Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance
Mains Examination: General Studies-III: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests.
What’s the ongoing story: At a time when both India and the European Union brace to face reciprocal tariffs from the US and the trans-Atlantic relationship is strained like never before, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and visiting President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen tasked their negotiators to conclude the India-EU Free Trade Agreement by end of 2025.
Key Points to Ponder:
— What is the India-EU Trade and Technology Council (TTC)?
— Which countries form part of the European Union?
— What is the role and function of the European Commission?
— What is the significance of the India-Europe partnership?
— What are the challenges for India in finalising an FTA with the EU?
Key Takeaways:
— Calling the engagement “historic and unparalleled…natural and organic”, Modi said that it was built on shared values aimed at “shaping a better future for our planet”.
Story continues below this ad
— Negotiations for FTA began in 2007, and stalled some years ago, and were relaunched in 2021.
— This is the first time that there is a deadline to conclude the FTA, similar to a deadline set for the Indo-US trade deal to be concluded by Fall this year — that was agreed during Modi’s meeting with Trump in the White House early this month.
— Modi and von der Leyen talked about connectivity between the two regions with the Prime Minister referring to “concrete steps” that will be taken to take forward the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor or IMEEC.
— This is the first ever visit of the EU College of Commissioners together to India and the first visit outside of Europe by the new College that took office in December 2024.
Do You Know:
Story continues below this ad
— According to the EU, The European Union is a group of 27 countries in Europe. These countries came together to make things better, easier and safer for people. They agreed to work together and help each other.
— India established diplomatic relations with the European Economic Community — the first pillar of the future European Union — back in 1962. The Joint Political Statement signed in 1993 and the Cooperation Agreement of 1994 paved the way for the strengthening of ties between India and Europe.
— The multi-tier institutional architecture of cooperation has been presided over by the India-EU Summits, 15 of which have been held so far. The first Summit was held in Lisbon in June 2000, and the bilateral relationship was upgraded to a Strategic Partnership at the 5th Summit in The Hague in 2004.
— The TTC — a new frontier similar to the Initiative for Critical and Emerging Technologies with the US or the Technology Security Initiative with the United Kingdom — represents three significant pillars of India-EU cooperation: Digital and Strategic Technologies; Clean and Green Technologies; and Trade, Investments and Resilient Supply Chains.
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
Story continues below this ad
📍With European Commissioners delegation in New Delhi, significance of India-Europe partnership
📍India-EU trade deal would be largest of its kind
UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:
(1) ‘European Stability Mechanism’, sometimes seen in the news, is an (2016)
(a) agency created by EU to deal with the impact of millions of refugees arriving from Middle East
(b) agency of EU that provides financial assistance to eurozone countries
Story continues below this ad
(c) agency of EU to deal with all the bilateral and multilateral agreements on trade
(d) agency of EU to deal with the conflicts arising among the member countries
UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme:
The expansion and strengthening of NATO and a stronger US-Europe strategic partnership works well for India. What is your opinion about this statement? Give reasons and examples to support your answer. (2023)
Uttarakhand avalanche: 33 rescued, search for 22
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Indian and World Geography – Physical, Social, Economic geography of India and the
World.
Story continues below this ad
Mains Examination: General Studies-I: Important Geophysical phenomena such as earthquakes, Tsunami, Volcanic activity, cyclones. etc., geographical features and their location-changes in critical geographical features (including water-bodies and ice-caps) and in flora and fauna and the effects of such changes.
What’s the ongoing story: An avalanche hit a Border Roads Organisation (BRO) project site near Mana — India’s “first” village — in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district, trapping several workers and prompting a rescue operation that involved multiple agencies.
Key Points to Ponder:
— What is an avalanche?
— What is the role of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA)?
— What are the key highlights of the Disaster Management (Amendment) Bill, 2024?
— What is the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI)?
Story continues below this ad
— What is the difference between an avalanche and a landslide?
— What are India’s efforts in managing disaster?
Key Takeaways:
— The incident took place between Mana village and Mana Pass, near the Indo-Tibetan border. An officer of the BRO said the employees had been hired by a contractor for the construction of a road near Mana village.
— Mana, a tourist attraction that was earlier called the “last village of India” and is now referred to as the “first Indian village” before the China border, is one of the few villages in the district where people migrate to lower altitudes between November to April every year to avoid extreme winter conditions when temperature drops to minus 17 degrees Celsius and more.
