1. CHINA-PLUS-ONE STRATEGY
Context: World Bank president said India has a three-to-five-year window to cash in on the China+1 opportunity as companies seek alternative manufacturing sites to diversify supply chains.
- India has proven more resilient and emerged from the pandemic relatively stronger than others.
China-plus-one strategy
- Origin: Coined way back in 2013, it is a global business strategy.
- China-Plus-One, or just Plus One: It refers to a strategy in which companies avoid investing only in China and diversify their businesses to alternative destinations.
- The “China, plus one” strategy is about still using the resources allocated in China, but adding lower wages to the mix.
- Due to rising labour cost in India, manufacturing firms are diverting some of the resources to low cost economies while still using their facilities in China as shifting entire production at once is not possible.
- Measures taken by the government:
- Amalgamation of Labour laws: into four codes will help expand manufacturing and attract investments
- Promotion of a culture of resolution: with the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code and Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Act, 2019.
- Sector level manufacturing: The government has launched Production-Linked Incentive scheme which proposes a financial incentive to boost domestic manufacturing and attract large investments in the White Goods manufacturing value chain
2. FAME INDIA
Context: The Ministry of Heavy Industries is tightening its stance on the long-standing issue of violations of the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles (FAME 2) scheme by electric vehicle (EV) manufacturers, signalling a rocky road for the EV industry.
- Moreover, a recent amendment has reduced the subsidies under FAME 2 from Rs 15000/kWh to Rs 10000/kWh.
- The maximum subsidy has been capped at 15 percent of the vehicle price, a drastic cut from the former limit of 40 per cent.
- These recent developments have dented the electric two-wheeler sales momentum. They can also trigger banks to withdraw working capital, rating agencies to downgrade businesses to risky categories and put the survival of many EV startups at stake.
FAME India
- About: FAME (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles) India is a part of the National Electric Mobility Mission Plan.
- Main thrust of FAME is to encourage electric vehicles by providing subsidies.
- Implementing agency: The Department of Heavy Industry is administering the scheme “Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric and Hybrid Vehicles in India”, popularly known as FAME India scheme since 01st April 2015..
- Objective: Promotion of Electric and hybrid vehicle in the country by offering upfront Incentive on purchase of Electric vehicles and by establishing charging Infrastructure for electric vehicles.
- Salient features of the FAME scheme - 2:
- The scheme with total outlay of Rs 10,000 Crores over the period of three years (2019-20 to 2021-22) will be implemented with effect from 1st April 2019.
- This scheme is the expanded version of the present scheme titled 'FAME India-1 which was launched on 1st April 2015, with total outlay of Rs. 895 crores.
- Target is to support 10 Lakhs e-2Wheeler, 5 Lakhs e-3 Wheelers, 55000 4Wheelers and 7000 Buses.
- Under the scheme of FAME-II, the demand incentive for e-2W has been increased to Rs. 15,000/KWh from Rs. 10,000/KWh with an increase in cap from 20% to almost 40% of the cost of the vehicle to increase the adoption of e-2W.
- The phase II of FAME-India Scheme has been extended for a period of two years after 31st March 2022.
- Benefits: The scheme will help in addressing the issue of environmental pollution and fuel security.
3. STEEL SLAG ROAD TECHNOLOGY
Context: Union Minister of State for Steel said that the Steel Slag Road technology of CSIR-CRRI is playing an important role in realising the Prime Minister mission of ‘Waste to Wealth’.
Key Points
- India is the second largest steel producing country in the world and about 19 million tonnes of steel slag is generated in the country as a solid waste, which will increase to 60 million tonnes by the year 2030. (About 200 kg of steel slag is generated in one tonne of steel production).
- The 1st road made with steel slag road interpretation technology in Surat, Gujarat, has become famous for its technological excellence at national and national level.
- Border Roads Organization has also constructed a steel slag road in Arunachal Pradesh along with CRRI and Tata Steel on India-China border, having a much longer life than conventional road.
- Similarly, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has also successfully used this technology in road construction on National Highway-66 (Mumbai-Goa) in collaboration with JSW Steel, under the technical guidance of CRRI.
