March 2021 India and the World

Sakshi Education

Japan-India Launches Patent Prosecution Highway
Bilateral Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) program launched by India and Japan in November 2019.

India and Japan launched the Bilateral Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) program between the two countries in November 2019.

According to the bilateral agreement between the Japan Patent Office (JPO) and the Indian Patent Office (IPO), the Indian Patent Office will only receive patent applications related to certain specific technical fields, including computer science, electrical, electronic, Information technology, physics, civil, machinery, textiles, automobiles and metallurgy fields, and JPO may be applied in all technical fields.

The patent prosecution highway includes a series of initiatives to speed up the patent prosecution process by sharing information among the patent offices of participating countries.

By benefiting from the previous work done by the patent offices of other participating countries, beneficial purposes can be provided for each participating patent office. Therefore, the work can be carried out at the same time to reduce examination workload and improve patent quality.
India-Pakistan Hold Talks on Water Sharing After Over 2 Years
India and Pakistan agreed to “strict observance of all agreements, understanding and ceasefire along the Line of Control and all other sectors.

Both countries, now, are again set to return to the dialogue table, with the annual meeting of the Permanent Indus Commission (PIC) scheduled to begin in New Delhi.

The two-day annual meeting of the Indus Commissioners of India and Pakistan starts soon.

The meeting is being held after a gap of more than two-and-a-half years – a period that witnessed Pulwama attack (February 14, 2019), Balakot air strike (February 26, 2019) and abrogation of special provisions under Article 370 that gave special status to J&K.

According to sources, during the latest round of PIC meetings, a discussion on Pakistan’s objections about two Indian projects — PakalDul and Lower Kalnai – is expected to be held.

India is building PakalDul Hydro Electric Project (1,000 MW) on river Marusudar, a tributary of the Chenab. The project is located in Kishtwar district of J&K.

The second project – Lower Kalnai – is being developed on the Chenab.

Routine issues such as flood data exchange mechanisms are also expected to be discussed during the meeting.

The meeting is being seen as a positive step after both countries agreed to “strict observance of all agreements, understanding and ceasefire along the Line of Control and all other sectors” last month.

The last meeting of the PIC was held in Lahore on August 29-30, 2018 – PakalDul and Lower Kalnai projects were discussed then also.

After this meeting, the Pakistan Commissioner of Indus Water led a team to inspect PakalDul, Lower Kalnai, Ratle and other hydropower projects in the Chenab Basin on January 28-31, 2019.

Under the provisions of the Indus Waters Treaty, signed between India and Pakistan in 1960, the Commission shall meet “regularly at least once a year, alternately in India and Pakistan”.

This regular annual meeting shall be held in November or in such other months as may be agreed upon between the Commissioners, states one of the provisions of the treaty.

The Commission was scheduled to meet in March last year but it had to cancel the meeting in view of the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.

Later, India proposed to hold the meeting virtually but the Pakistan side insisted on holding the talks at the Attari check-post.

However, the Indian side conveyed to them that it was not conducive to hold the meeting at the Attari joint check-post in view of the pandemic.

According to provisions of the Indus Waters Treaty, all water of the eastern rivers – Sutlej, Beas, and the Ravi – amounting to around 33 million acre feet (MAF) annually – is allocated to India for unrestricted use, and water of western rivers (Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab) amounting to around 135 MAF annually largely to Pakistan.

Under the treaty, India has been given the right to generate hydroelectricity through a run of the river projects on the western rivers subject to specific criteria for design and operation.

It also gives Pakistan the right to raise concerns on the design of Indian hydroelectric projects on western rivers.

India has cleared several hydropower projects in Ladakh: DurbukShyok (19 MW), Shankoo (18.5 MW), Nimu Chilling (24 MW), Rongdo (12 MW), Ratan Nag (10.5 MW) for Leh; and MangdumSangra (19 MW), KargilHunderman (25 MW) and Tamasha (12 MW) for Kargil.
India, Afghanistan hold talks on peace plan, defence ties
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Afghan counterpart Mohammad Haneef Atmar recently held wide-ranging talks with a focus on the peace process in Afghanistan and on boosting cooperation in areas of security, connectivity and trade.

The Ministry of External Affairs reiterated “India’s long-term commitment towards making Afghanistan a united, peaceful and prosperous constitutional democracy respecting the will of its people”.

Taking India-Afghanistan Strategic Partnership forward, issues of bilateral & regional interest including development cooperation, trade & investment, regional connectivity, security cooperation and peace process were discussed.

The Afghan foreign minister’s visit to India came days after Russia hosted a conference between Afghan government and the Taliban in Moscow, and pressed for a ceasefire in the war-ravaged country.

