Context: 

Japan’s Foreign Minister meets India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in New Delhi.

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• The two countries are coordinating their positions to create a consensus document for the G20 Summit of leaders.
• India, as the G20 chair, is working with Japan and other G7 countries, as well as Russia-China, to formulate the G20 leaders’ declaration in Delhi.

Key Discussion held between India and Japan:

• Japan’s Emphasis on Free and Open International Order: Japan emphasizes the importance of upholding the free and open international order based on the rule of law.
• Concept of “Free and Open Indo-Pacific” (FOIP): They  intend to materialize the concept of FOIP, based on a free and open international order.
  • FOIP emphasizes each country’s freedom to make decisions based on its sovereignty and respect for inclusiveness and diversity.
• Defence and Security Cooperation: Both countries affirmed their commitment to advance cooperation in defence and security, including equipment cooperation and defence exchanges.
• Public-Private Investment and Loans to India: They aim to achieve 5 trillion yen in public-private investment and loans to India over the next 5 years.
• Steady Progress on High-Speed Rail Project: They will continue to make steady progress on the high-speed rail project, a flagship project for both countries.
• Development of Northeastern India and Regional Connectivity: Japan will cooperate for the development of Northeastern India.

News Source: The Indian Express

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Recently, the Prime Minister of India addressed the inaugural session of Semicon India 2023, which is being attended by industry executives from across the world.

About Semicon India 2023:

• It is the second edition of ‘Semicon India 2023’ in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
• Organized by:  India Semiconductor Mission
• Aim: To showcase India’s remarkable progress in becoming a prominent global player in Semiconductor Design, Manufacturing, and Technology Development, in alignment with the vision of the India Semiconductor Mission.

News Source: The Indian Express

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Context: 

The Union Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY) and Papua New Guinea signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for sharing India Stack.

About India Stack:

• India Stack is a collective name for a set of open AIs and digital goods that will allow governments, businesses and other organisations to leverage identity, data and payments infrastructure at scale.

The following APIs are considered to be a core part of the India Stack.

• Aadhaar Authentication
• Aadhaar e-KYC
• eSign
• Digital Locker
• Unified Payment Interface (UPI)

News Source: PIB

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Context: 

The Union government is planning to set up the 16th Finance Commission during the fiscal year 2023-24.

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• The commission’s main task is to suggest the ratio in which taxes should be divided between the Centre and states for the five-year period starting from April 1, 2026.
• The members of the commission and its Terms of Reference (ToR) are currently being determined.

News Source: The Hindu

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The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in the National Capital Region (NCR) has announced a revision in the existing Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP).

About Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP):

• It is a set of emergency measures implemented in the Delhi-NCR region to prevent further deterioration of air quality once it reaches specific threshold levels. 
• It was approved by the Supreme Court in 2016 and officially notified in 2017. 

Key features of GRAP:

• Incremental Nature: GRAP is designed to be incremental, meaning as air quality worsens, measures from successive stages are triggered.
• Stage 1 (Poor AQI – 201 to 300)
• Stage 2 (Very Poor AQI – 301 to 400)
• Stage 3 (Severe AQI – 401 to 450)
• Stage 4 (Severe + AQI – More than 450)

Revised GRAP to come into force from 1st October 2023, it includes:

• ‘Poor’ Air Quality: Enforcement of the National Green Tribunal or Supreme Court’s order on overaged diesel and petrol vehicles as per existing statutes.
• ‘Very Poor’ Air Quality: Intensification of remedial measures for the predominant sectors contributing to adverse air quality in each of the hotspots.
• ‘Severe’ Air Quality: Strict restrictions on plying of BS III petrol and BS IV diesel Light Motor Vehicles (LMVs) in Delhi and in the districts of Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, and Gautam Buddh Nagar will be imposed by the NCR State governments.
• Severe +’ Air Quality:  The NCR State governments might decide to discontinue physical classes for classes sixth to ninth and class 11th, and conduct lessons in an online mode.

News Source: PIB

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The recent horrifying sexual violence against Kuki-Zomi women by majority Meiteis, in Manipur’s ethnic clashes between the two communities, has yet again woken the country up to the vulnerability of women’s bodies during a conflict.

History of Violence Against Women in Armed Conflict in India

• Women have historically endured numerous unintended consequences and violence as victims during communal riots, conflicts, and wars. 
  • These incidents are a reflection of the deeply ingrained patriarchal norms present in various societies, which often result in women being disproportionately affected.

