THE INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
1. INDIA-BANGLA TRADE, NOW SET FOR CEPA BOOST
THE CONTEXT: During the recent visit of Bangladesh Prime Minister, and the Indian Prime Minister said India and Bangladesh will soon commence negotiations on a Bilateral Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA).
THE EXPLANATION:
Galloping trade
• In 2021-22, Bangladesh has emerged as the largest trade partner for India in South Asia and the fourth largest destination for Indian exports worldwide. Exports to Bangladesh grew more than 66 per cent from $9.69 billion in FY 2020-21 to $16.15 billion in FY 2021-22.
• India is Bangladesh’s second biggest trade partner, and its largest export market in Asia. Despite Covid-19 related disruptions, bilateral trade grew at an unprecedented rate of almost 44 per cent from $10.78 billion in 2020-21 to $18.13 billion in 2021-22.
• India’s main exports to Bangladesh are raw cotton, non-retail pure cotton yarn, and electricity, and its main imports from the country are pure vegetable oils, non-knit men’s suits, and textile scraps.
CEPA objectives
• While informal talks on CEPA have been happening since 2018, officials said that the pandemic has brought urgency. Chinese investments in Bangladesh were an initial trigger for India, but New Delhi and Dhaka want to step up the pace following the economic shock faced by the two economies.
• The CEPA is likely to focus on trade in goods, services, and investment, with a key objective being the reduction of the trade gap between the two countries. As Bangladesh prepares to graduate into a developing nation by 2026 — after which it may no longer qualify for trade benefits that it currently enjoys as a least-developed country — it is keen to clinch the CEPA in a year.
• The CEPA had figured prominently during the last commerce secretary-level meeting in New Delhi in March this year (2022).
Existing frameworks
The current institutional frameworks for trade and investment include:
• During the visit of Prime Minister to Bangladesh in June 2015, the bilateral trade agreement between the two countries was renewed for a period of five years with a provision for auto renewal.
• Under the provisions of the South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA), Bangladesh extends preferential tariffs to Indian exports of products outside the ‘sensitive list’ of 993 items. In 2011, India announced duty-free, quota-free access to Bangladesh for all tariff lines except tobacco and alcohol.
• An Agreement on Promotion and Protection of Investments has been in force since 2011. Joint Interpretative Notes to the agreement were signed during the visit of the Indian Finance Minister to Bangladesh in October 2017.
• To facilitate trade and transit through inland waterways, a Protocol on Inland Waterways Trade and Transit (PIWTT) has been in place since 1972. The PIWTT too was renewed for a period of five years with a provision for auto renewal during Indian Prime Minister visit to Bangladesh in 2015. The protocol allows the movement of goods by barges/ vessels on eight routes between points in India and Bangladesh, as well as between points in India through Bangladesh.
• Direct sea movement of containerized/ bulk/ dry cargo began after the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Coastal Shipping in June 2015. This has reduced the shipping time between India and Bangladesh from 30-40 days to 7-10 days, and has the potential to emerge as an economical mode of transportation for business communities on both sides.
THE HEALTH ISSUES-COVID CORNER
2. INDIA GETS FIRST COVID-19 NASAL VACCINE
THE CONTEXT: India’s first intra-nasal vaccine – delivered through the nose instead of a shot in the arm – has received approval from the country’s apex drug regulator for emergency use in adults.
THE EXPLANATION:
The vaccine, which has been developed by Bharat Biotech with technology in-licensed from Washington University-St Louis, has been approved for primary immunisation, meaning it can be given to the unimmunised to protect against Covid-19.
NO NEED FOR NEEDLES
• With the vaccine being delivered through a nasal spray, it will do away with the need for needles and syringes currently required for all the Covid-19 vaccines available. It will also reduce dependence on personnel trained to give shots.
TRIALS FOR BOOSTER
• The company found the vaccine to be “safe, well-tolerated, and immunogenic” when compared to its own Covaxin in a phase III trial of nearly 3,100 participants across 14 sites in India. The company has also conducted a trial with 875 participants to see whether the vaccine may be used as a booster in those who have received Covaxin or Covishield as their primary vaccine.
WHY NASAL SPRAY CAN BE EFFECTIVE
• As the vaccine is given nasally, it triggers an immune response in the mucosal membrane. According to experts, “Being an intranasal vaccine, BBV154 may produce local antibodies in the upper respiratory tract which may provide the potential to reduce infection and transmission.”
THE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
3. ISRO TESTS INFLATABLE AERODYNAMIC DECELERATOR
THE CONTEXT: Recently, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has successfully tested the Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator (IAD) technology that can aid in cost-effective recovery of spent rocket stages and land payloads safely on other planets.
