data. The 5G, like 4G LTE, also uses Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) but the new 5G NR (New Radio) air interface will enhance OFDM and provide better flexibility in data delivery.


    5G revolutionApplications of 5G technology

    • High-Speed mobile network: 5G will revolutionize the mobile experience with supercharged wireless network. Compared to conventional mobile transmission technologies, voice and high-speed data can be simultaneously transferred efficiently in 5G.
    • Entertainment and multimedia: 5G can provide 120 frames per second, high resolution and higher dynamic range video streaming without interruption. Audiovisual experience will be rewritten after the implementation of the latest technologies powered by 5G wireless. Augmented Reality and virtual Reality services will be better experienced over 5G.
    • Internet of Things: IoT applications collects huge amount of data from millions of devices and sensors and thus requires an efficient network for data collection, processing, transmission, control and real-time analytics which 5G network is a better candidate.

    Interesting facts about 5G

    According to researchers, about 1.5 billion people will have access to 5G by 2024.

    It may not seem like it at present, however, 5G will cover about 40% of the world.

    The security risks introduced BY 5G

    • Increased attack surface: With millions and even billions more connected devices, 5G makes it possible for larger and more dangerous attacks. Current and future vulnerabilities of the existing internet infrastructure are only exacerbated. The risk of more sophisticated botnets, privacy violations, and faster data extraction can escalate with 5G.
    • More IoT, more problems: IoT devices are inherently insecure; security is often not built-in by design. Each insecure IoT device on an organization’s networks represents another potential hole that an attacker can expose.
    • Decreased network visibility: With 5G, our networks will only expand and become more usable by mobile users and devices. This means much more network traffic to manage. But without a robust wide area network (WAN) security solution like Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) in place, companies may not be able to gain the network traffic visibility required to identify abnormalities or attacks.
    • Increased supply chain and software vulnerabilities: Currently and for the foreseeable future, 5G supply chains are limited. Vulnerabilities exist — particularly as devices are rushed to market — increasing the potential for faulty and insecure components. Compared to traditional mobile networks, 5G is also more reliant on software, which elevates the risk of exploitation of the network infrastructure.

    Challenges in rolling out 5G

    • Enabling critical infrastructures: 5G will require a fundamental change to the core architecture of the communication system. The major flaw of data transfer using 5G is that it can’t carry data over longer distances. Hence, even 5G technology needs to be augmented to enable infrastructure.
    • Financial liability on consumers: For transition from 4G to 5G technology, one has to upgrade to the latest cellular technology, thereby creating financial liability on consumers.
    • Capital Inadequacy: Lack of flow of cash and adequate capital with the suitable telecom companies (like Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea) is delaying the 5G spectrum allocation.

    Way forward

    • India should not miss the opportunity and should proactively work to deploy 5G technology. We should focus on strengthening our cyber infrastructure.
    • 5G start-ups that enable this design and manufacturing capabilities should be promoted. This will spur leaps in the coverage, capacity and density of wireless networks.

    Conclusion

    • The recent recommendation of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India to the government to develop a national road map for India to implement 5G in the best possible manner should include cyber security concerns.

    Mains question

    Q. 5G is already transforming and enhancing connectivity. In this context Discuss India’s preparedness and cybersecurity challenges that needs to be taken care of for earlier roll out of 5G.

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  • International Space Agencies – Missions and Discoveries

    James Webb telescope : The most powerful space telescope

    op-ed snap | Science Tech | Mains Paper 3: Awareness in various sc and tech fields

    James Webb telescopeContext

    • Much of the universe remains unknown. The James Webb telescope will hopefully provide a powerful window to help resolve some of the cosmos’s many mysteries.

    What is James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)?

    • It is a space telescope being jointly developed by NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).
    • It has taken 30 years and $10bn to develop, and is being described as one of the grand scientific endeavors of the 21st Century.

    Where it is placed?

    • The James Webb Space Telescope will not be in orbit around the Earth, like the Hubble Space Telescope is – it will actually orbit the Sun, 1.5 million kilometres (1 million miles) away from the Earth at what is called the second Lagrange point or L2.

