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Outward facing, mercantile and modern societies, our nations — the United Kingdom and India — have much in common.
Although separated by thousands of miles, we are inherently connected by the ocean, the world’s great global commons.
Trade in food and goods underwrites our mutual prosperity, supporting the lives and livelihoods of so many. Global trade is predominantly a maritime activity, and this remains a fundamental truth in the Information Age too. But, today, our reliance on the maritime is only increasing, with the recognition that the data supporting online banking and capital flows also moves via underwater cables.
Both our national and maritime strategies are inescapably intertwined. Our nations need to secure, and make free from aggression and exploitation, the global lifelines of goods and resource that flow across the seas and on which our economies rely.
But the norms of behaviour upon the seas — norms which have enabled globalisation to flourish, and the wider rules-based International Order of which they are a part — are all increasingly under threat, from the Black Sea to the Red Sea to the South China Sea.
Opinion
Intended messages and their interpretation (Page no. 11)
(GS Paper 2, International Relation)
Few things on social media go as viral as short clips of statements by public figures, often taken out of context. In platforms designed to capitalise on our shrinking attention spans, users rarely have the time or patience for context.
Even if some may wish to trace a circulating video clip to its original, longer video source, it would have likely gone viral by then, prompting journalists to play catch up, although we may not report on it.
While it is hard to pin motivations based on short clips, the instant reactions they trigger can be interesting and telling.
Among other things, they show us how an intended message and its interpretation can be very different while consumed on social media.
A case in point is a remark made by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Mumbai, last month.
My first advice to you would be, the next time you want to take a holiday, go to Sri Lanka,” he said, in the now popular clip. Many social media users in both countries understood this as a fillip for Sri Lanka’s tourism industry.
Several Sri Lankans, including politicians, cheered the Indian Foreign Minister’s “pitch for Sri Lankan tourism” and eagerly re-shared the clip.
Text & Context
Are Interpol’s notices being politically exploited? (Page no. 12)
(GS Paper 2, International Organisation)
The International Criminal Police Organization, more commonly known as Interpol, comprising 194 member countries, plays a crucial role as an information-sharing network to enable national police forces to combat transnational crimes.
Concerns have been raised about the misuse of Interpol’s notice system, especially the issuance of blue corner notices, which are less scrutinised than their red corner notices.
Critics argue that countries often exploit existing protocols to target political refugees and dissidents. While efforts have been made to address this, questions remain about striking a balance between facilitating police cooperation and preventing misuse of this powerful tool.
There are seven types of notices issued by Interpol — Red Notice, Yellow Notice, Blue Notice, Black Notice, Green Notice, Orange Notice, and Purple Notice.
News
India to open diplomatic mission in Albanian capital (Page no. 14)
(GS Paper 2, International Relation)
Albania’s Foreign Minister Igli Hasani said that Albania is planning to open an Embassy in New Delhi while India will soon have a diplomatic mission in Tirana.
Mr. Hasani, who is visiting India to participate in the annual Raisina Dialogue, presented his country as an important location on the ‘corridor’ that connects Europe with the Asia and urged closer trade ties between the two countries.
I am glad to know the plans of the Indian government to open a representation in Tirana and we are also planning to open an Embassy very soon in New Delhi.
CBSE discusses open-book exams for Classes 9 to 12 (Page no. 16)
(GS Paper 2, Education)
After the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) proposed to create open-book tests for students of Classes 9 to 12 in English, Science, Mathematics and Biology from this year, members of the CBSE governing body discussed the issue recently.
Open-book tests allow students to access books while appearing for the examinations. The CBSE has said these tests would undergo a pilot phase in schools to evaluate various aspects such as completion time, suitability for formative and summative assessment, and perceptions of stakeholders.
It has proposed the timeline for design, development, and the review of open book tests by June. This will be followed by pilot testing of materials in schools in November and December.
Business
Real interest rate of 2% risks impairing growth: MPC’s Varma (Page no. 17)
(GS Paper 2, International Relation)
Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) member Jayanth R. Varma was the sole dissenter at the February 6-8 meeting of the RBI’s policy panel, which voted 5-1 to hold the repo rate at 6.5%, arguing that with inflation projected to average 4.5% in 2024-25, a real interest rate of 2% would be way too high and ran the risk of hurting economic growth.
