In News

As per the UN’s World Population Prospects (WPP) report, world’s population to reach 8 billion on November 15, 2022.

About the Report

• The Population Division of the UN has been publishing the WPP in a biennial cycle since 1951.
• Each revision of the WPP provides a historical time series of population indicators starting in 1950.
• It does so by considering newly released national data to revise estimates of past trends in fertility, mortality or international migration.

Key Highlights of the Report

• Population Growth Rate: In 2020, the global growth rate fell under 1% per year for the first time since 1950. The world’s population continues to grow, but the pace of growth is slowing down.
  • Currently, Asia is the most populous continent, with 61 per cent of the global population.
• Rates of population growth vary significantly across countries and regions: More than half of the projected increase in global population up to 2050 will be concentrated in just eight countries: the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines and the United Republic of Tanzania.
  • The 46 least developed countries (LDCs) are among the world’s fastest growing. This will put additional pressure on resources and pose challenges to the achievement of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
• The population of older persons is increasing both in numbers and as a share of the total: The share of the global population aged 65 years or above is projected to rise from 10% in 2022 to 16% in 2050.
• The report warns that countries with ageing populations should take steps to adapt public programmes to the growing proportion of older persons, including by improving the sustainability of social security and pension systems and by establishing universal health care and long-term care systems.
• Global life expectancy: It stood at 72.8 in 2019 and has slowed down due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and fell to 71 years in 2021.
  • Life expectancy was higher for females (73.8 years) than males (68.4 years).
  • The gap between countries with the lowest and highest levels of life expectancy at birth is attributable to disparities in the under-five mortality rate.
• Fertility Rate: A sustained drop in fertility has led to an increased concentration of the population at working ages (between 25 and 64 years), creating an opportunity for accelerated economic growth per capita.
  • This shift in the age distribution provides a time-bound opportunity for accelerated economic growth known as the “demographic dividend”.
• International migration: Over the next few decades, migration will be the sole driver of population growth in high-income countries.

Findings specific to India

• India is projected to surpass China as the world’s most populous country in 2023.
  • India’s Census projection is slightly lower than the UN projection. So, if not in 2023 then in another few years India would overtake China as the world’s most populous country.
• Looking at the India’s data, it is clear that as things stand, cohorts of 0-14 years and 15-24 years will continue to decline while those of 25-64 and 65+ will continue to rise for the coming decades
• The concern now is not about the absolute numbers, but the quality of life for the people alive. The focus now has shifted to whether we can reduce poverty, provide healthcare facilities, education etc.,
• For those already in the 25-64 age bracket, skilling is the only way to ensure they are more productive and have better incomes.
• The 65+ category is going to grow quite fast. Provisioning of social security is a big challenge. This will stretch the resources of the future governments.
  • If we go back to our roots and stick around as families, as against the western tendency to go for individualism, then the challenges would be less.

Sources:

• India to surpass China as most populous country in a year:
• UN population report: Global life expectancy falls after Covid-19 years:
• UN population report explained: A look at the trends, projections and implications:

In News

Banks have recently invoked the Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest (Sarfaesi) Act against telecom infrastructure provider GTL to recover their pending dues.

About the News

• The recovery action has been initiated by IDBI Bank on behalf of lenders, whose total exposure to GTL stood at Rs 7,250 crore as of 2021.
• GTL provides various network operations and maintenance-related services like energy management to telecom operators and tower companies for optimizing their energy usage in telecom operations.

Understanding Sarfaesi Act

• The Sarfaesi Act of 2002 was brought in to guard financial institutions against loan defaulters.
• To recover their bad debts, the banks under this law can take control of securities pledged against the loan, manage or sell them to recover dues without court intervention.

• • The Act comes into play if a borrower defaults on his or her payments for more than six months.
  • The lender then can send a notice to the borrower to clear the dues within 60 days.
  • In case that doesn’t happen, the financial institution has the right to take possession of the secured assets and sell, transfer or manage them.
  • The defaulter, meanwhile, has a recourse to move an appellate authority set up under the law within 30 days of receiving a notice from the lender.
• The Sarfaesi Act is effective only against secured loans where banks can enforce the underlying security.
• Its main objectives include:
  • Providing legal framework for securitization activities in India.
  • Giving the procedures for the transfer of NPAs to asset reconstruction companies for the reconstruction of the assets.
  • Enforcing the security interest without Court’s intervention.
  • Giving powers to banks and financial institutions to take over the immovable property that is pledged to enforce the recovery of debt.
• The law is applicable throughout the country and covers all assets, movable or immovable, promised as security to the lender.
• According to a 2020 Supreme Court judgment, co-operative banks can also invoke Sarfaesi Act.
• According to the Finance Ministry, the non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) can initiate recovery in Rs 20 lakh loan default cases.

Source:

• Explained: What is the Sarfaesi Act, invoked against telecom provider GTL?
• IDBI Bank-led consortium invokes SARFAESI Act to sell GTL’s secured assets.

In News

A recent report released by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) has stated that sustainable use of wild species can meet needs of billions of people.

