GS Paper 3

Free Trade Agreements (FTAs)

What are FTAs?

  • FTAs are arrangements between two or more countries or trading blocs that primarily agree to reduce or eliminate customs tariff and non tariff barriers on substantial trade between them. 
  • FTAs normally cover trade in goods (such as agricultural or industrial products) or trade in services (such as banking, construction, trading etc.). FTAs can also cover other areas such as intellectual property rights (IPRs), investment, government procurement and competition policy, etc.

Stages of Trade Integration

  • Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA): In a PTA, two or more partners agree to reduce tariffs on an agreed number of tariff lines. The list of products on which the partners agree to reduce duty is called a positive list. India MERCOSUR PTA is such an example. However, in general PTAs do not cover substantially all trade.
  • Free Trade Agreement (FTA): In FTAs, tariffs on items covering substantial bilateral trade are eliminated between the partner countries; however, each maintains an individual tariff structure for non-members. India Sri Lanka FTA is an example. The key difference between an FTA and a PTA is that while in a PTA there is a positive list of products on which duty is to be reduced; in an FTA there is a negative list on which duty is not reduced or eliminated. Thus, compared to a PTA, FTAs are generally more ambitious in coverage of tariff lines (products) on which duty is to be reduced.
  • Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA)/Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA): These terms describe agreements which consist of an integrated package on goods, services and investment along with other areas including IPR, competition etc. The India-Korea CEPA is one such example and it covers a broad range of other areas like trade facilitation and customs cooperation, investment, competition, IPR etc.
  • Custom Union: In a Customs union, member countries may decide to trade at zero duty among themselves, however they maintain common customs duty against the rest of the world. Example: Southern African Customs Union (SACU) - South Africa, Lesotho, Namibia, Botswana and Swaziland.
  • Common Market: Integration provided by a Common market is one step deeper than that by a Customs Union. A common market is a Customs Union with provisions to facilitate free movements of labour and capital, harmonise technical standards across members etc. The European Common Market is an example.
  • Economic Union: Common Market extended through further harmonisation of fiscal/monetary policies and shared executive, judicial and legislative institutions among the member countries. The European Union (EU) is an example.

Early Harvest Package

  • The UK has recently stated that it wants an early harvest trade package with India prior to finalisation of a full-fledged free trade agreement.
  • Early harvest scheme is a precursor to a free trade agreement (FTA) between two trading partners. This is to help the two trading countries to identify certain products for tariff liberalisation before the conclusion of FTA negotiation. 
  • The EHS has been used as a mechanism to build greater confidence amongst trading partners to prepare them for even bigger economic engagement.

How is CECA/CEPA different from FTA?

  • A Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) or a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) is different from a traditional Free Trade Agreement (FTA) on two counts:
    • Firstly, CECA/CEPA are more comprehensive and ambitious than an FTA in terms of coverage of areas and the type of commitments. While a traditional FTA focuses mainly on goods; a CECA/CEPA is more ambitious in terms of a holistic coverage of many areas like services, investment, competition, government procurement, disputes etc. 
    • Secondly, CECA/CEPA looks deeper at the regulatory aspects of trade than an FTA. It is on account of this that it encompasses mutual recognition agreements (MRAs) that cover the regulatory regimes of the partners. An MRA recognises different regulatory regimes of partners on the presumption that they achieve the same end objectives.

Rationale for signing Free Trade Agreements 

  • By eliminating tariffs and some non-tariff barriers FTA partners get easier market access into one another's markets. 
  • Exporters prefer FTAs to multilateral trade liberalisation because they get preferential treatment over non-FTA member country competitors. For example in the case of ASEAN, ASEAN has an FTA with India but not with Canada. ASEAN's custom duty on leather shoes is 20% but under the FTA with India it reduced duties to zero. Now assuming other costs being equal, an Indian exporter, because of this duty preference, will be more competitive than a Canadian exporter of shoes. Secondly, FTAs may also protect local exporters from losing out to foreign companies that might receive preferential treatment under other FTAs.
  • Possibility of increased foreign investment from outside the FTA. Consider 2 countries A and B having an FTA. Country A has a high tariff and a large domestic market. The firms based in country C may decide to invest in country A to cater to A's domestic market. However, once A and B sign an FTA and B offers a better business environment, C may decide to locate its plant in B to supply its products to A.
  • Such occurrences are not limited to tariffs alone but it is also true in the case of non-tariff measures. Especially when a Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) is reached between countries A and B. Some experts are of the view that slow progress in multilateral negotiations due to complexities arising from large numbers of countries to reach a consensus on polarising issues, may have provided the impetus for FTAs.

How is India placed globally in terms of its bilateral PTAs/FTAs/ CECAs/CEPAs?

  • India has preferential access, economic cooperation and Free Trade Agreements (FTA) with about 54 individual countries. India has signed bilateral trade deals in the form of Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA)/ Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA)/FTA/Preferential Trade Agreements (PTAs) with some 18 groups/countries. 
  • India is a late, and cautious, starter in concluding comprehensive preferential tariff agreements covering substantially all trade with some of its trading partners.

List of FTAs Signed By India

  • PTAs in Force: Asia Pacific Trade Agreement (APTA); India- Afghanistan; India-Mercosur; India-Chile. 
  • FTAs in force India- Sri Lanka; SAARC FTA; India –ASEAN FTA; India - South Korea CEPA; India - Japan CEPA; India - Malaysia CECA; India-Singapore CECA; India-Nepal; India-Bhutan. India-Australia ECTA (They are negotiating to upgrade it to a CEPA).
  • FTAs in Negotiation: India –EU BTIA; India- Canada FTA; India- New Zealand FTA etc. 

Are there provisions for review and implementation of FTAs?

  • Yes, the FTAs have provisions for review and implementation. This is normally done at specified intervals and there is an institutional mechanism to undertake such a review. 
  • It is important for stakeholders to provide regular feedback on the operation of the FTAs for this mechanism to be effective. For example, problems faced in SPS/TBT  measures or other NTMs need to be highlighted. 

