Daily Prelims Notes 2 December 2023

Daily Prelims Notes

2 December 2023

Table Of Contents

1. Will Myanmar rebel offensive change EU approach to conflict
2. Governor can’t send re-adopted Bill to President after withholding assent: SC
3. India offers to host 2028 climate meet
4. UAE announces $30-bn fund to boost climate investments
5. Agriculture- an easy target to meet climate goals
6. Drought emergency declared by 23 countries in 2022-23, shows global drought map
7. COP28: New report finds agriculture most climate-affected sector; calls for urgent food systems focus in L&D fund
8. World Bank recalls paper on decline in toilet usage in India
9. China and Vietnam weigh rail link through rare earths heartland

1. Will Myanmar rebel offensive change EU approach to conflict

Subject : IR

Section: Places in news

Context: A major offensive against Myanmar’s military-run government by an alliance of three militias of ethnic minorities

What is the issue:

• Myanmar has been in flames ever since the military seized power on February 1, 2021
• The Ethnic Armed Organizations (EAOs) and People’s Defence Forces (PDFs), armed civilian groups, have joined hands against the military, aligning with the self-declared National Unity Government in exile.
• In intense clashes, they successfully took control of two towns near the India-Myanmar border, i.e. Rikhawdar, close to Zokhawthar in Mizoram, and

Khampat in Sagaing region, around 60 km from Moreh in Manipur causing a refugee influx into Mizoram.

• The recent conflict, known as Operation 1027, initiated by the Three Brotherhood Alliance on October 27 in Shan State, resulted in the capture of over 100 military outposts and crucial border towns.
• The alliance is a front of three EAOs:
  • the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA),
  • the Ta’ang National Liberation Army, and
  • the Arakan Army.
• Chinshwehaw, a vital point on the China-Myanmar border trade route and a key revenue source for the junta, was among the seized locations.
• Simultaneously, local resistance forces ignited fighting in various parts of the country.
• Khampat in Sagaing region is also part of the proposed India-Myanmar-Thailand trilateral highway project.

More about the news:

• The recent offensive by the “Three Brotherhood Alliance” in Myanmar, composed of three ethnic armed organizations, known as “Operation 1027,” has not led to a major shift in Western policy towards the ongoing conflict, despite reports suggesting it could be a turning point
• Some observers suggest this offensive could be the beginning of the end for the junta, but Western governments are taking a cautious “wait-and-see” approach.
• The National Unity Government (NUG), established after the coup, is trying to garner support from ethnic armed organizations.
• The EU stated it is closely monitoring the situation, which could be a turning point, but it’s too early to draw firm conclusions. 

What does the opposition want from the West:

• The National Unity Government (NUG) of Myanmar has been in communication with the European Union (EU), updating them on the ongoing offensive against the military junta.
• The NUG previously issued the “Prague Appeal,” outlining its vision for a post-war federal democracy and urging the EU to recognize the NUG and evolving state governments as Myanmar’s legitimate authorities.
• The EU has responded with humanitarian aid, releasing around €68 million this year, and imposing seven rounds of sanctions targeting individuals and entities linked to the military junta.
• The EU emphasizes the need for an end to hostilities, respect for international humanitarian law, and the creation of an inclusive and democratic federal governance system in Myanmar.

What comes next for Myanmar:

• Concerns persist regarding the balance of power within the anti-junta movement in Myanmar, particularly as much of the recent fighting has been carried out by ethnic militias not formally aligned with the National Unity Government (NUG).
• While the European Union (EU) and European governments express support for inclusive dialogue involving all parties, including ethnic armed organizations (EAOs), uncertainty remains about how to engage with these militias due to limited past contact.
• While no high-level meetings between the NUG and European officials are currently scheduled, the NUG’s foreign minister and representatives from some EAOs visited Lithuania to meet local parliamentarians.
• An anonymous EU diplomatic source emphasized the necessity of genuinely inclusive dialogue that involves both EAOs and the NUG.
• The military junta’s repression has consistently faced opposition, leading to concerns for the junta’s stability.

