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The African Union (AU) is set to join the G-20 as negotiators agreed on clearing its membership, according to sources privy to the discussions at the Sherpa meeting at a resort on the outskirts of Delhi.
This will mean the 55-member AU will join the European Union as the only two regional bodies in the G-20.
While it still unclear whether the G-20 will be renamed as the “G-21” after the induction of the AU, Indian officials said the announcement would help “leave a lasting imprint” of the work the Indian Presidency has done in bringing in the Global South’s ambitions to the economic grouping.
As talks paused on Thursday afternoon, Sherpas, who are the personal representatives of each of the G-20 leaders, will move their discussions to the Delhi G-20 venue next, but negotiations will continue until there is agreement for a draft declaration, the sources said.
No G-20 summit has ended without a joint statement, and Indian officials who hope to avoid such an outcome say they hope to fill the gaps by the time the summit ends.
Much of the effort is on resolving the “geopolitical issue” paragraph, one of two paragraphs that were agreed to in the Bali G-20 document last year that Russia and China have opposed in the Indian draft.
The most significant differences are over “Paragraph 6” of the latest draft, that seeks to quote United Nations General Assembly resolutions condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but there remain others, the sources said.
Modi presents a 12-point proposal to expand India-ASEAN cooperation (Page no. 1)
(GS Paper 2, International Organisation)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi presented a 12-point proposal to expand cooperation between India and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in areas such as connectivity, trade, and digital transformation even as he called for building a rules-based post-COVID world order, at the annual ASEAN-India Summit.
Mr. Modi also announced the establishment of a multi-modal connectivity and economic corridor linking Southeast Asia, India, West Asia, and Europe and offered to share New Delhi’s digital public infrastructure stack with ASEAN partners.
The proposal included the Prime Minister’s call for a collective fight against terrorism, terror financing and cyber-disinformation and for raising issues being faced by the Global South in multilateral fora.
Also addressing the East Asia Summit, a forum in the Asia-Pacific region to deal with issues relating to security and defence, Mr. Modi called for joint efforts to strengthen sovereignty and territorial integrity of all nations even as he said India believes a code of conduct for South China Sea should be effective and compliant with the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
Delhi may turn venue for dialogue on reviving the Black Sea Grain Initiative (Page no. 1)
(GS Paper 2, International Relation)
As world leaders gather in Delhi ahead of the G-20 Summit, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is on a mission to revive the Black Sea Grain Initiative (BSGI or BSI), in talks on the sidelines of the summit. The deal that facilitates export of grain from Russia and Ukraine lapsed in July.
Among those in Delhi, Turkey President Recep Erdogan, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, as well as leaders of the European Union and UN officials will be trying to work out a compromise that will give assurances to Russia, for an exchange that will allow grain export from blockaded Ukrainian ports to restart at the earliest.
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) officials said they were unaware of any meetings on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit, but underlined India’s position in support of the initiative.
The BSI, which was signed to avert massive shortages of wheat, sunflower oil, and other commodities due to the Ukraine conflict, lapsed on July 17 after Russia refused to renew the deal citing “unkept promises” by Western countries.
Editorial
Disappearing languages, vanishing voices (Page no. 10)
(GS Paper 1, Culture)
English as a common language in India has been acting as a thread by connecting multilingual Indians since the time of the British Raj.
While communication in English is not much of a problem in the cities, the language becomes an impediment in the remote areas. It would be so much simpler and strengthen our power as a united human force.
Let us look at the Biblical story of the Tower of Babel. In Chapter 11 of the Book of Genesis, it is said that the descendants of Noah, after the aftermath of the great flood, spoke a common language.
They migrated towards the east and finally settled down at a place called Shinar. They began building a city and a tower tall enough to reach heaven as a demonstration of their collective strength.
Yahweh, the god of the Hebrew Bible, became alarmed and annoyed on observing this, and broke them into many groups, each speaking a different language to reduce the power of their collective strength.
This created confusion in terms of communication and understanding and the project failed. Some people are of the opinion that the British made a blunder teaching English to Indians which helped them to unite, communicate and become powerful enough to end colonialism.
