NATIONAL NEWS
CoP 26 and the doomsday scenario
The 26th Conference of Parties, the key meeting on climate change organised by the UN, kicked off in Glasgow today. Indian PM Narendra Modi is in attendance with leaders of most countries. Prime Minister of the host nation Boris Johnson opened the summit with a very British analogy, of James Bond strapped to a ‘world-ending’ bomb while figuring out how to stop it from going off. It is an apt comparison as the latest reports show that the world is headed for a 2.7-degree Celsius rise in temperature above pre-industrial age levels by 2100, which would spell doom for most species on Earth. The attempt now is to limit that rise to 1.5 degree Celsius, which would mean that nations have to commit to substantially more emission cuts than what they have already at the CoP 21 in Paris in 2015. India’s stance here becomes critical as it is one of the nations that are now among the largest emitters now but bear little responsibility for the bulk of human emissions since the 1850s. India’s Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav, speaking for other nations in the same situation such as Brazil, South African and China, emphasised on differentiated responsibilities that would take historical emissions into considerations. Another significant group at the summit are small island nations such as Maldives, who have no significant role in causing global warming but will bear the brunt of it as sea levels rise.
No blanket bans on firecrackers
In another significant observation on firecrackers, the Supreme Court today said that a blanket ban on firecrackers was not possible. The court said that restrictions it had brought in earlier were applicable only to firecrackers containing chemicals that were harmful to people and the environment. The verdict comes ahead of Deepavali, during which firecrackers lead to significant rise in pollution in cities like Delhi. However, there has been significant opposition to any blanket bans from firecrackers companies who see the most significant volume of sales during the festival. With the court emphasising that ‘green’ or environment friendly firecrackers are allowed, the focus this year will also be on enforcement. Civic authorities will have to ensure that sale of firecrackers containing banned chemical such as barium salts are not allowed, which is a tedious process.
Some positive news on the economy
Some positive date on the economy emerged today, with exports for October clocking a growth of 5% over the previous month. The trade deficit for October was also lower than September’s. Another positive data was that India’s manufacturing sector expanded for the fourth month in a row in October, with the IHS Markit Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) rising to 55.9 from 53.7 in September. October also saw the country’s gross GST collection cross the ₹1.3 lakh crore mark, the second highest collection since the tax regime was implemented in July 2017. Tempering the positives were the data which showed that despite manufacturing improving, job losses in the sector continued.
J&K sanctions constitution of a specialised agency
The Home Department of the government of Jammu and Kashmir has sanctioned the constitution of a specialised agency. The agency, called the Special Investigation Agency (SIA), has been sanctioned for the investigation and prosecution of offences, including UAPA and those under Explosive Substances Act. Counting of votes underway for 3 Parliamentary seats, 30 Assembly seats. The counting of votes for by-election to three Parliamentary constituencies in three states and 30 Assembly constituencies in 14 states got underway on November 2, 2021. The Parliamentary bypolls were held in Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Dadra and Nagar Haveli. The Assembly by poll was held across 14 states, including 5 in Assam, 2 in Bihar, 3 in Himachal Pradesh, 2 in Karnataka and 4 in West Bengal. The four assembly seats in West Bengal include -Dinhata, Khardaha, Gosaba (SC), and Santipur. The results of all bypolls will be announced today.
Indian Army conducts airborne exercise in Eastern Ladakh amid standoff with China
The Shatrujeet Brigade of the Indian Army will be conducting an airborne exercise along the Northern Borders in Eastern Ladakh to validate its rapid response capabilities. The militaries of India and China have been engaged in a border standoff in Eastern Ladakh since May 2020 when the violent clash in the Pangong Lake area led to both sides gradually rushing in thousands of soldiers as well as weaponry. After a series of military and diplomatic talks, China and India completed the disengagement process in the Gogra area in August 2021 and in the north and south banks of the Pangong Lake in February 2021. Each of the countries still has, currently, around 50,000 to 60,000 troops along the LAC (Line of Actual Control) in the sensitive sector. The airborne troops of the Indian Army’s Shatrujeet Brigade, on November 1, were inserted into a drop zone at an altitude of more than 14,000 feet as part of the exercise. These pre-acclimatized troops along with specialist vehicles and missile detachments were transported through C-130 and AN-32 aircraft from 5 different mounting bases. It was done to validate the inter-theatre move, rapid grouping, precision stand-off, and capture of designated objectives with speed and surprise. The drop was challenging because of the low temperatures of up to minus 20 degrees Celsius and the rarefied atmosphere in the super high-altitude terrain.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
UK PM accepts PM Modi’s invitation to India
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has accepted PM Narendra Modi’s invitation to India during their bilateral meeting on the sidelines of COP-26 on November 1, 2021. The UK said that he would plan his visit as soon as the circumstances allow.
COP-26 World Leaders’ Summit in Glasgow
While addressing COP-26 World Leaders’ Summit, PM Narendra Modi said, “At this global brainstorming on climate change, I would like to present 5 ‘amrit tatva’ from India. I gift this ‘panchamrit'”. He also pledged that India will achieve the target of net zero by 2070. PM Modi reiterated that climate change is a major threat to the existence to many developing countries and we must take major steps to save the world.
Elon Musk’s SpaceX establishes subsidiary in India, plans to apply for license
SpaceX, owned by the world’s richest person Elon Musk, on November 1, 2021, established its wholly-owned subsidiary in India in order to start local broadband operations. The satellite broadband arm of SpaceX, Starlink aims to start the broadband services in India from December 2022, with 2 lakh active terminals subject to permission from the Government of India. Startlink country director India at SpaceX, Sanjay Bhargava said in a social media post, “Please to share that SpaceX now has a 100% owned subsidiary in India. The name is SSCPL- Starlink Satellite Communications Private Limited and the incorporation date is November 1, 2021. Happy Birthday, SSCPL. We can now start applying for licenses, open bank accounts, etc. SpaceX’s subsidiary will be charging a deposit of USD 99 or Rs. 7,350 per customer. It also claims to deliver data speeds in the range of 50 to 150 megabits per second in the beta stage. The services of Starlink will compete with that of Reliance Jio, Vodafone Idea, Bharti Airtel in broadband and it will also be a direct competitor to Bharti Group-backed OneWeb. Elon Musk’s SpaceX is keen to work in the rural areas of India for providing broadband services. The cost of Starlink’s satellite broadband service, in India, will be around Rs. 1 lakh annually (about $100 dollars a month) while the kit, which will include the modem, dish, and cable, will cost about Rs. 40,000. In order to get a connection, customers will have to pre-book. The company has also been looking to partner with entrepreneurs to make the services more affordable in India. For example, an entrepreneur can set up village centres where satellite broadband services can be used to provide services such as digital libraries, ATMs, cyber café, among others. There is also a huge potential for Starlink services in India as nearly 70% of schools do not have broadband connectivity. The courts are also another area, where its services can be expanded. The company will soon start applying for licenses to offer its satellite broadband services.
