GS- 2nd Paper
Topic- Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests.
India and Switzerland Relations
Context
India and Switzerland discussed enhanced cooperation in fight against tax evasion.
About
- Fighting the menace of Black Money stashed in offshore accounts is a key priority area for the Government of India.
- Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and Swiss President ‘Mr Ueli Maurer’ signed an agreement for enhanced cooperation in the fight against tax evasion.
Key aspects of bilateral relations between India and Switzerland
- Switzerland has a close and dynamic relationship with India that is reflected in numerous treaties and agreements and in frequent high-level diplomatic visits.
- The broad-based cooperation between the two countries covers areas including trade, science, education and culture.
Diplomatic Relations
- India is one of Switzerland’s principal partners in Asia. Regular high-level meetings and visits have strengthened relations between the two countries.
- Switzerland and India have signed numerous bilateral agreements covering a range of areas (trade, development cooperation, education and vocational training, visas, migration, air traffic, investment, finance, taxation and scientific and technological cooperation).
- In 2018 Switzerland and India celebrated the 70th anniversary of the Treaty of Friendship signed between the two countries in 1948.
- Both India and Switzerland represent democratic and plural societies that believe in the principles of “respect for differences” and “unity in diversity”.
Economic cooperation
- India is Switzerland’s fourth-largest trading partner in Asia and the largest in South Asia.
- Switzerland is an important trading partner for India outside the EU
- In 2018 Swiss exports to India amounted to USD 17.56 billion and comprised mainly precious metals, machinery, pharmaceuticals and chemicals.
- Imports from India, mainly of chemicals, textiles, precious metals and agricultural products, amounted to USD 1.84 billion in 2018.
- At the end of 2016 Swiss direct investment in India totalled USD 4.7 billion.
- Some 250 Swiss companies have a presence in India in the form of joint ventures, subsidiaries or branches.
- About 100 Indian companies have invested about USD 1.2 billion between 2012 and 2014 in Switzerland.
- This placing it among the top five European investment destinations and top-ten places globally for Indian investors.
Cooperation in education, research and innovation
- Switzerland and India signed a science and technology agreement in 2003 and a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in the social sciences in 2012.
- The activities covered in these agreements fall within the scope of the Indo-Swiss Joint Research Programme- ISJRP.
- Swissnex India, located in Bangalore, connects Switzerland and India in the fields of science, education, arts and innovation.
- India is a priority country for Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships for Foreign Scholars and Artists, which are aimed at young researchers.
- Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships for Foreign Scholars and Artists SERI.
Development cooperation and humanitarian aid
- The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) has contributed to India’s development since 1961.
- Traditional bilateral development cooperation was phased out a few years ago but the SDC remains active in India through its global programmes.
- Its current activities focus on issues related to climate change.
- Switzerland aims to contribute to climate-compatible development in India.
- The SDC also promotes cooperation on global issues such as food security, water and urban search and rescue (USAR).
Energy
- India and Switzerland share common priorities in boosting the share of renewables in their energy mix.
- A number of joint projects are already under way in energy efficiency and renewable energies and holds further potential as well.
- Switzerland is helping municipal authorities in India to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Black money
- Fighting the menace of Black Money stashed in offshore accounts is a key priority area for the Government of India.
- The agreement has signed between Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and Swiss President “Mr Ueli Maurer” for enhanced cooperation in the fight against tax evasion.
- The recent joint declaration on the mutual automatic exchange of financial account information gains ground on India’s fight against black money.
Cultural exchange
- Switzerland and India have a long tradition of cultural relations.
- Many Swiss artists and researchers have been active in India, including the architect Le Corbusier and the painter, sculptor and art historian Alice Boner.
- On the Indian side, producers like Yash Chopra have set popular Bollywood films in the Alps, bringing the two countries closer together.
- The opening of the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia liaison office in New Delhi in 2007 gave additional impetus to cultural relations between Switzerland and India.
Way forward
- Switzerland’s experience in major rail infrastructure projects (like Gotthard tunnel) can best be used by India for its public transport vision.
- The two countries need to pursue closer business partnerships in priority sectors such as precision and high technology manufacturing, infrastructure and clean-tech research.
- There is scope for creating partnerships between R&D labs and institutions.
- There should be further deepening of the cooperation between both the countries to work for the benefit of both the countries and addressing global challenges.
- Both countries must seize the opportunities and promote free trade and economic agreements.
- Cooperation in the fields of transport, energy, vocational education and training, digitalization is important.
- Switzerland is a global leader in innovation and technology and hence can contribute to the growth of Indian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
GS- 2nd Paper
Topic- Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.
International Seed Treaty
Context
Union Agriculture Minister attends the Eighth Session of Governing Body of Seed Treaty “International Treaty of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA)” at FAO Headquarters in Rome.
About
- The eighth session of the Governing Body of International Treaty of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) is being held in Rome, Italy
- The Governing Body ITPGRFA sessions are held biennially.
