Daily Current Affairs : 22nd January 2024

Daily Current Affairs for UPSC CSE

Topics Covered

1. Labour rules for workers abroad
2. Study on impact of urbanisation
3. NAM summit
4. India – Bangladesh Relationship
5. Facts for Prelims

1 . Labour rules for workers abroad

Context: The Uttar Pradesh and Haryana governments, with the help of the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), have started the process of recruiting about 10,000 workers to go to Israel, primarily for construction activities. 

Opposition to the move

• Trade unions have opposed the move, citing the Emigration Rules under the Emigration Act. They are planning to challenge the employment drive legally. 
• The central trade unions told the media that such a move is against the Indian ethos of bringing back citizens from conflict zones.  
• The trade union leaders alleged that the government was using unemployment among the youth and workers to further their “politics of hate” to please Israel.  
• Several hundreds of people turned up at the screening centres in Haryana. 

About the Rules

• Workers going to conflict zones or places without sufficient labour protections are required to register with the Ministry of External Affairs’ ‘e-migrate’ portal. 
• Passports issued under the ECR (Emigration Check Required) scheme cover workers travelling to 18 countries, including Afghanistan, Bahrain, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Oman, Qatar, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Thailand, the UAE, and Yemen. 
• Israel is not on this list and the ‘e-migrate’ system will not be used for those going to Israel despite continuing violence due to Israel’s bombing of Gaza. 
• The Rules say that no recruiting agent shall collect from the worker service charges more than a maximum of ₹30,000 and the service charges shall include costs of domestic travel or lodging and boarding for conducting of interviews by the recruiting agent. Here, the workers will have to pay a fee to the NSDC, pay for their flight tickets, etc, which will add up to almost ₹1 lakh. 
• The unions point out that paid recruitment in a war zone facilitated by governments violates provisions of the Emigration Act. 

What are the international practices? 

• The international practices for protection of migrant workers are governed by two conventions of the International Labour Organisation: the Migration for Employment Convention (Revised), 1949 (No. 97) and Migrant Workers (Supplementary Provisions) Convention, 1975 (No. 143). While India has not ratified both conventions, Israel had ratified the 1949 convention in 1953. 
• The 1949 convention says: “Each Member for which this Convention is in force undertakes that it will, so far as national laws and regulations permit, take all appropriate steps against misleading propaganda relating to emigration and immigration. For this purpose, it will where appropriate act in co-operation with other Members concerned.” 

Way forward

• As per ILO’s World Employment and Social Outlook: Trends 2024 report, the global unemployment rate is set to increase in 2024 while growing social inequalities remain a concern. 
• Joblessness and the jobs gap have both fallen below pre-pandemic levels but global unemployment will rise in 2024. 
• It added that many low- and middle-income countries will experience a demographic transition after 2030 and asked the countries to design sensible migration policies and skilling initiatives to support and develop local labour markets with growing populations. 
• In 2019, a report of the Parliament Standing Committee on External Affairs had asked the Centre to draft a migration policy as the existing institutional arrangements for the protection, safety and welfare of Indian emigrants are based on inadequate data infrastructure. 

2 . Study on impact of urbanisation

Context: Urbanisation in Bhubaneswar impacts winter temperatures.  

About the Study

• As part of a larger effort in implementing the cities digital twin at the School of Earth Ocean and Climate Sciences at IIT Bhubaneswar, computer-based simulations were carried out to mimic the Bhubaneswar urban growth and hence change in the micro-climate and their relation to different factors such as climate change, city expansion, change in vegetation cover, etc. 
• It was quantified that almost 60% of the overall warming observed over the city is due to local activities/changes. These studies were recently published in the journal Computational Urban Science. 

Findings

• In addition to the warming due to climate change, there is additional warming due to the trapping of heat by the concrete and asphalt materials used to build the city. 
• The decreased evapotranspiration due to the replacement of natural surfaces with artificial impervious surfaces is also contributing to the observed warming. 
• The inclusion of a minimalistic 3-D structure of the city within these simulations for winter time showed enhanced warming of almost 0.4C in the eastern lowland regions of the city mostly as a consequence of topographical asymmetry.  
• There was further reduction in the wind speeds by about 0.2 metres per second, in the eastern fringes of the city, limiting dispersion of heat. 
• In contrast, in the western region, the influence is nullified, possibly due to lower surface specific humidity affecting longwave radiation in a higher terrain setting. Both the terrain and local microclimate play a significant role in shaping winter urban surface temperatures, highlighting the complex interplay between urbanisation and climate. Urban planning to mitigate or adapt to these changes require systematic scientific explorations. 
• These changes are expected to further modify the spatial pattern, intensity, and duration of rainfall events with implication to urban floods. 
• The ever-increasing population load and enhanced dependence on city resources will continue in the future, amplifying the hovering clouds of vulnerability/danger over the cities in the absence of city specific science driven strategies. 
• Comprehensive city-scale climate action plans supported by science to mitigate and adapt to the impacts of urbanisation and climate change are the need of the hour. 

