Syllabus: General Studies Paper 3

Why in News?

Recently, the government of India has taken various initiatives related to Agriculture by using Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI).

• IoT is a computing concept that describes the idea of everyday physical objects being connected to the internet and being able to identify themselves to other devices.

What is the Need for IoT and AI in the Agriculture Sector?

• Even as agriculture remains a priority sector accounting for the livelihoods of around 58 % of the country’s population, adoption of technology in the sector is at a transitory juncture and faces several challenges across the value chain.
• These challenges require disruptive interferences which can be provided by technological solutions such as the IoT and AI etc.
• Adoption of AI technologies can pave the way for higher production with the optimum utilization of available resources and facilitate predictive analysis, crop health management, enhance quality and traceability among others.
• The adoption of innovative and transformative smart farming practices in the country is gradually becoming a major trend.
• Globally technology advancements in recent years arere-engineering both the upstream and downstream segments of the agri value chain, which makes it important to adapt innovation in Agriculture.
• Cutting-edge technologies in AI such as IoT, ML (Machine Learning), cloud computing, statistical computing, deep learning, Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) can enable the Agriculture Sector to overcome the challenges of productivity, quality, traceability and carbon emission with enhanced profitability.

What is the Usage of AI in Agriculture?

• Analyzing Farm Data:
  • Farms produce hundreds of thousands of data points on the ground daily. With the help of AI, farmers can now analyze a variety of things in real-time such as weather conditions ,temperature, water usage or soil conditions collected from their farm to better inform their decisions.
  • Farmers are also using AI to create seasonal forecasting models to improve agricultural accuracy and increase productivity.
• Precision Agriculture:
  • Precision agriculture uses AI technology to aid in detecting diseases in plants, pests, and poor plant nutrition on farms.
  • AI sensors can detect and target weeds and then decide which herbicides to apply within the right buffer zone.
  • This helps to prevent over-application of herbicides and excessive toxins that find their way in our food.
  • It would increase productivity by introducing precision agriculture.
• Tackling the Labour Challenge:
  • With fewer people entering the farming profession, most farms are facing the challenge of a workforce shortage.
  • One solution to help with this shortage of workers is AI agriculture bots. These bots augment the human labour workforce and are used in various forms. For example:
    • These bots can harvest crops at a higher volume and faster pace than human labourers, more accurately identify and eliminate weeds, and reduce costs for farms by having around the clock labour force.
    • Additionally, farmers are beginning to turn to chatbots for assistance. Chatbots help answer a variety of questions and provide advice and recommendations on specific farm problems.

What are the Related Initiatives taken?

• National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber Physical Systems (NM-ICPS):
  • It was launched in 2018 by the Ministry of Science and Technology with an outlay of Rs. 3,660.00 crore for a period of five years to encourage innovation in new age technologies.
  • Under the Mission, 25 Technology Innovation Hubs (TIHs) have been set up in premier institutes of national importance across the country in advanced technology verticals.
  • The Mission can act as an engine of growth that would benefit national initiatives in health, education, energy, environment, agriculture, strategic cum security, and industrial sectors, Industry 4.0, SMART Cities, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 
• Digital India initiatives:
  • Under the Digital India initiatives government has set up Centres of Excellence on Internet of Things with the objective to enable India to emerge as an innovation hub in IoT through democratization of innovation and realization of prototypes.
  • One of the focus areas of Centres of Excellence on IoT is on Agri-tech and it connects various entities such as startups, enterprises, venture capitalists, government and academia.
• National e-Governance Plan in Agriculture:
  • Funding is given to State Governments for Digital Agriculture projects using emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML), IoT, Block chain etc.
• Innovation and Agri-Entrepreneurship Development:
  • This programme is operational under Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) from 2018-19 with the objective to promote innovation and entrepreneurship by providing financial support and nurturing the incubation ecosystem.
  • In this connection, five Knowledge Partners (KPs) and 24 Agribusiness Incubators (R-ABIs) have been appointed across the country. The five KPs are:
    • National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management (MANAGE), Hyderabad.
    • National Institute of Agricultural Marketing (NIAM) Jaipur.
    • Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) Pusa, New Delhi.
    • University of Agriculture Science, Dharwad, Karnataka.
    • Assam Agriculture University, Jorhat, Assam.

Way Forward

• With the recent reforms in the agriculture sector, there is a likelihood of increased investments in contract farming and infusion of technology for better yields and productivity.
• This will further push the adoption of AI in agriculture. Further, in order to help these AI solutions, scale increased investments needed, both from the public and private sector.
• A huge surge in the emergence of agritech start-ups is being witnessed in India, driven by advanced technology penetration coupled with a conducive policy environment.
• This can only be seen as a starting point for the penetration of advanced technologies like AI, ML, IoT and Blockchain in the agriculture ecosystem.
• These collective technologies come as a great boon to the agricultural sector which is heavily reliant on unpredictable climatic conditions.

