twenty second February, 2025- India and China, LNG imports, Ex-gratia

Preliminary Examination: Present occasions of nationwide and worldwide significance

Mains Examination: Common Research-II: India and its neighbourhood- relations, and Bilateral, regional and world groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s pursuits.

What’s the continuing story: Exterior Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Chinese language counterpart Wang Yi met Friday and mentioned “administration of peace and tranquillity in border areas”, resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, flight connectivity and trans border rivers.

Key Factors to Ponder:

— What are the border points between India and China relationship?

— What’s G20? What’s the significance of G20 for India?

— What are the areas of cooperation and battle between India and China?

— How India and China cooperation can strengthen G20, BROCS and SCO?

Key Takeaways:

— Assembly on the sidelines of the assembly of G20 International Ministers in Johannesburg Jaishankar and Wang held talks amid diplomatic efforts between the 2 nations to handle bilateral points and regional challenges.

— The assembly comes at a time when India and China try to restore bilateral ties which dived within the wake of Chinese language incursions alongside the LAC in Might 2020 and led to a army standoff. The disengagement of troops in jap Ladakh signalled strikes to have a look at the highway forward.

— “India and China are members of the G20, SCO and BRICS. There are additionally regional and world problems with mutual curiosity, the place an change of views will likely be to our mutual profit,” he stated.

Do You Know:

— Kanti Bajpai writes: Economically, India and China want one another. India’s economic system is stubbornly caught on a 30-year progress path of seven per cent each year. China’s economic system is languishing at 5 per cent each year and will additional decelerate.

— To develop, Indian companies desperately want Chinese language merchandise together with in lots of key areas like prescribed drugs, electronics, and in addition infrastructure. As for Chinese language companies, they should diversify in a world the place Western protectionism towards them is rising. Trying forward, India is a probably large marketplace for China.

— Politically, each Delhi and Beijing should consistently fear about Washington. Regardless of all of the bonhomie between India and the US, variations abound: Over immigration, commerce, relations with Pakistan and Bangladesh…

— China should additionally fear about America’s “naming and shaming” of Beijing’s insurance policies in Tibet and Xinjiang. In brief, India and China face a typical problem — methods to improve their bargaining energy with the US. A technique is to sign to Washington that they produce other strategic decisions and companions if pushed too exhausting.

Different Necessary Articles Overlaying the identical matter:

📍India and China want one another. However will the detente final?

📍On India-China ties, Delhi takes one step ahead, two steps again

UPSC Prelims Query Overlaying comparable theme:

(1) ‘Belt and Street Initiative’ is usually talked about within the information within the context of the affairs of (2016)

(a) African Union

(b) Brazil

(c) European Union

(d) China

UPSC Mains Query Overlaying comparable theme:

‘China is utilizing its financial relations and optimistic commerce surplus as instruments to develop potential army energy standing in Asia’, Within the mild of this assertion, talk about its impression on India as her neighbor.  (2017)

EXPLAINED

Why LNG is central to the longer term growth of India-Qatar commerce

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Present occasions of nationwide and worldwide significance

Mains Examination: Common Research-II: Bilateral, regional and world groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s pursuits.

Common Research-III: Infrastructure: Power, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways and so forth.

What’s the continuing story: The India-Qatar commerce relationship has predominantly been fueled by New Delhi’s heavy imports of liquefied pure gasoline (LNG), of which Doha is India’s largest provider. With the 2 nations now aiming to double bilateral commerce over the subsequent 5 years, LNG, or super-chilled gasoline, is prone to play a pivotal position in that endeavour as properly.

Key Factors to Ponder:

— What’s the significance of Qatar for India?

— Why is India depending on oil imports from different nations?

— How can India stability its commerce deficit with Qatar?

— What are the opposite areas of cooperation between India and Qatar?

— Why is India’s LNG dependence growing?

— What’s GCC?