Steel Slag Road Technology
- The technology has been developed by the Central Road Research Institute under a research project in collaboration with the Ministry of Steel, Government of India and four major steel manufacturing companies of the country, viz., ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel, JSW Steel, Tata Steel and Rashtriya Ispat Nigam.
- This technology facilitates the large-scale utilization of waste steel slag of steel plants and has proved very useful in effective disposal of about 19 million tonnes of steel slag generated in the country.
- The slag is generated from a steel furnace burning at around 1,500-1,600 degree centigrade in the form of molten flux material as an impurity.
- The molten material is poured into the slag pits for cooling as per the customised procedure and further processed to develop stable steel slag aggregates, with “better material properties in place of the natural aggregate commonly used in road constructions.
- This technique has been successfully tested in road construction in four major states of the country including Gujarat, Jharkhand, Maharashtra and Arunachal Pradesh.
4. JUTE PRODUCTION
Context: A slowdown in global markets since the outbreak of the Russia Ukraine war has taken the sheen off jute or the ´golden fibre´ as it´s often referred to as.
- Jute, which is 100 percent biodegradable and therefore environment friendly, has been reaping the benefits of a global push for sustainable packaging material.
- Data sourced from the Indian Jute Mills Association (IJMA) shows that the value of jute goods exports has seen a decline after eight odd years.
India’s Jute Industry
- India is the world’s biggest producer of jute, followed by Bangladesh. Jute is primarily grown in West Bengal, Odisha, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Andhra Pradesh.
- The jute industry in India is 150 years old. There are about 79 jute mills in the country, of which about 60 are in West Bengal along both the banks of river Hooghly.
- Jute production is a labour intensive industry. It employs about two lakh workers in the West Bengal alone and 4 lakh workers across the country.
5. SUNFLOWER OIL PRODUCTION
Context: India’s imports of sunflower oil are likely to fall in the coming months as it becomes uncompetitive against rival oils due to rising prices after Russia withdrew from the Black Sea grain deal.
- The Black Sea region accounts for 60% of world sunflower oil output and 76% of exports.
- Ukraine traditionally accounted for more than half of India’s sunflower oil imports, but Russia has been its biggest supplier in the marketing year ending on 31 October.
Status of Sunflower Oil in India
- Sunflower oil is the fourth most consumed edible oil in India, following mustard, soybean, and palm oil.
- Domestic production of sunflower oil has significantly declined over the past decade, unlike soybean oil, which has expanded its cultivated area.
- India imports a substantial amount of sunflower oil due to limited domestic production.
- Major producers: Karnataka (highest producer in India); Telangana and Maharashtra
- Major Consumer: Karnataka, Telangana, and Maharashtra. Status of Sunflower Oil globally
- Ukraine (the highest producer) and Russia account for 60% of the world’s sunflower oil production.
- Other top producers of sunflower oil globally include Ukraine, Russia, Argentina, Romania, and Bulgaria.
6. MARITAL RAPE IN INDIA
Context: A three-judge bench of the Supreme Court will examine marital rape case after constitution benches conclude hearing some listed pleas.
- SC will examine that does a husband enjoy immunity from prosecution for the offence of rape if he forces his wife, who is not a minor, to have sex?
- The constitutional validity of an exception clause of Section 375 (rape) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) is under challenge as it exempts a husband from being prosecuted for rape for having non-consensual sexual intercourse with the spouse if she happens to be an adult.
Marital rape in India
- Marital rape (or spousal rape) is an act in which one of the spouses indulges in sexual intercourse without the consent of the other.
- In India, marital rape is not defined in any statute or law.
- Section 375 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) defines rape as a criminal offence and states that a man commits rape if he has sexual intercourse with a woman without her consent or if she is a minor.
- However, according to Exception 2 to Section 375 “sexual intercourse by a man with his wife, the wife not being under fifteen years of age, is not rape
- However, in a landmark judgment in 2018, the Supreme Court of India held that it will be considered rape if a man has sexual intercourse with his wife if she is aged between 15 and 18
- The only recourse against non-consensual sex for married women are civil provisions under the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act or Section 498-A of the IPC on cruelty against a wife by the husband or a husband’s relatives.
