The ad hocism in agri trade policies

• The government has abolished export duties on onion, removing all restrictions imposed since December 2023. Similarly, it had recently lifted curbs on rice exports initiated earlier. Shweta Saini explains what’s behind the frequent changes and why a more long-term vision is warranted

How do duty changes reflect in agricultural trade?

• During the 2007-08 food inflation crisis, the Centre imposed long-term export bans on rice, wheat, and pulses, which were lifted only after two-three years. The government was criticised for policy rigidity. In contrast, policymakers have shown agility of late. The notifications are for shorter durations and their review dates are aligned with crop cycles
• Also, besides a few crops and commodities like rice and marine products where India is still a predictable and consistent exporter, for all other commodities like chana (gram), onions, sugar, wheat, and soya bean meals, we have exported only during years when we recorded surpluses. So structurally, India is not a consistent exporter of all crops.
•  There are many possible reasons for this. These include losing our gross cropped area due to urbanisation, or climate impact, losing yields to unfavourable climatic or pest conditions, plateauing yields and changing domestic consumption patterns, or just the medium- or long-run impact of too much (or too less) government interventions or interferences.

Is there a consumer bias in onion export curbs?

• We did a study of 19 agri-crops and commodities between 2000 and 2020, and found farmers were net taxed (up to 14%) and policies had a greater consumer bias. But policies are a response to a system that is not functioning. Crops like onion have a predictable cycle.
• A bumper year and low mandi (market) prices are followed by lower acreages in the next seasons and a lower crop pulling up price. Higher prices encourage higher acreages and the cycle continues.
• For a typical commodity like onion, a farmer earns a good sum usually every 1.5 to two years. But if the crop cycle is so predictable why isn’t there a solution for periods of glut and deficit? Two low-hanging fruits are processing and storage. While much investments have gone into creating kanda chawls or storages, processing has seen little progress, albeit due to low demand.

 Can a sense of likely prices help?

• Under agriculture, policies are mostly reactive in nature. The government needs to have a medium- to long-run vision and have rules, wherever possible, for deviating from the vision.
• For example, unless edible oil inflation exceeds by x%, the market should know that the government would not interfere. Similarly, if imported tur lands at Indian ports below the minimum support price, importers should know that the government would change tariffs or impose restrictions. Some predictability in operations is critical for all stakeholders, including farmers.
• Also, if surpluses do not exist sustainably or if the policy environment is unpredictable, the performance of agri-exports is likely to vary. If production is unstable, then it appears apt for policymakers to prioritise domestic consumers over global ones and domestic food requirements over fuel or even feed.

What should govt policy look like?

• The food, feed, and fuel needs for the agriculture sector are changing and simultaneously growing in India, which has the largest population in the world. As a result, demands from farmers and farming are evolving too.
• At the same time, agricultural land is shrinking, yields are plateauing or falling in most crops across key states, climate change is affecting more crops than anticipated, and newer pests are developing. The government has to invest in improving yields and bringing some level of resilience to crops. By creating and managing sustainable crop surpluses, problems of ad hocism in trade policies can be addressed. The role of a medium- to long-run agri policy cannot be overemphasised.
•  To achieve the Centre’s goal of doubling farmer incomes, India must adopt a long-term, predictable trade policy based on rule-based interventions. This will not only give farmers and exporters confidence to invest in global markets but also ensure consumer interests are safeguarded through well-calibrated adjustments

Domestic impact on pulse prices

• Compared to March 2024, all-India gram prices in March 2025 (as of March 26) are higher by about 6.3% at retail, and 9.53% at wholesale levels, but at mandi levels the prices are about 2% lower. Even though the gram crop is likely to be higher by about 0.5 million metric tonnes compared to last year, pipeline stocks are studied to be tight but filling up fast.
• Yellow peas, in a limited sense, is like the palm oil of yesteryear; it is substituting demand for gram. In the process it becomes an adulterant (besan and split tur), and due to their similarity it is being sold by mixing with tur dal. For sure, continuing imports of yellow peas affect not just the domestic yellow pea growers (cultivated mostly in Uttar Pradesh as a rabi crop) but also farmers of gram and tur. But again, the issue is one of immediate priority — between farmers and consumers. Consumer price index inflation for gram in February was about 12%, building on a double-digit inflation in February 2024.