Key Takeaways:

— The rationale: India’s LNG imports are anticipated to surge over the subsequent 5 years because the nation’s pure gasoline consumption is ready to develop considerably. The anticipated progress in imports would coincide with Qatar increasing its LNG export capability.

— The current state go to of Qatar’s Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani noticed New Delhi and Doha setting a goal to double bilateral commerce to round $28 billion a yr by 2030, aside from elevating the bilateral relationship to a strategic partnership.

— LNG imports accounted for 50 per cent of India’s total imports from Qatar, which totalled $11.49 billion within the first 11 months of 2024. Notably, different main imports had been additionally fossil fuel-linked commodities and merchandise like liquefied petroleum gasoline (LPG), crude oil, plastics, and different petrochemicals. Against this, India’s exports to Qatar through the 11-month interval totalled simply $1.61 billion.

— India’s largest LNG importer Petronet LNG has a long-term contract with Qatar for 7.5 million tonnes each year (mtpa) of LNG, which solely final yr was prolonged until 2048.

— The Indian authorities has set an bold goal to extend the share of pure gasoline within the nation’s major power combine to fifteen per cent by 2030 from somewhat over 6 per cent at current, which is certain to lead to a speedy improve in LNG imports over the subsequent few years.

— In response to Paris-based Worldwide Power Company (IEA), India’s pure gasoline consumption is seen rising practically 60 per cent over 2023 ranges to 103 billion cubic metres (bcm) by 2030, whereas LNG imports are set to greater than double between 2023 and 2030 to 65 bcm a yr, pushed by regular demand progress and a a lot slower rise in home manufacturing.

— Over the approaching years, the US is predicted to be Qatar’s largest competitor for LNG market share in India. The US, which is the world’s largest LNG exporter, is presently India’s second-largest supply of super-chilled gasoline.

Do You Know:

— The Cooperation Council for the Arab Gulf States, typically known as the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), is without doubt one of the most essential regional organisations within the Gulf and the broader Center East area.

— The six member states of the GCC, particularly Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, got here collectively in 1981 to type the regional grouping within the mild of the tumultuous politics on the time to develop collective mechanisms to cope with political, safety and financial challenges dealing with the member states.

— The GCC nations are dwelling to one of many largest expatriate Indian communities on the planet, estimated at 8.5 million, and that is the biggest focus of its residents outdoors India.

— The GCC can be one of many largest buying and selling blocs of India’s overseas commerce. For instance, in 2023-24, the bilateral commerce between India and GCC was US$161.82 billion comprising 14.22 p.c of India’s whole overseas commerce.

Different Necessary Articles Overlaying the identical matter:

📍India-GCC relations: From historic bonds to strategic dialogue

UPSC Prelims Query Overlaying comparable theme:

(2) Which of the next just isn’t a member of ‘Gulf Cooperation Council’? (2016)

(a) Iran

(c) Oman

(b) Saudi Arabia

(d) Kuwait

UPSC Mains Query Overlaying comparable theme:

The query of India’s Power Safety constitutes a very powerful a part of India’s financial progress. Analyse India’s power coverage cooperation with West Asian nations. (2017)

Can Ex-gratia be paid in money? Right here’s what the principles say

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Indian Polity and Governance – Structure, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Coverage, Rights Points

Mains Examination: Common Research-II: Authorities insurance policies and interventions for growth in numerous sectors and points arising out of their design and implementation.

What’s the continuing story: The disbursal of ex-gratia compensation to the subsequent of kin of those that died within the stampede on the New Delhi railway station final week has raised eyebrows, particularly as regards to the mode of cost.

Key Factors to Ponder:

— What’s ex-gratia?

— How is ex-gratia totally different from compensation?

— How have totally different authorities departments approached ex-gratia funds in previous incidents?

— How does the distribution of ex-gratia funds mirror the moral rules of justice, fairness, and compassion in public administration?

— What are the problems of crowd mismanagement?

