article: 27th november 2020 currents affairs analysis - 27

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27th November 2020 Currents Affairs AnalysisBy IASToppers' Editorial Team | 2020-11-27 17:00:00

Polity & Governance

The pardoning of former US National Security Advisor

The President of the United States of America has pardoned his former National Security Advisor.

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A pardon is a government decision to allow a person to be relieved of some or all of the legalconsequences resulting from a criminal conviction.

Pardoning Powers of the US President:

The President of the US has the constitutional right to pardon or commute sentences related to federal crimes. The power is granted without limit and cannot be restricted by Congress.The President is not answerable for his pardons and does not have to provide a reason forissuing one.

Exceptions Does not have a right in cases of impeachment.Only applies to federal crimes and not state crimes — those pardoned by thePresident can still be tried under the laws of individual states.

Pardoning Powers of President of India and Governor of a State:

Similarities:

The President of India has to act on the advice of the Union Cabinet i.e. he cannot exercise hispower of pardon independent of the government.The Governor too has to act on the advice of the State Cabinet.


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The pardoning power is an executive power for both the functionaries mentioned above.

Differences:

Procedure:

Supreme Court interpretation:

In several cases, the Supreme Court has ruled that the President has to act on the advice of theCouncil of Ministers while deciding mercy pleas.

These include Maru Ram vs Union of India in 1980 and Dhananjoy Chatterjee vs Stateof West Bengal in 1994.


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Explanation:

[Ref: Indian Express]

Indian PM pitches for ‘One Nation, One Election’

Prime Minister Modi again raised the pitch for “One Nation, One Election” and a single voter list for allpolls.


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He was addressing the concluding session of the 80th All India Presiding Officers Conference viavideoconference.

Key Highlights of Prime Minister’s Address

A single voter list for all polls would prevent the impact of the model code of conduct ondevelopment works every few months due to frequent spread-out polls.Only one voter list should be used for Lok Sabha, Vidhan Sabha and other elections. The PM also asked the presiding officers to simplify the language of statute books and allowfor an easier process to weed out redundant laws.

About All India Presiding Officers Conference

The All India Presiding Officers Conference began in 1921.The Gujarat event marks its centenary year. The theme of this year's conference is ‘Harmonious Coordination between Legislature,Executive and Judiciary- Key to a Vibrant Democracy’.

About One Nation, One Election

“One Nation, One Election' isn’t just an issue of deliberation but also a need of the country. Elections are held at different places every few months and it hampers the developmentalwork. Therefore, there must be a deep deliberation on ‘One Nation, One Election’.

History of One Nation One Election


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One Nation One Election is not a unique experiment in our country. Simultaneous elections have been conducted for the Lok Sabha and the state assembliessimultaneously in India in 1952, 1957, 1962 and 1967.This practice was discontinued in 1968-69, because some Legislative Assemblies were dissolvedearlier due to various reasons. Since then India is trying hard to adopt the old election system but there is no consensus amongthe political parties.

Views of a Parliamentary Standing Committee for the idea:

A Parliamentary Standing Committee, which also backed the holding of simultaneouselections, had cited several reasons for exploring the feasibility.

It will reduce the massive expenditure involved in conducting separate elections everyyear.The imposition of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) puts on hold the entire range ofdevelopment activities of the Union and State governments.Frequent elections lead to imposition of MCC over prolonged periods of time leading to policy paralysis and government deficit.

Consequences of holding one election

The Chief Election Commissioner, Nasim Zaidi, had observed that holding electionssimultaneously would certainly save money, time and energy, and ensure effective governance,amidst arguing that such a move would affect the federal polity and democracy of thecountry.The holding of simultaneous elections between 1952 and 1967, did not make the country aunitary state.India’s parliamentary democracy, based on strong constitutional principles, is mature enough notto slip into a unitary model just because of simultaneous elections; rather it would ensuremore co-operations between the centre and states.The national issues would dominate the agenda of the political parties, particularly Pan-Indiaparties.

