DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS 11 SEPTEMBER 2019

  IMPORTANT TOPICS FOR TODAY

       

BY SUMIT BHARDWAJ                          11 September 2019

1.Restrictive measures in J&K being eased: India tells UNHRC(GS-2,3)

• CONTEXT:India reminded the U.N. body about its free media, vibrant civil society and institutional framework that upholds human rights in the country.
• Restrictive measures in Jammu and Kashmir are being progressively eased, India informed the U.N. Human Rights Council on September 10.
• Delivering the National Statement at the 42nd session of the Human Rights Council (HRC), the Indian delegation indicated at the threat of cross-border terror attacks from Pakistan and argued that the legislative measures taken regarding Jammu and Kashmir were within the sovereign realm of India.
• Despite challenging circumstances, Jammu and Kashmir's Civil Administration is ensuring basic services, essential supplies, normal functioning of institutions, mobility and nearly full connectivity. Democratic processes have been initiated. Restrictions are being eased continuously,” said Vijay Thakur Singh, Secretary of the Ministry of External Affairs, who led the special diplomatic team at Geneva.
• India's response at the HRC meeting came a day after the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet in her opening remarks called upon India to end the lockdown in Kashmir that was imposed after New Delhi ended the special status for the State on August 5 when the Parliament rolled out the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019.
• India reminded the U.N. body about its free media, vibrant civil society and institutional framework that upholds human rights in the country. The Indian official in her submission avoided naming Pakistan but pointed at cross-border terrorism emanating from that country that has hurt India, saying “Those who abet, finance, and support terrorism in any form on territory under their control are in truth the worst violators of human rights.”
• India also called on the UNHRC to seek global action against terrorists and state sponsors of terror groups. “We must speak out. Silence only emboldens terrorists,” said Ms. Singh. India highlighted that the measures regarding Jammu and Kashmir will ensure gender justice, property rights and democratic representation.

UNHRC:

• The UN body was established in 2006 with the aim of promoting and protecting human rights around the globe, as well as investigating alleged human rights violations.
• It is made up of 47 member states, which are selected by the UN General Assembly on a staggered basis each year for three-year-long terms.
• Members meet around three times a year to debate human rights issues and pass non-binding resolutions and recommendations by majority vote.
• The council also carries out the Universal Periodic Review of all UN member states, which allows civil society groups to bring accusations of human rights violations in member states to the attention of the UN.

The Mandate and Functioning

• The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) is a United Nations body whose mission is to promote and protect human rights around the world.
• The UNHRC has 47 members elected for staggered three-year terms on a regional group basis from 5 groups.
• To become a member, a country must receive the votes of at least 96 of the 191 states of the UN General Assembly (an absolute majority).
• The members are elected for a period of three years, with a maximum of two consecutive terms.
• In electing Council members, the resolution provides that General Assembly members “shall take into account the candidates’ contribution to the promotion and protection of human rights and their voluntary pledges and commitments made thereto.”
• The UNHRC holds regular sessions three times a year, in March, June, and September.

Universal Periodic Review:
The Universal periodic review (UPR) mechanism reviews all 192 UN member states every four years to "ensure universality of coverage and equal treatment of all Member States." 

Special Procedure :
The special procedures of the Human Rights Council are independent human rights experts with mandates to report and advise on human rights from a thematic or country-specific perspective. The system of Special Procedures is a central element of the United Nations human rights machinery and covers all human rights: civil, cultural, economic, political, and social.

Special Rapporteur: 
The titles Special Rapporteur, Independent Expert, and Working Group Member are given to individuals working on behalf of the United Nations (UN) within the scope of "special procedure" mechanisms.


The Role

• UNHRC has played the role of a political platform which aims to ensure that the human rights remain a top priority within the UN.
• Global reach- UNHRC has a wide mandate which facilitates it to respond to human rights cases across the globe. In doing so, it also brings the members of civil society together for voicing concerns related to human rights in their respective local regions.
• Special Procedures- Special Procedures of UNHRC are a universal source of knowledge on human rights themes and country-specific conditions which helps to improve the understanding of human rights law.
• Universal Periodic Review- The Universal Periodic Review motivates nation-level dialogues on human rights, and also mandates that every UN member state examines human rights on a regular basis. It ensures transparency and accountability in the functioning of UNHCR.
• Condemning the violations- In the recent past, the resolutions adopted by the UNHRC have highlighted and condemned distinctive violations despite the efforts to the contrary by some members of the HRC. For example, in the midst of the Arab Spring, the Human Rights Council voted unanimously to suspend Libya’s membership. More recently, the Council did not permit Syria to bid for a seat on grounds of human rights violations and appointed an investigation there.
• Issue-based coalitions- There is an increasing number of countries from all parts of the world which have started working together to further the human rights, irrespective of their shared history and regional politics. The regional bloc voting practices have become the matter of the past and considered discussion along with collective action is becoming possible.
• Controversial subject areas- Controversial subject areas have also been addressed at the HRC, including LGBTIQ rights and religious discrimination. South Africa’s efforts to acknowledge the rights of LGBTIQ faced strong opposition from neighbouring countries but it was supported by far-away countries like Brazil, Colombia, the United States, and many others.
• Role of special rapporteurs- The experts’ mandates (Special Rapporteurs) recommended by UNHRC have resulted into manifested actions on problems ranging from combating torture in Jordan to protecting journalists in Cambodia, decriminalizing blasphemy in the United Kingdom and reducing prison sentences in China.

2.India asks China, Pakistan to end activities related to CPEC in PoK(GS-2)

• CONTEXT:India is resolutely opposed to any actions by other countries to change the status quo in PoK, says MEA spokesperson
• India on Tuesday rejected the reference to Jammu and Kashmir in the latest China-Pakistan joint statement and called on both countries to stop activities related to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK).

China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) :

• The CPEC is the flagship project of the multi-billion dollar Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a pet project of Chinese President Xi Jinping, aimed at enhancing Beijing’s influence around the world through China-funded infrastructure projects.
• The 3,000 km-long China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) consisting of highways, railways, and pipelines is the latest irritant in the India–China relationship.
• CPEC eventually aims at linking the city of Gwadar in South Western Pakistan to China’s North Western region Xinjiang through a vast network of highways and railways.
• The proposed project will be financed by heavily-subsidised loans, that will be disbursed to the Government of Pakistan by Chinese banking giants such as Exim Bank of China, China Development Bank, and the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China.