Key Takeaways:

— Ex-gratia funds are funds made out of ethical — not authorized — obligation. For example, ex-gratia cost by the federal government after a tragedy, such because the one which occurred in New Delhi final Saturday, exhibits its goodwill, and doesn’t contain admitting any legal responsibility or wrongdoing.

— Compensations, alternatively, are made out of a authorized obligation. They’re reparatory funds made to reimburse or make amends for the lack of life, property, or livelihood, amongst different issues.

— Whereas disbursal of ex-gratia cost in money just isn’t frequent, there are not any strict government-issued tips on the mode of such disbursals.

— “[Payment] is made in money as a result of the households normally wouldn’t have financial institution particulars in hand or among the victims wouldn’t have financial institution accounts… The station grasp has the facility to order the withdrawal of cash [from the official account], which is then disbursed by the Commerce Division,” railways officers say.

Different Necessary Articles Overlaying the identical matter:

📍New Delhi railway station stampede: Postmortem studies reveal reason behind deaths

EDITORIAL

Powering America

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Present occasions of nationwide and worldwide significance

Mains Examination: Common Research-II: Bilateral, regional and world groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s pursuits.

What’s the continuing story: Sanjaya Baru writes: Irony lies in the truth that a lot of President Donald Trump’s supporters might properly come from households that first migrated to the US after they had been no totally different from at this time’s desperately aspirational Indians looking for entry by any means into that land of alternative.

Key Factors to Ponder:

— What’s the subject of unlawful migration? What’s India’s stand on unlawful migration?

— What’s the Dunki route?

— What are the areas of cooperation and conflicts between India and the USA relationship?

— What’s the subject of H-1B visa?

— What’s the historical past of American colonisation?

Key Takeaways:

— The one distinction lies in the truth that Europe colonised and populated the Americas when migration was a pure phenomenon.

— The continuing debate on the legality of migration is formed by the truth that middle-class India desperately seeks visas for authorized migration and worries that the give attention to unlawful migrants might not solely tar the picture of the Indian American but additionally scale back alternatives for authorized migration.

— Two details have been missed in a lot of the favored response to unlawful migration. First,  the deportees from the US haven’t damaged any Indian regulation. Their motion of coming into the US with no visa is a criminal offense solely…

— A second, and way more essential reality is that the Americas are what they’re due to human migration, authorized and unlawful. Over the previous half-century, the US economic system has been powered by gifted and expert migrants throughout social courses from throughout East Asia, South Asia, Europe and Africa.

— With President Trump repeatedly focusing consideration on tariff differentials between the US and India and accusing India of unfair commerce practices, it’s time that Indian economists developed a extra complete estimate of the character of the financial relationship between India and the US.

— India must put ahead a extra sturdy defence of its commerce and industrial insurance policies additionally with the intention to push again on the US try to make use of its complaints towards India to push for elevated defence gross sales.

Do You Know:

— Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump held a bilateral assembly on the White Home final week. Key Takeways:

— Reworking Relationship Using Strategic Expertise (TRUST) initiative: Taking ahead the Biden administration’s Initiative on Important and Rising Applied sciences (iCET), India and the US determined to rename it and launch the US-India TRUST initiative.

— It goals to catalyse collaboration amongst governments, academia and the non-public sector to drive innovation in defence, synthetic intelligence, semiconductors, quantum computing, biotechnology, power and house.

— Autonomous Programs Business Alliance: It refers to India-US cooperation within the space of underwater area consciousness applied sciences. The US has provided a number of co-production and co-development alternatives for UDA applied sciences, on a business foundation. India is the very first nation with whom US defence trade has provided to work with on these delicate applied sciences.

— US-India COMPACT (Catalyzing Alternatives for Navy Partnership, Accelerated Commerce & Expertise) for the twenty first century: Below this initiative, they dedicated to drive transformative change throughout key pillars of cooperation – defence, funding and commerce, power safety, know-how and innovation, multilateral cooperation, folks to folks connection.