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 2

Why in News?

Recently, Rajya Sabha passed the Anti-Maritime Piracy Bill which the government said would provide an effective legal instrument to combat Maritime Piracy.

• The security of sea lanes of communication is critical as more than 90% of India’s trade takes place by sea routes and more than 80% of the country’s hydrocarbon requirements was sea-borne.

What are the Key Features of the Bill?

• About:
  • The Bill provides for prevention of maritime piracy and prosecution of personsfor such piracy-related crimes.
    • It will apply to all parts of the sea adjacent to and beyond the limits of the Exclusive Economic Zoneof India, i.e., beyond 200 nautical miles from the coastline.
  • The Bill brings into law the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Definition of Piracy:

• It defines piracy as any illegal act of violence, detention, or destruction committed against a ship, aircraft, person or property, for private purposes, by the crew or passengers of a private ship or aircraft. Such acts may be carried out in the high seas (beyond the Exclusive Economic Zone of India) or any place outside the jurisdiction of India.
  • Inciting or intentionally facilitating such acts would also qualify as piracy.
  • It includes any other act that is considered as piratical under international law.
• Piracy also includes voluntary participation in the operations of a pirate ship or aircraft used for piracy.

Penalties:

• An act of piracy will be punishable with:
  • Imprisonment for life; or
  • Death, if the act of piracy causes or attempts to cause death.
• An attempt to commit, aid, support, or counsel an act of piracy will be punishable with up to 14 years of imprisonment, and a fine.
• Participating, organising, or directing others to participate in an act of piracy will also be punishable with up to 14 years of imprisonment, and a fine.
• Offences will be considered This means that the accused can be transferred to any country for prosecution with which India has signed an extradition treaty.
  • In the absence of such treaties, offences will be extraditable on the basis of reciprocity between the countries.

Jurisdiction of the Courts:

• The central government, in consultation with the Chief Justice of the concerned High Court, may notify Sessions Courts as the Designated Courts under this Bill.
• The Designated Court will try offences committed by:
  • A person in the custody of the Indian Navyor Coast Guard, regardless of his nationality.
  • A citizen of India, a resident foreign national in India, or a stateless person.
• The Court will not have jurisdiction over offences committed on a foreign ship unless an intervention is requested by:
  • The country of origin of the ship.
  • The ship-owner.
  • Any other person on the ship.
• Warships and government-owned ships employed for non-commercial purposes will not be under the jurisdiction of the Court.

What are the Key Challenges in the Bill?

• Under the Bill, if a person, while committing an act of piracy causes or seeks to cause death, he will be punished with death.
  • This implies a mandatory death penalty for such offences.
  • The Supreme Court has held that mandatory death penalty for any offence is unconstitutional as it violates Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution.
    • However, Parliament has passed laws providing for mandatory death penalty for some offences. Example: Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 (SC/ST Act).
  • The Bill provides for imprisonment of up to 14 years if a person participates in an act of piracy. Committing an act of piracy (which includes voluntarily participating in the operation of a pirate ship or aircraft) is punishable with life imprisonment.
    • As these circumstances may overlap, it is unclear how the punishment would be determined in such cases.
  • The Bill will apply to all parts of the sea adjacent to and beyond the limits of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)of India, i.e., beyond 200 nautical miles from the coastline.
    • The question is whether the Bill should cover the EEZ also, that is the area between 12 nautical miles and 200 nautical miles(from the coastline of India).

What is the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea?

• The UNCLOS, 1982 is an international agreement that establishes the legal framework for marine and maritime activities.
• It is also known as Law of the Sea. It divides marine areas into five main zones namely- Internal Waters, Territorial Sea, Contiguous Zone, Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and the High Seas.
• It is the only international convention which stipulates a framework for state jurisdiction in maritime spaces. It provides a different legal status to different maritime zones.
• It provides the backbone for offshore governance by coastal states and those navigating the oceans.
• It not only zones coastal states’ offshore areas but also provides specific guidance for states’ rights and responsibilities in the five concentric zones.
• In 1995, India ratified the UNCLOS.

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 2

Why in News?

• After a fall during the first year of theCovid-19 pandemic, organ donation numbers increased back in 2021.
• In India, Transplantation of Human Organs Act, 1994 provides various regulations for the removal of human organs and its storage. It also regulates the transplantation of human organs for therapeutic purposes and for the prevention of commercial dealings in human organs.

What is the Status of Organ Donation in India?

