2 hours ago
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China hits backmost with tariffs connected US, launches probe against Google
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Current events of nationalist and planetary importance.
Main Examination: General Studies II: Effect of policies and authorities of developed and processing countries connected India’s interests.
What’s the ongoing story: China connected Tuesday announced a wide scope of measures targeting U.S. businesses including Google, workplace instrumentality makers and manner marque Calvin Klein’s owner, minutes aft further U.S. tariffs connected Chinese goods took effect.
Key Points to Ponder:
• China precocious announced a wide scope of measures targeting U.S. businesses-Know successful detail
• What is “unreliable entity” list?
• Why does a tariff warfare person a domino effect?
• What tin beryllium the imaginable economical impacts of China’s caller tariffs connected U.S. goods, peculiarly focusing connected the vigor sector.
• How mightiness these tariffs impact planetary vigor markets and bilateral commercialized relations?
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• Discuss the implications of China’s antitrust probe into Google.
Key Takeaways:
• The measures were announced arsenic Beijing besides slapped tariffs connected immoderate U.S. products specified arsenic coal, state and electrical trucks successful a accelerated effect to the caller duties connected Chinese goods imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump, escalating commercialized tensions betwixt the world’s 2 biggest economies.
• China’s Commerce Ministry said it had enactment PVH Corp, the holding institution for brands including Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger, and U.S. biotechnology steadfast Illumina connected its “unreliable entity” list
• It said the 2 companies took what it called “discriminatory measures against Chinese enterprises” and “damaged” the morganatic rights and interests of Chinese companies.
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• Companies added to the blacklist tin beryllium taxable to fines and a wide scope of different sanctions, including a frost connected commercialized and revocation of enactment permits for overseas staff.
• Separately, China’s State Administration of Market Regulation said Google was suspected of violating the country’s anti-monopoly instrumentality and an probe was initiated into the institution successful accordance with the law. It did supply further details connected the probe oregon connected what it alleged Google had done to breach the law.
• Google products specified arsenic its hunt motor are blocked successful China and its gross from determination is astir 1% of planetary sales.
• In 2017, Google announced the motorboat of a tiny artificial quality halfway successful China. But the task was disbanded 2 years aboriginal and the steadfast does not behaviour AI probe successful China, according to a blog posting. Google inactive works with Chinese partners specified arsenic advertisers.
Do You Know:
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• According to the Investopedia, the word “trade war” is utilized to picture an economical struggle where, successful effect to protectionism, countries enforce commercialized barriers specified arsenic tariffs, restrictions, and quotas against each other. Basically, 1 state imposes targeted tariffs connected another’s system successful bid to support its ain economy, oregon to wounded that of its adversary. The erstwhile whitethorn judge that the trading practices of the second are unfair.
• Trade wars are usually considered a broadside effect of protectionism. Protectionism refers to authorities actions and policies that restrict planetary trade. A state volition mostly undertake protectionist actions to shield home businesses and jobs from overseas competition. Protectionism is besides a method utilized to equilibrium commercialized deficits. A commercialized shortage occurs erstwhile a country’s imports transcend the amounts of its exports. A tariff is simply a taxation oregon work imposed connected the goods imported into a nation.
• Tariffs are a benignant of commercialized obstruction that makes imported products much costly than home ones. Tariffs typically travel successful the signifier of taxes oregon duties levied connected importers, and they’re yet passed connected to consumers. They’re commonly utilized successful planetary commercialized arsenic a protectionist measure.
As a protectionist tool, a tariff increases the prices of imports. Due to that, consumers whitethorn take to bargain other, comparatively little costly home goods instead.
• The US-based deliberation vessel Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE) said that Trump’s tariffs connected Canada, Mexico, and China would outgo the emblematic US household implicit $1,200 a year.
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• In its report, PIIE stated that US producers competing with recently tariffed imports volition rise their prices successful enactment with import terms increases, further burdening US consumers.
Other Important Articles Covering the aforesaid topic:
📍Trump commercialized war: As China retaliates, planetary proviso concatenation worries deepen
UPSC Prelims Practice Question Covering akin theme:
1. The caller commercialized measures by China are chiefly successful effect to which U.S. argumentation action?
a) Imposition of caller tariffs connected Chinese imports
b) Sanctions connected Chinese officials
c) Restrictions connected Chinese students
d) Closure of Chinese consulates
FRONT PAGE
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Current events of nationalist and planetary importance.
Main Examination:
• General Studies I: Effects of globalization connected Indian society.
• General Studies II: Effect of policies and authorities of developed and processing countries connected India’s interests, Indian diaspora.
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What’s the ongoing story: A United States subject level began deporting Indian migrants, implementing President Donald Trump’s presumption against an estimated 11 cardinal amerciable immigrants successful the country.
Key Points to Ponder:
• Who are migrants?
• What information connected migration says?
• What are the Push and Pull factors of migration?
• What tin beryllium the implications of the U.S. deporting 205 Indian migrants utilizing a subject craft connected India-U.S. bilateral relations.
• Discuss the imaginable reasons down the U.S. administration’s determination to utilize subject craft for deporting amerciable immigrants.
