9 September 2023

• G20 opens: The 18th G20 Summit opened in New Delhi. African Union was admitted as the 21st permanent member. The Global Biofuels Alliance was launched.
• India-US: India's Digital Public Infrastructure was cited at G20 as a model that achieved 80 per cent financial inclusion in six years versus 47 years by conventional means.
• Morocco: A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck the High Atlas near Marrakech, killing over 2,400 people.
• India: The Nipah virus resurfaced in Kozhikode, Kerala, with a suspected case reported.

GS area: International Relations (G20)

The 18th G20 Heads of State and Government Summit opened at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on 9 September 2023. Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired the sessions under the theme "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam."

• African Union admitted: The AU was admitted as the 21st permanent G20 member at the opening session. It becomes the second regional organisation in G20 alongside the European Union. The AU has 55 member states representing the entire African continent.
• Global Biofuels Alliance launched: India, the US and Brazil co-founded the GBA at the summit. The alliance aims to accelerate biofuel adoption globally through technology transfer, capacity building and policy support.
• India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor MOU: A memorandum of understanding on IMEC was signed by India, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, the USA, the EU, France, Germany and Italy.
• New Delhi Leaders' Declaration: India achieved unanimous consensus on the declaration, a significant diplomatic success given divisions over the Ukraine war language in earlier G20 communiqués.

Static linkage: international relations (G20, multilateral diplomacy), economy (biofuels, connectivity).

GS area: International Relations (Africa, multilateral forums)

The African Union's admission to the G20 as a permanent member changes the composition of the world's premier economic forum in a significant way.

• What the AU is: the African Union is an intergovernmental organisation of 55 African member states, headquartered in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It succeeds the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) and was formally launched in 2002.
• Combined weight: the AU's member states have a combined GDP of approximately $3 trillion and a population of 1.3 billion. This is the largest bloc entering G20 by population.
• India's role: India formally proposed the AU's admission under its G20 presidency. The proposal aligned with India's self-positioning as the voice of the Global South.
• Comparison with EU: the European Union has been a G20 member since its formation. It participates in all working groups and the summit. The AU will have the same standing.
• Geopolitical significance: African nations are courted by China (through the Belt and Road Initiative and the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation) and increasingly by India, the US and Europe. Full G20 membership gives Africa a formal seat at the table.

Static linkage: international relations (Africa, G20, Global South), geography (Africa).

GS area: Geography (geomorphology, disaster)

A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck the High Atlas mountain range near Marrakech in Morocco on 8-9 September 2023. The death toll exceeded 2,400. It was the deadliest earthquake to hit Morocco in over a century.

• Tectonic setting: the African and Eurasian tectonic plates converge along a broadly east-west boundary through the Mediterranean. This convergence built the Atlas Mountains and continues to produce seismic events.
• Atlas Mountains: a fold mountain system spanning Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. The High Atlas, Central Atlas and Anti-Atlas are the main ranges. The highest peak is Toubkal (4,167 metres) in Morocco.
• Shallow depth: the quake struck at a depth of 18-26 km, which is classified as shallow. Shallow earthquakes transmit more energy to the surface for a given magnitude.
• Marrakech: a UNESCO World Heritage city. The earthquake damaged historic structures in its ancient medina.

Static linkage: physical geography (plate tectonics), world geography (North Africa), disaster management.

GS area: Economy (fintech, digital infrastructure), Governance

India showcased its Digital Public Infrastructure at the G20 as a development model. The key claim: financial inclusion that took 47 years to achieve in the US took India six years through DPI.

• India's DPI stack: built on three foundational layers: Aadhaar (digital identity), UPI (payments) and DigiLocker (document management). The "JAM Trinity" (Jan Dhan accounts, Aadhaar, Mobile) was the enabling ecosystem.
• UPI scale: by May 2023, UPI transactions exceeded 9 billion per month, valued at approximately 15 trillion rupees. These numbers were cited as evidence of DPI's transformational impact.
• Financial inclusion rate: India reached roughly 80 per cent financial inclusion. Over 500 million Jan Dhan accounts were opened under PMJDY.
• India Stack: a set of open APIs (application programming interfaces) that allows any developer to build services on top of Aadhaar and UPI. The government offers this as a model for other developing nations.
• G20 endorsement: the New Delhi Declaration included a section endorsing DPI as a global tool for inclusive development. India offered to share its frameworks with other countries.

Static linkage: economy (fintech, financial inclusion), governance (digital public infrastructure).

GS area: Health (emerging diseases, public health)

A suspected Nipah virus case was reported in Kozhikode district, Kerala on 9 September 2023. Kerala has faced Nipah outbreaks in 2018, 2019 and now again in 2023.

• Nipah virus: a zoonotic paramyxovirus transmitted from animals to humans. Fruit bats (Pteropus species) are the natural reservoir. Transmission to humans can occur through contact with infected bats, pigs or other humans.
• Case fatality rate: 40 to 75 per cent, making Nipah one of the most dangerous viruses known. No approved vaccine or treatment exists.
• WHO priority: the World Health Organisation lists Nipah on its priority pathogen list for research and development given its pandemic potential.
• Kerala's response: Kerala health authorities are experienced at containing Nipah. Contact tracing, quarantine and containment zones are the primary tools. The 2023 outbreak was declared over in late October 2023.
• India's preparedness: ICMR and the National Institute of Virology in Pune hold diagnostic capacity. Samples are tested at BSL-4 labs.

Static linkage: health (emerging diseases, zoonotic diseases), governance (public health response).

GS area: Economy (energy), International Relations

The Global Biofuels Alliance was formally launched at the G20 Summit in New Delhi. India, the US and Brazil co-founded it.

• Purpose: to accelerate deployment of sustainable biofuels by providing technical assistance, capacity building and policy guidance to member states.
• Member states: 22 member countries and 12 international organisations joined at launch.
• India's ethanol programme: India blended approximately 12 per cent ethanol in petrol in 2023 and has a target of 20 per cent by 2025.
• Biofuel types covered: ethanol (from sugarcane, maize, molasses), biodiesel (from vegetable oils and used cooking oil) and sustainable aviation fuel.
• Climate and energy security: biofuels reduce dependence on petroleum imports and lower lifecycle carbon emissions compared to fossil fuels, though land-use concerns exist.

Static linkage: energy (biofuels), international organisations (GBA), economy.

• Pearl millet climate shift: human-induced climate change has shifted pearl millet (bajra) cultivation zones eastward in India, from arid Rajasthan toward more humid eastern areas. The government has designated millets as "Nutri-Cereals" (2018) and 2023 was the UN International Year of Millets.
• RBI incremental CRR: the Reserve Bank of India had imposed an incremental Cash Reserve Ratio in August 2023 to mop up excess liquidity. It announced a phased withdrawal starting in September.