Today's Headlines - 19 July 2023
BIMSTEC Foreign Ministers’ meet
GS Paper - 2 (International Relations)
The first-ever Foreign Ministers’ meeting of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) began in Bangkok, Thailand. India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar was also present, and said that areas of coordination challenge that were discussed, including health and energy security.
What is BIMSTEC?
BIMSTEC is a regional organisation that was established in 1997 with the signing of the Bangkok Declaration.
Initially known as BIST-EC (Bangladesh-India-Sri Lanka-Thailand Economic Cooperation), the organisation is now known as BIMSTEC and comprises seven members, with Myanmar joining towards the end of 1997, and Bhutan and Nepal in 2004.
Around 22% of the world’s population lives in the seven countries around the Bay of Bengal, with a combined GDP close to $2.7 trillion.
All seven countries have sustained average annual rates of growth between 3.4% and 7.5% from 2012 to 2016. A fourth of the world’s traded goods cross the bay every year.
Cooperation within the BIMSTEC had initially focused on six sectors in 1997 (trade, technology, energy, transport, tourism, and fisheries) and expanded in 2008 to other areas.
In 2021, a reorganisation led to each of the Member States leading certain sectors. India focuses on security, along with counter-terrorism and transnational crime, disaster management and energy.
Growth of BIMSTEC as a regional forum
Despite having been in existence for many years, the grouping had been largely ignored until India gave it a renewed push in October 2016, a month after the terrorist attack in Uri.
Alongside the BRICS summit in Goa, India hosted an outreach summit with leaders of BIMSTEC countries.
Weeks earlier, some of these countries had supported New Delhi’s call for a boycott of the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit scheduled in Islamabad that November.
SAARC includes Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka as its members. When that summit was postponed, India claimed victory in isolating Pakistan.
China on mind
The Bay of Bengal is crucial for an increasingly assertive China in maintaining its access route to the Indian Ocean.
As China has undertaken a massive drive to finance and build infrastructure in South and Southeast Asia through the Belt and Road Initiative in almost all BIMSTEC countries, except Bhutan and India, BIMSTEC is a new battleground in the India-China battle for dominance.
BIMSTEC could allow India to push a constructive agenda to counter Chinese investments, and instead follow best practices for connectivity projects based on recognised international norms. The Chinese projects are widely seen as violating these norms.
The two organisations — SAARC and BIMSTEC — focus on geographically overlapping regions. However, this does not make them equal alternatives.
SAARC is a purely regional organisation, whereas BIMSTEC is inter-regional and connects both South Asia and ASEAN.
Since the SAARC summit has only been postponed, not cancelled the possibility of revival remains.
#upsc #news #bimstec #foreignminister #bangkok #technical #economic #cooperation #affairsminister #thailand #jaishankar #energy #security #bangladesh #myanmar #bhutan #nepal #sevencountries #terrorism #disaster #management #SAARC #finance #india #china #south #asian #newdelhi #maldives #srilanka
BIMSTEC Foreign Ministers’ meet
GS Paper - 2 (International Relations)
The first-ever Foreign Ministers’ meeting of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) began in Bangkok, Thailand. India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar was also present, and said that areas of coordination challenge that were discussed, including health and energy security.
What is BIMSTEC?
BIMSTEC is a regional organisation that was established in 1997 with the signing of the Bangkok Declaration.
Initially known as BIST-EC (Bangladesh-India-Sri Lanka-Thailand Economic Cooperation), the organisation is now known as BIMSTEC and comprises seven members, with Myanmar joining towards the end of 1997, and Bhutan and Nepal in 2004.
Around 22% of the world’s population lives in the seven countries around the Bay of Bengal, with a combined GDP close to $2.7 trillion.
All seven countries have sustained average annual rates of growth between 3.4% and 7.5% from 2012 to 2016. A fourth of the world’s traded goods cross the bay every year.
Cooperation within the BIMSTEC had initially focused on six sectors in 1997 (trade, technology, energy, transport, tourism, and fisheries) and expanded in 2008 to other areas.
In 2021, a reorganisation led to each of the Member States leading certain sectors. India focuses on security, along with counter-terrorism and transnational crime, disaster management and energy.
Growth of BIMSTEC as a regional forum
Despite having been in existence for many years, the grouping had been largely ignored until India gave it a renewed push in October 2016, a month after the terrorist attack in Uri.
Alongside the BRICS summit in Goa, India hosted an outreach summit with leaders of BIMSTEC countries.
Weeks earlier, some of these countries had supported New Delhi’s call for a boycott of the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit scheduled in Islamabad that November.
SAARC includes Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka as its members. When that summit was postponed, India claimed victory in isolating Pakistan.
China on mind
The Bay of Bengal is crucial for an increasingly assertive China in maintaining its access route to the Indian Ocean.
