Daily Current Affairs: 27 Aug 2021

UN bans British stamps on Chagos Island

(Topic- GS Paper II–IR, Source-The Hindu)

Why in the news?

Recently, Mauritius has welcomed the UN postal agency’s decision to ban British stamps from being used on the Chagos archipelago.

Background

Mauritius became independent in 1968; the Chagos archipelago remained under British control, sparking protests by Chagossians, who accuse London of carrying out an “illegal occupation” and barring them from their homeland.
In 2019, the International Court of Justice ruled that Britain should give up control of the islands.
Later that year, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution recognising that “the Chagos Archipelago forms an integral part of the territory of Mauritius” and urged UN agencies “to support the decolonisation of Mauritius”.
Britain insists the archipelago belongs to London and has renewed a lease agreement with the U.S. to use Diego Garcia, the largest of the islands, until 2036.

About the Chagos Archipelago

The Chagos Archipelago, an island group in the central Indian Ocean, is located about 1,000 miles (1,600 km) south of the southern tip of the Indian subcontinent.
In the 19th century, Chagos were governed from Mauritius, which was a British Colony.
The UK retained possession of the Chagos archipelago, which includes the strategic US airbase of Diego Garcia, after Mauritius gained its independence in 1968, by paying Mauritius more than £4m for the islands.
The U.K. government refers to it as the British Indian Ocean Territory or BIOT.
Mauritius claimed that it was forced to give up the islands in 1965 in exchange for independence, which it gained in 1968.

India’s Stand

India has supported Mauritius stand on the Chagos Archipelago.
India in its submission to the International Court of Justice has said that the Chagos Archipelago has been and continues to be with Mauritius and demanded sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago from Britain.
India stayed committed to its Indian Ocean neighbour Mauritius, as well as its anti-colonial credentials.

Mission Vatsalya

(Topic- GS Paper II–Policies for Vulnerable section, Source-The Hindu)

Why in the news?

Maharashtra government has recently launched a special mission called "Mission Vatsalya" to help women who lost their husbands to COVID-19.

About Mission Vatsalya

It has been designed for widows, especially from rural areas who come from poor backgrounds and deprived sections.

Aims

The special mission aims to provide a bunch of services under one roof.
The department has provided 18 services to help them and also to get the certificates they need including several schemes like Sanjay Gandhi Niradhar Yojana and Gharkul Yojana.

Implementing Agency

The mission is being implemented by the women and child development (WCD) Department

North Eastern Region (NER) District SDG Index Report 2021-22

(Topic- GS Paper II–Governance, Source-The Hindu)

Why in the news?

Recently, the first edition of the North Eastern Region (NER) District SDG Index Report and Dashboard 2021- 22 has been released by NITI Aayog and the Ministry of Development of the North Eastern Region (M/DoNER).

About the NER District SDG Index

The NER District SDG Index and Dashboard is a collaborative effort by NITI Aayog and the Ministry of DoNER, with technical support from UNDP.
The index measures the performance of the districts of the eight states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and their corresponding targets and ranks the districts based on the same.
The NER District SDG Index and Dashboard 202122 tracks the progress of the districts of all eight states of the region on 84 indicators that are aligned to the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation's (MoSPI) National Indicator Framework (NIF).
The 84 indicators cover 15 of the global goals across 50 targets. Among these 84 indicators considered for computation, 40 per cent have been sourced from Union ministries and national-level surveys; and 60 per cent from state sources.
It offers insights into the social, economic, and environmental status of the region and its districts in their march towards achieving the SDGs.
The NER District SDG Index& Dashboard, a collaborative effort by NITI Aayog and the Ministry of DoNER, with technical support from UNDP.

Overall Results and Findings

Out of the 103 districts considered for the ranking, 64 districts belonged to the Front Runner category while 39 districts were in the Performer category in the composite score and ranking of districts.
All districts in Sikkim and Tripura fall in the Front Runner category.
There are no districts in the Aspirant or Achiever categories.
East Sikkim, with a score of 75.87, ranks first in the region followed by districts Gomati and North Tripura (score 75.73) at the second position.

EASE 4.0 reforms

(Topic- GS Paper II–Economics, Source-The Hindu)

Why in the news?