Impact of Conflict on Women

• Gender-Based Violence (GBV): War and GBV are undeniably interlinked, with women and children being exposed to physical, verbal, sexual, and psychological abuse in times of conflict.
  • Gender-Based Violence is used as a tool in war to assert control, weaken families, carry out ethnic cleansings and genocide, and to discourage resistance and destabilise communities. 
  • According to a 2019 Armed Conflict Location and Event Data project (Acled) report, in both 2018 and 2019, India was amongst the top countries where women are highly vulnerable against conflict related sexual violence. 
  • In Afghanistan, 62% of women have experienced all three forms of gender-based violence (GBV): psychological, physical, and sexual abuse.
• Social Chaos: Conflict enforces the objectification of women and girls, as they are often seen as weapons of war, being used by perpetrators of violence to assert control. 
  • Rates of domestic violence and human trafficking  commonly spike during times of conflict due to rising instability, poverty, and a weakening rule of law.
• Displacement: In times of war, women often bear the sole responsibility and risk of getting their families and themselves out of harm’s way. 
  • According to UNHCR, more than half of the planet’s 80 million displaced people are women and children.
• Rise in child marriage: Because war disrupts economies, supply chains, and agricultural production, it often leads to widespread poverty and hunger. 
  • Consequently, rates of child marriage go up as families become desperate for additional income or one less mouth to feed.
• Limited Access to Life-Saving Health Care: As violence and war leads to the destruction of facilities and infrastructure, hospitals and clinics are often demolished and access to health care can become painfully limited.
  • In some conflicts, up to 90 % of casualties are among civilians, most of whom are women and children.
• Gender discrimination: Armed conflict exacerbates inequalities between women and men, and discrimination against women and girls.
  • It can lead to inequitable distribution of food to women and girls, causing malnutrition and other health problems. 
• Girls’ Education: In conflict and crisis, girls are often the first to be pulled out of school, and the last to return. 
  • According to the Global Partnership for Education, girls facing conflict are 2.5 times more likely to be out of school than boys, and are less likely to return following a ceasefire. 
• Lack of Participation: Despite being disproportionately affected by conflict, women are often denied participation in peace talks and conflict prevention or reconstruction. 
  • In 2020, women represented only 23% of delegations in UN-supported peace processes, according to UN Women.
• Differential Impact: Nature of a conflict determines its impact on women. 
  • The current wars in the Middle East do not have the same effect on women as the Rohingya crisis in Myanmar.
• Economic Exploitation: Post conflict, women often get engaged in labour markets that involve low-paid, low-skilled jobs, self-employment in the informal sector and family labour, which often go unnoticed.
  • Women perform 66 % of the world’s work, produce 50 % of the food, but earn 10 % of the income and own 1 % of the property.
• Institutionalized Oppression: In India’s Northeast region, which has witnessed insurgency and armed conflict for decades, women have been affected by human rights violations, loss of family support, economic hardship, and social stigma.
  • in October 2013, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah admitted to registering more than 5000 cases of rape since 1989 armed rebellion against Indian rule began.
  • Legislations such as the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), which gives immunity to the Indian Army from law for human rights abuses, have proved to be a major hindrance against the elimination of sexual violence in conflict in India. 

International Efforts to Prevent Exploitation of Women in Armed Conflict

• Geneva Conventions (1949): Article 27 says that “Women shall be especially protected against any attack on their honour, in particular against rape, enforced prostitution, or any form of indecent assault.”
• UN Security Council Resolution 1325: This resolution reaffirms the important role of women in the prevention and resolution of conflicts, peace negotiations, peace-building, peacekeeping, humanitarian response and in post-conflict reconstruction.
• Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW): This convention obliges its signatories to eliminate discrimination against women and promote gender equality.
• Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court: This statute recognizes sexual violence as a war crime and a crime against humanity.
• The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC): The ICRC works to ensure that women and girls are protected from sexual violence and other forms of gender-based violence during armed conflicts.

