International Monetary Fund, Gaganyaan Mission and Southwest monsoon

Deal’s done: India-UK Free Trade

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

Mains Examination: General Studies II: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests.

What’s the ongoing story: INDIA AND THE United Kingdom ironed out major differences during the latest round of talks in April end at London and announced Tuesday the conclusion of the long-awaited Free Trade Agreement.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What is the meaning of free trade agreement?

• India and the United Kingdom Free Trade Deal—Know the key highlights

• How India-UK Free Trade Agreement will benefit India and UK?

• What are the key goods included in India-UK Free Trade Agreement?

• What do you understand by the ‘Rules of origin’?

• What led to the deal, and what issues emerged during negotiations?

• What about UK’s carbon tax?

Key Takeaways:

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the deal as a “historic milestone” and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer termed it a “landmark trade deal”. Both said it would create jobs, enhance bilateral trade, and bring investment into their countries.

• Amid fears of potential fresh tariffs under US President Donald Trump and a renewed global push for deal-making, the UK trade agreement is the first among many India is currently negotiating with including the US, the European Union, Chile, and Peru.

• Once the deal comes into effect, the UK tariffs on footwear, textiles, automobile components, electrical machinery, minerals, and base metals — currently in the 2-18 per cent range — will be eliminated. This will help boost several labour-intensive sectors, the Commerce and Industry Ministry said. To protect its farmers India had excluded sensitive items such as dairy products, apples, cheese, etc from any duty concessions.

• India, on its part, has agreed to cut tariffs on whiskey and gin to 75 per cent from 150 per cent, and further to 40 per cent over 10 years. It will also slash automotive tariffs to 10 per cent from 100 per cent to 10 per cent under a quota, the UK said in a statement.

• Indian tariffs on cosmetics, aerospace products, lamb, medical devices, salmon, electrical machinery, soft drinks, chocolate, and biscuits would also be reduced, opening the market further to UK exporters, the UK government said.

• The textile and footwear industry said the duty elimination would boost exports and job creation. The alcohol beverage industry, however, said the government has not fully heeded to the pleas of the beverage industry and feared similar agreements with the US and EU that would adversely impact the Indian alcohol beverage industry.

• Under the Double Contribution Convention, skilled Indian workers employed in the UK and their employers will be exempted from paying social security contributions for three years, a longstanding India demand. Nasscom said this will not only enhance the access of Indian talent in the UK, but also create new opportunities for skilled professionals, enabling them to contribute meaningfully to the UK’s dynamic economy.

Do You Know:

• The agreement is expected to boost bilateral trade by £25.5 billion a year, from 2040 onwards, Britain said. Trade between the two nations totalled £42.6 billion in 2024. Total UK exports to India amounted to £17.1 billion, while total UK imports from India amounted to £25.5 billion in 2024. India was Britain’s 11th-largest trading partner last year. Britain said the deal was the “biggest and most economically significant” bilateral trade agreement it had signed since leaving the European Union in 2020 (what was dubbed “Brexit”).

• According to Reuters, whisky and gin tariffs will be halved from 150% to 75%, before falling to 40% by the tenth year of the deal, benefiting Britain’s Scotch whisky industry and making the beverage cheaper in the world’s largest whisky market.

• India will also cut automotive tariffs to 10% under a quota from over 100% currently.

• Free Trade Agreement or FTA—Simply, these are agreements between countries, aimed at setting rules that promote trade and ease regulations.
The Ministry of Commerce said in an FAQ that “FTAs are arrangements between two or more countries or trading blocs that primarily agree to reduce or eliminate customs tariff and non-tariff barriers on substantial trade between them.” They can cover both goods and services.
The UK’s Department of International Trade noted, “Trade and investment barriers can make it more difficult and costly to trade or invest overseas. By removing or reducing them, FTAs can make it easier for businesses to export, import and invest. They can also benefit consumers by providing a more diverse and affordable range of imported products.”

