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In an unexpected early breakthrough and success for India’s Presidency, G-20 members agreed to a joint statement, forging consensus on the contentious “Ukraine paragraphs”, and also accepted the membership of the African Union into the grouping.
The final document marks a shift in the position taken by the U.S., the European Union and G-7 countries, and dilutes the harsh criticism of Russia contained in last year’s Bali G-20 statement.
Diplomats and officials said that the final breakthrough followed a proposal by Indonesia, India, Brazil and South Africa, which has seen, that was negotiated until past midnight on Friday, and again on Saturday.
The development was announced directly by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who stopped proceedings during the second session of the summit on Day One.
Due to the hard work of our team and your support, we have achieved consensus on the New Delhi G-20 Leaders’ Summit Declaration. I propose we adopt this Leaders’ declaration,” he added, and then pronounced it adopted with a bang of his gavel, a day before the summit actually ended.
Over 1,000 dead in Morocco earthquake (Page no. 1)
(GS Paper 1, Geography)
A rare, powerful earthquake struck Morocco late night, killing at least 1,037 people, injuring another 1,204, and damaging buildings from villages in the Atlas Mountains to the historic city of Marrakech.
The deaths were mostly reported in Marrakech and five provinces near the 6.8-magnitude quake’s epicentre, Morocco’s Interior Ministry reported.
Of the injured, the Ministry wrote, 721 were in critical condition. The full toll was not known as rescuers struggled to get through boulder-strewn roads to the remote mountain villages hit hardest.
Morocco’s King Mohammed VI ordered the armed forces to mobilise air and land assets, and specialised search and rescue teams, according to the military. In Marrakech, the famous Koutoubia Mosque, built in the 12th century, was damaged.
West Bengal unveils education policy, stresses on three-language formula (Page no. 1)
(GS Paper 2, Education)
The West Bengal government has come up with a State Education Policy, 2023, recommending Bangla as a subject along with a three-language formula for Classes V to VIII.
The policy takes note of the federal spirit of the country’s Constitution and seeks to “avoid over-centralisation in education”.
The Committee also recommends that Bangla as a subject may be introduced from Classes I to X for students of other mediums of instruction.
A suitable curriculum and syllabus may be formulated accordingly,” one of the recommendations of the policy document states.
The panel consulted various education policies, including reports on the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020, and the recently published report of the task force for NEP implementation in Maharashtra, and the report on NEP by Kerala.
The three-language formula for Classes V to VIII lays stress on the mother tongue of the students.
It is suggested that the first language (mother tongue) would be the medium of instruction of the school e.g. Nepali in Nepali-medium school, Santhali in Santhali-medium school, Rajbanshi in Rajbanshi-medium school, Bengali in Bangla-medium school…,” the policy document states.
G20 Summit
Pitching for clean energy, Modi launches Global Biofuels Alliance (Page no. 6)
(GS Paper 3, Environment)
India launched the Global Biofuels Alliance, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging G-20 nations to join the initiative with a plea to take blending of ethanol with petrol to 20% globally.
The alliance was launched by Mr. Modi on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit, along with a host of global leaders including U.S. President Joe Biden, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
Besides India, the initiating members include Argentina, Bangladesh, Brazil, Italy, Mauritius, South Africa, the UAE and the U.S. Canada and Singapore are observer countries.
The launch of the Global Biofuels Alliance marks a watershed moment in our quest towards sustainability and clean energy. I thank the member nations who have joined this alliance.
Today, the need of the hour is that all countries should work together in the field of fuel blending. Our proposal is to take an initiative at a global level to take ethanol blending in petrol up to 20%.
Earlier, while speaking at the G-20 Summit session on “One Earth”, Mr. Modi also proposed launching the G-20 Satellite Mission for Environment and Climate Observation and urged leaders to commence work on the Green Credit Initiative.
Leaders’ Declaration notes need for more finance to arrest global warming (Page no. 6)
(GS Paper 3, Environment)
The G-20 Leaders’ Declaration for the first time formally recognises the quantum jump in finance necessary for the world to transition to a renewable energy economy.
The Declaration “...noted the need for $5.8-5.9 trillion in the pre-2030 period required for developing countries....as well as $4 trillion per year for clean energy technologies by 2030 to reach net zero by 2050”.
