19 September 2025

• Economy: WTO World Trade Report 2025 AI could raise global trade by 34-37% by 2040 and add 12-13% to global GDP.
• WIPO: India ranked 38th in the Global Innovation Index 2025 first in Central and South Asia for the 15th year as an "innovation over-performer."
• Environment: Lakshadweep's "Plasticdweep" crisis 4,000 tonnes of uncollected waste, 59 per cent of coral colonies smothered.
• Geodiversity: India added seven natural heritage sites to UNESCO's Tentative List, including Deccan Traps, Meghalayan Age Caves, and Erra Matti Dibbalu.
• Science: El Nino raises the probability of extreme daily rainfall across central India by nearly 50% despite suppressing overall monsoon totals.

GS area: Economy, Science and Technology

India ranked 38th in the World Intellectual Property Organization's Global Innovation Index (GII) 2025 out of 139 economies.

• Regional rank: 1st in Central and South Asia for the 15th consecutive year.
• Score: 38.2 (WIPO scale).
• Innovation over-performer: India spends less on innovation inputs than peers but produces more innovation outputs hence "over-performer." This is a consistent finding validating India's human capital quality.
• Top global performers: Switzerland (1st), Sweden (2nd), United States (3rd).
• India's strengths:
  • ICT services exports: India is a global leader.
  • Unicorn valuations and late-stage VC deals.
  • Knowledge creation: 7.6 per cent surge in academic publications.
  • Strong patent filings.
  • Creative outputs improved: ranked 42 (up from 49 in 2023).
• Innovation clusters in World Top 100: Bengaluru (21st), Delhi (26th), Mumbai (46th), Chennai (new entry).
• Context: India's startup ecosystem is the world's third-largest by number of unicorns (behind US and China). Innovation policies including the National Innovation and Startup Policy, Atal Innovation Mission, and PLI Schemes drive this performance.

Static linkage: Economy (innovation, IP, technology policy).

GS area: Economy, International Relations

The WTO's World Trade Report 2025 projects that AI could raise global trade by 34-37 per cent by 2040.

• GDP impact: Global GDP could increase by 12-13 per cent in an inclusive AI adoption scenario.
• AI-enabling goods trade: USD 2.3 trillion in 2023.
• Regulatory complexity: Regulatory restrictions on AI-enabling goods rose from 130 (2012) to 500 (2024) fragmenting the global technology trading environment.
• Digital divide risk: Low and middle-income economies risk exclusion from AI-driven trade gains due to infrastructure gaps (internet penetration, computing power, skills).
• Key correlation: A 10 per cent rise in digital trade correlates with a 2.6 per cent increase in AI patent citations showing digital infrastructure drives innovation.
• WTO recommendations:
  • Reduce tariffs on AI-enabling goods.
  • Bridge digital infrastructure gaps for developing nations.
  • Launch global AI skilling initiatives.
  • Develop multilateral AI governance frameworks.
• India's position: India's AI policy (IndiaAI Mission, NITI Aayog roadmap) aims to position India as an AI services hub while managing data sovereignty.

Static linkage: Economy (trade, international economic relations, AI).

GS area: Art and Culture, Environment, Geography

India added seven natural/geological heritage sites to UNESCO's World Natural Heritage Tentative List, bringing the total to 69 properties under consideration.

• Seven new sites:
  1. Deccan Traps, Maharashtra world-class lava flows in Koyna Wildlife Sanctuary.
  2. St. Mary's Island Cluster, Karnataka columnar basaltic rock formations (85 million years old).
  3. Meghalayan Age Caves, Meghalaya includes Mawmluh Cave, one of the global stratotype sections.
  4. Naga Hill Ophiolite, Nagaland oceanic crust uplifted onto land (suture zone geology).
  5. Erra Matti Dibbalu, Andhra Pradesh red sand dunes with paleo-climatic evidence (already covered Sep 13).
  6. Tirumala Hills, Andhra Pradesh Eparchaean Unconformity (~1.5 billion years old).
  7. Varkala Cliffs, Kerala Warkalli Formation with natural springs (unique stratigraphic section).
• Meghalayan Age: The current geological age (4,200 years ago to present) is named "Meghalayan" after Mawmluh Cave in Meghalaya the global stratotype for this age boundary.
• Ophiolite significance: Ophiolites are slices of ancient ocean floor pushed onto continental crust they provide a window into deep Earth and ocean basin evolution.

Static linkage: Art and culture (heritage sites), environment (biodiversity, geology).

GS area: Environment, Governance

Lakshadweep is facing a mounting plastic waste crisis informally called "Plasticdweep" with nearly 4,000 tonnes of uncollected dry waste across the archipelago.

