 Good evening aspirants, welcome to daily news analysis by Shankar Iyer's Academy. Today's date is 25th August 2023. Displayed here are the list of topics we are going to see today. Now before we get into the discussion, I have an important announcement. Shankar Iyer's Academy's pre-storming test series is about to begin on 11th September. The first test will happen on 18th September. The other details regarding the test series are given here you can go through it. Now let us get into the discussion. Take a look at this news. The Defence Acquisition Council had a meeting led by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. The Council agreed to buy special equipment to helicopters, self-operating systems for army units, new light machine guns and bridge-laying tanks. They are also buying weapons for Navy helicopters called MH-60, also called as Seahawk helicopters. Note that the Navy is already getting 24 Seahawk helicopters from USA. In addition to this, rugged laptops and tablets for army are also been approved. Remember, all these procurements will be sourced indigenously. So these are the decisions taken in Defence Acquisition Council meeting held recently. So in our discussion, let us know about Defence Acquisition Council in detail and some important points mentioned in the news article. The Defence Acquisition Council is the highest decision-making body for acquiring Defence equipment for Indian armed forces. It was set up in 2001 after Kargil war. The DIC is like a special team for buying things related to defence like weapons and equipments. It meets under the leadership of Defence Minister and it has many members including Chiefs of Army, Navy and Air Force. The DIC has authority to approve acquisitions up to 300 crores. For acquisitions above 300 crores, the DIC must get approval from Cabinet Committee on Security. So the DIC meets regularly to consider proposals for acquisition of Defence equipment and services. Currently DIC has granted AON acceptance of necessity to enhance the efficiency of Indian Air Force. Here, the acceptance of necessity means government has accepted the need for equipment and this is the first step in procurement process. Now we shall see what are the equipments approved by DIC. Firstly, India is going to buy electronic warfare suit for MI-17 helicopters. Here the electronic warfare suit is a special set of tools that will help in dealing with electronic stuff like signals and communications. For example, it can help us to listen to the enemy signals or disrupt their communication system. So this is the meaning of electronic warfare suit. Then DIC also approved the buying of new light machine guns for Army. This will enhance the fighting capabilities of our Army. Next, we are also going to buy bridge laying tanks. The bridge laying tank is a special type of tank used by military to lay down a bridge quickly. The bridge helps other vehicles like trucks and tanks to cross the river. So these are the things which were approved by DIC recently. So this is all about this discussion. Let us move to the next topic. Look at this editorial article. This editorial is written by Mr. Mahesh Sachdev. Mr. Mahesh Sachdev is a retired Indian Forest Service Officer who served as Ambassador to Algeria and High Commissioner to Nigeria. So the points mentioned in this editorial are very relevant to our examination. In this editorial, the author talks about challenges in Africa like bad governance, terrorism, tribal conflicts, and overall decrease in international support. The author also highlights the strong relationship between India and Africa. So this is the overall essence of the article. So in this discussion, we will see all the points mentioned in this editorial in detail. Before that, I have highlighted the syllabus for your reference. Africa is a vast and diverse continent. It is second largest continent in the world and it has over 1.4 billion people. It has diverse culture, languages and ethnicities. In addition to this, the continent is gifted with a lot of natural resources. So there is a huge potential for growth and advancement. Despite all these advantages, the continent of Africa is still largely poor and underdeveloped. Now what is the reason for this? What are the challenges that Africa is facing? First, let us see the political challenges. The continent is highly misgoverned. Now why is misgovernance is prevalent in most of the African countries? The first reason is massive corruption in all political institutions. The second reason is Africa's tribal diversity. The continent is inhabited by a lot of tribes. So these tribes have a lot of rivalry among them. Also due to nepotism, most of the political institutions are dominated by ruling tribes, thereby eliminating the representation of other tribes. So this resulted in social tensions in many African countries. Then recently there has been increased incidence of Islamic terror. The last and most important political challenge is the rise of dictatorship in Africa. For example in countries like Egypt, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, the military generals have overthrew the democratically elected leaders. Now why is this happening? Or why is there a rise in military dictatorship in Africa? According to the author of the editorial Global powers like USA, Russia and France have intervened in Africa to keep dictators in power. These developed countries support the dictators to protect their own economic interest, such as uranium in Niger, gold in Central African Republic and oil in Libya. So these are the political challenges faced by Africa. Now coming to the economic challenges. The first issue is