After 84 years, cobra lily blooms again
‘Critically endangered’ endemic plant species recently rediscovered in the Nilgiris
•The incredibly rare Arisaematranslucens, more commonly remembered as the cobra lily, was recently rediscover-ed in the western Nilgiris after 84 years by nature enthusiasts K.M. Prabhu Kumar and Tarun Chhabra. Featuring a distinctive translucent spathe, it was last collected by E. Barnes in 1932 and described by C.E.C Fischer in 1933.
•Barely a few hundred cobra lily plants are left in the wild and they can be found only in a small area measuring less than 10 square kilometres in the Nilgiris. News of the discove-ry was published in May 2017 in Phytotaxa, a journal on botanical taxonomy.
•“The Toda tribals of the Nilgiris, who know the planet well, have an embroidery motif known as the ‘podwarshk’, which resembles it,” Mr. Chhabra, author of The Toda Landscape, told The Hindu. “If I am not mistaken, this is probably the only member of the Arisaema family to have a translucent spathe, and they are very beautiful.”
Risk of extinction
•He added that such was the depth of the indigenous community’s knowledge that they could predict the early arrival of monsoons from the blooming of the cobra lily's ‘translucens’. Prized for their beauty around the world, cobra lilies are at even greater risk of extinction from the commercial trade in exotic plants.
•Of the handful cobra lily species found in the Nilgiris, only two are endemic, said Mr. Chhabra, who has called for the protection of the patch of land where the Arisaema translucens were found. Likely to have been quite common once, cobra lilies have vanished in the past decades along with the disappearance of the shola tree patches in which they were found. The rediscovery of the plant highlights the importance of preserving whatever is left of shola tree patches, even inside plantations and tea fields.
•Dr. Prabhu Kumar, a senior scientist from Kerala and one of the co-authors of the paper, said that based on its tiny population and distribution, the Arisaematranslucens could be considered ‘critically endangered’, and concurred that measures must be put in place immediately for their long-term survival.
Army set to get 11 Apache helicopters
Its demand for 22 of these choppers was earlier rejected by IAF, which feels its role will diminish
•After several years of wrangling, the Army and the Indian Air Force (IAF) are likely to get the Apache multi-role attack helicopters from the U.S.
•The Army, which has long pitched for its own dedicated fleet of attack helicopters, is likely to get its way through, sources said. The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by Defence Minister Arun Jaitley, discussed the issue last week.
•The Army initially asked for 22 attack helicopters to be transferred to its custody, which was rejected by the Air Force. The IAF has strongly opposed the creation of a separate mini-Air wing by the Army, which the former felt would reduce its role.
•“The Army will get 11 Apache helicopters, while the original order of 22 helicopters will be with the IAF. It will go through,” a senior officer told The Hindu on Monday.
•For this, India will exercise the optional clause in the original deal signed with the U.S. in November 2015. Under a $3-billion deal, India has contracted 22 Apache attack helicopters and 15 Chinook heavy-lift helicopters through the Foreign Military Sales programme.
•This means that both the services would operate several helicopter types which would mean duplication of efforts for logistics, maintenance and support.
CSAR operations
•Air Vice-Marshal Manmohan Bahadur (Retd), Distinguished Fellow, Centre for Air Power Studies, noted that the IAF would always have a need for attack helicopters. “While there is no doubt that there would be duplication of maintenance and logistics, there are specific IAF roles like Special Heli-borne Missions and Combat Search And Rescue (CSAR),” he said.
•He also noted that the IAF was best suited for the CSAR as it had a range of aircraft at its disposal.
•The Army has for long pitched for its own dedicated attack helicopter fleet integrated with its strike corps and has recently expressed the desire to have 39 Apaches. At present, India operates a mix of Russian Mi-25 and Mi-35 attack helicopters, which are with the IAF.
•The Army has placed a firm order for 114 indigenously developed light combat helicopters (LCH), which is in an advanced stage of induction, and has also ordered Rudra helicopters, the weaponised variant of the advanced light helicopter (ALH). The Air Force too ordered the Rudra and 65 LCHs.
No room for India yet in NSG: China
Beijing says its position on non-NPT members’ participation in the group has not changed
•China on Monday said it would oppose India’s unilateral entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), pending the consensus on membership of nuclear weapon states which had not signed the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT).