Different Necessary Articles Overlaying the identical matter:

📍UPSC Situation at a Look | PM Modi’s US Go to: 4 Key Questions You Should Know for Prelims and Mains

📍UPSC Present Affairs Pointers of the previous week

UPSC Mains Query Overlaying comparable theme:

‘What introduces friction into the ties between India and the US is that Washington remains to be unable to seek out for India a place in its world technique, which might fulfill India’s Nationwide shallowness and ambitions’. Clarify with appropriate examples. (2019)

A regulation weaponised

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Present occasions of nationwide and worldwide significance

Mains Examination: Common Research-I: Salient options of Indian Society, Range of India

What’s the continuing story: Yashaswini Basu writes: This couple from Bhopal had approached an area court docket within the metropolis to inform their intention to marry as per the necessities of the Particular Marriage Act, 1954. However their stepping stone to a lifetime of togetherness was ruthlessly interrupted by a bunch of vigilantes who stormed into the court docket advanced and beat the male accomplice up.

Key Factors to Ponder:

— What’s the Particular Marriage Act?

— What’s the UCC?

— How is the Proper to Privateness protected by the Structure?

— Do you suppose marriage as a sacrament is loosing its worth in Fashionable India?

Key Takeaways:

— The clampdown on interfaith {couples} is now not novel within the modern context. Mired within the blanket time period, “love jihad”, virtually each Muslim-Hindu marriage is assumed to be an act of non secular coercion or indoctrination.

— The Act facilitated any man above the age of 21 years and any lady above the age of 18 years, who don’t have some other dwelling spouses and are able to consenting to marriage, to legally solemnise their marriage.

— However, this Act calls for a peculiar formality: The intending {couples} should give discover to their related marriage registrar a month earlier than their desired date of marriage and inside this era, anybody can elevate objections to the wedding.

— Whereas the caveats to such discover have to be grounded on both accomplice’s ineligibility to marry, the hazard this publicly accessible discover brews is that the couple’s privateness will get severely compromised.

— Within the landmark judgment of Justice Ok.S Puttaswamy vs. Union of India, the Supreme Court docket had ordained the suitable to privateness as inalienable to human existence.

Do You Know:

— The Particular Marriage Act of 1954 (SMA) was handed by the Parliament on October 9, 1954. It governs a civil marriage the place the state sanctions the wedding slightly than the faith.

— Points of non-public regulation corresponding to marriage, divorce, adoption are ruled by non secular legal guidelines which are codified. These legal guidelines, such because the Muslim Marriage Act, 1954, and the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, require both partner to transform to the faith of the opposite earlier than marriage.

— Nevertheless, the SMA permits marriage between inter-faith or inter-caste {couples} with out them giving up their non secular id or resorting to conversion.

— The Indian system, the place each civil and non secular marriages are recognised, is much like the legal guidelines within the UK’s Marriage Act of 1949. An earlier model of the SMA was enacted in 1872 and was later re-enacted in 1954 with provisions for divorce and so forth.

— The applicability of the Act extends to the folks of all faiths, together with Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Sikhs, Jains, and Buddhists, throughout India. The minimal age to get married below the SMA is 21 years for males and 18 years for females.

Different Necessary Articles Overlaying the identical matter:

📍What’s the Act, how does it work, what’s the discover interval?

📍Information nugget of the day: Proper to Privateness

UPSC Prelims Query Overlaying comparable theme:

(3) Which Article of the Structure of India safeguards one’s proper to marry the particular person of 1’s selection? (2019)

(a) Article 19

(b) Article 21

(c) Article 25

(d) Article 29

UPSC Mains Query Overlaying comparable theme:

How does Indian society keep continuity in conventional social values? Enumerate the adjustments going down in it. (2021)

THE IDEAS PAGE

The lacking progress technique

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Financial and Social Growth – Sustainable Growth, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, and so forth

Mains Examination: Common Research-III: Indian Financial system and points referring to planning, mobilisation, of sources, progress, growth, and employment.