high food inflation. The high food inflation is mainly caused by climate change. Climate change has affected agricultural productivity. The drop in production has pushed up the food prices. Also due to high food inflation, the purchasing power of common people declined. This has resulted in overall decline in standard of living. Then there is an issue of unplanned urbanization. This has resulted in growth of slums around cities with no access to basic amenities. Then there is an issue of high unemployment. Unemployed youths are more likely to get into protest, political conflicts and are dragged into terrorist groups. So these are the economic challenges faced by Africa. The last major challenges decline in international support. See, Africa for past few decades have got international support to solve its problems. But recently this support is on decline due to various reasons. For example, let us take China. China has been Africa's largest trading partner and investor. But recently due to slowdown in Chinese economy, the Africa-China trade has come down. In addition to this, Belt and Road Initiative of China has pushed many African countries into unsustainable depths. Due to this, Chinese support for Africa has been slowly declining. In the case of eastern countries like US, UK, France, their economic turn-down has reduced their support to Africa. Finally, let us take up Russia. Russia used the Wagner Group to provide military support in Africa. But with the death of Wagner's chief, how Russia will approach Africa in the future is unclear. See, these are the important challenges that Africa is witnessing right now. Now, how can these challenges be addressed? Here the key lies with India. India can leverage its position to help Africa in its growth. To understand this, first we must know about India-Africa relations. Historically, India and African countries share a history of colonial oppression and struggle for independence. This historical connection has led to a mutual understanding between India and African countries. Here, Mahatma Gandhi's movement against apartheid in South Africa can be highlighted. Economically also, India and Africa are well connected and they engage in trade and investment across various sectors. India imports raw materials like minerals and oil from Africa and exports goods like pharmaceuticals, machinery, and textiles. See, India-Africa trade reached 98 billion in 2022. Also note that India is the fifth largest investor in Africa. India has also been using its soft power in Africa through various capacity-building activities. India has extended over 12.37 billion in concessional loans to African countries. India has also completed 197 projects and has provided 42,000 scholarships since 2015. Culturally also, both India and Africa are connected through its diaspora. Currently, around 3 million people of Indian origin are living in Africa. Lastly, to ensure regional stability and security in Africa, India has been contributing to United Nations peacekeeping missions in Africa. So, these are some of the highlights of India-Africa relationship. Now, how can India help Africa? Firstly, India can provide a voice for African nations in multilateral forums like G20. Currently, only African nation to be represented in G20 is South Africa. This clearly shows that African nations lack proper representation in multilateral forums. With India hosting the G20 summit this year, India can work towards providing full membership to African Union at G20. This will increase a representation of African countries. And this in turn will address the decreasing international support in Africa. Secondly, India can help Africa to build strong sociopolitical institutions. Here, sociopolitical institutions are structures within the society that play significant role in shaping both social and political aspects of the society. For example, an independent judiciary is a strong sociopolitical institution. So, India can help Africa to create strong sociopolitical institutions like independent judiciary, stable electoral systems and inclusive constitution. These institutions will contribute to the overall stability and functioning of African nations by providing a framework for addressing social issues and resolving conflicts. Then, India can share its local innovation to address challenges in Africa. See, almost all African countries are developing countries like India. So, they must go through similar problems like us. Recently, Indian innovations like Jam Trinity, Direct Benefit Transfer, Unified Payments Interface and aspirational district program have successfully addressed various challenges in India. These innovations can be shared with African countries. Lastly, India must engage with Africa in more participatory way. Until now, countries like US, UK, France, China and Russia have engaged with Africa for their selfish economic gains. India should not replicate this. By engaging in a participatory way, India can help Africa realize its true potential. So, this is all regarding this discussion. Now, let us move to the next topic. Take a look at this article. Yesterday, our Prime Minister Narendra Modi has talked about fairness in e-commerce between big and small industries. He wanted to connect the small businesses with the world supply systems. He also asked the global leaders to focus on the small and medium-sized industries, because they provide jobs for most people and contribute a lot to the world's economy. Mr. Modi said that supporting MSME industries helps the whole society and India has been working on this as a G20 president. So, in this news article discussion, let us know about the importance of