Indian army personnel during a rescue effort following an avalanche that struck a camp near Mana village in Chamol district of Uttarakhand, Friday. Credit: x/@suryacommand
— At the time of the avalanche on Friday, the village was deserted as all the villagers were in Gopeshwar, the district headquarters, nearly 100 km from Mana.
Story continues below this ad
— Located at the height of 10,500 feet (from the sea level), Mana village has over 1,200 residents and 824 of them are enrolled as voters. Some of the villagers also run homestays. The nearest hospital is 3 km away in Badrinath.
Do You Know:
— According to UNDRR, an avalanche is a rapid flow of snow down a hill or mountainside. Although avalanches can occur on any slope given the right conditions, certain times of the year and certain locations are more dangerous than others.
— According to CDRI website, “In India, over 58% of the land is vulnerable to earthquakes, 12% to floods, 15% to landslides, and more than 10% to forest fires. Of India’s 7,516 km coastline, nearly 5,700 km is at risk from cyclones and tsunamis.
— The Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) is an international organisation set up on India’s initiative in 2019. It is a partnership of national governments, UN agencies and programmes, multilateral development banks and financing mechanisms, the private sector, and knowledge institutions that aims to promote the resilience of new and existing infrastructure systems to climate and disaster risks in support of sustainable development.
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
📍Annual migration saves hundreds of residents as avalanche hits Chamoli village
UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme:
📍 Vulnerability is an essential element for defining disaster impacts and its threat to people. How and in what ways can vulnerability to disasters be characterized? Discuss different types of vulnerability with reference to disasters. (2019)
📍 Disaster preparedness is the first step in any disaster management process. Explain how hazard zonation mapping will help disaster mitigation in the case of landslides. (2019)
EXPRESS NETWORK
Need to be aware of women’s difficulties: SC revokes dismissal of MP judicial officers
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance
Mains Examination: General Studies-II: Structure, organisation and functioning of the Executive and the Judiciary—Ministries and Departments of the Government; pressure groups and formal/informal associations and their role in the Polity.
What’s the ongoing story: Underlining that it will be futile to take comfort in the growing number of women judicial officers unless a sensitive work environment and guidance can be secured for them, the Supreme Court Friday set aside the termination of two women judicial officers in Madhya Pradesh saying the action against them was “punitive, arbitrary and therefore illegal”.
Key Points to Ponder:
— What is the status of women’s representation in the judiciary?
— What are the issues related to gender equality in the judiciary?
— What are the broader challenges of the judiciary in India?
— What is the process of recruitment of civil judges in India?
— What are the arguments in favour and against the All-India Judiciary Services?
Key Takeaways:
— A bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and N K Singh directed that they be reinstated in service within 15 days from Friday in accordance with their seniority that they possessed as on the date of termination and that their probation be declared as on the date their juniors were confirmed.
— The judgment was delivered in the suo motu case concerning the dismissal of six women civil judicial officers (Civil Judges, Junior Division) in Madhya Pradesh) on May 23, 2023. The state government had terminated their service on the recommendations of the administrative committee of the MP High Court.
— Writing for the bench, Justice Nagarthna also touched upon the subject of women in judiciary. The court said that, “a greater representation of women in the judiciary, would greatly improve the overall quality of judicial decision making and this impacts generally and also specifically in cases affecting women.”
Do You Know:
— The latest India Justice Report (IJR) points out that the gender gap remains wide in each of the subsystems that make up the justice delivery system — police, judiciary, prisons, legal aid, and human rights commissions. Women constitute about 13-14% of judges in High Courts across India.
— Until now, there has been no woman Chief Justice of India. The first woman judge on the Supreme Court bench was Justice Fathima Beevi in 1989. In the high courts too, in over seven decades there have been only 16 women chief justices. So leading by example is not on the cards.
— Speaking of the subordinate judiciary, a 2018 study by the Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy found that while representation of women in the lower judiciary is relatively higher at 27%, it hit a glass ceiling in higher appointments — as district judges and subsequently at the high court level.
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
📍Justice system plagued by low budgets: India Justice Report 2022
📍Does the Indian judiciary have a ‘patriarchy problem’?
📍Can a justice system without women bring justice to women?
Prelims Question Covering similar theme:
(2) Which of the following constitutional articles provide for the establishment of All-India Judiciary Services?
