Hindu Analysis 22 June 2023 | UPSC Current Affairs | IAS Editorial

[00:00:00]hello everyone a very good morning and welcome to baiju's exam prep Welcome to our daily Hindu analysis before we begin we have an important announcement we have a workshop scheduled for 24 June at 6 PM if you want to understand which are the must read books for preparing for upsc civil services Examination for the next year's attempt so do attend the workshop live on the by juice exam prep app now before we begin if you're liking our initiatives do support them by pressing the like button share your comments and don't forget to subscribe to our Channel so let's begin the analysis of today's the Hindu newspaper by first looking at the topics that we are going to cover today I have chosen four important editorials and columns from page number six and eight we shall have a detailed discussion on all these topics followed by this we have six important articles smaller articles but very relevant for our prelims examination so let's cover all these topics in complete detail and let's start one by one we shall begin with this editorial on page number six which is from disaster management and it is related to the topic of heat waves which is a very important topic for GS paper 3.

[00:01:20]as you know in Northern parts of India several states have been reeling under the impact of heat waves especially in uttar Pradesh and Bihar in several districts a lot of cases are being received by government hospitals that are linked with heat related physiological stress heat exhaustion heat cramps heat stroke conditions are being reported in several States across up and Bihar and in many cases debts also have been reported so these Rising cases of heat wave related deaths in few States has raised a lot of concern and this brings the topic of heat waves into attention the editorial is just focused on the current situation in up and Bihar so I would like to expand the discussion go beyond the article and talk about heat waves in more detail as it's an important topic for disaster management and geography and the topic is very relevant for your prelims so let's understand this topic in more detail according to the National disaster Management Authority the nodal agency to deal with disasters a heat wave is defined as a period of abnormally high temperatures where the actual maximum temperature is many times higher than the normal maximum temperature this is how the ndma defines a heat wave and the nodal agency to forecast a heat wave and declare real-time alerts and provide early warning is the IMD the India metallurgical Department which is under the ministry of Earth Sciences the IMD being a forecasting agency and a metallurgical agency can keep track of temperatures across various locations and even provide for very accurate forecasts for the coming days and thus it can predict heat wave conditions Prior and give early warnings and alerts so IMD has developed a criteria on the basis of which heat wave conditions are declared in India so before we look at the criteria let's understand which regions are affected during which months do we witness heat wave conditions so that is something we should understand first and then I shall explain the criteria through which IMD declares the start of a heat wave condition heat waves are a feature of the summer season during the oppressive summer months starting from March itself going all the way till June sometimes extending till end of July this is the period where few parts of India suffer from oppressive heat wave conditions from the beginning of Summer from around March going all the way till June even extending to July that is still the monsoons bring some cooling effect so this entire period of the summer season is when Heatwave conditions are reported it is specific to few parts of Northern India Northwestern India and South Central parts of India now if you look at the map that I've shared a couple of slides later this infographic clearly helps you understand how temperatures rise across India during summer months in a particular day if you look at the hot spots if you focus on let's say Northwestern India that is parts of Rajasthan Gujarat haryana parts of Punjab Delhi NCR region right you can see how the temperatures are hitting maximum Peaks even across Northern India up Bihar madhya Pradesh extending to jharkhand as well and South Central parts of India that is parts of madhya Pradesh Maharashtra then interior Karnataka Telangana chattisgarh and parts of Odessa this belt as well suffers from heat wave conditions so this these are the regions which are most prone these are the most vulnerable regions in India of course it can be reported in few other parts as well such as few parts of Northeast India but Heat Wave declaration is largely limited to Northwestern Northern and South Central parts of India this is where abnormally high temperatures are reported during the summer months where the actual maximum temperature would be significantly higher than the normal maximum temperature the problem with such heat wave conditions is that human physiological functions bodily functions get affected our physiology our human body functions at a ideal core body temperature when these oppressive heat conditions are present and if you are exposed to the heat constantly for a longer period of time our body is put under severe physiological stress which shoots up the core body temperature so if your body cannot cool down and remove that excess heat in the right time it will start affecting the internal functioning of various organs and it could become fatal resulting in death as well so this is the reason why heat waves are treated as a disaster it's no ordinary phenomena it is treated as a disaster and with climate change and global warming these incidents are becoming more frequent the impact is also becoming more serious now with El Nino conditions beginning higher temperatures are expected for the next few years with impact on monsoons and countries like India are likely to suffer the bigger impact of heat wave disasters that's why the topic becomes all the more important so now let's look at the criteria based on which heat waves are declared by the IMD IMD has a three-step criteria the first point is that IMD has set a threshold there is a minimum threshold which has to hit for a heat wave condition to be declared and this threshold varies depending on the altitude of the place because altitude plays a role in the heat that you perceive in a particular given place altitude also could affect humidity the humidity present in a location and the altitude both factors play a role in the heat that is perceived in a given location so accordingly for different places IMD has set a minimum threshold which has to be considered before declaring a heat wave for plane areas the minimum threshold is 40 degree Celsius anything below that is never treated as a heat wave condition even if there is even if there is a significant jump in the actual temperature compared to the normal temperatures the minimum threshold to be hit is 40 degrees in the planes 37 degrees for coastal areas and 30 degrees for hilly regions so that is point number one the first criteria that you have to remember second these abnormally high temperatures they have to be recorded at two stations on two consecutive days in a given location if a heat wave has to be declared these abnormal temperatures where actual temperature has significantly crossed normal temperature it has to be recorded at two stations in a mythological subdivision for two consecutive days this is the second criteria and now looking at the specific jump in temperature if the normal temperature is less than or equal to 40 degrees let's say the normal temperature expected in a place be it a plane area or a Hill area or a coastal area let's say the normal temperature expected is less than or equal to 40 degrees if the actual temperature being reported is more than five to six degrees above the normal then and if it is recorded at two stations for two consecutive days then IMD declares a heat wave alert now let's say in a place like Delhi the normal temperature is expected let's say to be 39 degrees or let's say normal temperature is expected to be 41 degrees if the actual temperature is five to six degrees above let's say 47 48 degrees are being recorded for two stations for two days or two stations then IMD declares that a heat wave has started in Delhi on the other hand if the normal temperature itself is more than 40 normal expected temperature is above 40.

