VISION

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 What is the issue?

India is yet to declare its net-zero targets.

What is net-zero?

• It is also referred to as carbon-neutrality.
• It does not mean that a country would bring down its emissions to zero.
• Rather, net-zero is a state in which a country’s emissions are compensated by absorption and removal of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere.
• It is achieved by creating more carbon sinks such as forests, while removal of gases from the atmosphere requires futuristic technologies such as carbon capture and storage.
• It is even possible for a country to have negative emissions, if the absorption and removal exceed the actual emissions.
• IPCC report finds that if the world reaches net-zero emissions by 2040, the chance of limiting warming to 1.50C is considerably higher.

What is the status of the rest of the world?

1)  PM Modi unevils special Rs 125 coin on ISKCON founder’s 125th birth anniversary

•Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually unveiled a special commemorative coin of Rs 125 to mark the 125th birth anniversary of ISKCON founder Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. In July 1966, Prabhupada founded the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) commonly known as the ‘Hare Krishna movement’. The spiritual leader was born as Abhay Charan De on September 1, 1896, in Calcutta and later came to be known by the honorific A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.

2)  Gujarat to host Defence Expo 2022

•The next Defence Expo will be hosted by Gujarat in 2022. This was announced by chief minister Vijay Rupani. The Memorandum of Understanding has been signed between the Department of Defence Production and the Gujarat Government in this regard. About 100 countries are expected to participate in this biannual event.

3)  Ladakh announces snow leopard as state animal, black-necked crane as state bird

•The Union Territory of Ladakh has declared snow leopard (Panther unica) as the new state animal and black-necked crane (Grus nicricollis) as the new state bird. The notification in this regard was released by Shri Radha Krishna Mathur, Lieutenant Governor of Union Territory of Ladakh on August 31, 2021.

•The decision was taken keeping in view bifurcation of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh into separate administrative divisions in 2019. In the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, the black-necked crane and Kashmir stag (Hangul) were the state bird and animal respectively.

4)  J&K LG Manoj Sinha inaugurates ‘Saath’ initiative for women

•In Jammu and Kashmir, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has launched a Rural Enterprises Acceleration Programme titled ‘Saath’ for Self Help Group (SHG) women. The programme aims to transform the lives of women and make them independent and strong in social and financial aspects, by mentoring the women associated with SHGs and create market linkages of products created by these women.

•Jammu and Kashmir already has 48000 SHGs, with around four lakh women connected to these SHGs. The J&K administration further aims to create 11000 more SHGs in the coming year. This will transform the lives of these women and make them independent and strong in social and financial aspects.

📰 CJI flags ‘communal content’ in media

 What is the issue?

With the 13th BRICS summit to be held under India’s chairmanship (in digital format), here is a look at its various achievements andpriorities.

What are the achievements so far?

1. BRICS comprises of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
2. Launched by a meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Brazil, Russia, India and China in 2006.BRIC turned into BRICS in 2010, with the entry of South Africa.
3. BRICS is chaired by turn by the member countries. It represents 42% of the world’s population, 30% of the land area, 24% of global GDP and 16% of international trade.

• Served as a bridge between the Global North and Global South.
• Developed a common perspective on a wide range of global and regional issues.
• Established the New Development Bank.
• Created a financial stability net in the form of Contingency Reserve Arrangement.
• Now, planning to set up a Vaccine Research and Development Virtual Centre.

What are India’s immediate priorities?

Multilateral institutions

• Pursue reform of multilateral institutions such as the UN, World Bank, IMF, WTO and now even the WHO.

• But reform needs global consensus which is hardly feasible given the strategic tensions between the U.S. and China.

Combating terrorism

• There is a need to bridge the gap between rhetoric and action in this regard.

• E.g., Chinafeels little hesitation in supporting clear-cut denunciations of terrorist groups. It supports Pakistan, which is enmeshed with a host of international terrorist groups.
• In this context, BRICS is attempting to pragmatically shape its counter-terrorism strategy by crafting the BRICS Counter Terrorism Action Plan.
• It contains specific measures to fight radicalisation, terrorist financing and misuse of the Internet by terrorist groups.

Other goals

• Promoting technological and digital solutions for the Sustainable Development Goals.
• Expanding people-to-people cooperation.
• Creating a better internal trade balance, and diversification and strengthening of regional value chains[remains a challengegiven China’s centrality and dominance of intra-BRICS trade flows].
• Increasing intra-BRICS cooperation in diverse areas like agriculture, disaster resilience, digital health, traditional medicine, and customs cooperation.

What are the challenges?

• China’s economic rise has created an imbalance within BRICS.
• China’s aggressive policy, especially against India, puts BRICS solidarity under exceptional strain.
• Strained relations of China and Russia with the West.
• Serious internal challenges preoccupying both Brazil and South Africa.
• Generally, an era of complex geopolitics.

What lies ahead?