The article explores the area of cooperation for India and the U.S. under a new administration in U.S. amid changing geopolitical realities.
China: Shared cause of concern
The Biden administration’s approach to India will be shaped by its position towards China.
There is a bipartisan change in the US’s attitude to China.
The Biden administration will continue Trump administrations trade policy- reducing the trade deficit, ensuring a level-playing field, keeping a keen eye on technology rivalry etc.
There are parallels in the concerns of India and the U.S. — invigorating the domestic economy and dealing with a rising rival.
These concerns can translate into opportunities for both countries.
How India and U.S can convert concerns into opportunities
1) Cooperation in healthcare
Healthcare is clearly an area that India can play up in bilateral relations.
The two countries can also work with multilateral agencies across the spectrum of vaccine (including Covid vaccine) development, logistics and distribution.
India produces around 20 per cent of the global requirement for generic drugs by volume and every third tablet of generics consumed in the US.
The President-elect has indicated his commitment to providing better and affordable healthcare
This could be an opportunity for the Indian pharma sector to play a role in reducing health costs of the American consumer.
India can benefit from advancements in medical technologies, devices, new medicines and R&D capabilities, presenting opportunities for American companies.
2) Job creation through trade and exports
Biden has set an ambitious target for US-India trade.
Businesses in both countries are also looking for diversifying their manufacturing supply chains.
This portends well for the creation of employment in manufacturing.
An area where strategic considerations and imperatives of job creation converge is defence, especially since India has been designated a Major Defence Partner of the US.
3) Focus on infrastructure in both countries
For the US, this can mean opportunities in India in transportation, power and other urban amenities.
The US’s renewed focus on climate change should lead to greater cooperation with India in energy-related areas.
Cooperation in energy-related areas includes more efficient energy dissemination and management (such as smart grids) to renewable energy technologies.
4) Enhance opportunities in 5G tech
There is potential to enhance mutual opportunities in the 5G tech sector.
Increased partnership between the two nations can accelerate the development of technology solutions, promote vendors in the 5G open ecosystem and drive economic growth.
The two countries should engage in shaping the rules of a new order in this space.
This also has an important strategic element when seen in the light of developments in the Indo-Pacific as well as China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
5) Multilateralism for cooperation in wider areas
Once the Biden administration assumes office, we should expect the U.S.’s return to multilateralism.
The Trans-Pacific Partnership aimed to create a rules-based order that all parties could subscribe to.
With the ascendancy of the Indo-Pacific paradigm and the Quad and Quad Plus, a successor to the TPP could include a wider canvas.
For India, this could mean cooperation beyond defence and security, including economics, technology and developments pertaining to the regional order.
Conclusion
Both countries should treat the economic and commercial dimension with as much priority as the strategic dimension. Both governments should embrace the prosperity-creating potential of such an approach.
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Iran has begun enriching uranium up to 20% at an underground facility and seized a South Korean-flagged oil tanker in the crucial Strait of Hormuz, further escalating tensions in West Asia between Tehran and the West.
Scratch your school basics to answer this PYQ:
Q.The known forces of nature can be divided into four classes, viz, gravity, electromagnetism, weak nuclear force and strong nuclear force.
With reference to them, which one of the following statements is not correct? (CSP 2012)
(a) Gravity is the strongest of the four
(b) Electromagnetism act only on particles with an electric charge
(c) Weak nuclear force causes radioactivity
(d) Strong nuclear force holds protons and neutrons inside the nuclear of an atom.
What is Uranium Enrichment?
Uranium enrichment is a process that is necessary to create an effective nuclear fuel out of mined uranium by increasing the percentage of uranium-235 which undergoes fission with thermal neutrons.
Nuclear fuel is mined from naturally occurring uranium ore deposits and then isolated through chemical reactions and separation processes.
These chemical processes used to separate the uranium from the ore are not to be confused with the physical and chemical processes used to enrich the uranium.
Naturally occurring uranium does not have a high enough concentration of Uranium-235 at only about 0.72% with the remainder being Uranium-238.
Due to the fact that uranium-238 is fissionable and not fissile, the concentration of uranium-235 must be increased before it can be effectively used as a nuclear fuel.
Why is the West concerned?
Iran’s decision to begin enriching to 20% purity a decade ago nearly triggered an Israeli strike targeting its nuclear facilities, tensions that only abated with the 2015 atomic deal.
A resumption of 20% enrichment could see that brinksmanship return as that level of purity is only a technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%.
The Directorate of Education has issued a circular asking school to follow the new ‘School Bag Policy, 2020’ released by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT).
