On June 7, 1893, 131 years ago, Mahatama Gandhi‘s first satyagraha began when he was thrown off a first-class train in South Africa for being non-white.

Background of Gandhi’s First Satyagraha in South Africa

• Racial Discrimination: In Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, Mahatma Gandhi was forcibly removed from a first-class train compartment due to racial discrimination.
  •  Despite having a ticket, a European passenger demanded his removal, stating that non-whites were not allowed in first class. 
• Birth of Satyagraha: This incident was a crucial turning point for Gandhi, igniting his struggle against racial oppression and developing his Satyagraha philosophy (nonviolent resistance).
• First Satyagraha Campaign: In 1906, Gandhi launched his inaugural Satyagraha (nonviolent resistance) campaign in Johannesburg against an ordinance restricting Asians.
• Organizing Civil Disobedience: He organized mass meetings and promoted civil disobedience to oppose discriminatory laws.
• Imprisonment and Volkrust Satyagraha: Gandhi was imprisoned multiple times for his nonviolent protests, including the notable Volkrust Satyagraha in 1913.

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Gandhi’s Contributions in South Africa

• Inspiration: In 1893, Gandhi arrived in South Africa to manage a legal case but soon found inspiration to champion the rights of Indians in the country.
• Founding the Natal Indian Congress: In 1894, he organized the Indian community in Durban and established the Natal Indian Congress to campaign for Indian voting rights.
• Legal Advocacy Against Discrimination: Through his law practice, Gandhi confronted discrimination and racism, representing Indians and addressing their grievances.
• Establishing the Transvaal British Indian Association: In 1903, Gandhi mobilized support for the welfare of Indians and founded the Transvaal British Indian Association in Johannesburg.
• Engaging in Interfaith Debates: He debated Christians who challenged his orthodoxy, which led him to develop a more inclusive spirituality.

Gandhi’s Impact in South Africa

• Mobilizing the Indian Community: Gandhi’s activism and leadership galvanized the Indian community to resist discriminatory laws and regulations.
• Influence on Nonviolent Resistance: His nonviolent resistance and civil disobedience methods significantly influenced the South African Native National Congress, established in 1912.
• Shaping the Independence Movement: Gandhi’s political ideas and mobilization efforts contributed to the formation and direction of the South African independence movement.
• Indian Relief Act Achievement: Through his activism and negotiations, Gandhi persuaded the South African government to enact the Indian Relief Act in 1914.
• Abolishing Discriminatory Laws: This act eliminated several discriminatory laws and acknowledged the rights of Indians in South Africa.
• Legacy of Nonviolent Resistance: Gandhi’s efforts established a foundation for future reforms and set a precedent for nonviolent resistance in the fight against oppression.

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On 7 June 2024, Japan protested Beijing after four armed Chinese coastguard vessels entered the waters of the Senkaku island, which Tokyo considers its territory.

About Senkaku Island

The Senkaku Islands dispute, or Diaoyu Islands dispute, is a territorial dispute over a group of uninhabited islands known as:

• the Senkaku Islands in Japan, 
• the Diaoyu Islands in China, and 
• the Tiaoyutai Islands in Taiwan.
• Both Japan and China claim ownership of these islands.

Location of Senkaku Island: The Senkaku Islands are located in the East China Sea between Japan, China, and Taiwan. 

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Geography: the Senkaku chain comprises five islets – Uotsuri Island, Kuba Island, Taisho Island, Kitakojima Island, and Minamikojima Island – and three rocks – Tobise Island, Okinokitaiwa Island, and Okinominamiiwa Island 

Strategic Significane of Location of Senkaku Island

The islands are close to strategically important shipping lanes, offer rich fishing grounds, and are thought to contain oil deposits.

Japanese Claim On Senkaku Island

• In January 1895, after carefully ascertaining that there had been no trace of control over the Senkaku Islands by another state before that period,
• The government of Japan incorporated the islands into the Japanese territory by lawful means under the international legal framework that existed at that time.
• After World War II, the San Francisco Peace Treaty placed the Senkaku Islands under the administration of the United States as part of Okinawa, thereby reaffirming the islands’ status as part of Japanese territory.

Chinese Claim On Senkaku Island

The official position of the PRC is that ‘Diaoyu Dao is China’s inherent territory in all historical, geographical and legal terms,’ according to historical evidence of the islands being administered as part of Taiwan since the Ming and Qing dynasties.

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A report by a Canadian parliamentary committee has described India as the second-biggest foreign threat to the country’s democracy.

