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As US President Joe Biden comes to India for the G20 summit, New Delhi and Washington are working on an ambitious slew of deliverables for their bilateral engagement that includes a possible nuclear pact on small modular nuclear reactors, an academic programme tailored for Indian students, movement on the drone deal, progress on US Congress approval for a defence deal on jet engines, a joint humanitarian aid for Ukraine, a more liberal visa regime for Indians and new consulates in each other’s countries.
Sources told The Indian Express that Indian and the US officials are in hectic negotiations for the last few weeks about framing a “robust” and “outcome-oriented” joint communique for President Biden’s first visit to India as US President. The last US President to visit India was Donald Trump in February 2020.
Biden, who has visited India multiple times in different capacities, was keen to have a visit that takes the India-US story forward building on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Washington DC in June for the state visit.
Normally, bilateral visits are not included during the G20 summits — but India has made an exception for the US President and the Saudi Crown Prince.
India and the US are hoping to iron out the differences over the nuclear deal which cropped up after the civil nuclear liability law and the two sides hope to seal an agreement or an understanding to set up small nuclear reactors — seen as easier than going for more capital intensive large reactors.
G20 in New Delhi
Millet by millet: Busy trip for leaders spouses (Page no. 6)
(GS Paper 3, Agriculture)
From a visit to a millet farm at Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Pusa, to a traditional welcome and lunch at the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) to shopping at an exhibition of curated Indian crafts, a busy itinerary awaits the spouses of G20 leaders who are arriving in Delhi to attend the summit on September 9-10.
According to sources, the spouses of the G20 leaders will visit IARI-Pusa, where the officials have planned a millet field tour for them.
In all nine millet crops, including jowar (sorghum), bajra (pearl millet), ragi (finger millet), Kodo, samai and kutki, have been planted to show to the spouses of the G20 leaders.
These crops were sown in the month of June so that they become ready by the time of the G20 Leaders’ Summit in September, said the sources. They said some of the crops are at the grain formation stage, while others are at different stages of maturity.
The G20 leaders’ spouses are also expected to interact with women millet farmers and entrepreneurs. Other activities like live cooking demonstrations, Millet Street and millet rangoli are also planned.
Xi not to attend; Premier Li to lead China team, will arrive from Jakarta (Page no. 6)
(GS Paper 2, International Relation)
Chinese President Xi Jinping will not attend the G20 Summit in New Delhi this week and the delegation will be led by Premier Li Qiang, the foreign ministry announced here.
At the invitation of the government of the Republic of India, Premier of the State Council Li Qiang will attend the 18th G20 Summit to be held in New Delhi, India on September 9 and 10, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning said in a brief statement.
Spokesperson Mao did not provide any reason for President Xi's absence from the high-profile conclave hosted by India for the first time.
President Xi is also skipping the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and East Asia summits in Jakarta this week. Premier Li will be representing China at the ASEAN Summit in Indonesia.
At the invitation of President Joko Widodo of Indonesia, the current ASEAN chair, Premier of the State Council Li will attend the 26th China-ASEAN Summit, the 26th ASEAN Plus Three (APT) Summit and the 18th East Asia Summit to be held in Jakarta, Indonesia from September 5 to 8, and pay an official visit to Indonesia, another Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin announced on September 1.
Now, Premier Li is expected to travel to India after attending the East Asia summit in Jakarta.
Express Network
Celebrate culture and diversity of country in schools: PM to teachers (Page no. 10)
(GS Paper 1, Culture)
In his interaction with the 75 award winners at his official residence, the PM appreciated the efforts of teachers in nurturing the young minds of the country.
He highlighted the importance of good teachers and the role they can play in shaping the destiny of the country, a statement issued by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said.
The PM talked about taking pride in local heritage and history, and urged the teachers to inspire students to learn about their region's history and culture, the statement said. Highlighting the strength of diversity in the country, he requested the teachers to celebrate the culture and diversity of different parts of the country in their schools.
Editorial
G20 a pathfinder (Page no. 12)
(GS Paper 2, International Organisation)
As the world’s leaders gather in New Delhi, it is clear that India’s G20 presidency will be remembered as a historic pivot in global governance.
The 2023 G20 slogan — “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” or “The world is one family” — exemplifies a typical Indian melding of tradition and contemporary concerns.