Relationship between Multilateralism and FTAs? 

  • Article 1 of GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade) which enunciates the most favoured nation (MFN) principle of World Trade Organisation (WTO) states that "any advantage, favour, privilege, or immunity granted by any contracting party to any product originating in or destined for any other country shall be accorded immediately and unconditionally to the like product originating in or destined for the territories of all other contracting parties." 
  • However, exemptions from this MFN principle are permitted for forming FTAs under specific conditions as per the following provisions of the WTO Agreements:
    • Article XXIV of GATT for goods.
    • Article V of GATS (General Agreement on Trade in Services) for services.
  • The specific conditions under Article XXIV of the GATT permitting FTAs, are:
    • FTA members shall not erect higher or more restrictive tariff or non-tariff barriers on trade with non-members than existed prior to the formation of the FTA.
    • Elimination of tariffs and other trade restrictions be applied to "substantially all the trade between the constituent territories in products originating in such territories."
    • Elimination of duties and other trade restrictions on trade within the FTA to be accomplished "within a reasonable length of time," meaning a period of no longer than 10 years
  • Moreover, the "Enabling Clause, 1, allows developing countries to form preferential trading arrangements without adhering to the conditions under Article XXIV.

G7 Ministers commit to work for carbon free electricity by 2035

Context: The G7 countries' Climate and Energy Ministers and envoys committed to working towards carbon-free electricity production by 2035 and accelerating the phase-out of coal. The participants also agreed to accelerate solar and wind energy investments to produce 1,000 GW of solar power and 150 GW of wind power from offshore platforms by 2030, in line with the IPCC's recommendation to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. 

More on news

To prevent global warming it is necessary to change into the carbon-neutral energy system, and many countries have declared that they aim for a carbon-neutral society. The focus is on transition of energy source from fossil fuels to carbon-free energies. Carbon-free energy sources are nuclear power and renewable energy, including synthetic fuel called “e-fuels.” E-fuels such as hydrogen, ammonia, methane, and DME are made by renewable energy.

About Carbon free energy

Energy sources that are considered carbon-free do not generate any carbon emissions during their production, and are usually sourced from resources like nuclear or large hydroelectric. While these resources can play a crucial role in mitigating greenhouse gas emissions, their usage can also have adverse effects on the environment and economy. For instance, nuclear power plants produce radioactive waste that requires long-term safe storage, which can be expensive. Similarly, building new large hydroelectric resources requires dam construction that can have lasting negative impacts on the surrounding ecosystems.

What is Renewable energy?

Renewable energy refers to naturally replenishing resources that generate zero emissions during their production. Examples of renewable energy sources include solar, wind, geothermal, biomass and biowaste, as well as certain forms of hydroelectricity. 

While all renewable energy is carbon-free, not all carbon-free energy is renewable. Only naturally-replenishing sources are renewable.

image 12

About G7

  • The G7 (Group of Seven) is an intergovernmental organisation of the world's seven largest so-called "advanced" economies, which dominate global trade and the international financial system. 
  • Its members are Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the United States. 
  • Russia joined in 1998, creating the G8, but was excluded in 2014 for its takeover of Crimea. 
  • China has never been a member, despite its large economy and having the world's biggest population. 
  • Japan took over the G7 presidency in 2023, which means it will host the organisation's annual summit in May 2023 at Hiroshima. 
  • The EU is not a member of the G7 but attends the annual summit.
image 13

Initiatives of G7

  • The G7 played crucial role in setting up a global fund to fight malaria and Aids in 2002. 
  • Ahead of the 2021 G7 summit in the UK, the G7 finance ministers agreed to make multinational companies pay more tax. 
  • It has also provided financial aid to developing countries, and addressed climate change.
  • The G7 countries, have officially launched the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGII), a joint initiative to fund infrastructure projects in developing countries. 

Kaziranga National Park & One Horned Rhino

Context: The Kaziranga National Park has requested the Eastern Command chief for the Army's assistance in building three Bailey bridges to replace wooden structures in flood-prone areas.

More on news:

The Eastern Command chief, has received a request from Kaziranga National Park to build three Bailey bridges to replace wooden structures in vulnerable areas that are frequently flooded. The bridges would improve connectivity and shorten routes to the vulnerable areas, making it easier for forest guards to coordinate and protect the one-horned rhino population. The bridges, which would be built in Mihi, Kathparaghat, and Rongamotia, would be 4 meters wide and between 30-100 meters long.

Kaziranga National Park

  • It is a national park which is located in the state of Assam, India. 
  • It hosts two-thirds of the world's Indian rhinoceroses and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 
  • It was declared a Tiger Reserve in 2006. 
  • It is home to large populations of elephants, wild water buffalo, and swamp deer.
  • It is also recognized as an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International.

Greater One horned Rhino

image 11
image 10
  • It is the largest of the rhino species and identified by a single black horn and a grey-brown hide with skin folds. 
  • The species is solitary, except when adult males or rhinos nearing adulthood gather at wallows or to graze. 
  • They primarily graze, with a diet consisting of grasses as well as leaves, branches of shrubs and trees, fruit, and aquatic plants.
  • IUCN Status: Vulnerable

Sumatran Rhino

image 9
  • They are the smallest species of Rhino.
  • They have two horns that are dark grey to black in colour. 
  • They are fast runners and are very agile. 
  • IUCN Status: Critically Endangered

Javan Rhino

image 8
  • They are most threatened of the five rhino species, with only around 60 individuals that live only in Java, Indonesia. 
  • It has a dusky grey colour and a single horn of up to about 10 inches. 
  • It is very similar in appearance to the closely-related greater one-horned rhinoceros.
  • IUCN Status: Critically Endangered

Black Rhino

image 7
  • Among black and white rhinos, black rhinos are the smaller of the two African rhino species. 
  • It is native to eastern and southern African countries.
  • Black and white rhinos can be distinguished by the shape of their lips. 
  • Black rhinos are browsers, rather than grazers, meaning they are herbivores who do not feed on low-growing vegetation.
  • They have two horns, which grow continually from the skin at their base throughout the rhino’s life (like human fingernails).
  • IUCN Status: Critically Endangered

White Rhino

image 6
  • They are the second-largest land mammal and also known as the square-lipped rhinoceros.
  • The majority (98.8%) of the southern white rhinos occur in just four countries: South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and Kenya. 
  • They are the only of the five rhino species that are not endangered. 
  • IUCN Status: Near Threatened

Foreign Exchange Reserves

Context: Reserves have fallen from an all-time high of $645 billion in October 2021 to $575.27 billion in February 2023. However, India’s forex reserves increased by $6.306 billion to $584.755 billion for the week ended April 7.