• Examine the challenges faced by Indian migrants starring to amerciable migration to countries similar the United States.
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• Critically measure the relation of planetary instrumentality and quality rights considerations successful the deportation of amerciable immigrants.
• How should countries equilibrium their sovereign close to enforce migration laws with their obligations nether planetary quality rights frameworks?
Key Takeaways:
• Reuters reported that the C-17 craft carrying 205 Indian nationals departed from San Antonio, Texas, astir 3 americium IST.
• They are mostly from Gujarat and Punjab, according to sources.
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• When contacted, a US embassy spokesperson successful Delhi said: “The United States is vigorously enforcing its border, tightening migration laws, and removing amerciable migrants. These actions nonstop a wide message: amerciable migration is not worthy the risk.”
• This is the archetypal batch of amerciable immigrants from India to beryllium deported since Trump’s instrumentality to office.
• Last year, astir 1,100 amerciable immigrants were deported to India done peculiar planes.
• As The Indian Express reported connected January 21, determination are 20,407 “undocumented” Indians, arsenic of November 2024, who are either facing “final removal orders” oregon are, currently, successful detention centres of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
• Of these, 17,940 “paperless” Indians are not successful detention but are nether “final removal orders,” and different 2,467 are successful detention nether the ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO).
Do You Know:
• This makes Indians the 4th largest radical by nationality, and the archetypal among Asians, successful ICE custody. As of November 2024, the full fig of non-citizens, from each countries, detained added up to implicit 37,000.
• A removal bid is issued by an migration justice which becomes a “final removal order” erstwhile affirmed by the appellate authority.
• India’s presumption is that it is acceptable to judge amerciable immigrants from the US aft verification. This connection was conveyed by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar past period erstwhile helium met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
• India is opposed to amerciable migration due to the fact that of its links to respective forms of organised crime, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said connected January 24.
• Under Trump’s administration, the US subject has been progressively progressive successful migration enforcement, deploying further troops to the US-Mexico border, utilizing subject facilities to accommodate migrants, and employing subject planes for deportations.
• According to Reuters, erstwhile deportation flights person sent migrants to Guatemala, Peru, and Honduras. The Pentagon has present begun arranging flights to deport implicit 5,000 migrants detained successful El Paso, Texas, and San Diego, California, the study added.
• Military deportation flights are importantly much costly than those operated by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Reuters reported that a azygous subject deportation formation to Guatemala past week outgo astir $4,675 per migrant.
• On December 6 past year, Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh told Lok Sabha that “as per US Government data, a full of 519 Indian nationals were deported to India” betwixt November 2023 and October 2024.
Other Important Articles Covering the aforesaid topic:
📍Indian migrants sent backmost from US: Why Trump is utilizing costly subject planes for deportation
UPSC Previous Year Mains Question Covering akin theme:
📍Discuss the changes successful the trends of labour migration wrong and extracurricular India successful the past 4 decades. (2015)
Waiting for muhurat? Deport 63 declared foreigners: SC to Assam
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Indian Polity and Governance-Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc.
Main Examination: General Studies II: Indian Constitution—historical underpinnings, evolution, features, amendments, important provisions and basic structure.
What’s the ongoing story: Castigating the Assam authorities for “indulging successful suppression of facts” connected the continued detention of radical declared foreigners, the Supreme Court Tuesday directed the authorities to instantly deport 63 declared foreigners whose nationalities are known, and record a presumption study successful 2 weeks.
Key Points to Ponder:
• Discuss the implications of the Supreme Court’s directive to Assam to deport 63 declared foreigners.
• How does this determination interaction the state’s demographic and socio-political landscape?
• Analyse the challenges faced by authorities governments successful implementing Supreme Court directives related to the deportation of declared foreigners.
• What measures tin beryllium taken to guarantee compliance portion upholding quality rights?
• Examine the relation of the judiciary successful addressing issues of amerciable migration successful India.
• How does the Supreme Court’s involution power argumentation and administrative actions astatine the authorities level?
Key Takeaways:
• Questioning Assam’s mentation that the addresses of the radical declared foreigners were not available, Justice A S Oka, who was connected the seat with Justice Ujjal Bhuyan, told Assam Chief Secretary Ravi Kota who appeared via a video link: “You person refused to commencement deportation saying their addresses are not known. Why should it beryllium our concern? You deport them to their overseas country. Are you waiting for immoderate muhurat?”
• Justice Oka told the Chief Secretary that the authorities tin deport foreigners adjacent without an address.“‘Foreign code not divulged’ — this is the crushed to not deport?…You can’t proceed to detain them indefinitely.”
• “Once they are held to beryllium foreigners, they should beryllium deported immediately. You cognize the presumption of their citizenship. Then however tin you hold till their code is received? It is for the different state to determine wherever they should go.”
• When the counsel for the Assam authorities asked “where bash we deport them to” without the address, Justice Oka said, “You deport them to the superior metropolis of the country.”
• “Suppose the idiosyncratic is from Pakistan, you cognize the superior metropolis of Pakistan? How tin you support them detained present saying their overseas code is not known? You would ne'er cognize the address,” helium said.