Q.What are the features of the School Bag Policy, 2020? Discuss how heavy school bags are a serious threat to the health and learning capability of students.
School Bag Policy, 2020
According to the circular, schoolteachers should inform the students in advance about the books and notebooks to be brought to school on a particular day.
They frequently need to check their bags to ensure that they are not carrying unnecessary material.
It adds that the teachers should take the responsibility of checking the weight of school bags of the students every three months on a day selected for the whole class.
It also holds that any information about heavy bags should be communicated to the parents.
The circular also says that it is the duty and the responsibility of the school management to provide quality potable water in sufficient quantity.
It adds that files and thin/light exercise books should be preferred to thick/heavy ones.
Prescribed weights
The weight of the school bags, as per the policy, should be
6 to 2.2 kg for students of Classes I and II
7 to 2.5 kg for Classes III, IV and V
2 to 3 kg for Classes VI and VII
5 to 4 kg for Class VIII
5 to 4.5 kg for Classes IX and X
5 to 5 kg for Classes XI and XII
Why heavy school bags are a curse?
Heavy school bags are a serious threat to the health and well-being of students.
A heavy backpack can pull on the neck muscles contributing to headache, shoulder pain, lower back pain and neck and arm pain.
Not just this, carrying backpacks over one shoulder is a wrong practice as it makes muscles strain.
The spine leans to the opposite side, stressing the middle back, ribs, and lower back more on one side than the other and this muscle imbalance can cause muscle strain, muscle spasm, and back pain.
Heavy school bags are also one of the major reasons for cervical and lumbar pains.
The posture of the body also gets affected to a great extent which in the long term develops imbalances in the body and affects the health of the nervous system.
To understand if a coastal city is more prone to floods caused by tidal events or extreme rainfall, a team from the IIT Bombay devised a new metric or measure called the Tide–Rainfall Flood Quotient.
Try this PYQ:
The 2004 Tsunami made people realize that mangroves can serve as a reliable safety hedge against coastal calamities. How do mangroves function as a safety hedge?
(a) The mangrove swamps separate the human settlements from the sea by a wide zone in which people neither live nor venture out
(b) The mangroves provide both food and medicines which people are in need of after any natural disaster
(c) The mangrove trees are tall with dense canopies and serve as art excellent shelter during a cyclone or tsunami
(d) The mangrove trees do not get uprooted by storms and tides because of their extensive roots
Tide–Rainfall Flood Quotient
Using the past rainfall data, tidal data, and topography of the region one can apply this framework to pinpoint the major factor at play.
This quotient helps understand the main driver of the flooding events for effective disaster management.
It considers three geographically diverse flood-prone coastal regions – Mithi Catchment in Mumbai, , Jagatsinghpur District in Odisha, and Greater Chennai to test their new metric.
The new method helped classify these regions into ‘storm-tide dominated’ or ‘pluvial (rainfall) dominated’ regions.
In Mithi, they found a devastating impact of storm-tide reaching even up to a distance of 7 km from the coastal boundary.
It concluded that Mithi catchment was ‘storm-tide dominated’, while Jagatsinghpur and Chennai were ‘pluvial dominated’
A tool for flood management
This metric can help disaster management experts in framing better flood risk management systems directed towards long term planning.
For storm-tide dominated regions, severe flood hazard can be alleviated by building coastal defence structures such as closure dams, tide breakers, and storm-surge barriers at appropriate locations.
The tide and surge forecasting systems in these regions should be equipped with state-of-the-art ocean circulation models.
On the other hand, for pluvial dominated regions, structural measures such as rainwater storage structures, lakes, and detention basins should be prioritized in the flood management plans.
Bird flu is an infection caused by avian influenza viruses, which are of different types A, B and C.
Type A avian influenza viruses are the most frequently associated with avian influenza epidemics and pandemics.
There are 16 hemagglutinin (H1 to H16) and 9 neuraminidase types (N1 to N9) identified till date.
There are various modes of transmission of human influenza including inhalation, direct or indirect contact etc. can have manifestations ranging from mild to severe or fatal disease.
Avian influenza A (H5N1) results in a high death rate amongst infants and young children.
The first outbreak of human infection by avian influenza viruses (H5N1) was observed in 1997 in Hong Kong. Since then a large number of outbreaks have been reported in different parts of the world.
The H5N8 strain
The presence of the H5N8 subtype of the Influenza A virus was reported in ducks in parts of Kerala.
While it can prove lethal for birds, the H5N8 strain of avian influenza has a lower likelihood of spreading to humans compared to H5N1.
While the source of infection is yet to be pinpointed, the role of migratory birds in passing on the virus is suspected.
