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Giving the urban Indian a better life - Page No.8 , GS 1
Much to lose if the 'Indian veterans in Qatar' case festers - Page No.8 , GS 2
Tiding over - Page No.8 , GS 3
FATF - Page No. 12, GS 2
Saudi Arabia, Russia to continue oil cuts - Page No.15, GS 3

Giving the urban Indian a better life - Page No.8 , GS 1

The theme of World Cities Day (October 31) this year was "Financing Sustainable Urban Future for All." Finances must be channelled in the right direction such that urban futures which are being cut short on account of flawed urbanisation are checked, and, in turn, cities made liveable and safe.
It is atrocious that air pollution is taking away over 10% of our life expectancy.
A report released by The Energy Policy Institute at Chicago (EPIC) shows that out of the 50 most polluted cities in the world, 39 are in India.
Pollution directly affects the health of people, and an average Indian loses 5.3 years of his life expectancy due to this: for the residents of Delhi, it is 11.9 years
Pollution results in burning eyes, irritation of the nose and throat, coughing, choked breath, and asthma apart from causing cardiovascular diseases. Recently, a media report labelled air pollution in Mumbai as "Death by Breath" due to very unsatisfactory Air Quality Index levels.
Bad air is not limited to the Indo-Gangetic plains anymore where the argument of inversion of temperature and slowing down of wind speeds was considered as a factor for poor air quality.
The trajectory of urban development, where the focus is more on real estate development, a widening of roads, allowing large fuel guzzling vehicles on them, in turn squeezing the space meant for pedestrians, and redevelopment are the major reasons for increased pollution in Indian cities.
Road dust, concrete batching, polluting industrial units and their extension in the cities, and vehicular emissions are key factors too. It is estimated that motorised transport alone is the cause for 60% of urban pollution.
The green lungs of the cities, water bodies, urban forests, and green cover on urban commons, and urban agriculture have all reported shrinkage, even as "grey" infrastructure has seen rapid expansion.
The burning of paddy, primarily in Haryana and Punjab, only escalates the problem. But this is only a small and seasonal part of the problem.
India's automobile market has risen in value from $100 billion and is expected to touch almost $160 billion by 2027, registering a growth of 8.1%. Between July 2023 to September 2023, passenger and commercial vehicles sales touched 13,22,818 units.

Much to lose if the 'Indian veterans in Qatar' case festers - Page No.8 , GS 2

Delhi and parts of the surrounding States of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh encounter their annual air quality inflection point.
The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), which is tasked with addressing the causes of air pollution in Delhi and the adjoining States, is now a body packed with expertise but whose powers are limited to evoking and recommending grades of measures depending on the degree of deterioration in air quality.

About the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM):

The Commission was first formed by an ordinance in October 2020.
The erstwhile Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority, or EPCA had been dissolved to make way for the Commission.
The Commission will be a statutory authority.
The Commission will supersede bodies such as the central state pollution control boards of Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, UP and Rajasthan.
In 2021, the Parliament approved the Commission for Air quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas Bill.

Composition:

Chairperson: To be chaired by a government official of the rank of Secretary or Chief Secretary.
The chairperson will hold the post for three years or until s/he attains the age of 70 years.
It will have members from several Ministries as well as representatives from the stakeholder States.
It will have experts from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Civil Society.

Tiding over - Page No.8 , GS 3

India was presented with a formidable diplomatic challenge on October 26 when eight former Indian Navy officials held in Qatar on unknown charges since August 30 last year were sentenced to death by a Qatari 'Court of First Instance'.
The veterans were working for an Omani company, Dahra Global Technologies, in an associated vertical based out of Doha.
Qatar has a unique demography where expatriates and migrant workers make up almost 88% of the population.
India's nuanced position on the ongoing Israel-Hamas war and support to the Palestinian cause will be put to the test against Qatar's emerging role in working out a rapprochement between the Arab world and Israel, even as world leaders weigh their options. India's relationship with Qatar will head south if this diplomatic row is not settled on mutually acceptable terms.

