Daily Prelims Notes 18 September 2023

Daily Prelims Notes

18 September 2023

Table Of Contents

1. What is the Vishwakarma scheme?
2. NABARD to issue social bonds
3. Deposit taking NBFCs down to record low of 34
4. Buy, use, return, and claim a small refund
5. G20 Summit: Big push towards achieving net zero
6. Santiniketan makes it to UNESCO World Heritage list
7. Cats are killing India’s birds. Are we paying attention?
8. CM is duty bound to reply to governor’s quarry
9. How Basmati in India is reaping the rewards of research
10. Moonquakes: testament to lunar ordeal
11. Military leaders of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso sign mutual defence pact
12. EU chief promises a plan of action as migrants flock to Italian island

1. What is the Vishwakarma scheme?

Subject : Government schemes

Section: Economy

Context: PM Modi launches PM Vishwakarma scheme

Details:

• It is a new scheme with an outlay of Rs 13,000 crore and is fully funded by the Central government (Central Sector Scheme)
• Vishwakarma, in Hindu mythology, is seen as the architect of the gods and was the divine carpenter and master craftsman who fashioned the weapons of the gods and built their cities and chariots. Some legends say he was the architect of the mythical city Lanka mentioned in the Hindu epic Ramayana and is also said to have made the great image of Jagannatha at Puri in Odisha. He is considered the patron deity of workers, artisans, and artists.

Who is eligible for the Vishwakarma scheme?

A video from the government that was played at the launch event talked about how the professionals engaged in traditional crafts and skills for centuries, often taught by elders in the family, have faced certain problems. These include a lack of professional training for their work, of modern tools, the issue of distance from the markets relevant to them and the availability of little capital for investment.

Families associated with 18 such different sectors will be helped in all possible ways, the PM said. These include:

(i) Carpenters
(ii) Boat Makers
(iii) Armourers
(iv) Blacksmiths
(v) Hammer and Tool Kit Makers
(vi) Locksmiths
(vii) Goldsmiths
(viii) Potters
(ix) Sculptor, Stone breakers
(x) Cobblers (Shoesmiths/ Footwear artisans)
(xi) Masons (Rajmistri)
(xii) Basket/Mat/Broom Makers/Coir Weavers
(xiii) Doll & Toy Makers (Traditional)
(xiv) Barbers
(xv) Garland makers
(xvi) Washermen
(xvii) Tailors
(xviii) Fishing Net Makes.

What benefits can be availed of through the Vishwakarma Scheme?

• The scheme is to help enhance the skills of workers employed in these fields and help them avail loans easily to aid their earnings.
• Under the scheme, the Vishwakarma workers will be registered for free through Common Services Centres using the biometric-based PM Vishwakarma portal.
• They will then be provided recognition through the PM Vishwakarma certificate and ID card, given skill upgradation involving basic and advanced training, a toolkit incentive of ₹15,000, collateral-free credit supports up to ₹1 lakh (first tranche) and ₹2 lakh (second tranche) at a concessional interest rate of 5%, incentive for digital transactions and marketing support.
• A toolkit booklet has also been released in 12 Indian languages, with accompanying video elements, to aid the knowledge of workers on new technologies in their field.

2. NABARD to issue social bonds

Subject: Economy

Section: Monetary Policy

In News: Nabard to list Social Bonds under sustainability bond framework.

Key Points:

• In a first-of-its-kind borrowing instrument, the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD.) has said it will be listing the first of its social bonds on September 29 with a size of Rs 3,000 crore.
• This is the first such issue by an AAA-rated entity. It will be followed by sustainability and green bonds.
• The bank recently announced a Sustainability Bond Framework:
  • It seeks to finance and refinance new or existing eligible green and social projects.
  • The key criteria to make a project eligible to get financing from green bonds include
    • contribution to the environment to mitigate climate change effects,
    • conservation of natural resources and biodiversity, and
    • prevention and control of pollution.
• Projects that promise energy efficiency, including green buildings, energy storage, and smart grids, would also be eligible to get funding through the new breed of bonds that NABARD. is rolling out.
• In the social sphere, ventures that fall into the categories:
  • affordable basic infrastructure ;
  • access to essential services (health, education, and vocational training);
  • food security, and employment generation.

