23 October 2024

• International Relations: India launched the S4*, its fourth nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine, at Visakhapatnam. The Kartarpur Corridor agreement was extended for five years.
• Economy: The IMF's World Economic Outlook projected global growth at 3.2 per cent for 2024 and global inflation declining to 3.5 per cent by end-2025.
• Governance: India provided dialysis machines to Papua New Guinea under health diplomacy. The Bima Sugam digital insurance marketplace reached a new stage of development.
• Science: A new genus of jumping spiders named Tenkana was identified in South India, named after the Kannada word for "south."

GS area: International Relations, Defence (Nuclear Doctrine)

India launched the S4* (pronounced S-four-star), its fourth nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine, at the Ship Building Centre in Visakhapatnam.

• What an SSBN is: A ballistic missile submarine with nuclear propulsion (SSBN stands for Ship Submersible Ballistic Nuclear). Its distinctive role is to carry submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) armed with nuclear warheads. It provides the sea-based leg of a nuclear triad.
• Nuclear Triad: A country with nuclear weapons deployed across land-based missiles (ICBMs/IRBMs), aircraft (bombers and strike aircraft), and submarine-launched missiles has a full nuclear triad. Submarines are considered the most survivable leg because they are mobile and hard to detect.
• India's triad: The land leg uses Agni missiles (Agni-I through Agni-V). The air leg uses Mirage 2000H and Rafale aircraft configured for nuclear delivery. The submarine leg uses SSBNs.
• K-4 missile: The S4* will carry K-4 ballistic missiles with a range of 3,500 kilometres. This range can cover most of China's major cities from patrol positions in the Bay of Bengal.
• INS Arihant: India's first SSBN, commissioned in 2016. It carries the shorter-range K-15 missile (750 km). The S4* with K-4 represents a major capability upgrade.
• No First Use policy: India's nuclear doctrine commits to not using nuclear weapons first. The second-strike capability provided by SSBNs makes this commitment credible.

Static linkage: Nuclear doctrine, No First Use, nuclear triad (Defence and International Relations).

GS area: International Relations (India-Pakistan)

India and Pakistan extended the Kartarpur Corridor agreement for another five years.

• What the Kartarpur Corridor is: A visa-free corridor that allows Indian Sikh pilgrims to visit Darbar Sahib (Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib) in Narowal district, Pakistan. Darbar Sahib is where Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the founder of Sikhism, spent the last 18 years of his life.
• Opened: November 9, 2019 (coinciding with the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji).
• Process: Indian pilgrims register online and present an OCI card or Indian passport at the border crossing. No visa is required. Day visits only.
• Link to Dera Baba Nanak: The Indian side of the corridor connects to Dera Baba Nanak in Punjab's Gurdaspur district.
• Significance: The corridor is one of the few active people-to-people contacts between India and Pakistan despite severely strained diplomatic relations after Pulwama (2019) and subsequent events.

Static linkage: India-Pakistan relations, Sikh pilgrimage sites, religious tourism (International Relations and Culture).

GS area: Economy (International Economic Institutions)

The International Monetary Fund released its World Economic Outlook in October 2024.

• India's growth: 7 per cent for FY 2024-25, projected to slow slightly to 6.5 per cent in FY 2025-26.
• Global growth: 3.2 per cent for 2024. This is broadly stable compared to 2023 but below the 2000-19 average of 3.8 per cent.
• Global inflation: Declining from 9.4 per cent in Q3 2022 to 3.5 per cent by end-2025.
• Key risks: Geopolitical tensions (Middle East, Russia-Ukraine), protectionist trade policies in major economies, and China's weak domestic demand.
• China's position: China's growth was projected at 4.8 per cent for 2024, below its historical trend. A property sector crisis, weak consumer confidence, and deflationary pressures combined to constrain growth.

Static linkage: IMF, global economic indicators, India's position (Economy and International Relations).

GS area: Economy (Agriculture, Fertiliser Policy)

Sales of Di-Ammonium Phosphate (DAP) fell 27.2 per cent in April to September 2024 compared to the same period in 2023.

• What DAP is: A nitrogen-phosphorus fertiliser widely used in India for wheat, rice, and pulses at sowing. It supplies both nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in one application.
• Market distortion: The government-set MRP of DAP is 1,350 rupees per 50-kg bag. In October 2024, farmers were paying 1,600 to 1,650 rupees due to supply shortages. The government subsidises 21,911 rupees per tonne, while the actual cost is around 65,000 rupees per tonne.
• Import dependency: India imports a large share of DAP from Russia, Morocco, and Jordan. Disruptions in global phosphate supply and shipping costs drove the shortage.
• Why it matters: Phosphorus (unlike nitrogen) cannot be synthesised from the atmosphere. Global phosphate rock reserves are concentrated in Morocco, China, and Egypt. India has limited domestic deposits.

Static linkage: Fertiliser policy, agricultural inputs, food security (Economy).

GS area: Economy (Insurance, Digital)

The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India's Bima Sugam platform continued development, with a launch target in late 2024.

• What it is: A unified digital marketplace for all life and non-life insurance products. A single platform where consumers can compare, buy, and service all types of insurance policies.
• Part of Bima Trinity: Three complementary initiatives: Bima Vistaar (comprehensive rural insurance product), Bima Vahak (women-led field distribution force), and Bima Sugam (digital marketplace).
• Integration: Policies bought on Bima Sugam are stored digitally (Insurance Repository). Claims can be initiated and settled on the platform.
• India's insurance penetration: 3.76 per cent of GDP (2022-23), compared to a global average of 7 per cent. Low insurance penetration leaves households vulnerable to health, accident, and asset loss shocks.

Static linkage: Insurance regulation, IRDAI, financial inclusion (Economy).

GS area: Science and Technology (Biodiversity)

Researchers identified a new genus of jumping spiders from South India, naming it Tenkana from the Kannada word for "south."

• Family: Salticidae, the jumping spider family. Jumping spiders are the largest family of spiders by species count and are known for their excellent vision and active hunting rather than web-based prey capture.
• Discovery location: Western Ghats and Eastern Ghats regions of South India.
• Why it matters: New genus-level discoveries are scientifically significant because they represent a fundamentally new branch of the taxonomic tree, not just a variation within a known group.
• Western Ghats biodiversity: The Western Ghats are one of the world's eight hottest biodiversity hotspots. They are home to over 5,000 plant species, 508 bird species, 179 amphibian species, and a large number of endemic invertebrates.

Static linkage: Western Ghats biodiversity, arthropod taxonomy (Environment).