What are Foreign Exchange Reserves?

  • Foreign exchange reserves refers to the reserves of the RBI kept in the form foreign currency assets, gold, SDR and reserve tranche position with the IMF. 
  • The forex reserve is kept as a cushion against any potential balance of payment related crisis. In India, the Reserve Bank of India Act 1934 enables the RBI to act as the custodian of foreign reserves. 

Composition of Foreign Exchange Reserves

  • Forex reserves in India comprise of Foreign Exchange assets (FEAs), Gold, Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) and Reserve Position in the IMF.
  • Foreign Exchange assets (FEAs): Consists of major global currencies + Investments in US Treasury bonds, bonds of other selected governments, deposits with foreign central and commercial banks. Even though, Foreign Exchange assets (FEAs) are maintained in major currencies, the foreign exchange reserves are denominated and expressed in US dollar terms.
  • Reserve Position in the IMF: Subscription of quota consists of two components: (i) foreign exchange component and (ii) domestic currency component. Under the foreign exchange component, a member is required to pay 25% of its quota in SDRs or in foreign currencies. This is termed as “reserve position in the IMF or reserve tranche” and is part of the member country’s reserve assets.
  • Foreign Currency Assets (88%) > Gold (8%) > SDR (3.2%) > RTP (0.8%)

Reasons for Decline

  • FPI outflows: mainly due global inflation post Russia-Ukraine war and hike of interest rates by US Federal Reserve. 
  • Rupee depreciation: by around 10% against the US dollar and became the worst performing Asian currency in 2022. As a result, RBI had to intervene in the forex market to defend the rupee thereby declining forex reserves. 
  • Valuation loss: Foreign exchange reserves are maintained as a multi-currency portfolio comprising major currencies such as the US dollar, Euro, Pound sterling, and Japanese yen, among others, but are valued in terms of US dollars. When the dollar strengthens, the valuation of other currencies vis-à-vis the US currency declines, leading to notional fall in the overall reserves position.

How Much Forex Reserves is Sufficient?

  • Though there is no objective formula/criterion to arrive at a specific amount, there are few factors that are considered to determine the adequacy of foreign exchange reserves of an economy, which include:
    • Import Cover: Number of months of imports that could be paid for by Forex Reserves.
    • Greenspan-Guidotti rule: Forex reserves should be sufficient to pay the short-term External Debt. 
    • Level of short-term debt: IMF suggests that a country's reserves should equal short-term external debt (one-year or less maturity), suggesting a ratio of reserves-to-short term debt of one. 
    • Source of accretion of reserves: Whether the forex reserves are made up of export or foreign investments (FDI & FPI) or external borrowings. 
    • Levels of Current account deficit: To what extent the CAD can be financed by the existing foreign reserves.  

National highways constructed in India

Context:  Recently NHAI data reveals that in 2022-23 10,993 kilometres of national highways have been constructed. It is 13.7% less than the goal of 12500 Km. While the pace of the construction of national highways touched a record high of 37 km a day in 2020-21, it slowed to 30.11 km a day in 2022-23.

About NHAI

  • The National Highways Authority of India was set up by an act of the Parliament, the NHAI Act, 1988.
  • It is aimed at the development, maintenance and management of national highways and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.
  • It has been entrusted with the National Highways Development Project, which along with other minor projects, has vested in it 50329 km of National Highways for development, maintenance and management.
  • Its objective is to ensure that all contract awards and procurements conform to the best industry practices regarding transparency of the process, adoption of bid criteria to ensure healthy competition in the award of contracts, implementation of projects conform to best quality requirements and the highway system is maintained to ensure best user comfort and convenience.

Mandate

Vision

  • To meet the Nation’s need for the provision and maintenance of the National Highways network to global standards.
  • To meet the user’s expectations in the most time-bound and cost-effective manner, within the strategic policy framework set by the Government of India.
  • To promote economic well-being and quality of life of the people.

Mission

  • To develop, maintain and manage National Highways vested in it by the Government.
  • To collect fees on National Highways, regulate and control the plying of vehicles on National Highways for its proper management.
  • To develop and provide consultancy and construction services in India and abroad and carry on research activities about the development, maintenance and management of highways or any other facilities there.
  • To advise the Central Government on matters relating to highways.
  • To assist on such terms and conditions as may be mutually agreed upon, any State Government in the formulation and implementation of schemes for highway development.

Importance of NHs

  • National Highways are the arterial roads of the country for the inter-state movement of passengers and goods.
  • They traverse the length and width of the country connecting the National and State capitals, major ports and rail junctions and link up with border roads and foreign highways.
  • The total length of NH (including expressways) in the country at present is 1,32,499 km.
  • While Highways/Expressways constitute only about 1.7% of the length of all roads, they carry about 40% of the road traffic.

NISAR satellite to map Himalayas’ seismic zones

Context: NISAR satellite jointly developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) will map the most earthquake-prone regions in the Himalayas. The data generated can potentially give an advance warning of land subsidence, as recently observed in Joshimath, Uttarakhand, and point places that are at greatest risk from earthquakes.