3 . NAM summit

Context: The 19th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit is being held in the capital Kampala. 

About Non-Aligned Movement

• The Non-Aligned Movement was formed during the Cold War, largely on the initiative of then-Yugoslav President Josip Broz Tito, as an organization of States that did not seek to formally align themselves with either the United States or the Soviet Union, but sought to remain independent or neutral.
• The basic concept for the group originated in 1955 during discussions that took place at the Asia-Africa Bandung Conference held in Indonesia.
• In the context of the Cold War, they argued, countries of the developing world should abstain from allying with either of the two superpowers (the United States and the U.S.S.R.) and should instead join together in support of national self-determination against all forms of colonialism and imperialism.
• The Non-Aligned Movement was founded and held its first conference (the Belgrade Conference) in 1961 under the leadership of Josip Broz Tito of Yugoslavia, Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt, Jawaharlal Nehru of India, Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, and Sukarno of Indonesia.
• Unlike the United Nations (UN) or the Organization of American States, the Non-Aligned Movement has no formal constitution or permanent secretariat. All members of the Non-Aligned Movement have equal weight within its organization.
• The movement’s positions are reached by consensus in the Summit Conference of Heads of State or Government, which usually convenes every three years.
• Currently there are 120 members

Objectives

• NAM has sought to “create an independent path in world politics that would not result in member States becoming pawns in the struggles between the major powers.”
• It identifies the right of independent judgment, the struggle against imperialism and neo-colonialism, and the use of moderation in relations with all big powers as the three basic elements that have influenced its approach.
• At present, an addition goal is facilitating a restructuring of the international economic order.

What are the principles of Non Align Movement?

• Respect for fundamental human rights and for the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations.
• Respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all nations.
• Recognition of the movements for national independence.
• Recognition of the equality of all races and of the equality of all nations, large and small.
• Abstention from intervention or interference in the internal affairs of another country.
• Respect for the right of each nation to defend itself singly or collectively, in conformity with the Charter of the United Nations.
• Refraining from acts or threats of aggression or the use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any country.
• Settlement of all international disputes by peaceful means, in conformity with the Charter of the United Nations.
• Promotion of mutual interests and co-operation.
• Respect for justice and international obligations

Principal Organs

• NAM does not have a formal constitution or permanent secretariat, and its administration is non-hierarchical and rotational. Decisions are made by consensus, which requires substantial agreement, but not unanimity

Troika

• Created in 1997, this body consists of past, serving and future Chairs, and operates at the discretion of the incumbent chair.

Non-Aligned Security Council Caucus

• The Caucus consists of NAM countries who are elected to the UN Security Council as rotating members. These States seek to adopt unified positions and to reflect the decisions and positions adopted at NAM Summits and Ministerial Conferences.

India’s Position

• India being a founder and largest member in NAM was an active participant in NAM meetings
• It is a widely held belief that the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) was highly relevant for India and its foreign policy interests during the bipolar era of the Cold War a
• It is true that NAM played an important role during the Cold War years in furthering many of the causes that India advocated: decolonisation, end to apartheid, global nuclear disarmament, ushering in of new international economic and information orders, etc. But what is generally ignored is the fact that NAM was more or less irrelevant for India in terms of helping to protect and promote its security and interests – the principal criterion by which the utility of a multilateral group should be measured.
• NAM’s lack of utility for protecting and promoting India’s security and interests is clearly demonstrated by the diplomatic positions adopted by member countries during the various wars in which India has been involved. On each of these occasions, NAM members invariably adopted diplomatic positions that were not favourable towards or supportive of India.

Relevance of NAM in the current Scenario

• It is a widely held belief that the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) was highly relevant for India and its foreign policy interests during the bipolar era of the Cold War and that it has, since the 1990s, lost this relevance in a unipolar international order.
• The world today has moved on from what the NAM founding leaders faced in Bandung in 1955. The scales of global geo-political balance have shifted, and continue to do so, propelled by forces of globalisation and transformational technological progress.
• Long-held assumption and alignments rooted in the legacies of colonialism and the ideology of the Cold War are making way for new configurations and partnerships
• Climate change, environmental degradation, terrorism, radicalisation, poverty, public health emergencies, humanitarian and natural calamities, cyber security threats, and the serious security implications of frontier technologies are just some of the challenges of this new world.
• These challenges can only be faced together, not when we are divided. It requires collaboration, not coercion.

