📰 Russia to deliver first stealth frigate by mid-2023
Delivery of two Krivak class vessels delayed by COVID
•The first of two additional Krivak class stealth frigates being built by Russia is expected to be delivered to India in the middle of 2023, according to the head of United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC) of Russia.
•“Due to COVID we had delays in execution of some of the stages of construction. There was an approximately eight month delay. The first ship should be delivered in the middle of 2023,” said Alexey Rakhmanov, Chief Executive Officer of USC at the ongoing Army 2021 exhibition.
•In October 2016, India and Russia signed an Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) for four Krivak or Talwar class stealth frigates — two to be procured directly from Russia and two to be built by the Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) — after which a $1-billion deal was signed for the direct purchase.
•On the construction at GSL, Mr. Rakhmanov said they would soon be inviting Indian technicians for the ongoing construction of two frigates at the Yantar shipyard to familiarise themselves with the specificity of the equipment and the construction. In the second stage, substantial work would be done at GSL including technology transfer, he stated.
•Mr. Rakhmanov added that the frigates were being built to operate both Indian and Russian equipment.
•The basic structures of two frigates are already ready at the Yantar shipyard in Russia which are now being completed.
•The keel for the first ship to be built at GSL was laid in January and for the second ship in June this year. Keel laying is a major milestone in shipbuilding symbolising formal commencement of the construction process.
•The Navy had recently stated that the first of these ships would be delivered in 2026 and the second six months later.
•In November 2018, GSL had signed a $500 million deal with Rosoboronexport of Russia for material, design and specialist assistance to locally manufacture the two frigates and in January 2019 the contract was signed between the Ministry of Defence and the GSL.
•The engines for the ships are supplied by Zorya Nashproekt of Ukraine. Four gas turbine engines, gear boxes and specialist support will cost around $50 million per ship, as reported by The Hindu earlier.
•Indian Navy currently operates six Krivak class frigates weighing around 4,000 tonnes procured in two different batches.
Bench says solution to end impasse over 3 farm laws lies with govt
•The Supreme Court took a nuanced stand on Monday, saying farmers have the right to protest but the agitation should not hinder traffic or public movement.
•A Bench led by Justice S.K. Kaul said the solution to end the farmer-government impasse over the three agriculture laws lay with the government.
•Protesting farmers have been camping on the outskirts of the Capital for over a year.
•The court has asked the Central, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh governments to take stock of the ground situation.
•The Bench, also comprising Justice Hrishikesh Roy, was hearing a petition filed by Monica Agarwal, a Noida resident. She has complained that commuting to and fro between Delhi and Noida has become a nightmare due to road blocks because of the farmers’ protest.
•“The solution lies in the hands of the Union and States. If the protests are on, the traffic should not be stopped in any manner, so that to and fro for people is not disturbed,” the Bench remarked.
•The court asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, to ask his client to intervene.
U.P.’s affidavit
•In a recent affidavit, the Uttar Pradesh government said it had reached out to the farmers about the inconvenience being caused to commuters. Blocking free public movement was illegal, it stated.
•The court scheduled the next hearing for September 20.
•“It is her say that she is a single parent and also has some medical issues and it has become a nightmare to travel to Delhi where it is taking two hours instead of normal 20 minutes. She contends that despite the various directions passed by this Court to keep the to and fro passage clear [the roads], the same still does not happen. We did put to her if it is so, it is an administrative failure as the judicial view has already been propounded by us,” the Bench noted in its April order.
📰 ₹6 lakh crore national monetisation plan announced for infrastructure assets
Projects have been identified across sectors, with roads, railways and power being the top segments.
•Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday announced a ₹6 lakh crore National Monetisation Pipeline (NMP) that will look to unlock value in infrastructure assets across sectors ranging from power to road and railways.
•She also said the asset monetisation does not involve selling of land and it is about monetising brownfield assets.
•Projects have been identified across sectors, with roads, railways and power being the top segments.
•“NMP estimates aggregate monetisation potential of ₹6 lakh crores through core assets of central government over the four-year period from FY 2022 to FY 2025,” she said. “Ownership of assets will remain with the government and there will be a mandatory hand-back.” Asset monetisation will unlock resources and lead to value unlocking, she said.
