Current Affairs Today 21 Jul 2026 I UPSC Daily Current Affairs I The Hindu Analysis I The Analyst

[00:00:07]Hello and a very warm welcome to the analyst dated 21st July 2026 brought to you by Vaji Raman Ravi wherein we'll be looking into the sixth set of current affairs articles along with the mains value addition articles the handout of this very discussion has been pinned in the comment section below for a future reference. Now beginning with the analysis section in the first topic we'll try and understand that why despite having the 10 schedule into the Indian constitution we are still witnessing political defections in this respect we'll try and understand that what are the issues when it comes to the anti-defiction law and what steps need to be taken in order to uphold the democratic principles moving on to the second topic herin will try and understand that what are the areas of convergence between India and Canada what are the challenges between the two countries and how India can strengthen its strategic ties with Canada. Then we'll be taking up two mains value addition articles and lastly we'll be covering four prelim pointers wherein the value addition has been done keeping in mind the prelim stage of the examination. So stay tuned. Now beginning with the first topic which is dealing with the issue of anti-defectionection law. This particular topic you can associate with GS paper 2 wherein we have the topic parliament and state legislatures and their functioning. Now why a writeup has appeared in Indian express wherein the writer is making a point that we need to bring drastic changes when it comes to anti-defectionection law why this issue of defection is again into picture the reason is that recently we have witnessed defections when it comes to the junimal congress members or when you talk about the shift sha udabal tak political party now the opposition political party has to say that the members are defecting towards the ruling political party Why? Because they fear that the investigative agencies would prove their misconduct. Whereas the ruling political party says that the members are joining the ruling political party. Why? Because they are fed up of the party based political organization.

[00:02:08]Now first thing that we need to understand is what is this anti-defectionection law all about. So when it comes to anti-defiction law, it is mentioned under the 10th schedule of the Indian constitution and this 10 schedule was incorporated into the Indian constitution with 52nd constitutional amendment act of 1985.

[00:02:27]Now the 10 schedule clearly outlines the grounds based on which the defection proceedings can be initiated against the MPs or the MLAs. What are these grounds?

[00:02:35]Let's try and understand. Now if a MP got elected or became a member of a particular house by getting the party ticket. Okay. Now if he voluntarily give up the membership of that particular political party from whose ticket he became the member of that house then in that case this would be considered to be a ground for defection. Or if a member violates the instruction given by the political party whip. Now when it comes to whip, there are three different kinds of whip that we have. Now first is one line whip. So in one line whip what happens? The party is going to tell you that okay on this particular day a important matter is to be discussed in the house. That's all. It would not be telling you that whether you need to be present or on what line you're supposed to vote. Okay. So this is one line whip.

[00:03:27]Then isoline whip. So in twoline whip the party would be telling you that see on this particular date this important bill would be introduced in the house or this particular matter would be discussed at the floor of the house you need to be present. Okay this is something which is told by the party when it comes to two-oline whip then we have threeline whip.

[00:03:50]In this threeline whip, the party would be telling you that on this particular day, this important matter would be discussed at the floor of the house and you need to be present and the party would also be telling you that on what lines you are supposed to vote. Okay. So this is the different kind of whip system that we have. Now is it necessary that a member of a political party who voted against or contrary to the direction which was given by the whip in that case is it necessary that the defection proceedings would be initiated against that particular MP or MLA the answer is no. Okay. If he has done this, if he went against the direction of the political party by obtaining the prior permission from the political party, then in that case the defection proceedings would not be initiated against him. Then another ground is with respect to elected members. Now when it comes to the independently elected members, if they join any political party, then the defection proceedings would be initiated against them. And what is the provision for nominated members who are not elected? So they have been given this particular liberty that from the date they have become a member till 6 months they can join any political party. But once this period of 6 months is going to expire after the 6 months if they join any political party then in that case the defection proceedings would be initiated against them. Now there are certain exceptions to it. If a person is the preciding officer of that particular house then in that case the defection proceedings could not be initiated. That means a person who became the preciding officer and he resigned from his political party. So he is voluntarily giving up the membership but since he is doing so because he have become the preciding officer in that situation the defection proceedings would not be initiated against the preciding officer.

[00:05:48]Okay. And the another provision that we have, the another exception that we have is if twothird of the members of the legislature party agrees for a merger before the 91st constitutional amendment act. If there is a split and that split is by one/ird of the members then in that case the defection proceedings were not applicable but this exception has been removed by the 91st constitutional amendment act. Now recently when it comes to the defection that we uh got to hear about the trinimal congress in that respect one important provision is time and again coming into picture that is paragraph 4 of the 10 schedule. What this paragraph 4 of the 10 schedule talks about is it talks about the twin test.

[00:06:35]What is this twin test? It says it's not the scenario that certain elected MPs or MLA of a political party if they agree to merger with other political party then in that case they'll not be liable to defection. This merger needs to be approved firstly by the original political party. So first test is that the original political party the two political parties agree to that merger and once the bigger or the original political party has agreed to that merger then it needs to be supported by 23 of the elected members of that particular political party. It's not like just the elected members of that political party can merge with another political party and they'll not face anti-defectionection proceedings. Okay.