But, why is India concerned?

• It passes through PoK. Any Indian participation would inextricably be linked to the country’s legitimate claims on PoK.
• CPEC rests on a Chinese plan to secure and shorten its supply lines through Gwadar with an enhanced presence in the Indian Ocean. Hence, it is widely believed that upon CPEC’s fruition, an extensive Chinese presence will undermine India’s influence in the Indian Ocean.
• It is also being contended that if CPEC were to successfully transform the Pakistan economy that could be a “red rag” for India which will remain at the receiving end of a wealthier and stronger Pakistan.
• Besides, India shares a great deal of trust deficit with China and Pakistan and has a history of conflict with both. As a result, even though suggestions to re-approach the project pragmatically have been made, no advocate has overruled the principle strands of contention that continue to mar India’s equations with China and Pakistan.

3.Archbishop of Canterbury visits Jallianwalla Bagh(GS-1,2)

• CONTEXT:The Archbishop of Canterbury, Reverend Justin Welby, on Tuesday visited the Jallianwalla Bagh in Punjab’s Amritsar, said it was deeply humbling and provoked feelings of profound shame for him to visit the site of a horrific massacre over a hundred years ago.
• ‘Deeply humbling’
• After paying homage to those killed in Jallianwala Bagh, Reverend Welby, the global head of the Anglican Communion, wrote in the visitors’ book — “It is deeply humbling and provokes feelings of profound shame for me as British Christian to visit this place that witnessed such an atrocity over a hundred years ago. My first response is pray to my loving heavenly father for healing to those still suffering grief, loss and anger. That prayer to god for healing then compels me to commit to actions that may seek to bridge divides of culture and religion that we may together root out hatred and seek the common good.”

• He wrote, “Coming here arouses a sense of profound shame at what happened in this place. It is one of a number of deep stains on British history. The pain and grief that has transcended the generations since must never be dismissed or denied.”
• “To say sorry as a Christian is to turn around and take a new direction alongside voicing words of apology. When there is something on the scale and horror of this massacre, and done so many years ago, words can be cheaply banded around, as if a simple apology would ever be enough,” he added.
• On April 13, 1919, hundreds were killed and more than 1,200 injured after British troops led by Reginald Dyer opened fire on a peaceful gathering at Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar.

WHO IS Archbishop of Canterbury?

• Archbishop of Canterbury:
• The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. The current archbishop is Justin Welby, who was enthroned at Canterbury Cathedral on 21 March 2013. Welby is the 105th in a line which goes back more than 1400 years to Augustine of Canterbury, the "Apostle to the English", sent from Rome in the year 597. Welby succeeded Rowan Williams.

• From the time of Augustine until the 16th century, the archbishops of Canterbury were in full communion with the See of Rome and usually received the pallium from the Pope. During the English Reformation, the Church of England broke away from the authority of the Pope. Thomas Cranmer became the first holder of the office following the English Reformation in 1533, while Reginald Pole was the last Roman Catholic in the position, serving from 1556 to 1558 during the Counter-Reformation. In the Middle Ages there was considerable variation in the methods of nomination of the Archbishop of Canterbury and other bishops. At various times the choice was made by the canons of Canterbury Cathedral, the Pope, or the King of England. Since the English Reformation, the Church of England has been more explicitly a state church and the choice is legally that of the Crown; today it is made by the reigning monarch on the advice of the British prime minister, who in turn receives a shortlist of two names from an ad hoc committee called the Crown Nominations Commission.

Jallianwalla Bagh:

• Jallianwala Bagh’s importance lies not in the numbers killed but in what preceded it and in what followed. The Anarchical and Revolutionary Crimes Act of 1919, better known as the Rowlatt Act, came into force a month before the massacre in Jallianwala Bagh. It shocked most Indians who had expected to be rewarded, not punished, for willingly fighting alongside the British in the First World War.

Run up to the event

• During World War I (1914–18) the British government of India enacted a series of repressive emergency powers that were intended to combat subversive activities. By the war’s end, expectations were high among the Indian populace that those measures would be eased and that India would be given more political autonomy.
• The Montagu-Chelmsford Report, presented to the British Parliament in 1918, did in fact recommend limited local self-government. Instead, however, the government of India passed what became known as the Rowlatt Acts in early 1919, which essentially extended the repressive wartime measures.
• The acts were met by widespread anger and discontent among Indians, notably in the Punjab region. Gandhi in early April called for a one-day general strike throughout the country. In Amritsar the news that prominent Indian leaders had been arrested and banished from that city resulted in mass protests.
• The arrest and banishing of Saifudeen Kitchlew and Satya Pal sparked protests on April 10, in which soldiers fired upon civilians, buildings were looted and burned, and angry mobs killed several foreign nationals and severely beat a Christian missionary.
• A force of several dozen troops commanded by Brig. Gen. Reginald Edward Harry Dyer was given the task of restoring order. Among the measures taken was a ban on public gatherings.

The Massacre

• On April 13, 1919, Baisakhi day, following unrest in Amritsar after protests against the Rowlatt Act, Brigadier General (temporary rank) Reginald Dyer took a strike force of 50 rifles and 40 khukri-wielding Gurkhas into an enclosed ground, Jallianwala Bagh, where a peaceful public meeting of 15,000-20,000 was being held.
• Immediately and without warning, he ordered fire to be opened on the crowd. The firing of 1,650 rounds was deliberate and targeted, using powerful rifles at virtually point blank range. The firing resulted in death of several hundreds of people and many times more were wounded.
• Atrocity however did not stop at it, several repressive measures followed after the brutal killing such as the infamous crawling order, the salaam order, public floggings, arbitrary arrests, torture and bombing of civilians by airplanes — all under a veil of strictly enforced censorship.