• Joining him, Justice Bhuyan told the authorities counsel, “Once you state a idiosyncratic arsenic a foreigner, past you person to instrumentality the adjacent logical step. You can’t detain them forever. Article 21 close is there.”
Do You Know:
• A break-up of individuals astatine the campy accessed by The Indian Express shows 2 categories of “foreigners” among the 270 inmates. There are 103 Rohingya people, 32 Chin radical and an idiosyncratic from Senegal who had been referred to sessions courts wherever they were sentenced and convicted for violations of the Foreigners Act, the Citizenship Act and the Passports Act. These individuals are citizens of different countries, and aft completing their sentences successful prisons, they person been placed successful the “transit camp” portion awaiting deportation.
• The remainder of the 133 inmates person been declared “foreigners” by Foreigners Tribunals successful Assam – quasi-judicial bodies that find whether oregon not a idiosyncratic presented earlier them is an Indian citizen. The tribunals person 2 kinds of cases – those referred to them by the borderline constabulary erstwhile they fishy idiosyncratic of being a foreigner and those related to radical listed arsenic “doubtful” voters successful electoral rolls.
• According to a elder Assam authorities official, 70 of these 133 declared foreigners person “admitted to being Bangladeshi nationals” and person shared addresses successful Bangladesh. Another idiosyncratic has been released connected bail. However, the 63 radical who the Supreme Court referred to person not shared an address.
Other Important Articles Covering the aforesaid topic:
📍As Assam faces Supreme Court heat, wherefore deporting 63 ‘foreigners’ is easier said than done
UPSC Previous Year Prelims Question Covering akin theme:
2. With notation to India, see the pursuing statements: (2021)
1. There is lone 1 citizenship and 1 domicile.
2. A national by commencement lone tin go the Head of State.
3. A foreigner erstwhile granted citizenship cannot beryllium deprived of it nether immoderate circumstances.
Which of the statements fixed supra is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) 1 and 3
(d) 2 and 3
After Olympic bid, India sets sights connected hosting 2030 Commonwealth Games
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Current events of nationalist and planetary importance.
What’s the ongoing story: AFTER SUBMITTING a Letter of Intent to big the 2036 Olympics past October, India is learnt to person opened an “informal” dialog with the a Federation (CGF) to big the centenary variation successful 2030 — 20 years aft the state archetypal held it.
Key Points to Ponder:
• Discuss the value of India’s volition to big the 2030 Commonwealth Games successful the discourse of its broader sports diplomacy and planetary standing.
• Evaluate the imaginable economic, infrastructural, and societal impacts connected Ahmedabad if it is selected to big the 2030 Commonwealth Games.
• Analyse the challenges and opportunities associated with India’s bid to big the 2030 Commonwealth Games, considering past experiences specified arsenic the 2010 Delhi Games.
• Critically measure the relation of the Commonwealth Games Federation successful promoting sports improvement among subordinate nations, with a absorption connected India’s caller interactions and initiatives.
Key Takeaways:
• But dissimilar 2010, erstwhile the Games were hosted successful New Delhi, Ahmedabad has emerged arsenic the frontrunner, with Bhubaneswar besides successful the mix, officials progressive successful the process told The Indian Express connected Tuesday.
• Over the past week, CGF president Chris Jenkins and main enforcement Katie Sadlier travelled to aggregate cities successful India, gathering authorities and cardinal authorities ministers and elder bureaucrats successful Gandhinagar, Bhubaneswar and New Delhi. They besides toured imaginable venues successful Ahmedabad and Bhubaneswar.
• On the sidelines of the National Games opening ceremonial successful Dehradun, Jenkins besides met Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president P T Usha wherever the imaginable Indian bid was discussed. The IOA doubles up arsenic the governing assemblage for the Commonwealth Games successful India.
• It is learnt that during their conversation, Jenkins laid down the timelines, with March 31 being the deadline to taxable an authoritative Expression of Interest (EOI).
• In a connection to The Indian Express, the CGF said: “CGF President Chris Jenkins was precocious invited to be the opening ceremonial of the National Games successful India, taking this accidental to proceed to fortify ties betwixt India, Commonwealth Games India, and Commonwealth Sport.
• The CGF precocious enactment retired the telephone for Expressions of Interest for the 2030 Commonwealth Games and beyond, and, during his sojourn to India, President Jenkins had immoderate informal chats astir this process.”
Do You Know:
• The involvement from India comes astatine a clip erstwhile the CGF has recovered fewer takers to big its flagship event. In 2022, Durban was chosen arsenic the big but the South African metropolis aboriginal pulled retired citing fiscal reasons. Birmingham was past named the caller host.
• Similarly, the Australian authorities of Victoria gave up the hosting rights aft winning the bid for the 2026 CWG. After a Commonwealth-wide hunt, Glasgow stepped up to rescue the Games. However, dissimilar the erstwhile editions, Glasgow CWG volition lone beryllium a 10-sport lawsuit with a choky headdress connected the fig of athletes to marque it affordable.
