Navika Sagar Parikrama II

The Indian Naval Sailing Vessel (INSV) Tarini entered Port Stanley on 18 Feb 25 thus completing the third and most challenging phase of Navika Sagar Parikrama II.

• The Navika Sagar Parikrama initiative underscores the Indian Navy’s commitment to gender empowerment and maritime excellence.
• It crewed by two women officers-Lieutenant Commander Dilna K and Lieutenant Commander Roopa A aims to promote ocean sailing, self-reliance, and India’s rich maritime heritage.
• The historic expedition was flagged off from Goa by the chief of the Naval Staff on October 2, 2024.
• Navika Sagar Parikrama II covering more than 21,600 nautical miles (approx 40,000 km) will unfold in five legs with stop overs at four ports for replenishment and maintenance, as required. The broad contour of voyage will be as follows:
  • Goa to Fremantle, Australia
  • Fremantle to Lyttleton, New Zealand
  • Lyttleton to Port Stanley, Falkland
  • Port Stanley to Cape Town, S Africa
  • Cape Town to Goa

About INSV Tarini

• It is a 56 foot sailing vessel built by M/s Aquarius Shipyard Ltd was inducted in the Indian Navy on 18 Feb 17.
• The vessel has clocked more than 66,000 nautical miles (1,22,223 km) and participated in first edition of Navika Sagar Parikrama in 2017.
• The boat is equipped with advanced navigation, safety and communication equipment.
• Navika Sagar Parikrama II: INSV Tarini reaches port Stanley - Third Port of Call

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Arbitration and Conciliation Act

A five-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court recently heard arguments on whether courts can modify an arbitral award under Sections 34 and 37 of the Arbitration Act, 1996.

• It established a sound framework for alternative dispute resolution (ADR) in India. 
• The act updated and codified the laws about arbitration, mediation, and conciliation. 
• It is vital for businesses and individuals alike; it allows them to have an easier, less adversarial, and less costly mode of dispute resolution as compared to those conducted outside traditional courts.

Features of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act

• Two-tiered system: It offers arbitration and conciliation and thus differences in modes of conflict resolution.
• Flexibility: Parties can choose their rules of procedure and arbitrators for flexibility and convenience.
• Confidentiality: Confidentiality in the proceedings is required; it is important in cases of business disputes regarding issues that cannot easily be revealed.
• Finality and Enforceability: Arbitration awards become binding and enforceable by courts, so parties must adhere to them.
• Judicial Support and Limited Intervention: Courts could intervene under certain cases, which include the appointment of arbitrators or the enforcement of the award.
• Global Applicability: In regard to the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) Model Law, it is globally compatible, and therefore this act helps in international arbitration.

Major Provisions of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act

• Arbitration Agreement: An arbitration agreement refers to a written undertaking between parties to have their disputes arbitrarily determined, thereby paving the way for arbitration proceedings to be given the go-ahead.
• Appointment of Arbitrators: The appointment of arbitrators is at the discretion of the parties, but courts take action if the parties cannot agree on the appointment. The provision would promote self-regulation while providing judicial support when needed.
• Interim Measures by Courts: Gives courts the authority to issue interim relief before arbitration starts. This will prevent cases where parties may lose their assets before the case is settled.
• Arbitral Proceedings: Provides that parties can agree on procedures or adopt institutional rules, which promotes procedural autonomy.
• Forms and Contents of Arbitral Award: Requires awards to be in writing, dated, signed by arbitrators, and reasons given, unless parties agree otherwise. The award pronounced becomes binding.
• Setting Aside an Arbitral Award: Goes on to detail when the court shall set aside the award. The basis includes either the party's incapacity or an invalid agreement.
• Appeals: Gives limited grounds on appeal so that awards are substantially final and enforceable and sets a limit to risk-prolonged litigation.

Amendments to the Arbitration and Conciliation Act

• Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Act, 2015:
  • Introduced timelines for the institution of arbitral proceedings so that it is completed within 12 months.
  • Judicial interference has been curtailed to an extent to bring finality to arbitration.
  • Cost control regulations have been enhanced to make ADR cost-effective.
• Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Act, 2019:
  • It has established the Arbitration Council of India (ACI) to regulate arbitration standards and promote institutional arbitration.
  • Disclosure of the existence of conflicts of interest by the arbitrator is made mandatory, thereby increasing transparency.
  • Focused on reducing delays by limiting stay orders on arbitral awards.
• Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Act, 2021:
  • Did away with automatic stays on arbitral awards for reasons such as fraud or corruption.
  • Streamlined the process of enforcing arbitral awards, thereby endorsing a pro-enforcement approach in this manner of the Act

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Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC)

Russia said oil flows through the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC), a major route for supplying Kazakhstan and exporting to the global market, were reduced by 30-40% recently after a Ukrainian drone attack on a pumping station.