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Takeaways: First off the block, bipartisan, deepens bilateral economy story

📍Gold standard, says Govt; template for deals on table with EU & US

📍Amid Trump tariff pressure, India-UK bridge divide after ‘round-the-clock negotiations

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:
1. Consider the following countries: (2018)
1. Australia
2. Canada
3. China
4. India
5. Japan
6. USA
Which of the above are among the ‘free-trade partners’ of ASEAN?
(a) 1, 2, 4 and 5
(b) 3, 4, 5 and 6
(c) 1, 3, 4 and 5
(d) 2, 3, 4 and 6

Ex-CEA book: Union Bank admits lapses; publisher got over `3 crore

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Mains Examination: General Studies II: Important International institutions, agencies and fora- their structure, mandate.

What’s the ongoing story: Union Bank of India is understood to have paid 50 per cent in advance to Rupa Publications for a bulk order worth around Rs 7 crore for 2 lakh copies of former Chief Economic Advisor Krishnamurthy V Subramanian’s book ‘India@100: Envisioning Tomorrow’s Economic Powerhouse’ — a contentious purchase that has raised questions of propriety, The Indian Express has learnt.

Key Points to Ponder:

• Who is Krishnamurthy V Subramanian?

• Why Krishnamurthy V Subramanian has been called back to India by the government?

• IMF Executive Directors and Voting Power—Know in detail

• What is the responsibility of the Executive Board (the Board)?

• What is the International Monetary Fund (IMF)?

• What does the IMF do?

• How does the IMF give policy advice?

• What kind of financial assistance does the IMF offer?

• How International Monetary Fund (IMF) is different from World Bank (WB)?

Key Takeaways:

• On Tuesday, the bank acknowledged “lapses” in the purchase, and said it was examining the issue, even as its shares plummeted by 6.18 per cent to Rs 118.35 on the BSE. In a filing to exchanges, the bank said that it “has made the said procurement”. “However, there were certain lapses in the procurement, which are being examined by the bank,” it said.

• The Indian Express had first reported Sunday that one of the key reasons for Subramanian’s recall last month by the Government as the International Monetary Fund’s Executive Director, on its behalf, was an “alleged impropriety” related to the promotion of this book.

• Subramanian did not respond to requests for comment from The Indian Express.

• It is understood that apart from the bank’s bulk purchase, the publishers may have also received other, smaller bulk orders for Subramanian’s book. Industry sources said these orders were private and institutional in nature and “nowhere close” in scale to the bank’s order.

• When contacted by The Indian Express, Rupa Publications said they had no comment on the purchase by the PSU bank.

• In publishing circles, Union Bank of India’s order is being seen as a “fantastical” deal, although The Indian Express has learnt that seven months on, the publishers are yet to be paid the remaining 50 per cent for the bulk order.

• It is learnt that the publishers had “executed” the order within a month of receiving it — around September last year. The order is understood to have been sent to the publishing house through an email from the bank. Subsequently, it is learnt, several reminders for dues have been sent by the publishers to the bank’s top management in New Delhi.

Do You Know:

• The Indian Express had reported that Subramanian was recalled six months before the end of his three-year term at the International Monetary Fund. Apart from concerns over the book, this newspaper had reported that there were reports of alleged violation of some “internal IMF protocols”.

• An order, dated April 30, said that the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet had approved the “termination” of his services as IMF’s Executive Director (India), “with immediate effect.”

• As per the IMF, the Executive Board is responsible for conducting the day-to-day business of the IMF. It is composed of 24 executive directors, who are elected by member-countries or by groups of countries, and the managing director, who serves as its chairman. The Board usually meets several times each week.

• All IMF member-countries are represented on its Executive Board, which discusses the national, regional, and global consequences of each member’s economic policies — and approves financing to help member-countries address temporary balance of payments problems, as well as overseeing the IMF’s capacity development efforts.

• The International Monetary Fund (IMF) works to achieve sustainable growth and prosperity for all of its 191 member countries. It does so by supporting economic policies that promote financial stability and monetary cooperation, which are essential to increase productivity, job creation, and economic well-being. The IMF is governed by and accountable to its member countries.

