Current Affairs

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Indian Grey Wolves heading towards Extinction

Context: Indian grey wolf population in Maharashtra’s Kadbanwadi grassland is declining due to threats from feral dogs, disease, habitat changes, and conservation challenges.

Relevance of the Topic: Prelims: Key facts related to Kadbanwadi grasslands; Indian grey wolf.

Declining population of Indian grey wolf: 

  • In the Kadbanwadi grasslands of Pune district (Maharashtra), the Indian grey wolf, a crucial top predator, is rapidly disappearing. About 10 years ago, there were around 70 adult wolves, but now only 6 have been spotted. 
  • This sharp decline is alarming because wolves are crucial for maintaining ecological balance by regulating the populations of smaller predators and herbivores, which in turn helps sustain the overall health of the ecosystem.

Kadbanwadi grasslands

  • Location: Indapur tehsil, Pune district, Maharashtra.
  • Area: 2000 hectares 
  • Fauna: In addition to the Indian grey wolf, Kadbanwadi is home to other species such as the Bengal fox, striped hyena, and Brahminy kite.
image 6

Indian Grey Wolves in Kadbanwadi 

  • Indian Grey wolf is the apex predator in Kadbanwadi grasslands.
  • It is brown in colour with black-and-white markings on their backs.
  • It was considered as the grassland’s guardians as they ensure a healthy ecosystem by regulating the numbers of smaller predators and herbivores.
  • Conservation Status:
    • Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule I
    • IUCN Status: Endangered
    • CITES: Appendix I
  • Significant threats: Attacks by feral dogs, the spread of Canine Distemper Virus (CDV) from stray dogs, genetic dilution due to crossbreeding with feral dogs, a shrinking prey base caused by the decline in shepherding practices, and habitat disruption from urban waste and encroachment. 

First Pangenome of Asian Rice

Context: An international team of scientists have assembled a first of its kind ‘pangenome’ of Asian rice. It was developed by integrating key parts of genomes from 144 varieties of rice, including wild and cultivated varieties of rice from Asia. 

Relevance of the topic:

Prelims: Key concepts: Pangenome.

Mains: Achievements of biotechnology to address climate change. 

What is a Pangenome?

  • The pangenome refers to the entire set of genes present in a species, including both the core genome (genes present in all individuals) and the accessory genome (genes present in only some individuals or strains).
  • A pangenome map typically involves the identification and annotation of genes and their genomic locations within a species. It provides insights into the genetic diversity and variability within a species, as well as the presence of specific genes or gene variants in different individuals or populations.

First Pangenome of Asian Rice: 

  • Pangenome is the comprehensive collection of the common genes as well as the unique genes found in the individual rice varieties. It presents a complete understanding of the genetic variation present in rice.
  • ‘PacBio high-fidelity’(HiFi) sequencing technology and computational methods were used to create the pangenome. 
  • The study identified 69,531 genes collectively spanning the pangenome, with 28,907 core genes and 13,728 wild-rice-specific genes. Of the 69,531 genes identified, about 20% were specific to wild rice. 

Significance: 

  • Evolutionary Insights: This study reinforced support for the hypothesis that all Asian cultivated rice has an evolutionary origin from a wild variety called Or-IIIa, the ancestor of japonica.
  • The rice pangenome allows researchers to:
    • Develop new rice cultivars with high yield capacity 
    • Introduce new traits for disease-tolerance. 
    • Provides resilience against climate shocks.
    • Develop region-specific varieties suited to local agroclimate.

These genetic resources can improve understanding of rice environmental adaptation, phenotypic plasticity and regeneration potential.

Rice: Staple Crop in India

  • Rice is a staple crop for nearly two-thirds of the globe. It is the primary crop grown in India over the monsoon months of June-September. In 2024-25, India produced a record 220 million tonnes of rice over 51,000 ha with an average yield of 4.2 tonnes/ha. 
  • Threats impacting production of rice: India’s average temperature has increased by 0.7º C since 1901. 2024 was the hottest year on record, with the average minimum temperature 0.9º C above the long-term average. Studies have warned that rising temperatures due to climate change would not only affect yields but also increase arsenic uptake among several rice varieties. 
  • Gene-edited Rice: Recently, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) announced the development of two varieties of genome-edited rice, Samba Mahsuri and MTU 1010, that reportedly promise higher yields and better drought resistance. These, however, are yet to be released into farmer fields.

Also Read: Understanding a human pangenome map 

The ‘pangenome’ is the most comprehensive reference of the rice genome till date. It could potentially provide avenues for developing superior and more productive rice varieties, and enhancing the resilience to rapid environmental changes. 

Scientists find second Natural Source of Gold

Context: Researchers have reported that the universe may have another way to produce the element gold, apart from collision of neutron stars. They have reported the first direct observational evidence of a process called r-process nucleosynthesis in a powerful flare emitted by a magnetar in 2004. 

Relevance of the Topic: Prelims: Key facts about Neutron stars; Magnetars; r-process nucleosynthesis. 

Known Source of Gold- Neutron Star Collisions:

  • Neutron Stars: Incredibly dense remnants of supermassive stars (with masses around 1025 times the mass of the Sun) that have exploded as supernovae. 
  • Gold is predominantly produced in the violent collisions and mergers of ultra-dense neutron stars. Such events are detected using space telescopes and gravitational wave detectors (E.g., LIGO). 

The New Discovery- Magnetar Flares produce Gold

  • Magnetars: Types of neutron stars with much more powerful magnetic fields than normal neutron stars. Most powerful known magnetic objects in the universe with magnetic fields in the range of 1015 gauss.
  • Magnetar Flares: Magnetar occasionally release large bursts of energy in flares (much powerful than solar flares).
  • Observation:
    • A powerful flare emitted by a magnetar in 2004 was recorded by NASA's Compton Gamma Ray Observatory. 
    • Almost a day after the flare, a delayed burst of high-energy gamma rays was released. 
    • The delayed emission was inconsistent with standard flare afterglows and contained evidence of radioactive decay from r-process nucleosynthesis. 
  • r-process nucleosynthesis: The rapid neutron capture process is the major nucleosynthesis process responsible for the synthesis of heavy nuclei, including gold. 
  • The study concludes that some magnetar flares can eject neutron-rich matter into space, where it goes through r-process nucleosynthesis to create heavy elements like gold. 

Significance

  • The early universe only had hydrogen, helium, and trace amounts of lithium. All other elements were created later in stars, cosmic explosions, and laboratory experiments. Mapping the sources tells us how galaxies, stars, and planets took shape over time.
  • Understanding the sources can also reveal how often an element was produced, and how the presence of an element influenced the source’s own evolution. 

Also Read: What are Fast Radio Bursts? 

What is the concept of Safe Harbour?

Context: The Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting is reconsidering the concept of safe harbour for social media platforms to combat the issue of “fake news” online.

Relevance of the topic:

Prelims: Concept of Safe Harbour clause.

Mains: Issues related to protecting freedom of speech in digital media. 

What is Safe Harbour?

  • Safe harbour is a legal concept that protects individual websites that allow third party users to share content from legal liability for any unlawful posts. The safe harbour protects the sites from any criminal action for third party content hosted by them. 
  • The Section 79 of the Information Technology Act, 2000 grants intermediaries safe harbour in India. However, the protections are given with some conditions.
    • If an intermediary receives “actual knowledge” of illegal content on their website, and they do not take the content down within a certain time period, they would lose the liability protections under Section 79. 
    • As per the Supreme Court of India, the “actual knowledge” means a court order or government notification.

Significance of Safe Harbour clause: 

  • It aims to encourage innovation online and prevent website owners from being unfairly hounded for content they had no hand in publishing. 
  • Without safe harbour protections, online intermediaries could face tremendous consequences for illegal content. E.g., In 2004, the then head of the website eBay in India was arrested because of a user listing of a disk containing child sex abuse material for sale.

How are intermediary liability protections regulated in India?

  • While safe harbour does have the conditions described above, the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 puts in place additional conditions for platforms to retain protection from intermediary liability. These include:
    • Social media firms need to have a nodal officer, a grievance officer resident in India.
    • The firms need to periodically submit reports of complaints they receive on content, and action taken against them for this. 
  • Different parts of the IT Rules have been challenged in courts in the last few years.
    • E.g., the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Amendment Rules, 2023 contained provisions that would strip safe harbour from sites for content that has been notified as “fake news” by the Press Information Bureau’s Fact Check Unit.
    • That amendment was immediately challenged in the Bombay High Court. Petitioners accused the government of exceeding its authority by designating a Fact Check Unit that could be an arbiter of truth, and putting pressure on social media companies to take content down without following the longer process of sending a notice to users whose content is being removed. 
    • In 2024, the Bombay High Court struck down the amended Information Technology (IT) Rules, by calling the amendment “unconstitutional”.

Also Read: Bombay HC strikes down Centre’s Fact Check Unit 

Why is the government considering amending the Safe Harbour clause?

  • The government has accused foreign social media platforms (E.g., X) of flouting Indian laws and acting too slowly on takedown notices. Hence, the government aims to amend safe harbour in order to make platforms more proactive in governing their sites, not just for misinformation, but also for AI-generated deepfakes, cyberfrauds etc. 
  • The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology is in the process of drafting a Digital India Act (DIA) that would incorporate these changes. However, the outlines of how safe harbour would change under this proposed law have not yet been revealed.  

Tapti Basin Mega Recharge Project

Context: Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra have signed an MoU to jointly implement the Tapti Basin Mega Recharge Project. It is aimed at enhancing regional water security by using Tapti river water for drinking and irrigation needs in both states.

Relevance of the Topic: Prelims: Key facts related to Tapti Basin Mega Recharge Project.

Tapti Basin Mega Recharge Project

  • The project is described as one of the largest water recharge projects globally with no displacement involved.
  • Water from the Tapti river will be diverted to cater to:
    • drinking water needs of north-eastern Maharashtra, including Nagpur.
    • provide irrigation support to southern and south-eastern districts of Madhya Pradesh such as Burhanpur and Khandwa.
  • Total planned utilisation of water under the scheme stands at 31.13 thousand million cubic feet (TMC), with 11.76 TMC allocated to MP and 19.36 TMC to Maharashtra.
  • Centre is expected to fund 90% of the project cost and the proposals will be submitted to classify it as a national water project.
  • This is the third major river-linking initiative undertaken by the Madhya Pradesh government in the past year, following the Ken-Betwa link project with Uttar Pradesh and the Parvati-Kalisindh-Chambal link project with Rajasthan.
image 27

About Tapti River:

  • Tapti or Tapi river is one of the major west-flowing rivers.
  • Origin: Multai in Betul district, Madhya Pradesh.
  • States Covered: Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat.
  • Major Tributaries of Tapti are:
    • Right Bank: Vaghur, Bori, Purna
    • Left Bank: Aner, Girna, Panjhra
  • Important cities along the river: Burhanpur (MP), Jalgaon (Maharashtra), Surat (Gujarat)
  • Dams and Projects: Ukai Dam (Gujarat), Hathnur Dam (Maharashtra)

Article 51 of UN Charter: Self-defence clause in global law

Context: India’s recent military action against Pakistan-based terrorist targets have revived debates on the right of self-defence under international law, especially under Article 51 of the United Nations (UN) Charter.

Relevance of the topic:

Prelims: Key facts related to provisions of self defence under the UN Charter especially Article 51 and Article 2(4) of UN Charter.

Mains: Role of the United Nations in maintaining international peace and security.

India justified its military action against Pakistan-based terrorist targets under the “unwilling or unable doctrine” and traditional principles of necessity and proportionality. 

Article 51 of the UN Charter

  • Article 51 of the UN Charter permits the use of force in self-defence only if an armed attack occurs. It is an exception to Article 2(4) of the UN Charter, which prohibits the use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state.
  • Military Action under Article 51 must satisfy two critical principles:
    • Necessity (Force must be the only option left)
    • Proportionality (the response should not exceed the scale of the attack).
  • Article 51 imposes a procedural obligation on member states to immediately report to the UNSC any military measures taken in self-defence. UNSC then assumes the authority to undertake action to maintain or restore international peace and security. 

Can it be exercised against Non-State Actors?

  • Traditionally, the UN Charter governs conduct between sovereign states. However, post- 9/11, several countries, especially the US, have argued that Article 51 extends to non-state actors (NSAs) such as terrorist organisations, even when they operate from another country’s territory.
  • However, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has maintained a more restrictive stance. It held that self-defence can be invoked only when an armed attack is carried out by or on behalf of a state. Thus, state attribution is a necessary condition.

What is the ‘unwilling or unable’ doctrine?

  • Emerging doctrine in international law permits the use of force in self-defence against non-state actors (NSAs) operating from the territory of another state, when that state is “unwilling or unable” to neutralise the threat. 
  • The US invoked it to justify the 2011 military operation that killed al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in Pakistan and the 2014 airstrikes against the IS in Syria. 
  • However, states such as China, Mexico, and Russia have condemned such military operations for undermining the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the host state.

Is proportionality essential?

  • Military operations under Article 51 must comply with the principles of necessity and proportionality. It is generally accepted that a host state’s unwillingness or inability to neutralise NSAs may fulfil the necessity requirement. 
  • However, the Leiden Policy Recommendations on Counter-Terrorism and International Law (2010) emphasise that military operations against the host state’s armed forces or facilities are permissible only in “exceptional circumstances”, such as when the state actively supports the terrorists.

This ensures that self-defence does not become a blanket justification for disproportionate or aggressive military campaigns, especially in cases involving non-state actors.

What lies ahead?

  • If the ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan fails to hold, the UNSC could adopt a resolution calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities. 
  • It may also vote on a subsequent resolution to address any further violations, including the imposition of sanctions or the deployment of its own peacekeeping or military forces. 

However, UNSC action depends heavily on the geopolitical interests of the five permanent members (P5), each with veto power. This makes any strong resolution on India-Pakistan issues difficult to pass.   

States cannot be compelled to adopt National Education Policy: SC 

Context: The Supreme Court has dismissed a petition seeking the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) in Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Kerala citing that it cannot compel any state to adopt NEP 2020. 

While the Centre claims that the NEP promotes multilingualism, Tamil Nadu argues that it puts unfair pressure on non-Hindi-speaking states.

Relevance of the topic:

Prelims: Key facts about National Education Policy 2020.

Mains: Debate surrounding three language formula in NEP. 

Major Highlights: 

  • The SC has stated that the court does not have the power to compel a state to follow a central policy like the National Education Policy 2020. Under Article 32 of Indian Constitution, the court can only intervene when there is a  violation of fundamental rights due to the policy’s implementation.

Key Facts

  • Education is on the Concurrent list of Schedule 7 of Indian Constitution, enabling both the Centre as well as the states to enact laws. The 42nd Constitutional Amendment moved education from the State List to the Concurrent List.
  • The Right of Education Act, under Article 21A, makes education a fundamental right of every child between the ages of 6-14 and specifies minimum norms in elementary schools. 
  • Article 32 of Indian Constitution grants every individual the right to move the Supreme Court for the enforcement of their fundamental rights.
  • The NEP 2020 is the latest education policy in India (after NEP 1986). It is founded on the five guiding pillars of Access, Equity, Quality, Affordability and Accountability. It proposes various reforms in school education as well as higher education including technical education.

Read More- National Education Policy 2020: National Education Policy 2020 

Pakistan-Turkey Strategic Nexus and India’s Geopolitical Response

Context: During the ongoing Indo-Pak crisis, Pakistan identified Turkey, China, and Azerbaijan as its principal international supporters, highlighting a growing strategic nexus that impacts India’s geopolitical calculus.

Relevance of the Topic: Mains: Growing Turkey-Pakistan strategic partnership and India’s response.

Turkey-Pakistan Friendship

  • Pakistan-Turkey relationship is rooted in shared Islamic identity and historical solidarity.
  • Turkey was the only Pakistani ally in West Asia to explicitly condemn Operation Sindoor.
  • Other Gulf countries have not only refrained from backing Pakistan, but have also shown greater sensitivity to India’s position on Kashmir.
image 26

Historical and Ideological Ties

  • During the Cold War, both countries were aligned under US-led security frameworks such as the Central Treaty Organisation (CENTO) and the Regional Cooperation for Development (RCD).
  • This historical camaraderie was reinforced by mutual support in international conflicts- Pakistan supported Turkey during the Cyprus crisis (1964, 1971), while Turkey has consistently backed Pakistan’s stance on Jammu and Kashmir.
  • The rise of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his brand of political Islam has further cemented this alliance. Erdogan’s repeated visits to Pakistan signify Ankara’s political commitment to Islamabad.
  • Geopolitically, Turkey (with Qatar) is locked in competition with its Gulf Arab rivals, led by Saudi Arabia and the UAE. To curb Saudi-Emirati influence, Turkey has looked for alternative architectures of cooperation with non-Gulf Muslim states such as Pakistan and Malaysia.

Defence Cooperation:  

  • Turkey is Pakistan’s second-largest arms supplier after China. Turkey has supplied Bayraktar drones, Asisguard Songar drones (used in recent attacks on India), Kemankes cruise missiles, Corvettes (warships) for the Pakistan Navy.
  • Since 2000, Turkish Navy has held numerous joint exercises with the Pakistan Navy, the second largest in the IOR. By contrast, it has hardly had any exercises with the Indian Navy.

India’s Geostrategic Countermeasures

India has pursued a multi-pronged strategy to counterbalance the Pakistan-Turkey nexus: 

  • Engagement with Turkey’s Regional Rivals: 
    • India supports the Republic of Cyprus and has deepened diplomatic engagement with Greece, both of which oppose Turkish claims in the Eastern Mediterranean.
    • India has emerged as Armenia’s primary defence supplier, particularly in the context of the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh. This counters the Turkey-Pakistan-Azerbaijan axis.
  • Strengthening West Asian Partnerships: India has built strong economic and diplomatic ties with Saudi Arabia and UAE despite their historic ties with Pakistan.Their neutral stance on recent Indo-Pak conflicts marks a diplomatic win for New Delhi.
  • Global Strategic Realignment: India’s inclusion in the U.S.-led Indo-Pacific Strategy, the QUAD, and the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) signifies its emergence as a pivotal Indo-Pacific actor, in contrast to Pakistan and Turkey, who are relatively marginal in this framework.
  • Participation in the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) bypasses Turkey, undercutting Turkey’s bridge-role between Europe and Asia.
  • Economic Diplomacy and Soft Power: India’s humanitarian assistance to Turkey during the 2023 earthquake (Operation Dost) showcased its diplomatic maturity, although it failed to alter Turkey’s pro-Pakistan stance.

Way Forward

  • India should deepen defence ties with Turkey’s regional rivals and promote diplomatic engagement with non-aligned Muslim states.
  • Greater cultural diplomacy and people-to-people exchanges with Turkish civil society may create long-term goodwill.
  • Strategic communication and realignment in multilateral forums can help neutralise hostile narratives on Kashmir.

Turkey today is a strong and entrenched part of Pakistan’s international alliance that works to India’s detriment, second only to China.

India warns of Retaliation if UK imposes Carbon Tax Under CBAM

Context: India has strongly opposed the UK’s proposed Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), citing that it reserves the right to retaliate if the UK proceeds without granting fair exemptions to Indian exporters.

Relevance of the Topic Prelims : key facts related to carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) Mains : Impact of CBAM on Indian exports.

Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM)

  • CBAM is a policy tool introduced by the European Union to ensure that imported goods are subject to the same carbon costs as products produced within the EU.
  • It aims to prevent "carbon leakage," where companies shift production to countries with lower carbon standards to avoid carbon costs.
  • The United Kingdom, though no longer part of the EU, is now planning its own version of CBAM, which has sparked fresh trade tensions with India. It is expected to start from January 1, 2027. 

Also Read: Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism 

Impact of CBAM on Indian Exports: 

  • Reduce price competitiveness: Carbon tax on carbon intensive goods (steel, aluminium, cement, and fertilisers etc.) imported from India will make Indian goods more expensive than local or other compliant imports reducing price Competitiveness
  • Undermines FTA benefits: While the FTA might reduce or eliminate tariffs, Indian exports could still face hefty carbon taxes, potentially far exceeding the UK’s current average tariff rate of under 2%.
  • Burden on MSMEs: MSMEs often lack the resources to measure and report carbon emissions, making CBAM compliance costly and potentially forcing them out of export markets.

India’s Response

  • India has labelled the CBAM as an unfair measure and a violation of the "common but differentiated responsibilities" (CBDR) principle.
    • CBDR principle is a multilateral climate negotiations which says developed and developing countries should not be treated the same when it comes to climate responsibilities. Developed nations, having polluted more historically, must bear a greater responsibility.
  • India had requested the UK for Special treatment for Indian MSMEs under CBAM and a ‘rebalancing mechanism’ – a clause in the trade deal that would compensate Indian exporters if they suffer losses due to this tax. However the UK remains unwilling to grant any concession under CBAM.
  • India inserted a clause related to rebalancing inside the “General Exceptions” chapter of the trade agreement draft. In global trade rules (like WTO’s GATT agreement), this chapter says a country can take actions that normally break trade rules, if it is doing so to protect the environment or public health.
  • So, this protects India from legal trouble at the WTO, if it takes action against the UK’s carbon tax.

Also Read: India and UK conclude Free Trade Agreement 

India must negotiate with UK firmly to ensure that market access gained through tariff elimination is not undermined by other barriers.  

RBI relaxes FPI investment limit in Corporate Debt Securities

Context: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has relaxed norms for foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) investing in corporate debt securities through the general route. 

Relevance of the Topic: Prelims: Key facts related to FPI norms.

Major Highlights:

  • Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) in corporate debt securities will no longer be required to adhere to the short-term investment and concentration limits. The decision, effective immediately, aims to provide greater ease of investment for FPIs. 

Earlier Regulations

  • Short-term investment limit: FPIs were restricted from investing more than 30% of their total investment in corporate debt securities with residual maturity up to one year.
  • Concentration limit: For long-term FPIs, investment in a single corporate issuer could not exceed 15% of their corporate bond portfolio. For other FPIs, this limit was 10%.

Now both these limits have been withdrawn. FPIs can now invest more freely in corporate debt securities, without being constrained by maturity or issuer concentration limits. This relaxation comes in the backdrop of the financial markets facing volatility due to geopolitical tensions and tariff wars. 

Corporate Debt Securities:

Financial instruments issued by companies to raise funds from investors. In return the companies offer the investors regular interest payments and the return of principal at maturity. E.g., Corporate bonds, debentures, Non-Convertible debentures, Commercial Papers etc.

Significance of the Reforms: 

  • Liberalise India’s debt market: It is a major step toward liberalising India's debt market.
  • Retention of foreign capital: It gives more options to FPIs to park the proceeds from their sale in the equity markets in corporate debt securities at attractive interest rates without having to immediately repatriate the proceeds.
  • Diversification of Investor base: Attracts a wider range of global institutional investors, reducing dependence on domestic funding sources.
  • Improve Market liquidity: Eased investment norms are likely to increase demand for corporate debt instruments, thereby improving market liquidity, reducing cost of capital for firms, and promoting financial deepening.

Challenges

Despite these changes, foreign investors might still hesitate to invest more due to two key reasons:  

1. Narrowing US-India 10-Year Yield Spread:

  • The 10-year yield spread is the difference between the interest rates (yields) on Indian government bonds and US government bonds.
  • A higher spread means Indian bonds offer better returns compared to US bonds, which attracts foreign investors.
  • Currently, this spread has narrowed to around 200 basis points (2%), meaning the extra return from Indian bonds is less attractive. This reduces the incentive for FPIs to take the additional risk of investing in India.

2. External Risk Factors:

  • External Risk Factors like geopolitical tensions, US Federal Reserve interest rate changes etc. These risks can make investors risk-averse, leading them to prefer safer assets in developed countries.

While the reforms create better long-term conditions for corporate bond market growth, meaningful FPI inflows may only materialise when yields are attractive.

CCI notifies New Definitions to curb Predatory Pricing

Context: The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has notified the CCI (Determination of Cost of Production) Regulations, 2025, by repealing the previous Cost Regulations 2009. The move aims to restrict deep discounting practices and provide clarity in digital market regulation.