[00:09:28]and the departure is plus four or five degrees and this is recorded at two stations for two consecutive days again heat wave conditions are declared is that clear and the third and final criteria irrespective of the normal temperature of a place if the actual temperature crosses 45 degrees for two consecutive days recorded at two stations even then a heat wave condition is declared so these are the three key points that you have to remember the minimum threshold which has been set for different locations depending on altitude and relative humidity and the exact criteria which has been laid out and the exceptional Circumstance the third point where the actual temperature is constantly above 45. irrespective of the normal temperature so in these conditions a heat wave is declared by the IMD so now what exactly is the impact of heat waves why are we focusing on this topic so much why are we considering this as a major disaster that's because heat waves can have a serious health impact it can affect the masses in a particular given region see when heat shoots up to such extent and your body is not able to cool down you will suffer from excessive dehydration of course this depends on factors like your exposure the humidity level in the region and few other factors depending on all these factors if you are exposed to the to the constant heat during the peak period let's say between 10 am to 4 pm usually this is when the maximum oppressive temperatures are reported it hits a peak between 12 to 3 but from 10 AM to 4 pm you start witnessing these uh extremely high temperatures so those who are exposed to this constantly will suffer from excessive dehydration you're drained out of the bodily fluids this can result in heat cramps it can cause edema where there is swelling of the internal tissue in the muscles causing muscle cramps which could also induce fever heat exhaustion including nausea headache dizziness even vomiting this is a very serious health care condition a health disorder and this could eventually turn to a heat stroke where the core body temperature shoots above the normal temperature the core internal body temperature should be maintained at an ideal temperature for the physiological functions to be carried out anything beyond this or the body fails to cool down if the fever doesn't subside if the muscle cramps dehydration and vomiting kicks in and there is nausea and fatigue right your internal organs will start to fail at these temperatures it could lead to a stroke or a heart attack and it could result in multi-organ Failure which could eventually turn to death so that is why heat waves are quite deadly and the worst part about heat waves is that it has a socio-economic impact the most unfortunate part about the disaster is that it has a disproportionate impact on few sections of the society because the impact of the heat wave is dependent on several factors it's dependent on your general well-being General Health as well right it's also about how acclimatized you are to these conditions is your body used and accustomed to these high temperatures constantly and how much physical exertion are you carrying out during these periods right if you're someone who is having a desk job who is always in their home or in their office protected from the heat then you'll have nothing to worry but those who are forced out of circumstances economic and social circumstances to work in the streets to work in the open they are at greatest risk their well-being is not good they don't have the right nutrition they may not have access to water and hydration they might be suffering from comorbidities right so when these factors are taken into account along with the humidity of the place and the exposure these factors will determine the impact of a heat wave as I told you the most unfortunate part is that it affects the weaker sections it affects the poor people and the vulnerable communities and they take the Maximum Impact because they are forced out of necessity economic necessity to work in the open like construction workers manual laborers Street vendors Rickshaw pullers they don't have a choice social economic conditions would have pushed them to work in the open for long hours even during oppressive heat conditions so as they physically exert themselves and as they do not have access to a good nutrition hydration and cooling options they're exposed to these oppressive conditions where the body suffers from heat exhaustion resulting in a heat stroke they may not even realize as to what they are suffering from when they report dizziness or vomiting they may not even seek medical help medical attention as they are not aware of the impact of a heat wave by the time they are taken to hospitals it's already too late and living conditions and amenities and your economic status actually plays a very big role in determining the impact of heat waves in India every year lot of lives are lost due to heat waves and trust me almost every death is amongst the poor and vulnerable communities the middle class upper classes they are never affected by Heatwave conditions because you have the right amenities and Facilities to take care of these conditions you are able to access shelter or shade you don't have to expose yourselves in the heat out of necessity maybe athletes are an exception athletes also suffer from the impact but it's an exception because it's a professional Hazard but manual laborers construction workers daily wage workers Street vendors Rickshaw pullers for them it's a socio-economic necessity the society the economy is pushing them to do this task despite the oppressive conditions because they have no choice right so this is what makes the disaster quite painful for India especially considering the impact on the disproportionate impact on the poor and vulnerable sections since they can't seek out good living conditions the places they work in the place they live they may not have good ventilation they may not have access to cooling solutions like a fan or air cooler or air conditioner they may not be able to access drinking water and hydration or electrolytes on time they may not have enough affordability as well so these conditions make it worse for such vulnerable communities thus they take the biggest impact of heat waves so this is why the editorial is paying a lot of attention to the topic so now what do we do what can we do to manage the disaster as part of the disaster management cycle what steps can be taken in pre-disaster phase what steps can be taken during disaster phase and what measures to be implemented post disaster in order to mitigate the impact of heat waves right that is what we need to understand first and foremost have a effective early warning system this is something India already has thanks to IMD we have enough scientific technical capabilities to accurately forecast weather for the coming days going up to a week or 10 days IMD has developed very sophisticated and accurate weather modeling systems which are put through supercomputers lot of data is collected through satellites and Doppler Radars and this helps us to churn out very accurate data so early warning is not a problem we can come out with accurate estimates and prior warning can be easily provided with real-time alerts to all the concerned authorities but in the pre-disaster phase there should be long-term planning to protect natural buffers that help in moderate moderating temperatures natural buffers in our cities in in our towns in rural areas they should be conserved and protected for example forested areas even parks Lakes wetlands these are natural buffers they help in moderating the temperature they also provide shelter and a shaded area where people can rest where people can take some relief from the oppressive heat and it plays a role in bringing down temperatures in the nearby region it moderates the temperature essential Services have to continue Supply without cuts this is a responsibility of the government especially that of the local bodies when heat wave alerts are declared during the summer season in the affected areas the concerned authorities have to ensure that electricity water supply is undisrupted because if there is constant supply of water people can hydrate themselves if there is electricity 24 7 in such areas especially during the day time they can take up some cooling solutions maybe a fan or air cooler or air conditioner strengthening the public health care institutions is critical the government hospitals they should have the right infrastructure the resources the capabilities to deal with such cases they have to diagnose the cases correctly and Report the cases as