GS Analyst: Daily Current Affairs

India and the US signed the “Terms of Reference” for the initial phase of a new trade deal. This means they’ve agreed on a basic roadmap for talks. The aim is to finalise the first phase by the end of 2025 with a view to reaching bilateral trade worth USD 500 billion by 2030.

What is in the Agreement?

• India and the US signed the “Terms of Reference” for the initial phase of a new trade deal.
• This means they’ve agreed on a basic roadmap for talks.
• The aim is to finalise the first phase by the end of 2025.
• Goal: Both sides want to boost bilateral trade to USD 500 billion by 2030.
  (Current India–US trade is around USD 190–200 billion.)
• India has officially chosen the path of “trade liberalisation” with the US.
• This implies India is willing to reduce tariffs, open markets, and improve regulatory coordination, but in a phased and careful manner.
• The first round of virtual discussions is scheduled this month (April), and in-person talks are planned for mid-May 2025.

Trade Friction

• India and the United States are strategic partners in areas like defence, energy, Indo-Pacific cooperation, and technology.
• However, on trade issues, relations have frequently faced tensions.
• Key issues over the past few years:

• The US has a trade deficit with India (currently around USD 45.6 billion).
• Former President Trump has often referred to India as the "tariff king", claiming Indian duties on American goods are unfair.
• The US removed India from GSP (Generalised System of Preferences) in 2019, ending tariff-free access for many Indian exports.
• Tariffs were imposed on Indian goods like steel, aluminium, and agricultural products.
• Despite repeated negotiations, a comprehensive trade deal was never finalised in Trump’s first term.

What This Means for India–US Relations?

• This trade engagement offers a fresh opportunity to rebuild economic ties.
• India is trying to:
  • Resolve long-standing tariff disputes
  • Retain its strategic autonomy
  • Ensure fair and balanced access for its exporters
• The trade talks are also important because:
  • They can prevent further economic friction under Trump’s protectionist policies.
  • A successful deal would strengthen the overall strategic relationship, including cooperation in the Quad and Indo-Pacific.

For over two months now, a section of Kerala’s 26,125-strong community of Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) have been on a day-night agitation on the streets demanding better remuneration and retirement benefits. While the agitation gained much attention and was also raised in Parliament, the issues raised by the ASHAs remain unresolved.

Who are ASHA workers?

• ASHAs or Accredited Social Health Activists are female health workers who work at the village level.
• They are part of the National Health Mission which started in the year 2005.
• Their key tasks include:

  • Mobilising women for institutional deliveries and antenatal care

  • Supporting immunisation and family planning

  • Promoting hygiene and nutrition

  • Managing basic health data

  • Supporting outreach during public health emergencies, as seen during COVID-19

• India has more than ten lakh ASHA workers. They form the backbone of the rural health system, especially in states with low doctor-patient ratios and limited infrastructure. Yet, they are still legally considered "volunteers", which means they do not get a fixed salary, job security, or social protection.

Key Issues in Focus

• Informalisation of Public Sector Work: ASHAs are technically government service providers but legally remain outside the formal workforce. This blurs the line between volunteerism and labour exploitation. It reflects a broader trend of informalisation of work in essential public services.
• Gender and Labour Rights: ASHAs are all women, and their under-compensated work reflects the undervaluation of women's labour, especially in care work. This also reinforces systemic gender inequality in the labour market.
• Centre-State Fiscal Politics: Health is a state subject under the Constitution. But national schemes like NHM depend on central funding. When the Centre delays payments or caps its share, states are forced to make tough choices. This case shows how vertical fiscal imbalance impacts service delivery and labour welfare.
• Public Health Capacity and Soft Infrastructure: ASHAs are essential for India’s health outcomes — from maternal care to vaccination drives. Yet, their working conditions show a mismatch between policy intent and state capacity. Without investing in this soft infrastructure, public health goals cannot be achieved.

Required Measures (Way Forward)

• Regularisation with Safeguards: The government can gradually absorb ASHAs into the health system as contract or auxiliary staff with job protections, insurance, and pensions.
• Reform NHM Employment Model: The National Health Mission should be restructured to ensure guaranteed payments, annual revision of incentives, and a clear grievance redressal mechanism.
• Ensure Centre-State Financial Coordination: Timely release of NHM funds and a more flexible funding model is essential. States should be allowed to innovate while the Centre guarantees minimum standards.
• Institutional Dialogue: Instead of ignoring or discrediting unions like the Kerala ASHA Health Workers’ Association, governments should engage with them to develop sustainable models of worker inclusion and welfare.

A new species of frog has been discovered in Assam and named Leptobrachium aryatium. The frog was found in Garbhanga Reserve Forest near Guwahati.

