SCO and the India- Pakistan relation

Context

• A meeting of the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation (SCO) that India will host in May is expected to bring together foreign ministers of the regional grouping, which includes China, Russia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. Bilateral ties with Pakistan and China are at a new low. But multilateral settings are often viewed as opportunities for countries with problematic relations to find a way forward.

The crux

• India has invited Pakistan’s foreign minister to a meeting of the Shanghai Co-operation Organization (SCO) that India is hosting in May this year.

All you need to know about SCO

• Background: After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the then security and economic architecture in the Eurasian region dissolved and new structures had to come up.
• Original shanghai five: The original Shanghai Five were China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan.
• SCO formation: The SCO was formed in 2001, with Uzbekistan included. It expanded in 2017 to include India and Pakistan.
• Security is the priority: Since its formation, the SCO has focused on regional non-traditional security, with counter-terrorism as a priority.
• Three evils: The fight against the “three evils” of terrorism, separatism and extremism has become its mantra.
• Expanded areas of cooperation: Today, areas of cooperation include themes such as economics and culture.

Do you know SCO RATS?

• Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) is a permanent organ of the SCO which serves to promote cooperation of member states against the three evils of terrorism, separatism and extremism.
• It is headquartered in Tashkent.
• Its head is elected to three-year term.
• Each member state of SCO sends permanent representative to RATS.

Where India and Pakistan stand today?

• Changed terms of engagement: Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has begun to reset the terms of the engagement agenda.
• India’s improved diplomatic position: India’s transformed relations with the US, the resolution of Delhi’s dispute with the global nuclear order, and getting the West to discard its temptation to mediate on Kashmir enormously improved India’s diplomatic position.
• Economic growth: The most consequential change has been in the economic domain. India has recently overtaken the UK to become the fifth largest economy in the world.
• Broken Pakistan: The persistent neglect of economic challenges left Pakistan in an increasingly weaker position in relation to India. If India has inched its way into the top five global economies, Pakistan today is broken.

India’s position on engagement with Pakistan

• India’s approach in dealing with Pakistan today: The Ministry of External Affairs’ official spokesperson Arindam Bagchi recently said “We we have always wanted normal neighbourly relations with Pakistan. But there should be a conducive atmosphere in which there is no terror, hostility or violence. That remains our position.”
• What Pakistan says: Deputy Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar said in Davos that she does not see a partner currently in the Prime Minister of India to take this project of peace-building forward.

Conclusion

• When the multilateral meeting is to be hosted by a country that is on one side of the rift, the first step is for the other side to accept the invitation. An election is upcoming in Pakistan, and having committed themselves to a position, both Bhutto and Khar would be mindful that their actions must match their words. But despite this, if there is an opportunity for a thaw, India must not be the one to miss it. India need handle the hostile neighbor with the right approach.

India’s first-ever SGrBs Auction

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) auctioned maiden sovereign green bonds (SGrBs) worth Rs 8,000 crore on 25 January 2023. This is part of the Rs 16,000 crore Sovereign Green Bond auction that the RBI will conduct in the current financial year. The second green bond auction will be conducted on 9 February 2023.

What are Green Bonds?

1. Green bonds are bonds issued by any sovereign entity, inter-governmental groups or alliances and corporates with the aim that the proceeds of the bonds are utilised for projects classified as environmentally sustainable.
2. The framework for the sovereign green bond was issued by the government on 9 November 2022.
3. The RBI is auctioning two green bonds with tenures of 5 and 10 years, worth Rs 4,000 crore each. The two bonds auctioned today are New GOI SGrB 2028 and New GOI SGrB 2033.

Why are these bonds important?

1. Over the last few years, Green Bonds have emerged as an important financial instrument to deal with the threats of climate change and related challenges.
2. According to the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a World Bank Group’s institution, climate change threatens communities and economies, and it poses risks for agriculture, food, and water supplies.
3. A lot of financing is needed to address these challenges. It’s critical to connect environmental projects with capital markets and investors and channel capital towards sustainable development – and Green Bonds are a way to make that connection.

How beneficial is it for investors?

1. Green Bonds offer investors a platform to engage in good practices, influencing the business strategy of bond issuers.
2. They provide a means to hedge against climate change risks while achieving at least similar, if not better, returns on their investment.
3. In this way, the growth in Green Bonds and green finance also indirectly works to disincentivise high carbon-emitting projects, as per the IFC.

Where will the proceeds go?

