1. Let us welcome the light and awareness in life READ MORE
2. Values Vaccine READ MORE
3. Police should live up to professional ethics, ideals READ MORE

1. Net-zero presents many opportunities for India — and challenges READ MORE
2. World Heading for 2.4º C of Warming After Latest Climate Pledges, Analysts Say READ MORE

1. Education for an empowered India READ MORE
2. How true is India’s hunger ranking? READ MORE

1. The saviour complex of Facebook’s critics READ MORE
2. “Democracy Means Dialogue, Debate, Discussion…”: People have been brainwashed into accepting a divisive ideology. READ MORE

(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main

1. President of India Presents Padma Awards READ MORE
2. UNESCO picks Srinagar as ‘creative city’ READ MORE
3. Telling numbers: A ranking of countries on drug policies and implementation READ MORE
4. In just 30 years, marine heatwaves have turned the Great Barrier Reef into a bleached checkerboard READ MORE
5. Abu Dhabi issues law on divorce, inheritance for non-Muslims READ MORE
6. Demonetisation, 5 years on: Key economic indicators paint a mixed picture READ MORE

Main Exam   

GS Paper- 1

1. India must remain safe for diversity READ MORE

GS Paper- 2

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. The saviour complex of Facebook’s critics READ MORE
2. “Democracy Means Dialogue, Debate, Discussion…”: People have been brainwashed into accepting a divisive ideology. READ MORE

SOCIAL ISSUES AND SOCIAL JUSTICE

1. Education for an empowered India READ MORE
2. How true is India’s hunger ranking? READ MORE

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1. Caught in the crossfire: On Indian fisherman death in Pakistan firing READ MORE
2. Not on the same page: ‘New Quad’ members Israel and UAE have good ties with China READ MORE

GS Paper- 3

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. Global inflation conundrum: RBI should continue the unwinding process READ MORE
2. Why Demonetisation Is One of the Biggest Economic Disasters Post Independence READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY  

1. Net-zero presents many opportunities for India — and challenges READ MORE
2. World Heading for 2.4º C of Warming After Latest Climate Pledges, Analysts Say READ MORE

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

1. Breaking down the hype around Metaverse: Its commodification in the hands of one corporation could be detrimental to the Web 3.0 decentralisation movement READ MORE

GS Paper- 4

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

1. Let us welcome the light and awareness in life READ MORE
2. Values Vaccine READ MORE
3. Police should live up to professional ethics, ideals READ MORE

Questions for the MAIN exam

1. Civilians along international borders often get caught in disputes between countries, and India has several such hotspots, on land and in sea. Elucidate.
2. Discuss, how the considering dissent as unpatriotic and anti-national impact the functioning of democracy?

QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

• Extremes are easy. Strive for balance.
• The truth is that we have moved so far in our intolerance that we cannot bring back the idea of the underlying unity of this country.
• One of the most alarming things in our times is the punishment given to dissenters. It not only punishes the dissenter; it instils fear into those who might have dissented otherwise.
• To consider dissent as unpatriotic and anti-national is the beginning of the end of democracy.
• India and Pakistan must ensure that fishermen are not victims of a deterioration in ties.
• Nehru’s vision is vindicated when we safeguard the common space available to each identity.
• Switch to renewables will impact several economic agents, require institutional coordination to address multiple complexities.
• The National Education Policy 2020 is being implemented at a stage when India is fully ready to take a comprehensive view of its future manpower needs.

50- WORD TALK

• Modi government’s decision to get rid of lowest cost being the only criteria for public procurement is major governance reform. L1 has been a curse for government projects and the change should boost the big infrastructure push. It’ll be successful only if there are clear norms to remove the roadblocks.
• It is astounding that India has 15.6 crore unutilised Covid vaccines when almost 60 crore people haven’t got either their first or second shot. These vaccines cannot be allowed to expire. The gap between the two doses of Covishield should be reduced and boosters should be considered for vulnerable populations.