The G-20’s promise to reach ‘net zero’, or when there were no net carbon emissions into the atmosphere, did not imply all nations had to equally contribute to the costs of doing so and would have to account for principles of “common but differentiated responsibility”.
A long-standing dispute among developed and developing countries, to prevent the globe from warming beyond runaway tipping points, is on transferring money and technology to developing countries.
Though it was agreed in 2010 that 100 billion dollars a year was to be collected by 2020 and transferred annually until 2025, little has actually materialised. Saturday’s Declaration reiterates this commitment and notes that developed countries are likely to meet this goal for the first time in 2023.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2021, while committing that India would achieve net zero by 2070, also underlined that “trillions of dollars” was needed to achieve this.
The Declaration recognises the need to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions by 43% by 2030 (relative to 2019 levels) and notes that global peaking must occur before 2025.
The G-20 communique also “encourages tripling of renewable energy capacity by 2030, and voluntarily doubling the rate of energy efficiency improvement by 2030”.
The tripling of renewable energy and access to low cost finance to the tune of $4 trillion annually, is on facilitating and not committing to it.
While the progress is good, a time commitment on both the renewable energy target and allocation of finance to energy and developing countries would have strengthened the commitment from nations on the climate crisis.
The net zero target needs much higher investment and if that is not enhanced, it will be difficult for developing countries to achieve their climate goals.
On the Finance Track, G-20 to push forward on crypto regulation, MDB reforms (Page no. 6)
(GS Paper 3, Economy)
Paving the way for a coordinated global approach to regulating cryptocurrencies, strengthening multilateral development banks’ lending capacity and replicating the use of digital public infrastructure like the India Stack to expand financial inclusion around the world, were some of the 10 major outcomes achieved under the Finance Track of India’s G-20 presidency.
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that the Indian presidency has crafted solutions that resonate with each member, offering a shared path forward for all and leaving no one behind.
Many action-oriented outcomes of this presidency contain comprehensive strategies that cater to the unique needs and aspirations of all developing nations.
Discussions on the regulation road map for cryptocurrencies and the bolstering of multilateral development banks’ (MDBs’) capacity will continue in Morocco next month, when the G-20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors will meet in Marrakech for the autumn meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as well as the World Bank.
Ms. Sitharaman identified “laying the building blocks for a globally coordinated and comprehensive policy and regulatory framework for crypto assets” as a significant outcome.
‘Health of democracy’ vital for India-U.S. ties: White House officials (Page no. 7)
(GS Paper 2, International Relation)
The “health of democracy” is an important issue for the India-U.S. relationship, senior White House officials said here. They said U.S. President Joe Biden had raised these issues at every meeting he had held with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Briefing the media after the bilateral meeting between the two leaders on Friday night, the officials made a reference to the Karnataka Assembly election in May, saying that Mr. Modi’s public congratulations to the Congress for its victory in the State against the ruling BJP, was a “positive indicator” for democracy.
They said India was “disappointed” that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping did not attend the G-20 summit, adding that there was “clear appreciation” that U.S. President Joe Biden travelled to India for the event.
There was a clear appreciation on the part of India that President Biden is here, and that he made the trip,” said Kurt Campbell, the National Security Council’s Coordinator for the Indo-Pacific.
Highlighting the India-U.S.-Saudi Arabia-India infrastructure corridor, which now includes the European Union, Mr. Campbell said that talks were still on with all the parties present in Delhi, and this would be a “major breakthrough that would help fundamental delays with respect to infrastructure and communications, from India with the Middle East (West Asia) and then on to Europe.
China backs Delhi declaration’s move from ‘geopolitics’ (Page no. 7)
(GS Paper 2, International Relation)
China, which had strongly opposed in the negotiations leading up to the G-20 Summit any direct references to Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, finally backed the New Delhi Declaration and reaffirmed its recent calls for the grouping to stay away from “geopolitics”.
Beijing’s opposition to references to Ukraine — the New Delhi Declaration dropped the mention of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine as had been stated in last year’s Bali Declaration —had been the most significant of several sticking points in forging a consensus.
The declaration also reaffirmed that the G-20 is the premier forum for international economic cooperation, a point repeatedly emphasised recently by Chinese officials as a criticism of the West.
