UPSC Key: Golden passport, Cut oil intake, and Loss and Damage Fund

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

Mains Examination: General Studies-II: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests.

General Studies-III: Security challenges and their management in border areas – linkages of organized crime with terrorism.

What’s the ongoing story: The United States Supreme Court on Thursday rejected the plea of the 2008 Mumbai terror attack accused Tahawwur Hussain Rana against his extradition to India. Rana, 64, had filed an “Emergency Application For Stay” after President Donald Trump approved his extradition following his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi last month. Rana will be extradited on the basis of the India-US Extradition Treaty signed by the two countries in 1997.

Key Points to Ponder:

— What is the India-US Extradition Treaty?

— What do you understand by “double jeopardy”?

— What are the constitutional provisions protecting against “double jeopardy”?

— India has signed an extradition treaty with which countries?

— What is the purpose of an extradition treaty?

— How does extradition help in fighting terrorism?

Key Takeaways:

— Rana was arrested in Chicago in October 2009 for his involvement in the 26/11 attacks and the foiled attack on Danish newspaper Jyllands Posten that same year.

— The treaty established a legal framework for the extradition of individuals charged with or convicted of serious offences in either country. An offence is extraditable if it is punishable by imprisonment for more than one year under the laws of both countries.

— Political offences are not extraditable under the treaty. However, certain actions such as the murder or other willful crime against a Head of State/ Government or a member of their family, aircraft hijacking and aviation sabotage, crimes against internationally protected persons, and hostage-taking, etc., are not construed as political offences under the treaty.

— There have been only two extraditions of alleged terrorists from the US to India so far — alleged Khalistanis Charanjeet Singh Cheema and Kulbeer Singh Kulbeera in February 2005 and June 2006 respectively.

Do You Know:

— According to UNODC, Organized crime is a continuing criminal enterprise that rationally works to profit from illicit activities that are often in great public demand. Its continuing existence is maintained through corruption of public officials and the use of intimidation, threats or force to protect its operations.

— India and Bangladesh signed an extradition treaty in 2013, in the context of several Indian and Bangladesh fugitives hiding and operating out of the other country.

— According to the treaty, extradition may be refused if the offence is of “political nature”, although the list of offences which cannot be deemed “political” is rather long.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Why India-Bangladesh extradition treaty does not imply that New Delhi must hand over Sheikh Hasina

Previous year UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme:

Analyse the complexity and intensity of terrorism, its causes, linkages and obnoxious nexus. Also suggest measures required to be taken to eradicate the menace of terrorism. (2021)

Emerging fallout of tariffs

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

Mains Examination: General Studies-II: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests

General Studies-III: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilisation, of resources, growth, development and employment

What’s the ongoing story: It has been less than seven full weeks of Donald Trump’s second term as US president and not a day has passed when the US has not run into one or more of its allies threatening to take action in the shape of punitive tariffs.

Key Points to Ponder:

— What is the purpose of imposing tariffs?

— What are reciprocal tariffs?

— What are the reasons for the USA imposing reciprocal tariffs?

— What is V-shaped recovery? How is it different from K-shaped recovery?

— How are the USA’s reciprocal tariffs going to affect the Indian economy?

— Critically analyse the role of WTO in resolving these issues.

Key Takeaways:

— Trump and his supporters firmly believe that over the past several decades the US has been cheated by its allies and trading partners, and that the only way to ensure that the rest of the world stops being a free rider, benefitting from US largesse, is by US reevaluating its role in every manner possible.

— Traditional US allies have decided to fight the US bullying by slapping their own tariffs — as Canada has done — and building up their own economies — as much of Europe is planning to do.

— The first thing to note is that President Trump’s tariff actions have injected an unprecedented level of trade policy uncertainty in the markets across the board.

— This essentially means that businessmen and businesswomen everywhere, especially on either side of the Atlantic, are completely clueless when a tariff will affect them or not, how much would their product cost after tariffs, what would be the demand at the higher price, do they need to fire some of their employees or hire some new ones etc.