• India has an organ donation rate of about 0.52 per million population. In comparison, the organ donation rate in Spain, the highest in the world, is 49.6 per million population.
  • Unlike India where a person has to register to be an organ donor — and the family has to consent to it after death —Spain has an opt-out system where a person is presumed to be a donor unless otherwise specified.
• Although organ donation has increased, however, the number of deceased donations has remained lower than the number of donations from living persons.
  • Deceased Donation is the organs donated by the kin of those who suffered brain death or cardiac death.
• Only 14.07% of the total organs harvested in 2021 were from deceased donors, much less than the 16.77% of 2019.
• Of the 12,387 organs harvested in 2021, only 1,743 — a little more than 14% — were from deceased donors. The numbers harvested in 2021 were close to the highest in the last five years (12,746, in 2019).
• There is also a geographical skew in deceased donations. All but two deceased organ donations in 2021 were in 15 states, with the top five — Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Karnataka — accounting for more than 85% of the total. Two organs were harvested from a deceased donor in Goa.
  • One reason for the geographical skew could be that most organ transplant and harvesting centres are concentrated in these geographies.

What is the Need for Increasing Deceased Donations?

• Gap in the Number of Organs Needed:
  • The first reason is the gap in the number of organs needed and the number of transplants that happen in the country.
  • In absolute numbers, India conducts the third highest number of transplants in the world.
  • Yet, of the estimated 1.5-2 lakh persons who need a kidney transplant every year, only around 8,000 get one.
  • Of the 80,000 persons who require a liver transplant, only 1,800 get one. And of the 10,000 who need a heart transplant, only 200 get it.
• Prevalence of Lifestyle Diseases:
  • Demand is on the rise because of the increasing prevalence of lifestyle diseases.
  • Besides, organs like heart and lungs can be retrieved only from deceased donors.
• Only Harvested from Brain Dead Persons:
  • The second reason is that without deceased donations, a precious resource is wasted.
  • Nearly 1.5 lakh persons die in road traffic accidents every year in India, many of whom can ideally donate organs.
  • Although donations are possible after the heart stops working, almost all organs are currently harvested from brain dead persons.

 Way Forward

• For increasing accessibility of donated organs to weaker sections, the public hospitals need to increase the infrastructural capacity to carry out transplantation and provide affordable proper treatment to the poor.
• It is suggested that cross-subsidization will increase accessibility to the weaker section . For every 3 or 4 transplants, the private hospitals should carry out free of cost transplantation to the section of the population that donates a majority of organs.
• The Transplantation of Human Organs Act, 1994, need to be amended to substitute the rigid bureaucratic procedure of hospitals by self-declaration and mandatory verification involving civil society.

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 3

Why in News?

• Russia has for the second month in a row remained India’s top oil supplier in November 2022 surpassing traditional sellers Iraq and Saudi Arabia.
• Russia now makes up for 22% of India’s total crude imports, ahead of Iraq’s 20.5% and Saudi Arabia’s 16%.
• The European Union ban on imports of Russia’s seaborne oil from 5th December has driven Russia to seek alternative markets, mainly in Asia, for about 1 million barrels per day.

What is the Current Scenario of India’s Oil Import/Consumption?

• India is the world’s third-largest oil consumer at around 5 million barrels a day, behind the US and China. The oil demand is growing at 3-4% a year in the country.
  • By this estimate, in a decade, India could be consuming about 7 million barrels a day.
• According to the Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell (PPAC),India imported 212.2 million tonnes of crude oil in 2021-22, up from 196.5 million tonnes in the previous year.
  • For April 2022-23, the oil import dependence was around 86.4% against 85.9% in the corresponding year-ago period.
• It has been argued that due to increasing demand, the consumption of oil has gone up, which has marginalised the efforts being made to increase output.
  • Higher crude oil import bill is expected to dent the macroeconomic parameters.

What Initiatives have been taken to Cut down Crude Oil Imports?

• In March 2015, the Prime Minister of India inaugurated the ‘Urja Sangam 2015’ —India’s then biggest global hydrocarbon meet aimed at shaping India’s energy security.
  • All the stakeholders were urged to increase the domestic production of oil and gas to reduce import dependence from 77% to 67% by 2022 and further to 50% by 2030.
• The government has also introduced various policies for increasing domestic production of oil and natural gas under the Production Sharing Contract (PSC) Regime, Discovered Small Field Policy, Hydrocarbon Exploration and Licensing Policy (HELP), New Exploration Licensing Policy (NELP),
  • However, an underlying issue with domestic oil production is that oil and gas projects — from exploration to production —have a long gestation period.
  • Besides, pricing and tax policies are not stable and the oil and gas business requires huge capital, so investors are often wary of taking risks.
• The Government of India promotes the Ethanol Blending Programme (EBP) with the aim of reducing the country’s dependence on crude oil imports, cutting carbon emissions and boosting farmers’ incomes.
  • The Government has advanced the target for 20% ethanol blending in petrol (also calledE20) to 2025 from 2030.

 What can be Done to Reduce India’s Oil Import Dependence?