(a) Article 179
(b) Article 209
(c) Article 312
(d) Article 324
UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme:
Discuss the desirability of greater representation to women in the higher judiciary to ensure diversity, equity and inclusiveness. (2021)
EXPLAINED
Changes to Waqf Bill proposed by JPC, now cleared by Cabinet
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance
Mains Examination: General Studies-II: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation
What’s the ongoing story: The Union Cabinet on Thursday cleared all 14 amendments to the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024 proposed by the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) last month. It is likely to be tabled in the Parliament in the second half of the Budget session, which starts on March 10.
Key Points to Ponder:
— What is Waqf?
— Why has the government introduced the Waqf Bill?
— How does the Constitution protect the Right to Religion?
— What is the composition and function of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC)?
— How is the freedom of religion protected by the Constitution?
— What are the arguments in favour and against the Waqf Bill?
Key Takeaways:
— The Bill was introduced in August last year to amend the Waqf Act of 1995 which governs the management of waqf properties in India. It proposed sweeping changes which give the government a foot in the door in regulating waqf properties, and settling disputes regarding such properties.
— The amended Bill gives the Waqf Tribunal the power to extend the timeline in select cases. However, given that the circumstances which can be considered “sufficient”, and the period of extension are not specified, the Tribunal will have to exercise its discretion.
— The 2024 Bill gave the District Collector the powers that were previously with the Waqf Tribunal.
— The Bill also added that until the government makes a decision, the disputed property will be treated as a Government property and not waqf property.
Do You Know:
— A Waqf is personal property given by Muslims for a specific purpose — religious, charitable, or for private purposes. While the beneficiaries of the property can be different, the ownership of the property is implied to be with God.
— Waqf properties in India are governed by the Waqf Act, 1995. However, India has had a legal regime for the governance of Waqfs since 1913, when the Muslim Waqf Validating Act came into force…
— A Waqf property is managed by a mutawalli (caretaker), who acts as a superviser. Waqf properties are managed in a way that is similar to how properties under Trusts are managed under the Indian Trusts Act, 1882.
— The Waqf Act states that any dispute related to Waqf properties will be decided by a Waqf Tribunal…
— A Waqf Board is a body under the state government, which works as a custodian for Waqf properties across the state. In most states, there are separate Waqf Boards for the Shia and Sunni communities.
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
📍Explained: The proposed changes to Waqf law
UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme:
How the Indian concept of secularism is different from the western model of secularism? Discuss. (2016)
Legacy of Khusrau, musical flagbearer of Sufism’s pluralistic tradition
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: History of India and Indian National Movement
Mains Examination: General Studies-I: Indian culture will cover the salient aspects of Art Forms, literature and Architecture from ancient to modern times
What’s the ongoing story: In his address to the 25th edition of Jahan-e-Khusrau at New Delhi’s Sunder Nursery on Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the annual music festival that commemorates the Sufi poet-musician Amir Khusrau as imbued with the “fragrance of the soil of Hindustan”.
Key Points to Ponder:
— Who was Amir Khusrau?
— What is Sufism?
— What are the major sufi orders in India?
— What are the contributions of Amir Khusrau to the language, literature, and music of India?
— What is the difference between the Chisti Order and the Suhrawardi Order?
Key Takeaways:
— Bestowed with the sobriquet of Tuti-yi-Hind, the ‘Parrot of India’, the 13th century mystic is seen as a father figure for North India’s syncretic Ganga-Jamuni culture.
— Khusrau made lasting contributions to Indian classical music, Sufi qawwali, and Persian literature, and is also credited for developing Hindavi, a precursor to modern Hindi and Urdu.
— Khusrau’s father likely came to India from Central Asia in the early 13th century, as the Mongol hordes of Genghis Khan ravaged Islamic Transoxiana (corresponding to parts of modern-day Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, southern Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan).
— He entered the service of Sultan Iltutmish (1211-36), and married the daughter of an Indian Muslim. The couple’s second child, Abu’l Hasan Yamin ud-Din Khusrau, was born in 1253.
— Khusrau became a professional poet at age 20, and served as one until his death. He started out in the service of princes and nobles, before becoming a permanent fixture in the court of the Delhi Sultan. Sultan Jalaluddin Khalji bestowed upon Khusrau the title of ‘Amir’.
— Amir Khusrau served at least five Sultans — Muiz ud din Qaiqabad, Jalaluddin Khalji, Alauddin Khalji, Qutbuddin Mubarak Shah, and Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq — and many other powerful patrons over five decades, which testifies to the quality of his poetry. He wrote in Persian, the language of the court, as well as Hindavi.