Things to Remember:

• For prelims-related news try to understand the context of the news and relate with its concepts so that it will be easier for you to answer (or eliminate) from given options.
• Whenever any international place will be in news, you should do map work (marking those areas in maps and also exploring other geographical locations nearby including mountains, rivers, etc. same applies to the national places.)
• For economy-related news (banking, agriculture, etc.) you should focus on terms and how these are related to various economic aspects, for example, if inflation has been mentioned, try to relate with prevailing price rises, shortage of essential supplies, banking rates, etc.
• For main exam-related topics, you should focus on the various dimensions of the given topic, the most important topics which occur frequently and are important from the mains point of view will be covered in ED.
• Try to use the given content in your answer. Regular use of this content will bring more enrichment to your writing.

ART AND CULTURE

1. THE ART AND CRAFT OF SRINAGAR

THE CONTEXT: Srinagar became one of 49 cities worldwide to join the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN).

THE EXPLANATION:

• The Indian National Commission for Cooperation with UNESCO had recommended Srinagarand Gwalior for inclusion in the list; only Srinagar made it this time. Five Indian cities are already in the list — Mumbai (film), Hyderabad (gastronomy), Chennai (music), Varanasi (music) and Jaipur (crafts and folk art).
• While the entire central Kashmir is known for its varied craft traditions, the UCCN allows only individual cities to file nominations.
• Srinagar, Ganderbal and Budgam are the main districts of Kashmir that have for ages been involved in making handicrafts products — such as textiles, carpets and rugs, crewel embroidery, silverware, woodwork and papier-mâché.
• Papier-mâché is said to have been brought to Kashmir by saint Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani from Persia in the 14th century. It is based primarily on creating colourful utility and decorative objects using paper pulp — vases, bowls, cups, boxes, trays and lamp bases. The art is concentrated mainly around downtown Srinagar and employs around 35,000 artisans — big and small, traders and kaarigars.
• The wood comes from walnut trees, which grow at 7,000 feet above sea level here, and is used to make tables, jewellery boxes and trays. Downtown Srinagar is dotted with shops where one finds craftsmen chiselling and polishing wood. These items are an essential attraction for tourists visiting Kashmir, besides being in great demand locally.
• The best-quality shawls in the world are still made of pashmina, the wool of the wild Asian mountain goat.
• The region is also the epicentre of high-quality, intricately woven woollen material like shawls, carpets and rugs. This is the only craft — unlike walnut carving and papier-mâché — that sees extensive participation by women artisans as well.
• It is expected that the UCCN tag would not only give global recognition to Srinagar but also help it in getting international funding, making tie-ups with craft universities, and pitching crafts as products.

ABOUT UCCN

• It was created in 2004 to promote cooperation with and among cities that have identified creativity as a strategic factor for sustainable urban development.
• The UCCN is now an exclusive club of 295 cities from across 90 countries that invest in culture and creativity — crafts and folk art, design, film, gastronomy, literature, media arts, and music — to advance sustainable urban development.

SOURCE: TH

ENVIRONMENT, GEOGRAPHY AND AGRICULTURE

2. FROTHING IN DELHI’S YAMUNA

THE CONTEXT: A layer of froth was seen floating over parts of the Yamuna River near Kalindi Kunj, with Chhath devotees standing in toxic foam-laden water to offer prayers.

THE EXPLANATION:

• Experts say the release of untreated or poorly treated effluents, including sewage from those parts of the city that are not connected to the sewerage network and industrial waste, could lead to frothing.
• Surfactants and phosphates from detergents in households and industrial laundry find their way into the river, as all the sewage is not treated.
• The river is in a lean phase and the water flow is less. Pollutants, therefore, are not diluted. The turbulence at the barrage near Okhla generates foam from the phosphates.
• In June this year, the DPCC banned the sale, storage and transportation of soaps and detergents not conforming to the quality standards set by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). The now-disbanded Yamuna Monitoring Committee had recommended that such a ban be imposed.

SOURCE:  IE

INTERNAL SECURITY

3. FOURTH SCORPENE SUBMARINE VELA

THE CONTEXT: The fourth submarine of the Project – 75, VELA was delivered to the Indian Navy.

