Daily Current Affairs UPSC 29 June 2024

South China Sea

India expresses concern over unilateral actions in South China Sea

• India is worried about changes to the status quo in the region.

South China Sea Overview

• A semi-enclosed sea in the western Pacific Ocean.
• Forms part of the China Sea along with the East China Sea.

China's Claims

• China claims the largest portion of territory in the region with its "nine-dash line".

Disputed Islands

• Paracel Islands: Claimed by China, Vietnam, and Taiwan.
• Spratly Islands: Claimed by China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Philippines, and Malaysia.
• Scarborough Shoal: Claimed by China, Taiwan, and Philippines.

Senna Spectabilis

• Collaboration between Kerala Forest dept. and KPPL to remove Senna Spectabilis.
• Threat of Senna Spectabilis to wildlife habitat in Nilgiri biosphere.
• Characteristics of Senna Spectabilis
  
  • Native species of Tropical America.
  • Grown as ornamental plant.
  • Grows in various soil types.
  • Evergreen in rainy climates, deciduous in dry seasons
  • Used in traditional medicine.

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

• New Secretary General of NATO: Dutch Prime Minister to take over
• NATO Background:
  
  • Founded in 1949
  • Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium
  • Treaty: North Atlantic Treaty (Washington Treaty)
  • Collective defense is central to the Treaty
  • Derives authority from Article 51 of the UN Charter
  • Affirms the right of independent states to individual or collective defense
• Membership:
  
  • 32 members, with Sweden joining in 2024.

Aid-for-Trade Initiative

• The Aid-for-Trade Initiative was established by the WTO after the 2005 WTO Hong Kong Ministerial Conference.
• The main goal of the initiative is to assist developing economies in joining the global trade market by providing additional development support.
• The initiative focuses on addressing supply-side capacity and trade-related infrastructure challenges in developing economies.
• Financial resources are mobilized to help developing economies and least developed countries overcome trade-related constraints.

RIMPAC Exercise

• RIMPAC Exercise Opening Ceremony.
• Held in Hawaii, USA for the 29th edition.
• India participates in the world's largest international maritime exercise.
• Goal is to build relationships, enhance interoperability, and contribute to peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.

National Quality Assurance Standards (NQAS) Assessment

• Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launches Virtual NQAS Assessment and Spot food license initiative.
• NQAS Assessment for Ayushman Arogya Mandirs and Integrated Public Health Laboratories.
  
  • Compliance with Indian Public Health Standards (IPHS).
  • Digital platform for real-time monitoring of public health facilities.
• Spot Food License Initiative for instant issuance of licenses and registrations.
  
  • Through pan-India IT platform FoSCoS.
  • Aims to simplify licensing and registration processes for food safety compliance.

AI washing

• Many companies are currently utilizing Artificial Intelligence (AI).
• AI washing is a concept similar to greenwashing, where companies overstate their environmental efforts.
• Tech companies and startups falsely claiming to use AI are guilty of AI washing.
• This can lead to misinformed investments in surface-level improvements, hindering actual advancements in AI technologies.

Artificial Intelligence Preparedness Index (AIPI)    

• The IMF recently released the AIPI Dashboard, which ranks countries based on their readiness for artificial intelligence.
• Singapore is ranked first on the AIPI Dashboard, while India is ranked 72nd.
• The AIPI Dashboard tracks 174 economies and assesses their readiness for AI based on four key areas: digital infrastructure, human capital and labor market policies, innovation and economic integration, and regulation and ethics.
• Countries are categorized into Advanced Economies (AE), Emerging Market Economies (EM), and Low-Income Countries (LIC) based on their AI readiness.

Togo (Capital: Lomé)

• Recent review of bilateral relations between India and Togo.
• Togo's political features:
  
  • Location in Western Africa.
  • Land boundaries with Ghana, Benin, and Burkina Faso.
  • Water bodies include the Gulf of Guinea.
• Geographical features of Togo:
  
  • Narrow strip of land on Africa's west coast.
  • Highest point is Mount Agou (Baumann Peak).
  • Major rivers include Oti river and Mono river.
  • Climate is tropical.

Russian Coal Trains Headed to India via INSTC

• Russia has dispatched two trains carrying coal to India through the eastern branch of the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) for the first time, according to reports. The trains will deliver the coal to Bandar Abbas Port in Iran.

About INSTC

• A 7,200-km multimodal transportation network connecting the Indian Ocean to North Europe via Iran and Russia's Saint Petersburg.
• Established in 2000 by Iran, Russia, and India with 13 member countries including Azerbaijan and Armenia.
• Bulgaria has joined as an Observer State.
• Comprises three corridors: Central, Western, and Eastern.

Why INSTC is important for India?

• Enhances connectivity to Central Asia and provides more cost-effective transport options.
• Offers an alternative route to the Suez Canal, reducing transit times to 25 days and cutting freight costs by 30%.
• Improves energy security by bypassing vulnerable choke points and accessing energy-rich regions like Central Asia, Arctic, Nordic, and Baltic.
• Helps counter initiatives like China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

Russian Satellite Breaks Up, Creates Space Debris

• The no longer operational RESURS-P1 Russian satellite for observing Earth has fragmented, contributing to the amount of space debris in orbit.

About Space Debris (Space Junk) 

• Definition of Space Debris: Refers to non-functional artificial objects in Earth orbit or re-entering the atmosphere.
• Sources of Space Debris: Majority comes from on-orbit break-ups, collisions, spent rocket stages, and space-based weapons.