About NISAR: 

  • NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) is an Earth-observation satellite expected to be launched in January 2024 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Andhra Pradesh into a sun-synchronous orbit. 
  • The 2,800 kilograms satellite consists of both L-band and S-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) instruments, which makes it a dual-frequencyimaging radar satellite. SAR is capable of penetrating clouds and can collect data day and night regardless of the weather conditions.
    • L-band SAR operates at a frequency of around 1 to 2 GHz. The lower frequency (higher wavelength) of L-band SAR allows it to penetrate through vegetation and soil, making it useful for monitoring changes in forest cover, soil moisture etc.
    • S-band SAR operates at a frequency of around 2 to 4 GHz. S-band SAR has a higher resolution than L-band SAR and is typically used for applications where higher detail is required, such as monitoring changes in urban areas or coastal zones. 
  • The spacecraft will orbit the Earth in a sun-synchronous orbit of 747 Km with a 12-day repeat cycle. 
Overview | Observatory – NASA-ISRO SAR Mission (NISAR)

Significance:

  • The NISAR satellite with two frequency bands: L-band and S-band will image the seismically active Himalayan region that will create a “deformation map” every 12 days and provide high-resolution, all-weather data.
    • While satellite imagery to study deformation in land is already employed in India, the frequency at which observations are taken and the clarity of the images is critical. 
    • With a frequency of 12 days and the ability to be able to provide images even under cloudy conditions, NISAR would be a valuable tool to study deformation patterns, such as in Joshimath. 

Other Applications:

  • Study Earth’s dynamic land and ice surfaces in greater detail and observe subtle changes in Earth’s surfaces. E.g., Track flow rates of glaciers and ice sheets, landslide-prone areas and changes in the coastline etc.
  • Spot warning signs of natural disasters, such as volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and landslides. 
  • Measure groundwater levels, agricultural mapping, natural resource mapping and monitor Earth’s forest and agricultural regions to improve understanding of carbon exchange. 

Understanding Cyclones

Context: Meteorologists say Tropical Cyclone Ilsa is forecast to be the most powerful storm to hit Australia in eight years, bringing wind gusts of up to 196 miles per hour as it crosses the northwest coast.

About Cyclones

  • Cyclones are the centres of low pressure surrounded by closed isobars having increasing pressure outward and closed air circulation from outside towards the central low pressure. 
  • The winds move anti clockwise in northern hemisphere and clockwise in southern hemisphere. 
  • Based on location, cyclones are classified in two major types:

Tropical Cyclones

  • Tropical cyclones are violent storms that originate over oceans in tropical areas and move over to the coastal areas bringing about large scale destruction caused by violent winds, very heavy rainfall and storm surges. 
  • This is one of the most devastating natural calamities. They are known as Cyclones in the Indian Ocean, Hurricanes in the Atlantic, Typhoons in the Western Pacific and South China Sea, and Willy-willies in the Western Australia. 
  • Tropical cyclones originate and intensify over warm tropical oceans. 
1hMGL7F1AyIMbCUSfWNjTjSjp6bKUyjG5szoTYbb2nbZnPgjFDiIUtBstZrxYqrA a8MVAw4ZU6zpM2k3QzgCB2Sce X6eA2RumXl6wDgHwePvrpKnCmWIgBW 5Uv8ymS62PQwmd6FUJ1aXrQP6ONg

The conditions favourable for the formation and intensification of tropical storms are

(i) Large sea surface with temperature higher than 27° C; 

(ii) Presence of the Coriolis force; 

(iii) Small variations in the vertical wind speed; 

(iv) A pre-existing weaklow-pressure area or low-level-cyclonic circulation; 

(v) Upper divergence above the sea level system. 

Mechanism

  • The energy that intensifies the storm, comes from the condensation process in the towering cumulonimbus clouds, surrounding the centre of the storm. 
  • With continuous supply of moisture from the sea, the storm is further strengthened. 
  • On reaching the land the moisture supply is cut off and the storm dissipates. 
  • The place where a tropical cyclone crosses the coast is called the landfall of the cyclone. The cyclones, which cross 20 ° N latitude generally, recurve and they are more destructive.
  • A mature tropical cyclone is characterised by the strong spirally circulating wind around the centre, called the eye. The diameter of the circulating system can vary between 150 and 250 km. The eye is a region of calm with subsiding air. 
bdkof9xxBApechf SOoS2TLFMOsJaK0783N5sQtbMNkh7qeEyry7It7MSO6CiGXcWWYZRG GDH8MvgvMumws0K1Vbi LLXX4OIdejlb4QvbG3l51I2dhh8 iTio 01zhRiS2MmSjFsPu1mWv5sJvyQ
  • Around the eye is the eye wall, where there is a strong spiralling ascent of air to greater height reaching the tropopause. Torrential rain occurs here. 
  • From the eye wall rain bands may radiate and trains of cumulus and cumulonimbus clouds may drift into the outer region. The cyclone creates storm surges and they inundate the coastal low lands. The storm peters out on the land.

Extra-Tropical Cyclones

  • The systems developing in the mid and high latitude, beyond the tropics are called the middle latitude or extra tropical cyclones. 
75hqFjeeQfuoYNhWlw2Cm2xm8xYTr R9JUaH13HYw eZMW8nLzXO4PU WhXmmHzEAtk M vkZWfT8yu7fi5uJ7JfmNPsxV7zZVwZRq2Y7pVUeVnB9c3plQAuT0K8Zc5No8Fo
  • The passage of front causes abrupt changes in the weather conditions over the area in the middle and high latitudes
  •  Extra tropical cyclones form along the polar front. Initially, the front is stationary.
  •  In the northern hemisphere, warm air blows from the south and cold air from the north of the front. When the pressure drops along the front, the warm air moves northwards and the cold air move towards, south setting in motion an anticlockwise cyclonic circulation. 
  • The cyclonic circulation leads to a well-developed extra tropical cyclone, with a warm front and a cold front. 
  • There are pockets of warm air or warm sector wedged between the forward and the rear cold air or cold sector.
  •  The warm air glides over the cold air and a sequence of clouds appear over the sky ahead of the warm front and cause precipitation. 
  • The cold front approaches the warm air from behind and pushes the warm air up. As a result, cumulus clouds develop along the cold front. 
  • The cold front moves faster than the warm front ultimately overtaking the warm front. 
  • The warm air is completely lifted up and the front is occluded and the cyclone dissipates.
  •  The processes of wind circulation both at the surface and aloft are closely interlinked. 