40th Indian Scientific Expedition is set to depart for Antarctica from Mormugao Port, Goa.
Try this question:
Q.How does the cryosphere affect global climate? (150W, CSM 2018)
Indian mission on the Antarctic
The Indian Antarctic Program is a multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional program under the control of the National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research, Ministry of Earth Sciences.
It was initiated in 1981 with the first Indian expedition to Antarctica.
The program gained global acceptance with India’s signing of the Antarctic Treaty and subsequent construction of the Dakshin Gangotri Antarctic research base in 1983, superseded by the Maitri base from 1990.
The newest base commissioned in 2015 is Bharati, constructed out of 134 shipping containers.
Its significance
This 40th expedition is procuring fuel from India after about 22 years. Till the last expedition, fuel was being obtained from outside the country.
Indian Oil Co. Ltd. has supplied aviation fuel, Jet A1 in bulk and packed form to a non-aviation customer and is delivered to an ocean-going vessel for the first time.
Why need such a mission?
Polar Regions are crucially important in answering key questions about global climate change.
It contributes towards the global sea-level rise, the background aerosol properties, variability in the sea ice cover and phenomena like Antarctic haze and ozone concentrations.
Attempts to address some of these issues are helping in mitigating several important problems concerning human life and well-being.
Back2Basics: India’s polar missions
The first Indian expedition to Antarctica sailed from Goa on December 6, 1981, and reached the shores of this polar continent on January 9, 1982.
India has two stations in the polar continent of Antarctica – Maitri and Bharati, which are being operated under NCPOR, Ministry of Earth Sciences.
Indian mission on the Arctic
Himadri Station is India’s first Arctic research station located at Spitsbergen, Svalbard, Norway. It is located at the International Arctic Research base, Ny-Ålesund.
It was inaugurated on the 1st of July, 2008 by the Minister of Earth Sciences. It is followed by IndARC.
The United States Geological Survey estimates that 22% of the world’s oil and natural gas could be located beneath the Arctic.
ONGC Videsh has signed joint-venture with Russia for oil exploration there.
The government’s faceless tax assessment scheme has managed to deliver about 24,000 final orders since its introduction in August 2020.
Try this PYQ:
Q. With reference to India’s decision to levy an equalization tax of 6% on online advertisement services offered by non-resident entities, which of the following statements is/are correct?
It is introduced as a part of the Income Tax Act.
Non-resident entities that offer advertisement services in India can claim a tax credit in their home country under the “Double Taxation Avoidance Agreements”.
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
Faceless Tax Scheme
The Central Government introduced the Faceless Assessment Scheme to provide greater transparency, efficiency and accountability in Income Tax assessments.
It is an attempt to remove individual tax officials’ discretion and potential harassment for income taxpayers.
All provisions introduced under Faceless Assessment, under the Income Tax Act, 1961, are introduced to-
Eliminate the interface between the Assessing Officer and the assesses during the course of proceedings, to the extent that is technologically feasible
Optimize the utilization of resources through the economies of scale and functional specialization and
Introduce a team-based determination of arm’s length price with dynamic jurisdiction.
Ethiopia has been on the brink of a civil war. On Nov 4 2020, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed declared war on the country’s Tigray region. The Tigray region is ruled by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). The war was declared in response to the TPLF’s attack on a federal military base in Tigray.
The Ethiopian Crisis: A backgrounder
The animosity between Tigrayans and Eritrea goes back to the Ethiopian-Eritrean war that occurred between 1998 and 2000.
It occurred approximately two decades ago was extremely brutal and resulted in the deaths of thousands of soldiers.
PC: Indian Express
The roots of this crisis can be traced to Ethiopia’s system of government. Since 1994, Ethiopia has had a federal system in which different ethnic groups control the affairs of 10 regions.
The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) – was influential in setting up this system.
It was the leader of a four-party coalition that governed Ethiopia from 1991, when a military regime was ousted from power.
Under the coalition, Ethiopia became more prosperous and stable, but concerns were routinely raised about human rights and the level of democracy.
How it escalated into a crisis?
Eventually, discontent morphed into protest, leading to a government reshuffle that saw Mr Abiy appointed PM.
Abiy liberalized politics, set up a new party (the Prosperity Party), and removed key Tigrayan government leaders accused of corruption and repression.
Meanwhile, Abiy ended a long-standing territorial dispute with neighbouring Eritrea, earning him a Nobel Peace Prize in 2019.
These moves won Abiy popular acclaim, but caused unease among critics in Tigray. Tigray’s leaders see Abiy’s reforms as an attempt to centralize power and destroy Ethiopia’s federal system.