NAM Summit:  

• The conference of Heads of State or Government of the Non-Aligned Countries, often referred to as Non-Aligned Movement Summit is the main meeting within the movement and are held every few years. 
• The 19th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement was held in 2024 in Kampala, Uganda. 
• Leaders of Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) have denounced Israel’s military campaign on the Gaza Strip and demanded an immediate ceasefire during the summit.  

4 . India – Bangladesh Relationship

Context: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina returned to power in Bangladesh for a historic fourth straight term recently after her party, the Awami League, secured two-thirds of the seats in the January national elections. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was among the first world leaders to congratulate Ms. Hasina, illustrating the close bilateral relationship between the two countries. 

How have ties flourished? 

• The foundation of India’s relationship with Bangladesh was laid in the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War. 
• India provided critical military and material support to assist Bangladesh in its fight for independence from Pakistan. Despite this, relations soured within a few years as military regimes took control. 
• There was a rise in anti-India sentiment in the mid-1970s over issues ranging from boundary disputes and insurgency to the sharing of water.  
• The instability continued for a few decades until Sheikh Hasina came to power in 1996 and scripted a new chapter in bilateral ties with a treaty on the sharing of Ganga waters. Since then, India and Bangladesh have built cooperation in trade, energy, infrastructure, connectivity and defence. 

Economic Cooperation

• Bilateral trade between India and Bangladesh has grown steadily over the last decade. Bangladesh has emerged as India’s largest trade partner in South Asia, with bilateral trade reaching $18 billion in 2021-2022 from $10.8 billion in 2020-21, though there was a dip in 2022-23 due to the pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war. 
•  India is also the second biggest trade partner of Bangladesh, with exports amounting to $2 billion in Indian markets. 
• In 2022, both nations concluded a joint feasibility study on a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA). The agreement, typically designed to reduce or eliminate customs duties on traded goods and simplify trade norms, is anticipated to open up broader social and economic opportunities. 
• The CEPA gains additional significance as Bangladesh is set to lose its Least Developed Country (LDC) status after 2026, thereby losing its duty-free and quota-free market access in India.  
• Dhaka will be eager to finalise a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with New Delhi, and also pursue the China-backed Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). This dual approach raises concerns for India. 

Infrastructure

• As a “major development partner” of Bangladesh, India is funding several infrastructure and connectivity projects. Since 2010, India has extended Lines of Credits worth over $7 billion. 
•  PM Modi and Sheikh Hasina made history last year when they inaugurated the Akhaura-Agartala rail link that connects Bangladesh and the northeast through Tripura. The link has given India access to Chattogram and Mongla ports in Bangladesh for the movement of cargo. It is likely to boost small-scale industries and develop Assam and Tripura. 
• In the energy sector, Bangladesh imports nearly 2,000 megawatts of electricity from India. The BIMSTEC Master Plan for Transport Connectivity focuses on connecting major transport projects in India, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Thailand, thereby establishing a shipping network. 
• India’s attention will primarily be directed towards the Matarbari Port, located about 100 km from Tripura, which Bangladesh is building. The port will establish a crucial industrial corridor linking Dhaka and the northeast part of India. 

Points of tension

• The looming Teesta dispute will take centre-stage in the agenda of the Hasina-led government. The issue revolves around the sharing of Teesta’s waters, with Bangladesh seeking an equitable distribution. 
• Another contentious matter is the Rohingya issue. The Hasina government aims for the peaceful repatriation of Rohingyas to Myanmar, but its talks with the military junta have been unsuccessful so far. Bangladesh seeks India’s cooperation to influence Myanmar, but the Indian government, which has ties with the junta, asserts that it will deport Rohingyas from its mainland. 
• Cross-border terrorism and infiltration are additional threats to internal security. The rise of majoritarian forces adds another layer to the complex landscape. While violence against Muslims has increased in India in the past few years, PM Hasina has stood at the forefront to condemn the attacks and express displeasure over comments by Indian leaders on “illegal” immigrants.  

About global ties

• The U.S. has been vocal in its criticism of the Awami League government, exerting pressure on Sheikh Hasina over “democratic backsliding”. 
• In 2021, the Biden administration slapped sanctions on a Bangladeshi anti-crime and anti-terrorism task force, citing human rights violations, and escalated tensions by announcing a policy to restrict visas for Bangladeshis it believed to be responsible for undermining the election process in the country. 
• Adding to India’s concerns is the deepening relationship between Bangladesh and China, marked by the substantial Chinese investments in infrastructure in recent years. 
•  China built 12 highways, 21 bridges and 27 power and energy projects in Bangladesh, as per the Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh. However, Ms. Hasina has maintained that her government is “very much careful” about its partnership with China. 