Finding Seoul in the Indo-Pacific (Page no. 10)
(GS Paper 2, International Relation)
The historic Camp David summit in August this year among the leaders of the United States, Japan, and the Republic of Korea (ROK) marks the new beginning of the strategic partnership among the three traditional allies.
As India and ROK commemorate the 50th year of their diplomatic relations, the Camp David summit, and a refreshingly new strategic thinking in Seoul, offer a unique opportunity for New Delhi to reimagine its relations with South Korea especially in the Indo-Pacific.
Along with Japan and the U.S., ROK has the potential to emerge as a key piece in India’s Indo-pacific strategy. It is however important to view the prospects of the India-ROK strategic partnership in the broader context of the recent geopolitical developments in the East Asian region. Here is an outline of some of them.
One of the most significant developments in the region has been the South Korea-Japan-U.S. trilateral meeting in the U.S. or the Camp David summit last month. For one, it indicates a much-needed repair in Seoul-Tokyo relations.
This positive bilateral development is the function of a recognition of the changing regional security environment by the three countries.
This could, along with AUKUS (the U.S, the United Kingdom, Australia), the Quad (India, Japan, Australia, the U.S.), or CHIP 4 Alliance (the U.S., Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea) lead to a strengthened U.S.-led alliance structure — though dispersed to reflect the multipolar urges of the contemporary international system — in East Asia.
Opinion
Do subsidies and safety nets take focus away from generating jobs? (Page no. 11)
(GS Paper 3, Economy)
Despite India posting impressive economic growth numbers, employment has not seen a commensurate increase. With five States going to the polls at the end of the year, political parties have been announcing several promises, largely to address concerns of price rise of essentials.
Unemployment is India’s single biggest problem. This is especially the case for the educated youth. Coming to electoral promises, I think it is a mixed bag.
In Chhattisgarh, for example, some promises serve a tiny population, such as the Old Pension Scheme (OPS), and are therefore not desirable. But others, such as cheaper gas cylinders, are reasonable.
Conventionally, policymakers and economists characterise growth as a big tide which lifts all boats. But unfortunately, this is not the case.
There is a section of the population that is left out of this growth and we need to include them. And for that, we need to resort to so-called populist measures. But some of the other measures are political in nature.
Text & Context
Impact of RBI’s lending guidelines (Page no. 12)
(GS Paper 3, Economy)
On August 18, apex banking regulator the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued guidelines enabling a borrower to transition from a floating interest rate-based loan to one with a fixed interest rate.
According to RBI, the endeavour was to address borrowers’ grievances pertaining to the elongation of loan tenure and/or an increase in the EMI amount in the event of an increase in the benchmark interest rate.
A lack of proper communication along with the absence of consent formed part of the concerns. The provisions would be extended to existing as well as new loans by the end of the current calendar year.
The apex banking regulator has given borrowers the option to switch over to a fixed (interest) rate mechanism for their loans from floating rates.
This would be based on a board-approved policy drafted by the lending entity. The policy must also specify the number of times such a switch would be allowed during the tenure.
The lender must also transparently communicate to the borrower all relevant charges alongside service charges or administrative costs associated with the transition.
What is heat index and why is it important to measure? (Page no. 12)
(GS Paper 3, Environment)
Earlier in August, Iran recorded a scorching heat index of 70 degrees Celsius (°C) in the coastal part of the country, a metric at which survival of life is unfathomable, if not impossible.
The country had also declared public holidays on August 2 and 3 on account of “unprecedented heat. This is not the first time this year that Iran is dealing with extreme heat. In July, U.S.-based weather observer Colin McCarthy reported that the Persian Gulf Airport recorded a heat index of 66.7 °C.
Heat index, also known as apparent temperature, is a measure of how the temperature feels to humans. Relative humidity is an important factor that determines heat index, along with air temperature.
A complex formula to calculate heat index was published by Dr. Robert Steadman, a professor in the textiles and clothing department of Colorado State University, in 1979.
News
India keen on having Quad leaders for Republic Day parade (Page no. 14)
(GS Paper 2, International Relation)
India is discussing the possibility of inviting leaders of its Quad partners Australia, Japan and the U.S. to the Republic Day parade next year, diplomatic sources confirmed.
