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History of Modern Passport

GS Paper 2: Polity and International Relations

Context-:
The recently released Shahrukh Khan-Rajkumar Hirani film ‘Dunki’ focuses on the issue of immigration.

      • Its title is taken from the term “donkey journey”, which refers to the long-winding, often dangerous routes that people across the world take to reach the places they want to immigrate to.
      • These difficult journeys are undertaken due to a lack of requisite legal permits or financial resources.

About Passport-:
A passport is a government-issued document that functions as a permit and proof of identity, allowing the residents of one country to travel to another, and documents similar to it have existed for centuries.
Different types of passports exist, including regular passports for general travel, diplomatic passports for government officials, and official passports for those traveling on official government business.

Visas:-
While a passport allows entry into many countries, some destinations may require a visa for specific purposes or lengths of stay.
A visa is an endorsement on the passport indicating that the traveler has met certain entry requirements.

Passports of the past-:
    • In the Hebrew Bible, the Book of Nehemiah says that the ancient Persian king Artaxerxes, in around 450 BC, sent a prophet to Jerusalem but also sent letters with him that requested other governors to grant him safe passage through his journey.
    • Similar documents were in place in countries such as France and the United Kingdom.
    • In France, the ‘Passport System’ had been well established before the French Revolution of 1789.
    • Internal passports for travel from town to town were required as well as overseas passports for foreign excursions.
    • The French State also used this system to “prevent skilled workers and capital from leaving and deterring troublemakers from arriving.
    • A foreign traveler to France had to surrender his passport, which would then be replaced with a temporary one for the duration of his stay.


Modern passports system-:
  • India-:
      • The Indian Ministry of External Affairs’ passport services website says that in India, “There was no practice of issuing Indian passports before the First World War.”
      • This changed with the First World War (1914 to 1918) when the British government of India enacted the Defence of India Act.
      • Under it, possessing a passport for leaving and entering India was compulsory.
      • It then continued seeing how the practice was in place in other parts of the British Empire.
  • Britain-:
      • In 1914, the British Nationality and Status of Aliens Act was enacted (where ‘alien’ referred to a “non-British subject”) to “consolidate and amend the Enactments relating to British Nationality and the Status of Aliens”.
      • It spoke about the naturalization of aliens and other laws related to citizenship.
      • The first modern passport was a product of this Act. Before this, international travel did not require such documents.
      • It carried distinguishing features of its holder – “a photograph and signature”, their complexion, etc. The article gives an example of an entry under it – “Forehead: broad. Nose: large. Eyes: small.”
  • United States-:
      • The 1920s saw laws on passports from countries such as the US. It was also a period when the country was seeing immigration from China and Japan pick up.
      • The U.S. passed the Emergency Quota Act of 1921 and later, the Immigration Act of 1924 limiting the inflow of immigrants.


Related Search-:
Visa-Free Access V/s Visa on Arrival

Prelims Specific-:
About passport and Visa
History of Passport
Passports in different nations

PM-DevINE scheme

GS Paper 2: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.

Context:
With a little over 10% of funds under the PM-DevINE sanctioned so far, the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) convened a meeting with the Chief Ministers of the States asking for “feasible concept notes”.

    • The scheme was announced in the 2022-23 Union Budget with an initial allocation of ₹1,500 crore.

About PM-DevINE scheme:
  • The PM-DevINE Scheme is a Central Sector Scheme with 100% Central funding and will be implemented by the Ministry of Development of the North Eastern Region (DoNER).
  • The PM-DevINE Scheme will have an outlay of Rs.6,600 crore for the four years from 2022-23 to 2025-26.
  • PM-DevINE will lead to the creation of infrastructure, support industries, social development projects, and livelihood activities for youth and women, thus leading to employment generation.
  • To limit construction risks of time and cost overrun, falling on the Government projects would be implemented on an Engineering-procurement-Construction (EPC) basis, to the extent possible.

Objectives-:
(a) Fund infrastructure convergently, in the spirit of PM Gati Shakti;
(b) Support social development projects based on the felt needs of the NER;
(c) Enable livelihood activities for youth and women;
(d) Fill the development gaps in various sectors.


