The 2022 G20 Leaders' Summit concluded with member states issuing a joint declaration on cooperation for global development.

 India will now officially assume the G20 Presidency on December 1, 2022.

Key points of the Joint Declaration

• On Russia-Ukraine Conflict: The G20 summit had come to a common ground and addressed the impact that western sanctions against Russia have had on the global economy.
  • Clarified that G20 is not the forum to ‘resolve security issues’ but these issues can have significant consequences for the global economy.
• On Food Security: The leaders expressed concern about the challenges to global food security which has been intensified by the ongoing conflicts and tensions, and committed to taking ‘urgent actions' to help developing economies.
  • The text of the outcome document also acknowledged the Russian donations of fertilizers facilitated by the World Food Programme and the Black Sea Grain Corridor.
• Against Terrorism and Money laundering: The G20 declaration also called upon the international community to step up efforts to counter money laundering, terrorism financing, and proliferation financing and urged the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and FATF Style Regional Bodies to ‘lead global action to respond to these threats.
• Against War: The leaders at G20 have clearly mentioned that they all are against war, as it causes great human suffering and affects Global rule-based order.

India’s Perspective at G20:

• India is currently a part of the G20 Troika (current, previous, and incoming G20 Presidencies) which includes Indonesia, Italy, and India.
• During India’s presidency tenure, Brazil and Indonesia would make up the troika.
• For the first time, the troika would be having three developing nations and emerging economies, providing a strong narrative of the concerns of these economies.

G20 Presidency as an opportunity for India:

• The growing conflicts and spiraling climate crises have kept global and regional food security as one of the priority agendas of the G20 for many years now.
• Against this backdrop, India’s presidency of the G20 offers a historical opportunity for India to share its successful journey in moving from a food-deficit nation to a food-surplus nation.
• India can play a key role to address the growing challenges of food security for creating resilient and equitable food systems.
  

Points remained Unaddressed:

• No Bilateral agreement has been signed in the event regarding the trade and crisis of fuel supplies.
• The issue of Infrastructure finances for food grain storage and Agriculture has been noted.
• Funds for research and development in the field of Biotechnology and GM crops are unnoticed.

The decision of various state governments (Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, and Punjab) to revert to the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) rather than apply the New Pension system has attracted several criticisms and concerns over the economic instability in the States.

• The history of the Indian pension system dates back to the colonial period of British India. 
• The Royal Commission on Civil Establishments, in 1881, first awarded pension benefits to government employees.
• The Governments of both centers and States fund the Pension of retired officials and Employees working for them using their revenues.
• The pension is regarded as a Liability for the Government which it has to pay using its funds. However, over the last three decades, pension liabilities for the Centre and states have jumped manifold.
  • In 1990-91, the Centre’s pension bill was Rs.3, 272 crores, and the outgo for all states put together was Rs.3, 131 crores.
  • By 2020-21, the Centre’s bill had jumped 58 times to Rs.1, 90,886 crores; for states, it had shot up 125 times to Rs.3, 86,001 crores.
• This has made a compulsion to use a sustainable method of financing Pensions to employees for both Centre and the States.

How does the Pension system work in India?

• All pension plans in India provide guaranteed maturity benefits. This is the reason why pension plans in India are also known as guaranteed pension plans.
• The maturity benefits are generally the fund value or 101% of the Premium paid, whichever is higher.

The Old vs. New Pension scheme:

The Concerns associated with the Old pension scheme:

• The pension liability remained unfunded: as there was no corpus specifically for pension, which would grow continuously and could be dipped into for payments.
• No fixed source of funding: The Government of India's budget provided for pensions every year; there was no clear plan on how to pay year after year in the future.
• The burden on Government Budget: The government estimated payments to retirees ahead of the Budget every year, and the present generation of taxpayers paid for all pensioners as of date.
  • The ‘pay-as-you-go’ scheme created inter-generational equity issues — meaning the present generation had to bear the continuously rising burden of pensioners.

Negative Impacts of the Old Pension scheme:

• Rolling out a major amount of money: Overall, pension payments by states roll out a quarter of their tax revenues. For some states, it is much higher.
  • For Himachal, it is almost 80 percent (pensions as a percentage of the state’s tax revenues); for Punjab, it is almost 35 percent; for Chhattisgarh 24 percent; and for Rajasthan 30 percent.
• The high Budget deficit for Governments: If wages and salaries of state government employees are added to this bill, states are left with hardly anything from their tax receipts.
• Long-term Burden on Tax-payers: The current taxpayers paying for the ever-increasing pensions of retirees, with Pay Commission awards almost taking the pension of old retirees to current levels.
  • This means the pension of someone who retired in 1995 may well be the same as that of someone who retires in 2025.

