Highlights
- Governance: Beating Retreat ceremony at Kartavya Path closes Republic Week. "Sare Jahan Se Achha" marks the finale.
- Economy: RBI released Handbook of Statistics on Indian Economy 2025: nominal GDP crossed 300 lakh crore rupees for the first time.
- Defence: India and Maldives signed a revised defence MoU replacing the 2021 agreement; focuses on maritime surveillance.
- Science: IIT Madras researchers developed a biodegradable polymer for single-use plastic replacement.
- International: Colombia agreed to accept US deportation flights, ending a brief trade war with the US.
1. RBI Handbook of Statistics: GDP milestone
GS area: Economy
India's nominal GDP crossed 300 lakh crore rupees (approximately 3.6 trillion USD at current exchange rate) in FY25.
- Nominal vs Real GDP: Nominal GDP includes the effect of price inflation. Real GDP is adjusted for inflation and measures actual output growth.
- India's GDP ranking: 5th largest globally in nominal terms (USD-denominated). 3rd largest in PPP (Purchasing Power Parity) terms after the USA and China.
- Target: India aims to be a 5 trillion USD economy by 2027-28 (the Viksit Bharat 2047 roadmap stages).
- GDP composition FY25 estimate:
- Services: 54% of GDP.
- Industry (manufacturing + construction + utilities): 27%.
- Agriculture, forestry and fishing: 17%.
- Growth rate: Real GDP growth 6.4% in FY25; projected 6.6% in FY26.
- Per capita income: India's per capita GDP is approximately 2,700 USD (nominal). As a middle-income country threshold, the World Bank considers 4,515 USD+ as upper-middle-income.
Static linkage: GDP, national income accounting.
2. Beating Retreat ceremony
GS area: Culture, Governance
The Beating Retreat ceremony on 29 January formally closes Republic Day celebrations.
- Location: Kartavya Path (formerly Vijay Chowk/Rajpath junction area), New Delhi.
- Participants: Military bands of the three services (Army, Navy, Air Force) and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) bands.
- Timing: Sunset; the illumination of Rashtrapati Bhavan and North-South Block is ceremonially switched on.
- Programme: Sequence of military band compositions and classical tunes; ends with "Sare Jahan Se Achha" (composed by Iqbal) and the National Anthem.
- Historical origin: A British-era tradition of drummers "beating retreat" (retiring from battle) at sunset. India adapted and indigenised the ceremony post-independence.
- Abide with Me: Until 2022, the ceremony included "Abide with Me" (a Christian hymn that was Mahatma Gandhi's favourite). Removed from the programme in 2022 as part of indigenisation.
Static linkage: National symbols, governance ceremonies.
3. India-Maldives defence MoU
GS area: International Relations
India and Maldives signed a revised defence MoU, replacing the 2021 agreement.
- Context: Relations strained since the 2023 election of Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu, who ran on an "India Out" platform.
- Previous frictions: India withdrew its military personnel from the Maldives by May 2024 (replacing them with civilians operating the Dornier aircraft and Chetak helicopters India had gifted).
- 2026 MoU provisions: Joint maritime surveillance, capacity-building for Maldivian National Defence Force, coast guard cooperation, hydrographic surveys.
- India's strategic interest: The Maldives controls 1.2 million sq km of the Indian Ocean; it sits astride major shipping lanes used by India's trade. China is making infrastructure investments in the Maldives.
- Neighbourhood First Policy: India's stated policy of prioritising relations with South Asian neighbours. Maldives is a test case for managing competing influences.
Static linkage: India-Maldives relations, Indian Ocean, Neighbourhood First Policy.
4. Biodegradable polymer for single-use plastics
GS area: Science and Technology, Environment
IIT Madras researchers developed a poly-lactic acid (PLA) based biodegradable polymer film with improved strength.
- Problem: Single-use plastic (SUP) is responsible for approximately 80% of ocean plastic pollution. India banned 19 categories of SUP in July 2022.
- Poly-lactic acid (PLA): Bioplastic made from corn starch or sugarcane. Biodegrades in industrial composting conditions (58°C, humidity). The challenge was that pure PLA is brittle.
- IIT Madras innovation: Added a crosslinking agent to PLA to improve tensile strength; comparable to low-density polyethylene (LDPE) used in plastic bags.
- Commercial potential: Could replace carry bags, food wrappers and straws.
- Limitation: PLA requires industrial composting infrastructure; does not biodegrade in open landfills or the ocean at ambient temperatures.
Static linkage: Plastic pollution, materials science, innovation.
5. Colombia-US trade dispute
GS area: International Relations
A brief US-Colombia trade war erupted and resolved in January 2026.
- Trigger: Colombia initially refused to accept US military deportation flights of Colombian migrants. President Gustavo Petro objected to the treatment of deported migrants.
- US response: Trump threatened 25% tariffs on all Colombian goods (escalating to 50%); ESTA visa suspensions for Colombian officials.
- Colombia's reversal: Colombia agreed within 24 hours to accept deportation flights; the US withdrew the threatened tariffs.
- Significance for India: Demonstrates Trump's willingness to use tariffs as geopolitical coercion tools. India faces 10% baseline tariffs; strategic sectors at risk of sector-specific tariffs.
- Monroe Doctrine link: The episode is interpreted as Trump applying a Monroe Doctrine-style approach: Latin America is within the US sphere; economic tools will enforce political compliance.
Static linkage: US foreign policy, trade wars, Monroe Doctrine.
6. SEBI's new framework for sustainability reporting
GS area: Economy, Governance
SEBI released the revised Business Responsibility and Sustainability Reporting (BRSR) Core framework.
- Applicability: Top 1,000 listed companies by market cap (mandatory); others voluntary.
- BRSR Core: 49 key performance indicators (KPIs) under Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) themes; third-party assurance required for the core metrics.
- Key ESG areas covered:
- Environmental: Energy intensity, water intensity, Scope 1 + Scope 2 carbon emissions.
- Social: Equal pay, training hours, CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) spend.
- Governance: Board diversity, related party transactions.
- Greenwashing concern: BRSR Core's third-party assurance requirement is specifically to prevent companies from making inflated ESG claims.
- Global context: The ISSB (International Sustainability Standards Board) published IFRS S1 and S2 standards in 2023; BRSR is India's equivalent framework.
Static linkage: Corporate governance, ESG, SEBI.
7. Digital agriculture mission
GS area: Agriculture, Technology
The Digital Agriculture Mission received Cabinet approval for Phase 1 deployment in 6 states.
- Components:
- AgriStack: Digital database of farmers (farmer registry, crop sown registry, land parcel registry) linked to Aadhaar.
- Krishi Decision Support System (Krishi DSS): Real-time GIS-based platform for crop advisories.
- Soil Profile Mapping: High-resolution soil nutrient maps.
- Phase 1 states: Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Odisha, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.
- Budget: 2,817 crore rupees for Phase 1.
- Privacy concern: AgriStack links farmer data (land, crop, income) to Aadhaar. Civil society groups flag potential for misuse and mandatory linking without consent.
Static linkage: Agri-tech, digital governance.
8. Briefly noted
- World Pulses Day (10 February): Preview: India's pulse production FY26 projected at 24 million tonnes, a record. India imports 3-4 million tonnes annually (mainly from Australia, Canada, Myanmar). Mission on Pulses targets self-sufficiency by 2027.
- Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project (ERCP): National Project status granted; will link Chambal and Banas rivers; serves 23 districts of Rajasthan. Long-standing inter-state water dispute with Madhya Pradesh partially resolved in January 2026.
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