well now this is exactly the problem the editorial is highlighting in the recent cases of heat related deaths that are happening in up and Bihar the government hospitals are concealing the death cause there is some pressure from the government trying to conceal the debts which are occurring because of heat related physiological stress so the correct reason is not being attributed the debts are not being attributed to heat related stress and the harsh living conditions and the economic conditions of the people who are suffering from the impact so if the government is trying to hide this data and trying to pass this off as a regular death this will not help in our long-term planning it could affect in the way the governments look at heat waves as a disaster so our Public Health institutions government hospitals have to be equipped trained they should know how to deal with the disasters and have the capabilities and resources and also rightly diagnose and Report these conditions this will require greater public awareness when the alerts are given out the public should know what measures they have to take you have to wear loose clothing you have to avoid working or exerting yourself in the open during P cars you have to keep yourself hydrated these basic measures and steps have to be taken even the real estate industry the contractors Factory owners employers essentially they should be mandated by the authorities to ensure that they provide cooling spaces drinking water and even allow the workers to take a break during the peak heat period maybe from 11 pm to 3 pm for four hours all work can be stopped in the open so that daily wage laborers manual construction workers are not affected they can rest they can rest in a shaded area they can drink water and keep themselves hydrated so all these facilities these amenities have to be provided as well and the government should mandate the industry to provide these basic facilities and other long-term measures include trending firefighting capabilities because forest fires uh Urban and City industrial fires also increase as we have seen recently in Delhi and other places of the country and in the long run of course tackling climate change right these are the various steps that need to be taken as part of disaster management now coming specifically to up and Bihar in the current context what's happening is that several hospitals are Under reporting these cases if heat related cases are coming up and if deaths are occurring they are not being correctly reported and accounted according to the editorial there is pressure from the government to not account for these cases right the medical certificates which are issued are identifying the wrong cause of death and such wrong data will not help us to plan for upcoming disasters in the future if you have to get up to the challenge and protect the vulnerable communities we have to acknowledge the debts and diagnose them properly and attribute the cost properly we need to follow the standard courts according to International statistical classification of diseases and related health problems and the doctors in the government hospitals have a responsibility over here this data will help all the concerned authorities when the death certificates are issued right when census data is compiled by the registrar General when ncrb comes out with all the Death related data and crime related data when ndma takes these debts into account it provides that for provides us for official statistics through which we can understand the true impact of heat waves because it is not just the heat which is killing so many people please understand this heat alone will not kill people you can always prevent This Disaster from happening it's only a hazard it becomes a disaster when people are made vulnerable because of their living and economic conditions it's because of their economic conditions and living conditions which is making them vulnerable they are getting exposed to the hazard because they don't have a choice is that clear so this is a failure of the government a failure of the society itself as we are pushing millions of people every day and making them vulnerable exposing them to these hazardous conditions which in turn is causing the death so heat alone is not the responsible Factor it is the vulnerability the exposure that has been created so if we have to truly reduce the disaster risk then we need to reduce the vulnerability and exposure for that you have to account for the debts properly only then governments will be forced to act and the right measures can be taken because these debts are completely preventable is that clear so that is what you should understand from this important topic right you can expect a Mains question in disaster management you can even expect a essay topic related to heat waves so now let's move on to the next column from page number six in which Rakesh sood a former Indian Diplomat talks about India Nepal relations he provides a detailed summary of India Nepal relations because recently Nepal's prime minister pushpa Kamal prachanda paid a very important visit to India just a few weeks back at the start of this month prachanda had paid a visit to India it was a historic visit lot of important agreements were signed a lot of key issues were discussed described it as one of his most successful visits to India because there were many concrete outcomes so in this context the writer is examining India Nepal relations so let's take a look at this topic which is very important for international relations now if you look at the map here you will see Nepal being clearly depicted and you can realize that Nepal is a landlocked country which is a very big disadvantage for Nepal because it is surrounded by India and China on both sides from a prelim's point of view you have to pick up some important facts you should know the states the Indian states that border Nepal this could be a map-based question because upsc of latest prioritizing such map-based questions so the Indian states that shared boundaries with Nepal include uttarakhand then uttar Pradesh and Bihar up and Bihar and Sikkim West Bengal all right so these are the Indian States sharing boundaries with Nepal West Bengal near the Siliguri Corridor over here this is the narrow Siliguri Corridor which is a choke point for India the only connection between Northeast India and rest of India so on one hand one on one side of Siliguri you have Nepal and on the other side you have Bangladesh so across the Siliguri you have Sikkim sharing boundaries with Nepal towards the hilly Himalayan belt then towards the theri belt the Teri region here which is the Nepali plains that extend towards up and Bihar this is where we have a big international border and again towards the pahadi hill areas towards uttarakhand India Nepal Shera important boundary so Nepal's geography is also quite unique it's geography and demography is also quite unique towards the northern Central parts of Nepal is where you have the Himalayan Mountains The Towering Himalayan Mountains the pahadi region which is home to the pahadi community the pahadis are the most dominant class in Nepal politically economically they have always been influential when Nepal was a monarchy when it was a theological State the parties were very close to the the Rana Clan or the Rana rulers of Nepal but in the South part of Nepal in the southern Parts this is where you find the plane areas it's called the theri belt or the thirai region that extends into up and Bihar and this is where in the theri region India Nepal share a very very close link in this southern part of Nepal in the Thera bed you have an indigenous native Community called the madesh community or the madesis it's the homeland of the madesh people the madesis are closely linked across the border in up and Bihar at the border Villages here there are cross-border marriages that take place from Nepal the Mahesh families the Maori on the other side on the Indian side into Indian families in up and Bihar so there's a very close marital Bond and a cultural bond that exists between between the people of two sides in the Thera region this is a very strong cultural aspect of the relationship plus if you look at this historically as well India Nepal share a very close historical cultural link because essentially we've been part of the same civilization the great ancient Indian civilization so we have a very strong religious link as well through Hinduism and Buddhism there are several several sacred Hindu Buddhist pilgrimage sites in Nepal that are closely linked with Indian pilgrimage sites so this is something that India Nepal share very closely with each