The Hindu Analysis 25th November 2022

Pg 8. GS II (IR)
 India – Australia ECTA
● In April 2022, India & Australia signed an Economic Cooperation and Trade
Agreement (ECTA).
● It is expected to increase trade between the two sides to $50 billion over five
years, from the current estimate of $31 billion, with Indian exports driving half this
surge and create over 10 lakh additional job opportunities.
● Zero duty benefits on 98.3% of Australian tariff-lines, from the day the agreement
comes into force, will be extended to all Indian products within five years.
● Australia, in turn, will get zero duty benefits for 90% of its exports to India.
● With raw materials such as coal, metals and wool dominating its shipments, that
means cheaper inputs for Indian firms.
● Annual visa quotas for Indian chefs and yoga trainers, and a post-study work visa
regime for Indian students will bolster ties, as would the approval of a double
taxation avoidance agreement by Australia, which is expected to save millions of
dollars a year for Indian IT firms.
 India – Australia ECTA

● Australia will provide ‘preferential access’ to “all the labour-intensive sectors” of

export items from India such as gems and jewellery, textiles, leather, footwear,
furniture, food, engineering products, medical devices and automobiles.
● India will also allow Australia to export raw materials under preferential terms like
coal and mineral ores.
● Australia will get the opportunity to export certain varieties of agricultural
produce like potatoes, lentils, and meat products with some caveats. However,
bovine meat is not part of the agreement.
● Australia may also send machineries that are required for food processing under
this agreement.
● In a historic first, India may open up to a wide-range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic
drinks including Australian beer & wine.
● It has a section on goods exports and lays out clearly “Rules of Origin” that are
aimed at creating anti-dumping measures.
● There are also sections that are aimed at providing remedies and mechanisms for
resolving trade disputes.
● This is the first trade deal signed by India that has a compulsory review
mechanism after 15 years of implementation.
Pg 9. GS III (E&E)
Cost of Climate Change
Cost of Climate Change
Cost of Climate Change
Pg 10. GS II (IR)
Russia’s Nuclear Icebreakers in the Arctic
● Russian President Vladimir Putin virtually presided over the launch and flag raising
ceremony of two nuclear-powered icebreakers at St. Petersburg on November 22.
● Putin said such icebreakers were of “strategic importance”.
● As climate change opens up the Arctic giving access to new routes and resources,
there is a race by adjoining countries to build up their militaries.
● The icebreakers were laid down as part of their large-scale, systematic work to
reequip and replenish the domestic icebreaker fleet, to strengthen Russia’s status
as a “great Arctic power”.
Russia’s Nuclear Icebreakers in the Arctic
 India in the Arctic

● Since 2007, India has an Arctic research programme with as many as 13

expeditions undertaken till date.
● In March 2022, India unveiled its first Arctic policy titled: ‘India and the Arctic:
building a partnership for sustainable development’.
● India is also one of the 13 Observers in the Arctic Council, the leading
intergovernmental forum promoting cooperation in the Arctic.
Pg 8. GS II (Polity) & GS III (S&T)
Pg 8. GS II (Polity)
● During the British rule, undivided Assam included present-day Nagaland,
Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya and Mizoram.
● Meghalaya was carved out in 1972, its boundaries demarcated as per the Assam
Reorganisation (Meghalaya) Act of 1969, but has held a different interpretation of
the border since.
● Assam and Meghalaya have a longstanding dispute in 12 stretches of their 884-km
shared border.
● In 2011, the Meghalaya government had identified 12 areas of difference with
Assam, spread over approximately 2,700 sq km.
● The two states had signed a pact in March resolving the dispute in six out of 12
areas.
● In August, they decided to form regional committees.
● The second round of discussions for the remaining six phases was to commence
by the end of this month.
● The Assam-Meghalaya pact was seen as a major achievement, as Assam’s border
disputes with other states in the Northeast have remained unresolved despite
multiple rounds of talks. Now, the firing threatens to derail the upcoming talks.
Pg 14. GS III (Internal Security)
 Draft Aircraft Security Rules, 2022

● The Civil Aviation Ministry has notified the draft Aircraft Security Rules, 2022,
which enable the aviation security regulator, Bureau of Civil Aviation Security
(BCAS), to impose penalties up to ₹1 crore on airports and airlines for violation of
security measures.
● The rules will supersede Aircraft Security Rules, 2011 and were necessary after
Parliament passed the Aircraft Amendment Act, 2020, giving statutory powers to
the BCAS, along with the Director-General of Civil Aviation and Aircraft Accident
Investigation Bureau.
● The amendment in Parliament was required after the United Nation’s aviation
watchdog, International Civil Aviation Organisation, raised questions about the
three regulators functioning without statutory powers.
● Once the Aircraft Security Rules, 2022 are finalized, they will go a long way in
ensuring an effective aviation security apparatus in the country. These are also as
per ICAO norms.
● Once the draft Rules are finalized, the BCAS can impose a fine of ₹50 lakh to ₹1
crore on airports and airlines if they fail to prepare and implement a security
programme, or if they commence operations without seeking a security clearance.
● Large airports can also face a penalty of 1 crore if they fail to plan the design and
layout of the airport in accordance with the National Civil Aviation Security
Programme.
● Individuals will also face penalties ranging from ₹1 lakh to ₹25 lakh depending on
the nature of the offence.
● According to the proposed rules, the BCAS will also be able to suspend or cancel
an entity’s airport security clearance and security programme.
● These allow the regulators to impose penalties which could only be imposed by
courts earlier.
● The Act also raised the maximum penalty from ₹10 lakh to ₹1 crore.
● The Ministry has invited stakeholder comments for a period of 30 days.
 Mains Practice Questions

1. India’s trade pact with Australia is mutually beneficial. Analyse. (250 words; 15
marks)

2. Can poor countries afford the cost of transitioning to clean energies? Critically
Discuss. (250 words; 15 marks)

Q1 – GS II (IR)
Q2 – GS III (E&E)