Headlines

Vanuatu Island - Page No.1 Prelims

India-U.S. trade agreement - Page No.6 , GS 3
Obesity crisis - Page No.7 , GS 2
Salaried class have stagnated - Page No.7 , GS 3
Census - Page No.11 , GS 1
India second-largest arms importer - Page No.12 , GS 3
TB control campaign - Page No.12 , GS 2

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Page No. 12, GS 3
Content.

• Ukraine, involved in a war with Russia for the past four years, became the largest
importer of major arms in the world during the period between 2020 and 2024,
clocking a nearly 100-fold rise in imports compared with the figures for 2015–2019.

• India was the second-largest arms importer, though the trade figures decreased by
9.3% between 2015-19 and 2020-24, show data from the Stockholm International
Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

• The country was the biggest arms export destination for both Russia and France,
though the volume with Moscow has significantly reduced.

• China dropped out of the list of top 10 arms importers for the first time since 1990-
94, showcasing its expanding domestic industrial base.
• The largest share of Indian arms imports (36%) came from Russia, a significantly smaller
share than in 2015-19 (55%) and 2010-14 (72%), the report noted.

• “Arms imports by Pakistan grew by 61% between 2015-19 and 2020-24. China became
even more dominant as its supplier, accounting for 81% of Pakistan’s arms imports in
2020-24, compared with 74% in 2015–19,” the SIPRI report released on Monday said.

• While European arms imports overall grew by 155% between the same periods as the
continent rearms itself, the U.S. further increased its share of global arms exports to
43%, while Russia’s exports fell by 64%, accounting for 7.8% of global arms exports,
falling behind France (9.6%), which emerged as the second largest arms exporter in
2020-24. Four countries in Asia and Oceania — India, Pakistan, Japan, and Australia—
ranked among the 10 largest arms importers globally in 2020-24.

• Russia delivered major arms to 33 countries in 2020-24, of which two-thirds went to

three countries — India (38%), China (17%), and Kazakhstan (11%).
• At the same time, France exported arms to 65 countries, and its exports of major arms to
other European countries almost trebled between 2015–19 and 2020–24 (187%), according
to SIPRI.

• “This was mainly due to deliveries of combat aircraft to Greece and Croatia, and arms
supplies to Ukraine after Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.”

• Nevertheless, India received by far the largest share of French arms exports (28%) —
almost twice the share that went to all European recipients combined (15%).

• The second largest recipient of major arms from France was Qatar (9.7%).

• India has inked contracts for some major military platforms from France, including 36
Rafale fighter jets and six Scorpene-class conventional submarines, and has more mega
deals lined up.

• Meanwhile, deals for 26 Rafale-M jets and three submarines are set to be concluded very
soon.
Global transfer volume

• The overall volume of arms transfers globally remained at roughly the same level as
in 2015-19 and 2010-14 (but was 18% higher than in 2005–2009), as increasing
imports in Europe and the Americas were offset by decreases in other regions, data
show.

• Italy, with a 4.8% share of arms sales, jumped from 10th to sixth place on the
exporters’ list.

• The report stated that at least 35 countries sent weapons to Ukraine since the war
began in 2022, and a substantial number of deliveries are in the pipeline. The
country received 8.8% of global arms imports in 2020-24.

• “The new arms transfers figures clearly reflect the rearmament taking place among
states in Europe in response to the threat from Russia,” said Mathew George,
programme director at SIPRI. However, some major arms importers, including Saudi
Arabia, India, and China, saw large declines in import volumes for a variety of
reasons, he added.
Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)

• SIPRI is an independent international institute dedicated to

research into conflict, armaments, arms control and disarmament.

• HQ: Solna (Sweden)

• Established in 1966, SIPRI provides data, analysis and

recommendations, based on open sources, to policymakers,
researchers, media and the interested public.
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Page No. 11, GS 1
Content.

• The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs has recommended that the
Census be completed at the earliest.

• The panel suggested that the Ministry explore and leverage additional existing digital
platforms and tools, including mobile phone connections, Aadhaar, and other
government databases for real-time data collection. Further, linking the data collected
through these digital channels with the Aadhaar database could provide additional
layers of verification, ensuring data integrity and reducing the need for manual cross-
checking, the committee said.

• The population count that was to be done in 2021 has been indefinitely postponed by
the government.
Content.

• Population Census is the total process of collecting, compiling, analyzing and

disseminating demographic, economic and social data pertaining, at a specific time,
of all persons in a country or a well-defined part of a country.

• Census is the basis for reviewing the country's progress in the past decade,
monitoring the ongoing schemes of the government and plan for the future.

• The first synchronous census was taken in 1881, by W.C. Plowden, Census
Commissioner of India. Since then, censuses have been undertaken uninterruptedly
once every ten years.
• The Census of India Act of 1948 provides the legal framework for carrying out the
Census however, it does not mention its timing or periodicity.
• Hence, a Census is Constitutionally mandated in India but there is no Constitutional
or legal requirement that it needs to be conducted decennially.
• The 10-year frequency is followed in many countries (Ex. the US and the UK) but
some countries like Australia, Canada, Japan conduct it every five years.
Content.
• The decennial Census is conducted by the Office of the Registrar General and
Census Commissioner, Ministry of Home Affairs.