What’s the continuing story: Ishan Bakshi writes: In 2007, India joined the ranks of middle-income nations, categorised, to be exact, as a decrease middle-income economic system. Virtually 18 years later, it stays in that class.

Key Factors to Ponder:

— What’s the lower-middle revenue entice and why has India remained a decrease middle-income economic system for practically 20 years?

— How do regional disparities in per capita revenue impression India’s total financial progress technique?

— What position do Manufacturing-Linked Incentives (PLIs) play in boosting manufacturing and companies in India’s western and southern states?

— Why is export-led progress essential for India’s transition to a high-income economic system, and what challenges would possibly hinder this?

— How does the disconnect between political energy and financial energy in India affect the formulation of nationwide financial insurance policies?

Key Takeaways:

— Over these years, the nation’s per capita revenue has risen from $1,022 to about $2,700. Some have argued that if a rustic stays a decrease middle-income economic system for 28 years — in India’s case that might imply a decade extra — then it’s caught in a decrease middle-income entice.

— The per capita revenue now required to hitch the ranks of upper-middle-income nations is $4,516. Transferring as much as this class does appear potential in a decade, although not by the top of this decade. The IMF expects India’s per capita revenue to the touch $4,195 by 2029.

— For India to achieve a per capita revenue in extra of $10,000, the present progress construction essentially requires western and southern states to have increased ranges of per capita revenue, attaining high-income standing years earlier than.

— With extra job alternatives in these areas, labour, throughout the ability spectrum, and capital ought to proceed to stream to those states. This might assist preserve wages below examine and guarantee regular entry to capital, probably permitting them to keep up their competitiveness.

— On the similar time, for the overwhelming majority of states, the place the majority of the nation’s inhabitants resides, shifting up from the low-income class — like Bihar with a mean revenue of $729 — or shifting in direction of the higher middle-income ranges — for states like Chhattisgarh ($1,780), West Bengal ($1,861) and Odisha ($1,970) — will likely be a tough journey.

— Thus, India’s growth problem, as some have additionally argued, exists at two ranges. One, to make sure that the western and southern states don’t get trapped within the middle-income entice. And two, to see to it that the poorer states develop quickly. This can essentially contain working throughout your complete smile curve — partaking in each low and high-value-added actions.

Do You Know:

— What must be the technique to develop into a developed nation within the subsequent 20 years? Analysts are contemplating redesigning industrial coverage in mild of ongoing world developments. After World Conflict II, many East Asian nations adopted an export-led progress technique and made speedy progress. In distinction, though India’s share in world exports was additionally 0.6 per cent in 1970, it solely elevated to 2.5 per cent by 2022.

— The technique must be multi-dimensional: Emphasise exports, companies, manufacturing, agriculture and so forth. It might be helpful to establish our “dawn” industries. For instance, the meals processing trade could also be given excessive precedence as it’s labour-intensive, helps agriculture and has export demand.

— One other crucial subject is the creation of enough jobs. The impression of technological adjustments means a discount within the absorption of labour per unit of output.

Different Necessary Articles Overlaying the identical matter:

📍For India to develop into ‘developed’ by 2047, right here’s what we have to do

📍In 2025, the place progress will come from

Mains Query Overlaying comparable theme:

Focus on the challenges and coverage measures required to make sure balanced financial progress, notably for low-income states like Bihar and Odisha, whereas stopping middle-income traps in additional affluent states like Telangana and Karnataka.

THE BIG PICTURE

The nice tech rush: After DeepSeek wake-up name, how India plans to get a seat at AI excessive desk

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Present occasions of nationwide and worldwide significance

Mains Examination: Common Research-III: Consciousness within the fields of IT, House, Computer systems, robotics, nano-technology, bio-technology and points referring to mental property rights.

