April 26, 2025

Current Affairs

What is the 1972 Simla Agreement?

Context: Pakistan has suspended the 1972 Simla Agreement, a crucial peace treaty established after the 1971 war between India and Pakistan.

Relevance of the Topic: Prelims: Key facts related to Simla Agreement.

Simla Agreement

Bilateral treaty signed on July 2, 1972, in Simla, Himachal Pradesh between India and Pakistan, by former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and then Pakistani President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.
It came in the immediate aftermath of the 1971 Indo-Pakistani war, which led to the secession of East Pakistan and the creation of an independent Bangladesh.
Aim: To promote peace, avoid future conflict, and lay down the framework for bilateral relations between India and Pakistan.

It primarily deals with:
- How bilateral relations are to be conducted between the two countries?
- Recognition of the Line of Control (LoC) as the de facto border.
It does not create legally binding obligations and does not include a formal dispute resolution mechanism, making its enforcement dependent on mutual trust and political will.

Key provisions of the Simla Agreement:

Guided by UN Charter: India and Pakistan agreed that their relations would be based on the principles of the United Nations Charter which promotes peace, sovereignty, and non-aggression.
Peaceful bilateral resolution: Both nations committed to resolving disputes through bilateral negotiations, without involving third-party mediation — a clause India has consistently highlighted in opposing international interference, especially in the Kashmir issue.
Line of Control: The 1971 ceasefire line was redesignated as the Line of Control (LoC), marking a de facto border in Jammu and Kashmir. Neither party would attempt to alter it unilaterally, nor use force to change the status quo.
Return of Territory: India returned over 13,000 km² of land captured during the war, demonstrating goodwill and commitment to peace. However, it retained strategic zones like Turtuk and Chalunka in the Chorbat Valley.
Non-Interference and Mutual Respect: Both nations agreed to refrain from interfering in each other’s internal affairs and reaffirmed commitment to sovereign equality and territorial integrity.
Recognition of Bangladesh: Though not immediate, the agreement set the stage for Pakistan's eventual diplomatic recognition of Bangladesh.

Pakistan has frequently violated the spirit and letter of the Simla Agreement, it has repeatedly violated the ceasefire, tried to annex positions on the Indian side of the LoC in Kargil in 1999, and frequently sponsored non-state actors to breach India’s sovereignty.

Potential Impact of Suspension

Increase ceasefire violations in militarised regions like J&K and Ladakh, and attempts to alter the LoC status.
Undermines bilateralism: The suspension could mark a strategic shift in Pakistan's approach. It might now seek third-party involvement — possibly from the United Nations or allies like China or the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to internationalise the Kashmir conflict.
Contravention of Vienna convention: Pakistan’s unilateral suspension of the Simla Agreement may breach the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties (1969).
Sets a precedent for unilateral exit of other regional/ bilateral agreements.

The Simla Agreement has been dead for a long time. In fact, even the ongoing suspension of talks between the two nations can be seen as a breach of the Simla Agreement. Pakistan suspending the treaty only means that it no longer recognises the LoC.

The Global Pandemic Treaty

Context: The world’s first Pandemic Agreement was formally adopted by member states of the World Health Assembly (WHA) in Geneva. The landmark decision by the 78th WHA (WHO’s top decision-making body) comes after more than three years of negotiations. It is designed to better prevent and respond to global health crises.

The WHO Pandemic Agreement is the second international legal agreement negotiated under Article 19 of the WHO Constitution. The first is the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which was adopted in 2003 and entered into force in 2005.

Relevance of the Topic : Prelims: Key facts related to Global pandemic treaty.

Draft Global Pandemic Treaty

Rationale: The treaty is designed to improve the international community's preparedness and response to future pandemics by ensuring more equitable access to vaccines, treatments, and resources.
Need: COVID-19 pandemic revealed the glaring gaps in global health systems and highlighted the lack of effective international cooperation in responding to health emergencies. A 2022 study revealed that more than one million lives could have been saved if COVID-19 vaccines had been shared more equitably with lower-income countries.