2. Governor can’t send re-adopted Bill to President after withholding assent: SC

Subject : Polity

Section: Federalism

Context: Governor can’t send re-adopted Bill to President after withholding assent

More about the news:

• The Supreme Court of India has urged Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi to engage with Chief Minister M K Stalin and resolve the impasse over the delay in clearing Bills sent to him by the Assembly.
• The court emphasized that a Governor cannot refer a Bill for Presidential assent after it has been re-adopted or re-enacted by the Assembly.
• The Chief Justice of India, D Y Chandrachud, suggested that the Governor and Chief Minister sit down and resolve the issues.
• The court clarified that if the Governor withholds assent to a Bill, he must send it back to the Assembly and cannot simply retain it.
• The case involves the Tamil Nadu Governor withholding assent and not returning the Bills to the Assembly, referring them to the President after the Assembly re-enacted them.
• The court stated that the Governor has three options under Article 200:
  • Assent to the Bill, 
  • Withhold assent, 
  • Reserve the Bill for the President. 
• The court will further examine the matter in the next hearing.

What does the Constitution say:

• Article 200 of the Constitution outlines four options available to a Governor when a legislature-passed Bill is presented for assent:
  • Grant assent immediately.
  • Withhold assent.
  • Return the Bill to the legislature, requesting reconsideration of the Bill or specific provisions.
• If the legislature reapproves the Bill, with or without accepting Governor-suggested amendments, the Governor is constitutionally obligated to grant assent.
• Alternatively, the Governor may reserve the Bill for the President’s consideration.
• In the case of Presidential consideration i.e Article 201 the decision to grant or withhold assent is made by the President. Notably, there is no specified timeframe for the President to decide on the Bill’s outcome.

Do Governors have discretion:

• Governors did have a discretion to return Bills before the first provision in the draft Article 175 (now Article 200).
• This was amended by the Constituent Assembly in 1949.
• The first provision to Article 200 is thus a saving clause and retains the discretion over the fate of the Bill solely in the hands of the State Cabinet.
• Article 163 makes it clear the Governor is not expected to act independently.
• The Supreme Court in the Shamsher Singh case verdict has held that a Governor exercises all his powers and functions conferred on him by or under the Constitution on the aid and advice of his Council of Ministers save in spheres where the Governor is required by or under the Constitution to exercise his functions in his discretion.
• The assent or return of the Bill does not involve the discretion of individuals occupying the Governor’s post.

Can a Governor in practice actually sit on a Bill forever:

•  Granting assent to Bills is among the limited areas where the Governor has discretionary powers. However, the exercise of this discretion must adhere to constitutional principles, relying on compelling reasons rather than personal preferences.
• Notably, Article 200 employs the term “shall,” suggesting that the Constitution framers intended a mandatory requirement for Governors in this regard.

What were the recommendations of different commission:

• The Sarkaria Commission (1987) has emphasized that the Governor’s power to reserve Bills for the President’s consideration is a rare and implied discretionary authority, primarily applicable in cases of unconstitutionality.
• In all other instances, the Governor should adhere to Article 200, acting on ministerial advice.
• The commission suggested that the President should resolve such Bills within a maximum of six months, communicating reasons for withholding assent when possible.
• Despite recommendations from the Punchhi Commission (2010) to decide on Bills within six months, these proposals remain unimplemented.

What are various Supreme Court observations w.r.t Governor

• Purushothaman Nambudiri vs State of Kerala (1962):
  • The Constitution Bench clarified that no specific time limit is imposed by the Constitution for the Governor to provide assent to Bills.
  • Emphasized that the Governor must align actions with the will of the Legislature and operate in harmony with their Council of Ministers.
  • The Supreme Court  asserted that withholding assent to a law validly passed by the Legislature constitutes a direct attack on the federal structure of the Constitution. Noting that causing delays in assenting to Bills would be an arbitrary exercise, contradicting the constitutional spirit.
• Shamsher Singh vs State of Punjab (1974):
  • A 7-judge Constitution Bench outlined that the President and Governor should exercise their formal constitutional powers based on the advice of their Ministers, with few well-known exceptions.
• Nabam Rebia case (2016):
  • The SC cited B R Ambedkar’s observations, stating that the Governor has no independent functions to execute but does have specific duties to perform, urging recognition of this distinction by the House.
  • Ruled that Article 163 of the Constitution does not grant the Governor general discretionary power to act against or without the advice of the Council of Ministers.
• Rajiv Gandhi assassination case (2018):
  • The SC expressed dissatisfaction with the Governor’s delay in taking action on the release of seven convicted prisoners, citing a lapse of more than two years.

