BRICS Summit, Ancient Space Rock Helped Life, I4C Study about Cyberfraud

(General Studies II – International Relations Section – Bilateral, Regional and Global Groupings and Agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests. General Studies III – Economy Section – Supply Chain Management)

• India’s supply chain security strategy is undergoing a significant shift due to heightened geopolitical tensions, particularly with China, and recent global events that highlight vulnerabilities in high-tech supply chains.
• Driven by a need for both resilience and security, India is adopting a multi-layered approach to mitigate risks associated with reliance on foreign technology and suppliers, especially in sensitive sectors.

Key Challenges in India’s Supply Chain Security –

1. Dependency on China: India relies on China for around 40% of its electronics imports and over 65% of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), making critical sectors vulnerable to supply disruptions and potential security threats.
   • For instance, India imports over 90% of its solar panel needs from China, affecting the energy sector’s self-reliance.
2. Cybersecurity and Surveillance Risks: The integration of foreign technology, particularly in sensitive sectors like defense and telecom, raises concerns over data theft and hacking. With global tech decoupling trends, ensuring that imported technology is secure from surveillance is critical for India’s security.

1. Weak Domestic Capacity in High-Tech Sectors: While India has made strides in manufacturing, there is a gap in advanced technologies like semiconductors, limiting India’s ability to fully secure its supply chains without relying on imports.

Strategic Framework for Secure Supply Chains –

1. “Trust but Verify” Approach for Essential Imports

• Periodic Audits and Inspections: Technology products in essential sectors (such as critical infrastructure and telecom) can undergo periodic audits, compliance checks, and onsite inspections to mitigate risks of compromised foreign tech.
• Strengthening Compliance Standards: Collaboration with allied countries and adopting global standards, as seen with Japan and Australia under the Quad Supply Chain Resilience Initiative, supports better oversight.

2. Zero-Trust Model for Critical Sectors

• Domestic Defense Production: Programs like the Defense Production Policy and the Indigenisation of Defense Manufacturing focus on securing India’s defense supply chain by minimizing foreign technology in sensitive defense equipment.
• PLI Scheme for Electronics and Semiconductors: The Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme has allocated over ₹40,000 crore for large-scale electronics and semiconductor manufacturing, fostering a reliable domestic base. Collaborations with Taiwan and global chipmakers aim to make India a semiconductor hub, ensuring secure sourcing for high-tech sectors.

3. Resilience through Diversification and Friendshoring

• Supplier Diversification: India has increased imports from other Asian countries and the United States, reducing dependency on single-source suppliers. For example, Pharma City is set to bolster India’s pharmaceutical supply chain by reducing reliance on China for APIs.
• Friendshoring: Strategic partnerships with countries like Japan, Australia, and the U.S. help secure supply chains through shared technology standards and production networks.

India’s evolving supply chain strategy focuses on a balanced approach that combines resilience, security, and regional cooperation. By reinforcing both domestic manufacturing and strategic alliances, India can establish robust supply chains to safeguard its national security interests and reduce vulnerabilities in a volatile geopolitical landscape.

• Delhi has formally joined the PM SHRI (PM Schools for Rising India) scheme nearly two years after its launch as MoU was signed with the Ministry of Education (MoE) for implementation.
• The PM SHRI scheme aligns with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
• It aimed at redeveloping 14,500 existing schools into exemplar model schools.
• The scheme will be implemented in all states over five years.
• It is centrally sponsored scheme, in which centre will contribute 60% of the funding for school upgrades.
• Schools will adopt a modern, transformational, and holistic approach to education.
• Emphasis will be on discovery-oriented and learning-centric teaching methods.
• Smart classrooms, sports facilities, and the latest technology will be integrated.
• Upgrades will include labs, libraries, art rooms, and green infrastructure such as water conservation, waste recycling, and energy efficiency.
• Out of few states who had concerns about scheme, Punjab joined in August, Tamil Nadu and Kerala are expected to sign the MoU soon, excluding only West Bengal.

Dig Deeper: Read about the New Education Policy, 2020.

• The 16^th BRICS Summit in Kazan, hosted by Russia, underscored the theme of “strengthening multilateralism for just global development and security.”
• This summit marked the first meeting of the expanded BRICS+ at the summit level. Priority at Kazan was on strengthening intra-BRICS economic engagement and enhancing ties with the Global South.

• BRICS advocates for reforms in global institutions, including the UN, IMF, and World Bank. The Kazan Declaration reiterated BRICS+ support for UNSC reform, though specific steps and country references remain unresolved.
• There was consensus on combating terrorism and its financing, highlighting the need for closer coordination.
• BRICS operates on consensus, without a formal secretariat, with decisions shaped by the presidency and member participation.
• Recent expansions have included Egypt, Ethiopia, UAE, Iran, and Saudi Arabia, enriching the group’s agenda and extending its regional influence.
• The admission guidelines for new partner countries were refined, stressing the importance of alignment with BRICS’ ethos and cooperative framework.

Dig Deeper: Compare BRICS with SCO.