Key Highlights of the Report, India is the Second-biggest Foreign Threat to Canadian Democracy

• The report stated that alleged Indian interference has ‘slowly increased’, but the operation has expanded at the same time.
• This interference includes interfering in Canadian democratic processes and institutions, including through the targeting of Canadian politicians, ethnic media and Indo-Canadian ethnocultural communities.
• The Report describes China as the topmost foreign threat to Canada’s democracy. 

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Impact of Report on India-Canada Relations

• The report’s revelations added to the negative state of the bilateral relations between the India and Canada. 
• India and Canada have been in a heated diplomatic exchange since the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the pro-Khalistan preacher, on June 18, 2023

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Recently, Researchers and artists joined the “painting with light” international project to make invisible air pollution in India visible, demonstrating the health risks posed to the population as a part of Painting with Light initiative is part of the Air of the Anthropocene project.

Global project ‘paints’ evidence of air pollution in India

Painting with light combines digital light painting and low-cost air pollution sensors to produce photographic evidence of pollution levels in cities across three countries—India, Ethiopia, and the UK—to spark debate among local communities.

• Air pollution is considered one of the main threats to both the environment and human health and a leading cause of death globally.
• The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that 99% of the global population breathes polluted air, which causes approximately 7 million premature deaths worldwide each year.

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About the  Air of the Anthropocene Project (AoA)

The AAir of the Anthropocene Project (AoA) was initiated by Robin Prince, an artist, and Francis Pope, an environmental scientist from Birmingham University.

• It creates spaces and places for discussion about air pollution, using art as a proxy to communicate and create dialogues about its associated issues.
• Photographs taken as part of the ‘AoA initiative stimulated discussion around the impact of air pollution.
• The project has also been used by the UN International Organisation for Migration (IOM), the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO), and UN-Habitat to raise air pollution awareness.

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Recently, India, South Korea, the US, Japan, and the EU launched the Biopharmaceutical Alliance.

• It was launched in response to the drug supply shortages experienced during the Covid-19 pandemic.
• The announcement was made at the inaugural meeting of the Biopharmaceutical Alliance, held in San Diego, California, during the Bio International Convention 2024, the world’s largest biopharmaceutical exhibition.

Significance of Biopharmaceutical Alliance

• Building a reliable,  sustainable and resilient supply chain in the biopharmaceutical sector.
• Coordinate the respective countries’ bio policies, regulations, and research and development support measures.
• Building a detailed pharmaceutical supply chain map to reduce dependence on other countries(China) where the production of essential raw materials and ingredients is concentrated.

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According to the UNESCO State of the Ocean Report 2024, ocean warming has accelerated, doubling the rate to 0.66 ± 0.10 W/m2 in the past two decades.

UNESCO State of the Ocean Report 2024 

• The UNESCO State of the Ocean Report 2024 offers insights on ocean-related scientific activities and analyses describing the current and future state of the ocean.
• The key message: It  is that observations and research on the state of oceans globally are falling short, and there is a lack of adequate and aggregated data to design solutions for multiple ocean crises and validate new technologies that aim to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere

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Key Highlights of the UNESCO State of the Ocean Report 2024

• Rising Ocean Temperature: From 1960 through 2023, the upper 2,000 metres (m) of oceans warmed at a rate of 0.32 ± 0.03 watt per square metre (W/m2).
• Increased Ocean Heat: About 90 per cent of the Earth’s energy imbalance (EEI) is absorbed by oceans, resulting in a cumulative increase in ocean heat content (OHC) in the upper 2,000 m of the water column.
  • OHC is the total amount of heat stored by the ocean, and EEI is the balance between incoming energy from the Sun and outgoing energy from the Earth.
• Impact of OHC: Increased OHC prevents ocean layers from mixing or deoxygenating, lowering the preformed oxygen content of near-surface high-latitude waters reaching the deeper layers of oceans. 
  • Although it is still unclear whether deoxygenation is accelerating in response to increased OHC, it can otherwise negatively impact the health of coastal and large marine ecosystems.
• Average increase in ocean acidification: The average global surface ocean pH has declined continuously by  0.017-0.027 pH units per decade in the open ocean since the late 1980s.
  • Inadequate Data: In 2024, only 638 stations recorded ocean pH levels, resulting in inadequate current coverage and a time series that is not long enough to determine trends and data gaps due to the lack of observations in all areas.
  • Other sources of Acidification: Coastal waters can turn acidic due to natural processes, such as freshwater influx, biological activity, temperature change and climate patterns like El Nino/Southern Oscillation (ENSO).
• Sea level Rise: It continued to rise in 2023, with the global mean sea level from 1993 to 2023 increasing at a rate of 3.4 +/-0.3 mm/yr.
  • Recommendation: The world needs to improve the space-based and in situ observing systems for monitoring sea level rise at global, regional, and coastal scales.
• Recent Trends in Marine Carbon Dioxide Removal (mCDR) Technologies: mCDR technologies involve techniques that capture carbon dioxide from the air and store it durably within the ocean ecosystem. 
  • Examples: It includes altering the chemical composition of seawater so that oceans absorb more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere or adding nutrients such as iron to encourage the growth of microscopic plankton that can sink to the seafloor and be stored for centuries or longer.
  • Challenges: The report noted widespread technical, environmental, political, legal, and regulatory challenges in the increased usage of mCDR technologies, with many unknowns about the unintended consequences of these new technologies 
• Coastal Blue Ecosystem Restoration: The report questions the effectiveness of restoring or expanding coastal blue carbon habitats such as mangrove forests, seagrass meadows, and tidal saltmarshes to increase carbon sequestration.