The possibility of holding the Quad Summit a day prior is also being explored. The possibility of U.S. President Joe Biden being the Chief Guest for the parade and the Quad Summit being held a day prior on January 25 is also being looked into given that January 26 is observed as Australia Day and it would be extremely difficult for the Australian Prime Minister to be in India on that day, an official source said.
Welcoming the idea, diplomatic sources said it would be extremely difficult for some of the leaders given the pressing commitments in their countries during that time.
‘At G-20, Japan backs India, not China, as bridge to Global South’ (Page no. 15)
(GS Paper 2, International Relation)
Beyond the immediate outcomes of the G-20 Summit, one key takeaway with longer-term implications is the positioning of India as a key bridge to the “Global South” for Japan and the West.
“Japan sees a rivalry over the leadership of the ‘Global South’ between India and China, and it is in the interest of Japan and the G-7 that India plays a leading role in the ‘Global South’, not China,” said Hiroyuki Akita, Tokyo-based strategic affairs commentator at Nikkei.
Mr. Akita said that was one of the key issues for Japan in the lead-up to this year’s G-20, so much so that Prime Minister Fumio Kishida had invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the May meeting of the G-7 countries (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the U.K. and the U.S.) in Hiroshima.
Modi, Biden to discuss trade issues, jet engine, drone deals during meet (Page no. 15)
(GS Paper 2, International Relation)
Progress on the deal for jointly manufacturing jet engines in India, sale of MQ-9B armed drones, civil nuclear liability and trade are expected to be issues on top of the agenda as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and U.S. President Joe Biden hold bilateral talks late on Friday, a day before the G-20 summit.
Further discussions as well as some of the deals are expected in January when Mr. Biden is likely to visit India.
High-technology cooperation under the Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET) will also be reviewed following up on the announcements from Mr. Modi’s state visit to Washington D.C. in June.
The meeting is an opportunity for the two leaders to discuss the situation in Ukraine, U.S.-China relations, as well as India-China relations and the situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
The India-U.S. nuclear deal and civil nuclear liability agreement will be discussed as well as announcements on new investments.
The leaders are likely to discuss outstanding trade issues, given that the U.S. has dropped most World Trade Organization (WTO) cases against India in the past few months and India has moved on dropping tariff increases against the U.S. on certain commodities.
In particular, Mr. Biden has been keen to see India join the Indo-Pacific Economic Forum’s ‘Trade’ pillar launched in May 2022, which India has so far stayed away from.
High hopes for climate and energy outcomes at summit as India takes lead (Page no. 15)
(GS Paper 3, Environment)
As leaders gather for the G-20 Summit in New Delhi, experts said securing consensus on multilateral development bank (MDB) reforms and adopting rigorous language regarding the phasing down of fossil fuels could enhance India’s leadership role.
The G-20 countries — responsible for 85% of the world’s GDP and 80% of the emissions — failed to reach a consensus at the Energy and Climate Ministers’ meetings in July on the phasing down of unabated use of fossil fuels, tripling renewable energy capacity to 11 terawatts by 2030, and providing low-cost financing to developing countries — issues critical to limiting global average temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Despite the complexity of discussions and uncertainties surrounding energy transition and MDB reforms, there is optimism that the summit’s leaders can find a minimum consensus to demonstrate unity.
India hopes to get the governments to agree on a fossil phase-down. However, if this does not find place in the final text, there is a risk of backsliding on the coal phase-down agreed upon at the Bali summit last year.
Centre to stop sites from weaving ‘dark patterns’ to mislead buyers (Page no. 16)
(GS Paper 3, Economy)
The Centre has sought public comments on the draft guidelines for prevention and regulation of “dark patterns” on the Internet, particularly in e-commerce platforms.
The guidelines include ways to prevent and regulate false urgency, basket sneaking, confirm shaming, forced action, subscription trap and more such “dark patterns”.
The public can comment on the guidelines, uploaded on the Union Consumer Affairs Ministry’s website, till October 5.
Dark patterns have been a prominent feature of many apps and websites over the course of the Internet’s growth, and regulators around the world have started taking steps to limit them.