Key Elements of the Treaty

Pathogen access and benefit sharing system:
- Countries would share scientific data such as pathogen samples and genomic sequences with pharmaceutical companies.
- In return, participating manufacturers would use this shared data to create vaccines or treatments. They will have to allocate 10% of vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics to WHO, and another 10% at affordable prices. This aims to ensure that scientific cooperation leads to fair access for all.

Technology sharing: Member states should promote and otherwise facilitate or incentivise the exchange of technology and know-how to help manufacturers in developing nations make their own drugs and vaccines.
National policies on Publicly funded research: When governments fund research (to universities or companies) to develop medicines or vaccines, they must include clauses or agreements that require timely and equitable access to resulting drugs or diagnostics during pandemics.

Ratification Process of WHO Pandemic Agreement:

The Agreement outlines steps to prepare for its implementation. This includes launching a process to draft and negotiate a Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing system (PABS) through an Intergovernmental Working Group. The result of this process will be considered at the 2026 World Health Assembly (WHA).
Once the WHA adopts the PABS annex, the WHO Pandemic Agreement will then be open for signature and ratification, including by national legislative bodies. After 60 ratifications, the Agreement will enter into force.

Limitations

Although the agreement on the draft treaty has been hailed as groundbreaking and historic, several experts have said that it has a limited scope.

No Enforcement Power: The treaty relies on voluntary cooperation and has no enforcement mechanism. WHO would have no way to ensure countries adhere to the terms to which they had agreed. WHO does not have the power to mandate or impose any requirements such as ban or accept travellers, impose vaccination mandates, or implement lockdown.
Absence of clear IP Protection: Without strong IP protection (like patents), pharmaceutical companies may be reluctant to invest in pandemic-related products, fearing compulsory licensing, technology transfer mandates, or loss of market exclusivity.
Unclear Implementation: The pathogen-sharing system still lacks operational clarity raising concerns about how it will work in a real emergency.
Absence of the United States: The US, a major pharma and vaccine hub, withdrew from negotiations. Experts say its absence will weaken the agreement.

The global pandemic treaty marks a milestone in international health diplomacy. But without enforcement powers, universal participation, or clarity on execution, it may fall short when the next pandemic strikes.

SC allows UGC to notify rules on Caste Discrimination

Context: The Supreme Court has allowed the University Grants Commission (UGC) to notify its 2025 Regulations aimed at promoting equity in higher education, while keeping the door open for improvements based on expert recommendations from the Task Force.

Relevance of the Topic: Prelims: Key facts related to UGC Draft Regulations 2025.

Background:

Caste-based discrimination in higher education: Tragic suicides of Rohith Vemula (2016) and Payal Tadvi (2019), both from marginalised communities, highlighted systemic issues of caste-based discrimination in higher education institutions (HEIs). In 2019, a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) sought mechanisms to prevent such discrimination.
Justice S. Ravindra Bhat Task Force (2025): In response, the Supreme Court constituted a National Task Force chaired by former Justice S. Ravindra Bhat to examine student suicides and mental health concerns in higher education institutions.
The petitioners requested the Court to hold off notifying the new University Grants Commission Regulations of 2025, until the National Task Force gave its full report on mental health, student suicides, and discrimination in colleges and universities.
However, the SC has allowed the regulations to be notified while ensuring that the Task Force’s work would continue and its recommendations could still be incorporated into the regulations later.

Caste-based discrimination in India’s Educational institutions:

Centre for Study of Developing Societies (CSDS) Youth Survey found that 1 in 4 Dalit students in colleges reported being discriminated against by teachers.
Indian Institute of Dalit Studies (IIDS) Findings reported that over 65% of Dalit students experience caste-based discrimination in classrooms.

According to India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) 2021-22:

Low enrollment rates: SC and ST students still have lower enrolment rates in higher education: (SC - 14.2% of total enrolment and ST - 5.8%).
Higher dropout rates: Dropout rates are higher among SC/ST students, often attributed to hostile campus environments and caste-based microaggressions.

University Grants Commission Regulations of 2025

The draft regulations deal with ragging, sexual harassment and discrimination on the basis of caste, gender, disability, among other biases in institutions of higher learning.