    Mission

    • It will be “a giant leap forward in quest to understand the Universe and our origins”, as it will examine every phase of cosmic history: from the Big Bang to the formation of galaxies, stars, and planets to the evolution of our own Solar System.

    james webb telescope Special features of JWST

    • Time machine in space: Powerful space telescopes, like JWST or the Hubble Telescope, are often called time machines because of their ability to view very faraway objects. The light coming from those objects, stars or galaxies, which is captured by these telescopes, began its journey millions of years earlier. Essentially, what these telescopes see are images of these stars or galaxies as they were millions of years ago. The more distant the planet or star, the farther back in time are the telescopes able to see.
    • Farthest from Earth: James Webb telescope will also be positioned much deeper into space, about a million miles from Earth, at a spot known as L2. It is one of the five points, known as Lagrange’s points, in any revolving two-body system like Earth and Sun, where the gravitational forces of the two large bodies cancel each other out.
    • Engineering marvel: JWST has one large mirror, with a diameter of 21 feet (the height of a typical two-storey building), that will capture the infra-red light coming in from the deep universe while facing away from the Sun.

    What is the goal of this telescope?

    • The telescope will be able to see just about anything in the sky.
    • However, it has one overriding objective – to see the light coming from the very first stars to shine in the Universe.
    • These pioneer stars are thought to have switched on about 100-200 million years after the Big Bang, or a little over 13.5 billion years ago.
    • James Webb telescope will be picking out groupings of these stars.

    james webb telescope Its significance

    • It is widely expected to unveil many secrets of the universe, particularly those related to the Formation of stars and galaxies in the early period the first few hundred million years after the Big Bang.
    • Some have called James Webb telescope  the “telescope that ate astronomy”.
    • It is said to look back in time to the Dark Ages of the universe.

    Conclusion

    • The universe is vast and most of it is unknown. We hope that the James Webb telescope, over its lifetime would provide us with a powerful window to help resolve some of the many mysteries of the cosmos and make it a little bit more comprehensible.

    Mains question

    Q. What is James Webb telescope experiment? Do you think it shades light on dark matter? Explain.  

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  • Police Reforms – SC directives, NPC, other committees reports

    What is National Automated Fingerprint Identification System (NAFIS)?

    Prelims Only | Science Tech | Mains Paper 2: Governance, Transparency & Accountability, Citizens Charters

    The Union Home Minister has inaugurated the National Automated Fingerprint Identification System (NAFIS).

    What is NAFIS?

    • NAFIS is developed by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) at the Central Fingerprint Bureau (CFPB) in New Delhi.
    • The project is a country-wide searchable database of crime- and criminal-related fingerprints.
    • The web-based application functions as a central information repository by consolidating fingerprint data from all states and Union Territories.
    • In April this year, Madhya Pradesh became the first state in the country to identify a deceased person through NAFIS.

    Utility of NAFIS

    • It enables law enforcement agencies to upload, trace, and retrieve data from the database in real time on a 24×7 basis.
    • It would help in the quick and easy disposal of cases with the help of a centralised fingerprint database.

    How does it work?

    • NAFIS assigns a unique 10-digit National Fingerprint Number (NFN) to each person arrested for a crime.
    • This unique ID will be used for the person’s lifetime, and different crimes registered under different FIRs will be linked to the same NFN.
    • The 2020 report states that the ID’s first two digits will be that of the state code in which the person arrested for a crime is registered, followed by a sequence number.
    • By automating the collection, storage, and matching of fingerprints, along with digitizing the records of fingerprint data, NAFIS will provide the much-needed unique identifier for every arrested person.
    • It will be included in the CCTNS (Crime and Criminal Tracking Network & Systems) database as both are connected at the backend.

    Is this the first time that such an automation project is being attempted?

    • Upon the recommendations of the National Police Commission in 1986, the Central Fingerprint Bureau first began to automate the fingerprint database.
    • It began with digitizing the existing manual records through India’s first Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFI) in 1992, called Fingerprint Analysis & Criminal Tracing System (FACTS 1.0).
    • The latest iteration, FACTS 5.0, which was upgraded in 2007, was considered to have “outlived its shelf life”, according to a 2018 report by the NCRB and thus needed to be replaced by NAFIS.