• The IMF has three critical missions: furthering international monetary cooperation, encouraging the expansion of trade and economic growth, and discouraging policies that would harm prosperity. To fulfil these missions, IMF member countries work collaboratively with each other and with other international bodies.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍6 months of tenure left, Govt recalls Krishnamurthy V Subramanian from IMF board

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:
2. “Rapid Financing Instrument” and “Rapid Credit Facility” are related to the provisions of lending by which one of the following? (2022)
(a) Asian Development Bank
(b) International Monetary Fund
(c) United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative
(d) World Bank

GOVT & POLITICS

Gaganyaan almost ready, first uncrewed flight later this year, says ISRO Chairman

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Mains Examination: General Studies III: Awareness in the fields of IT, Space, Computers, robotics, nanotechnology, bio-technology and issues relating to intellectual property rights.

What’s the ongoing story: The first uncrewed mission of the Gaganyaan programme would be launched in the last quarter of this year, chairman of the India Space Research Organisation (Isro) V Narayanan said Tuesday.

Key Points to Ponder:

• Gaganyaan Mission-Know the key features

• Gaganyaan Mission-What makes this Mission very Unique?

• India’s Manned Mission to Space-Know in detail

• Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)-About the Organisation

• Analyse the role of the Indian Air Force (IAF) in India’s space missions.

• How does the experience of IAF officers contribute to space exploration?

• Evaluate the role of international partnerships in India’s human spaceflight program.

• How do collaborations with countries like Russia, USA, and France enhance ISRO’s capabilities?

• What are the challenges India faces in establishing a long-term human spaceflight program?

• Explain the importance of astronaut training for space missions.

Key Takeaways:

• Gaganyaan, India’s first attempt to put humans into space, involves three uncrewed missions before the astronauts are flown to an orbit of 400 km for one to three days.

• The crewed mission is expected to be launched in the first quarter of 2027, Narayanan said.
Narayanan added that the Axiom-4 mission from the United States, which is carrying Indian astronaut Subhranshu Shukla to the International Space Station (ISS), is expected to be launched in the first week of June.

• The experience gained from the Axiom-4 mission, including from the experiments performed onboard, would feed into the preparations for the Gaganyaan programme, he said.

Do You Know:

• The Axiom-4 space mission from the United States, which is flying India’s Shubhanshu Shukla among four astronauts to the International Space Station, has scheduled several experiments the results of which would help Indian Space Research Organisation execute its own manned spaceflight, Gaganyaan, two years later, ISRO chairman V Narayanan said.

• The Axiom-4 mission is being operated by a private US company Axiom Space, in partnership with NASA and SpaceX. Three other astronauts, one each from the United States, Poland and Hungary, would be travelling to the International Space Station (ISS) with Shukla who will be piloting the Crew Dragon spacecraft of SpaceX. The Indian participation in this mission is a result of an agreement between ISRO and NASA to carry an Indian astronaut to the ISS.

• Other than Shukla, the mission will fly former NASA astronaut and the director of human spaceflight at Axiom Space Peggy Whitson as the commander, Polish astronaut Sławosz Uznański and Hungarian Astronaut Tibor Kapu. All the three countries outside the US — India, Poland and Hungary — are sending their astronauts to space after a gap of 40 years.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍‘Axiom-4 mission will give key inputs for Gaganyaan

EXPRESS NETWORK

For organ donation, new registry with waiting list which patients can track

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Indian Polity and Governance – Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc.

Mains Examination: General Studies II: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.

What’s the ongoing story: The national regulator overseeing organ allocation and transplantation is working to develop a “more dynamic” real-time portal to register patients in need of organs and donors, track the allocation process, grant approvals and monitor the outcome, The Indian Express has learnt.

Key Points to Ponder:

• New organ donation registry in India—Know in brief

• What is the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (NOTTO)?

• Establishing a dynamic national organ donation registry in India—Why significant?

• What are the challenges faced in implementing a uniform policy for organ allocation across different states in India?

