11 March 2025

• Economy: SIPRI data showed India is now the world's second-largest arms importer, with Russia's share falling sharply.
• Defence: INS Imphal arrived in Mauritius for the 57th Mauritius National Day.
• Agriculture: Gene-edited bananas that resist browning were developed, raising FSSAI and GEAC oversight questions.
• Economy: India's FRBM Act framework faced calls for reform, with a flexible deficit range proposed.
• Geography: The North Sea and its energy transition role in focus.

GS area: International Relations, Economy (Defence)

The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) released its 2020-24 arms transfer data.

• India's rank: Second-largest arms importer globally after Ukraine (during the war period).
• Russia's declining share: Russia supplied 36 per cent of India's arms imports in 2020-24, down from 72 per cent in 2010-14.
• France's rise: France now supplies 28 per cent of France's total arms exports go to India. Key acquisitions: 36 Rafale jets and six Scorpene-class submarines.
• India's total import decline: India's arms imports declined 9.3 per cent compared to the 2015-19 period.
• US global share: The United States holds 43 per cent of the global arms market.
• Indigenisation: India's defence exports rose from under 2,000 crore rupees in 2014 to over 21,000 crore rupees in 2024. The target is 50,000 crore rupees by 2029.

India's diversification away from Russia reflects both reliability concerns after the Ukraine sanctions and the push for technology transfer deals with France and the US.

Static linkage: International relations (defence), economy (defence production).

GS area: International Relations, Defence

INS Imphal arrived at Port Louis, Mauritius, to participate in the 57th Mauritius National Day celebrations on March 12.

• Class: Visakhapatnam-class guided-missile destroyer (Project 15B).
• Position: Third of four destroyers in the class. The others are INS Visakhapatnam, INS Mormugao and INS Surat.
• Builder: Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL), Mumbai.
• Commission: December 2023.
• Weapons: BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles, Barak-8 Surface-to-Air Missiles, 76mm OTO Melara gun.
• Speed: 30-plus knots. Range: 4,000 nautical miles. Capacity for two multi-role helicopters.
• SAGAR vision: India's Security and Growth for All in the Region policy uses naval deployments to build maritime partnerships in the Indian Ocean Region.

Static linkage: International relations (India-Mauritius, Indian Ocean), defence.

GS area: Economy (Fiscal Policy)

Economists and a parliamentary committee called for replacing the rigid 3 per cent GDP fiscal deficit ceiling under the FRBM Act with a flexible range.

• Current law: Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) Act, 2003, as amended in 2018. Target: 3 per cent of GDP fiscal deficit.
• Proposed range: 3.5 to 4.5 per cent of GDP, adjustable with economic conditions.
• India's forex reserves: 615 billion dollars (provides buffer against external shocks).
• State finances: States' combined public expenditure accounts for 60 per cent of India's total government spending. Revenue-deficit states like Punjab and Kerala have debt-to-GSDP ratios exceeding 40 per cent.
• Escape clause: The existing 2018 FRBM amendment allows a 0.5 percentage point deviation from the target for national security events or natural calamities.

Static linkage: Economy (fiscal policy, public finance).

GS area: Economy (International Trade), International Relations

India and the US were in negotiations for a multi-sector Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA), with WTO compliance as a central legal constraint.

• WTO Article XXIV.8(b): A Free Trade Agreement (FTA) must cover "substantially all trade" between partners, typically interpreted as at least 90 per cent of tariff lines.
• Article XXIV.5: Interim agreements (partial deals) must be part of a plan to form a full FTA within 10 years.
• MFN rule: Most Favoured Nation treatment requires equal tariffs to all WTO members. An FTA is an exception to MFN but must follow GATT Article XXIV.
• Special and Differential Treatment (S&DT): Developing countries have longer timelines and transition periods under WTO rules.
• Reciprocal tariff threat: Trump's demand for tariff symmetry conflicts with WTO MFN unless structured as an FTA.

Static linkage: Economy (international trade, WTO), international relations.

GS area: Science and Technology (Biotechnology), Economy (Agriculture)

Tropic, a UK biotechnology company, developed a banana variety that does not turn brown for up to 12 hours after peeling, using CRISPR-Cas9 and Prime Editing.

• Non-browning mechanism: Polyphenol oxidase (PPO) enzyme causes browning when banana tissue is exposed to oxygen. Gene editing suppresses PPO expression.
• Technology: CRISPR-Cas9 for initial modification; Prime Editing (more precise) for refinement.
• Commercial status: Available in other markets; not approved in India.
• India's GEAC: The Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee approves transgenic crops. Gene-edited crops (without foreign DNA) are treated differently under a 2022 notification.
• FSSAI: The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India would regulate any gene-edited food product for human consumption.
• Food waste angle: About one-third of global food production is lost or wasted. Non-browning varieties reduce post-harvest losses.

Static linkage: Science and technology (biotechnology), agriculture, environment.

GS area: Economy (Statistics), Governance

The National Statistics Office (MoSPI) released methodology details for the Household Consumption Expenditure Survey (HCES) 2023-24.

• Survey period: August 2023 to July 2024.
• Coverage: 405 items across food and non-food categories.
• Method: Computer Assisted Personal Interview (CAPI), replacing the earlier paper-based system.
• New items added: Premium nuts, breakfast cereals, electronics, fitness equipment (reflecting changing consumption patterns).
• Significance: HCES data feeds into poverty estimates, CPI weights and policy targeting. The earlier HCES (2022-23) showed a significant reduction in rural poverty.
• Last major survey: The 2011-12 NSSO Consumer Expenditure Survey was the reference for poverty measurement until the 2022-23 data.

Static linkage: Economy (statistics, poverty measurement, welfare policy).

GS area: Economy (Maritime Trade), Polity

The Bills of Lading Bill, 2025, was introduced in the Lok Sabha to modernise maritime shipping law.

• Replaces: The Indian Bills of Lading Act, 1856 (169 years old), a colonial-era law.
• Ministry: Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways.
• Purpose: Align India's shipping documentation with contemporary global maritime practices and electronic systems.
• Bills of lading: Shipping documents that serve as a receipt for cargo, a contract of carriage and a document of title.
• Electronic bills: The new law accommodates electronic bills of lading, which account for the majority of modern shipping transactions.

Static linkage: Economy (maritime trade), governance (law reform).

• Women pisciculture, Kendrapara: 2.6 lakh women from 1,199 SHGs in Kendrapara, Odisha engaged in fish farming across 520 hectares of panchayat tanks, earning over 3 lakh rupees annually per SHG.
• North Sea energy: Seven countries bordering the North Sea agreed on expanded offshore wind targets to replace Russian gas imports.