NABARD

• It is an apex development and specialized bank established on 12 July 1982 by an act by the parliament of India.
• Its main focus is to uplift rural India by increasing the credit flow for elevation of agriculture & rural non farm sector.
• It was established based on the recommendations of the Committee set up by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) under the chairmanship of Shri B. shivaraman.
• It replaced the Agricultural Credit Department (ACD) and Rural Planning and Credit Cell (RPCC) of Reserve Bank of India, and Agricultural Refinance and Development Corporation (ARDC).
• It has been accredited with “matters concerning policy, planning and operations in the field of credit for agriculture and other economic activities in rural areas in India”.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) recently sold its entire stakes in the National Bank for Agriculture & Rural Development (NABARD) and National Housing Bank.
• The decision to divest its entire stake was taken based on the recommendations of the second Narasimham Committee. The government now holds a 100 per cent stake in both NHB and NABARD.

3. Deposit taking NBFCs down to record low of 34

Subject: Economy

Section: Monetary Policy

In News: The number of deposit-taking NBFCs has fallen to a record low of 34 in FY23, from 69 in pre-pandemic FY20.

Key Points:

• The number of deposit-taking NBFCs has fallen to a record low of 34 in FY23, from 69 in pre-pandemic FY20, and 254 a decade ago, as per data from RBI’s Handbook of Statistics on the Indian Economy for FY23.
• Number of NBFCs collecting deposits decreased consistently due to the changed norm of acceptance of deposits.

Why the number has fallen?

• RBI has been cautious in allowing NBFCs to public deposits citing the objective of protection of depositors’ interest.
• The RBI has not allowed any new NBFC to accept public deposits for more than 15 years.

Which NBFCs can accept public deposits?

• Only NBFCs and HFCs, registered with RBI as deposit-taking entities, can accept public deposits.
• This includes only those entities that have an investment grade rating.

Why is the matter getting focus now?

• The merger of Housing Finance Development Corporation with HDFC Bank, has resulted in a vacuum in the NBFC deposit taking space.
• Now there are increasing voices in the industry to allow more NBFCs to accept public deposits.
• NBFCs of the country are said to have sought the RBI to grant more deposit-accepting licences.
• This was in response to the central bank’s concerns regarding NBFCs’ high reliance on bank borrowings and the need to diversify their fundraising.
• NBFCs’ share in overall bank credit increased to 9.9 per cent from 8.5 per cent a year ago.
• Total public deposits of NBFCs accounted for a small portion of their borrowings, at ₹85,256 crore as of March 2023.

4. Buy, use, return, and claim a small refund

Subject: Environment

Section: Pollution

 Key Points:

• The Deposit Refund Scheme (DRS), part of the E-Waste Management Rules 2016 never took off. There is now an attempt to resurrect its potential.

What is DRS?

• Deposit Refund Scheme (DRS) and was seen as an effective e-waste management solution for India.
• It worked like this: as a consumer you deposited a small fee when you bought a product, say a laptop or a mobile phone. After having used the product through its lifecycle you dropped it off at a collection centre and claimed a refund on your deposit.
• The product went back for recycling and thus encouraged a circular economy.

Benefits:

• The scheme aims to ensure that e-waste is collected and properly recycled in the formal sector, helping to enhance resource conservation and environment protection.
• The scheme not only promotes responsible disposal but also encourages consumers to return their electronic products, reducing the environmental impact of e-waste.
• Responsible disposal in turn facilitates safe recovery of valuable resources from e-waste.

Major challenges:

• Lack of awareness about depository schemes is a core challenge. Many producers may not understand how these schemes work thus hampering the refunding process.
• Issues related to documentation, verification, and processing of refunds can arise, causing delays and inconvenience for producers and consumers.
• Regulatory changes or updates of the scheme also leads to confusion among producers.

Way ahead:

• A clear mechanism to resolve disputes related to depository receipts or refund schemes is also essential. Besides, if the scheme is not mandatory for producers and consumers, there is very little chance of it working.