[00:07:23]So you need to make note of this particular fact that what is this twin test which is mentioned under paragraph four of the 10 schedule. Now who is the deciding authority when it comes to the defection proceedings? Obviously it is the preciding officer. But preciding officer cannot take so moto action. So then what needs to be done so that the defection proceedings could be initiated. So any member of the house needs to raise concerns with respect to defection only then the proceedings for this anti-defectionection could be initiated. It could not be done on a slow motive basis by the preciding officer. This is an important prelim fact that you need to make note of. Then in Khoto Holohan case of 1992 this is one of the landmark judgment when it comes to antection law. Supreme Court has clearly mentioned this thing that the decision taken by the preciding officer would now be subject subjected to judicial review. Okay. And this would be subjected to judicial review on grounds of malified perversity violation of natural justice.

[00:08:30]And when it comes to the rulemaking power, who has the rulemaking power when it comes to the anti-defectionection? It is the preciding officer of that concerned house. and the preciding officer of that concerned house can refer the matter to the committee of privileges.

[00:08:46]Okay. To do the preliminary inquiry with respect to the defection thing. Now, what are the advantages of having this anti-defectionection law? Firstly, it is helping us prevent this IRM guy politics and it is helping in ensuring cohesion and hence upholding the democratic credential or the democratic mandate because we as voter we don't just vote for an individual. We vote for the ideology of that political party. We vote for the manifesto. What all things the political party mention in their manifesto. So if the MPs or the MLA stay with their political party then they are trying to uphold the democratic mandate.

[00:09:26]It also helps in curbing the money power because why the MPs or the MLAs are defecting in order to get the money. So if they are defecting then what happens?

[00:09:37]They'll not be you know acting as a representatives of the voters who actually voted for that particular political representative.

[00:09:47]And lastly, it was through this anti-defectionection law that for the first time we mention the word political parties into the Indian constitution. So by this the political parties got a constitutional recognition. Now what are the problems that we have when it comes to anti-defiction law despite having the 10 schedule? Why still we are witnessing political defections? What is the issue?

[00:10:10]First is the partition role of the preciding officer. Majority of the time the preciding officer belongs to the ruling political party and in India we don't have this practice that the presiding officer necessarily has to resign from the political party. We don't have this practice. This is something that we see in case of Britain. So when it comes to the speaker he knows that he will be sitting on that particular chair only when he get the requisite political support from the ruling political party. So normally what we have seen is that if the members from the opposition political party they are defecting and when they join hands with the ruling political party usually in such cases the speaker act in a partition manner. Okay. the speaker since the constitution does not mention any timeline within which the speaker has to take the decision or the preciding officer has to take the decision that is the reason why we witness delay when it comes to deciding the matters related to political defections and this is something that you can validate by mentioning the incident of 2017 wherein the main opposition political party in the Andhra Pradesh state legislative assembly they bycotted the assembly why because 20 of their MLAs have defected and they have joined hands with the ruling political party but then also the proceedings were not started for around 1 and a half years. Okay.

[00:11:34]So that is the problem. Then another problem is the speaker or the preciding officer who has been given this power that you are the one who have to decide that whether this MP or MLA has defected but the previous Lok Sabha speaker that is Rabir and Shivraj Patiel they themselves have pointed out that the preciding officer does not have that legal expertise to decide the matter.

[00:12:00]Then as we discussed right now that no time limit has been mentioned into the Indian constitution. Although the Supreme Court in various judgments like in KM Singh versus Speaker of Manipur 2020 verdict of the Supreme Court, Supreme Court did mention this fact that we need to introduce a time limit that is around 3 months into the Indian constitution. So it basically suggested to the parliament that you bring the change in the anti-defection law or the 10 schedule and incorporate this time limit.

[00:12:30]Okay. But even today we don't have any time limit within which the preciding officer has to take a call. And another problem is we discussed right now that in the Kihoto Holohan case Supreme Court stated that the decision taken by the preciding officer would now be subjected to judicial review. But the problem is the court can intervene in these matters only and only once the preciding officer has taken its decision. Till the time it does not take any decision, the court is helpless. it cannot do anything. Okay.

[00:13:01]So that is another problem and that is the reason we are seeing a lot of delays also because the presiding officer know that the court can do anything once the presiding officer has taken a decision.

[00:13:13]Okay, this is to ensure that there is separation of power.

[00:13:18]Then another problem that we are witnessing is resign and reelect.

[00:13:23]What the MPs or the MLA do? They use this loophole. So what they'll do?

[00:13:28]They'll resign from the political party and not just political party they'll resign from the house itself. So once they have resigned from the house itself you cannot initiate anti-defectionection proceedings against them. By resigning what they are trying to do they are lowering the strength of the house and because of this what happens the ruling political party might lose the numbers and it might fail the flow test. Okay.

[00:13:50]So it when the floor test would be conducted or the no confidence motion would be at would be discussed at the floor of the house then the ruling political party would not have the requisite numbers because their members might have resigned from the house and after the bi-election are conducted they again get reelected to the house and they will be joining hands with the opposition political party. So that also happens. Then the tyranny of the whip.

[00:14:17]Another problem which the experts have pointed out and on this UPSC has asked question twice that why recently we are witnessing that the political representatives or the MPs or the MLA they are not acting as a true representative of the voters. Why it is so? It is because of the tyranny of the whip system that we have. I told you about the threeline whip. In threeline whip the whip of the political party would be telling you that okay on this particular day this issue is going to be discussed at the floor of the house you need to be present and you need to vote on this particular line or your vote needs to align with what stance the political party has decided. Now in this way you are trying to curb the voice of the political representative and this is how we are killing deliberative democracy because you are not allowing an elected representative to speak based on his own consigns. So that is a problem and he merely then acts as a representative of the political party and he fails to act as the true representative of the voters.