• Encouraging Domestic Production: It must be kept in mind that India’s demand for oil is only going to go up as we go for 10% GDP growth and that India will continue to be an oil economy for many more years to come.
  • The only way India can reduce its dependence on imports is to increase the size of India-owned exploration and production assets overseas. That is what China has done.
  • The public sector oil giant Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) is also taking various steps to increase the production by redevelopment of existing matured fields and development of new/marginal fields.
• Alternate Green Sources: Another way out for India is to expand its basket and focus on green energy. With the economy gaining momentum, demand for power is on the upswing. With the CoP26 commitments in place, the demand for Renewable Energy is at an all-time high, which calls for substantial capacity addition.
  • The wind sector gained momentum, thanks to private investments and government initiatives coupled with regulatory support.
  • However, backed by global supply of solar cells and modules and favourable policies, solar power emerged more competitive than wind power.

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 2

Why in News?

• Recently, the year-end-review of the Department of Consumer Affairs under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution for the year 2022 was released.

What are the Key Achievements of the Department?

• Scheme for strengthening of Price Monitoring Mechanism:
  • Price Monitor Cell monitors wholesale and retail prices of twenty-two essential commodities including Rice, Wheat, Atta, Gram Dal etc. based on data collected from 179 market centres spread across the country representing North, West, East, South and North-eastern regions of the country.
  • During the year,57 price reporting centers were added. Number of price reporting centers increased from 122 on 1st January 2021 to 179 till December 2022.
• Price Stabilization Fund (PSF):
  • PSF is a central sector scheme for providing working capital and other incidental expenses for procurement and distribution of agri-horticultural commodities.
  • During 2022,83 Lakh Metric Tonnes (LMT) of pulses has been Transferred from Price Support Scheme (PSS), Department of Agriculture Cooperation & Farmers Welfare (DACFW) to PSF, Department of Consumer Affairs (DoCA) /Procured/Import under PSF.
• Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY):
  • During 2022, Rs. 35.59 crore were released to States/Union Territories as reimbursement for expenditure on intra-State movement & handling, fair price shop dealer’s margin and Additional Margin Distribution through Point of Sale (PoS) Device for distribution of pulses under PMGKAY and Atma Nirbhar Bharat Scheme.
• Consumer Awareness:
  • The new mascot of the DoCA“Jagriti” was launched to strengthen the campaign titled “Jago Grahak Jago” to reinforce top-of-mind awareness with all the consumers.
• Bureau Of Indian Standards (BIS):
  • BIS Act 2016came into force with effect from 12th October 2017, subsequently Governing Council was reconstituted.
    • The total number of standards in force, as on 25^thNovember 2022 is 21,833.
  • BIS (India) is holding the chairship of the South Asian Regional Standards Organization (SARSO) Technical Management Board for a three-year term from Oct 2020 to Oct 2023 and Board of Conformity Assessment (BCA).
  • Management System Certification:
    • BIS operates 20 Management Systems Certification Schemes, In 2021-22, two new more schemes i.e., Occupational Health & Safety Management System and Energy Management System have been accredited by National Accreditation Board for Certification Bodies (NABCB).

 Consumer Protection:

• World Consumer Rights Day:
  • The World Consumer Rights Day was celebrated on 15th March 2022 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.
  • The theme of the event was “Fair Digital Finance”.
• Settlement of cases through National Lok Adalat:
  • National Legal Service Authority (NALSA)along with other Legal Service institutions conducts Lok Adalats.
  • DoCA wrote to all State/UT Govts. for referring pending consumer cases to be taken up through National Lok Adalat.
• As a result, 5,930 cases were settled on a single day on 12th December, 2022 through Lok Adalat across the Country.
  • Consumer Protection Act, 2019:
    • Guidelines for Prevention of Misleading Advertisements and Endorsements for Misleading Advertisements, 2022were notified under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019
    • E-Filing:
  • A Consumer Commission online application portal named “nic.in” has been developed to facilitate the consumers/advocates to file the consumer complaint online through the e-Daakhil portal from home or anywhere at their own comfort.
    • Fake Reviews:
  • BIS launched the framework titled Indian Standard (IS) 19000:2022 ‘Online Consumer Reviews — Principles and Requirements for their Collection, Moderation and Publication.
  • The standards will be applicable to every online platform which publishes consumer reviews.
  • The standard provides for responsibilities of organization including developing a code of practice, and necessary stipulations for terms and conditions like accessibility, criteria, and ensuring content does not contain financial information etc.

Legal Metrology:

• Amendment to Rules:
  • The Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011were amended to allow the electronic products industries to declare certain mandatory declarations in the digital form through the QR Code for a period of one year, if not declared in the package itself.

This permission is to enable greater use of technology in this digital era to declare the mandatory declaration through the QR Code which can be scanned to view the declarations.

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 2

Why in News?