5. G20 Summit: Big push towards achieving net zero

Subject: Environment

Section: International Conventions

In News: G20 summit held under India’s Presidency has been significant for the global fight against climate change.

Key Points:

• The G20 estimated the need for $5.8-5.9 trillion before 2030 to achieve climate goals and an additional $4 trillion per annum to touch net zero by 2050. 
• The Delhi Summit obtained a commitment from developed countries on increasing low-cost financing and reiterated the $100-billion commitment from developed countries starting 2023 and then scaling it up.
• The G20’s 2023 action plan to accelerate SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) will spearhead the future direction.

G-20 Leader’s Declaration:

• For the first time formally recognises the quantum jump in finance necessary for the world to transition to a renewable energy economy.
• The Declaration recognises the need to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions by 43% by 2030 (relative to 2019 levels) and notes that global peaking must occur before 2025.
• Encourages tripling of renewable energy capacity by 2030, and voluntary doubling the rate of energy efficiency improvement by 2030.
• Summit underlined the need to make funds available for developing nations struggling to balance their developmental goals and climate challenges.
• G-20 statement didn’t further moves to transition away from the use of coal — the main source of energy for most of the G-20 countries.
• The declaration leaves it to individual countries to choose their own pathway to achieve net zero.
• There has been no new commitment to phasing down coal fired thermal power plants.

Initiatives:

Green Development Pact 

• The global leaders also adopted a ‘green development pact’ to speed up measures to tackle the challenges of environment and climate change.
• Addressed a key issue related to climate mitigation goals, namely climate finance.

Global Biofuels Alliance (GBA):

• It is a grouping of over 30 countries and international institutions, launched by G20 leaders on September 9 recognised the importance of biofuels in the energy transition mix.
• The GBA said it would focus on sustainable and low emission development.
• GBA will serve as a central repository and a catalytic platform, fostering global collaboration for the advancement and adoption of biofuels.

Other announcements:

• The UK government announced its decision to provide $2 billion to the Green Climate Fund 
• A joint investment fund of up to $1 billion was announced by the US and India to support India’s energy transition through green technologies.
• As a part of this development, National Investment and Infrastructure Fund and US Development Finance Corporation have agreed to each provide $500 million to support a Renewable Infrastructure Investment Fund.

Green Climate Fund (GCF)

• The Green Climate Fund (GCF) is a fund established within the framework of the UNFCCC as an operating entity of the Financial Mechanism to assist developing countries in adaptation and mitigation practices to counter climate change.
• One of the largest vehicles for climate finance connected to the UNFCCC is GCF, which was born out of the Copenhagen Accord of 2009. It offers financing through “a flexible combination of grants, concessional debt, guarantees or equity instruments”.
• And part of its mandate is “to invest 50 per cent of its resources to mitigation and 50 per cent to adaptation in grant equivalent”. At least half of its adaptation resources must be invested in the most climate vulnerable countries (small island developing states or SIDS, least developed countries or LDCs, and African States).
• This makes 154 countries eligible for funding, of which 84 received $2.5 billion GCF adaptation funding between 2015 and 2019, according to the new study.
  • Since 54 per cent of the funds went to countries who are LDC, SIDS and / or African countries, the GCF met its mandate.
• The GCF is based in Incheon, South Korea. It is governed by a Board of 24 members and supported by a Secretariat.

National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF):

• NIIF is India’s first sovereign wealth fund set up by the Government of India in 2015.
• It is an investor-owned fund manager, anchored by the Government of India (GoI) in collaboration with leading global and domestic institutional investors.
• NIIF’s mandate includes investing in areas such as energy, transportation, housing, water, waste management and other infrastructure-related sectors in India.

Functioning:

• It is being operationalized by establishing three Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs) under the SEBI Regulations.
• The proposed corpus of NIIF is Rs. 40,000 Crores funded of 49% from Government of India.
• Rest from strategic anchor partners (Overseas sovereign/quasi-sovereign/multilateral/bilateral investors).