Similarities between tropical cyclones and extra tropical cyclones: 

  • Tropical cyclones and extratropical cyclones are both symmetrical. 
  • They also have surface areas of low pressure with winds that rotate counter-clockwise.
  • Both produce very heavy precipitation and often results in flooding. 
  • Both tropical cyclones and mid-latitude cyclones can last for several days, and sometimes if a week or more. 
  • Often, a tropical cyclone will transform into an extra-tropical cyclone as it recurves poleward.

Differences between tropical cyclones and extratropical cyclones: 

EL0SmH55clf6PkGNXFTQ mivzGSD 23PzDMHfACYOH8peaXOFbnGgJR2k6uC1WjYiI0vT6fJHFER9NywIMq3QciQnh1w09Ww

Read also: ITCZ - Fluctuations and Impact on Monsoon

Climate Change increasing cyclonic intensity and frequency 

According to Council on Energy, Environment and Water, in last 50 years India has recorded a 12-fold surge in number of associated cyclonic events such as extreme rainfall, floods, sea-level rise, and thunderstorms.

  • Increased sea surface temperature: Over the past 50 years, the global ocean has absorbed 90% of the excess heat generated due to man-made climate change leading to higher convection and rapid intensification of cyclones.
  • Rising sea level: on account of Antarctic melting has increased the moisture availability for cyclones.
  • Micro-climatic changes on land: local heating of coastal land is pulled by the adjacent ocean further heating it up.
  • Changing weather events: El-Nino and rising marine heat waves lead to prolonged warm periods over oceans by reducing the ocean upwelling.
  • Higher Atmospheric moisture: due to anthropogenic global warming increase cyclonic precipitation rates thereby increasing the frequency.
  • Changes in wind systems: Occasionally intense winds drive the low-pressure regions to other areas rising the frequency in those areas. E.g.- Gulab cyclone shifted to Arabian sea from B.O.B
  • Rapid Intensification: According to NOAA, when the speed of a storm increases by 55km/hr within the span of 24 hours.

Artificial Intelligence and its Regulation

Context: Artificial Intelligence is the science of making machines perform tasks that require human intelligence. It allows machines to learn from experience, adjust to new inputs, and perform human-like tasks.

Applications of Artificial Intelligence

1. Education: Optimising learning for individuals

2. Smart cities: Improving safety, Enabling intelligent infrastructure, Optimising complex transportation hubs, Sustaining the environment

3. Applications for basic sciences & space research: Enabling extended & flexible space exploration. E.g., the development of autonomous spacecraft & smart habitats.

4. Applications in Healthcare: 

  • Enhanced drug discovery and development: AI in drug design- Predicting the 3D structure of target proteins, AI in pharmacology, AI in drug repurposing and drug screening. 
  • For patients: More personalized diagnosis, prognosis and therapy, Enhanced relationship with the care provider, Computer vision for diagnosis and surgery (AI-enabled medical imaging), and Intelligent personal health records. 

5. Robotics & AI-powered devices: Robots are being used extensively in healthcare to replace the human workforce, augment human abilities and assist human healthcare professionals. E.g., Robots for surgical procedures such as laparoscopic operations, Mitigating effects of disabilities. E.g., assisting the visually impaired with a Chatbot. 

6. Applications of AI in Agriculture: 

  • Crop yield prediction & price forecasts: Identify the output yield of crops and forecast prices for the next few weeks will help farmers obtain maximum profits.
  • Intelligent spraying: AI-based sensors can detect weed-affected areas and can precisely spray herbicides in the right region reducing the usage of herbicides.
  • Predictive insights: Insights on the right time to sow seeds for maximum productivity. Insights on the impacts created by the weather conditions.
  • Agriculture robots: Using autonomous robots for harvesting huge volumes of the crop at a higher volume and faster pace.
  • Crop & soil monitoring: Using AI, farmers can monitor crop health for diagnosing pests/soil defects, nutrient deficiencies in soil etc.
  • Disease diagnosis: Using AI farmers can preempt diseases in their crops. This will help increase the productivity of farming.

7. Applications of AI in national security. E.g., Detecting and responding to cyber threats, identifying vulnerabilities, and conducting cyber attacks.

Fear of AI 

  • The growth of AI technologies and their deployment has raised certain fears related to privacy and surveillance, job automation leading to loss of employment, and the possibility of a loss of control over AI resulting in existential risks for humanity. 
  • However, an important difference between humans and AI machines is the uniqueness and capability of the human mind known as Artificial general intelligence. This means humans can think about a problem from scratch and try to solve it, which the AI machines are presently not capable of. 

Need to regulate AI

There is a need for regulating AI due to several concerns, which include: 

  • Propagate bias: AI systems can perpetuate and even amplify biases into decision-making algorithms through machine learning if trained on biased data. 
  • Privacy concerns: AI systems can collect and process large amounts of personal data which raises concerns about privacy and data security. Additionally, AI can understand consumer preferences and can influence customer behaviour. 
  • Lack of transparency: Algorithms of AI can be so inordinately complex that even those who created the algorithm cannot thoroughly explain how the variables led to the resulting prediction. This opacity poses the risk of exclusion and discrimination by AI in decision-making. 
  • Loss of jobs: AI systems have the potential to automate tasks traditionally performed by humans, which could lead to job displacement and economic disruption. 
  • Security risks: AI can be used for malicious purposes, such as cyberattacks, especially by cybercriminals using the deep web, which is already unregulated. 
  • Ethical concerns: There is no legal accountability and responsibility arising out of the decisions made by AI. 
  • Technological rivalry and regulations: In the absence of regulations, intensifying rivalry between technological giants like the United States and China, may risk misuse of AI for malicious purposes.