• Recently, the Union Finance Minister moved the Appropriation (No.5) Bill, 2022, and Appropriation (No.4) Bill, 2022, in the Rajya Sabha.
• The bill authorized payment and appropriation of certain further sums from and out of the Consolidated Fund of India for the services of the financial year 2022-2023 for consideration and return.

What is an Appropriation Bill?

• About:
  • The Appropriation Bill gives power to the government to withdraw funds from the Consolidated Fund of India for meeting the expenditure during the financial year.
    • As per Article 114 of the Constitution, the government can withdraw money from the Consolidated Fund only after receiving approval from Parliament.
    • The amount withdrawn is used to meet the current expenditure during the financial year.
  • Procedure Followed:
    • The Appropriation Bill is introduced in the Lok Sabha after discussions on Budget proposals and Voting on Demand for Grants.
      • The defeat of an Appropriation Bill in a parliamentary vote would lead to the resignation of a government or a general election.
    • Once it is passed by the Lok Sabha it is sent to the Rajya Sabha.
      • Rajya Sabha has the power to recommend any amendments in this Bill. However, it is the prerogative of the Lok Sabha to either accept or reject the recommendations made by the Rajya Sabha.
    • After the bill receives assent from the president it becomes an Appropriation act.
      • The unique feature of the Appropriation Bill is its automatic repeal clause, whereby the Act gets repealed by itself after it meets its statutory purpose.
    • The government cannot withdraw money from the Consolidated Fund of India till the enactment of the appropriation bill. However, this takes time and the government needs money to carry on its normal activities. To meet the immediate expenses the Constitution has authorised the Lok Sabha to make any grant in advance for a part of the financial year. This provision is known as the ‘Vote on Account’.
      • A vote on account is defined in Article 116 of the Indian Constitution.
      • During an election year the Government either opts for ‘interim Budget’ or for ‘Vote on Account’ as after the election the Ruling Government may change and so the policies.
    • Amendment:
      • No amendment can be proposed to an Appropriation Bill which will have the effect of varying the amount or altering the destination of any grant so made or of varying the amount of any expenditure charged on the Consolidated Fund of India, and the decision of the Lok Sabha Speaker as to whether such an amendment is admissible is final.

What is the Difference between Appropriation Bill and Finance Bill?

• While the Finance Bill contains provisions on financing the expenditure of the government ,an Appropriation Bill specifies the quantum and purpose for withdrawing money.
• Both appropriation and finance bills are classified as money bills which do not require the explicit consent of the Rajya Sabha. The Rajya Sabha only discusses them and returns the bills.

What is the Consolidated Fund of India?

• It was constituted under Article 266 (1) of the Constitution of India.

It is made up of:

• All revenues received by the Centre by way of taxes (Income Tax, Central Excise, Customs and other receipts) and all non-tax revenues.
• All loans raised by the Centre by issue of Public notifications, treasury bills (internal debt) and from foreign governments and international institutions (external debt).
• All government expenditures are incurred from this fund (except exceptional items which are met from the Contingency Fund or the Public Account) and no amount can be withdrawn from the Fund without authorization from the Parliament.
• The Comptroller and Auditor-General of India (CAG) audits the fund and reports to the relevant legislatures on the management.

What are the Stages of Stages of Budget in Parliament?

• Presentation of Budget.
• General discussion.
• Scrutiny by Departmental Committees.
• Voting on Demands for Grants.

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 3

Why in News?

• Recently, EU members have agreed to implement a minimum tax rate of 15% on big businesses in accordance with Pillar 2 of the global tax agreement framed by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in 2021.
• In 2021,136 countries including India had agreed on a plan to redistribute tax rights across jurisdictions and enforce a minimum tax rate of 15% on large multinational corporations.

 What is Global Minimum Tax?

• A Global Minimum Tax (GMT) applies a standard minimum tax rate to a defined corporate income base
• The OECD developed a proposal featuring a corporate minimum tax of 15% on foreign profits of large multinationals, which would give countries new annual tax revenues of USD 150 billion.
• The framework of GMT aims to discourage nations from tax competition through lower tax rates that result in corporate profit shifting and tax base erosion.

 What are the Key Points of the Plan?