If the potential growth rate of the economy is close to 8%, then the economy is not at risk of overheating in 2024-25,” Mr. Varma contended in his statement at the meeting.
A real interest rate of 1-1.5% would then be sufficient to glide inflation to the target of 4%. A real interest rate of 2% creates the very real risk of turning growth pessimism into a self fulfilling prophecy.
World
Russia’s war has inflicted ‘horrific human cost’: UN (Page no. 18)
(GS Paper 2, International Organisation)
Russia’s war in Ukraine has exacted a terrible human cost and inflicted suffering on millions, the United Nations rights chief said on Thursday, ahead of the second anniversary of the invasion.
The damage caused by the war would be felt for generations, said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk, renewing his call for Moscow to stop the war immediately.
The full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation has exacted a horrific human cost, inflicting immense suffering on millions of civilians.
Russia invaded its neighbour on February 24, 2022.
“Russia’s full-scale armed attack on Ukraine, which is about to enter its third year with no end in sight, continues to cause serious and widespread human rights violations, destroying lives and livelihoods,” Mr. Turk said.
Chinese research ship moors near Maldives, raising concern (Page no. 1)
(GS Paper 2, International Relation)
A high-tech Chinese marine research ship arrived near the Maldives after spending about a month in the Indian Ocean near the island nation, media reports said here.
The ship, Xiang Yang Hong 03 reached the Maldives on the same day when Indian and Sri Lankan coast guard ships reached the strategically located archipelago for a trilateral naval exercise.
India had already expressed concern about the movement of the Chinese research ship in the Indian Ocean and also prevailed on Sri Lanka to refuse permission for the ship to dock at the Colombo port.
“Chinese research vessel Xiang Yang Hong 03 was moored close to Male City this morning. Around noon, the ship was shown to be near Thilafushi,” news portal Edition.mv reported, quoting the Marine Traffic website that tracks all ocean liners across the globe.
Science
The women of ASHA: overworked, underpaid and on the edge of breakdown (Page no. 20)
(GS Paper 2, Health)
There’s a saying in the Chhattisgarhi dialect. Sukh mein sab hain, dukh mein Mitanin. Everyone is there in times of joy, but in sorrow, there are only Mitanins. The word translates to ‘friends’.
A friendship, between women, one with the promise of compassion. In 2002, Mitanins also came to symbolise care, when Chhattisgarh designated women to play the role of community health workers.
They were advocates for resource-deficient communities, friendly faces of a distant health system, agents of both change and care work.
Mitanins inspired the ASHA framework three years later.The Accredited Social Health Activist — a saree-clad cadre of almost 10 lakh women today — is a friend.
Her care work dictates the reach and success of India’s health schemes. But agents of change tire too. Every ASHA logs in a ‘triple shift’, spread out between the home, community and health centres.
Overworked and underpaid, they are caught in a frenzied rhythm: many do not eat well and sleep enough, and are at risk of anaemia, malnutrition and non-communicable diseases, found a new study supported by the Amit Sengupta Fellowship on Human Rights. It documented the limited autonomy the health workers have over their time, money and well-being.
World’s race to eradicate Guinea worm disease nears the finish line (Page no. 20)
(GS Paper 2, Health)
The world is on the brink of a public health triumph as it closes in on eradicating Guinea worm disease. There were more than 3.5 million cases of this disease in the 1980s, but according to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) weekly epidemiological report, they dwindled to 14 cases in 2021, 13 in 2022, and just six in 2023.
At a time when medical advancements often headline with breakthrough vaccines and cures, the battle against Guinea worm disease stands out for its reliance on basic public health principles rather than high-tech interventions.
Unlike many of its viral counterparts, this parasitic adversary has offered no chance for immunity, defied prevention by vaccines, and resisted most cures — yet the possibility of its eradication is closer than ever thanks to the triumph of human resilience and ingenuity.