Way Forward

Hence, AI should be regulated to ensure that the technology’s development is guided by human-centric principles. The solutions include: 

  • Simple regulatory framework: Government can create a simple regulatory framework that defines the several capabilities of AI and identify the ones that are more susceptible to misuse than the others to promote the responsible use of AI.
  • Ensure privacy protection: As data is the backbone of AI; businesses must learn to access data while ensuring its privacy, integrity and security. There is a need for laws to deploy AI-based systems to comply with Supreme Court requirements under the right to privacy judgment for specific use cases. E.g., European Union has implemented the General Data Protection Regulation to protect the privacy of individuals when their data is used by AI systems. 
  • Elimination of black-box approach: Mandatory explanation for AI systems that how a particular result was reached or details of the steps involved in the analysis will usher in transparency and review the data in each step to unearth biased results.
  • Creating oversight bodies: Governments can create agencies or committees to oversee the development and deployment of AI. These bodies can be responsible for ensuring compliance with regulations and monitoring the impact of AI on society.
  • Common International regulation of AI: Governments, together with other stakeholders, must work together to design guardrails for private-sector innovation and develop a common framework for international regulation of AI.
  • Reskilling of workers: Providing AI-related skill training to workers to remain relevant in the job market like expertise in programming, data analysis, and algorithm development. 

Read in Detail: What is Artificial Intelligence (AI) ?

The lesser-known battles of Maoist women

Context: The article reflects that everything  is not well in the Communist Party of India (Maoist) which, besides waging an armed struggle to capture political power, also claims to fight for gender equality. The Maoists profess discipline and integrity, but exploitation of women in the party is a stark reality. Women who join the party in the hope of bringing about a “revolution” for the proletariat and the landless class are often subject to the same structural violence that they are supposed to fight.

Gender issues within the movement

  • Under-representation: Women constitute 35%-40% of the total party members, but their representation in the Central Committee and the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZC) is negligible.
  • Health issues: While jungle life is difficult for all cadres, the women have to face additional health challenges
  • The women cadres in the CPI(Maoist) don’t get even get sentry duty off and need to be alert all the time with a gun. In addition, they have to walk for miles daily to change their location.
  • Basic necessities ignored: Further Women are not permitted to liberally use water. Each cadre has to carry water in bottles for her own use. It is taboo to use water from streams or ponds for washing. Women are at the mercy of the unit commander who carries some medical necessities.
  • Lacking nutrition: Most women who are not conscious of their nutrition intake, particularly iron, become anaemic
  • Exploitation: There are instances of women cadres dying by suicide on account of ill treatment or suspicion. 

Origin of left-wing movement in India

  • Naxalite are a group of left radical communist and the supporter of Maoist political ideology. The word Naxalite derived from the word "Naxalbari" which is the name of a village of west Bengal where a peasant insurgencies took place on 1967 against the landlords. Generally the majority of people of naxalite group are belongs to labourer, adibashi, and unemployed and mostly of them are living in remote area where the development failed to reach yet.
  • In India about 8% people are adhibasi and 92% of them living in tribal areas such as forest and hills and this tribal areas are far away from development or the government failed to give them a secure or peaceful life and this are the main causes for increasing number of naxalite movement in this areas.  According shri Gadar "the revolutionary poet support Naxalism and said Naxalism is the result of failure of democracy."
  • The left-wing movement was originated under the aegis of  Kanu Sanyal, Charu Majumdar and Jangal Santhal.
    Kanu Sanyal, who was the follower of communist ideology thought that the economic freedom will come when you fight with maximum wealth holder
  • Charu Majumdar, who were inspired by the various ideology of Mao Zedong of China. He said, "That Indian peasants and lower class tribal's overthrow the government and upper class by force for whom he held responsible for their commitment." A large of urban elites were also attracted to the ideology, which spread through Charu Majumdar writing particularly the "eight historic documents" which formed basis naxalite ideology. Charu Majumdar wanted a prolonged people's war in India similar to Chinese revolution 1949.
  • The Naxalite movement first time appeared on 1967 in Naxalbari village of West Bengal by peasants against the landlords and this movement was leading by Charu Majumdar, Kanu Sanyal, and Jangal Santhal.. Initially the Naxalite movement originated in West Bengal and had later moved to the less developed rural areas in southern and eastern India including in the state of chhatisgarh, Odisha, Andhrapradesh, and telengana. This was testified by the fact that as per 1971 census, about 60% of people of the population were landless and the major share of land were in the hands of 4% richest peoples. The peasants were exploited by the landlords raised their bow and arrows in insurgencies. And this was the primary cause of this movement.

Causes of Left-Wing Extremism

Land Related Factors

  • Evasion of land ceiling laws.
  • Existence of special land tenures (enjoying exemptions under ceiling laws).
  • Encroachment and occupation of Government and Community lands (even the waterbodies) by powerful sections of society.
  • Lack of title to public land cultivated by the landless poor.
  • Poor implementation of laws prohibiting transfer of tribal land to non-tribals in the Fifth Schedule areas.
  • Non-regularisation of traditional land rights. 

Displacement and Forced Evictions

  • Eviction from lands traditionally used by tribals.
  • Displacements caused by irrigation and power projects without adequate arrangements for rehabilitation.
  • Large scale land acquisition for ‘public purposes’ without appropriate compensation or rehabilitation.

Livelihood Related Causes

  • Lack of food security – corruption in the Public Distribution System (which is often non-functional).
  • Disruption of traditional occupations and lack of alternative work opportunities.
  • Deprivation of traditional rights in common property resources.

Social Exclusion

  • Denial of dignity.
  • Continued practice, in some areas, of untouchability in various forms.
  • Poor implementation of special laws on prevention of atrocities, protection of civil rights and abolition of bonded labour etc.

