Current affairs - January 20th, 2022 from Indian Express.

Editorial

Editorial\G2 social justice

UPSC Mains General Studies Paper 3 - Environmental

The Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change intends to "incentivize states" by classifying them according to their "efficiency and timeliness in granting environmental clearances." The State Environmental Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) that clears projects the quickest, with the highest clearance rate, and the fewest "important information" will be placed highest.

UPSC Mains General Studies Paper 2 - International Relation

On January 27, India will host the presidents of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, who were scheduled to be the principal guests at the Republic Day ceremony.

The summit is significant because three of the five nations—Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan—share borders with Afghanistan, where India is concerned about the Taliban's takeover in August last year.

Additionally, three of the five nations—Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, and Tajikistan—share land borders with China, with whom India has been locked in a standoff in eastern Ladakh for over 21 months. The India-Central Asia Summit "reflects India's growing involvement with Central Asian countries," which are considered part of India's "extended neighbourhood."

"Symbolic of the high priority accorded by India's and Central Asian countries' leaders to a comprehensive and long-lasting India-Central Asia partnership."