The state-run Xinhua news agency, in a commentary following the issuing of the declaration, once again targeted the West for trying to bring “geopolitical tensions” into the G-20.
Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’, a Sanskrit phrase from ancient Indian scriptures, means ‘the world is one family’. This is especially true given the global economy’s fight against supply chain instability, a result of the ‘high fence, small yard’ protectionism led by the United States, an increasingly fragmented world plagued by bloc politics, and an unfair global economic governance system dominated by the West that is long overdue for reform.
However, certain countries will likely try to dominate the agenda with a focus on geopolitical tensions and ideological confrontations to fuel disagreement, putting unity in jeopardy.”
That was also the message in Chinese Premier and second-ranked leader Li Qiang’s speech to the summit on Saturday, when he “urged all countries to respect one another, seek common ground while shelving differences”.
G-20 nations to focus on global food security (Page no. 7)
(GS Paper 3, Economy)
The leaders’ declaration adopted at the G-20 meeting here on Saturday laid emphasis on ensuring global food and nutritional security for all in line with the G-20 Deccan High-Level Principles on Food Security and Nutrition 2023.
The leaders said in the declaration that they will encourage efforts to strengthen research cooperation in climate-resilient and nutritious grains such as millet, quinoa, sorghum, and other traditional crops, including rice, wheat and maize.
Welcoming the outcomes from the G-20 members’ engagement in the 12th G-20 Meeting of Agriculture Chief Scientists (MACS), they emphasised the importance of increasing access to, availability, and efficient use of fertilizer and agricultural inputs, including through strengthening local fertilizer production, and to improve soil health.
The leaders committed to accelerating innovations and investment focused on increasing agricultural productivity and reducing food loss and waste across the value chain, and improving marketing and storage, to build more sustainable and climate-resilient agriculture and food systems.
Commit to support developing countries’ efforts and capacities to address their food security challenges, and work together to enable access to affordable, safe, nutritious and healthy diets, and to foster the progressive realisation of the right to adequate food.
It added that G-20 will also facilitate open, fair, predictable, and rules-based agriculture, food and fertilizer trade, not impose export prohibitions or restrictions and reduce market distortions, in accordance with relevant WTO rules.
India and the U.K. agree to continue to ‘work at pace’ towards a free trade pact (Page no. 7)
(GS Paper 2, International Relation)
Reviewing progress on the India-U.K. Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in the works, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his British counterpart Rishi Sunak agreed that Ministers and negotiating teams would continue “to work at pace” towards an agreement.
In a meeting with his Italian counterpart, Giorgia Meloni, Mr. Modi appreciated Italy’s support for India’s G-20 Presidency as well as Italy joining the Global Biofuel Alliance and the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor.
We discussed ways to deepen trade linkages and boost investment. India and U.K. will keep working for a prosperous and sustainable planet,” Mr. Modi said on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) after a bilateral meeting with Mr. Sunak on the sidelines of the ongoing G-20 summit.
Mr. Modi also conveyed his appreciation for the U.K.’s support during India’s G-20 Presidency, marked by “high-level participation at various G-20 meetings and events”.
Two nations, one ambition. An ambition rooted in our shared values, the connection between our people and, of course, our passion for cricket.
Both leaders also reviewed the progress of Free Trade Agreement negotiations and expressed hope that the remaining issues could be addressed at the earliest so that a balanced, mutually beneficial and forward looking Free Trade Agreement is concluded soon.
On the FTA, the U.K. Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement that Mr. Sunak reiterated the U.K.’s ambition to “deliver a landmark trade deal which benefits businesses and workers in both countries and grows our trade in both goods and services”.
India, Saudi Arabia join EU and U.S. for an economic corridor project (Page no. 8)
(GS Paper 3, Economy)
India and Saudi Arabia joined the European Union and the U.S. to launch the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGII) and the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor.
The launch of the twin initiatives came hours after Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman arrived here to participate in the G-20 summit which will be followed by his State visit to India.
We look forward to the integration of the initiative and the Economic Corridor Project which is announced in this meeting. I would like to thank those who worked with us to reach this founding step to establish this important economic corridor.
We believe connectivity between different countries increases not only business but trust between them by promoting connectivity initiatives.