•Union Budget 2021-22 had identified monetisation of operating public infrastructure assets as a key means for sustainable infrastructure financing.
•Towards this, the Budget provided for preparation of a ‘National Monetisation Pipeline’ of potential brownfield infrastructure assets. NITI Aayog in consultation with infra line ministries has prepared the report on NMP.
•The aggregate asset pipeline under NMP over the four-year period is indicatively valued at ₹6 lakh crore. The estimated value corresponds to 14% of the proposed outlay for Centre under the National Infrastructure Pipeline (₹43 lakh crore).
•The end objective of this initiative is to enable "infrastructure creation through monetisation" wherein the public and private sector collaborate, each excelling in their core areas of competence, so as to deliver socio-economic growth and quality of life to the country's citizens, she added.
📰 Staying invested: on India's relations with Afghanistan
India must retain its traditional and historic interest in Afghanistan and its people
•Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decision to ask the MEA to brief all parliamentary parties on the Government’s actions in Afghanistan comes as questions grow about the Government’s planning for contingencies there, with the Taliban’s takeover. Since August 15, when the Taliban militia entered Kabul, the Government, including the MEA and the Defence Ministry, has been understandably occupied with the challenging evacuation of Indian nationals. In addition, the Government’s decision to evacuate the entire embassy staff and security personnel first has made it more difficult to facilitate those Indians, as well as long-term visa holding Afghan Sikhs and Hindus needing to return. With most of the Indians based in Afghanistan returning home, or expected to soon, the Government must face the larger strategic questions over whether the Indian Embassy was evacuated too early. India had undertaken evacuations during the 1990s too, but then the presence of Indian nationals was not as large and Indian stakes in Afghanistan were not so deeply rooted. In the past 20 years, India has built considerable interests, including major infrastructure projects and ongoing development projects, helped script the Afghan Constitution and conduct of elections, as well as enabled the training and education of the next generation of officials, soldiers and professionals. It seems unfortunate, therefore, that this bank of goodwill came to naught as the Government decided it was safer to pull up stakes, emulating neither the U.S. and European countries who relocated their diplomatic outposts to the Kabul airport, nor Russia, China and Iran, which decided not to vacate their embassies there.
•Going forward, the Government must explain how it expects to approach the new regime in Afghanistan once it is formed. It is still unclear whether this will be merely a repeat of the brutal regime seen from 1996-2001, or whether negotiations are under way for a more inclusive coalition, including several former leaders of Afghanistan, will fructify into a transitional government. The rise of Taliban power and that of the group’s Pakistani backers is a particular security concern as groups such as the LeT and the JeM could use Afghanistan as a staging base for terror attacks in India. Finally, the Government must explain how it will approach the Afghan people, especially those whose lives could be in danger, including Embassy staff and associates, those working on Indian projects, minorities, including those Islamic sects such as the Hazaras who have been targeted, as well as women. A more open, liberalised visa policy, and more swift processing of the newly launched special “e-Emergency X-Misc” visas would reassure both Afghans and the international community that India’s exit from Afghanistan is not permanent, and it will retain its traditional and historic interests in the country and its people, despite adverse events there.
📰 Finding a healthy way to cook
As questions arise over the Ujjwala scheme’s success, it would be prudent to introduce alternative clean sources of energy
•In India, many women in poor households who use firewood or dung cakes for cooking spend long hours collecting firewood and making dung cakes. This is drudgery. It affects their health and puts the safety of women and girls in jeopardy. Using firewood and dung cakes also leads to indoor pollution, as chulhas (firewood-based stoves) using these sources of energy release carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Both these gases have an adverse impact on the health of the family members. They also impact the environment.
•The earlier solution to this problem — smokeless or fuel-efficient chulhas for cooking — was introduced in the 1980s. The National Programme on Improved Chulha was launched in 1984. This was backed by training programmes for making and maintaining these chulhas. But these programmes failed when subsidies were withdrawn, governments lost interest, people could not be convinced to use the new chulhas and did not participate, target beneficiaries were not properly identified, and there was little quality control.