THE EXPLANATION:

• Project – 75 includes the construction of six submarines of Scorpene design. These submarines are being constructed at Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) Mumbai, under collaboration with M/s Naval Group, France.
• Christened ‘Vela’, has completed all major harbour and sea trials including weapon and sensor trials despite COVID restrictions. Three of these submarines are already in commission with the Indian Navy.
• Submarine construction is an intricate activity as the difficulty is compounded when all equipment are required to be miniaturised and are subject to stringent quality requirements.
• The submarine would soon be commissioned into the Indian Navy and enhance the Indian Navies capability.

Source: PIB

INDIAN ECONOMY

4. THE MINERALS CONCESSION RULES 2021 NOTIFIED

THE CONTEXT: Ministry of Mines has notified the Minerals (Other than Atomic and Hydro Carbons Energy Mineral) Concession (Fourth Amendment) Rules, 2021 to amend The Minerals (Other than Atomic and Hydro Carbons Energy Mineral) Concession Rules, 2016 [MCR, 2016].

THE EXPLANATION:

• The highlights of amendments in the Rules are as follows:
• New rules were inserted to provide a manner of sale of 50% of mineral produced from the captive leases. With this amendment, the Government has paved the way for releasing additional minerals in the market by greater utilization of mining capacities of captive mines. The allowance for the sale of a prescribed quantity of mineral shall also motivate the lessees to enhance the production from the captive mines. Further, payment of the additional premium amount, royalty and other statutory payments in respect of the quantity sold shall boost the revenue of the State Governments.
• A provision was added to allow the disposal of overburden/ waste rock/ mineral below the threshold value, which is generated during the course of mining or beneficiation of the mineral. This will enable ease of doing business for the miners.
• The minimum area for the grant of mining lease has been revised from 5 ha. to 4 ha. For certain specific deposits, minimum 2 ha. is provided.
• Part surrender of mining lease area allowed in all cases. Presently, part surrender was allowed only in case of non-grant of forest clearance.
• Rules amended to allow transfer of composite licence or mining lease of all types of mine.
• New rules were inserted to provide for mutation of ML/ CL in favour of legal heirs on the death of the lessee or licenced.
• Interest on delayed payments revised from existing 24% to 12%.
• Rules regarding the period of mining lease granted to Government companies and their payments incorporated in the MCR, 2016.
• Penalty provisions in the rules have been rationalized. Previously, the rules provided for a penalty of imprisonment up to 2 years or fine up to 5 lakh rupees or both for violation of each rule irrespective of the severity of the violation. Amendment in the rules categorized the violations of the rules under the following major heads:

1. Major Violations: Penalty of imprisonment, fine or both.
2. Minor Violations: Penalty reduced. The penalty of only fine for such violations prescribed.
3. Violation of other rules has been decriminalized. These rules did not cast any significant obligation on the concession holder or any other person. Thus, violation of 49 rules has been decriminalized.

SOURCE: PIB

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

5. LEONIDS METEOR SHOWER

THE CONTEXT: The annual Leonids Meteor Shower has begun. This year’s shower is active between November 6 and 30, with peak activity expected on November 17.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The peak time of a meteor shower comes when the Earth passes through the densest part of the debris. On November 17, bits of the cosmic debris will appear to viewers from Earth like a display of fireworks in the sky.
• The debris that forms this meteor shower originates from a small comet called 55P/Tempel-Tuttle in the constellation Leo, which takes 33 years to orbit the sun.
• The Leonids are considered to be a major shower that features the fastest meteors, which typically travel at speeds of 71 km per second, although the rates are often as low as 15 meteors per hour.
• The Leonids are also called fireballs and earthgazer meteors. Fireballs, because of their bright colours, and earthgazer, because they streak close to the horizon.
• The light—which is why a meteor is called a shooting star — is a result of the friction between the meteorite and the molecules present in the Earth’s atmosphere because of which it burns.
• Every 33 years, a Leonid shower turns into a meteor storm, which is when hundreds to thousands of meteors can be seen every hour. A meteor storm should have at least 1,000 meteors per hour. I
• In 1966, a Leonid storm offered views of thousands of meteors that fell through the Earth’s atmosphere per minute during a period of 15 minutes. The last such storm took place in2002.