— Khusrau was the most beloved disciple of the Chishti Shaikh Nizamuddin Auliya, who once wished that his favourite pupil would be buried with him.
— Khusrau’s ghazals and qawwalis are today sung in both sacred and secular contexts, at sufi dargahs and Bollywood musicals. His most popular compositions include Chhaap Tilak, Zehal-e-Maskeen, and Sakal Ban Phool Rahi Sarson.
— However, his musical contributions likely go farther than this. Khusrau is said to be instrumental in the development of modern Indian classical music — he is credited with crafting dozens of ragas, creating ornate khayal music, and inventing the sitar and tabla, even though evidence for this is limited.
Do You Know:
— Moinuddin was born in 1141 CE in Sistan, a province in Persia (Iran) which borders present-day Afghanistan. He is said to have been a descendent of Prophet Muhmmad.
— Sufism emerged between the seventh and 10th centuries CE as a counterweight to the increasing worldliness of the expanding Muslim community. Sufis embraced a more ascetic and devotional form of Islam, and often engaged in a variety of mystical practices. Eventually, Sufi practitioners came to be organised in various orders which congregated around the teachings of a certain teacher or wali.
— The Chishti order was founded in the 10th century by Abu Ishaq Shami in the town of Chisht near Herat. But it was Moinuddin and his disciples who led to its spread in the subcontinent.
— Among his most prominent disciples was Qutbuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki (1173-1235), who established the Chishti order base in Delhi. Kaki became a central figure in the region’s spiritual life as the spiritual guru of Iltutmish, the third Sultan of Delhi. The Qutub Minar is said to be named after Kaki, whose shrine lies in Mehrauli, next to the iconic structure.
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
📍Who was Moinuddin Chishti, the most important figure in the spread of Sufism in India?
Prelims Question Covering similar theme:
(3) Who bestowed the title of ‘Amir’ to Khusrau?
(a) Jalaluddin Khalji
(b) Alauddin Khalji
(c) Qutbuddin Mubarak Shah
(d) Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq
EDITORIAL
Trump is building a new American empire
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance
Mains Examination: General Studies-II: Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests, Indian diaspora.
What’s the ongoing story: Faisal Devji writes: In the latest episode of the Ukraine war, the United States voted to block a Europe-backed UN resolution calling for de-escalation and a peaceful resolution of the conflict for which it held Russia responsible. As a result, the US found itself aligned with Russia, Belarus, Iran, and North Korea, along with Israel, Hungary, and a smattering of poor and dependent states in Africa and the Pacific.
Key Points to Ponder:
— What is globalisation?
— How is Trump 2.0 redefining the international political order?
— Read about: Capitalism, Liberalism, and Neo-liberalism
— How did the end of the Cold War shape the global order?
— What is the peace deal proposed by Trump?
Key Takeaways:
— While much is being made of America’s unprecedented abandonment of its European allies, the latter had themselves very recently sided against the rest of the world in refusing to condemn Israel’s war in Gaza.
— Having stood by the US in supporting the war in Gaza and Lebanon, against world opinion and the decisions of every UN agency and court, Europe now finds itself having to defend an international order it has done everything to diminish.
— It is only now dawning on European politicians that the most serious threat the West faces as a geo-political actor is neither Russia’s army nor China’s economy.
— Precipitated by the end of the Cold War, this shift also had significant domestic consequences for both Americans and Europeans. Their states no longer required the kind of popular support that was so crucial in facing the Soviet threat.
— Globalisation resulted in a condition where it became impossible to separate domestic from international concerns. Terrorism and migration came to represent this blurring of spheres in popular understanding, while politicians increasingly sacrificed domestic needs for international considerations in free trade deals as well as wars and military interventions around the world.
— The policies inaugurated by the Trump administration will have enormous consequences but are unlikely to succeed in their goals.
— Globalisation has also led to the emergence of new economic and military powers in the world outside the West, and these cannot be dragooned into serving as America’s allies as Europe once had.
Do You Know:
— There is a distinctly long and identifiable tradition of political thought that has been characterised as Western or European. Its origins are traced to the Greek philosophers, especially Plato and Aristotle, whose theorisation happened in the context of the Greek city-state or polis, from which the word politics itself is derived.
— The tradition of political theory was carried forward by the prolonged and powerful Roman Empire. Many grand figures of the Roman Empire – statesmen such as Cicero and Seneca and the Emperor Marcus Aurelius – belonged to the philosophical system called Stoicism. They balanced intense political engagement with a more detached philosophical reflection on the frenzied nature of political life.
