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   BIMSTEC needs to reinvent itself   Context: The foreign ministers of  BIMSTEC (the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation)  met virtually on April 1. That they made time to hold their 17th meeting is good news. Their major task was to pave the way for the next summit, the grouping’s fifth, due to be held in Sri Lanka in the “next few months”. While most  multilateral groupings from G20 to ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organisation)  held their deliberations at the highest political level in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, BIMSTEC leaders failed to do so. In contrast to a meeting of even SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) leaders held at India’s initiative a year ago, BIMSTEC could not arrange its ministerial meeting until April 2021. This is due as much to contextual factors as the diplomatic environment prevailing today.   Background for BIMSTEC: Unfolding rejuve

Sputnik V recommended for emergency use Part of : GS Prelims and GS – II – Health  In news Russia’s COVID-19 vaccine — Sputnik V — has been recommended for emergency use authorisation in India following a meeting of the Subject Expert Committee (SEC). Key takeaways  If approved by the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI), Sputnik V would be the third vaccine to be made available in India after the Serum Institute of India’s  Covishield  and Bharat Biotech’s  Covaxin . Sputnik V is developed by Russia’s Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology It claims to be one of the three vaccines in the world with efficacy of over 90%. The vaccine supplies for the global market will be produced by the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) international partners in India, Brazil, China, South Korea and other countries

   Deconstructing declarations of carbon-neutrality     Introduction: At the latest count by the  non-profit Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) , at the beginning of April, 32 countries had declared, in some documented form, their proposed intention  to achieve carbon neutral status  by mid-century or thereabouts. Of these, only eight have any firm status, the rest being in the form of proposed legislation or mentions in policy documents. Since some months ago, the UN Secretary General has taken the lead in sparking off an international chorus, led by global civil society organisations based in the developed countries and encouraged by their governments, that is  urging all countries, especially India, to make explicit declarations.   Context: virtual Climate Leaders’ Summit convened by US President Joe Biden on April 22-23 where Prime Minister Narendra Modi is one of the invitees. In its bid to reclaim the global climate leadership, the US is widely expected to commit itself

  SC’s views on religious conversions Part of : GS Prelims and GS – II – Fundamental Rights In news The SC said that people are free to choose their religion and it lashed out at a petition claiming there is mass religious conversion happening “by hook or by crook” across the cou ntry. Key takeaways  It said that people have a right under the Constitution to profess, practise and propagate religion. Article 25:  It grants Fundamental right to freely profess, practise and propagate religion, subject to public order, morality and health. Every person is the final judge of his/her choice of religion or who their life partner should be. Courts cannot sit in judgment of a person’s choice of religion or life partner. Religious faith is a part of the fundamental right to privacy.  The Constitution Bench judgment had earlier upheld inviolability of the right to privacy, equating it with the rights to life, of dignity and liberty.

  Dolphin boom in Odisha’s Chilika lake: Context: Odisha has released the final data on the dolphin census. Key findings: The population of dolphins in Chilika, India’s largest brackish water lake, and along the Odisha coast has doubled this year compared with last year. Three species were recorded during the census, with 544  Irrawaddy, bottle-nose and humpback dolphins  sighted this year, compared with 233 last year. The rise in the Irrawaddy dolphin population in Chilika can be attributed to the eviction of illegal fish enclosures. About Irrawaddy dolphins: Found in coastal areas in South and Southeast Asia, and in three rivers: the Irrawaddy (Myanmar), the Mahakam (Indonesian Borneo) and the Mekong (China). They are ‘Endangered’ as per the IUCN Red List. About Indo- Pacific Bottlenose dolphins: Lives in the waters around India, northern Australia, South China, the Red Sea, and the eastern coast of Africa. IUCN status: Near Threatened (Source: Wiki). About Indian Ocean Humpback dolp

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) What is NATO? The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, the Atlantic Alliance or the Western Alliance, is an international organisation for collective security established in 1949, in support of the North Atlantic Treaty signed in Washington, DC, on 4 April 1949. Its headquarters are located in Brussels, Belgium. Its other official name is the French equivalent, l’Organisation du Traité de l’Atlantique Nord (OTAN) (English and French being the two official languages of the organisation). Background The Treaty of Brussels, signed on 17 March 1948 by Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, and the United Kingdom, is considered the precursor to the NATO agreement. This treaty established a military alliance, later to become the Western European Union. However, American participation was thought necessary in order to counter the military power of the Soviet Union, and therefore talks f

  Muon g–2: New physics governing the laws of nature Part of : GS Prelims and GS – III – Sci & tech  In news Newly published results of an international experiment hint at the possibility of new physics governing the laws of nature. The experiment, called Muon g–2 (g minus two), was conducted at the US Department of Energy’s Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab). Key takeaways  The experiment studied a subatomic particle called the muon.  Its results do not match the predictions of the Standard Model, on which all particle physics is based.  The results instead reconfirm a discrepancy that had been detected in an experiment 20 years ago. Concluded in 2001, the Brookhaven experiment came up with results that did not identically match predictions by the Standard Model. The Muon g–2 experiment measured this quantity with greater accuracy. What is the Standard Model? The Standard Model is a rigorous theory that predicts the behaviour of the building blocks of the universe. I

  Facts for Prelims: U.K. to set up fund for migrants from Hong Kong: The British government is setting up a £43 million ($59 million) fund to help migrants from Hong Kong settle in the country as they escape increasing political repression in the former colony. The offer extends to holders of British National (Overseas) passports who have been offered special visas, opening a path to work, residency and eventual citizenship to up to 5 million of Hong Kong’s 7.4 million people. Gyanvapi Mosque: A local court in Varanasi has directed the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to conduct a survey of  the Gyanvapi Mosque,  adjacent to the Kashi Vishwanath Temple, to find out whether it was a “superimposition, alteration or addition or if there is structural overlapping of any kind, with any other religious structure”. What’s the issue? The order came on a petition demanding restoration of the land on which the Gyanvapi Mosque stands to the Hindus, claiming that Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb had

  Civil defence volunteers: Context: The Delhi Police recently issued a statement, pointing out that  civil defence personnel,  also known as  Delhi Civil Defence (DCD) volunteers,  have no power to stop people using police barricades and prosecute them for violation of Covid-19 appropriate behaviour such as not wearing masks. What’s the issue? From being lauded for their work during the pandemic to facing allegations of high-handedness, the role of the civil defence volunteers in the national capital has come under intense scrutiny in the recent past. One such incident recently turned into a full blown fist-fight between a group of civil defence personnel and general public near IIT-Delhi. So, who are these civil defence volunteers? In Delhi, these are men and women who  work under the command of the district magistrates. The  overall command lies with the divisional commissioner,  to which the DMs report. These volunteers are  governed by the Civil Defence Act, 1968 . What is civil d

  Incentives for solar energy sector: Context: The Union Cabinet has approved two production-linked incentive schemes for: White goods (air-conditioners and LED lights). High-efficiency solar photovoltaic modules. About the PLI scheme: The prime objective of the PLI scheme is to make manufacturing in India globally competitive by removing sectoral disabilities, creating economies of scale and ensuring efficiencies. It is designed to create complete component ecosystem in India and make India an integral part of the global supply chains. The scheme would extend an incentive of 4% to 6% on incremental sales of goods made in India for five years. Benefits: Additional 10,000 MW capacity of integrated solar PV manufacturing plants. Direct investment of around Rs.17,200 crore in solar PV manufacturing projects. Demand of Rs.17,500 crore over 5 years for ‘Balance of Materials’. Direct employment of about 30,000 and Indirect employment of about 1,20,000 persons. Import substitution of around R