What are the other Constitutional Position related to Governor:

• Article 153 of the Indian Constitution mandates the appointment of a Governor in each state. The 7th Amendment to the Constitution however, allows for the appointment of the same person as Governor of two or more states.
• Article 154: The Governor shall have executive power over the state, which he shall exercise either directly or through officers subordinate to him in conformity with this Constitution.
• Article 163: There shall be a council of ministers, led by the Chief Minister, to assist and advise the Governor in the exercise of his powers, except when he is compelled to execute his functions at his discretion.
• Article 164: The council of ministers is collectively responsible to the state’s legislative assembly. This provision is the cornerstone of the state’s parliamentary system of governance.
• The Governor has the same Executive, Legislative, Financial, and Judicial authorities as the President of India. However, the Governor’s power is restricted in several ways compared to that of the President, as the Governor lacks the President’s military, diplomatic, and emergency authorities.

3. India offers to host 2028 climate meet

Subject: Environment

Section: International Conventions

In the news:

• Prime Minister of India in his address at COP-28, offered to host the 33rd edition of the annual summit due in 2028 in India.
• India had previously hosted the summit in 2002.
• He also pitched for countries to join India in its “Green Credit initiative” which was a “non-commercial” effort to create a carbon sink.

Conference of Parties (COP) of UNFCCC:

• The COP is the supreme decision-making body of the Convention.
• All States that are Parties to the Convention are represented at the COP, at which they review the implementation of the Convention and any other legal instruments that the COP adopts and take decisions necessary to promote the effective implementation of the Convention, including institutional and administrative arrangements.
• The first COP meeting was held in Berlin, Germany in March, 1995.
• The last COP in 2022 was held in Sharm Al-Sheikh, Egypt.
• COP28 in 2023 is being held at Dubai, UAE.
• From Asia region– Kyoto, Japan (COP3- 1997), New Delhi, India (COP8- 2002), Bali, Indonesia (COP13- 2007), Doha, Qatar (COP18- 2012) and Dubai, UAE (COP28- 2023) have held the summit.

How is the host country of the conference selected?

• Regional group members hold consultations to determine which country from their region will make an offer to host a conference.
• The host country of the COP normally rotates among the five United Nations regional groups (The African Group, the Asia-Pacific Group, the Eastern Europe Group, the Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC) and the Western European and Others Group (WEOG)).
• Once agreed, the country selected by the regional group to host the conference sends its offer formally to the UNFCCC secretariat.
• The COP considers the offers and adopts a decision, usually titled “Dates and Venues of Future Sessions”, accepting the offer, subject to confirmation by the Bureau of the COP.
• The secretariat then undertakes a fact-finding mission to the prospective host country to determine that all “logistical, technical and financial elements for hosting the sessions are available” and reports back to the Bureau, early at the start of the year.
• A proposal to host the Conference of the Parties (COP) must be approved by other signatories to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

What is the role of the COP host government?    

• The host government provides premises and facilities, equipment, utilities and services for the COP.
• This includes translation services for all six working languages of the UN and making sure that facilities for media representatives are available.
• It also includes security for the COP outside of the core “blue zone” of the meeting, which is secured by UN staff.
• The host government also provides leadership on engaging governments and non-Party stakeholders to ensure a smooth preparation and delivery of successful COPs.