• Two Pillar Plan:
  • Pillar 1:
    • 25% of profits of the largest and most profitable Multinational Enterprise (MNEs) above a set profit margin would be reallocated to the market jurisdictions where the MNE’s users and customers are located.
    • It also provides for a simplified and streamlined approach to the application of the arm’s length principle to in-country baseline marketing and distribution activities.
    • It includes features to ensure dispute prevention and dispute resolution in order to address any risk of double taxation, but with an elective mechanism for some low-capacity countries.
    • It also entails the removal and standstill of Digital Services Taxes (DST) and similar relevant measures, to prevent harmful trade disputes.
  • Pillar 2:
    • It provides a minimum 15% tax on corporate profit, putting a floor on tax competition.
    • This will apply to multinational groups with annual global revenues of over750 million euros. Governments across the world will impose additional taxes on the foreign profits of MNEs headquartered in their jurisdiction at least to the agreed minimum rate.
  • This means that if a company’s earnings go untaxed or lightly taxed in one of the tax havens, their home country would impose a top-up tax that would bring the effective rate to 15%.
  • Objectives:
    • It aims to ensure that big businesses with global operations do not benefit by domiciling themselves in tax havens in order to save on taxes.
    • The minimum tax and other provisions aim to put an end to decades of tax competition between governments to attract foreign investment.

 What is the Significance of the Move?

• End of Race to the Bottom:
  • It tries to put an end to the “race to the bottom” which has made it harder for governments to shore up the revenues required to fund their rising spending budgets.
    • A race to the bottom refers to heightened competition between nations, states, or companies, where product quality or rational economic decisions are sacrificed in order to gain a competitive advantage or reduction in product manufacturing costs.
  • Stopping Financial Diversion to Tax Havens:
    • Increasingly, income from intangible sources such as drug patents, software and royalties on intellectual property has migrated to Tax Havens, allowing companies to avoid paying higher taxes in their traditional home countries.
  • Mobilising Financial Resources:
    • With budgets strained after the Covid-19 crisis, many governments want more than ever to discourage multinationals from shifting profits – and tax revenues – to low-tax countries regardless of where their sales are made.
  • Global Tax Reforms: Since the inception of the Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) programme, the proposal for GMT is another positive step towards global taxation reforms.
    • BEPS refers to tax avoidance strategies that exploit gaps and mismatches in tax rules to artificially shift profits to low or no-tax locations. OECD has issued 15 Action Items to address this.
  • Counters Global Inequality:
    • The minimum tax proposal is particularly relevant at a time when the fiscal state of governments across the world has deteriorated as seen in the worsening of public debt metrics.
  • It is believed that the plan will also help counter rising global inequality by making it tougher for large businesses to pay low taxes by availing the services of tax havens.

 What are the Issues?

• Threat of tax Competition:
  • It is considered the threat of tax competition that keeps a check on governments which would otherwise tax their citizens heavily to fund profligate spending programs.
• Impending Sovereignty:
  • It impinges on the right of the sovereign to decide a nation’s tax policy.
  • A global minimum rate would essentially take away a tool country use to push policies that suit them.
• Question of Efficacy:
  • The deal has also been criticized for lacking teeth: Groups such as Oxfam said the deal would not put an end to tax havens.

What is the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development?

• The OECD is an intergovernmental economic organisation, founded to stimulate economic progress and world trade.
• Founded:
• Headquarters: Paris, France.
• Total Members: 36.
• India is not a member, but a key economic partner.

Way Forward

• Since the OECD’s plan essentially tries to form a global tax cartel, it will always face the risk of losing out to low-tax jurisdictions outside the cartel and cheating by members within the cartel.
• After all, countries both within and outside the cartel will have the incentive to boost investments and economic growth within their respective jurisdictions by offering lower tax rates to businesses.
• This is a structural problem that will persist as long as the global tax cartel continues to exist.

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 3

Why in News?

• Recently, at the 15^thConference of Parties (COP15) to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity “Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework” (GBF) was adopted.
• GBF includes 4 goals and 23 targets for achievement by 2030.
• The U.N. biodiversity conference concluded in Canada’s Montreal.
• The first part of COP 15 took place in Kunming, China and reinforced the commitment to address the biodiversity crisis and the Kunming Declaration was adopted by over 100 countries

What are the Key Targets of the GBF?

• 30×30 Deal:
  • Restore 30% degraded ecosystems globally (on land and sea) by 2030
  • Conserve and manage 30% areas(terrestrial, inland water, and coastal and marine) by 2030
• Stop the extinction of known species, and by 2050reduce tenfold the extinction risk and rate of all species (including unknown)
• Reduce risk from pesticides by at least 50% by 2030
• Reduce nutrients lost to the environment by at least 50% by 2030
• Reduce pollution risks and negative impacts of pollution from all sources by 2030 to levels that are not harmful to biodiversity and ecosystem functions
• Reduce global footprint of consumption by 2030, including through significantly reducing overconsumption and waste generation and halving food waste
• Sustainably manage areas under agriculture, aquaculture, fisheries, and forestry and substantially increase agroecology and other biodiversity-friendly practices
• Tackle climate change through nature-based solutions
• Reduce the rate of introduction and establishment of invasive alien species by at least 50% by 2030
• Secure the safe, legal and sustainable use and trade of wild species by 2030
• Green up urban spaces

What are the Other Major Outcomes of COP15?