[00:15:26]Last issue is the merger fiction. Now right now we studied that if twothird of the members they agree to the merger with other political party then they'll not face the anti-defectionection proceeding. Now the idea behind this exception is that mass defections represent an ideological shift rather than greed. Okay. The constitution believes that this mass defection is happening not because the MPs or the MLAs they are getting money for this particular defection but it could be because of the ideological shift but in reality what we are doing through this merger exception thing. We are assuming that retail defection is illegal whereas wholesale defection is perfectly legal.

[00:16:14]But it could be the fact on the ground that mass defection could also be happening because of the money power and one another problem that is there with respect to anti-defection law. We right now looked into the provisions for the independent elected members and for the nominated members. Now this distinction is also not making any sense when it comes to the independently elected members. Why they are not allowed to join any political party and when it comes to nominated members why we have given this time period of 6 months to them that within 6 months you can join political party but once the 6 months ended now if you join political party then the defection proceedings would be initiated against you. There is no you know possible reason for making the distinction between independent elected members and the nominated members.

[00:17:01]Now what needs to be done? What all drastic changes we need to introduce so that we can effectively put an end to political defections? Firstly, we need to curb the whip tyranny. How we can do this? So the law commission as well as the dh gowami committee time and again they have recommended this fact that when it comes to the whip thing this should be issued only when critical matters are being discussed at the floor of the house or any matter which is going to threaten the survival of the government itself. That means if the no confidence motion is being discussed or the money bill is being introduced at the floor of the house in such crucial matters okay you give the directions to the MPs or the MLA but in other ordinary matters let them act as a true representatives of the voters let them speak let them raise the concerns based on their own concerns that would go a long way in strengthening the deliberative democracy then another suggestion that has been given by the second ARC is that let's close this resignation loophole. What is the problem that we discussed that members they are resigning from the house. So when they resign you cannot initiate anti-defction law because it's not like they have just given up the membership and they still continue to be the member. No, they have resigned from the house itself. Now to address this resignation loophole what the second ERC suggests is that let's amend the RPA act and what we need to do we need to make sure that any legislature who is disqualified on the grounds of defection or who has resigned midterm such a person should be barred from holding any ministerial post and should not be allowed to contest any bi-election okay for the remainder period of the assembly's tenure or the house tenure that ways we will be able to address this resignation loophole then obviously we need to fix a time limit that is what the Supreme Court has mentioned in KM Singh versus speaker of Manipur 2020 judgment okay right now we studied here also that this is something which has been highlighted by the Supreme Court so let's fix the time limit for the same then to ensure the impartiality of the speaker we need to adopt The good practice which is in place in case of Britain that is once a speaker always a speaker. Firstly it means that if a person is elected as a speaker then in this scenario the person needs to necessarily resign from his or her political party. And to ensure that the speaker work in an impartial manner, what the political party do is from whichever constituency or whichever seat the person got elected as the post of speaker from that particular seat no major political party would be fielding their candidates. So in the next election also the speaker would get elected unopposed. does not matter that which political party comes into power.

[00:20:02]Again that same person would be appointed as the speaker. This is to ensure that the speaker acts in a neutral manner. So this is a good practice that we can also adopt in case of India. Then we can also adopt the other best practices which are in place.

[00:20:20]For example, in South Africa, a judicial commission has been given this power to decide the defection matters. It's not the speaker.

[00:20:29]And in this respect, the national commission to review the working of the constitution has suggested that let's give this power to decide when it comes to the anti-defiction proceeding to an independent tribunal which would be headed by the retired judges and let's take away this power from the speaker because we all know speaker does not act in a neutral manner. And lastly, we need to bring necessary changes in the constitution. so that we can allow the court to intervene if the speaker or the preciding officer is not deciding the matter within a reasonable time limit. First of all, we need to put in place a time limit and if the speaker or the preciding officer does not take the action when it comes to the anti-defectionection proceeding within time, then the court should be allowed to intervene in this regard because one of the limitation that we studied is what that the court can intervene only once the preciding officer has taken a decision. So to ensure this that if there is unnecessary delay in the decision-m then the court should be allowed to use its power under article 142 which gives the supreme court the power to do complete justice. So if there is unnecessary delay then the court should be allowed to intervene in this regard. Now that is all that we have to discuss when it comes to this particular topic. We have framed a practice question for you people. So do practice this question and with this let's move on to the next topic. Now the second topic is dealing with India Canada relations. This particular topic you can associate with GS paper 2 India and its neighborhood relations. Now why are we discussing India Canada relation?

[00:22:04]The reason is a writeup has appeared in the Hindu wherein the writer is making a point that we are living in the decade of crisis. Why? Because the warfare mechanism is undergoing rapid transformation. We are witnessing drone technology. Invisible drones are now a reality. We are witnessing automated system advanced missile technology weaponization of the space is now a reality. Now keeping this thing in backdrop the article suggest that India and Canada they need to come together especially when it comes to defense and this collaboration in the area of defense would enable both the countries to strengthen their strategic ties and it would also enable both the countries to secure their future. Now in this particular backdrop, let's first look into certain prelim facts related to Canada. Now when it comes to Canada, it is the second largest country in the world. It shares the world's longest land boundary with US and it has the longest coastline in the world. When it comes to the uranium production, second largest producer of uranium globally is Canada only. So that is the reason Canada is very much important for India.