Why activists are worried about Section 44(3) of new data protection law

• The government wants to use the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (DPDP Act) to curtail access to public information on the pretext of safeguarding privacy, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said on Tuesday (March 25).
• A group of activists, researchers, journalists, and experts met Rahul and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in the Parliament complex to discuss a change made to the Right to Information Act, 2005 (RTI Act) by the DPDP Act. The delegation said the change will adversely impact the ability of people to access information.
• Congress leader Jairam Ramesh wrote to Minister for Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) Ashwini Vaishnaw on March 23 demanding the repeal of Section 44(3) of the DPDP Act, which he said would “destroy” the RTI Act.
• RTI activists Aruna Roy, Nikhil Dey, Prashant Bhushan, and Anjali Bhardwaj addressed a press conference last week to oppose the impending change to the RTI Act in line with the DPDP Act.

Section 44(3) of DPDP Act

• The DPDP Act received the President’s assent on August 11, 2023, and will come into force after the Rules under the Act are notified. In January, Vaishnaw’s ministry invited feedback and comments on the draft Digital Personal Data Protection Rules, 2025. The window for comments on the draft Rules closed on February 18.
• The DPDP Act is intended to “provide for the processing of digital personal data in a manner that recognises both the right of individuals to protect their personal data and the need to process such personal data for lawful purposes and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto”.
• Section 44(3) of the DPDP Act mentions a change that will be made in Section 8(1)(j) of the RTI Act. This change, RTI activists say, will greatly reduce the amount of information that government agencies are obligated to disclose under the 2005 Act

Section 8(1)(j) of RTI Act

• This section states: “…There shall be no obligation to give any citizen…information which relates to personal information the disclosure of which has no relationship to any public activity or interest, or which would cause unwarranted invasion of the privacy of the individual unless the Central Public Information Officer or the State Public Information Officer or the appellate authority…is satisfied that the larger public interest justifies the disclosure of such information.”
• Section 44(3) of the DPDP Act shortens this clause in the RTI Act to broaden the scope for denying information. It says: “In section 8 of the Right to Information Act, 2005, in sub-section (1), for clause (j), the following clause shall be substituted, namely: — “(j) information which relates to personal information”.

Why the change matters

• The potential conflict between a citizen’s right to information and the privacy of the subject of that information where the greater public interest is involved, has been discussed widely.
• Over the years, several orders of the Central Information Commission and state Information Commissions on the disclosure or denial of information have been based on the interpretation of Section 8(1)(j) of the RTI Act.
• During the discussions that preceded the passage of the RTI Bill by Parliament, the Bill was examined by a Group of Ministers headed by Pranab Mukherjee. Section 8(1) of the Bill was about “Exemption from disclosure of information”, and sub-sections 8(1)(a) to 8(1)(j) spelt out those exemptions.
• A general rider to the exemptions in Section 8(1) says that any information “which cannot be denied to the Parliament or a State Legislature shall not be denied to any person”.
• Activists point out that a lot of personal information about public servants such as their assets and liabilities are published because it is seen to serve a public purpose. The blanket exemption now granted to all “information which relates to personal information” could be used to deny the public their right to know, they say.

Trump tariff impact decoded – 3 key risks for Asia

• After weeks and months of anticipation, US President Donald Trump unveiled sweeping new tariffs. The US announced two sets of tariffs. One is a base tariff of 10 per cent imposed on all imports to US.
• This base rate of tariffs will go into effect on April 5. Second is the country-specific tariff to be enforced from April 9. These are calculated based on how much each of these countries charge on US goods and then it is halved to reach “USA discounted reciprocal tariffs”. 
• Priyanka Kishore, Director and Principal Economist, Asia Decoded, said, “The US tariff, if implemented, would take the rate higher than the Smoot-Hawley Act, reaching an estimated 26-29 per cent compared to approximately 20 per cent in the 1930s.
• This challenges our view of resilient US growth this year. While we expected the Trump administration to act swiftly on tariffs, the scale and scope have exceeded our expectations. With heightened policy uncertainty and rising downside risks to investments, we now anticipate US growth to falter in the coming months.”

Asia worst hit by tariff.

• In terms of the worst hit, the Asia Decoded report stated that Asian economies have been hit hard by the new tariff announcements. Outside of China, which now faces a tariff rate of at least 54 per cent (including the 20 per cent tariff that was announced on 1 Feb), Vietnam (46 per cent), Taiwan (32 per cent), Thailand (36 per cent) and Indonesia (32 per cent) are amongst the US trading partners with highest tariff rates globally.
• Next in line are S Korea (25 per cent), Japan (24 per cent), Malaysia (24 per cent) and India (26 per cent), while Philippines (17 per cent), Singapore (10 per cent) and Australia (10 per cent) fare better.