• Scale: CUSAT (Cochin University of Science and Technology) 2024 survey found 32,710 litter items on 28 beaches.
• Ecological damage: 59 per cent of coral colonies smothered; 15 per cent bleaching recorded. Lakshadweep's coral reefs support rich marine biodiversity and protect islands from wave erosion.
• Logistics constraint: Waste evacuation is possible only 4-5 months annually due to monsoon shipping constraints (barges cannot operate in rough seas).
• Root causes:
  • Post-2021 dissolution of panchayats disrupted organised waste collection.
  • Improper dumping and unregulated burning.
  • Heavy reliance on packaged goods (islands produce almost nothing locally).
• Cascading impact: Coral death reduces fish stocks; fishermen's livelihoods collapse; island tourism suffers.
• Policy relevance: Lakshadweep is a Union Territory under MHA administration. Waste management requires central government engagement and a dedicated logistics protocol.

Static linkage: Environment (marine ecology, coastal management, island ecosystems).

GS area: Geography, Environment

A new study found that El Nino raises the probability of extreme daily rainfall across central India by nearly 50 per cent, even as it suppresses overall monsoon totals.

• El Nino definition: Warm phase of ENSO (El Nino-Southern Oscillation). Unusual warming of sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean.
• Formation mechanism: Normally, trade winds push warm water westward. El Nino events weaken these winds, allowing warm water to spread eastward. This shifts rainfall from the western Pacific to the central/eastern Pacific.
• Measurement: Oceanic Nino Index (ONI) sea surface temperature anomaly of ≥0.5°C above normal for five or more consecutive 3-month periods.
• Periodicity: Every 2-7 years (irregular).
• Impact on Indian monsoon:
  • Generally reduces Southwest Monsoon (June-September) rainfall droughts more likely during El Nino years.
  • Delays monsoon onset and accelerates withdrawal.
  • New finding (2025 study): Despite lower total rainfall, El Nino significantly increases the probability of intense daily rainfall events in central India counterintuitive.
• La Nina: Opposite phase cooler than normal Pacific SSTs. Generally associated with above-normal monsoon rainfall in India.
• Historical El Nino droughts: 1877, 1899, 1918, 1979, 1982, 2002, 2009 severe droughts in India coincided with El Nino events.

Static linkage: Geography (climate, monsoon, ocean-atmosphere systems).

GS area: Economy, Governance

India signed an agreement with FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) to develop three "Blue Ports" world-class, technology-driven fishing harbours.

• Partner: FAO Technical Cooperation Programme.
• Department: Department of Fisheries, Government of India.
• Pilot harbours:
  1. Vanakbara, Diu.
  2. Jakhau, Gujarat.
  3. Karaikal, Puducherry.
• Total investment: ₹369.8 crore.
• Blue Port features:
  • Smart technology: IoT, AI, 5G, automation, satellite communication.
  • Eco-friendly: Rainwater harvesting, energy-efficient lighting, waste management.
  • Climate-resilient infrastructure.
  • Enhanced fish traceability systems and post-harvest processing.
• Context: India is the world's third-largest fish producer and second-largest aquaculture producer. Modernised ports will reduce post-harvest losses (currently ~20-30%), improve export quality, and strengthen fishermen's livelihoods.
• PM Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY): The broader fisheries development scheme under which Blue Port development is contextualised.

Static linkage: Economy (fisheries, agriculture), governance.

GS area: Social Justice, Economy

The 2024 NSS Household Consumption Survey revealed that while PDS has equalised cereal access, protein deprivation remains acute for the poorest.

• Hunger gap: Nearly 50 per cent of rural India and 20 per cent of urban India cannot afford two balanced thalis daily.
• Protein deprivation: The bottom 5 per cent of income earners consume half the pulses consumed by the top 5 per cent indicating severe protein inadequacy.
• PDS success: 80 per cent of the population receives cereal subsidies. PDS has successfully equalised cereal (rice, wheat) consumption across income groups.
• Beyond cereals: Switching from calorie security to nutrition security requires including pulses, millets, and fortified oil in the PDS basket.
• Rationalisation proposal: Remove cereal subsidies for the top 20 per cent consumption fractile. Use Aadhaar and SECC (Socio-Economic and Caste Census) data for dynamic targeting.
• NFSA, 2013: National Food Security Act provides 5 kg of cereals per person per month to priority households. Extension and expansion of NFSA entitlements would be needed for nutritional enrichment.

Static linkage: Social justice (food security, nutrition), governance (PDS).

• Yellow-crested Cockatoos: Critically Endangered (IUCN). Native to Indonesia and Timor-Leste. Losing natural nesting sites in Hong Kong due to urban tree loss. Conservation response: artificial nest box installation.
• EPFO Passbook Lite: Simplified PF balance view for 2.7 crore EPFO members. Shows contributions, withdrawals, and balance at a glance on the EPFO member portal single login, no separate passbook site.