Green Credit Program (GCP): Incentivizing Environmental Actions

• GCP was notified on 13th October, 2023 is an innovative market-based mechanism designed to incentivize voluntary environmental actions across diverse sectors, by various stakeholders like individuals, communities, private sector industries, and companies.
• The GCP’s governance framework is supported by an inter-ministerial Steering Committee and The Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) serves as the GCP Administrator, responsible for program implementation, management, monitoring, and operation.
• In its initial phase, the GCP focuses on two key activities: water conservation and afforestation.
• Draft methodologies for awarding Green Credits have been developed and will be notified for stakeholder consultation.
  • These methodologies set benchmarks for each activity/process, to ensure environmental impact and fungibility across sectors.
• The Green Credit Registry and trading platform, being developed by ICFRE along with experts, would facilitate the registration and thereafter, the buying and selling of Green Credits.

Source: The Hindu

4. UAE announces $30-bn fund to boost climate investments

Subject: Environment

Section: International Conventions

Investment Fund ALTERRA:

• The UAE, host of the 28th Conference of Parties (COP-28), announced a $30-billion commitment to an investment fund called ALTÉRRA.
• ALTERRA is a privately managed fund that aims to mobilise $250 billion globally by 2030 and be the largest of its kind, geared towards climate investments and transforming emerging markets and developing economies.
• ALTÉRRA has been established by Lunate, an independent global investment manager, and is domiciled in the Abu Dhabi Global Market.
• Other partners include: BlackRock, Brookfield and TPG.
• The fund will be chaired by the COP28 President Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber.
• ALTÉRRA will have four key verticals namely: Energy Transition, Industrial Decarbonisation, Sustainable Living and Climate Technologies.
• An unspecified amount has been earmarked for development of over 6 GW (1 GW is 1,000 MW) of new clean energy capacity in India.

Source: The Hindu

5. Agriculture- an easy target to meet climate goals

Subject: Environment

Section: International Conventions

In the news:

• A media report revealed that the government was deliberating plans to cull some 200,000 cows over the course of three years, at an yearly cost of €200 million (around US $211.5 million) to be paid to farmers as compensation, for meeting the country’s climate emission goals. The news triggered large-scale farmer protests.
• High-income nations across the world seem to have chosen agriculture as a priority sector to enforce emissions cut for meeting their national climate targets.

Announcements or plans declared by countries since 2022 to curb greenhouse gas emissions from livestock and agriculture-

Emissions from the agriculture sector:

• Methane (from livestock belching, flatulence and dung) and nitrous oxide (from nitrogen fertilisers) are the two main greenhouse gases (GHGs) from the agriculture sector. Methane and nitrous oxide account for 16 per cent and 6 per cent of global GHGS.
  • Emissions and storage from soil carbon (which is counted in land use) and farm energy use are not counted as part of agricultural emissions.

Methane emissions:

• Methane is the second most abundant greenhouse gas (GHG) after carbon dioxide (CO2), accounting for 20 per cent of global emissions.
• It is 25 times potent than CO2, but short-lived and is responsible for about half of the net rise in global average temperature since the pre-industrial era.
• Methane from livestock originates as carbon dioxide in the atmosphere that is taken up by grass and other plants during photosynthesis.
• These plants are eaten by animals, who then burp methane during digestion, or release it as flatulence. The gas is also released through decaying manure.
• About 32 per cent of global anthropogenic methane come from microbial processes that occur during the enteric fermentation of ruminant livestock and manure management systems, while oil and gas operations contribute about 63 per cent.
• Methane is of two main types — biogenic (produced from plants and animals) and fossil (which has been locked up underground for millions of years).
  • Biogenic methane has an atmospheric life of about a decade, before it becomes carbon dioxide (CO2) and is taken up by plants again, followed by the same cycle of plants being eaten by animals.
  • Methane from fossil fuels adds CO2 to the atmosphere. It is linked with leaks from coal mining and flaring from oil and gas drilling, transport of fossil fuels, and natural sources like onshore seeps.

