Editorial 1: Asking for the Moon, and getting it
Recent Context:
- Recently, Indian Chandrayaan-3 mission successfully landed the moon, it is one of the most defining moments in India’s history. It consolidates its position as a space power.
It strengthens India’s position as space power
- India is one of the four countries to accomplish a soft landing on the lunar surface, and the first to do so near the Moon’s South Pole.
- Just like the implications of the nuclear tests, for instance, went far beyond nuclear or military affairs, the ramifications of Chandrayaan-3’s success are not restricted to matters of space.
- ISRO’s successful mission adds yet another dimension to India’s increasing global heft, across sectors
Chandrayaan- 3 mission represents a lesson of learning from failure to success
- Despite partially success of Chandrayaan-2 mission. ISRO continue its commitment towards the moon mission. it underlines the resilience, commitment and character of the space agency.
- There is not one major space-faring nation that has not encountered spectacular failure. But ISRO has shown tremendous tenacity to overcome setbacks, learn from failure and bounce back stronger, all in about four years.
- As Prime Minister Narendra Modi put it eloquently, from South Africa, where he is participating in the BRICS meeting, “this day signifies how victory is achieved from the lessons of defeat”.
- It sets an example: “I am confident that all countries in the world, including those from the global south are capable of achieving such feats. We can all aspire for the Moon and beyond”,
Chandyrayyan-3 landed on the south pole of Moon: Why is it important?
- Earlier crafts to the Moon landed in the equatorial region — the farthest that any vessel has gone from the Equator was NASA’s Surveyor 7, in 1968. This is for good reason.
- The terrain near the Equator is even and smooth and there are fewer hills and craters. The temperature, too, is comparatively hospitable.
- The Southern Hemisphere, where Chandrayaan-3 landed, has a rugged environment, and temperatures can go down to -200 degrees Celsius.
- It has craters ranging from a few centimetres to thousands of kilometres. High mountains block the sunlight and there are large tracts of permanently shadowed areas on the South Pole.
- It is also home to volatile elements and there are indications — including from India’s 2008 Chandrayaan-1 mission — that the Southern Hemisphere has substantial amounts of ice.
- The extremely cold temperatures mean that anything trapped in the region would remain frozen in time, without undergoing much change.
- Now the ISRO’s audacious venture to the dark side of the Moon can provide substantial insights into the history of the solar system and open up a new chapter in the world’s space odyssey.
Chandrayaan-3 opens the window for another space-based programme
- There will be other tangible benefits from the success of Chandrayaan-3. It can profoundly burnish India’s image as a technology destination for young talent.
- Space science is already emerging as a preferred alternative to information technology for the brightest minds in the country, especially with the opening of the space sector to private industry that has seen a proliferation of start-ups in the last few years.
- The credibility that is built with missions like Chandrayaan-3 is sure to rub off on these start-ups as well, and open up business opportunities for them within and outside India
ISRO’s next missions
- India has not yet announced follow-up missions in the Chandrayaan series, but these are certainly on the design boards.
- Meanwhile, there is a mission to the Sun, and another one to Venus, apart from the human spaceflight, on its own and in collaboration with NASA. Each one of them will demonstrate a new capability, and add further weight to ISRO’s profile.
Conclusion:
- Compared to other powers, India has a comparatively low-budget aero-space programme. But the efficiency and cost-effectiveness with which ISRO carries out its projects have helped in building a formidable brand name for the space agency.
- Chandrayaan-3 was accomplished at a cost of Rs 615 crore (a fraction of the cost of an Airbus) Russia’s Luna 25 which crashed last Sunday came with a price tag of Rs 1,600 crore and China’s shot at the Moon cost more than Rs 1,700 crore.
- The mission’s success will inspire generations of scientists and engineers – and all those who seek knowledge — to set the bar higher. For India, the Moon is not the destination. It is a springboard.
Editorial 2: A time for Africa
Context:
- For decades now, Africa has been characterised as the world’s “final frontier” for business. As experts introspect on existing global trade practices, perceptions of Africa as a valuable market for investments need to widen.
