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Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, India’s theme for its ongoing G20 Presidency, is a phrase originating from the ancient Sanskrit text Hitopadesha and roughly translates to ‘the whole earth is one family’.
It’s also the central idea that has instructed the design of the newly built Bharat Mandapam, which will host the G20 Summit in New Delhi next month.
Inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 26, the Rs 2,700-crore Bharat Mandapam in the Pragati Maidan complex is undergoing finishing touches before it is handed over to the Ministry of External Affairs for the Summit.
Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam stands out in Level 1, the arrival area, its textual representation in all major languages of the world adorning an entire wall, crafted in 3D letters with a brass finish in concentric circles around a bindu, signifying the Earth.
The work highlights this ancient Indian concept that in today’s context is globally relevant; it defines our concept of brotherhood,” reads the plaque describing the Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam artwork.
The Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam display is among the 30-odd artworks and decorative items festooning the four-storey convention centre.
Drawn from the country’s major art forms, textile traditions and yoga, the theme is clear: depicting traditional Indian wisdom while also projecting the India of today, a country which harnesses solar power, embarks on space odysseys and takes a leading role in world matters.
Govt & Politics
Doval in Jeddah: Efforts must to resolve Russia – Ukraine conflict (Page no. 8)
(GS paper 2, International Relation)
Underlining that “respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity by all states must be upheld without exception”, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval told a meeting in Saudi Arabia on the Russia-Ukraine war that efforts must be made to resolve the conflict and soften its consequences.
The meeting confronts a two-fold challenge — resolution of the situation and softening the consequences of the conflict. Efforts must be directed on both fronts simultaneously and much more groundwork is needed to ensure this,” he told the meeting on the conflict in Jeddah hosted by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman and attended by top security officials of around 40 countries, including US NSA Jake Sullivan and China’s Special Envoy for Eurasian Affairs Li Hui.
Currently, Doval said, several peace proposals have been put forward, and each has some positive points but none is acceptable to both sides.
The key question that needs to be addressed in this meeting is whether a solution acceptable to all relevant stakeholders can be found.
Doval said peace efforts involving all stakeholders must be pursued to find a “just and enduring solution”. India’s approach has been and always will be to promote dialogue and diplomacy. “This is the only way forward for peace.
Anti – polygamy bill coming this financial year, says Assam CM (Page no. 8)
(GS paper 1, Social Issues)
Hours after an expert committee submitted its report on the state's competence to frame laws to end polygamy, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said a Bill on the subject will be introduced within this financial year.
Addressing a press conference here, he said the expert committee, which submitted its report earlier during the day, has unanimously agreed that the state can frame its laws to end polygamy.
"The report unanimously said the state government has the right to frame laws on polygamy. The state government is competent to enact such a law," he added.
The panel mentioned that the assent on the Bill has to be given by the President instead of the Governor.
"The committee has pointed out that there is no mention of age in the Muslim law. So, to remove the contradiction with the POCSO Act, we can bring a state legislation with the same provisions as those in the POCSO.
It will be decided whether the Bill concerned will be brought in during the forthcoming September session or December or the Budget session of the Assembly.
We will have to give time to the MLAs to debate this bill as such a law was never introduced in Assam. We will take a decision in our Cabinet meeting.
Editorial
The global way out (Page no. 10)
(GS paper 3, Environment)
I have recently perused the book Minding the Climate: How Neuroscience Can Help Solve Our Environmental Crisis by Ann-Christine Duhaime.
The title suggested it had an answer to the perennial questions: How can a problem like global warming that respects no borders be solved in a world riven by nationalism and political self-interest? Are there circumstances that might encourage humanity to stop behaving like the frog in a pot of tepid water on the boil, slowly and surely getting scalded?
I am familiar with the actions that must be taken to contain global temperatures.
I am, however, also aware of the yawning gap between the public call for action and the reality of implementation, as a consequence of which, according to the UN Secretary-General, the world has now entered “the era of global boiling”. I bought Duhaime’s book in the hope it might offer a neural explanation for how this gap could be narrowed.
The world is “boiling”. That is evident from data and visuals.
The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) has noted that the first week of July was the “hottest week on record”. And that between 2024-2027, there will be one year when the average global temperature will exceed the limit of 1.5 C above pre-industrial levels — the limit set in 2015 at COP 21.
Xinjiang in China recorded a high of 52.2 C last month; Phoenix in Arizona logged 19 straight days of above 43 C temperature and if one picked up an international newspaper at random, one will most likely will see pictures of forest fires coursing through southern Europe.
