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26 Dec, 2020
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GS-PAPER-2 International Relation- Political science (Mains)
Context: Guided by ACT East Asia policy and Indo-Pacific strategy India is working towards EXTENDED NEIGHBOURHOOD. The role of Vietnam is very critical for India ranging from Strategic to Energy security. This topic is highly important for UPSC mains and Political science.
India and Vietnam signed seven pacts during their virtual summit, in areas such as defence, petrochemicals, and nuclear energy, and agreed to intensify their development partnership that will enable the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and develop capabilities to address climate change.
Memorandums of Understanding:
Defence major area of cooperation:
India and Vietnam are important factors of stability in the Indo-Pacific region. The two sides will step up their military-to-military exchanges, training and capacity-building programmes across the three services and coast guards and will intensify their defence industry collaboration building on India’s defence credit lines extended to Vietnam.
Terrorism: joint efforts in building a strong consensus for early adoption of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT).
South China Sea:
Both countries in the region:
Economic Cooperation:
Climate Change:
Cultural:
People-to-People Exchange: By increasing direct flights, providing ease of travelling through simplified visa procedures and facilitating tourism.
Education: They will further strengthen and institutionalize linkages such as Parliamentary exchanges; relations between Indian States and Vietnamese Provinces; exchanges between social organisations and youth organizations; collaboration between educational institutions; engagement between think tanks; joint research programmes; and exchanges in media, film, TV shows and sports.
Conclusion
Act East Policy is the core of Indo-Pacific strategy and Vietnam is the core of Act East Asia Policy. The close relationship between the two countries is significant for the maintenance of strategic balance in South East Asia which is witnessing aggressive Chinese activities.
Keeping in mind the strategic challenges in the Indo-Pacific region, primarily those posed by China, India and Vietnam should work in close coordination at multilateral institutions such as the UN Security Council, where both India and Vietnam are elected to be non-permanent members in 2021.
Source: PIB
GS Paper III S&T (Prelims 2021)
What is the news?
How is the synthesis of Chlorophyll?
Source: TH
GS-Paper-2-Paper-3 Agriculture Reforms (PT-MAINS)
On 27 September 2020, President his assent to the three 'Agriculture Bills' that were earlier passed by the Indian Parliament. These Farm Acts are as follows:
Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020
Act: It creates a national framework for contract farming through an agreement between a farmer and a buyer before the production or rearing of any farm produces.
Provisions:
(a) Farming Agreement: The Act provides for a farming agreement between a farmer and a buyer prior to the production or rearing of any farm produce.
b) Minimum Period of Farming Agreement: The minimum period of the farming agreement shall be for one crop season or one production cycle of livestock.
(c) Maximum Period of Farming Agreement: The maximum period of the farming agreement shall be five years. It also states that if the production cycle of any farming produce is longer and may go beyond five years, the maximum period of farming agreement may be mutually decided by the farmer and the buyer and explicitly mentioned in the farming agreement.
d) Pricing of Farming Produce: The pricing of farming produce and the process of price determination should be mentioned in the agreement. For prices subjected to variation, a guaranteed price for the produce and a clear reference for any additional amount above the guaranteed price must be specified in the agreement.
(e) Settlement of Dispute: The Act provides for a three-level dispute settlement mechanism-- Conciliation Board, Sub-Divisional Magistrate and Appellate Authority.
Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020
Act: It permits intra and inter-state trade of farmers’ produce beyond the physical premises of Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) markets and other markets notified under the state APMC Acts.
a) Trade of Farmers' Produce: The Act allows the farmers to trade in outside trade area such as farm gates, factory premises, cold storages, and so on. Previously, it could only be done in the APMC yards or Mandis.
(b) Alternative Trading Channels: It facilitates lucrative prices for the farmers via alternative trading channels to promote barrier-free intra-state and inter-state trade of agriculture produce.
(c) Electronic Trading: Additionally, it allows the electronic trading of scheduled farmers’ produce (agricultural produce regulated under any state APMC Act) in the specified trade area. It will also facilitate direct and online buying and selling of the agricultural produce via electronic devices and the internet.
(d) Market Fee Abolished: As per the Act, the State Governments are prohibited from levying any market fee or cess on farmers, traders and electronic trading platforms for trading farmers’ produce in an 'outside trade area'.
Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020
Act: It is an act of Indian Parliament which was enacted in 1955 to ensure the delivery of certain commodities or products, the supply of which if obstructed owing to hoarding or black-marketing would affect the normal life of the people. This includes foodstuff, drugs, fuel (petroleum products) etc.
Powers of Central Government:
(a) The Government of India regulates the production, supply, and distribution of a whole host of commodities it declares ‘essential’ in order to make them available to consumers at fair prices.
(b) The Government can also fix the MRP of any packaged product that it declares an 'essential commodity'.
(c) The Centre can add commodities in this list when the need arises and can take them off the list once the situation improves.
(d) If a certain commodity is in short supply and its price is spiking, the Government can notify stock-holding limits on it for a specified period.
Powers of State Government:
The respective State Governments can choose not to impose any restrictions as notified by the Centre. However, if the restrictions are imposed, traders have to immediately sell any stocks held beyond the mandated quantity into the market. This is done to improve supplies and brings down prices.
Amendment: With the amendment in the Act, the Government of India will list certain commodities as essential to regulate their supply and prices only in cases of war, famine, extraordinary price rises, or natural calamities. The commodities that have been deregulated are food items, including cereals, pulses, potato, onion, edible oilseeds, and oils.
Stock Limit: As per the amendment, the imposition of any stock limit on agricultural produce will be based on price rise and can only be imposed if there's-- a 100% increase in the retail price of horticultural produce and 50% increase in the retail price of non-perishable agricultural food items.
Calculation: The increase will be calculated over the price prevailing immediately preceding twelve months, or the average retail price of the last five years, whichever is lower.
It is to be noted that these restrictions will not be applied to stocks of food held for public distribution in India.
National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013:
As passed by the Parliament, Government has notified the National Food Security Act, 2013 on 10th September, 2013.
The objective is to provide for food and nutritional security in human life cycle approach, by ensuring access to adequate quantity of quality food at affordable prices to people to live a life with dignity.
Key features:
Source: TH
Source: TH
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