Constitutional Amendments needed for simultaneous Elections:

The term of the Lok Sabha and that of the State Legislative Assemblies needs to besynchronized so that the election to both can be held within a given span of time.For instance, the term of the present Lok Sabha will go up to 2024, but elections to some of thelegislative assembly had already taken place last year and some are due this year (for e.g.Haryana, Maharashtra and Jharkhand).The constitutional amendment would be needed in:

Article 83: It states that the term of the Lok Sabha will be five years from the date of its firstsitting.Article 85: It empowers the President to dissolve the Lok Sabha.Article 172: It states that the term of the legislative assembly will be five years from thedate of its first sitting.


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Article 174: It empowers the Governor of the state to dissolve the Legislative Assembly.Article 356: It authorizes the Central Government to impose President’s Rule for failure ofconstitutional machinery in the state.

[Ref: The Hindu]

Government Schemes & Policies

Draft Merchant Shipping Bill, 2020

The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways has issued a draft of the Merchant Shipping Bill, 2020for public consultation.

It will repeal and replace the Merchant Shipping Act, 1958 and the Coasting Vessels Act,1838.

Aim of the bill:

To promote the growth of the Indian shipping industry by incorporating the best practicesadopted by other advanced countries like the U.S., Japan, U.K., Singapore and Australia.

Features of Merchant Shipping Bill, 2020:

Promoting ease of doing business- No requirement of general trading license for Indian vessels.


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Embracing digital technology- Electronic means of registration, and grants statutory recognitionto electronic agreements, records, and log books, in addition to electronic licenses, certificates andpayments. Increasing tonnage and Vessel as a Tradable Asset- Increase India’s tonnage by widening theeligibility criteria for ownership of vessels and providing for the registration of bareboat charter cumdemise, thereby increasing opportunities for international trade.Avoidance of situations leading to wreck- Introduces for the first-time statutory framework forregulating maritime emergency response against maritime incidents and ensure that the same isprevented from becoming a wreck or other catastrophic event. Welfare of Indian seafarers on abandoned vessels and safety of abandoned vessels:Provisions for repatriation of abandoned seafarers have been enhanced, in line with the MaritimeLabour Convention regulations.Strengthening adjudication and predictability of claims: In order to strengthen theinvestigation and adjudication of claims arising out of collision of vessels, assessors may betasked by the High Courts to present their findings on the degrees of fault of each vessel.India as an Active Enforcement Jurisdiction-

Incorporates powers of the Director-General to take action against vessels that are unsafe,and pose a threat to safety of life at sea and environment.Includes a procedure for appeal from detention orders.Incorporates provisions that encourage active enforcement of pollution preventionstandards.Central Government has been granted the power to mandate compulsory insurance orsuch other financial security, for pollution damage.

Significance:

The Bill seeks to provide increased opportunities for investment and provide greater impetusto a self-reliant domestic investment climate in the maritime industry.The provisions regulating the maritime education, training, certification and the recruitment andplacement of seafarers will give an impetus to the quality and quantity of Indian seafarers.It will boost employment opportunities for Indian seafarers in the national and internationalmarket.

Key Facts:

Before the above mentioned bill, to improve the governance in shipping sector and industry, thetwo bills were introduced by the government:

Aids to Navigation Bill 2020Coastal Shipping Bill 2020

Major Port Authorities Bill 2020 is also under consideration of Rajya Sabha (already passed byLok Sabha).

[Ref: PIB; Economic Times]


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Food park inaugurated in Punjab to benefit 25000 farmers

Food Processing minister inaugurated Sukhjit mega food park (MFP) at Phagwara in Kapurthala district ofPunjab.

About the Sukhjit Mega Food Park

This MFP built at project cost of Rs 107.83 crores.It is spread over 55 acres of land.It is equipped with Raw Material/Finished goods Warehouses, Silos, Cold Storage, IQF &Deep Freezer & other related food processing facilities.It is expected to benefit about 25000 farmers and create 5,000 jobs.Till date, 37 MFPs have been sanctioned and 20 have already started functioning.

