General Studies Paper 3

Context: The World Bank has released a report titled “South Asia Economic Focus: Expanding Opportunities: Toward Inclusive Growth,” which provides an economic forecast for India, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan.

What are the Major Highlights of the World Bank Report?

• India:
  • Growth Rate:
    • India’s growth rate has been downgraded to 6.3% for FY 2023-24 ,and the report cites high borrowing costs and slower income growth as the primary reasons for this downgrade
      • The female labour participation rate and the size and productivity of the informal sector are also concerns in India.
    • However, the services sector and the construction sector are the fastest-growing industries in India, with strong investment growth and high business confidence.
    • India’s growth rate is expected to grow at 4% in FY 2024-25, which is an upgrade of0.3 % points from the previous forecast.
  • Sri Lanka and Pakistan:
    • The outlook for Sri Lanka and Pakistan is bleak, with Sri Lanka experiencing a contraction of -4.3% in 2023 and negotiating a USD 3 billion loan from the IMF, while Pakistan is forecasted to have a growth rate of 4% for the year ending June 30, 2023.

What are the Major Projects in India Supported by the World Bank?

• India Energy Efficiency Scale-up Program:The development objectives of Energy Efficiency Scale-up Program for India are to scale up energy savings in residential and public sectors, strengthen Energy Efficiency Services Limited’s (EESL) institutional capacity, and enhance its access to commercial financing.
• Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana:The project aims to connect unconnected habitations with all-weather roads. Key to the program is an all-weather access to the respective roads.
• Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor Project:The Government of India and the World Bank today signed a USD 650 million agreement for faster and more efficient movement of raw materials and finished goods between the north and eastern parts of India.
• Innovate in India for Inclusiveness:The development objective of Innovate in India for Inclusiveness is to facilitate innovation in biopharmaceutical products  and medical devices that address public health priorities in India.
• National Dairy Support Project:The development objective is to increase the productivity of milch animals and improve market access of milk producers in project areas.

General Studies Paper 1

Context: Recently, a massive Avalanche hit Sikkim’s Nathu La.

What is Avalanche?

• An avalanche is a sudden, rapid flow of snow, ice, and debris down a mountain or slope.
• It can be triggered by various factors such as heavy snowfall, rapid temperature changes, or human activity.
• Many regions that are prone to avalanches have specialized teams that monitor and control avalanche risks by using various methods such as explosives, snow barriers, and other safety measures.
• Types:
  • Rock Avalanches (which consist of large segments of shattered rock),
  • Ice Avalanches (which typically occur in the vicinity of a glacier),
  • Debris Avalanches (which contain a variety of unconsolidated materials, such as loose stones and soil).
• Causes:
  • Weather Conditions:Heavy snowfall, rapid temperature changes, strong winds, and rain can all contribute to avalanche conditions.
  • Slope Conditions: The steepness, orientation, and shape of a slope can contribute to the likelihood of an avalanche occurring. Steep slopes with a convex shape are particularly prone to avalanches.
  • Snowpack Conditions:The structure and stability of the snowpack can also contribute to avalanche conditions. Weak layers of snow or ice within the snowpack can cause it to collapse and trigger an avalanche.
  • Human Activity:Skiers, snowmobilers, and other recreational users can trigger avalanches by their movements on the slope.
  • Natural Events:Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and rockfalls can all trigger avalanches.

How are Avalanches different from Landslides?

• Avalanches and landslides are both types of mass movements, but they occur in different environments and involve different materials.
• An avalanche is a rapid flow of snow, ice, and debris down a mountain or slope, while a landslide is a movement of rock, earth, or debris down a slope or cliff.
• Avalanches typically occur in mountainous areas that have heavy snowfall and steep slopes. On the other hand,landslides can occur in a wide range of environments and can be triggered by various factors such as heavy rainfall, earthquakes, volcanic activity, or human activity.
• Both avalanches and landslides can be dangerous and potentially deadly, and it is important to take necessary precautions to avoid them.

General Studies Paper 3

Context: Disasters  linked to hydropower projects in the Himalayan  region have become more frequent in recent years.

What is the Potential of Hydropower Projects in Himalayan Region?