1. The government will use the proceeds raised from SGrBs to finance or refinance expenditure (in parts or whole) for various green projects, including in renewable energy, clean transportation, energy efficiency, climate change adaptation, sustainable water and waste management, pollution and prevention control and green buildings.
2. In renewable energy, investments will be made in solar, wind, biomass and hydropower energy projects.

Norovirus cases detected

The Kerala Health Department confirmed two cases of the gastrointestinal infection norovirus in class 1 students in Ernakulam district. The two samples were tested after 62 persons — students and their parents — developed symptoms such as diarrhoea, abdominal pain, vomiting, nausea, a high temperature, headache, and body aches.

What is norovirus and how common are infections?

1. Norovirus is not new; it has been circulating among humans for over 50 years and is thought to be one of the primary causes of gastroenteritis.
2. The virus is estimated to kill 200,000 persons globally every year, with most deaths occurring among those below the age of five years and those over the age of 65 years.
3. The virus is capable of surviving low temperatures, and outbreaks tend to be more common during the winter and in colder countries — that is why it is sometimes referred to as “winter vomiting disease”.
4. A 2022 study published in the peer reviewed journal Viruses says that norovirus infections are more frequently detected in high income countries, with almost 40% cases being seen in long-term care facilities.
5. In contrast, the cases in India have mostly been detected in settings like schools and hostels, where people share food.

What are the symptoms and how to prevent its spread?

1. Norovirus leads to diarrhoea, vomiting, nausea, and abdominal pain. Being a diarrhoeal disease, it can lead to dehydration, so drinking plenty of fluids is recommended.
2. The infection can be transmitted through foods contaminated with the virus, touching surfaces that are contaminated with the virus and then touching the mouth, and being in direct contact with someone with the infection like taking care of them and sharing foods and utensils with them.
3. Good hand hygiene is the best way to prevent infection. Wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds. Hands sanitisers are thought to not work too well against norovirus.
4. As the infection can be transmitted by foods, it is suggested that a sick person not prepare food for others.
5. All food items should be carefully washed and cooked at high temperatures. The norovirus can survive temperatures as high as 60 degrees Celsius.

Lawyers in India can’t advertise their work

The Supreme Court Advocates-on-Record Association (SCAORA) condemned business magazine Forbes India’s decision to publish a ‘Legal Powerlist’ of the top 25 Advocates-on-Record. The SCAORA unanimously passed a resolution denouncing the list as “misleading” and “unauthorized information” after its executive committee received a complaint. SCAORA said the list was a “clear case of misrepresentation”, and undermined the interests of Supreme Court AORs.

What is the law on lawyers advertising their work?

1. In India, lawyers and legal practitioners are not allowed to advertise their work.
2. Section 49(1)(c) of the Advocates Act, 1961 empowers the Bar Council of India (BCI) to make rules with respect to “the standard of professional conduct and etiquette to be observed by advocates”.
3. Rule 36 in Chapter II (“Standards of Professional Conduct and Etiquette”) of Part VI (“Rules Governing Advocates”) of the BCI Rules published in 1975 prohibits lawyers from advertising their work.
4. The Rule reads: “An advocate shall not solicit work or advertise, either directly or indirectly, whether by circulars, advertisements, touts, personal communications, interviews not warranted by personal relations, furnishing or inspiring newspaper comments or producing his photographs to be published in connection with cases in which he has been engaged or concerned.”
5. Rule 36 also requires that an advocate’s signboard or nameplate “should be of a reasonable size”.
6. An advocate who violates this rule can face punishment for professional or other misconduct under Section 35 of the Advocates Act.

What is the basis for having such a rule?

1. In a 1975 ruling, Justice Krishna Iyer of the Supreme Court in ‘Bar Council of Maharashtra vs. M V Dabholkar’ provided the rationale for this: “Law is no trade, briefs no merchandise, and so the leaven of commercial competition or procurement should not vulgarise the legal profession.”
2. In 1995, in ‘Indian Council Of Legal Aid & Advice vs Bar Council Of India & Anr’, the SC said that “the functions of the Bar Council include the laying down of standards of professional conduct and etiquette which advocates must follow to maintain the dignity and purity of the profession.”
3. Law, the SC said, was a “noble profession”, and those engaged in it have certain obligations in society as the practice of law has a “public utility flavour”.

Bank locker agreements extended

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) extended the deadline for banks to complete the process of renewal of agreements for existing safe deposit lockers/safe custody article facilities in a phased manner till 31 December 2023, from an earlier deadline of 1 January 2023. The RBI has also asked the Indian Banks Association (IBA) to review the model locker agreement and send it to banks by 28 February 2023.

When can customers renew their existing agreements?