In his remarks, President Emmanuel Macron of France described the initiative as “a very important project” and said, “our intention is as well to make it real and to be sure that after this commitment we have concrete results and especially to have the first global green trade road meaning having net zero transport infrastructure.”
During the state visit, the Saudi Crown Prince will hold bilateral delegation-level discussion with Mr. Modi and co-chair the First Leaders’ Meeting of the Strategic Partnership Council.
They will review the progress made under the two Ministerial Committees of the Strategic Partnership Council i.e. Committee on Political, Security, Social and Cultural Cooperation and the Committee on Economy and Investments Cooperation.
Saudi Arabia and India have been increasing synergy which has reflected in the military-to-military exchanges including bilateral exercises.
Earlier last month, Saudi Arabia and the UAE were among the new permanent members inducted into the BRICS grouping that also included former rival Iran.
News
Mpox watch helps identify variant of virus causing chickenpox (Page no. 10)
(GS Paper 2, Health)
The Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute of Virology (ICMR-NIV) has for the first time found the presence of Clade 9 variant of varicella zoster virus (VZV) in India.
The multi-country mpox (monkeypox) outbreak across the globe has led to the systematic surveillance of mpox cases in India. During the surveillance of mpox, we encountered cases of VZV in suspected mpox cases amongst children and adults,” said the new study published in the Annals of Medicine journal.
This study focused on the genomic characterisation of VZV in India. Varicella zoster virus (VZV) is an alpha herpes virus that causes chickenpox and herpes zoster (shingles).
It added that this is the first study reporting the circulation of Clade 9 in India. The variant is the most common strain in circulation in countries such as Germany, the U.K., and the U.S.
Monkeypox disease symptoms are frequently mistaken for VZV as their clinical presentations often closely resemble each other.
It added that despite infection with the Clade 9 strain there were no significant indications of heightened disease severity in the patients.
67 species of reptiles, 59 amphibians recorded in Wayanad forest survey (Page no. 10)
(GS Paper 3, Environment)
As many as 67 species of reptiles and 59 species of amphibians were identified in the first herpetofaunal survey that concluded recently in the South Wayanad Forest Division in Kerala.
Of these, four amphibians and three reptiles were spotted for the first time in the forest division. Of the 126 species identified, 48 amphibians and 21 reptiles are endemic to the Western Ghats.
More than 100 volunteers from institutions across the State and nearly 70 frontline forest staff took part in the survey, which envisaged drafting new strategies to conserve small animals like amphibians and reptiles.
Sandeep Das, National Post-Doctoral Fellow, Department of Zoology, University of Calicut; K.P. Rajkumar, Wildlife Biologist, Shola National Park; and Nitin Divakar Research Scholar, Kerala Forest Research Institute, Peechi, led the survey.
The important amphibian species recorded during the survey include Starry Night Frog, bearing a constellation of blue dots on its obsidian body; Miniature Night Frog, the tiniest frog in the country; and endangered species such as Malabar Torrent Toad and Red Stream Toad.
Science
Scientists grow a model of human embryo in the lab (Page no. 12)
(GS Paper 3, Science and Technology)
Due to ethical reasons and technical challenges, studyinghuman post-implantation development has been limited.
The closest that scientists have come to understand intrauterine development after implantation is by using mouse naïve embryonic stem cells (ESCs) that gave rise to embryonic and extra-embryonic stem cells capable of self-assembling into mouse structured stem cell-based embryo models at the post-gastrulation stage.
It is at this stage that the embryo differentiates into the three primary founding tissue types of the body.
But for the first time, researchers were able to extend the findings from mouse to humans by using genetically unmodified human naïve embryonic stem cells. The results were published recently in Nature.
What helped Vikram lander to soft-land on the moon (Page no. 12)
(GS Paper 3, Science and Technology)
On July 22, 2019, India successfully launched Chandrayaan-2, the second mission to the moon. Twenty-two days later (August 14), after a series of orbit raising manoeuvres, the spacecraft finally escaped the earth’s gravity and followed a path towards the moon.
Six days later, Chandrayaan-2 was successfully inserted into lunar orbit. Finally, on September 2, the Vikram lander separated from the Orbiter, performed two de-orbit manoeuvres and on September 6, began its descent to the moon’s surface.