Tariff impact on Asia: Growth outlook worrying

• With this, the growth outlook has unambiguously worsened across the board. Last October, the IMF estimated that in a scenario of a global increase in tariffs by mid-2025, where all trade flows between the US, China and euro area are hit by a 10 per cent tariff and trade flows between the US and the rest of the world are hit by a similar amount on both sides, global GDP would be 1 per cent lower from the baseline by 2027. “It is safe to assume that global output will now take a larger hit,”. 

Tariff impact on Asia: Risks of retaliation to US tariffs

• The point here still remains whether Trump will proceed with the reciprocal tariffs as is, or the next few days see a flurry of negotiations and some carve outs. Risks of retaliation to US tariffs have also risen.

Tariff impact on Asia: Inflation worries

• To conclude, the report stated that growth pressures will dominate inflation in Asia this year. “Provided that retaliatory tariffs are avoided, and currency weakness is limited by central banks to between 3-5 per cent over the year, inflation should remain low in 2025.
• This should allow Asian central banks to focus on growth risks, and trigger a deeper rate cut cycle. We expect policy rates to be reduced by an average of 100 basis points in 2025,” 

What is tariff?

• The word tariff has been catapulted from the business pages to the headlines over the last few months, as major economies impose or threaten them on other nations. 
• But tariffs are not just a blunt weapon to be used in geopolitical brinkmanship. They can, if used effectively, help poorer countries develop their economies.
• A tariff or duty (the words are used interchangeably) is a tax levied by governments on imported products. Different tariffs are applied on different products by different countries.
• The tariff, along with the other assessments, is collected at the time of customs clearance in the foreign port.
• The UN defines tariffs as customs duties on merchandise imports, levied either on a percentage of value or on a specific basis.
• Historically, tariffs were a major source of revenue for many countries and were often the primary source of federal revenue through the late 19th century. Today, other taxes account for most government revenue in developed countries.
• Tariffs are now typically used selectively to protect certain domestic industries, advance foreign policy goals, or as negotiating leverage in trade negotiations.
•  Tariffs are used widely, but they are imposed following rules that have been negotiated within the World Trade Organisation (WTO) or regional organisations.
• Reciprocal tariffs are imposed by countries to counter increases in duties or high tariffs by trading partners. It can be described as a tit-for-tat tax.
• Many important actors in global trade, such as the United States, the European Union and China, are imposing tariffs or measures that are not always in line with their commitments in the WTO.
• When Member States make unilateral decisions, without going through the WTO or UN System, it can create uncertainty, which may end up creating a slowdown in investment decisions in the private sector, in trade, economic growth and job creation.
• There have always been differences among countries, with certain sectors more affected by changes than others, and economic conditions can require certain kind of interventions.
• Developed countries often use tariffs as part of broader economic policies aimed at protecting specific industries or responding to international trade dynamics. In contrast, developing countries may use tariffs more broadly to protect nascent industries and support economic development.
• Experts say that tariffs themselves are not necessarily a problem. The issue is the uncertainty that results from big economic players ripping up the playbook of international trade rules.
• One way of helping an industry develop and grow is by protecting it, through tariffs, from foreign competition. The downside is that production of those goods for the domestic market is more expensive, and you may also deter competition.
• Another important point is governments need revenue. Tariffs are a tax, and a tax is income that a government can spend on social spending, health, education or infrastructure. But again, this means higher costs on imported goods for consumers.

Why has the US announced these tariffs?

• According to the White House, these tariffs will help boost domestic manufacturing in the US and cut the trade deficit. The US is facing huge trade imbalances with countries, especially with China. With India, the US has a trade deficit of $35.31 billion in goods in 2023-24.

India’s trade relations with the US

• From 2021-22 to 2023-24, the US was India’s largest trading partner. The US accounts for about 18 per cent of India’s total goods exports, 6.22 per cent in imports, and 10.73 per cent in bilateral trade.
• With America, India had a trade surplus (the difference between imports and exports) of $35.32 billion in goods in 2023-24. 
• In 2024, India’s main exports to the US included drug formulations and biologicals, telecom instruments, precious and semi-precious stones, petroleum products, gold and other precious metal jewellery, ready-made garments of cotton, including accessories ($2.8 billion), and products of iron and steel ($2.7 billion).
• Imports included crude oil, petroleum products, coal, coke, cut and polished diamonds, electric machinery, aircraft, spacecraft and parts, and gold. 

How will the tariffs impact the trade?