Finance Minister has recently unveiled a set of reforms for public sector banks (PSBs) called EASE 4.0 (Enhanced Access and Service Excellence).
It is a common reform agenda for Public sector Banks aimed at institutionalising clean and smart banking.

What do reforms fall under EASE 4.0?

The EASE 4.0 reforms looks at four key initiatives for public sector banks to adopt:

Smart lending backed by analytics;
24x7 banking with resilient technology and cloud-based IT systems;
data enabled agriculture financing;
collaborating with the financial ecosystem.

How will PSBs build 24x7 banking with technology?

Under the EASE 4.0 reforms, PSBs will have to fast-track the migration of their IT systems to secure cloud-based solutions in line with board-approved policies and the regulatory framework.
The PSBs will have to conduct time-bound audits and testing in line with board-approved policies.
The public sector banks will have to strengthen cyber-resilience by the fast-tracking implementation of advanced cyber-security measures such as zero-trust network segmentation, as well as the adoption of AI- & ML-based threat detection, API security and analytics-based cyber-risk quantification.

Global Manufacturing Risk Index

(Topic- GS Paper III–Economics, Source-Indian Express)

Why in the news?

According to real estate consultant Cushman & Wakefield, India has overtaken the United States (US) to become the second-most sought-after manufacturing destination globally, driven mainly by cost competitiveness.

About Cushman & Wakefield’s Manufacturing Risk Index report ranks countries based on a range of factors including:

Risk and cost factors
Political and economic risk
Market conditions and labour costs
Market Access

It is based on the most favourable locations for international manufacturing.
The index ranks 47 countries across Europe, the Americas, and the Asia Pacific.
The baseline ranking for top manufacturing destinations is determined based on a country's operating conditions and cost effectiveness.

Key Highlights

China has retained its top position and continues to diversify its manufacturing base by 2021.
The improvement in ranking indicates the growing interest shown by manufacturers in India as a preferred manufacturing hub over other countries, including the US and those in the APAC region.
The US is a desirable hub as it offers a large consumer market as well as incentives at both state and federal levels.

Cost scenario Category

In the category of the cost scenario, India and Vietnam were overtaken by Indonesia, while China retained its lead position.
India slipped to the third rank, while Indonesia moved to the second from the fifth spot.

Risk scenario Category

In the category of the risk scenario that takes into account lower levels of economic and political risks, India is nowhere near the top.
India has been clubbed in the third quartile of the rankings along with Malaysia, Belgium, Indonesia, Bulgaria, Romania, Thailand, Hungary, Colombia, Italy, Peru and Vietnam.
On top of the first quartile is China, followed by Canada, the US, Finland, Czech Republic.

The bounce-back category

In the category of the bounce back rating that takes into account a country’s ability to restart its manufacturing sector, India is in the fourth quartile with Sri Lanka, Mexico, Vietnam, Indonesia, Bulgaria, Thailand, Tunisia, Peru, Philippines and Venezuela.

E-Shram portal: A database for unorganised sector workers

(Topic- GS Paper III–Economics, Source-Indian Express)

Why in the news?

Recently the Union Minister for Labour and Employment has launched the logo of the e-Shram portal.

About e-Shram portal

The government aims to register 38 crore unorganised workers, such as construction labourers, migrant workforce, street vendors and domestic workers, among others.
The workers will be issued an e-Shram card containing a 12 digit unique number, which, going ahead will help in including them in social security schemes, officials said.
The government had earlier missed deadlines for creating the database, inviting criticism from the Supreme Court.

How will the registration for workers happen on the portal?

The registration of workers on the portal will be coordinated by the Labour Ministry, state governments, trade unions and CSCs, officials said. Awareness campaigns would be planned across the country to enable the nationwide registration of workers.
A worker can register on the portal using his/her Aadhaar card number and bank account details, apart from filling in other necessary details like date of birth, home town, mobile number and social category.
A national toll-free number — 14434 — will also be launched to assist and address the queries of workers seeking registration on the portal.

Malabar naval exercises

(Topic- GS Paper III–Defence-Indian Express)

Why in the news?

Recently Malabar naval exercises among the navies of the US, India, Australia and Japan, began off the coast of Guam in the western Pacific.