A history of evasion

• The massacre, followed by the praising and rewarding of its perpetrator, General Dyer, by the British public, removed all illusions about benign British rule in the country. It also marked the start of a liberation struggle like no other under Mahatma Gandhi; Rabindranath Tagore troubled by the incident renounced his Knighthood and questioned the morality of the British government and failure of rulers to act.
• After calls for an investigation, including by liberals in Britain, a Disorders Inquiry Committee, under Chairmanship of Lord Hunter, was set up. The committee selectively criticised Dyer but let off the Lieutenant Governor, Michael O’Dwyer.
• The conservative Lords however took a different tack and criticised the government for being unjust to the officer. Similar sentiments in Dyer’s favour came from the right-wing press — the Morning Post started a fund for him which collected £26,000 — as well as from conservative sections of the public who believed he had saved India for the empire.
• Rudyard Kipling, a famous writer too supported Dyer by putting an ambivalent comment on the wreath he sent to Dyer’s funeral in 1927: “He did his duty as he saw it.”
• Many people having ties with colonial history have called the incident an isolated one which had nothing to do with British rule and an exception. Winston Churchill who criticised the incident too quoted that it was not the British way of doing things and tried to save the larger colonial enterprise from being called as inherently repressive.
• While there remains little doubt that Dyer was indeed wrong, British government cannot be exonerated from the atrocities it committed during the colonial era, as the incident was not an isolated one and he was one of a line of several such — John Nicholson, Frederick Cooper, J.L. Cowan — who resorted to severe disproportionate violence in 1857 and after the 1872 Kuka rebellion.

Way Forward: Healing a wound

• Any British government can ill-afford to apologise for the glory days of its country’s history. After all, incidents such as the Jallianwala Bagh massacre are a frequent adjunct to a system as repressive as the British Raj and admitting blame can also have legal and financial consequences.
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• While apologising in Parliament can be called symbolic, in a court of law, it is admitting a liability. Recent, British apology therefore can best be called symbolic which only addresses the concerns of its MPs and not those who actually suffered.
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• There is little doubt that an incident like this can best be healed with time but there are many ways to heal a wound between nations. Mere words are certainly not one of them.

Rowlatt Act, 1919

• The act was officially known as the Anarchical and Revolutionary Crimes Act, 1919 and was passed in March 1919 by the Imperial Legislative Council.
• The act was passed as per recommendations of the Rowlatt Committee chaired by a judge, Sir Sidney Rowlatt.
• This act authorized the government to imprison for a maximum period of two years, without trial, any person suspected of terrorism.
• The act provided s speedy trial of the offenses by a special cell that consisted of 3 High Court Judges. There was no court of appeal above that panel.
• This panel could also accept the evidences which were not even acceptable in the Indian Evidences Act.
• It also placed severe restrictions on the freedom of the press.
• The act was widely condemned by Indian leaders and the public. The bills came to be known as ‘black bills’.

4.India, Nepal inaugurate Motihari-Amlekhganj oil pipeline(GS-2).

• CONTEXT:The 69-km pipeline, having a capacity of 2 million metric ton per annum, will provide cleaner petroleum products at affordable costs to the people of Nepal
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Nepal counterpart K.P. Sharma Oli on Tuesday jointly inaugurated the Motihari-Amlekhganj energy pipeline, via video link.
• Mr. Modi said that India-Nepal ties will continue to expand across multiple sectors.
• "Prime Minister Modi said that the 69-km Motihari-Amlekhganj pipeline, having a capacity of 2 million metric ton per annum will provide cleaner petroleum products at affordable costs to the people of Nepal. He welcomed the announcement made by Prime Minister Oli to reduce the price of petroleum products by Rs. 2 per litre in Nepal," said a press release from the office of the Prime Minister of India.
• The pipeline had been in the planning stages for several years and was inked in 2015 by both sides. A test supply was carried out last month after which both sides agreed to operationalise the energy route, a first-time effort in South Asia.

Historical Ties

• Nepal is an important neighbour of India and occupies special significance in its foreign policy because of the geographic, historical, cultural and economic linkages/ties that span centuries.
• India and Nepal share similar ties in terms of Hinduism and Buddhism with Buddha’s birthplace Lumbini located in present day Nepal.
• The two countries not only share an open border and unhindered movement of people, but they also have close bonds through marriages and familial ties, popularly known as Roti-Beti ka Rishta.
• The India-Nepal Treaty of Peace and Friendship of 1950 forms the bedrock of the special relations that exist between India and Nepal.

Treaty of Peace and Friendship of 1950

• The treaty talks about reciprocal treatment of Indian and Nepali citizens in the two countries, in residence, property, business and movement.
• It also establishes national treatment for both Indian and Nepalese businesses (ie once imported, foreign goods would be treated no differently than domestic goods).
• It also gives Nepal access to weaponry from India.

Importance of Nepal

• Nepal shares border with 5 Indian states- Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Sikkim and Bihar. Hence an important point of cultural and economic exchange.
• Importance for India can be studied from two different angles: a) their strategic importance for India’s national security; and b) their place in India’s role perception in international politics.
• Nepal is right in the middle of India’s ‘Himalayan frontiers’, and along with Bhutan it acts as northern ‘borderland’ flanks and acts as buffer states against any possible aggression from China.
• Rivers originating in Nepal feed the perennial river systems of India in terms of ecology and hydropower potential.
• Many Hindu and Buddhist religious sites are in Nepal making it an important pilgrim site for large number of Indians.

Areas of Cooperation

Trade and economy

• India is Nepal’s largest trade partner and the largest source of foreign investments, besides providing transit for almost the entire third country trade of Nepal.
• Indian firms engage in manufacturing, services (banking, insurance, dry port), power sector and tourism industries etc.
• Connectivity
• Nepal being a landlocked country, it is surrounded by India from three sides and one side is open towards Tibet which has very limited vehicular access.
• India-Nepal has undertaken various connectivity programs to enhance people-to-people linkages and promote economic growth and development.
• MOUs have been signed between both the governments for laying electric rail track linking Kathmandu with Raxaul in India.
• India is looking to develop the inland waterways for the movement of cargo, within the framework of trade and transit arrangements, providing additional access to sea for Nepal calling it linking Sagarmath (Mt. Everest) with Sagar (Indian Ocean).

Development Assistance

• Government of India provides development assistance to Nepal, focusing on creation of infrastructure at the grass-root level.
• The areas assistance include infrastructure, health, water resources, and education and rural & community development.
• Defence Cooperation
• Bilateral defence cooperation includes assistance to Nepalese Army in its modernization through provision of equipment and training.
• The Gorkha Regiments of the Indian Army are raised partly by recruitment from hill districts of Nepal.
• India from 2011, every year undertakes joint military exercise with Nepal known as Surya Kiran.