[00:23:17]Especially if you look in from the point of view of rare earth minerals and it is also home to great lakes like lake superior which is the largest freshwater lake by area. It also have lake huron lake and lake onario which is sharing with USA. Now what is important from the mains point of view is how India and Canada relation has evolved over a period of time. So the two countries established their diplomatic relations for the first time in 1947 and both the countries have shared traditions. They both go by the democracy principles. They are guided by pluralism, strong interpersonal connections. Then in the Columbbo plan of 1951, Canada provided significant foreign aid, food assistance and technical expertise to India. technical expertise especially when it comes to the nuclear domain. So Canada helped India build its first nuclear research reactor in 1954. But then the relations got strained. Why? when India conducted its first nuclear test that is smiling Buddha in 1974 and in this particular backdrop Canada raised concerns that India has used this Cyrus nuclear research reactor which it has helped India to build for peaceful purposes but India has used this to create plutonium for creation of nuclear weapons. So this was the reason that why there was strain in the relations when it comes to India and Canada. And another bone of contention was the Kalistthan issue. Okay. Then the relations again came on track from 2010.

[00:25:03]So in 2010 both countries signed the nuclear cooperation agreement and the long nuclear freeze that was there that ended. Okay. Because after the smiling Buddha test, Canada imposed a lot of restrictions when it comes to exporting the plutonium to or uranium to India.

[00:25:23]But now that got ended with this civil nuclear cooperation agreement of 2010 and then the honorable prime minister Narendra Modi visited Canada in 2015 and this was the first bilateral visit by any Indian prime minister since 1973. So that helped in bringing the relations again on track. Then the two countries signed strategic partnership in 2018 and over a period of time what we witnessed is that India became one of the top sources of international students to Canada. But recently we have witnessed certain hiccups in this respect that we'll be discussing in the challenges part. Then in 2023 again a issue or a bone of contention came into picture that was the Nijar crisis. Now the then Canada prime minister that is Justin Tredu alleged political link between Indian agents and the killing of Hardep Singh Nijar which was who was a Canadian Kalistthani activist and after this issue there was cycle of expelled diplomats visas were suspended and heated rhetoric was there from both the countries now we have understood that how India Canada relations have evolved over a period of time let's try and understand that why Canada is significant for India. First and foremost that reason is that both the countries can collaborate when it comes to ensuring freedom of navigation. Okay, especially in the Indopacific because Canada has outrightly marked China as an increasingly disruptive global power because of the its n-ash line and it has also referred India as a critical partner and both the countries India and Canada they shared the traditions of democracy and pluralism and today's article points out that India can strengthen its naval capacity if it collaborates with Canada because Canada has the radarat constellation system which is the earth observation satellite which takes the image of any location on the earth every fourth day. So this earth observation satellite could be used to monitor the activities of the China especially in the Indopacific region. So this could help India to build its naval capacity when it comes to the Indopacific region. Then when it comes to the economic relation between the two countries, India is Canada's seventh largest trading partner. And when you talk about the bilateral trade in goods between the two countries, it stands at around $9 billion in 2024 25.

[00:27:58]And recently the two countries have set a target that we have to increase the bilateral trade between the two countries to a level of around $50 billion by 2030. And the two countries are carrying out negotiation when it comes to finalizing the comprehensive economic partnership agreement. And we are also having negotiations when it comes to finalizing the foreign investment promotion and protection agreement that would give a boost to the FDI coming from countries. Okay, each other countries. Then Canada play a very crucial role when it comes to putting in place resilient supply chain. Why?

[00:28:36]Because Canada has reserves of 31 critical minerals from cobalt to helium and it has the 10th largest reserves of rare earth elements.

[00:28:47]We have recently seen that how China is weaponizing trade, how China has put in place export controls when it comes to uh galium. So in this respect, chi this Canada can act as a major player when it comes to putting in place resilient supply chain and recently the two countries have signed the memorandum of understanding when it comes to critical minerals value chain in 2026 itself.

[00:29:12]Okay. So this would go a long way especially giving a boost to the manufacturing sector when it comes to India and putting in place resilient supply chains. Then when you talk about the defense domain, the two countries have established a defense dialogue so that they can prioritize that what are the areas on which they have to strengthen their cooperation and where their interest actually align and how they can align their capacities. Also the two countries navies participate in the exercises that is rim of pacific exercise and talisman sabri exercises.

[00:29:46]Then recently the Canada has established a national defense investment agency to streamline military procurement and it has also launched the defense industrial strategy so that it can diversify the supply chain so that it does not remain dependent upon a particular country.

[00:30:03]Okay. And become a victim of the weaponization of trade. So in this respect the writer points out that India can come forward and India and Canada they can participate with each other when it comes to co-development and subsystem manufacturing especially when it comes to the defense and military technology.

[00:30:21]Then when you talk about the investment scenario the department of industry and internal trade points out that Canada is the 17th largest foreign investor in India when you talk about the energy partnership. So Canada is a crucial player when it comes to realizing the idea of energy security when it comes to India because the two countries have entered into an agreement when it comes to supply of uranium ore to India when it comes to India's nuclear reactors. So this would help put in place energy security especially in the backdrop of wastation crisis because that have severely dampened the energy security when it comes to India. So in this respect Canada can emerge as a major player.

[00:31:06]Then when it comes to the Indian diaspora which is living in Canada, Indian diaspora, honorable prime minister timehan again has referred Indian diaspora as the living bridges.