Background

The Quad navies of India, the U.S., Japan and Australia ―already‖ enjoy a “high degree of interoperability” and have the capability and capacity to come together in a ―almost plug and play mechanism‖ if the opportunity arises.
Japan joined India and the US as a partner in 2015 with Australia being invited for the drills by India in 2020.
The exercises, hosted by India, were held in two phases in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea.
The Indian Navy stressed the idea of ―collective maritime competence‖ where each nation brings something to the table and can learn from each other and harness individual capabilities.-
The Navy aimed to be the ―preferred security partner‖, be credible and forward-leaning in engagements and first responder in the region.
Indo-Pacific region competes with a closed and authoritarian 'Beijing vision' and the idea of a free and open Indo-Pacific.

About Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad)

It is the informal strategic dialogue between India, the USA, Japan and Australia with a shared objective to ensure and support a “free, open and prosperous” Indo-Pacific region.
The Ministers met also discuss collective efforts in our shared commitments and close cooperation on counter-terrorism, mentoring, assistance in disaster relief, airtime security, cooperation, development, finance and cyber security efforts.
The idea of Quad was first mooted by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2007.
However, the idea couldn’t move ahead with Australia pulling out of it, apparently due to Chinese pressure.
In December 2012, Shinzo Abe again floated the concept of Asia’s “Democratic Security Diamond” involving Australia, India, Japan and the US to safeguard the maritime commons from the Indian Ocean to the western Pacific.
In November 2017, India, the US, Australia and Japan gave shape to the long-pending "Quad" Coalition to develop a new strategy to keep the critical sea routes in the Indo-Pacific free of any influence (especially China).
Quad is criticised by China as the Asian version of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

NDIA-ISA Energy Transition Dialogue 2021

(Topic- GS Paper III–Environment, Source-Indian Express)

Why in the news?

Recently, the Union Minister of Power has delivered the keynote address at the 'India-ISA Energy Transition Dialogue 2021'.

Achievement of India NDC Targets

The government of India informed that India has already achieved an emission reduction of 28% over 2005 levels against the targeted emission reduction of 33-35 % by 2030.
India plans to reduce its carbon footprint by 33-35% from its 2005 levels by 2030, as part of its commitments to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change adopted by 195 countries in Paris in 2015.
India has also committed to having 40% of its total installed power generation capacity renewable by 2030.
India already has achieved 38.5 % installed capacity from renewable and when the renewable capacity under construction is also accounted for, the share of renewable in the installed capacity goes well over 48%, which is way above the commitments made under the Paris Agreement.
This assumes significance in a country that is the biggest emitter of greenhouse gases after the US and China and is among the countries most vulnerable to climate change.

About Paris Agreement

It is also known as the Conference of Parties 21 or COP 21 which is a landmark environmental accord that was adopted in 2015 to address climate change and its negative impacts.
It replaced the Kyoto Protocol which was an earlier agreement to deal with climate change.

Aims

To reduce global GHG emissions to limit the global temperature increase in this century to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels, while pursuing means to limit the increase to 1.5°C by 2100.

It includes:

Addressing the financial losses vulnerable countries face from climate impacts such as extreme weather.
Raising money to help developing countries adapt to climate change and transition to clean energy.
This part of the deal has been made non-legally binding on developed countries.
Before the conference started, more than 180 countries had submitted pledges to cut their carbon emissions (Intended Nationally Determined Contributions or INDCs).

Intended Nationally determined contributions

The Paris Agreement requires all Parties to put forward their best efforts through nationally determined contributions (NDCs) and to strengthen these efforts in the years ahead.
This includes requirements that all Parties report regularly on their emissions and their implementation efforts.
It is not legally binding.
India also reaffirmed its Intended Nationally Determined Contributions commitments to meeting the goals under the Agreement to combat climate change.

India's INDC, to be achieved primarily, by 2030

India promised to reduce the “emissions intensity of its GDP by 33-35 % by 2030 from 2005 level.
It will achieve about "40% cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel-based energy resources (mainly renewables like wind and solar power) by 2030" with the help of the transfer of technology and low-cost international finance, including from the Green Climate Fund.

Position of India

India stands at 4th position in the world in terms of installed Renewable Energy capacity 5th in Solar and 4th in Wind energy capacity.

Note:

India plans to continue its momentum in the clean energy sector by systematically scaling up its targets to install 450 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030 from its existing target of 175 GW by 2022.