THE EXPLANATION:
Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator (IAD)
• The Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator has been designed and developed by Vikram Sarabhai Space Center (VSSC).
• The IAD technology has been tested from the sounding rocket Rohini-300 (RH300 Mk II). Rohini sounding rockets are regularly used by scientists from India and abroad for flight demonstrations.
• At launch, the IAD was folded inside the ‘payload bay’ and as it reached an altitude of about 84 km, the IAD was opened and inflated into the payload portion of the rocket. Due to which the velocity of the payload was affected and the speed of the rocket decreased.
• The IAD has huge potential in variety of space applications like recovery of spent stages of rocket, for landing payloads on to Mars or Venus and in making space habitat for human space flight missions.
• IAD can prove to be a game changer for many future space missions. With this technique, the speed of the rocket can also be slowed down, so that scientists will be able to control the speed of the rocket.
ISRO
ISRO is the space agency under the Department of Space of Government of India. It was formed in 1969. ISRO replaced its predecessor, INCOSPAR (Indian National Committee for Space Research) which was established in 1962.
VALUE ADDITION:
Antrix Corporation Limited (ACL)
• ACL was established in 1992 as a Marketing arm of ISRO for promotion and commercial exploitation of space products, technical consultancy services and transfer of technologies developed by ISRO.
• It is a Mini ratna company.
NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) (established in Mar 2019)
• NSIL is a Central Public Sector Enterprise of Government of India and Commercial Arm of ISRO. For almost a decade, ISRO has been planning to hand the production over to public and private industries and itself focus on its core job of space R&D.
• It was incorporated for commercially utilising research and development activities carried out by ISRO with an authorised share capital of Rs 100 crore and initial paid up capital of Rs 10 crore.
• It is the 2nd commercial entity and a new business arm of Department of Space (Bengaluru) to promote Indian space commerce.
• It is under the administrative control of Department of Space (DOS) and the Company Act 2013.
• The main objective of NSIL is to scale up industry participation in Indian space programmes.
Objectives
• Transfer of Small Satellite technology to industry: NSIL will obtain license from DOS/ISRO and sub-license the same to Industry
• Manufacture of Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) in collaboration with Private Sector
• Production of Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) through Indian Industry
• Production and marketing of Space based products and services, including launch and application
• Transfer of technology developed by ISRO Centres and constituent units of DOS
• Marketing of spin-off technologies and products/services, both in India and abroad.
• It would also be tasked to “commercially exploit the R&D work done by ISRO centres and DoS constituents”.
4. NASA – EYES ON THE SOLAR SYSTEM TOOL
THE CONTEXT: Recently NASA has updated its 3D visualization ‘Eyes on the Solar System’ tool. This new and improved system now makes interplanetary travel easier and more interactive than before.
THE EXPLANATION:
OBJECTIVES:
1. This latest edition of “Eyes on the Solar System” lets you scroll through rich interactive journeys. For example, you can enjoy Voyager’s grand tour of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.
2. It took more than two years for the Visualization Technology Application and Development team at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Caltech to develop the system.
3. This update offers better controls, better navigation, and tons of new opportunities to learn about our own Earth, the Solar System, asteroids, and more.
4. This unique 3D instrument allows real-time 3D data visualization of the past, present and future of the Solar System.
5. The instrument allows multiple visualizations from all satellites on Earth in real time for air temperature, carbon-dioxide, sea wall, soil moisture, ozone, and more.
6. This amazing tool allows you to explore exoplanets in 3D, the search can be filtered by planet type which includes ‘Gas Giants, Terrestrial and even ‘Super Earth’ type planets.
7. This instrument highlights stars and allows the detection of exoplanets around them. One can see the “habitable zone” around the star and if an exoplanet is in that zone.
THE GOVERNMENT SCHEMES IN NEWS
5. PM SCHOOLS FOR RISING INDIA (PM-SHRI) YOJANA
THE CONTEXT: On the occasion of National Teachers’ Day, Prime Minister announced a new initiative – PM SHRI Schools (PM ScHools for Rising India).
THE EXPLANATION:
• It is a new centrally sponsored scheme and will showcase the components of the National Education Policy, 2020.
• A Centrally Sponsored Scheme is one where the cost of implementation is likely to be split in the 60:40 ratio among the Union government and the states/Union Territories.
• In Northeastern states, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir and UTs without legislatures, the Centre’s contribution can go up to 90 per cent.
• For instance, the mid-day meal scheme (PM Poshan) or the PM Awas Yojana.
• Under it, as many as 14,500 schools across states and Union Territories will be redeveloped to reflect the key features of the NEP, 2020.
