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G20: Multilateralism and India’s Diplomacy
Central Idea
- The inability of the G20 finance ministers to agree on a joint statement last week points to an important reality about multilateralism. When great powers are at peace with each other, multilateralism has reasonable chances of success; but when they are at each other’s throats, the room for global cooperation shrinks.
What is multilateralism?
- Multilateralism is an approach in which multiple countries or parties come together to address and solve common problems, through negotiations and cooperation, while respecting each other’s sovereignty and interests.
- In international relations, multilateralism can take different forms, such as multilateral agreements, treaties, and organizations.
- The United Nations (UN) is an example of a multilateral organization, which brings together almost all countries in the world to promote peace, development, and cooperation.
Multilateralism and Major Powers: From Cooperation to Conflict
- The Cold War and Multilateralism:
- Lack of cooperation during the Cold War, except in a few areas such as nuclear arms control
- The formation of the UN after the Second World War with the expectation of great power cooperation.
- Allies turning into adversaries and sharp division of the world into competing economic and military blocs.
- Post-Cold War Multilateralism:
- Collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 led to an expansive phase of multilateralism
- Great power cooperation at the UN and creation of the WTO
- The financial crisis of 2008 and the rallying of the top 20 economies to stabilise the global economy.
- Current State of Multilateralism
- World of shared interests among top nations no longer exists
- Simmering political conflict between Russia and the West, possibility of military conflict between the US and China.
- Consensus on key issues eludes the G20 today
- Rising geopolitical conflict mirrored in the economic domain
- Efforts by the US and China to reduce their massive economic exposure to each other
- Economic conflict enveloping emerging technologies, especially in the digital domain.
India’s Multilateral Diplomacy amidst the Great Power Conflict
- Multilateralism and G20: As the current chair of the G20 in 2023, India has to steer the group amidst the renewed rivalry between the major powers. Reducing the impact of the political conflicts on the G20 would be a diplomatic achievement for India.
- Delhi’s Troubled Relationship with Beijing: India is part of the great power rivalry with China. The conflict is not just about military assertiveness but also deep differences on multilateral issues
- Need to Balance China: India cannot stand apart from the great power conflict while representing the Global South at the G20. India has to balance its cooperation and contestation with China in various multilateral forums.
- India’s Participation in Multiple Multilateral Institutions: India’s approach to multilateralism has evolved from a focus on the UN and NAM to participation in multiple institutions including the Quad and the G7. It is also working to strengthen its coalition with the Global South.
Conclusion
- The diversity of India’s multilateralism reflects the structural imperatives of global politics. Delhi must cooperate with adversaries for regional and global problem-solving while wrestling with rivals and collaborating with like-minded countries. Cooperation and contestation balance depend on the issue and context.
Mains Question
Q. What do you understand by Multilateralism? India is continuously expanding its multilateral approach. Discuss.
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1st Mar 23 | Prelims Daily with Previous Year Questions
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In news: Anmol Jeevan Abhiyan
A recent initiative called the ‘Anmol Jeevan Abhiyan’ (Precious Life Campaign) in Barmer, Rajasthan has motivated village panchayats and homeowners to add hand pumps and locked covers to tankas for improved structure.
What are Tankas?
- The tankas with a huge water storage capacity are traditionally built adjacent to the residential units in western Rajasthan.
- It is used for collecting rainwater and using it throughout the year for drinking and other household needs.
- They were constructed in households under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS).
Anmol Jeevan Abhiyan
- The ‘Anmol Jeevan Abhiyan’ (Precious Life Campaign) has encouraged village panchayats and owners of houses to make the structural addition of hand pumps and locked covers on tankas.
- The light-weight hand pumps made of fibre serve the dual purpose of preventing the accidents and suicides as well as drawing of water from the tank.
- The campaign has been started jointly by the district administration, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and Action Aid.
- Among the 171 suicide cases reported last year, as many as 64 were those of women and a majority was those who had jumped into the water tanks.
Benefits offered
- Though the campaign has made an impact during the last three to four months, it cannot be measured in quantitative terms at present because of its continuity, even as the reports of suicides have gradually reduced.
- The permanent closure of tankas with the metal cover having lock also ensured that no cattleheads or other animals fall into them tank.