— The US dollar has been strengthening against all currencies of the world. Partly this was because of the proverbial US exceptionalism; it was, for instance, the only major economy in the world that managed to register a genuine V-shaped recovery after the Covid pandemic.

Do You Know:

— Tariffs are taxes or duties imposed by a government on imported goods and services. Their objective is to make foreign products more expensive compared to domestically produced goods, thereby encouraging consumers to prefer local products. Tariffs also act as a protective measure for domestic industries against foreign competition. Additionally, they serve as a source of revenue for the government.

— The mechanics of tariffs are simple: when goods cross into a country, the government imposes a fee. These fees can either be a percentage of the goods’ value (ad valorem tariffs) or a fixed amount per unit of goods (specific tariffs). Tariff rates vary depending on the product, its country of origin, and any existing trade agreements between the nations involved.

— Governments use tariffs for various purposes, including protecting sensitive sectors like agriculture and manufacturing, addressing trade imbalances, and generating revenue.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Despite planned trade deal, why India can’t rely on the Trump White House

📍UPSC Issue at a Glance | Tariff war: 4 Key Questions You Must Know for Prelims and Mains

UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:

(1). With reference to the international trade of India at present, which of the following statements is/are correct? (UPSC CSE 2020)

1. India’s merchandise exports are less than its merchandise imports.

2. India’s imports of iron and steel, chemicals, fertilisers and machinery have decreased in recent years.

3. India’s exports of services are more than its imports of services.

4. India suffers from an overall trade/current account deficit.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2 and 4 only

(c) 3 only

(d) 1, 3 and 4 only

Mains Question Covering similar theme:

What are the key areas of reform if the WTO has to survive in the present context of ‘Trade War’, especially keeping in mind the interest of India? (UPSC CSE 2018)

Why Vanuatu boasts one of the most popular ‘golden passport’ schemes

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

Mains Examination: General Studies-II: Constitution of India —historical underpinnings, evolution, features, amendments, significant provisions and basic structure.

What’s the ongoing story: Former IPL chief Lalit Modi has applied to surrender his passport to the Indian High Commission in London, and acquired the citizenship of Vanuatu, a tiny island nation in the South Pacific, the Ministry of External Affairs confirmed on Friday.

Key Points to Ponder:

— How is citizenship acquired in India?

— What is the ranking of India on the Henley Passport Index?

— What do you understand by ‘tax-heaven’ country?

— What is the gold card for US citizenship?

— Read about the location of Vanuatu

Key Takeaways:

— Vanuatu has a popular citizenship by investment (CBI) or “golden passport” program, which allows wealthy individuals to purchase its passport.

— CBI or economic citizenship allows individuals to acquire citizenship in a country by making significant financial contributions to its economy. Countries around the world offer foreigners citizenship to attract investment and stimulate economic growth.

— The cost of Vanuatu citizenship ranges from $135,500 to $155,500 (Rs 1.18 cr to 1.35 cr), with options to also purchase citizenship for a family of four.

— As of 2025, a Vanuatu passport allows visa-free entry to 113 countries. The Henley Passport Index ranks the Vanuatu passport as the 51st strongest in the world (out of 199 countries), ahead of Saudi Arabia (57), China (59), and Indonesia (64). India ranks 80th.

Do You Know:

— Comprising 83 fairly small volcanic islands, of which only 65 are inhabited, Vanuatu lies to the east of Australia and the north of New Zealand. Its northern- and southern-most islands lie 1,300 km apart — roughly the distance between Delhi and Kolkata as the crow flies.

— The country boasts a total land area of 12,199 sq km, about one and a half times that of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (8,249 sq km). Only 14 of Vanuatu’s islands have an area greater than 100 sq km. The largest, Espiritu Santo, boasts an area of 3,955 sq km or roughly 32% of the land area of Vanuatu.

