22 March 2024

• Environment: World Water Day 2024 (theme: "Water for Peace") coincided with the release of the UN World Water Development Report 2024, which warned that half the global population faces severe water scarcity and that unresolved water disputes could trigger conflict.
• Economy: India's Jal Jeevan Mission commitment of USD 50 billion made it one of the largest clean water infrastructure programmes globally.
• Polity: Ladakh continued its protests demanding statehood and Sixth Schedule protection, with over 90 per cent of the UT's population belonging to scheduled tribes.
• International: The India-Mozambique-Tanzania (IMT) trilateral maritime exercise concluded its sea phase.

GS area: Environment, International Relations

The UN World Water Development Report is published annually for World Water Day (22 March). The 2024 edition focused on water and peace. Key findings:

• Population under water stress: half the global population faces severe water scarcity for at least part of the year.
• Agriculture: consumes 70 per cent of global freshwater withdrawals.
• Lake Chad: has shrunk by 90 per cent over the past 60 years, affecting 45 million people in four countries (Nigeria, Niger, Chad, Cameroon) and contributing to regional conflict.
• Employment dependence: 70-80 per cent of jobs in low and lower-middle-income countries depend on water access.
• India's risk: northwest India and North China are among the top three food-producing regions at risk from water stress.

Recommendations:

• Increase private investment for universal water access by 2030.
• Encourage industries to decouple production from water use.
• Build transboundary water cooperation agreements.

Static linkage: Environment (water resources), international relations.

GS area: Government schemes, Environment

India's programmes for water security:

• Jal Jeevan Mission: targets functional household tap connections for all rural households by 2024. Rs 3.6 lakh crore (approximately USD 50 billion) outlay. As of early 2024, over 14 crore rural households had tap connections.
• National Water Mission: one of eight missions under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC). Targets a 20 per cent improvement in water use efficiency.
• Jal Kranti Abhiyan: campaign for water conservation in water-stressed districts.
• Atal Bhujal Yojana: a World Bank-assisted scheme for sustainable groundwater management in seven states. Budget: Rs 6,000 crore.
• PMKSY (Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana): irrigation mission under the "Har Khet Ko Pani, Har Paani Ko Kaam" approach.

Static linkage: Government schemes (water, irrigation), environment.

GS area: Polity (centre-state, constitutional provisions)

Mass protests continued in Ladakh, demanding:

• Full statehood: elevation from a Union Territory (UT without legislature, carved out of J&K in October 2019) to a full state.
• Sixth Schedule protection: inclusion of Ladakh under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, which provides tribal communities in northeast India self-governance over land, forests and local affairs. Over 90 per cent of Ladakh's population belongs to scheduled tribes. The Sixth Schedule does not currently apply to Ladakh.
• Separate parliamentary constituencies: one for Leh and one for Kargil. Currently both are represented through a single Ladakh Lok Sabha seat.
• Job reservation: tribal communities sought an increase in the ST reservation percentage.

Constitutional note: the Sixth Schedule applies to tribal areas in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram. Extending it to Ladakh would require a constitutional amendment.

Static linkage: Polity (Sixth Schedule, tribal governance, centre-state relations).

GS area: Defence, International Relations

The India-Mozambique-Tanzania trilateral maritime exercise concluded its sea phase. Vessels involved: INS Sujata and INS Tir. The exercise covered:

• Harbour phase: damage control, firefighting, medical lectures and diving operations.
• Sea phase: asymmetric threat countering, boat handling, firing exercises and EEZ surveillance.

Framework: the exercise operates within India's SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) initiative, which treats Indian Ocean island and littoral states as partners in maritime security.

Geography: Mozambique borders the Mozambique Channel in the Indian Ocean (capital Maputo). Tanzania borders the Indian Ocean and hosts the Zanzibar archipelago.

Static linkage: Defence (Indian Ocean security), international relations.

• World Water Day theme: "Water for Peace" in 2024. The day has been observed on 22 March since 1993, following the UN Conference on Environment and Development (Rio Earth Summit, 1992).
• NABARD Agri-Tech Fund: Rs 1,000 crore initiative to support technology-driven agricultural startups. Addresses equity and debt access challenges for rural enterprises. NABARD (National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development) was established in 1982 under the NABARD Act 1981.
• Atal Bhujal Yojana states: Gujarat, Maharashtra, Haryana, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. Targets participatory groundwater management in over-exploited blocks.