UPSC DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS (20th May,2025)

India and the European Union (EU)

Syllabus: GS2/International Relations

Context

• India and the European Union (EU) chief negotiators have concluded another round of talks on the proposed free trade agreement (FTA) and agreed to reach a deal in two phases.

India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) Negotiations Overview

• Negotiation Resumption: Talks resumed in June 2022 after an 8-year hiatus (stalled in 2013 due to market access disagreements).
• Objective: To finalize a comprehensive trade agreement covering goods, services, investments, and geographical indications.
• Negotiation Structure: The agreement will be concluded in two phases, following India’s phased approach used in previous FTAs (e.g., with Australia).
  • This is partly due to the volatile global trade environment, including US tariff actions.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the European Commission President agreed to seal the deal by the end of this year.

Key Focus Areas

• Market Access: Duty cuts demanded by the EU in automobiles, medical devices, wines, spirits, meat, and poultry.
• Services and Investments: The talks focused on areas like market access offers in goods, services, and investment.
• Regulatory Aspects: Stronger Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) framework.
  • Agreements on sanitary and phytosanitary measures, technical barriers to trade, customs, government procurement, and sustainability.

Potential Benefits

• Increased competitiveness for Indian exports like ready-made garments, pharmaceuticals, steel, petroleum products, and electrical machinery.
• Stronger investment protection and clearer dispute settlement mechanisms.
• Enhanced bilateral cooperation in innovation and sustainable development.

India-EU relations 

• Political cooperation: India-EU relations date to the early 1960s, and a cooperation agreement signed in 1994 took the bilateral relationship beyond trade and economic cooperation.
  • The first India-EU Summit, in 2000, marked a watershed in the evolution of the relationship. 
  • At the 5th India-EU Summit at The Hague in 2004, the relationship was upgraded to a ‘Strategic Partnership’. 
• Economic cooperation : India’s bilateral trade in goods with the EU was USD 137.41 billion in 2023-24, making it the largest trading partner of India for goods.
  • EU is India’s largest trading partner for goods, 17% of India’s exports go to the EU and 9% of EU exports come to India.
• Other areas of cooperation:
  • The India-EU Water Partnership (IEWP), established in 2016, aims to enhance technological, scientific, and policy frameworks in water management.
  • In 2020, there was an agreement for research and development cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy between the European Atomic Energy Community and the Government of India.
  • India and the EU established the Trade and Technology Council (TTC) in 2023. The TTC is a forum for the two parties to collaborate on trade, technology, and security. The TTC’s goals.

India’s Relationship with Türkiye and Azerbaijan

Syllabus :GS 2/IR

In News

• India’s trade relations with Türkiye and Azerbaijan are expected to come under strain due to Ankara and Baku backing Islamabad and condemning India’s recent strikes on terror camps in Pakistan. 

Background 

• India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 to destroy nine terror infrastructures in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir in retaliation for the Kashmir’s Pahalgam terror attack on April 22.
  • All subsequent retaliations for Pakistani offensives were carried out under ‘Operation Sindoor’.
  • During the conflict, Pakistan used Turkish drones in its failed attempt to target Indian military installations.
• India and Pakistan announced reaching an understanding to stop all firings and military actions on land, air and sea.

India’s Trade relationship with Türkiye and Azerbaijan

• A bilateral trade agreement was signed in 1973, followed by a pact on setting up an India, Turkiye Joint Commission on Economic and Technical Cooperation in 1983.
• India’s exports to Türkiye stood at USD 5.2 billion during Apr-Feb 2024-25 as against USD 6.65 billion in 2023-24.
  • It accounts for only about 1.5 per cent of India’s total exports of USD 437 billion.
  • India’s imports from Türkiye was USD 2.84 billion during Apr-Feb 2024-25 as against USD 3.78 billion in 2023-24. It accounts for only about 0.5 per cent of India’s total imports of USD 720 billion.
• India’s exports to Azerbaijan stood at only USD 86.07 million during Apr-Feb 2024-25 as against USD 89.67 million in 2023-24. It accounts for a meagre 0.02 per cent of India’s total outbound shipments.
  • Imports from Azerbaijan were USD 1.93 million during Apr-Feb 2024-25 as against USD 0.74 million in 2023-24.
    • It accounts for a meagre 0.0002 per cent of India’s total inbound shipments.
• India has a trade surplus with both nations.

Major products traded between these countries

• India’s exports to Türkiye include: Mineral fuels and oil (USD 960 million in 2023-24); electrical machinery and equipment; auto and its parts; organic chemicals; pharma products; tanning and dyeing items; plastic, rubber; cotton; man-made fibres and filaments, iron and steel.
  • Imports: Different types of marbles (blocks and slabs); fresh apples (about USD 10 million), gold, vegetables, lime and cement; mineral oil (USD 1.81 billion in 2023-24); chemicals; natural or cultured pearls; iron and steel.
• India’s exports to Azerbaijan : Tobacco and its products (USD 28.67 million in 2023-24); tea, coffee; cereals; chemicals; plastic; rubber; paper and paper board; and ceramic products.
  • Imports include: Animal fodder; organic chemicals; essential oils and perfumery; and raw hides and skins and leather (USD 1.52 million during Apr-Feb 2024-25). In 2023, India was the third-largest destination for Azerbaijan’s crude oil.