The Afghan foreign minister said he was looking forward to holding talks with Jaishankar and senior Indian officials on the Afghan peace process as well as on security and economic cooperation.

The Afghan foreign ministry said the purpose of Atmar’s visit to India is to discuss bilateral relations, strengthen regional and international consensus on the Afghan peace process, and enhance cooperation in security, economic, political and cultural spheres.
In signal to China, U.S. raised India ties during Alaska talks
The Joe Biden administration highlighted the strength of U.S.-India ties in its recent meeting with Chinese officials in Alaska, underlining how it has increasingly come to view India as central to its broader objectives in dealing with China in the Indo-Pacific region.

The reference to India, it is learnt, was not favourably received by China’s officials in Alaska.

It is being seen as reflecting how U.S.-India relations, only two months into the new administration, are developing robustly.

The speed with which the new Biden administration has pushed closer ties with India has come in sharp contrast to expectations in some quarters, both in New Delhi and Washington, that relations would not be as smooth as they were with the Trump administration.

But two months on, any initial wariness that the relationship, which had seen rapid progress particularly on the security side over the past four years, would have to be rebuilt from scratch has dissipated.

One reason for that is the successful holding of the virtual Quad summit between India, the U.S., Japan and Australia recently, seven days before the U.S.-China Alaska talks.

Biden administration’s message was it did not want to push any country beyond its comfort level and was willing to keep in mind their respective China concerns.

Hence the absence of any reference to China in the joint statement and the focus on deliverables such as the vaccines initiative — India’s immediate expression of willingness to go ahead with the summit and the “clarity” with which it put forward its agenda eased many concerns in Washington that New Delhi, amid the on-going disengagement process with China along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), might waver in its commitment to the grouping.

If India has made clear it will not be part of any formal alliances, it has also suggested it is more willing to push the bar with China than previously.

The broader reason for the smooth transition in India-U.S. relations is the new administration’s emphasis on a bipartisan approach to India and other key foreign policy issues, despite the divisiveness at home on the domestic agenda.

China’s military hit out at the Quad, describing it as a mechanism “promoted by the United States” and said it “adheres to the Cold War mentality, believes in group confrontation, is keen on geopolitical games, and uses the so-called ‘China challenge’ as an excuse to ‘form cliques’ and openly provoke relations between regional countries”.

Seeking peace, development, and seeking cooperation and win-win is the trend of the times.

Anything that goes against the trend of the times and satisfies one’s own selfishness is untimely, unpopular and is doomed to failure.

China has always insisted on being a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development, and a defender of international order.

China have urged the United States to take up its responsibilities and refrain from making mistakes and do more things that are conducive to regional peace and stability.
Indus Commissioners of India, Pakistan to meet on March 23-24
Indus Commissioners of India and Pakistan are set to meet on March 23-24 in New Delhi.

Indians are committed towards full utilisation of India’s rights under the treaty and believe in amicable solution of issues through discussion.

This will be the first meeting of Indus Commissioners after a gap of two and a half years.

The last meeting of the India-Pakistan Permanent Indus Commission (PIC) was held in Lahore, Pakistan from August 29-30, 2018.

Under the provisions of the Indus Waters Treaty, signed between India and Pakistan in 1960, the Commission shall meet “regularly at least once a year, alternately in India and Pakistan”.

This regular annual meeting shall be held in November or in such other months as may be agreed upon between the Commissioners, states one of the provisions of the treaty.

The Commission was scheduled to meet in March last year but it had to cancel the meeting in view of the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.

Later, India proposed to hold the meeting virtually but the Pakistan side insisted on holding the talks at the Attari check post.

However, the Indian side conveyed to them that it was not conducive to hold the meeting at the Attari Joint Check Post in view of the pandemic.

During the meeting, Pakistan’s objections on design of Indian hydropower projects on Chenab River will be discussed.

According to the provisions of the Indus Waters Treaty, all the waters of the Eastern Rivers (Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi) amounting to around 33 million acre feet (MAF) annually is allocated to India for unrestricted use and the waters of Western rivers (Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab) amounting to around 135 MAF annually largely to Pakistan.

Under the treaty, India has been given the right to generate hydroelectricity through a run of the river projects on the western rivers subject to specific criteria for design and operation.

It also gives the right to Pakistan to raise concerns on the design of Indian hydroelectric projects on western rivers.