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
📍Rise and fall of state in Western political thought
UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme:
Identify the major changes in the International Political economy in post-Cold War period. (PSIR, 2013)
India can be the world leader in textiles. Here’s how
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance
Mains Examination: General Studies-II: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilisation, of resources, growth, development and employment
What’s the ongoing story: Kulin Lalbhai writes: One goal that India must prioritise if it has to become Viksit Bharat by 2047 is job creation. The textiles and apparel industry is India’s second-largest employer after agriculture, providing direct employment to 45 million people. The sector is expected to motor on at an annual growth rate of 10 per cent and become a USD 250 billion market by 2030, with the potential to add millions of more jobs.
Key Points to Ponder:
— What is the share of the textile sector in the economy?
— What is the contribution of the textile sector to employment?
— What are the challenges facing the textile sector?
— Highlight the key initiatives taken by the government.
Key Takeaways:
— If our exports grow from the current USD 45 billion to the targeted USD 100 billion, and if the economy grows at 6-7 per cent a year, textiles can add up to one million jobs every year from now to 2030 — 10 per cent of what the country needs.
— This is all very good. But we have an opportunity to be great. China, Bangladesh and Vietnam, the world’s three leading textile exporters, are undergoing shifts for reasons ranging from geopolitics to internal turmoil. Global markets are increasingly looking towards India.
— Government has approved various schemes with outlays of several thousand crores that incentivise the sector — such as the Pradhan Mantri Mega Integrated Textile Region and Apparel (PM MITRA) Parks, the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme and the Rebate of State and Central Taxes and Levies (RoSCTL) Scheme.
— The USD 100 billion Indian textile market presents a huge domestic opportunity. A burgeoning middle class is driving demand and this trend is further amplified by Gen Z.
— India suffers a 15-20 per cent cost disadvantage compared to competing countries like Bangladesh and Vietnam. A big component of this is lower efficiency in the labour-intensive garment manufacturing process.
— Often in India, if the jobs are in one hub, the workers are elsewhere. Even Tiruppur, the apparel mega-hub in Tamil Nadu, has a labour shortage because industries there are growing fast and workers quit often. On the other hand, in places like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Odisha and Madhya Pradesh, where jobs need to be created, there’s barely any industry. India will have to create jobs where they are required.
— The rate of attrition in our textile industry is as high as 10 per cent. Workers often have to spend a big part of their salary in transport and accommodation and are liable to leave their present employer even for a small wage hike.
— Creating living quarters for workers near factories, as is done in countries like China, could reduce absenteeism, improve staff retention, and lead to higher productivity.
— A defining feature of the garment industry is that women represent 90 per cent of its blue-collar workforce. Stable jobs in safe environments empower women.
— Automation is often associated with efficiency and reduced manpower. However, technology and human talent will continue to coexist. When efficiency goes up, the industry will grow, creating more jobs.
Do You Know:
— India’s textile industry is among the largest in the world, spanning a vast value chain from cotton cultivation to high-end apparel manufacturing.
— The size of India’s textile and apparel industry cannot be understated—it contributes 13% to industrial production, 12% to exports, and roughly 2% to GDP.
— After China, India is the second largest producer of cotton, accounting for 24% of global production. Cotton cultivation engages around 60 lakh farmers, mostly across Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Telangana.
— The entire cotton textile value chain—from processing raw fibre and spinning yarn to weaving fabric, dyeing, and stitching—employs over 4.5 crore people.
— While fibre consumption in India tilts heavily towards cotton, the textile industry also consumes other natural fibres like wool and jute. India is also the world’s second largest producer of man-made fibres (MMF), with Reliance Industries Ltd leading in polyester fibre and Aditya Birla Group’s Grasim Industries Ltd as the only domestic producer of viscose fibre.
— Despite being a global leader in production, MMF consumption in India is just 3.1 kg per capita, compared to 12 kg in China and 22.5 kg in North America, according to a Ministry of Textiles note.
— Roughly 80% of India’s textile value chain is concentrated in MSME clusters, each with its own specialisation. For instance, Bhiwandi in Maharashtra is a key hub for fabric production, Tiruppur in Tamil Nadu leads in t-shirts and undergarments, Surat in Gujarat specialises in polyester and nylon fabric, and Ludhiana in Punjab is known for woolen garments.