• The NEP envisages a curricular structure and teaching style divided into various stages – foundational, preparatory, middle and secondary.
• PM SHRI schools will be an upgrade of existing schools run by the Centre, states, UTs and local bodies. The PM SHRI schools can either be KVs, JNVs, state government schools or even those run by municipal corporations.
Significance
• The aim of these schools will not only be qualitative teaching, learning and cognitive development but also to create holistic and well-rounded individuals equipped with key 21st-century skills.
• These schools will be equipped with modern infrastructure including labs, smart classrooms & other modern skills.
• The pedagogy adopted in these schools will be more experiential, holistic, integrated, play/toy-based, inquiry-driven, and discovery-oriented.
What are the key features of NEP in school education?
The NEP envisages a curricular structure and teaching style divided into various stages – foundational, preparatory, middle and secondary.
The Foundational years (pre-school and grades I, II) will involve play-based learning.
At the Preparatory level (III-V), light textbooks are to be introduced along with some formal classroom teaching.
Subject teachers are to be introduced at the middle level (VI-VIII). The Secondary stage (IX-XII) will be multidisciplinary in nature with no hard separation between arts and sciences or other disciplines.
THE PRELIMS PERSPECTIVE
6. ONE WORD A DAY – ONDC
THE CONTEXT: According to Union Minister for Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and Textiles, called for the integration of One District One Product (ODOP) initiative with Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC).
THE EXPLANATION:
Earlier, US firm Microsoft has become the first big tech company to join the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), a government-backed project which is aimed at enabling small merchants and mom-and-pop stores in parts of the country to access processes and technologies that are typically deployed by large e-commerce platforms such as Amazon and Flipkart.
What is Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC)?
• It is an initiative aimed at promoting open networks for all aspects of exchange of goods and services over digital or electronic networks. ONDC is to be based on open-sourced methodology, using open specifications and open network protocols independent of any specific platform. It is being developed as a counter to the current duopoly in the Indian e-commerce market which is largely dictated by Amazon and Walmart-owned Flipkart.
• In May this year (2022), the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) went live with a test run of ONDC in cities like Delhi-NCR, Bengaluru, Coimbatore, Bhopal, and Shillong where it plans to onboard 150 sellers.
How does ONDC work?
• The ONDC platform lies in the middle of the interfaces hosting the buyers and the sellers. So far, the buyer side interface is being hosted by Paytm, whereas the seller side interface is being hosted by other players like GoFrugal, etc.
• When a buyer searches for an item on the Paytm app, from where ONDC has gone live, the app will connect to the ONDC platform, which will connect it to seller side interfaces that will list all the companies from where you can buy the particular item.
• On ONDC, there will be several other backend partners such as logistics service providers, enterprise resource planners, e-commerce store hosting service providers, etc.
What is ODOP?
According to the Ministry of Commerce & Industry
• One District One Product (ODOP) is an initiative which is seen as a transformational step forward towards realizing the true potential of a district, fuel economic growth and generate employment and rural entrepreneurship, taking us to the goal of AtmaNirbhar Bharat.
• One District One Product (ODOP) initiative is operationally merged with ‘Districts as Export Hub’ initiative being implemented by DGFT, Department of Commerce, with Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) as a major stakeholder.
7. MASCOT & ANTHEM FOR 36TH NATIONAL GAMES
THE CONTEXT: Recently, Union Home Minister unveiled the anthem and mascot of the 36th National Games in Ahmedabad.
THE EXPLANATION:
• The 36th National Game 2022 will be held in Gujarat.
• It is scheduled to be held from September 27, 2022 to October 10, 2022.
• It will be held across 6 cities of Gujarat, in which all the 28 states and 8 Union Territories will participate.
• In all, 36 sports will be hosted, in line with the tagline “Sports for Unity”.
• This year, Yogasana and Mallakhamb have been added to the list of games. Thus, it will promote indigenous sports in India.
• Inaugural function will be held at the Narendra Modi stadium.
• An estimated 7,000 athletes from 28 states and eight union territories are expected to participate in 36 disciplines, which comprise most of the traditional Olympic sports.
Venue for the National Games:
The National Games 2022 will be held across 6 cities in Gujarat, viz., Gandhinagar, Surat, Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Vadodara, and Bhavnagar.
Mascot
The mascot is named Savaj which in Gujarati means cub. The mascot represents India’s cultural heritage, while also giving a glimpse of the rapidly growing India, which is set to become a world leader again.
Theme
The theme of the national anthem is Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat.
Last Edition of the National Games:
Last edition of the National Games was organised in 2015, in Kerala. 2022 edition of the National Games will be held after a gap of seven years.