    Since when has India relied on fingerprinting as a crime-fighting tool?

    • A system of fingerprinting identification first emerged in colonial India, where it was tested before it spread to Europe and beyond.
    • At first, it was used by British colonial officials for administrative rather than criminal purposes.
    • William Herschel, the chief administrator of the Hooghly district of Bengal, from the late-middle 1800s onwards, used fingerprinting to reduce fraud and forgeries.
    • It then aimed to ensure that the correct person was receiving government pensions, signing land transfer deeds, and mortgage bonds.
    • Anthropometry, the measurement of physical features of the body, was used by officials in India but was soon replaced with a system of fingerprints.

     

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  • Nuclear Diplomacy and Disarmament

    Strong nuclear diplomacy brings opportunities for India

    op-ed snap | International Relations | Mains Paper 2: Important International Institutions,International Institutions

    nuclear diplomacyContext

    • The return of nuclear weapons on the global platform. After 1998, India premised its strategy on building ‘credible minimum deterrence’. The time has come to reflect on what is ‘credible’ and redefine what ‘minimum’ might be to strengthen nuclear diplomacy.

    Definition of nuclear diplomacy

    • Nuclear diplomacy deals with prevention of nuclear war and peacetime proliferation. It also deals with the use of threat of nuclear warfare to achieve diplomatic goals.

    nuclear diplomacyTheme of article

    • India, one of the world’s nuclear weapon powers, ought to be paying a lot more attention to the international nuclear discourse that is acquiring new dimensions and taking a fresh look at its own civilian and military nuclear programmes.
    • Nuclear cooperation has brought a new dimension to India’s nuclear diplomacy in the 21st India’s status as a responsible nuclear power is predicated upon the civil relationships in the nuclear domain that it has established with major powers.

    What is credible minimum deterrence?

    • Credible minimum deterrence is the principle on which India’s nuclear diplomacy is based. It underlines no first use (NFU) with an assured second strike capability and falls under minimal deterrence, as opposed to mutually assured destruction.

    nuclear diplomacyWhy do countries proliferate nuclear weapons?

    • Proliferation models centred on security concerns or dilemmas dominate nuclear literature.
    • Nuclear weapons provide an overwhelmingly destructive force that increases a state’s relative power in comparison to its neighbours.
    • It provides a powerful tool in an anarchic system where superpowers dominate other nation-states sovereignty.
    • Hence weaponizing helps establish a deterrence to prevent war.

    Why relook is needed?

    • Possessing nuclear weapons can confer India increased leverage to conduct foreign policy in both regional and international contexts.
    • There are two ways in which the possession of nuclear weapons can affect a state’s conduct of foreign policy and diplomacy.
    • The first involves military and strategic signalling. This includes military-oriented functions of deterrence, coercion, and brinkmanship.
    • The second, deals with non-military affairs.

    Way forward

    • It should be noted that India’s quest to be a “responsible nuclear state” has given it considerable diplomatic capital in the West.
    • It would be unfortunate for India to squander such gain owing to the lack of carefully considered foreign policy that leverages its nuclear status for its national interest.

    Conclusion

    • India’s civil nuclear engagements with the global community have strengthened its position in the global civil nuclear order, there is a need for the country to push for greater engagements with more key suppliers and stakeholders to fulfill its military nuclear potential and assert its status as a responsible nuclear state.

    Mains question

    Q. India has been a nuclear weapons state for 22 years. Has this affected India’s foreign policy in a direct manner? Express your views in context of the return of nuclear weapons on the global platform.

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  • Terrorism and Challenges Related To It

    Nationwide Crackdown on PFI

    | Security Issues | Mains Paper 3: Organized Crime & Terrorism

    pfi

    The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has launched a massive nationwide search operation in connection with anti-terror activities linked to the Popular Front of India-PFI.

    What is the Popular Front of India (PFI)?

