INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

1. UPPER TAMAKOSHI HYDROELECTRIC PROJECT (UTKHEP)

THE CONTEXT: According to Kathmandu officials, India-Nepal hydro-power trade is set to become a regional game-changer, pointing to the possibilities of buying power from Nepal and making it available over an electric grid system to consumers in India, Bangladesh and even Sri Lanka. However, India’s opposition to the use of Chinese contractors in the projects is delaying the process.

THE EXPLANATION:

• With India refusing to purchase power from the UTKHEP for its grid, Nepal’s government has now asked New Delhi to allow a bilateral transmission from the power plant to Bangladesh, that has been willing to buy the power.
• The Upper Tamakoshi plant, which has been operational since 2021, was constructed by a number of contractors chosen through an international tender, including the civil construction by China’s Sinohydro and Austria’s Andritz Hydro, for the supply of electro-mechanical equipment, and India’s KEC International for the 220-kV transmission line and sub-station.
• Situated close to the Nepal border with Tibet, the project on the Tamakoshi river was called “Nepal’s Three Gorges dam”, given its size and its contribution to making Nepal a power-surplus country in the “wet” or rainy season. After four years of negotiations, India and Nepal signed a path-breaking Power Trading Agreement (PTA) in 2014, agreeing to the exchange of electricity and cooperation in the hydro-power sector, and Indian companies are involved in developing several Nepali projects.
• However, in 2021, after the military stand-off at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) over Chinese transgressions, the government issued a number of financial measures on Chinese investment and imports, including new “Procedure for Approval and Facilitating Import/Export (Cross Border) of Electricity”

The procedure included clause (6.3(i)) that prohibited trade with power plants that had ownership from a country that shares “land border” with India but has no bilateral power treaty with India — indicating China and Pakistan.

It is sited on the Tamakoshi River (also spelled TamaKoshi), a tributary of the SaptaKoshi river

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

2. DEEPFAKE TECHNOLOGY

THE CONTEXT: Recently, the Cyberspace Administration of China, the country’s cyberspace watchdog, is rolling out new regulations, to be effective from January 10, 2022 to restrict the use of deep synthesis technology and curb disinformation.

THE EXPLANATION:

Deep synthesis is defined as the use of technologies, including deep learning and augmented reality, to generate text, images, audio and video to create virtual scenes. One of the most notorious applications of the technology is deepfakes, where synthetic media is used to swap the face or voice of one person for another. Deepfakes are getting harder to detect with the advancement of technology. It is used to generate celebrity porn videos, produce fake news, and commit financial fraud among other wrongdoings. Under the guidelines of China’s new rules, companies and platforms using the technology must first receive consent from individuals before they edit their voice or image.

What is a deepfake?

• Deepfakes are a compilation of artificial images and audio put together with machine-learning algorithms to spread misinformation and replace a real person’s appearance, voice, or both with similar artificial likenesses or voices. It can create people who do not exist, and it can fake real people saying and doing things they did not say or do.
• The term deepfake originated in 2017, when an anonymous Reddit user called himself “Deepfakes.” This user manipulated Google’s open-source, deep-learning technology to create and post pornographic videos. The videos were doctored with a technique known as face-swapping. The user “Deepfakes” replaced real faces with celebrity faces.
• Deepfake technology is now being used for nefarious purposes like scams and hoaxes, celebrity pornography, election manipulation, social engineering, automated disinformation attacks, identity theft and financial fraud.

What are other countries doing to combat deepfakes?

• The European Union has an updated Code of Practice to stop the spread of disinformation through deepfakes. The revised Code requires tech companies including Google, Meta, and Twitter to take measures in countering deepfakes and fake accounts on their platforms.
• In India, however, there are no legal rules against using deepfake technology. However, specific laws can be addressed for misusing the tech, which include Copyright Violation, Defamation and cyber felonies.

ENVIRONMENT

3. INDIA PUSHES FOR NEW BIODIVERSITY FUND

THE CONTEXT: Recently,India has said at the U.N. biodiversity conference in Canada’s Montreal, there is an urgent need to create a new and dedicated fund to help developing countries successfully implement a post-2020 global framework to halt and reverse biodiversity loss.

