Context: China has pledged to develop Sri Lanka’s strategic deep-sea port and airport.

Key Highlights:

• China, being Sri Lanka’s biggest bilateral creditor, will assist in restructuring Sri Lanka’s external debt.
• China has offered to assist in developing Colombo International Airport and Hambantota port.
• The Hambantota port was leased to a Chinese state-owned company in 2017 for 99 years.

Prelims Connect (Places in news)

Source: The Hindu

Context: Announcement of revised MGNREGA wage rates by The Ministry of Rural Development.

Synopsis:

• Objective: Ensure fair compensation for unskilled manual labourers participating in MGNREGA projects.
• State Variations: Highest Hike: Goa, Lowest Hike: Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
• Wage rates are determined based on changes in CPI-AL, reflecting rural inflation.

Prelims Connect (Schemes/Policies)

Source: Indian Express

 Context: Latest round of US sanctions targeting Russian shipping major Sovcomflot.

 Likely Outcomes:

• Muted impact expected on overall trade.
• Possibility of deeper discounts on Russian oil.
• Shift of crude deliveries to China noted.
• Minimal impact due to vast opaque tanker fleet.
• India remains the top importer despite sanctions.

Source: Indian Express

Context: The findings of the report on Tuberculosis and Lung Cancer.

Highlights:

• India has achieved a 16% decline in new TB cases since 2015.
• Uttar Pradesh sees a significant increase in TB notifications.
• National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme (NTEP) continues free diagnostic services.
• NTEP is a public health initiative launched by the Government of India to organize and manage the country’s efforts against tuberculosis (TB).

Lung Cancer:

• WHO recognizes lung cancer as a significant public health concern.
• Primarily linked to smoking tobacco.

Prelims Connect (Diseases in News)

Source: The Hindu

Context: Pakistan’s Foreign Minister said his country may “seriously examine” the question of resuming trade with India.

Reasons for reconsideration-

• Economic pressures and potential logistical efficiency drive the resumption of trade.
• Pakistan’s declining relative power and regional tensions with Afghanistan, Iran.

Challenges

• Lack of consensus within Pakistan
• India insists on addressing terrorism before advancing trade talks.
• Domestic politics in both countries complicate the path to improved economic ties.

The way ahead

• Resuming bilateral trade could benefit both economies, particularly in sectors like agriculture.
• Private diplomacy may pave the way for future negotiations.

Source: Indian Express

Context: India Employment Report 2024 released by the Institute for Human Development and International Labor Organization

Key findings of the report:

• Women’s labor force participation rate (LFPR’0 in 2022 was 32.8%, which is 2.3 times lower than men’s LFPR of 77.2%.
• Almost 82% of the workforce engaged in the informal sector.
• Self-employment is the primary source of employment, accounting for 55.8% in 2022.
• The share of agriculture in total employment fell to around 42% in 2019 from 60% in 2000, with construction and services absorbing this shift.

The way ahead:

• Promote job creation and improve employment quality.
• Address labour market inequalities and strengthen skills development.
• Bridge knowledge deficits on labour market patterns and youth employment.
• Address challenges in gig or platform work, such as job security and irregular wages.
• Boost productive non-farm employment, particularly in manufacturing.
• Provide support to micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises, including digitalization and AI tools and a cluster-based approach to manufacturing.

Source: Indian Express

Drinking water issue:

• Only 10% of Indian cities meet drinking water standards.
• Water quality degrades in distribution networks due to old pipes, sediment buildup, and pathogen accumulation.
• The demand for packaged drinking water (PDW) is rising as a result.

The way ahead:

• Reconsidering treating large quantities for drinking when only a fraction is used.
• Segregating water for drinking and other domestic uses
• Decentralized treatment and non-pipe delivery.
• Bengaluru and Delhi are experimenting with water ATMs to address water crises.
• More experiments and technological advancements are needed.

Source: Indian Express

Context: A boat carrying Rohingya refugees overturned off the coast of Indonesia.

Rohingyas:

• A Muslim minority ethnic group originating from the Arakan Kingdom in Myanmar.
• Myanmar has denied them citizenship since 1982.
• Their exodus began in 2017 following violence in Rakhine state.
• The UN has described the 2017 violence as ethnic cleansing and accused the Myanmar government of genocidal intent.
• Currently nearly 9.60 lakh Rohingya refugee lives in Bangladesh.

Reasons for undertaking hazardous sea routes:

• Overcrowding and inadequate access to healthcare and education.
• Gang violence and arson attacks

Conclusion:

• Indian Ocean countries must address this issue regionally.

Source: The Hindu

Need for energy efficient building:

• The building sector consumes over 33% of India’s electricity.
• India Cooling Action Plan foresees an eight-fold increase in cooling demand by 2037.
• To address escalating energy and cooling demand, heat islands, climate change.

Existing initiatives:

• Eco-Niwas Samhita (ENS) and Residential Energy Conservation Building Code.

Concerns

• Priority to fast-paced, energy-intensive techniques over climate-appropriate design.
• Knowledge about climate-appropriate design and architecture is lacking.
• High initial costs hinder the adoption of climate-responsive building practices.

The way ahead:

• Innovation from manufacturers to develop cost-effective, durable, and climate-resilient solutions.
• Reimagining construction practices and fostering sustainability culture are essential.

Source: The Hindu

Context: Non-adoption of the agreement on investment facilitation for development (IFD) at MC13 of the WTO

Investment facilitation for development (IFD):

• Negotiations for an IFD agreement began in 2017 on a plurilateral basis by 70 countries.
• The agreement was finalized in November 2023.
• The agreement aims to create legally binding provisions to facilitate investment flows.
• Focuses on enhancing regulatory transparency and administrative procedures to boost foreign investment.
• Lacks provisions on market access, investment protection, and investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS).

    India’s concern with IFD:

• India highlights the absence of a mandate for WTO negotiations on investment.
• India refers decisions from the 2004 General Council and 2015 Nairobi ministerial.
• IFD negotiations were launched on a plurilateral basis, not multilateral, challenging the application of the negative mandate.

Conclusion:

• Plurilateral agreements like the IFD agreement are viewed as essential for revitalizing the WTO’s legislative function amidst consensus challenges.
• India, as a major economy, may benefit from reevaluating its defensive stance on issues like the proposed IFD Agreement.

Source: The Hindu

India’s stance and interests:

• Trade with Taiwan has increased seven-fold since 2001, ongoing discussion for FTA.
• Growing importance of Taiwan in the semiconductor industry -partnership between Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation and the Tata Group.
• Aggression against Taiwan would disrupt global trade, affecting critical supply chains.
• A conflict over Taiwan could escalate tensions along the India-China border.

The way ahead:

• Leverage international law and constructing narratives to discourage Chinese aggression towards Taiwan.
• Proactive engagement mitigates risks posed by Chinese aggression and aligns with India’s self-interest.

Source: The Hindu