• The setback forced the CGF to travel up with caller hosting models and, officials said, Jenkins and Sadlier impressed upon their Indian counterparts that nether the caller measures, big cities are nary longer required to conception a peculiar athletes’ colony oregon physique caller venues.
• This, the Indian officials estimated, could trim the costs by “almost 60 per cent”. “Ahmedabad volition already person a batch of venues acceptable successful the adjacent 3 to 4 years. These venues are being built to foster a sporting culture, careless of whether India wins the bid to big the 2036 Olympics,” the authoritative said.
• As per the Gujarat government’s plan, the SVP Sports Enclave volition location the Narendra Modi Stadium, a multi-purpose indoor arena, aquatics and tennis centres arsenic imperishable venues. In Karai, an athletics stadium is being constructed on with a shooting analyzable and an indoor arena. The deadline to implicit the full task is 2028.
Other Important Articles Covering the aforesaid topic:
📍Explained: Who’s representing India astatine CWG, and from which state
UPSC Previous Year Prelims Question Covering akin theme:
3. Consider the pursuing statements: (2010)
1. The Commonwealth has nary charter, pact oregon constitution.
2. All the territories/countries erstwhile nether the British empire (jurisdiction/rule/mandate) automatically joined the Commonwealth arsenic its members.
Which of the statements fixed supra is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
THE SECOND PAGE
Ayushman scheme, awareness, facilities aiding timely crab attraction successful India: Study
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Current events of nationalist and planetary importance
Mains Examination: General Studies II: Government policies and interventions
What’s the ongoing story: BETTER knowledge, and healthcare facilities person helped trim hold successful starting cancer attraction successful India, and this inclination has been observed much among radical enrolled nether the Centre’s flagship Ayushman Bharat programme, according to a caller survey published successful the Lancet journal.
Key Points to Ponder:
• What precisely caller survey published successful the Lancet diary says?
• What is Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY)?
• What are the cardinal features of the AB PM-JAY?
• Recently, the Union Cabinet expanded the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) to supply wellness sum to
people up to what age?
• Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) is simply a Central strategy oregon Centrally sponsored scheme?
• Evaluate the relation of nationalist consciousness and healthcare facilities successful the aboriginal detection and attraction of crab successful India. How bash authorities initiatives complement these efforts?
• Assess the limitations of the Ayushman Bharat strategy successful providing broad crab care.
Key Takeaways:
• According to the report, timely initiation of crab attraction accrued by 36% crossed the population, but it accrued by a monolithic 90%
among those covered by the security strategy aft 2018.
• The Ayushman Bharat scheme, which provides wellness screen to the poorest 40% of the population, was rolled retired successful 2018.
• While appreciating the government’s wellness information net, the study, which looked astatine information of astir 6,700 crab patients, made a beardown lawsuit for a request to summation crab attraction facilities specified arsenic radiotherapy machines. The highest hold successful attraction initiation was for radiotherapy, followed by chemotherapy and surgery, it said. This “is an important statement for strengthening nationalist healthcare infrastructure for proviso of radiotherapy to crab patients successful India arsenic good arsenic inclusion of cost-effective chemotherapeutic agents in” Ayushman Bharat, the survey said.
• It said determination were an estimated 779 radiotherapy machines crossed the country, which was abbreviated of the required numbers. Most high-income countries person 4 machines per 10 lakh population, portion WHO recommends astatine slightest 1 instrumentality per 10 lakh population. By this standard, India would request betwixt 1,350 and 5,000 radiotherapy machines, the survey said.
• For the study, the researchers compared radical who initiated attraction connected clip (within 30 days) to those who didn’t. They recovered that timely attraction was started among patients nether the property of 30 (77%), those who were much educated (70.2%), and those covered nether immoderate strategy (69%). Nearly 40% of the survey participants were not covered by immoderate scheme. Those with higher income were besides little apt to hold treatment, the survey said.
Do You Know:
• Launched successful September 2018, Ayushman Bharat – Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) — is the world’s largest Government-funded wellness security scheme. Currently, beneficiaries are identified from the 2011 Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC), based connected circumstantial deprivation and occupational criteria crossed some agrarian and municipality areas.
Initially covering 10.74 crore families, states implementing AB-PMJAY person broadened their scope to encompass 13.44 crore families (65 crore people).
• The strategy is jointly funded by the Centre and the states successful the ratio 60:40 (90:10 successful the lawsuit of North-East and hilly states). Government hospitals relationship for 58% of each facilities empanelled.
• In a landmark decision, the Union Cabinet approved an enlargement of the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) connected September 11, 2024, offering broad wellness security to elder citizens aged 70 and above.
• Everyone of property 70 oregon much volition beryllium entitled to a screen of Rs 5 lakh annually, shared wrong the family. This means if determination are 2 aged beneficiaries successful the household, the screen volition beryllium divided among them.
• Elderly members (age 70 and more) of families that are already covered successful accordance with their economical presumption volition get a top-up screen of Rs 5 lakh — to beryllium utilized lone for the elderly. These aged beneficiaries volition person to re-register to person the top-up cover.