Mega food park scheme

Mega Food Park is a scheme of the Ministry of Food Processing.Introduced in 11th Plan to create modern infrastructure.It is aimed at providing a mechanism to link agricultural production to the market to ensuremaximizing value addition and minimizing wastage.Cluster-based approach on Hub and Spoke mode.Focus on both backward and forward integration.The MFPS scheme envisages:

A one-time capital grant of 50% of the project cost subject to a maximum of Rs 50 crorein general areas. A onetime capital grant of 75% of the project cost subject to a ceiling of Rs. 50 crore in


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difficult and hilly areas.This project is implemented by a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) which is a Body Corporateregistered under the Companies Act.Its purpose is to increase processing of perishables from 6% to 20% and to increase India’sshare in global food trade.Its project component includes:

Collection Centers and Primary Processing Centers (PPCs)Central Processing Centers (CPC)

It is expected that on an average, each project will have around 25-30 food processing unitswith a collective investment of Rs.250 crore that would eventually lead to an annual turnover ofabout Rs.450-500 crore.

Mega Food Parks in India


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Steps taken by government for food processing sector

A Rs 10,000 crore fund has been created under Aatmanirbhar Bharat, for development of foodprocessing sector.The latest technology and processing facilities will reduce wastage of food products andensure fair prices for farmers.Farmers are being given subsidy and Government is focussing on the welfare of small farmers.

[Ref: Economic Times]

Food Processing Projects worth Rs 234.68 Crores approved

Ministry of Food Processing Industries considered the proposals received under the Scheme for Creationof Infrastructure for Agro-Processing Cluster (APC) of Pradhan Mantri Kisan SAMPADA Yojana(PMKSY).


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Seven proposal of Food Processing Projects including grants-in-aid to Meghalaya, Gujarat,Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, and Maharashtra were approved.

Scheme for Creation of Infrastructure for Agro-Processing Cluster (APC):

The scheme has been approved in 2017 under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan SAMPADA Yojana toincentivize the setting up of agro processing clusters in the country.

Aim:

Development of modern infrastructure to encourage entrepreneurs to set up food processingunits based on cluster approach.

Benefits:

Will help in reducing the wastage of the surplus produceAdd value to the horticultural / agricultural produce

It will result in increase of income of the farmers.Create employment at the local levelAgro processing clusters set up by Project Execution Agency (PEA)/ Organisation are eligible forfinancial assistance.

Pattern of Assistance:


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Grants-in-aid at 35% of eligible project cost in general areas50% of eligible project cost in the North East States including Sikkim and Himalayan States (i.e.Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir and Uttarakhand), State notified Integrated TribalDevelopment Projects (ITDP) areas & Islands subject to max. of Rs. 10.00 crore per project.The grants-in-aid is credit linked but not back-ended.

Release of Grant:

First installment: 35% of the total approved grant is released to the PEA after incurring anexpenditure of 35% of the bank term loan and 35% promoter’s contribution/ equity.Second installment: 40% of the total approved grant is released after incurring an expenditure of75% of the bank term loan and 75% of promoters’ contribution / equity.Third installment: 25% of the approved is on completion of the project and submission ofrequisite documents.

Pradhan Mantri Kisan SAMPADA Yojana (PMKSY):

PM Kisan SAMPADA Yojana is a Central Sector Scheme for Agro-Marine Processing andDevelopment of Agro-Processing Clusters.It will result in creation of modern infrastructure with efficient supply chain management from farm gate to retail outlet.The scheme will be implemented by Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI).

Significance:

Boost to the growth of food processing sector in the countryProviding better returns to farmers and will double farmer’s incomeCreate huge employment opportunities especially in the rural areasReducing wastage of agricultural produceIncreasing the processing levelEnhancing the export of the processed foods

Schemes that will be implemented under PM Kisan SAMPADA Yojana:


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[Ref: PIB]

Social Issues

Protests against Bru resettlement in Tripura flared up

Parts of North Tripura have witnessed violent protests recently over the proposed resettlement of Brutribals.


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What are the protests about?

Background: In 1997, 37,000 people of the Bru (or Reang) tribe fled to Tripura from Mizoramdue to ethnic clashes there.

Since then, 5,000 have returned to Mizoram while 32,000 remain in camps in Tripura.

In January 2020, an agreement was signed by the Central Govt., the two state governmentsand Bru representatives to allow the remaining 32,000 to permanently settle in the state.This led to protests from Bengali and Mizo groups in Tripura.

They claim that settling thousands of migrants permanently North Tripura would lead todemographic imbalance, exert pressure on local resources and potentially lead to law andorder problems.


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What is the resettlement plan?

