What to Read in Indian Express Editorial( Topic and Syllabus wise)

EDITORIAL 1: Minding the minerals gap

Context

On July 3, the foreign ministers of the Quad countries — India, Japan, Australia and the US — announced the launch of the Critical Minerals Initiative for collaboratively securing and diversifying supply chains.

A recent global crisis

• A recent global crisis in rare earth magnets after Beijing’s imposition of export controls has shown that India’s green industries face significant strategic and economic risksdue to heavy dependence on China.
• Essential enablers of India’s green transition, critical minerals are vital for manufacturing technologies such as electric vehicles, solar panels, batteries, and semiconductors.
• With unexplored domestic reserves and a late start in the global race, India has recently signed a flurry of bilateral minerals partnerships.
• Agreements with resource-rich countries such as Argentina and Zambia aim to facilitate exploration and mining by the Indian government and firms overseas.
• However, Indian companies often lack advanced extraction technology and sufficient financial capital to commercialise domestic mining as well as operate competitively in foreign markets.
• Moreover, their hesitancy about investing abroad in politically unstable jurisdictions highlights the urgent need for de-risking mechanisms and concessional finance to support overseas ventures.
• Meanwhile, India’s partnerships with countries like the UAE, the US and the UKfocus primarily on joint ventures for mineral processing and recycling.
• Yet, without assured and stable supplies of critical minerals, such processing hubs risk becoming economically unviable, raising the possibility of stranded assets.
• These agreements must, therefore, be backed by long-term arrangements and embedded in broader supply-chain strategiesto ensure their sustainability.

Solutions

• Minilaterals, or “clubs”,offer a unique solution where India and partner countries coordinate and co-develop projects.
• These small groupings of like-minded partnersallow for joint technical, financial, and diplomatic resources to support innovation across the minerals value chain.
• They overcome financial constraints for Indian ventures by tapping into a broader pool of capital,blended finance mechanisms and export credit agencies.
• Indian companies can also leverage advanced technological expertise from countries such as Australia and Japanregarding exploration, mining and processing.
• The Minerals Security Partnership (MSP), of which India is part, offers ready-made structures for co-financing and strategic project selection.
• Clubs allow India to ensure economic security, diversify supply chains, forge resilient partnerships, and secure its place in the emerging clean-tech order.

The risk

• There is a risk that India will be labelled a destination for storage, transit and processing, while higher value-addition activities such as refining and manufacturing of components could be situated in developed countries.
• India, once again, risks becoming a demand centre and market for finished goods.
• India must ensure that it prioritises domestic capacity building and scientific innovation by negotiating and including clauses for investment in R&D and academic exchanges.
• Further, commercialisation and scaling up of existing ventures in refining, recycling and clean-tech manufacturing— batteries, EVs, advanced materials — must be integrated into a multi-pronged approach along the entire value chain.

Government initiatives

• India’s ambitions under “Make in India” and “Atmanirbhar Bharat”seek to make the country self-reliant on critical minerals and green technologies, while creating incentives for exports-based minerals industries.
• However, increasingly, this requires compliance with global environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards.
• Through participation in these clubs, India can influence discourse around ESG standards, presenting the Global South perspective as opposed to unilateral imposition from Western countries.
• Membership also encourages India to take a more structured approach to its own domestic ESG practices, aligning industry with partner countries.

Way forward

• India’s historical ties and growing influence with Africa and Southeast Asia are a key reason for Western countries to engage with it for the extraction of minerals.
• India can champion the concerns of Global South countries,calling for inclusive growth and developmental sovereignty.
• India should leverage its role as a bridge between the Global North and South, to position itself as a credible economic and developmental partner for mutual benefit
• India must remain true to its development ethos while engaging strategically to create equitable global value chains, without becoming extractive or overly reliant on great power blocs.

 

EDITORIAL 2: Is palm oil bad for health? Here’s what science says

Context

The Indian Food and Beverage Association (IFBA) said in a statement that palm oil has been consumed by Indians since the the 19th century, and that the oil has a well-rounded fatty acid profile.

Palm oil

• Palm oil is among the most affordable and versatile edible oils globally, valued for its long shelf-life and neutral taste.
• Most packaged foods, including potato chips, biscuits, ice cream, and chocolates use palm oil.
• Of late, the oil has been getting a bad rap from online influencers, celebrities, and fitness gurus.

High in saturated fats

• All oils mainly contain three types of fatty acids: the “bad” saturated fatty acid (SFA) and the “good” mono-unsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) and poly-unsaturated fatty acid (PUFA).
• Consumption of oils with high SFAs is known to increase the levels of bad cholesterol (low density lipoproteins) which in turn increases inflammation in the body, decreases insulin sensitivity, and enhances the tendency of clot formation.
• Therefore, consuming such oils can increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes, as well as the onset of type-2 diabetes.
• Fats that remain solid or semi-solid at room temperatures — including palm oil, coconut oil, ghee, butter, and lard — are high in saturated fatty acids.
• According to the Indian Dietary Guidelines, prepared by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), coconut oil and ghee have the highest SFA content,around 90 grams and 70 grams respectively per 100 grams of oil.
• Palmolein, the liquid part of palm oil, contains around 40 grams of SFA and 40 grams of MUFA, with the rest being PUFA.
• Mustard, safflower, and sunflower have the lowest SFA content, less than 10 grams per 100 gram of oil.

Trans fatty acid

• Apart from these three fatty acids, trans fatty acids (TFA) are produced during the hydrogenation of liquid vegetable oils.
• The addition of hydrogen atoms into such oils converts liquid oil to semi-solid, and increases their shelf-life.
• Studies have shown that the consumption of TFAs can increase the risk of diabetes, breast cancer, colon cancer, pre-eclampsia (high blood pressure during pregnancy), and disorders of the nervous system.
• Since palm oil is semi-solid at room temperature, it does not need to be hydrogenated.
• Most oils also contain minor components such as tocopherols and sterols — naturally occurring antioxidants that give oils their distinct flavours. Palm oil contains tocotrienols, which help lower blood cholesterol levels.

Mix of oils, in moderation

• According to the ICMR’s guidelines, a mix of oils that are low in SFA and high in PUFA should ideally be used. This would mean avoiding palm oil as much as possible.
• At the end of the day, an individual’s health outcomes are determined by a number of factors that go beyond just the type of oil consumed.
• The ICMR’s guidelines suggest that consumption of oil should be limited to between 20 and 50 grams per person per day.
• The guidelines recommend getting most of one’s fat requirement from nuts and seeds such as walnuts, flaxseed, chia seeds, soyabean, and fenugreek seeds.
• Marine fish, other sea foods, and eggs are also good natural sources of PUFA, they say.

Conclusion

The ICMR recommends that oils should not be reheated. This is because once heated, PUFAs in the oil start to oxygenate, and form harmful compounds that increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and cancers. If one does have to reuse oil, such oil should not be used for high-temperature cooking, and should be consumed within a day or two.