About the Species

• The species is named Leptobrachium aryatium to honour Arya Vidyapeeth College, an esteemed educational institution in Guwahati.
• Taxonomic Placement: The species belongs to the genus Leptobrachium, family These frogs are known for their stocky bodies, large heads, short hind limbs, and uniquely coloured eyes.
  • The genus Leptobrachium includes 38 known species, primarily found across South and Southeast Asia. Many of these species are morphologically similar, making field identification difficult — highlighting the importance of molecular and acoustic studies.
• Distinctive Traits of the New Species:

• Fiery orange-and-black eyes
• Net-like (reticulated) throat pattern
• Smooth, rhythmic calls at dusk
• Differentiated from other frogs through morphological, acoustic, and DNA analysis

A team of scientists from the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) has discovered a new beetle species in the Talle Valley Wildlife Sanctuary in Arunachal Pradesh. The species, named Clinidium lalitae, honours the late Dr. Lalita Ray Chaudhury, a pioneering Indian coleopterologist.

About

• The beetle belongs to the subfamily Rhysodinae, a rare group of ground beetles.
• This group of beetles typically resides in forest floors and is morphologically distinct, indicating a high degree of specialization.
• Ecological Role of Clinidium lalitae
  • These beetles play a vital role in nutrient cycling, decomposition of organic matter, and soil health.
  • As ground beetles, they are part of a larger forest ecosystem web, contributing to forest floor dynamics.
  • Their presence signals a healthy ecosystem, and their sensitivity to habitat changes makes them useful bioindicators.

India is set to launch its first-ever public database on native seed germination, a major initiative by the Ecological Restoration Alliance-India (ERA-I). This database will offer more than 1,000 germination techniques covering 465 native plant species, aiming to aid ecological restoration, promote native biodiversity, and support India’s land restoration commitments.

Why This Database Matters?

• It will serve as a free-access platform for restoration practitioners, nursery managers, and plant conservation enthusiasts.
• One of the key challenges in ecological restoration is growing native plants, which requires knowledge of seed germination — often acquired informally or through years of experimentation.
  • Problem: Low success rates in seed germination due to lack of systematic knowledge.
  • Solution: The database provides tested protocols that increase the efficiency of native plant propagation.
  • Benefit: Greater success in creating native nurseries, crucial for restoring degraded ecosystems.
• The database now allows even older nurseries to expand the range of species they can successfully grow.
• Species Included: Some notable species in the database include:
  • Ficus benghalensis (banyan) – National tree of India, keystone species in ecosystems
  • Madhuca longifolia (mahua) – Source of livelihood and food in tribal areas
  • Withania somnifera (ashwagandha) – Medicinal plant with rising global relevance
  • Vachellia nilotica (babool) – Important for arid land restoration
• India’s Land Restoration Commitments and Global Goals: India has committed to restoring 26 million hectares of degraded land under the Bonn Challenge, a global pledge to restore 350 million hectares by 2030.
• This database directly supports that goal by:
  • Facilitating the creation of native nurseries across India.
  • Equipping local communities and professionals with practical knowledge.
  • Providing an open-source model that promotes community-led ecological restoration.

Prayagraj hosted over 60 crore pilgrims during the 2025 Maha Kumbh, showcasing a massive river-society relationship; the event raises questions on leveraging this cultural-spiritual connection for long-term river rejuvenation.

Cultural-Religious Significance and Spatial Dynamics

• Ephemeral Riverine Urbanism: Maha Kumbh creates a temporary city over 40 sq. km along the Ganga-Yamuna confluence, termed an “ephemeral mega-city” by Harvard for its rapid creation and dismantling.
• Spiritual Mobilisation: Over 60 crore pilgrims participated, reflecting deep-rooted faith or aastha, which forms the core of the river-society connection in India.
• Cultural Ecosystem: The event is shaped by a complex network of religious leaders, akharas, spiritual institutions, and the state, reflecting a fusion of faith, economy, and governance.

Ecological Stress and Institutional Response

• Environmental Impact: CPCB data shows high levels of faecal coliform during snan days; rituals and mass presence cause temporary ecological stress.
• Mitigation Measures: Controlled river flows, civil society campaigns, and monitoring initiatives are used to minimise ecological degradation during the event.
• Structural Challenges: Lack of sub-national institutionalisation and persistent non-point pollution sources hinder sustainable impact under Namami Gange.

Reimagining Aastha as Ecological Instrument

• Behavioural Change for Conservation: Changing everyday interactions with the river is essential for curbing non-point pollution and sustaining clean river initiatives.
• Spiritual Ecology as Leverage: Indigenous and religious practices carry ecological ethics; campaigns like whale shark conservation in Saurashtra exemplify success via spiritual mobilisation.
• Cultural Networks as Agents:Priests, pandas, spiritual leaders, and religious institutions must be engaged to reinterpret rituals to support ecological outcomes.