The meeting of the Indus Commission will be the first after the abrogation of the special provisions under Article 370 that gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir.
India has assured support at U.N. Human Rights Council, says Sri Lanka’s Foreign Secretary
India has assured Sri Lanka of its support at the UN Human Rights Council, Sri Lankan Foreign Secretary JayanathColombage has said, just days before member countries vote on a new resolution on the island nation’s rights record.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs declined to comment on the Sri Lanka Foreign Secretary’s statement.

Sources in the government told that no decision on the vote had been “conveyed” yet, while Mr. Colombage said Sri Lanka “greatly appreciates” India’s position, “being the superpower they are”.

The senior Foreign Ministry official’s remarks, made at a recent “digital dialogue” hosted by Sri Lanka’s Media Centre for National Development, a month-old initiative aimed at publicising the government’s efforts locally and internationally.

Human Rights Council sessions in Geneva usually invoke sharp responses from nationalist forces within Sri Lanka’s Sinhala Buddhist majority, who see the process as “targeting” their country and “interfering with its sovereignty”.

The Rajapaksa government, whose core support comes from Sinhala Buddhist nationalists, has “categorically rejected” the UN Human Rights chief’s latest report, while accusing the Council of being “politically motivated”.

Colombo has also been reaching out to the member countries during the past weeks, pitching its version of Sri Lanka’s post-war realities that the UN resolutions seek to address.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping, among other leaders, seeking support at the 47-member Council, where Colombo anticipates a hostile resolution.

Mr. Rajapaksa spoke to Mr. Modi over telephone last week, reportedly following up on the letter sent earlier. China has officially declared its support to Sri Lanka.

All eyes are on India’s vote, not only because of its “influence” in the Council, but also because of its own tensions with Colombo, following the Rajapaksa government’s recent decisions on strategic projects involving India and China.

Given India’s pressing geopolitical concerns in the island nation, and stated support for Tamil aspirations, it remains to be seen how New Delhi will approach the vote scheduled on March 22.

The only official intervention made by India so far on Sri Lanka at the ongoing 46th session of the Council in Geneva, was the statement by Permanent Representative (PR) of India Ambassador Indra Mani Pandey, who spoke of India’s “consistent position” resting on two pillars of support to Sri Lanka’s unity and territorial integrity, and an “abiding commitment” to Tamil aspirations for “equality, justice, peace and dignity”.

“These are no either-or choices,” the PR had said, calling for the full implementation of the 13th Amendment.

Apart from reminding Sri Lanka of its several pending commitments and failed promises on delivering truth, justice, and promoting reconciliation, the latest resolution calls for power devolution through the 13th Amendment.

Of the seven resolutions on Sri Lanka adopted by the Council since the end of the war in the country in 2009, only four were contested and put to vote.

India voted for three of those in 2009, 2012 and 2013, and abstained in 2014. The three resolutions adopted from 2015 were consensual and co-sponsored by Sri Lanka, eliminating the need for a vote.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates ‘MaitriSetu’ connecting India and Bangladesh
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated MaitriSetu between India and Bangladesh through video conferencing. The bridge MaitriSetu has been built on the Feni river which flows between Indian boundary in Tripura and Bangladesh.

The construction was taken up by the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited at a project cost of 133 Crore rupees. The 1.9 Kilometres long bridge joins Sabroom in India with Ramgarh in Bangladesh. The Prime Minister also launched infrastructure projects in Tripura.

On the third anniversary of the BJP-IPFT government in Tripura, Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a token of gift to the people of the state inaugurated and laid foundation stones of several projects including the India-Bangladesh ‘MaitriSetu’ through video conference today.

Meanwhile Mr. Modi along with his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the Maitri Bridge at Sabroom which is built over the Feni river connecting Sabroom in India with Ramgarh in Bangladesh. On the occasion, the PM also inaugurated 40 thousand 9 hundred 78 houses constructed under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban).

Addressing the gathering arranged at Swami Vivekananda Stadium here in Agartala through video conference, the Prime Minister congratulated the BJP in State Government for completing its three years successfully. Mr. Modi said with the coming of the new government, the state has progressed in every term of development.

He said the connectivity projects will definitely enhance ease of living for people of Tripura and the state will act as a connecting center in bringing a new development phase for the whole northeast region.
India-Uzbekistan joint military exercise DUSTLIK II commences in Ranikhet
The India - Uzbekistan joint military exercise DUSTLIK II commenced yesterday in Foreign Training Node Chaubatia, Ranikhet in Uttarakhand.

This is the Second Edition of annual bilateral joint exercise of both armies. It will continue till the 19th of this month.

The first edition of the exercise was held in Uzbekistan in November 2019.

45 Soldiers each from Uzbekistan and Indian Army are participating in the exercise.

Both contingents will be sharing their expertise and skills in the field of counter terrorist operations in mountainous or rural or urban scenarios under UN mandate.

