17 October 2024

• Social Sector: The Global Hunger Index 2024 ranked India 105th of 127 countries with a score of 27.3, in the "serious" category. India has the world's highest child wasting rate at 18.7 per cent.
• International Relations: India-Canada tensions escalated over Canadian allegations of Indian government involvement in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Bilateral trade stood at 8.15 billion dollars in 2022-23.
• Defence history: 17 October commemorated the Battle of Walong (1962), where 800 Indian troops resisted 4,000 Chinese soldiers for 27 days.
• Governance: The Drugs Technical Advisory Board recommended classifying all antibiotics as "new drugs" to tighten their regulation and combat antimicrobial resistance.

GS area: Society (Food Security, Nutrition)

The annual Global Hunger Index was released by Concern Worldwide and Welthungerhilfe on 17 October 2024.

• India's rank: 105th out of 127 countries assessed. Score: 27.3, which places India in the "serious" hunger category.
• Four indicators: The GHI is calculated from undernourishment (share of population with insufficient caloric intake), child stunting (low height for age), child wasting (low weight for height), and child mortality.
• India's worst score: Child wasting rate of 18.7 per cent is the highest of any country globally. Wasting reflects acute malnutrition.
• Child stunting: 35.5 per cent of Indian children under five are stunted. This reflects chronic, long-term undernutrition.
• Regional comparison: India's GHI score (27.3) places it below Bangladesh (24th, score 18.8), Nepal (68th), and Sri Lanka (56th) in the South Asian region.
• India's response to the GHI: The government has disputed the GHI methodology, arguing that the undernourishment indicator is based on a small sample survey of 3,000 respondents and does not reflect the scale of the public distribution system.

Static linkage: Food security, malnutrition, NFSA (Society and Economy).

GS area: International Relations

Canada's government expelled six Indian diplomats in October 2024, alleging that Indian diplomats had been involved in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh separatist leader, in June 2023 in British Columbia.

• Nijjar killing: Hardeep Singh Nijjar was shot outside a Sikh temple in Surrey, British Columbia in June 2023. He was designated a terrorist by India's National Investigation Agency.
• India's position: India flatly denied the allegations as "absurd" and expelled six Canadian diplomats in reciprocal action.
• Bilateral trade impact: India-Canada bilateral trade was approximately 8.15 billion dollars in 2022-23. Negotiations for a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between India and Canada were suspended.
• Diaspora dimension: About 1.6 million people of Indian origin live in Canada. Indian students constitute roughly 40 per cent of all international students in Canada.
• Five Eyes context: Canada is a member of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance (Australia, Canada, New Zealand, United Kingdom, United States) that shared intelligence on the Nijjar case. India's relationships with all Five Eyes members were affected.

Static linkage: India-Canada relations, diaspora, international law (International Relations).

GS area: Science and Technology (Health Policy)

The Drugs Technical Advisory Board (DTAB), India's apex statutory body for drug regulation advice, recommended that all antibiotics be classified as "new drugs."

• What "new drug" classification means: Under the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, a "new drug" faces more stringent approval requirements, mandatory clinical trials, and tighter post-market surveillance. The classification would subject every antibiotic to these requirements.
• AMR context: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the top global health threats. Over-the-counter sale of antibiotics without prescription, irrational prescribing, and use in animal husbandry drive resistance. India has one of the highest burdens of drug-resistant infections.
• India's AMR burden: India accounts for a disproportionate share of global deaths from antimicrobial-resistant infections. The Review on Antimicrobial Resistance estimated that AMR could kill 10 million people annually by 2050 globally.
• Current regulation: Many antibiotics are Schedule H drugs (prescription-only). But enforcement is weak and over-the-counter sale persists widely.

Static linkage: Drug regulation, DTAB, CDSCO, antimicrobial resistance (Science and Governance).

GS area: History (Modern India, Defence)

17 October marks the anniversary of the Battle of Walong during the 1962 India-China war.

• Location: Walong is in the easternmost corner of Arunachal Pradesh. The battle was fought in the Lohit Valley near the McMahon Line.
• What happened: Approximately 800 Indian soldiers (mainly from the 6th Regiment and other units) held off a Chinese force estimated at 4,000 for 27 days. When the ceasefire came, Indian forces had inflicted significant casualties and even conducted a successful counterattack.
• Significance: Walong was exceptional in the 1962 war for being one of the few fronts where Indian troops successfully resisted superior numbers. The battle is cited in military studies as an example of tenacious defence in mountain terrain.

Static linkage: 1962 Sino-Indian War, Arunachal Pradesh, military history (History and Security).

GS area: International Relations (Intelligence, Security)

The Five Eyes alliance became newsworthy in the context of the Nijjar case and Canada's decision to share intelligence with its partners.

• Members: Australia, Canada, New Zealand, United Kingdom, United States.
• Origin: Grew from the BRUSA (British-United States Communications Intelligence Agreement) signed in 1946. It was formalised as the UKUSA Agreement.
• Scope: Signals intelligence (SIGINT) sharing. Each member specialises in monitoring specific geographic regions and shares raw intelligence with partners.
• Significance for India: India is not a member but has bilateral intelligence-sharing agreements with some Five Eyes members. The alliance's decision to share intelligence about alleged Indian intelligence activities in Canada put India in an unusual diplomatic position.

Static linkage: Intelligence alliances, India-USA relations, global security architecture (International Relations).

GS area: Economy (Energy), Environment

The International Energy Agency released its World Energy Outlook 2024 in October.

• Key finding: Clean energy investment globally reached 2 trillion dollars annually, double the investment in fossil fuels.
• 2030 projection: More than 50 per cent of global electricity will come from low-emission sources (renewables and nuclear) by 2030.
• China's dominance in renewables: China added 60 per cent of all global renewable energy capacity installed in 2023. This positions it to dominate the clean energy equipment supply chain (solar panels, wind turbines, EV batteries).
• Energy access gap: 740 million people globally still lack access to electricity. Almost all are in sub-Saharan Africa and parts of South Asia.

Static linkage: Global energy transition, IEA, climate goals (Economy and Environment).