- INDIA’S GOODS TRADE DEFICIT AT 42 MONTH LOW FOLLOWING DIP IN GOLD, CRUDE IMPORTS
SUBJECT: ECONOMY
- India’s goods trade deficit dropped to a 42-month low of $14.05 billion in February 2025.
- Reason: Decline in imports of gold, silver, and crude oil. ○ Gold & silver imports: $2.7 billion(lowest since June 2024).
- Crude & petroleum imports: $11.89 billion(lowest since July 2023).
- Trade Figures: Exports: $36.9 billion(down 10.84% YoY).
- Imports: $50.9 billion(22-month low, down 16.3% YoY).
- Comparison: January 2025 deficit: $22.9 billion.
- February 2024 deficit: $19.5 billion.
- Expert Insight: Aditi Nayar (ICRA) attributes export decline to leap year effect and predicts a current account surplus of $5 billion(0.5% GDP) in Q4 FY2025.
2. SC TO EXAMINE PETITION ON CAG APPOINTMENT PROCESS
SUBJECT: POLITY
- Supreme Court to examine Centre’s sole authority in appointing Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG).
- Argument: Executive control undermines CAG’s independence; suggests a committee (PM, LoP, CJI).
- Context: Article 148 silent on appointment process; CAG equated to SC judge.
- Concerns: Recent CAG “deviations” (e.g., Maharashtra audit pause, fewer Union audits).
- SC Query: Judicial intervention vs. constitutional trust in institutions
3. NTT DATS’S SUBMARINE CABLE SYSYTEM TO BE COMMISSIONED IN JUNE
SUBJECT: BILATERAL
- MIST (Malaysia, India, Singapore Transit) cable to be commissioned by June 2025.
- Details: Length: 8,100 km.
- Capacity: 200 Tbps.
- Connects: Malaysia, India, Singapore, Thailand.
- Landing Stations: Mumbai (Feb 2023), Chennai (May 2023).
- Goal: Boost NTT Data’s global capacity to 2,000 MW.
4. HOW CLIMATE CHANGE IS AFFECTING INDIA’S WHEAT PRODUCTION CYCLE
SUBJECT: AGRICULTURE
- Rabi crop(Oct-Dec sowing, Feb-Apr harvest).
- Key regions: Indo-Gangetic Plains (UP, Punjab, Haryana, MP).
- 2024-25 target: 30 million tonnes; 2022-23 output: 26.2 million tonnes.
- Export ban since 2022 due to global shortages
- Climate Impact: Heat Waves: Temps >30°C reduce grain weight/quality.
- Rainfall: Uneven monsoons delay sowing; pre-harvest rains harm storage. ○ Costs: Higher inputs (fertilizers, irrigation) amid low yields.
- Solutions: Heat-tolerant varieties, early sowing, short-duration crops.
- Efficient irrigation, soil management, weather monitoring.
- Policy: Incentives for climate-smart farming, research.
5. ELECTORAL REFORMS NECESSARY
SUBJECT: POLITY
- EC discussing reforms amid concerns over EVMs, VVPATs, and electoral roll issues.
- Legal Framework:
- Article 324: EC oversees elections.
- RP Acts (1950, 1951)& Rules (1960): Govern rolls and polls.
- EVMs since 2004; VVPATs since 2019.
- Key Issues: EVM/VVPAT: 5% verification; demand for 100% matching.
- Electoral Rolls: Duplicate EPICs, bogus voters, RENOTER errors.
- Criminalization: 43% of 2019 LS candidates had criminal cases.
- Expenditure: Unaccounted spending exceeds limits.
- Reforms: Increase VVPAT verification; allow re-checks.
- Link Aadhaar-Voter ID, enhance roll accuracy.
- Publicize criminal records, disqualify serious offenders.
- Monitor spending, consider state funding.