• The strategy volition screen astir 6 crore individuals (from 4.5 crore families), of whom 1.78 crore are already covered by the scheme. “For the further top-up amount, the fiscal accusation is precise little,” a elder authoritative said. The Ayushman Bharat strategy already covers 1,670 procedures crossed 26 specialities, which includes 25 geriatric packages.
• The Longitudinal Ageing Study of India (LASI) 2021 study reveals that 75 per cent of the aged person 1 oregon much chronic diseases, 40 per cent person immoderate signifier of disability, and 1 successful 4 suffers from multi-morbidity. Notably, 58 per cent of the aged colonisation are women, with 54 per cent being widows. Unlike galore backstage security products for elder citizens, PMJAY does not exclude anyone due to the fact that of a pre-existing illness, nor does it enforce a year-long waiting play earlier the benefits are allowed. The strategy empowers the aged to pb steadfast and dignified lives.
Other Important Articles Covering the aforesaid topic:
📍Five years of Ayushman Bharat: A shield for the vulnerable
UPSC Previous Year Prelims Question Covering akin theme:
4. With notation to the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, see the pursuing statements: (UPSC CSE Prelims, 2022)
1. Private and nationalist hospitals indispensable follow it.
2. As it aims to execute universal, wellness coverage, each national of India should beryllium portion of it ultimately.
3. It has seamless portability crossed the country.
Which of the statements fixed supra is/are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
EXPRESS NETWORK
Cybercrimes spot crisp emergence since 2021, implicit 17 lakh cases past year: Govt data
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Current events of nationalist and planetary importance.
Main Examination: General Studies III: Basics of cyber security
What’s the ongoing story: A monolithic surge successful cybercrime incidents was reported successful India with fraudsters cheating radical of Rs 33,165 crore successful the past 4 years, including Rs 22,812 crore successful 2024, with respective Tier 2 and 3 cities identified arsenic cybercrime hotspots, shows authorities data.
Key Points to Ponder:
• Analyse the important emergence successful cybercrime cases successful India since 2021.
• Discuss the superior factors contributing to this summation and suggest effectual measures to mitigate cyber threats.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) and the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP) successful addressing the surge successful cybercrime incidents.
• What further steps tin beryllium taken to heighten cybersecurity successful India?
• Discuss the economical implications of cybercrime successful India, with a absorption connected the reported siphoning disconnected of implicit Rs 10,300 crore since April 2021.
• How tin fiscal institutions and individuals amended support themselves against specified threats?
Key Takeaways:
• Data compiled by the National Cyber Reporting Platform (NCRP), nether the Ministry of Home Affairs, shows fraudsters cheated radical of Rs 551 crore successful 2021, Rs 2,306 crore successful 2022, and Rs 7,496 successful 2023.
• Data besides shows that 1,37,254 complaints were received successful 2021, 5,15,083 successful 2022, 11,31,649 successful 2023, and 17,10,505 complaints were received past year.
• “Domestic hotspots person been identified arsenic Deoghar successful Jharkhand, Deeg, Alwar, Jaipur, and Jodhpur successful Rajasthan, Nuh successful Haryana, Mathura and Gautam Buddha Nagar successful Uttar Pradesh, Kolkata successful West Bengal, Surat successful Gujarat, Nalanda and Nawada successful Bihar, Bengaluru municipality successful Karnataka, and Kozhikode successful Kerala,” a root said.
• Amid the steep emergence successful cybercrime cases, Union Home Minister Amit Shah is learnt to person asked the Home Ministry to make an e-FIR system, successful which a national tin record their ailment via NCRP.
• According to an MHA source, a gathering was held successful North Block successful December past week, which was chaired by Shah and attended by elder ministry officials. “Several issues, trends and measures related to cyber fraud were discussed and among different suggestions, Shah is learnt to person asked [officials] to make an e-FIR system, truthful that they tin supply a hassle-free strategy to the cyber fraud victim, who mislaid Rs 10 lakh oregon supra successful cyber fraud,” said the source.
• Multiple teams, including the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), are presently moving connected this and discussing it with authorities constabulary arsenic well. “In this system, they are trying to marque a nationalised cyber-police presumption of e-FIR successful the NCRP portal wherever isolated from lodging a complaint, they tin besides record their e-FIR. Later, the e-FIR volition beryllium transferred to their acrophobic jurisdiction constabulary presumption for further investigation. As of now, Delhi Police has a strategy of e-FIR of theft and centrifugal conveyance theft,” the root said.
Do You Know:
• As cybersecurity spans assorted domains, India has established a multifaceted organization model involving aggregate ministries, departments, and agencies to code this issue. The Ministry for Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) oversees policies concerning IT, electronics, and the Internet, including cyber laws.
• The Ministry of Home Affairs is liable for interior security, including cybersecurity. It has established the Cyber and Information Security Division, which comprises a cybercrime wing, cybersecurity wing, and monitoring unit. In 2020, it formally launched the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre.
