Pager Attack, Rapa Nui, Quad Summit

(General Studies III – Economy section – Issues related to Direct and Indirect Farm Subsidies and Minimum Support Prices; Public Distribution System – Objectives, Functioning, Limitations, Revamping; Issues of Buffer Stocks and Food Security; Technology Missions; Economics of Animal-Rearing.)

In the near future, the Indian government is expected to prioritize capping the consumption of urea and DAP to correct the worsening plant nutrient imbalance and promote balanced fertilization.

India’s fertilizer use –

• India is the world’s largest consumer of Urea, a nitrogenous fertilizer. This is due to heavy subsidies that keep its price artificially low compared to other essential fertilizers like DAP (Phosphatic) and MOP (Potassic).

• Imbalanced NPK Ratio: The recommended ratio for NPK (Nitrogen: Phosphorus: Potassium) fertilizers is 4:2:1. However, due to subsidy structure, N consumption is much higher, leading to imbalanced soil health.
• Import Dependence: India relies heavily on imports for P and K fertilizers (around 90% and 100% respectively). This creates vulnerability to price fluctuations in the global market.
• Disparities in Consumption: Fertilizer use varies greatly across regions. Punjab uses much higher quantities compared to states like Rajasthan. 

Balanced Fertilization –

• Supply primary (N, P, K), secondary (S, calcium, magnesium), and micro (iron, zinc, copper, etc.) nutrients in the right proportion based on soil and crop requirements.
• India relies heavily on imported fertilizers and raw materials, impacting foreign exchange and subsidy burdens. Balanced fertilization helps overcome high import dependency.
• International prices of urea, DAP, and MOP have decreased, offering an opportunity for rationalizing MRPs and promoting balanced nutrition.

Nutrient-Based Subsidy (NBS) –

• Instituted in April 2010 to promote balanced fertilization by linking subsidies to nutrient content.
• Initially successful, but excluded urea, leading to increased urea consumption due to controlled prices.
• Presently, non-urea fertilizers under price control, causing imbalances. DAP has become the “new urea” with high consumption, while MOP is less used.

Implementation Challenges –

• Proper Implementation: Ensuring proper price hierarchy and promoting balanced fertilization are crucial.
• Nutrient Imbalances: Addressing imbalances caused by current pricing and consumption patterns is a priority.

Policy Recommendations –

• Price Hierarchy: Proper pricing of non-urea fertilizers with DAP the highest, MOP the lowest, and complexes in between.
• SSP (Single Super Phosphate) Promotion: Address low acceptability by marketing in granular form to prevent adulteration and ensure slow release.
• Urea Under NBS: Consider bringing urea under NBS and increasing subsidies on other nutrients to promote balanced nutrition.
• Sulphur-Coated Urea: Recently introduced, with a 12.5% price hike, as part of balanced fertilization initiatives.

Fertilizer use is critical for enhancing agricultural productivity in India, a country with a significant agrarian economy where implementation of various policies to ensure the availability and affordability of balanced fertilization for farmers becomes important.

• External Affairs Minister recently stated that 75% of disengagement between India and China along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh has been completed.
• Demchok and Depsang, remain unresolved with no progress in the past two years.
• Depsang plains are located near the strategically vital Karakoram Pass, a critical route for military and logistical operations.
• For access to the Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO) sector Depasang Plains is critical.
• The Depsang Plains has been a site of notable standoffs occurring in 2013 and 2020 continuing till today.(Demchok covered in August Current Affairs Magazine)
• Optimism about further disengagement has resurfaced ahead of the BRICS Summit in October.
• Since 2020, disengagement has taken place at Galwan, the North and South Banks of Pangong Tso, and Patrolling Points 17 and 15 in the Gogra-Hot Springs area.

Dig Deeper: Read about the Working Mechanism for Consultation & Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC)

• Pagers used by Hezbollah members exploded near-simultaneously in Lebanon and Syria. The blasts are believed to be a sophisticated, remote attack, with Israeli involvement suspected.
• The incident occurred amid heightened tensions between Israel and Hezbollah, exchanging fire across the Israel-Lebanon border.
• Hezbollah had recently switched to pagers after the group’s leader advised members to stop using cell phones due to tracking concerns.

Dig Deeper: Read about revolutionary technological innovations’ impact on changing warfare in recent years like the use of Swarms Drones.

• Recently genetic studies have revealed Native American ancestry in the Rapa Nui people, suggesting contact before European arrival.
• Rapa Nui, also known as Easter Island, is a volcanic island in Polynesia, officially a territory of Chile, covering 160 sq. km. Early Polynesian settlers established a society here long before European contact in 1722.
• The island’s rocky terrain, limited freshwater, poor soil quality, and low biodiversity presented significant survival challenges for its inhabitants.

• Moai Statues: The island is famous for its moai, large statues carved from volcanic stone representing revered ancestors.
• Over 900 statues have been found, with some transported long distances from quarries. The statues were erected between the 13th and 16th centuries.
• The Rapa Nui practiced rock gardening (lithic mulching) to improve soil productivity.

Dig Deeper: Read about the New Caledonia Islands of Polynesia which are in the news.

• Indian and U.S. officials held discussions in New Delhi during a “2+2 intersessional dialogue” ahead of the Prime Minister’s upcoming visit to the U.S. and the Quad Summit in Wilmington.
• The Quad Summit will include leaders from the U.S., India, Japan, and Australia, focusing on Indo-Pacific issues.
• Leaders are expected to emphasize cooperation on semiconductors and critical technologies, aiming to build a more secure regional environment.
• Enhancing Indo-Pacific Maritime Domain Awareness (IPMDA) mechanisms and discussing possible joint maritime operations in the future were also on the agenda.
• India reiterated that the Quad is not a security framework like other U.S.-led regional initiatives such as AUKUS, which involves the U.K. and Australia, or alliances with South Korea, the Philippines, and New Zealand.

Dig Deeper: Read the fundamentals of Quad.