About the News

• IPBES is an independent intergovernmental body,established by in 2012 to strengthen the science-policy interface for biodiversity and ecosystem services for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, long-term human well-being and sustainable development.
• Its recent report is the first of its kind and has been conceived after a period of four years.
• Its assessment shortlisted five categories of practices used for wild species namely Fishing, Gathering, Logging, Terrestrial animal harvestingwhich includes hunting and non-extractive practices such as observing.

Key Highlights of the Report

• Dependence on Wild Species:
  • About 70% of the world’s poor populationis directly dependent on wild species.
  • 20% source their food from wild plants, algae and fungi.
• Important Source of Income
  • The report notes that Wild tree speciesaccount for two thirds of global industrial roundwood and trade in wild plants, algae and fungi is a billion-dollar industry.
• Local Variations:
  • About 34% of marine wild fish stocks are overfished and 66% are fished within biologically sustainable levels.
  • But within this global picture, there are significant local and contextual variations.
• Unsustainable Logging of Tree Species:
  • The survival of an estimated 12% of wild tree species is threatened by unsustainable logging.
  • Unsustainable gatheringis one of the main threats for several plant groups, especially cacti, cycads and orchids.
  • Unsustainable huntinghas been identified as a threat for 1,341 wild mammal species – with declines in large-bodied species that have low natural rates of increase also linked to hunting pressure.
• Rural People are at Risk of Unsustainable Use:
  • Rural people in developing countries are most at risk from unsustainable use of Wild Species, with lack of complementary alternatives often forcing them to exploit wild species already at risk.
• Cultural Significance leading to Exploitation:
  • Certain species have cultural importance as they offer multiple benefits that define tangible and intangible features of people’s cultural heritage.
  • The use of wild species is also a source of culturally meaningful employment for such communities and they have engaged in the trade of wild species and materials since millennia.
  • Wild rice (Zizania palustris L.) is a cultural keystone species, providing physical, spiritual and cultural sustenance for many indigenous peoples in the Great Lakes region of North America.
• Threats:
  • Drivers such as land- and seascape changes, climate change, pollution and invasive alien species that impact the abundance and distribution of wild species, and can increase stress and challenges among the human communities that use them.
• Illegal Trade:
  • Illegal trade in wild species represents the third largest class of all illegal trade– with estimated annual values of up to USD199 billion. Timber and fish make up the largest volumes and value of illegal trade in wild species.

Source:

• Sixth mass extinction: IPBES9 report stresses on sustainable wildlife management
• Sustainable use of wild species can meet needs of billions: IPBES 9 report

Image source:

• Billions of Humans Depend on 50,000 Wild Species for Food, Fuel and Income, New Report Finds

July 12 is observed as International Malala Day to salute the Nobel Laureate Malala Yousafzai, who works for women’s right to education across the globe. Born in Swat Valley, Malala was never permitted to enter school as the Taliban had banned girls from going to school in Pakistan. However, she refused to stay home and advocated for the right to education for girls. She nearly got killed for it as well. Malala and her father co-founded the Malala Fund, a platform to support girls’ education and raise awareness on the matter. They collaborated with Vital Voices Global Partnership for the initiative.

In December 2014, Malala was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and became the youngest ever recipient of such a pristine honour. She was designated as United Nations Messenger of Peace in 2017 to help raise awareness of the importance of girls’ education. The young activist has bagged over 40 awards and honours for her courage. University of King's College has also awarded her with an honourary doctorate in the year 2014.

Sources:

• Why is July 12 Celebrated as International Malala Day? Facts About Activist Who Advocated for Women's Rights in Education:
• Why is July 12 Celebrated as International Malala Day? History, significance and facts about Pakistani activist:

• Context: The Prime Minister has recently unveiled the National Emblem cast on the roof of the new Parliament building.
• The emblem is made of bronze using the lost wax technique and is 6.5m in height, 4.4m in width and weighs around 9,500kg.
• It has been cast at the top of the Central Foyer of the New Parliament Building.

• A supporting structure of steel weighing around 6,500kg has been constructed to support the Emblem.
• A concept sketch and process of casting of the emblem has gone through eight different stages of preparation from clay modeling/computer graphic to bronze casting and polishing.
• The National Emblem is an adaptation from the Sarnath Lion Capital of Asoka which is preserved in the Sarnath Museum.
• The Lion Capital has four lions mounted back-to-back on a circular abacus. The frieze of the abacus is adorned with sculptures in high relief of an elephant, a galloping horse, a bull, and a lion separated by intervening Dharma Chakras.
• The profile of the Lion Capital has been adopted as the National Emblem of India.

Source:

• PM Modi unveils national emblem on new Parliament building
• PM Narendra Modi unveils national emblem on new Parliament building

Image source:

• PM Narendra Modi unveils national emblem on new Parliament building

• Context: India has recently been elected to the Intergovernmental Committee of UNESCO’s 2003 Conventionfor the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) for the 2022-2026 cycle.