Practice Question

“India’s cultural and spiritual practices, if reimagined through an ecological lens, can play a pivotal role in river rejuvenation.” Discuss with reference to the Maha Kumbh and the Namami Gange programme.

As tensions escalate under Donald Trump’s renewed presidency, China and Russia are intensifying their efforts to weaken US-led alliances in Eurasia by leveraging economic, diplomatic, and regional strategies. This marks a pivotal moment in global geopolitics where the principle of mitra-bhedam—strategic separation of allies—is visibly unfolding.

Strategic Realignment in Eurasia

• Panchatantra’s Mitra-Bhedam in Modern Geopolitics: Russia and China are capitalising on US discontent with allies to weaken post-War alliance structures, aiming to split Washington from key partners in Europe and Asia.
• Trump’s Hostile Policy towards Allies: Criticisms of “free-riding” military partners and economic protectionism through tariffs have strained longstanding alliances, creating openings for adversaries.
• Europe’s Strategic Shift: Disenchanted with US actions on Ukraine and troop deployments, some European nations are engaging more actively with China to protect multilateralism and economic interests.

China’s Neighbourhood Diplomacy and Asian Outreach

• Regional Economic Re-engagement: Xi Jinping’s visits to Vietnam, Cambodia, and Malaysia, along with revived trilateral talks with Japan and South Korea, reflect efforts to secure regional loyalty amid US-China tensions.
• Indo-Pacific Counterbalance: As the US strengthens Indo-Pacific ties, Beijing’s “neighbourhood diplomacy” seeks to “shelve differences” and build strategic partnerships with regional states, including India.
• ASEAN and Market Asymmetry: Despite growing trade, Southeast Asian countries face massive deficits with China ($200 bn with ASEAN), questioning Beijing’s sincerity in offering open markets.

Trade Dynamics and Competing Economic Hubs

• US vs China: Market Access Reality Check: Despite Chinese rhetoric on opposing “unilateral bullying,” Southeast Asian nations and India rely heavily on US markets due to favourable trade balances.
• Structural Trade Imbalances: India has a $100 bn deficit with China but a $45 bn surplus with the US, reflecting the economic asymmetry that complicates a pivot to China.
• Asia’s Cautious Calculus: While wary of US protectionism, Asian economies are lining up in Washington to secure trade agreements, indicating enduring American economic centrality.

Practice Question

“The strategic doctrine of ‘mitra-bhedam’ is manifesting in today’s multipolar world order through the efforts of revisionist powers.” Critically examine the relevance of this principle in the context of shifting alliances between the US, China, and regional players in Eurasia and the Indo-Pacific.

Colossal Biosciences, a US-based company led by Harvard geneticist George Church, is attempting de-extinction by combining genomics with conservation, aiming to revive extinct species like the woolly mammoth to combat climate change impacts in the Arctic tundra.

De-Extinction Technology and Process

• Genome Reconstruction: DNA fragments from mammoth fossils are sequenced and compared with the Asian elephant genome to identify and edit mammoth-specific traits.
• Genetic Editing Tools: CRISPR and related gene-editing technologies are used to engineer traits such as thick fur, subcutaneous fat, and cold resistance in elephants.
• Experimental Successes and Claims: Three snow-white wolves, claimed to resemble the extinct dire wolf, have been born, although their classification remains disputed due to minimal (20 gene) edits.

Climate Rationale and Ecological Argument

• Climate Restoration Model: Mammoths once maintained grasslands which reflected more solar radiation; their return is hypothesized to slow permafrost melting and reduce methane release.
• Siberian Park Experiment: Cold-resistant animals are introduced into Arctic ecosystems to replicate Pleistocene-era grazing effects and restore grassland ecology.
• Tundra vs Shrubland Impact: Grasslands absorb less heat than shrubs and help maintain lower surface temperatures, although this effect is mitigative, not preventive.

Ethical, Financial, and Conservation Concerns

• Misplaced Conservation Priorities: Current extinction threats stem from habitat loss and human activity; de-extinction diverts funds from pressing conservation efforts.
• Peer Review and Scientific Rigor: Projects lack peer validation and may exaggerate outcomes; for instance, the dire wolf project is viewed skeptically for its superficial resemblances.
• Need for Regulatory Oversight: The absence of comprehensive international guidelines for non-health-related gene-editing raises ethical and ecological risks.

Practice Question:

“Reviving extinct species using gene-editing tools may offer futuristic solutions but also poses immediate ecological and ethical challenges.” Critically examine this statement in light of recent developments in synthetic biology and conservation policy.