NIIF and Three Funds:

• NIIF currently manages three funds each with its distinctive investment mandate.
• Master Fund: A fund focused on creating scalable sectoral platforms in core infrastructure and in collaboration with strong and reputed operating and financial partners.
• Fund of Funds: A fund focused on anchoring and investing incredible and reputed third-party managers with a strong track record across diversified sectors within infrastructure services and allied sectors.
• Strategic Investment Fund: A fund focused on investing in strategic assets and projects with longer-term horizon across various stages of development.

6. Santiniketan makes it to UNESCO World Heritage list

Subject: History

Section: Arts and culture

Context:

• Santi Niketan, the town in West Bengal, was included in the UNESCO World Heritage list during the 45th Session of the World Heritage Committee in Saudi Arabia.

About Shanti Niketan:

• Established in 1901 by the Nobel Laureate Gurudev Rabindra Nath Tagore.
• Location: Birbhum district, West Bengal.
• Current Vice-chancellor of Santiniketan: Bidyut Chakrabarti
• It is the 41st UNESCO World Heritage Site in India and the third in West Bengal, after the Sundarbans National Park and the Darjeeling Mountain Railways.
  • Last year (2022), the state’s Durga Puja got space in “Intangible Cultural Heritage of humanity” under UNESCO.
• Santiniketan was a residential school and center for art based on ancient Indian traditions and a vision of the unity of humanity transcending religious and cultural boundaries.
• A ‘world university’ – Visva Bharati – was established at Santiniketan in 1921.
• Santiniketan was the pioneer of the Bengal School of Art. It exhibits the crystallisation of their ideas of internationalism, humanism, inclusiveness, environmentalism and a pan Asian modernism.
• Global art movements parallel to Santiniketan:

Bauhaus:

• Founded by architect Walter Gropius in Weimar, the Staatliches Bauhaus, or Bauhaus (German for ‘building house’), was a German art school operational from 1919 to 1933 that combined crafts and the fine arts.
• The school became famous for its approach to design, which attempted to unify individual artistic vision with the principles of mass production and emphasis on function.

Mingei in Japan:

• The concept of mingei, variously translated into English as “folk craft”, “folk art” or “popular art”, was developed from the mid-1920s in Japan by a philosopher and aesthete, Yanagi Sōetsu (1889–1961), together with a group of craftsmen, including the potters Hamada Shōji (1894–1978) and Kawai Kanjirō (1890–1966).
• Mingei may be seen as a reaction to Japan’s rapid modernization processes.

Vienna session in Austria:

• The Vienna Secession is an art movement, closely related to Art Nouveau, that was formed in 1897 by a group of Austrian painters, graphic artists, sculptors and architects, including Josef Hoffman, Koloman Moser, Otto Wagner and Gustav Klimt.

Other sites to find place on the prestigious listinclude:

• Ancient Jericho in Palestine; the Zarafshan-Karakum Corridor of Silk Roads in Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan; the Gedeo Cultural Landscape in Ethiopia; and the Cultural Landscape of Old Tea Forestsof the Jingmai Mountain in China’s Pu’er.

7. Cats are killing India’s birds. Are we paying attention?

Subject: Environment

Section: Species in news

Context:

• The State of Birds in India 2023 report highlighted that the bird population in India is declining. And one of the reasons is a silent bird-killer in urban areas of India- Cat.

Landscape of fear:

• One study found that cats may be the single greatest source of anthropogenic mortality for birds and mammals in the U.S.
• Worldwide, free-ranging domestic cats have caused or contributed to dozens of extinctions of bird species recorded in the IUCN Red List.
• A survey found that pet cats hunted birds the most, followed by reptiles, insects, rodents, and amphibians.
• Due to their ability to climb, they hunt the nests of birds also.
• Cat saliva is also more likely to contain bacteria (Pasteurella multocida) that are lethal to birds.

Trap, neuter, return:

• Domestic cats (Felis catus) are one of the world’s 100 worst invasive alien species.
• ‘Trap-neuter-return’ (TNR) policy is adopted to control the population of cats and dogs.
• There is no definite data of how many birds are being killed by cats annually or a specific time-period.