— The country’s capital Port Vila lies on the island of Efate, the third largest in Vanuatu with an area of nearly 900 sq km. Port Vila is also the largest city in Vanuatu, with a population of 49,034 according to the 2020 Census. It is located 2,394 km east of Cairns, Australia.

— The Constitution of India came into effect on January 26, 1950. However, it’s worth noting that the sections regarding citizenship were only put into effect on the day of the Constitution’s adoption, which was November 29, 1949.

— Although the term citizenship is not explicitly defined in the Constitution, Articles 5-11 outline the framework for citizenship at the time of the Constitution’s commencement. These provisions delineate the methods of acquiring citizenship, such as birth, domicile, and descent, as well as circumstances that disqualify individuals from obtaining Indian citizenship.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍5 things about Vanuatu, whose citizenship fugitive Lalit Modi has taken

📍How citizenship was decided by makers of Indian Constitution

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:

(2) With reference to India, consider the following statements: (UPSC Prelims 2021)

1. There is only one citizenship and one domicile.

2. A citizen by birth only can become the Head of State.

3. A foreigner once granted citizenship cannot be deprived of it under any circumstances.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) 1 and 3

(d) 2 and 3

GOVT & POLITICS

PM Modi urges cut in oil intake : ‘44 crore Indians may be suffering from obesity by 2050’

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

Mains Examination: General Studies-II: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.

What’s the ongoing story: Stressing upon the importance of staying fit, Prime Minister  Narendra Modi on Friday termed obesity as the “root cause of many diseases” even as he shared a report which said nearly “44 crore people in India may be obese by 2050”.

Key Points to Ponder:

— What is obesity?

— How is obesity measured using BMI?

— Why is obesity increasing in India?

— How is obesity connected with other non-communicable diseases?

— What are the steps taken by the government to promote a healthy lifestyle?

— What is the new proposed method of measuring obesity?

— Reason for increasing obesity among women

Key Takeaways:

— Modi said: “We are marching ahead towards a Vikshit Bharat and for that, a healthy nation is needed. Obesity is growing day by day and it will lead to major illnesses in the future. To get rid of obesity one has to do exercise and also take care of the food.”

— “If the intake of cooking oil will be reduced by 10 per cent, this would be the first step to walk in the direction of dealing with the issue,” he said.

Do You Know:

— A recent Lancet study has highlighted that India had the second largest population of adults with overweight and obesity after China.

— Globally, more than half of all adults and a third of children and adolescents will become overweight or obese by 2050. According to the report, compared with 1990, the global prevalence of obesity had increased by 155·1% in males and 104·9% in females.

— The report predicted that 21.8 crore men and 23.1 crore women in India will be overweight or obese — totalling up to 44.9 crores or nearly a third of the country’s projected population — by 2050.

— This finding is significant at a time when India already has a high burden of non-communicable diseases — heart disease, strokes, and diabetes topping them. Obesity is a major risk factor and a trigger for early onset of these diseases, even Type 2 diabetes among teens.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Knowledge Nugget: What must you read on ‘Obesity’ for UPSC exams?

UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:

(3) Consider the following statements about the new proposed definition of obesity:

1. According to the new proposed definition, now Body Mass Index also include waist-to-hip ratio along with other parameters.

2. It has removed the ‘overweight category’ with ‘pre-clinical obesity’.

3. The Indian category of obesity definition includes stage 1 and stage 2 obesity.

Which of the following statements is/are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

US exits fund meant to compensate poor nations for climate change damage

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: General issues on Environmental Ecology, Biodiversity and Climate Change – that do not require subject specialisation

Mains Examination: General Studies-II: Important International institutions, agencies and fora- their structure, mandate.

What’s the ongoing story: The US has withdrawn from the board of the recently-created Loss and Damage Fund which is meant to provide financial support to countries ravaged by climate change disasters, Reuters news agency reported on Friday.

Key Points to Ponder:

— What is the Loss and Damage Fund (LDF)?

