Review Petition

Paper 2 – Polity

Why You Should Know?

The Central government on November 17, 2022 moved the Supreme Court seeking a review of the court’s November 11 order freeing all six convicts who were still in jail in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case.

In detail –

Central’s Plea

• The Centre has argued that the order by a Bench of Justices B R Gavai and B V Nagarathna granting remission to the convicts was passed without hearing it (the Centre),
• that the order suffers from “errors apparent on the face of record”, and that it falls “foul of principles of natural justice”.
• According to the Centre, “granting remission to terrorist of foreign nation, who had been duly convicted in accordance with the law of land for gruesome offence of assassinating the former Prime Minister of the country, is a matter which has international ramification and therefore falls squarely within the sovereign powers of the Union of India”.
• Also, “non presentation of such crucial facts, going into the root of the matter has resulted in patent and manifest errors apparent on the face of record creeping into the final judgment passed by this Hon’ble Court…and miscarriage of justice”.

What is a review petition?

• According to the Constitution, any ruling by the Supreme Court is in the normal course final and binding, and it becomes the law of the land.
• It is considered final because it provides certainty for deciding future cases.
• However, the Constitution also gives, under Article 137, the Supreme Court the power to review its judgments or orders.
• This provision forms the legal basis for the filing of a “review petition”.

Procedure for filing a review petition

• A review petition must be filed within 30 days of pronouncement of the judgment.
• Except in cases of death penalty, review petitions are heard through “circulation” by judges in their chambers. They are usually not heard in open court.
• Lawyers in review petitions usually make their case through written submissions, and not oral arguments.
• The same judges who passed the original verdict usually also hear the review petition.

Bases of review petition

• There are narrow, specific grounds on which a review petition can be entertained.
• Therefore, the court has the power to review its rulings to correct a “patent error” — but not “minor mistakes of inconsequential import”.
• In a 1975 ruling, Justice Krishna Iyer said a review can be accepted “only where a glaring omission or patent mistake or like grave error has crept in earlier by judicial fallibility”.
• In a 2013 ruling, the Supreme Court laid down three grounds for seeking a review of a verdict it has delivered:
• the discovery of new and important matter or evidence which, after the exercise of due diligence, was not within the knowledge of the petitioner or could not be produced by him;
• a mistake or error apparent on the face of the record; or
• any other sufficient reason. In subsequent rulings, the court specified that “any sufficient reason” means a reason that is analogous to the other two grounds.

Sources – IE

 

Narco Test

Paper 2 – Polity

Why You Should Know?

A court in Saket, New Delhi, has allowed Delhi Police to conduct a narco test on Aaftab Poonawalla.

In detail –

what was the matter?

• Aaftab Poonawalla, the 28-year-old man accused of killing his 27-year-old live-in partner Shraddha Walkar in May this year.
• Poonawalla allegedly chopped up Walkar’s body in many pieces, and disposed of them in a wooded area in South Delhi over several weeks.
• After police moved court seeking permission for the test, Poonawalla consented, telling the judge he was aware of the consequences.

What is a narco test?

• In a ‘narco’ or narcoanalysis test, a drug called sodium pentothal is injected into the body of the accused, which transports them to a hypnotic or sedated state, in which their imagination is neutralised.
• In this hypnotic state, the accused is understood as being incapable of lying, and is expected to divulge information that is true.
• Sodium pentothal or sodium thiopental is a fast-acting, short duration anaesthetic, which is used in larger doses to sedate patients during surgery.
• It belongs to the barbiturate class of drugs that act on the central nervous system as depressants.
• Because the drug is believed to weaken the subject’s resolve to lie, it is sometimes referred to as a “truth serum”, and is said to have been used by intelligence operatives during World War II.

Polygraph test

• A polygraph test is based on the assumption that physiological responses that are triggered when a person is lying are different from what they would be otherwise.
• A polygraph test does not involved injecting drugs into the body.
• rather instruments like cardio-cuffs or sensitive electrodes are attached to the suspect, and variables such as blood pressure, pulse rate, respiration, change in sweat gland activity, blood flow, etc., are measured as questions are put to them.
• A numerical value is assigned to each response to conclude whether the person is telling the truth, is deceiving, or is uncertain.
• A test such as this is said to have been first done in the 19th century by the Italian criminologist Cesare Lombroso, who used a machine to measure changes in the blood pressure of criminal suspects during interrogation.
• Similar devices were subsequently created by the American psychologist William Marstron in 1914, and by the California police officer John Larson in 1921.