    • The PFI was created in 2007 through the merger of three radicalists organisations in southern India, the National Democratic Front in Kerala, the Karnataka Forum for Dignity, and the Manitha Neethi Pasarai in Tamil Nadu.
    • A decision to bring the three outfits together was taken in November 2006 at a meeting in Kozhikode in Kerala.
    • The formation of the PFI was formally announced at a rally in Bengaluru during what was called the “Empower India Conference” on February 16, 2007.

    Agenda of the PFI

    • The PFI has projected itself as an organisation that fights for the rights of minorities, Dalits, and marginalised communities.
    • It has frequently targeted the alleged anti-people policies of the State even as these mainstream parties have accused one another of being in cahoots with the PFI to gather the support of Muslims at the time of elections.
    • The PFI has itself never contested elections.

    Parallel organizations to PFI

    • In 2009, a political outfit named Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) evolved out of the PFI, with the aim of taking up the political issues of Muslims, Dalits, and other marginalised communities.
    • The SDPI’s stated goal is advancement and uniform development of all the citizenry including Muslims, Dalits, Backward Classes and Adivasis and to share power fairly among all the citizens.
    • The PFI is a key provider of ground workers for the SDPI’s political activities.

    Why is PFI under crackdown?

    (1) Links to terror outfits

    • Many volunteers of PFI are allegedly involved in terror funding, organising training camps, and radicalising people to join proscribed organisations.
    • It has been involved in carrying out social and Islamic religious work among Muslims on the lines of the work done by right-wing groups.
    • The PFI does not maintain records of its members, and it has been difficult for law enforcement agencies to pin crimes on the organisation after making arrests.

    (2) Promoting Radicalization

    • The outfit is hostile to the consolidation across the country and the rise of a single non-secular party as the nation’s pre-eminent political and ideological force.
    • The post-2014 political landscape and the self-alienation of minorities has further pushed sections of the community towards groups like the PFI.
    • The outfit is also said to have a large number of supporters in Gulf countries who contribute handsomely to its kitty, something which is under the scanner of investigating agencies.

    (3) Hostility against state mechanism

    • Starting out as an organisation primarily rooted in Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, the PFI has spread its wings far and wide, with a presence in at least 18 states.
    • It has found particularly fertile ground in parts of Uttar Pradesh and Assam.
    • Authorities have accused the outfit of instigating and funding protests against the CAA and the National Register of Citizens.

    (4) Barbarism in the name of religion

    • The PFI has had the most visible presence in Kerala, where it has been repeatedly accused of murder, rioting, intimidation, and having links with terrorist organisations.
    • The Kerala government affidavit said PFI activists were involved in 27 cases of MURDER, mostly of CPM and RSS cadres, and that the motives were highly communal.

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  • Health Sector – UHC, National Health Policy, Family Planning, Health Insurance, etc.

    Rising number of Rabies case

    op-ed snap | Governance | Mains Paper 2: Health & Education

    rabiesContext

    • The death of a 12-year-old girl in Pathanamthitta has sharpened the focus on the rising number of rabies cases and the growing population of stray dogs in Kerala

    What is rabies?

    • The rabies virus attacks the central nervous system of the host, and in humans, it can cause a range of debilitating symptoms including states of anxiety and confusion, partial paralysis, agitation, hallucinations, and, in its final phases, a symptom called “hydrophobia,” or a fear of water.

    What are rabies caused by?

    • Rabies is a preventable viral disease most often transmitted through the bite of a rabid animal. The rabies virus infects the central nervous system of mammals, ultimately causing disease in the brain and death.

    Can rabies person survive?

    • Once clinical signs of rabies appear, the disease is nearly always fatal, and treatment is typically supportive. Less than 20 cases of human survival from clinical rabies have been documented.

    How long can a human live with rabies?

    • Death usually occurs 2 to 10 days after first symptoms. Survival is almost unknown once symptoms have presented, even with intensive care.

    rabiesFacts on rabies

    • What animal has the most rabies?
    • Bats
    • Wild animals accounted for 92.7% of reported cases of rabies in 2018. Bats were the most frequently reported rabid wildlife species (33% of all animal cases during 2018), followed by raccoons (30.3%), skunks (20.3%), and foxes (7.2%).

    rabiesWhat is the issue?                                  