Over the last 10 months, the Tripura state Govt. has planned 12 resettlement spots across sixdistricts with 300 families of Bru community. Bru migrants would be settled in various locations identified in six districts of Mizoram.Under the agreement, the Centre has announced a special development project with fundingof Rs 600 crore. Each resettled family will get:

An estimated 0.03 acres of land for building a homeRs 1.5 lakh as housing assistanceRs 4 lakh as a one-time cash benefit for sustenanceA monthly allowance of Rs 5,000Free rations for two years from the date of resettlement

Bru community:

The Bru is a community indigenous to Northeast India, living mostly in Tripura, Mizoram(Kolasib, Lunglei and Mamit districts) and parts of southern Assam.They are ethnically distinct from the Mizos and Kukis, who share close linguistic and culturalties.In Tripura, the Brus are known as Reangs (most populous tribe after the Tripuris).In Mizoram they are known as Tuikuk.They are recognised as a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) in Tripura.As of 2011 Census, the Bru population is 2 lakhs.In Mizoram, they were targeted by ethnic organisations who demanded that the Brus beexcluded from electoral rolls.


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[Ref: Indian Express]

Economy

UNDP and Invest India launch the SDG Investor Map for India

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Invest India have launched the first-everSustainable Development Goals (SDG) Investor Map for India.


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Aim:

To help India push forward on Sustainable Development.

Key highlights of the SDG Investor Map:

It lays out 18 Investment Opportunities Areas (IOAs) in six critical SDG enabling sectors. Of the18 IOAs identified:

10 are already mature investable areas with robust Private Equity and Venture Capitalactivity.The remaining 8 IOAs are emerging opportunities.

The map has also identified eight White Spaces, which have seen investor interest and have thepotential to grow into IOAs within a 5-6-year horizon if provided proper policy support and privatesector participation. Nearly 50% of the shortlisted IOAs have historical investments that have yielded Internal rate ofreturn (IRRs) in excess of 20%.84% of the IOAs have investment timeframes ranging from the short term (less than 5 years) to themedium-term (between 5- 15 years).


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Significance:

The observations from the map demand investing in SDG enabling sectors and IOAs, bridgingthe gap between high-level development targets and the need for commercially viable returns.Investing in the SDGs is crucial to ‘Building Back Better’ from COVID-19 and enhancing India’sresilience to future threats.

By mapping the overlaps and gaps between public sector priorities and private sector interest, theSDG Investor Map lays out pathways that can bring together private-sector investment andpublic sector support for 6 SDG-enabling sectors. The sectors include:

EducationHealthcareAgriculture & Allied ActivitiesFinancial Services


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Renewable Energy & AlternativesSustainable Environment

Notable Investment Opportunities Areas (IOAs):

Online Supplementary Education for K12 (Education)Tech-Enabled Remote Care Services (Healthcare)Digital Platforms to service input/output needs of farmers to enable easy access to markets(Agriculture)Access to credit by Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and Low-Income Groups especiallythrough digital platforms for Income Generating Purposes (Financial Services).

What is SDG Investor Map?

SDG Impact’s tools make it easier for investors to direct capital to the achievement of theSDGs.Investors identify lack of viable pipeline and market intelligence as main barrier to SDG alignedinvestment.SDG Investor Maps identify concrete, investable solutions to increasingly pressing needs atcountry level.


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[Ref: PIB]

Environment, Ecology & Disaster Management

Land inequality threatens livelihood of 2.5 bln: Report

A report by the Land Inequality Initiative was recently launched by the Land Inequality Initiative.

Land Inequality Initiative is steered by an informal reference group, composed of experts in thefield of land and wider inequalities.


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What is Land Inequality?

Land inequality has been historically measured in terms of differences in land ownership.

However, currently it includes:

Size and/or value of land that people access or hold;Level of security of tenure that people have;


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Quality of land, its characteristics, and assets that may be on it;Actual control that people have, including decision-making power over land;Control of benefits derived from the land, including the ability to appropriate value from it.

How land inequality is connected with other form of inequality?

Land inequality is central to other forms of inequality as well as many global crises and trendssuch as economic, political, social, spatial and environmental inequality.

Horizontal inequality, which is inequality based on gender, ethnicity or culture inspecific groups of people, is interconnected with land access, ownership and control.These types of inequality undermine sustainability. This is because women, indigenouspeople and local communities tend to be the custodians of household well-being, bio-cultural conservation and social justice.