• With its abundant waterbodies and ideal topography to utilize the resource for electricity generation, the Himalayan region is regarded as the powerhouse of India.
• Government estimates suggest that the region has a potential to generate 115,550 MW with its installed capacity of 46,850 MW.
• Till November 2022, the 10 states and two Union territories in the region had 81 large hydropower projects (above 25 MW) and 26 projects under construction.
• Another 320 large projects are in the pipeline, according to the Central Electricity Authority under the Union Ministry of Power.

What are the Risks and Impacts of Hydropower Projects in the Himalayan Region?

• Vulnerability:
  • The Himalayas are  part of a seismically active zone.
  • Despite the climate and seismic activities in the Himalayas making its river valleys prone to landslides, hydropower projects are mushrooming in the region. In Uttarakhand’s Joshimath town, where more than 800 buildings have developed cracks due to subsidence,  the government on January 5, 2023, imposed a ban on construction activities, including on the works at Tapovan Vishnugad hydropower project.
• Impact:
  • Hydropower projects in the region have become more frequent in recent years, and disasters linked to these projects have increased.
  • In 2012, flooding in the Assi Ganga river damaged the Assi Ganga hydroelectric projects (HEP) 1 and 2.
  • The 2013 Kedarnath floods severely  damaged Phata-Byung, Singoli-Bhatwari, and Vishnuprayag
  • In2021, a rock and ice avalanche destroyed the Rishi Ganga project and damaged the Vishnugad-Tapovan HEP, leaving over 200 dead and estimated losses of Rs 1500 crore.
  • Vishnugad-Tapovan had already suffered recurring damages due to terrain fragility, according to various media reports.
  • In December, 2022, a significant slope failure occurred at the Urni landslide zone in Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh, where construction works have been going on at the 1,091 MW Karcham Wangtoo hydroelectric plant.
  • These landslide dams usually result in impounding of lakes, landslide lake outburst flood, secondary landslides, channel avulsion, and formation of flood terraces in the downstream region, affecting the environment and local communities.

What are the Government Initiative Taken So Far?

• National Mission on Sustaining Himalayan Ecosystem (NMSHE)is one of the eight missions under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC). The mandate is to evolve measures to sustain and safeguard the Himalayan glaciers, mountain ecosystems, biodiversity and wildlife conservation & protection.
  Environment Impact Assessmentfor large hydro power plants.

What Steps can be taken to Reduce the Impact?

• The risks posed by landslides in the Himalayas have been aggravated in recent years, making hydropower projects more dangerous and unsustainable.
• There is a dire need to re-evaluate these projects based on current scientific data.
• Most of the existing or under-construction projects in the Himalayas were envisaged 10-15 years ago, and the government should look at new science and then decide.
• Even if the government decides in favor of the project, let the local panchayat give it in writing that they are in favor of the project.
• Constitution of expert committee to study impact of HEP in Himalayan region. For e.g., Ravi Chopra committee set up by the ministry to examine the role of 24 such hydropower projects in the Alaknanda and Bhagirathi basin.

General Studies Paper 2

Context: Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs said it would “standardise” 11 place names in what China calls “South Tibet or Zangnan”, an area consistently controlled by India.

China’s renaming for places in Arunachal Pradesh

• About:
  • China’s Ministry of Civil Affairs put out names of 11 places in Arunachal Pradesh in Chinese, Tibetan and pinyin characters.
  • The Chinese Ministry is acting in accordance with regulations on geographical names issued by the State Council, the equivalent of the Chinese Cabinet.
• The places:
  • These places include two land areas, two residential areas, five mountain peaks and two rivers.
  • It also listed the category of places’ names and their subordinate administrative districts.
• India’s reaction:
  • The Indian authorities said that they rejected the move “outright”.

Previous renaming attempts by China

• This isn’t the first time that China has done something like this. It released two different sets of “standardised” names of places in Arunachal Pradesh back in 2017 and 2021.
• First list:
  • The six names on the first list then, written in the Roman alphabet, were “Wo’gyainling”, “Mila Ri”, “Qoidengarbo Ri”, “Mainquka”, “Bumo La” and “Namkapub Ri”.
  • The latitude and longitude listed with the names showed those places as Tawang, Kra Daadi, West Siang, Siang (where Mechuka or Menchuka is an emerging tourist destination), Anjaw, and Subansiri
  • These six places spanned the breadth of Arunachal Pradesh “Wo’gyainling” in the west, “Bumo La” in the eastand the other four located in the central part of the state.
• Second list:
  • The second list included eight residential areas, four mountains, two rivers, and a mountain pass.
  • Strongly reacting to the release of the second list, India at the time said Arunachal Pradesh was, is, and will always be an integral part of India and the “standardised” names were a Chinese invention.
    • This is exactly what India has reiterated after the Chinese authorities recently for the third time put out another set of names of places in the state.

