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Small Island nations of the Pacific Ocean are in fact “large ocean states”, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi, highlighting the importance of the 14 members of the Forum for India Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC).
In the opening session of the FIPIC-3 summit in Port Moresby, Mr. Modi spoke in favour of free and open Indo-Pacific region and focused on India’s commitment to assist the development goals of the member-countries.
New Delhi would continue to help the Pacific island states in “every possible” way, he said. “Climate change, natural calamities, poverty and famine already existed but now new challenges are emerging as supply chains of food, fuel fertilizer and pharma are facing hurdles.
Those we thought were reliable, we came to know they were not standing with us. In this time of difficulty, the old saying that a friend in need is a friend indeed has been proved. From vaccines to medicines, wheat and sugar, India has supplied the countries that needed the items,” he said.
The previous two meetings of the India-Pacific Islands Cooperation were held in November 2014 in Fiji, and August 2015 in Jaipur.
Mr. Modi arrived in Port Moresby on Sunday after completing his engagements at the G-7 summit in Hiroshima, where India was a guest country.
Welcoming the guest, Prime Minister James Marape said the members of the FIPIC had suffered because of the high tariff on energy and food.
Editorial
Solidarity for peace (Page no. 6)
(GS Paper 2, International Organisation)
By holding the meeting of the “G-7”, or the so-called group of the world’s most industrialised nations, in Hiroshima, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who belongs to the city, wanted to send out a message of global solidarity for peace. In addition to the symbolism of bringing leaders of all G-7 members with the EU leadership to the peace memorial for the victims of the 1945 atomic bombing, the grouping issued a special “Hiroshima Vision Statement on Nuclear Disarmament”.
The summit’s importance was underlined by the fact that the U.S. President, Joseph Biden, only the second sitting American President to visit the city, made a particular point of attending the summit.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s surprise arrival also enhanced the message by turning the spotlight on the horrors of Russia’s invasion; Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement that the crisis was one of “humanity” was significant.
The G-7 members issued a separate statement on Ukraine, hitting Russia with more sanctions, but failed to highlight a path towards dialogue and ending the war.
Despite the invitation of countries such as India, Brazil, Indonesia and Vietnam with a less black-and-white view of the world, and Mr. Kishida making pertinent references to the views of the Global South, the summit’s statements reflected a much more polarised view of the world — that of G-7 members alone.
Slow withdrawal (Page no. 6)
(GS Paper 3, Economy)
The Reserve Bank of India’s May 19 announcement that ₹2,000 banknotes would be withdrawn from circulation, coming just over seven-and-a-half years since the economically deleterious demonetisation of ₹500 and ₹1,000 notes, has triggered a sense of déjà vu.
While Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decision in November 2016, to abruptly and completely rescind the legal tender status of the then available high value currency notes was ostensibly aimed at ‘combatting black money and terror financing’, the RBI has asserted that the latest move is in pursuance of its ‘Clean Note Policy’ and does not alter the legal tender status of the withdrawn notes.
The central bank has, however, set a September 30 deadline for the exchange or deposit of the withdrawn currency, thereby triggering difficulties for the common individual to continue to use the note.
Reports from across the country speak of consumers, including wage earners in sectors such as construction, struggling to pay for the purchase of medicines, petrol and other day-to-day essentials despite the notes continuing to remain legal tender.
Given that the RBI has acknowledged that the printing of new ₹2,000 notes was stopped in 2018-19, the sudden decision to withdraw the notes in circulation has raised questions about the rationale.
The RBI stated that about 89% of the ₹2,000 notes were issued between November 2016 and March 2017 “to meet the currency requirement of the economy in an expeditious manner” following demonetisation and that since then lower denominations had become adequately available, obviating the need for the ₹2,000 notes.
Opinion
Antarctic sea ice cover hits many record lows (Page no. 7)
(GS Paper 3, Environment)
On February 19, the extent of sea ice in Antarctica fell to the lowest level ever recorded. This is in continuation of the worrying trend where sea ice cover shrinks as global temperatures rise.
Sea ice melts during Antarctica’s summer, which starts around October and ends in March, and then freezes again during the winter months.
Data show that in the last six years, the Antarctic sea ice cover has recorded major declines. The increased melting of sea ice leads to a rise in global sea levels, which poses a major threat to coastal cities.
According to NASA, meltwater from Antarctic ice accounts for about one-third of the global average rise in sea level since 1993.
Barring March and April, on all the other days of this year, the sea ice extent remained the lowest-ever recorded. For instance, the 8.73 million sq km of ice extent recorded on May 20 was the lowest-ever recorded on that date since 1950. On many days, the sea ice extent declined notably lower than the levels seen in 2022, the year which recorded the now second-lowest summer sea ice extent in Antarctica.