•To a question, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said, “China’s position on the non-NPT members’ participation in the NSG has not changed.”
•The 48-nation NSG is expected to hold its plenary in June in Bern, Switzerland, where the topic of New Delhi’s entry is expected to be discussed.
•New Delhi had formally applied for NSG membership in May last year, but China has consistently blocked India’s bid, pointing to the need for devolving universally applicable membership criteria for all countries which have not signed the NPT, but had become nuclear weapon states.
Pakistan’s status
•Pakistan, China’s close ally, is the other declared nuclear weapon state which has not signed the NPT.
•The NSG controls the global exports of nuclear technology and material to ensure that atomic energy is used only for peaceful purposes.
•“We support the NSG group following the mandate of the 2016 plenary session and following building consensus as well as the inter-governmental process that is open and transparent to deal with the relevant issues in a two-step approach,” Ms. Hua said.
•In a statement last year following the November 11 meeting of the NSG in Vienna, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said the meeting in the Austrian capital was held to discuss the “technical, legal and political aspects of non-NPT states’ participation in the NSG”, in accordance with the mandate adopted in June during the grouping’s meeting held in Seoul.
•The meeting was a maiden attempt since the NSG’s inception in 1975 to formally take up non-NPT states’ participation “in an open and transparent manner”.
•However, the statement reiterated China’s insistence on linking NSG membership to the NPT — a formulation that rules out India’s membership.
‘Non-discriminatory’
•“China maintains that any formula [for membership] worked out should be non-discriminatory and applicable to all non-NPT states; without prejudice to the core values of the NSG and the effectiveness, authority and integrity of the international non-proliferation regime with the NPT as its cornerstone; and without contradicting the customary international law in the field of non-proliferation.”
•In defining a two-step approach for arriving at a consensus, the Chinese side has said the first step for membership was defining a “formula” which would be followed by a second step, which would be “country-specific”.
Indian stance
•India has underscored that NPT membership is not essential for joining the NSG, as was illustrated in the case with France, which became a member of the NSG without signing the NPT.
•Highly placed sources said that at the discussions with the Chinese, India insisted that the NSG was not a non-proliferation group but an “export control” mechanism.
•Therefore, India’s NSG bid should be de-linked from the criterion of NPT membership.
Hack it if you can
The EC’s challenge to political parties to prove EVMs can be hacked is a welcome move
•The electronic voting machine has been under strong scrutiny ever since it was deployed in the 1990s. The Indian EVM is a singular instrument with its dependence on standalone hardware-firmware-led machine components to register and tally votes — it is not reliant on computer software or networked components. Questions have been therefore raised about the possibility of EVM-tampering either by the introduction of malicious code (trojans) that could override the logic embedded in the chip, replacing its chip, or manipulating the communication between the ballot and the control units through remote signals or equipment. The Election Commission has evolved improvements over time to address these concerns, and has strengthened technical and administrative safeguards to prevent any manipulation. The steps include time-stamping of key presses, dynamic coding in second-generation machines besides tamper-proofing and self-diagnostics in the third-generation machines that are now being deployed. A strict administrative protocol involving first-level checks after manufacture, randomised deployment, sealed strong rooms for storage, and conduct of mock polls has been instituted. The EC has pledged the universal deployment of voter verifiable paper audit trails beginning 2019. VVPATs will add another layer of accountability, allowing voters to verify the choice registered on the ballot unit in real time, and the machine-read vote tallies post-election.
•These steps have obviously not satisfied some political parties which have used the logic of machine fallibility to claim that their recent electoral losses were a consequence of EVM tampering rather than actual voter choice. The Aam Aadmi Party recently demonstrated what it claimed to be a possible hack of the EVM by the introduction of a trojan on to an EVM prototype; it said that, therefore, it was possible to manipulate all EVMs by the replacement of its motherboard (to accommodate a chip that carried a built-in trojan). This critique does not stand scrutiny considering the EC’s technical and administrative safeguards that prevent trojans or the mass manipulation of EVMs. The EC’s challenge to political parties to participate in a hackathon on June 3, to test out manipulation of EVMs with the various safeguards in place, is welcome. The scepticism of some political parties apart, there is definitely a case for constantly improving EVM design and security features in order to completely rule out any sophisticated tampering attempt, howsoever difficult it is to carry it off considering the strict administrative safeguards in place. The more transparent the EC is about demonstrating the robustness of its safeguards and its determination to improve them further, the greater will be the public’s trust in the electoral process.