• CPC is a $2.6 billion project consisting of a 935-mile crude oil pipeline that runs from the Tengiz oil field in Kazakhstan to the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk.
• Construction on the CPC pipeline began in 1999. 
• It was commissioned in 2001, and a $5.1 billion expansion project was completed in 2018.
• It is a key East-West pipeline that will carry oil from the Caspian Sea region to international markets.
• CPC includes the Russian and Kazakh governments, as well as Western energy majors Chevron, ExxonMobil, and Shell.
• This pipeline accounts for two-thirds of Kazakhstan's oil exports. 
• The pipeline's total capacity is 1.4 million barrels per day of oil. This is 2.3 percent of global seaborne oil trade.

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Periodic Labour Force Survey

Unemployment rate in urban areas during the third quarter (October-December) of FY25 remained unchanged at 6.4 per cent compared to the preceding quarter, according to the latest quarterly Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) data. 

Periodic Labour Force Survey Key Findings

• Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) in urban areas among persons of age 15 years and above has increased from 49.9% during October - December, 2023 to 50.4% in quarter October – December, 2024.
  • LFPR for male of age 15 years and above in urban areas increased from 74.1% during October – December, 2023 to 75.4% during October - December, 2024 reflecting overall increasing trend in male LFPR.
  •  LFPR among female of age 15 years and above for urban areas increased from 25.0% during October – December, 2023 to 25.2% during October - December, 2024.
• Worker Population Ratio (WPR) in urban areas among persons of age 15 years and above has increased from 46.6% during October - December, 2023 to 47.2% in October - December, 2024.
  • WPR for male of age 15 years and above for urban areas increased from 69.8% in October - December, 2023 to 70.9% during October - December, 2024 reflecting overall increasing trend in male WPR.
• Unemployment Rate (UR) in urban areas among persons of age 15 years and above decreased from 6.5% during October - December, 2023 to 6.4% during October - December, 2024.
  • UR among males of age 15 years and above remained same as 5.8% during October - December, 2023 and October - December, 2024. UR among female of age 15 years and above decreased from 8.6 % in October - December, 2023 to 8.1% in October - December, 2024.
• The survey further showed that the jobless rate for the youth (15-29 age group) increased to 16.1 per cent in Q3FY25 from 15.8 per cent in the preceding quarter.

About Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS)

• Considering the importance of availability of labour force data at more frequent time intervals, National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) has been conducting the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) since 2017.
• The objectives:
  • Primarily to estimate the key employment and unemployment indicators (viz. Worker Population Ratio, Labour Force Participation Rate, Unemployment Rate) in the short time interval of three months for the urban areas only in the ‘Current Weekly Status’ (CWS).
  • PLFS also estimate employment and unemployment indicators in both ‘Usual Status’ (ps+ss) and CWS in both rural and urban areas annually.
• This survey is conducted by the National Sample Survey (NSO), working under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI).
• Urban unemployment rate unchanged at 6.4% in Q3FY25, shows PLFS data

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Biennial Transparency Report

India is in the final stages of preparing its first ever Biennial Transparency Report (BTR), part of its commitment as a signatory to the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change.

• The BTR is a report prepared and submitted by Parties to the Paris Agreement under the Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF) that captures information on their progress in implementing the different aspects of the Agreement. 
• The different aspects are covered in the five separate chapters of the BTR, some of which are mandatory and some of which are optional.
• Different chapters and components of the BTR:
  • National Inventory Report of GHG Emissions: All Parties - Mandatory
  • Progress made in implementing and achieving the NDC: All Parties - Mandatory
  • Climate change impacts and adaptation: All Parties - Optional
  • Financial, technology transfer, and capacity building support provided: 
    • Developed country Parties - Mandatory
    • Other Parties that provide support - Optional
  • Financial, technology transfer, and capacity-building support needed and received: Developing country Parties - Optional
• All Parties to the Paris Agreement, except for small island developing states (SIDS) and the least developed countries (LDCs), are required to provide country-specific information on the implementation of the Paris Agreement in the form of BTR every two years. 
• Recognizing the capacity constraints faced by SIDS and LDCs, and the need to provide flexibility in light of their national circumstances, SIDS and LDCs may submit BTRs at their discretion.