Such a drastic reduction in ice also changes the way in which water flows across the world, affecting global weather and underwater ecosystems.
The Southern Ocean, according to a report by the the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, is important for the transfer of heat from the atmosphere to the global oceans.
Scientists say that the increase in cold, fresh water from the melted ice leads to a disruption in the way hot, cold, fresh and salty water is circulated across the globe.
This change in temperature and density can subsequently affect weather patterns, and alter deep water nutrient flows. Beyond the underwater nutrients, algae that feed smaller crustaceans like krill, which feed whales, seals, penguins and other birds, are found growing on the sea ice.
Text & Context
The tussle over ‘services’ in Delhi (Page no. 8)
(GS Paper 2, Judiciary)
A Constitution Bench headed by the Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud on May 11 held that the Delhi government can make laws and administer civil services in the national capital.
The court limited the role of the Lieutenant Governor (LG), an arm of the Centre, over bureaucrats in the capital to three specific areas — public order, police and land.
The judgment intended to strike a balance between the national interests of the Centre in the capital and the authority of an elected Delhi government to legislate and administer meaningfully through “professional” civil service officers deputed to its departments.
However, on May 19, the Centre turned the tables on the judgment. The President promulgated the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Ordinance, 2023 to make a fresh claim of power over the services in the capital.
The stated aim of the Ordinance is to “provide for a comprehensive scheme of administration of services” which “balances the local and domestic interests of the people of Delhi with the democratic will of the entire nation reflected through the President of India”.
The government has used the Ordinance route to indirectly return to its original position which it had taken in May 21, 2015 through a Home Ministry notification.
The notification, which formed the bone of contention between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government and the Centre for the past eight years, gave the Lieutenant Governor (LG) power over the services.
It required the LG to consult the Chief Minister only at his “discretion”. The notification had excluded Entry 41 (services) of the State List from the scope of powers of the Delhi government.
The Ordinance forms a “permanent” National Capital Civil Service Authority (NCCSA) with the Chief Minister as chairperson, and the Chief Secretary and Principal Home Secretary as Member and Member Secretary, respectively.
News
Centre seeks stricter implementation of ban on e-cigarettes (Page no. 12)
(GS Paper 2, Governance)
With electronic cigarettes easily available online and at tobacco shops despite a ban, the Union Health Ministry has issued a public notice for stricter implementation of the Act which prohibits their manufacture, sale and advertisements.
The Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes (Production, Manufacture, Import, Export, Transport, Sale, Distribution, Storage and Advertisement) Act came into force in 2019.
The Ministry has directed all producers, manufacturers, importers, exporters, distributors, advertisers, transporters, including couriers, social media and shopping websites, shopkeepers, retailers and others not to directly or indirectly produce, manufacture, import, export, transport, sell, distribute and store e-cigarettes, whether as a complete product or any part thereof. It has also asked them not to advertise e-cigarettes.
“Offence of production, manufacture, import, export, transport, sale, distribution, storage and advertisement of electronic cigarettes is cognisable and punishable as per the statutory provisions of the Act”.
World
U.S. signs security pact with Papua New Guinea amid competition with China (Page no. 13)
(GS Paper 2, International Relation)
The U.S. signed a new security pact with Papua New Guinea on Monday as it competes with China for influence in the Pacific.
Papua New Guinea’s location just north of Australia makes it strategically significant. It was the site of fierce battles during World War II, and with a population of nearly 10 million people, it’s the most populous Pacific Island nation.
The State Department said the new agreement provides a framework to help improve security cooperation, enhance the capacity of Papua New Guinea’s defence force and increase regional stability.
Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape said the pact is mutually beneficial and “secures our national interests”.
But the agreement sparked student protests in the second-largest city, Lae. And many in the Pacific are concerned about the increasing militarisation of the region.
Business
‘Demand will pick up, spur capex as inflation recedes’ (Page no. 14)
(GS Paper 3, Economy)
The first month of 2023-24 has seen strong, albeit seasonally moderated economic activity, and demand is expected to strengthen in the wake of receding inflation, fuelling a virtuous investment cycle whose signs are already visible despite higher interest rates.
There are downside risks to growth and upside risks to inflation, partly channelled through the external sector and partly originating from weather uncertainties. Yet a strong point going India’s way is the strength of its domestic demand.
Consumption has shown steady and broad-based growth, while investment in capacity creation and real estate is finding traction.
As inflation further recedes, demand will become stronger and lay the foundation of a virtuous capex upcycle,” it emphasised, while conceding it is too early to forecast the entire year’s outcomes.
The Ministry said in the review that crops were unlikely to suffer despite uncertainties about the monsoon as reservoir levels were healthy.