For a G20 summit that is about reviving, reforming, and defending globalisation, vasudhaiva kutumbakam has taken on a meaning beyond hospitality to visitors from across the world.
Translated into the rallying cry of “One Earth, One Family, One Future”, it emphasises the interconnection of cultures across geographies, and, as in families, reminds us of our obligation to those left behind, those yet to benefit from globalisation.
Of the many priorities India is taking forward in its stewardship of the G20, three serve to illustrate how the concerns of the Global South have come to occupy centre stage.
The first principle is the democratisation and decentralisation of the global economy. “One Earth, One Family, One Future” should be seen especially in the backdrop of recent geo-economic developments that threaten our interconnected futures.
Muscular industrial policy has staged a return in geographies that were once the strongest votaries of globalisation.
Ideas Page
Better for voter better for citizen (Page no. 13)
(GS Paper 2, Polity and Governance)
One nation, one election is among the critical reforms in the BJP’s agenda. In fact, then President of India, Ram Nath Kovind, in his address to Parliament on January 29, 2018, mentioned this as one of the reforms proposed by the government.
He said that citizens are concerned about frequent elections in one part of the country or another, which adversely impact the economy and development. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken emphatically about the desirability of having one election across the country. Therefore, the idea is not a bolt from the blue.
I have overseen many elections, both as a returning officer and an observer for the Election Commission of India — from Kerala and Bihar to Jharkhand — to Parliament and state assemblies.
I have also been a candidate for both Parliament and assembly elections. I am aware of the massive effort required in the conduct of elections and the repercussions of frequent elections on the administration and citizens at large.
I think there is an urgency in taking forward the idea of simultaneous elections for the following reasons:
First, it enables the government to concentrate on governance once the elections are over. Today, there is some election or the other in some part of the country, at least every three months.
The entire attention of the country becomes focused on these elections. From the Prime Minister to Union ministers, from chief ministers to ministers to MPs, MLAs and panchayat members — everyone gets deeply involved with these elections, as nobody wants to lose.
There is a virtual paralysis of administration at various levels in varying degrees. This reflects very badly on India’s growth prospects. Second, by and large, no decisions are taken during elections due to the code of conduct.
Express Network
37,000 alien species introduced by human activities, says report (Page no. 14)
(GS Paper 3, Environment)
In the most extensive study on invasive species carried out till date, the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) in its new publication – the “Assessment Report on Invasive Alien Species and their Control’’ – has found that there are 37,000 alien species, including plants and animals, that have been introduced
by many human activities to regions and biomes around the world, including more than 3,500 invasive alien species and that invasive alien species have played a key role in 60% of global plant and animal extinctions recorded.
The report, which was released on Monday, said that invasive alien species are one of the five major direct drivers of biodiversity loss globally, alongside land and sea use change, direct exploitation of organisms, climate change, and pollution.
The IPBES released its report following a week- long plenary from August 28th, with representatives of the 143 member States which have approved the report.
IPBES is an independent intergovernmental body established to strengthen the science-policy interface for biodiversity and ecosystem services, working in a similar way to the IPCC, which is the UN’s climate science body.
The study, which has taken place over a period of four years, has been by 86 leading experts from 49 countries, drawing on more than 13,000 references.
The report has noted that the number of alien species (species introduced to new regions through human activities) has been rising continuously for centuries in all regions, but are now increasing at unprecedented rates, with increased human travel, trade and the expansion of the global economy.
Explained
G20 workstreams (Page no. 17)
(GS Paper 2, International Organisation)
The 18th annual G20 Heads of State and Government Summit is less than a week away. It will take place at Bharat Mandapam, Pragati Maidan, in New Delhi on September 9 and 10.
Established in 1999, the G20, for about a decade worked, at the level of finance ministers and central bank governors only. After the financial and economic crisis of 2008, it became a leaders’ forum.
The summit is essentially the culmination of all the G20 processes and meetings held throughout the year in cities across the host country, among ministers, government officials, and civil society members and organisations. But what is its structure? What does it consist of? How do its different parts function? We explain.
The G20 works in three major tracks — two of them are official and one is unofficial, former Indian diplomat JS Mukul, who served as sous-sherpa for the G20 process and was involved in six G20 summits between 2008 and 2011.