While addressing the first World Media Congress in Abu Dhabi, the Information and Broadcasting Secretary mentioned the shift towards new media for consuming information by users from traditional sources such as newspapers has presented a challenge to the credibility of the government.

• India has over 2 billion mobile phone users and 600 million smartphone users who are consuming a high amount of information and entertainment via mobile devices. 
• The traditional media sources in India comprised 897 television channels and over 80,000 newspapers in various languages.
• Social media has caused faster and deeper percolation of information in India.

Why social media is preferred so much?

• Immediate circulation: Social media has also allowed news to be accessed in real-time, for instance just seconds after a big event happens.
• Faster: It is often faster than any traditional news outlet.
• Easy participation: Allowing Traditional media is no longer a one-way avenue of communication: now, consumers can participate in the conversation and influence the news.

Social Media and Fake news:

• Fake news is news, stories, or hoaxes created to deliberately misinform or deceive readers. Fake news, defined by the New York Times as “a made-up story with an intention to deceive”
• Usually, these stories are created to influence people’s views, push a political agenda or cause confusion and can often be a profitable business for online publishers.
• Fake news stories can deceive people by looking like trusted websites or using similar names and web addresses to reputable news organizations.
• There are three elements to fake news; Mistrust, misinformation, and manipulation.

Causes for Rise in Fake News:

• Internet and Social media: Many people now get news from social media sites and networks and often it can be difficult to tell whether stories are credible or not. Social media sites can play a big part in increasing the reach of these types of stories.
• Lack of Checking Authenticity: Everyone is busy in sharing/liking/commenting on news items without checking the authenticity of the news.
• No codes of practice for Social Media: Traditionally we got our news from trusted sources, journalists and media outlets that are required to follow strict codes of practice. However, the internet has enabled a whole new way to publish, share and consume information and news with very little regulation or editorial standards.
• Stratified Organization of Fake News: Fake news is no longer being considered a rare or isolated phenomenon, but appears to be organized and shrewdly disseminated to a target population. It is believed that the a high possibility of these organized bodies coming into existence with the help of political influence.
• Vernacular Social Media Platforms: The immense popularity of vernacular social media platforms in India is exploited for the spread of fake news.

Laws Governing Fake News in India:

• There is no specific law against fake news in India. Free publication of news flows from Article 19 of the Constitution guaranteeing freedom of speech.
• Press Council of India, a regulatory body, can warn, admonish or censure the newspaper, the news agency, the editor, or the journalist or disapprove the conduct of the editor or the journalist if it finds that a newspaper or a news agency has violated journalistic ethics.
• News Broadcasters Association (NBA) represents private television news and current affairs broadcasters. The self-regulatory body probes complaints against electronic media.
• Indian Broadcast Foundation (IBF)also looks into the complaints against content aired by channels.
• Broadcasting Content Complaint Council (BCCC) admits complaints against TV broadcasters for objectionable TV content and fake news.
• Indian Penal Code (IPC) has certain sections which could curb fake news: Section 153 (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot) and section 295 (injuring or defiling place of worship with intent to insult the religion of any class) can be invoked to guard against fake news.
• Civil or Criminal Cases for Defamation are another resort against fake news for individuals and groups hurt by the fake news. IPC Section 499 (defamation) and 500 (whoever defames another shall be punished with simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to two years, or with a fine, or with both) provide for a defamation suit.

Threats posed by Fake News:

• Political: Political parties try to gain political advantages by polarizing the voter’s mind which further intensifies the tensions between different sections of society.
• Economic: As communal tendencies emerge in politics due to the spread of fake news economic development has taken a back seat. The problems faced by the problems are not solved by the government.
• Society: It can disturb the social fabric of society and tensions among communities persists for a long time. It can lead to violence between two or more communities thereby creating enmity and hatred between them. It reduces the tendency of cooperation between different communities.
• International: Deep fakes are used by countries to target other countries and bring chaos or desired political changes. China and Russia are using deep fakes to target hostile countries to gain political and trade benefits.
• Faith in Media: People’s faith in social, print, and electronic media reduces which could affect the benefits of these Media as well the spirit of democracy as media is the fourth estate of democracy. In its purest form, fake news is completely made up and manipulated to resemble credible journalism and attract maximum attention and, with it, advertising revenue.

Recent Government Initiatives:

• Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 under the Information Technology Act, 2000.
• The Fact Check Unit under the Press Information Bureau takes cognizance of fake news both Cuomo and by way of queries sent by citizens on its portal or through e-mail and Whatsapp.

On the concluding sessions of the 27^th edition of the Conference of Parties (COP), a consortium of countries that includes India has jointly stated that carbon border taxes could result in market distortion and aggravate the trust deficit among parties.