Key Highlights of the report:


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Land inequality continues to threaten the livelihoods of an estimated 2.5 billion people involvedin smallholder agriculture.The top 10 % of the rural population have 60 % of agricultural land value; the bottom halfcontrols only 3 %. Global land concentration has increased continuously since the 1980s.

Today, the largest 1 % of farms in the world operate more than 70 %of the world’sfarmland.

84 % of farms were smaller than two hectares, but they operated only about 12 % of farmland,with little opportunity to be part of corporate supply chains.

Smaller farms


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A clear trend in most low-income countries was an increasing number of farms, combined withsmaller farm sizes. A vast majority of the smallest farms globally were in Africa and Asia, where they were essential tothe livelihoods of a large proportion of the population.

Reason behind shrinking average farm sizes in most low-income countries:Increasing number of mega-farms, each taking up thousands of hectares of space.

Larger Farms

Across the world, and especially in higher-income countries, large farms were getting bigger.

Polarised land and agri-food system

Growing inequalities between the smallest landholders and the largest have accelerated with theemergence of mega-farms in terms of land size and value of production.The biggest danger is the expansion of corporate-controlled agriculture, which can render thelocally dominant system unviable.

Suggestions to counter land inequality

Democratize land governance

Land governance, from national policies to local institutions, should be based on broadrepresentation, including representatives of the state and organisations of producers and otherlocal land users.

Strengthen land-related regulation

Governments should develop land ownership, land use, and land distribution policies andinstitutions to address patterns of land inequality and their drivers.

Invest in well-functioning land registries

Invest in institutions for fully transparent land registries, including at decentralised levels. Land registries should include information regarding institutional ownership and control ofland. This provides an informed basis for land taxation.

Strengthen transparency and monitoring of land holdings

Ensure public access to information about all transfers of rights to use land, whether throughpurchase, rental, usage, or shareholding.

Legally enforce responsible corporate practice

Governments should hold companies registered in their jurisdictions to account. They shouldoblige companies to report against the principles of key international frameworks, including the UNGuiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, the OECD Guidelines for Multinational


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Enterprises etc.

Recognize and protect women’s land rights

Ensure gender equality in land rights, in law and in practice.

Build more sustainable and equitable production models and food systems

Governments should support the more sustainable production models of small-scaleproducers.This means allowing them greater autonomy from corporate production systems and the ability toget reasonable returns from employing agroecological.

[Ref: Down To Earth]

Defence & Security Issues

Navy inducts two Sea Guardian drones on lease from U.S.

Indian Navy has inducted two MQ-9B Sea Guardian unarmed drones procured from the U.S. on leasefor one year.

Significance:

It is strategically important for India in the midst of a border row with China in the Ladakh and


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increased Chinese activity in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).It would boost the navy’s situational awareness over land and sea with their range andendurance.

About MQ-9Bs:

MQ-9B is the hi-tech maritime drones have been based at the Naval Air Station Rajali in TamilNadu.The MQ-9B is the first piece of military hardware to be leased by India after the governmentannounced new weapon-acquisition procedures that allowed the option of leasing weapons.

The Defence Acquisition Procedure-2020 came into effect recently, permits the leasing ofmilitary hardware to cut down on costs associated with buying equipment.

Features:

Capable of operating at an altitude of 40,000 feet, Have an endurance of 30 hours and a range of more than 5,000 nautical miles.Can operate in adverse weather conditions because of improved structural fatigue and damagetolerance and more robust flight control software.It has a 3600 maritime surveillance radar and an optional multimode maritime surface searchradar.The drone can perform over-the-horizon long-endurance, medium-altitude Intelligence,Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions.

Key facts:

A tri-service proposal to procure 10 Unmanned Aerial vehicles (UAV) for each Service from theU.S. for India, including armed drones has been in the pipeline.

[Ref: The Hindu]

Navy’s Information Management and Analysis Centre to become NMDA

The Navy’s Information Management and Analysis Centre (IMAC) will soon become a National MaritimeDomain Awareness (NDMA) center.


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It is the nodal agency for maritime data fusion set up after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.

Features:

IMAC was approved by the Defence Acquisition Council in 2012, and became operational in 2014. It is located in Gurugram. It is the nodal center of the National Command Control Communication and IntelligenceSystem (NC3I).