other and Nepal does not have access to the Sea if you look at the map it is a landlocked country it has no access to Sea so to protect and promote this special relationship the India Nepal 1950 Treaty of peace and friendship was signed as Nepal was deeply concerned about China's aggression following the annexation of Tibet when China Annex Tibet in 1915 right this was a legal annexation if China could capture a large Himalayan Kingdom like Tibet then other smaller Himalayan kingdoms like Nepal Bhutan Sikkim they didn't stand a chance so all the smaller Himalayan kingdoms they sought India's protection immediately after Tibet was annexed by China so Nepal entered India's security fold short India's help and this relationship was cemented by signing the 1950 Treaty of peace and friendship this is the foundational treaty between the two countries this treaty provided for a system of open borders to respect and promote the close cultural historical links between the two countries open borders means there are no border control mechanisms Indians can enter Nepal without a Visa and vice versa nepalings can't come to India without a Visa so there are no passport controls no immigration controls Security checks are also very relaxed no Customs because it essentially provides for free movement of people and goods this promotes and protects the close economic cultural civilizational links between India and Nepal and promotes close people-to-people relations so with that intent in mind the borders have been kept open even the Border guarding Force the SSB the has been restricted from using a heavy weaponry and opening fire in order to enable the movement free movement of people and goods to promote both the countries and their core interests through the treaty they even provide National treatment to each other they are given almost the same rights and privileges as the citizens of their own country for example Nepal is in India almost enjoy the same rights and benefits as that of Indian citizen except for right to vote and few of the rights nepalis have almost the same access and privileges in India they can come to India study in Indian institutions settle down work here transfer the money as well because Nepal Nepali currency Nepali rupees back to the Indian rupee right our banking systems are interlinked Nepalese can work in Indian private sector and as well as in the government sector they're eligible for government exams including your upsc civil services examination apart from few key services like IAS ifs IPS the rest of the services are open for Nepali citizens as well for example we have IRS Indian Revenue Service officers who are Nepali citizens in the Indian army you have a dedicated regiment the Gorka regiment where Nepali gorkhas are given priority so that is the kind of close Bond and relationship that we share and we have promised to extend National treatment to each other Nepal also extends the same to Indian citizens in Nepal they are given National treatment so this is the special relationship that has been built but of course there have been problems and issues and conflicts and disputes over the years the first major issue came up when Nepal started mistreating the mades community 's have often felt discriminated by The pahadis Who are more influential so India has often made this a diplomatic issue since madesis are connected to families in up and Bihar it becomes electoral issue in up and Bihar so it's a core National interest for India to protect the well-being of the mother's community so quite often India stood up for the mother Aces for their rights urging Nepali government to give them equal rights and provide for an inclusive Constitution so this has become a point of contention where Nepal alleges that India is interfering meddling in Nepal's internal affairs we also had the maoist Civil War in Nepal from 1990 to 2005.

[00:32:25]for almost 10-15 years Nepal was consumed by a civil war led by the Communist Party inspired by the maoist doctrine from China this had destroys the country and India did play a role in trying to stabilize Nepal and it did help in bringing this conflict to an end by 2006.

[00:32:44]India negotiated the 12 point peace agreement between various conflicting parties India used its influence and Leverage with the Nepali maos and the Nepali government and the Army and mediated a settlement so this transition Nepal from a monarchy and a theological state it was a monarchy and a theological state it was the only Hindu state and a monarchy and it transitioned into a secular Democratic Republic so as Nepal made this transition in 2008 it began the process of Framing and adopting a new constitution this new constitution making process got dragged delayed for almost seven years because of the mother's issue from 2008 to 2015 Nepal was unable to come up with a constitution that satisfied the demand of the madesis every time India would keep urging Nepali politicians and all the political parties to ensure that madesi rights are protected by adopting an inclusive Equitable Constitution so this constant role in India's uh this constant role of India in Nepal's internal matters has had a negative impact where Nepal has alleged that India has interfered in the internal matters of Nepal if you look at the main political parties the Nepali Congress has been quite close to India but other maoist factions The Mao is Center and the Communist Party of Nepal unified Marxist leninist they have had a complicated relationship with India currently the Prime Minister prashanda he belongs to Maui Center which was the maoist Outfitter at one time leading the Civil War as India ended the civil war with a peace agreement the maoists had surrendered and become a mainstream political party but for India the real concern is with the Communist Party of Nepal unified Marxist leninist which is headed by a controversial leader known as KP Oli kpoli has been the Prime Minister a couple of times in the recent years and he is seen as a pro-china leader someone who has deliberately promoted Chinese interests while targeting Indian interests under KP Oli Nepal was seen to be taking anti-india position quite deliberately instigating issues like the kalapani a border dispute and other issues while promoting Chinese interest and influence in the country so in Nepal you see this strategic competition between India and China and hence it's important for India to work with the key political parties to protect India's core interests so if you look at the recent past there has been a lot of ups and downs in the relationship from the Civil War to the transition to secular democracy and Republic uh status adoption of a new constitution the madesh issue which kept affecting Nepal there was the economic blockade as well when madesis were not happy with the new constitution in 2015 they blocked the India Nepal roads thus crippling Nepal's economy because remember Nepal is landlocked it depends on India for C access India has a load Nepali traders to access Indian ports like Kolkata visakhapatnam Etc so that they can access Bay of Bengal and trade with the rest of the world and also essential goods and supplies go from India across the border because of the open borders if the borders are shut it'll Nepal's economy and this has happened many times when madesi's protest and block the roads and India gets blamed for this Nepal accuses India for instigating the madesis and India denies any involvement so there have been ups and downs and complications in the relationship including the major kalapani border dispute which KP Holi had recently escalated but despite this there are many positives there are many areas where we can work together when Prime Minister Modi visited the country for the first time in 2014 after becoming a PM he visited the country for the first time and he addressed Nepal's assembly and he invoked the neighborhood first policy of India pointing out that India will prioritize its size with neighboring countries beginning with Nepal Nepal was the first major country visited by the Prime Minister after being elected he announced an acronym called Hit which defines India Nepal relations hit H stands for highways I for info ways and T for transways essentially the Prime Minister was focusing on connectivity projects that could link and connect India and Nepal roads information digital infrastructure and highways and other Transportation routes including check posts which could improve trade at movement of people and goods between the two countries so this is the defining aspect of the relationship so even despite all these ups and downs despite the economic blockade by madesis in 2015.