What makes Domestic cats a good hunter?

• Its night vision and sense of smell are well developed.
• It has a strong flexible body, quick reflexes, sharp teeth, and retractable claws adapted to killing small prey like mice and rats.
• Although the cat is a social species, it is a solitary hunter.
• As a predator, it is crepuscular,i.e.most active at dawn and dusk.
• It can hear sounds too faint or too high in frequency for human ears, such as those made by mice and other small mammals.
• It also secretes and perceives pheromones.

8. CM is duty bound to reply to governor’s quarry

Subject: Polity

Section: Executive

Context:

• Punjab governor Banwari lal purohit accused the CM Bhagwat mann of not giving proper responses to his queries about corruption and various anomalies in governance, and warned that he could invoke Article 356, which provides for President’s Rule.

Constitutional mandate:

• Article 167 in The Constitution Of India:
• Duties of Chief Minister as respects the furnishing of information to Governor, etc It shall be the duty of the Chief Minister of each State

1. to communicate to the Governor of the State all decisions of the council of Ministers relating to the administration of the affairs of the State and proposals for legislation;
2. to furnish such information relating to the administration of the affairs of the State and proposals for legislation as the Governor may call for; and
3. if the Governor so requires, to submit for the consideration of the Council of Ministers any matter on which a decision has been taken by a Minister but which has not been considered by the Council.

• Article 356 of the Indian constitution: Provisions in case of failure of constitutional machinery in State:

1. If the President, on receipt of report from the Governor of the State or otherwise, is satisfied that a situation has arisen in which the government of the State cannot be carried on in accordance with the provisions of this Constitution, the President may be Proclaim:
2. assume to himself all or any of the functions of the Government of the State and all or any of the powers vested in or exercisable by the Governor or any body or authority in the State other than the Legislature of the State;
3. declare that the powers of the Legislature of the State shall be exercisable by or under the authority of Parliament;
4. make such incidental and consequential provisions as appear to the president to be necessary or desirable for giving effect to the objects of the Proclamation, including provisions for suspending in whole or in part the operation of any provisions of this constitution relating to any body or authority in the State Provided that nothing in this clause shall authorize the President to assume to himself any of the powers vested in or exercisable by a High Court, or to suspend in whole or in part the operation of any provision of this Constitution relating to High Courts
5. Any such Proclamation may be revoked or varied by a subsequent Proclamation

Does the governor’s power under article 356 come under judicial review?

• The 38th amendment act 1975 made the satisfaction of the President in invoking the Article 356 final and conclusive which could not be challenged in any court on any ground. But this provision was subsequently deleted by the 44 amendment act of 1978 implying that the satisfaction of the President is not beyond judicial review.

Cases of Proper and Improper Use of Article 356:

Based on the report of the Sarkaria Commission on Centre-state Relations (1988), the Supreme Court in Bommai case (1994) enlisted the situations where the exercise of power under Article 356 could be proper or improper.

• Imposition of President’s Rule in a state would be proper, in the following situations:

1. Where after general elections to the assembly, no party secures a majority, that is ‘Hung Assembly’.
2. Where the party having a majority in the assembly declines to form a ministry and the governor cannot find a coalition ministry commanding a majority in the assembly.
3. Where a ministry resigns After its defeat in the assembly and no other party is willing or able to form a ministry commanding a majority in the assembly.
4. Where the constitutional direction of the Central government is disregarded by the state government.
5. Internal subversion where, for example, a government is deliberately acting against the Constitution and the law or is fomenting a violent revolt.
6. Physical breakdown where the government wilfully refuses to discharge its constitutional obligations endangering the security of the state.

• The imposition of President’s Rule in a state would be improper under the following situations:

1. Where a ministry resigns or is dismissed on losing majority support in the assembly and the governor recommends imposition of President’s Rule without probing the possibility of forming an alternative ministry.
2. Where the governor makes his own assessment of the support of a ministry in the assembly and recommends imposition of President’s Rule without allowing the ministry to prove its majority on the floor of the Assembly.
3. Where the ruling party enjoys majority support in the assembly has suffered a massive defeat in the general elections to the Lok Sabha such as in 1977 and 1980.
4. Internal disturbances not amounting to internal subversion or physical breakdown.
5. Maladministration in the state or allegations of corruption against the ministry or stringent financial exigencies of the state.
6. Where the state government is not given prior warning to rectify itself except in case of extreme urgency leading to disastrous consequences.
7. Where the power is used to sort out inter party problems of the ruling party, or for a purpose extraneous or irrelevant to the one for which it has been conferred by the Constitution.