    • There is a blame game over the rising rabies cases: With the rabies deaths causing panic and reports of residents killing stray dogs through poisoning and strangulation, there is a blame game over the rising canine population and rabies cases. Some legal experts blame it on conflicts in the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 and the Animal Birth Control (Dogs) Rules, 2001; others point to the flawed implementation of birth control measures.
    • Legal battle over the issue in the Supreme Court: Canine culling campaigners and advocates of animal rights are also engaged in a protracted legal battle over the issue in the Supreme Court. V.K. Biju, a lawyer of the Supreme Court, who brought the issue of the “stray dog menace” before the apex court, contends that the root cause is the enactment of the Rules, which according to him, were passed in contravention of the parent Act, the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act.
    • Existence of stray dogs has adversely affected the fundamental rights of citizens: Biju says that while the Act stands for the “destruction” of stray dogs, the rules are against the “destruction” of stray dogs, including the rabies affected ones, besides providing specific protection of stray dogs. In his submission before the Supreme Court, he argues that the existence of stray dogs has adversely affected the fundamental rights of citizens, i.e. the right to life and free movement.
    • The quashing of the Rules to make India free of stray dogs: In his writ petition filed before the apex court, Biju has sought orders for the strict implementation of the Act and the quashing of the Rules to make India free of stray dogs.
    • Animal rights campaigners are apprehensive: In the light of this, animal rights campaigners are apprehensive over the campaign to cull dogs to check rabies.

    rabiesHow can we prevent rabies in animals?

    1. First, visit your veterinarian with your pet on a regular basis and keep rabies vaccinations up-to-date for all cats, ferrets, and dogs.
    2. Second, maintain control of your pets by keeping cats and ferrets indoors and keeping dogs under direct supervision.
    3. Third, spay or neuter your pets to help reduce the number of unwanted pets that may not be properly cared for or vaccinated regularly.
    4. Finally, call animal control to remove all stray animals from your neighbourhood since these animals may be unvaccinated or ill.

    How can we prevent rabies in humans?

    • Leave all wildlife alone.
    • Know the risk: contact with infected bats is the leading cause of rabies deaths in people followed by exposure to rabid dogs while traveling internationally.
    • Wash animal bites or scratches immediately with soap and water.
    • If you are bitten, scratched, or unsure, talk to a healthcare provider about whether you need postexposure prophylaxis. Rabies in people is 100% preventable through prompt appropriate medical care.
    • Vaccinate your pets to protect them and your family.

    Initiatives by Government to curb Neglected Tropical Diseases

    National Rabies Control Programme: This programme is being restructured as Integrated National Rabies Control Programme under ‘One Health Approach’, with a aim to provide vaccination to stray dogs and free vaccines through Government hospitals.

    Way forward

    • Think globally, act locally. Study and adopt global ‘best-practices’ after customising them to local needs.
    • Apply integrated approach. Follow a holistic strategy.
    • Ensure efficient and effective collaboration across various government departments.
    • Partner with Civil Society Organisations (especially with WASH – Water, Sanitation and Hygiene – sector) for ground-level implementation and monitoring.

    Mains question

    Q. What is rabies? What ethical challenges are involved in culling of stray dogs? Explain the control measures for the same.

     

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  • Foreign Policy Watch: India-Nepal

    Constitutional Breakdown in Nepal

    | International Relations | Mains Paper 2: India & Its Neighborhood – Relations

    nepal

    Nepal is in a constitutional crisis with major organs of the state confronting each other as the Chief Justice is under undeclared house arrest and the PM openly criticizing the President.

    Nepal polity in turmoil

    • Prime Minister who is backed by the chiefs of four major coalition partners, is at loggerheads with President.
    • The President might seek to rule as an extra-constitutional authority beyond the sanction and imagination of the Constitution that completed six years last week.