SOURCE: IE

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

6. NSA MEETS TAJIK AND UZBEK COUNTERPARTS

THE CONTEXT: Ahead of the Delhi Regional Security Dialogue, National Security Adviser met his counterparts from Tajikistan and Uzbekistan for separate bilateral meetings.

THE EXPLANATION:

• At present, no country has recognised the Taliban Interim Government and the Taliban has rejected calls for an electoral process to decide who will succeed the previous Ghani Government.
• They discussed the terror threats from Afghanistan, the humanitarian crisis unfolding there and the need for an inclusive and “legitimate” government in Kabul.
• National Security Adviser of India and Tajikistan also spoke about deepening cooperation in areas like defence, border management and border infrastructure development.

SOURCE:  TH

 7. ISSI SAANEQ

THE CONTEXT: Issi saaneq is New dinosaur species, which roamed Greenland 214 mn years ago.

THE EXPLANATION:

• In 1994, palaeontologists from Harvard University unearthed two well-preserved dinosaur skulls during an excavation in East Greenland.
• One of the specimens was originally thought to be from a Plateosaurus, a well-known long-necked dinosaur that lived in Germany, France and Switzerland.
• Now, an international team of researchers from Portugal, Denmark and Germany has performed a micro-CT scan of the bones, which enabled them to create digital 3D models.
• They have determined that the finds belong to a new species, which they have named Issi saaneq. They have reported their findings in the journal Diversity.
• The name of the new dinosaur pays tribute to Greenland’s Inuit language and means “coldbone”.

SOURCE:  IE

MISCELLANEOUS

8. THE NEXT CHIEF OF THE NAVAL STAFF

THE CONTEXT: Vice Admiral R. Hari Kumar, presently Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief (FOC-in-C) Western Naval Command, has been appointed as the next Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS).

THE EXPLANATION:

• He will take over on November 30 when incumbent Admiral Karambir Singh retires from service.
• Vice Admiral Kumar graduated from J-squadron, 61 Course National Defence Academy in December 1981 and was commissioned into the Executive Branch of the Navy on January 1, 1983.
• During a career spanning nearly 39 years, he has served in a variety of Command, Staff and Instructional appointments.
• Vice Admiral Kumar’s Sea Command includes Coast Guard Ship C-01, INS Nishank, Missile Corvette,INS Kora and Guided Missile Destroyer INS Ranvir.
• He also commanded the aircraft carrier INS Viraat. He also served as Fleet Operations Officer of the Western Fleet

SOURCE:  TH

PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

Q1. Papier Mache  is popular art in:

a) Hyderabad

b) Jaipur

c) Kashmir

c) Mysore

ANSWER FOR NOVEMBER 9^th, 2021 PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

Q1. Answer: B

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is correct: It was created in 2004 to promote cooperation among the cities for sustainable urban development.
• Statement 2 is correct: Varanasi and Chennai cities have been added to the network under the category of music.
• Statement 3 is incorrect: Srinagar and Jaipur have been added to the network under the category of craft and folk art.

THE CONTEXT: As the rise of China upends the existing order, the question of the impact of ongoing developments on the Indo-Russia relationship has gained increasing salience, especially as the US-China rivalry intensifies. These developments going to impact the future of India-Russia relations. In the present article, we will analyze the political, security, economic and strategic aspects of this phenomenon and opportunities and challenges for New Delhi and Moscow in evolving world order.

CHANGING INDIA- RUSSIA RELATIONS

• The special and privileged strategic partnership between India and Russia, has, over the decades, stood out as a long-standing, time-tested relationship.
• The two sides have built close political, strategic, defence, energy and investment ties which they continue to promote and nurture through bilateral and multilateral engagements.
• But in the recent past, sustained rapprochement between Russia and China, even as India becomes increasingly wary of a more assertive China the dynamics have only become more complicated.
• The state of their respective relations with the US introduces another level of complexity in this situation.
• These external factors continue to exert pressure on both countries’ policy-making, including the ongoing debate over the Indo-Pacific and the nature of China’s rise.

