23 September 2024, The Indian Express
In a signal to China, Modi says Quad ‘not against anyone but here to stay’
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GS2- Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India
- UNDERLINING THAT leaders of the Quad grouping — India, US, Japan, and Australia — were meeting amid global “tensions and conflicts”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Sunday that they “are not against anyone”, and all of them “support a rules-based international order, respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, and the peaceful resolution of all issues”.
- Modi’s remarks during the sixth Quad leaders’ summit at President Joe Biden’s hometown of Delaware were a thinly veiled reference to China’s aggressive behaviour in the Indo-Pacific region. But Biden’s own hot mic comments at the same meeting, which was also attended by the prime ministers of Japan and Australia, removed that veil as he said China was “testing” them while trying to “buy diplomatic space” for itself.
Biden hosts Modi at home: ‘Ties closer, more dynamic than ever’
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GS2- India and its bilateral relations
- The United States’ partnership with India is “stronger, closer, and more dynamic than any time in history”, US President Joe Biden said Sunday after an hour-long bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi — their eighth such in-person interaction in four years. “Prime Minister Modi, each time we sit down, I am struck by our ability to find new areas of cooperation. Today was no different,” Biden said.
- The remarks summed up the broad sweep of what the two countries are currently working on — from the first semiconductor fabrication plant for national security to joint research by NASA and ISRO onboard the International Space Station, progress in India procuring 31 remotely piloted aircraft, and work on a pact for critical minerals supply chains and emerging digital technologies in Asia and Africa.
India, US ink pact to set up semiconductor fab for national security, next-gen telecom
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GS2- India and its bilateral relations
- India and the US have entered into an agreement to set up a semiconductor fabrication plant to make chips for use in “national security, next generation telecommunications and green energy applications”, according to the Indo-US joint fact-sheet.
- Both US President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the “watershed arrangement”, the first such project where the US Military has agreed to a partnership on highly valued technology with India.
Push for ties in new areas: Sharing threat info, vulnerability mitigation in energy
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GS2- India and its bilateral relations
- India and the United States will work together to advance cooperation in new domains such as threat information sharing, cybersecurity training, and collaboration on vulnerability mitigation in energy and telecommunications networks, aside from ongoing work in space and cyberspace, a fact sheet issued by both countries on Saturday said.
- This was discussed as Prime Minister Narendra Modi met US President Joe Biden during his three-day visit to the US to attend the Quad leaders’ summit in Wilmington, Delaware, on Saturday.
Deliverables from combating cancer to maritime security
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GS2- Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India
- The Quad is more strategically aligned than ever before and is a force for good that delivers real, positive, and enduring impact for the Indo-Pacific, said the Wilmington Declaration issued after the summit.
- The summit, hosted by US President Joe Biden in Wilmington, Delaware, was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Japan PM Fumio Kishida and Australian PM Anthony Albanese Friday.
A grand GST bargain
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GS3- Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization, of resources, growth, development
- During the first five years of GST, there was a provision to compensate states for a loss of revenue, if any, measured against a 14 per cent growth over their “protected” revenues in 2015-16. The source of this compensation given to states was a cess that the Centre levied and collected on the sale of specific goods. This compensation cess was initially levied for a five year period. Subsequently, its levy was extended till March 2026, to service the loans raised during the Covid years for providing GST compensation to the states.
- During July 2017 to March 2023, the government transferred Rs 8.8 trillion to 28 states as GST compensation grants (Rs 6.1 trillion) and loans (Rs 2.7 trillion). Nearly two-thirds of this total compensation was accounted for by 10 large states — Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, West Bengal, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. Notably, the percentage of GST compensation within each state’s revenue receipts varied substantially, with a higher dependence seen in states such as Punjab.
Earth may once have had a ring comprising asteroid debris: Study
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Prelims Syllabus- Science Current Affairs
- The rings of Saturn are perhaps the most stunning features of the Solar System. Earth may once have boasted something similar, a study published earlier this month in the journal Earth and Planetary Science Letters found.
- “The existence of such a ring, forming around 466 million years ago and persisting for a few tens of millions of years, could explain several puzzles in our planet’s past,” Andrew Tomkins, a professor of planetary science at Monash University in Australia, and the study’s lead author, wrote in The Conversation.
Pro-farmer turn in edible oils
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GS3- Agriculture
- The last two weeks have seen the Narendra Modi-led government take two important decisions to protect the interests of oilseed farmers in India.
- On September 13, it hiked the basic customs duty (BCD) on imported crude palm, soyabean, and sunflower oil from zero to 20%, and that on their refined oils from 12.5% to 32.5%.
Why Azerbaijan’s new climate fund may not be enough to plug finance gap
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GS3- Conservation
- Azerbaijan, the host of this year’s climate change conference, COP29, has proposed to launch a new climate fund for developing countries. The fund can be financed through “voluntary” contributions from fossil-fuel producing countries and companies, according to Azerbaijan.
- Azerbaijan’s proposal comes at a time when negotiation on a climate finance agreement is struggling to make progress. Finalising this finance agreement is the main agenda before COP29, which is scheduled to run from November 11 to 22 in Baku.
India signs IPEF’s clean, fair economy agreements
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GS3- Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization, of resources, growth, development
- India on Sunday signed the US-led 14-member Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) bloc’s agreements on a clean and fair economy. The agreements signed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the US are aimed at facilitating development, access, and deployment of clean energy and climate-friendly technologies. They also aim to strengthen anti-corruption measures and promote tax transparency within member countries.
- The Commerce and Industry Ministry said that the agreement on clean economy intends to accelerate efforts of IPEF partners towards energy security, GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions mitigation, developing innovative ways of reducing dependence on fossil fuel energy and promoting technical cooperation.
India’s data centre ambitions will have to go through Malaysia, Japan
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GS3- Digital Infrastructure
- India could emerge as a key market for data centres in the coming years, as the industry sees a boom in emerging markets, but could face stiff competition from countries like Malaysia and Vietnam.
- A research note by S&P Global estimates more than $100 billion will be invested in such facilities in the region over the next five years. The spending will capitalise on strong data growth and the rise in artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing and digitalisation.