[00:37:30]despite the problems created during the adoption of the new constitution in 2015.

[00:37:38]despite the kalapani Border dispute that was escalated by KP Oli in 2020 2021 despite all these issues India Nepal relationship still has a great opportunity during recent visit of prashanda these opportunities were opened up that is why the topic is the focus for the writer despite all these problems and challenges there are many areas where we can still work together and collaborate and many new initiatives have been announced during the latest visit for example in the hydropower sector there is tremendous scope for collaboration Nepal being a Himalayan state it has almost 50 000 megawatts of capacity to generate hydropower because these are perennial Rivers fed through the Himalayan glaciers and they also flow through a very steep slope gradient because of the young full nature of Himalayan Mountains thereby adding tremendous velocity to the runoff to the water that is running down so count countries like Nepal or any Himalayan region for that matter they have tremendous hydropower potential a very small part of this has been currently exploited India has prioritized hydropower cooperation but we have not been able to succeed in some projects previously whereas China had managed to beat India in terms of hydropower Investments China has successfully executed several hydropower projects where whereas India has often fallen behind because initially we were struggling to fulfill the commitments made we would announce a project but we would struggle in arranging funds also technically executing these projects in the Himalayas was very challenging plus there would be local protests as well against Indian projects which India believed to be sponsored by China so because of all these local problems and challenges many Indian Hydro investment projects had had been affected Nepal's true potential had not been realized it only had an installed capacity of 1200 megawatts and it was always electricity deficient country importing electricity from India but now the installed capacity is increased to almost 2200 megawatts because of the competition between India and China both countries are making big Investments and especially India has Grand plans for Nepal's hydropower sector Nepal is almost coming to a stage where it can export electric electricity to India in fact India has created a common grid between bbin countries with Bangladesh Bhutan and Nepal we have created a common grid to export electricity within the region because Bhutan is already generating Surplus electricity thanks to Indian hydropower projects in Bhutan we are helping Nepal as well to get there very soon Nepal also could become a major exporter of electricity so India could create a common grid by drawing electricity from Bhutan and Nepal and exporting it to Bangladesh as well so these are Grand Ambitions that India has and many key projects are being taken up by India right now for example the Arun 3 project is going to be made operational very soon which is being executed by the sutledgeham Limited it was started in 2018 very soon the project will become operational the national hydropower Corporation of India has taken up many big projects amount standing at a capacity of around 1200 megawatts then you have a mega project the pancheshwar multi-purpose project on the Kali River in the kalapani region which is disputed in the kalapani region a mega project has been proposed this is yet to take off it will be a multi-purpose project a joint project between the two countries which will not only generate a hydro electricity but will also provide water for irrigation and drinking purposes so many such big initiatives have been planned so there is every possibility that the relations will be taken forward once the projects are completed and executed we have also taken up a high voltage transmission line connecting butwal in Nepal with gorakpur on the Indian side and India has given a line of credit of 679 million for this project the transmission line will help in trading electricity between India and Nepal according to the power trading agreement that we have apart from that we are focusing on many other connectivity projects as promoted by Prime Minister Modi under the hit acronym of the neighborhood first policy India has recently inaugurated a integrated check post that facilitates faster movement of goods at Nepal gunch connecting with rupai diha but ICP has been inaugurated we have such icps with Bangladesh and Pakistan it provides for all the facilities in one single terminal so that people and goods can quickly move around between the land ports these are land port facilities essentially promoting the movement of people and goods so two more icps are coming up at these places the agreements have been signed so very soon we will have three icps three integrated checkposts between India and Nepal it will improve the movement of goods and people we are extending a key Railway line along with a petroleum line that India has built this will improve Railway connectivity it will improve energy connectivity as well and a new plot pipeline has been proposed between Japan and Siliguri so these are some key connectivity and energy projects that are being taken up which is further driving India Nepal together so that's what the writer is talking about despite all the ups and downs despite all the problems challenges there are so many opportunities and we do see a transformation taking place the writer is suggesting that we should avoid the irritants the key issues that are there one issue is the agneepath scheme for recruitment into the Indian Armed Forces which has become controversial in India itself this could potentially affect recruitment of Nepali gorkas into the Gorka regiment which has been a traditional practice since colonial times so how will Nepali gorkhas be affected that is something India and Nepal have to take into consideration next is the Border dispute the minor disputed kalapani and susta which is a relic of the Treaty of sugauli this border dispute raises back to 1800s it's a British era blunder that was committed which India Nepal have inherited after Independence so it's high time that the boundary dispute is resolved through talks and negotiations because previously kpoli was almost against India had escalated the issue published a map as well through a constitutional amendment claiming kalapani sustain entirely to Nepal it had escalated tensions between the two countries so it's high time for India Nepal to calmly sit negotiate and resolve these standing disputes and there is a need to revisit the treaty as well especially Nepal has often demanded a revision and updation of the treaty as it feels the treaty is unfair to Nepal so India can consider the revision of the treaty so ideally we should avoid the returns and ensure that these issues are resolved through talks while continuing the close friendly partnership in the other areas we should not affect these irritants to affect the broader bilateral relationship that is built between these two strategic Partners all right so that is what you should understand from India Nepal relations it's a very important topic under international relations and you can expect questions under GS paper too next on the same page we have an editorial relating to the situation in Manipur I'm sure all of you know what's happening in Manipur we have covered the topic in detail in various sessions the latest ethnic violence that has broken out between the metis and the cookies has destabilized Manipur the security situation has deteriorated and the central government has deployed massive Security Forces to try and contain the situation so given the security situation in Manipur on security grounds mobile and internet connections have been suspended in Manipur for almost one and a half months right now that is the focus of the article for almost one and a half months Manipur has been completely shut down it doesn't have access to mobile internet facilities and the people are suffering because today in today's world mobile and internet play a critical role in the economy write our day-to-day lives are dependent on it many livelihoods are dependent on the mobile and internet infrastructure the problem is governments both state and Central governments often tend to extend these shutdowns Whenever there is a security situation sometimes it is reasonable it is understandable but when it is extended for a prolonged period when it is imposed in a disproportionate manner across entire States it leads to Serious economic and livelihood challenges that affects the people and also compromises fundamental rights to the people the right to express the right to free speech which is a fundamental right gets compromised so a petition had been filed at the Manipur High Court and even the Manipur High Court has granted limited access to the internet to internet to be provided in at least few designated