THE COMPLEXITY IN INDIA- CHINA RELATIONS

• Like two other important ambitious countries, the relations between India and China are in rivalry nature.
• Both countries are focusing to save their interests in a globalized era and this creates complexity in relations.
• As both are neighbored and have boundary disputes, so there is competition in international relations also.
• Even in South Asia and the Indian Ocean region, both have rivalry to expand their influences.
• According to many, the complexity in India-Chain relations will continue in future.
• A highly ambitious powerful China is not good news for India, that’s why India trying to develop good relations with like-minded countries for example the USA and Japan. The emergence of Quad is an example of this approach.

BUT CHINA FACTOR IS INFLUENCING INDIA-RUSSIA RELATIONS

• The beginning of the 21st century brought new opportunities for the partnership, with India’s rising economic growth and Russia’s resurgence on the global stage.
• Over the last two decades, the India-Russia strategic partnership has undergone a major transition given India’s and Russia’s simultaneous interactions with China and the United States.
• The “common threat” factor revolving around the United States and China during the Cold War no longer exists for India and Russia today.
• Modern-day India-U.S. relations and the Russia-China strategic partnership form a stumbling block for India-Russia relations given the emergence of great power rivalry between the United States and China.

WHY CHINA IS PLAYING A MAJOR ROLE IN INDIA-RUSSIA RELATIONS

Divergent Foreign Policies on China

• India and Russia exhibit divergent foreign policy strategies regarding China, with India focusing on multi-alignment and Russia on developing ties within Asia.
• Keeping pace with the changing trends in international relations, India has consciously adopted a policy of multi-alignment with the objective of improving its regional and global profile.
• For example, India’s active participation alongside Russia in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS), and the Quad is an outcome of its national interests.
• Meanwhile, Russia’s foreign policy since the announcement of the “pivot to Asia” strategy in 2014 has reinforced its focus on the geopolitics and geo-economics of Asia.

Changing geopolitics in recent time

• Expanding Russia-China strategic relations enable Russia to challenge the pre-eminence of the United States but have come at a cost for India.
• The current defence cooperation between Russia and China is set to include cooperation in sensitive fields, such as strategic missile defence, hypersonic technology, and the construction of nuclear submarines.
• India’s security dilemma is further captured in China’s burgeoning defence engagement with Russia, which has amplified the combat capability of the People’s Liberation Army; Russia has sold S-400 missile systems to both India and China.
• India is aware that Russia will not renew its 1971 military assistance to India to counter China’s growth, as China is no longer the “common threat” it was during the Cold War.

Russia dependency on China

• In addition to the defence sphere, Russia is dependent on China for power projection and financial investment to sustain its economic growth momentum.
• Currently, Chinese-Russian trade is nearly $110 billion and China is a big shareholder in a number of large Russian energy and infrastructural projects.
• Meanwhile, India-Russia trade is comparatively meagre, amounting to a mere $7.5 billion in 2019.
• As China-Russia trade relations continue to dwarf those of India-Russia, likely into the near future, China seems to have more clout than India in manoeuvring its foreign policy interests with Russia.

U.S. Ties as a Counterbalance

Given Russia’s current ties with China, its regulated presence in Asian geopolitics and its limited role in the Indian Ocean region, India sees its current engagement with the United States as having more leverage in countering China’s assertive policies.