[00:31:18]Now when it comes to Canada, it hosts one of the largest Indian diaspora in the world and Indian diaspora forms approximately 3% of Canada's total population. So when you have higher Indian diaspora in Canada that means the economic relation between the two countries and people-to-people ties are quite strong.

[00:31:40]But we also have various challenges between the two countries. First is the Kalistthan issue because there is presence of pro Kalistthan groups in Canada and Canada provides the protection to them and time and again these Kalistthani groups they target Indian diaspora consulates as well as temples there. So this is one of the major bone of contention between India and Canada. Then Canada time and again make statements when it comes to the internal matters of India. For example, the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trout has made statements when it comes to the farmers protest against the three farm bills and time and again they make statements when it comes to how minorities especially the six and the Muslims are treated when it comes to India. So that is problematic. Okay, because it goes against the idea of strategic autonomy of India. Then immigration and mobility issues. Now recently Canada has come up with the immigration level plan of 2026 28 wherein it has put a cap when it comes to how many new permits would be issued to foreign students. So it has limited it at around 50%. Now because of this what is happening is as you can see initially the student permits that were given to Indian students okay that was witnessing an increase but since 2024 can you see this thing that from 2024 to 2025 there has been a reduction of more than 80% when it comes to the steady permits new or the renewed study permits that were issued to Indians so that is going to dampen the peopleto to people times when it comes to India and Canada and this is something new challenge which is emerging between India and Canada then the trade challenge although the two countries are having this negotiation when it comes to finalizing the comprehensive economic partnership agreement which would enable them to lower the trade barriers which would enable them to cooperate effectively when it comes to improving the investment scenario but the negotiation is still going on no final agreement has been done so There has been little progress in this respect. So that is a problem and that is the reason you can say that the merchandise bilateral trade when it comes to good it is quite less.

[00:34:02]It is around $9 billion only and the target that we have set is around $50 billion. This $50 billion is not merely for the good thing. It would also include the bilateral trade when it comes to the services also. Then human rights disagreement. Now when it comes to Canada, it time and again is vocal.

[00:34:20]It raises concerns with respect to the treatment of religious minorities six or the Muslims in India and at the same time India also raised concerns when it comes to the attack which is being done by the prohalistani groups in Canada when it comes to the Hindu minorities the religious places in Canada. Now having understood the challenges what steps the two countries can take which would enable them to strengthen their strategic ties. First and foremost, what the two countries can do is that they can sign a early harvest trade agreement. It's like a initial start when it comes to free trade agreement.

[00:34:55]So the negotiation for the free trade agreement or SEPA would continue but whichever sector wherein the two countries have agreed that okay we are ready to lower down the trade barriers.

[00:35:06]Let's at least sign agreement when it comes to these sectors and let's continue the negotiations when it comes to free trade agreement or SEPA when it comes to the sectors wherein the two countries are yet not ready to lower down the barriers. Okay. So this would at least give a push to the bilateral trade between the two countries. Then we need to carry out constructive and sustained engagement especially with the sik diaspora so that we can dispel the misinformation which is being spread by pro kalistthani groups in in Canada.

[00:35:38]Then the two countries need to dehyenize the two issues that is Kalistthan issue and the trade and investment issue only then they will be able to improve the relations. If we continue to be guided by the Kalistthan issue then the trade and investment relations would be negatively impacted. So let's keep the two issues separate.

[00:36:03]The two countries can collaborate when it comes to the global platform or multilateral platforms like G20, Commonwealth, UN on issues like climate finance, digital governance and food security even when they have difference of opinion when it comes to the Kalistthan issue. And lastly as both the countries think that China is negatively impacting the freedom of navigation how it weaponizes the trade since both country have agreement mutual agreement on the tactics which are being used by the China. So this could be a major ground based on which the two countries can cooperate with each other and the two countries can work upon putting in place a resilient supply chain. So Canada can emerge as a major supplier of the critical minerals to India. That would give a boost to India's manufacturing sector. That is how the two countries can reset their strategic ties. That is all that we have to discuss when it comes to this particular topic. So based on the discussion that we have, I have framed a practice question for you people. So do practice this question and with this let's move on to the mains value addition part. Now beginning with the mains value addition part. The first article is dealing with the mangro forest in Sundarbans. Now what is the context? So BSF in order to deter infiltration which is coming from the Bangladesh side. It is studying the 90 km stretch of the mangro forest of Sundarban so that we can erect fences especially at the banks of Ichamadi river. Now why this decision itself is problematic? Because when it comes to the species they don't understand the physical border. They don't understand the fences and when you put in place the fences, it is going to negatively impact the biodiversity especially their mobility. Secondly, the environmentalist or the experts have to say this thing that this decision has not been taken keeping in mind the landwater dynamics.

[00:38:01]What is landwater dynamics? The experts point out this fact that when it comes to the sundurban mangro forest area herein what happens because of the erosion thing the land would be constantly eroded and at the same time because of the deposition new sand bars would come up. So how you are going to put in place the fences because land at which you are going to put in the fences might get eroded and again new sandbarss might get created. So that is the reason the experts have to say that this is not a wise decision. Why? Because you have not kept into mind the fluid ecology that you have in the Sundurban region.

[00:38:39]And that is why the decision to erect or this very idea because currently it is still in the pipeline. The BSF is doing the study. They have not decided that okay uh the fences are going to be put in place. It is just in the pipeline.

[00:38:51]But then also the experts have to say that this very idea does not take into account the fluid ecology that we have in the Sundurban region and it is a mere waste of the government resources.