THE EXPLANATION:

• It has also said that conservation of biodiversity must also be based on ‘Common but Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities’ (CBDR) as climate change also impacts nature. As the 196 parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) finalise negotiations for a post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF)—a new set of goals and targets to halt and reverse biodiversity loss—there have been repeated calls for the inclusion of the CBDR principle in finance-related targets.
• The Global Environment Facility which caters to multiple conventions, including the UNFCCC and UN Convention to Combat Desertification, remains the only source of funding for biodiversity conservation.
• At CBD COP15, developing countries have been demanding a new and dedicated biodiversity fund, saying the existing multilateral sources are not up to the task of meeting the requirements of the GBF. Differences with rich countries on the matter had prompted representatives from developing nations to walk out of crucial financing talks developing countries bear most of the burden of implementing the targets for conservation of biodiversity and, therefore, require adequate funds and technology transfer for this purpose.

Connect the dots:

• Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD): The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), a legally binding treaty to conserve biodiversity has been in force since 1993. It has 3 main objectives:
  o The conservation of biological diversity.
  o The sustainable use of the components of biological diversity.
  o The fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilization of genetic resources.
  o India enacted Biological Diversity Act in 2002 for giving effect to the provisions of the CBD.
• CBDR: Common But Differentiated Responsibilities (CBDR) is a principle within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) that acknowledges different capabilities and differing responsibilities of individual countries in addressing climate change. The principle of CBDR is enshrined in Earth Summit 1992, held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
• Global Environment Facility: The Global Environment Facility (GEF) is a multilateral financial mechanism that provides grants to developing countries for projects that benefit the global environment and promote sustainable livelihoods in local communities.HQ: WASHINGTON , DC.

PRELIMS PERSPECTIVE

4. KERALA TOPS THE COUNTRY IN TERMS OF CITIZENS WITH PASSPORTS

THE CONTEXT: According to Passport Index, Indians can enjoy visa-free travel to 22 countries. Three of these countries (Nepal, Bhutan and Mauritius) are in the neighbourhood.

THE EXPLANATION:

• There are quite a few Caribbean countries on the list such as Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago besides two Latin American countries (El Salvador and Haiti). Three of the countries are in the Pacific Islands — Micronesia, Vanuatu and Fiji (with a high proportion of Indian-origin citizens), while two African countries provide this facility (Gambia and Senegal). Only one European country — Serbia — allows visa-free travel for Indians.
• According to the index, India ranked a joint 69th in 2022 in terms of ease of mobility of travel to other countries. This ease of travel was measured in terms of availability of visa-free regimes or visa on arrival for Indians in other countries.
• While India marginally improved in the index (its rank jumped four places from 73 in 2021), it still ranked below many Asian and developing countries.
• More than 9.58 crore passports have been issued in India as of December 8, 2022. This amounts to nearly 7% of India’s projected population in 2022.
• According to a recent Reserve Bank of India bulletin, a state-wise breakup shows that Kerala had both the highest number (nearly 1.13 crore) and the highest proportion (an estimated 31.6% of the State’s population) of passport holders in the country. This is not surprising as Kerala is one of the States that has a high expatriate population and also is heavily dependent on remittances (10.2% of all inward remittances to India went to the State as of FY21.

Connect the Dots:

Henley Passport Index 2022:

• The Henley Passport Index is a worldwide ranking system for countries and their passports, based on the freedom of the holders of such passports to travel visa-free or obtain a visa on arrival in various travel destinations.
• In the index, India has been ranked at 87th position,among 199 world’s most powerful passports in 2022. Ranking was based on the number of destinations the passport holders could access without prior visa.
• Among the 199 countries, Japan was ranked first. It is followed by Singapore and South Korea.

5. DISTRICT MINERAL FOUNDATION (DMF)

THE CONTEXT: Odisha’s Keonjhar district is India’s highest recipient of funds under the District Mineral Foundation (DMF) scheme, and has spent ₹3,000 crore under the scheme over the past seven years.

THE EXPLANATION:

ABOUT DISTRICT MINERAL FOUNDATION (DMF):

Objective: To work for the interest of the benefit of the persons and areas affected mining related operations in such manner as may be prescribed by the State Government.
Statutory Provision: Mine and Minerals Development Regulation (Amendment) Act, 2015, in every district affected by mining-related operations, the state government shall, by notification, establish a trust as a non-profit body to be called the District Mineral Foundation.
DMFT Funds: Mining companies contribute 10-30% on the royalty amount that they pay to the government to DMF Trust in the district they are operating in.
The fund is collected at the district level. There are certain high-priority areas identified in all states’ DMF rules, where at least 60 per cent of the fund must be used. These include vital and pressing concerns, including healthcare

Connect the dots:

Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojana (PMKKKY)