• Know the role of technology, specifically the collaboration between NOTTO and C-DAC, in improving the organ transplantation process in India.

• What are the ethical aspects involved in maintaining patient confidentiality while ensuring transparency in the organ donation process?

Key Takeaways:

• Sources said the National Organ and Tissue Transplantation Organisation (NOTTO) is also conducting consultations to formulate a uniform policy for organ allocation as part of its broader efforts to enhance transparency and establish one national-level waiting list. These measures follow a “major national consultation” with experts held last year, the sources said.

• NOTTO is currently in talks with C-DAC, the autonomous computing agency, to create the new portal which, sources said, will lead to the creation of a “dynamic national registry and waiting list”.

• This is significant, sources said, because the portal will allow patients to check their position on the waiting list, as per recommendations of national-level experts. The portal also will connect all the 712 transplant centres, 31 state-level bodies and five regional bodies involved in the process.

• Asked about the new measures, NOTTO director Dr Anil Kumar told The Indian Express: “The portal currently in use allows hospitals to register their patients. However, there are some states from which we get aggregate data on the number of transplants but not the details of individual cases.”

• According to sources, with several instances of illegal organ trade coming to light in recent years, NOTTO will also make efforts to make the process of allocation more transparent, sources said.

• Besides, the portal will record all mandated processes for allocation of organs to ensure that protocols put in place separately for deceased and living donors are followed. Besides, it will attempt to capture data on the outcome of transplants with provisions for uploading health data of patients during follow-ups.

Do You Know:

• National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (NOTTO) is a National level organization set up under Directorate General of Health Services, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India.
It has following two divisions:
—”National Human Organ and Tissue Removal and Storage Network”
—”National Biomaterial Centre”

• “National Human Organ and Tissue Removal and Storage Network” has been mandated as per the Transplantation of Human Organs (Amendment) Act 2011. The network will be established initially for Delhi and gradually expanded to include other States and Regions of the country. Thus, this division of the NOTTO is the nodal networking agency for Delhi and shall network for Procurement Allocation and Distribution of Organs and Tissues in Delhi.

• Organs from deceased donors accounted for nearly 17.8% of all transplants in 2022 in the country. The number of transplants has increased over the years. The total number of deceased organ transplants climbed from 837 in 2013 to 2,765 in 2022. The total number of organ transplants – with organs from both deceased and living donors – increased from 4,990 in 2013 to 15,561 in 2022, according to data shared by the government. India conducts the third highest number of transplants in the world.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Eased rules for organ donation

EXPRESS NETWORK

Southwest monsoon to hit south Andaman Sea around May 13, says IMD

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Indian and World Geography

Mains Examination: General Studies I: Important Geophysical phenomena such as earthquakes, Tsunami, Volcanic activity, cyclone etc., geographical features and their location-changes in critical geographical features (including water-bodies and ice-caps) and in flora and fauna and the effects of such changes.

What’s the ongoing story: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said Tuesday the Southwest Monsoon is set to make an early onset over the Andaman Sea, and will be realised early next week.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What is the arrival and departure of monsoon?

• What is meant by the “onset of the monsoon”?

• What are these conditions, which determine the onset of monsoon?

• Monsoon mechanism in India-Know in detail

• How Arabian Sea branch and Bay of Bengal branch are associated with Indian monsoon?

• What is difference between Arabian Sea branch and Bay of Bengal branch?

• What is the difference between the southwest monsoon and the Northeast Monsoon?

Key Takeaways:

• A week ago, IMD chief Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said that this year, a normal onset and advance of the Southwest Monsoon into mainland India was highly possible.

• The normal date for the onset of monsoon over the South Andaman Sea is anytime after mid May with the normal date being May 19. By late May, the monsoon advances close to mainland India. IMD declares the monsoon onset over India when it hits Kerala, where the normal onset date is June 1.

• The Southwest Monsoon is the chief rainy season for India, and it lasts from June to September. Over 70 per cent of the country’s annual rainfall is recorded during these four months. The country’s Long Period Average is 880 mm.

