VISION

 What is the issue?

The Indian and Chinese soldiers will remain to be deployed against each other in the icy cold deserts of Ladakh this winter.

What is the reason behind China’s aggressive focus on India?

• The PLA incursion into Barahoti, a demilitarised zone in Uttarakhand in August was a significant pointer to the renewed Chinese aggression against India.
• The incursion of Chinese patrols in Arunachal Pradesh have also increased in frequency and duration.
• The major reason for China’s aggressiveness is to further the institutional interest as the army of the revolution which is currently losing its pre-eminence in Taiwan and South China Sea.
• PLA’s view that the Indian military has been exerting a greater presence on Chinese territory in the border areas in the last 10-12 years is also a reason.
• The Doklam stand-off of 2017, when Indian soldiers walked onto Bhutanese territory claimed by China, was a turning point in the PLA’s approach.
• Bejing’s unilateral action of changing the status quo resulted in the  Ladakh crisis.

What was New Delhi’s response to Chinese aggressions?

• The Indian military has inducted more modern military platforms backed by infrastructure construction in the China border.
• The Indian military always maintained a defensive deterrence against the PLA.
• India’s advantage in dissuading a major military conflict with China is that as a lesser power, it has to only deny an outright military victory to the PLA.
• Also, India’s primacy of Air Force is an added advantage.

What are the challenges?

• Military modernisation - The sharp decline in the Indian economy after demonetisation and the coronavirus pandemic made it difficult to generate enough resources for military modernisation.
• The parliamentary standing committee on defence has repeatedly warned about the increasing technological asymmetry with PLA.
• Divisive majoritarian politics - India’s foreign policy in the neighbourhood is adversely affecting  the Indian interests.
• The UAE brokered backchannel deal with Pakistan fell through because of New Delhi’s policies in Kashmir.
• The treatment of religious minorities and the issues over the influx of Myanmar refugees in Mizoram has made India-Bangladesh relation weaker.
• Power competition in the Indo-Pacific – Groupings like Quad (India, the United States, Australia, Japan) does not have a ‘hard power’ agenda yet unlike the trilateral security pact, AUKUS.
• Executive’s shadow - The lack of institutional checks and balances on the political executive imposes a bigger cost in decision-making on national security issues.
• The removal of an official report about Chinese presence across the LAC from the Defence Ministry’s website and non-acknowledgement of Indian soldiers in Chinese captivity after the Galwan clash have been done to evade political accountability.
• Neither the Parliament has been allowed to ask questions nor the parliamentary standing committee deliberated upon the issue.

What is the future ahead?

 Why in news?

India completed 100 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccines on 21 October 2021, in about 9 months since the vaccination drive began.

Why is it laudable?

• This is the fastest rate of vaccination, possibly anywhere in the world.
• China has administered almost twice the number of doses to its citizens but it had also started out much earlier than anyone else.
• India began only in mid-January 2021, with a limited supply of vaccines.
• The shortage of vaccines was felt most acutely during the devastating second wave, the worst phase of the pandemic.
• The challenge was handled with contributions of vaccine manufacturers and the wide network of healthcare workers.
• Crossing the one-billion mark also became possible as India stopped the export of vaccines, impacting most low- and middle-income countries.

What are the tasks ahead?

ETHICS IN GOVERNANCE (ARC-II 4 REPORT) PDF

APTI PLUS Current Affairs Monthly Magazine October 2021 PDF

1)  International Stuttering Awareness Day: 22 October

•Every year October 22 is observed as International Stuttering Awareness Day, since 1998. The day is intended to raise public awareness of the millions of people who have a speech disorder of stuttering or stammering. Theme 2021: “Speak the change you wish to see”.

2)  India crosses 100-crore COVID-19 vaccination doses milestone

•India completed 100 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccines on 21st October, in about 9 months since the drive began. PM Modi called the achievement “the triumph of Indian science, enterprise and collective spirit of 130 crore Indians”. The Prime Minister visited the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital here and interacted with healthcare workers and people receiving the vaccine.

•To mark the occasion, the Union Health Ministry held a series of events and released a two-minute and four-second video with rap and visual representation of the country’s fight against COVID-19.

3)  Centre approves hike in DA/DR for central government employees and pensioners

•The Union Cabinet has approved a further hike of 3 per cent in Dearness Allowance (DA) and Dearness Relief (DR) for the central government employees and pensioners. The increase of 3% is over the existing rate of 28 per cent of the basic pay/pension and will be effective from July 1, 2021. Now after this hike, the DA/DR will increase to 31%.

•It must be remembered that earlier in July 2021, the government had announced an 11% hike in DA/DR from 17% to 28% of the basic pay/pension. It will cost the exchequer Rs 9,488.70 crore per annum. As a result, the DA and DR instalments are due for four periods including January 1, 2020, July 1, 2020, January 1, 2021, and July 1, 2021. However, the rate of DA/DR for the period between January 2020 to June 2021 shall remain at 17%.

4)  MP Govt announced Implementation of “Mukhyamantri Ration Aapke Dwar Yojana”

•The government of Madhya Pradesh (MP) has announced the implementation of the scheme ‘‘Mukhyamantri Ration Apke Dwar Yojana”, which will start from November 2021. Under this scheme, the ration will be provided at the doorstep of the villagers where there are no Fair Price Shops (FPS).

•To provide ration material to the vulnerable sections such as Divyanga (Specially-Abled) and senior citizens near their homes. To ensure proper ration supply for poor tribal families in each village bin 74 tribal dominated blocks of 16 districts.

