Important topics and their relevance in UPSC CSE exam for October 17, 2024. If you missed the October 16, 2024 UPSC CSE exam key from the Indian Express, read it here

FRONT PAGE

India, Pak open window: Cricket on table, Ministers hold talks

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.

What’s the ongoing story-In the first direct conversation between Foreign Ministers of India and Pakistan since 2015, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar spoke twice in less than 24 hours, and there were indications that these talks explored the idea of resuming some form of cricketing ties between the two countries.

Key highlights from the Article-

• In the first direct conversation between Foreign Ministers of India and Pakistan since 2015, here were indications that these talks explored the idea of resuming some form of cricketing ties between the two countries.

• The conversations, which took place on the side-lines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meeting of Council of Heads of Government, are very preliminary and “need to be thought through” on both sides given that ties between the two countries have remained frozen for years.

• Sources said the idea being explored was to resume some form of cricketing ties — and the possibility of the Indian cricket team travelling to Pakistan. One possible window of opportunity, sources said, is the Champions Trophy. It is going to be hosted by Pakistan from February 19 to March 9, 2025.

• A bilateral series before the 50-over multinational ICC event will need a tweak to the international calendar. Pakistan, after the ongoing England Test series that ends on October 28, have important away-tours lined up. Between early November and late December, they are set to tour Australia, Zimbabwe and South Africa.

Key Points to Ponder-

• Why this visit is significant?

• What’s in it for India?

• What are the positive developments from this visit?

• How Shanghai Cooperation Organisation can strengthen India-Pakistan relations?

• Shanghai cooperation organisation-know in detail

For Your Information-

• According to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s website, ‘the SCO is a permanent intergovernmental international organization established on June 15, 2001 in Shanghai (PRC) by the Republic of Kazakhstan, the People’s Republic of China, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Tajikistan and the Republic of Uzbekistan. Its predecessor was the mechanism of the Shanghai Five.’

• In 2002, the Charter of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization was signed at the meeting of the Council of Heads of States in St. Petersburg, which entered into force on September 19, 2003. It is a statute that stipulates the goals, principles, structure and major areas of activities of the organization. The goals of the SCO are:

• To strengthen mutual trust, friendship and good-neighbourliness between the Member States;

• To encourage the effective cooperation between the Member States in such spheres as politics, trade, economy, science and technology, culture, education, energy, transport, tourism, environmental protection, etc;

• To jointly ensure and maintain peace, security and stability in the region; and

• To promote a new democratic, fair and rational international political and economic international order.

Do You Know-

• The supreme decision-making body of the SCO is the Council of Heads of States (CHS). It meets once a year and decide upon all the important issues of the Organization. The Council of Heads of Government (Prime Ministers) (CHG) meets once a year to discuss the strategy of multilateral cooperation and priority areas within the Organization, determine fundamental and topical issues in economic and other spheres, and approve the budget of the SCO.

• The SCO countries includes: 10 Member States — the Republic of India, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the People’s Republic of China, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Tajikistan, the Republic of Uzbekistan, the Republic of Belarus 2 Observer states – the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, Mongolia.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

????EAM Jaishankar attends Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit: What the grouping is, why it matters

????What is the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit?

Previous year UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme:

????Critically examine the aims and objectives of SCO. what importance does it hold for India. (UPSC CSE GS2, 2021)

????Terrorist activities and mutual distrust have clouded India-Pakistan relations. To what extent the use of soft power like sports and cultural exchanges could help generate goodwill between the two countries? Discuss with suitable examples.(UPSC CSE GS2, 2015)

Strategic link to northern outpost among 5 Ladakh stretches cleared

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

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

What’s the ongoing story-The standing committee of the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) has cleared five key road stretches — four passing through the Karakoram Wildlife Sanctuary along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) — including on a route to Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO), the country’s northernmost military outpost in Ladakh and location of its highest airstrip.