— What is the Paris Agreement?

— What is the purpose of LDF?

— What is the nationally determined contribution (NDC)?

— How do developing countries, particularly small island states face the greatest threats from climate impacts?

Key Takeaways:

— This is the latest decision by the Donald Trump administration to disengage itself from the international climate change framework. It has already pulled out of the Paris Agreement, stopped the participation of its scientists in a meeting of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and cancelled previously committed money for the Green Climate Fund.

— The Loss and Damage Fund was created at the COP27 climate meeting in Egypt in 2022 after several years of protracted negotiations.

— Developing countries, particularly small island states that face the greatest threats from climate impacts, had been demanding financial assistance in case of climate-related disasters, arguing that they were having to suffer due to a problem created by rich and developed countries.

— About $750 million has so far been promised for the fund, of which the US has contributed $17.5 million. The US, in fact, is one of the very few countries to have already transferred its committed amount to the Fund.

Do You Know:

— The Paris Agreement is an international accord that was adopted by nearly every country in 2015 to address climate change and its adverse effects.

— Its primary goal is to substantially reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in a bid to limit global warming in this century to “well below” 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels while pursuing the means to curb warming to 1.5 degrees.

— The agreement mentions the safer limit of 1.5 degrees based on a fact-finding report which found that breaching the threshold could lead to “some regions and vulnerable ecosystems” facing high risks, over an extended, decades-long period.

— The treaty also requires all Parties (countries which have joined the agreement) to state every five years what they are doing to tackle climate change — what is known as their nationally determined contribution (NDC).

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Knowledge nugget of the day: Paris Agreement

📍Loss and damage fund approved at COP28 summit: All you need to know

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:

(4) With reference to the Agreement at the UNFCCC Meeting in Paris in 2015, which of the following statements is/are correct? (2016)

1. The Agreement was signed by all the member countries of the UN and it will go into effect in 2017.

2. The Agreement aims to limit the greenhouse gas emissions so that the rise in average global temperature by the end of this century does not exceed 2°C or even 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.

3. Developed countries acknowledged their historical responsibility in global warming and committed to donate $ 1000 billion a year from 2020 to help developing countries to cope with climate change.

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

(a) 1 and 3 only

(b) 2 only

(c) 2 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Previous year UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme:

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has predicted a global sea level rise of about one meter by AD 2100. What would be its impact in India and the other countries in the Indian Ocean region? (2023)

India, Ireland to set up Joint Economic Commission to boost trade

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

Mains Examination: General Studies-II: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interest

What’s the ongoing story: India and Ireland have agreed to set up a Joint Economic Commission to increase bilateral trade, investment and technology ties, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar announced after a meeting with his Irish counterpart in Dublin on Friday.

Key Points to Ponder:

— What is the purpose of JEC?

— What is the significance of Ireland for India?

— Read about the historical background of the India-Ireland relationship

— What are the potential opportunities for India’s engagement with Ireland?

— With geopolitical instability, India is reevaluating its strategic partnership. Discuss.

Key Takeaways:

— The government of Ireland said in a statement that the JEC, once established, will serve as a vehicle to enhance internal cooperation and coordination, and strengthen the “like minded partnership with one of the largest economies in the world”.

— The Irish minister said the first practical outworking towards this plan was the signing by both ministers of a memorandum of understanding on diplomatic exchange of officials.

Do You Know:

— Northern Ireland was created in May 1921 by partitioning Ireland, and consists of the six northeastern counties of the island.

— In 1922, the rest of Ireland gained independence from the British (today’s Republic of Ireland, with its capital in Dublin). Northern Ireland remained with the United Kingdom, but tensions simmered between the side loyal to the Crown, mostly Protestants, and the faction wanting to join the Republic, mostly Catholics. Today, the side loyal to the British Union are called unionists, while those who support a united and free Ireland are called nationalists.