• The European Union has proposed a policy called the ‘Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism’to tax products such as cement and steel that are extremely carbon intensive which is going to effect from the 2026 called ‘Carbon Border Tax’.
• BASIC, a group constituting Brazil, India, South Africa, and China the large economies that are significantly dependent on coal, has for several years voiced common concerns and reiterated their right to use fossil fuel.
• BASIC countries call for a united solidarity response by developing countries to any unfair shifting of responsibilities from developed to developing countries.

What is the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism?

• On 14 July 2021, the European Commission published its proposal for a regulation establishing a carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM).
• The core element of the CBAM is the obligation to pay for the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions embedded in certain carbon-intensive products imported into the European Union (EU) through the purchase of so-called CBAM certificates.
• The CBAM is conceived as a measure against the risk of carbon leakage, a phenomenon whereby companies move their production abroad to avoid the costs of complying with stringent environmental standards domestically or import cheaper foreign products that were not subject to a carbon price in their country of production.

Causes behind Imposing Carbon Tax:

• EU and Climate Change Mitigation: The EU has declared to cut its carbon emissions by at least 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels. To date, these levels have fallen by 24%.
  • However, emissions from imports contributing to 20% of the EU's CO2 emissions are increasing.
  • Such a carbon tax would incentivize other countries to reduce GHG emissions and further shrink the EU's carbon footprint.
• Carbon Leakage: The Emissions Trading System of the EU makes operating within the region expensive for certain businesses.
  • The EU authorities fear that these businesses might prefer to relocate to countries that have more relaxed or no emission limits.
  • This is known as 'carbon leakage' and it increases the total emissions in the world.
• Benefit for Certain Countries: Countries that have already introduced carbon trading systems in their own countries will be benefitted from this initiative.
  • These industries of these exporting countries can claim a rebate equal to the amount of tax that they have already paid.

Impacts of Carbon Tax:

• Worst Affected Countries: The countries to be worst affected will be Russia, Britain, Ukraine, Turkey, and China which collectively export large amounts of fertilizer, iron, steel, and aluminum to the European Union.
  • The United States sells significantly less steel and aluminum to Europe, but could also see an impact.
• Impact on India: The EU is India's third-largest trading partner. Increasing the prices of Indian-made goods in the EU, this tax would make Indian goods less attractive to buyers and could shrink demand.
  • The tax would create serious near-term challenges for companies with larger greenhouse gas footprints.
• Change in the Climate-Change Regime: The greenhouse content of these imports would also have to be adjusted in the greenhouse gas inventories of the importing countries which essentially implies that GHG inventories would have to be reckoned not on the production basis but at the point of consumption basis.
  • This would turn the entire climate change regime upside down.
• A Protectionist Policy: The policy can also be regarded as a disguised form of protectionism.
  • Protectionism refers to government policies that restrict international trade to help domestic industries.
  • Such policies are usually implemented with the goal of improving economic activity within a domestic economy.

The United Kingdom is going to announce a new partnership with India as a Young Professionals Scheme at the G20 summit in Bali.

The Young Professionals Scheme:

• Under the scheme, the U.K will offer about 3,000 degree-holding Indians in the 18–30-year age group places to work in the U.K. for up to two years.
• The scheme will commence in early 2023. Both India and UK will allow young professionals in their Countries to hold degree programs.
• India is the first country to benefit from such a scheme, highlighting the strength of the UK-India Migration and Mobility Partnership agreed upon last year.
• Objective: The Young Professionals Programme is a recruitment initiative aiming to improve geographical representation, and promote gender parity in the Organization at the international level.

India-UK ties on Skill development:

• Education: Education is an important plank of the India-UK bilateral relationship. Over the last 10 years, the relationship has grown substantially with the introduction of bilateral mechanisms such as the India-UK Education Forum UK-India Education and Research Initiative (UKIERI).
• Indian Students: UK has traditionally been a favorite destination for international students. At present, there are approximately 20,000 Indian students pursuing Undergraduate and Postgraduate courses in the UK.

India-UK Bilateral Relations:

• On Trade:
  • The UK remained the sixth largest investor in India, with a cumulative investment of approximately USD 31.92 billion during FY 2000-22.
  • This constituted around 5.4% of the total Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into India.’
  • India’s trade in goods and services with the UK amounted to USD 31.34 billion in FY 2022, as against USD 19.51 billion in 2015.
  • 618 UK Companies have been identified in India; they together employ approximately 66 lakh people and have a combined turnover of Rs.3, 634.9 billion.
• On Cultural Exchanges:
  • Cultural linkages between India and UK are deep and extensive, arising out of the shared history between the two countries.
  • There has been a gradual mainstreaming of Indian culture and absorption of Indian cuisine, cinema, languages, religion, philosophy, performing arts, etc.
• Indian Diaspora: The Indian Diaspora in the UK is one of the largest ethnic minority communities in the country, with the 2011 census recording approximately 1.5 million people of Indian origin in the UK equating to almost 1.8 percent of the population and contributing 6% of the country’s GDP.
• Geopolitical Significance - The Indian Ocean is identified as a vital arena for closer defense and security cooperation between the two countries. Further, India needs the UK’s support on international fora for its aim to have a permanent seat in the UNSC and full membership of NSG.