MSMEs and some steps taken by the government to develop MSMEs. MSME means micro, small and medium enterprises. They are industries that are involved in protection, manufacturing and processing of goods and commodities. The concept of MSME was first introduced by the government of India in Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Act 2006. So, the MSME industries are regulated by this Act only. These industries are managed by Ministry of MSME. So, this is the basic information about MSME. Now, we shall see the importance of MSME in India. First is, they contribute to the GDP growth. MSME sector contributes around 33% of India's GDP. They are also a major source of exports and has contributed 42.6% share in India's exports. The next important significance is job creation. MSMEs are second largest job creators in India after agriculture. About 40% of India's workforce is present in MSME sector. Next important significance is inclusive growth. MSMEs promote inclusive growth by providing employment opportunities in rural areas, especially to the people belonging to weaker sections of society. For example, cottage industries, caddy and village industries require low per capita investment and they employ a large number of women in rural areas. Also note that MSME sector is resilient to global economic shocks. This is because the sector is made up of large number of small independent businesses and these businesses are able to adapt to changing market conditions more easily than larger businesses. Ultimately, MSMEs can play a significant role in creating inclusive and sustainable society. They encourage balanced regional development, gender equity and financial inclusion in rural areas. So, the MSME sector is often referred as backbone of Indian economy. This is because it plays a vital role in supporting the growth of other sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing and services sector. So, this is about the significance of MSME sector. Now, let us see some important initiatives taken by government to promote the MSME sector. First is Prime Minister's Employment Generation Program. This scheme is implemented by Caddy Village Industries Commission under Ministry of MSME and this scheme aims to generate employment opportunities in rural and urban areas. Second is Credit Linked Capital Subsidy Scheme. It provides financial assistance to micro, small and medium enterprises for the purpose of technological upgradation. Under the scheme, MSMEs can get a capital subsidy of up to 15% for establishing new plant or equipment that is used for technology upgradation. Next important initiative is Ramp Scheme. Raising and Accelerating MSME Performance. So, this scheme was launched in 2022 and it helps in promoting the green technologies in MSME sector. It also provides the ease of doing business for MSME industries. Another important step taken to improve the MSME sector is Mudra Loan Scheme. It was launched in 2015 and it provides loan of up to 10 lakhs to MSME industries. Note that Mudra Scheme has three types of loans. Tarun, where the loan up to 10 lakhs is given. Kishore, the loan is up to 5 lakhs and Shishu, where the loan is up to 50,000. So, these are the three types of loans under Mudra Scheme. So, these are the important measures taken by the government to promote MSME sector. So, in this discussion we have seen basics about MSME sector, significance of MSME to India and some initiatives taken by government to develop MSME sector. So, this is all about this discussion. Let us move to the next topic. Look at this news article. Tamil Nadu has requested Karnataka to release more water from Kaveri river. Karnataka has refused to release more water, saying that Kaveri already has less amount of water due to low rainfall. Karnataka has told the Supreme Court that Tamil Nadu's request has no legal basis according to Kaveri water dispute tribunal. So, this is the crux of the news article given here. In this context, let us learn about interstate water disputes, constitutional provisions and acts regarding it. At present, interstate water disputes are one of the most controversial issues in Indian federalism. The recent cases of Krishna water dispute, Kaveri water dispute, Satellite Yamuna link canal are examples of interstate water disputes. Various tribunals are established to resolve these disputes, but the problem is still ongoing. Now, let us see the constitutional provisions regarding interstate rivers. See the entry 17 of state list deals with water, that is, water supply, irrigation, canal, drainage, water storage and hydropower. Entry 56 of union list empowers the central government for regulation and development of interstate rivers. So, with respect to interstate rivers, central government has the power to regulate it. According to article 262 of constitution, parliament has power to resolve interstate disputes by creating law. So, this article 262 deals with interstate water disputes. It also says that supreme court or any other court cannot involve in this matter. So, under this article 262, parliament has created two laws. The river boards act 1956 and the interstate water disputes act 1956. First, river board act 1956. Under this act, central government can create river boards for the regulation of interstate rivers. But interestingly, no river board has been created till now. Then interstate water disputes act 1956. According to this act, central government can create a tribunal for resolving interstate water disputes between two or more states. Note that the tribunal has powers of civil court and the decision of tribunal would be final and binding. This means that the decision of tribunal