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Caspian Sea - Prelims

Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export
Development Authority (APEDA) - Prelims
Reciprocal tariffs - Page No.1 , GS 3
African cheetahs - Page No.4 , GS 3
Manipur - Page No.8 , GS 2
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Caspian Sea

• It is located between Europe and Asia.

• The Caspian Sea is the world’s largest inland water body, often referred to as both a lake
and a sea due to its unique characteristics.
• The region is rich in oil, natural gas, and biodiversity, making it strategically and
economically significant.
• It lies to the east of the Caucasus Mountains and to the west of the vast steppe of Central
Asia.
• Bordered by: Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Iran, Azerbaijan and Russia.
• It is now a remnant of the ancient Paratethys Sea, with a salinity of 1.2%, making it less
saline than ocean water but saltier than freshwater lakes.
• Major river inflows:
• The Volga River, Europe’s longest river, is the largest freshwater contributor.
• Other rivers: Ural River, Terek River, Kura and Aras Rivers, Sulak and Samur Rivers, and
Atrek River.
Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA)

• Origin: Established in 1986 under the APEDA Act to promote agricultural exports.
• Ministry: Functions under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of
India.
• Aim: Enhance India’s agricultural exports, improve market access, and ensure quality
standards in global trade.

Functions and Powers:

• Market Development: Expands market access for Indian agri-products globally.
• Export Promotion: Facilitates agricultural trade through initiatives like ANARNET
(traceability system).
• Infrastructure Expansion: Supports post-harvest infrastructure, cold chain logistics,
and quality control.
• Policy Implementation: Implements government schemes to boost farmer income and
reduce post-harvest losses.
With reference to the ‘Rarest of Rare’ doctrine in India, consider the following statements:

1.The doctrine was first established in the case of Bachan Singh vs. State of Punjab (1980), where
the Supreme Court laid down that the death penalty should be awarded only in the most exceptional
cases.
2.The Machhi Singh vs. State of Punjab (1983) case provided five broad categories to guide
courts in determining whether a crime falls under the ‘rarest of rare’ category.
3.The Jagmohan Singh vs. State of Uttar Pradesh (1972) case completely abolished the death
penalty in India, declaring it unconstitutional under Articles 14, 19, and 21.

How many of the above statements are correct?

(a) Only one
(b) Only two
(c) All three
(d) None
Answer - B

Explanation:
•Statement 1 is correct: The ‘rarest of rare’ doctrine was established in Bachan Singh vs. State of
Punjab (1980), where the Supreme Court held that the death penalty should be awarded only in the
most exceptional cases that shock the collective conscience of society.

•Statement 2 is correct: In Machhi Singh vs. State of Punjab (1983), the Supreme Court provided
five guiding factors — manner of crime, motive of crime, impact on society, magnitude of crime, and victim’s
vulnerability — to help courts decide if a case qualifies as ‘rarest of rare.’

•Statement 3 is incorrect: The Jagmohan Singh vs. State of Uttar Pradesh (1972) case upheld
the constitutionality of the death penalty, ruling that it does not violate Articles 14, 19, and 21. It did not
abolish the death penalty but emphasized judicial discretion in its application.
With reference to India's tariff policies in recent years, consider the following statements:

1.In 2023, India levied the highest average tariff among BRICS countries, primarily due to high duties on
agricultural products.
2.The average tariff on agricultural goods in India has consistently exceeded 38% from 2018 to 2023,
except in the year 2020.
3.Between 2018 and 2023, India reduced tariffs on electrical machinery, leather/footwear, and some
manufactured goods to promote exports.

How many of the above statements are correct?

(a) Only one
(b) Only two
(c) All three
(d) None
Answer - B

Explanation:
•Statement 1 is correct: India had the highest average tariff (17%) among BRICS countries in
2023, mainly due to high tariffs on agricultural products.

•Statement 2 is correct: The average tariff on agricultural products consistently exceeded 38%
between 2018 and 2023, except in 2020.

•Statement 3 is incorrect: While tariffs on transport equipment, cotton, and textiles decreased,
the duties on electrical machinery, leather/footwear, and some manufactured goods actually
increased during this period.
With reference to the appointment process of the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and Election
Commissioners (ECs) in India, consider the following statements:

1.The Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners are appointed by the President on
the recommendation of a committee consisting of the Prime Minister, the Leader of Opposition in the
Lok Sabha, and a Union Cabinet Minister.
2.The appointment process was recently changed through an ordinance issued by the central
government.
3.The Chief Justice of India was previously part of the selection committee for the appointment of the
Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners but has now been removed.

How many of the above statements are Incorrect?

(a) Only one
(b) Only two
(c) All three
(d) None
Answer - A

Explanation:

•Statement 1 is correct: The selection committee for appointing the CEC and ECs now consists of
the Prime Minister, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha (or leader of the largest opposition
party), and a Union Cabinet Minister.

•Statement 2 is incorrect: The change in the appointment process was introduced through a
parliamentary amendment, not an ordinance.

