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- Why in News?
- The Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project (KMTTP), jointly developed by India and Myanmar, aims to enhance regional connectivity by enabling cargo transport from India’s eastern ports to Myanmar and onward to India’s North-Eastern Region (NER).
- Key Provisions:-
- This strategic initiative involves both waterway and road components—linking Sittwe Port in Myanmar via the Kaladan River to Paletwa, and from there by road to Zorinpui on the India-Myanmar border in Mizoram.
- Initiated through a Framework Agreement in 2008, KMTTP is overseen by the Ministry of External Affairs, with IWAI as the Project Development Consultant.
- The project reduces dependence on the narrow Siliguri Corridor and aligns with India’s Act East Policy to improve connectivity with Southeast Asia.
- By significantly cutting logistics costs and travel time—over 50% from Kolkata to Aizawl—it aims to unlock the economic potential of NER. Other key initiatives include the India-Myanmar-Thailand Highway, PIWT&T with Bangladesh, and BBIN Motor Vehicle Agreement.
- Why in News?
- The Madhya Pradesh High Court recently rejected a popular actor’s plea challenging a government notification that declared his property as "enemy property" under the Enemy Property Act, 1968.
- Key Provisions:-
- This law allows the Indian government to take control of assets belonging to citizens or firms of countries that have committed acts of external aggression against India, specifically Pakistan and China.
- Such properties are managed by the Custodian of Enemy Property for India under the Ministry of Home Affairs. The law was further strengthened through a 2017 amendment, which widened the definition of “enemy” to include legal heirs or successors of enemies—regardless of their current citizenship—and even those who have changed their nationality.
- This ensures that properties linked to enemy nations remain under government control, and cannot be reclaimed or inherited. The court’s decision reinforces the government’s authority to retain such properties in the interest of national security and sovereignty.
- Why in News?
- Cargo ships navigating the Red Sea continue to face mounting threats as Yemen’s Houthi rebels claim to have sunk another vessel in a recent attack. These assaults have raised serious concerns over maritime security in one of the world’s most vital shipping routes.
- About Red Sea:-
- The Red Sea, a marginal sea of the north-western Indian Ocean, connects to the Gulf of Aden through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and to the Mediterranean via the Suez Canal, making it crucial for global trade.
- It is bordered by Egypt, Sudan, and Eritrea on the west, and Saudi Arabia and Yemen on the east, while Israel and Jordan lie to the northeast via the Gulf of Aqaba. In the north, the sea splits into the Gulf of Suez and Gulf of Aqaba. Known for its high salinity, the Red Sea receives almost no river inflow or rainfall, making it a unique and strategically important maritime zone.