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Indo-Australia Bilateral Relation Witnesses Fresh Dimension of Development
Among other major development, the latest visit of former Australian Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, to India during the first week of August 2021 in a fresh mode of appearance, as a Special Envoy on Trade of his successor, Scott Morrison, highlights significance of the country to step up the ties with a fresh modus operandi. The main objective of Abbott’s stay from August 2, 2021 to August 6, 2021 in India was to push New Delhi on the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) stalled since he stepped down from office in 2015 without satisfying his goal of formalizing a pact with India. Since then, various changes have been observed, particularly in the mode of the India-Australia bilateral engagement, improving ties to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership that includes areas outside the narrow interpretation of things military.
India now waits scheduling the first 2+2 meeting between the foreign and defense ministers, which would comply with complete a similar arrangement with the other two members of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, Japan and the United States. Apart from the democratic values, both sides share a vision on the Indo-Pacific, the emerging geopolitical construct with a liberal shade of economic partnerships built into the structure. With lesser engagement for over decades, the bilateral relations between India and Australia has jumped into a transformational course during the last 15-odd years, acquiring more significant momentum over the past few years.
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The extent of ties now gets wider to gain depth in agriculture, critical minerals, energy education and science & technology. Economic cooperation and trade and investments stay behind areas of specific focus. The actual theme during Abbott's visit can be determined from the discussions the former prime minister held with ministers of commerce, coal and mines, energy, power, NITI Aayog and finance, signing off with a call on Prime Minister, Narendra Modi. The mode of discussions focused on the way both nations can further strengthen bilateral trade, investment and economic
cooperation, which can help India and Australia in dealing with the challenges that the world is preparing for a post-pandemic new order. Even as India is looking for expansion of its manufacturing capacity to step forward the vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat, it also merge into the plan to attract global manufacturers seeking to exit China as part of an alternate supply chain that countries are keen to develop. With NITI Aayog, the special trade envoy discussed emerging technologies, critical minerals, and the Productivity of India to Link Incentive scheme.
Soon after he returned his home land, Abbott wrote in the August first week edition of ‘The Australian’, - “The pandemic has put up in irregular neon lights the extent to which the entire world has turned dependent on Chinese imports, including in critical supply chains, which can be turned on and off like a tap. But the reply to almost every question about China is India. Even though, at present not as rich as China, as a democracy under the rule of law, and as the second-largest producer of steel in
the world and pharmaceuticals, and with its own version of Silicon Valley, India is completely placed to substitute for China in global supply chains”.
The Abbott government has already signed a Free Trade Agreement with China in 2015 but now feels the decision did not deliver on its objective as China became an economic powerhouse and is now acquiring military sinews. As the global economy and trade witnessing a recession following the outbreak of the worldwide health pandemic, the bilateral trade between the two countries during 2020 stood at $24.4 billion, down from $29 billion during 2017-18, with India now ranked as the 7th largest trade partner and 6th largest export market.
Indian imports include coal, copper ore and concentrate, gold, vegetables, lentils, fruits, nuts, and wool. Soon after India pulled out of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership and its inability to be a member of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation, for many countries, an agreement like CECA is the route to expand bilateral trade and investment with one of the largest markets world.
In his new role, Abbott also serves as an advisor to the United Kingdom Board of Trade as both countries embark upon a path to strengthen trade deals with India. Amid reports back home whether the former PM could also be discussing the pending UKIndia FTA, the Australian Guardian quoted a spokesperson of Canberra's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade that Abbot signed a conflict of interest declaration ahead of the trip to New Delhi. While announcing the visit Trade, Tourism and Investment Minister Dan Tehan said the Australian government partly supported it and the former PM would not be remunerated for his work.
Ahead of it, Australian High Commissioner Barry O'Farrell characterized the visit of Abbott as a commitment to strengthen the economic relationship, deepen trade and investment links with India and takes our economic relationship to the next level with emphasis on building secure and resilient supply chains.
Australia visualizes that India would need goods and services over the next two decades that it can offer. These could be in areas like agriculture, education; skill training and health, a sector that assumes huge significance as Covid- 19 has exposed the way developed countries were striving with lesser infrastructure as waves swept through. The projection includes India emerging as the third-largest economy globally in less than a decade, despite the blip suffered during 2020. The basis for Australia's interest in developing trade and economic ties with India lies in the India Economic Strategy. This 500-page document charts a roadmap to navigate the relationship from potential to delivery by 2035.
Prepared by former DFAT Secretary Peter Varghese, the IES has identified threepillar strategies: economic, geo-politics and people, ten sectors where Australia has a competitive edge with education as a flagship sector. It is one of the largest services sector exports, recording $6 billion with a little over 1.15 lakh Indian students studying in Australia. The other sectors, broken down into three lead sectors, are agribusiness, resources and tourism and six promising sectors, energy, health, financial services, infrastructure, sport, sciences and security. The relationship is on course to move away from the traditional description of India and Australia sharing Cricket, Curry and Commonwealth.