    Genesis of the crisis: Row over Citizenship

    • The current crisis began after President refused to ratify Nepal’s citizenship bill, which was sent to her twice after it was passed by both Houses of Parliament over the span of a month.
    • The bill seeks to give citizenship by birth and by descent to an estimated 500,000 individuals.
    • It was also sought to provide non-voting citizenship to non-resident Nepalis living in non-SAARC countries.

    Constitutional crisis in Nepal: A backgrounder

    • Nepal transitioned into a democracy beginning with the fall of the monarchy in 2006 and the subsequent election of the Maoist government in 2008.
    • The emergence of the multiparty system was followed by the adoption of a constitution on September 20, 2015.
    • All Nepalese citizens born before this date got naturalised citizenship.
    • But their children remained without citizenship as that was to be guided by a federal law which has not yet been framed.
    • This amendment Act was expected to pave the way to citizenship for many such stateless youth as well as their parents.

    What are the issues with the Act?

    Ans. Gender bias

    • The main criticism against the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2006 is that it goes against established parameters of gender justice.
    • According to Article 11(2b), a person born to a father or a mother with Nepalese citizenship can get citizenship by descent.
    • Another article says a person who is born to a Nepalese mother (who has lived in the country) and an unidentified father will also get citizenship by descent.
    • But this section appears humiliating for a mother as she has to declare that her husband is unidentified for the child to be eligible for citizenship.
    • In case of a Nepalese father, such declarations are not required.

    Why has the President refused to sign the Act?

    • Bhandari is the first female President of Nepal.
    • Her refusal to sign the Act has drawn attention to certain sections in the constitution that thrusts greater responsibility on women.
    • For example, Article 11 (5) says that a person who is born to a Nepalese mother and an unidentified father can be granted citizenship by descent.
    • Next, it says that in case the unidentified father turns out to be a foreigner, the citizenship by descent would be converted to naturalised citizenship.
    • Furthermore, it supports punitive action against the mother if the father is found later.

    Indian connection to the issue

    • There is an unarticulated concern in the orthodox sections that Nepalese men, particularly from the Terai region, continue to marry women from northern India.
    • These people feel that Nepalese identity would be undermined.
    • Because of this “Beti-Roti” (Nepalese men marrying Indian women) issue, many women could not become citizens of Nepal.
    • They were subjected to the infamous seven-year cooling off period before they could apply for citizenship in Nepal.
    • As such women were stateless, children of such families were also often found to be without Nepalese citizenship.
    • However, the new amendments have done away with the cooling off period for these stateless women.

     

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  • Industrial Sector Updates – Industrial Policy, Ease of Doing Business, etc.

    Adani’s global footprint and India’s infrastructure diplomacy  

    op-ed snap | Economics | Mains Paper 3: Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways Etc.

    infrastructure diplomacyContext

    • From mines to ports and logistics, the Adani conglomerate has been expanding across sectors, regions. This has gone hand in hand with India’s diplomatic and strategic outreach towards infrastructure diplomacy.

    What is infrastructure?

    • Infrastructure is the set of facilities and systems that serve a country, city, or other area, and encompasses the services and facilities necessary for its economy, households and firms to function.

    What are the features of infrastructure?

    • Power and the source of its production such as coal and oil;
    • Roads and road transport;
    • Railways;
    • Communication, especially telecommunication;
    • Ports and airports; and.
    • For agriculture, irrigation constitutes the important infrastructure.

    infrastructure diplomacyWhat is infrastructure diplomacy?

    • Infrastructure diplomacy is to promote infrastructure cooperation and economic ties overseas through political means and to enhance political trust between countries via collaboration in infrastructure development.

    Why in news?

    • “Several foreign governments are now approaching us to work in their geographies and help build their infrastructure. Therefore, in 2022, we also laid the foundation to seek a broader expansion beyond India’s boundaries,” chairman and founder of the Adani group Gautam Adani,now the world’s third-richest person.

    infrastructure diplomacyBackground

    • Foreign presence much earlier: In fact, the Adani group had been scouting abroad much earlier. Since 2010, the Adani group has been in Australia, developing the Carmichael coal mine in Queensland.
    • A greenfield multi-purpose port: In 2017, Adani Ports and Special Economic Zones (Ltd) signed an MoU for a greenfield multi-purpose port for handling containers at Carey Island in Selangor state, about 50 km southwest of Kuala Lumpur.