Cultural

• There have been initiatives to promote people-to-people contacts in the area of art & culture, academics and media with different local bodies of Nepal.
• India has signed three sister-city agreements for twinning of Kathmandu-Varanasi, Lumbini-Bodhgaya and Janakpur-Ayodhya.
• Humanitarian Assistance
• Nepal lies in sensitive ecological fragile zone which is prone to earthquakes, floods causing massive damage to both life and money, whereby it remains the biggest recipient of India’s humanitarian assistance.

Indian Community

• Huge number of Indians lives in Nepal, these include businessmen, traders, doctors, engineers and labourers (including seasonal/migratory in the construction sector).

Multilateral Partnership

• India and Nepal shares multiple multilateral forums such as BBIN (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, and Nepal), BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) NAM, and SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) etc.

Challenges

• Internal Security is a major concern for India; Indo-Nepal border is virtually open and lightly policed which is exploited by terrorist outfits and insurgent groups from North Eastern part of India eg. supply of trained cadres, fake Indian currency.
• Overtime trust deficit has widened between India-Nepal because of the Indian reputation for delaying implementation of various projects.
• Nepal over the years has witnessed chronic political instability, including a 10-year violent insurgency, damaging Nepal’s development and economy.
• There is anti-India feeling among certain ethnic groups in Nepal which emanates from the perception that India indulges too much in Nepal and tinkers with their political sovereignty.
• The establishment of diplomatic relations between Nepal and China and its growing influence in Nepal has resulted in declining traditional leverage of India in Nepal.

Way Forward

• Both the countries are affected due to the misuse of open border by internal and external forces, the responsibility of border management and regulation depends on both.
• India should provide an alternative narrative for India-Nepal ties, one that takes into account longstanding people-to-people ties and cultural connect.
• India should focus on fructifying the potential of hydropower cooperation, which has remained untapped largely due to differing perceptions.
• India should maintain the policy of keeping away from internal affairs of Nepal, meanwhile in the spirit of friendship India should guide the nation towards more inclusive rhetoric.
• With its immense strategic relevance in the Indian context as Indian security concern, stable and secure Nepal is one requisite which India can’t afford to overlook.(DRISHTI IAS)

5.IAF resurrects 17 Squadron ‘Golden Arrows’ for Rafale(GS-3)

• CONTEXT:The Indian Air Force (IAF) on Tuesday resurrected the Air Force Station (AFS) Ambala-based 17 Squadron ‘Golden Arrows’, which will operate the first squadron of Rafale fighter jets in the near future.
• The first batch of Rafale jets are scheduled to be formally handed over to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on October 8 in France, officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The jets are set to arrive in India in May 2020.
• The resurrection ceremony was presided over by IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal (ACM) B.S. Dhanoa. Incidentally, he had commanded the 17 Squadron during the Kargil conflict in 1999. On December 31, 2011 the squadron was ‘number plated’ after the Russian Mig-21 jets that it flew were decommissioned as part of the IAF’s long-term plan to phase the decades-old aircraft out of service and was since awaiting newer inductions.
• Advanced training in France
• Between October 2019 and May 2020, three batches — each comprising eight IAF pilots along with engineers and technicians — would undergo advanced training on the Indian jets in France, a defence official said. So far, three IAF pilots and two technical officers have trained on the French Air Force’s Rafales as per the terms of the contract. The Indian standard Rafale incorporating all the India Specific Enhancements (ISEs) would be operationally ready, latest by September 2021.
• In September 2016, India and France signed a €7.87 billion Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) for 36 Rafale multi-role fighter jets in fly-away condition following the surprise announcement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in April 2015 citing “critical operational necessity” of the IAF.

A squadron in air force, army aviation, or naval aviation is a unit comprising a number of military aircraft and their aircrews, usually of the same type, typically with 12 to 24 aircraft, sometimes divided into three or four flights, depending on aircraft type and air force.

Rafale jets :

• Rafale is a French twin-engine, delta wing, multirole fighter aircraft designed and built by Dassault Aviation. It is an unique aircraft which is equipped with a wide range of weapons. It is intended to perform air supremacy, interdiction, aerial reconnaissance, ground support, in-depth strike, anti-ship strike and nuclear deterrence missions.

How Rafale aircraft was chosen by India ?

• In 2012, Rafale was choosen after the Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) competition, also known as the MRCA tender floated by Indian Defence Ministry. The Defence Ministry has allocated Rs 55,000 crore (USD 7.7 billion) for the purchase of these aircrafts, making it India's single largest defence deal. The MRCA tender was floated with the idea of filling the gap between its future Light Combat Aircraft and its in-service Sukhoi Su-30MKI air superiority fighter. Dassault Rafale won the competition due to its lower life-cycle cost, which is a combination of cost of acquisition, operating cost over a duration of 40 years and cost of transfer of technology.

Delays in the deals(CONTROVERSY)

• The negotiations began to shown signs of delay when Dassault began to hear about the warranty for aircraft produced by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. India wanted Dassault to ensure the quality of aircraft produced by HAL, which was not accepted by Dassault. Two years later, it was reported that the cost of the deal had escalated to USD 30 billion (Rs 1,86,000 crore), with each aircraft costing over USD 120 million (RS 746 crore). In February 2014, defence minister A. K. Antony said that the procedure of calculation of life-cycle cost was being re-examined and the contract could not be signed in fiscal year 2013-14 due to budgetary constraints. 
• In March 2014, HAL and Dassault signed a work share agreement to manage logistics of license manufacture. After the 2014 Indian general election in April-May, National Democratic Alliance led by Bharatiya Janata Party took control of the government from United Progressive Alliance, led by the Indian National Congress. As disagreements over cost and warranty for aircraft produced by HAL continued, the new defence minister Manohar Parrikar said that Sukhoi Su-30MKI could be acquired as an alternative to Rafale. 
• But Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha disagreed, saying that Su-30MKI and Rafale had different capabilities and one could not replace the other. In February 2015, it was widely reported that the Rafale deal would be cancelled. But the Indian government once again decided to buy Rafale due to the less number of fighers. Prime Minister Narendra Modi intervened and decided to buy 36 ready-to-fly fighters instead of trying to acquire technology from Dassault and make it in India. Consequently, in September 2016, after clearance from the Indian Cabinet Committee on Security, India and France signed an inter-governmental agreement (IGA) for the acquisition of 36 aircraft at a cost of euro 7.87 billion (Rs 58,891 crore) in what was the first fighter aircraft deal for India in 20 years.