Success rate

• In recent decades, investigating agencies have sought to employ these tests in investigation, which are sometimes seen as being a “softer alternative” to torture or “third degree” to extract the truth from suspects.
• However, neither method has been proven scientifically to have a 100% success rate, and remain contentious in the medical field as well.

Restrictions for test

• There is, indeed. In ‘Selvi & Ors vs State of Karnataka & Anr’ (2010), a Supreme Court Bench comprising then Chief Justice of India K G Balakrishnan and Justices R V Raveendran and J M Panchal ruled that no lie detector tests should be administered “except on the basis of consent of the accused”.
• Those who volunteer must have access to a lawyer, and have the physical, emotional, and legal implications of the test explained to them by police and the lawyer, the Bench said.
• It said that the ‘Guidelines for the Administration of Polygraph Test on an Accused’ published by the National Human Rights Commission in 2000, must be strictly followed. The subject’s consent should be recorded before a judicial magistrate, the court said.

Tests as “confessions”

• the results of these tests be cannot be considered as “confessions”, because those in a drugged-induced state cannot exercise a choice in answering questions that are put to them.
• However, any information or material subsequently discovered with the help of such a voluntarily-taken test can be admitted as evidence, the Supreme Court said.
• Thus, if an accused such as, say, Poonawalla, reveals the location of, say, a physical piece of evidence (which is often something like a murder weapon) in the course of the test, and police later find that specific piece of evidence at that location, the statement of the accused will not be treated as evidence, but the physical evidence will be treated as such.
• The Bench took into consideration international norms on human rights, the right to a fair trial, and the right against self-incrimination under Article 20(3) of the Constitution.
• “We must recognise that a forcible intrusion into a person’s mental processes is also an affront to human dignity and liberty, often with grave and long-lasting consequences,” the court said, observing that the state’s plea that the use of such scientific techniques would reduce ‘third degree’ methods “is a circular line of reasoning since one form of improper behaviour is sought to be replaced by another”.

Sources –IE

Uda Devi

Paper 1 –History

Why You Should Know?

November 16 is marked as freedom fighter uda devi her death anniversary

In detail –

• On November 16, events to commemorate the martyrdom of Uda Devi, a freedom fighter from the Pasi community, were held at various places in Uttar Pradesh, including Sikandar Bagh in Lucknow.
• Dalit men and women from UP as well as Madhya Pradesh, Bengal, and Bihar gathered to pay homage to Uda Devi.

Who was Uda Devi?

• Uda Devi Pasi was an Indian women freedom fighter who participated in the war on behalf of Indian soldiers against the British East India Company, during the Indian Rebellion of 1857.
• She was a member of the women’s squad of Wajid Ali Shah, the sixth Nawab of Awadh.
• Uda Devi Pasi and other female Dalit participants are today remembered as the warriors or “Dalit Veeranganas” of the 1857 Indian Rebellion.
• She was married to Makka Pasi who was a soldier in the army of Hazrat Mahal.
• On seeing the rising anger of the Indian people with the British administration, Uda Devi reached out to the queen of that district, Begum Hazrat Mahal to enlist for the war.
• In order to prepare for the battle that was headed their way, the Begum helped her form a women’s battalion under her command.
• When the British attacked Awadh, both Uda Devi and her husband were part of the armed resistance.
• When she heard that her husband had died in the battle, she unleashed her final campaign in full force.

Battle of Sikandar Bagh

• Uda Devi took part in the Battle in Sikandar Bagh in November 1857.
• After issuing instructions to her battalion, she climbed up a pipal tree and began shooting at advancing British soldiers.
• A British officer noted that many of the casualties had bullet wounds indicating steep, downward trajectory.
• Suspecting a hidden sniper, he ordered his officers to fire at the trees and dislodged a rebel who fell to the ground dead.
• Upon investigation, the sniper was revealed as Uda Devi Pasi.
• William Forbes-Mitchell, in Reminiscences of the Great Mutiny, writes of Uda Devi: “She was armed with a pair of heavy old-pattern cavalry pistols, one of which was in her belt still loaded, and her pouch was still about half full of ammunition, while from her perch in the tree, which had been carefully prepared before the attack, she had killed more than half-a-dozen men.”
• The Pasis of Pilibhit, in particular, come together on November 16 every year to commemorate the anniversary of Uda Devi Pasi’s martyrdom.