• Goods from India are already facing a 25 per cent tariff on steel, aluminium, and auto. For remaining products, India is subject to a base line tariff of 10 per cent between April 5-8. Then the tariff will rise to country-specific 27 per cent starting April 9. Over 60 countries are affected by the measures.
• Apex exporters body FIEO said that the duties pose challenges for domestic players but India’s position remains comparatively more favourable than that of its competitor nations.
• The exporters said that the proposed Bilateral Trade Agreement will help domestic industry to overcome the possible impact of these duties. 
• During the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Washington in February, both the countries announced negotiations of this agreement with an aim to increase the bilateral trade to $500 billion by 2030. They are aiming at finalising the first phase of this pact by September-October this year.

Four The new Pamban Bridge and story of the 1964 cyclone, when a train full of passengers was washed away

• A Stretching across the blue ocean and connecting Rameswaram with mainland India, through which trains and ships both pass by with the scenic view, the new Pamban Bridge will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Ram Navami (April 6).
• The new bridge, will replace the century-old original Pamban Bridge, and is considered an engineering marvel with the tag of becoming India’s First Vertical Lift Railway Sea Bridge. Built with stainless steel reinforcements and Polysiloxane Paint, the bridge is designed to withstand harsh marine conditions. Its expected lifespan is up to 58 years. It has an automated electro-mechanical lift system, which will help the bridge rise to 17 meters, allowing smooth ship passage.
• With its genesis in the Indo-Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) trade during the British Era, the old bridge stood firm even during the horrific 1964 tsunami when a train full of passengers was washed away. According to railway officials, the new bridge is a testament to the railways’ engineering prowess and has elevated the benchmark of India’s infrastructure.

The old bridge

• A The construction of the old Pamban Bridge started in 1911 and was opened to traffic in 1914. It was India’s first sea bridge, built for trade. In those days of British rule, the ships used to ply between two ports – Dhanushkodi, at the south-eastern tip of the Pamban or Rameswaram Island, and now abandoned, and Talaimannar in Sri Lanka. During the 1964 Tsunami, Dhanushkodi was entirely destroyed and it is still uninhabited.
• The old bridge had a double-leaf bascule section with a Scherzer rolling-type lift span that used to be raised to let ships pass. It is considered a technical marvel as the bridge was constructed with lesser availability and the corrosive environment it withstood. It remained India’s longest sea link until the Bandra-Worli sea link opened in 2010.

The 1964 cyclone

• On the night of December 23, 1964, a fierce tidal wave or tsunami hit Pamban Island very badly. The six coaches of the 653 Pamban-Dhanushkodi Passenger train crossed the bridge at around 11 pm and were en route to Dhanushkodi from Rameswaram.
• Dhanushkodi was the railhead for Indo-Ceylon traffic from where steamer service run by the Southern Railway to Talaimannar in Ceylon was available. It is the extreme point on Rameswaram Island. The island is approached from Mandapam, crossing the sea by the Pamban Bridge, beyond which Pamban Junction is situated. The line here branches off into two directions- one going to Rameswaram to the North-east and the other towards Dhanushkodi to the East. To its south is the Gulf of Mannar.
• However, the train could not reach the destination, and it was completely washed away to sea, so much so that only the engine of the train was visible in the morning
• “On account of severe stormy conditions, none of the staff at Dhanushkodi or Rameswaram road could go out and ascertain the fate of the train. The staff at Dhanushkodi themselves got marooned as the sea water flooded the entire area including the colony and the yard.
• While the exact number of deaths is not known, the report noted that it is said that there were 100 to 110 passengers on the train and 18 Railway employees, all of whom lost their lives. Some estimates suggest that this number can be as high as 250.
• While the old Pamban bridge withstood the Tsunami, it was severely damaged to the level that except for the Scherzer Span, out of 146 spans, 126 spans got washed away. Also two piers of the bridge got washed away.

Sreedharan and fishermen

• Before he became famous for the Delhi Metro, India’s legendary engineer, also called Metro Man of India, the restoration of the Pamban Bridge was one of the earliest major works of E. Sreedharan.

The new bridge

• The old bridge played an important role in trade and pilgrimage for over a century. Due to corrosion, high maintenance and operational challenges, the decision to construct a new Pamban bridge was taken and the foundation stone for the new bridge was laid in 2019.
• The new 2.08 kilometers long structure stands three metres higher than the old Pamban Bridge. It allows the smaller ships to pass beneath without lifting the span. According to the Ministry of Railways, the bridge has been constructed with 99 spans of 18.3 meters each, with a 72.5 meter vertical lift span at its centre that can be raised up to 17 meters to accommodate larger vessels when needed.
• The bridge has been designed with dual railway tracks and built with 333 piles and 101 pile caps, which will allow the heavy freight trains as well as advanced semi-high speed trains like Vande Bharat to traverse it