cannot be challenged in any court. So far, the central government has set up nine interstate water dispute tribunals. The name of the tribunals, the years in which they were constituted and the state involved in the dispute are mentioned here. You can go through it. So, we have seen constitutional provisions regarding interstate water disputes then interstate water dispute tribunal. So, this is all about this discussion. Let us move to the next part of our discussion. Take a look at this news article. Recently, southern bench of national green tribunal has withheld the environmental clearance that was earlier granted for setting up of fishing harbours in two villages in Vilupuram district. These two villages are located in intertidal area of Kali Valley wetland bird sanctuary. So, this bird sanctuary is known to receive a lot of migrating birds. Apart from this, it is also known to be turtle nesting grounds and it also has mangroves. So, the sites are classified under coastal zone regulation notification 2019. So, the two villages that were chosen to set up fishing harbours are ecologically sensitive areas. See, the national green tribunal noted that environmental impact assessment conducted for setting up of fishing harbours was not satisfactory. This is because the assessment does not include detailed studies on turtle nesting grounds. So, citing all these reasons, the southern bench of national green tribunal withheld the setting up of fishing harbours in this area. So, this is all about the news. In this discussion, let us understand environmental impact assessment in detail. Now, let us start with the definition of environmental impact assessment. See, this EIA environmental impact assessment is a process of evaluating the likely environmental impacts that can be caused by a proposed project. To put it simply, EIA refers to study that helps to understand the effect of proposed project on environment. The EIA takes into broader impacts of proposed project like social, economic, cultural and health impacts. Now, what is the importance of EIA? EIA helps to predict environmental impacts at yearly stage. That is, in the stage of project planning and design. The EIA helps the stakeholders to find some practical ways to reduce adverse impacts on environment. Apart from this, EIA can also help them to shape their products to suit the local environment. So, by conducting environmental impact assessment, the businesses can be able to achieve both environmental and economic benefits. Now, talking about EIA in India. In India, the environmental impact assessment is covered under Environmental Protection Act 1986. This act contains various provisions on EIA process. Under the provisions of Act, from time to time, the central government has issued several EIA notifications. The recent one is EIA notification 2006. This notification provides a four-stage process for EIA, that is, environment impact assessment. Now, let us see the four-stage process involved in EIA. The first stage is screening stage. In this stage, the proposed project is screened to determine whether it requires a full impact assessment study or partial study. See some projects like cement plants, lead acid battery manufacturing plants need full impact assessment study. This is because they have potential to cause more damage to environment. But some projects do not cause severe damage to environment, so they need a partial study only. So, in screening stage, the project is screened to determine the impact assessment study. Then coming to the second stage, it is called scoping stage. In this stage, the project is studied to identify potential impacts on environment. Apart from this, alternate solutions are also identified in this stage to avoid mighty gate or compensate adverse impacts on biodiversity. Then the third stage is called public consultation stage. In this stage, the people who are living near the project site would be consulted to assert their views. In this stage, the people who are living near the project site are consulted and their views are recorded. Note that the outcome of public consultation has to be included in environmental impact assessment and the concerns of local people should be addressed. If only the concerns are addressed, then the project moves to the final stage. The final stage is called appraisal stage. In this stage, the projects are scrutinized by central level expert committee or state level expert committee also involved in this. The committee scrutinizes the application and other documents of proposed project. If the committee is satisfied by the project proposals, then it provides environmental clearance to the project. So, this is the four stage process involved in environmental impact assessment in India. Now we shall see about the two types of project classified under EAA notification 2006. See the EAA notification in 2006 has categorized the project into two categories namely category A and category B. This is based on the impact potential of the project. Now let us see the category A project. See this category A require mandatory environmental clearance. Generally, they do not undergo screening process. This is because the projects under category A ultimately cause more damage to environment. Some of the examples of category A projects are ship-breaking yachts, petrochemical complexes, petroleum refining industries, nuclear power projects. As the category A projects are likely to harm the environment, they undergo a complete environmental impact assessment process. Now coming to the category B projects. See this category B projects undergo screening process. This category is further divided into category B1 