Why is China giving names to places that are in India?

• China claims some90,000 sq km of Arunachal Pradesh as its territory.
• It calls the area “Zangnan”in the Chinese language and makes repeated references to “South Tibet”.
• Chinese maps show Arunachal Pradesh as part of China, and sometimes parenthetically refer to it as “so-called Arunachal Pradesh”.
• China makes periodic efforts to underline this unilateral claim to Indian territory. Giving Chinese names to places in Arunachal Pradesh is part of that effort.

China’s argument for claiming these areas

• Background:
  • The People’s Republic of China disputes the legal status of the McMahon Line,the boundary between Tibet and British India that was agreed at the Simla Convention officially the ‘Convention Between Great Britain, China, and Tibet’ of 1914.
    • The McMohan Line, named after Henry McMahon, the chief British negotiator at Shimla, was drawn from the eastern border of Bhutan to the Isu Razi pass on the China-Myanmar border.
  • China was represented at the Simla Convention by a plenipotentiary of the Republic of China, which had been declared in 1912 after the Qing dynasty was overthrown.
  • The present communist government came to power only in 1949, when the People’s Republic was proclaimed. The Chinese representative did not consent to the Simla Convention, saying Tibet had no independent authority to enter into international agreements.
• China’s claims:
  • China claims territory to the south of the McMahon Line, lying in Arunachal Pradesh.
  • China also bases its claims on the historical ties that have existed between the monasteries in Tawang and Lhasa.

• Part of Chinese strategy:
  • It is a part of the Chinese strategy to assert its territorial claims over Indian territory. As part of this strategy, China routinely issues statements of outrage whenever an Indian dignitary visits Arunachal Pradesh.
  • Beijing keeps harping on its “consistent” and “clear” position that the Indian possession of Arunachal Pradesh, though firmly established and recognised by the world, is “illegal”, and asks New Delhi to stop taking actions to “complicate” the border issue.

Way ahead

• Laying aggressive claims to territories on the basis of alleged historical injustices done to China is part of Beijing’s foreign policy playbook.
  • The claim on Taiwan is one such example, as are the consistent efforts to change the “facts on the ground” in several disputed islands in the South China Sea.
  • The aggression is at all times backed in overt and covert ways by the use of China’s economic and military muscle.
• While many rounds of talks have ensued, and there has been disengagement at some standoff points, political relations have not been resumed.
• Until the government probes the reasons behind China’s moves and the motivation for its persistent aggressions,it will be hard to prepare for a future course of action, even as it counters China’s false narrative and a renaming of areas that are firmly within India’s boundaries.

General Studies Paper 2

Context: India slammed the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) for its “communal mindset” and “anti-India” agenda.

• India’s strong reaction came after the OIC secretariat issued a statement alleging targeting of the Muslim community in several states in India during Ram Navami processions.

India & OIC

• India has theworld’s second-largest Muslim community, and had been invited to the founding conference at Rabat in 1969, but was humiliatingly rejected at Pakistan’s behest.
• In 2006, as India turned the economic corner and improved ties with the US, Saudi Arabia invited Delhi to join as an observer
• However, India refrained from joining citing that it did not want to join an organisation founded on religion. Secondly, there was the risk that improving bilateral relations with individual member states would come under pressure in a grouping, especially on issues such as Kashmir.
• The OIC is mainly controlled by Saudi Arabia, but Pakistan, as the only Islamic country with nuclear weapons, has had a large say since its inception.

Changing terms

• After building close ties with powerful members such as UAE and Saudi Arabia, India has been confident of riding over any statement by the grouping.
• India has consistently underlined that J&K is an “integral part of India and is a matter strictly internal to India”, and that the OIC has no locus standi on the issue.
• In 2019, India made its maiden appearance at the OIC Foreign Ministers’ meeting, as a “guest of honour”.