- Today, more than 100 countries have criminalized marital rape but, unfortunately, India is one of the only 36 countries where marital rape is still not criminalized.
7. BLACK SEA GRAIN INITIATIVE
Context: India has voiced support for the U.N.'s efforts in continuing the Black Sea Grain initiative, a day after Russia announced it was terminating implementation
of the U.N.-brokered deal that allowed export of grain and related foodstuffs and fertilisers from Ukrainian ports.
Black Sea Grain InitiativeAbout: The Initiative on the Safe Transportation of Grain and Foodstuffs from Ukrainian ports, also called the Black Sea Grain Initiative, was an agreement between Russia and Ukraine with Turkey and the United Nations (UN) made during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Origin: The deal, brokered by the United Nations and Turkey, was signed in Istanbul in July 2022.
- Initially it was stipulated for a period of 120 days with an option to extend or terminate after November.
Mirror agreement: It was not a direct agreement between Russia and Ukraine.
- Instead, Ukraine signed an agreement with Turkey and the UN, and Russia signed a separate "mirror" agreement with Turkey andthe UN.
Objectives: The deal was to provide for a safe maritime humanitarian corridor for Ukrainian exports (particularly for food grains) from three of its key ports: Chornomorsk, Odessa and Yuzhny/Pivdennyi.
- Ukraine is among the largest exporters of wheat, maize, rapeseed, sunflower seeds and sunflower oil, globally.
- Its access to the deep-sea ports in the Black Sea enables it to directly approach Russia and Europe along with grain importers from West Asia and North Africa.
- Russia’s actions in the East European country had disturbed this route which earlier used to ship 75% of its agricultural exports - precisely what the initiative sought to address
8. TANKAI METHOD
Context: In a remarkable initiative to revive and preserve the 2000-year-old technique of shipbuilding known as the ‘stitched shipbuilding method (Tankai method)’, the Ministry of Culture and the Indian Navy have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
Key Points
- The stitched ship holds significant cultural value in India, given its historical importance and the preservation of traditional craftsmanship.
- Throughout history, India has had a strong maritime tradition, and the use of stitched ships played a vital role in trade, cultural exchange, and exploration.
- These ships, constructed by stitching wooden planks together rather than using nails, offered flexibility and durability, making them less susceptible to damage from shoals and sandbars.
- Although the arrival of European ships led to a shift in shipbuilding techniques, the art of stitching ships has survived in a few coastal regions of India, primarily for small local fishing boats.
- The project aims to leverage the expertise of the remaining traditional shipwrights in India and showcase their exceptional craftsmanship.
- It aims to revive the maritime memory and instill a sense of pride in India's rich maritime heritage among its citizens.
- Additionally, it aims to promote cultural memories among the Indian Ocean littoral countries
9. MASTITIS AILMENT
Context: The National Innovation Foundation (NIF) - India, an autonomous body of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India has recently entered into a Technology Transfer arrangement for these indigenous technologies with Indian Genomix, a Hyderabad-based company which has W.H.O.G.M.P. certification ensuring quality assurance for medicinal products.
- A technology transfer arrangement can help to scale two environment-friendly technologies - an indigenous herbal formulation with the potential to control Mastitis, an ailment common among dairy animals, and an indigenous herbal supplement with positive influence on growth performance of broiler chicks, for end users.
Mastitis Ailment
- Mastitis is an ailment causing huge losses to dairy farmers.
- The ailment is primarily caused by bacteria which need to be diagnosed and treated at the earliest.
- Indian farming system faces challenges in early diagnosis, availability of onsite treatment, and drug resistance.
- Further, lack of effective technology in field situation calls for alternative technologies.
- This indigenous herbal formulation was found to control major causative bacterial organisms like Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
- This herbal formulation has multiple phyto-constituents which produce effective results against field bacterial strains.
- The unique formulation of the Knowledge holders was evaluated for its efficacy in clinical bacterial mastitis among dairy animals.
theIASHub | 20 Jul, 2023 | 4
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