The official tracks are the Finance Track and the Sherpa Track. The unofficial track includes engagement groups or civil society groups.
The Finance Track is headed by the finance ministers and central bank governors, who usually meet four times a year, with two meetings being held on the sidelines of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) meetings.
It mainly focuses on fiscal and monetary policy issues such as the global economy, infrastructure, financial regulation, financial inclusion, international financial architecture, and international taxation.
How invasive species are costing global economy billions annually (Page no. 17)
(GS Paper 3, Environment)
Thousands of invasive species introduced to new ecosystems around the world are causing more than $423 billion in estimated losses to the global economy every year by harming nature, damaging food systems and threatening human health, a wide-ranging scientific report published on Monday has found.
The costs have at least quadrupled every decade since 1970, according to the report, which was based on 2019 data. Researchers warned that the cost figures were conservative estimates because of the challenges in accounting for all effects.
Over the last few centuries, humans have intentionally and unintentionally introduced more than 37,000 species to places outside their natural ranges as the world has become more interconnected, the assessment said. More than 3,500 of those are considered invasive because they are harmful to their new ecosystems.
Invasive nonnative species were a major factor in 60 percent of recorded extinctions of plants and animals, according to the report, which was produced by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services for the United Nations. It expands on a sweeping 2019 report by the same panel, which found that as many as
World
Putin says won’t renew Black sea grain deal until the west meets his demands (Page no. 18)
(GS Paper 2, International Relation)
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday that a landmark deal allowing Ukraine to export grain safely through the Black Sea amid the war won’t be restored until the West meets Moscow’s demands on its own agricultural exports.
Ukraine and its Western allies have dismissed the Kremlin’s demands as a ploy to advance its own interests.
Still, Putin’s remarks dashed hopes that his talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan could revive an agreement seen as vital for global food supplies, especially in Africa, the Middle East and Asia.
Russia refused to extend the deal in July, complaining that a parallel agreement promising to remove obstacles to Russian exports of food and fertilizer hadn’t been honored. It said restrictions on shipping and insurance hampered its agricultural trade, though it has shipped record amounts of wheat since last year.
Iran expands its uranium stock, UN watchdog says no progress (Page no. 18)
(GS Paper 2, International Relation)
The UN nuclear watchdog on Monday reported no progress in talks with Iran on sensitive issues such as reinstalling surveillance cameras and explaining uranium traces at undeclared sites.
At the same time, Iran's stock of uranium enriched to up to 60% purity, close to weapons grade, continued to grow compared with the previous quarter albeit at a slower pace, despite some of it having been diluted, one of the confidential International Atomic Energy Agency reports to member states showed.
"The (IAEA) Director General (Rafael Grossi) regrets that there has been no progress in resolving the outstanding safeguards issues in this reporting period," one report said, referring to Iran's failure to credibly explain the origin of uranium particles found at two undeclared sites.
The reports, sent to IAEA member states ahead of a quarterly meeting of the IAEA's 35-nation Board of Governors next week, also said that after limited progress on re-installing IAEA surveillance cameras in the previous quarter, there had since been none, further raising tensions with Western powers.
Economy
Cross border payments can be more efficient with CBDC (Page no. 19)
(GS Paper 3, Economy)
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das said the adoption of Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC), or digital currency, can help in making cross border payments more efficient.
India is one of the few countries that has launched CBDC or e-rupee pilots in wholesale and retail segments.
Cross-border payments can be made more efficient through adoption of CBDCs and this is an area which should receive close attention,” the Governor said while addressing the G20 TechSprint Finale organised by RBI and Bank for International Settlements (BIS).
He said as all the countries are starting on a clean slate on the CBDC front, the adoption of the right technology platform, which is inter-operable, would be a great benefit to the future of the cross-border payments ecosystem.
Das said with its instant settlement feature, CBDCs can play an important role in making cross-border payments cheaper, faster and more secure.
The RBI launched pilots for digital rupee in the wholesale in November 2022 and in the retail segment in December 2022.
Das said the RBI is slowly and steadily expanding the CBDC pilots to more banks, cities, people and use cases. The empirical data that we are generating would go a long way in shaping the policies and future course of action.
Under India’s G20 presidency, the fourth edition of G20 TechSprint was launched on May 4, 2023 with the theme ‘Technology solutions for cross-border payments’.