The clouds of a Civil War
The conflict came to a head in September, when Tigray defied the central government to hold its own regional election.
The central government, which had postponed national elections because of coronavirus, said it was illegal.
The rift grew in October, when the central government suspended funding for and cut ties with Tigray. Tigray’s administration said this amounted to a “declaration of war”.
Tensions increased. Then, in what the International Crisis Group termed a “sudden and predictable” descent into conflict.
Abiy accused Tigrayan forces of attacking an army base to steal weapons. His government, he said, was therefore forced into a military confrontation.
Its’ repercussions
If the conflict intensifies, there are fears it could spill over into neighbouring countries.
There have already been reports of missiles fired into Eritrea and 27,000 refugees fleeing to Sudan.
There is also a concern that the conflict could exacerbate ethnic tensions elsewhere in Ethiopia.
There have been reports of blocked roads, with internet and communication lines being cut off in Ethiopia.
Now, this latest conflict has only increased the number of displaced people and may lead to a humanitarian crisis.
The larger conflict: A new ‘Afghanistan of Africa’ in making
The US and China have several strategic military bases in that region, the closest being Djibouti.
In November 2020, it was reported that President Vladimir Putin had approved the creation of a Russian naval facility in Sudan.
This would be capable of mooring nuclear-powered surface vessels, clearing the way for Moscow’s first substantial military foothold in Africa since the Soviet fall.
If these military bases and facilities were to be impacted in any way, it may cause foreign powers to get militarily involved in the region’s conflict.
A crisis beyond a country
The Horn of Africa is also a short water crossing away from the crisis torn Yemen and the rest of the Arabian Peninsula.
Earlier, in the midst of Ethiopia’s long-standing conflict with Egypt over the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam over the Blue Nile, Sudan had already found itself forcefully involved in the spat.
Sudan and Egypt were engaged in joint military exercises in what observers said was an indication of deepening ties between the two countries.
With Ethiopian civilians escaping in large numbers to Sudan, the country may find itself inadvertently drawn into the war.
If the conflict were to spill outside Ethiopia’s borders, it may potentially destabilize the Horn of Africa region.
A quick recap: Horn of Africa
The Horn of Africa comprises four countries — Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti and Somalia, but, in its wider political and economic context, the term also includes Sudan, South Sudan, Kenya and Uganda.
As a quintessential microcosm of Africa, the area has seen it all: imperialism, neo-colonialism, Cold War, ethnic strife, intra-African conflict, poverty, disease, famine and much else.
The sub-region covers a wide spectrum from Ethiopia — an ancient civilization and a nation that retained its independence (except for a short period) — to Somalia, the most failed state on the planet today.
Eritrea and Djibouti, smaller neighbours located on the seashore, have had their own share of strife and strained relations with Ethiopia and Somalia respectively.
Eritrea emerged as an independent state after a 30-year-long confrontation with Ethiopia, a development that turned the latter into a landlocked country.
Djibouti, the erstwhile French Somaliland, has been a beacon of relative stability and prosperity, which has contributed to mediation and peace-making efforts in and outside the Horn of Africa.
Why is Horn of Africa so important?
The turn of such events near the Horn of Africa has direct consequences for the safety and future of all seaports on the Red Sea as well as on the entire security of the Arabian Gulf.
The Horn of Africa enjoys an excellent strategic location south-west of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
The strategic importance of this East African region comes from it being the source of the Nile and a gate to the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
Its location on one side of some of the world’s major trade sea lanes and land routes gives it vital importance.
The straits of Bab El-Mandeb, which lies at the heart of this region, connects the energy-rich Middle East to Europe and, along with the Suez Canal, is considered a jugular vein for global trade.
Djibouti is the choke point on this shipping route.
Geopolitical angle
The area has always been a magnet for international powers because of the sea traffic going by, major ports in the area, tremendous nearby riches, weapons trading, crossing points for people and merchandise and the dangers of piracy.
The international importance of the Horn of Africa was boosted after the first war on Iraq and foreign intervention in Somalia.
Now, with the war in Yemen, the international and regional competition for control over the Horn of Africa is at its fiercest.
Besides positioning for control of the major ports in the area, there is the China competing with the West in Djibouti, and so is the US.
Indian perspective
India has been paying greater attention to the region. Since 2017, India has opened embassies in Djibouti and Eritrea and our President has also made a state visit to Djibouti and Ethiopia.
India has been always a foremost responder for humanitarian assistance in the Horn of Africa Region through the Indian Navy.
Such latest missions underline India’s growing capability and willingness to undertake naval missions and support regional countries in the greater Indian Ocean region.