Reliance Group and Dassault Aviation Deal

• Reliance Group and Dassault Aviation issued a joint statement announcing the creation of a 51:49 joint venture named Dassault Reliance Aerospace Limited (DRAL) in 3 October 2016. The opposition parties accused the government of causing huge loss to taxpayers's money after dealing with Rs 58,000 crores in November 2016. They claimed that the Anil Ambani-led Reliance Defence Limited had been unfairly picked to be the French firm's Indian partner. The Congress alleged that the cost of each aircraft is three times more than what the previous UPA had negotiated with France in 2012.

6.India firms up $130 billion plan to enhance military capability?(GS-2,3)

• CONTEXT:‘The government’s aim is to invest in capabilities so that the armed forces can effectively deal with any possible threat from either China or Pakistan.’
• India has finalised a road map to spend $130 billion in the next five to seven years to modernise the armed forces and bolster their combat capabilities over rivals in the region, according to an official document and military sources.
• The plan includes procurement of a range of weapons, missiles, air defence systems, fighter jets, submarines and warships, drones, surveillance equipment and developing infrastructure for extensive use of artificial intelligence, official sources said.
• While India’s spending has remained relatively constant in the last 10-15 years compared to its GDP, China’s has significantly ramped up defence budget during the period.
• Last month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced clearing a long-pending proposal to establish the post of Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) for boosting coordination among the Army, the Indian Air Force and the Navy.
• The government is also working on a mega defence project to make the airspace over almost all its major cities, including Delhi and Mumbai, virtually impregnable, the sources said.
• It is also inducting the first batch of its intercontinental ballistic missile system -- Agni V -- which is expected to significantly bolster the country’s air defence system.
• The missile, with a strike range of 5,000 km, is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead. Very few countries, including the US, China, Russia, France and North Korea, have intercontinental ballistic missiles.
• In its missile armoury, India currently has Agni-1 with a 700 km range, Agni-2 with a 2,000-km range, Agni-3 and Agni-4 with 2,500 km to more than 3,500-km range.

Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) :

• About the Chief of Defence Staff:
• The CDS is a high military office that oversees and coordinates the working of the three Services.

Roles and functions of CDS:

• CDS shall provide “effective leadership at the top level” to the three wings of the armed forces, and to help improve coordination among them.
• It offers seamless tri-service views and single-point advice to the Executive (in India’s case, to the Prime Minister) on long-term defence planning and management, including manpower, equipment and strategy, and above all, “jointsmanship” in operations.

Practice so far:

• India has had a feeble equivalent known as the Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee (CoSC); but this is a toothless office, given the manner in which it is structured.
• The senior-most among the three Service Chiefs is appointed to head the CoSC, an office that lapses with the incumbent’s retirement.

Why change it now?

• CoSC arrangement is seen as “unsatisfactory”, and its Chairman as a “figurehead”.
• The post did not further tri-service integration, resulting in inefficiency and an expensive duplication of assets.
• The CoSC system is a leftover from the colonial era, with only minor changes being carried out over the years.
• Apprehensions in the political class about a powerful military leader, along with inter-Services bickering, have long worked to disincentivise the upgrade of the post.

What is the case for having a CDS?

• The first proposal for a CDS came from the 2000 Kargil Review Committee (KRC).
• Although the KRC did not directly recommend a CDS — that came from the GoM — it underlined the need for more coordination among the three Services, which was poor in the initial weeks of the Kargil conflict.
• The KRC Report pointed out that India is the only major democracy where the Armed Forces Headquarters is outside the apex governmental structure.
• It observed that Service Chiefs devote most of their time to their operational roles, “often resulting in negative results”.
• Long-term defence planning suffers as day-to-day priorities dominate.
• Also, the Prime Minister and Defence Minister do not have the benefit of the views and expertise of military commanders, in order to ensure that higher level defence management decisions are more consensual and broadbased.
• The CDS is also seen as being vital to the creation of “theatre commands”, integrating tri-service assets and personnel like in the US military.

What are the arguments against?

• Theoretically, the appointment of a CDS is long overdue, but there appears to be no clear blueprint for the office to ensure its effectiveness.
• India’s political establishment is seen as being largely ignorant of, or at best indifferent towards, security matters, and hence incapable of ensuring that a CDS works.
• Militaries by nature tend to resist transformation.
• The absence of foresight and understanding might end up making the CDS just another case of “jobs for the boys”.(INDIAN EXPRESS)

7.Jaishankar meets Singapore Deputy Prime Minister, Defence Minister(GS-2)

• CONTEXT:The leaders discussed new avenues of relationship through the opportunities provided by ‘New India’
• External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on September met Singapore Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat and the two leaders discussed new avenues of relationship through the opportunities provided by “New India”.
• Mr. Jaishankar, who is on a visit to Singapore, was accompanied by Minister of State for Civil Aviation Hardeep S. Puri during his meeting with Mr. Keat, who is also Singapore’s Finance Minister.
• On September 9, Mr. Jaishankar called on Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and discussed with him bilateral ties and the issues concerning the world.
• He also co-chaired the 6th Joint Ministerial Commission with his Singaporean counterpart Vivian Balakrishnan and reviewed the whole range of bilateral issues.
• He also had a good interaction with Minister for Trade and Industry Chan Chun Sing on scaling up trade and investment.
• During his visit, Mr. Jaishankar also attended the India-Singapore Business & Innovation Summit and expressed India’s reservations on joining the proposed mega free trade agreement RCEP as it is concerned over the “protectionist policies” of China that have created a significant trade deficit between the two nations, as high as $57 billion in 2018.
• The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) is a proposed mega free trade agreement being negotiated among 16 countries including 10-nation ASEAN bloc (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam) and its six trading partners — India, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand
• 
  
• Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) 
• The 7th Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) ministerial meeting of 10 members of ASEAN countries and their six FTA (free trade agreement) partners is being held in Bangkok, Thailand.

What you need to know about RCEP?