1. RBI has extended the deadline for banks to renew locker agreements with existing locker customers in a phased manner to 31 December 2023.
2. The central bank has asked banks to inform all their existing locker customers about the renewal requirement by 30 April 2023.
3. Banks will have to ensure that at least 50 per cent of their existing locker customers have renewed agreements by 30 June and 75 per cent by 30 September 2023.

Why did the RBI extend the timeline?

1. In August 2021, the RBI, in a circular, directed banks to renew these agreements by 1 January 2023.
2. However, in a recent review, the RBI found that a large number of customers were unable to renew locker agreements and were having difficulties in executing the same.
3. In many cases, banks did not inform customers about the need to renew locker agreements before 1 January 2023.
4. The deadline has also been extended as the RBI was of the opinion that the model agreement drafted by the IBA needs a revision to fully comply with the revised instructions issued in August 2021.

What ails the Ken-Betwa River link project?

Why in the news?

• Recently, the Steering Committee of the Ken-Betwa Link Project (KBLP) held its third meeting in New Delhi, chaired by the Secretary of the Department of Water Resources, in the Ministry of Jal Shakti
• Ken-Betwa River Link Project is a “flagship” project of the national government and it “is critical for the water security and socio-economic development of Bundelkhand region”.

Rivers Inter-linking Project The Rivers Inter-linking Project is a large-scale project that aims to manage India’s water resources effectively. Connecting Indian rivers via a network of reservoirs and canals to improve irrigation and groundwater recharge, as well as to reduce persistent floods in some areas and water scarcity in others.

What is the Ken-Betwa link?

• In this project, the national and the Madhya Pradesh governments will link the Ken river with the Betwa river so that the latter can water the Bundelkhand region in Uttar Pradesh.

Significance

• The link will take the shape of a canal that will be fed by the Ken’s new Daudhan Dam, which will be constructed inside the Panna Tiger Reserve.
• According to the national government, the dam will produce 103 MW of hydroelectric power.
• The project is anticipated to irrigate 6.3 lakh hectares of land annually.
• The linking canal would pass through the districts of Chhatarpur, Tikamgarh, and Jhansi.

Concerns

• Hydrological and ecological experts aren’t convinced because the government’s plan is based on a ‘surplus and deficit’ model that they have said has little basis in science.
• They are also concerned that the project will endanger the water security of Panna.
• Except when it is deemed necessary to enhance and better manage the species within a sanctuary or a national park, it is forbidden to divert, stop, or enhance the flow of water into or outside of them.
• The Central Empowered Committee (CEC) of the Supreme Court determined that in the instance of the Panna Tiger Reserve, a diversion was not required to enhance and better manage wildlife in the park.
• Panna is exceptional tiger habitat because of its deep gorges, which will be drowned if the new dam is built.
• All of the previous good, arduous labour will be for naught if a national board grants an illegal approval.
• In fact, there may not even be enough water in the Ken, a non-perennial river, to meet the projected needs of the Betwa – forget the needs of the Bundelkhand region.
• This is why the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) expert body mandated an “independent” hydrological investigation of the Ken.
• The Ken Gharial Sanctuary, built to safeguard the critically endangered Gangetic gharial, is located downstream of the national park ( Gavialis gangeticus).
• It should be evident right away how devastating the planned dam would be for the water flow into and out of this sanctuary, as well as how it would be in violation of the Act’s requirements for a sanctuary.
• The Standing Committee of the NBWL has not taken into account how the project will affect the downstream gharial sanctuary, according to the CEC’s assessment.

Way forward

• Independent experts have also stated that restoring Bunderlkhand’s former lakes and ponds from the Chandel era and prioritising the replication of effective field-pond plans will be more expedient and economical. The area already enjoys a good amount of annual rainfall.
• In light of this, expediting the KBLP without performing due diligence will exacerbate water disputes between Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, shatter residents’ long-standing hopes for irrigation and drinking water, and cost a decade’s worth of labour and money as due diligence and expert scrutiny during the project-approval stage are cornerstones of sound environmental governance.

Panna Tiger Reserve of India Panna is the twenty second Tiger Reserve of India and fifth in Madhya PradeshThe Reserve is situated in the Vindhyan Ranges and spreads over Panna and Chattarpur districts in the north of the state.Panna National Park was created in 1981. It was declared a Project Tiger Reserve by Government of India in 1994.Ken Gharial Sanctuary is a wildlife sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh. It was established for the conservation of gharial and mugger crocodile populations.It is located at the confluence of the Ken River and Khudar River. It is located in north of Panna National Park.