NC3I was established to link the operational Centres and lower echelons (ranks) of theNavy and the Coast Guard spread across the country’s coastline, including the islandterritories.

In 2018, the Information Fusion Centre – Indian Ocean region (IFC-IOR) was set up within thepremises of the IMAC to coordinate with regional countries on the maritime country and act as aregional repository of maritime data.

It presently has linkages with 21 partner countries and 22 multi-national agenciesacross the globe.


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Functions:

The IMAC collates, fuses and disseminates intelligence and information about unusual orsuspicious movements and activities at sea. Gets data from the coastal radars, white shipping agreements, Automatic IdentificationSystems (AIS) transponders fitted on merchant ships, air and traffic management systemand global shipping databases.

The white shipping information refers to the exchange of relevant advanceinformation on the identity and movement of commercial non-military merchant vessels.Transponders on sea-faring vessels help national and international authorities tracktheir movement, and also to check all relevant information including routes, ports,ownership, nationality and history.


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National Maritime Domain Awareness (NMDA) Project.

The NMDA project was launched in accordance Prime Minister`s vision of SAGAR (Securityand Growth for All in the Region).The Information Management and Analysis Centre (IMAC) and Information Fusion Centre – IndianOcean Region (IFC-IOR) are part of the NMDA Project.

Features of National Maritime Awareness Center:

Created for an integrated approach to maritime security.Will be a multi-agency body including the Navy, Coast Guard, intelligence agencies, statemaritime police forces, ministries of shipping, ports and fisheries, among others.

Key Issue:

In 2009, the Union Government had mandated that all fishing vessels over 20 metres longshould have AIS transponders.However, nearly 60 % of India’s nearly 3 lakh fishing boats are smaller than 20 meters, andmost of them are yet to have transponders that can help the authorities track them.

In the absence of transponders, or Automatic Identification System (AIS), the vesselsare tracked either through specific intelligence inputs or through satellite monitoring.

Key Facts:

India actively promotes maritime domain awareness through the Indian Ocean RimAssociation (IORA), the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS), the East Asia Summit(EAS), the ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting (ADMM) Plus.


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India has also developed institutional mechanisms with a number of countries such as the US,France, UK and Indian Ocean Island States for intelligence exchange among the respectivesecurity agencies.

[Ref: The Hindu]

Key Facts for Prelims

Falcatakely forsterae

A skull of a crow-sized bird, called Falcatakely forsterae, from avian group enantiornithines, wasdiscovered in Madagascar.The bird inhabited 68 million years ago here but did not survive the mass extinction event 66million years ago, ending the Cretaceous Period.It possessed a face unlike any other known bird from the age of dinosaurs (Mesozoic Era) notonly because of the beak shape but because of its underlying anatomy.

While modern birds exhibit a great variety of beak shapes - from the sword-billedhummingbird to the rhinoceros hornbill - little such diversity had been discovered


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among Mesozoic birds.Birds evolved from small feathered dinosaurs about 150 million years ago. Early birdsretained many ancestral features including teeth.

India and Finland sign MOU for environmental protection

India and Finland signed MOU for developing cooperation in the field of Environment protection andbiodiversity conservation.

MoU will:

Exchange best practices in areas like prevention of Air and water pollution and wastemanagementPromotion of circular economy, low-carbon solutions and sustainable management of naturalresources including forestsConsider issues related to climate changeConservation of Marine and Coastal Resources

India’s Nationally Determined Contributions to the Paris Agreement:

3 quantitative climate change goals:

Reduction in the emissions intensity of Gross Domestic Product by 33 to 35% by 2030 from2005 level.Achieving about 40% cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel basedenergy resources by 2030.


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Creating an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalentthrough additional forest and tree cover by 2030.

Location of Finland:

Finland is a Northern European sovereign nation. It is also one of the world’s most northern and geographically remote countries.Finland is positioned both in the Northern and Eastern hemispheres of the Earth.It is bordered by 3 nations:

By Sweden in the northwestBy Russia in the east and By Norway in the north.

Finland is also bounded by the Gulf of Bothnia in the southwest and the Gulf of Finland in thesouth. It shares maritime borders with Estonia.


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article: 27th november 2020 currents affairs analysis - 27

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