Do You Know:

• India receives rainfall during two seasons. About 75 per cent of the country’s annual rainfall is received from the Southwest monsoon between June and September. The Northeast monsoon, on the other hand, occurs during October to December, and is a comparatively small-scale monsoon, which is confined to the Southern peninsula.

• Southwest monsoon normally sets in over Kerala around 1st June. It advances northwards, usually in surges, and covers the entire country around 15th July.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍IMD Monsoon Predictions 2025: Southwest monsoon to hit South Andaman Sea around May 13: IMD

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:
3. With reference to ‘Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD)’ sometimes mentioned in the news while forecasting Indian monsoon, which of the following statements is/are correct? (2017)
1. IOD phenomenon is characterised by a difference in sea surface temperature between tropical Western Indian Ocean and tropical Eastern Pacific Ocean.
2. An IOD phenomenon can influence an El Nino’s impact on the monsoon.
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

SC raps Punjab for denotifying land acquired for SYL canal

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Indian Polity and Governance-Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc.

Mains Examination: General Studies II: Functions and responsibilities of the Union and the States, issues and challenges pertaining to the federal structure, devolution of powers and finances up to local levels and challenges therein.

What’s the ongoing story: The Supreme Court on Tuesday slammed the Punjab government’s decision to denotify land acquired for the building of the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal, saying it was a “clear case of high-handedness”.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What is the Sutlej Yamuna link canal dispute in India?

• Sutlej-Yamuna Link Canal Project-Know the background of this issue

• Why has the Sutlej-Yamuna Link Canal (SYL) come up again now?

• Map Work-Sutlej, Yamuna and Sutlej-Yamuna Link Canal

• What is Punjab’s argument in this issue?

• What is Haryana’s argument in this issue?

• Sutlej-Yamuna Link Canal (SYL) and Central Government’s Stand-know in detail

• What are the Constitutional Provisions for interstate water disputes?

• What Article 262 of the Constitution says about interstate water disputes?

Key Takeaways:

• Presiding over a two-judge bench, Justice B R Gavai wondered if it was an attempt to defeat the decree of the court.

• Justice Gavai also pointed out to Singh that the court had in 2017 asked the state to maintain the status quo with regard to the land and other properties associated with the canal project. Singh said it is an emotive issue with the public in the state, and Punjab, being a border state, could not afford any unrest over the issue.

• The senior counsel also said that Haryana is already getting its share based on consumption, and its demand for additional water is before a tribunal. This prompted Justice Gavai to ask, “So according to you, this court has passed a decree without considering
everything? You are attributing non-application of mind (to the court).”

• The court was hearing a suit filed by Haryana regarding the construction of the project for sharing the water of the Ravi and Beas rivers with Punjab. In 2022, the Supreme Court had directed that the canal be completed within one year. Two years later, in 2024, the Punjab government terminated its 1981 agreement with Haryana to share the river water.

Do You Know:

• The creation of Haryana from the old (undivided) Punjab in 1966 threw up the problem of giving Haryana its share of river waters. Punjab was opposed to sharing waters of the Ravi and Beas with Haryana, citing riparian principles, and arguing that it had no water to spare.

• At an inter-state meeting convened by the central government in 1955, the total calculated flow (read water) of the Ravi and Beas — 15.85 million acre feet (MAF) — had been divided among Rajasthan (8 MAF), undivided Punjab (7.20 MAF) and Jammu and Kashmir (0.65 MAF). In March 1976, a decade after the Punjab Reorganisation Act was implemented, and even as Punjab continued to protest, the Centre issued a notification allocating to Haryana 3.5 MAF out of undivided Punjab’s 7.2 MAF.

• To enable Haryana to use its share of the waters of the Sutlej and its tributary Beas, a canal linking the Sutlej with the Yamuna, cutting across the state, was planned. On April 8, 1982, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi ceremonially dug the ground at Kapoori village in Patiala district for the construction of the 214-km Sutlej-Yamuna Link (or SYL) canal, 122 km of which was to be in Punjab, and 92 km in Haryana.