- India highlighted the need for conservation of plant genetic resources and the uniqueness of Indian legislation Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights (PPV&FR) Act to address the related issues.
About the ITPGRFA
- The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture was adopted by the 31st Session of the Conference of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations on 3 November 2001.
- Seed Treaty is a comprehensive international agreement for ensuring food security through the conservation, exchange and sustainable use of the world’s Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (PGRFA).
- India is a signatory to the treaty.
The Treaty aims at
- Recognizing the enormous contribution of farmers to the diversity of crops that feed the world;
- Establishing a global system to provide farmers, plant breeders and scientists with access to plant genetic materials;
- Ensuring that recipients share benefits they derive from the use of these genetic materials with the countries where they have been originated.
Objectives
Multilateral system- The Treaty’s truly innovative solution to access and benefit sharing,
- The Multilateral System puts 64 of our most important crops – crops that together account for 80 percent of the food we derive from plants – into an easily accessible global pool of genetic resources that is freely available to potential users in the Treaty’s ratifying nations for some uses.
Access and benefit sharing
- The Treaty facilitates access to the genetic materials of the 64 crops in the Multilateral System for research, breeding and training for food and agriculture.
- Those who access the materials must be from the Treaty’s ratifying nations and they must agree to use the materials totally for research, breeding and training for food and agriculture.
- The Treaty prevents the recipients of genetic resources from claiming intellectual property rights over those resources in the form in which they received them.
- It ensures that access to genetic resources already protected by international property rights is consistent with international and national laws.
- Those who access genetic materials through the Multilateral System agree to share any benefits from their use through four benefit-sharing mechanisms established by the Treaty.
Farmers’ rights
- The Treaty recognizes the enormous contribution farmers have made to the ongoing development of the world’s wealth of plant genetic resources.
- It calls for protecting the traditional knowledge of these farmers, increasing their participation in national decision-making processes and ensuring that they share in the benefits from the use of these resources
Sustainable use
- Most of the world’s food comes from four main crops – rice, wheat, maize and potatoes.
- However, local crops, not among the main four, are a major food source for hundreds of millions of people and have potential to provide nutrition to countless others.
- The Treaty helps maximize the use and breeding of all crops and promotes development and maintenance of diverse farming systems.
Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights (PPV&FR) Act, 2001
- PPV&FR Act, 2001 aims to protect Farmers’ and breeder’s rights.
- According to the act, a farmer is entitled to save, use, sow, re-sow, exchange, share or sell his farm produce including seed of a variety protected under the PPV&FR Act, 2001 except the brand name.
- It is in conformity with International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV), 1978.
Farmers’ Rights under the Act
- A farmer who has evolved or developed a new variety is entitled for registration and protection in like manner as a breeder of a variety;
- Farmers variety can also be registered as an extant variety;
- A farmer can save, use, sow, re-sow, exchange, share or sell his farm produce including seed of a variety protected under the PPV&FR Act, 2001 in the same manner as he was entitled before the coming into force of this Act provided farmer shall not be entitled to sell branded seed of a variety protected under the PPV&FR Act, 2001;
- Farmers are eligible for recognition and rewards for the conservation of Plant Genetic Resources of land races and wild relatives of economic plants;
- Farmer shall not be liable to pay any fee in any proceeding before the Authority or Registrar or the Tribunal or the High Court under the Act.
Breeders’ Rights under the Act
- Breeders will have exclusive rights to produce, sell, market, distribute, import or export the protected variety.
- Breeder can appoint agent/ licensee and may exercise for civil remedy in case of infringement of rights.
- Researcher can use any of the registered variety under the Act for conducting experiment or research.
- This includes the use of a variety as an initial source of variety for the purpose of developing another variety but repeated use needs prior permission of the registered breeder.
For Prelims
Exercise Dustlik 2019
Context
Indo-Uzbekistan Joint Field Training exercise (FTX)-2019 Exercise Dustlik-2019 culminated.
Highlights
- Exercise DUSTLIK-2019 was held between India and Uzbekistan Army.
- The joint military exercise focused on counter-terrorism was commenced in Tashkent.
- The exercise will enable sharing of best practices and experiences between the Armed Forces of the two countries and would lead to greater operational effectiveness.
Exercise Shakti-2019
Context
Indo-French Joint Exercise Shakti-2019 culminated.
Highlights
- ‘Exercise SHAKTI’ between India and France commenced in year 2011.
- It’s a biennial exercise and is conducted alternately in India and France.
- The bilateral training exercise will be conducted at Foreign Training Node at Mahajan Field Firing Ranges, Rajasthan.
- The joint exercise will focus on Counter Terrorism operations in backdrop of semi-desert terrain under United Nations Mandate.
- The training will focus primarily on high degree of physical fitness, sharing of drill at tactical level and learning of best practices from each other.
- The exercise aims at enhancing understanding, cooperation and interoperability between the two Armies.