The descent went as planned up to an altitude of 2.1 km from the moon’s surface before communication from the lander to the ground stations was lost. The Vikram lander had apparently crash-landed on the moon.
Soon a national-level failure analysis committee headed by Dr. V. Narayanan, Director of the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC), was formed with experts drawn from national institutes and ISRO to study the cause of failure and to propose necessary corrections. The committee pinpointed three crucial mistakes that had happened in succession resulting in the crash.
There are four important phases before the touchdown on the moon — the rough braking phase, the attitude-hold (orientation) phase, the fine braking phase, and the landing phase. During the rough braking phase, the velocity of the lander was successfully reduced to a maximum.
India reports fewer people with orphan diseases (Page no. 12)
(GS Paper 2, Health)
Much of our conversation about health leads to the talk of a few common ailments that afflict several of our acquaintances—diabetes probably tops this list.
Yet, for each of the few ailments that preoccupy us, there are many that occur only rarely, but whose effects can be devastating to the sufferers and their families.
The most common definition of a rare disease is a prevalence rate of one case in a population of 10,000 people. The term orphan disease is apt for many reasons.
Rarity made them difficult to diagnose, because young medical practitioners may not have seen even one case. For the same reason, not much research was carried out in these areas, because of which treatments often did not exist.
This situation has undergone a change as awareness of the diseases, and genomic technologies to diagnose them, has spread.
In many countries, regulatory bodies offer incentives to promote investments in the development of pharmaceuticals for neglected illnesses. Expectedly, such moves have heightened interest in “orphan drugs”.
Between 2009 and 2014, half of all approvals made by the FDA were for rare ailments and cancers. The costs of these therapies are prohibitive, especially from an Indian viewpoint.Estimates put these costs between ₹1 million and ₹20 million per year.
FAQ
Is the G-20 a success for global cooperation? (Page no. 13)
(GS Paper 2, International Organisation)
The G-20, comprising 19 countries and the European Union, that was founded in 1999, is finally in Delhi, with all eyes on the New Delhi declaration issued at the end of the summit.
While India took presidency of the G-20 with what seemed to be insurmountable odds, a global economic crisis spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ukraine conflict in its second year with more entrenched positions between the Western alliance and the Russia-China combine, as well as growing geopolitical tensions in the Indo-Pacific, its biggest challenge has been ensuring a moment of truce that would allow for a joint communique to be agreed upon at the summit.
The big takeaway is the New Delhi Declaration that forged a consensus between the G-20 nations, bitterly divided between the G7-EU and Russia-China, on the issue of Ukraine.
The final language is a shift from the ‘Bali Paragraphs’, with language critical of Russia erased, on a firm proposal from G-20 hosts of past and future years — Indonesia, India, Brazil and South Africa.
The final 83-paragraph declaration, with eight paragraphs on “geopolitical issues”, on which consensus was reached included language on everything from climate action, financing, and fossil fuel phaseout, to debt restructuring, the biofuel alliance, health, digital infrastructure, regulating crypt
What should be done with electronic waste? (Page no. 13)
(GS Paper 3, Environment)
The Indian Cellular and Electronics Association (ICEA) on August 28 released a report on ‘Pathways to Circular Economy in Indian Electronics Sector,’ following a government effort with NITI Aayog to explore opportunities to harness e-waste.
The report talks about changing the outlook on e-waste management to build a system where discarded electronics can have a new life, either by themselves, or by reintroducing components and precious metals into new hardware. There could be an additional $7 billion market opportunity in harnessing e-waste, the report said.
E-waste management is largely informal in India, as in the case of recycling. “Roughly 90% of collection and 70% of the recycling are managed by a very competitive informal sector,” the ICEA report says.
The informal sector is good at salvaging older devices for parts and profiting from repairs with them. Then there are almost industrial hubs like Moradabad, where printed circuit boards (PCBs) arrive in the tonnes to have gold and silver melted out of them and sold.
The Union Government notified the E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2022 last November in order to digitise the process and provide more visibility to the movement of e-waste in the economy.
The level of e-waste may grow, too, as phones get cheaper and people use them more on the back of cheaper data plans.
There has been a significant increase” in people damaging their phones (as opposed to the devices simply getting too old to keep working).