• RCEP is proposed between the ten member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) (Brunei, Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam) and the six states with which ASEAN has existing FTAs (Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand).
• RCEP negotiations were formally launched in November 2012 at the ASEAN Summit in Cambodia.
• Aim: RCEP aims to boost goods trade by eliminating most tariff and non-tariff barriers — a move that is expected to provide the region’s consumers greater choice of quality products at affordable rates. It also seeks to liberalise investment norms and do away with services trade restrictions.

Why has it assumed so much significance in recent times?

• When inked, it would become the world’s biggest free trade pact. This is because the 16 nations account for a total GDP of about $50 trillion and house close to 3.5 billion people. India (GDP-PPP worth $9.5 trillion and population of 1.3 billion) and China (GDP-PPP of $23.2 trillion and population of 1.4 billion) together comprise the RCEP’s biggest component in terms of market size.

Why is India concerned?

• Greater access to Chinese goods may have impact on the Indian manufacturing sector. India has got massive trade deficit with China. Under these circumstances, India proposed differential market access strategy for China.
• There are demands by other RCEP countries for lowering customs duties on a number of products and greater access to the market than India has been willing to provide.

Why India should not miss RCEP?

• If India is out of the RCEP, it would make its exports price uncompetitive with other RCEP members’ exportsin each RCEP market, and the ensuing export-losses contributing to foreign exchange shortages and the subsequent extent of depreciation of the rupee can only be left to imagination. Some of the sectors that have been identified as potential sources of India’s export growth impulses under RCEP to the tune of approximately $200 billion.
• There are more compelling trade and economic reasons for RCEP to become India-led in future, than otherwise. India would get greater market access in other countries not only in terms of goods, but in services and investments also.

Way ahead:

• Bilateral talks between India and China are crucial for an early conclusion of RCEP negotiations as agreed by other members. Indian policymakers need to be mindful of domestic sectors’ concerns before agreeing on terms of deal. Simultaneously, there is a necessity to improve our competitiveness in the economy. India must play its due role to get its due place in the regional economic configurations.

What is ASEAN?

• The Association of Southeast Asian Nations is a regional organization which was established to promote political and social stability amid rising tensions among the Asia-Pacific’s post-colonial states.
• The motto of ASEAN is “One Vision, One Identity, One Community”.
• 8th August is observed as ASEAN Day.
• ASEAN Secretariat – Indonesia, Jakarta.

Member Nations

• Indonesia
• Malaysia
• Philippines
• Singapore
• Thailand
• Brunei
• Vietnam
• Laos
• Myanmar
• Cambodia
• Genesis of ASEAN

• 1967 – ASEAN was established with the signing of the ASEAN Declaration (Bangkok Declaration) by its founding fathers.
• Founding Fathers of ASEAN are: Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.
• 1990s – Membership doubled after the changing conditions in the region following the end of the Vietnam War in 1975 and the Cold War in 1991.
• Addition of Brunei (1984), Vietnam (1995), Laos and Myanmar (1997), and Cambodia (1999).
• 1995 – Members signed a deal to create a nuclear-free zone in Southeast Asia.
• 1997 – Adoption of ASEAN Vision 2020.
• 2003 – Bali Concord II for the establishment of an ASEAN Community.
• 2007 – Cebu Declaration, to accelerate the establishment of ASEAN Community by 2015.
• 2008 – ASEAN Charter comes into force and becomes a legally binding agreement.
• 2015 – Launch of ASEAN Community.
• ASEAN Community is comprised of three pillars:
• ASEAN Political-Security Community
• ASEAN Economic Community
• ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community

Objectives

• To accelerate economic growth, social progress and cultural development for a prosperous and peaceful community of Southeast Asian Nations.
• To promote regional peace and stability through abiding respect for justice and the rule of law and adherence to the principles of the United Nations Charter.
• To promote active collaboration and mutual assistance on matters of common interest in the economic, social, cultural, technical, scientific and administrative fields.
• To collaborate more effectively for the greater utilisation of agriculture and industries, the expansion of their trade, the improvement of transportation and communications facilities and the raising of the living standards of peoples.
• To promote Southeast Asian studies.
• To maintain close and beneficial cooperation with existing international and regional organisations.
• The ASEAN fundamental principles, as contained in the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC) of 1976

• Mutual respect for the independence, sovereignty, equality, territorial integrity, and national identity of all nations.
• The right of every State to lead its national existence free from external interference, subversion or coercion.
• Non-interference in the internal affairs of one another.
• Settlement of differences or disputes by peaceful manner.
• Renunciation of the threat or use of force.
• Effective cooperation among themselves.

Institution Mechanism

• Chairmanship of ASEAN rotates annually, based on the alphabetical order of the English names of Member States.
• ASEAN Summit: The supreme policy making body of ASEAN. As the highest level of authority in ASEAN, the Summit sets the direction for ASEAN policies and objectives. Under the Charter, the Summit meets twice a year.
• ASEAN Ministerial Councils: The Charter established four important new Ministerial bodies to support the Summit.
• ASEAN Coordinating Council (ACC)
• ASEAN Political-Security Community Council
• ASEAN Economic Community Council
• ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Council
• Decision Making: The primary mode of decision-making in ASEAN is consultation and consensus.
• However, the Charter enshrines the principle of ASEAN-X – This means that if all member states are in agreement, a formula for flexible participation may be used so that the members who are ready may go ahead while members who need more time for implementation may apply a flexible timeline.

ASEAN-led Forums

• ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF): Launched in 1993, the twenty-seven-member multilateral grouping was developed to facilitate cooperation on political and security issues to contribute to regional confidence-building and preventive diplomacy.
• ASEAN Plus Three: The consultative group initiated in 1997 brings together ASEAN’s ten members, China, Japan, and South Korea.
• East Asia Summit (EAS): First held in 2005, the summit seeks to promote security and prosperity in the region and is usually attended by the heads of state from ASEAN, Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, Russia, South Korea, and the United States. ASEAN plays a central role as the agenda-setter.

Strengths & Opportunities

• ASEAN commands far greater influence on Asia-Pacific trade, political, and security issues than its members could achieve individually.
• Demographic dividend – It constitutes 3rd largest population in the world, of which more than half is below thirty years of age.