Ahead of it, Australian High Commissioner Barry O'Farrell characterized the visit of Abbott as a commitment to strengthen the economic relationship, deepen trade and investment links with India and takes our economic relationship to the next level with emphasis on building secure and resilient supply chains
EOS TO OFFER REAL-TIME OBSERVATION OF ENTIRE SUB-CONTINENT
With the launch of the first state-ofthe-art agile, Earth Observation Satellite (EOS) on August 12, 2021, the scientists of Indian space has now added another feather to their caps. Properly suspended within an orbit high above the Earth, this ‘eye in the sky’ will allow the real-time observing of the entire subcontinent, helping with everything from agriculture to defense. The GISAT is an imaging satellite that will be launched via the indigenously made Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle-F10 (GSLV-F10) from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. It has been developed by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO).
This promising equipment took off at 5.43 am on August 12, 2021, weather permitting. The satellite weighs more than 2 tonnes and ISRO will for the first time be using an Ogive-shaped fairing — basically, a classic bullet-shaped pointed curved surface casing — with the view to accommodating a larger payload. The satellite will be placed by GSLV-F10 in a geosynchronous transfer orbit following which it will climb to its geostationary orbit at a height of about 36,000 km above the Earth’s surface using its onboard propulsion system.
Geostationary implies that the satellite will be located above the Equator and always appear to be fixed at one point in the sky. But such satellites aren’t motionless. All that happens is that the high orbit they are placed in makes the satellite travel at the same rate as the Earth’s spin. With its movement thus synchronized with the rotation of the Earth, GISAT-1 will be circling the Earth once every 24 hours.
The way these satellites help on-ground receiving stations is that they can be pointed to a fixed location in the sky and don’t have to constantly readjust — which would be the case with low-Earth satellites, which need to be tracked across the sky. The ISRO says that India now has one of the largest constellations of remote sensing satellites for Earth observation with data from these satellites used for several applications covering agriculture, water resources, urban planning, rural development, mineral prospecting, environment, forestry, ocean resources and disaster management.
The media reports, revealed that the advanced imaging satellite has been described as a ‘game changer’ for India with its high resolution cameras allowing constant, real-time monitoring of the Indian landmass and the oceans. Among the key areas where it can prove its utility is defense, enabling special attention to the country’s borders for security causes. In addition, when it comes to natural disasters, monitoring by the satellite can make sure that precautions are taken well in advance to reduce their impact. Apart from disaster warning, ISRO said the satellite will also provide spectral signatures for agriculture, forestry, mineralogy, cloud properties, snow and glaciers and oceanography and will be carrying multispectral and hyper spectral cameras in different bands with enhanced spatial and temporal resolution. However, the satellite needs cloud-free conditions to capture images.
Union minister Jitendra Singh has told Rajya Sabha that the satellite can accomplish imaging of the whole country 4-5 times daily. From technical glitches to the Covid-19 pandemic, the GISAT-1 launch has had to suffer multiple delays and will be only the second launch by ISRO so far in 2021 following the February launch of 18 small satellites. It was initially slated for launched on March 5, 2020, but that was cancelled due to technical reasons. Right after followed the pandemic and the lockdowns it brought along with it, which meant the GISAT-1 launch suffered a lengthy delay.
Rescheduled for March 28 this year, ‘a minor issue’ first led the launch to be put off till April and, then, as the second wave broke, to May 2021.
ERSTWHILE KHELRATNA AWARD, NOW ‘MAJOR DHYANCHAND
KHELRATNA AWARD’
Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, has said that after receiving a series of appeals from large number of citizens across country to name the Khel Ratna Award after Major Dhyan Chand, his government took such a historic decision. “Respecting their sentiment, the Khel Ratna Award will hereby be called the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award”, PM Modi said. He further said that Major Dhyan Chand was among the foremost sportspersons of India. He brought honor and pride for India. It is fitting that our nation’s highest sporting honor will be named after him. PM Modi through his Twitter handle said, “The exceptional performance of the Men’s and Women’s Hockey Team has captured the imagination of our entire nation. There is a renewed interest towards Hockey that is emerging across the length and breadth of India. This is a very positive sign for the coming times. I have been getting many requests from citizens across India to name the Khel Ratna Award after Major Dhyan Chand. I thank them for their views. Respecting their sentiment, the Khel Ratna Award will hereby be called the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award”. Meanwhile, the Shiv Sena said that a bigger award could have been announced in the name of the hockey legend, Major Dhyan Chand, without renaming Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award. “Major Dhyan Chand could have been honored without insulting the sacrifice of Rajiv Gandhi and accused the Union Government of indulging in political games. It could have been announced in the name of Dhyan Chand. Had that happened, the Modi government would have been applauded”, Sena said in the editorial of its mouthpiece, Saamana, on August 9, 2021.