Need-:
Basic Minimum Services (BMS) are well below the national average and there are critical development gaps as per the BER District Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Index 2021-22 prepared by NITI Aayog, UNDP, and MDoNER.
The new Scheme, PM-DevINE was announced to address these BMS shortfalls and development gaps.

Other Scheme-:
There are other MDoNER Schemes for the development of the North Eastern Region.
The average size of projects under other MDoNER Schemes is about Rs.12 crore only.
PM-DevINE will provide support to infrastructure and social development projects which may be larger in size and will also provide an end-to-end development solution instead of isolated projects.
It will be ensured that there is no duplication of project support under PM-DevINE with any of the other schemes of MDoNER or those of any other Ministry/Department.


Engineering-procurement-Construction Mode-:
The Engineering, Procurement, and Construction Model partnership requires the government to undertake the total funding of the project while the Private sector partner will provide the engineering and construction requirements.
The government invites bids for engineering expertise from contractors.
Procurement of raw materials and construction costs are met by the government.
The Government of India and several state governments have completed numerous large-scale projects, especially highway projects through EPC.


Related Search-:
North Eastern Council.
HAM (Hybrid Annuity Model).
Build Operate Transfer (BOT).

Prelims Specific-:
About PM-DevINE.
Who implements the scheme?
Central Sector Scheme.
Difference btw EPC, HAM, and BOT.

Iceland volcano eruption

GS Paper 1: Important Geophysical phenomena such as earthquakes, tsunamis, Volcanic activity, cyclones etc., geographical features and their location.

Context:
The volcano, which is known as Fagradalsfjall and located on the Reykjanes peninsula in southwest Iceland, erupted after weeks of intense earthquakes and tremors.

    • This is the third time that the Fagradalsfjall volcano has erupted in the past two years.
    • It had been dormant for over 6,000 years but became active in March 2021.


What are volcanoes?
Volcanoes are openings, or vents where lava, tephra (small rocks), and steam erupt onto the Earth’s surface.
Volcanoes can be on land and in the ocean.
They are formed when material significantly hotter than its surroundings is erupted onto the surface of the Earth.
The material could be liquid rock (known as “magma”, when it’s underground and “lava” when it breaks through the surface), ash, and/or gases.


Rise of magma:
The rise of magma can take place in three different ways-
1. Tectonic plates in motion:- when tectonic plates — massive, irregularly shaped slabs of solid rock that carry both continents and oceans and are constantly in motion — move away from each other.
The magma rises up to fill in the space.
When this happens underwater volcanoes can form.
2. Tectonics move towards each other:- When this happens, part of Earth’s crust can be forced deep into its interior.
The high heat and pressure cause the crust to melt and rise as magma.
3. Hotspots:- Magma rises at the hotspots — hot areas inside of the Earth, where magma gets heated up.
As magma gets warmer, it becomes less dense, leading to its rise.


Kinds of volcanoes:
The type of volcano depends on the viscosity of the magma, the amount of gas in the magma, the composition of the magma, and the way the magma reaches the surface.
Stratovolcanoes have steep sides and are more cone-shaped than shield volcanoes have a low profile and resemble a shield lying on the ground.
There are also a host of different “volcanic features that can form from erupted magma (such as cinder cones or lava domes) as well as processes that shape volcanoes.

Based on Type of Eruption:- The nature of the eruption mainly depends on the viscosity of the magma and are of two types:

- Basic: The basic magma is dark-coloured like basalt, rich in iron and magnesium but poor in silica.
They travel far and generate broad shield volcanoes.
- Acidic: These are light-coloured, of low density, and have a high percentage of silica therefore they make a familiar cone volcano shape.


Why is Iceland so volcanically active?
There are two reasons for this.
      • One, Iceland sits on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (part of the longest mountain range in the world) in the North Atlantic Ocean, where the Eurasian and North American plates are moving apart a few centimetres every year.
      • Two, the island sits over a hot zone (or hotspot, as mentioned before), which leads to enhanced volcanic activity in the region.


Related Search:
Plate Tectonics
Active Volcanos in India
Earthquakes

Prelims Specific:
What is a Volcano?
Its types
Formation of Volcanoes/ Rise of magma
Causes of Volcanism
Why is Iceland so volcanically active?