Economic:

• 3rd largest market in the world - larger than EU and North American markets.
• 6th largest economy in the world, 3rd in Asia.
• Free-trade agreements (FTAs) with China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand.
• Fourth most popular investment destination globally.
• ASEAN’s share of global exports has also risen, from only 2 percent in 1967 to 7 percent by 2016, indicating the rising importance of trade to ASEAN’s economic prospects.
• The ASEAN Single Aviation Market and Open Skies policies have increased its transport and connectivity potential.
• ASEAN has contributed to regional stability by building much-needed norms and fostering a neutral environment to address shared challenges.

Challenges

• Regional imbalances in the economic and social status of its individual markets.
• Gap between rich and poor ASEAN member states remains very large and they have a mixed record on income inequality.
• While Singapore boasts the highest GDP per capita—nearly $53,000 (2016), Cambodia’s per capita GDP is the lowest at less than $1,300.
• Many regional initiatives were not able to be incorporated into national plans, as the less developed countries faced resource constraints to implement the regional commitments.
• The members’ political systems are equally mixed with democracies, communist, and authoritarian states.
• While the South China Sea is the main issue exposing the organization’s rifts.
• ASEAN has been divided over major issues of human rights. For example, crackdowns in Myanmar against the Rohingyas.
• Inability to negotiate a unified approach with regards to China, particularly in response to its widespread maritime claims in the South China Sea.
• The emphasis on consensus sometimes becomes the a chief drawback – difficult problems have been avoided rather than confronted.
• There is no central mechanism to enforce compliance.
• Inefficient dispute-settlement mechanism, whether it be in the economic or political spheres.

India and ASEAN

• India's relationship with ASEAN is a key pillar of her foreign policy and the foundation of Act East Policy.
• India has a separate Mission to ASEAN and the EAS in Jakarta.
• India and ASEAN already has 25 years of Dialogue Partnership, 15 years of Summit Level interaction and 5 years of Strategic Partnership with ASEAN.
• Economic Cooperation:
• ASEAN is India's fourth largest trading partner.
• India's trade with ASEAN stands at approx. 10.6% of India's overall trade.
• India's export to ASEAN stands at 11.28% of our total exports. The ASEAN-India Free Trade Area has been completed.
• ASEAN India-Business Council (AIBC) was set up in 2003 to bring key private sector players from India and the ASEAN countries on a single platform.

Socio-Cultural Cooperation: Programmes to boost People-to-People Interaction with ASEAN, such as inviting ASEAN students to India, Special Training Course for ASEAN diplomats, Exchange of Parliamentarians, etc.

Funds: Financial assistance has been provided to ASEAN countries from the following Funds:

ASEAN-India Cooperation Fund

ASEAN-India S&T Development Fund

ASEAN-India Green Fund

Delhi Declaration: To identify Cooperation in the Maritime Domain as the key area of cooperation under the ASEAN-India strategic partnership.

Delhi Dialogue: Annual Track 1.5 event for discussing politico-security and economic issues between ASEAN and India.

ASEAN-India Centre (AIC): To undertake policy research, advocacy and networking activities with organizations and think-tanks in India and ASEAN.

Political Security Cooperation: India places ASEAN at the centre of its Indo-Pacific vision of Security and Growth for All in the Region.

8.Schedule for J&K Block Development Councils polls to be announced in a day or two(GS-2)

CONTEXT:The government has been keen to get the panchayat polls “completed”, including taking the next step to BDCs and the zilla panchayat polls.

The schedule for elections to 316 Block Development Councils (BDCs) in Jammu and Kashmir will be announced in a day or two, with the polls to be completed before the State is formally declared a Union Territory on October 31.

 The polls will take forward the process towards full devolution of rural and urban local bodies. After the December 2018 panchayat polls in the State, both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah had announced their intention to hold these polls.

Panchayat samiti (block):

Panchayat samiti (also known as Mandal panchayat, taluka panchayat, block panchayat) are rural local governments (panchayats) at the intermediate level in panchayat raj institutions (PRI).

It has been said to be the "panchayat of panchayats".

The 73rd Amendment defines the levels of panchayati raj institution as

District (or apex) level

Intermediate level

Base level

They operate at the tehsil (taluka) level and govern the villages of the tehsil that together are called a development block. The panchayat samiti is the link between the gram panchayat (village council) and the zila parishad (district board).The name varies across states: mandal parishad in Andhra Pradesh, taluka panchayat in Gujarat, and mandal panchayat in Karnataka.

Composition

Typically, a taluka panchayat is composed of elected members of the area: the block development officer, members of the state's legislative assembly, members of parliament belonging to that area, otherwise unrepresented groups (Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and women), associate members (such as a farmer, a representative of the cooperative societies and one from the agricultural marketing services sector) and the elected members of that panchayat block (tehsil) on the zila parishad (district board).

The samiti is elected for five years and is headed by a chairman and deputy chairman elected by the members of the panchayat samiti.[4] One sarpanch samiti supervises the other grampanchayats. It acts as a co-ordinating body between district panchayat and grampanchayat.

Composition of mandal parishads

A coterminous mandal parishad is constituted for each revenue mandal. A mandal parishad is composed of:

Mandal parishad territorial constituency members.

Members of the state legislative assembly having jurisdiction over the mandal.

Members of the House of the People having jurisdiction over the mandal.

Members of the Council of States who are voters in the mandal.

One co-opted member, belonging to minorities.

Mandal parishad territorial constituency (MPTC) members are directly elected by the voters, whereas the mandal president is elected by the MPTC members. The members are elected for a term of five years. The election to MPTCs is done on a party basis. The elections are conducted by the state election commission.

The sarpanches are permanent invitees to the mandal parishad meetings.

9.India should not have joined U.S. ban, says Iran(GS-2)

CONTEXT:India’s decision to shut down oil imports from Iran due to sanctions imposed by the United States is also hurting India-Iran bilateral trade and India’s future in Chabahar port, said Iranian Ambassador to India Ali Chegeni.

In the first public comments about the government’s decision to fall in line with U.S. sanctions and “zero out” oil purchases after May 2 this year, the Ambassador said India had “fought hard for its independence” and should not have given in to “unilateral sanctions” from the U.S.

“It is now official that India has stopped importing oil from Iran because of what it says is its own national interest,” Mr. Chegeni told members of the Indian Association of Foreign Affairs Correspondents on Monday.

Chabahar port(SOURCE:RSTV)

Where is Chabahar port?

