DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS IAS | UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 17th December

Category: Government Schemes

Context:

• The Union Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs recently approved the CoalSETU Policy by creation of new window in the NRS Linkage Policy.

About CoalSETU Policy:

• • Full Form: CoalSETU stands for Coal Linkage for Seamless, Efficient & Transparent Utilisation.
  • Nature: It is a new auction-based coal linkage window under the Non-Regulated Sector (NRS) Linkage Policy, allowing any domestic industrial buyer to secure long-term coal linkages for own use or export (up to 50%), except resale within India.
  • Objective: It will allow allocation of coal linkages on auction basis on long-term for any industrial use and export.
  • Nodal ministry: It is implemented by Ministry of Coal, Government of India.
  • Participation: Any domestic buyer requiring coal can participate in the linkage auction. Traders are not allowed to bid under this window.

• Key features of the policy:

• • • New CoalSETU Window in NRS Policy (2016): It allows any industrial consumer to participate in coal linkage auctions. Existing NRS auctions for cement, sponge iron, steel, aluminium, CPPs will continue.
    • No End-Use Restrictions: Coal can be used for own consumption, washing, or export (up to 50%). Coking coal is excluded from this window.
    • Export Flexibility: Companies may export up to 50% of allotted coal. Coal can also be shared across group companies as per operational needs.
    • Alignment with Coal Sector Reforms: It complements the 2020 reform allowing commercial mining without end-use restrictions.

• Focus areas:

• • To ensure transparent, seamless and efficient utilisation of domestic coal resources.
  • To promote ease of doing business and reduce dependence on coal imports.
  • To boost availability of washed coal and support export opportunities.

Source:

• PIB

Category: International Relations

Context:

• The Congress party recently targeted Prime Minister over India’s exclusion from the United States-led strategic initiative, Pax Silica.

About Pax Silica Initiative:

• • Nature: It is a U.S.-led strategic initiative to build a secure, prosperous, and innovation-driven silicon supply chain—from critical minerals and energy inputs to advanced manufacturing, semiconductors, artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure, and logistics.
  • Nomenclature: The term ‘Pax Silica’ comes from the Latin term ‘pax’ which means peace, stability, and long-term prosperity. Silica refers to the compound that is refined into silicon, one of the chemical elements foundational to the computer chips that enable AI.
  • Objective: It aims to reduce coercive dependencies, protect the materials and capabilities foundational to AI, and ensure aligned nations can develop and deploy transformative technologies at scale.
  • Countries that are part of Pax Silica: These include Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Israel, United Arab Emirates and Australia.
  • India’s position: Despite being part of the Quad critical minerals initiative and having a critical technology partnership with the US, India is not part of Pax Silica.

• Major focus areas:

• • Pursue projects to jointly address AI supply chain opportunities and vulnerabilities in priority critical minerals, semiconductor design, fabrication, and packaging, logistics and transportation, compute, and energy grids and power generation.
  • Pursue new joint ventures and strategic co-investment opportunities.
  • Protect sensitive technologies and critical infrastructure from undue access or control by countries of concern.
  • Build trusted technology ecosystems, including ICT systems, fibre-optic cables, data centres, foundational models and applications.

Source:

• The Indian Express

Category: Science and Technology

Context:

• The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted approval for two new oral medicines to treat gonorrhoea.

About Gonorrhea:

• Nature: It is a preventable and curable sexually transmitted infection (STI) 
• Causing agent: It is caused by the bacteria Neisseria gonorrhea. 
• Other names: It’s also sometimes called “the clap” or “drip.” 
• Infected areas: Gonorrhea bacteria can infect the urethra, rectum, female reproductive tract, mouth, throat, or eyes.
• Transmission: It is most commonly spread during vaginal, oral or anal sexual activity. But babies can get the infection during childbirth. In babies, gonorrhea most commonly affects the eyes.
• Vulnerable people: IT can affect people of any age, anatomy, or gender, but it’s particularly common among teens and young adults between the ages of 15 and 24.
• Symptoms: Many people with gonorrhoea do not notice any symptoms. Men are more likely to experience symptoms. However, the symptoms include sore throat, conjunctivitis, unusual vaginal or penile discharge, and pelvic and genital pain.
• Prevention: It can be prevented by practicing safe sex.
• Treatment: It is treatable and curable with antibiotics. Antimicrobial resistance to gonorrhoea is a serious and growing problem, rendering many classes of antibiotics ineffective with the risk of becoming untreatable.