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Nikaalo Prelims Spotlight || Fundamental Rights DPSPs, and Fundamental Duties
Dear Aspirants,
This Spotlight is a part of our Mission Nikaalo Prelims-2023.
You can check the broad timetable of Nikaalo Prelims here
Session Details
YouTube LIVE with Parth sir – 1 PM – Prelims Spotlight Session
Evening 04 PM – Daily Mini Tests
Telegram LIVE with Sukanya ma’am – 06 PM – Current Affairs Session
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1st Mar 2023
Fundamental Rights
Fundamental rights Constitutional rights Legal rights Included in part 3 (magna carta of India) of constitution Not in part 3 Not in constitution Can directly move supreme court for enforcement under article 32 no no Parliament can abridge these rights only in very special circumstances Can be abridged by constitutional amendment By simple legal amendment 6 Rights included in part 3 No taxation with authority (278),Right to property (Art 300A), freedom to trade (art 301) Right to employment under MGNREGA Amendability of Fundamental rights
Article 13 Laws inconsistent with part 3 (FRs) null and void Shankari Prasad Case Amendment under article 368 not law, can be amended Golaknath case Law, can not be amended Kesavananda Bharati (24/04/73) Not law, can be amended but basic structure can’t be amended Minerva mills case Basic structure can’t be amended to implement DPSP Special cases
Fundamental rights not available to foreigners Article 15, 16, 19, 29, 30 Available against private citizens Article 17 Suspended automatically during an emergency on grounds of war or external aggression Article 19 Can’t be suspended even during emergency Article 20,21 Against exploitation Article 23, 24 Most fundamental of FRs/ Right to constitutional remedies Article 32 Procedure Established by Law v/s Due Process
Procedure Established Due Process British, Japanese American constitution Arbitrary Administrative actions Arbitrary administrative as well as legislative A. K. Gopalan case Maneka Gandhi Action according to procedure established by law Law must also be just fair and reasonable Titbits:
- FRs are not absolute. Parliament can impose reasonable restrictions.
- Right to property (art 31) has been deleted from part 3 by 44th amendment and is now a constitutional right under art 300A
- Article 31B put acts include under 9th schedule (added by 1st CAA) outside judicial review
- But Matters added to 9th schedule after 24th April 1973 (Kesavananda Bharati Case) are not immune to judicial review (I.R. Coelho case)
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DPSPs
DPSP FRs Taken from Ireland America Part of constitution Part 4 Part 3 Legal validity Non-justiciable Justiciable Aim Social and Economic Democracy (welfare state) Political democracy (limit state power)
Fundamental to governance of country (instrument of instructions under GOI act 1935) Titbits:
- DPSPs can be classified into socialist, Gandhian and liberal – intellectual categories
- 42nd, 44th, 86th and 97th amendment added new DPSPs
Fundamental duties: Learn by heart
Titbits:
- Right and duties are correlative yet the original constitution didn’t have FDs
- Part 4A, article 51A of the constitution by 42nd amendment
- 11th duty added by 86th amendment in 2002 (education of kids)
- Taken from USSR constitution based on Swaran Singh Committee report
- Applicable only to citizens not to foreigners
- Non-justiciable.
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RBI’s new pilot project on Coin Vending Machines
The RBI in collaboration with banks is set to launch a pilot project to assess the functioning of a QR-code-based coin vending machine.
Coin Vending Machines
- The vending machines would dispense coins with the requisite amount being debited from the customer’s account using United Payments Interface (UPI) instead of physical tendering of banknotes.
- Customers would be endowed the option of withdrawing coins in required quantities and denominations.
- The central idea here is to ease the accessibility to coins.
- With particular focus on ease and accessibility, the machines are intended to be installed at public places such as railway stations, shopping malls and marketplaces.
Why such a move?
- Prevent hoarding of coins: The situation with respect to coins is peculiar with the supply being very high. It is taking up a lot of storage space and is not getting properly distributed despite high demands.
- Eliminate the physical tendering of banknotes: It was observed that the currency being fed into the machines (for coin exchange) were often found to be fake and could not be checked right at that point of time.
Do you know?
For perspective, coins in India are issued in denominations of 50 paise, one rupee, two rupees, five rupees, ten rupees and twenty rupees (not considering special edition coins of various denomination).
