6 August 2023

• International: The Niger coup (26 July 2023) deepened as ECOWAS divisions widened over whether to intervene militarily to restore President Mohamed Bazoum.
• Polity: Article 370 hearings continued before the Supreme Court's five-judge Constitution Bench; oral arguments focused on whether Parliament can act as the J&K state legislature during President's Rule.
• Economy: India's merchandise exports fell approximately 16 per cent in July 2023. The trade deficit widened.
• Science: Japan moved forward with plans to release treated radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean over a 30-year period.

GS area: International Relations

The presidential guard of Niger detained President Mohamed Bazoum on 26 July 2023. General Abdourahamane Tchiani proclaimed himself head of the ruling junta.

• ECOWAS response: The Economic Community of West African States imposed financial sanctions and closed borders with Niger. It issued a seven-day ultimatum to restore Bazoum. When the deadline passed, ECOWAS activated its military standby force but divisions among member states prevented immediate deployment.
• ECOWAS: Founded in 1975, with 15 West African member states. Its collective security mechanism can intervene in member states in cases of unconstitutional change of government.
• Geopolitical dimension: Mali, Guinea, and Burkina Faso all experienced coups in 2020 to 2021. ECOWAS suspended all three. The three military governments expressed support for Niger's junta, creating a bloc of coup-led states in the Sahel region.
• Strategic resources: Niger is a major uranium producer (about 7 per cent of world output). France, which has historical interests in Niger and imports uranium from there, was directly affected.
• India's position: India called for a return to constitutional order. The Indian government had no direct strategic stake but watched the Sahel trend of anti-constitutional governance.

Static linkage: International organisations, West Africa, India's foreign policy (GS Paper 2).

GS area: Polity (tribunals), Inter-state river disputes

The Cauvery Water Management Authority directed Karnataka to release 5,000 cusecs of water per day to Tamil Nadu for 15 days. Tamil Nadu had requested 24,000 cusecs, citing deficit rainfall and agricultural distress.

• Background: The Cauvery is an inter-state river flowing through Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Puducherry. The dispute over sharing the river's water has run for over a century.
• Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal: Constituted in 1990 under the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956. It gave its final award in 2007 allocating 419 TMC (thousand million cubic feet) to Tamil Nadu and 270 TMC to Karnataka.
• CWMA: The Cauvery Water Management Authority was constituted in 2018 to implement the tribunal's award. It monitors monthly releases and can direct states to release water.
• Constitutional basis: Article 262 gives Parliament the authority to adjudicate inter-state water disputes and bars the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court and High Courts over such disputes.
• August 2023 context: Karnataka was experiencing below-average monsoon rainfall. Its Cauvery basin reservoirs were below average storage levels.

Static linkage: Inter-state river water disputes, Article 262, tribunals (GS Paper 2).

GS area: Economy (external sector)

India's merchandise exports fell approximately 16 per cent in July 2023 year-on-year, touching a nine-month low of 32.25 billion dollars.

• Drivers of decline: A global slowdown in demand, particularly from advanced economies, weighed on Indian exports. Engineering goods, petroleum products, and gems and jewellery all declined.
• Imports: Imports also fell, but the trade deficit (the gap between imports and exports) remained significant.
• Export targets: The government set a merchandise export target of 500 billion dollars for 2023-24. The July print suggested the target would require a strong recovery in the second half of the year.
• Foreign Trade Policy 2023: Released in April 2023, it targets a combined merchandise and services export of 2 trillion dollars by 2030.

Static linkage: Balance of payments, trade policy, external sector (GS Paper 3).

GS area: Environment, International Relations

Japan's government confirmed it would proceed with releasing treated radioactive water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. The plant was damaged in the 2011 tsunami.

• ALPS treatment: The water is processed through the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS), which removes most radioactive elements except tritium.
• Tritium: A radioactive isotope of hydrogen that ALPS cannot remove. It occurs naturally in seawater at very low concentrations. Japan argues the released water's tritium levels will be far below WHO drinking water standards.
• Timeline: The release is planned to occur in stages over 30 to 40 years.
• Opposition: China, South Korea, and Pacific Island nations protested the release. China banned Japanese seafood imports. The IAEA reviewed and approved Japan's safety plan.
• India's interest: Indian seafood exporters benefit when competitors face import bans. India exports shrimp and other seafood to markets that are diversifying away from Japanese seafood.

Static linkage: Nuclear safety, international environmental law, marine pollution (GS Paper 3).

GS area: Polity, Constitutional law

The Constitution Bench continued hearing arguments on the abrogation of Article 370. One day's arguments focused on whether the Parliament of India could act as the legislature of Jammu and Kashmir during a period of President's Rule.

• President's Rule: Under Article 356, when constitutional government breaks down in a state, the President assumes governance. Parliament then exercises the powers of the state legislature.
• Government's argument: Since J&K was under President's Rule in August 2019, Parliament validly exercised the state legislature's powers. It gave the "concurrence" of the J&K legislature required under Article 370(3) in its capacity as J&K's legislature.
• Petitioners' counter: Parliamentary power under President's Rule cannot be used to permanently alter the constitutional relationship between a state and the Union. Article 370's abrogation is an irreversible act, not routine state legislation.
• Significance: The outcome will define the limits of Article 356 and the extent to which a temporary constitutional arrangement can be used to make permanent constitutional changes.

Static linkage: Emergency provisions, J&K reorganisation, federalism (GS Paper 2).

• National Space Day: The government declared 23 August as National Space Day, marking the anniversary of Chandrayaan-3's planned lunar south pole landing. The Vikram lander's touchdown site is to be named "Shiv Shakti."
• PM e-Bus Sewa Scheme: Earlier announced, this scheme provides 10,000 electric buses to 169 cities with 10-year operational support. Central subsidy is 20,000 crore rupees. It is expected to generate 45,000 to 55,000 jobs.
• Deepor Beel: Assam's only Ramsar wetland site. Located near Guwahati. Local organisations used water hyacinth from the wetland to make handicrafts, creating alternative livelihoods while managing invasive vegetation.