Two main multilateral treaties to deal with agricultural emissions:

1. Global Methane Pledge (GMP), which has been signed by 149 countries since its launch in 2021 at the Conference of the Parties (COP) to UNFCCC held at Glasgow, Ireland.
   • The signatory nations have pledged to cut methane emissions by 25 per cent by 2030 compared to 2020 levels.
2. The European Green Deal, a Europe-specific treaty announced in 2020 and signed by 27 countries, which are required to reduce their GHG emissions by at least 55 per cent by 2030 compared to 1990 levels.
   • A Nature Restoration Law, passed in July 2023 under the deal, aims to restore and recover nature on at least 20 per cent of EU land and sea area by 2030, through binding targets relating to habitat and species restoration.

Animal product and food security:

• Animal products make a substantial contribution to food security, providing protein and micro-nutrients.
• The global demand for animal products will increase by 60 to 70 per cent by 2050.
• Measures under the Green Deal of EU will decrease meat supply by 14 per cent and raw milk supply by 10 per cent.

Source: Down To Earth

6. Drought emergency declared by 23 countries in 2022-23, shows global drought map

Subject : Environment

Section: International Conventions

Context:

• At least 23 countries, including India, declared drought emergencies at a national or sub-national level during 2022-23, showed new data from a global drought map compiled by the United Nations, pointing to unprecedented urgency on a planetary scale.

About the Report:

• Title: Global Drought Snapshot 2023
• Released by: United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)
• Report is based on reporting by 101 Parties to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).

Key findings:

• 1.84 billion people were drought-stricken, out of which 4.7 per cent were exposed to severe or extreme drought.
• An emergency was declared in 23 countries due to the impact of drought.
  • Of these, Europe had the highest number (8) — Spain, Italy and United Kingdom declaring it in April, May and July 2023, respectively, while Greece, Portugal, Romania and Serbia in July 2022.
• In 2022, the continent recorded its largest overall drought impacted area — over 630,000 square kilometres, as opposed to the 167,000 square kilometres annual average between 2000 and 2022.
• In Asia, five countries declared drought — India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Kazakhstan and China.
• Countries that have declared drought- the USA, Canada, Uruguay and the African countries of Ethio[ia, Kenya, Somalia, Niger, Djibouti, Cabo Verde and Mauritania, Kiribati, the Marshal Islands, and Tuvalu.
• On November 17, 2023, the world breached 2 degrees Celsius of warming, a number the world was constantly warned of not crossing.
• 85 per cent of people affected by droughts live in low-or middle-income countries. Moreover, 98 per cent of the 32.6 million new disaster displacements in 2022 were the result of weather-related hazards such as storms, floods and droughts.

Impact of these droughts:

• Decreased reservoir levels, declining crop yields, loss of biological diversity, famines and serious economic consequences, especially in agriculture-dependent regions where drought-related crop failures lead to food shortages and often skyrocketing prices, potentially disrupting global food supply chains.

International Drought Resilience Alliance (IDRA):

• First announced by Spain at the 77th session of the UN General Assembly in September 2022 to be officially launched at the UNFCCC COP27 in November 2022.
• The alliance is jointly convened by the Governments of Senegal and Spain.
• Interested members of the Alliance see the urgent need to pivot from emergency response to increasing drought resilience through a more coordinated and effective response.

Source: Down To Earth

7. COP28: New report finds agriculture most climate-affected sector; calls for urgent food systems focus in L&D fund

Subject : Environment

Section: International Conventions

Context:

• Agriculture is the climate-affected sector globally, with 40 per cent of countries reporting economic losses explicitly linked to it, according to a new United Nations (UN) analysis.

Details:

• Some 134 countries — representing over 5.7 billion people, 70 per cent of the food we eat, nearly 500 million farmers and 76 per cent of total emissions from the global food system — signed the Emirates Declaration on Sustainable Agriculture, Resilient Food Systems, and Climate Action.
• The agrifood sector employed over 866 million people globally in 2020 and represented a turnover of $3.6 trillion.