People-to-people ties

• There are currently around 3,000 estimated Indian nationals in Türkiye, including 200 students. 
• Similarly, the Indian community in Azerbaijan comprises more than 1,500 people.
• As per estimates, about 3 lakh Indian tourists visited Türkiye in 2023 and over 2 lakh to Azerbaijan.

Emerging Issues

• Türkiye and Azerbaijan may come under strain because the two countries have criticised India’s strike on terror infrastructures in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir.
  •  Islamabad has also used Turkish drones in the conflict.
• India witnessed a surge in calls to boycott both countries.
  • This led to mass cancellations of travel bookings, withdrawal of tour promotions by Indian operators, and the suspension of academic MoUs by institutions like IIT Bombay and JNU.
• In fact, Indian traders too have started boycotting Turkish products such as apples and marble.

SC Direction to Take Back Forest Land Illegally Allotted to Private Entities

Syllabus: GS2/ Governance, GS3/ Environment

Context

• The Supreme Court of India has directed all States and Union Territories to investigate and reclaim forest lands that were illegally allotted for non-forest purposes, citing severe legal and ecological violations.

Background

• The directions came while declaring illegal the allotment of 11.89 hectares of reserved forest land in Kondhwa Budruk, Pune (Maharashtra), Originally allotted for agriculture in 1998.
  • It was sold to a private builder in 1999.
• The Chief Justice of India called this a classic example of political- bureaucratic-builder nexus leading to misuse of valuable forest resources.

Supreme Court ruling

• Formation of Special Investigation Teams (SITs) by Chief Secretaries/ Administrators to examine forest lands under revenue departments’ control.
• Recovery of forest lands from private individuals/entities and transfer to respective forest departments.
  • If reclaiming land is not feasible due to public interest, then cost recovery from beneficiaries, with the amount to be used for forest development.
• The entire exercise must be completed within one year.

Legal & Environmental Issues Highlighted

• Violation of the 1996 Supreme Court Order: The SC had directed in T.N. Godavarman Thirumulpad vs. Union of India (1996) that all non-forest activities on forest land must stop unless approved by the Central Government.
• Loss of Green Cover: The continued possession of forest lands by revenue departments has led to non-forestry usage, reducing India’s forest cover and biodiversity.

Way Ahead

• Forest Mapping: Leverage GIS and remote sensing to clearly demarcate forest boundaries and monitor illegal use.
• Create State-level Forest Land Governance Cells with representatives from forest, revenue, and legal departments.
• Community Involvement: Involve Joint Forest Management Committees (JFMCs) and tribal communities to report misuse or illegal occupation.
• Strengthen Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) norms and ensure public participation in forest land diversion cases.

US Passes Take It Down Act

Syllabus: GS2/ International Relations

In News

• The U.S. President Donald Trump signed the Take It Down Act, criminalizing the non-consensual sharing of intimate images including AI-generated deepfakes.
  • An online boom in non-consensual deepfakes is currently outpacing efforts to regulate the technology around the world due to a proliferation of AI tools.

What is the Take It Down Act?

• The Act makes it illegal to “knowingly publish” or threaten to publish intimate images without a person’s consent, including AI-created “deepfakes.” 
• It also requires websites and social media companies to remove such material within 48 hours of notice from a victim. 
• The platforms must also take steps to delete duplicate content. 

About Deepfakes

• Deepfakes are synthetic media generated using Artificial Intelligence (AI), particularly through machine learning techniques like GANs (Generative Adversarial Networks). 
• These tools can fabricate hyper-realistic images, videos, or audio, making it appear as if someone said or did something they never actually did.

Impacts of Deepfakes

• Deepfakes can be used to create fake news, propaganda, or doctored statements from public figures, influencing public opinion, eroding trust in media, and potentially disrupting elections or inciting social unrest.
• Unethical use of deepfake technology is creating pornographic content by superimposing individuals’ victimising women.
• The unauthorized use of a person’s likeness or voice in deepfakes raises serious privacy concerns.

Legal Provisions in India

• Information Technology Act, 2000 (IT Act): Sections 66E and 67 penalize the violation of privacy and the transmission of obscene material electronically. 
• Indian Penal Code (IPC), 1860 (now largely replaced by the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita – BNS, 2023): Section 356 of the BNS deals with defamation, organized crime (Section 111), theft in digital form (Section 316), and cheating (Section 318).
• Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023: Focusing on the unauthorized processing of personal data
• Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986: Prohibits depiction of women in indecent manner.