• A year earlier, Indira Gandhi had negotiated a tripartite agreement between Punjab (where Darbara Singh of the Congress was Chief Minister), Haryana (where Bhajan Lal, who had defected to the Congress from the Janata Party with a number of MLAs, was CM), and Rajasthan (where again the Congress was in power, with Shiv Charan Mathur as CM).

• On July 24, 1985, Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and Akali Dal president Harchand Singh Longowal signed the Punjab Accord, agreeing that a tribunal would verify the claims of both Punjab and Haryana on river waters — following which the Akali Dal agreed to withdraw the agitation. The Eradi tribunal headed by Supreme Court Justice V Balakrishna Eradi in 1987 recommended an increase in the shares of Punjab and Haryana to 5 MAF and 3.83 MAF respectively, while taking into account utilisable supplies of surplus water at base stations.

• In March 2016, Supreme Court started hearings into a presidential reference to decide on the legality of the Punjab Termination of Agreements Act, 2004. The presidential reference was made by the Centre days after the Punjab Assembly passed the Act. As the hearings resumed, the Solicitor General, appearing on behalf of the Centre, took a pro-Haryana stance, saying the Centre stood by the SC’s orders asking Punjab to complete the work on SYL in its territory. The development has triggered a political storm in Punjab.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Explained: Canal to nowhere — Why the SYL is a stalemate with no winners

ECONOMY

Rules for satcom cos: Focus on data use, local manufacturing, navigation systems

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

Mains Examination: General Studies II: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation

What’s the ongoing story: Local manufacturing, data localisation, domestic navigation system, blocking mechanism, and law enforcement cooperation – these are among the key requirements that India has framed for satellite communication companies including Elon Musk’s Starlink, Amazon’s Kuiper, Eutelsat OneWeb, and Jio to operate in the country.

Key Points to Ponder:

• India’s new satcom regulations on foreign satellite communication companies—How might these regulations affect their operations and
investment decisions?

• Know the significance of data localization in the context of national security and digital sovereignty.

• What are the challenges and opportunities presented by the requirement for local manufacturing in the satcom sector.

• Know the role of NavIC integration in enhancing India’s strategic autonomy in satellite navigation.

• How establishing Special Monitoring Zones (SMZs) along India’s borders in strengthening national security can be effective.

Key Takeaways:

• As per guidelines released by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), satcom companies will have to share with the government a year-wise phased manufacturing plan aiming at indigenisation to a level of at least 20% of their ground segment of the satellite network that is established at the end of 5 years after launching commercial operations.

• The development comes as Starlink undergoes a security clearance for offering its services in the country, having already established retail partnerships with rivals Airtel and Jio. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is currently finalising the contours of the satellite spectrum allocation.

• The companies should also ensure provisioning of NavIC based positioning systems in their user terminals on “best effort basis,” along with a transition plan to implement NavIC in a time-bound manner by 2029. NavIC is India’s regional satellite navigation system, similar to GPS, which is a global system developed by the United States.

• Companies will have to provide real time monitoring to ensure that no user traffic originating from, or destined for India is being routed through any gateway outside Indian territory. They will also have to submit an undertaking that they will not copy and decrypt Indian telecom data outside India.

• Operators would need to implement service restriction to “any individual, group of subscribers or certain geographical areas” during “hostilities,” the guidelines said. These companies will have to seek separate clearance (“from security angle”) for voice service and data service.

Do You Know:

• Special Monitoring Zones (50 kilometres within international border) along the territorial borders and along coastal borders covering Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ, which is 200 nautical miles) shall be demarcated for monitoring of user activities by designated law enforcement (LEA) and security agencies. Companies will have to provide real time information of foreign /unregistered user terminals hooking on to their network from within the Indian territory to such agencies.

• Data localisation relates to measures that result in restricting data flow within a jurisdiction’s boundaries.

• The draft Digital Personal Data Protection Rules, 2025, propose that the Central Government will specify the kind of personal data which can be processed by “significant data fiduciaries” subject to the restriction that such personal data and traffic data related to its flow is not transferred outside the territory of India. A committee, to be formed by the government, will determine such data.

