Daily PIB Analysis For UPSC/IAS | 27th & 28th November 2018 -

Table of Contents

India japan

US vice-president Mike Pence is on a week long tour of Asia.
Mr. Pence is promoting a vision of a “FREE and OPEN” Indo-Pacific region. Unimpeded trade flows
Respect for the rule of law
National sovereignty
Existing frontiers§
One interested party is Japan, as PM Abe is credited for coming out with this concept of Free and Open IndoPacific.
Mr. Trump too is keen about IndoPacific but……let us recollect few memories.
Japan is responding to China’s muscular rise by strengthening its own position in the region.
Japan’s enthusiasm to participate in Asian security is motivating.
But it is not a job or duty of just one country. We need more like-minded nations on board, especially democracies.
Recently, Mr Modi and Mr Abe had a meeting with each other and these leaders have opened the way for a military logistics pact that would give each country’s armed force as access to the other’s bases.
Beyond instituting a joint “two plus two” dialogue among the countries’ foreign and defence ministers, Abe and Modi agreed to strengthen naval and maritime-security cooperation and collaborate on projects in third countries, including Myanmar, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, to enhance strategic connectivity in the Indo-Pacific.
Motto: “Shared security, shared prosperity, and shared destiny”
Indian Navy would be better able to expand its footprint to the western Pacific.
QUAD relations are better than they have ever been
While South Korea obviously should not disregard its history, it should find a way to move past its colonial subjugation and form new, mutually beneficial relationships with Japan.
A weakening of the country’s democracy could have strategic ramifications for an economically integrated but politically divided Indo-Pacific.
If Japan and India—after China, the region’s most influential countries— can leverage their relationship to generate progress toward a broader concert of democracies in the region, the vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific may be achievable after all.

Prime Minister

Mr. Modi will be visiting Buenos Aires from 29 November -01 December 2018 to attend the 13th G-20 Summit hosted by Argentina.
G-20 seeks to promote multi-faceted cooperation among the twenty largest economies of the world.
Through the ten years of its existence, G20 has strived to promote stable and sustainable global growth.
This objective is of particular significance for developing countries and emerging economies such as India, which is today the fastest growing large economy in the world.
India’s contribution to global economic growth and prosperity underlines our commitment to “Building Consensus for Fair and Sustainable Development”, which is the theme of the Summit.
Mr Modi meeting leaders from other G20 countries to review the work of G-20 in the last ten years of its existence and chart the ways and means to meet the new and upcoming challenges of the coming decade.
Emerging economies, which played a major role in revitalizing the growth in the global economy pursuant to the financial crisis are today facing unprecedented economic and technological challenges.
I will highlight the need for reformed multilateralism which reflects the contemporary realities and can effectively strengthen collective action for global good.
There is also a serious need to strengthen international cooperation and enhance coordinated action against fugitive economic offenders and financing of terrorism

President

Shri Ram Nath Kovind, received the first copy of the book “Making of New India: Transformation under Modi Government”, from Shri Arun Jaitley, Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs.
President said that contemporary governance has played a vital role in giving shape and form to an all-inclusive idea of “New India”. • The President said it would, however, be incorrect to say that the development journey has been that of the government alone. The zeal with which ordinary citizens have participated also needs to be acknowledged.
It has been heartening to see people voluntarily let go of subsidies and financial benefits so that the deserving and the truly needy can avail and access a life of dignity.
It is common to see people selflessly doing shramdaan to change the status quo. It is this enthusiastic contribution by citizens of our country that is enabling rapid transformation. • This book, edited by Dr Bibek Debroy, Dr Anirban Ganguly and Shri Kishore Desai, contains 51 essays on themes ranging from economy to diplomacy, education to public health

President

Mr Abdulla Shahid, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Maldives, called on the President of India.
Welcoming Mr Shahid and his delegation to India, the President said that India and Maldives enjoy a uniquely special, close and friendly relationship.
The President noted that the government of Maldives has launched a 100-day action plan that is people-centric and aimed at transforming the lives of the people of Maldives.