Governance Related Factors

  • Corruption and poor provision/non-provision of essential public services including primary health care and education.
  •  Incompetent, ill-trained and poorly motivated public personnel who are mostly absent from their place of posting.
  •  Misuse of powers by the police and violations of the norms of law.
  • Perversion of electoral politics and unsatisfactory working of local government institutions.
  • These causes are most glaring in forest areas predominantly inhabited by tribal populations who thus become the main instruments and victims of left extremist violence.

Sources of Funding for Naxalites

  • Financial mobilisation by Naxalites is in the form of extortion from local people and from contractors executing various projects in the affected areas. Besides, funds are also raised through forest and mining operations.
  • The extensive contractor-transporter-extremist nexus and its links with illegal mining and collection of forest produce in the entire region affected by left extremism yields a huge volume of funds for the extremists.

Government’s Approach And Action Plan To Curb Lwe

The Government of India has adopted an integrated and holistic approach to deal with the Left-Wing Extremist (LWE) insurgency by simultaneously addressing the areas of security, development and promoting good governance. To achieve this, a National Policy and Action Plan has been put in place that adopts a multi-pronged strategy in the areas of security, development, ensuring rights & entitlements of Other Traditional Dwellers /Tribals etc with focused attention on 106 Districts in 10 States and particularly in 35 most affected LWE districts in 07 States.

Specific Measures taken by Central government

  • ‘Police’ and ‘public order’ are state subjects. Central government, however, closely monitors situation and coordinates and supplements their efforts in several ways to deal with the LWE problem.
  •  Ban on CPI (Maoist): This organisation is responsible for most incidents of violence/casualties.
  • Strengthening the Intelligence Mechanism: This includes intelligence sharing through Multi-Agency Centre (MAC) at the Central level and State Multi Agency Centre (SMAC) at the State level on 24x7 basis.
  • Better Inter-State coordination: The menace of Maoists is spread across various states. Thus, Government of India has taken a number of steps to improve Inter-State coordination through periodic Inter-State meetings and facilitating interactions between the bordering districts of LWE affected States.
  • Tackling the problem of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs): Majority of casualties incurred by the Security force are attributable to IEDs. The Ministry of Home Affairs has formulated an SOP on ‘Issues related to Explosives/IEDs/Landmines in Naxal Affected Areas’ and circulated to all stakeholders concerned for compliance.
  • Deployment of the Central Armed Police Forces
  • India reserve (IR)/Specialised India Reserve Battalion (SIRB): The Left-Wing Extremism affected states have been sanctioned India Reserve (IR) battalions mainly to strengthen security apparatus at their level and to enable the States to provide gainful employment to youth, particularly in the LWE affected areas.

Development measures taken by Government 
Monitoring and Implementation of Flagship Programs:(a) Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY)(b) National Rural Health Mission (NRHM)(c) Ashram School(d) Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA)(e) Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA)(f) National Rural Drinking Water Program (NRDWP)(g) Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY)(h) Deen Dayal Upadhyay Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY)(I) Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS)(j) Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Right) Act, 2006.

Way forward

Left extremism feeds on persistent and serious shortcomings in the domain of general and

development administration, resulting in the failure of the government to address the needs of the poor in areas pertaining to land, food, water and personal security, equity, ethnic/cultural identity etc. The ‘containment’ of the problem may inter alia require consideration of the following:

  • Most of the ‘participants’ in violence perpetrated under the banner of left extremist organisations are alienated sections of society rather than perpetrators of ‘high treason’ – they must be treated as such.
  • A fortiori police action over a long period is counterproductive; it is likely to affect the innocent more than the extremists.
  • Negotiations have a definite ameliorative role under the circumstances; this is the experience the world over.
  • Faithful, fair, and just implementation of laws and programs for social justice will go a long way to remove the basic causes of resentment among aggrieved sections of society.
  • Sustained, professionally sound and sincere development initiatives suitable to local conditions along with democratic methods of conflict resolution must be developed.

Large Hadron Collider

Context: The third season of operations for the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) started on 22 April 2022. The LHC is set to run for close to four years at a record energy of 13.6 trillion electronvolts (TeV). 

What are Hadrons?

  • Hadrons are defined as subatomic particles which are composed of two or three fundamental particles known as quarks, which are held together by strong interaction (strong Nuclear force). E.g., Protons, Neutrons.
    • Sub-atomic particles are the smallest known units of matter and the building blocks of all things.

Large Hadron Collider

  • Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is the world’s largest and most powerful particle accelerator. European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN) built LHC between 1998 and 2008 in collaboration with over 10,000 scientists from hundreds of universities and laboratories.
  • It lies in a tunnel 27 kilometres in circumference and as deep as 175 metres beneath the France-Switzerland border near Geneva.
  • Inside LHC, two high-energy particle beams of protons are directed at each other at nearly the speed of light and made to collide in the 27-kilometre ring of superconducting magnets.
    • They are guided around the accelerator ring by a strong magnetic field maintained by superconducting electromagnets.
    • The magnetic field created by the superconducting electromagnets keeps the protons in a tight beam and guides them along the way as they travel through beam pipes.
  • These collisions generate new particles and using detectors scientists study their properties and interactions, providing insights into the fundamental laws of the universe.
    • CERN’s DATA Centre stores more than 30 petabytes of data per year from LHC experiments which are used to study fundamental particles, dark matter, dark energy and laws of Physics. 
    • The ATLAS and CMS detectors helped discover the Higgs boson in 2012 and confirmed their findings in 2013. 
big bang machine in search for smallest particle

Issues

  • LHC has not been able to find — ‘new physics’, the collective name for particles or processes that can explain the nature of dark matter or why gravity is such a weak force, among other mysteries.
  • The LHC has tested some of the predictions of theories that try to explain what the Standard Model can not and has found them inadequate/ incomplete. 

Future goals

  • It is being planned to improve the LHC’s luminosity (a measure of the machine’s ability to produce particle interactions of interest) by 10x by 2027 through upgrades. 
  • Also, it is envisioned to build a bigger version of the LHC, based on the hypothesis that such a machine will be able to find ‘new physics’ at even higher energies.