Significance of OIC for India

• OIC’s growing economic and energy interdependence with India has become important in recent times.
• Individually, India has good relations with almost all member nations. Ties with the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

General Studies Paper 3

Context: Recently, the United Nations 2023 Water Conference was held in New York.

• The Conference was held after a gap of 46 years. It coincided with the review of Implementation of the UN Decade for Action on Water and Sanitation (2018-2028).
• The review was necessitated after realisation that   we are not on track to meet the 2030 Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) no. 6 for water:“Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all”.
• The theme was “Our watershed moment: uniting the world for water”
• The first water conference was held in 1977 in Mar de Plata, Argentina.It resulted in the first global ‘Action Plan’ recognizing that “all peoples have the right to have access to drinking water in quantities and of a quality equal to their basic needs”.

Initiatives taken at the Conference: 

• Water Action Agenda : 700 voluntary commitments to form the Water Action Agenda.
• Climate resilient water and sanitation infrastructure– USA announced a commitment of up to $49 billion in investments to support climate resilient water and sanitation infrastructure and services
• Quality Infrastructure –Japan announced that it will contribute 500 billion yen to the solution of water-related social issues faced by the Asia-Pacific region by developing quality Infrastructure
• River basins management and clean running water–Vietnam pledged to develop policies for major river basins management by 2025 and clean running water by 2030
• Africa’s water investments gap – The African Union Commission and Continental Africa Investment Programme (AIP) aims to close Africa’s water investments gap by mobilising at least $30 billion per year by 2030.
• European Union (EU) – The EU aims to support 70 million individuals to an improved drinking water source and sanitation facility by 2030.
• Water Convention and transboundary cooperation – Switzerland submitted 5 commitments in the areas of Water Convention and transboundary cooperation.

Challenges :

• The commitments are non-binding in nature and unlike 50 years ago, today’s problems are more complex.
• The water sector is particularly prone to fragmentation because water problems and their solutions tend to be local. Such global mobilisations are not that effective as compared to those in other fields.
• The water problems we face today are no longer about access and therefore infrastructure spending no longer translates directly to sustained access to water and sanitation.
• The conference failed to address the violence and threats faced by communities trying to protect dwindling water sources.

General Studies Paper 2

Context: Recently Japan unveiled “Japan’s New Plan for a Free and Open Indo-Pacific” (FOIP) and exchanged views about deepening the “Japan-India Special Strategic and Global Partnership”.

Japan’s New Plan for a Free and Open Indo-Pacific

• Need of FOIP:
  • Japan’s FOIP underlines that given the current geopolitical landscape with the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, growing Chinese assertiveness in the South China Sea, East China Sea, the Indian Line of Actual Control and the Taiwan Straits, there is a need to give a fresh push and momentum to this concept of “Free and Open Indo-Pacific”.
• Key highlights of FOIP:
  • The New Plan for the FOIP lays stress on the need to uphold the rules-based order and respect each other’s territorial sovereignty.
• Role of India & other groupings:
  • Japan’s FOIP policy believes that a key for stability and prosperity in the international community is the dynamism that is created by combining two continents – Asia and Africa& two oceans – the Pacific and Indian.
  • The fact that Japan under the FOIP should work alongside other like-minded countries in the region has been mentioned, with India being billed as an ‘indispensable’ partner.
  • It also underlines the importance of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) centrality and unity for the stability and prosperity of every country and the region as a whole.
• Four pillars of cooperation:
  • There is a realisation that Japan needs to do much more in the region, and towards this, ‘four pillars of cooperation’ under the new FOIP have been outlined:
    • Principles for peace and rules for prosperity;
    • Addressing challenges in an Indo-Pacific way;
    • Multi-layered connectivity; and
    • Extending efforts for security and safe use of the “sea” to the “air”.