As the reporting instrument of the Paris Agreement, BTRs help facilitate mutual trust and confidence between countries and allow parties and non-party stakeholders to understand the state of climate action in each country.

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India and Qatar strategic partnership

India and Qatar recently elevated their ties to a strategic partnership and agreed to double bilateral trade to almost $30 billion by 2030.

 Qatar

• It is a small peninsular nation located on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula.
• It shares a sole land border with Saudi Arabia to the south and is surrounded by the Persian Gulf on all other sides. 
• The Gulf of Bahrain separates Qatar from the Kingdom of Bahrain. 
• The country spans an area of approximately 11,571 sq.km.
• Doha is the capital and largest city of Qatar. 

Landscape 

• The landscape of Qatar is primarily flat and barren desert. 
• Sand dunes dominate the southern part of the country, especially in the area known as the Khor al Adaid, or the "Inland Sea".
• To the north and west, the terrain turns slightly rockier and features low-rising limestone formations. 
• Qatar has wadis, which are valleys that remain dry except during the rainy season when they can briefly turn into rivers.

Ethnic Groups

• Qatar was originally settled by Bedouin nomads from the central part of the Arabian Peninsula. 
• Qatari citizens, however, constitute only a small portion—roughly one-ninth—of the total population today. 
• Economic growth beginning in the 1970s created an economy dependent on foreign workers—mostly from Pakistan, India, and Iran—who now far outnumber nationals. 
• Few Qataris retain a nomadic lifestyle.

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Inland Water Transport Terminal

Recently, Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways inaugurated an Inland Waterways Terminal (IWT) on Brahmaputra in Assam’s Jogighopa.

• The terminal is set to transform the connectivity in the region and bolster our trilateral trade with Bhutan and Bangladesh.
• The foundation stone for the terminal was laid by Prime in February, 2021.
• I has been set up at a cost of Rs 82 crore, has the potential to boost trade by reducing transportation expenditure and offering an eco-friendly and alternative mode of transport via the Brahmaputra river.
• By 2027, this terminal is expected to handle cargo of 1.1 million tonnes per annum.

About Inland Waterways Authority of India

• It is a statutory body established under the Inland Waterways Authority of India Act (IWAI), 1985.
• Purpose: The Authority primarily undertakes projects for development and maintenance of IWT infrastructure on national waterways through grant received from the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways.
• It presently has five regional offices in Guwahati (Assam), Patna (Bihar), Kochi (Kerala), Bhubaneswar (Odisha) and Kolkata (West Bengal).
• Inland Waterways Authority of India Headquarter: Noida, Uttar Pradesh.
• Inland Waterways Authority of India Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways.
• Sonowal inaugurates key waterways terminal in Assam’s Jogighopa

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Soil Health Card Scheme

Recently, the soil health card scheme has completed its decade.

• The soil health card scheme was launched to assist State Governments to issue soil health cards to all farmers in the country in 2015.
• Soil health card provides information to farmers on nutrient status of their soil along with recommendation on appropriate dosage of nutrients to be applied for improving soil health and its fertility.

Soil Health Card Scheme Key Features

• The Soil Health Card contains status of the soil with respect to 12 parameters, namely N,P,K, S (Macro-nutrients); Zn, Fe, Cu, Mn, Bo (Micro - nutrients) ; and pH (Acidity or Basicity), EC (Electrical Conductivity) and OC (Organic Carbon).
• Soil Samples are taken generally two times in a year, after harvesting of Rabi and Kharif Crop respectively or when there is no standing crop in the field.
• A farm will get the soil card once in every 3 years.
• Village Level Soil Testing Labs can be set up foe provide test results by individual entrepreneurs i.e. rural youth and community based entrepreneurs, including Self Help Groups (SHGs), Schools, Agriculture Universities etc.
• Soil Health Card scheme has been merged in Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) scheme as one of its components under the name ‘Soil Health & Fertility’ from the year 2022-23.
• Technological Advancements: To streamline the implementation/monitoring of the scheme and to provide easy access to Soil Health Card to the farmers, SHC Mobile App has been built with additional features.

Soil Health Card Scheme Benefits

• • The scheme will monitor the soil of the farmers well and will give them a formatted report. So, they can decide well which crops they should cultivate and which ones they should skip.
  • The authorities will monitor the soil on a regular basis. One in every 3 years, they will provide a report to farmers. So farmers need not worry if the nature of the soil changes due to certain factors. Also, they will always have updated data about their soil.
• Nodal Agency: Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare in (DA&FW).

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