Stakes are high for BIMSTEC summit

• The sixth Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) summit is taking place in Bangkok this week. Its key deliverables, as reported by the BIMSTEC Secretariat, are likely to be the Bangkok Vision 2030, the Report of the Eminent Persons’ Group on the Future Direction of BIMSTEC, BIMSTEC maritime cooperation agreement, and the summit declaration.
• The BIMSTEC was set up in 1997. In the last 27 years, five summits have taken place, marking one in almost every five years. In sharp contrast, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders never gave a miss to the APEC summit from 1993 onwards. Summits matter a lot while chasing regional aspirations and narrowing the differences
• BIMSTEC is at a crossroads. Political differences among some members are cropping up and diluting the regional strength. BIMSTEC’s collective strength is being undermined. Today, no other region can match BIMSTEC in terms of its cultural and natural resources, access to the Bay of Bengal, and the vast — mostly unlocked — market.
• A growing sense of community in BIMSTEC is yet missing. BIMSTEC can achieve enormous prosperity provided member-states pledge to strengthen regional integration by leaving aside narrow politics and domestic targets.
• BIMSTEC brings together 1.67 billion people, a combined GDP of $2.88 trillion, and a source of high-value energy. Member-states like India have a GDP target of $30 trillion by 2047. Bangladesh aims to become a $1-trillion economy by 2031.
• Bangladesh and Nepal are going to join the group of developing countries next year. Sri Lanka is rebooting its economy through structural reforms. BIMSTEC can build the regional economies by increasing trade links and improving connectivity leading to mutual gain from complementarities.
• Intra-BIMSTEC trade has grown to $60 billion in 2023 from $5 billion in 2000. However, the region is yet to agree upon a regional free trade agreement for which negotiation has been ongoing for over two decades. Along with trade, foreign investment flows have grown. Nonetheless, a free flow of foreign direct investment is crucial for regional or global value chains.
• Only a few projects are completed. For example, the BIMSTEC connectivity master plan is now ready, and has identified 267 projects with $124 billion worth of investment opportunities. The master plan requires many updates if we do not want a permanent stop. The most encouraging part is that Bay of Bengal ports offer high investment opportunities.
• Member-states have ratified the BIMSTEC energy grid inter-connectivity, but it is yet to be utilised. They have also ratified the BIMSTEC Convention on Cooperation in Combating International Terrorism, Transnational Organised Crime and Illicit Drug Trafficking, but it is yet to come into effect.
• Ongoing global uncertainties pose a serious threat to regional integration everywhere. Strengthening the region through a charter could be a turning point for the BIMSTEC region.
• Member-states set up the BIMSTEC Secretariat in Dhaka, and Bangladesh has been very supportive in running it. India has extended unilateral financial and technical support to the secretariat in the past. Others too must take interest in strengthening the secretariat.
• In order to energise BIMSTEC, a quick implementation of the BIMSTEC Maritime Cooperation Agreement is a must. Trade facilitation projects can speed up integration. Multi-modal connectivity will certainly help landlocked Bhutan and Nepal, and also Bangladesh to get market access to Southeast Asia.
• BIMSTEC’s priorities would be to deepen integration by promoting trade, investment, tourism, and people-to-people contacts; complete trade negotiations; and encourage cooperation in Industry 4.0, culture, public health, disaster management, climate issues, etc.
• The secretariat should aim for some of the low-hanging fruits to foster regional integration such as renewable energy, digital payments, education, and health (traditional and non-traditional). India hosted the first BIMSTEC Business Summit in 2024; others must also contribute to the business-to-business prospects.
• The foundation of BIMSTEC’s economic growth has been a rules-based open multilateral trading system. When multilateralism is not fully functional, regional integration may pave the way for higher growth and development.
• The Association of Southeast Asian Nations model of engaging dialogue partners in connectivity and regional integration programmes has many important lessons for BIMSTEC.
• Regional integration works well when all member-states contribute and follow a “prosper-thy-neighbour” policy. Credibility may diminish slowly if they fail to uphold regional integration commitments.
• Bangladesh will be the next chair of BIMSTEC. India-Bangladesh ties are thus crucial to running the organisation. In the backdrop of the growing global disorder, the BIMSTEC Summit is an opportunity to build a new economic foundation for the Bay of Bengal region that harnesses its collective strength and shared culture.

India’s three-stage nuclear programme 

• The  India’s nuclear journey began shortly after Independence with the establishment of the Atomic Energy Commission in 1948. In 1956, Asia’s first research reactor, Apsara, was commissioned at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) in Trombay.
• India was the second Asian nation to build a nuclear power plant in 1969 at Tarapur, just after Japan and long before China. It also built up an impressive nuclear research and development programme in the 1950s and 1960s with significant assistance from its Western partners.
• India owes the vision of the three-phase programme of nuclear power to ensure energy security to Dr Homi J Bhabha, the father of India’s nuclear programme, and Dr Vikram Sarabhai, who recognised the need for developing FBRs, as these reactors generate more nuclear fuel than they consume due to the gainful conversion of fertile isotopes into fissile material.