— By the end of the 1960s, a bloody conflict was raging in Northern Ireland among those who wished to remain with the UK and those who wanted to join Ireland. The British Army and the police, frequently accused of excesses, worsened the violence.

— Finally, on April 10, 1998, the Good Friday Agreement was signed to end the bloodshed, and gave Northern Ireland a unique system of governance.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Northern Ireland gets a govt after two years: Why the long standoff, what has changed now

📍UK Supreme Court upholds legality of the Northern Ireland Protocol: What is the protocol

Mains Question Covering similar theme:

The expansion and strengthening of NATO and a stronger US-Europe strategic partnership works well for India. What is your opinion about this statement? Give reasons and examples to support your answer. (2023)

ECONOMY

Donald Trump establishes US Bitcoin reserve: What is it, how will it work?

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

Mains Examination: General Studies-III: Science and Technology- developments and their applications and effects in everyday life

What’s the ongoing story: United States President Donald Trump has signed an executive order, which establishes a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and a stockpile of other digital assets – a measure he had promised to fulfil during his Presidential bid last year.

Key Points to Ponder:

— What is bitcoin?

— What is the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve?

— What are the key concerns associated with crypto?

— How do Indian laws govern cryptocurrency?

— What is blockchain technology?

— What is the difference between cryptocurrency and digital currency?

Key Takeaways:

— “Bitcoin is the original cryptocurrency,” the executive order said. “Because there is a fixed supply of BTC, there is a strategic advantage to being among the first nations to create a strategic bitcoin reserve.”

— The reserve will be capitalised with bitcoin owned by the Department of Treasury that was forfeited as part of criminal or civil asset forfeiture proceedings. Other agencies will evaluate their legal authority to transfer any bitcoin owned by those agencies to the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, the order said.

— It did not have a positive impact on the price of Bitcoin, however, as the virtual coin was trading over 4% lower at the time of publishing.

— The executive order also established a US Digital Asset Stockpile, consisting of digital assets other than bitcoin owned by the Department of Treasury that was forfeited in criminal or civil asset forfeiture proceedings.

— The United States will not sell bitcoin deposited into this Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, which will be maintained as a store of reserve assets. The Secretaries of Treasury and Commerce have been authorised to develop budget-neutral strategies for acquiring additional bitcoin, provided that those strategies impose no incremental costs on American taxpayers.

— Last week, Trump had mentioned four other coins apart from Bitcoin which would be part of this stockpile – Ethereum, XRP, Solana and Cardano.

— The White House said that the US government will not acquire additional assets for the US Digital Asset Stockpile beyond those obtained through forfeiture proceedings, similar to the Bitcoin reserve.

Do You Know:

— A cryptocurrency is a medium of exchange, such as the rupee or the US dollar, but is digital in format and uses encryption techniques to both control the creation of monetary units and to verify the exchange of money.

— It is based on a network that is distributed across a large number of computers. It is nearly impossible to counterfeit or double-spend. Many cryptocurrencies are decentralised networks based on blockchain technology.

— Advantages of cryptocurrencies: They include cheaper and faster money transfers, they are decentralised systems that do not collapse at a single point of failure, and they enable secure online payments without the use of third-party intermediaries

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍How are cryptocurrency and blockchain technology relevant to the UPSC exam?

📍Crypto’s story is still being written. India must decide whether to lead or fall behind

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:

(5) With reference to “Blockchain Technology”, consider the following statements: (2020)

1. It is a public ledger that everyone can inspect, but which no single user controls.

2. The structure and design of blockchain is such that all the data in it are about cryptocurrency only.

3. Applications that depend on basic features of blockchain can be developed without anybody’s permission.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 1 and 2 only

(c) 2 only

(d) 1 and 3 only

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There is a crisis of leadership in the Middle East	Gaza’s reconstruction plans, proposed by the US and Arab states, underline a standstill waiting to be broken.

 

PRELIMS ANSWER KEY

1. (d)  2. (a)  3. (d)   4. (b)  5. (d)

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