• India has recently advanced its defence trade relationship and broader security partnership with the United States.
• ·Currently, India’s defence deals with the United States stands at $20 billion alongside crucial defence and strategic agreements that include the troika of “foundational pacts” Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA), Communications, Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA), and Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA), alongside the Industrial Security Agreement (ISA).
• Given growing defence engagement between the two countries, the United States designated India a Major Defense Partner in 2016 and elevated India to Strategic Trade Authorization Tier 1 status in 2018, which provides India ease of access to military technologies Divergent Foreign Policies on China
• India and Russia exhibit divergent foreign policy strategies regarding China, with India focusing on multi-alignment and Russia on developing ties within Asia.
• Keeping pace with the changing trends in international relations, India has consciously adopted a policy of multi-alignment with the objective of improving its regional and global profile.
• For example, India’s active participation alongside Russia in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS), and the Quad is an outcome of its national interests.
• Meanwhile, Russia’s foreign policy since the announcement of the “pivot to Asia” strategy in 2014 has reinforced its focus on the geopolitics and geo-economics of Asia.
• Changing geopolitics in recent times
• Expanding Russia-China strategic relations enable Russia to challenge the pre-eminence of the United States but have come at a cost for India.
• The current defence cooperation between Russia and China is set to include cooperation in sensitive fields, such as strategic missile defence, hypersonic technology, and the construction of nuclear submarines.
• India’s security dilemma is further captured in China’s burgeoning defence engagement with Russia, which has amplified the combat capability of the People’s Liberation Army; Russia has sold S-400 missile systems to both India and China.
• India is aware that Russia will not renew its 1971 military assistance to India to counter China’s growth, as China is no longer the “common threat” it was during the Cold War.
• Russia dependency on China       In addition to the defence sphere, Russia is dependent on China for power projection and financial investment to sustain its economic growth momentum.
• Currently, Chinese-Russian trade is nearly $110 billion and China is a big shareholder in a number of large Russian energy and infrastructural projects.
• Meanwhile, India-Russia trade is comparatively meagre, amounting to a mere $7.5 billion in 2019.
• As China-Russia trade relations continue to dwarf those of India-Russia, likely into the near future, China seems to have more clout than India in manoeuvring its foreign policy interests with Russia.
• U.S. Ties as a Counterbalance     Given Russia’s current ties with China, its regulated presence in Asian geopolitics and its limited role in the Indian Ocean region, India sees its current engagement with the United States as having more leverage in countering China’s assertive policies.
• India has recently advanced its defence trade relationship and broader security partnership with the United States.
• Currently, India’s defence deals with the United States stands at $20 billion alongside crucial defence and strategic agreements that include the troika of “foundational pacts” Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA), Communications, Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA), and Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA), alongside the Industrial Security Agreement (ISA).
• Given growing defence engagement between the two countries, the United States designated India a Major Defense Partner in 2016 and elevated India to Strategic Trade Authorization Tier 1 status in 2018, which provides India ease of access to military technologies.
• These close ties are perhaps a result of the United States sharing India’s concerns about China’s growing footprint in the Indian Ocean region.
• China’s robust expansive economic initiatives—including through its Belt and Road Initiative and gaining access to military bases and strategic ports—have added to these concerns.
• India’s strategy has expectedly involved strengthening U.S. ties to counterbalance Chinese influence.
• These close ties are perhaps a result of the United States sharing India’s concerns about China’s growing footprint in the Indian Ocean region.
• China’s robust expansive economic initiatives—including through its Belt and Road Initiative and gaining access to military bases and strategic ports—have added to these concerns.
• India’s strategy has expectedly involved strengthening U.S. ties to counterbalance Chinese influence.

SHOULD INDIA FORGET RUSSIA IN CONTEMPORARY TIMES? AN ANALYSIS 

A US-China Cold War could help deepen the US-India strategic partnership as both wish to counter China’s imperialism in Asia and there is an argument that in contemporary times India-Russia relations are not important like India-USA rations because India dependency on Russian weapons has been replaced with other options. In the waning days of the Obama administration, the United States designated India as a “major defence partner,” making it eligible to acquire a range of advanced and sensitive U.S. weapons technologies. The Trump administration has not made any moves to alter this status.  Apart from it, there are two most important development that happened in recent times when

1. In December 2020 Russia criticized QUAD group as a “divisive” and “exclusivist” concept and suggested that India-Russia ties could be affected by it.
2. China was not happy with the Russian arms supply to India.

This shows that the major factor of Indo-Russia Relations, which is armoury supply, is not an attractive package for both countries relations. So at this time, should India forget its relationship with Russia and focus to develop ties with the USA and other like-minded countries?