9. How Basmati in India is reaping the rewards of research

Subject: Science and technology

Section: Biotechnology

Context:

• Basmati rice’s annual exports from India have soared, from 0.3-0.35 million tonnes (mt) valued at $200-250 million to 4.5-4.6 mt worth $4.7-4.8 billion, in the past three decades.
• Much of this has been courtesy of scientists at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) in New Delhi.
• Globally, the top rice-producing country is China, followed by India. 
• India, the world’s biggest rice exporter, accounted for nearly 40 percent of global rice trade in 2022, exporting 22 million tonnes worth $9.66bn to 140 countries.

The first revolution:

• Till 1980s: Traditional rice varieties have been grown which were prone to lodging (bending over when heavy with well-filled grains) and yielding barely 10 quintals of paddy an acre. These rice varieties include Taraori (also called Karnal Local or HBC-19) and Dehraduni (Type-3).
• Pusa Basmati-1: introduced in 1989. Developed by IARI scientists led by E.A. Siddiq. It was a cross between Karnal Local and Pusa-150, a high-yielding non-basmati line.PB-1 didn’t lodge, yielded 25-26 quintals grain per acre.
• PB-1 delivered a yield revolution and helped double India’s basmati exports.

The second revolution:

• In 2003: Pusa Basmati-1121 (PB-1121) was released.
• PB-1121 yielded less (20-21 quintals/acre) with a slightly longer maturity (140-145 days). But it has an excellent grain quality: The kernel length averaged 8 mm that elongated 2.7 times to about 21.5 mm on cooking. This variety is being sold under the India Gate Classic brand.

The third revolution:

• In 2013: IARI released Pusa Basmati-1509 (PB-1509). It yielded just as much as PB-1, with the milled rice length before and after cooking comparable to PB-1121’s. But PB-1509’s seed-to-grain duration was just 115-120 days.
• Being an early-maturing high-yielding variety made PB-1509 advantageous for farmers.

Breeding for disease resistance:

• PB-1121 has become susceptible to bacterial leaf blight. To control it, the scientists have sought to transfer genes from landrace cultivars and wild relatives of paddy that are resistant to this bacterial disease. Such genes have been identified through a technique called marker-assisted selection.
• In 2021, IARI released Pusa Basmati-1885 and Pusa Basmati-1847. These were basically PB-1121 and PB-1509 having “in-built resistance” against bacterial blight as well as rice blast fungal disease. Both of them incorporated two bacterial blight resistant genes Xa21 and xa13, derived from a wild rice species (Oryza longistaminata) and a traditional indica landrace (BJ1) respectively.
• They also carried two other genes Pi2 and Pi54 against blast.
• Now farmers no longer have to use streptomycin or tetracycline combinations and fungicides such as tricyclazole, azoxystrobin and picoxystrobin.

Risk factors

• There’s no minimum support price (MSP) for basmati paddy. Also, its rice is mostly exported with only a limited domestic market.
• Basmati grain yields, at 25 quintals per acre, are only marginally below the 30 quintals for normal Parmal (non-basmati) varieties.
• The market price of Basmati rice is Rs 3,000/quintal (against the Rs 2,203 MSP for Grade A non-basmati paddy) and corresponding cultivation costs of Rs 30,000 per acre (Rs 25,000).
• Export ban of basmati rice is another challenge.

10. Moonquakes: testament to lunar ordeal

Subject: Science and technology

Section: Space technology

What are Moonquakes?