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The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Reserve Bank Of India (RBI) has decided to keep the repo rate unchanged at 6.5. 

• This marks the eighth consecutive time the rate has been maintained.

Reasons for RBI Keeps Repo Rate Unchanged

• Inflation Concerns: 
  • Despite some moderation, food inflation remains high due to price pressures on vegetables, pulses, cereals, and spices.
  • Potential future disruptions from adverse weather events add uncertainty to the food inflation trajectory.
  • Volatility in crude oil prices, financial markets, and non-energy commodity prices could lead to higher inflation.
    • The RBI prioritizes achieving the medium-term inflation target of 4% while supporting economic growth.

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• Balancing Growth and Inflation
  • The MPC revised the GDP Growth forecast to 7.2% for 2024-2025, indicating a positive economic outlook.
  • Reasons for rise in GDP growth forecast
    • Positive Domestic Indicators
      • High-frequency domestic activity indicators show resilience in 2024-25, suggesting strong internal economic momentum.
    • Strong Agricultural Outlook
      • The expectation of an above-normal southwest monsoon bodes well for agriculture, a key driver of rural demand. 
        • This will likely boost economic activity.
    • Policy Stance: In response to the above-expected event, the committee remains focused on withdrawing accommodation to manage inflation.
      • Inflation Target: It aims to achieve a medium-term CPI inflation target of 4%, within a band of +/- 2%.
  • The outcome of changing the repo rate: Maintaining a neutral stance could risk reigniting inflation while lowering rates could hinder growth momentum.

Status of Inflation Over a Period ( 2024)

• Recent Trends
  • Decrease in inflation: Inflation has shown a slight moderation since February 2024, dropping from 5.1% to 4.8% in April 2024.
    • However, this decrease is narrow, and food inflation remains high due to price pressures on vegetables, pulses, cereals, and spices.

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Current Major Risks of Inflation

• Persistent Food Inflation
  • Food inflation remains high despite a slight moderation in inflation, driven by rising prices of vegetables, pulses, cereals, and spices.
  • Adverse weather events are expected to continue to disrupt food production and put pressure on food prices in the future.
• Other Upward Pressures
• • Volatility in crude oil prices and financial markets could lead to higher inflation.
  • Rising prices of non-energy commodities also pose an upside risk to inflation.

About Repo rate 

Repo rate stands for “Repurchasing option rate.”

• It is the interest rate at which the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) lends money to commercial banks and lending institutions.
• Impact of Rate Changes:
  • Increased Repo Rate: This makes borrowing costlier for banks, who pass on the higher costs to customers, making loans more expensive.
  • Decreased Repo Rate: Lowers borrowing costs for banks, increases the availability of funds, and boosts consumer demand.
• Role of the Repo Rate
  • Monetary Tool: Used to control inflation or stimulate demand.
  • Influence: It affects interest rates on all types of loans, including personal, car, housing, and working capital loans.
• How the Repo Rate Works
  • Mechanism: Commercial banks borrow money from the RBI by selling their securities and agreeing to repurchase them at a later date at the repo rate.
  • Economic Impact: Influences overall interest rates in the economy, affecting borrowing costs, inflation, and economic growth.
  • Policy Regulation: Adjustments to the repo rate help regulate Monetary Policy.

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Recently, 2 Human-made wetlands from Bihar, The Nagi and Nakti Bird Sanctuaries, have been recognised as wetlands of international importance under the Ramsar Convention.

Two bird sanctuaries of Bihar added to Ramsar list

• The sites were declared on the World Environment Day (5 June 2024)
• India now hosts 82 Ramsar wetland sites with this inclusion.
  • Currently, the highest number of such sites is in the UK (175), followed by Mexico (144)
• Kanwar Lake in Begusarai district was designated Bihar’s first Ramsar Site in 2020.
• Tentative sites for Inclusion from Bihar: Kusheshwar Asthan in Darbhanga, Tal Baraila in Vaishali, Gogabeel in Katihar, Nagi and Nakati dams in Jamui.