areas where violence has gone down but Manipur government has refused to agree with this it has extended uh the ban through various notifications that has been brought out under the telegraph Act now this is not just a problem affecting money for it's a problem affecting the whole country in fact India has become quite Infamous in the world and it's called the internet shutdown capital of the world just look at the statistics here despite being a democratic State one of the most open and largest democracies in the world India reports one of the highest internet shutdowns in the world according to statistics these shutdowns have increased exponentially in the last five to six years you can see the massive surge that has happened especially in the conflict zones of India like Jammu and Kashmir when article 370 and the special status was revoked in 2019 for almost two years jnk was affected due to mobile and internet shutdowns jnk was denied 3G 4G internet services for a good two years and it was only given limited mobile internet connectivity recently the same has happened in Punjab as attempts have been made to revive the kalistan movement and organized crime has gone up given the latest crisis surrounding Boris Punjab there and amritpal Singh for several weeks mobile internet was suspended in Punjab the same has happened in many other States during the farmer's protests across Punjab haryana Delhi NCR region mobile internet services was suspended on security grounds as there was a threat for public order and it was a public emergency the same has happened in Rajasthan and in many Northeastern states and in other states as well whenever there are protests and violence and riots taking place sometimes yes it is a necessity to suspend mobile internet but this should be proportionate if this is done indiscriminately across entire States for an indefinite period for weeks and months together this has a huge impact on the economy and fundamental rights of the citizens that is exactly what the editorial is talking about just look at the number of shutdowns that has happened in the world and how many of them have happened in India majority of the global mobile internet shutdowns are happening in India and that is a concern because India is a democracy not a authoritarian state so such shutdowns have become quite common and the point of the editorial is that it does have a crippling impact on economy on the economy it affects livelihoods millions of people their lives are dependent on it their day-to-day earnings are dependent on it especially the weaker sections will bear the disproportionate impact the government imposes the shutdown by saying that there is a threat to public order Public Safety declares a public emergency as per Section 5 Clause 2 of the telegraph act and Telegraph rules this is the legal backing the government has the state and the central government have to shut down mobile and internet even though it's legally valid yes in such situations where there is a threat to Law and Order and Public Safety it is a public emergency situation as identified under Section 5 clause 2. so authorities have the legal power to suspend the connections but however this power cannot be indiscriminate it can't be indefinite the Supreme Court has made this very clear in the Anuradha Basin case of 2020.

[00:50:17]the Supreme Court said that indefinite suspension of Internet services is against the freedom of speech which is guaranteed as a fundamental right under article 19.

[00:50:28]it affects your right to work which is also a fundamental right and article 19.

[00:50:33]is that clear right to free speech and expression right to press gets compromised the right to commercial work gets compromised which are guaranteed fundamental rights and has a devastating economic impact on the weaker vulnerable sections so that is why in the Anuradha bus in case the Supreme Court had made it very clear that if mobile internet services are suspended on security grounds it has to be proportionate to the threat the principle of proportionality has to be followed it should not be extended for an indefinite duration these shutdowns cannot extend for weeks and months it should be for few days or maybe a week or two depending on the security situation and it can't be imposed across entire States or entire districts wherever the security situation is volatile only there the regions have to be identified and the mobile internet can be shut down that is what the Supreme Court has observed in the Anuradha Basin case but unfortunately governments keep ignoring this which makes India the capital the internet shutdown capital of the world all right now coming to the next article please make a correction uh it's the Fourth Article here the fourth column that we are taking up it deals with the topic known as the new Collective Quantified goal all right so there is a detailed article the Hindu has brought out in the text and context page of the daily Edition which talks about the new Collective Quantified goal so let's understand what this is all about the new Collective Quantified goal is related to climate financing is that clear so let me explain the significance of this it's very relevant for your prelims and even for the for the mains exam recently the bond Conference was held in Germany the bond climate conference it was recently concluded the bond limit conference mainly focuses on the climate financing architecture before the climate change convention is held before the conference of parties uh takes place at the end of the year at the end of every year the bond conference is held to decide upon climate financing architecture because to deal with climate change and global warming and to implement climate action especially in developing and underdeveloped countries developed countries have been placed on obligation to provide Finance this is related to the concept of historical responsibilities and common but differentiated responsibilities countries like India have championed these principles the theory is very simple the principle is very simple here developed countries are developed today because historically they have emitted emissions They carried out industrial revolutions for almost 200 years they burnt fossil fuels freely that is why they are developed countries today they solve their social problems and economic problems so they are the primary contributors to climate change they are the largest service emitters of greenhouse gas emissions and they have emitted historical emissions for from almost two centuries whereas countries like India or other developing underdeveloped countries let's say Bangladesh Sri Lanka Maldives these countries are emitting emissions in the last few decades and they still have major socio-economic problems to solve which means they deserve a more carbon budget they deserve to burn fossil fuels for some more time because switching to clean renewable energy is very expensive not every country can afford that they don't have the technology they don't have the finance as well so this is where the concept of historical responsibilities comes in country is responsible for historical emissions they have to pay for historical emissions so India championed the cbdr principle when Kyoto Protocol was worked out in 1997 under the climate change convention so cbdr means common but differentiated responsibilities essentially fighting climate change is a common goal it's a common responsibility for every country but the exact amount of responsibility should be differentiated depending on historical responsibilities of each country this is what India had promoted along with many other countries So based on this concept developed countries are to be held accountable they are supposed to provide financing and even technology to developing countries and poor countries so that they can mitigate the impact of climate change they can protect themselves against the impact of climate change they can use the funds given by developed Nations to transition to clean and renewable energy so climate financing is a crucial part of climate change negotiations developed countries are have made promises of billions of dollars in funding which is supposed to be given as Finance to developing and poor countries but this climate Finance has never reached them it has never been provided effectively so that is why every year before the conference of parties uh Summit happens before that there is a bond climate conference focusing on climate financing so this year the cop 28 Conference of parties 28 is being held in Dubai in United Arab Emirates UAE is hosting this year's climate change convention so before that the bank climate conference took place which has highlighted the importance of the new Collective Quantified goal which was established under the 2015 Paris climate agreement when the current Paris agreement was finalized in 2015 right current the current climate agreement is the parish agreement which was finalized