Introducing LPG
•The Indian government then introduced Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) in June 2013 under the PAHAL scheme on an experimental basis. The scheme finally covered 291 districts. Access to this clean energy was expected to alleviate the public health burden posed by household air pollution on women. With rising incomes, the lower classes were expected to be covered by the scheme. The scheme, it was thought, would improve women’s access to education, leisure, and the labour market, and also improve the environment, climate, and human health.
•In 2016, the Modi government launched the LPG scheme as the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMYU). NITI Aayog laid out a road map for universal access to LPG by 2025. The subsidy for LPG increased from ₹12,000 crore in 2016-17 to ₹21,000 crore in 2017-18 (Petroleum Analysis and Planning Cell, 2018), and 94% of all households had an LPG connection as of September 2019, an increase from 56% in 2014-15.
•However, as per evaluation studies, many LPG connection holders were found to still be using other fuels like firewood and dung cakes. This is because men, who usually make the decision of buying the refill, often do not agree to a refill which is expensive for the poor. Studies found that the poor use LPG mainly for making tea or snacks while they continue to use firewood or cow dung for their main cooking, as these sources of fuel are free of cost and easily available. Usually, as low value is attached to women’s time in production, the opportunity cost of women’s labour is low even when a capital subsidy is available, and women have to depend on traditional fuels. LPG is used for cooking when the opportunity cost of women’s labour is considered high, such as in the peak season in farming. On the other hand, urban households with reasonably high incomes and rural households belonging to upper income groups consider LPG refill a necessity for full cooking. Official data show that 48% rural households used LPG (2018) but only partially. The other problems in accessing LPG are administrative and include the distance to LPG distribution centres, long waiting time, and rising costs of LPG cylinders.
•Despite these findings, the Prime Minister recently introduced Ujjwala 2.0 under which one crore additional PMUY connections aim to provide deposit-free LPG connections to those low-income families who could not be covered under the earlier phase of PMUY. Under Ujjwala 2.0, migrants will not be required to submit ration cards or address proof. The amount allocated for this purpose is ₹14,073 crore this year.
•It is clear that the planners have not looked at the evaluation studies of Ujjwala 1.0 and the official data on the performance of the scheme. LPG cylinders are not a priority for the poorest. They sometimes even sell the cylinder to meet their urgent needs.
One size cannot fit all
•There is no doubt that crores of poor and middle class women need better sources of cooking energy that are time saving, healthy, easily accessible and affordable. LPG works well, but only for non-poor households. Others need affordable alternatives to choose from, such as solar energy and solar cookers, smokeless chulhas, biogas plants and electric cookers where electricity is cheap. Good research and development efforts need to be made in the public and private sectors to explore these alternatives. As one solution may not fit all, there is a need to offer a set of energy sources to households so that each of them finds a suitable energy for itself. Women in India can achieve energy security for cooking only through cheaper and efficient alternatives.
📰 Tauktae, Yaas and planning for the next
With a rise in the frequency of devastating cyclones, India needs to look at long-term mitigation measures
•The severe cyclones, Tauktae and Yaas, which battered India earlier this year, made landfalls on the country’s western coast, Gujarat, and the eastern coast, Odisha, on May 17 and May 26, 2021, respectively. Both storms caused massive damage to infrastructure, the agricultural sector, and houses. Government of India reports are that, put together, an estimated 199 people died, 37 million people were affected, and economic losses stood at ₹320 billion (U.S.$4.3 billion). In addition, crop area of 0.24 million hectares was affected, and around 0.45 million houses were damaged. Moreover, 2.5 million people were evacuated to cyclone shelters and relief camps in these two States. The large-scale uprooting of trees in the urban areas affected already depleting green cover. Thus, during the COVID-19 pandemic, these cyclones caused additional financial responsibility for State governments. The health costs need to be measured too.