Source:

• • • The Hindu

Category: Miscellaneous

Context:

• Ponduru Khadi, which was appreciated by Mahatma Gandhi 100 years ago, recently received Geographical Indication (GI) tag.

About Ponduru Khadi:

• Location: Ponduru Khadi, is a famous handspun and handwoven cotton fabric from Andhra Pradesh.
• Other names: It is locally known as Patnulu and it is produced in Ponduru village in Srikakulam district.
• Associated schemes: It has been nominated for the One District One Product (ODOP) scheme from the Srikakulam district. 
• Historical significance: During the pre-independence era, Mahatma Gandhi mentioned its virtues in his Young India (the national weekly that Gandhiji edited).
• Raw material: It is produced from one of three types of cotton: hill cotton, punasa cotton, or red cotton.
• ​Source of cotton: Cotton is indigenous to Srikakulam district and is grown in and around Ponduru. The entire process, from cotton to fabric, is carried out manually.
• Uniqueness: The process of cleaning the cotton with the jawbone of Valuga fish is unique to Ponduru khadi and is not practiced anywhere else in the world. Ponduru is the only place in India where spinners still use single-spindle charkhas with 24 spokes, also known as the “Gandhi Charkha”.
• High quality fabric: The fabric is known for its very high yarn count of about 100–120, indicating extreme fineness.

Source:

• The Hindu

Category: Geography

Context:

• Recently, Megha Engineering and Infrastructures Ltd. threatened to pull out of 850MW Ratle power project in J&K if ‘threats and political interferences’ were not stopped.

About Ratle Hydroelectric Project:

• Location: It is located in the Kishtwar District of Jammu & Kashmir.
• Associated river: It is being built on the Chenab River.
• Capacity: Its capacity is 850 MW (850,000 kW).
• Implementing authority: The project is implemented by the Ratle Hydroelectric Power Corporation (RHPCL).
• Construction: The construction work is being undertaken by Megha Engineering and Infrastructure Limited (MEIL).
• Cost: It was approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs in January 2021 at a cost of ₹5,281.94 crore.
• Project type: It is Run-of-the-river project, which means it uses the natural flow of the river with a small or no reservoir.
• Gravity dam: The project includes a 133-meter-tall and 194.8-meter-long concrete gravity dam, a diversion dam, and an underground powerhouse on the right bank of the river.
• Powerhouse: The underground powerhouse measuring 168 m x 24.5 m x 49 m will house four 205 MW Francis turbine-generating units and a 30 MW auxiliary turbine-generating unit.
• Significance: It is part of India’s plan to utilize its share of water under the Indus Waters Treaty, 1960. It is strategically also vital in the context of China’s CPEC initiative.

Source:

• The Hindu

(UPSC GS Paper III – Infrastructure: Energy; Investment Models; Science and Technology; Regulatory Frameworks)

Context (Introduction)

Nuclear power contributes only about 3% of India’s electricity generation, yet the government has set an ambitious target of installing 100 GW of nuclear capacity by 2047. The proposed SHANTI Bill seeks to enable private participation in civil nuclear energy to mobilise capital, reduce project risks, and accelerate capacity expansion, including through indigenous small modular reactors.

Rationale Behind the SHANTI Bill

• Need for Capital Mobilisation: Achieving the 100 GW target requires large-scale capital investment, which cannot be met by public resources alone.

• Expansion of Eligible Operators: Allowing licensed government entities, joint ventures, and private companies broadens the pool of project developers and distributes construction risk.

• Controlled Private Participation: Sensitive nuclear fuel cycle activities remain under state control, while private participation is limited to plant construction, operation, and parts of the supply chain relevant to power generation.

• Legal Clarity for Investors: Consolidating safety, enforcement, dispute resolution, and participation terms within a single statute reduces regulatory ambiguity for new entrants.

• Reduced Project Delays: Streamlined approvals and clearer liability structures can lower transaction costs and shorten commissioning timelines.

Key Challenges and Concerns

• Inadequate Liability Cap: The operator liability ceiling of ₹3,000 crore raises concerns about sufficiency for victim compensation and environmental remediation in the event of a major nuclear accident.

• Asymmetric Public Accountability: Exemption of central government nuclear installations from mandatory insurance or financial security necessitates stronger public accounting and transparency.

• Weak Supplier Accountability: Operator recourse against suppliers depends largely on contractual terms, leading to uneven accountability across projects.

