22 September 2024

• Space: The Quad Leaders' Summit at Wilmington, Delaware, finalised the "Quad Cancer Moonshot" and the Maritime Initiative for Training in the Indo-Pacific (MAITRI).
• Economy: India's Global Competitiveness Index and related rankings continued to show improvement; the Vizhinjam seaport trial run drew trade media coverage.
• Environment: Project Cheetah crossed two years since reintroduction; 17 cubs born in India despite high adult mortality.
• Polity: The simultaneous elections debate continued, with the collegium appointment controversy running in parallel.

GS area: International Relations

The Quad Leaders' Summit (sixth edition) was held at Wilmington, Delaware, US. Participating leaders: PM Modi (India), President Biden (USA), PM Albanese (Australia) and PM Kishida (Japan).

Key outcomes:

• Quad Cancer Moonshot: A joint initiative targeting cervical cancer in the Indo-Pacific. Cervical cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death among women in the region. The initiative covers HPV vaccination access, screening and treatment capacity.
• MAITRI (Maritime Initiative for Training in Indo-Pacific): A framework for joint maritime security training with Indo-Pacific partner nations.
• Quad-at-Sea Ship Observer Mission: Scheduled for 2025. A naval interoperability exercise.
• Ports of the Future Partnership: For resilient, modernised port infrastructure across the Indo-Pacific.
• Semiconductor supply chain cooperation: Joint effort to reduce dependence on Chinese semiconductor supply chains.
• Digital public infrastructure: Collaboration on DPI standards and deployment.
• STEM Fellowship: A new Quad fellowship for Indo-Pacific students to study in member countries.
• India hosts next Quad Summit: In 2025.
• Quad overview: Formed in 2004 for tsunami relief. Revived as a strategic partnership in 2017. Not a military alliance or mutual defence treaty. Covers health, climate, technology, cybersecurity and space.

Static linkage: Quad, India-US relations, Indo-Pacific security.

GS area: Economy (infrastructure), Geography

Vizhinjam International Seaport in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala began trial operations in July 2024. It continued to attract international shipping attention in September 2024.

Key facts:

• Developer: Adani Ports, under a PPP model with the Kerala government.
• Depth: Among the deepest ports in the Indian Ocean region, capable of handling ultra-large container vessels (ULCVs).
• Significance: The first of India's dedicated container transshipment ports. Currently, 75 per cent of India's transshipment traffic goes through Colombo (Sri Lanka), Port Klang (Malaysia) and Singapore.
• Mediterranean Shipping Company: MSC's mega-ship "Anna" (one of the world's largest container ships) berthed at Vizhinjam during the trial run, validating the port's depth capability.
• Location advantage: Near the natural deep water close to the east-west shipping lane that connects Europe to Asia. Ships do not need to deviate significantly from their route.
• Economic impact: Expected to save India $200 million annually in transshipment costs currently paid to foreign ports.

Static linkage: Maritime economy, Blue Economy, India's port infrastructure.

GS area: Economy, Governance

India ranked 39th in the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2024, a significant rise from 81st in 2015.

Key facts:

• Climb: 42 positions over nine years (2015-2024).
• Published by: WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organisation), in partnership with INSEAD and Cornell University.
• GII measures: Innovation inputs (institutions, human capital, infrastructure, market sophistication, business sophistication) and innovation outputs (knowledge and technology outputs, creative outputs).
• India's strengths: First globally in ICT services exports. Eighth in unicorn companies globally. Strong performance in knowledge creation and technology cluster metrics.
• Institutes of Eminence: IITs and IISc have been central to India's improved innovation research output.
• Patent filings: India's domestic patent filings have grown significantly, contributing to GII improvement.

Static linkage: Innovation economy, WIPO, STEM ecosystem.

GS area: International Relations, Economy (comparative)

The new Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake (AKD) faced the challenge of implementing IMF debt restructuring commitments while rebuilding public services.

Context:

• IMF programme: Sri Lanka secured a $2.9 billion IMF bailout in 2023. Conditions include fiscal consolidation (tax increases, subsidy cuts) and structural reforms.
• India's role: India provided $4 billion in emergency credit lines in 2022. India was among the first creditors to agree to debt restructuring terms.
• China's Hambantota: The Hambantota Port was leased to China Merchants Port for 99 years in 2017 as Sri Lanka struggled with debt. AKD has signalled a more balanced approach to Chinese engagement.
• Indian Ocean dynamics: Sri Lanka's strategic location between India and China makes its political alignment a key variable in Indian Ocean geopolitics.

Static linkage: India's maritime neighbours, debt diplomacy, Indian Ocean Region.

GS area: International Relations, Water governance

India's formal notice to Pakistan seeking modification of the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, issued on 30 August 2024, continued to be discussed.

Key facts:

• IWT (1960): Brokered by the World Bank. Divides the six Indus basin rivers between India (eastern rivers: Ravi, Beas, Sutlej) and Pakistan (western rivers: Indus, Jhelum, Chenab). India can use western rivers for limited non-consumptive purposes.
• India's grievances: Pakistan has repeatedly objected to India's hydroelectric projects on the Kishanganga and Chenab rivers, triggering prolonged arbitration. India argues the Neutral Expert and Court of Arbitration are being used simultaneously, which violates the Treaty's dispute resolution structure.
• "Changed circumstances": India invoked the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, citing changed circumstances including climate change, groundwater depletion and the need for clean energy from hydropower.
• Dispute resolution hierarchy: Permanent Indus Commission (bilateral) → Neutral Expert (technical) → Court of Arbitration (legal). India's position: you cannot run both simultaneously.
• Significance: The IWT has survived two wars (1965, 1971) and various crises. India's decision to formally seek modification is historically unprecedented.

Static linkage: India-Pakistan relations, international water law, Indus river system.

GS area: Science and Technology

IISc Bengaluru's analogue neuromorphic computing platform reached mainstream UPSC coverage.

• 16,500 conductance states: The platform uses this number of distinct analogue states (compared to the binary 0/1 of conventional computers).
• Brain-inspired architecture: The human brain uses approximately 100 trillion synapses, each capable of varying strength. Neuromorphic chips mimic this variability.
• Energy efficiency: AI training on conventional GPUs consumes enormous electricity. Neuromorphic hardware runs inference tasks with orders of magnitude less power.
• India's research context: IISER, IISc and IITs are building India's advanced computing research capacity. The PARAM Siddhi AI supercomputer and AIRAWAT platform serve as infrastructure.

Static linkage: Artificial intelligence, computing hardware, energy-efficient AI.

• Wildlife Habitats Development Scheme: Cabinet approved Rs 2,602 crore for integrated development of 55 tiger reserves, 33 elephant reserves and 718 protected areas. Covers Project Tiger, Project Elephant, Project Dolphin and Project Lion. AI and camera traps included.
• Food Import Rejection Alert (FIRA) Portal: FSSAI launched this portal at the Global Food Regulators Summit 2024. It sends notifications about food consignments rejected at Indian borders due to quality failures. Over 1,500 consignments were rejected in the previous year.