Coins of up to 50 paise are called ‘small coins’ while those of one rupee and above are called ‘rupee coins’.
How coins are significant in our economy?
- As per the latest RBI bulletin, the total value of circulation of rupee coins stood at ₹28,857 crore as of December 30 last year. The figure is an increase of 7.2% from the year-ago period.
- Circulation of small coins remained unchanged at ₹743 crore.
- The figures above could be compared to the volume of digital payments until December 2022 which stood at approximately ₹9,557.4 crore, as per the Digidhan Dashboard.
- The number is inclusive of mobile banking, internet banking, IMPS, BHIM-UPI and NEFT, among others.
- Hence the reliance on UPI for dispensing coins is particularly noteworthy.
Is it going against the digital push?
- RBI is in the midst of a pilot for the Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC).
- But this proposal should not be viewed as a “zero-sum game of digital versus cash.”
- The two can easily supplement each other by re-circulating existing coins in the economy.
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Proton Beam Therapy out of reach for many
There is currently a demand-supply gap of proton beam therapy machines in India, leaving many cancer patients in a difficult situation.
What is Proton Beam Therapy?
- Proton beam therapy is a type of radiation therapy — a treatment that uses high-energy beams to treat tumors.
- Radiation therapy using X-rays has long been used to treat cancers and noncancerous (benign) tumors.
- It uses protons rather than x-rays to treat cancer. At high energy, protons can destroy cancer cells.
- It can also be combined with x-ray radiation therapy, surgery, chemotherapy, and/or immunotherapy.
- Like x-ray radiation, proton therapy is a type of external-beam radiation therapy.
How it works?
- Fundamentally, all tissue cells are made up of molecules with atoms as their building blocks.
- In the center of every atom is the nucleus. Orbiting the nucleus of the atom are negatively charged electrons.
- When energized protons pass near orbiting electrons, the positive charge of the protons attracts the negatively charged electrons, pulling them out of their orbits. This is called ionization.
- It changes the characteristics of the atom and consequentially the character of the molecule within which the atom resides.
- Because of ionization, the radiation damages molecules within the cells, especially the DNA.
- Damaging the DNA destroys specific cell functions, particularly the ability to divide or proliferate.
- While both normal and cancerous cells go through this repair process, a cancer cell’s ability to repair molecular injury is frequently inferior.
- As a result, cancer cells sustain more permanent damage and subsequent cell death than occurs in the normal cell population.
Why in news?
- There is currently a significant demand-supply gap of proton beam therapy machines in India, with only a few machines available in the country.
- This has resulted in long wait times for patients who need the treatment, and many patients are forced to travel abroad to access the treatment, which can be prohibitively expensive.
Various challenges
- Huge demand: The demand for PBT machines is also increasing, as more and more patients are being diagnosed with cancer and are seeking the latest and most effective treatments available.
- High cost: One of the major challenges in setting up PBT machines is the high cost involved, as the machines are complex and require a significant investment.
- Shortage of personnel: In addition, there is a shortage of trained personnel who can operate and maintain the machines, which further limits their availability.
Way Forward
- The government and private sector need to invest more in setting up and maintaining the machines. This could include-
- Offering tax incentives and subsidies to private healthcare providers who invest in PBT machines
- Providing training and education to personnel who can operate and maintain the machines
- Setting up more public hospitals that offer proton beam therapy, which would help to make the treatment more accessible and affordable to patients who need it
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ISRO successful in key test for Chandrayaan-3 Mission
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully conducted a crucial test for its upcoming Chandrayaan-3 mission.
What was the test?
- The test involved the high-thrust cryogenic engine, which will be used to power the rocket that carries the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft.
- The engine was tested for its endurance and performance under various conditions.
About Chandrayaan-3 Mission
- The Chandrayaan-3 mission is the third lunar exploration mission by the Indian Space Research Organisation.
- The mission follows the successful Chandrayaan-1 and Chandrayaan-2 missions, which were launched in 2008 and 2019 respectively.
- The Chandrayaan-3 mission is designed to further explore the Moon’s South Pole region and conduct various scientific experiments, including studying the lunar surface, mineralogy, and the presence of water.
Significance of the recent test
- With the successful test of the high-thrust cryogenic engine, ISRO is now one step closer to launching the Chandrayaan-3 mission.
