GS PAPER: II

Free Movement Regime

Why in the news?

• Recently the Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced that the Centre has decided to fence the entire length of the India-Myanmar border to stop the free movement of people. 

India-Myanmar border

• The two countries share a largely unfenced 1,643 km border, which goes through the states of Manipur, Mizoram, Assam, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh.

What is the Free Movement Regime?

• The FMR is a mutually agreed arrangement between the two countries that allows tribes living along the border on either side to travel up to 16 km inside the other country without a visa.
• It was implemented in 2018 as part of the Narendra Modi government’s Act East policy, at a time when diplomatic relations between India and Myanmar were on the upswing.
• In fact, the FMR was to be put in place in 2017 itself but was deferred due to the Rohingya refugee crisis that erupted that August.

Why was such a regime conceptualised?

• The border between India and Myanmar was demarcated by the British in 1826, without seeking the opinion of the people living in the region. The border effectively divided people of the same ethnicity and culture into two nations without their consent. The current India-Myanmar Border reflects the line the British drew.
• People in the region have strong ethnic and familial ties across the border. In Manipur’s Moreh region, there are villages where some homes are in Myanmar. In Nagaland’s Mon district, the border actually passes through the house of the chief of Longwa village, splitting his home into two.
• Apart from facilitating people-to-people contact, the FMR was supposed to provide impetus to local trade and business. The region has a long history of trans-border commerce through customs and border haats. Given the low-income economy, such exchanges are vital for the sustenance of local livelihoods. For border people in Myanmar too, Indian towns are closer for business, education, and healthcare than those in their own country.

Reasons to end the FMR

• The illegal migration of tribal Kuki-Chin peoples into India from Myanmar is one of the key issues in the ongoing Manipur conflict. While the Meiteis have accused these illegal migrants and the alleged “narco-terror network” along the India-Myanmar Border (IMB) of fomenting trouble in the state, the Kukis have blamed the Meiteis and Chief Minister N Biren Singh, a Meitei himself, of using this as a pretext for “ethnic cleansing”.
• Amid this charged and sensitive debate in the state, questions have been raised about the FMR.
• Although beneficial to local people and helpful in improving Indo-Myanmar ties, it has been criticised in the past for unintentionally aiding illegal immigration, drug trafficking, and gun running.
• The border runs through forested and undulating terrain is almost entirely unfenced, and difficult to monitor. In Manipur, less than 6 km of the border is fenced.
• Since the military coup in Myanmar on February 1, 2021, the ruling junta has launched a campaign of persecution against the Kuki-Chin peoples. This has pushed large numbers of Myanmarese tribals across the country’s western border into India, especially into Manipur and Mizoram, where they have sought shelter. Mizoram, where a large section of the population has close ethnic and cultural ties with people across the border, has set up camps for more than 40,000 refugees, despite protests from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.

What happen if FMR is removed?

• The regime has been reviewed from time to time, and most experts agree that the FMR needs better regulation. As the crisis in Myanmar escalated and the influx of refugees increased, India suspended the FMR in September 2022.
• Given the interests of the local population, however, neither the complete removal of the FMR nor full fencing of the border may be desirable. Livelihoods will be impacted and essential travel for health care and education may be hit.
• Sources in the security establishment said it is not easy to plug illegal immigration or drug trafficking across an unfenced border in treacherous terrain.
• Even with robust patrolling and intelligence, people do sneak through, especially when there is no hostility towards the immigrant on our side. FMR or no FMR, it is not an easy task. And all borders, even the fenced ones, are struggling to deal with drug trafficking

GS PAPER – I

Consecration of Ram Mandir

Why in the news?

• The ‘pranpratishtha’ or consecration of the idol of Lord Ram at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya took place amid chanting of hymns and performance of rituals, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other dignitaries in attendance.
• Mr. Modi, who participated in the ceremony, termed it a historic day, stating that it was akin to a “nation rising by breaking the mentality of slavery, a nation drawing courage from every affliction of the past, creating a new history in this manner.”

How day proceeded?

• The “Pran Pratishtha” ceremony began at 12.20 p.m. and is ended by 1 p.m. Mr. Modithen addressed a gathering of more than 7,000 people, including seers and prominent personalities, at the venue.
• While about 8,000 people were in the long list of invitees, the select list features 506 A-listers, including prominent politicians, leading industrialists, top film stars, sportspersons, diplomats, judges and high priests.
• To commemorate the occasion, the Centre gave half-a-day off to all the Government employees which includes Public Sector Banks.
• Several States have also followed suit and declared a public holiday. 
• The consecration ceremony came after the 51-inch idol of Ram Lalla was placed in the ‘Garbha griha’ of the Ram Mandir on 18 January.
• Crafted by the skilled hands of sculptor Arun Yogiraj from Mysuru, the 51-inch-tall idol, captures the image of a five-year-old Lord Ram standing gracefully on a lotus, all meticulously carved from a single block of stone.

Prime minister address:

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the landmark Pran Prathistha (consecration ceremony) of the Ram Lalla idol at the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya on Monday, declaring it the “temple of national consciousness in the form of Ram” and giving a clarion call to build the foundation of a “strong, capable and divine” India of the next 1,000 years.
• Modi said it was the advent of a new era. He sought to strike an emotional chord with the masses, saying, “Our Ram” has arrived after waiting, patience, and sacrifices of centuries.
• Today, our Ram has arrived. After a long wait for ages, our Ram has arrived. Our Ram Lalla will no longer live in a tent. Our Ram Lalla will stay in a magnificent temple,” Modi said in his 36-minute address at the temple where a large number of invitees, including seers, leading figures from different fields and those who took part in the decades-long Ram Janmabhoomi movement for building the temple were present.

