8 September 2023

• G20 eve: World leaders arrived in New Delhi ahead of the 18th G20 Summit opening on 9 September. Bharat Mandapam at Pragati Maidan was the venue.
• Economy: India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor details were finalised as a key G20 deliverable connecting India to Europe via the Gulf.
• International: India-MQ-9B Reaper drone deal: India requested 31 armed drones from the United States.
• Science: Project Samudrayaan's Matsya 6000 submersible, designed to dive to 6,000 metres, was highlighted in the context of India's deep-sea exploration programme.

GS area: International Relations (G20, diplomacy)

The 18th G20 Summit was held on 9-10 September 2023 in New Delhi, hosted by India as the G20 President for 2023. The venue was Bharat Mandapam, an international convention centre at Pragati Maidan inaugurated in July 2023.

• India's G20 theme: "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam" (One Earth, One Family, One Future), drawn from the Maha Upanishad, an ancient Sanskrit text.
• Bharat Mandapam: a state-of-the-art convention centre with 7,000-person capacity. It also hosted the International Society for Krishna Consciousness's 46th UNESCO Session later in 2023.
• Scale of India's presidency: over 200 meetings in 60 cities across India were held under the G20 umbrella during 2023, covering working groups from agriculture to digital infrastructure.
• Key deliverables anticipated: admission of African Union as permanent G20 member, the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor, the New Delhi Leaders' Declaration, and the Global Biofuels Alliance.

Static linkage: international relations (G20, diplomacy), economic geography (corridors).

GS area: International Relations, Economy (infrastructure, trade)

The India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) was announced as a flagship connectivity initiative at the G20 Summit.

• Participating nations: India, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, France, Germany, Italy, the United States and the European Union.
• Components: a railway corridor connecting India to Europe via the Gulf states, an undersea cable for high-speed data, a pipeline for clean hydrogen transport and an electricity transmission cable.
• Trade benefit: the corridor aims to make India-Europe trade approximately 40 per cent faster compared to the existing sea route through the Suez Canal.
• Comparison with BRI: IMEC is frequently positioned as an alternative to China's Belt and Road Initiative. It involves democratic partners and prioritises transparent financing.
• Two legs: an eastern rail corridor connects India to the Gulf; a northern rail corridor connects the Gulf to Europe.

Static linkage: international relations (connectivity, BRI alternatives), economic geography.

GS area: International Relations (defence), Science and Technology

India formally requested 31 MQ-9B Sea Guardian/Sky Guardian remotely piloted aircraft from General Atomics, a US defence company.

• MQ-9B: a long-endurance armed drone derived from the MQ-9 Reaper platform. The Sea Guardian variant is designed for maritime patrol; the Sky Guardian for land surveillance.
• Role in India: would provide persistent surveillance over the Indian Ocean, the Line of Actual Control with China and the Line of Control with Pakistan.
• India-US defence framework: the deal would be concluded under the Major Defence Partner status and Foreign Military Sales process. It builds on the India-US Defence Technology and Trade Initiative.
• Cost estimate: approximately $3 billion for the full suite of drones, sensors and ground equipment.
• Tri-services: the Indian Navy, Army and Air Force would share the fleet, which is unusual and reflects the multi-domain surveillance requirement.

Static linkage: international relations (India-US defence), science and technology (military).

GS area: Science and Technology (ocean science)

The Ministry of Earth Sciences' Project Samudrayaan aims to send Indian scientists to deep-sea depths to study polymetallic nodules and deep-sea biodiversity.

• Matsya 6000: the manned submersible designed to carry three scientists to a depth of 6,000 metres. Its pressure hull is a 2.1-metre diameter sphere made of 80mm-thick titanium alloy.
• Depth significance: at 6,000 metres, the vessel will cover 75 per cent of the ocean floor, reaching the areas where polymetallic nodules, cobalt-rich crusts and seafloor massive sulphides are concentrated.
• Nation count: only five nations possess manned submersibles capable of reaching 6,000 metres or beyond: the USA, China, Japan, France and Russia. India would join this group.
• Deep Ocean Mission: Samudrayaan is part of the broader Deep Ocean Mission approved in 2021 with a total outlay of about 4,077 crore rupees over five years.

Static linkage: science and technology (ocean science, deep-sea), economy (blue economy).

GS area: Polity (judiciary, anti-corruption)

The Supreme Court ruled that Section 6A of the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act was void from September 11, 2003. The provision had required prior central government sanction before the CBI could investigate officers at Joint Secretary level and above.

• What Section 6A did: created a protection layer for senior officers. Before investigating a Joint Secretary or above, the CBI needed the government's permission to even conduct a preliminary inquiry.
• The ruling: the Constitution Bench (five-judge bench) held that the provision violated equality before law under Article 14. It was declared void from the date it was inserted (11 September 2003).
• Retrospective effect: cases involving senior officials that did not proceed between 2003 and 2014 (when an earlier ruling suspended the provision) are now open to fresh examination.
• CBI's enabling law: the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 1946 is the CBI's founding statute. The CBI derives its investigative powers from this Act.

Static linkage: polity (judiciary, anti-corruption institutions), fundamental rights (Article 14).

• Phanigiri Buddhist artifacts: terracotta figurines from Phanigiri in Telangana (dated 200 BCE to 400 CE) were put on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, marking a cultural diplomacy milestone.
• RBI incremental CRR: the RBI had imposed an incremental Cash Reserve Ratio on banks in August 2023 to absorb surplus liquidity following the return of 2,000-rupee notes. It began withdrawing this in phased steps during early September.
• India-South Korea relations: South Korea was pursuing a "global pivotal state" foreign policy and increased engagement in the Indo-Pacific. India-South Korea ties were upgraded to a Special Strategic Partnership in 2015.