Analysis findings:

• Analysis was done by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).
• It is an analysis of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) of 168 countries as part of their climate commitments under the 2015 Paris Agreement.
• About one-third (or 35 per cent) of current climate action plans explicitly refer to L&D, highlighting the growing relevance of the issue on the global stage, with agriculture being identified as the single most impacted area.
• About three-fourths of countries explicitly mentioning loss and damage are middle-income nations. The mentions are concentrated in Latin America and the Caribbean, followed by East Asia and the Pacific, and Europe and Central Asia.
• Among countries reporting on L&D, 33 per cent of non-economic losses related to the agricultural sector.

 Emirates Declaration on Sustainable Agriculture, Resilient Food Systems, and Climate Action:

• Announced at a special session of the World Climate Action Summit led by Joko Widodo, President of Indonesia; Giorgia Meloni, Prime Minister of Italy; Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa, Prime Minister of Samoa and Anthony J Blinken, Secretary of State for the United States of America.
• This Declaration commits 134 countries to integrating food into their climate plans — or NDCs — by 2025, marking the first time in UN climate talks that countries have made a clear commitment to take action on the global food system.
• The countries also included those with highest food systems-related greenhouse gas emissions like Brazil, China and the European Union.
• Food loss and waste is responsible for 8 to 10 per cent of global emissions.
• Food banks around the world are a time-tested solution by collecting surplus food and delivering it to those who need it.

Global Agrifood System:

• Agrifood systems refer to the journey of food from farm to table – including when it is grown, fished, harvested, processed, packaged, transported, distributed, traded, bought, prepared, eaten and disposed of.
• It has the benefit of nutrition and livelihood.

Hidden costs of Global Agrifood System:

• The global agrifood system has hidden costs, such as those related to health and the environment. These add up when estimating the value of the agricultural process of production, distribution and consumption, to society.
• The hidden costs – a cost that is not reflected in the market price of a product or service – is 12.7 trillion at 2020 Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) dollars. The total hidden cost is equivalent to the 10% of th global GDP.
• These hidden costs come from greenhouse gas and nitrogen emissions, water use, land-use change, unhealthy dietary patterns, undernourishment and poverty.
• The majority of the hidden costs (over $9 trillion or 73% of the total $12.7 trillion hidden costs in 2020) are health-related costs resulting from productivity loss because of unhealthy dietary patterns.
• Most of these costs come from upper-middle-income countries (39% of the total hidden costs) and high-income countries (36%). Lower-middle-income countries contribute 22% of the hidden costs, while low-income countries make up 3%.
  • In lower-middle-income countries, the social costs from poverty and undernourishment are more significant contributors to hidden costs.

Country-wise estimate of the hidden cost:

• The countries with the highest net hidden costs are the world’s largest food producers and consumers, with the United States of America accounting for 13% of total quantified hidden costs, the European Union 14%, and the bloc of Brazil, the Russian Federation, India and China (the BRIC countries) accounting for 39%.
• In India the total hidden costs of the agrifood systems amount to $1.12 trillion.
• Under the total hidden costs, social costs includes the cost of poverty among agrifood workers, cost of dieseases related to undernourishment and dietry patterns.

The State of Food and Agriculture 2023 report- released by the UN FAO.

• The report introduces True Cost Accounting (TCA) as an approach to estimate hidden costs and to unveil the hidden impacts of agrifood systems on environment, health and livelihoods.
• TCA goes beyond market exchanges to account for all flows to and from agrifood systems, including those not captured by market transactions.
• Database used are- FAO’s Corporate Database for Substantive Statistical Data (FAOSTAT), the World Bank’s World Development Indicators, the Global Burden of Disease database, and the Ecosystem Services Valuation Database.

Source: Down To Earth, Mongabay

8. World Bank recalls paper on decline in toilet usage in India

Subject : Govt Schemes

Section: Places in news

Context:

• World Bank published a departmental working paper highlighting the “most concerning” trend of toilet usage declining in rural India since 2018  despite early gains of the Swachh Bharat Mission­-Gramin.

What is Swachh Bharat Mission Grameen (SBM-G)?

• It was launched in 2014 by the Ministry of Jal Shakti to accelerate the efforts to achieve universal sanitation coverage and to put focus on sanitation.
• The mission was implemented as a nation-wide campaign/Janandolan which aimed at eliminating open defecation in rural areas.

