A. GS 1 Related
Nothing here for today!!!
B. GS 2 Related
Category: POLITY AND GOVERNANCE
1. SC tells panel to fix maximum water level at Mullaperiyar dam
Context
The Supreme Court has directed the Supervisory Committee to take an immediate and firm decision on the maximum water level that can be maintained at Mullaperiyar dam, amid torrential rain in Kerala.
Background
Purpose of the dam
Kerala Government
Tamil Nadu
Why controversy?
2014: Supreme Court order
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Kerala’s View
Kerala is hit by floods and has requested that the water level should not go above 139 feet
Supreme Court
Supreme Court has asked officials of Kerala and Tamil Nadu to interact responsibly and settle on an amicable solution
C. GS 3 Related
Category: ECONOMY
1. Rains dent rubber output, imports to rise
Context
Heavy rains in Kerala has disrupted rubber production
How is it going to impact India?
Supplies are constrained by labor shortage and heavy rainfall has made tapping difficult which may force India to increase imports
Rubber tree
Production in India
Rubber Board
It shall be the duty of the Board:
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Category: ENVIRONMENT
1. CO2 emissions in 2020 above decadal average
Reference:
UPSC Exam Comprehensive News Analysis 25th Oct 2021
Category: SECURITY
1. BSF jurisdiction: parties in Punjab oppose Centre’s decision
Reference:
UPSC Exam Comprehensive News Analysis of 17th Oct 2021
D. GS 4 Related
Nothing here for today!!!
E. Editorials
Category: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
1. A festering crisis in the Palk Strait
Background:
Five fishermen from Tamil Nadu have lost their life in the Palk Strait in 2021 in reported incidents between the Indian fishermen and Sri Lankan Navy.
Indian fishermen while trying to earn a living, reportedly cross the International Maritime Boundary Line, between India and Sri Lanka.
They are often intercepted in Sri Lankan waters by the Sri Lankan Navy for “illegal fishing”.
Tamil Nadu fishermen’s associations have accused the Sri Lankan Navy of brutally attacking the fishermen, while Sri Lanka has denied the allegations.
Issue:
Palk Strait issue:
The fishermen’s deaths serve as a stark reminder of the unresolved fisheries conflict in the Palk Strait.
The issue has become acute from the time Sri Lanka’s 30 year-long civil war ended in 2009. At the end of the civil war, Sri Lanka’s northern Tamil fishermen, who were displaced and barred access to the sea, began returning to their old homes.The resumption of fishing activities from North Sri Lankan fishermen led to tension with Tamil fishermen on the other side of the sea over the marine resources of the region.
Bottom trawling:
The practice of bottom trawling by Tamil Nadu fishermen is a grave concern.
Bottom trawling fishing method involves dragging large fishing nets along the seabed, scooping out prawns, small fishes and virtually everything else at one go. This practice isdeemed destructive and antithetical to sustainable fishing practices. It involves a large volume of by catch which could be destructive to fishing populations. As a result the fish catch has fallen drastically and many varieties of fish have been vanishing.
Also incessant bottom trawling along the coast of Tamil Nadu over the years has meant that the Tamil Nadu fishermen are drawn to the relatively resource-rich Sri Lankan waters.
Livelihood issue:
The daily wage fishermenare largely dependent on fishing and any disruption in the fishing activity poses huge risk to the lives of their families.
While the vessel owners have been able to reap substantial profits, the fishermen receive only meagre incomes while facing huge risks to their lives.
Approach of Sri Lanka:
The Sri Lankan state’s response to the problem has been largely a military and legal one, tasking its Navy with patrolling the seas and arresting “encroachers”, banning trawling, and levying stiff fines on foreign vessels engaged in illegal fishing in its territorial waters.
This has been inconsistent with the need for a more holistic humanitarian approach as proposed by the Indian side.
Impact on the bilateral relation between India and Sri Lanka:
The Palk Bay conflict could be the biggest test yet to the bilateral relationship between India and Sri Lanka.
The issue has gained political mileage in both countries and hence could have disastrous impact on the relationship.
For detailed information on the India-Sri Lanka bilateral relations refer to the following article:
India- Sri Lanka Relation: RSTV – Big Picture
Measures taken:
India and Sri Lanka have held many rounds of bilateral talks in the recent past to find a solution to this lingering issue.
At the November 2016 meeting in New Delhi led by the Foreign and Fisheries Ministers from both sides, a Joint Working Group was constituted to expedite the transition towards ending the practice of bottom trawling at the earliest.