• A nine-judge Constitution Bench ruled in an 8:1 majority that State legislatures have the right to regulate industrial alcohol.
• Scope of ‘Intoxicating Liquor’ under Entry 8: The majority held that “intoxicating liquor” in Entry 8 includes industrial alcohol, permitting States to regulate its production, manufacture, possession, transport, purchase, and sale.
• Entry 8, grounded in public interest, was interpreted to cover alcohol harmful to health including-
• Rectified spirit
• Extra neutral alcohol (ENA)
• Denatured spirit
• The term “intoxicating liquor” should be broadly interpreted to include all alcoholic substances potentially harmful to health.
• Entry 52 of the Union List provides the Centre control over industries where Parliament declares such regulation in the public interest.
• The Court clarified that Parliament cannot assume full control of the alcohol industry by invoking Entry 52, preserving State authority over industrial alcohol under Entry 8.

Dig Deeper: Read Supreme Court judgement inn favour of states on power to tax mineral rights.

• The Supreme Court expressed concern over ongoing stubble burning and the selective penalization approach by Punjab and Haryana, stating that this violates citizens’ right to a pollution-free environment under Article 21 of the Constitution.
• Citizens have a fundamental right to live in a pollution-free environment under Article 21.
• Environment Protection Act, 1986: Officials have not established a proper mechanism for collecting fines under Section 15 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, which prescribes penalties including up to five years of imprisonment and a ₹1 lakh fine for violations.
• The court questioned the lack of meaningful change despite repeated orders to address air pollution issues, particularly during winter.
• The Centre and the Commission for Air Quality Management committed to establishing the necessary machinery for enforcement within two weeks.
• The amicus curiae raised further concerns about air pollution in urban areas of the national capital.

Dig Deeper: Read about mandate of Commission for Air Quality Management.

• The space rock that struck Earth 66 million years ago caused the extinction of the dinosaurs, but a much larger meteorite, impacting 3.26 billion years ago, created even more widespread destruction.
• New research suggests this massive impact may have benefited early microbial life by delivering essential nutrients like phosphorus and iron.

• The meteorite, estimated to be 37-58 km in diameter, was 50-200 times more massive than the one that caused the dinosaur extinction.
• The impact likely occurred in the ocean, generating a global tsunami, heating the atmosphere, boiling upper ocean layers, and darkening skies worldwide.
• Researchers studied ancient rocks in South Africa’s Barberton Greenstone Belt, finding signs that microbial life thrived after conditions normalized within a few decades.
• Fossil mats of marine bacteria indicate a robust resurgence of life, supported by nutrients from the impact.

Dig Deeper: Read about the extinction of Dinosaurs.

• Following the recent amendments to the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Rules, the National Platform for the Rights of the Disabled (NPRD) criticised the new rules, calling them “regressive” and urging their withdrawal.
• The amendments aim to tighten norms for obtaining a disability certificate.
• Disability certificate applicants must now provide proof of identity.
• Only medical authorities are authorised to process applications, extending the processing time from one to three months.
• Rule 18 allows an application to lapse or become “inactive” if pending for over two years, requiring the applicant to reapply or reactivate.

Dig Deeper: Read about Barrier Free Environment under the Scheme for Implementation of Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act (SIPDA)

• Indians are projected to lose over 0.7% of GDP to cyber fraud in the coming year, according to the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) under the Union Home Ministry.
• This loss is attributed largely to mule bank accounts.
• The I4C has identified 18 ATM hotspots in India for fraudulent withdrawals and indicated overseas ATM cash withdrawals using Indian mule account debit cards in locations like Dubai, Hong Kong, Bangkok, and Russia.
• International Scam Compounds: Scam compounds resembling call centres in Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, and recently Azerbaijan, have become hubs for investment scams.
• The Home Ministry plans a meeting with the Union Finance Ministry and the Reserve Bank of India to address mule accounts.
• Banks are advised to monitor high-value transactions in low-balance accounts or accounts held by salaried individuals, as these are often used to move defrauded money overseas through cryptocurrency.

Dig Deeper: What is the mandate of I4C under the Home Ministry?

• K.G. Subramanyan (1924–2016) is a towering figure in modern Indian art.
• Seagull Books published his Five collections of essays addressing themes of tradition, cultural identity, and the role of art in society.  It constitutes a total of 19 essays including the title essays:
• Theory Text Context
• The Local and the Global
• A Matter of Perspective
• The Concept of Tradition
• Discovering Each Other
• Subramanyan critically examines themes such as global versus local art, the perception of tradition as backward, and the survival of craftsmanship in an industrial world.
• Subramanyan suggests culture is a dynamic interaction between individuals, society, and the environment, rooted in tradition but evolving with modern innovations.
• He emphasises that true cultural expression should balance heritage with contemporary progress, aiming to create a “culture-intent society.”
• Highlighting the undervaluation of “serious art,” he contrasts the popularity of mainstream cinema and literature with the often-overlooked regional and folk art, which embodies artistic value through self-taught village artisans.
• He presents examples from rural India, where traditional wall and floor art demonstrates a raw, untrained mastery, which urbanization threatens to erode.
• Subramanyan critiques the commodification of culture in modern festivals, which he argues reduces traditions to public entertainment rather than authentic cultural expression.
• He emphasizes the need to protect Indian art and artisans as part of cultural preservation amidst rapid progress, seeing this as a safeguard for India’s heritage.
• His satire on democracy in “The Tale of the Talking Face” (originally published in 1998) or his understanding of the human condition in “When God First Made Animals” and “He Made Them All Alike” (1985) is proof of his sensibilities.
• The contents of the essays show that K.G. was well-versed in the nuances of economics, polity, religion, education systems, and much more

Dig Deeper: Read about Abanindranath Tagore, Coomaraswamy and Nandalal Bose in the context of Indian Art and Culture.