Swachh Bharat Mission (G) Phase-I:

• The rural sanitation coverage in the country at the time of launch of SBM (G) on 2nd October, 2014 was reported as 38.7%.
• More than 10 crore individual toilets have been constructed since the launch of the mission, as a result, rural areas in all the States have declared themselves ODF as on 2nd October, 2019.

SBM(G) Phase-II:

• It emphasizes the sustainability of achievements under phase I and to provide adequate facilities for Solid/Liquid & plastic Waste Management (SLWM) in rural India.
• It will be implemented from 2020-21 to 2024-25 in a mission mode with a total outlay of Rs. 1,40,881 crores.
• The SLWM component of ODF Plus will be monitored on the basis of output-outcome indicators for 4 key areas:
• Plastic waste management,
• Biodegradable solid waste management (including animal waste management),
• Greywater (Household Wastewater) management
• Fecal sludge management.

Top Performing States:

• The top five performing states are Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh where maximum number of villages have been declared as ODF Plus.

What is the Significance of Swachh Bharat Mission?

• It will continue to generate employment and provide impetus to the rural economy through construction of household toilets and community toilets, as well as infrastructure for SLWM such as compost pits, soak pits, waste stabilisation ponds, material recovery facilities etc.
• It will also help rural India effectively handle the challenge of solid and liquid waste management and will help in substantial improvement in the health of the villagers in the country.

What is Open Defecation Free Status?

• ODF: An area can be notified or declared as ODF if at any point of the day, not even a single person is found defecating in the open.
• ODF+: This status is given if at any point of the day, not a single person is found defecating and/or urinating in the open, and all community and public toilets are functional and well maintained.
• ODF++: This status is given if the area is already ODF+ and the faecal sludge/septage and sewage are safely managed and treated, with no discharging or dumping of untreated faecal sludge and sewage into the open drains, water bodies or areas.

What are the Schemes as part of SBM?

• GOBAR-DHAN (Galvanizing Organic Bio-Agro Resources) Scheme: Launched by the Ministry of Jal Shakti in 2018 and aims to augment income of farmers by converting biodegradable waste into compressed biogas (CBG).
• Individual Household Latrines (IHHL): Individuals get around 15 thousand for the construction of toilets.
• Swachh Vidyalaya Abhiyan: The Ministry of Education launched the Swachh Vidyalaya Programme with an objective to provide separate toilets for boys and girls in all government schools within one year.

9. China and Vietnam weigh rail link through rare earths heartland

Subject : IR

Section: Places in news

Context:

• China and Vietnam are working on a possible significant upgrade of their underdeveloped rail links to boost a line that crosses Vietnam’s rare earths heartland and reaches the country’s top port in the north.

More about News:

• The upgraded railway would pass through the region where Vietnam has its largest deposits of rare earths, of which China is by far the world’s biggest refiner.

• Vietnam is trying to build its own industry in what is seen as a possible challenge to China’s dominance, but what appear as internal fights have cast a shadow over these efforts.
• Chinese and Vietnamese rare earths industry experts last week discussed stronger cooperation on processing the minerals.
• It is unclear how much China would contribute to the upgraded railway track in Vietnam and whether Hanoi would accept sizeable financing from Beijing on this.
• The line could be seen as part of China’s flagship Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) which is supporting infrastructure investment across the world, but is not clear whether it would be labelled as a BRI project.
• A strengthened railway link could also boost Vietnam’s export to China, mostly of agriculture products, boost Chinese tourism to northern Vietnam and further integrate the two countries’ manufacturing industries, which experts already consider as symbiotic, with factories in Vietnam largely assembling components produced in China.
• China is Vietnam’s largest trading partner and so far this year is also the main investor, taking into account investment from Hong Kong, as many Chinese companies move south some of their operations amid trade tensions between Beijing and Washington.
• Despite the booming economic links, the two communist nations are embroiled in a years-long maritime dispute in the South China Sea and fought a brief war in the late 70s, China’s latest.

What are Rare Earth Metals?

