15 September 2025

• Economy: India labelled "Tariff King" by the US simple average tariff of 16.2%, second highest in the G20 after Turkey. Agricultural tariffs average 64.3%.
• Environment: Global plastic production doubled between 2000 and 2019 to 460 million tonnes. Only 9 per cent of global plastic is recycled.
• Polity: Supreme Court pending cases reached 88,417 an all-time high. Annual filings exceed disposals.
• Defence: INS Trikand arrived at Salamis Bay, Greece, for India's first bilateral maritime exercise with Greece.
• Tribal governance: Manki-Munda system of Ho tribe in Jharkhand's Kolhan region courts continue to recognise its legitimacy.

GS area: Economy, International Relations

India's high tariff structure has attracted criticism, including the "Tariff King" label from the US, and a 50 per cent US tariff on Indian goods in response.

• India's tariff position: Simple average tariff of 16.2% second highest among G20 countries after Turkey.
• Agricultural tariffs: Trade-weighted average of 64.3% the highest globally.
• Non-agricultural goods: Average tariff of 9.2% closer to global norms.
• Why high tariffs? Protects domestic farmers (especially against cheap imports) and infant industries. India's farm sector employs ~45% of the workforce.
• Costs of high tariffs:
  • Higher consumer prices.
  • Reduced export competitiveness (when inputs are expensive).
  • Retaliatory tariffs from trading partners (US imposed 26% + 25% penalty).
  • "Tariff King" label reduces India's leverage in WTO and bilateral negotiations.
• Tiered tariff reform proposal (economists):
  • Raw materials: 0-10%.
  • Non-sensitive manufactured goods: 10-20%.
  • Sensitive goods: 20-35%.
  • Luxury items: 35-50%.
• Agri-R&D: Proposal to double agricultural R&D spending to 1% of Agri-GDP (current: ~0.5%).
• Tariff Rate Quotas (TRQs): Mechanism allowing specific import volumes at reduced rates, used in WTO agreements to balance protection with market access.

Static linkage: Economy (trade policy, tariffs, WTO).

GS area: Environment

India and the world face a mounting plastic waste crisis, with the scale of production and disposal far outpacing recycling.

• Production: Global plastic production doubled between 2000 and 2019, reaching 460 million tonnes annually.
• Projection: Plastic waste is projected to triple by 2060 to 1.2 billion tonnes per year.
• Recycling rate: Only 9 per cent of global plastic has ever been recycled.
• Ocean entry: Approximately 11 million tonnes of plastic enters the oceans annually.
• GHG contribution: Plastic production contributes approximately 3.4 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions (from petrochemical feedstocks and incineration).
• Marine economic loss: Plastic pollution causes approximately $13 billion per year in losses to marine ecosystems (fisheries, tourism, coastal economies).
• Persistence: Plastics take decades to centuries to decompose. Microplastics (particles smaller than 5 mm) have been found in human blood, lungs, placentas, and deep ocean trenches.
• Indian initiatives:
  • Plastic Waste Management Rules (2016, amended 2022): Phase-out of selected single-use plastic items from July 2022.
  • Swachh Bharat Mission 2.0: 100% door-to-door waste collection target.
  • Over 1.2 lakh km of Indian roads have been constructed using waste plastic.
• Global treaty: UN Global Plastics Treaty negotiations India participates in INC (Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee) sessions. A legally binding treaty is targeted by 2025 end.

Static linkage: Environment (plastic pollution, waste management, international environmental law).

GS area: Polity, Governance

• Supreme Court pendency (August 2025): 88,417 cases all-time high. 7,080 filed vs 5,667 disposed in August alone.
• All-India: Approximately 5 crore (50 million) pending cases across all courts (district courts, High Courts, and Supreme Court).
• Judge density: India has approximately 20 judges per million population. The Law Commission (120th Report) recommended 50 per million.
• Undertrial prisoners: 76 per cent of India's prison population are undertrials those awaiting trial, not convicted. Many spend more time in custody than the maximum sentence for their alleged offence.
• Government as biggest litigant: The Union and state governments together account for about 46 per cent of pending cases often due to appeals against unfavourable lower court orders rather than genuine legal necessity.
• Commercial Courts Act, 2015: Established dedicated courts for commercial disputes above a specified value threshold to reduce pendency in regular courts.
• e-Courts Phase III: Digitisation of court records, e-filing, virtual hearings reduces physical access barriers.
• Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs): Dedicated to POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) and rape cases; 761 operational.
• Constitutional angle: Supreme Court has held that speedy trial is a fundamental right under Article 21 (Hussainara Khatoon case, 1979).