•Statement 3 is correct: Previously, the Chief Justice of India was part of the selection committee,
but this provision has been removed through the amendment.
Page No. 1, GS 3
• U.S. President Donald Trump has said that he had made it clear to Prime Minister
Narendra Modi that India would not be spared from Washington’s reciprocal tariffs,
emphasising that “nobody can argue with me” on tariff structure.

• Mr. Trump made the remarks during an interview with Sean Hannity of Fox News
recently. Fox News aired a joint television interview with Mr. Trump and billionaire Elon
Musk on Tuesday night.

• The U.S. President had announced reciprocal tariffs on its trading partners on February
13, hours before a bilateral meeting with Mr. Modi in the White House.

• India has very strong tariffs on certain imports from the U.S., as in the automobile
sector.

• Under the reciprocal tariff system, the U.S. would impose the same level of tariffs on
Indian goods.
Fact

• U.S. President Donald Trump has wondered why $21 million was being given to India for
“voter turnout”, reiterating that the U.S. “can hardly get in there” because of high Indian
tariffs.

• “India is one of the highest taxing countries in the world,” he said while signing
executive orders at Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday.

• The Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) had disclosed that
USAID contributed $21 million to the Election Commission for boosting voter turnout.

• Mr. Trump said, “...And $21 million for voter turnout in India. Why are we giving $21
million to India? They got a lot of money there. One of the highest taxing countries in the
world in terms of us. We can hardly get in there because their tariffs are so high.” Mr.
Trump said he had a “lot of respect for India. I have a lot of respect for the Prime
Minister”. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had visited the White House last week.
What is the US Agency for International Development?

• About: USAID is the primary US agency for global humanitarian and development
aid.

• Support: In 2024, USAID was allocated USD 44.2 billion, just 0.4% of the total US
federal budget, but accounted for 42% of all humanitarian aid tracked by the United
Nations.

• USAID funds healthcare, food aid, disaster relief, and policy advocacy worldwide.

• Top aid recipients Include Ukraine, Ethiopia, Jordan, Somalia, and Afghanistan.

• USAID and India: India's association with USAID began in 1951 with the India
Emergency Food Aid Act, evolving over decades from food aid to infrastructure,
capacity building, and economic reforms.
• The agency has been supporting education, immunization, polio eradication, and HIV
(human immunodeficiency virus) /Tuberculosis (TB) prevention.
• In the last decade, India is said to have received around USD 1.5 billion from USAID
(about 0.2 % to 0.4 % of USAID’s total global funding).

What are the Implications for India?

• India’s Role in the Global South: India has positioned itself as a bridge between the
Global North and the Global South, benefiting from its rising status within the G20.

• China and Russia: If the US reduces its role in G20, China and Russia could expand
their influence, potentially shifting global economic dynamics and weakening India's
position amid China's rising power.

• Healthcare: Although direct financial aid to India has decreased, USAID contributions
exceeded USD 50 million in 2024.
Page No. 4, GS 3
Content.

• New study by the Centre for Wildlife Studies (CWS), which examines the ethical,
ecological and welfare challenges associated with the translocation of African
cheetahs to India, has expressed concern over the translocation of the animals and
also raised questions about its scientific merit and long-term viability.

• The study, ‘Delineating the environmental justice implications of an experimental

cheetah introduction project in India’, was published in Frontiers in Conservation
Science.

• According to the CWS, the study highlights that the translocation of African cheetahs
to India has resulted in significant challenges, with a mortality rate of 40%-50% in the
first phase of the project, far below the expected survival rate of 85%.
Content.

• Under Project Cheetah, so far 20 African cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus), eight from
Namibia in September 2022 and 12 from South Africa in February 2023, were
introduced into the Kuno National Park (KNP) in Madhya Pradesh.

• The CWS also said that the cheetahs involved in the project have experienced high
levels of stress, with over 90 chemical immobilisations and regular veterinary
interventions, raising concerns about their physical and mental health.

• It also said that African cheetah populations are already under pressure, with only
around 6,500 mature individuals remaining in the wild.

• The study was led by Yashendu Chinmayee Joshi, doctoral fellow at the Centre for
Wildlife Studies, along with co-authors Stephanie E. Klarmann, Blood Lions Non
Profit Company (NPC) and University of Johannesburg, South Africa; and Louise C.
de Waal, Blood Lions Non Profit Company (NPC), South Africa.
Content.
• Project Cheetah is an initiative by the Government of India to reintroduce cheetahs
into the wild after they were declared extinct in the country in 1952.

• Project Cheetah involves importing cheetahs from Africa and establishing them in
suitable habitats within India, particularly in national parks and wildlife reserves.

• The goal of Project Cheetah is to restore the ecological balance, promote biodiversity,
and enhance wildlife tourism and conservation efforts in India.

• Although attempts to relocate Cheetahs to India began in 2009, the Supreme Court of
India finally gave the green signal for such efforts in 2020.

• For this Project Cheetah, India has partnered with the Cheetah Conservation Fund
(CCF), an international organisation founded in Namibia in 1990 dedicated to saving
the cheetah in the wild.
Content.