[00:39:02]Another problem which the experts have pointed out is that when it comes to the Sundurban area, this is not a common route which is used by the infiltrators.

[00:39:12]So why are you trying to put in place fences when it comes to Sundurban region? Now this particular case study you can use whenever you are writing an answer on India Bangladesh relation you can use this particular case study wherever you get a question on conflicting interest in policym now this particular case study wherein we have conflicting interest at one end we have the security of the nation at the other end we have the biodiversity okay or the environment okay security versus biodiversity debate and I can also use this case study wherever I get a question wherein I have to highlight that why it is important to go by evidence-based policym because the evidence clearly suggest that it is not the common route which is used by the infiltrators. So ideally we should not put in place fences here and you can also use this case study wherever you get a question on mangroves already when it comes to sundan it is getting negatively impacted by the illegal fishery and if we put in place fences it is going to negatively impact the sundurban further. Okay so that is all when it comes to this particular topic let's move on to the next one. Now the next article that we have in the mains value edition is something that you can associate with GS paper 3 pollution topic. Now what is the context? Recently Delhi government has cleared the implementation of pariatan scheme. What is this paratan scheme? It basically stands for program for accelerated renewal and incentivization of vehicle assets for reducing transport air pollution and network emissions. It's not like you have to you know mug up the entire full form in the exam. You just need to mention this paratan scheme. Now what is the goal of this particular scheme? So it intends to basically reduce the vehicular emission.

[00:40:54]When it comes to this particular scheme, it is a centally sponsored scheme because some amount would be given by the central government and rest would be coming from the requisite state and the UT government. So where all the scheme would be implemented? So it would be implemented in Delhi NCR region, Rajasthan, UP and Hana. So these states have to notify 10-year motor vehicle tax concession and registration fee waiver and that is what the Delhi government has done right now. So if a owner of older vehicle or the vehicle which have BS4 standard and they are ready to scrap their older vehicles and they're ready to buy the electric vehicles or the BS6 standard vehicles then they'll be getting this incentive 100% exemption from motor vehicle tax and registration fee for 10 years from Delhi government.

[00:41:42]Now Delhi government says that this scheme is very well in alignment with Delhi EV policy of 2026 wherein the government is providing a lot of incentives to the people who intend to buy electric vehicles. Now the scheme has already been approved by the union cabinet in June 2026 and the target is to replace the old trucks and buses with BS6 compliant vehicles or electric vehicles. implementing ministry would be ministry of road transport and highway and the funding agency would be national capital region planning board.

[00:42:17]Now what are the incentives that the people who intend to scrap their older vehicles and the people who intend to buy new vehicles that is electric vehicles or the vehicle which is compliant with the BS6 standards they'll be getting motor vehicle tax concession they'll be getting registration fee waver 5% interest sumvention on vehicle loans minimum 8% original equipment manufacturer discount on eligible vehicles okay so all these incentives you can go through and we are trying to integrate the digital platforms which are crucial for effective implementation of this paratan scheme. So we have vahan we have vcrap digital end of life vehicle platform so that we can understand that okay this old vehicle has been scrapped then public financial management system participator participating lenders and fuel voucher system so that we can effectively give all the incentives that we have planned under this particular scheme. Now this features are important for the prelims point of view but you can mention the scheme wherever you are talking about pollution in the urban areas or if you get a question specifically on the vehicular pollution. Okay. So that is all that we have to know when it comes to this particular topic. Let's now move on to the prelim pointers. Now in the prelim pointers the first article is dealing with magnetic levitation technology. What is this technology all about? Let's try and understand this particular topic. you can associate with the science and tech section of your prelim service. Now what is levitation and what is this meg lift technology? So in this we are trying to lift the train.

[00:43:50]So the train is not going to touch the track. So that way no friction would be there. So the maintenance cost of this track would be very less and the movement of the train would not get impacted by weather events like for example if there is rain or there is snowfall then also the train can move at a very high speed. Okay. So this is a train which does not have any wheels and it is above the track. It is not coming in contact with the track. How it is possible? It is possible through the magnets. Now the train also have magnets and this guideways also have magnets. Now we know the magnetic property. Similar poles are going to repel each other and that is what we are doing in this limitation thing. Like poles repel and push the train upward and that is how we are able to lift the train when it compared to the track. So it would not be coming in direct contact with the track. Then how are we able to ensure that the train move forward? So just look into this thing. Now when it comes to the guideways that we have we pass alternating current from this. So this alternating current what happens?

[00:45:02]It creates a magnetic field and we time and again switch the magnetic poles. Now we know that the opposite poles attract each other and the like poles repel each other. So that is what we are going to use. Okay. So when it comes to this guideway as you can see this is like pole. So it is going to repel. So it would be pushing it forward and this is the opposite pole. So it would be attracting it. So that is how we are able to ensure that the train moves forward. And likewise if we reverse this magnetic field we can slow down the speed of the train. Just look here. Now here we have north. So here it would be attracted towards this side. And here we have south. So it would be repelled from this side. So that is how we'll be able to control the speed of the train. Okay.

[00:45:49]So that is all has been explained here.

[00:45:52]how this magnetic levitation technology work. So here the tracks are basically known as the guideways and they are embedded with powerful electromagnets and the same sort of superconducting magnets are there in this train also.

