https://www.newsbharati.com/Encyc/2023/1/7/security-scan-25.html
Development of Border Area Villages
The Government of India is paying special attention to the development of border villages, especially from a security perspective. Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that borders could be permanently secured only when border villages are populated by patriotic citizens who are concerned for the country. He asked the Border Security Force to effectively use the Vibrant Village Programme (VVP), announced by the Centre in the 2022 Budget, to promote development and communication in border villages. The government has said VVP would cover construction of village infrastructure, housing, tourist centres, road connectivity, provisioning of decentralised renewable energy, direct-to-home access for Doordarshan and educational channels, and support for livelihood generation.
There were also plans to open the villages along the China border in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and the Union Territory of Ladakh for tourists. The MHA recently informed a Parliamentary Standing Committee that the budget provisions for the programme have been sent to the Expenditure Finance Committee for its approval.
Energy Security National Green Hydrogen mission
The Union Cabinet has cleared a National Green Hydrogen (NGH) mission that aims to facilitate the production of hydrogen from renewable energy. By 2030, the goal is to have at least 5 million metric tonnes of annual green hydrogen production, electrolyser capacity of 60-100 gigawatt and a 125-gigawatt renewable energy capacity for green hydrogen and its associated transmission network.
With an initial outlay of Rs 19,744 crore, the Centre has earmarked Rs 17,490 crore for the Strategic Interventions for Green Hydrogen Transition Programme (SIGHT) programme with Rs 1,466 crore for pilot projects, Rs 400 crore for R&D, and Rs 388 crore for other components of the mission.It is expected that the project will attract investments of Rs 8 lakh crore and create over 6 lakh jobs by 2030.
The benefits envisaged include export opportunities, decarbonisation of sectors like mobility, industries and energy, reducing dependence on imported feedstock and fossil fuels, indigenous manufacturing ability enhancement, job creation, R&D for cutting-edge tech. The mission aims to help in creation of demand, production, export and utilisation of green hydrogen.
Green hydrogen, currently accounts for less than 1% of global hydrogen production and India’s aim is to become a global, industrial hub and exporter of such hydrogen. The Central government’s decision to launch the National Green Hydrogen Mission, with the objective of making India a global hub for green hydrogen, and its derivatives, and take the lead in its production, utilisation and exports, is one of India’s first attempts to be on an early curve of a new revolution.
India must also urgently add research and development to its armoury so that the highest value creation in this nascent energy sub-segment, with its potential for green and clean energy, is created in our country. Hydrogen, with its limitless and extremely low cost supply, can become a powerhouse for India’s next generation transformation, and for the first time in our history, we are not going to be missing the bus but being a pioneer instead.
Anti Piracy Law
In December 2022, both Houses of Parliament finally passed a special legislation on “repression of piracy”. The 2019 Anti-Maritime Piracy Bill is in tune with India’s assurance of “respect for international law” and “commitment to international law”. The Standing Committee on External Affairs (SCEA) has provided concrete suggestions to strengthen the original Bill, which was introduced in Parliament by the External Affairs Minister on December 2, 2019.
It seeks to address the challenge of piracy on the high seas and gives effect to obligations under the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The UNCLOS, with 168 parties, was ratified by India on June 29, 1995.
Job Security and Defence Budget
That the unemployment rate in India surged to 8.3% in December 2022, the highest in 16 months, should be a cause for concern for all. While India remains one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, the fact remains that jobs have not been created at a steady pace and exports have fallen.
The country’s current account deficit reached an all-time high of $36.4 billion in the July-September quarter, the trade deficit with China has risen to record levels, and the rupee had a terrible year, falling from Rs 74.33 to Rs 82.72 to the US dollar in 2022. All this, along with the IMF warning, suggests that we are in for another difficult year. As per an earlier IMF assessment, global growth was forecast to slow down from 6 per cent in 2021 to 3.2 per cent in 2022 and 2.7 per cent in 2023. This is deemed to be the weakest growth profile since 2001 and the IMF chief noted that the three major economies — the US, the EU and China — are all slowing down simultaneously. While India has managed the economic slowdown better than most of the major economies, the overall drop in global growth will impact India’s export potential with attendant fiscal challenges — particularly in relation to fund allocation for the Defence Budget.
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