    What is situation now?

    • Company pursue international infrastructure projects aggressively: The last two years, however, have seen the company pursue international infrastructure projects aggressively. In May 2022, APSEZ made a winning bid of $1.18 billion for Israeli state-owned Haifa Port, jointly with Israeli chemicals and logistics firm Gadot.
    • Strategic joint investments: In August this year, APSEZ and Abu Dhabi’s AD Ports Group signed MoU for “strategic joint investments” in Tanzania. The new ASEZ-AD MoU will look at a bouquet of infrastructure projects besides Bagamoyo in the East African Indian Ocean nation — rail, maritime services, digital services and industrial zones.
    • India’s strategic objectives than has been possible so far: Is it just a coincidence that Adani’s global expansion closely shadows the Chinese footprint along its Belt and Road Initiative? Or is it that as Delhicompetes with China for influence in the neighbourhood and beyond, the Adani group’s size, resources and capacity are seen as a key element in achieving India’s strategic objectives than has been possible so far.
    • India’s infrastructure diplomacy: Is now becoming identified the world over with one company.
    • Public and private investment to bridge gaps: For the Adani group, described as India’s biggest ports and logistics company, there couldn’t be a better time. As the Quad grouping of Australia, India, Japan, and the US, competes with China in the Indo-Pacific, it has committed “to catalyse infrastructure delivery” by putting more than $50 billion on the table for “assistance and investment” in the Indo-Pacific over the next five years and “drive public and private investment to bridge gaps”.

    infrastructure diplomacyImplications of infrastructure diplomacy

    • Win-Win deal: Adani’s new “no-hands” model of doing business with neighbours a power plant in Jharkhand, exporting all its output to Bangladesh has been seen as a “win-win” deal.
    • Economic interests lie at the heart of geopolitics: The link between diplomacy and commercial interests has generated its share of debate, especially in the US, where its diplomats, intelligence agencies and military interventions abroad have actively pushed the interests of big business first the hunt for cheaper raw materials, then for markets abroad, then to shift industry where manpower was cheaper. As seen in the new age trading blocs the US-led IPEF, and the Chinese dominated RCEP economic interests lie at the heart of geopolitics.

    Conclusion

    • At a time when global rivalries are growing sharper in the shadow of the war in Europe, and as India looks out for its own interests, pushing powerful corporates to the centre-stage of its diplomacy, whether it is to build ports, buy or sell weapons or make chips, is inevitable.

    Mains question 

    Q. Economic interests lie at the heart of geopolitics. Analyse this statement in context of India’s active push for infrastructure diplomacy by including private conglomerates like Adani in it.

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  • Foreign Policy Watch: United Nations

    G4 countries call for UNSC reforms

    IOCR | International Relations | Mains Paper 2: Bilateral, Regional and Global Groupings and agreements involving India

    g4

    The G4 nations have said that the Intergovernmental Negotiations on UN Security Council reform are constrained by a lack of openness and transparency.

    Who are the G4 Countries?

    • The G4 nations, comprising Brazil, Germany, India, and Japan are four countries which support each other’s bids for permanent seats on the United Nations Security Council.
    • Their primary aim is the permanent member seats on the Security Council.
    • Each of these four countries have figured among the elected non-permanent members of the council since the UN’s establishment.
    • Their economic and political influence has grown significantly in the last decades, reaching a scope comparable to the permanent members (P5).

    Deterrent in their cause

    • The UK and France have backed the G4’s bid for permanent seats.
    • All the permanent members of P5 have supported India’s bids for permanent seat.
    • However, China has previously implied that it is only ready to support India if it does not associate its bid with Japan.
    • The US has sent strong indications to Brazil that it is willing to support its membership; albeit, without a veto.

    What holds them back?

    • There has been discontent among the present permanent members regarding the inclusion of controversial nations or countries not supported by them.
    • For instance, Japan’s bid is heavily opposed by China, North Korea, Russia and South Korea who think that Japan needs to make sincere reparations for war crimes committed during World War II.
    • Under the leadership of Italy, countries that strongly oppose the G4 countries’ bids have formed the Uniting for Consensus movement, also called as Coffee Club.
    • In Asia, Pakistan opposes India’s bid.