What’s the continuing story: During the last couple of years, the emergence of Synthetic Intelligence (AI)-powered instruments corresponding to ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Grok and lots of extra — all examples of what are often called Giant Language Fashions (LLMs) — have given folks a glimpse into the chances that AI was at all times believed to have. These LLMs have proven an distinctive proficiency to ‘perceive’, and work together with, human languages in a significant approach, thought of a particularly tough process for computer systems.

Key Factors to Ponder:

— Perceive the phrases and kinds related to the AI

— How AI will be utilized in healthcare, coverage implementation, and the schooling sector?

— What are the steps taken by India to combine AI in numerous sectors?

— What’s India’s AI Mission?

— What are the issues associated to the AI?

Key Takeaways:

— Language proficiency is only one functionality. There are different fields during which AI is making a profound distinction. For instance, an AI-based software known as AlphaFold has proven such a outstanding means in predicting protein constructions.

— AI is presently some of the coveted applied sciences. The current launch of DeepSeek, a Chinese language LLM constructed at a fraction of the price of its American rivals whose domination of the know-how had remained unchallenged until then, was described by many as a “Sputnik second” — the start of a brand new age of know-how warfare, harking back to the house wars between the US and the USSR within the Nineteen Sixties and Seventies.

— LLMs are a very good instance of foundational fashions as they will deal with language-related duties — have interaction in a dialog, summarise giant texts, put together notes, write pc programmes and even generate poems on demand.

— For now, the massive race amongst nations and firms is to develop their very own foundational fashions as constructing functions on high of another person’s mannequin can herald layers of vulnerabilities. For instance, fashions skilled on world datasets typically lack native nuances and may insert overseas biases, thereby producing undesirable or inaccurate outcomes.

— In functions associated to defence or nationwide safety, a overseas mannequin at all times carries potential risks of sabotage, leaks of delicate information or uncertainties over updates. Alternatively, home-grown fashions can spur innovation throughout sectors, and can lead to the institution of an AI ecosystem.

— Scarcity of GPUs, presently in excessive demand and brief provide, is a giant problem. Whereas the AI Mission seeks to obtain at the least 10,000 of those chips, some researchers really feel there may be lack of understanding to run these clusters.

Do You Know:

— Synthetic Intelligence (AI) is the flexibility of machines, particularly computer systems, to carry out duties that sometimes require human intelligence. These duties embrace issues like understanding language, recognising patterns, fixing issues, and making selections.

— AI will be categorised into two varieties: Synthetic Slender Intelligence (ANI) also referred to as weak AI and Synthetic Common Intelligence (AGI) additionally known as robust AI.

— ANI is designed for particular duties and excels inside a slim area. Examples embrace digital assistants like Siri, advice techniques on platforms like Netflix, and picture recognition software program.

— In distinction, AGI goals to copy human cognitive talents, enabling it to carry out any mental process a human can do. AGI would possess basic reasoning abilities, perceive context, and adapt to new conditions throughout numerous domains.

— Machine Studying (ML) and Deep Studying (DL) are subsets of AI however differ in complexity and capabilities. ML includes coaching algorithms to study from information and make predictions and sometimes requires guide characteristic extraction.

— DL, a subset of ML, makes use of neural networks with many layers (therefore “deep”) to mechanically study options from giant datasets. Whereas ML works properly with smaller datasets, DL requires huge quantities of information and computational energy.

Different Necessary Articles Overlaying the identical matter:

📍UPSC Situation at a Look | DeepSeek breakthrough: 4 Key Questions You Should Know for Prelims and Mains

📍What’s Synthetic Intelligence, how is it revolutionising healthcare

UPSC Mains Query Overlaying comparable theme:

Introduce the idea of Synthetic Intelligence (AI). How does Al assist medical analysis? Do you understand any menace to privateness of the person in the usage of Al in healthcare? (2023)

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🚨 Click on Right here to learn the Union Funds Particular subject of the UPSC Necessities journal for February 2025. Share your views and ideas within the remark field or at manas.srivastava@indianexpress.com🚨