• ‘Reintroduction’ of a species means releasing it in an area where it can survive.

• Reintroducing large carnivores has become a widely recognised strategy for conserving
threatened species and restoring ecosystem functions.

• Cheetahs are thought to have vanished from India after Maharaja Ramanuj Pratap Singh Deo of
Koriya hunted and killed the last three Asiatic cheetahs recorded in 1947.

• It was declared extinct by the Government in 1952.

• Under Project Cheetah, the Prime Minister of India released wild Cheetahs in Kuno National
Park in Madhya Pradesh.
• The Cheetahs introduced in the Kuno National Park were brought from Namibia.

• This is the world’s first inter-continental wild carnivore translocation project.

• Five of the eight Cheetahs are female, and three are male. Under the project, India will receive
20 cheetahs, 12 from South Africa and 8 from Namibia.
Page No. 8, GS 2
Content.

• On February 13, 2025, Article 356 of the Constitution was invoked in Manipur and the
State came under President’s Rule. It made way for the President of India to take
charge of all administrative and legislative functions of the State from Manipur’s
Council of Ministers. The State Assembly, however, has not been dissolved

• Article 174 of the Constitution requires that the space between two State Assembly
sessions is not more than six months — a deadline which expired on February 12.
The deadline had closed in because the Assembly had skipped its winter session,
and, therefore, the Budget session was planned to begin on February 10, two days
ahead of this deadline.

• According to a Ministry of Home Affairs reply to an online Right To Information

application in 2016, Manipur has had President’s Rule 10 times. This will be its
eleventh time, making it one of the most vulnerable States to have this extreme
measure taken.
Content.

• Manipur has 33 recognised Scheduled Tribes, most falling into the Naga and Kuki (now
Kuki-Zo) groupings. There are also the majority Meiteis (and Pangals or Meitei Muslims)
who are considered non-tribals.

• In addition, there are several other non-tribal communities such as Nepalis, Punjabis,
Tamils and Marwaris, who constitute a substantive percentage of the State’s projected
population of about three million.

• The India-Myanmar borderlands remain a data-deficient region despite their long history
of armed conflict, displacement, and humanitarian crises. The complexity of the Manipur
conflict, along with restricted access and adverse security conditions, has led to huge
gaps in documenting humanitarian needs.
Content.

• Official estimates account only for those in registered relief camps, omitting unregistered
individuals living with relatives, in temporary shelters, or displaced across multiple
locations. Those who have left the State due to conflict-related circumstances are also
unaccounted for.

• A significant but unrecognised category of affected individuals includes thousands of

Manipuri youth who have left in search of better education and livelihood. Another
overlooked group comprises those forced to seek medical care outside the State.

• Meanwhile, displaced populations in the Imphal Valley struggle with increasing out-of-
pocket expenses for medical treatment, often leading to a discontinuation of care. Manipur’s
health-care system, already marked by disparities between the Valley and Hill districts, has
deteriorated.
• Northeast India has experienced prolonged spells of insurgency. However, over the
past few decades, large parts of the region have remained free of insurgencies. This
relative peace has allowed for the operationalisation of massive infrastructure projects.

• But, as the violence in Manipur attests, the gains made are experiencing increasing
stress because of the political developments in Myanmar.

• The military coup in Myanmar in February 2021 has encountered widespread

disapproval from the people of that country.

• Myanmar military (Tatmadaw)

• In Northeast India, there are many ethnic groups, such as the Mizo-Chin-Kuki, that
inhabit both sides of the India-Myanmar border and share strong community and
familial ties.
Fact

• Recognising these ethnic interactions, the governments of both countries instituted a

Free Movement Regime (FMR) after Independence, for people living within 40 kilometre
on either side of the India-Burma border, which was subsequently reduced to 16 km.

• The FMR allowed people in the designated areas to move across the border without
being subjected to cumbersome paperwork such as visas.

• Additionally, a wide range of economic activities, such as Border haats were

established to encourage local cross-border trade and promote livelihoods.

• However, these attempts to convert border zones into launch pads of economic
engagement received a setback after the recent violent conflict in Myanmar, which
resulted in a large-scale refugee movement into India. The movement of refugees has
negatively impacted India’s border management strategies.
Fact

• According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees estimates, as of

December 31, 2024, approximately 95,600 refugees from Myanmar had moved into
India.

• Of these, about 73,400 refugees reportedly reached India after the recent military
coup.

• However, given the porous border, it is difficult to accurately estimate the number of
Myanmar refugees in India.

• The influx of Myanmar refugees has generated diverse responses in India’s

Northeastern States. In Mizoram, various civil society organisations and the State
government have shown considerable empathy for the refugees due to their shared
ethnic identity.
Free Movement Regime:

• The FMR was established in 2018 as part of India's Act East policy, promoting
cross-border movement up to 16 km without a visa.

• Individuals residing at the border need a one-year border pass for stays lasting
up to two weeks in the neighbouring country.

• It aimed to facilitate local border trade, improve access to education and

healthcare for border residents, and strengthen diplomatic ties.
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