[00:46:06]Now this idea of megalift technology was first conceptualized by Robert Godrad and I bachellet in early '90s and the first time this technology was put in place in UK and now it is operating in China, Japan and South Korea. Now what is the benefit? Friction is quite less because the train is little bit lifted from the track and it would not get impacted by the weather events. Like if there is rainfall also, if there is snowfall also, there also the operation would not get impacted. And since it is lifted off, so the friction is quite less and that is why the train is able to attain a very high speed 400 km/ hours and the safety is also quite high because there is very less derailment risk because it is you know attached or I would say it is operating on magnetic powerful magnets. So derailment risk is quite less in this. So safety is quite high but there are concerns there are limitations when it comes to this particular technology. Whenever you come up with the advanced technology obviously it is going to be expensive and why it is expensive why we have high infrastructure cost when it comes to capitalizing upon this particular technology because you cannot use the normal railway tracks for this particular thing. Okay. You need to put in place entirely new guideways for this wherein you put in place magnets so that it can operate on the magnetic field.

[00:47:24]Okay. Then to create magnets you need rare earth. So we need costly elements like neodium for high-owered magnets. And when it comes to India we don't have these high-powered magnets. We have to import that. So that would again further add to the cost. And then currently wherever this megalift technology is in effect for example if you talk about China or Japan it is mostly operating on short routes. we have not been able to put this technology to good use on longer routes. So these are the limitations that we witness when it comes to this particular technology. That's all that we need to know when it comes to this particular article. Let's move on to the next one. Now recently the drug controller general of India has approved the first denu vaccine for the people who are in the age bracket of 4 years to 60 years and the name of the vaccine is quidden. Is it a vaccine which is developed by Indian pharmaceutical companies? The answer is no. It has been created or developed by Japanese pharmaceutical companies. Now when it comes to this particular vaccine, is it approved only in India or is it approved in other countries also? The answer is it is already been approved in 43 countries which are in Asia, Latin America and Europe. Now why this approval is important? The reason is deno is emerging as a significant public health challenge for India. In the past two decades, we have witnessed almost 11fold increase when it comes to the dingo related cases. So that is why the decision of the drug controller general of India when it comes to giving market authorization for this particular dingo vaccine, it is a great step. This particular topic you can associate with general science sections in your prelim syllabus.

[00:49:15]Let's make note of certain prolympacts related to denu. So denu is spread by a mosquito and usually we see this particular disease is pretty common in tropical and subtropical climates. Why?

[00:49:28]Because the tropical and subtropical climates provide the conducive environment wherein the mosquito population can thrive easily. Okay, more water is available. Then how it is transmitted?

[00:49:38]So it gets transmitted to humans via the bite of infected eddies mosquitoes. And this is the same mosquito which spread or which transmit other diseases also that is chicken gona, yellow fever, zikav infection etc. Now when it comes to dingo is is it a disease which get transmitted from one person to another person the answer is no. But in exceptional situation as the who points out in exceptional situation it can get transmitted from a pregnant mother to the child. Okay but this is also very rare. Now what are the symptoms which you'll be witnessing if you get infected with this particular disease? You will witness fever, pains, rashes, nausea, vomiting, severe bone and joint muscle pain. Then what is the treatment? So apart from this particular vaccine, we don't have any medication to treat denu.

[00:50:29]So how do we usually treat dingu?

[00:50:32]Because before this uh vaccine was given approval, we don't have any specific medicine to treat with dingu. So we used to provide pain relievers, bed rest and fluid support to the person.

[00:50:44]Now let's make note of certain prime facts related to this particular vaccine also. So as I told you this has not been developed by India rather it has been developed by a Japanese pharmaceutical company. Now when it comes to this particular vaccine, it is a life attunated tetraalent vaccine which is designed to provide protection against all the four denu virus stereotypes.

[00:51:06]Okay. So 1 2 3 4 all the types of dingo viruses it would be providing protection against them and we need to administer this particular vaccine in two doses. Okay. And the two doses what would be the gap between the two doses? It would be around 3 months.

[00:51:26]Now the good part is when it comes to this particular vaccine we don't need to carry out prevaccination screening. That means we don't need to check that whether an individual had previous denu infection or not. Okay. Even if a person does was not infected by denu then also we can give this vaccine to that particular person. Now the problem with this vaccine is this that it is a disease modifying vaccine. That means it is going to reduce the symptoms that a person might witness if he or she get infected by the dingu disease. But it is not going to prevent the infection or eliminate the outbreaks altogether. That is why this particular vaccine is not going to be that much effective when it comes to India. Another problem is when it comes to this particular vaccine, it is majorly effective when it comes to the second strain. It is not that much effective when it comes to the stereotype three and four. and it is not that much effective when it comes to the individual who has not been previously infected by denu disease. So these are the major issues. Then when it comes to India, why this vaccine is not effective when it comes to controlling the outbreak of denu disease? The reason is in India we are majorly witnessing the cases relating to the third stereotype and right now we started that this vaccine is majorly effective when it comes to the second one. It is not effective when it comes to treating the third and the fourth zero type which is on a rise in India. And another problem is the cost and the affordability concerns because you have to administer this vaccine in two doses and what would be the gap between the two doses? It would be around 3 months. So it might make it very costly for the poor and the vulnerable sections when it comes to India. So to address these limitations that we have with respect to the squidinger vaccine what India is doing India is developing its own indigenous vaccine that is deni all which would be providing you protection against all the four zero types of dingu and it is being developed by penisia biotech and Indian council of medical research and as I told you it would be providing you protection against all the four zero types of dinguo and there is a possibility by 2027 this vaccine would be available and the good thing is it would be given in a single doses form unlike the kinka vaccine wherein two doses are given which increases the cost. Okay, but that would not be the concern when it comes to deni all that is all that we have to make note of when it comes to this particular article.