Elaborating on FOIP’s Four pillars of cooperation

• Principles for peace and rules for prosperity:
  • In the first pillar, it has been pointed out that vulnerable countries usually suffer the most if there is an erosion in the rule of law.
  • Therefore, Japan wants to engage in economic development programmes such as promoting the implementation of the G-20 Principles for “Quality Infrastructure Investment”.
• Addressing challenges in an Indo-Pacific way:
  • Under the second pillar, Japan envisages the expansion of cooperation for the FOIP by incorporating realistic and practical projectsin a wide range of areas, such as climate change, food security, global health and cybersecurity.
  • Japan has been working for long on connectivity projects bilaterally with many countries in the Indo-Pacific region.
• Multi-layered connectivity:
  • Under the third pillar, the three areas identified for introducing more such projects are Southeast Asia, South Asia and the South Pacific/Pacific Island countries.
    • Japan has made a new commitment of $100 million towards the Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund;
    • It will promote the Bay of Bengal-Northeast India industrial value chain concept in cooperation with India and Bangladesh, and
    • The new Palau International Airport Terminal project(an archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean) supported by Japan has also taken off.
  • Its major connectivity initiatives involve the following:
    • East-West Economic Corridor, Southern Economic Corridor ( in South West Asia), North East Connectivity Improvement Project (in India), Bengal Bay Industrial Growth Zone, Mombasa/Northern Corridor,
  • Security and safe use of the “sea” to the “air”:
    • Under the fourth pillar, Japan will help in strengthening the capabilities of maritime law enforcement agencies in other countries.
    • Towards these objectives, Japan will
      • Implement the “strategic use of Official Development Assistance (ODAs)”,
      • Revise the Development Cooperation Charter and Set forth guidelines for ODA for the next 10 years, and
      • Introduce an “offer-type” cooperation and a new framework for “private capital mobilization-type” grant aid.
    • Japan also announced that it would “mobilize” a total of more than $75 billion in public and private funds in the Indo-Pacific region by 2030in infrastructure development.

Challenges before the Indo-Pacific

• Geopolitical:
  • Japan’s new policy focuses on the numerous challenges facing the Indo-Pacific such as the Ukraine war, food security, and cyberspace in addition to issues such as ensuring the freedom of the seas, and connectivity among others.
  • It identifies piracy, terrorism, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD),natural disasters and attempts to change the status quo as prominent challenges to the region.
• Non-uniformity on international order: 
  • Another challenge highlighted is the lack of a united stand on “what the international order should be” the differing position of countries on the Russia-Ukraine war has brought this issue to the fore.
• Growing Chinese belligerence:
  • In the past, Japan’ s PM had stated that “Ukraine today may be East Asia tomorrow”, which shows Japan’s concern about growing Chinese belligerence in the region.

Impact on India & way ahead

• Japan’s investment plans in India:
  • At the46th joint meeting of the India-Japan Business Cooperation Committee, Japanese ambassador to India said, “A Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) worldwide survey has shown that India tops the list for future investment targets for mid- and long-term investment”.
  • Japan’s PM, in his recent visit, announced plans to invest 5 trillion yen in India over five years.
  • Japan is the fifth-largest investor in India, with around 1,450 Japanese companies already operating in the country today.
• Cooperation & skill development:
  • With Memorandums of Cooperation signed by the two countries on the Technical Intern Training Programme (TITP)as well as Specified Skilled Worker (SSW), they are also cooperating in the areas of skill development and the movement of skilled workers.
• Focus on Northeast India:
  • Besides ASEAN, South Asia, especially Northeast India, has been the second area where Japan’s policy focuses predominantly.
• Resolve to lead:
  • As Japan and India assume the Presidencies of the G7 and the G20 respectively, both countries have resolved to renew the pledge and do their utmost to lead the Indo-Pacific region and the world.

General Studies Paper 3

Context: India can take the lead, as president of the G-20 this year, in carbon pricing, which will open unexpected avenues of decarbonisation.

About Carbon pricing

Meaning:

• Carbon pricing is an instrument that captures the external costs of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the costs of emissions that the public pays for, such as damage to crops, health care costs from heat waves and droughts, and loss of property from flooding and sea level rise—and ties them to their sources through a price, usually in the form of a price on the carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted.
• A price on carbon helps shift the burden for the damage from GHG emissions back to those who are responsible for it and who can avoid it.

Three ways of pricing carbon are: 

• The establishment of a carbon tax domestically, as in Korea and Singapore;
• The use of an emissions trading system (ETS), as in the European Union (EU) and China; and
• The application of an import tariff on the carbon content, as the EU is proposing.