5 . Facts for Prelims: 

Amrit Dharohar Capacity Building Scheme

• Ministry of Tourism (MoT) in collaboration with Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEFCC) launched an Alternative Livelihood Programme under the Amrit Dharohar Capacity Building Scheme-2023 in December , 2023 in Sultanpur National Park, a Ramsar Site in Haryana. 
• Under this initiative, IITTM, an autonomous body under MoT, in collaboration with MoEFCC will build the capacity of local community members around different Ramsar sites in order to strengthen nature tourism at these sites and provide alternative livelihood to the local community. 
• With the help of State Forest Deptt., a total of 30 participants have been identified from the local communities located around Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary to impart this training and subsequently certify them as nature-guides. 

Ramsetu sari / Sambalpuri baandhakala ikat

• It is an intricate handwoven sari, depicting the legendary Ram Setu from the Indian epic Ramayana. 
• Crafted from handwoven cotton yarn, the piece is dyed using natural elements sourced from flowers and indigo.  
• The sari is a manifestation of the Sambalpuri baandhakala ikat technique which is an art form that involves tying and dying the warp and weft before weaving. 
• The Sambalpuri sari is made from fabric woven on a hand-loom.  

Cyberforensics

• Cyber forensics is a process of extracting data as proof for a crime (that involves electronic devices) while following proper investigation rules to nab the culprit by presenting the evidence to the court. 
• Cyber forensics is also known as computer forensics.  
• The main aim of cyber forensics is to maintain the thread of evidence and documentation to find out who did the crime digitally. 

 Quantum computing technologies

• Quantum computing is a rapidly-emerging technology that harnesses the laws of quantum mechanics to solve problems too complex for classical computers. 
• The field of quantum computing includes hardware research and application development. 
•  Quantum computers are able to solve certain types of problems faster than classical computers by taking advantage of quantum mechanical effects, such as superposition and quantum interference. 
• Some applications where quantum computers can provide such a speed boost include machine learning (ML), optimization, and simulation of physical systems. 

Mosquitofish

• The western mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) is a North American freshwater fish, also known commonly, if ambiguously, as simply mosquitofish or by its generic name, Gambusia, or by the common name gambezi. 
• Its sister species, the eastern mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki) is also referred to by these names. 
• Mosquitofish were introduced directly into ecosystems in many parts of the world as a biocontrol to lower mosquito populations which in turn negatively affected many other species in each distinct bioregion. 
• Stands out as some of the most widely dispersed freshwater fish, aided by their robust adaptability and high tolerance for fluctuating environmental conditions. 
• In 1928, Gambusia was first introduced in India during British rule. 

Ramayana outside Asia 

• Ramayana travelled from India to the rest of Asia in “the early centuries of the Christian era” along three routes, “by land, the northern route took the story from the Punjab and Kashmir into China, Tibet, and East Turkestan; by sea, the southern route carried the story from Gujarat and South India into Java, Sumatra, and Malaya; and again by land, the eastern route delivered the story from Bengal into Burma, Thailand, and Laos. Vietnam and Cambodia obtained their stories partly from Java and partly from India via the eastern route.”
• A major current that took the Ramayana to Africa, the Caribbean, etc. was the girmitiya migration outside India in the 19th century.  After slavery was abolished, there was an urgent demand for labourers who could work on plantations earlier serviced through slave labour. 
  • Waves upon waves of men and women were sent out from British India as indentured labourers to countries like Fiji, Mauritius, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Suriname, etc. 
  • The word ‘girmitiya’ comes from ‘agreement’, which these people signed (or were made to sign) to work in the plantations. 
  • Majority of these girmitiya labourers were from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. While they could not carry much as they boarded ships towards an entirely new life, they did carry their culture and religion along, and a large part of this culture was Tulsidas’s Ramcharitmanas, written in Awadhi and arguably the most popular religious text in North India. 
  • The girmitiyas were not rich traders likely to influence kings, but there is a more personal element in how they remembered and preserved the tale of Ram. 
  • In an alien land, far away from their homes which they had left to flee either poverty or caste oppression or some form of social boycott, the Ramcharitmanas became a source of succour, of nostalgia, the symbol of a homeland more real than the actual home.
• Some differences that these tales of Ram have from the Indian epic are: in Cambodia’s Reamker, a mermaid princess Suvannamaccha falls in love with Lord Hanuman; in Java, the Javanese deity Dhayana and his sons become part of the story; the Malaysian Hikayat Seri Rama is more sympathetic to Ravana (Maharaja Wana); while in Laos, “Phra Ram is considered a previous incarnation of Gautama Buddha…Hapmanasouane, the Lao Ravana, is considered the previous incarnation of Mara, the demon that tried to impede the Buddha’s ascent to enlightenment