Source – IE

 

Heron MK II

Paper 3 –Science & Tech

Why You Should Know?

Israel isworking closely with the Indian Army and Indian Air Force to tailor solutions for their defence needs.

In detail –

• This includes the induction of Heron MK II, a state-of-the-art UAV that can fly at a height of 35,000 feet, cover a radius of 1000 km,
• it can see through dense clouds, work in bad weather and fly for 45 hours. According to information MK IIs are being deployed in Leh.
• Last year, the Indian Army had also taken on lease Heron TPs, a Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) for all-weather missions, from IAI.
• Heron TP drones are one of the two drones made in Israel that can be armed, if needed.
• The IAI and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) have signed a joint venture whereby IAI will not only offer UAVs to India, but also help HAL in manufacturing them in India.
• In 2018, the Adanis joined hands with Isareli company Elbit Systems to inaugurate a facility for manufacturing the Hermes 900 UAV in Hyderabad.
• Earlier, after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Israel in 2017, the IAI had signed an agreement with Elcom Systems and Dynamatic Technologies for the manufacture of UAVs in India.
• Earlier this year, HAL signed a memorandum of understanding with IAI to convert civil passenger aircraft into a multi-mission tanker transport (MMTT) for air refuelling with cargo and transport capabilities. The MoU also covers conversion of passenger planes into freighter aircraft.

About Heron MK II

• Heron MK II is a Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), and is an updated model of the Heron UAV, which is used by the Israeli Air Force and is operational with over 20 other organizations worldwide.
• Using the most advanced technologies developed by IAI to date, the Heron MK II is a strategic and versatile aircraft capable of carrying diverse payloads.

Features

• Fitted with a Rotax 916 iS engine, the Heron MK II can reach an altitude of 35,000 feet, a maximum speed of 140 knots and can remain in the air for 45 consecutive hours.
• Due to improved manufacturing technologies, the Heron MK II has a wider and stronger body structure, allowing for quick and easy maintenance without adding to its weight.
• The Heron MK II enables new configurations, as long-range observation Sensors and Radars, and can carry a wide range of additional payloads such as ELINT, COMINT, ESM, Communication Relay, Special and more.
• The standout feature of the Heron MK II is its ability to perform Standoff Capability, gathering intelligence from tens of kilometers away without crossing borders, thanks to its ability to carry larger and improved sensors.

Sources – IE

Trafficking of Rhino Horns

Paper 3 – Biodiverstiy

Why You Should Know?

A global threat assessment report presented at a convention of the conservation agencies in Panama City saidThat The seizure of rhino horns by weight has increased after 2017 despite a reduction in poaching.

In detail –

• A comprehensive analysis titled ‘Executive Summary of the Rhino Horn Trafficking as a Form of Transnational Organised Crime (2012-2021): 2022 Global Threat Assessment’, was presented at the meeting of the Conference of Parties organised by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
• The 12-day meeting will end on November 25.
• Supported by the World Wide Fund for Nature, the Wildlife Justice Commission (WJC) prepared the document on the rhino horn trafficking during the decade from January 1, 2012, to December 31, 2021.

About the report

• The threat assessment was compiled from the analysis of 674 rhino horn seizure incidents that had occurred globally during this decade, in addition to seven years of criminal intelligence and findings from the WJC investigations into the rhino horn trafficking, conducted since 2015.
• The report said six countries and territories have dominated the rhino horn trafficking routes from the source to the destination locations although more than 50 countries and territories were implicated in the transnational crime.
• These countries were South Africa, Mozambique, Malaysia, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Vietnam, and China.
• Prolific Vietnamese and Chinese criminal networks are driving the trafficking throughout the supply chain.
• Although Vietnam is known to be a primary destination for rhino horn, investigations indicate a substantial proportion of the horn entering Vietnam is sold to Chinese buyers and smuggled overland into China.
• This suggests that Vietnam is a highly significant transit and distribution area for products ultimately bound for China.
• More than 7.5 tonnes of rhino horns were seized globally during the decade.
• The average shipment weight increased markedly after 2017, despite a reduction in rhino poaching across Africa and the COVID-19 pandemic.
• This could indicate a greater involvement of organised crime groups as larger volumes of product are moved to increase profit margins per shipment.