Key Provisions:

Enhanced authority of UGC: The regulations give the UGC the authority to derecognise (disqualify) any institution that does not follow the anti-discrimination rules or is found guilty of mistreatment.
Clear responsibility: Institutions must take responsibility for protecting students from any form of discrimination, including on the basis of caste, religion, or mental health issues.
Preventive measures: Colleges and universities are expected to set up mechanisms (like anti-discrimination cells or support groups) to handle complaints and provide a safe environment.
Equal Opportunity Centres: Mandatory establishment of EOCs in all higher education institutions to oversee equity initiatives and address grievances.
Monitoring and Accountability: Institutions will be required to report cases and submit regular updates to the UGC about the actions taken against discrimination.
False complaints: The regulations also address false complaints, potentially leading to fines or disciplinary action for those found to have made such complaints.
Counseling: Provision of mental health support and counseling services to students to address psychological well-being.

DRDO conducts Scramjet Engine Ground Test

Context: The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has successfully conducted a long-duration ground test of an Active Cooled Scramjet Subscale Combustor for over 1000 seconds. Earlier, DRDO had successfully conducted the ground test of the scramjet engine for 120 seconds. This marks a significant milestone in development of scramjet-powered hypersonic technology.

Relevance of the Topic: Prelims: Key facts about Hypersonic Missiles; Scramjet Engine.

What are Hypersonic Missiles?

Hypersonic Missiles are a class of advanced weaponry that travel at speeds greater than Mach 5.
Key Features:
- Speed: Over Mach 5 (five times speed of sound or more than 5,400 km/hr)
- Manoeuvrability: Hypersonic missiles can change course mid-air, making it very difficult for an interceptor to intercept it.
- Altitude: Travels at relatively lower altitudes than a conventional missile, thereby, evading detection by radar.
- Thus, they have the potential to bypass existing Air Defence Systems and deliver rapid and high-impact strikes.
Engine: The key to hypersonic vehicles is Scramjets engines which are capable of sustaining combustion at supersonic speeds.
Several nations including the USA, Russia, India and China are actively pursuing Hypersonic technology.

What is a Scramjet Engine?

Scramjets are air-breathing engines capable of sustaining combustion at supersonic speeds without the need for any moving parts (functions without turbines or compressors).
The Scramjet engine designed by ISRO uses Hydrogen as fuel and the Oxygen from the atmospheric air as the oxidiser.
Working:
- A scramjet engine collects oxygen from the atmosphere (rather than carrying an oxidiser) as it is travelling, and mixes the oxygen with its hydrogen fuel.
- Combustion occurs at supersonic speed (exceeding Mach 1), needed for hypersonic travel of the missile.

Recent successful ground test by DRDO

The ground test of the scramjet combustor showcased several notable achievements like successful ignition and stable combustion.

Stable combustion:
- Ignition in a scramjet engine is like ‘keeping a candle lit in a hurricane.’
- Scramjet combustor incorporates an innovative flame stabilisation technique that holds continuous flame inside the combustor with airspeed of over 1.5 km per second.
Scramjet fuel: Endothermic scramjet fuel (central to this breakthrough) was developed for the first time in India jointly by Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL), and industry.
- The fuel offers dual benefits of significant cooling improvement and ease of ignition.
Advanced Computational Fluid Dynamics simulation tools were used for their evaluation and performance prediction.
Thermal Barrier Coating: Thermal Barrier Coating was designed to withstand extreme temperatures encountered during hypersonic flight. The coating is applied inside the Scramjet engine using special deposition methods that enhance their performance and longevity.

Significance: The achievement is a crucial milestone in the development of next-generation hypersonic missions.

What is Human papillomavirus (HPV)?

Context: The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) has announced the successful scientific review and validation of India’s first indigenously developed Human Papillomavirus (HPV) test kits for cervical cancer screening.

Relevance of the Topic: Prelims: Key facts about Human papillomavirus (HPV); HPV Shot in India.