How India choose its Republic Day chief guest

Context:
France’s President Emmanuel Macron will be India’s chief guest for its 2024 Republic Day celebrations.

India’s Republic Day chief guest as an honour-:
Highest Protocol Honor: Invitation as the Republic Day chief guest is a top honour, symbolizing strong ties and participation in India's pride and happiness.
Ceremonial Activities: Includes a guard of honour at Rashtrapati Bhavan, wreath-laying at Rajghat in honour of Mahatma Gandhi, a reception by the President, and a banquet in their honour.
Symbolism of Friendship: Represents the friendship between nations as portrayed by the President of India and the Chief Guest, signifying the bond between their peoples.
Diplomatic Significance: Acts as a potent tool for forging and strengthening political and diplomatic relations between India and the visiting nation.
Renewal of Ties: Offers an opportunity to renew and reinforce ties between India and the invited country, enhancing mutual understanding and collaboration.

How is the Republic Day chief guest chosen? (Factors)

  • Invitation Process Timeline: Initiated about six months prior, with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) considering various factors before extending the invitation.
  • Primary Consideration: Relationship Nature: The foremost consideration is the relationship between India and the guest country. The invitation symbolizes the pinnacle of friendship between the two nations.
  • Drivers of Decision: The political, commercial, military, and economic interests of India are pivotal in the decision-making process. Strengthening ties across these dimensions is a key objective.
  • Non-Aligned Movement Association: Historical influence exists from the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), formed to unite newly decolonized nations during the Cold War. Early invitations often aligned with NAM membership, such as President Sukarno of Indonesia, a NAM founding member, as the first Chief Guest in 1950.

Namdapha flying squirrel

Context-:
A nocturnal flying squirrel has resurfaced in Arunachal Pradesh after going missing for 42 years.

Details-:

  • The Namdapha flying squirrel (Biswamoyopterus biswasi) was last described in 1981 based on a single individual found in the 1,985 sq km Namdapha Tiger Reserve in Arunachal Pradesh’s Changlang district.
  • The failure of zoologists to locate the arboreal mammal during several expeditions thereafter generated two theories — that it could have been mistaken for the very similar red giant flying squirrel (Petaurista petaurista) sharing the same ecosystem or worse, become history.
  • Ten of these expeditions were by teams from Aaranyak, an Assam-based biodiversity conservation group, for a total of 79 days in 2021.
  • A team from the group finally sighted the Namdapha flying squirrel in April 2022.

About:
It is an exclusively tree-dwelling, nocturnal flying squirrel native to Arunachal Pradesh, constituting one of the 43 recognized species of flying squirrels globally.
Named the Namdapha Flying Squirrel, it derives its designation from the Namdapha National Park, the region where its discovery took place.
These squirrels do not possess the ability to engage in powered flight akin to birds or bats; rather, they navigate by gliding between trees.
They are herbivores (frugivores, granivores). They eat various fruits, nuts, seeds, fungi, flowers, and tree sap.


Conservation status:
  • IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered
  • Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: schedule II

Coastal Shipping Policy

Context:
The Meeting of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee of the Members of Parliament for the Ministry of Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways was held on the ‘Coastal Shipping Policy’.

Highlights of meeting:
Cargo handling in National Waterways has grown by more than 1700% to 126.15 million metric tonnes (MMT) in 2022-23 from 6.83 MMT in 2013-14.
The ministry has identified a total potential of 1300 MTPA cargo movement by coastal shipping by 2047’.
The targets set under Amrit Kaal Vision has identified a total potential of 1300 MTPA cargo movement by coastal shipping by 2047.
Coastal Shipping: Cargo Transport-
➢ In the year 2014-15, Indian ports handled about 74.97 million Tonnes per Annum (MTPA) of coastal cargo -Increased to 151 MTPA (increased by 104%) in 2022-23.
➢ National Waterways handled 126.15 MMT cargo in 2022-23 while it was 6.83 MMT in 2013-14 (increased by 1700%)
➢ Commodity Wise Share- POL Products (32.3%), Thermal Coal (30.6%), Iron Ore (11%), Iron Pellets (7.6%), Cement/Clinker (1.5%) and Others (17.1%).