Trend of smugling

• The analysis indicated that at least 974 kg and potentially up to one-third of all the seized rhino horns, globally originated from the theft or illegal sale of both privately-owned and government-owned legally held stockpiles.
• This avenue of supply may have increased since the moratorium on domestic rhino horn trade in South Africa was lifted in 2017.
• Rhino horns are most frequently smuggled on commercial airlines. However, the modus operandi is shifting from small shipments in passenger luggage to larger shipments by air cargo.
• This trend began prior to the pandemic and coincided with the use of more direct smuggling routes.
• Rhino horn shipments are most often smuggled with no concealment at all, which is a notable difference from the other wildlife products and illicit commodities generally.
• It could suggest traffickers are more reliant on corrupt elements to move rhino horn shipments through the supply chain, making it unnecessary to disguise the products.
• The investigation also led to the online trade in closed networks.
• The use of online trade, social media platforms, and instant messaging apps has increased substantially to become the most important channel through which rhino horn is distributed in the illegal trade.
• The use of WeChat has notably declined due to fear of law enforcement detection, with many traders switching to WhatsApp, Telegram and Signal, which are perceived to be safer.

Rhinoceros

• Rhinoceros-There is an animal whose five species are found. Two of these species are found in Africa and three in South Asia.
• White and black rhinos in Africa, greater one-horned, Javan and Sumatran rhinos  in Asia.

Indian rhinoceros

• The Indian rhinoceros, also known as the one-horned rhinoceros, is the fourth largest aquatic animal in the world. Today, this creature has become endangered due to the decrease in its residential area.
• It is found in some protected areas of Assam in northeast India and terai of Nepal where its number is limited to riverine forest areas in the foothills of the Himalayas
• In history, the Indian rhinoceros was found in the entire northern part of the Indian subcontinent, which is called the Indo-Gangetic-Brahmaputra plain.
• It was found in the plains of the Indus, Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers, from Pakistan to the Indo-Burma border and its residential area also included Nepal, today’s Bangladesh and Bhutan.
• It is also believed to have circulated in Burma, southern China and Indochina, but this has not been proven.
• This species  could be easily seen in northwestern India and Pakistan until 1600, but soon after became extinct from this area.
• In its other residential areas, it declined  rapidly from 1600 to 1900, and in the early twentieth century it was on the verge of extinction.

Status of conservation

• IUCN’s Red List: Vulnerable
• CITES: Appendix I (‘Endangered’ species, which may be more threatened by being traded.)
• Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule-I

Sources – TH

India-Denmark MoU

Paper 2 – International Relations

Why You Should Know?

National Museum, India and Kolding Museum, Denmark sign Memorandum of Understanding of exhibition “Silver treasures from Denmark and India”

In detail –

• In the beginning of March, 2023 Museum Kolding and the National Museum in New Delhi will open the joint exhibition “Silver treasures from Denmark and India”.
• The exhibition “Silver treasures from Denmark and India” is focused on the Danish and Indian Silver artefacts where both museums will show the best silver objects from their collections.
• Elucidating the beauty and magnificence of silver craftsmanship in both the countries, the exhibition will showcase the best select of 200 objects in total.
• For the first time, at the National Museum visitors will be able to see the parallel traditions of the Indian and Danish silver objects.

About Denmark

• Denmark is a Nordic country in Northern Europe.
• European Denmark is the southernmost of the Scandinavian countries, lying southwest of Sweden, south of Norway, and north of Germany.
• Denmark is attached directly to continental Europe at Jutland’s 42-mile (68-km) boundary with Germany.
• Other than this connection, all the frontiers with surrounding countries are maritime, including that with the United Kingdom to the west across the North Sea.
• Norway and Sweden lie to the north, separated from Denmark by sea lanes linking the North Sea to the Baltic Sea.
• From west to east, these passages are called the Skagerrak, the Kattegat, and The Sound (Øresund). Eastward in the Baltic Sea lies the Danish island of Bornholm.
• The Kingdom of Denmark includes two overseas territories, both well to the west of Denmark: Greenland, the world’s largest island, and the Faroe Islands in the North Atlantic Ocean.
• Denmark is a highly developed country with a high standard of living: the country performs at or near the top in measures of education, health care, civil liberties, democratic governance and LGBT equality.
• Denmark is a founding member of NATO, the Nordic Council, the OECD, OSCE, and the United Nations; it is also part of the Schengen Area.

Sources – PIB

National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF)

Paper 3 –Economy

Why Should You Know?

