20 August 2024

• International: the UN General Assembly launched the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index for small island developing states and developing nations, moving beyond GDP as the sole measure of economic vulnerability.
• Diplomacy: Japan's Foreign Minister visited India, reinforcing the "Special Strategic and Global Partnership" elevated in 2014. India is the largest recipient of Japanese ODA loans.
• Environment: Malabar tree toad, endemic to the Western Ghats, is projected to see a 68.7 per cent population decline by 2080 due to climate change. The IUCN lists it as Endangered.
• Defence: the Arogya Maitri Disaster Management Cube, a mobile hospital developed by the Indian Air Force that can treat 200 casualties, was in the news.

GS area: International Relations, Economy

The UN General Assembly launched the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index (MVI):

• Purpose: goes beyond GDP and GNI to measure structural vulnerability across sustainable development dimensions. Designed primarily for small island developing states (SIDS) and developing nations that are highly exposed to external shocks.
• Indicators: import dependency (reliance on external trade), extreme weather exposure, demographic pressure, water resources availability, arable land resources and child mortality.
• Why it matters for India: the MVI is used to determine eligibility for concessional finance and development assistance. Countries that are not classified as least-developed but are highly vulnerable could access better terms.
• India's National MPI: India uses its own Multidimensional Poverty Index published by NITI Aayog. It follows the Alkire Foster methodology using 3 dimensions (health, education, living standards) and 12 indicators. The national MPI is distinct from the global MVI.
• SIDS relevance: small island developing states like Maldives, Mauritius and Pacific islands are among India's development cooperation partners. SIDS face unique vulnerabilities: small economic base, high import dependence and disproportionate exposure to climate impacts.

Static linkage: international economic governance, development finance, poverty indices.

GS area: International Relations

Japan's Foreign Minister Kamikawa Yoko visited India, reinforcing the bilateral relationship:

• Partnership level: India-Japan relations were elevated to a "Special Strategic and Global Partnership" in 2014.
• Trade: bilateral trade exceeds USD 20 billion annually.
• Investment: Japan was India's 4th largest investor in terms of FDI inflows in FY 2020.
• ODA: India is the largest recipient of Japanese Official Development Assistance (ODA) loans. Major ODA-funded projects include the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor, Metro rail systems (Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad) and the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail (Shinkansen technology).
• Military exercises: Dharma Guardian (army), Veer Guardian (air force), MILAN (naval), JIMEX (maritime) and Malabar (Quad naval exercise with US and Australia).
• Multilateral frameworks: both countries participate in Quad (with US and Australia), G4 (with Brazil and Germany, for UNSC reform), the Asia-Africa Growth Corridor (AAGC) and the Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) framework.

Static linkage: India's bilateral partnerships, Indo-Pacific strategy, development cooperation.

GS area: Environment, Agriculture, Economy

India's bamboo sector was highlighted as an emerging agricultural opportunity:

• Legal reclassification: the Indian Forest (Amendment) Act 2017 reclassified bamboo grown on non-forest land as a grass rather than a tree. This removed the requirement for a transit permit to transport bamboo, dramatically simplifying commercial bamboo cultivation.
• India's bamboo resources: 136 native species. India has the second-largest bamboo resources in the world (after China).
• High-yield cultivation: varieties like "Beema Bamboo" can generate Rs 75,000 to Rs 80,000 per hectare annually, making bamboo economically competitive with sugarcane.
• Environmental services: bamboo sequesters 35 per cent more CO2 and produces 35 per cent more oxygen than equivalent tree cover. It matures in 3-7 years compared with 25-50 years for timber trees.
• Applications: construction, textile (bamboo fabric), biofuels, paper, furniture and handicrafts.
• Policy geography: expanding from Northeast India (traditional bamboo belt) to Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat and Maharashtra.

Static linkage: forest law, agricultural diversification, climate change mitigation.

• Malabar tree toad: endemic to the Western Ghats. IUCN Endangered. A nocturnal species that lives in tree canopies and feeds on insects. Climate models project a 68.7 per cent population decline by 2080. The Western Ghats is a biodiversity hotspot: one of only 36 globally recognised hotspots, with over 7,400 endemic plant species and numerous endemic fauna.
• Indian Coast Guard Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre: a new Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre was inaugurated alongside a Regional Marine Pollution Response Centre, the first such centre in the region. The Coast Guard also operates an Air Enclave equipped with indigenously built helicopters. These additions enhance India's search and rescue capability in the exclusive economic zone.
• Master Clock for Indian Railways: ISRO's NAVIC signal and the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) now synchronise time across the entire Indian Railways network. Previously, manual timekeeping caused discrepancies across stations. Accurate synchronised time is essential for accident investigation, train management systems and punctuality data.
• Microplastics as food contaminants: FSSAI launched a project to address microplastic contamination in food. The project develops detection protocols and generates consumer exposure data. Microplastics (below 5 mm) and nanoplastics (below 1 micrometer) enter the food chain through packaging, water and agricultural runoff.