15 February 2025

• Indian Ocean: 8th Indian Ocean Conference held in Muscat, Oman. Foreign ministers from 30 nations. SAGAR doctrine and IORA in focus.
• Children missing: 3 lakh children reported missing since 2020. 36,000 still untraced. Madhya Pradesh has the highest numbers.
• US tariffs: Reciprocal tariff plan confirmed. India's trade surplus with the US stands at 38 billion dollars.
• Skill India: NSDC data: 7,100 courses in 23 languages, 30 crore candidates reached through Skill India Digital Hub.

GS area: International Relations, Geography

The 8th Indian Ocean Conference was held in Muscat, Oman with foreign ministers from 30 nations:

• India's strategic doctrine: SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region). Articulated by PM Modi in 2015 during a visit to Mauritius. It frames India's approach to the Indian Ocean as a provider of security rather than a competitor for influence.
• Indian Ocean Region (IOR) facts for prelims:
  • Third-largest ocean: 70.56 million square kilometres.
  • Facilitates 70 per cent of global container traffic.
  • Carries 90 per cent of India's energy imports.
  • 26 coastal nations surround it.
• IORA (Indian Ocean Rim Association): Established 1997. Members: 23 states. India is a founding member. Headquarters: Ebène, Mauritius. The primary multilateral body for Indian Ocean cooperation.
• External naval presence: The US, UK, China and France all maintain naval bases in the region.

India's maritime security interest in the IOR includes anti-piracy operations (TROPEX exercises), the blue economy, submarine cable security and countering the Chinese naval presence.

Static linkage: International Relations (Indian Ocean, geography).

GS area: Social Justice, Governance

Alarming data on missing children in India:

• Total missing (2020-2024): Nearly 3 lakh children.
• Still untraced: 36,000 children remain missing.
• Madhya Pradesh: 58,665 children reported missing; 45,585 recovered; 3,955 still untraced. The highest numbers among all states.
• Budget allocation: 100 crore rupees to strengthen Anti-Human Trafficking Units (AHTUs) across police stations.
• Khoya-Paya Portal: A centralised tracking system for missing children operated by the Ministry of Women and Child Development. It allows the public to report missing children and aids police coordination.

Missing children cases often overlap with child trafficking, child labour and early marriage. The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act 2012 and the Juvenile Justice Act 2015 are the primary legal instruments in such cases.

Static linkage: Social justice (child protection, governance).

GS area: Economy (international trade)

The US reciprocal tariff plan announced in February 2025:

• Concept: The US will impose import tariffs matching the tariff rates that partner countries impose on US exports. Final rates were to be determined by April 2025.
• India-US trade data: India's trade surplus with the US is approximately 38 billion dollars. India imposes relatively high tariffs on several US goods, which makes it a target for reciprocal levies.
• Implications for India: Electronics, pharmaceuticals and textiles could face higher US tariffs. India relies on the US as its single largest export destination.

The legal authority for US tariffs is the Trade Expansion Act and Section 301 of the Trade Act. The WTO's Most Favoured Nation (MFN) principle limits how reciprocal tariffs can be structured without triggering dispute mechanisms.

Static linkage: International trade, India-US relations (economy).

GS area: Economy, Governance

The National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) key data:

• Established: July 31, 2008.
• Structure: 49 per cent government shareholding; 51 per cent private sector. A public-private partnership model.
• National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme: 5 million apprentices trained or engaged.
• Skill India Digital Hub: 7,100 courses in 23 Indian languages; 30 crore candidates reached.
• PM Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY): The flagship skill training scheme running under NSDC.

The skill development ecosystem targets India's demographic dividend. India has the world's largest youth population. Skill India aims to train over 400 million people by 2022 (a target that has been extended).

Static linkage: Economy (employment, skill development).

GS area: Environment (biodiversity)

The Hangul (Kashmir Red Deer) population update:

• Population decline: From 3,000 to 5,000 in the 1940s to only 289 individuals counted in 2023.
• IUCN status: Critically Endangered.
• Habitat: Dachigam National Park and surrounding areas in the Kashmir Valley.
• State animal: Jammu and Kashmir.
• Scientific name: Cervus hanglu hanglu (a subspecies of Red Deer).
• Primary threats: Habitat loss, poaching, disease, military disturbances and reduced breeding success.

Dachigam National Park covers 141 square kilometres near Srinagar. It is the only protected area where Hangul survives in significant numbers.

Static linkage: Biodiversity and conservation (environment and ecology).

GS area: Science and Technology (health)

A Sudan Virus outbreak was reported:

• First identified: 1976 in what is now South Sudan (the disease was first documented in Sudan, near the Ebola River and separately in Sudan).
• Fatality rate: 40 to 60 per cent. The 2022 Uganda outbreak had a 47 per cent death rate.
• No approved vaccine or treatment: Unlike Ebola Zaire, for which an approved vaccine exists (rVSV-ZEBOV), the Sudan strain has no licensed vaccine.
• Relationship to Ebola: The Sudan Virus is one of six species in the genus Orthoebolaviras. Ebola virus disease is caused by multiple strains. The Sudan strain and Zaire strain are distinct and not cross-protected by vaccines.

Static linkage: Science and technology (infectious diseases).

GS area: Science and Technology, Education

The J.C. Bose National Science Academy Grant (JBG) is in the news as scientists from Manipur were supported through it:

• Funding: 25 lakh rupees per year for five years.
• Institutional support: 1 lakh rupees per year from the host institution.
• Eligibility age: Scientists may apply until age 68.
• Scope: Multi-disciplinary across all science and technology sectors.
• Award basis: Outstanding scientific contributions with continued research potential.

Jagadish Chandra Bose was the pioneering Indian scientist who demonstrated radio wave transmission before Marconi and conducted foundational research in plant physiology.

Static linkage: Science and technology (institutions, R&D).

• PARAS-2 Spectrograph: Installed at the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) in Ahmedabad. Used for detecting exoplanets through the radial velocity technique. PRL is under the Department of Space.
• India-US TRUST Initiative: Covers critical minerals cooperation in addition to AI and semiconductors. Announced during the Modi-Trump summit.
• Reciprocal tariff timeline: Final US tariff schedule to be published by April 2025 after trading partner consultations.