• Until 1951, the Census Organisation was set up on an ad-hoc basis for each Census.

• Census data is utilized for demarcation of constituencies and allocation of

representation in government bodies.
• It plays a crucial role in determining the number of seats to be reserved for Scheduled
Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) in Parliament, State legislatures, local
bodies, and government services.

• Population census is listed in Union List (entry 69) of Seventh Schedule in Indian
Constitution.
Page No. 12, GS 2
Content.

• Over 6.1 lakh tuberculosis patients have been notified across the country and of
them, 4.3 lakh have been diagnosed in the 455 intervention districts that were part of
the Union Health Ministry’s 100-day intensified TB elimination campaign launched on
December 7 last year.

• The campaign was launched in 33 States and Union Territories to screen and test for
TB among people belonging to the vulnerable or high-risk groups.

• “The 100-day TB-Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan is an outcome of a new strategy for early TB
identification involving offering X-ray screening to high-risk populations, such as
individuals with diabetes and people living with HIV.

• By deploying ultraportable hand-held X-ray units and conducting door-to-door

screenings, both symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals were tested.
Content.

• Positive X-ray results were then confirmed with NAAT (an advanced diagnostic test),
leading to the identification of multiple asymptomatic TB patients,” a senior Health
Ministry official said.

• India faces the world’s largest TB epidemic with the infection still a major public
health problem.

• The country’s TB incidence has declined by 17.7% from 2015 to 2023, according to
the WHO.

• India’s goal is to eliminate tuberculosis (TB) by 2025, five years ahead of the global
target of 2030.
What is Tuberculosis?

• Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease that most often affects the lungs and is
caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

• It spreads through the air when infected people cough, sneeze or spit.

• Symptoms: prolonged cough (sometimes with blood), chest pain, weakness, fatigue,
weight loss, fever, night sweats.

• While TB usually affects the lungs, it also affects the kidneys, brain, spine and skin.

• Treatment: It is preventable and curable with antibiotics.

• TB Vaccine: The Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine remains the only licensed
vaccine against TB; it provides moderate protection against severe forms of TB (TB
meningitis) in infants and young children.
Challenges Faced by India in Eliminating TB
• Drug-resistant TB cases: India has a significant burden of drug-resistant TB, including
multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB).

• Diagnostics and Case Detection: The accurate and timely diagnosis of TB remains a challenge.
• Some areas lack access to modern diagnostic tools, leading to reliance on older methods with
limitations.

• Poor primary health-care and infrastructure: In many parts of India, especially in rural and
remote areas, there is limited access to healthcare facilities.

• Stigma and Awareness: Stigma associated with TB lead to delays in seeking healthcare, and
lack of awareness about the disease may contribute to its persistence.

• Private Sector Engagement: A significant portion of healthcare services in India is provided by

the private sector.
Content.

• Revised National Tuberculosis Control Program (RNTCP): The RNTCP, launched in

1997, was the flagship program to control TB in India.
• The program has been continuously revised and strengthened over the years.

• National Tuberculosis Elimination Program (NTEP): The Government of India has

developed a National Strategic Plan (2017-25) for Ending TB in the country by 2025.

• Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan (PMTBMBA): Launched in 2022 for

community support to TB patients with the objective to provide people with TB with
additional nutritional, diagnostic and vocational support.

• Ni-kshay portal: An online Ni-kshay portal has been set up to track the notified TB
cases.
Page No. 1, Prelims
• The Prime Minister of the Pacific
island nation of Vanuatu, Jotham
Napat, on Monday ordered the
cancellation of the passport that
his government had issued to
fugitive billionaire Lalit Modi.

• The decision came days after the

Ministry of External Affairs
confirmed that Mr. Modi had
sought cancellation of his Indian
passport.
• Capital: Its capital and largest city is Port Vila, located on Efate Island.
• Currency: The vatu is the currency of Vanuatu.
• The population of Vanuatu is 94% indigenous Melanesian.

Language:
• The national language of the Republic of Vanuatu is Bislama (a Creole language).
• The official languages are Bislama, English, and French.

Government:
• Type: Parliamentary democracy.
• Independence: July 30, 1980.

• Vanuatu offers a citizenship-by-investment programme, allowing foreigners to obtain

citizenship in exchange for a financial contribution, typically for around $1,50,000 USD.
• Passports provide a major source of government revenues.
• Vanuatu passport holders can travel without a visa to 56 countries, making its
citizenship-by-investment programme a highly attractive scheme.
Page No. 7, GS 3
• Last week, Niti Aayog member Arvind Virmani said in an interview that while employment is
increasing, real wages for regular salaried jobs have not kept up with inflation over the last
seven years. Real wages refer to the income a worker earns that is adjusted for inflation. They
reflect actual purchasing power.

• An analysis of the earnings data for salaried workers, casual labourers, and self-employed
persons from Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) reports shows that when adjusted for
inflation, wages for salaried workers in India have stagnated since 2019.