Key highlights from the Article:

• The road stretches cleared by NBWL include a link road from Chushul-Lukung to Thakung post; a link road between Durbuk-Shyok-Daulat Beg Oldie (DS-DBO) and Saser-Brangsa-Gapshan; DS-DBO to Track Junction; DBO to Karakoram Pass road; and upgradation of the Leh-Chalunka road.

• The 5.8-km long Chushul-Lukung to Thakung post road upgradation is part of the India-China Border Roads (ICBR)-III project and will pass through the Changthang cold desert sanctuary.

• A total of 35 km of road stretches have been cleared on the new route to DBO, which runs parallel to the LAC. Crucial among these is the 7.75 km-long DSDBO to Saser-Brangsa-Gapshan link road, which will be built at an altitude of 17,000 feet.

• The new route to DBO, meanwhile, provides an alternative for quick movement of troops and resources for operational requirements and it is located at a nearly 100 km distance from Chinese-held territory.

• In its submission to the NBWL stating the importance of these road stretches, the Ministry of Defence said, “DS-DBO to SBG (Saser-Brangsa-Gapshan) link road is a tactically and strategically important location in the Sub-Sector North which is required to be dominated effectively.

Key Points to Ponder-

• What is National Board for Wildlife?

• Map Work-Karakoram Wildlife Sanctuary, Ladakh

• What is the strategic significance of Ladakh?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

????Why Ladakh matters to India, China: history, geography, and strategy

Trade deficit at 5-month low as textile exports surge, gold imports dip

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development

Mains Examination: General Studies III: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilisation of resources, growth, development and employment, Major crops-cropping patterns in various parts of the country

What’s the ongoing story-A MARGINAL increase in exports, driven by textiles, engineering and electronic goods that compensated for lower petroleum exports, alongside a sharp decline in gold imports, helped India’s goods trade deficit ease to a five-month low of $21 billion in September, compared to a ten-month high of $30 billion in August, official data released on Wednesday showed.

Key highlights from the Article:

• Amid several geopolitical challenges, India’s exports managed to register a slight increase in September, reaching $35 billion compared to $34 billion last September.

• In a sharp reversal of trends, India’s textile exports recorded a 17 per cent surge in September, as garment orders began shifting partially to India from conflict-hit Bangladesh. Over the last two years, garment and textile exports have struggled due to a slowdown in demand from the West.

• The Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO), said that ongoing international trade disruptions, along with volatility in crude and metal prices, have played a key role in reducing the value of exports.

• The World Trade Organisation (WTO) had earlier this month reduced its growth forecast for the volume of global merchandise trade in 2025 to 3 per cent, down from 3.3 per cent, amid the escalating conflict in West Asia, which has blocked the crucial Red Sea shipping route for nearly a year.

• Official data showed that gold imports fell by 60 per cent, from $10 billion in August to $4 billion in September, bringing overall goods imports to $55 billion.

• The Commerce and Industry Ministry, in a statement, said India’s top five export destinations in terms of growth in value in September 2024 compared to September 2023 were the Netherlands, the UAE, the US, Brazil, and Japan and the top five import sources, showing growth in value, were the UAE, China, Germany, Japan, and Taiwan.

Key Points to Ponder-

• How is the export sector performing?

• What is the status of other exporting nations?

• “India’s textile exports recorded a 17 per cent surge in September”-why this is significant?

• What Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) said about India’s Garment Export Sector?

• What is the current situation of the Textile Sector in India?

• What steps has the government implemented for the textile sector as a whole?

• What is PM MITRA scheme?

• What is the PLI scheme for the textile sector?

• What are the challenges the sector is facing?

For Your Information-

• Ready-made garments represent more than 85 per cent of Bangladesh’s merchandise exports and over 70 per cent of its total exports. The expectations of a shift in orders to India comes as Dhaka has a bigger share in global trade of clothing at 7.9 per cent compared to New Delhi’s 3.2 per cent, according to the World Trade Statistical Review 2023.

