[Mission 2023] INSIGHTS DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS + PIB SUMMARY 3 April 2023

GS Paper 2

Syllabus: International Relations

 Source: TH

 Context: During his visit to India, the Japanese PM unveiled Japan’s New Plan for a FOIP and exchanged views about deepening the Japan-India Special Strategic and Global Partnership.

Japan’s New Plan for the FOIP: It lays stress on the need to uphold the rules-based order and respect each other’s territorial sovereignty, at a time when the international community is at a historical turning point.

Four pillars of cooperation under the new FOIP:

• Principles for peace and rules for prosperity: Japan wants to engage in economic development programmes such as the G-20 Principles for “Quality Infrastructure Investment”.
• Addressing challenges in an Indo-Pacific way: Incorporating realistic and practical projects in a wide range of areas, such as climate change, food security, global health and cybersecurity.
• Multi-layered connectivity: The 3 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, etc.
• Extending efforts for security and safe use of the “sea” to the “air”: 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)”.
  • Japan also announced to mobilise a total of more than $75 billion in public and private funds by 2030 for infrastructure development.

What does Japan’s New Plan for the FOIP signify?

• Japan needs to do much more in the region.
• Japan is preparing itself for any unforeseen threat to its own as well as regional security.
• To reinforce the idea that Japan has been the
  • The main champion of the FOIP concept
  • Central in the emerging geopolitics of the Indo-Pacific
• With recent global developments (Russia-Ukraine war, Chinese assertiveness in the SCS, ECS, the Indian LAC, and the Taiwan Straits), there is a need to give a fresh push and momentum to the FOIP concept.
• It focuses on the numerous challenges facing the Indo-Pacific such as the lack of a united stand on “what the international order should be?”.

Pros of FOIP: Embrace diverse voices and create an atmosphere of cooperation and collaboration (rather than division and confrontation) → rule-making through dialogue.

India and Japan relations:

• Notwithstanding some differences in the Ukraine conflict, Japan remains one of India’s closest friends in Asia given their shared concerns over the aggressive Chinese activities.
• Japan deeply invested in Indo-Pacific stability and prosperity is good news indeed for India and the wider region.

India and FOIP:

• India is an indispensable
• Japan’s concept of FOIP is like India’s concept of the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI), which has seven pillars:
  • Maritime Security;
  • Maritime Ecology;
  • Maritime Resources;
  • Capacity Building and Resource Sharing;
  • Disaster Risk Reduction and Management;
  • Science, Technology and Academic Cooperation; and
  • Trade Connectivity and Maritime Transport.

Conclusion: Both India and Japan should cooperate to build consensus on the new FOIP during the G-7 and the G-20 (Japan and India hold their presidencies, respectively) summits.

Insta Links:

India-Japan Relations

Mains Links:

‘The time has come for India and Japan to build a strong contemporary relationship, one involving global and strategic partnerships that will have a great significance for Asia and the world as a whole.’ Comment. (UPSC 2019)

GS Paper 3 

Syllabus: Infrastructure (Energy)

Source: IE

 Context: A new blueprint for the country’s power sector planners – the National Electricity Plan for 2022-27 – marks a discernible reversal in the policy.

The National Electricity Plan:

• The Central Electricity Authority (CEA) must create a National Electricity Plan in line with the National Electricity Policy, according to the Electricity Act 2003, to –
  • Create short-term (every 5-year) and perspective plans (15 years)
  • Analyse the need for planning capacity expansion
  • Coordinate the efforts of different planning agencies to ensure that resources are used optimally
  • Support the needs of the country’s economy.
• The 1st National Electricity Plan was published in 2007, the 2nd in 2013, and the third (2018) includes the detailed Plan for 2017–22 and the perspective Plan for 2022–27.

Key takeaways from the National Electricity Plan for 2022-27:

• The fresh draft notes the need for an additional coal-based capacity of 28 GW by 2031-32, in addition to the 25 GW of coal-based capacity that is currently being built.
  • A rise in the coal-fired power plants’ plant load factor (PLF), from 55% in 2026-27 to 62% in 2031-32.
  • This is an obvious admission of the ground realities.
• A predicted 51 GW to 84 GW battery storage need with a daily usage rate of 5 hours in a push for renewable energy by 2031-32.
  • Estimated at Rs. 10 crores per MW, this could equate to between Rs. 5 to 8 lakh crore in battery storage investments.

What marks a discernible reversal? The focus earlier was almost entirely on renewable energy for incremental capacity addition and fresh coal-fired capacity was virtually ruled out.