An unequal burden
The Paris Climate Agreement recognises that all countries have responsibilities. However, the developed world needs to shoulder the major funding requirement
• The Paris Climate Agreement (PA) was signed in December 2015 in an attempt to limit the release and the effects from greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere. Ahead of the meeting, various countries developed and submitted pledges or national commitments, referred to in climate parlance as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), which are effectively the actions each country is now required to take. The Conference of the Parties-22 (COP-22) in Marrakesh in November 2016 continued discussions on the implementation of the PA and specific aspects continue to be deliberated upon in interim meetings such as the recently concluded one in Bonn.
• For about three-fourths of the 165 listed NDCs, implementation of pledges is conditional upon assistance on the finance and technology fronts. These countries depend on help from industrialised economies to build capacity for implementation.
• Keep in mind that even if all the NDCs were implemented, estimates show that the planet would warm up by about 3°C from pre-industrial temperatures — well above the goal of staying below a 1.5°C or a 2°C rise. This implies that all the NDCs ought to be implemented, and the support required should be provided, so that countries can build the trust and confidence needed to further raise the bar for future targets. Such periodic raising of the stakes is built into the process of PA implementation, which would collapse without support.
• Improving energy efficiencies across various sectors and expanding the use of renewables are among the necessary activities that will enable us to move along low-carbon development pathways. But we have to go well beyond that and shift to a radically different pattern of living that no longer involves GHG emissions. Upfront capital investments are crucial for sustainable futures, and without them poorer countries have few options.
• Recent policy actions by U.S. President Donald Trump indicate that the U.S. may not be able meet its own NDC targets. This by itself is a threat to keeping global warming within safe levels. However, further danger is also posed by the fact that under Mr. Trump Washington is not likely to fulfil its obligation to provide support for the implementation of NDCs by other countries. Therefore, not just the U.S., but other countries too may fail without the means to implement their proposals.
The Green Climate Fund
• The Green Climate Fund (GCF) is an international mechanism set up at the Conference of the Parties-16 (COP-16) in Cancun in 2010. As per the international agreement, advanced economies should provide an annual assistance of $100 billion, through public and private sources, by 2020 — the deadline is now extended to 2025. The fund currently has pledges worth $10 billion from various developed countries and there is a commitment to fund projects that enable the lowering of emissions and help in dealing with the effects from climate change.
• India, early in its NDC statement, had estimated a requirement of $2.5 trillion to carry out its climate actions until 2030. However, it is clear that the least developed countries, small island states and African countries, which are all very vulnerable to the effects of warming and have contributed little to the GHGs, ought to receive the first priority.
• In April 2017, the GCF Board approved eight projects for a total funding of $755 million. The number of projects they have supported now adds up to 43, and the total amount is $2.2 billion in GCF funds that have a value of $7.3 billion, if one were to include co-financing.
• A project to rejuvenate tanks and enhance renewables in Odisha was recently approved by the GCF for $34 million. While this is but a small fraction of the required funding, it is expected to improve climate resilience in 15 of the most vulnerable districts of the State. The GCF has the ability to bear risks, support innovation and leverage its own funds for further support, therefore making it a vital agency for poor countries. While there are some reports that private funding for the GCF will increase, these are not likely to support adaptation and will focus on actions that bring returns on investments. Thus, funds from advanced economies remain crucial.
• In January, former U.S. President Barack Obama transferred $500 million to the GCF. This was the second payment towards the fulfilment of a $3 billion pledge made in 2014. So far, more than 40 countries, including a few developing economies, have made contributions to the GCF, the major contributors being the U.S., Japan and the U.K., but still the U.S. pledge is only $9.41 in per capita terms — many times lower than that of several European countries.
• These recent transfers neither fulfil the U.S. pledge nor its obligations as the largest cumulative emitter of GHGs. If Mr. Trump is unwilling, perhaps Congress could approve the funds. Countries in Europe will need to pick up the slack, along with other private contributors. Constraints in the flow of funds will prevent even the minimal level of support to deal with climate change.