Features of Coastal Shipping Policy:

    • To facilitate the coastal vessels the MoPSW has also introduced priority berthing policy and Green channel clearance for faster evacuation of coastal cargo at ports.
    • A discount of 40% is offered by major ports on vessel and cargo-related charges to coastal cargo vessels.
    • After looking at the potential the government has also reduced GST on bunker fuels used in Indian Flag Vessels from 18% to 5%.
    • Development of agglomeration centres, silo infrastructure, dedicated warehousing facilities and improvement in end-to-end logistics supply chain are also the focus areas of the ministry for promoting coastal sipping further.
    • Under the National Logistics Policy (NLP) Sectoral Plans for Efficient Logistics (SPEL) being prepared by line ministries (Food, Fertilizer, Steel, Coal, Cement, P&NG etc.) for promotion of sustainable modes of transport like Coastal Shipping and Inland Waterways.
    • Even earmarking of minimum cargo -Public Sector Undertakings (PSU’s) like coal and fertilizers through Coastal Shipping has also been formalised.

Indian Ocean Naval Symposium

Context:
The 8th edition of the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) Conclave of Chiefs (CoC) was conducted by the Royal Thai Navy in Bangkok, Thailand from 19 – 22 Dec 23.

Conclave activities:
During the Conclave of Chiefs, Thailand assumed the duties of Chair of IONS and the Work Plan for the next two years was finalised.
As a first, the Flag designed by India was selected as the IONS Flag.
India also took over as the co-chair of IONS Working Groups on Maritime Security and HADR for the forthcoming cycle.

About IONS:

    • IONS was conceived by the Indian Navy in 2008 as a forum.
    • It seeks to enhance maritime cooperation among Navies of the littoral states of the Indian Ocean Region.
    • It provides an open and inclusive platform for discussions on regionally relevant maritime issues that would lead to a common understanding of the way ahead.
    • The inaugural edition of IONS was held in Feb 2008 in New Delhi, with the Indian Navy as the Chair for two years (2008 - 2010).
    • India is also scheduled to take over as the Chair of IONS (2025-27) during the 9th CoC planned to be conducted in India in the end 2025.

Subroto Mukerjee Seminar

Context:
The Centre for Air Power Studies conducted the 20th Subroto Mukerjee Seminar at the Manekshaw Centre.
The event also included the launch of two books. 

    • "Indian Air Power: Contemporary and Future Dynamics" authored by Air Marshal (Dr) Diptendu Choudhury (Retd) and "Aeroengine Fundamentals and Landscape in India: A Way Forward” authored by Air Vice Marshal Suresh Singh.


Theme: The theme of the seminar was "India & the Global South: Challenges and Opportunities.


About Global South-:
The term ‘Global South’ began by loosely referring to those countries that were left out of the industrialization era.
The Global South broadly comprises countries in the regions of Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean, Asia (excluding Israel, Japan, and South Korea), and Oceania (excluding Australia and New Zealand), which are generally characterized by relatively low levels of economic and industrial development.

Winter Solstice

Context-:
As the North hemisphere farewells to longer days and ushers in the magic of winter, India prepares for the longest night of the year yesterday - a phenomenon known as Winter Solstice.


Details-:
The Winter Solstice is an astronomical event that occurs annually when one of the Earth's poles reaches its maximum tilt away from the Sun.
The Winter Solstice usually occurs around December 21st or 22nd in the Northern Hemisphere. In the Southern Hemisphere, it takes place around June 21st or 22nd.
This results in the shortest day and the longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
In the Southern Hemisphere, the Winter Solstice marks the shortest night and the longest day.

Tilt of the Earth's Axis:-
The Earth's axis is tilted relative to its orbit around the Sun.
During the Winter Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, the North Pole is tilted farthest away from the Sun.
Conversely, during the Winter Solstice in the Southern Hemisphere, the South Pole is tilted farthest away from the Sun.

India Timings
This year, India will experience its shortest day on December 22 and the solstice will occur at 8.57 am.
The shortest day of the year will occur in the Northern Hemisphere during the day, with roughly 7 hours and 14 minutes of daylight.