Union Finance Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman chairs 5th Meeting of Governing Council of National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF)

In details –

• The GC noted that NIIF has developed into an internationally credible and commercially viable investment platform, backed by several highly respected global and domestic investors who have invested alongside the Government of India in NIIF Funds.
• NIIF’s first bilateral fund – an “India Japan Fund” with contribution from GoI has been proposed through an MoU between National Investment and Infrastructure Fund Limited (NIIFL) and Japan Bank for International Development (JBIC).
• The MoU was signed recently on 9th November, 2022. This key update regarding bilateral engagements of NIIF was endorsed by the GC.
• The GC appreciated that the two infrastructure Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs), where NIIF has majority stakes, have increased their combined loan book from ₹4,200 crore to ₹26,000 crore in 3 years without experiencing any non-performing loans (NPLs) till date.
• The GC also guided NIIF to undertake advisory activities pro-actively to support central and state governments to create a pipeline of investible PPP projects.

About meeting

• During the meeting an update on the progress made by NIIF over the last few years and key learnings from its investment operations were presented to the Governing Council.
• The GC was apprised of the current status of the 3 funds that are currently managed by NIIFL – the Master Fund, the Fund of Funds (FoF), and the Strategic Opportunities Fund (SoF).
• The sectors that these funds focus on, the status of fund raise, and the kind of investments that have been made under them were shared with the GC.
• The GC was informed about the investments and performance of NIIF operating companies in sectors such as ports and logistics, renewable energy, and digital infrastructure besides its foray into sectors such as waste management, water treatment, healthcare, EV manufacturing.  

What is NIIF?

• National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) is India’s first infrastructure specific investment fund or a sovereign wealth fund that was set up by the Government of India in February 2015.
• The objective behind creating this fund was to maximize economic impact mainly through infrastructure investment in commercially viable projects, both greenfield and brownfield.
• The Government of India founded the National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) in February 2015 as a sovereign wealth fund.
• Its creation was announced in the Union Budget of 2015-16 by the then Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.

Governing Council

• The Governing Council of the National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) is chaired by the Hon’ble Finance Minister of India and has members from corporate bodies, investments and policy sectors.
• The Governing Council meets once a year and provides suggestions of the overall strategic decisions of the NIIF.

Funds

• NIIF manages three funds: Master Fund, Fund of Funds and Strategic Fund.
• The funds were set up to make investments in India by raising capital from domestic and international institutional investors.

Master Fund

• The Master Fund is an infrastructure fund with the objective of primarily investing in operating assets in the core infrastructure sectors such as roads, ports, airports, power etc.

Fund of Funds

• The Fund of Funds anchor and/or invest in funds managed by fund managers who have good track records in infrastructure and associated sectors in India.
• Some of the sectors of focus include Green Infrastructure, Mid-Income & Affordable Housing, Infrastructure services and allied sectors.

Strategic Opportunities Fund

• Strategic Opportunities Fund is registered as an Alternative Investment Fund II under SEBI in India.
• The objective of National Investment and Infrastructure Fund II (“Strategic Opportunities Fund”) is to invest largely in equity and equity-linked instruments.
• The Strategic Opportunities Fund has been established with the objective to provide long-term capital to strategic and growth oriented sectors in the country with the aim to build domestic leaders.

Sources – TH

 

PESA Act

Paper 2 – Polity

Why You Should Know?

Madhya Pradesh notifies PESA Rules on the occasion of Janjatiya Gaurav Divas.

In detail –

• At the State Level Janjatiya Gaurav Divas Sammelan at Shahdol in Madhya Pradesh, Governor of Madhya Pradesh Shri Mangubhai Patel handed over the first copy of the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act (PESA Act) Manual to the President of India Smt. Droupadi Murmu.
• The PESA Act, now under implementation in Madhya Pradesh, will empower the Gram Sabhas to take decision on the rules and regulations with regard to all natural resources in the forest areas.
• The PESA Act will give more constitutional rights to the tribal people to reap the benefits of natural resources from the forest areas where they live.