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
📍Leader in fibre production, but growth, exports lagging: What ails India’s textile industry
UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:
(4) Consider the following statements: (2020)
1. The value of Indo-Sri Lanka trade has consistently increased in the last decade.
2. Textile and textile articles” constitute an important item of trade between India and Bangladesh.
3. In the last five years, Nepal has been the largest trading partner of India in South Asia.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 only
(c) 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme:
Analyse the factors for highly decentralised cotton textile industry in India. (2013)
THE IDEAS PAGE
Needed: The big leap
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.
Main Examination: General Studies III: Science and Technology- developments and their applications and effects in everyday life.
General Studies III: Awareness in the fields of IT, Space, Computers, robotics, nano-technology, bio-technology and issues relating to intellectual property rights.
What’s the ongoing story: B V R Subrahmanyam and Debjani Ghosh write: The past six weeks have shattered conventional wisdom about AI dominance. A new era of innovation, disruption, and geopolitical manoeuvring has arrived. Those who fail to adapt risk being left behind.
Key Points to Ponder:
— What is deepseek?
— What are the positive lessons that India can learn from the Chinese AI model?
— How does AI development influence global geopolitics?
— Discuss India’s role in the AI race and its potential for international collaborations.
— Significance of holding the Paris AI Summit
— What are the initiatives taken by India to promote the AI model?
— What are the challenges of India’s AI Mission?
Key Takeaways:
— January brought a stark wake-up call with the emergence of DeepSeek. The Chinese start-up unveiled its AI model, DeepSeek-R1, which matched the capabilities of leading models like OpenAI’s GPT-4 while also being open source and free.
— Meanwhile, the AI Action Summit in Paris, where leaders from nearly 100 nations convened to shape AI’s future, sent a resounding message: Growth must take precedence over excessive regulation. A defining moment came when France unveiled a €109 billion AI investment plan, underscoring the urgency of substantial investments to maintain global competitiveness.
— India’s advocacy for a human-centric AI approach, passionately championed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, also gained traction.
— DeepSeek’s success serves as both a wake-up call for established players and an inspiration for emerging challengers.
— China’s pivot from NVIDIA’s proprietary CUDA to PTX isn’t just a workaround — it’s a strategic masterstroke. By breaking free from a locked ecosystem, they are ensuring their AI advancements remain resilient, adaptable, and unshackled from external constraints.
— The AI race has reached a breaking point. Nations are no longer just competing on innovation — are battling for control. Those who lead will shape the future, while those who lag will find themselves dependent, vulnerable, and left behind in the new AI order.
Do You Know:
— India stands at a decisive juncture. Our aspiration to become a developed nation by 2047 —Viksit Bharat — is not merely an ambitious goal but a defining mission that requires a fundamental transformation of our economy and society.
— For India, the era of incremental progress is over. If we are to achieve Viksit Bharat by 2047, we cannot afford to be mere participants in the AI revolution — we must lead its disruption.
— Our success will depend on three non-negotiable imperatives. One, world-class talent to drive AI excellence and global competitiveness. Two, cutting-edge R&D and innovation to ensure India is not just a consumer of AI but a creator of breakthrough technologies. Three, an uncompromising commitment to human-centric AI, ensuring that innovation serves society and strengthens our global standing.
— This must be the hallmark of India’s AI leadership — one that is bold, visionary, and unapologetically ambitious. As PM Modi aptly reminded the world at the AI Action Summit, as AI writes the code for humanity, we, humans, must hold the key to shaping its future responsibly.
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
📍Knowledge Nugget: Paris AI Summit and India’s AI diplomacy—a must-know for UPSC exam
Prelims Question Covering similar theme:
(5) With the present state of development, Artificial Intelligence can effectively do which of the following?
1. Create meaningful short stories and songs
2. Disease diagnosis
3. Text-to-Speech Conversion
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 1 and 3 only
(c) 2 and 3only
(d) 1, 2, and 3
| PRELIMS ANSWER KEY |
| 1. (b) 2. (c) 3. (a) 4. (b) 5. (d) |
Subscribe to our UPSC newsletter. Stay updated with the latest UPSC articles by joining our Telegram channel – IndianExpress UPSC Hub, and follow us on Instagram and X.
🚨Union Budget 2025 special: Click Here to read the February 2025 issue of the UPSC Essentials monthly magazine. Share your views and suggestions in the comment box or at manas.srivastava@indianexpress.com🚨