• An earthquake is caused when tectonic plates shift. But quakes themselves aren’t restricted to the earth.
• Small tremors have also been detected on the moon. But they are not because of tectonic plates.
• Instead, the moon is groaning from extreme temperature differences– from 121^o to -133^ocelsius- of 250^ocelsius. The resulting strain leads to seismic activities called the moonquakes.
• They can also occur due to meteors striking the lunar surface.
• Researchers found that the Apollo 17 lunar lander module, launched in 1972, may also have triggered some tremors.

Marsquakes and its cause: 

• Mars does not have tectonic plates, and its crust is a giant plate.
• Marsquakes are caused due to stresses that cause rock fractures or faults in its crust.
• This Marsquake is estimated to have hit magnitude 5 on the scale used on Earth.

11. Military leaders of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso sign mutual defence pact

Subject: IR

Section: Places in news

Introduction

• Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger signed the Liptako-Gourma Charter, forming the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).
• The goal of the pact is to establish collective defense and mutual assistance, primarily focused on combating terrorism within these countries.

Political Turmoil and Coups

• All three nations have experienced political turmoil and coups since 2020.
• Following the recent coup in Niger, tensions arose with the West African regional bloc ECOWAS, which threatened military intervention.
• Mali and Burkina Faso warned that such intervention would be viewed as a “declaration of war”.

Commitments Under the Liptako-Gourma Charter

• The charter obligates signatory countries to assist each other, including military support, in case of an attack.
• It also mandates cooperation to prevent or resolve armed rebellions.

Tuareg Armed Groups and Other Threats

• In addition to jihadist threats, Mali has experienced renewed hostilities by predominantly Tuareg armed groups.
• These groups had previously signed a peace agreement with the state in 2015 but have resumed military activities.
• The region faces threats, primarily from the Al-Qaeda-linked jihadist alliance Support Group for Islam and Muslims (GSIM).

Withdrawal of Foreign Troops

• Mali’s junta removed France’s anti-jihadist force in 2022.
• The UN peacekeeping missionMINUSMA was withdrawn in 2023.
• French troops were also withdrawn from Burkina Faso.
• Niger’s coup leaders canceled several military cooperation agreements with France.

Region of Liptako-Gourma

• Location: It is a region in West Africa, straddling parts of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger.
• Mali: Northern Mali, particularly the Gao and Menaka regions, is part of Liptako-Gourma and has been affected by conflict and jihadist groups.
• Burkina Faso: The eastern part of Burkina Faso, has experienced violence and terrorism.
• Niger: The western region of Niger, faces security threats, including attacks by extremist groups.

12. EU chief promises a plan of action as migrants flock to Italian island

Subject: IR

Section: Places in news

Context

• Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni visited Lampedusa in response to a surge in migrant arrivals.

Migrant Arrivals in Italy

• Italy has seen a substantial increase in migrant arrivals, with nearly 126,000 migrants arriving in the country this year, almost double the figure for the same period in 2022.

Challenges in Lampedusa

• Lampedusa, a small Italian island, has witnessed a sharp rise in migrant landings, exceeding its permanent population.
• Locals are protesting against the growing burden on the island.

European Union’s  Action Plan

• Ursula von der Leyen introduced a 10-point plan to assist Italy with the migrant crisis.
• The plan includes utilizing Frontex, the EU’s border agency, to identify and repatriate ineligible asylum seekers among migrants.
• Frontex will intensify surveillance of migrant boats, both at sea and from the air, and collaborate in combatting human smugglers.
• The plan expedites the supply of equipment to Tunisia’s coastguard, the main departure point for sea migrants, and accelerates fund transfers.
• Ursula von der Leyen is committed to improving legal channels for migrants.

Lampedusa

• Location: Lampedusa is a small Italian island in the Mediterranean Sea, southwest of Sicily and east of Tunisia.
• Geography: It covers about 20 square kilometers, the largest of the Pelagie Islands.
• Population: Small, with seasonal variations due to tourism; Italian and North African communities.
• Economy: Primarily reliant on tourism, with fishing and agriculture contributing.
• Immigration: Known for being a destination for migrants and refugees in the Mediterranean.
• Historical Significance: Influenced by Phoenicians, Romans, Arabs, and Normans due to its strategic location.