Vice Secretariat

Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu has called for United Nations and other Multilateral Organisations to chalk out strategy to extradite economic fugitives
He was addressing the CITI Global Textiles Conclave 2018, organised to commemorate CITI Diamond Jubilee celebrations.
The Vice President said that world leaders he had met during his visits to Europe, Latin America and Africa appreciated India’s development story and said that it was marching forward with remarkable growth.
There was a tremendous interest in India’s growth story in the world community, he added.
He said that India definitely has a competitive advantage in terms of abundant availability of raw material, skilled manpower, manufacturing competitiveness, huge spinning, weaving, processing and garment manufacturing facilities.
The Vice President said that India has the unique advantage of combining traditional workmanship with modern methods.

Ministry of Defence

Smt Nirmala Sitharaman has formally launched ‘Mission Raksha Gyan Shakti
’The event showcased salient inventions and innovations achieved by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs) and Ordnance Factories (OFs) which have resulted in successful filing of Intellectual Property Right (IPR) applications.
Smt Sitharaman also felicitated some of the scientists, who invented and innovated useful products for the nation.
Smt Sitharaman highlighted that while India has always been a knowledge hub since ancient times, however, due to lack of awareness on modern legal framework for protection of IP rights, our knowledge and creativity have often not been utilised to its full potential.
Secretary Defence Production Dr Ajay Kumar highlighted the need to migrate from the culture of seeking Transfer of Technology (ToT) from foreign sources to generating Intellectual Property in India, to achieve the goal of selfreliance in Defence sector.

Ministry of Finance

Government of India and the Asian Development Bank signed a $75 million loan here today to provide 24 x7 water supply in Karnataka’s four coastal towns of Kundapura, Mangalore Puttur and Udupi and improve sanitation infrastructure for Mangalore town.
The Program, approved by ADB Board in 2014, aims to improve urban water resource management in selected river basins in Karnataka through modernization and expansion of urban water supply and sanitation infrastructure and strengthening institutions to improve water use efficiency, water resource planning, monitoring and service delivery.
The $75 million tranche 1 loan is helping strengthen urban water supply and sanitation services in three other towns of the State – Byadagi, Davangere, and Harihar.
The investment program is supporting four coastal towns in Karnataka to provide continuous piped water supply to people, and promote efficient and sustainable use of water.
It will also adopt information technology based smart water management system and undertake community awareness programs on water conservation and demand management, said Mr. Khare. • – • – • – •The Indian Ocean Rim Association is an inter-governmental organisation which was established on 7 March 1997

Ministry of Shipping

- The Minister Shri Nitin Gadkari was speaking at the Sustainable Blue Economy Conference in Nairobi.
- Kenya is hosting the two day conference with Canada and Japan as co-hosts.
- Shri Nitin Gadkari has said that India endorses the growth of the Blue Economy in a sustainable, inclusive and people centred manner through the framework of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA)
- He said the Blue Economy remains a critical aspect of India’s economic development agenda, and more than 95% of our trade is being carried on by sea.
- Emphasizing the importance that India lays on developing its maritime resources Shri Gadkari said that our National Vision in this regard is clearly articulated in the term “SAGAR”- Security and Growth for All in the Region coined by our Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.
- He said that Prime Minister says that the Blue Chakra of India’s national flag represents the potential of the Blue Economy, and gave assurance that the
- Ministry of Shipping, Government of India is committed to realising its full potential.
- Sagarmala Programme: programme has identified 600 plus projects entailing a huge investment of $120 billion (around Rs 8 lakh crore) by 2020.
- This in turn would save India $6 billion per annum in logistics costs besides creating 10 million new jobs and boosting port capacity by 800 Million Metric Tonne per Annum (MMTPA) to an overall 3500 MMTPA.
- Coastal Economic Zones (CEZs) are being developed with a proposed investment of $ 150 Million per location under the programme.
- In addition to this, several green initiatives are also being taken in the coastal regions like 31 MW of captive solar power generation being planned at various ports, installation of oil spill response facilities and study to identify ways to re-use waste water at ports.
  
  Watch Free Video – Daily PIB analysis