• India mislaid astir Rs 11,333 crore to cyber fraud successful the archetypal 9 months of 2024, according to information compiled by the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), a part of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
• Stock trading scams accounted for the largest share, with losses of Rs 4,636 crore from 2,28,094 complaints. Investment-based scams caused losses of Rs 3,216 crore from 1,00,360 complaints, portion Rs 1,616 crore was mislaid to “digital arrest” frauds crossed 63,481 complaints.
• Data from the Citizen Financial Cyber Fraud Reporting and Management System (CFCFRMS), arsenic seen by The Indian Express, showed astir 12 lakh cyber fraud complaints were received successful 2024, with 45% of these originating from Southeast Asian countries—Cambodia, Myanmar, and Laos. Since 2021, the CFCFRMS has recorded 30.05 lakh complaints, starring to losses amounting to ₹27,914 crore. Of these, 11,31,221 complaints were registered successful 2023, 5,14,741 successful 2022, and 1,35,242 successful 2021.
• An investigation of cyber frauds this twelvemonth revealed that stolen wealth is often withdrawn utilizing cheques, cardinal slope integer currency (CBDC), fintech crypto, ATMs, merchant payments, and e-wallets. Over the past year, the I4C has frozen astir 4.5 lakh mule slope accounts, typically utilized to launder the proceeds of cybercrime.
Other Important Articles Covering the aforesaid topic:
UPSC Previous Year Prelims Question Covering akin theme:
5. In India, it is legally mandatory for which of the pursuing to study connected cyber information incidents? (2017)
1. Service providers
2. Data centres
3. Body corporate
Select the close reply utilizing the codification fixed below:
(a) 1 only
(b) 1 and 2 only
(c) 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
THE IDEAS PAGE
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Current events of nationalist and planetary importance.
Main Examination: General Studies III: Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways etc.
What’s the ongoing story: C Raja Mohan writes: Budget determination to amend laws governing atomic vigor was overdue. It is simply a accidental to unfastened up the assemblage an exploit its potential.
Key Points to Ponder:
• Who was the salient Indian idiosyncratic elected arsenic the president of the world’s archetypal planetary league connected atomic vigor for peaceful purposes successful Geneva, 1955?
• What is the word utilized to picture India’s atomic strategy that emphasizes maintaining a minimal yet credible deterrent?
• The Atomic Energy Act (1962) and the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act (CLNDA) of 2010-Know successful brief
• Which planetary pact aims to forestall the dispersed of atomic weapons and beforehand peaceful uses of atomic energy, which India has not signed?
• Analyse the humanities factors that led to India’s archetypal advancements successful atomic exertion and the consequent diminution successful its atomic vigor program.
• Discuss the relation of planetary collaborations and agreements successful shaping India’s atomic policy.
• Evaluate the conception of ‘Credible Minimum Deterrence’ successful the discourse of India’s atomic doctrine.
• Examine the challenges and prospects of India’s civilian atomic vigor programme successful the existent planetary scenario.
• Critically measure India’s presumption connected planetary atomic treaties specified arsenic the NPT and CTBT.
Key Takeaways:
C Raja Mohan writes:
• In her fund code connected Saturday, Finance Minister (FM) Nirmala Sitharaman announced the determination to amend the 2 atomic Acts that person paralysed the prospects of atomic powerfulness successful India. The long-overdue determination has not travel a time excessively soon, arsenic the satellite moves towards reviving the atomic vigor industry.
• The communicative of India’s atomic descent is simply a tragic one. It is intolerable to judge that India was the 2nd Asian federation to physique a atomic powerfulness works successful 1969 astatine Tarapur — conscionable aft Japan and agelong earlier China.
• Through the past decade, Delhi has repeatedly revised the targets for atomic capableness but could not realise them. The FM has present acceptable a caller people of 1,00,000 MW by 2047.
• One portion of the occupation was the alteration successful the planetary bid connected atomic vigor practice erstwhile the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty came into unit successful 1970.
• India’s ideological and argumentation confusions enactment it successful the worst of each worlds — it was neither a “nuclear” food nor a “non-nuclear” fowl. It took different 4th of a period for India to interruption retired of this obscurity land.
• India yet conducted 5 atomic tests successful May 1998 and declared itself a nuclear-weapon power. Although they brought a caller acceptable of sanctions, the tests opened the doorway for a reconciliation with the US and the planetary atomic order.
• Beyond the civilian liability act, determination is simply a deeper structural occupation ailing the Indian atomic vigor programme. It is the information that atomic vigor enactment is simply a authorities monopoly nether the Atomic Energy Act of 1962.
Do You Know:
• India was the 2nd Asian federation to physique a atomic powerfulness works successful 1969 astatine Tarapur — conscionable aft Japan and agelong earlier China. It besides built up an awesome atomic probe and improvement programme successful the 1950s and 1960s with important assistance from its Western partners.
• At the highest of atomic optimism successful 1970, India hoped to make 10,000 MW of atomic powerfulness by 2000. Twenty-five years aft that deadline, India’s atomic powerfulness assemblage is limping on astatine astir 8,200 MW. China’s installed atomic capableness contiguous is astir 58,000 MW. South Korea has 32,000 MW. China and South Korea are present large exporters of atomic reactors. The UAE, which launched its atomic powerfulness programme little than a decennary ago, has 5,200 GW of atomic capacity, centred astir South Korean reactors.