Background

• With the objective of effective implementation of PESA, Ministry of Panchayati Raj circulated Draft Model PESA Rules in 2009.
• Based on continuous advocacy and persuasion by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj eight States namely; Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Telangana have notified their State PESA Rules under their respective State Panchayati Raj Acts.
• Recently, State of Chhattisgarh has notified their PESA Rules on 8th August, 2022. In the States of Jharkhand and Odisha the process of inter-Departmental consultation is still in progress.
• Nine PESA States, except Rajasthan, have incorporated the provisions of PESA 1996 in their respective State Panchayati Raj Acts.
• The tenth State, Rajasthan, has notified “The Rajasthan Panchayat Raj (Modification of Provisions in their Application to the Scheduled Areas) Act 1999”.
• Presently, 10 States viz. Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan and Telangana, have Fifth Schedule Areas in their respective States.

What is PESA?

• To bring the people residing in Fifth Schedule Areas in the mainstream, the Parliament, in terms of Article 243M(4)(b) of the Constitution, has enacted “the Provisions of the Panchayats (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996” (PESA) to extend Part IX of the Constitution, relating to Panchayats, to the Fifth Schedule areas, with certain modifications and exceptions.
• States, having Fifth Schedule Areas, have been empowered to make Panchayat Laws for these areas.
• Under “The Provisions of the Panchayats (Extension to the Scheduled Areas), Act 1996” (PESA), State Legislatures have been empowered to frame all laws concerning the extension of the provisions of Part IX of the Constitution relating to the Panchayats in Fifth Scheduled Areas, subject to such exceptions and modifications as are provided in section 4 of the Act.
• PESA is an Act to provide for the extension of the provisions of Part IX of the Constitution relating to the Panchayats to the Scheduled Areas.
• In terms of section 2 of this Act, “Scheduled Areas” means the Scheduled Areas as referred to in clause (1) of article 244 of the Constitution. Out of the ten PESA States, eight States namely; Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Telangana have framed and notified their State PESA Rules under their respective State Panchayati Raj Acts.

25th year of PESA

• To celebrate 75 years of progressive India and commemorate 25th year of enactment of the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 (PESA), the Ministry of Panchayati Raj in collaboration with Ministry of Tribal Affairs and National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, had organized a one-day National Conference on the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act 1996 (PESA) as a part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav on 18th November, 2021 at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi.
• This one-day National Conference was organized by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj to commemorate 25th year of promulgation of the PESA Act, with an objective to evaluate the progress of States in implementation of PESA as well as fostering a shared outlook on its impact at the grassroots level.
• This National Conference not only marked the 25th year enactment of PESA in the country, it also laid down a way forward to address the challenges and gaps in effective implementation of PESA in Scheduled Areas.

Source – PIB

 

India- Norway Cooperation

Paper 2 – International Relations

Why Should You Know?

India- Norway join hands to for a GREEN MARITIME SECTOR.

In detail –

• MoPSW (Ministry of Ports,Shipping and Waterways)  is working diligently to develop the Maritime Sector as a goal of MIV 2030.
• In this regard 8th Norway-India Joint Working Group Maritime meeting was held on17th November,2022 in Mumbai.
• Fruitful discussions were held on the Norway-India cooperation on green maritime future. Both governments presented their visions and plans for a green maritime sector.
• The maritime trade with Norway is dating back since 1600. While Norway has the technical expertise in Maritime sector and India has huge potential for development of Maritime sector and large pool of trained seafarers, which make both countries natural complementary partners.

India-Norway Joint Working Group

• India-Norway Joint Working Group on Maritime meetings are being held on a regular basis.
• The 7th JWG on Maritime was held in Oslo in November, 2019.
• During the 7th Meeting issues regarding cooperation in Shipbuilding, enhancing skills of seafarers and environment friendly ships were discussed.
• In 8th JWG Maritime Meeting held on 18.11.2022 discussion was held on use of alternative fuels like green ammonia and hydrogen for futuristic shipping.
• Norwegian Green Shipping Programme has been successful and the experience and expertise was shared in the meeting. Norway stated that it is committed to India for zero emission solutions.
• India Norway is part of Green Voyage 2050 project, both parties agreed on willingness, devotion, partnership and capacity building for achieving common goals.
• India is a signatory to Hongkong Convention for Recycling of Ships. In today’s meeting India requested that EU regulation should not hinder to recycling non-European countries which is compliant as per International Convention.
• Norway was requested not to prolong Ship recycling to India as lot of investment has been made by Indian recyclers.
• India has pressed upon cooperation in the filed of Maritime Training in latest maritime technology eg. MASS etc.
• The Indian side has requested Norway to extend Ship Board training and Ship Board training in the area of Polar Water Navigation.

Sources – PIB