project and category B2 project. Here the category B1 project have potential to harm the environment but lesser than the category A project. They also require mandatory environmental impact assessment. Some of the examples of category B1 projects, coal tar processing units, pesticide manufacturing units and so on. Now coming to the category B2 project. See category B2 project are excluded from the complete EAA process. This is because the projects are less harmful to the environment. Apart from this, the government also placed several projects in B2 category to avoid the EAA process. This is done in order to encourage the small and medium industries in their business. Elevated roads, bridges, cement plants are some of the examples of category B2 projects. So this is all about this discussion. Here we have seen four stages of environmental impact assessment and two categories of projects under environmental impact assessment. So this is all about this discussion. Let us move to the next topic. Look at this news. It is about 15th BRICS Summit that recently concluded in South Africa. The news is that six new countries were conferred membership status to BRICS grouping. The countries are Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and UAE. In our discussion today, we will discuss about the significance of this addition. Before the start of 15th Summit, more than 40 countries had expressed interest in joining BRICS. Of the 40 countries, 22 formally applied to join. Finally, these six countries were selected based on the consensus. Now what is the significance of this new addition? Firstly, the experts view that this is an energy-centric expansion. Besides Russia, all of the core BRICS countries like India, China, Brazil and South Africa are non-energy producing countries. If you look at the new additions like Saudi Arabia, Iran, UAE and Egypt, they are net crude oil exporters. By adding these new members, BRICS countries are trying to protect their energy security. For example, India reduced its oil imports from Iran due to US pressure. Actions like this could be avoided in future. Secondly, this expansion can fill the gap left by US in Middle East. See, the US played a role of peace broker in Middle East. But recently, US has neglected this region. This gap can be utilized by countries like China and India. If you can recall, China recently brokered re-establishment of ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran. The recent addition of Saudi Arabia, Iran, UAE and Egypt into the BRICS shows that BRICS is now ready to take up the role of peace broker in Middle East. Then the third significance is de-dollarization of global trade. Many BRICS countries have vocally challenged the use of US dollar in global trade. And many countries in their individual capacity have been looking to some alternatives. For example, India recently signed an agreement with UAE to trade in Indian rupees instead of US dollar. Now with the addition of six new countries, BRICS members will look to expand the use of their own national currency instead of US dollars. This will reduce the global influence of US dollar. The next significance is providing representation to Africa. BRICS was originally formed to ensure cooperation between emerging countries and the global south. The African continent that contains a majority of global south was not represented enough in international institutions. Only South Africa was represented in BRICS. So to address this, Egypt and Ethiopia have been given membership in BRICS. This will provide more voice to Africa in BRICS grouping. Lastly, the addition of members signifies a shift in global order. The US and Europe have been trying to isolate Russia and Iran. The BRICS nations have stayed neutral towards Russia. So these are the signs of major shift in global order. With respect to India, the expansion will help India's push for UN reform, more representation of global south and the expansion of UN Security Council. But the critics are pointing out that all new members are very close to economic ties with China. And the expansion of the BRICS grouping will only benefit China more than any other BRICS countries. So this is all about this discussion. Now let us move to the prelims practice question discussion. Now look at the first prelims practice question. It is about Defense Acquisition Council. So what is the primary role of Defense Acquisition Council? The correct answer is option D. It approves the defense procurement and modernization proposals. Now look at the second question. It is about Interstate River Water Disputes Act 1956. Look at the first statement. President of India can set up a water dispute tribunal. This is wrong because the central government has the power to set up water dispute tribunal. Now look at the second statement. The tribunal must decide the dispute within one year. This statement is also wrong because the tribunal must decide on the dispute within three years which can be extended for two years. So here they have given one year and this statement is also incorrect. Look at the third statement. All decisions of tribunal are final and binding. Yes, we have seen in the discussion no court can intervene in the decisions of this tribunal. So this statement is correct. So the correct answer is option A, only one. Now this is the quiz question for you today. Post the answer in comment section. And this is the main question for you today. Try to write an answer and post it in the comment section. With this we have come to the end of the discussion. If you like the video, please share it with your friends and subscribe to Shankara AS Academy YouTube channel. Thank you.