    Why India deserves a permanent seat?

    • India has been part of UN since inception.
    • It has the world’s second-largest population and is the world’s largest democracy suited to represent South Asia.
    • It has contributed maximum peacekeepers to UN so far.

    Why reform UNSC?

    • Non-representative nature: UNSC in current form is not representative of developing world and global needs, with primacy of policy being political tool in hands of P5, is well recognised globally.
    • Contention over Veto and Technical Holds: Veto power with P5 enables any one of them to prevent the adoption of any “substantive” draft Council resolution, regardless of its level of international support.
    • Divided institution: UNSC has become an organisation, which can pass strong resolutions against weak countries, weak resolutions against strong countries and no resolution against P5 countries.

    Conclusion

    • There is a possibility that if UN doesn’t reform itself, it may lose relevance and alternate global and regional groupings may assume greater importance.
    • More global pressure from middle powers like G4 may force an expansion of UNSC as a possibility, but abolition of veto power in current set up is unlikely

    Back2Basics: United Nations Security Council (UNSC)

    • The UNSC is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations and is charged with the maintenance of international peace and security.
    • Its powers include the establishment of peacekeeping operations, the establishment of international sanctions, and the authorization of military action through Security Council resolutions.
    • It is the only UN body with the authority to issue binding resolutions to member states.
    • The Security Council consists of fifteen members. Russia, the United Kingdom, France, China, and the United States—serve as the body’s five permanent members.
    • These permanent members can veto any substantive Security Council resolution, including those on the admission of new member states or candidates for Secretary-General.
    • The Security Council also has 10 non-permanent members, elected on a regional basis to serve two-year terms. The body’s presidency rotates monthly among its members.

     

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  • Climate Change Impact on India and World – International Reports, Key Observations, etc.

    What is International Argo Program?

    Prelims Only | Enviro & Biodiversity | Mains Paper 1: Important Geophysical Phenomena

    argo

    The International Argo Program system to observe carbon concentration in the world’s oceans is extremely inadequate to meet the growing and urgent need for information on oceanic carbon, says a report.

    What is Argo?

    • Argo is an international program that uses profiling floats to observe temperature, salinity, currents, and, recently, bio-optical properties in the Earth’s oceans; it has been operational since the early 2000s.
    • The real-time data it provides is used in climate and oceanographic research.
    • A special research interest is to quantify the ocean heat content (OHC).
    • Each instrument (float) spends almost all its life below the surface.
    • The name Argo was chosen because the array of floats works in partnership with the Jason earth observing satellites that measure the shape of the ocean surface.
    • In Greek mythology Jason sailed on his ship the Argo in search of the Golden Fleece.

    What are its aims?

    • The data that Argo collects describes the temperature and salinity of the water and some of the floats measure other properties that describe the biology/chemistry of the ocean.
    • The main reason for collecting these data is to help us understand the oceans’ role in earth’s climate.
    • For example, the changes in sea level (once the tides are averaged out) depend partly on the melting of icecaps and partly on the amount of heat stored in the oceans.
    • Argo’s temperature measurements allow us to calculate how much heat is stored and to monitor from year to year how the distribution of heat changes with depth and from area to area.
    • As ocean heat content increases, sea level rises, just like the mercury in a thermometer.

    How does it work?

    • Each Argo float (costing between $20,000 and $150,000 depending on the individual float’s technical specification) is launched from a ship.
    • The float’s weight is carefully adjusted so that, as it sinks, it eventually stabilizes at a pre-set level, usually 1 km.
    • Ten days later, an internal battery-driven pump transfers oil between a reservoir inside the float and an external bladder.
    • This makes the float first descend to 2km and then return to the surface measuring ocean properties as it rises.
    • The data and the float position are relayed to satellites and then on to receiving stations on shore.
    • The float then sinks again to repeat the 10 day cycle until its batteries are exhausted.

     

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