Background story:

• The consecration ceremony is being held after the first phase of the temple’s construction, made possible by a Supreme Court judgment in 2019 on the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title suit.
• The Hindu litigants argued that the Babri Mosque was constructed at the site of a temple marking the birthplace of Lord Ram. In 1992, the 16th century mosque was demolished by “kar sevaks”.

GS PAPER – III

World’s first malaria vaccine

Why in news?

• Cameroon will be the first country to routinely give children a new malaria vaccine as the shots is rolled out in Africa.
• The campaign due to start was described by officials as a milestone in the decades-long effort to curb the mosquito-spread disease on the continent, which accounts for 95% of the world’s malaria deaths.
• “The vaccination will save lives. It will provide major relief to families and the country’s health system,

Condition of Africa:

• The Central Africa nation hopes to vaccinate about 250,000 children this year and next year. They are working with 20 other African countries to help them get the vaccine and that those countries will hopefully immunize more than 6 million children through 2025.
• In Africa, there are about 250 million cases of the parasitic disease each year, including 600,000 deaths, mostly in young children.

About the vaccine:

• Cameroon will use the first of two recently approved malaria vaccines, known as Mosquirix. The World Health Organization endorsed the vaccine two years ago, acknowledging that that even though it is imperfect, its use would still dramatically reduce severe infections and hospitalizations.
• The GlaxoSmithKline-produced shot is only about 30% effective, requires four doses and protection begins to fade after several months. The vaccine was tested in Africa and used in pilot programs in three countries.
• It is saidthat it can only produce about 15 million doses of Mosquirix a year and some experts believe a second malaria vaccine developed by Oxford University and approved by WHO in October might be a more practical solution. That vaccine is cheaper, requires three doses and India’s Serum Institute said they could make up to 200 million doses a year.

Condition of Malaria in India:

• India achieved a significant 30% decline in malaria cases and a 34% decline in deaths in 2022 compared to 2021.
• India’s performance is opposite to the global trend, which saw 5 million additional cases in 2022, reaching a total of 249 million.
• Pakistan contributed the highest increase (2.1 million) due to widespread flooding.
• India currently accounts for only 1.4% of global malaria cases.

GS PAPER – II

Davos 2024

Why in news?

• This year’s edition of the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting was held from January 15 to January 19.
• Every year, leaders from various fields, such as business, politics, economics, etc., gather in the Swiss town to discuss challenges facing the world and explore the ways forward.
• The event has faced criticism for its elite and expensive nature, but the Davos summit still remains relevant, if only for the glimpse it offers into how the rich and powerful react to the most pressing issues.
• The climate crisis is in the spotlight as the World Economic Forum (WEF) holds its annual meeting in Davos.

What was the concern?

• Following COP28 – and with the climate crisis topping the forum’s list of the biggest risks over the next decade – governments and business leaders are facing some monumental challenges. 
• The EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service revealed that 2023 had been the hottest year on record with major implications for keeping global warming below 1.5C.
• Climate change is among the biggest risks the world faces over the next decade, according to the WEF’s Global Risks report published last week ahead of Davos.
• Though misinformation and disinformation were deemed the biggest immediate risks, half of the most severe threats over the next 10 years are environmental.
• That includes extreme weather events, critical changes to Earth’s systems, biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse and a shortage of natural resources.
• Two-thirds of the 1,400 global experts who were surveyed were worried about extreme weather events in 2024.

Key takeaways:

Artificial Intelligence

• The one issue that took centre stage at this year’s WEF meet was Artificial Intelligence (AI). While its many transformational abilities for human welfare were discussed, so were the need for regulation, fear of job losses, the risks of impersonation and misinformation, and the inequalities it can potentially worsen.
• “Humans know what other humans want. Humans are going to have better tools. We’ve had better tools before, but we’re still very focused on each other,”Altman said in Davos, according to the WEF’s website.

War and uncertainty

• Business leaders spoke of the risk posed by a fragile geopolitical situation, wars in the Middle East and Europe, the threats to global supply chains, and the uncertainty around food security.
• Yet, no plans or roadmaps for peace were offered about the Israel-Gaza violence.
• The head of the Palestine Investment Fund estimated at least $15 billion would be needed to rebuild houses in Gaza alone, but Arab states said they would not fund reconstruction unless there was lasting peace.

Climate

• Ajay Banga, President, World Bank Group, said, we had an “existential climate crisis”on our hands and “a sense of urgency is our only saviour.
• Belgian trade unionist Luc Triangle reminded rich countries of their role. “Developed countries have to assist in the financing of climate action in the developing countries because if we don’t do that, this inequality will only grow and you will have winners and you will have losers… Rebuilding trust cannot be limited to only a number of countries.

China’s economy

• Facing a slowing economy, China tried to attract more investment from the West, which has witnessed some cooling. At 5.2%, China’s GDP growth in 2023 is still below pre-pandemic levels, and it is battling American attempts to isolate it, as evidenced in the semiconductor trade standoff.

Takeaways for India:

• An assessment of Davos 2024 by consulting firm McKinsey and Company says, “India is transforming rapidly as one of the fastest growing large economies in the world.
• When it comes to technology, talent, healthcare, and other areas, its future in 2024—and beyond—is worth paying attention to.”
• One of the ideas discussed at WEF this year was how investment in women’s health could boost the global economy by $1 trillion annually by 2040.
• According to the Press Information Bureau (PIB), “One of the key takeaways from the Forum meeting was the announcement of the launch of a Global Good Alliance for Gender Equity and Equality with the support and endorsement by WEF and Government of India.
• The idea of this alliance emerged from the G20 Leaders’ Declaration and India’s abiding commitment to the cause of women-led development as propounded by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.”