Today’s daily current affairs briefing for UPSC aspirants explores the latest developments relevant to the upcoming civil services examination. Our focus today includes a critical analysis of recent policy changes, international affairs, and national developments, all of which play a pivotal role in shaping India’s socio-political and economic landscape. Stay informed and stay ahead in your UPSC preparations with our daily current affairs updates, as we provide you with concise, well-researched insights to help you connect the dots between contemporary events and the broader canvas of the civil services syllabus.
India signed first-of-its-kind agreements under IPEF
Tags: GS–2, IR- Groupings & Agreements Involving India– Bilateral Groupings & Agreements
Why in the news?
- India has signed the US-led 14-member Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) bloc’s agreements on a clean and fair economy.
- India had ratified Agreement on Supply Chain Resilience (PillarII) in February 2024 and has maintained an observer status in Pillar-I.
About the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF):
- About: Launched in Tokyo, in May 2023, aims to strengthen economic engagement among the member countries to advance growth, peace and prosperity in the region.
- Four Pillars of IPEF:
- Pillar I – Fair and resilient trade,
- Pillar II – Supply chain resilience,
- Pillar III – Clean economy (infrastructure and decarbonization), and
- Pillar IV – Fair Economy (tax and anticorruption).
- Members: 14 partner countries including Australia, Brunei, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Japan, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and the US.
- Significance: The 14-nation IPEF bloc is seen as crucial as it accounts for about 40 percent of the world’s GDP and 28 percent of the world’s trade in goods and services.
- Initiatives under IPEF:
- IPEF Upskilling Initiative: launched in Sept. 2022, aims to promote sustainable and inclusive economic growth for women and girls in emerging and middle-income IPEF partner countries.
- Critical Mineral Dialogue: Aim to strengthen the critical mineral supply chain and ensure sustainable mining practices across IPEF partner countries.
- Tech Council: To coordinate and cooperate on cybersecurity, undersea cables, AI along with IPEF partners.
- Cooperative Work Program (CWP): Cover areas such as hydrogen supply chains, carbon markets, clean electricity, sustainable aviation fuel, just transition, emissions intensity accounting, small modular reactors, and India’s proposal on e-waste urban mining.
India signs agreements of IPEF:
- IPEF Clean Economy Agreement (Pillar-III):
- To foster collaboration in clean energy and climate technologies to increase energy security, enhance climate resilience, and reduce GHG emissions.
- It supports investment, business finance and joint ventures, MSMEs and adding Indian companies to global value chains in the Indo-Pacific region.
- Initiatives such as the Cooperative Action Programmes, the IPEF Catalytic Capital Fund and the IPEF Accelerator.
- IPEF Fair Financing Agreement (Pillar-IV):
- It focuses on fighting corruption, money laundering, cross-border investigations and litigation.
- Technical Assistance Capacity Building (TACB) initiatives to improve tax administration and enhance the implementation of anti-corruption measures.
- IPEF comprehensive agreement:
- Setting common objectives, political oversight and long-term stability to the partnership.
- Enhance India’s productive capacity, supply chain integration and innovation in line with the Self-Reliant India strategy.
India’s Data Centre Ambitions
Tags: GS-2, IR- India’s Neighbours– Groupings & Agreements Involving India
Why in the news?
- India may become a major player in the global data centre market but faces competition from countries like Malaysia and Vietnam.
The Indian Data Centre Sector:
- Segments: The sector is divided into two categories:
- Captive: Data centres operated by companies for their internal needs.
- Outsourced: Includes colocation and hosting services, further classified by IT infrastructure (servers, storage, networking).
- Market:
- Revenue: In 2023, the market generated $7.44 billion, with network infrastructure being the dominant segment ($5.09 billion).
- Capacity: As of 2022, India had a data centre capacity of 637 MW, ranking 13th globally with 138 data centres. By 2025, 45 more data centres with 1,015 MW capacity are expected.