in the 2015 Conference of parties held in Paris so during this climate change convention or along with the Paris climate agreement the new call Collective Quantified goal was worked out for climate financing where developed countries can provide a steady source of funding to developing nations and poor countries this was built on the earlier promise made in 2009 where developed countries had committed 100 billion dollars till 2020 for developing nations and poor countries during the 2009 Copenhagen Summit that's when the developed countries had promised 100 billion dollars in climate Finance by 2020 but this money never came it was never mobilized it was never delivered to the developing and poor countries so during the Paris agreement a new framework was created the new Collective Quantified goal According to which from 2025 developed nations are obligated to work out a climate financing structure so that they can regularly they can regularly transfer funds to poor countries vulnerable countries and developing nations so that they can mitigate themselves against the impact of climate change and they can transition to clean and renewable forms of energy so this goal the new Collective Quantified goal is seen as the most important climate goal so during the recent Bond conference the ceiling limit has been increased the cap for funding has been increased so that developed countries are obligated to provide more funds to developing nations in poor countries that is why the topic was in news and you should know that it's related to climate financing all right so this completes my detailed discussion on all the big topics now let's quickly go through the prelims oriented topics on page number five we have a article According to which Union home minister Amit Shah will be conducting a yatra across the tribal areas in madhya Pradesh as as part of the political Outreach but during this rally the government is trying to promote Rani durgavati a very important historical figure right with regard to India's history especially tribal history queen durgavati or Rani durgavati plays a very important role she is popularly known as virangana Rani durgavati so in her honor uh gaurav yatra is being carried out with the initiative of the government she was a very prominent ruler in the today's parts of madhya Pradesh chattisgarh which is a predominantly a tribal belt she has been known as a tribal Queen a queen representing the tribal community she was married to dalpat Shah the king of the garha Kingdom in the gondwana region which is in the tribal belts of the vindhyas and the mahakoshal region that covers today's madhya Pradesh and parts of jharkhand chattisgarh Queen durgavati is a revered figure a revered historical figure amongst the local tribes so that is a key factor historical fact that you should know next on page number four we have an article referring to the Khalsa banduri project proposed by the government of Karnataka on the mahadai river so let's understand what this project is all about the alignment of the project and the key facts related to it because this could be a geography and map based question the kalasa banduri kennel project is a very ambitious irrigation project and a drinking water project proposed with a Karnataka government river between Karnataka and Goa and it's also a West flowing river of India all right so Karnataka plans to build a couple of barrages at kalasa over here which you can see in the map and at banduri these are the two tributaries that join in the western guards in the belgavi district of Karnataka to form the mahadaya river which flows in Goa it is formed by tributaries such as kalasa and banduri in Karnataka which originate in the western ghats the bahadai river flows through Goa and drains eventually into the Arabian Sea it's a West flowing river so Karnataka has this ambitious plan to build barrages over here which you can see in the map at kalasa and banduri to divert part of the water towards the Arid semi-arid regions in interior Northern Karnataka for example parts of darwad Boggle court gadag and other places they are their places hit by water scarcity so availability of water is a huge concern and a problem these are semi-arid regions in interior parts of Karnataka they're often brought hit areas as well so the ambitious kalasa banduri project aims to divert water from the mahadai to provide drinking water and other needs of belgavi district dharwad bhagal court and kadak districts all right kalasa and banduri are the tributaries of mahadai and where does the River originate it originates the Western ghats in the Bheem good wildlife sanctuary in belgavi District and then flows into Goa before draining into the Arabian Sea these are important facts geography related facts you should know about mahadaya River its tributaries and the Khalsa banduri project of course the project has been controversial as well Goa has opposed it so that is another matter next on page 11 the Hindu carries an image of Prime Minister Modi bowing down to the wall of peace you can see that in the image over here Prime Minister Modi is paying his respects to the wall of Peace which has been recently set up at the UN headquarters I am sure all of you know that Prime Minister Modi is on a historic visit to the United States as part of his visit to the U.S he he visited the UN headquarters as well in New York to take part in the international yoga Day celebrations so during the celebrations prime minister of ODI has paid respects at the at the wall of peace that you see here which has been recently installed thanks to India's efforts India was pushing for such a memorial wall this memorial wall this memorial wall pays respect to U.N peacekeepers who have lost their lives in in the line of duty because see India is one of the largest troop contributing countries till date we have contributed more than two lakh soldiers to U.N peacekeeping missions and we have lost more than 175 soldiers India as paid the biggest price for contributing to U.N peacekeeping missions and the worst part is that even though we are one of the largest troop contributing countries we don't have any control or any say in the safety of our peacekeepers because the deployment of human peacekeepers their safety all these issues are decided by U.N security Council that is mainly by the P5 countries the five permanent members true contributing countries like India Bangladesh then Pakistan Nigeria Philippines these are the countries which are contributing troops and they don't have any say regarding the safety and deployment of peacekeepers so for many years we have been pushing the UN to give a greater role for troop contributing countries as well to look after the safety and well-being of the peacekeepers India has taken a lot of initiatives in this regard and one recent initiative was to push for a resolution we worked with the committee the deals with peacekeeping operations and pushed for a resolution at the U.N General Assembly which was supported by more than 190 countries almost unanimous support was obtained because of India's influence to this resolution that led to the establishment of this Memorial that you see in the picture which is the wall of peace that has been set up at the UN headquarters building in New York so it's an Indian initiative paying tribute to U.N peacekeepers so upsc might ask a problem's question because Prime Minister Modi has visited the memorial and paid his respects next NATO might provide India the status of NATO plus five country this proposal has come up within the U.S Senate as a prime minister is on the visit to the U.S within the U.S Senate there has a there's been a proposal the Senate caucus dealing with India has come out with a proposal that India being a democratic country which is a Strategic Defense partner of U.S should be brought on board the NATO collaboration NATO is as you know is a western military Alliance led by U.S and European countries they recently have added Norway as well as a Finland as a member so today NATO has around 30 members today and they have this platform called NATO plus five where the 30 NATO countries work closely with five like-minded democracies that is Australia New Zealand Japan South Korea and Israel so this Alliance is called NATO plus five where the NATO countries which are Western democracies work closely with other like-minded democracies such as Australia New Zealand Japan South Korea and Israel this grouping is called NATO plus five so there is a proposal within the U.S to bring India into this grouping into the NATO plus Phi grouping to make it NATO plus six because India has similar values right we are a democracy a liberal country and we have close Strategic Defense partnership with all these countries so there is a proposal coming up to include India as part of NATO plus five and maybe it could become the NATO plus six so that is something you should be aware of you should know this reference next on page number 12.