In the European Union, for example, users complained that Amazon’s Prime service was difficult to unsubscribe online, as the firm would redirect users through a series of pages seeking to retain them.
After talks with the European Commission, the company agreed last June to simplify the process.
World
At ASEAN summit, Indonesia warns against new conflicts (Page no. 17)
(GS Paper 2, International Organisation)
Indonesia warned leaders including U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris, Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov against sharpening rivalries as they wrapped up an East Asia summit in Jakarta.
The meeting brought Washington and Beijing into contact a day after Mr. Li warned major powers must manage differences to avoid a “new Cold War”, and ahead of the G-20 Summit in New Delhi this week that Chinese President Xi Jinping will miss.
Interactions between the officials from the world’s top two economies are being closely watched as they seek to control tensions that risk flaring anew over issues ranging from Taiwan to ties with Moscow and the competition for influence in the Pacific.
Every leader has an equal responsibility to not create new conflicts, to not create new tensions, and at the same time we also have a responsibility to lower heated tensions, Indonesian President Joko Widodo, chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), said in closing remarks.
U.K. rejoins EU’s science research programme (Page no. 17)
(GS Paper 2, International Relation)
Britain is rejoining the European Union’s $100 billion science-sharing programme Horizon Europe, the two sides announced, more than two years after the country’s membership became a casualty of Brexit.
British scientists expressed relief at the decision, the latest sign of thawing relations between the EU and its former member nation.
After months of negotiations, the British government said the country was becoming a “fully associated member” of the research collaboration body U.K.-based scientists can bid for Horizon funding starting and will be able to lead Horizon-backed science projects starting in 2024. Britain is also rejoining Copernicus, the EU space programme’s Earth observation component.
The EU and U.K. are key strategic partners and allies, and today’s agreement proves that point,” said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who signed off on the deal during a call with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. The EU blocked Britain from Horizon during a feud over trade rules for Northern Ireland, the only part of the U.K. that shares a border with an EU member, the Republic of Ireland.
The two sides struck a deal to ease those tensions in February, but Horizon negotiations have dragged on over details of how much the U.K. will pay for its membership.
Relations between Britain and the bloc were severely tested during the long divorce negotiations that followed Britain’s 2016 vote to leave the EU. The divorce became final in 2020, but relations chilled still further under strongly pro-Brexit Boris Johnson.
Business
‘Onions, tomatoes, spices fired up thali costs in August’ (Page no. 18)
(GS Paper 3, Economy)
The cost of a vegetarian thali rose 24% year-on-year while a non-vegetarian thali’s cost rose by a slower pace of 13% in August, Crisil Market Intelligence and Analytics said in a monthly report on food plate costs.
While a bulk of the 24% rise in vegetarian thali costs was attributed to tomato prices, which almost tripled in August to hit ₹102 per kilogram (kg) before a sharp dip in the curry essential’s prices in the last week helped cool the surge in plate costs.
During the final week of August, the extent of increase in thali costs eased to 10% for vegetarians and 6% for non-vegetarians.
Compared with July, there was a ₹0.3 drop in non-veg thali costs to ₹67.3 in August, while vegetarian thalis became ₹0.2 less expensive to cost ₹33.8.
The thali costs could see some pull back in September as tomato retail price has halved month-on-month to ₹51 per kg.
Also, the cost of a 14.2 kg LPG cylinder, which was ₹1,103 in August, has been brought down to ₹903 per cylinder from September. This will also come as a relief for consumers,” the research agency projected.
‘Food processing sector to generate 9 million jobs by 2024’ (Page no. 18)
(GS Paper 3, Economy)
India’s food processing sector is expected to generate 9 million jobs by 2024, and by 2030 India’s household consumption would quadruple, making it the world’s fifth-largest consumer of food and food technology.
He said this emerging sector, which had attracted $4.18 billion in foreign direct investments (2014-2020), is poised for significant growth.
The sector significantly contributes to India’s economy, accounting for 13% of exports and 6% of industrial investment. With a market size of $1.3 billion, the thriving Indian gourmet food sector sustains an impressive 20% CAGR.
He added that India’s food processing sector was aiming to double its GDP contribution from 8% to 20% by 2030.