- Government Support:
- Data Centre Policy: Designed to accelerate expansion, the policy includes key provisions like:
- Inclusion under ESMA for essential services.
- Establishment of Data Centre Facilitation Units (DCFU).
- Creation of Data Centre Economic Zones.
- Special classification in the National Building Code.
- Data Centre Policy: Designed to accelerate expansion, the policy includes key provisions like:
- Indian Data Centre Sector:
- Segments: Divided into captive and outsourced data centres, including colocation and hosting.
- Market Growth: In 2023, India’s data centre market revenue reached $7.44 billion. There are 138 centres, with 45 more planned by 2025.
- Government Support: Policies to boost investment include data centres under ESMA and special economic zones.
- Outlook: Growth is driven by digital economy expansion, 5G, and data localisation requirements.
- Asia-Pacific Emerging Markets:
- Over $100 billion investment in data centres is expected across the region due to increasing AI, cloud computing, and digitalisation.
- Advantages: Lower costs, high data demand, and government support make these markets attractive.
- India’s Position:
- India leads emerging markets with 1-3 GW leased data centre capacity, hosting major players like Google, Microsoft, and Amazon.
- Challenges: Competition from markets like Malaysia and Japan.
- Opportunities:
- Tier-2 and tier-3 cities in India offer lower costs for land and construction.
- Government subsidies aim to support data centre growth and enhance AI capacity for smaller businesses and research institutions.
- India to Boost Computing Capacity:
- Aims to establish over 10,000 GPUs and develop foundational models based on Indian languages for key sectors like healthcare and agriculture.
- Rs 4,564 crore is allocated for computing infrastructure from a total outlay of Rs 10,372 crore.
Source: IE
Quad Principles for Development and Deployment of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI)
Tags: GS-2, IR- Biteral regional grouping- DPI
Why in the news?
- Recently, QUAD released the principles of DPI acknowledging the importance of digitalisation to transform societies and to achieve the UN 2030 Agenda.
About DPI:
- DPI is a digital network that enables countries to deliver economic opportunities and social services safely and efficiently to all of the residents.
- DPI can be compared to roads, which are physical connections that connect people and provide access to many places and goods and services.
- The ‘India Stack’ was created by the founder of India DPI.
Quad’s Basic Principles of DPI:
- Inclusive: Removing economic, technological & social barriers, empower end users, and avoid buggy algorithmic bias.
- Collaboration: Have user-centred solutions designed and continue to facilitate adoption and allow for innovators new projects being developed.
- Modularity and extensibility: Extensible approach implies a building block or modular architecture to accommodate changes/modifications without undue disruption.
- Scalability: Use flexible design to easily make any changes Unexpected increase in demand.
- Durability: Make sure it lasts long enough for financial and technical assistance.
- Grievance Redress: Establish accessible, transparent mechanisms for grievance handling, including user touchpoints, processes, and accountable entities, focused on resolution.
- Sustainability: Secure sustainable operations through proper financing, technological support, and user-centred service enhancements.
- Human Rights: Ensure respect for human rights in all stages from planning to operation.
- Intellectual Property Protection: Provide effective protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights according to legal frameworks.
- Sustainable Development: Align systems with the 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
- Security and Privacy: Privacy enhancing technologies and security features within the core design to ensure individual privacy, data protection, and resilience.
Global initiatives to adopt DPI:
- G-20 announced by President of India (2023):
- Future mergers: are voluntary mergers aimed at construction ability to use DPI in low- and middle-income populations in different countries.
- Global DPI Repository (GDPIR) Portal: It was made and distributed by India.
- Social Impact Fund (SIF): Announced to accelerate DPI used in countries of the Global South.
- International Organisations:
- Development organisations including the World Bank
- UNDP and philanthropies like the Gates Foundation are establishing specialised programmes focused on DPI.
UPSC Civil Services Examination, Previous Year Question (PYQ)
Prelims:
Q:1 Which of the following is/are the aim/aims of “Digital India” Plan of the Government of India? (2018)
- Formation of India’s own Internet companies like China did.