These efforts must be directed to increase Indian leverage and limit Chinese influence in the region.
The China factor and Indian concerns
Since 2008, China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has been present in the region under the pretext of conducting anti-piracy operations off the coast of Somalia.
In fact, it has even sent nuclear submarines to the region and has also conducted naval exercises with the navies of Russia and Iran.
In 2017, China opened its first overseas military base in the region at Djibouti and is now firmly consolidating itself as a major player in regional affairs.
Furthermore, China has built a spate of large infrastructure projects in the Horn of Africa, including the modern railway line connecting land-locked Ethiopia with the port of Djibouti.
It is emerging as a major economic partner for other Red Sea states like Egypt.
Hence the steadily growing military and economic footprint of China makes this region increasingly more important from India’s geostrategic calculations.
Thus China has stepped up activity in the African region, which is traditionally within India’s sphere of influence, thereby looking to expand its presence in the Indian Ocean Region.
Way forward
The global strategic community should pay more attention to the prevailing conditions and power dynamics in this African region.
The world must become more active in examining and discussing the complex problem in-depth with the governments in Eastern Africa, the African Union and others to be able to make a meaningful its resolution.
What happens in the region has a direct bearing on India’s security and well-being, and this is becoming clearer and more urgent by the day.
The crisis must be averted
Ethiopia in recent years has been achieving respectable economic growth.
Regional tensions, however, with Eritrea and Egypt because of Ethiopia’s Grand Renaissance Dam project increased until the beginning of 2018.
During the past two decades, the region has seen horrible human tragedies because of famines and wars.
The world still remembers the tragic famines in Ethiopia and Eritrea and how these two countries depended for a long time on foreign aid.
It must also not be forgotten that the 1998 war between these belligerent sister countries caused the death of about 100,000 people and ended any contact between them.
A recent amendment to a unique feature in patent law under which patentee/licensee has to disclose information regarding the extent to which they have worked patent in India, could have several implications.
Why the changes in rules matter
Indian patent law grants a 20-year patent monopoly to an inventor.
In exchange for such monopoly, India’s patent law imposes a duty on the patentee to commercially work the invention in India to ensure that its benefits reach the public.
Accordingly, section 146(2), a unique provision not found in patent laws of most other countries, requires every patentee and licensee to submit to the Patent Office an annual statement (Form 27 format) explaining the extent to which they have worked the invention in India.
This statement is meant to help the Patent Office, potential competitors, etc. to determine whether the patentee has worked the invention in India and made it sufficiently available to the public at reasonable prices.
A failure of this duty could trigger compulsory licensing or even subsequent revocation of the patent under the Patents Act, 1970.
The central government recently amended the format of a statement that patentees and licensees are required to annually submit to the Patent Office.
The amendment has significantly watered down the disclosure format.
This could hamper the effectiveness of India’s compulsory licensing regime.
This in turn could hinder access to vital inventions including life-saving medicines, thereby impacting public health.
There has been significant pressure from multinational corporations and the United States government to do away with this requirement.
What changes were made through the amendment
The recent amendment to the form was made in response to a PIL filed by Shamnad Basheer before the Delhi High Court in 2015.
The PIL brought to the Court’s attention the rampant non-filing and defective filing of Form 27 and sought a direction to strictly enforce the patent working disclosure rules and take action against the violators.
The PIL also called for a reform of Form 27, arguing that the information it sought was grossly insufficient to ascertain the extent of the working of the patent.
However, instead of strengthening the form, the amendment has significantly weakened it further, thereby defeating the entire purpose of the amendment exercise.
The amended form has removed the requirement of submitting a lot of important information.
It is no longer required to provide any information in respect of the quantum of the invention manufactured/imported into India, the licenses and sub-licenses granted during the year and the meeting of public requirement at a reasonable price.
It no longer requires quantum or the total units of the invention manufactured/imported in India.
The deletion of this requirement of its disclosure is shocking.
This is because, it is the disclosure of this data by Bayer in Form 27 that played a crucial role in grant of India’s first compulsory license to Natco for the anti-cancer drug Sorafenib/Nexavar.
The removal of the requirement of submitting any licensing information, including the disclosure of even the existence of licenses means that the patentees/licensees can just self-certify that they’ve worked the patent.
The omission to mandate disclosure of details makes it extremely difficult to ascertain whether the invention has been made available to the public in sufficient quantity and at an affordable price.
Conclusion
The government has significantly weakened the critical duty imposed by the law on patentees/licensees to disclose patent working information. Therefore, the government must reconsider its amendments to the form taking into account the PIL recommendations and re-amend it to restore as well as strengthen its spirit.
