TOPIC: GS 2 India and its Neighborhood- Relations.
This time for Male
What is news?
- The election of Maldives Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid as the President of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly
- This begins in September for 202122, is a major boost for the island nation’s international profile.
- The election marks the first time a Maldivian will hold the post in the UN’s history
- This margin of victory, 143 to his challenger’s 48, indicating support from nearly three fourths of all countries at the UN, is significant.
- Maldives also sees it as a win for the 52member Small Island Developing States (SIDS), which are battling climate change vulnerability and other developmental challenges.
Surprise Opponent as Afghanistan
- In addition, in a year when events in Afghanistan will draw attention as U.S. forces begin to pullout
- Shahid’s victory over his surprise opponent, former Afghanistan Foreign Minister Zalmai Rassoul, is remarkable.
India support to Maldives
- For India too that helped Maldives canvass support the outcome is welcome
- It is not only because of its close ties with Male but also the high regard for Mr. Shahid, a key member of the Solih government.
Reason for India support to Maldives
- In a break from the norm of not announcing one’s choice for an election by secret ballot, Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla had announced India’s support for the Maldives in November 2020,
- Explanation being that Afghanistan had not yet announced Mr. Rassoul’s candidature until January 2021.
- New Delhi should now ensure that the Afghan government carries no hard feelings as some in Kabul
- It even hinted that India might wish to support Afghanistan as it had sacrificed its turn at the UNSC for India’s current term
- It would also be important to analyse why Kabul decided to field a candidate late in the race, and not withdraw despite it being clear that its South Asian neighbour was ahead, and did not consult India closely on the process.
Areas to Address
- The focus now shifts to his tenure and South Asian issues such as the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and equitable access to vaccines.
- Cooperation is close and Mr. Shahid is in discussions to appoint an Indian diplomat as his chief aide.
- Given that the previous President of the General Assembly, from Turkey, had ruffled feathers with his remarks in Islamabad that Pakistan was “duty” bound to raise the Jammu and Kashmir dispute “more strongly” at the UN
- Shahid’s tenure is expected to see a far smoother term for India, especially as the Indian government focuses on showcasing the country at the UN during India’s 75th Independence anniversary next year.
Way Forward
It is hoped that India in the UNSC and the Maldivian President of the General Assembly will work in tandem as New Delhi pursues its goals for multilateral reform, and reenergise the dormant process of effecting change in the old power structures in the global body.
PRELIMS PUNCHERS
- Autonomous District Council
The Sixth Schedule of the Constitution of India allows for the formation of autonomous administrative divisions which have been given autonomy within their respective states. Most of these autonomous district councils are located in North East India but two are in Ladakh, a region administered by India as a union territory. Presently, 10 Autonomous Councils in Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Tripura are formed by virtue of the Sixth Schedule with the rest being formed as a result of other legislation.
Judicial powers includes autonomous district councils have powers to form courts to hear cases where both parties are members of Scheduled Tribes and the maximum sentence is less than 5 years in prison. They have powers to levy taxes, fees and tolls on; building and land, animals, vehicles, boats, entry of goods into the area, roads, ferries, bridges, employment and income and general taxes for the maintenance of schools and roads.
- Rengma Tribe
They are Naga tribe found in Nagaland and Assam states of India. The headquarter of the Rengmas in Nagaland is at Tseminyu, and the headquarter of the Rengmas in Assam is located at Phentsero/Karenga Village.
The Rengmas are experts in terrace cultivation. The harvest festival of the Rengmas is called Ngada. It is an eight-day Ngada festival that marks the end of the agricultural season. Ngadah is celebrated just after the harvest, towards the end of November. The village high priest (Phesengu) announces the date of commencement of the festival. The traditional Rengma clothing consists of various types of clothes, which are indicative of the status and position of the weavers. A man who has not been able to offer a great feast, or has never killed an enemy may wear an ordinary type of cloth called Rhikho. Rhikho is a white cloth with four narrow black bands. The Rengma Nagas are divided into two groups the Eastern Rengmas and the Western Rengmas
- Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA)
It is an autonomous and statutory body of Ministry of Women and Child Development in the Government of India. It was set up in 1990.It functions as the nodal body for the adoption of Indian children and is mandated to monitor and regulate in-country and inter-country adoptions.
CARA is designated as the Central Authority to deal with inter-country adoptions in accordance with the provisions of the 1993 Hague Convention on Inter-country Adoption, ratified by Government of India in 2003. It primarily deals with the adoption of orphaned, abandoned and surrendered children through its associated and recognised adoption agencies. In 2018, CARA has allowed individuals in a live-in relationship to adopt children from and within India.
Sources : https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/how-to-adopt-a-child-legally/article34537223.ece
- Green Skill Development Programme
Green skills contribute to preserving or restoring environmental quality for sustainable future and include jobs that protect ecosystems and biodiversity, reduce energy and minimize waste and pollution. In line with the Skill India Mission of Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEF&CC) utilising the vast network and expertise of ENVIS Hubs/RPs, has taken up an initiative for skill development in the environment and forest sector to enable India’s youth to get gainful employment and/or self-employment, called the Green Skill Development Programme (GSDP). The programme endeavours to develop green skilled workers having technical knowledge and commitment to sustainable development, which will help in the attainment of the Nationally Determined Contributions , Sustainable Development Goals , National Biodiversity Targets , as well as Waste Management Rules (2016). The first GSDP course was formulated for skilling Biodiversity Conservationists and Para-taxonomists of 3 months duration each, on a pilot basis in ten select districts of the country covering nine bio-geographic regions.
PRELIMS QUESTION
- Consider the following statement with reference to Autonomous District Council
- The fifth Schedule of the Constitution of India allows for the formation of autonomous administrative divisions
- Ladakh has autonomous district council
Select the correct statement using code given below.
(a). 1only (b) 2 only
(c). Both of them (d). None of the above
Answer : B
The Sixth Schedule of the Constitution of India allows for the formation of autonomous administrative divisions which have been given autonomy within their respective states. Most of these autonomous district councils are located in North East India but two are in Ladakh, a region administered by India as a union territory. Presently, 10 Autonomous Councils in Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Tripura are formed by virtue of the Sixth Schedule with the rest being formed as a result of other legislation.
Judicial powers includes autonomous district councils have powers to form courts to hear cases where both parties are members of Scheduled Tribes and the maximum sentence is less than 5 years in prison. They have powers to levy taxes, fees and tolls on; building and land, animals, vehicles, boats, entry of goods into the area, roads, ferries, bridges, employment and income and general taxes for the maintenance of schools and roads.
- The harvest festival of the which tribe is called Ngada
- Kuki
- Konyak
- Lotha
- Rengmas
Answer : D
They are Naga tribe found in Nagaland and Assam states of India. The headquarter of the Rengmas in Nagaland is at Tseminyu, and the headquarter of the Rengmas in Assam is located at Phentsero/Karenga Village.
The Rengmas are experts in terrace cultivation. The harvest festival of the Rengmas is called Ngada. It is an eight-day Ngada festival that marks the end of the agricultural season. Ngadah is celebrated just after the harvest, towards the end of November. The village high priest (Phesengu) announces the date of commencement of the festival. The traditional Rengma clothing consists of various types of clothes, which are indicative of the status and position of the weavers. A man who has not been able to offer a great feast, or has never killed an enemy may wear an ordinary type of cloth called Rhikho. Rhikho is a white cloth with four narrow black bands. The Rengma Nagas are divided into two groups the Eastern Rengmas and the Western Rengmas