[01:06:04]we have an article referring to the Global Gender index we have many articles today from prelims all right the Global Gender index is a news which is an important report brought out by the world economic Forum please note down this point very very important the Global Gender Gap report is published by the world economic Forum it comes out with the Global Gender index India has been ranked at the 127th position out of 146 countries on the question of gender parity this report measures the gender divide in a country based on gender issues gender development it looks at sex ratio at Birth it looks at access to education for women it looks at access to economic opportunities for women and the social conditions that affect a participation of women in the society so all these parameters are captured to come out with the Global Gender index that constitutes the Global Gender report so India often ranks very low previously our ranking was 135 out of 146 countries now our ranking has slightly improved we have jumped around uh eight places to be ranked at the 127th position with the index rating of 0.643 so India's ranking has jumped by eight positions because India has shown an improvement with regard to sex ratio and also with regard to access to education but however India's performance with regard to economic participation of women is still not up to mark this is where India is still lagging behind with regard to sex ratio and access to education there is a slight Improvement but when it comes to women having access to economic participation India performs very poorly that is the prime reason why India ranks So Below in the list the top rankers are Iceland and Norway please remember that and even Bangladesh Sri Lanka Nepal are ranked above India now this is where India disputes these Global indices and reports India has often criticized such Global reports saying that the methodology itself is wrong or these institutions are biased against India so that is the stand the current government has taken against these indices and reports but such reports do offer a Insight they act as an indicator to understand key socio-economic parameters in the country all right so please remember these basic facts next on page 13.

[01:08:30]we have an article referring to the Saint Peter Birds International economic forum which is an economic Forum organized by Russia since 1997.

[01:08:42]the saint peterborg's International economic forum this is regularly organized by the Russian government to bring together Russian businesses with several foreign governments foreign businesses investors Etc it is the equivalent of the world economic forum and that's why it's often called as the Russian Davos please write the write down this point just like you have the Dao Summit which is the world economic Forum Summit usually organized by Western companies Western think tanks and governments and institutions this is the initiative of Russia and it's called the Russian Davos held at Saint Petersburg since 1997. many countries many investors participate in this key forum and during the latest discussions Russia and Iran have shown more interest to revive the insdc project in which India is also involved they have shown some interest during the latest uh economic Forum that meeting that took place at Saint Petersburg to try and revive a key connectivity project involving Russia Iran India and few other countries it's called insdc project International north south transport corridor this project was actually proposed in 1990s the idea was to create a shorter route connecting India with Russia instead of the long route that passes through Arabian Sea and babal Mandeep Strait and Red Sea and Suez Canal and Mediterranean then across Atlantic and Europe and then reaches Russia which is a very long route a shorter route had been proposed that is via Iran the idea was to connect India with Iranian ports like bandar Abbas and jabahar port which India has built and further connect with the Caspian Sea where countries like Azerbaijan and Russia have developed Inland navigation so Goods can be transported from India to Iranian ports and Via Iran wrote rail network it can be brought to Caspian Sea where through Inland navigation Goods can be taken to Azerbaijan and Russia many other countries including turkey have shown a lot of interest in the project and the most important point about the project is that it can be easily extended to connect with other countries as well it can be extended to reach out to other countries here in the Eurasia region it can be extended to reach out to Central Asian countries as well as Caspian Sea borders few centration countries like Kazakhstan so it could improve connectivity between India Iran all the Central Asian Eurasian countries and more importantly with Russia and create a shorter route that bypasses the Suez Canal and Babel Mandeep State these are choke points and a longer route so instead of the traditional longer route it's suggested that a shorter route should be created which is the ambitious insdc project but the project has suffered it hasn't really taken off because of Iran's nuclear program Western sanctions on Iran Western sanctions on Russia mainly because of Russia Ukraine hostilities also India Iran relations had been affected due to all these reasons the infcc project has not really taken off but now during the same peterborg's economic Forum which was organized Russia Iran has shown some interest to try and revive the insdc project so this has implications for India and hence you should know about the initiative so this brings my detailed discussion to an end we have covered 10 important articles and I'm giving you two Mains practice questions based on the topics we have covered so take up the question seriously write your answers post them in the answer writing portal for which link has been provided in the description box below don't forget as soon as the session ends we'll have a quiz on the telegram Channel based on all these topics so do head to our telegram channel the link again is in the description I hope you guys like the initiative press the like button if you did share your comments share it with other aspirants and don't forget to subscribe to our Channel I'll see you tomorrow thanks for watching have a good day