• While data fiduciaries are companies and entities which collect and process personal data, “significant data fiduciaries” will be determined on the basis of the volume and sensitivity of personal data they process, and the risks they might have on sovereignty and integrity of India, electoral democracy, security, and public order. All major tech companies including Meta, Google, Apple, Microsoft, and Amazon are expected to be classified as significant data fiduciaries.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Digital Personal Data Protection Act: The speedbumps ahead

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:
4. ‘Right to Privacy’ is protected under which Article of the Constitution of India? (UPSC CSE 2021)
(a) Article 15
(b) Article 19
(c) Article 21
(d) Article 29

EXPLAINED

India’s large dams on the Chenab

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

Mains Examination: General Studies II: India and its neighbourhood- relations

What’s the ongoing story: Water level in the Chenab river in Jammu’s Akhnoor area fell below waist level for the first time in years, prompting many surprised locals to gather on the riverbed on Monday.

Key Points to Ponder:

• Map Work—Ramban district, Reasi district and Chenab River (Know its Source, major dams, drainage, tributaries if any)

• What you know about Salal Dam?

• What makes Salal Dam so special?

• What you know about Baglihar Dam?

• What you understand by run-of-the-river power project?

• What is the meaning of term “drawdown flushing”?

• Discuss the implications of India’s decision to close the sluice gates of the Salal and Baglihar dams on the Chenab River.

• Know the strategic significance of water resource management in India-Pakistan relations, with reference to recent developments on the Chenab River.

Key Takeaways:

• Sources said this followed the closure of all sluice gates of the Salal and Baglihar hydel power dams in Reasi and Ramban districts on Sunday morning. While there is no official word on the development, sources said the gates were closed to store water in the reservoirs of both dams, which had earlier been emptied as part of the desiltation process on Friday and Saturday.

• As reported by The Indian Express, following the Pahalgam terror attack, India has ratcheted up its diplomatic offensive against Pakistan – including curbing water flow through the Baglihar dam.

• The gates of the sluice spillways on the Baglihar dam have been lowered to restrict water flow to Pakistan’s Punjab as a “short-term punitive action,” a senior official had told The Indian Express.

• The Centre had earlier announced the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, which has governed the use of the Indus river and its tributaries between India and Pakistan since 1960.

• Built as run-of-the-river projects, the Baglihar and Salal dams enable India to regulate the timing of water release downstream. At the time of their construction, Pakistan had raised objections and sought the World Bank’s intervention. India had then agreed to keep the dam’s height at 143 metres, a decrease by 1.5 metres from the originally proposed height, thus reducing the water pondage capacity by 13.5 per cent.

• Sources said that though the dams cannot hold flow of Chenab waters to Pakistan for a long time, they provide India the capability to regulate timing of the release of water. While rabi harvesting, which is currently underway, does not require much water, farmers on both sides of the border do need it during paddy cultivation season, which will begin in one or two months.

Do You Know:

• Baglihar Dam also known as Baglihar Hydroelectric Power Project, is a run-of-the-river power project on the Chenab River in Baglihar road in the Ramban district of Jammu and Kashmir. The first power project executed by the Jammu and Kashmir Power Development Corporation, it was conceived in 1992 and approved in 1996, with construction begun in 1999.

• Salal Dam also known as Salal Hydroelectric Power Station, is a run-of-the-river hydropower project on the Chenab River in the Reasi district of the Jammu and Kashmir. It was the first hydropower project built by India in Jammu and Kashmir under the Indus Water Treaty.

• Run-of-river hydroelectricity (ROR) or run-of-the-river hydroelectricity is a type of hydroelectric generation plant whereby little or no water storage is provided. Run-of-the-river power plants may have no water storage at all or a limited amount of storage, in which case the storage reservoir is referred to as pondage.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Screws tighten on Pakistan: Curb on water flow through Baglihar; crackdown on ships, trade

 

PRELIMS ANSWER KEY

1.(c) 2.(b) 3.(b) 4.(c)

  

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