[00:54:03]Let's move on to the next one. Now recently the Supreme Court has directed the CBSC that you need to comply by the judgment given by the Odisa High Court in Rohit Anandas versus State of Odisa.

[00:54:18]The verdict was given by Odisa High Court in 2025. So what was the verdict given by the Odisa High Court? In this verdict, the Odisa High Court clearly stated that when it comes to the Apar ID, it would be voluntary.

[00:54:30]Okay. It could not be made mandatory by the CBSC and it has clearly mentioned that a clear opt out or refusal option needs to be there in the consent form. You cannot make it mandatory for the students and that is what the Supreme Court has directed to CBSC. Supreme Court has stated that we will be passing an order to the CBSC that you have to ensure that at the panindia level the Apar ID is voluntary. it could not be made mandatory for the students. This is something that you can associate with the polity section of a prelim syllabus.

[00:55:05]Now what is this APAR ID all about?

[00:55:07]Let's try and understand. So this Apar ID was launched by Ministry of Education under one nation one student ID initiative and it is in alignment with NAP 2020. What is the aim or what is the objective? The objective is to simplify education by reducing the need for physical documents because this ID would be available in digital format. So I don't need to maintain the fiscal uh documents of what all courses I have completed. Okay. Uh what all courses I'm enrolled into right now. And it would help the state government to effectively track the literacy and the dropout rates because everything is digital. So it would be telling me that people have completed education till what level. It is going to enhance the state performance in education because if I have requisite data set by using the SAPRAR ID the state can effectively plan the policies okay if I'm seeing that okay at the secondary level most students are dropping out so accordingly I can create a policy framework to address that it would reduce the fraud and the duplication of certificates also because everything is digital so everything would be done in a transparent manner so how this ID is going to work every student is to be provided with a unique 12digit Apar ID which would be linked to your academic bank credit. Academic bank credit is basically the credit that you get when you complete a particular course. Okay.

[00:56:27]So whatever courses you have completed based on that you'll be getting the credit and this is linked with your APR ID. It is a digital repository of your educational credits. Okay. So whatever courses or whatever learning you have done in formal or informal setup that would be getting stored in form of academic bank credit and it would get reflected in the APAR ID also. So each student would be provided with this unique ID and whenever you change the school you don't need to carry a lot of physical documents because this Apar ID would also be moving whenever you change the schools or colleges.

[00:57:03]Then this would be unique to every student and it would remain the same throughout your education journey. So right from the school till the college or any other course you complete the same ID would be there. It's not like from school you when you enter into college the ID would change. No the same ID would be there so that we can effectively track that what all courses you have actually completed and it would be linked to your Aadhaar and the data would be stored in the diger so that it is easily accessible to you. You don't need to carry physical documents. So it serve as a lifelong academic passport which would be consolidating all the academic achievements that you have attained in your life. So how to get an Apar ID? You need to register for creating this ID and it needs to be voluntarily. That is what the Supreme Court has also said and it would not be made compulsory for the students. For this you need to provide your Aadhaar number for verification and Aadhaar number is only used for verification and it would not be shared during registration. Then the students can accept or decline to share their Aadhaar number and demographic details with Ministry of Education. And when it comes to the minor children therein the decision to use Aadhaar card for verification that consent needs to be provided by their parents. That's all that we need to know when it comes to this particular article. Let's move on to the last topic of today's analyst.

[00:58:20]Now the last topic is dealing with Odisa port. This is something that you can associate with the prelims syllabus wherein we have places in news. Now what has happened recently? So four Indian citizens have been killed and one is critically injured as an attack was carried out on a merchant vessel near the Ukraine port of Odisa.

[00:58:42]This has been vehemently criticized by the Indian government because according to Indian government this attack is going against the idea of freedom of navigation.

[00:58:52]When it comes to this Odisa port, it is Ukraine's largest seap port in the Black Sea and it is the first instance wherein the Indian sea farers have been killed because of the Russia Ukraine war which started way back in February 2022.

[00:59:08]Now let's make note of certain pimp facts related to this Odisa port. So it is the largest Ukrainian seapport and one of the largest ports on the Black Sea basin. As you can see here, it is a vital hub for maritime trade.

[00:59:20]Particularly the export of food grains is carried out through this particular port. It is a major fright and passenger transport hub for Ukraine and it is the base of fishing fleet as well as it acts as a chief operational hub for the Ukrainian Navy. Odisa is also important cultural and educational center. Why?

[00:59:41]because it is recognized for its rich literature by UNESCO. Then you see fusion of multiple ethnicity. Why?

[00:59:51]Because initially there was duty-free port. So merchants were attracted to this particular port. And that is why we see that you have the fusion of multiple ethnicity. Okay. Ukrainian, Greek, Italian, Jewish etc. And it also have educational institution as well as global research centers. That is why it is referred to be as a important cultural and educational center. Now one more thing that you need to make note of from the prince's point of view is the countries which share the border with Black Sea. So you have Russia here, you have Ukraine here, you have Romania, you have Bulgaria, you have Turkey and you have Georgia. Okay. So these are the six countries which share the border with the Black Sea. So that is all that you need to make note of. Quiz would be coming right up next. So don't forget to practice the quiz and please check your knowledge. Till then keep smiling, keep learning. Have a great day all of you.

[01:01:02]Heat. Heat.