• Money for Nature:
  • Signatories aim to ensure USD200 billion per year is channelled to conservation initiatives, from public and private sources.
  • Wealthier countries should contribute at least USD20 billions of this every year by 2025, and at least USD30 billion a year by 2030.
• Big Companies Report Impacts on Biodiversity:
  • Companies should analyse and report how their operations affect and are affected by biodiversity issues.
  • The parties agreed to large companies and financial institutions being subject to “requirements” to make disclosures regarding their operations, supply chains and portfolios.
• Harmful Subsidies:
  • Countries committed to identify subsidies that deplete biodiversity by 2025,and then eliminate, phase out or reform them.
  • They agreed to slash those incentives by at least USD500 billion a year by 2030 and increase incentives that are positive for conservation.
• Monitoring and reporting progress:
  • All the agreed aims will be supported by processes to monitor progress in the future, in a bid to prevent this agreement meeting the same fate as similar targets that were agreed in Aichi, Japan, in 2010, and never met.
  • National action plans will be set and reviewed, following a similar format used for greenhouse gas emissions under U.N.-led efforts to curb climate change. Some observers objected to the lack of a deadline for countries to submit these plans.

How India Presented its Demands at the Conference?

• India called for an urgent need to create a new and dedicated fund to help developing countries successfully implement a post-2020 global framework to halt and reverse biodiversity loss.
  • So far, the Global Environment Facility which caters to multiple conventions, including the UNFCCC and UN Convention to Combat Desertification, remains the only source of funding for biodiversity conservation.
• India also said that conservation of biodiversity must also be based on ‘Common but Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities’ (CBDR) as climate change also impacts nature.
• According to India, developing countries bear most of the burden of implementing the targets for conserving biodiversity and, therefore, require adequate funding and technology transfer.

What is the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)?

• CBD is a legally binding treaty to conserve biodiversity that has been in force since 1993 and has been ratified by 196 nations.
• It sets out guidelines for countries to protect biodiversity, ensure sustainable use, and promote fair and equitable benefit sharing.
• It aims at achieving a historic deal to halt and reverse biodiversity loss on par with the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change.
• The CBD Secretariat is based in Montreal, Canada.
• The Parties (Countries) under CBD, meet at regular intervals and these meetings are called Conference of Parties (COP).
• In 2000, a supplementary agreement to the Convention known as the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety was adopted. It came into force on 11^th September 2003.
  • The Protocol seeks to protect biological diversity from the potential risks posed by living modified organisms resulting from modern biotechnology.
• The Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization (ABS) was adopted in 2010 in Nagoya, Japan at COP10. It entered into force on 12^th October 2014.
  • It not only applies to genetic resources that are covered by the CBD, and to the benefits arising from their utilization but also covers traditional knowledge (TK) associated with genetic resources that are covered by the CBD and the benefits arising from its utilization.
• The COP-10 also adopted a ten-year framework for action by all countries to save biodiversity. Officially known as “Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020”, it provided a set of 20 ambitious yet achievable targets collectively known as the Aichi Targets for biodiversity.
• India enacted Biological Diversity Act in 2002 for giving effect to the provisions of the CBD.

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 3

Why in News?

• Recently, the Union Government has reported that there has been an 80% decline in civilian deaths and 6,000 militants have surrendered in North East India since 2014.

What are the Key Peace Developments in North East India?

• Important Agreements:

• Assam-Meghalaya Inter State Boundary Agreement, 2022:

• The agreement is for a closure in six disputed sectors that were taken up for resolution in the first phase.
• While Assam will get 18.51 sq. km of the disputed areas, Meghalaya will get the remaining 18.28 sq.km.

• Karbi Anglong Agreement, 2021:

• Karbi Anglong Agreement is a tripartite agreement among five insurgent groups of Assam, the Centre and the state government.
• 5 militant organizations(KLNLF, PDCK, UPLA, KPLT and KLF) laid down arms and more than 1000 of their armed cadres have given up violence and joined the mainstream of society.

• Bodo Accord, 2020:

• The central government, the Assam government and the Bodo groups, including all factions of the militant National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB), signed the Bodo Accord to redraw and rename the Bodoland Territorial Area District (BTAD) as the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR), in Assam.

• Bru-Reang Agreement, 2020:

• Bru or Reang is a community indigenous to Northeast India, living mostly in Tripura, Mizoram and Assam. In Tripura, they are recognised as a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group.
• The Centre, the governments of Mizoram and Tripura and leaders of Bru organisations signed the quadripartite agreement, Bru-Reang Agreement in January (2020).
• Under the pact, the Home Ministry has committed to incur the whole expenditure of settlement in Tripura.

• NLFT-Tripura Agreement, 2019:

• National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT)has been banned under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 since 1997 and has been involved in violence, operating from their camps across the international border.
• NLFT Agreement 2019resulted in the surrender of 88 cadres with 44 weapons.