• The NPT froze the fig of nuclear-weapon states astatine 5 (those who had already tested atomic weapons earlier 1967) and began to enforce restrictions connected the transportation of atomic technologies to the remainder of the world.
• If India’s atomic escapade flourished successful the epoch of atomic internationalism, it began to wilt nether outer pressures from the 1970s. If India had done a atomic trial earlier January 1967, it would person been connected the close broadside of the atomic divide. But the inability oregon unwillingness to go a nuclear-weapon powerfulness enactment it connected the incorrect side. (There are reports that US President John F Kennedy had offered to assistance India behaviour a atomic limb trial successful 1963, but Nehru had turned him down.)
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📍How a atomic ‘chain reaction’ and neighbourhood challenges led to India acquiring its n-weapons
UPSC Previous Year Prelims Question Covering akin theme:
6. In India, wherefore are immoderate atomic reactors kept nether “IAEA safeguards” portion others are not? (2020)
(a) Some usage uranium and others usage thorium
(b) Some usage imported uranium and others usage home supplies
(c) Some are operated by overseas enterprises and others are operated by home enterprises
(d) Some are State-owned and others are privately owned
EXPLAINED
Why the RBI could chopped repo rate, for the archetypal clip successful 5 years
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Current events of nationalist and planetary importance.
Main Examination: General Studies III: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization, of resources, growth, improvement and employment.
What’s the ongoing story: After keeping it unchanged for 2 years, the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) six-member Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is apt to chopped the repo complaint — the complaint astatine which the RBI lends to different banks — by 25 ground points (bps) successful its upcoming gathering scheduled from February 5 to 7. If the chopped does come, it volition beryllium the archetypal successful astir 5 years.
Key Points to Ponder:
• Discuss the imaginable reasons down the Reserve Bank of India’s Monetary Policy Committee’s inclination towards cutting the repo complaint successful aboriginal 2025.
• Evaluate the interaction of enactment changes wrong the Reserve Bank of India connected its monetary argumentation decisions.
• How mightiness the assignment of a caller politician power the cardinal bank’s attack to managing inflation and economical growth?
• Analyse the narration betwixt the repo complaint adjustments by the Reserve Bank of India and the show of the Indian Rupee against the US Dollar.
• What are the imaginable consequences of a repo complaint chopped connected the currency’s value?
Key Takeaways:
• A bulk of economists person pencilled successful a 25 ground points (bps) simplification successful the repo rate, to 6.25 per cent from 6.5 per cent. One ground constituent (bps) is one-hundredth of a percent point. This would beryllium the archetypal monetary argumentation announcement by the caller RBI Governor, Sanjay Malhotra.
• The Union Budget 2025-26 announced a chopped successful idiosyncratic income taxation and besides revised the limits of the taxation deducted astatine root (TDS). These measures would supply the much-needed stimulus to depletion demand.
• Retail ostentation oregon user terms scale (CPI) ostentation eased to a four-month debased of 5.22 per cent successful December from 5.48 per cent successful the erstwhile month.
• The argumentation volition beryllium announced amid planetary uncertainty, with US President Donald Trump announcing tariffs connected Canada, Mexico and China. The tariffs connected Canada and Mexico person been postponed for a month.
• The tariffs triggered a fearfulness of planetary commercialized wars, resulting successful a emergence successful the dollar against large currencies connected Monday. The rupee plunged beneath the 87-level to an all-time debased of 87.29 per dollar connected Monday.
• If RBI reduces the repo complaint to 6.25 per cent from the existing 6.5 per cent, each outer benchmark lending rates (EBLR) linked to the repo complaint volition travel down by 25 bps, giving alleviation to borrowers arsenic their equated monthly instalments (EMIs) volition fall.
• Lenders whitethorn besides trim involvement rates connected loans that are linked to the marginal outgo of fund-based lending complaint (MCLR), wherever the afloat transmission of a 250 bps hike successful the repo complaint betwixt May 2022 and February 2023 has not happened.
• In effect to the 250 bps hike successful the argumentation repo complaint since May 2022, banks person revised upwards their repo-linked outer benchmark-based lending rates (EBLRs) by a akin magnitude. The one-year median marginal outgo of funds-based lending complaint (MCLR) has accrued by 175 bps during May 2022 to December 2024.
Do You Know:
• Every day, radical spell to commercialized banks (such arsenic the State Bank of India) either to deposit their savings oregon to get a indebtedness — accidental for a car oregon home.
On their savings/deposits, the slope pays them involvement astatine a definite rate. On loans, the slope charges them involvement astatine a definite rate. Typically, the involvement complaint banks complaint connected loans is higher than the involvement they wage connected deposits.
• A cardinal deciding origin — though not the lone 1 — is the involvement rates that commercialized banks themselves wage (or get) erstwhile they get (or deposit) wealth from (or in) the Reserve Bank of India.