The Indian government has been attempting to divert Tamil Nadu fishermen to deep sea fishingas a viable alternative to bottom trawling in the Palk Bay strait.
Recommendations:
The distressing incidents are neither peculiar to this year, nor inevitable and hence there is the need for more holistic and sustainable solutions to the issue.Viewing the conflict merely through the prism of Tamil Nadu fishermen and the Sri Lankan Navy may not yield a solution to the problem. There is the need for a more humanitarian approach to the issue.
A moratorium on bottom trawling in the Palk Bay and support to the fishermen is a good first step towards a solution.
2. A ‘bubbles of trust’ approach
Background:
Rise of China and its consequences:
China has been able to grow economically due to ongoing globalization. Chinese firms have been able to secure significant market shares in open economies.
However there has been a marked asymmetric globalisation being observed. The Chinese market has not been open to foreign companies in the way foreign markets are to Chinese firms.
The asymmetric globalisation favouring China allowed Beijing to attain power. It is now using that power to undermine liberal democratic values around the world.
In such a scenario, there have been calls for a global retreat from the free movement of goods, services, capital, people and ideas.
Concept of bubbles of trust:
The popular backlash against China is pushing many governments towards policies of self-reliance.
Though the reorienting and de-risking of global supply chains is welcome, pursuing technological sovereignty could be inherently self-defeating as collective efforts could be more effective in harnessing critical and emerging technologies. Complementarities in capabilities can power innovation and growth.
The article proposes a bubbles of trust approach.
The idea of ‘bubbles of trust’ offers a middle path between the extremes of technological sovereignty and laissez-faire globalisation. Unlike trading blocs, which tend to be insular, bubbles tend to expand organically, attracting new partners that share values, interests and economic complementarities.
Quad’s role:
The Quad countries – Japan, India, Australia and the U.S.– with their convergence of values and geopolitical interests are uniquely placed to envelop their economies inside bubbles of trust.
The U.S. is a global leader in intellectual property, Japan in high-value manufacturing, Australia in advanced niches such as quantum computing and cyber security, and India in human capital. This configuration of values, interests and complementary capabilities offers huge opportunities.
The Quad countries will have to create a new form of economic cooperation based on the bubbles of trust approach.
The Quad’s Critical and Emerging Technology Working Group is well placed to develop the necessary ‘bubbles of trust’ framework, which could be adopted at the next Quad summit. The Working Group must seek to strengthen geopolitical convergences, increase faith in each member state’s judicial systems, deepen economic ties and boost trust in one another’s citizens.The Quad should not allow differences of approach on privacy, data governance and the digital economy to widen.
The focus should not be on substituting China. Rather, rather it should be based on the Quad countries managing their dependencies on China while simultaneously developing a new vision for the global economy.
Conclusion:
Every measure need to be taken to address the skewed globalization pattern and its negative consequences.
The bubbles of trust offers a middle path between the extremes of technological sovereignty and laissez-faire globalisation and hence there is the need to promote it.
Category: GOVERNANCE
1. A reminder that India still trails in the hunger fight
The recently released Global Hunger Index has ranked India at 101 out of 116 countries, with the country falling in the category of having a ‘serious’ hunger situation. The Indian government has expressed strong reservations over the process and parameters employed in the formulation of the GHI.
This issue has been covered previously in the following article:
UPSC Exam Comprehensive News Analysis of 18th Oct 2021
F. Prelims Facts
1. Thespian Rajinikanth given Dadasaheb Phalke Award
The Dadasaheb Phalke Awards is the highest award in cinema.
It is annually presented at the National Film Awards ceremony by the Directorate of Film Festivals.
The award is named after Dhundiraj Govind Phalke, popularly known as Dadasaheb Phalke.
Dadasaheb Phalke is regarded as the ‘father of Indian cinema’.
Context
Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu presented the Dadasaheb Phalke Award to film actor Rajinikanth
G. Tidbits
Nothing here for today!!!
UPSC Mains Practice Questions
Examine the conflict between the two competing rights — freedom to protest and the right to free movement of the public. Apply this debate specifically to the ongoing farmers’ protests against farm laws and evaluate. (15 marks, 250 words)[GS-2, Polity]
The failure to resolve the fishermen’s dispute is hurting India – Sri Lanka relations. Elucidate. (15 marks, 250 words)[GS-2, International Relations]
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