Risks associated with Space Debris

• Operational Risks: Can harm operational spacecraft and satellites, leading to potential collisions.
• Kessler Syndrome: Increase in debris density can trigger a chain reaction of collisions, creating more debris.
• Threat to Astronauts: Speed and volume of debris in LEO pose a threat to astronauts in the ISS.
• Cost of Satellite Maintenance: Space agencies must perform Collision Avoidance Manoeuvres to protect satellites.

Initiatives to Address Space Debris

Global:

• Inter-Agency Debris Coordination Committee (IADC) established in 1993.
• UN Space Debris Mitigation Guidelines by UN-COPUOS.
• Zero Debris Charter signed by 12 countries.

India:

• Debris Free Space Missions (DFSM) 2030.
• ISRO System for Safe and Sustainable Operations Management (IS4OM).
• Space Situational Awareness Control Centre (SSACC) established.
• Project Network for Space Object Tracking and Analysis (NETRA) implemented.

India's Mutual Evaluation Report Adopted by FATF

• Assessment of India's Measures to Combat Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing, and Proliferation Financing.
• India is placed in the 'regular follow-up' category by FATF, along with only four other G20 countries.
• FATF is an intergovernmental organization established in 1989 by G7 to combat money laundering.
• India became a member of FATF in 2010.

About Money Laundering

• Money laundering involves three stages: Placement, Layering, and Integration.

Key Achievements of India's MER

• Mitigation of risks from money laundering and terrorist financing.
• Transition to a digital economy.
• JAM Trinity (Jan Dhan, Aadhaar, Mobile) leading to increased financial inclusion and digital transactions.

Recommendations

• Strengthen supervision and implementation of preventive measures in non-financial sectors.
• Address delays in concluding money laundering and terrorist financing prosecutions.
• Implement risk-based measures to prevent abuse of the non-profit sector for terrorist financing.

Re-constitution of Parliamentary Committees Underway

• Motions in Lok Sabha were moved to establish the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and Estimate Committee (EC).
• These committees are part of the financial committees of Parliament.

About Parliamentary Committees

• There are two types: Ad hoc Committees and Standing Committees.
• Ad hoc Committees are appointed for a specific purpose and dissolve once the task is completed.
• Standing Committees are permanent and regular, constituted as needed.
• Financial Committees, Departmentally Related Standing Committees (DRSC), and Committees on Subordinate Legislation fall under this category.

Significance of Parliamentary Committees

• Acts as a watchdog over the executive branch.
• Provides a platform for consensus-building among political parties.
• Aids in the thorough scrutiny of bills before they are passed.
• Offers technical expertise to help Parliament understand complex issues.

Challenges Faced by Parliamentary Committees

• Few bills are referred to committees.
• Lack of attendance by MPs in committee meetings.
• Insufficient full-time technical expert support.
• Inadequate number of sittings.

Public Accounts Committee

• Established in 1921 after the Montague-Chelmsford Reforms.
• Comprises a maximum of 22 members (15 from Lok Sabha, 7 from Rajya Sabha).
• Function: auditing the revenue and expenditure of the Government of India.

About Estimate Committee

• Formed in 1950 with 30 members from Lok Sabha.
• Functions include suggesting alternative policies for efficient administration and ensuring money is spent within policy limits.

RBI Reviews State Governments' Ways and Means Advances Scheme

• RBI has raised the WMA limit for States/UTs to Rs 60,118 crore from Rs 47,010 crore.
• This increase will help States/UTs in better managing their fiscal situation.
• WMA, Special Drawing Facility (SDF), and Overdraft (OD) are important financial instruments for States/UTs regulated under the RBI Act, 1934.

About Ways and Means Advance (WMA) Overview

• RBI provides advances to States/UTs to address temporary cash flow mismatches.
• Both States/UTs and the Union Government can avail of this facility.
• There are two types of WMA: Normal WMA and Special WMA (now known as SDF).
• Special WMA is provided first, followed by Normal WMA, with lower interest rates linked to the Repo rate.

About Special Drawing Facility (SDF) Information

• States can access SDF against collateral like Consolidated Sinking Fund (CSF) and Guarantee Redemption Fund (GRF).
• CSF and GRF are reserve funds maintained by some States with the RBI.

About Overdraft Facility Details

• Overdraft is provided when a State exceeds its SDF and WMA limits.
• States/UTs can typically avail overdraft for 14 consecutive days, with the possibility of relaxation by the RBI.

Decrease in Imported Coal Share

• The Ministry of Coal reported a decrease in the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of imported coal share from 13.94% (2004-05 to 2013-14) to -2.29% (2014-15 to 2023-24).
• Consumers can freely import coal under Open General Licence based on their commercial needs.

Measures taken to reduce coal import

• Amendments to the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 allow captive mines to sell up to 50% of their annual production.
• 100% Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is permitted for commercial mining.
• Expansion of coal areas through new projects, auction of coal blocks, etc.
• Single Window Clearance portal for coal sector to expedite operationalization of coal mines.

Challenges in Coal Mining

• Lack of domestic production of high-grade coals like coking coal and anthracite in India.
• Power sector consumers not paying commensurate coal value leading to huge outstanding dues.
• Unpredictable and prolonged rainfall in coal-bearing areas.

About Coal Sector in India

• India has the fifth-largest coal reserves globally and is the second-largest consumer of coal.
• Coal production in India in 2023-24 was 997.25 MT.
• Coal in India is mainly found in rock sequences of Gondwana and tertiary deposits.
• Around 80% of coal deposits in India are bituminous and non-coking grade.
• Majority of coal reserves are located in the valleys of Damodar, Sone, Mahanadi, and Godavari.
• Gevra coal mine in Chhattisgarh became the largest coal mine in 2023, surpassing Jharia.