• stagnation in the growth of real wages for salaried workers is “concerning” because there is
more supply of labour than demand. “The returns to higher education are declining. People are
overqualified for the jobs they have. So while there is growth in employment numbers, well-
paying jobs are not available. It is a question of the quality of employment,” he says.

• Mr. Virmani cited the lack of skills as the main reason for wages not keeping up with inflation.
He said skill development is needed at every level of education and for all kinds of jobs.
Fact

• On the other hand, wages for casual labour have significantly increased in real terms.

• After dipping during the pandemic, wages for casual labour have since increased. Real
wages for casual labour were 12.3% higher in the 2024 June quarter compared to the
pre-pandemic 2019 June quarter. In rural India, they increased by over 12% and in
urban areas, by 11.4% in the same period.

• Professor Menon says, “Wages [for casual labour] may show an increase relative to
other forms of work, but this is highly irregular and insecure work. An increase in
wages for casual labour is not a net positive for the economy.”

• Self-employed workers

• After declining significantly during the pandemic years, wages (in real terms) have
picked up in the quarters since March 2022 for self-employed workers.
Page No. 7, GS 2
Content.

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call to tackle obesity and the 2025 Economic
Survey’s recommendation of imposing a ‘health tax’ on ultra-processed foods
(UPFs) to curb their consumption are both laudable.

• In India, one in four adult men and women are obese and one in four adults are
either diabetic or pre-diabetic (National Family Health Survey-5). This underlines the
urgency of the problem.

• Right to Information responses and official communications expose how various

Ministries and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) have not
been able to implement the labelling or advertising regulations planned in 2017 and
continue to rely on regulations that are ambiguous and subjective in nature.
Fact

• In September 2022, the FSSAI proposed the Indian Nutrition Rating, a ‘health star’
labelling system modelled on Australia’s not-so-successful framework, which was
developed by a food industry technologist. In this system, half a star means that
the food is ‘least healthy’ and 5 stars means that it qualifies as ‘healthiest’.

• The system allows foods high in fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) and UPFs, such as
biscuits, flaunt two stars on the packet when they might otherwise have four
warning signals.

• Similarly, a soft drink that should have a high warning in sugar instead gets two
stars. Corn flakes, which is is high in sugar and sodium, gets 3 stars.

• This means that the system allows all these foods to be some level of healthy.
• Globally, warning labels that say the product is high in sugar/salt or bad fats allow
consumers to know the true nature of the product and make a choice. Most of the
front-of-pack labels in use today are warning labels.

• For instance, Chile’s black ‘high in’ labels reduced consumption of UPFs by 24%. The
fix is therefore to ensure that front-of-pack labels are notified soon and replace stars
with mandatory ‘high in’ warnings on HFSS foods and UPFs, based on the World
Health Organization’s guidelines or the National Institute of Nutrition’s Dietary
Guideline for Indians.

• India has four laws to curb misleading advertising for HFSS/ UPFs but none of them is
effective, according to reports and data.

• The Consumer Protection Act, 2019, defines as ‘misleading’ any product or service that
deliberately conceals important information.
• Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is an autonomous statutory body
established under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 (FSS Act).
• Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India is the administrative Ministry
of FSSAI.
• Headquarters: Delhi.

How did it come into Being?

• FSS Act, 2006 consolidates various acts & orders that had earlier handled food related
issues in various Ministries and Departments, such as–
• Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954
• Fruit Products Order, 1955
• Meat Food Products Order, 1973
• Vegetable Oil Products (Control) Order, 1947
• Edible Oils Packaging (Regulation) Order 1988
• Milk and Milk Products Order, 1992
• These were repealed after commencement of FSS Act, 2006.
Page No. 6, GS 3
• Since both the U.S. and India are members of the WTO, their bilateral trade dealings
must align with the standards set by WTO law.

• The WTO system operates on the most favoured nation (MFN) principle, which
prohibits discrimination between trading partners.

• Therefore, an FTA that grants preferential access to certain countries violates the
MFN rule, although countries can still establish FTAs under specific conditions.

• The World Trade Organization’s 164 members commit to treating other members
equally so they can all benefit from:
• each other’s lowest tariffs,
• highest import quotas and
• fewest trade barriers for goods and services.
• This principle of non-discrimination is known as most favoured nation (MFN)
treatment.
World Trade Organisation (WTO)

• World Trade Organisation is a global multilateral organisation established in 1995 for

the rules based trading between the nations of the world.

• It is a global membership group that promotes and manages free trade.

• It serves as a forum for governments to negotiate trade agreements and settle trade
disputes.

• Overall, it aims to help producers of goods and services, exporters, and importers
conduct their international businesses smoothly.

• At present, the WTO consists of

• 164 members (including European Union), and
• 23 observer governments (like Iraq, Iran, Bhutan, Libya etc).
Fact

• An agreement called the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade

(GATT) was signed by 23 countries in Genava, and came into force on
Jan.

• 1, 1948 with the purpose of phasing of import quotas and reducing

tariffs on merchandise trades.

• During the period 1948 to 1994, most of the world trade was governed
by the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT).
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