- The mission is expected to be a significant step forward in India’s space exploration efforts and will further our understanding of the Moon and its potential for future exploration and exploitation.
Chandrayaan-2: A quick recap
- Chandrayaan-2 consisted of an Orbiter, Lander and Rover, all equipped with scientific instruments to study the moon.
- The Orbiter would watch the moon from a 100-km orbit, while the Lander and Rover modules were to be separated to make a soft landing on the moon’s surface.
- ISRO had named the Lander module as Vikram, after Vikram Sarabhai, the pioneer of India’s space programme, and the Rover module as Pragyaan, which crash-landed.
Inception of Chandrayaan 3
- The subsequent failure of the Vikram lander led to the pursuit of another mission to demonstrate the landing capabilities needed for the Lunar Polar Exploration Mission proposed in partnership with Japan for 2024.
Its design
- The lander for Chandrayaan-3 will have only four throttle-able engines.
- Unlike Vikram on Chandrayaan-2 which had five 800N engines with a fifth one being centrally mounted with a fixed thrust.
- Additionally, the Chandrayaan-3 lander will be equipped with a Laser Doppler Velocimeter (LDV).
Back2Basics: Chandrayaan-1 Mission
- The Chandrayaan-1 mission was launched in October 2008 was ISRO’s first exploratory mission to the moon, in fact to any heavenly body in space.
- The mission was designed to just orbit around the moon and make observations with the help of the instruments onboard.
- The closest that the Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft came to the moon was in an orbit 100 km from its surface.
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Windsor Framework: The deal between UK and EU
The ‘Windsor Framework’ will replace the Northern Ireland Protocol, which had proved to be among the thorniest of Brexit fall-outs, creating problems both economic and political.
You must know!
England is a country in its own right and forms part of Great Britain, along with Scotland and Wales. Great Britain is a geographical term that refers to the island that contains England, Scotland, and Wales.
On the other hand, the United Kingdom (UK) is a sovereign state that includes England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
Hence, England is a part of Great Britain, and Great Britain is a part of the UK.
What is the Northern Ireland Protocol?
- After the UK left the European Union, Northern Ireland remained its only constituent that shared a land border with an EU-member, the Republic of Ireland.
- Since the EU and the UK have different product standards, border checks would be necessary before goods could move from Northern Ireland to Ireland.
- However, the two Irelands have had a long history of conflict, with a hard-fought peace secured only in 1998 under the Belfast Agreement, also called the Good Friday agreement.
- Fiddling with this border was thus considered too dangerous, and it was decided the checks would be conducted between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
- This was called the Northern Ireland Protocol.
Why was it contentious?
- Under the protocol, Northern Ireland remained in the EU single market, and trade-and-customs inspections of goods coming from Great Britain took place at its ports along the Irish Sea.
- The checks made trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland cumbersome, with food products, especially, losing out on shelf life while they waited for clearance.
- Some taxation and spending policies of the UK government could not be implemented in Northern Ireland because of EU rules.
- The sale of medicines, too, was caught between different British and EU rules.
What does the Windsor Framework proposes?
- The Windsor Framework Deal proposes two crucial aspects. The first aspect is the introduction of a green lane and red lane system for goods.
- The green lane system will be for goods that will stay in Northern Ireland.
- The red lane system will be for goods that will go to the EU.
- The second aspect is the ‘Stormont Brake’.
- It allows Northern Ireland lawmakers and London to veto any EU regulation.
- The veto is applicable if they believe that the regulation affects the region adversely.
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[pib] Exercise Cobra Warrior
IAF contingent comprising to participate in Exercise Cobra Warrior at the Waddington Air Force Base of the Royal Air Force in the United Kingdom.
Exercise Cobra Warrior
- Cobra Warrior is a multinational military exercise that takes place annually in the United Kingdom.
- It is designed to improve the readiness and interoperability of the Royal Air Force and allied air forces for joint combat operations.
- The exercise brings together military units from different countries, including NATO allies and partner nations, to practice and enhance their air combat capabilities.
- During the exercise, the participating air forces conduct a series of realistic training scenarios that simulate air-to-air combat, air-to-ground attacks, and other mission types.
- The aim is to provide pilots and ground crews with realistic training experiences to help prepare them for real-world combat situations.
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