Concerns:

• Continued reliance on old technology, and inflexible coal–fired plants for base load capacity → do not promise robust reliability. For example, coal-fired thermal power plants of 200 MW series in India are more than 25 years old.
• Uncertainty regarding the management of the renewables-dominated grid infrastructure. For example, due to hydropower’s and zero-inertia solar generators’ slow development, the inertia that provides stability to the grid has been decreasing.
• There is no evaluation of the ramping rate for thermal plants under different solar generation scenarios.
• There is inadequate funding for the development of battery storage.

Way ahead (as per the National Electricity Plan for 2022-27):

• Battery Energy Storage systems (BESS) based on Lithium-ion batteries:
• Advantages → cost-effective, balance the grid against load fluctuations/intermittency in generation → energy storage can provide energy time-shifting.
• The hybrid generation models: This will enable a shift to solar energy and provide backup power.
• The water-based systems: In these systems water is raised to the reservoir during charging, and when it is discharged, it produces energy.
  • The closed water cycle has a 70% water cycle efficacy and 6% evaporation loss.
  • They are economical as no barrage on the river is required.

Insta Links:

What is missing in the draft national electricity policy

GS Paper 3

 Syllabus: Environment – Pollution

Source: Indian Express

 Context: According to a new study, an estimated 170 trillion plastic particles weighing about 2 million metric tons are currently afloat in the oceans across the world, and if no urgent action is taken then this number could nearly triple by 2040.

About Microplastics:

• Microplastics are defined as synthetic solid particles sized ranging from 1 micrometre to 5 millimetres (mm), which are insoluble in water.
• They are particularly harmful to the oceans as they don’t readily break down into harmless molecules and adversely affect the health of marine organisms, which mistake plastic for food.

Key findings of the new study:

• They found that from 1990 to 2005, the number of plastic particles more or less fluctuated due to the effective implementation of important policy measures like MARPOL Annex 5 which enforced laws against dumping trash at sea.
• The concentration of plastic particles including microplastics in the ocean has skyrocketed in the oceans since the mid-2000s, and it continues to increase.
• If the world fails to take any drastic action about the issue, there will be a 2.6-fold increase in plastic flowing into aquatic environments by 2040.

How do microplastics impact the oceans and marine life?

• Mechanical problems, such as lacerations and blockages to internal systems of organisms.
• Ingested plastics can cause chemical problems by leaching absorb chemicals into organisms.
• Microplastics absorb many hydrophobic compounds, like DDT, PCBs and other industrial chemicals, and evidence shows they can be released when ingested.
• Microplastics can also disrupt the carbon cycle of the oceans.

What can be done to limit plastic pollution in oceans?

• There is an urgent need to implement a global resolution to limit the production of single-use, throwaway plastic.
• Need to reduce the number of chemical additives in new plastic products.

Initiatives Taken to tackle microplastics:

Global Initiatives:

• Global Partnership on Marine Litter (GPML)
• GloLitter Partnerships Project
• London Convention, 1972

India-Specific Initiatives:

• Elimination of Single Use Plastic
• Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016 
• Un-Plastic Collective

Insta Links:

Microplastics in Ganga

Content for Mains Enrichment (CME)

Source: TH

The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) aims to promote India’s cultural and creative heritage globally by using the experiences of over 48,000 foreign students studying in India as brand ambassadors.

ICCR will organize Exit Engagement Evenings (E-3) with foreign students in various Central and State universities, institutes, and agricultural colleges of the country, three or four months before they finish their courses.

In April 2022, ICCR launched the India Alumni Portal, a platform to connect with foreign students worldwide who have studied in India.

Values shown: Cultural Diplomacy, Soft Diplomacy, Brand Ambassadorship, International Education, Networking, and Alumni Engagement.

People’s manifesto and Datajam

 Source: TH

Various civil society groups (The Civil Society Forum, Janaagraha and OpenCity.in) in Karnataka have released a “people’s manifesto” in the hope that political parties will include the issues in their manifestos for the upcoming assembly elections.

Demands: Curbing corruption, urban governance, housing, slums, panchayat raj, agriculture, right to food, health, education, labour issues, women’s rights, rights of the differently abled, environment, denouncement and immediate action to halt hate politics, etc.

Additionally, OpenCity.in, along with Janaagraha and WRI India, conducted a “datajam” to analyze the data of Bengaluru constituencies in the context of gaps in areas such as medical facilities and sanitation in public schools, public transport access in certain constituencies, and voter participation. The analysis can be useful for the MLAs who will be elected next month to know where the gaps are that need to be addressed.

Usage: These are examples of people’s participation in Governance with the help of Civil society.