Iran’s Chabahar port is located on the Gulf of Oman and is the only oceanic port of the country. The port gives access to the energy-rich Persian Gulf nations’ southern coast.

Why Chabahar port is crucial for India?

The first and foremost significance of the Chabahar port is the fact that India can bypass Pakistan in transporting goods to Afghanistan. Chabahar port will boost India’s access to Iran, the key gateway to the International North-South Transport Corridor that has sea, rail and road routes between India, Russia, Iran, Europe and Central Asia.

Chabahar port will be beneficial to India in countering Chinese presence in the Arabian Sea which China is trying to ensure by helping Pakistan develop the Gwadar port. Gwadar port is less than 400 km from Chabahar by road and 100 km by sea.

With Chabahar port being developed and operated by India, Iran also becomes a military ally to India. Chabahar could be used in case China decides to flex its navy muscles by stationing ships in Gwadar port to reckon its upper hand in the Indian Ocean, Persian Gulf and Middle East.

With Chabahar port becoming functional, there will be a significant boost in the import of iron ore, sugar and rice to India. The import cost of oil to India will also see a considerable decline. India has already increased its crude purchase from Iran since the West imposed ban on Iran was lifted.

Chabahar port will ensure in the establishment of a politically sustainable connectivity between India and Afghanistan. This will in turn, lead to better economic ties between the two countries.

From a diplomatic perspective, Chabahar port could be used as a point from where humanitarian operations could be coordinated.

Possible reasons behind exempting the Chabahar Port:

U.S.A’s acceptance that Chabahar port project is not just only in India’s or Iran’s strategic interest but also in Afghanistan’s strategic interest.

Afghanistan is a landlocked country which depends on Pakistan for trade. All its trade goes largely through the Pakistani ports.

Pakistan denies transit to India for trade with Afghanistan and Central Asia.

This project provides Afghanistan a strategic alternative and helps it to escape being landlocked in a sense.

The project meshes with U.S.A’s overall policy to give India an important role in Afghanistan.

Around 70,000 American NATO contractors in Afghanistan face problem in sending supplies through Pakistan because of not only their bilateral problems with Islamabad regime but also due to payment issues. 

American law doesn’t allow payment for transit facilities, so the Americans try to compensate through other aspects of military aid but the maximum they have been giving is only 150 million dollar whereas Pakistan has been asking for almost 800 million dollars.

Like North Korea, America does not want to close all options with Iran. In fact, America is looking forward to negotiating new terms and conditions with Iran.

However, there is a concern that commercial viability of the project can get impacted if there will be no movement of energy supplies through it.

It, still, will be available for use for non-oil products.

Chabahar Port vis-a-vis Gwadar Port

The volume of trade which is going through gwadar port is minimal.

Karachi (Pakistan) still holds upto 90-95% of trade.

Connectivity via Gwadar to the inland region is still not there.

China sees the Gwadar port as a base from where it can have naval facilities.

Control over Gwadar secures China’s energy resources that come from the gulf regions.

Iran has a long term plan for Chabahar; it is planning to develop a free trade zone like the Jebel Ali free zone in UAE. Many Indian and Chinese companies have already started showing interest in the Iran’s free trade zone.

Chabahar Port provides an option of alternate supply route to everyone, thus reducing the importance of Pakistan with respect to trade.

For India, Chabahar port is an economic facility by which it can keep an eye on the happenings in Gwadar. Also, it gives India, direct access to Afghanistan and other Central Asian Republics. 

UAE is not happy about India’s links with Chabahar. It has a concern that trade through Chabahar might impact the volume of trade that passes through its Dubai port.

If in future, issues between America and Iran get resolved, then Chabahar Port will enable America to bypass Pakistan.

Pakistan still controls all the administrative routes by which Afghanistan can be supplied. America has always remained hesitant to act on terrorists, specifically Afghan Talibans, due to that. Chabahar Port gives an option to America to take action against such terrorists.

Impact of non-renewal of exemptions on India:

Economic Aspect:

Iranian oil is comparatively cheaper as India gets discounts and also, a longer credit period.

Refineries in India are geared to handling the Iranian oil, so, switch to any other oil, will impose costs on India.

Geopolitical Aspect:

India will need to balance its strategic relationship with U.S.

U.S. is now putting more pressure on Pakistan with regard to terrorism, this will help India in securing its citizens.

India’s own economic interests with respect to the Iranian oil.

India is a growing economy; U.S. would hardly like to risk its relations with India.

Rise in prices of oil that will affect India as well as other countries:

It iS possible that Saudi Arabia along with Russia may not be able to increase the oil production upto the level of demand.

Also, there is a limit on the extent to which America can supply its shale gas to the world.

Impact on India-Iran relationship:

India and Iran have a stable relationship.

Iranians are quite aware of India’s concerns.

India has a strong technological, military and nuclear cooperation with U.S. Jeopardising all these things for friendship with Iran is difficult for India.

10.Two new species of ginger discovered from Nagaland(GS-3)

CONTEXT:Southeast Asia is a centre of diversity for the genus; several species have been found in northeast India

Scientists from the Botanical Survey of India (BSI) have discovered two new species of Zingiber, commonly referred to as ginger, from Nagaland. While Zingiber perenense has been discovered from the Peren district of Nagaland, Zingiber dimapurense was found in the Dimapur district of the State.

Details of both discoveries were published in two peer-reviewed journals earlier this year. Of the two species, Zingiber dimapurense is taller in size, with leafy shoots measuring 90-120 cm high, whereas the leafy shoots of Zingiber perenense reach up to 70 cm in height.

The type specimens of Zingiber perenense were collected in September 2017, when botanists were working on the ‘State flora of Nagaland’ in the Peren district. “The plant was found growing in moist shady places on the bank of a small steam in the hilly terrain forest of the Tesen village under the Peren subdivision,” the publication authored by four botanists said.

The specimen of Zingiber dimapurense was collected in October 2016 from the Hekese village forest under the Medziphema subdivision. Some rhizomes of this plant collected along with field data were planted in the Botanical Survey of India’s Eastern Regional Centre garden in Shillong, where itself they began flowering in June 2018.

The rhizome of Zingiber officinale (common ginger) is used as a spice in kitchens across Asia, and also for its medicinal value. Botanists said that other wild species of Zingiber may have immense horticultural importance.

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