Bilateral Relations

India Withdraws Most Favoured Nation Status to Pakistan

 Relevance IN – Prelims( about MFN) +Mains GS II – bilateral relation, security challenges + GS III Economic developments

 

What’s the NEWS

·        India  withdraws MFN status to Pakistan is intended to isolate the country diplomatically and squeeze its industry

·        India has taken a stern step of withdrawing the Most Favoured Nation or MFN Status of Pakistan.

·        This move would enable India to increase customs duty on goods coming from Pakistan. The decision was taken in the meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) that took place on 15^th  February 2019.

Know! what is Most Favoured Nation status

·        Article 1 of General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), 1994, requires every WTO member country to accord MFN status (or preferential trade terms with respect to tariffs and trade barriers) to all other member countries.

·        Accordingly, India accorded MFN status to all WTO member countries, including Pakistan, from the date of entry into force of the so called Marrakesh Agreement, establishing the WTO.

·        The WTO is the only global international organisation dealing with the rules of trade between nations and the 164 member countries of the WTO represent 98 per cent of world trade. Only a handful of very small countries are out of the WTO.

·        The primary purpose of the WTO is to open trade for the benefit of all. In that sense, “most favoured” sounds like a contradiction. But even though it suggests special treatment, in the WTO it actually means non-discrimination — that is treating virtually everyone equally. In effect, then, every WTO member is supposed to be“most favoured” for all other WTO members.

·        An MFN status helps reduce trade barriers and results in a reduction in tariffs especially in customs duty. This in turn strengthens trade-ties between the two countries. As India and Pakistan both are members of the WTO, both are required to grant MFN status to each other

·        India had granted MFN status to Pakistan in 1996, a year after the formation of WTO. But Pakistan hasn’t accorded MFN status to India till now.

·        However, India’s decision will not seriously dent the trade between the two countries; India-Pakistan trade volume is less than one per cent of India’s total trade.

·        Since trade ties between the two neighbouring countries are negligible the move will only be symbolic. Reports suggest it could lead to increased illegal trade between the countries.

 

Know! about  Cabinet Committee on Security

·        There are 6 Cabinet Committees in India i.e. Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, Cabinet Committee on Accommodation, Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs, Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs and Cabinet Committee on Security.

           ·        The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) of the Central Government of India looks into the matters of defence expenditures and National Security.

 

·        It consists of the Prime Minister, Minister of Home Affairs, Minister of External Affairs and, Minister of Finance and Minister of Defence. It is chaired by the Prime Minister.

 

Environment Conservation

Half of India’s waste-to-energy plants defunct

 Relevance IN – Mains GS III– Environment conservation

 

What’s the NEWS

·        Nearly half of India’s waste-to-energy (WTE) plants, meant to convert non-biodegradable waste, are defunct.

·        The country’s inability to segregate waste has resulted in even the existing plants working below capacity

·        The key reasons for closure are the plants’ inability to handle mixed solid waste and the high cost of electricity generated by them that renders it unattractive to power companies.

Steps taken by NITI ayog to revamp the plants

·        The NITI Aayog, as part of the Swachh Bharat Mission, envisages 800 megawatt from WTE plants by 2018-19, which is 10 times the capacity of all the existing WTE plants put together.

·        It also proposes setting up a Waste-to-Energy Corporation of India, which would construct incineration plants through PPP models.

·        The fundamental reason (for the inefficiency of these plants) is the quality and composition of waste.

·        MSW (municipal solid waste) in India has low calorific value and high moisture content.

·        As most wastes sent to the WTE plants are unsegregated, they also have high inert content.

·        About 1.43 lakh tonnes per day (TPD) of municipal solid waste (MSW) is generated across the country. Of this, 1.11 lakh TPD (77.6%) is collected and 35,602 TPD (24.8%) processed.

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Infrastructure Development

Only 84% rural households have electricity in four States

 Relevance IN – Prelims( about saubhagya scheme) +Mains GS III – infrastructure development - energy

 

What’s the NEWS

·        Only 84% of rural households have electricity connection in the four States of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Odisha and Rajasthan, a comprehensive private sector survey of 10,000 households has found.