As China has undertaken a massive drive to finance and build infrastructure in South and Southeast Asia through the Belt and Road Initiative in almost all BIMSTEC countries, except Bhutan and India, BIMSTEC is a new battleground in the India-China battle for dominance.
BIMSTEC could allow India to push a constructive agenda to counter Chinese investments, and instead follow best practices for connectivity projects based on recognised international norms. The Chinese projects are widely seen as violating these norms.
The two organisations — SAARC and BIMSTEC — focus on geographically overlapping regions. However, this does not make them equal alternatives.
SAARC is a purely regional organisation, whereas BIMSTEC is inter-regional and connects both South Asia and ASEAN.
Since the SAARC summit has only been postponed, not cancelled the possibility of revival remains.
#upsc #news #bimstec #foreignminister #bangkok #technical #economic #cooperation #affairsminister #thailand #jaishankar #energy #security #bangladesh #myanmar #bhutan #nepal #sevencountries #terrorism #disaster #management #SAARC #finance #india #china #south #asian #newdelhi #maldives #srilanka
Today's Headlines - 02 August 2023
Birth certificate as single document
GS Paper - 2 (Polity)
The Registration of Births and Deaths Act 1969 is likely to be amended for the first time in 54 years of its existence, with the Union Government introducing a Bill in Lok Sabha that allows the use of a birth certificate as a single document for admission in schools and colleges, issuance of driving licence and appointment to a government job.
More about the Bill
The proposed amendments also allow the use of a birth certificate for preparation of voter list, issuance of Aadhaar number and registration of marriage even as critics earlier opposed the government plans citing privacy concerns, infringing states’ rights and claiming that it gives unbridled data about people to the government.
The amendments are needed to keep pace with societal change and technological advancements and to make it more citizen friendly. Consultations were held with state governments, public and other stakeholders.
According to the Statement of Objects and Reasons of the Bill, the amendments provides for the use of the birth certificate as a single document to prove the date and place of birth of a person born on or after the date of commencement of the amendments for a variety of things.
The database of births and deaths will be made available to authorities dealing with population register, electoral rolls, Aadhaar number, ration card, passport, driving licence, property registration and other databases notified by the union government.
The Bill also provides for facilitating registration process of adopted, orphan, abandoned, surrendered, surrogate child and child to a single parent or unwed mother, to make it mandatory for all medical institutions to provide a certificate as to the cause of death to the registrar and a copy of the same to the nearest relative.
Special "sub-registrars" can be appointed in the event of disaster or epidemic for speedy registration of deaths and issue of certificates, to collect Aadhaar numbers of parents and informants, if available, in case of birth registration.
The bill will also ensure addressing the grievances of the general public aggrieved by any action or order of the registrar or district registrar and to enhance the penalties provided in the Act.
#upsc #news #headline #birth #certificate #document #polity #goverment #bill #loksabha #schools #colleges #job #amendments #adhaar #number #privacy #electoral #population #ration #passport #driving #disaster #epidemic #mandatory #medical #institutions
Birth certificate as single document
GS Paper - 2 (Polity)
The Registration of Births and Deaths Act 1969 is likely to be amended for the first time in 54 years of its existence, with the Union Government introducing a Bill in Lok Sabha that allows the use of a birth certificate as a single document for admission in schools and colleges, issuance of driving licence and appointment to a government job.
More about the Bill
The proposed amendments also allow the use of a birth certificate for preparation of voter list, issuance of Aadhaar number and registration of marriage even as critics earlier opposed the government plans citing privacy concerns, infringing states’ rights and claiming that it gives unbridled data about people to the government.
The amendments are needed to keep pace with societal change and technological advancements and to make it more citizen friendly. Consultations were held with state governments, public and other stakeholders.
According to the Statement of Objects and Reasons of the Bill, the amendments provides for the use of the birth certificate as a single document to prove the date and place of birth of a person born on or after the date of commencement of the amendments for a variety of things.
The database of births and deaths will be made available to authorities dealing with population register, electoral rolls, Aadhaar number, ration card, passport, driving licence, property registration and other databases notified by the union government.
The Bill also provides for facilitating registration process of adopted, orphan, abandoned, surrendered, surrogate child and child to a single parent or unwed mother, to make it mandatory for all medical institutions to provide a certificate as to the cause of death to the registrar and a copy of the same to the nearest relative.
Special "sub-registrars" can be appointed in the event of disaster or epidemic for speedy registration of deaths and issue of certificates, to collect Aadhaar numbers of parents and informants, if available, in case of birth registration.
The bill will also ensure addressing the grievances of the general public aggrieved by any action or order of the registrar or district registrar and to enhance the penalties provided in the Act.
#upsc #news #headline #birth #certificate #document #polity #goverment #bill #loksabha #schools #colleges #job #amendments #adhaar #number #privacy #electoral #population #ration #passport #driving #disaster #epidemic #mandatory #medical #institutions