Discuss about the India’s Act East Policy and Engagement with ASEAN as a critical component to the national Indo-Pacific vision

Structure of Answer:

  • Introduction ( background of the India’s Indo – pacific vision)
  • Significance of India’s act east policy and engagement with ASEAN.
  • Say about how Look east policy has become Act east policy.
  • Explain about Indo – Pacific vision statement.

Key points:

  • What? The Indo-Pacific Strategy’ focuses on developing opportunities in the digital economy, infrastructure, and energy across the region, and seeks to counterbalance China’s growing economic and political influence in the region.
  • Where? Sometimes known as the Indo-West Pacific or Indo-Pacific Asia, is a biogeographic region of Earth’s seas, comprising the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the seas connecting the two in the general area of Indonesia.
  • Under the “Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategy”, Japan will enhance “connectivity” between Asia and Africa to promote stability and prosperity across the regions.
  • The Eastern Indo-Pacific surrounds the mostly volcanic islands of the central Pacific Ocean, extending from the Marshall Islandsthrough central and southeastern Polynesia to Easter Island and Hawaii.
  • The Western Indo-Pacificcovers the western and central portion of the Indian Ocean, including Africa’s east coast, the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Persian Gulf, Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal, and Andaman Sea, as well as the coastal waters surrounding Madagascar, the Seychelles, Comoros, Mascarene Islands, Maldives, and Chagos Archipelago.

Explain about air quality monitoring station in Varanasi and what are the steps taken?

Structure of the answer:

  • Introduction (about Air quality monitoring).
  • Air quality monitoring station in Varanasi.
  • Steps taken.

Key points:

  • A Right To request has found that despite being ranked among the top 3 most polluted cities in the world, Varanasi continues to have only one air quality monitoring station.
  • The Central Pollution Control Board’s 2015 dataset (made public in 2016) found Varanasi’s air quality to be among the most toxic in the country and that it had only one air quality monitor
  • Such air quality monitor was capable of measuring particulate matter 2.5 and particulate matter 10 levels.
  • According to 2018 World Health Organisation data, Varanasi is ranked third among the cities with the most polluted air on Earth.
  • 14 of the top 15 cities in the list are from India.
  • Varanasi’s municipal bodies had taken steps to address road dust and curb road-side burning of garbage.
  • Varanasi is one of the cities that is part of the National Clean Air Campaign, an initiative by the Union Environment Ministry to improve air quality in 100 cities by 20% at least by 2024. One of the commitments under this is to improve air quality monitoring.
  • While the average air quality for PM 2.5 from 2017-2019 had improved to 104 from 206 in 2016, the maximum PM levels breached continued to be above 200, or in the “very poor” category.
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