• India has already served as amember of the ICH Committee twice in 2006 and 2014.
• The Convention of the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage was adopted by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 2003and entered into force in 2006.
• It comprises 24 members and is elected in the General Assembly of the Conventionaccording to the principles of equitable geographical representation and rotation.
• Members of the Committee are elected for a term of four years.
• Its objectives include:
  • To safeguard the expressions of intangible cultural heritagethat are endangered by the processes of globalization.
  • To ensure respect for the intangible cultural heritageof the communities, groups and individuals.
  • To raise awareness at the local, national and international levelsof the importance of intangible cultural heritage.

Source:

• India elected to UNESCO panel on Intangible Cultural Heritage
• India joins UNESCO panel on Intangible Cultural Heritage

Image source:

• India joins UNESCO panel on Intangible Cultural Heritage

• Context: Indonesia has recently announced “Digital Nomad Visas” for travellers, to attract more foreign tourists.
• Digital Nomads are people who work remotely while travelling to different places and spending their earned income in the country they are travelling to.

• Unlike regular remote workers, who tend to stay in one geographic area, digital nomads travel and explore while working.
• The Digital Nomad Visa would allow remote workers to stay in Indonesia, including Bali, tax-free.
• The visa will be applicable for five years which makes Indonesia’s visa one of the longest digital nomad visas compared to other countries.
• Through the visa, Indonesia aims to bring in over 3.6 million overseas travellers into the country over the next year to explore spiritual retreats as well as the eco-tourism of Indonesia.
• Some other countries that provide nomad visas include Italy, Antigua, Barbuda, Barbados, Croatia, Costa Rica, Georgia, Hungary, Iceland, Mauritius, Norway, and Spain.

Source:

• Indonesia’s New Digital Nomad Visa allows travellers to live tax-free – details here
• Explained: Indonesia’s new visa policy, which allows travellers to live tax-free

Image source:

• Indonesia’s Digital Nomad Visa

• Context: Recently, two Tamil residents of the town of Moreh in Manipur on the India-Myanmar border were found dead in Myanmar’s Tamu.
• Over the years, the Tamil community became one of the most influential communities in this border town, 110 km from the capital city of Imphal.

• When the Burmese city of Rangoon (now Yangon) was the most important trading center’s in Asia, the British East India Company took with them labourers and businessmen – Tamilians, Bengalis, Telegus, Oriyas and Punjabis, to this affluent port city, edged strategically between India and China.
• The British later withdrew, but the Indians remained. They set up businesses and became drivers of the Burmese economy.
• The Indian diaspora became the first settlers of Moreh, along with a handful of Kuki and Meitei families that had lived there since the 1940s. The Tamilians, however, outstripped every other community, with a population of 20,000 in the mid-60s.
• The community is represented by a body called the Tamil Sangam, and it dominates a grid of lanes and timber, cement houses in the heart of Moreh.

Source:

• Explained: Who are the Tamils of Moreh in Manipur?

Essence: Recent political fractures within the incumbent parties resulted in realignment of legislators inaugurating new governments in the states of Maharashtra & Madhya Pradesh. Legislative splits and switches are frequent around the world, and India has seen at least three such waves throughout various time periods. Splits and switches have continued despite legal restrictions being in place. The control of institutions and the anti-defection statute are weaponized by strong parties. There are claims that it harms democracy since voters end up with something different than what they expected. The parties' closer links to the state rather than to civil society mark the final and most fundamental transformation. It has been reduced to serving as a tool to support government policies & programmes, leaving just a shell of what it once was.

Why should you read this article?

• To comprehend the causes of splits and switches, their effects, and how they undermine democracy
• To comprehend how political parties are turned into a vehicle for promoting national agendas.

Source:

• The new ‘normal’ of political splits and shifts:

Essence: India attending I2U2 which brings together India, Israel, the United Arab Emirates and the United States is a clear sign of India’s changing foreign policy.

According to the author, India led by the Congress Governments was apprehensive of close contacts with Israel and West. It was because of fear of a strained relationship with monarchies of the Middle East, key to energy security for India. Proactive steps have been undertaken in the resent times to engage with all partners in the Middle East and also negotiated with the West to collaborate together for national interest. This shows a more decisive step by a more confident nation.

Why should you read this article?

• To understand the shift in foreign policy of India in the Middle East.

Source:

• India’s new West Asia approach is a welcome break with past diffidence

Background

• Over 50% of the population does not have access to safe water for consumption.
• Two brothers from Suraj, Gujarat, have launched a unique solution to solve this crisis through their startup, Sustainable Livelihood Initiative India (SLII)

About Sustainable Livelihood Initiative India (SLII)

• SLII has created a water purifier that makes polluted water drinkable within minutes and has no movable parts, thus saving on maintenance and replacement.
• The system is named Vardan, and cleans water at 8 paise per litre, claiming to be the cheapest in India.
• The idea came to the brothers after studying existing water purifiers available in the market. Most of them required electricity and maintenance costs, which are limitations in rural areas.
• The product costs Rs 5,000 and can purify 1,00,000 litres of water in its lifetime, without replacing any parts. The water requires no pump, and flows with the help of gravity.
• The product, to be used in rural areas, will benefit the environment by saving tonnes of carbon emissions.

Sources:

• Gujarat Startup’s Water Purifier Can Clean 1 Lakh Litres Of Water, Has Minimal Maintenance Cost: