14.08.25

• Strategic Balancing: India aims to maintain ties with both the US and Russia for energy and defense needs.
• Counterbalancing China: Reduced US-Russia tensions could allow Russia to focus more on the Indo-Pacific, potentially counterbalancing China.
• Economic and Security Stability: Breakdown of talks could disrupt vital flows of food, energy, and arms for India.

• Why: This signifies a major step towards formalizing and expanding economic ties between the two nations.

• Why: This broader scope aims to create a more comprehensive and predictable environment for businesses, addressing regulatory issues.

• Why: The CEPA builds upon this existing strong relationship, indicating a willingness to deepen strategic economic integration.

• Why: The CEPA is expected to further boost this trade volume, benefiting both economies by facilitating the exchange of key goods.

• Why: It highlights India’s proactive approach to expanding its global trade footprint through preferential agreements.

• Why: While a positive development, the lack of a timeline indicates that further procedural steps are required before the agreement comes into effect.

Underperformance in Delhi: Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs) in Delhi have disposed of only about 43% of cases as of June 2025. This is significant as it undermines public confidence in the justice system’s ability to handle severe crimes swiftly.

Scheme Background: The FTSCs Scheme 2019, funded by the Nirbhaya Fund under the Ministry of Law & Justice, aims to speed up trials for rape and child sexual abuse cases. Each FTSC is meant to dispose of at least 165 cases annually. The scheme has been extended until March 2026, with a target of 790 FTSCs.

Need for FTSCs: The establishment of FTSCs was driven by a large backlog of rape and POCSO cases. The Supreme Court directed districts with over 100 pending POCSO cases to set up exclusive special courts. The POCSO Act mandates trials to conclude within one year of cognizance.

Performance Snapshot: Nationally, as of June 2025, 725 FTSCs (including 392 POCSO courts) are operational, and reported a 96% disposal rate in 2024. However, Delhi’s figures show a slower pace.

Challenges:

• Insufficient FTSCs: Only around 700 of the 1,023 sanctioned FTSCs are functional, with an estimated need for 1,000 more.
• Quality Concerns/Political Gimmick: Critics argue that fast-tracking cases by reallocating the same judges delays other cases, calling it a “political gimmick.”
• Lack of Specialized Support: Many FTSCs lack victim-friendly facilities like Vulnerable Witness Deposition Centers and specialized support staff (female prosecutors/counselors).

Impact on Survivors: Delays in the legal process for rape cases prolong the suffering and hinder the healing and recovery of survivors.

Avoidable Delays: Experts believe delays are avoidable due to the typically limited number of witnesses and less lengthy cross-examinations in these cases, suggesting trials could conclude much faster with greater seriousness from the state.

Significant Contraction of LWE: Left Wing Extremism (LWE), once a major threat spanning a vast “Red Corridor,” has been significantly reduced to only 18 districts.

Why in News: The article highlights the decline of LWE as a successful outcome of India’s multi-pronged strategy, particularly the SAMADHAN doctrine.

Decline in Incidents & Fatalities: LWE incidents dropped by over 50% and fatalities by nearly 70% between 2004-14 and 2014-23. Naxal-related violence has drastically reduced from its peak in 2010.

Factors Contributing to Decline:

• Targeted Development: Implementation of development schemes addressing socio-economic grievances in affected regions.
• Sustained Security Operations: Coordinated intelligence sharing, smart policing, and area domination operations by security forces.
• Internal Crises: Leadership crises (e.g., resignation of Ganapathy, Basava Raju’s death) and ideological rigidity led to alienation of the support base.
• Erosion of Grassroots Support: Communities are increasingly focused on education, employment, and mainstream integration rather than Maoist ideology.
• Rehabilitation & Mainstreaming: Successful surrender-cum-rehabilitation packages and livelihood opportunities for former extremists.
• Inter-Agency Coordination: A whole-of-government approach and effective Centre-State coordination.

SC Strikes Down Gender-Based Quota for JAG Recruitment: The Supreme Court invalidated the Army’s policy that reserved more vacancies for men in the Judge Advocate General (JAG) branch, asserting that selection must be based solely on merit, not gender.

• Why: The Court found that bifurcating candidates by gender and reserving posts for men violated legal standards and fundamental rights to equality. It emphasized that the Army cannot restrict numbers or make reservations for men through policy under the guise of administrative instructions.

Common Merit List Mandated: The SC directed the Army and Union Government to prepare a single, merit-based list for JAG recruitment, ensuring women are considered for all available vacancies once permitted entry.

• Why: The previous notification offering women only three posts compared to double the vacancies for men was deemed a violation of equality. The Court reasoned that selection criteria and testing parameters for men and women in JAG were the same, and officers don’t have different conditions of service based on gender.

Equal Opportunity in Combat-Support Roles: The Supreme Court rejected the Army’s argument that women cannot serve in counter-insurgency or counter-terror roles, highlighting that excluding women from these operational areas lacks a legal basis and infringes upon equality.

• Why: The Court pointed to examples of women officers excelling in high-risk duties and commanding convoys in militant-prone areas, questioning their exclusion from combat operations. It stressed that a nation cannot be secure when half its population is held back.

Significance of Women in Defence: The ruling underscores the importance of women in enhancing operational effectiveness through diverse skills, strengthening peace by protecting vulnerable populations, and inspiring younger officers, thereby promoting gender equality and reflecting societal progress.

• Why: Integrating women ensures representation, upholds constitutional articles related to equality, and promotes accountability and human rights within the armed forces.

Scientific Significance: The region (Eastern Himalayas) is highly seismically active due to the collision of Indian and Eurasian Plates, with convergence rates of 10-38 mm/year. A recent earthquake displayed unique mixed thrust and strike-slip motion, causing significant landscape changes.

Geological Context: The Great Assam Earthquake stemmed from continental plate collision, creating a complex tectonic zone linked to the Assam syntaxis, featuring multiple faults. Historical data indicates significant seismic activity in this area throughout history.

Implications for the Future: The Eastern Himalayas remain a high-risk seismic zone, capable of producing a 1950-scale earthquake. While prediction is impossible, the growing urban population and infrastructure make a future event potentially more catastrophic.

Plate Tectonics Basics: This theory explains Earth’s lithosphere is divided into moving plates. Plate movement, driven by mantle convection, leads to various geological phenomena like mountain building (convergent boundaries), seafloor spreading (divergent boundaries), and earthquakes (transform boundaries). It explains the global distribution of geological features.

• Why in news: It’s India’s first initiative of its kind, aiming for uniform drug quality and safety nationwide.

• Why in news: This move seeks to elevate India’s pharmaceutical sector to global standards, ensuring medicines are trusted internationally and domestically.

• Why in news: Transparency and cross-learning are key, with rankings shared among states to promote best practices.

• Why in news: This tailored approach allows for targeted improvements based on specific roles, addressing gaps in human resources, infrastructure, licensing, surveillance, and responsiveness.

• Why in news: SHRESTH is seen not just as a scorecard but as a roadmap for states to ensure safe and effective drugs, fostering a collaborative spirit for better public health.

• Why in news: This proactive approach demonstrates a commitment to continuous improvement and empowering state authorities.

National Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission (NSCAEM) Launched: The Union government initiated this mission in July 2023 with the ambitious goal of eliminating sickle cell genetic transmission by 2047.

• Why News: This is a significant, long-term public health initiative targeting a widespread genetic disorder.

Progress and Scale: Over 60.7 million people have been screened by July 2024, with 216,000 diagnosed with Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) and 1.69 million identified as carriers. The mission aims to screen 70 million people under 40 by FY26.

• Why News: Demonstrates rapid progress and a massive screening effort, highlighting the scale of the challenge and the government’s commitment.

Disproportionate Impact: SCD primarily affects India’s tribal population, causing severe health issues due to impaired oxygen transport.

• Why News: Underscores the social justice aspect of the mission, addressing health inequity among vulnerable communities.

Geographic Focus: 95% of cases are concentrated in Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, and Maharashtra.

• Why News: Informs resource allocation and targeted interventions for the most affected regions.

Interventions and Approach: The mission involves free healthcare, essential medicines (like hydroxyurea), diagnostics, genetic counselling, awareness campaigns, genetic status cards, Centres of Excellence, and cost-effective PoC diagnostic devices. It employs a “whole-of-government” strategy.

• Why News: Details the comprehensive, multi-pronged approach being taken to tackle the disease, from diagnosis to prevention and treatment.

PM’s Endorsement: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has shared an article by Union Minister Shri Jagat Prakash Nadda, calling the mission a “landmark initiative” marking “a new era in public health.”

• Why News: High-level political endorsement signifies the national importance and strategic priority given to the elimination of Sickle Cell Anaemia.