• Bangladesh’s $45-billion clothing industry that employs over four million workers was already affected due to the weakening electricity generation infrastructure that was hit by higher input costs following the start of the Russia-Ukraine war and adverse weather events, as per S&P Global.

• The Confederation of Indian Textile Industry (CITI) said that several major global brands that rely on Bangladesh for their sourcing needs are affected by the recent disruptions and that brands with significant portions of their supply chain rooted in Bangladesh may experience delays and a decrease in the availability of their products. “This, in turn, could lead to a ripple effect across the global retail market, affecting inventory levels and sales,” CITI said.

• S&P Global Ratings in its ratings report on July 30 had said that Bangladesh’s economic growth continues to moderate following two years of fast expansion in 2021 and 2022. As high inflation, rising domestic interest rates, limited access to foreign exchange, and policies aimed at compressing imports continue to bite, domestic demand will likely remain modest in comparison to the long-term trend, the report said.

Do You Know-

• The PLI Scheme for Textiles to promote production of MMF apparel, MMF Fabrics and Products of Technical Textiles in the country to create 60-70 global players, attract fresh investment of Rs. 19,000 crore approximately and generate almost 7.5 lakh new employment opportunities.

• To attract investment for ‘Make In India’ initiative and to boost employment generation through setting up of 7 (Seven) PM Mega Integrated Textile Region and Apparel (PM MITRA) Parks in Greenfield/Brownfield sites with world class infrastructure including plug and play facility with an outlay of Rs.4445 crore for a period of seven years upto 2027-28.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

????Exports from key labour intensive sectors decline 12% compared to pre-pandemic levels

GOVT & POLITICS

Centre hikes MSP for rabi crops for ’25-26, wheat sees 6% rise

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development

Main Examination: General Studies III: Issues related to direct and indirect farm subsidies and minimum support prices

What’s the ongoing story-The Union government Wednesday announced minimum support prices (MSP) for six rabi crops for the 2025-26 rabi marketing season (RMS), with wheat — the country’s second-largest crop — seeing an increase of `150 per quintal, or 6.59 per cent, over its current MSP.

Key highlights from the Article-

• The new MSP per quintal for wheat is `2,425. The new MSPs for barley (`1,980), gram (`5,650), lentil (masur) (`6,700), rapeseed and mustard (`5,990), and safflower (`5,940), too, have increased in the range of 2.41 per cent to 7.03 per cent.

• Last year, the hike was in the range of 2.65 per cent to 7.08 per cent. In absolute terms, the highest increase in the MSP, as compared to the current year (2024-25), has been approved for rapeseed and mustard — `300 per quintal.

• The hike in the MSP of wheat is significant as it is the second largest crop (after paddy) in terms of area coverage. In 2023-24, area under wheat stood at 318.33 lakh hectare, while the production is estimated at 113.92 million tonnes. Uttar Pradesh is the top wheat producing state in the country and it is followed by Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Bihar, Gujarat and Maharashtra.

• In the current RMS (2024-25), the government procured 26.6 million tonnes of wheat, benefitting 22 lakh farmers. The wheat procurement figure has come down in recent years after reaching the peak of 43.34 million tonnes in the RMS 2021-22. On October 1, the wheat stock in Central pool stood at 23.78 million tonnes, which is marginally lower as compared to 23.99 million tonnes on the same date last year. The Centre requires about 1.8 million tonnes of wheat to meet its monthly requirement under the National Food Security Act, 2013.

• According to the report of the Commission for Agricultural Costs & Prices (CACP), 22 lakh wheat farmers, 1.13 lakh lentil farmers, 5 lakh mustard farmers, and 15,409 gram farmers have been benefited by the MSP during the ongoing RMS 2024-25. In the RMS 2022-23 and RMS 2023-24, 11.68 lakh and 10.29 lakh gram farmers benefited from the MSP. • The procurement of pulses and oilseeds is done by the NAFED and NCCF under the Price Support Scheme. The dip in the number of gram farmers who availed the MSP in the ongoing RMS season was low because gram prices were higher than the prices prevailing in the market since the beginning of the harvesting season, said a source.