Static linkage: Polity (judiciary, Article 21, access to justice).

GS area: Tribal Affairs, Polity

The traditional Manki-Munda system of the Ho tribe in Jharkhand's Kolhan region continues to function alongside statutory panchayat structures.

• Structure:
  • Mundas: Village-level elected/hereditary heads who resolve local disputes using customary law.
  • Mankis: Pidh (group of villages) level heads who hear appeals from Munda decisions.
• Ho tribe: An indigenous tribal group speaking a Dravidian-origin language in the Mundari family. Concentrated in West Singhbhum, Jharkhand.
• Historical codification: Captain Thomas Wilkinson codified the system in 31 rules in 1833. The Kolhan Government Estate (KGE) formalised it in 1837.
• Post-Independence survival: Despite not being formally integrated into the Panchayati Raj framework, courts have consistently allowed the system to function due to community preference and lack of alternatives.
• PESA Act, 1996: Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act mandates that gram sabhas in Scheduled Areas (Fifth Schedule) have the power to approve plans, control resources, and resolve disputes in accordance with community traditions. The Manki-Munda system is consistent with PESA's framework.
• Significance for UPSC: Illustrates the coexistence of constitutional and customary governance in tribal areas a live constitutional law issue.

Static linkage: Tribal affairs (PESA, Scheduled Areas), polity.

GS area: Polity, Governance (Criminal Justice)

The Supreme Court in Kattavellai @ Devakar vs State of Tamil Nadu (2025) issued binding guidelines on DNA evidence handling.

• Four-step protocol:
  1. Proper documentation: DNA packages must include FIR details, relevant sections, names of the investigating officer, medical officer, and witnesses.
  2. 48-hour rule: Samples must be transported to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) within 48 hours of collection.
  3. No tampering: Packages cannot be opened or altered without explicit permission of the trial court.
  4. Chain of custody register: Every transfer of the sample must be recorded, signed by all parties who handle it.
• Why this matters: Courts have previously excluded DNA evidence because of contamination or broken chain of custody. In Manoj vs MP (2022), the DNA report was rejected for contamination. In Rahul vs Delhi (2022), inadequate Malkhana (police evidence store) storage led to rejection.
• Scientific principle: DNA evidence is reliable only if the sample collected matches the sample tested any break in the chain of custody creates reasonable doubt about reliability.

Static linkage: Criminal justice, polity (forensic evidence, Article 21).

GS area: International Relations

INS Trikand (Indian Navy Talwar-class stealth frigate) arrived at Salamis Bay for India's first bilateral maritime exercise with Greece.

• Salamis Bay: Located on the western coast of Salamis Island, Greece. Approximately 16 km from Athens, in the Saronic Gulf.
• Battle of Salamis (480 BCE): Historic naval engagement in which the Greek city-states' combined fleet defeated the Achaemenid Persian fleet of Xerxes I. A turning point in the Greco-Persian Wars.
• Greece: Capital Athens. Borders Albania, North Macedonia, Bulgaria, Turkey. World's longest Mediterranean coastline. 20 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. NATO member.
• INS Trikand: Talwar-class (Krivak III) stealth guided-missile frigate. 134 metres long. Equipped with BrahMos anti-ship missiles, Shtil surface-to-air missiles, torpedo launchers.
• India-Greece strategic alignment: Greece is a NATO ally. India and Greece share interests in maritime security, particularly in the Mediterranean and Indian Ocean Region. Both have concerns about Turkey's assertive posture in the Eastern Mediterranean.
• India's naval diplomacy: Bilateral exercises with France (Varuna), US (Malabar), Australia, UK, Japan Salamis Bay adds Greece to this growing list.

Static linkage: International relations (India-Europe, maritime security).

• Grey rhino event: A "grey rhino" (high-probability, foreseeable, neglected) contrasts with "black swan" (unpredictable). Applied to the Wayanad landslide: warnings about Western Ghats fragility were available but ignored.
• Bamboo-based ethanol plant: India's first commissioned at Numaligarh Refinery, Golaghat, Assam 60,000 KL annual capacity, using 2G biorefinery technology (enzymatic hydrolysis).