·        This is in contrast to the government’s Saubhagya Scheme data, which shows that 100% household electrification has been achieved in U.P., Bihar and Odisha; and 99.9% in Rajasthan.

Know! more about the report

·        According to the data in the survey report by SmartPower, the 84% figure for households with electricity connections could actually be even lower.

·        The report said that 90% of the households surveyed had an electric connection or “electric pole within 50 m distance”.The report also found that only 75% of all households used electricity from the grid

·        Despite the increasing footprint of grid-electricity, this study finds that several non-grid sources are in use; these include, primarily, solar home systems, followed by rechargeable batteries, mini-grid electricity, and diesel generators

·        Overall 16% of households use non-grid-electricity sources, half of which also have grid connections.”

·        The finding that 80% of the households with electricity infrastructure within 50 m said they did not make use of an electricity connection because they could not afford one.

·        Other reasons for choosing off-grid sources included unreliable supply of electricity, inadequate supply of electricity and lack of residence proof.

 

Know! about Saubhagya Scheme

·        Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana – ‘Saubhagya’ a new scheme was launched by the Hon’ble Prime Minister on 25th September 2017.

·        Under Saubhagya free electricity connections to all households (both APL and poor families) in rural areas and poor families in urban areas will be provided.

·        There are around 4 Crore un-electrified households in the country and they are targeted for providing electricity connections by December 2018. 

·         Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) has been designated as its nodal agency for the Saubhagya scheme.

 

Centre – State relations

 

The Tussle between Delhi government and the Centre

Relevance IN – Mains GS II ( centre -state relation )

 

What’s the NEWS

·        The Supreme Court said  that the elected government did not have the power to transfer officers

 

Know! about the judgement

·        A two-judge Bench of the apex court gave its decision in the Delhi government vs Centre case, with one judge saying that the elected government had no powers over service matters and the other saying that the files regarding DANICS officers could be routed through the Council of Ministers to the Lieutenant Governor.

 

·        However, for a final call, the matter was referred to a three-judge Bench.

 

In June last year, a five-judge Constitution Bench ruled that decisions of the Delhi government will not require the concurrence of the Lieutenant-Governor, except in matters relating to Land, Home and Public Order.

·        That judgment was silent on matters relating to services and other issues. On Thursday, a two-judge Bench of the Supreme Court ruled on five crucial issues.

·        The apex court also added that Delhi being special state, matters of land, services, and law and order come under the purview of the central home ministry and the lieutenant governor (L-G).

 

Infrastructure development

Inland Waterways Authority of India launches portal for real-time information on available depth on stretches of National Waterways

Relevance IN – Prelims( LADIS portal ) +Mains GS III – infrastructure development – ports, inland waterways

What’s the NEWS

·        Moving a step ahead towards ensuring optimum use of National Waterways, the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) launched a new portal LADIS – Least Available Depth Information System

Know! more about LADIS

·        LADIS will ensure that real-time data on least available depths is disseminated for ship/barge and cargo owners so that they can undertake transportation on NWs in a more planned way.

·        An assured depth of waterway is required for seamless movement of vessels. If real time information is made available regarding LADs in stretches of various NWs, it will help transporters by guiding them on the suitability of time of movement.

 

·        The portal being hosted on IWAI’s website www.iwai.nic.in has been developed in-house. Initially LAD information will be available for NW-1, NW-2, Indo-Bagladesh Protocol route and NW-3, along with the date of survey. The facility will be expanded to other NWs also.

 

Prelims Practise Question

Consider the following statements

1.     Under Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana – ‘Saubhagya’free electricity connections will be provided to all households (both APL and poor families) in rural areas only

2.     The ministry of shipping has  launched a new portal LADIS – Least Available Depth Information System  that will ensure that real-time data on least available depths

Find the correct statement from the option given below

a.     1 only

b.     2 only

c.      None

d.     Both

 

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