- Establish a policy framework to encourage overseas multinational corporations that collect Big Data to build their large data centres within our national geographical boundaries.
- Connect many of our villages to the Internet and bring Wi-Fi to many of our schools, public places and major tourist centres.
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
- 1 and 2 only
- 3 only
- 2 and 3 only
- 1, 2 and 3
Ans: (b)
Mains
Q:1 “The emergence of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Digital Revolution) has initiated e-Governance as an integral part of government”. Discuss. (2020)
Source: PIB
45th Chess Olympiad
Tags: GS-1, Art- Sport & Award
Why in the news?
- Recently, The Indian men’s and women’s team won the first gold medal at the 45th Chess Olympiad in Budapest Organised by FIDE( International Chess Federation).
- It is the second time since Soviet times that a country has won gold in both categories (China – 2018).
About the Chess Olympiad:
- About:
- Place: The 45th Chess Olympiad took place in Budapest, Hungary
- The states won too: The top Open team won the Hamilton-Russell Cup
- Best women’s team winner: Vera Menchik Cup
- Best combination of open and women’s division: Nona Gaprindashvili Trophy.
- About FIDE
- It’s the governing body of the sport of chess, and it regulates all international chess competitions.
- Constituted as a non-governmental institution, it was recognized by the International Olympic Committee as a Global Sporting Organization in 1999.
Source: TH
India’s First Comprehensive Cancer Multi-omics Data Portal
Tags: GS-3, Science & Technology- Biology- Disease – Govt. Incentive
Why in the news?
- Recently, The Indian Cancer Genome Atlas (ICGA) Foundation announced the launch of India’s first most comprehensive cancer multiple omics data portal.
About the ICGA cancer multi-omics data portal:
- About:
- The Indian Cancer Genome Atlas (ICGA) Foundation has launched India’s first cancer multi-omics data portal.
- The platform provides access to specific data on Indian cancer patients, making it a key resource for cancer research in the country.
- The portal provides clinically relevant information aimed at advancing research and improving cancer treatment for Indians.
- It is the first in India to provide integrated DNA, RNA and protein profiles to breast cancer patients, along with their clinical outcomes
- Under the aegis of India PRIDE, this information is shared with researchers worldwide, creating a shared ethical framework and collaboration in cancer research.
- Indian Cancer Genome Atlas (ICGA):
- The Indian Cancer Genome Atlas (ICGA) is a national initiative aimed at mapping cancer diversity across India.
- ICGA Foundation, a non-profit Section 8 organisation that operates through a public-private philanthropic partnership.
- More than 50 clinicians, researchers and data analysts support the project.
- Main objective of ICGA: To improve cancer diagnosis and Indian treatment, while also contributing to global understanding of cancer biology.
- The foundation’s first project: focuses on multi-omics profiling of breast cancer, with future plans to expand this approach to other cancers.
Source: FE
Goa Maritime Symposium 2024
Tags: GS-3, Science & Technology- Defence technology
Why in the news?
- The Indian Navy is hosting the fifth edition of the Goa Maritime Symposium at Naval War College, Goa.
About Goa Maritime Symposium 2024:
- About: It is a forum for fostering collaborative thinking, cooperation, and mutual understanding between India and key maritime nations of the Indian Ocean Region.
- Theme: The theme for the event is Common Maritime Security
- Challenges: Progressing Lines of Efforts to Mitigate Dynamic Threats such as illegal and unregulated fishing and other illegal maritime activities.
- Represent 12 Indian Ocean Littoral countries: Bangladesh, Comoros, Indonesia, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Myanmar, Seychelles, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
- Observers: Kenya and Tanzania
Goa Maritime Symposium (GMS):
- About: It was conceptualised and instituted by the Indian Navy in 2016.
- Aim: It is a forum for fostering collaborative thinking, cooperation and mutual understanding between India and key maritime nations of the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
- Place: The symposium is conducted biennially by the Naval War College (NWC), Goa.
Source: PIB
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