Way Forward

• Increase the participation of women in conflict resolution at decision-making levels and peacebuilding efforts, as well as in post-conflict reconstruction and development.
• Provide protection, assistance and training to refugee women, other displaced women in need of international protection and internally displaced women.
• Supporting women’s economic empowerment and livelihood opportunities, especially for those who are widowed, displaced, or heads of households.
• Improving women’s access to health care, education, water, sanitation, food, and shelter, taking into account their specific needs and vulnerabilities.
• Providing psychosocial support and counseling to women and girls who suffer from trauma, stress, or grief due to armed conflict.
• Promoting women’s legal rights and access to justice, especially for those who face discrimination, violence, or exploitation.
• Respecting women’s cultural and religious practices, and ensuring their freedom of movement and expression.
• Raise awareness about the impact of armed conflict on women and girls.

News SOurce: The Hindu

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• India and China recently engaged in a high-level meeting during the 13th BRICS National Security Advisors (NSA) meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Highlights of Meeting:

Role of BRICS Platform:

• BRICS has become an important platform for emerging markets and developing countries to seek strength through solidarity. 
• Voice to developing nations: BRICS countries have striven to increase the say and influence of emerging markets and developing countries to constantly inject positive energy into the world of change and disorder, which is the epitome of the capability of BRICS cooperation. 
• Three-driver cooperation: BRICS countries’ three-driver cooperation—political and security cooperation, economic cooperation, and people-to-people exchanges—has yielded positive results.

Background Of India-China Relationship

• Congruency in Relationship
  • Warmth in Relation: Both countries have jointly advocated the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence.
    • Both countries have initiated the “hometown diplomacy”, held two informal summits in Wuhan and Chennai respectively.
  • Global Security: Both are working to address regional and global security issues such as terrorism and the spread of weapons of mass destruction.
  • Climate Action: Both countries have collaborated on climate change and have both signed on to the Paris Agreement.
  • Multilateral Forum: India and China are both members of BRICS, SCO, WTO etc, which reflect common agenda for growth and developemnt 
  • Cultural Linkages: India and China have a history of cultural exchanges and have established institutions like the Yoga College in China. 
  • Economies TIes: Bilateral trade has grown significantly, reaching US$100 billion by 2022, with India becoming a large market for project exports from China.
• Concern in Relationship: 
  • Border DIsputes: Two countries share a 3,500-kilometer border, as well as a shared cultural and religious heritage. 
    • However, there have been several instances of conflict and tensions over the last few decades, including the 1962 Sino-Indian War and border clashes that occurred as recently as 2021 and continue to this day.
  • Geopolitical Rivals: Both countries are attempting to assert their global influence, and they have competing interests in a number of regions, including the Asia-Pacific and Indian Ocean.
  • Water Dispute: The sharing of the Brahmaputra River has been a significant source of tension between India and China. 
    • China has been constructing numerous dams in the upper reaches of the river on which India has raised objections. However, no formal treaty has been established to address the matter.
  • String of Pearls: It is a network of Chinese military and commercial facilities which extend from the Chinese mainland to Port Sudan in the Horn of Africa. India believes this plan, together with the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor and other parts of China’s Belt and Road Initiative as a threat to India’s national security.
  • QUAD: The grouping, in terms of International Relations theory, is a product of ‘external balancing’ is seen as a threat by the Chinese government.
  • South China Sea: China claims sovereignty over various islands and reefs in the South China Sea as well as its sea lanes of communication and considers them part of its territorial waters. 
  • Trade Deficit: India’s significant reliance on Chinese imports has resulted in a substantial trade deficit of $100 billion between the two countries.

Way Forward:

• Sanction of terrorists under UNSC Regime: Listing terrorists and their proxies under the United Nations’ counter-terrorism sanctions regime to address the threat posed by these terror groups and promote global security.
• Solidarity among BRICS nations: To address the challenges brought by the digital age, there is a necessity for unity among BRICS nations to strengthen cyber defenses, promote international cooperation, and establish robust national cyber infrastructure.
• Addressing supply chain disruptions: Supply chain disruptions have had a disproportionate impact on the food security of vulnerable people. 
  • The issue needs to be urgently addressed which is a shared commitment and common responsibility.
• Cyber Attacks: Cyber attacks know no borders and the linkage between cyber criminals and terrorists is an emerging concern. 
  • Regional mechanisms should be utilized to advance common goals and address emerging challenges.
• Respecting Sovereignty of neighbors: Developmental projects such as China’s Belt and Road Initiative should not undermine the sovereignty of the nations.

News Source :The Hindu

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