Legal Gaps & Need for New Deepfake Laws in India

• No specific deepfake law: Existing laws cover aspects of deepfake crimes but do not define or directly regulate deepfakes. 
• Limited penalties: Current punishments may not be strong enough to deter large-scale AI-based crimes.  

Mismatch Between MGNREGS Coverage and Delivery

Syllabus: GS2/Policy and Intervention; GS3/Economy

Context

• A recent report by LibTech India has raised questions about the effectiveness of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) for the financial year 2024–25.

Key Findings of the Report

• Increase in Coverage: The number of registered households under MGNREGS rose by 8.6%, from 13.80 crore in FY 2023–24 to 14.98 crore in FY 2024–25.
• Decline in Employment Days: Despite higher registration, persondays fell by 7.1%. Average employment per household dropped from 52.42 days to 50.18 days, a 4.3% decrease.
  • Only about 7% of households received the full 100 days of employment guaranteed under the Act.
• Regional Disparities: States like Odisha (34.8%), Tamil Nadu (25.1%), and Rajasthan (15.9%) saw a sharp decline in employment days, while Maharashtra (39.7%), Himachal Pradesh (14.8%), and Bihar (13.3%) recorded increases.

Challenges Affecting MGNREGS Delivery

• Budget Constraints: The Union government allocated only ₹86,000 crore for MGNREGS in FY 2024-25, significantly lower than the ₹2.64 lakh crore recommended by People’s Action for Employment Guarantee (PAEG).
• Delayed Wage Payments: Persistent delays in wage disbursement have discouraged participation in the scheme.
• High Deletion Rates: Between 2022 and 2024, 7.8 crore workers were removed from the scheme, while only 1.92 crore were added, leading to concerns about accessibility.

Way Forward

• Timely budget revisions to ensure adequate funding.
• Streamlining wage payments to improve worker participation.
• Better monitoring mechanisms to track employment trends and prevent exclusions.

India has Ambitious Expansion Plans in the Port Sector Globally

Syllabus: GS3/Economy

Context

• India is eyeing a strategic expansion of its port infrastructure and management capacities on a global scale. 

African Outreach

• Tanzania in Focus: India and Tanzania have signed several MoUs on maritime collaboration.
  • Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) is developing an industrial park in Tanzania. 
  • Cochin Shipyard has also partnered with Marine Services Co Ltd, a Tanzanian maritime firm.
• Private Sector Role: Adani Ports (APSEZ) already manages CT2 at Dar es Salaam Port under a 30-year concession and is involved in Tanzania International Container Terminal Services (TICTS) via its JV, East Africa Gateway Ltd.
  • Adani Ports also has a joint venture — named East Africa Gateway Limited (EAGL) — with AD Ports Group and East Harbour Terminals Limited (EHTL), which acquired a 95% stake in Tanzania International Container Terminal Services (TICTS).

Chabahar Port Progress

• Rising Throughput: Operated by Indian Ports Global Ltd (IPGL), Chabahar is becoming a key gateway to Afghanistan and Central Asia. 
  • Container handling surged to over 64,000 TEUs by Jan FY25 from just over 9,000 in FY23, with projections of 75,000 TEUs in FY25 and full capacity of 100,000 TEUs by FY26.
• Future Plans: A ₹4,000 crore capex-led expansion aims to quintuple capacity to 500,000 TEUs over 10 years, with additional infrastructure like mobile harbour cranes and a second berth in the pipeline.

Neighbourhood Engagement

• Myanmar: India Ports Global Limited (IPGL) now manages Sittwe Port, a part of the Kaladan project that enhances India’s linkages with Southeast Asia.
• Sri Lanka: Development of Kankesanthurai Port is underway, with ferry services to India being restored.
  • APSEZ also started operations at the Colombo West International Terminal (CWIT), a major transshipment facility.

Repositioning India Ports Global Limited (IPGL)

• The Shipping Ministry plans to transform IPGL from a purely strategic asset to a commercially active operator, including domestic terminals.
• A new umbrella entity, Bharat Global Ports, will act as an integrated port infrastructure provider, with IPGL as its operational wing. 
• The goal is to bolster IPGL’s credibility globally through a stronger domestic footprint.

Way Ahead

By expanding capacity, forging regional partnerships, and repositioning IPGL as a global operator, India is laying the foundation for greater trade connectivity, regional influence, and geostrategic leverage in the years to come.

India’s proactive engagement in port development — from Chabahar in Iran to potential ventures in Africa and its maritime neighbourhood — reflects a deliberate shift towards building strategic maritime depth and economic resilience. 

Through Indian Ports Global Ltd (IPGL), the country is not only strengthening its presence along key trade corridors but also asserting itself as a credible infrastructure partner in the Indo-Pacific and Africa.

The ongoing investments, MoUs, and institutional restructuring signal India’s intention to move from being a reactive participant to a long-term, rule-setting player in the global maritime arena.