Navigating Uncertainty

Context: In its World Economic Outlook report, International Monetary Fund (IMF) lowered India’s economic growth projection for the current fiscal to 5.9 per cent from 6.1 per cent earlier. 

More on news

IMF has forecast India's economic growth to be 5.9% for the fiscal year 2023-24, lower than the Reserve Bank of India's projection of 7%. Despite the drop in growth rate projections, India remains the fastest-growing economy in the world, according to the IMF's World Economic Outlook figures. Meanwhile, China's growth rate is projected to be 5.2% in 2023 and 4.5% in 2024, against a growth rate of 3% in 2022. The global economy is expected to recover gradually from the pandemic, with global growth projected to bottom out at 2.8% this year before rising modestly to 3% in 2024.

About International Monetary Fund (IMF)

  • The IMF was established in 1944 in the aftermath of the Great Depression of the 1930s. 
  • Today, its membership embraces 190 countries, with staff drawn from 150 nations. 
  • The IMF is governed by and accountable to those 190 countries that make up its near-global membership.
  • It works to achieve sustainable growth and prosperity for all of its 190 member countries. It does so by supporting economic policies that promote financial stability and monetary cooperation, which are essential to increase productivity, job creation, and economic well-being. 
  • The IMF has three critical missions furthering international monetary cooperation, encouraging the expansion of trade and economic growth, and discouraging policies that would harm prosperity.
  • The IMF's resources mainly come from the money that countries pay as their capital subscription (quotas) when they become members. Each member of the IMF is assigned a quota, based broadly on its relative position in the world economy. Countries can then borrow from this pool when they fall into financial difficulty.

Publications of IMF

  • World Economic Outlook
  • Global Financial Stability Report
  • Fiscal Monitor

The rapid rail between Delhi and Meerut will be called RapidX

Context: India's first semi high-speed regional rapid transit system (RRTS), which will connect Delhi with NCR, including Meerut, Alwar and Panipat, will now be called RAPIDX. 

About name RAPIDX

  • India’s National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) has named its first semi-high-speed regional rail services as ‘RAPIDX’.
  • The X in the name denotes next generation technology and new-age mobility solution.
  • The leaf symbol is the “highlight of the brand’s commitment towards decarbonization” by not only decongesting NCR and reducing the number of vehicles on road but also by the use of green energy.
About name RAPIDX

About Rapid Rail Transit Services (RRTS) corridor

  • The NCRTC which works under the administrative control of Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA) and is executing the RRTS project is a joint venture of the Government of India (50 per cent) and state governments of Haryana (12.5 per cent), NCT Delhi (12.5 per cent), Uttar Pradesh (12.5 per cent) and Rajasthan (12.5 per cent).
  • In the first phase of the project, three corridors, namely, Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut, Delhi-SNB (Shahjahanpur-Neemrana-Behror Urban Complex)-Alwar and Delhi-Panipat are under implementation.
  • The 82-km long Delhi-Meerut corridor is one of the three priority corridors of Phase-1 planned in the NCR and is expected to be operational by 2025.
  • NCRTC is targeting to commission a 17km priority section between Sahibabad and Duhai of the 84km Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut corridor, in 2023, before the scheduled time, and the entire first RAPIDX corridor by 2025.
  • In the next phase(s), five additional RAPIDX lines will be developed. These are Delhi–Faridabad–Ballabgarh-Palwal, Ghaziabad–Khurja, Delhi- Bahadurgarh-Rohtak, Ghaziabad-Hapur and Delhi-Shahdara-Baraut.

4hl8 eFri8k52PEnoB1uPFkBBEdpmRdUA8ufu8cXIHvdhF2ySdJPrw1RFp3tg5WJ6g4O6HtiDvwXWzufQ jyTNC7 8LCflg8DoG9O95i4v90zPpTXWipyn5G S

What is Rapid Rail Transit Services (RRTS)?

  • It  is a dedicated, high speed and high-capacity rail-based commuter service that will connect different regions in the national capital region (NCR).
  •  It will offer high-frequency, point-to-point travel at an average speed of 160 kmph.
  • It will provide a "multi-modal integration" connecting the Railway Stations, Bus Depots, airports, and Metro stations.

How is it different from Delhi Metro?

  • The distance travelled on Delhi Metro is usually short and has several stops in between. The RRTS, on the other hand, will be used for relatively longer transits and will have fewer stops.
  • RRTS will also be faster as compared to the DMRC's train. The operational speed of RRTS will be 160 kmph, but for Delhi Metro, it is usually around 80 kmph.

About RRTS- The Journey

  • In 2005, Niti Aayog, then known as the Planning Commission, formed a task force in 2005 under the chairmanship of the secretary of the Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD) to develop a multi-modal transit system for Delhi NCR.
  • The main objective was to reduce the dependence of commuters on road-based transportation and this was included in NCRPB's Integrated Transport Plan (ITP) for NCR 2032.
  • The Task Force also identified 8 corridors and prioritised three corridors, Delhi-Meerut, Delhi-Panipat and Delhi-Alwar, for implementation.
  • NCRTC was made the project's nodal agency, and it was formed as a joint venture of the Centre and the states of Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.

Benefits of Rapid Rail Transit Systems (RRTS)

  • Reduced travel time due to high speeds, easing congestion and increasing productivity.
  • Improved connectivity with seamless integration with other modes of transportation.
  • Environmentally friendly with reduced carbon emissions and air pollution.
  • Economic benefits through job creation and regional development.
  • Enhanced safety and comfort with modern technologies and amenities.
  • Promotes sustainable urban development with transit-oriented development (TOD) principles.
  • Reduces dependence on private vehicles, contributing to a more sustainable transportation system.

Trending now

State of India’s Environment 2026: Rising Climate Risks and the Need for Resilience
Karnataka Announces Ban on Social Media for Children Under-16
India–France “Special Global Strategic Partnership”: A New Indo-Pacific Anchor
Front-of-Package Labelling: A Preventive Strategy to Address India’s Rising Lifestyle Diseases