Three-stage nuclear programme

• STAGE 1: Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs) use natural uranium-based fuels to generate electricity, while producing fissile plutonium (Pu239), which can be extracted by reprocessing the spent fuel. It uses heavy water (deuterium oxide) both as a coolant and moderator. The programme has been supplemented by the construction of imported Light Water Reactors (LWRs).
• STAGE 2: It involves setting up Fast Breeder Reactors (FBRs) of the kind at Kalpakkam, using plutonium-based fuels, which can enhance nuclear power capacity, and convert fertile thorium into fissile uranium (U233). Reprocessing of the spent fuel is vital for efficient utilisation of the plutonium inventory.
•  STAGE 3: The third stage will be based on the ThU233 cycle. U233 produced in the second stage can be used for the third stage of the power programme, which consists of advanced thermal and fast breeder reactors, for long-term energy security. The Advanced Heavy Water Reactor (AHWR) is proposed for this. Now, the use of molten salt reactors is also seen as an option.

From ‘fertile’ to ‘fissile’, what does it mean?

•  The three stages involve the conversion of ‘fertile material’ (which is not fissionable by thermal neutrons but can be converted into fissile material) into fissile material.
• U238, the dominant isotope of uranium, is a fertile material that cannot by itself make the reactor achieve criticality, and has to be converted to fissile plutonium (Pu239) in a nuclear reactor. The spent fuel from thermal reactors contains Pu239, which is most efficiently burnt in a fast reactor.
• Thorium-bearing monazite, too, is a fertile material that has to be converted to fissile material U233. It is found in coastal and inland placer sands on the beaches of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Gujarat, and in the inland riverine sands of Jharkhand and West Bengal. India holds a significant portion of the world’s thorium reserves, estimated at around 25 per cent.
• India has adopted a “closed fuel cycle” approach, which involves the reprocessing of spent fuel to separate the useful Pu239 and U233 isotopes from U238 and Th232. To multiply the fissile inventory and to gradually work towards establishing a higher power base, it is key to ultimately use thorium in the third stage of the programme.

India’s FBR

• The FBR is an important milestone for getting to the third stage, paving the way for the eventual full utilisation of the country’s thorium. The core loading process of India’s first indigenous Fast Breeder Reactor (FBR) at Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu, has started in March 2024. The efforts to build an FBR were initiated two decades ago, and successive governments have nurtured the project as a step towards India developing comprehensive capabilities that span the entire nuclear fuel cycle, by which electricity is produced from uranium in nuclear power reactors

Nuclear Energy Mission 

• 1. The government has set a target of 100 GW nuclear power capacity by 2047, a massive increase from the current 8.18 GW. To achieve this, the Nuclear Energy Mission for Viksit Bharat has been launched, focusing on enhancing domestic capabilities. It is also important for realising the Panchamrit climate action plan (Five Nectar) set by India at COP 21.
• 2. In the Budget 2025, the government announced the Nuclear Energy Mission worth ₹20,000 crore for research and development of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), and promised that at least five such indigenously developed SMRs would be operationalised by 2033.
• 3. SMRs are essentially advanced small nuclear reactors that have a power capacity of 30MWe to 300 MWe (megawatt electrical) per unit. The relatively simpler and modular design of SMRs—enabling their components to be assembled in a factory instead of being constructed on-site—lowers costs and allows flexible deployment, making them a much more attractive proposition in recent years.

National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI)?

• The National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI), under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), organised an event on Universal Acceptance Day in New Delhi on March 28.
• The event themed ‘Connecting the Unconnected – Building a Multilingual Internet for Viksit Bharat’, aimed to accelerate the adoption of Universal Acceptance (UA) and create a more inclusive digital ecosystem in India.
• Universal Acceptance Day is a global initiative to promote the use of multilingual and inclusive internet technologies.

What is meant by Universal Acceptance?

• Universal Acceptance (UA) ensures that all domain names, including new top-level domains (TLDs), Internationalised Domain Names (IDNs), and email addresses are treated equally and can be used by all Internet-enabled applications, devices, and systems. UA is a fundamental requirement for a truly multilingual and digitally inclusive Internet.
•  Achieving UA ensures everyone has the ability to navigate and communicate on the Internet using the domain name and email address that best aligns with their interests, business, culture, language, and script. Being UA-ready will help bring the next billion people online, many of whom currently face linguistic barriers to the Internet.
• MeitY is working towards the implementation of a multilingual internet to enable all Indians to connect to and use the internet by ensuring that Internet domain names in languages other than English can be issued and used by all Internet enabled applications, devices and systems.

