India Myanmar Relations – Peace Process and Strategic Importance | UPSC

Context

• India reiterated its support for a Myanmar-led peace process to resolve the ongoing political crisis in the country.

India’s Position

• Peace and stability should be achieved through dialogue among Myanmar stakeholders.
• The process should be led and owned by Myanmar itself without external imposition.

Strategic Importance for India

Myanmar is critical for India due to:

• Border security in the Northeast
• Connectivity projects under Act East Policy
• Cooperation against insurgent groups operating across borders

Key Connectivity Projects Involving Myanmar

• Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project
• India–Myanmar–Thailand Trilateral Highway

These projects aim to strengthen trade and connectivity between India and Southeast Asia.

Childhood Obesity in India – Health Concerns and Policy Response | UPSC

Context

• A global study reports that India ranks second worldwide in childhood obesity.

Key Concerns

• Rising consumption of ultra-processed foods.
• Sedentary lifestyles among children.
• Increasing screen time and reduced physical activity.

Health Risks

Childhood obesity significantly increases the risk of:
• Type 2 diabetes
• Cardiovascular diseases
• Hypertension
• Metabolic disorders later in life.

Need for Policy Response

• Promote healthier diets.
• Encourage physical activity among children.
• Strengthen school-based nutrition programmes.

Climate Change International Law – Need for Global Legal Reforms | UPSC

Context

• Climate change is creating risks that existing international legal frameworks may not adequately address.

Key Issues

• Climate-related disasters increasingly cross national boundaries.
• Existing international laws are often insufficient to deal with climate responsibility and liability.

Need for Legal Reform

• Strengthen global climate governance mechanisms.
• Clarify accountability for environmental damage.
• Develop legal frameworks for climate refugees and displacement.

International Efforts

These frameworks attempt to coordinate global responses to climate change.

• Paris Climate Agreement
• UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)

Global Governance Institutions – Challenges to International Order for UPSC

Context

• The editorial discusses the growing trend of deliberate attacks on international institutions and global governance frameworks.

Key Argument

• The weakening of international institutions risks destabilizing global order.
• Institutions created after World War II are facing pressure from unilateral actions by powerful states.

Importance of Global Institutions

• They provide mechanisms for collective security and cooperation.
• They regulate international trade, finance, conflict resolution, and climate governance.

Examples include:
• United Nations (UN)
• World Trade Organization (WTO)
• International Monetary Fund (IMF)

Concern Raised

• When major powers undermine institutions, the rules-based international order becomes weaker.

Strategic Petroleum Reserves in India – Energy Security UPSC Current Affairs

Context

• India currently maintains 25 days of crude oil reserves and 25 days of petrol and diesel stocks.
• The reserves provide a buffer against supply disruptions caused by geopolitical tensions or conflicts in major oil-producing regions.

Strategic Petroleum Reserves (SPR)

Strategic petroleum reserves are emergency fuel stocks maintained by countries to ensure energy security during supply disruptions.

India’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve Programme

Phase I Storage Locations
• Vishakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh)
• Mangaluru (Karnataka)
• Padur (Karnataka)

Phase II Proposed Locations
• Chandikhol (Odisha)
• Padur expansion (Karnataka)

Purpose of Strategic Reserves
• Protect against sudden oil supply disruptions.
• Stabilize domestic fuel supply during geopolitical crises.
• Enhance national energy security.

International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue (SAR), 1979 – UPSC Current Affairs

Context

• A U.S. submarine sank Iran’s frigate IRIS Dena near Sri Lanka.
• Sri Lanka responded to the vessel’s distress signal according to international maritime obligations related to search and rescue operations.

Distress Call at Sea

• A distress call indicates grave and imminent danger and requires immediate assistance.
• Standard distress signals include:
• MAYDAY (voice communication)
• Digital Selective Calling (DSC) alert
• All nearby ships and coastal authorities are obligated to respond.
• Distress communication receives absolute priority over all other maritime communications.

Convention in News

International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue (SAR), 1979

• Adopted under the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
• Establishes a global framework for maritime search and rescue operations.
• Divides oceans into Search and Rescue Regions (SRRs) where specific countries coordinate rescue operations.
• Ensures assistance is provided to persons in distress at sea regardless of nationality or circumstances.