5)  Defence Minister launched the book on Veer Savarkar

•Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launched the book titled “Veer Savarkar: The Man Who Could Have Prevented Partition” authored by Uday Mahurkar and Chirayu Pandit at Ambedkar International Centre, New Delhi. Minister Rajnath Singh described Savarkar as an “icon of Indian history” and also described his contributions to a nation that was not yet considered and highlighted the prolonged controversies from time to time on the great leader Savarkar.

6)  Donald Trump to launch social media platform called Truth Social

•Donald Trump has announced plans to launch a social media platform called TRUTH Social that will be rolled be out early next year. The former US president, who was banned from Facebook and Twitter earlier this year, says his goal is to rival the tech companies that have denied him the megaphone that was paramount to his rise. Truth social will be a product of a new venture called the Trump Media & Technology Group. He wants to create a platform that rivals Twitter or Facebook, but that simply won’t happen.

7)  India ranks 79th in World Justice Project’s Rule of Law Index 2021

•India has ranked 79 out of 139 countries and jurisdictions in the World Justice Project’s (WJP) Rule of Law Index 2021. The WJP Rule of Law Index 2021 ranks the countries based on scores ranging from 0 to 1, with 1 indicating the strongest adherence to the rule of law. Denmark, Norway and Finland topped the World Justice Project’s (WJP) Rule of Law Index 2021.

8)  Economist Gita Gopinath to leave IMF in January 2022

•The International Monetary Fund’s Chief Economist and Director of the Research Department, Gita Gopinath will leave the organisation in January 2022. She will return to Harvard University’s economics department. She was on public service leave during her tenure at the organisation, and the leave will end in January 2022. Gopinath, during her tenure, co-authored the “Pandemic Paper”, a document that set globally endorsed targets for vaccinating the world against Covid-19, the IMF said.

•Harvard had extended Gopinath’s leave by one year as an exceptional case, which allowed her to serve as the chief economist at the IMF for three years. IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said Gopinath’s contribution to the fund was “truly remarkable”.

9)  Alok Mishra becomes new MD of India Ports Global Limited

•The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet(ACC) has appointed Captain Alok Mishra as the Managing Director of India Ports Global Limited (IPGL). He is currently serving as the Head of operation and transformation lead at the Gateway Terminals India Pvt Ltd (GTI), Mumbai Maharashtra.

•Alok Mishra has been appointed for the full-time role for a term of 5 years. Alok Mishra succeeds Harjeet Kaur Joshi, CMD of Delivery Company of India Ltd (SCI), who held the additional charge as the MD of IPGL.

10)  Reliance Brands acquires 40% stake in designer Manish Malhotra’s MM Styles

•LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 02: Manish Malhotra attends a reception and dinner for supporters of The British Asian Trust on February 2, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images)

•Reliance Industries Ltd’s Reliance Brands Ltd (RBL) and famous designer Manish Malhotra have announced a strategic partnership to acquire a 40 per cent stake in Malhotra’s MM Styles Pvt Ltd. According to a Reliance Brands statement, this “strategic partnership” is the first “external investment” for MM Styles Pvt Ltd.

•Launched in 2005, the Manish Malhotra luxury retail is spanned across four flagship stores in Mumbai, New Delhi, and Hyderabad. Manish Malhotra, the main architect behind the 16-year-old couture house, will continue to be at the helm of affairs of MM Styles Pvt Ltd as managing and creative director.

11)  Barbados elects its first-ever president, removing UK’s Queen Elizabeth

•Barbados has elected its first-ever president as it prepares to become a republic, removing Queen Elizabeth as head of state. Dame Sandra Mason, 72, is set to be sworn in on 30 November, which will mark the country’s 55th anniversary of independence from Britain. The first woman to serve on the Barbados Court of Appeals, Dame Sandra has been governor-general since 2018. The historic election came after a joint session of the House of Assembly and the Senate.  described the vote as a “seminal moment” for the nation.

12)  SAI appoints Commodore PK Garg as new CEO of TOPS

•The Sports Authority of India (SAI) appointed Commodore PK Garg as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) at the Mission Olympic Cell meeting. He joined the Indian Navy in 1984 and was in charge of many important and prestigious assignments over 34 years of service. Commodore Garg, who was the High-Performance Director with Sports Authority of India till June 2021, is also an Arjuna Awardee recipient (1990) in Sailing and has also won the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Awardee in 1993-94.

13)  Alexei Navalny Wins European Union’s Sakharov Prize

•The European Parliament has awarded the European Union’s top human rights prize, Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought for 2021, to the imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. The 45-year-old activist has been awarded for his immense personal bravery to fight tirelessly against the corruption of Vladimir Putin’s regime.

 Yojana Magazines October 2021 Hindi PDF

📰 Update photos of prisoners released on parole, Centre tells States

 What is the issue?

Around 136 countries have signed an agreement at the OECD meeting to redistribute taxing rights and impose a global minimum corporate tax on large MNCs operating globe over.

What is the need for a global minimum corporate tax rate?

• Large MNCs have traditionally been taxed based on where they declare their profits rather than where they actually do business.
•  This allowed several large companies to shift their profits to low-tax jurisdictions (tax havens).
• This has led to significant decline in Global corporate tax rates since the 1980s to well below 25% in 2020.
• The double taxation avoidance agreements have been exploited by using the mismatches between the tax laws of various countries.
• The COVID-19 pandemic has also severely battered economies and affected the tax revenues of governments.

What does the new agreement say?

Modern History Mains GS- 1 Notes 2021 by Vision IAS PDF