What is the purpose of NIXI?

• NIXI is a not-for-profit organisation, established in 2003, for peering of Internet Service Providers (ISPs) among themselves and routing the domestic traffic within the country, with seed funding from the department of information technology.

NIXI is performing the following three activities:

1) Internet Exchange

• The Internet Exchange Nodes have been successful in ensuring peering of ISPs among themselves for the purpose of routing the domestic traffic within the country, instead of taking abroad, thereby resulting in better quality of service (reduced latency) and reduced bandwidth charges for ISPs by saving on international bandwidth.
•  As many as 77 Internet Exchange Nodes are functional across the country. The maximum volume of Internet traffic being handled by NIXI at present is 1.53 Tbps.

2) .IN Registry and Internationalised Domain Names (IDNs)

• Since 2005, NIXI has managed the .in registry (www.registry.in). As many as 153 registrars have been accredited to offer ‘.in’ domain name registration worldwide to customers.
• This has helped proliferation of web hosting in the country and promotion of Indian language content on the Internet. ‘.in’ is India’s top-level domain on the Internet. Like ‘.com’, ‘.in’ can be used for email, websites, and other applications. Over 41 lakh ‘.in’ domain names have been registered till November 30, 2022. Internationalised Domain Names (IDNs) in all 22 official languages are launched.

3) National Internet Registry (NIR)

• Since March 2012, NIXI has been running the National Internet Registry (NIR) as Indian Registry for Internet Names and Numbers (IRINN). IRINN is responsible for allocation of IP addresses and Autonomous System (AS) numbers within the country. As on November 30, 2022 over 4,483 affiliates have joined IRINN.

 India''s first indigenous MRI machine to be installed at AIIMS Delhi.

• India''s indigenous Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanner is under development, and is expected to be placed in the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi by October of 2025. With this initiative, the aim is to lower the cost of MRI scans by close to 50% so that patients all over the country can have improved access.
•  Before the scanner can be widely used, it needs to pass through thorough clinical trials to check for safety and efficacy. Currently, the Union Health Ministry is working on guidelines for this validation that would allow the patient trials to take place even when the device is in a trial stage.
• The Development of this MRI scanner is a step closer to self-reliant India and thus promotes ''Atmanirbhar Bharat'' initiative which seeks to eliminate the heavy reliance on imported medical devices like critical care equipment.
• AIIMS Delhi has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Society for Applied Microwave Electronics Engineering and Research (SAMEER) under the MeitY. SAMEER is responsible for the installation and clinical evaluation of 1.5 Tesla MRI scanner and has developed an MRI scanner along with 6 MEV Linear Accelerators used for cancer treatment.
• SAMEER and the projects aim to strengthen the innovation of medical technology within the country. The government has funded these projects to promote self-sufficiency in healthcare.
• India''s healthcare services will undergo a transformative recalibration with the now indigenously developed MRI scanner. A reduction in the financial burden is anticipated as the cost of MRI scans is said to lower by 50% which makes diagnostic services more attainable.
• Another benefit that will stem from the lowering cost is the availability of MRI machines across the domestic healthcare facilities which will expand to even remote areas.
• Manufacturing regionally makes it possible to solve local health issues and guarantees compliance with the quality requirements of the country.

What is MRI?

• Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is a non-invasive imaging technology that produces three dimensional detailed anatomical images. It is often used for disease detection, diagnosis, and treatment monitoring. It is based on sophisticated technology that excites and detects the change in the direction of the rotational axis of protons found in the water that makes up living tissues.

How does an MRI scan work?

• Most of the human body is made up of water molecules, which consist of hydrogen and oxygen atoms.
• At the centre of each hydrogen atom is an even smaller particle called a proton. Protons are like tiny magnets and are very sensitive to magnetic fields.
• When the patient is under the powerful scanner magnets, the protons in the body line up in the same direction, in the same way that a magnet can pull the needle of a compass. 
• Short bursts of radio waves are then sent to certain areas of the body, knocking the protons out of alignment.
• When the radio waves are turned off, the protons realign. This sends out radio signals, which are picked up by receivers.
• These signals provide information about the exact location of the protons in the body.
• They also help to distinguish between the various types of tissue in the body, because the protons in different types of tissue realign at different speeds and produce distinct signals.