The exercise will culminate into a 36 hours joint validation exercise scheduled from 17th to 18th March.

The validation exercise will be a test bed for the soldiers of both armies as they would be undergoing the challenges of actual operations in such scenarios.

Defence Ministry said, the joint exercise will definitely provide impetus to the ever growing military and diplomatic ties between the two nations and also reflects the strong resolve of both nations to counter terrorism.
US, Australia, India & Japan agree to deliver one billion doses of COVID vaccine
The leaders of the US, Australia, India and Japan have agreed to deliver one billion doses of coronavirus vaccine to much of Asia by the end of 2022.

The joint commitment was made following the first leaders' meeting of the Quad countries held yesterday. The vaccines are expected to be the single-dose Johnson & Johnson product which will be manufactured in India.

US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said, with Indian manufacturing, US technology, Japanese and American financing and Australian logistics quad countries are committed to deliver up to one billion doses. He said the vaccines would go to the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) as well as the Pacific and beyond.

The Indian company Biological Ltd will manufacture the extra doses of the Johnson & Johnson jab, which received initial World Health Organization (WHO) approval yesterday.
India, China foreign ministers to set up hotline
The Foreign Ministers of India and China agreed to establish a new hotline to ensure “timely communication” in the wake of last year’s border crisis but differed sharply on the way forward to restore relations.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar told his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, that “bilateral relations have been impacted severely over last year” and that while “the boundary question may take time to resolve”, the “disturbance of peace and tranquility, including by violence, will inevitably have a damaging impact on the relationship”.

He stressed that restoring normality to the broader relationship would first require complete disengagement and then de-escalation along the border.

Agreeing to set up a hotline so both Ministers could be in more regular contact, both sides stressed the importance of “timely” communication in the wake of last year’s crisis.

This hotline will be in addition to the military hotline between the Indian Army’s Director-General of Military Operations (DGMO) and China’s Western Theatre Command.

Army chief General Manoj Naravane said last year that the proposal for military hotline, which had been mired in bureaucratic delays for years, had been accepted by both sides after all procedural issues were resolved.
India and Japan back in new Sri Lanka port project
Sri Lanka said it will develop the West Container Terminal (WCT) at the Colombo Port, along with India and Japan.

The decision comes a month after the Rajapaksa government ejected the two partners from a 2019 tripartite agreement to jointly develop the East Container Terminal (ECT), citing resistance to “foreign involvement”.

The deal had been signed by the former Maithripala Sirisena-Ranil Wickremesinghe government.

The February 1 decision came amid mounting opposition from port worker unions and sections of the clergy to “foreign involvement” in the country’s national assets.

The Rajapaksa government has offered India and Japan the WCT as an alternative, allowing higher stakes.

In the ECT project agreed upon earlier, the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) was to hold majority 51%, but in the WCT proposal, India and Japan will be accorded 85% stake, as is the case in the nearby Colombo International Container Terminal (CICT), where China Merchants Port Holdings Company Limited holds 85%, the government said.

The terminal’s further development, which is now to be undertaken by the Sri Lanka Port Authority, is aimed at augmenting operations at an estimated cost of up to $700 million.

The West Container Terminal, however, has to be built from scratch, requiring a much higher investment.

The WCT is adjacent to the China-run CICT and just a couple of kilometres away from the China-backed Port City being built on reclaimed land, making it a strategically desirable spot for India, whose concerns over China’s presence in Sri Lanka are well known.

Colombo’s alternative offer also comes at a time when Sri Lanka is seeking support at the ongoing UN Human Right Council session, where a resolution on the country’s rights record will soon be put to vote.

The government recently wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Asked if the two developments were linked, Sri Lanka said they were “two different areas — one is commercial, other one, more of international relations.
India and Norway to conduct marine spatial planning in Lakshadweep and Puducherry
India and Norway agreed to carry out Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) in Lakshadweep and Puducherry.

India and Norway have agreed to work together in the field of Marine Space Planning (MSP) in marine space in the next five years.

India and Norway have agreed to work together in the field of marine space planning in the next five years.

This is part of the "India-Norway Integrated Ocean Initiative" under the Memorandum of Understanding signed by the two countries in 2019.

Lakshadweep and Puducherry have been identified as pilot sites for this project. The two countries have decided to expand support for the sustainable use of marine resources to promote economic and social development in coastal areas.

Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) will be implemented by the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) through the National Centre for Coastal Research of India (NCCR) and the Norwegian Environment Agency through the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

It is worth noting that the World Bank and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) have expressed interest in supporting the Ministry of Education to implement MSP.