IMF’s suggestion:

• Some 46 countries price carbon, although covering only 30% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and at an average price of only $6 a ton of carbon, a fraction of the estimated harm from the pollution.
• The International Monetary Fund has proposed price floors of $75, $50, and $25 a ton of carbon for the United States, China, and India, respectively.
  • It believes this could help achieve a 23% reduction in global emissions by 2030.

Benefits:

• The economy-wide benefits of carbon pricing in terms of damages avoided (plus revenue generation) generally outweighed the cost it imposed on individual industries in the EU, British Columbia, Canada, and Sweden.
• A key dynamic is that carbon pricing, by signalling a price for cleaner air, makes investment in renewable energy such as solar and wind, which has huge prospects in India, more attractive.

Carbon pricing for India

• Carbon tax:
  • Among the three ways of pricing, India could find a carbon tax appealing as it can directly discourage fossil fuels, while raising revenues which can be invested in cleaner sources of energy or used to protect vulnerable consumers.
  • It could replace the more inefficient scheme of petroleum taxes which are not directly aimed at emissions.
    • Saudi Arabia and Russia are at the low end of gasoline prices (including taxes and subsidies), China and India in the mid-range, and Germany and France at the high end.
  • How?
    • In most countries, including India, fiscal policy has set in place the basic structures needed to implement a carbon tax.
      • For example, they can be woven into road-fuel taxes, which are established in most places, and extended to industry and agriculture.
    • Policymakers have to choose the tax rate, which varies widely from Japan’s $2.65 a ton of CO2 to Denmark’s $165 a ton set for 2030.
    • India could start with the IMF figure of $25 a ton.
  • Challenges:
    • The main obstacle is the argument by industrial firms about losing their competitive advantage to exporters from countries with a lower carbon price.
    • It would stand to reason, therefore, for all high, middle and low income countries to set the same rate within each bracket.

Significance

• Notable climate effects: 
  • A high enough carbon tax across China, the U.S., India, Russia, and Japan alone (more than 60% of global effluents), with complementary actions, could have a notable effect on global effluents and warming.
• Decarbonisation as a formula:
  • It could also pave the way to seeing decarbonisation as a winning development formula.
• For India:
  • As carbon pricing gains acceptance, the first movers will be the most competitive.
  • India, as president at the G-20 summit, can play a lead role by tabling global carbon pricing in the existential fight against climate change.

Suggestions

• Allowing companies ‘high-quality international carbon credits’:
  • It might also make sense to allow companies to use high-quality international carbon credits to offset up to a certain percentage of their taxable emissions.
  • Global examples:
    • The EU excludes transport, where higher costs would have been passed on to consumers directly, Singapore provides vouchers for consumers hit by utility price rises, and California uses proceeds from the sales of carbon permits partly to subsidise purchases of electric cars.
    • Some make a case for exempting “emission intensive trade exposed” enterprises from the carbon tax, but output-based rebates would be superior ways of doing the same.
  • Awareness:
    • Communicating the idea of wins at the societal level, even in the presence of some individual producers’ losses, is vital.

Way ahead

• India is currently marching towards its target of reducing its carbon intensity by 45 per cent by 2030. This goal is a part of India’s updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC).
• India must set an example by balancing energy use and climate goals.

General Studies Paper 3

Context: Recently, the International Conference on Human-Wildlife Conflict and Coexistence was held in Oxford, the United Kingdom, which has brought hundreds of activists from 70 countries to discuss solutions to address Human-Wildlife Conflicts.

• The Conference was organized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO),the UN Development Programme and several other organizations together.

What does the Conference Aim at Achieving?

• Facilitate dialogue and peer-to-peer learning across sectors and actors on the topic for partnerships and collaboration across people and institutions working on human-wildlife conflict.
• Generate interdisciplinary and shared understanding of the latest insights, technologies, methods, ideas, and information from the field of human-wildlife conflict, coexistence and interactions.
• Mainstream human-wildlife conflict as one of the top global priorities in biodiversity conservation and the Sustainable Development Goals for the next decade, catalysing opportunities for working together on national, regional or global policies and initiatives.
• Identify and develop a collective way forward for addressing knowledge and implementation gaps for effective efforts to reduce and manage human-wildlife conflict.