Relevance of the Topic: Prelims: Key facts related to Predatory Pricing and Cost Regulations 2025. 

Major Highlights: 

  • CCI introduces stringent rules to curb predatory pricing in e-commerce, removing market value as a benchmark and revising cost definitions. 
  • CCI has issued new rules to define how it will calculate the cost of a product or service in order to determine if a company is engaging in predatory pricing or not. 

What is Predatory Pricing?

  • Under Section 4 of the Competition Act, 2002, predatory pricing is defined as the sale of goods or provision of services at a price below the cost of production, with a view to reduce competition or eliminate competitors.
  • Competition law prohibits predatory pricing as an abusive conduct by a dominant enterprise. 
image 25

Cost Regulations 2025

The Cost Regulations 2025 establish a sector-agnostic, cost-based framework that is flexible and adaptable to various industries, including the digital economy.

  • New cost definitions: The cost of a product or service is now defined as its Average Variable Cost (AVC). Average variable cost is the total variable cost divided by total output during a particular period. Here, the total variable cost refers to the total cost (including everything that goes into the production of that good or service) minus the fixed cost and fixed overheads attributable to the product.
  • No sector-specific metrics: The CCI decided to avoid using sector-specific definitions of cost, and instead has decided to view them on a case-by-case basis, enabling the commission to consider the unique features and evolving dynamics of digital markets when evaluating alleged predatory conduct.
  • Market value not accepted as cost benchmark: It was suggested that CCI should consider market price instead of internal costs to judge predatory pricing, especially in industries with unusual pricing models. But as per CCI, the market price is not a true measure of cost, and it will continue using actual production costs for assessment, as this is more accurate and globally accepted. 

This reform not only reinforces regulatory fairness but also promotes healthy market competition, benefiting consumers and new entrants alike.

India needs National Security Doctrine

Context: In the wake of the ongoing confrontation between India and Pakistan, after the Pahalgam terrorist attack in Kashmir, the need for a comprehensive National Security Doctrine for India becomes more pertinent. 

Relevance of the Topic: Mains: National Security Doctrine: Need and Significance. 

What is the National Security Doctrine?

  • National Security Doctrine (NSD) is a comprehensive framework that outlines a country’s national interest and security objectives. It defines traditional, non-traditional threats and opportunities, and outlines the accountability of its security agencies.

Developed countries have certain core principles that guide their military machines called the strategic doctrine. However, India does not have an explicit National Security Doctrine. 

Need for National Security Doctrine in India:

Traditional and non-traditional security challenges facing India have necessitated a comprehensive National Security Doctrine. 

  • Internal Security Challenges: 
    • Cross-border terrorism in Jammu & Kashmir
    • Naxalism and North-East Insurgency
    • Ethnic tensions & communal conflicts. E.g., Manipur Conflict 
  • External Security Challenges:
    • Boundary-disputes and skirmishes with China & Pakistan
    • China's Belt and Road Initiative and its influence in the Indian Ocean Region
  • Non Traditional Security Challenges: 
    • Climate change, natural disasters and outbreak of pandemic
    • Drug trafficking and transnational crimes
    • Cyber-security threats on critical infrastructure

Various committees like Naresh Chandra Task Force (2012), Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence (2021) have emphasised the need for NSD.

Significance of National Security Doctrine:

  • Strategic Guidance: Ensure coherent long-term planning and Standardisation of Procedures (E.g., SOPs for military modernisation and allocation of resources)
  • Prompt and Effective Decision-Making based on the National Security Strategy outlined in the NSD. 
  • Integrated Defence Planning: Synergy across Army, Navy, and Air Force to meet hybrid threats and increased operational efficiency. It will synchronise the coordination among Ministries, Intelligence Agencies, and Armed forces.
  • Consistent Security Response: Reduce adhocism in dealing with security challenges during coalition government or change in government. 
  • Define India’s role in the world and showcase itself as a net security provider, such as during the Mission Sagar initiative for COVID-19 pandemic relief.

The doctrinal approach to security would not only minimise the threat of war but also enhances India’s sphere of positive influence. This would also fill the crucial gaps in higher military management and offer a strategic blueprint to navigate the complex global security landscape.

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