The answer is no, there are many reasons for saying No

1. Significant player: Russia still is a significant player on the world scene and has been striving to reclaim its erstwhile position primarily through military power and technological advancement. China, India and other major powers are also determined to claim their positions.
2. Neutral position: Instead, the US approach and attitude have contributed to bringing China and Russia closer. But, in the case of the India-China issue, Russia always seems in a neutral position. For example, Last year, acting as a pragmatic interlocutor, Russia had quietly played a constructive role in diffusing the Line of Actual Control standoff between India and China.
3. Strategic autonomy of India: ‘In international relations, there are no permanent friends or permanent enemies, only permanent interests. India has a longstanding relationship with Russia. Nevertheless, through a growing strategic partnership with Europe and the US, India is trying to rebalance its relationship with the great powers, maintaining overall equilibrium and its own strategic autonomy.
4. An important player in indo-pacific: Russia is an important player in the Indo-Pacific region. Both India and Russia countries have initiated cooperation in some geographical locations in this area. Not just the Eastern Maritime Corridor (Chennai-Vladivostok), India and Russia are also exploring the possibilities of Japan-India-Russia trilateral economic cooperation in Russia’s Far East region.
5. USA withdrawal from Afghanistan: The Biden announcement of a complete American troop withdrawal from Afghanistan by September might have created some worry among Indian policymakers about India’s stake in Kabul. Regardless of the existing Russia-China-Pakistan troika, Russia considers India a major stakeholder on the issue of Afghanistan. The Russian side also reiterated its support for India’s position on Kashmir and Pakistan besides making it clear that will neither join CPEC nor supply defence equipment to Islamabad.
6. India and China interest in Iran: China’s 25-year deal with Iran, India’s investment in Iran’s Chabahar port, and International North-South Transport Corridor connecting Russia and Central Asia make the Russian role even more meaningful in striking a balance between Indian and Chinese interests in Iran and the strategically important region.

So far, Russia has been a significant variable in the India-China equation on multiple fronts, creating an equilibrium rather than an imbalance. Indeed, balance and stability between India and China appear to be in Russia’s best interest for now.

FUTURE OF INDIA-RUSSIA COOPERATION

Russia’s strategic ties with China inform its criticism of the Indo-Pacific concept, together with its belief that it is a U.S.-led concept largely aimed to contain China. India’s acceptance of the “Indo-Pacific” concept can mainly be attributed to its growing concerns about Chinese expansionism in the region, affecting its national and maritime interests. With such contrasting views, it would be difficult for both India and Russia to come to a consensus on the idea of the Indo-Pacific. This is especially the case given their burgeoning relations with the United States and China respectively and the growing tensions between the latter two.  

However, there remain several new channels for closer engagement between India and Russia in the region the two may capitalize on. For instance,

• Russian domestic politics, and especially a renewed focus on the Far East and East Siberia, are set to orient foreign policy even more towards engagement with Asia.
• Engagement specifically with India in the Indo-Pacific region could be economically viable. India-Russia engagement in the Russian Far East by means of a trade route between Chennai and Vladivostok—could enhance geo-economic relations and regional connectivity.
• Both countries should address defence misalignment and minimize the divergence of interests to avoid creating too large a wedge in the long run.
• Multi-alignment has enabled India to forge deeper ties with Russia and the United States.

CONCLUSION: Although India sees its engagement with the United States having more weightage in countering China’s aggressive posturing, it must also try to strengthen and sustain its relations with Russia so that it has multiple strong alliances to counterbalance China.

Irrespective of India’s geopolitical equations with Russia and the United States, India’s choice to pursue multi-alignment redefines its strategic autonomy and pragmatism. Given the rising military and strategic competition, how India manages its engagement with extra-regional players will be key alongside enhancing its own capabilities and preparedness.

QUESTIONS:

1. ‘As India is directly involved in the new cold war, so it doesn’t have any strategic choice like past’. Examine the statement.
2. Although India has healthy relations with the USA it shouldn’t leave India-Russia relations back. Discuss the statement.
3. How China factor is affecting India-Russia relations? How India can balance its relations with USA and Russia?
4. As India needs Both USA and Russia to save its interests, it should focus on balance rather than leaning to one side. Comment and suggest the way forward for India’s foreign policy.