The sacrifice of two former Prime Ministers, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, who contributed a lot to the growth and development of the country, must not become a subject of ridicule, Shiv Sena said through its editorial Samna. The article reads, “Indira Gandhi was assassinated by terrorists. Rajiv Gandhi also lost his life in the terrorist attack. There is room for differences in democracy, but the sacrifice of the Prime Ministers, who have contributed immensely to the progress of the country, cannot become a subject of ridicule”. Renaming the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award as Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award would be a political ‘sport’ and not a public sentiment. Major Dhyan Chand could have been honoured without insulting the sacrifice of Rajiv Gandhi. India has lost that tradition and culture. Today Dhyan Chand must be feeling the same way. The Shiv Sena also took a dig at the BJP-led government at the Centre for renaming the Sardar Patel stadium in Gujarat after Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Major Dhyan Chand, a field hockey player, played international hockey from 1926 to 1949 and he scored over 400 goals in his career. Born in Allahabad, Dhyan Chand was part of the Olympic team that won gold medals in 1928, 1932 and 1936. Besides, the Khel Ratna award, the highest award of the country for lifetime achievement in sports is known as the Dhyan Chand Award. It was instituted in 2002. The National Stadium in New Delhi was also renamed as the Dhyan Chand National Stadium in 2002. The National Sports Day is observed every year across India on 29th August to mark the birth anniversary of Major Dhyan Chand who was born on 29th August 1905. He joined the Indian army in 1922 and came to prominence when he toured New Zealand with the army team in 1926. After playing in the 1928 and 1932 Olympic Games, Chand captained the Indian team at the 1936 Games in Berlin, scoring three goals in the 8–1 defeat of Germany in the final match.
‘RACHOUT’ LAUNCHED TO DEAL WITH MENTAL HEALTH
Significant campaign for creating awareness about the symptoms of mental health conditions, motivate people to get help in need when they feel and step up actions every day for better mental health, the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) has launched ReachOut. With the help of the past and present football players, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), FIFA is highlighting the significance of vastness about mental health.
In a statement, the FIFA President, Gianni Infantino, said that this campaign was very important in creating awareness about mental health conditions and encouraging a conversation that could save a life. In Vision 2020-2023 of the FIFA, we assure our obligations to make football work for society, and I offer gratitude to the players and Ms Enke, who have contributed to this significant idea.
“Over the past few years, depression and nervousness have affected large numbers of people across the globe and young people are among the most susceptible. A proper discussion with family, friends or healthcare officials can be termed as a key. The FIFA is proud to start this campaign, supported by the WHO and ASEAN to motivate people. The campaign hears from FIFA Legends Aline, Vero Boquete, Cafu, Laura Georges, Luis García, Shabani Nonda, Patrizia Panico, Fara Williams and Walter Zenga. The FIFA.com also speaks with former Bolton Wanderers and Team GB forward, Marvin Sordell, and Sonny Pike, who were labeled the ‘next big thing’ at 14, about their experiences with depression.
As per the information, depression affects over 260 million people across the world, while around half of all mental health conditions start by age 14. Suicide is the fourth leading cause of death in young people aged 15-29. Among active football players, 23 per cent report sleep disturbance, while 9 per cent have reported depression and a further 7 per cent suffer from anxiety.
Among retired players, these figures increase, with 28 per cent struggling to sleep and depression and anxiety affecting 13 per cent and 11 per cent respectively. Working from home, unemployment, school closures and social isolation have affected people around the world during the COVID-19 pandemic, the challenges for people with mental health conditions, for whom access to treatment has, in many cases, been disrupted, are even growing. The WHO Director General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said, “As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, it is as important as ever to look after our mental and physical health”. He added that the WHO was delighted to support the campaign, spearheaded by FIFA to motivate people to talk about their mental health. The awareness campaign through video conferencing has vast significance for Legends, incumbent players and special guests that have lent their help to this mental health campaign and at times sharing their lived experience. The entire episode is being published on the FIFA digital channels, with multimedia toolkits provided to the 211 FIFA member associations and to media agencies to facilitate dissemination and use within Europe and beyond. In the meantime, the players from Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam have reinforced the WHO advice on how to help to keep our minds healthy, as well as our bodies, in the special ASEAN edition of the campaign. “This is important to say that the mental health and well-being are as important as physical health and safety. Under the Chairmanship of Brunei Darussalam, ASEAN has stepped up to advance cooperation with external partners on mental health, in order to provide the ASEAN Community with the necessary and proper mental health & psychosocial support services.
The WHO and FIFA have signed a fouryear collaboration in 2019 to promote healthy lifestyles through football globally. More information on the WHO-FIFA memorandum of understanding can be found here. The two organizations jointly launched the ‘Pass the message to kick out coronavirus’ campaign in March 2020 to share advice on effective measures to protect people from COVID-19. This was followed by the ‘BeActive’ campaign in April 2020 to encourage people to stay healthy at home during the pandemic, and SafeHome, another campaign launched to support those at risk from domestic violence, in May 2020.