Africa holds significant position in world economy
- Africa region is a major contributor to a more inclusive and stable international economic order.
- Encouraging investments in Africa is no longer a question of expanding businesses alone, but of diversifying supply and value chains to create an assured and relatively shockproof international economy.
- Africa is home to 30 per cent of the global mineral reserves, 12 per cent of the world’s oil and 8 per cent of its natural gas.
- It will account for over half of the world’s projected population growth of 1.7 billion people in 2050, comprising a young workforce, a growing consumer base and rising disposable incomes.
- Global businesses would do well to recognise, support and leverage such benefits in the course of unlocking robust value chains.
India’s vision of Global south with Africa
- Under its presidency of the G20, India has made a historic leap, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi strongly vocalising the need for the membership of the African Union to the group.
- Aligned with the Government of India’s vision for heightened inclusion and participation in the Global South, a Business-20 (B20) Action Council, ‘African Economic Integration:
- At present, Africa contributes less than 3 per cent of the total share of global manufacturing and trade. Thirty-three of the world’s 46 least developed countries lie in the continent, many of which are landlocked.
- Under the B20 umbrella, the Action Council on African Economic Integration identified and studied five key priorities to catalyse its economic integration, with the support and initiatives of G20 countries and businesses.
Steps need to be taken to strengthen regional economic integration of the continent.
- Human capital outcomes across health and education need to be strengthened.
- Like India, Africa’s population represents an enviable demographic dividend, underscoring the pivotal role that the African youth will assume in its economy in the years to come.
- Capturing these capabilities requires sharp focus on enhancing healthcare and education outcomes.
- The African Development Bank states that funds to the tune of $26 billion are required yearly to sustain healthcare expenditure in the continent.
- Encouraging the private participation
- Private investments can be brought to these sectors to empower the youth and children in Africa with quality skilling, education and access to healthcare.
- An integrated economic structure would offer pooling of resources, knowledge sharing and frugal transfer of innovative education and healthcare techniques.
- Strengthening agriculture and food systems
- Given that about 70 per cent of the African population is employed in the agrarian sector. Farming in the region is characterised by small and subsistence land holdings. The gap in the availability of finance and key inputs such as fertilisers and seeds lead to low productivity.
- Moreover, value addition stands at low levels and most agri products are exported without being processed.
- Therefore, there need to train and educate farmers and increase mechanisation, along with the introduction of sustainable value-added businesses in the sector. Combined with better access to inputs and credit lines, the interventions can yield impressive results in Africa.
- Supplement resource-based activity with industrial activities:
- like all emerging economies, African nations must supplement resource-based activity with industrial activities that facilitate higher productivity.
- The African Union’s Agenda 2063 articulates the necessity of manufacturing-based industrialisation in better utilising Africa’s rich natural resources.
- Empowerment of micro, small and medium enterprises through better access to finance and improvements in access to electricity is a corollary to this goal.
- This, we observed, can be achieved over time through easier intra-continental trade, policy harmonisation and harnessing natural endowments in renewable energy.
- Effectively Implementing African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA)
- It represents a landmark initiative that was realized through trade facilitation measures. AfCFTA, when fully implemented, will increase the competitiveness of economies across the continent, boost integration with global value chains, and attract investments.
- Trade facilitation must be accelerated through technology and implementation support from G20 nations.
- Stregthening logistical foundation:
- these recommendations into action requires a solid logistical foundation. Digital and physical connectivity are the arteries of a healthy economy.
- The construction of roads, railways and air links to connect the vast expanse of the continent must be stepped up with enhanced private investments.
Conclusion
- The socio-economic payoff from increased African participation in the world economy cannot be overstated. Amidst a rapidly changing geo-economic order, India’s focus on Africa is timely.
- In the larger scheme of things, India and Africa represent a past that is the veritable history of civilisation, and indeed, the history of economic relations.
- Today, the regions have metamorphosed into a reality where India stands as one of the world’s fastest-growing, large economies, while Africa is being increasingly highlighted as an engine for equitable and sustainable growth.