Explained
Revised manufacturing norms for drug firms: what changes, why (Page no. 13)
(GS paper 2, Economy)
The government recently directed all pharmaceutical companies in the country to implement the revised Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), bringing their processes at par with global standards.
Larger companies with a turnover of over Rs 250 crore have been asked to implement the changes within six months, while medium and small-scale enterprises with turnover of less than Rs 250 crore have been asked to do so within a year.
This comes at a time when India is promoting itself as the global manufacturing hub for generic medicines.
One, implementation of the new norms will bring the Indian industry on par with global standards.
Two, there have been a string of incidents where other countries have reported alleged contamination in India-manufactured syrups, eye-drops, and eye ointments.
The deaths of 70 children in the Gambia, 18 children in Uzbekistan, three persons in the United States, and six deaths in the Cameroon have been linked to these products.
Full circle on farm reforms (Page no. 13)
(GS paper 3, Economy)
More than three years have passed since the Narendra Modi government enacted its three farm reform laws — first through ordinance in June and then Parliament in September 2020. It was billed as the “1991 moment” for Indian agriculture.
The laws basically freed the trade in agricultural produce: farmers had the choice to sell to anyone and anywhere in the country, with the trade area no longer confined to state government-regulated market yards or mandis. Traders, retailers, processors and exporters could also buy directly from farmers, including via contract cultivation and supply agreements. There would be no barriers to movement or limits on how much of produce they could purchase and stock.
Following protests by farmer unions — they viewed these as leading to the withdrawal of the state from minimum support price-based procurement operations — the reform laws were repealed in November 2021. They have ceased to exist in letter.
The last one year and more have seen even the spirit of the farm laws die. And it’s been courtesy of not the unions, but the government itself.
How NASA is trying to cut travel time to Mars by half (Page no. 13)
(GS paper 3, Science and Technology)
In less than three years, NASA could be testing a nuclear rocket in space.
The space agency and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, announced on Wednesday (August 2) that Lockheed Martin had been selected to design, build and test a propulsion system that could one day speed astronauts on a trip to Mars.
BWX Technologies, based in Lynchburg, Virginia, will build the nuclear fission reactor at the heart of the engine.
The $499 million program is named DRACO, short for the Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Operations.
A Number That Sums It Up: 3 to 4 months to Mars
Every 26 months or so, Mars and Earth are close enough for a shorter journey between the worlds. But even then it is a pretty long trip, lasting seven to nine months. For most of the time, the spacecraft is just coasting through space.
World
China blocked, water-cannoned military boat in South China sea, says Philippines (Page no. 14)
(GS paper 2, International Relation)
The Philippines on Sunday accused China's coast guard of blocking and water-cannoning a Philippine military supply boat in the South China Sea, condemning the "excessive and offensive actions" against its vessels.
China claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, an assertion rejected internationally, while Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei, Taiwan and the Philippines have various claims to certain areas.
Beijing often irks its neighbours with maritime actions they call aggressive and with longer-term activities like building islands on reefs and equipping them with missiles and runways.
A Chinese coast guard vessel on Saturday blocked and water-cannoned the chartered Philippine boat on a routine troop rotation and resupply mission, "in wanton disregard of the safety of the people on board and in violation of international law.
It said in a statement the incident occurred near the Second Thomas Shoal, which Manila calls Ayungin Shoal, a submerged reef where a handful of its troops live on a rusty World War Two-era U.S. ship that was intentionally grounded in 1999.
Economy
Monetary Policy: Why is RBI likely to maintain status quo? (Page no. 15)
(GS paper 3, Economy)
The Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) six-member Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) which will meet between August 8-10 is widely expected to keep the policy repo rate unchanged for the third consecutive time at 6.5 per cent.
While there’re concerns over higher consumer price index (CPI) inflation, driven by an increase in prices of vegetables and pulses, the central bank may continue with its policy stance of ‘withdrawal of accommodation’ amidst surplus liquidity in the banking system.
In the monetary policy announced in April, the MPC unanimously decided to pause the hike in the repo rate — the rate at which RBI lends money to banks to meet their short-term funding needs.
This pause was announced after the repo rate was hiked by 250 basis points (bps) since May 2022. One basis point is one-hundredth of a percentage point.
In June policy, the central bank again left the repo rate unchanged at 6.5 per cent. After announcing the April policy, RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das stated that ‘it was a pause and not a pivot’ – a statement he reiterated post the June policy announcement.