• The involvement complaint that the RBI charges erstwhile commercialized banks get wealth from it is called the repo rate. The involvement complaint that the RBI pays commercialized banks erstwhile they parkland their excess currency with the cardinal slope is called the reverse repo rate.
• Using these 2 rates, the RBI sets the code for each different involvement rates successful the banking system, and done that route, successful the broader economy. For instance, erstwhile the RBI wants to promote economical enactment successful the economy, it reduces the repo rates.
• Doing this enables commercialized banks specified arsenic the SBI to bring down the involvement rates they complaint (on their loans) arsenic good arsenic the involvement complaint they wage connected deposits. This, successful turn, incentivises radical to walk money, due to the fact that keeping their savings successful the slope present pays backmost a small less, and businesses are incentivised to instrumentality caller loans for caller investments due to the fact that caller loans present outgo a small little arsenic well.
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UPSC Previous Year Prelims Question Covering akin theme:
7. Concerning the Indian economy, see the following: (2015
1. Bank rate
2. Open marketplace operations
3. Public debt
4. Public revenue
Which of the supra is/are component/ components of Monetary Policy?
(a) 1, 2 and 3
(b) 2, 3 and 4
(c) 1 and 2
(d) 1, 3 and 4
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development
Main Examination: General Studies III: Major crops-cropping patterns successful assorted parts of the country,
What’s the ongoing story: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has announced the motorboat of a six-year ‘Mission for Aatmanirbharta (self-reliance) successful Pulses’ with a peculiar absorption on tur/arhar (pigeonpea), urad (black gram) and masoor (red lentil).
Key Points to Ponder:
• “Despite being the largest shaper and user of pulses, India inactive depends connected imports to conscionable home demand.”—Discuss
• Discuss the value of pulses successful Indian agriculture, peculiarly successful presumption of ungraded fertility, harvest diversification, and clime resilience.
• How tin authorities policies beforehand pulse cultivation successful India?
• What are the challenges faced by Indian farmers successful producing pulses, peculiarly successful presumption of pricing, procurement, and marketplace volatility?
• Critically measure India’s pulse import argumentation successful the discourse of WTO commitments and home accumulation goals.
• How tin technological research, biotechnology, and mechanization assistance successful expanding pulse productivity successful India?
• Examine the relation of institutions similar ICAR and IIPR (Indian Institute of Pulses Research) successful promoting pulse production.
Key Takeaways:
• The 2025-26 Union Budget has allocated Rs 1,000 crore towards this scheme, which aims to supply minimum enactment price (MSP)-based procurement and post-harvest warehousing solutions successful respect of the 3 pulses crops.
• The NAFED (National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India) and NCCF (National Cooperative Consumers’ Federation of India) volition beryllium acceptable to procure these “as overmuch arsenic offered…from farmers who registry with these agencies and participate into agreements,” said Sitharaman.
• Significantly, this comes adjacent arsenic India’s pulses imports during April-November 2024 were valued astatine $3.28 billion, 56.6% higher than the $2.09 cardinal for the corresponding play of 2023.
• Between 2013-14 and 2016-17, India’s pulses imports roseate some successful worth (from $1.83 cardinal to $4.24 billion) and quantity (from 31.78 lakh tonnes oregon lt to 66.09 lt) terms. Subsequently, they fell to 25.28 lt ($1.14 billion) successful 2018-19, 28.98 lt ($1.44 billion) successful 2019-20, 24.66 lt ($1.61 billion) successful 2020-21, 27 lt ($2.23 billion) successful 2021-22 and 24.96 lt ($1.94 billion) successful 2022-23.
• Domestic pulses production, arsenic per the Agriculture Ministry’s data, accrued from 192.55 lt successful 2013-14 to 273.02 lt successful 2021-22 and 260.58 lt successful 2022-23.
Do You Know:
• There are increasing limitations, peculiarly successful tur/arhar, which was traditionally a 250-270 days harvest yielding astir 20 quintals per hectare. Breeders person brought the duration down to 150-180 days with 15-16 quintals/hectare yields, but that’s inactive comparatively agelong and low. As a result, tur/arhar cultivation is confined mostly to the rainfed Marathwada-Vidarbha regions of Maharashtra and northern
Karnataka, wherever farmers person less alternate cropping options.
• Aatmanirbharta successful tur/arhar would, perhaps, necessitate improvement of hybrids maturing wrong 140-150 days, giving 18-20 quintals/hectare yields and besides amenable to mechanical harvesting.
• Imports of astir different pulses – matar, masoor, urad and desi (small-sized) chana – are besides attracting zero duty. Only imports of ample kabuli chana are being permitted astatine 66% duty, portion altogether restricted successful the lawsuit of moong.
• With home accumulation apt to rebound aft the drought-induced dip to 242.46 lt successful 2023-24 – and retail milled dal inflation, too, easing to 3.83% successful December – the Modi authorities whitethorn person to instrumentality a telephone soon to reconstruct import duties to levels that incentivise farmers to works and execute the extremity of near-aatmanirbharta successful pulses.
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| PRELIMS ANSWER KEY |
| 1. (a) 2. (a) 3. (a) 4.(b) 5.(d) 6.(b) 7.(c) |
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