Key Points to Ponder-

• Kharif and Rabi Crops-Compare and Contrast

• MSP (minimum support price) and effectiveness of MSP implementation-discuss

• Which are the Crops Covered under MSP?

• How MSP is calculated (paid out costs, labour etc.) and Crops covered under the MSP

• The Commission for Agricultural Costs & Prices (CACP)-Know in Detail

• The Commission for Agricultural Costs & Prices (CACP) and Minimum support prices (MSP)-Connect the dots

• How Government fix MSPs of crops before every planting season?

• What are the demands by Farmers in the context of MSP in the recent scenario?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

????Explained: What is minimum support price (MSP), and how is it fixed?

????Explained: MSP and govt panel’s task

????MSP hike by 5-10% on Kharif crops did not alone move the needle on inflation

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:

????Which of the following factors/policies were affecting the price of rice in India in the recent past? (UPSC GS1, 2020) (1) Minimum Support Price (2) Government’s trading (3) Government’s stockpiling (4) Consumer subsidies Select the correct answer using the code given below: (a) 1, 2 and 4 only (b) 1, 3 and 4 only (c) 2 and 3 only (d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

????In India, which of the following can be considered as public investment in agriculture? (UPSC GS1, 2020) (1) Fixing Minimum Support Price for agricultural produce of all crops (2) Computerization of Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (3) Social Capital development (4) Free electricity supply to farmers (5) Waiver of agricultural loans by the banking system (6) Setting up of cold storage facilities by the governments. In India, which of the following can be considered as public investment in agriculture? Select the correct answer using the code given below: (a) 1, 2 and 5 only (b) 1, 3, 4 and 5 only (c) 2, 3 and 6 only (d) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6

????The Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) of sugarcane is approved by the (UPSC GS1, 2015) (a) Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (b) Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (c) Directorate of Marketing and Inspection, Ministry of Agriculture (d) Agricultural Produce Market Committee

THE IDEAS PAGE

The $500 billion opportunity

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development-Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, etc.

Mains Examination: General Studies III: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization, of resources, growth, development and employment.

What’s the ongoing story– Ashish Dhawan, Vinay Ramesh writes: PM’s target for electronics manufacturing is ambitious. We must start by reforming regulatory environment in geographically limited areas, building thriving manufacturing regions

Key highlights from the Article:

• Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a $500 billion (Rs 4.20 lakh crore) target for electronics manufacturing in India by 2030.

• Growth in electronics manufacturing will help solve India’s jobs challenge. For example, the Apple ecosystem alone exports around $14 billion (Rs 1.17 lakh crore) and employs 1.6 lakh people.

• At the same time, we must recognise that the ambition is audacious — India’s entire manufacturing output in 2023-24 was roughly $660 billion (Rs 55.4 lakh crore).

Key Points to Ponder-

• What is the present state of electronics manufacturing in India?

• What are the initiatives for electronics manufacturing in India?

• Challenges for electronics manufacturing in India-know in detail

• A $500 billion (Rs 4.20 lakh crore) target for electronics manufacturing in India by 2030-what you know about the same?

• Studying successful regions around the world reveals three key factors for success-what are they?

• “Large size is essential for competitiveness”-comment

• Why current Indian tax laws make inventory management by foreign entities unviable?

For Your Information-

• India’s entire manufacturing output in 2023-24 was roughly $660 billion (Rs 55.4 lakh crore).

• In India, clusters in regions like Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu and Noida in Uttar Pradesh have recently been growing fast, and account for nearly 50 per cent of our electronics exports. To sustain and accelerate growth in electronics, we need deep and ambitious region-led reform that can create large, globally competitive electronics manufacturing regions.