• Regulatory Independence Deficit: Significant executive influence over appointments to the nuclear regulator and the Atomic Energy Commission undermines institutional autonomy.

• Public Trust and Investor Confidence: Limited regulatory independence risks eroding public confidence in nuclear safety and may deter long-term private investment.

Way Forward

• Strengthen Regulatory Autonomy: Ensure functional and appointment-level independence of the nuclear regulator from executive control.

• Revisit Liability Framework: Align liability limits with international best practices to balance investor certainty with adequate victim compensation.

• Standardise Supplier Liability: Establish minimum statutory supplier accountability norms beyond contractual arrangements.

• Enhance Transparency: Mandate uniform financial disclosure and risk coverage for both public and private nuclear installations.

• Build Public Confidence: Embed safety oversight, accountability, and grievance redress mechanisms to sustain social acceptance of nuclear expansion.

Mains Question

1. “Private participation is critical for scaling nuclear power in India, but regulatory independence remains a prerequisite for safety and public trust.” Examine the implications of the SHANTI Bill in this context. (250 words, 15 marks)

(UPSC GS Paper II – International Relations: India–USA Relations; Global Strategic Architecture)

Context (Introduction)  

In 2005, India–U.S. relations entered a transformative phase with Washington explicitly supporting India’s rise as a major global power. The 2025 U.S. National Security Strategy (NSS), however, signals a retreat from this internationalist vision, redefining partnerships through the lens of burden-sharing, strategic selectivity, and inward-looking realism.

2005 Moment: Strategic Optimism and Partnership

• Shared Confidence: The U.S. belief that strengthening rising powers would reinforce global stability underpinned the civil nuclear agreement and strategic partnership.

• India as an End in Itself: India’s rise was viewed as intrinsically valuable, not merely instrumental to counterbalancing another power.

• Internationalist Outlook: Washington embraced global leadership and institutional engagement as assets rather than liabilities.

• Strategic Autonomy Respected: India’s insistence on autonomy was accommodated within a framework of expanding cooperation.

• Civil Nuclear Breakthrough: Symbolised trust, long-term commitment, and widening strategic horizons on both sides.

2025 Shift: Retrenchment and Instrumentalism

• Burden Minimisation: The NSS explicitly rejects the role of the U.S. as the primary guarantor of global order, emphasising cost reduction.

• India as a Strategic Function: Cooperation with India is framed mainly in terms of its utility within the Indo-Pacific and China strategy.

• Conditional Partnership: Support is linked to India assuming greater regional responsibility, signalling reduced U.S. strategic investment.

• Hemispheric Inward Turn: Emphasis on enforcing exclusivity in the Western Hemisphere reflects a narrower geopolitical focus.

• Performative Strategy: The NSS prioritises domestic reassurance and political signalling over deep engagement with global complexities.

Implications for India

• End of Assumptive Support: India can no longer presume that the U.S. will actively enable its rise as a strategic objective.

• Selective Convergence: Cooperation will persist where interests align but will be transactional and issue-specific.

• Greater Strategic Responsibility: India must increasingly manage its regional security and geopolitical environment independently.

• Autonomy Revalidated: The U.S. embrace of unilateral realism ironically legitimises India’s long-standing emphasis on strategic autonomy.

• Expanded Strategic Space: Reduced American commitments create room for India to shape outcomes aligned with its own priorities.

Way Forward for India

• Build Internal Capacity:India’s rise must rest on economic strength, technological capability, and military preparedness.
  • Calibrated Partnership: Engage the U.S. pragmatically without anchoring India’s strategic future to American preferences.
  • Multi-Alignment: Deepen ties with Europe, Russia, Japan, ASEAN, and the Global South to hedge against strategic uncertainty.
  • Regional Leadership: Assume responsibility in the Indo-Pacific and South Asia on India’s own terms.
  • Civilisational Confidence: Craft a global role consistent with India’s scale, interests, and historical worldview.

Conclusion

The contrast between 2005 and 2025 marks a shift from shared optimism to asymmetric expectations. While India–U.S. cooperation remains important, the foundation has changed. India’s emergence as a major power will now depend less on external endorsement and more on its own strategic confidence and material capability.

Mains Question

1. “The evolution of India–U.S. relations from 2005 to 2025 reflects a shift from strategic optimism to selective partnership.” Analyse the implications of this shift for India’s foreign policy choices. (250 words, 15 marks