Stocks and flows
• With regard to emissions, it is useful to think of them in terms of stocks and flows. Stocks are what are there in the atmosphere and flows are what are released annually. It is true that China now leads in the annual emissions, but these appear to be plateauing. The U.S. is a close second, and India a distant third. Still, India’s emissions are a tenth of those of the U.S. in per capita terms.
• The stocks in the atmosphere, released since the fuelling of the industrial revolution, led to immense prosperity for many countries, which have subsequently become the advanced economies. When the world calls for funding for the GCF, it only asks these nations to deal with problems they have caused. It is not the responsibility of a poor fisherman in Bangladesh or a woman in Sub-Saharan Africa or an islander who loses her house to storms in the Pacific to bear the burden of emissions from rich countries.
• The fact that all countries have responsibilities has been recognised in the Paris Agreement and we are all pulling the ship, but the rich countries, especially the U.S. and European nations, have to do their fair share for the world to set along a new path towards zero emissions. India or any other developing country simply recommitting to implement its NDCs will not accomplish much, since without help we cannot go far and need the assistance that is owed to us.
RBI outlines action plan for resolving stressed loans
May assign rating agencies to avoid ‘rating-shopping’
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has outlined a broad plan to resolve stressed assets at lenders in the wake of the amendment of the Banking Regulation Act earlier this month.
• The RBI, which has sought information from lenders on the current status of large stressed assets and is working on norms for expediting the process of taking cases through insolvency and bankruptcy, said it would constitute a panel “comprised majorly of its independent board members” to advise it in this matter. “The Reserve Bank is working on a framework to facilitate an objective and consistent decision making process with regard to cases that may be determined for reference for resolution under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 (IBC),” it said in a statement.
• The RBI is also exploring the possibility of credit rating assignments determined by it, in order to avoid conflict of interest.
• “RBI envisages an important role for the credit rating agencies in the scheme of things and, with a view to preventing rating-shopping or any conflict of interest, is exploring the feasibility of rating assignments being determined by the Reserve Bank itself and paid for from a fund to be created out of contribution from the banks and the Reserve Bank.”
Oversight committee
• The two-member Oversight Committee (OC) would also be reconstituted and put “under the aegis” of the RBI. The OC would be enlarged to include more members so that it could set up benches to deal with the volume of cases. The central bankwould soon name additions to the OC, who would join the existing members.
Smallest nation joins solar alliance
Nauru is the sixth country to ratify the International Solar Alliance Framework
•The world’s smallest republic, the tiny island nation of Nauru — has become the sixth country to ratify the International Solar Alliance (ISA) Framework pact initiated by the Indian and French Governments at the climate change summit held at Paris in 2015.
•Five more nations, from Africa, — Comoros, Cote d’Ivoire, Somalia, Ghana and Djibouti — have committed to sign the pact during the ongoing meeting of the African Development bank in India.
Climate change
•Nauru, which has a population of just 10,200-odd, is particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change, said the country’s Commerce, Industry and Environment Minister Aaron Cook before handing over the ratification document to Union Finance, Defence and Corporate Affairs Minister Arun Jaitley on Monday.
•“Nauru has a hot and humid climate due to its proximity to the equator… We are fortunate that we don’t normally experience cyclones,” Mr. Cook said, adding that 30% of the country’s needs are currently met through solar power installations and it had set a target to attain 50% of energy production from renewable sources by 2020.
•The motivating factor behind the International Solar Alliance, Mr. Jaitley said, is the need for continents like Asia and Africa to protect the environment while generating energy for development goals.
•“With today’s signing up by five African countries, we will reach around 31 countries of which six have already ratified the pact,” said Mr. Jaitley.
‘Important’ alliance
•“This is an important alliance for the future and what we are doing today is not just an agreement, but a new chapter in the future economic history of the world,” he said.
•Headquartered in India, the alliance, conceived as a coalition of solar resource-rich countries to collaborate on meeting their energy needs through a common, agreed approach, will become a legal entity once at least 15 countries ratify and deposit the framework agreement.
•India has earmarked about $2 billion to finance solar projects in Africa out of it commitment to provide $10 billion of concessional lines of credit for projects in the continent.