Human papillomavirus (HPV)

Human papillomavirus is a small, double-stranded DNA virus from the papillomavirus family.
Threat:
- The virus is capable of infecting both women and men.
- HPV can cause genital warts and cancer in the cervix, vulva, vagina, penis, anus, and throat.
- HPV infection is responsible for about 5% of all cancers worldwide.
Primary mode of transmission:
- Any intimate skin-to-skin contact and sexually transmitted via vaginal, anal, or oral sex.
- The immune system usually clears the virus, but high-risk strains can lead to cancer.
Treatment:
- There is no treatment for HPV, but in most cases it goes away without treatment.
- HPV vaccines do not cure cancer, they are highly effective in preventing certain associated cancers. HPV vaccine stimulates the immune system to recognise the virus and produce antibodies that neutralise the virus, before it can cause cancer.

HPV Shot in India

The Indian government plans to vaccinate girls aged 9-14 against HPV to reduce the risk of cervical cancer.
- Cervical cancer develops in the cervix or the wall of the cervix.
- HPV is responsible for 99.7% of cervical cancers worldwide.
- Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among Indian women. India has 20% of the global burden of cervical cancer.
Cervavac is India's first Quadrivalent Human Papillomavirus Vaccine (qHPV) developed by the Serum Institute of India. It prevents the entry of four of the most common types of HPV 16, 18, 6 and 11.
Challenges: Uptake of HPV vaccine is low in India, due to:
- High cost of HPV vaccine.
- Lack of awareness and cultural perceptions around reproductive health.
Way Forward:
- National Technical Advisory Group for Immunisation (NTAGI) has recommended the inclusion of the HPV vaccine in the national immunisation programme.
- Rolling out a nationwide human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination campaign.
- Regular cervical cancer screening (Pap smear and HPV test) is recommended for women to detect precancerous changes in the cervix caused by HPV.

Telecom Sector: Adjusted Gross Revenue

Context: Bharti Airtel Ltd, India’s second-largest telecom operator, has urged the department of telecommunications (DoT) to convert its adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues into equity.

Relevance of the Topic: Prelims: Adjusted Gross Revenue.

What is Adjusted Gross Revenue?

AGR is the measure of the revenue earned by India's telecom sector from their licensed services. AGR is used to calculate the license fee and spectrum usage charges the telecom operators must pay to the government.
Originally, calculation of AGR included revenue earned by telecom operators from both core revenue and non-core revenue (interest income, sale of assets etc.)
- In 2019, the Supreme Court ruled that the AGR of telecom operators would include both core and non-core revenue. This judgement led to an increase in the share of revenue which the telecom operators are required to pay to the Government.
However, as part of Telecom Relief Package of 2021: AGR would include only the core revenue. Non-Core Revenue will be excluded from the calculation of AGR. This aimed to reduce the financial burden on the telecom operators in future.

Telecom Relief Package of 2021

The package aimed to provide space to the Telecom operators to improve their business and clear dues over a longer period. Key features:

The government gave a 4-year moratorium on dues arising out of the AGR judgement by the Supreme Court (2019).
Telecom operators have the option to convert deferred interest dues into equity at the end of the moratorium period.
The definition of AGR has been changed to exclude non-telecom revenue.
Rationalisation of spectrum charges for telecom operators:
- annual compounding of interest on spectrum usage charges (instead of monthly)
- interest rate lowered based on the formula MCLR + 2%.
100% foreign direct investment in the telecom sector through the automatic route.

Conversion of AGR into Equity

Earlier in 2023, the government had converted ₹16,133 crore of Vodafone Idea interest dues into equity. The equity conversion in Vodafone Idea happened as part of the telecom relief package of 2021.
The moratorium is set to expire in 2025, after which the telecom operators would have to start making yearly payments to the government to clear their liabilities.

Benefits of conversion of AGR into Equity:

It is a win-win situation for both the government and Telecom operators.

Telecom operators would be relieved of making annual installments pertaining to past dues and save on cash outgo in terms of interest.
The government can sell the stake in the market and earn a premium on its investments, given the share price has an upside and the company is doing well financially.

However, the government is not considering giving any fresh relief to the telecom sector.