21 March 2025

• Polity: AFSPA 1958 was extended in parts of Manipur and Nagaland, keeping the debate on its repeal active.
• Economy: India faced a projected power shortage of 15 to 20 GW in summer 2025.
• Governance: CCI fined Meta 213.14 crore rupees for abusing its dominant position in WhatsApp's 2021 privacy policy update.
• International: World Happiness Report 2025 ranked India 118th; Finland ranked first.
• Defence: DAC approved a 54,000 crore rupee acquisition package including T-90 tanks and Varunastra torpedoes.

GS area: Governance (Competition Law), Science and Technology

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) imposed a 213.14 crore rupee penalty on Meta Platforms (owner of WhatsApp) for abuse of dominant position.

• CCI: Established under the Competition Act, 2002. Quasi-judicial body. Replaced the Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices (MRTP) Commission.
• Issue: WhatsApp's 2021 privacy policy update forced users to share data with Meta's entire family of apps (Facebook, Instagram) with no opt-out, constituting an unfair condition.
• Market dominance: CCI found Meta dominant in the "over-the-top (OTT) messaging" market in India.
• Remedy: CCI directed Meta to cease sharing WhatsApp data with other Meta apps for advertising purposes in India for five years.
• IT Act Section 69A: Separately, government can direct blocking of information under IT Act. CCI operates under competition law, not content regulation.
• DPDP Act 2023: India's new data protection law imposes consent requirements for personal data processing.

Static linkage: Governance (competition law, digital markets).

GS area: Polity (Internal Security)

The Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), 1958 was extended in parts of Manipur and Nagaland for another six months.

• AFSPA 1958: Grants the armed forces sweeping powers in "Disturbed Areas": to arrest without warrant, shoot on suspicion and demolish structures. Personnel are protected from prosecution without prior central government sanction.
• Disturbed Area notification: Under AFSPA, the Centre or a state can notify an area as Disturbed. Only the Centre can notify for Union territories.
• Redress AFSPA Act, proposed: Multiple committees (Jeevan Reddy Committee 2005, ARC report) have recommended repeal or reform.
• Irom Sharmila: Fasted for 16 years (2000-2016) demanding repeal of AFSPA in Manipur.
• Nagaland context: Extended in the state following the Oting incident (2021). 13 civilians killed by Army in a case of mistaken identity.
• Supreme Court in Extra-Judicial Execution Victim Families v. Union of India (2016): Ruled that the armed forces cannot enjoy blanket immunity under AFSPA; extrajudicial killings can be probed.

Static linkage: Polity (internal security, fundamental rights).

GS area: Economy (Energy), Governance

The Central Electricity Authority projected a peak power shortage of 15 to 20 GW during May-June 2025.

• Peak demand 2025: Projected at 270 GW. Available supply: About 250 to 255 GW.
• Causes: Rising AC usage (urbanisation + heat), slower-than-planned renewable additions, coal supply disruptions.
• Thermal dominance: 55 per cent of India's installed electricity capacity is coal-based.
• CEA: Central Electricity Authority. Statutory body under the Ministry of Power. Prepares load forecasts and advises on tariffs.
• ISTS: Integrated National Grid (one nation, one grid) allows inter-state power exchange.
• DISCOM reforms: UDAY (Ujwal DISCOM Assurance Yojana) targeted financial turnaround of loss-making electricity distribution companies.

Static linkage: Economy (energy), governance.

GS area: Society (Welfare), International Reports

The World Happiness Report 2025 ranked India 118th globally; Finland topped the list for the eighth consecutive year.

• Report: Published by the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN). Annual since 2012.
• Methodology: Based on Gallup World Poll life evaluations (Cantril ladder: 0 to 10 scale). Factors: GDP per capita, social support, life expectancy, freedom, generosity, absence of corruption.
• Finland (1st): High social trust, universal public services, work-life balance, low corruption.
• India 118th (out of 147): Scores lower on social support and freedom to make life choices metrics. Improving on GDP per capita.
• Happiness Research context: Bhutan introduced the concept of Gross National Happiness (GNH) as an alternative to GDP.
• Easterlin Paradox: Rising income beyond a threshold does not proportionally increase happiness (debated in welfare economics).

Static linkage: Society (welfare indicators, international indices).

GS area: Science and Technology (Defence), Economy

The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by the Defence Minister, approved capital acquisition cases worth 54,000 crore rupees.

• T-90 Tanks: Engine upgrade contract. T-90 Bhishma is India's main battle tank (1,000 in service). Russian-origin. Upgrade to improve engine power and reliability.
• Varunastra Torpedo: Heavy-weight torpedo developed by DRDO's Naval Science and Technological Laboratory (NSTL). For submarine launch. 74.3 kg warhead.
• DAC: The Defence Acquisition Council is the apex decision-making body for capital acquisitions, chaired by the Defence Minister.
• DPP 2016 and DDP 2020: Defence Procurement Policy and Defence Production Policy. IDDM category (indigenously designed, developed and manufactured) is given highest priority.
• India's defence budget: About 6.2 lakh crore rupees in 2025-26. About 1.9 per cent of GDP.

Static linkage: Science and technology (defence production), economy.

GS area: Economy (Energy), Environment

The Silahalla pumped storage hydroelectric project (1,000 MW) in Himachal Pradesh received environmental clearance.

• Pumped storage: Water is pumped uphill to a reservoir during off-peak hours (when renewable supply exceeds demand). Released downhill through turbines during peak demand. Acts as a large battery.
• Silahalla project: 1,000 MW. River: Satluj basin tributary, Himachal Pradesh.
• Importance for grid stability: As solar and wind penetration rises, grid operators need large-scale storage. Pumped hydro is currently the cheapest and largest-scale storage option globally.
• India's pumped storage target: 18.9 GW operational; 40 GW under development.
• Environmental concern: Tunnel and reservoir construction in ecologically sensitive Himalayan areas.

Static linkage: Economy (energy), environment.

GS area: Polity (IT Governance, Fundamental Rights)

The Supreme Court was examining petitions challenging content blocking orders under IT Act Section 69A.

• Section 69A: Allows the Central Government to direct blocking of online content on grounds of: sovereignty and integrity of India, defence, security of the state, friendly relations with foreign states and public order.
• Safeguards: Reasoned order required. A review committee must examine each blocking order.
• Issue: Orders are not made public and are not communicated to content creators (secret blocking).
• Shreya Singhal v. Union of India (2015): SC struck down Section 66A of IT Act. Upheld Section 69A with safeguards (proportionality, reasoned orders).
• Fundamental right: Article 19(1)(a) protects freedom of speech including online speech. Restrictions must be reasonable under Article 19(2).

Static linkage: Polity (fundamental rights, IT governance).

• Sea Dragon 2025: US-led multilateral naval exercise involving India, Australia, Japan, South Korea and Canada. Location: Guam. Focused on anti-submarine warfare.
• Kerala Senior Citizens Commission: Kerala became the first Indian state to establish a statutory Senior Citizens Commission to address eldercare, abuse and pension disputes.