• They are a set of seventeen metallic elements. These include the fifteen lanthanides on the periodic table in addition to scandium and yttrium that show similar physical and chemical properties to the lanthanides.
• The 17 Rare Earths are cerium (Ce), dysprosium (Dy), erbium (Er), europium (Eu), gadolinium (Gd), holmium (Ho), lanthanum (La), lutetium (Lu), neodymium (Nd), praseodymium (Pr), promethium (Pm), samarium (Sm), scandium (Sc), terbium (Tb), thulium (Tm), ytterbium (Yb), and yttrium (Y).
• These minerals have unique magnetic, luminescent, and electrochemical properties and thus are used in many modern technologies, including consumer electronics, computers and networks, communications, health care, national defense, clean energy technologies etc.
• Even futuristic technologies need these REEs.
• For example, high-temperature superconductivity, safe storage and transport of hydrogen for a post-hydrocarbon economy etc.
• They are called ‘rare earth’ because earlier it was difficult to extract them from their oxides forms technologically.
• They occur in many minerals but typically in low concentrations to be refined in an economical manner.

How China Monopolised Rare Earths?

• China has over time acquired global domination of rare earths, even at one point, it produced 90% of the rare earths the world needs.
• Today, however, it has come down to 60% and the remaining is produced by other countries, including the Quad (Australia, India, Japan and United States).
• Since 2010, when China curbed shipments of Rare Earths to Japan, the US, and Europe, production units have come up in Australia, and the US along with smaller units in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
• Even so, the dominant share of processed Rare Earths lies with China.

What is India’s Current Policy on Rare Earths?

• Exploration in India has been conducted by the Bureau of Mines and the Department of Atomic Energy. Mining and processing has been performed by some minor private players in the past, but is today concentrated in the hands of IREL (India) Limited (formerly Indian Rare Earths Limited), a Public Sector Undertaking under the Department of Atomic Energy.
• India has granted government corporations such as IREL a monopoly over the primary mineral that contains REEs: monazite beach sand, found in many coastal states.
• IREL produces rare earth oxides (low-cost, low-reward “upstream processes”), selling these to foreign firms that extract the metals and manufacture end products (high-cost, high-reward “downstream processes”) elsewhere.
• IREL’s focus is to provide thorium — extracted from monazite — to the Department of Atomic Energy.

What are the Related Steps taken?

Globally:

• The Multilateral Minerals Security Partnership (MSP) was announced in June 2022, with the goal of bringing together countries to build robust critical minerals supply chains needed for climate objectives.
• Involved in this partnership are the United States (US), Canada, Australia, Republic of Korea, Japan, and various European countries.
• India is not included in the partnership.

By India:

• Ministry of Mines has amended Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) (MMDR) Act, 1957 through the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2021 for giving boost to mineral production, improving ease of doing business in the country and increasing contribution of mineral production to Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
• The amendment act provides that no mine will be reserved for particular end-use.

What is the Belt and Road Initiative?

• The BRI, represents a multifaceted development strategy aimed at enhancing global connectivity and cooperation.
• It was launched in 2013 and aims to link Southeast Asia, Central Asia, the Gulf region, Africa and Europe with a network of land and sea routes.
• The project was first named the ‘One Belt, One Road’ but renamed as the BRI to convey a more open and inclusive initiative as opposed to a Chinese-dominated one.
• The initiative includes two principal components: the Silk Road Economic Belt and the Maritime Silk Road.

Routes of BRI:

Silk Road Economic Belt:

• This segment of the BRI is dedicated to improving connectivity, infrastructure, and trade links across Eurasia through a network of overland transportation routes.

Maritime Silk Road:

• This component emphasizes maritime connections and cooperation in the form of ports, shipping routes, and maritime infrastructure projects.
• It begins via the South China Sea going towards Indo-China, South-East Asia and then around the Indian Ocean thus reaching Africa and Europe.

Objective:

• The primary goal of the BRI is to boost international connectivity by enhancing infrastructure, trade, and economic cooperation.
• The initiative encompasses a wide range of projects, including railways, ports, highways, and energy infrastructure.