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About Nagi and Nakti Bird Sanctuaries

The wetland was designated as a Bird Sanctuary in 1984.

• Location: The wetlands are deemed protected areas in the Jhajha forest range of  Bihar’s Jamui district.
• Size: They are spread across 791 and 333 hectares, respectively. 
• Human-made: The Nagi and Nakti bird sanctuaries are human-made wetlands that were developed primarily for irrigation purposes through the construction of the Nakti Dam.
• Wildlife support: The sanctuary supports globally threatened species, including the endangered Indian elephant (Elephas maximus indicus) and a vulnerable native catfish (Wallago attu). 
• The catchment area: It is a largely dry deciduous forest surrounded by hills. 
• Wintering Habitat for Migratory Birds: Over 20,000 birds congregate during the winter months, including one of the largest congregations of red-crested pochards (Netta rufina) on the Indo-Gangetic plain. 
  • As per Asiatic Waterbird Census(AWC) 2023: The Nakti bird sanctuary is the wetland with the highest number of birds reported with a count of 7,844 birds,  followed by Nagi bird sanctuary with 6,938  birds. 

About Ramsar Convention

• Establishment: A Ramsar site is a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention (also known as the ‘Convention on Wetlands’), an intergovernmental environmental treaty established by UNESCO in 1971 and named after the city of Ramsar in Iran, where the convention was signed that year.
• Identification: Ramsar recognition is the identification of wetlands that are of international importance, especially if they provide habitat to waterfowl (about 180 species of birds).
• First Ramsar Site in India: Chilika Lake in Orissa and Keoladeo National Park in Rajasthan 
• Largest Ramsar Site in India: Sundarbans in West Bengal 

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The Space Agency ISRO recently announced a satellite mission, TRISHNA. This TRISHNA mission is a joint infrared earth observation satellite mission between India and France. 

About TRISHNA Mission

TRISHNA  refers to Thermal Infra-Red Imaging Satellite for High-Resolution Natural Resource Assessment.

• Objectives: The Primary Goal of TRISHNA mission is to monitor surface temperature and water management globally.
  • It will address extreme heat issues in India and Europe.
• Launch Details
  • Tentative Launch: 2025
  • Mission Lifespan: 5 years
• Features: There are two primary payloads in satellites. 
  • The Thermal Infra-Red (TIR) payload 
    • It will be provided by the French space agency CNES
    • The TIR payload will feature a four-channel long-wavelength infrared imaging sensor for studying high-resolution surface temperatures.
    • It will also map the heat radiated back from land in different regions.
  • The Visible Near Infrared-Red Short Wave Infrared-Red (VNIR-SWIR) payload 
    • It will be developed by ISRO
    • The VNIR-SWIR payload will map the reflectivity (albedo) of the Earth’s surface across seven bands.
    • This mapping will measure the amount of heat reflecting off the Earth’s surface.
    • It will also calculate various biophysical and radiation budget variables.

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Benefits of TRISHNA Mission

• Improved Water Management:
  • TRISHNA mission will provide data on evapotranspiration.
    • Evapotranspiration Monitoring: Includes soil evaporation and water transpiration from plants.
      • It helps monitor agricultural water use and maintain soil moisture levels during droughts.
      • It also provides vital data to manage the increasing droughts affecting Indian farmers.
  • Study of water presence: It will also study water presence and concentration, including melting glaciers, to improve water resource management globally.
• Enhanced Climate Monitoring:
  • The mission will track thermal anomalies, surface energy balance, and urban heat islands to understand the impact of climate change.
    • It will study aerosols, water vapour, and cloud cover to improve our understanding of atmospheric processes.
• Sustainable Practices Policies:
  • The data will be used to develop new policies for sustainable water management by watershed managers, agro-industries, and farmers.
  • The high-resolution, high-repeat imaging will improve our understanding of Earth’s natural processes to aid in global climate change mitigation efforts.
• Advancement in Remote Sensing Technology:
  • TRISHNA is expected to be a significant advancement in remote sensing technology, which is crucial for monitoring Earth from space during extreme weather events.

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Global Impact of the Trishna Mission

• Contribution to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
  • Water Scarcity and Management: Addresses issues related to water scarcity and management (SDG 6).
  • Climate Action: Supports initiatives for climate action (SDG 13).
• International Cooperation and Knowledge Transfer
  • Strengthening Ties: Enhances cooperation between participating nations.
  • Expertise Exchange: Promotes the exchange of expertise in space technology.
  • Capacity Building: Facilitates capacity building in space technology among the involved countries.

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