What is the Need for this Conference?

• Human-wildlife conflicts across the world are a major challenge to conservation of species, making coexistence with nature difficult and hinders biodiversity protection.
  • Conflict-related killing affects more than 75% of the world’s wild cat species, according to the United Nations Environment programme (UNEP).
• It will provide a platform for experts from the fields of “ecology, animal behaviour, psychology, law, conflict analysis, mediation, peacebuilding, international development, economics, anthropology and others, to understand human-wildlife conflict through various viewpoints, learn from each other, and build new links and collaborations.
  • Effective management of human-wildlife interactions is prescribed in Target 4 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework agreed at the UN Biodiversity Conference in December 2022.

What is Human-Animal Conflict?

• About:
  • Human-animal conflict refers to situations where human activities,such as agriculture, infrastructure development, or resource extraction, come into conflict with wild animals, leading to negative outcomes for both humans and animals.
• Implications:
  • Economic Losses:Human-animal conflict can result in significant economic losses for people, especially farmers and livestock herders. Wild animals can destroy crops, damage infrastructure, and kill livestock, leading to financial hardship.
  • Threats to Human Safety:Wild animals can pose a threat to human safety, especially in areas where people and wildlife coexist. Attacks by large predators such as lions, tigers, and bears can result in serious injury or death.
  • Ecological Damage:Human-animal conflict can have a negative impact on the environment. For example, when humans kill predators, it can lead to an increase in prey populations, which can then cause ecological imbalances.
  • Conservation Challenges:Human-animal conflict can also pose a challenge to conservation efforts, as it can lead to negative perceptions of wildlife and make it difficult to implement conservation measures.
  • Psychological Impacts:Human-animal conflict can also have psychological impacts on people, especially those who have experienced attacks or property damage. It can lead to fear, anxiety, and trauma.

• Government Measures:
  • The Wildlife Protection Act, 1972:This act provides the legal framework for the activities, Prohibition of hunting, Protection and management of wildlife habitats, Establishment of protected areas etc.
  • The Biological Diversity Act, 2002:India is a part of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity. The provisions of the Biological Diversity Act are in addition to and not in derogation of the provisions in any other law relating to forests or wildlife.
  • National Wildlife Action Plan (2002-2016):It focuses on strengthening and enhancing the protected area network, on the conservation of Endangered wildlife and their habitats, on controlling trade in wildlife products and on research, education, and training.
  • Project Tiger:Project Tiger is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) launched in 1973. It provides havens for tigers in the country’s national parks.
  • Project Elephant:It is a centrally sponsored scheme and was launched in February 1992 for the protection of elephants, their habitats and corridors.

General Studies Paper 1

Context: The government adopted the Panchamrit principles to guide its foreign policy, in actively promoting India’s image as a rising global power. The fifth of these five principles is sanskriti evam sabhyata (cultural and civilisational links).

More about the soft power diplomacy

• Meaning:
  • Soft power is the capacity to influence other nations through the use of persuasion and attraction rather than coercion or force. Soft power relies on culture, arts, and science.
• Proponent:
  • Joseph Nye was the first to coin the term “soft power”.

India’s Soft Power tools

• Beginning Post independence:
  • From the time of Jawaharlal Nehru’s Panchsheel principles, India has been guided by the ideals of peaceful co-existence.
  • The foreign policies of India have always been based on the objectives of dialogue, peace, and building national and global agreements.
    • It opts to predict better synergies with nations that have mutual goals such as safeguarding civil treaties, and regulations, promoting global peace, combating terrorism and political violence,and developing the fundamental foundations of a peaceful and prosperous world.
  • Art & culture:
    • India makes a lot of movies, music, books, and other forms of art that are enjoyed all over the world. This has increased India’s cultural influence in a big way.
  • Yoga:
    • India has also been using yoga diplomacy as a tool for cultural exchange and international cooperation. The flagship activity is International Yoga Day.
  • Sciences, spirituality & faith:
    • Sciences, spirituality, art and faith that developed over millennia in the subcontinent found their way across other regions, earning India a considerable amount of ‘soft power’ long before the term itself was coined.
    • Owing to this, present-day India is well poised to draw upon religious and faith-based associations with countries across the globe.
  • Religions:
    • The Indian subcontinent has given birth to a number of major religions in the world and over time has assimilated into its social fabric numerous others.
    • One of the more novel manifestations of these initiatives has been engagement in Buddhist diplomacy.