• Roll Back of Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA):

• Government withdrew AFSPA from a large part of the Northeast, including the whole of Tripura and Meghalaya.
• In Arunachal Pradesh, AFSPA remains in force in only 3 districts.

What is the Significance of North East for India?

• Strategic Significance:

• North-East India is the gateway to South-East Asia and beyond. It is India’s land-bridge to Myanmar.
• India’s Act East Policy places the north eastern states on the territorial frontier of India’s eastward engagement.

• Cultural Significance:

• North East India is one of the most culturally diverse areas of the world. It is home to over 200 tribes. Popular festivals include the Hornbill Festival of Nagaland, Pang Lhabsol of Sikkim, etc.
• North-east India is a Dowry-Free Zone.
• The rich tapestry of cultures of Northeast is reflected in its highly developed Folk dance forms like Bihu (Assam).
• Manipur has a tradition of worshipping nature in sacred groves, called UmangLai.

• Economic Significance:

• Economically, the Region is rich in natural resources of “TOT” (Tea, Oil, and Timber).
• It is a veritable powerhouse with a potential of 50000 MW of hydroelectric power and an abundant reserve of fossil fuels.

• Ecological Significance:

• North East is a part of Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot. It represents one of the highest avian and plant biodiversity of the Indian subcontinent.
• This area has the prestige of having all the bear species present in India.

What are the Government’s Other Initiatives for the North East?

• Infrastructure:

• Bharatmala Pariyojana
• Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS)-UDAN

• Connectivity:

• Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Project
• India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway

• Tourism:

• Swadesh Darshan Scheme

• Other:

• Digital North East Vision 2022
• National Bamboo Mission

Question For practice

The North-East region of India has been infested with insurgency for a very long time. Analyze the major reasons for the survival of armed insurgency in this region.

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 4

Why in News?

• In Lok Sabha, the Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change outlined the various measures taken to counter black carbon.
• Under the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) Geosphere Biosphere Programme, the ISRO operates a network of aerosol observatories and black carbon mass concentration is one of the parameters being measured.

 What is Black Carbon?

• About: Black Carbon (BC) is a short-lived pollutant that is the second-largest contributor to warming the planet behind carbon dioxide (CO₂).

• Unlike other greenhouse gas emissions, BC is quickly washed out and can be eliminated from the atmosphere if emissions stop.
• Unlike historical carbon emissions it is also a localised source with greater local impact.
• Black carbon is a kind of an aerosol.

• General Impacts: Among aerosols (such as brown carbon, sulphates), Black Carbon has been recognized as the second most important anthropogenic agent for climate change and the primary marker to understand the adverse effects caused by air pollution.

• Black carbon absorbs solar energy, it warms the atmosphere. When it falls to earth with precipitation, it darkens the surface of snow and ice, reducing their albedo (the reflecting power of a surface), warming the snow, and hastening melting.

• Emission: It gets emitted from gas and diesel engines, coal-fired power plants, and other sources that burn fossil fuel. It comprises a significant portion of particulate matter or PM, which is an air pollutant.

What are the Various Measures taken?

• Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana:

• Under this initiative, the government is promoting use of cleaner household cooking fuels.

• BS VI Emission Norms:

• Leapfrogging from BS-IV to BS-VI norms for fuel and vehicles from 1^st April, 2020.

• Introducing Cleaner Fuels:

• Introduction of cleaner / alternate fuels like gaseous fuel (CNG, LPG etc.), ethanol blending.

• SATAT Scheme:

• A new initiative, “Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable Transportation (SATAT),has been launched to set up 5000 Compressed Bio-Gas (CBG) production plants and make CBG available in the market for use.

• Managing Crop Residue:

• Agricultural machines and equipment for in-situ crop residue management in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and NCT of Delhi are promoted under the Central Sector Scheme on Promoting Agricultural Mechanization for in-situ Crop Residue Management with 50% subsidy to individual farmers and 80% subsidy to the establishment of Custom Hiring Centres.

• National Clean Air Programme:

• The Central Government is implementing the National Clean Air Programme as a long-term, time-bound, national-level strategy to tackle the air pollution problem across the country in a comprehensive manner.
• The Centre has set a new target of a 40% reduction in particulate matter concentration in cities covered under the scheme by 2026, updating the earlier goal of 20 to 30% reduction by 2024.

• City specific Clean Air Action Plans:

• The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has identified 131 cities based on ambient air quality levels exceeding national ambient air quality standards, and cities with a million plus population.
• City specific Clean Air Action Plans have been prepared and rolled out for implementation in these cities.
• These plans define time bound targets to control city specific air polluting sources (soil & road dust, vehicles, domestic fuel, municipal solid waste burning, construction material and industries, etc.).

• FAME Scheme:

• Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles (FAME) phase-2 scheme has been rolled out.