More frequent
•Increasing sea surface temperatures in the northern Indian Ocean and the geo-climatic conditions in India have led to a rise in the frequency of devastating cyclones in the coastal States accounting for 7% of the global tropical cyclones, according to India Meteorological Department (IMD), 2013 data. Every year, around five to six tropical cyclones are formed in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea; of these, two to three turn severe. The Indian coastline is around 7,500 km; there are 96 coastal districts (which touch the coast or are close to it), with 262 million people exposed to cyclones and tsunamis. The World Bank and the United Nations (2010) estimate that around 200 million city residents would be exposed to storms and earthquakes by 2050 in India. Between 1891 and 2020, out of the 313 cyclones crossing India’s eastern and western coasts, 130 were classified as severe cyclonic storms. The west coast experienced 31 cyclones, while 282 cyclones crossed the east coast. The Odisha coast witnessed 97 cyclones, followed by Andhra Pradesh (79), Tamil Nadu (58), West Bengal (48), Gujarat (22), Maharashtra/Goa (7), and Kerala (2).
The economic costs
•Among the natural disasters, cyclones constituted the second most frequent phenomena that occurred in 15% of India’s total natural disasters over 1999-2020. During the same period, 12,388 people were killed, and the damage was estimated at $32,615 million. Cyclones are the second most expensive in terms of the costs incurred in damage, accounting for 29% of the total disaster-related damages after floods (62%).
•In addition, they are the third most lethal disaster in India after earthquakes (42%) and floods (33%). However, fatalities due to cyclones declined from 10,378 in 1999 to 110 in 2020; the significant drop was on account of improved early warning systems, cyclone forecasting, and better disaster management activities such as timely evacuation, rehabilitation and relief distributions. But these measures are not adequate to achieve a zero-fatality approach and minimise economic losses from cyclones.
•Between 1999 and 2020, cyclones inflicted substantial damage to public and private properties, amounting to an increase in losses from $2,990 million to $14,920 million in the absence of long-term mitigation measures. In addition, damages caused due to cyclones increased nine times during the same period.
•As stated earlier, cyclones also led to an increase in the fiscal burden of governments through increased spending to implement effective cyclone preparation measures.
•As a result, direct government expenditure on natural calamities increased 13 times. The Asian Development Bank’s report in 2014 estimated that India would suffer a loss of around 1.8% of GDP annually by 2050 from climate-related events.
•India lost around 2% of GDP and 15% of total revenue over 1999-2020. According to the Global Climate Risk Index report 2021, India ranks the seventh worst-hit country globally in 2019 due to the frequent occurrence of extreme weather-related events. Moreover, the report showed that India lost around 2,267 human lives, while damages stood at $68,812 million in Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) terms in 2019. In the same year, India ranked first concerning human deaths and economic losses due to extreme weather-related events (Eckstein et al., 2021).
Measures in Odisha
•In the aftermath of the 1999 super cyclone, the Government of Odisha took up various cyclone mitigation measures which included installing a disaster warning system in the coastal districts, and construction of evacuation shelters in cyclone-prone districts. Other steps were the setting up of the Odisha State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA), conducting regular cabinet meetings for disaster preparedness, and building the Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF).
•All these activities have helped to minimise the toll from cyclonic storms such as Hudhud, Fani, Amphan, and Yaas. Still, Odisha’s disaster management model is inadequate to minimise the economic losses that result from cyclones. Therefore, the Government of India should adopt a few measures to minimise disaster damage and fatalities.
Essential steps
•First, it is imperative to improve the cyclone warning system and revamp disaster preparedness measures. Second, the Government must widen the cover under shelterbelt plantations and help regenerate mangroves in coastal regions to lessen the impact of cyclones. In addition, adopting cost-effective, long-term mitigation measures, including building cyclone-resilient infrastructure such as constructing storm surge-resilient embankments, canals and improving river connectivity to prevent waterlogging in low-lying areas are important. Third, installing disaster-resilient power infrastructure in the coastal districts, providing concrete houses to poor and vulnerable households, and creating massive community awareness campaigns are essential. Finally, healthy coordination between the Centre and the States concerned is essential to collectively design disaster mitigation measures. It is only such a collective mitigation effort by the Centre and States that can help reduce the fiscal burden of States and also be effective in minimising disaster deaths.