 In the same way that millions of pixels on a computer screen can create complex pictures, the signals from the millions of protons in the body are combined to create a detailed image of the inside of the body.

Significance of development of indigenous MRI machine

• Majority of equipment in critical and post operative care, ICUs, robotics, MRIs in India are imported.
• The development of this indigenous MRI machine is a major step towards becoming Atmanirbhar Bharat to reduce dependence on foreign imported devices.
• The upcoming trials at AIIMS Delhi will assess the machine’s accuracy, safety, and efficiency compared to imported models. If successful, it could pave the way for large-scale manufacturing and deployment across government and private hospitals.
• The move aligns with the government’s push to promote indigenous innovation in healthcare, reducing reliance on foreign manufacturers and strengthening India’s position in the global medical technology sector.
• This achievement holds immense promise for making advanced diagnostics more affordable and accessible, particularly in rural and semi-urban areas where MRI facilities are scarce. 
• By fostering domestic R&D and manufacturing, India can not only cut healthcare costs but also emerge as a key player in the global med-tech industry. 
• Once the scanner is validated for use in health facilities, the cost of MRI scans is likely to drop by around 50 per cent, making diagnostics accessible to a broader population.

FM launches “NITI NCAER States Economic Forum” Portal

• Finance Minister Ms. Nirmala Sitharaman launched the “NITI NCAER States Economic Forum” portal in New Delhi.
• The portal has been developed by NITI Aayog, in collaboration with the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER), which is a comprehensive repository of data on social, economic and fiscal parameters, research reports, papers, and expert commentary on State Finances for a period of about 30 years (i.e 1990-91 to 2022-23). 
• In her keynote address, Ms. Nirmala Sitharaman stated that NITI NCAER States Economic Forum will be beneficial in the availability of authentic data.
• She observed that the portal will help States to make more meaningful interventions, raising revenues, managing debts and learning from peer experiences. She emphasised the importance of balance in public finances between revenue generation without burdening the people.
•  She said that this forum is a much-needed step in present times which will help in greater engagement with States. 
• Director General of National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER), Dr. Poonam Gupta while making a presentation on the portal highlighted the diverse nature of fiscal path of the States.
• She underlined the need for a portal which has comprehensive data of all States, thereby, providing an opportunity to appreciate the position of other States while making informed policy decisions. 
• NITI Aayog, in collaboration with the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER), has developed a portal which is a comprehensive repository of data on social, economic and fiscal parameters, research reports, papers, and expert commentary on State Finances for a period of about 30 years (i.e 1990-91 to 2022-23). 

NITI NCAER States Economic Forum portal has four main components, namely: 

• State Reports - summarising the macro and fiscal landscape of 28 Indian States, structured around indicators on demography, economic structure, socio-economic and fiscal indicators. 
• Data Repository – offering direct access to the complete database categorised across five verticals viz. Demography; Economic Structure; Fiscal; Health and Education. 
•  State Fiscal and Economic Dashboard – showcasing graphical representations of key economic variables over time and provide quick access to raw data through a data appendix or additional information through summary tables. 
• Research and Commentary - draws on extensive research on State finances and critical aspects of fiscal policy and financial management at the State and national levels.
• The portal will facilitate an understanding of macro, fiscal, demographic, and socio-economic trends; easily accessible data and user-friendly format and will also address the ongoing need for consolidated sectoral data in one place.
• It will further help in benchmarking the data of each state against that of other States and the national figures. It will also provide a forum to policymakers, researchers, and others interested in alluding to the data for informed debates and discussions.
• The portal will serve as a comprehensive research hub, offering a wealth of data and analytical tools for in-depth research studies. It will act as a central repository of information, providing access to an extensive database of social, economic, and fiscal indicators spanning the past 30 years. By leveraging historical trends and real-time analytics, users will be able to track progress, identify emerging patterns, and formulate evidence-based policies for development

National Council of Applied Economic Research

• National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) is an economic policy research institute, which was established in 1956.
• it was established as a public-private partnership, working with both the government and industry.
• NCAER’s first Governing Body included the entire Cabinet of ministers with an economic portfolio and some of the leading lights of the private sector. 
• The Ford Foundation provided substantial early financial support, combined with support from the Finance Ministry and Tata Sons.
• Over more than six decades, NCAER’s Governing Body has included prominent Indian economists and industrialists, including former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as a member during 1976–82, and Ratan Tata as president during 1994–98. 
• NCAER’s current Governing Body is headed by Nandan Nilekani, former chairman of Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), co-founder and former CEO of Infosys Ltd. 
• The current Director General of NCAER is Poonam Gupta. Gupta was the lead economist at the World Bank prior to her taking over the reins at NCAER