India’s soft power diplomacy through Buddhism

• Significance of Buddhism:
  • Revival & international value:
    • Buddhism’s potential utility in foreign policy is derived to a large extent from the manner in which the faith was revived in the aftermath of the Second World War.
    • The revival of the faith had a decidedly internationalist outlook to it, and focused on transgressing extant sectarian and geographical boundaries.
  • Pan-Asian presence:
    • Today, 97 percent of the world’s Buddhist population lives in the Asian continent, and a number of countries such as Bhutan, Myanmar, Thailand, and Sri Lanka conceive of Buddhism as intrinsic to their national values and identity.
    • The Buddhist faith, due to its emphasis on peaceful co-existence and its wide pan-Asian presence, lends itself well to soft-power diplomacy.
  • The beginning:
    • In 1952, under the prime ministership of Jawaharlal Nehru, India hosted the International Buddhist Conference in Sanchi which was attended by over 3,000 Buddhist nuns, monks, and historians.
    • At that time, this was one of the largest gatherings of Buddhist preachers and followers in the world.
  • The current scenario:
    • Diplomacy:
      • In speeches made on official international visits such as to Sri Lanka and China, among others, India’s Prime Minister has made a conscious effort to emphasise shared Buddhist heritage.
      • Additionally, on trips to foreign countries, the prime minister reserves one day for visits to Buddhist temples wherever possible.
    • Tourism:
      • India is currently home to seven of the eight most significant Buddhist sites in the world.
      • the Ministry of Tourism is promoting a number of tourist circuits that transgress national borders.
        • The holy places of Buddhism, where Lord Buddha was born and He taught, preached, and attained ‘Enlightenment’ and ‘Nirvana’, are termed as Buddhist Circuit.

• Organization of international conferences:

• • International conferences have been organised and councils convened that facilitated interaction between members across sectarian and national boundaries.
  • ‘Buddhism in the 21st Century’ conference that took place at Rajgir in 2017.
  • In October 2016, the ‘5th International Buddhist Conclave’ was organised in Varanasi by the Ministry of Tourism
  • In 2015, the ‘Hindu-Buddhist Initiative on Conflict Avoidance’ was organised by the Vivekananda International Foundation and the Tokyo Foundation in Bodh Gaya, and inaugurated by Prime Minister himself.
• Nalanda University:
  • The most important project in the domain of academia to have been undertaken is that of Nalanda University.
  • The launch of the university was a pan-Asian initiative that was funded by numerous countries.

• Challenges:
  • As in most other areas of political significance, India has found competition from China in the realm of Buddhist diplomacy.
  • The most prominent manifestation of India and China’s rivalry in the sphere of Buddhist diplomacy relates to the issue of the Dalai Lama.
    • The presence of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government-in-exile in Dharamshala in North India has been a source of contention between India & China.

India’s Diplomacy through other religions

• Examples of religious associations being used to augment foreign policy are not restricted to Buddhism.
• Judaism:
  • Around the time of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s historic visit to Israel in July 2017, observers made constant references to India’s history with Judaism and its reputation for being a safe haven for Jews at a time of their prosecution in their native lands.
• Islam:
  • With respect to Islam, India has sought membership to the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on the grounds that it has the second-largest Muslim population in the world.

Suggestions & way ahead

• What India has in its favour at the moment is an abundance of resources by way of pilgrimage sites, the presence of the Dalai Lama, and international goodwill, as well as the right intentions.
• Explore the unexplored Buddhist schools of thought:
  • In terms of initiatives on the international level, the government must also ensure that it does not direct its efforts solely at Tibetan Buddhism, and make directed attempts at promoting connections with other Buddhist schools of thought such as Nagarjuna Buddhism, which largely remains unexplored in academic study.
• Effective implementation of the Nalanda University project:
  • The effective revitalisation of the Nalanda University project and encouragement of Buddhist studies in well-established universities across the country must take place.
• Buddhist Circuit Project:
  • In addition to the advertisement, proper management of tourist sites is a must for the effective valuation of the Buddhist Circuit Project.