Source: IE

The Georgia Assembly (USA) passed a resolution condemning Hinduphobia, becoming the first state in the US to do so. The legislation acknowledges the contributions of the American Hindu community and condemns the “antagonistic, destructive, and derogatory attitudes and behaviours” towards Hindus that may manifest as prejudice, fear or hatred.

What is Hinduphobia?

 Hinduphobia is a term used to describe a set of attitudes and behaviours characterized by prejudice, fear, hatred, or antagonism towards Hinduism and Hindus. It can manifest in many forms, such as discrimination, stereotyping, and violence against individuals or communities of Hindu origin.

Usage: The example can be used in Indian society/ethics/essay paper to show discriminatory societal attitudes and stereotyping esp. in developed countries.

Facts for Prelims (FFP)

Source: TH

Context: Recently, ‘Nagaraja Thira’ was celebrated at the Sree Muchilottu temple at Kuthiravattom in Kozhikode.

Facts for Prelims (FFP)

 Source: IE

Context: Tamil Nadu and Kerala are together celebrating 2024: the centenary year of the Vaikom Satyagraha

Facts for Prelims (FFP)

Source: TH

Context: The Indian government’s scheme to provide financial assistance to over 5,000 Hindu and Sikh families who migrated to India from Pakistan’s West Punjab after the 1947 partition has hit several issues.

Facts for Prelims (FFP)

Source: IE

Context: The Indian government has exempted all imported medicines and foods for personal use related to the management of 51 rare diseases (as listed in NPRD 2021) from basic customs duty.

• The government has also fully exempted Pembrolizumab (Keytruda) used in the treatment of various types of cancer

Facts for Prelims (FFP)

Source: DTE

 Context: The first case of a plant fungus called Chondrostereum purpureum infecting human beings has been reported from Kolkata.

• The fungus is known to cause Silver leaf disease in plants, especially in species of rose families.
• However, there were no reported instances of this fungus infecting human beings from any part of the world.

Possible reason:

Rising temperature due to global warming is thought of as one of the major reasons for this new threat to human beings. Most fungi thrive in the range of 12°C to 30°C.

Facts for Prelims (FFP)

Source: TH

Context: A group of scientists have discovered a new shape with 13 sides, named ‘the hat’, It is the first ‘einstein’ tile (‘ no relation to Albert Einstein’ ) to have been found: a shape that can cover a plane without overlapping, leaving gaps, or repeating patterns.

Shape: polykite with the edges of eight kites to make it

Fig: The grey area shows the polykite shape of ‘the hat’

Significance:

The discovery has answered a long-standing question in the field of plane geometry and generated excitement in the scientific community. It is the first time a single aperiodic tile has been found to cover a plane, which has been long-awaited as the number of shapes in a tile has decreased over the years.

Facts for Prelims (FFP)

Source: ISRO

Context: The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has successfully conducted the Reusable Launch Vehicle Autonomous Landing Mission (RLV LEX).

Facts for Prelims (FFP)

 Source: The Hindu

 Context: Launched on April 3, 1965, SNAP-10A was the world’s first operational nuclear reactor in space. While it still remains in orbit, it was operational for just 43 days. 

About nuclear reactors:

A class of devices that contain and control sustained nuclear chain reactions, these systems are at the heart of any nuclear power plant.

Nuclear Reactor in Earth orbit:

• The U.S.’ first and only known space nuclear reactor, the SNAP-10A was the result of the government-sponsored System for Nuclear Auxiliary Power (SNAP) programme, also known as SNAPSHOT for Space Nuclear Auxiliary Power Shot.
• The SNAP reactors had liquid sodium-potassium alloy as the coolant. A thermoelectric enriched uranium fuel with zirconium hydride as a moderator converter was used to directly convert heat from the reactor into electricity.
• Russia has sent quite a few of them, including one that crashed and scattered radioactive debris over Canada in 1978.

Source: The Hindu

Context: Eravikulam National Park (ENP), the natural habitat of Nilgiri tahr in Munnar, has a new attraction — a Fernarium set up inside the park.

Fernarium:

• A fernarium is a type of botanical garden or greenhouse that specializes in cultivating and displaying various species of ferns.
• Ferns are part of the Epiphytic family. They grow naturally in a soilless condition. The plants obtain water and nutrients through leaching from trees.
• Ferns are a diverse group of plants that do not produce flowers or seeds but instead reproduce through spores.

About Eravikulam National Park:

• Declared a Sanctuary in 1975 and later a National Park (1978) with the intention of protecting the indigenous population of Nilgiri Tahr (highly endangered mountain goat).
• “Neelakurinji”, the flower that blooms once in twelve years grows here.
• The highest peak south of the Himalayas – the Anamudi is located here.