Other Government Initiatives to attract International students:

• HEFA (Higher Education Finance Agency) is a welcome step in providing finance to premier educational institutions for the creation of high-quality infrastructure and innovation ecosystems.
• Student Insurance Schemes: Contrary to popular opinion, a considerable chunk of students who study abroad is not from wealthy families; they take expensive loans to finance their education.
  • The aspiration to secure better exposure and the future can render them prone to difficulties.
  • A mandatory student insurance scheme as well as responsibility for the welfare of students in the foreign country should be incorporated into agreements to secure the interests of students who also spend considerably in the host country.

IMD forecasts the formation of a low-pressure area over the southeast Bay of Bengal, thereby increasing the rainfall in the coastal districts of Tamil Nadu.

Details:

• The formation of a low-pressure area over the Southeast Bay of Bengal and the adjoining Andaman Sea is expected to intensify into a depression over central parts of the South Bay of Bengal.
• Prevailing upper air circulation would influence the formation of the fresh system.
• Weather models have indicated rain in the coastal parts of Tamil Nadu.

What is the pressure system?

• A pressure system is an area of the Earth’s atmosphere that has a particularly high or low pressure compared to the surrounding
• Types of pressure systems are:
  • Low-Pressure System
  • High-Pressure System

What is a low-pressure system?

• A low-pressure area is a region where the atmospheric pressure at sea level is below that of surrounding locations. Low-pressure systems form under areas of wind divergence that occur in upper levels of the troposphere.
• A low-pressure system is formed due to localized heating caused by greater sunshine over deserts and other landmasses.
  • Since the warm air in localized areas is less dense than the surroundings, the warm air rises, lowering the atmospheric pressure.
  • Large-scale thermal lows over continents help create pressure gradients that drive monsoon circulations.
  • Due to Earth’s spin and the Coriolis effect, winds of a low-pressure system swirl counterclockwise. This type of flow is known as cyclonic flow.
• Around the world, the low-pressure systems are most frequently located over the Tibetan Plateau and the lee of the Rocky Mountains. In Europe, the recurring low-pressure weather system is known as depressions.

High-Pressure System

• High-pressure systems are normally associated with light winds at the surface and subsidence at the lower portion of the troposphere.
• Subsidence dries out an air mass by adiabatic or compressional heating. Hence, high pressure usually results in clear skies.
• Since no clouds are present to obstruct the incoming shortwave solar radiation, the temperature rises during the day.
• At night, due to the absence of clouds, the outgoing longwave radiation is not absorbed and results in cooler low temperatures in all seasons
• A high-pressure system swirls in the opposite direction from a low-pressure system. This type of flow is known as anticyclonic flow.
• In high mountainous areas, rice takes more time to cook because low pressure reduces the boiling point of water.

Vertical Variation of Pressure

• In the lower atmosphere, the pressure decreases rapidly with height.
• In general, the atmospheric pressure decreases on average at the rate of about 34 millibars every 300 meters of height.
• The vertical pressure gradient force is much larger than that of the horizontal pressure gradient. But it is generally balanced by a nearly equal but opposite gravitational force. Hence, we do not experience strong upward winds.
• Due to gravity, the air at the surface is denser and hence has higher pressure. Since air pressure is proportional to density as well as temperature, it follows that a change in either temperature or density will cause a corresponding change in pressure.
• The pressure decreases with height. At any elevation, it varies from place to place and its variation is the primary cause of air motion, i.e., wind which moves from high-pressure areas to low-pressure areas.
• A rising pressure indicates fine, settled weather, while a falling pressure indicates unstable and cloudy weather.

Horizontal Distribution of Pressure

• The distribution of atmospheric pressure over the globe is known as the horizontal distribution of pressure.
• It is shown on maps with the help of
• The spacing of isobars expresses the rate and direction of change in air pressure.
• This change in air pressure is referred to as the pressure gradient.
  • The pressure gradient is the ratio between the pressure difference and the actual horizontal distance between two points.
• Close spacing of isobars expresses a steep pressure gradient while wide spacing indicates a gentle pressure gradient.
• The horizontal distribution of atmospheric pressure is not uniform in the world. It varies from time to time at a given place; it varies from place to place over short distances.
• The factors responsible for variation in the horizontal distribution of pressure are as follows:

1. Air temperature
2. The earth’s rotation
3. Presence of water vapor