History

Diplomatic relations between India and Qatar were established in 1973.
India maintains an embassy in Doha, while Qatar maintains an embassy in New Delhi and a consulate in Mumbai.

Bilateral Trade

India's bilateral trade with Qatar in 2022-23 was US$ 18.77 billion.
India's export to Qatar during 2022-23 was US$ 1.96 billion and India's import from Qatar was US$ 16.8 billion.
Qatar's key exports to India include LNG, LPG, chemicals and petrochemicals, plastics, and aluminium articles.
India's key exports to Qatar include cereals, copper articles, iron and steel articles, vegetables, fruits, spices, and processed food products, electrical and machinery, plastic products, construction material, textiles & garments precious stones and rubber.
Qatar is the largest supplier of LNG to India, accounting for over 48% ol LNG imports and 15% of Qatar's export of LNG.

FATF - Page No. 12, GS 2

Ahead of India's mutual evaluations by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the Union government has taken several measures to implement the intergovernmental body's recommendations, made following the 2010 review, which includes notification of practising chartered accountants, company secretaries, and cost and management accountants as reporting entities.
The FATF carries out the review to determine whether its recommended measures to curb money laundering and terror financing have been taken by the member country and if they are effective. India's on-site assessment is expected to be carried out in November.

About Financial Action Task Force (FATF):

FATF is an inter-governmental policy-making and standard-setting body dedicated to combating money laundering and terrorist financing.
Objective: To establish international standards, and to develop and promote policies, both at national and international levels, to combat money laundering and the financing of terrorism.
It was established in 1989 during the G7 Summit in Paris to develop policies against money laundering.
In 2001 its mandate expanded to include terrorism financing.
Headquarters: Paris, France.
FATF members include 39 countries, including the United States, India, China, Saudi Arabia, Britain, Germany, France, and the EU as such.
India became a member of FATF in 2010.

What are FATF 'grey list' and 'blacklist'? FATF has 2 types of lists:

Black List: Countries knowns as Non-Cooperative Countries or Territories (NCCTs) are put on the blacklist. These countries support terror funding and money laundering activities. The FATF revises the blacklist regularly, adding or deleting entries.
Grey List: Countries that are considered a safe haven for supporting terror funding and money laundering are put on the FATF grey list. This inclusion serves as a warning to the country that it may enter the blacklist.
Three countries North Korea, Iran, and Myanmar are currently in FATF's blacklist.

Consequences of being on the FATF blacklist:

They also face a number of international economic and financial restrictionand

Saudi Arabia, Russia to continue oil cuts - Page No.15, GS 3

Top oil exporters Saudi Arabia and Russia confirmed on Sunday they would continue with their additional voluntary oil output cuts until the end of the year as concerns over demand and economic growth continue to weigh on crude markets. Both countries said their cuts would be reviewed next month to consider extending, deepening or increasing it.
Saudi Arabia confirmed it would continue with its additional voluntary cut of 1 million barrels per day (bpd) translating into a production of around 9 million bpd for December, a source said.
Following the Saudi statement, Moscow also announced it would continue its additional voluntary supply cut of 3,00,000 bpd from its crude oil and petroleum product exports until the end of December.
OPEC+, which comprises the countries of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and leading allies including Russia, has been cutting output since last year in what it says is preemptive action to maintain market stability.

What is the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries(OPEC):

It is a permanent intergovernmental organization of oil-exporting countries.

Mission:

To coordinate and unify the petroleum policies of its Member Countries.
Formation: It was established in 1960 by the five founding members Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela.
Currently, it has 13 members, including Algeria, Angola, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Libya, Nigeria, and the United Arab
Headquarters: Vienna, Austria.

About OPEC+:

It is a group of 23 oil-exporting countries which meets regularly to decide how much crude oil to sell on the world market.
These nations aim to work together on adjusting crude oil production to bring stability to the oil market.
At the core of this group are the 13 members of OPEC (the Organization of the Oil Exporting Countries), which are mainly Middle Eastern and African countries.
Members: It comprises 13 OPEC countries plus Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Brunei, Kazakhstan, Russia, Mexico, Malaysia, South Sudan, Sudan, and Oman.

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