• Electronics is the largest manufactured and traded category globally, valued at over $2 trillion, of which China supplies almost over 50%. However, the wage cost in China is rising fast and buyers are looking to diversify and de-risk their supply chains.

• India has taken the first step to change with the PLI scheme, resulting in electronics exports crossing $23 billion in FY23. While this is heartening, it is just over 1% of the global electronics trade. Currently, even small countries like Singapore, Vietnam, and Malaysia cumulatively export over $100 billions of electronics annually.

Do You Know-

• Shenzhen, a Chinese special region, which alone exports around $350 billion, is 2,000 sq km, while the largest Indian electronics cluster, under the government’s Electronics Manufacturing Cluster (EMC) scheme, is 2.5 sq km. Large size helps in co-locating suppliers and buyers, which is important for ecosystem competitiveness. It also helps invest in large, efficient shared industrial infrastructure like effluent plants and testing facilities that lower costs for everyone.

• Electronics factories can employ thousands — the Foxconn factory in Sriperumbudur has 21,000 workers — and it is important to house workers close to factories. Large zones make it possible to have social infrastructure like worker housing, schools, hospitals and recreation facilities.

• Large size and anchor investors alone will not be enough. These regions need a regulatory environment that is conducive to exports and comparable to the best manufacturing regions. The priority would be pro-employment labour laws — allowing longer shifts, globally competitive over-time rules and removing restrictions on employing women, who make up a majority of electronics workers.

• The other key area of customised regulation is taxation and tariffs. Electronics manufacturing requires movement of lakhs of components with designs changing frequently. Extremely specialised supply chain participants mean that much of this movement is cross-border, even in countries with much greater value add. Thus, all our competitors like Vietnam, China, etc., already allow foreign vendors or brands to manage component inventory seamlessly across borders without tax or tariff implications. This has been a big part of their success.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

????Electronic manufacturing in India needs rapid charging

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:

????‘R2 Code of Practices’ constitutes a tool available for promoting the adoption of (UPSC CSE, 2020) (a) environmentally responsible practices in electronics recycling industry (b) ecological management of Wetlands of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention (c) sustainable practices in the cultivation of agricultural crops in degraded lands (d) ‘Environmental Impact Assessment’ in the exploitation of natural resources

EXPLAINED

Trudeau’s troubles & Canadian Sikh vote

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.

What’s the ongoing story– India has rejected Canadian accusations of involvement in the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, and said they are part of “the political agenda of the [Justin] Trudeau Government that is centered around vote bank politics”.

Key Points to Ponder-

• What is the current issue between India and Canada?

• What explains India and Canada’s recent escalation?

• ‘By all accounts, Trudeau’s days as prime minister are numbered’-explain

• Why New Delhi is facing an unprecedented diplomatic challenge?

• A diplomatic escalation of this kind could potentially damage some of the structured and organic exchanges between the two sides-comment

• How recent India-Canada standoff can impact India’s geopolitical stature?

• What you know about the Khalistan movement?

• What are the Historical events responsible for Khalistan?

• How Khalistan movement affected or can affect Indo-Canadian relationship?

• Khalistan and Canada-Connect the dots

• Canada has for long been considered a safe haven for Khalistan supporters and militant voices accused of terrorism in India-Why so?

• Why do Canadian politicians pander to Sikh extremists?

For Your Information-

• Trudeau’s critics in the Canadian media have said this week’s escalation may be intended to deflect from the government’s sinking fortunes, and to appear strong on national security — the proverbial Achilles’ heel for the Liberal Party historically. A federal inquiry is currently ongoing into alleged foreign interference in Canada’s political process.

• According to Statistics Canada, the country’s official statistics agency, Sikhs were roughly 2.1% of the country’s population in 2021, up from 0.9% in 2001. However, more than half of this population is concentrated in and around Toronto in the province of Ontario, and Vancouver in British Columbia. This has meant that even though only about 1 in 50 Canadians as a whole are Sikh, members of the community are an important votebank in these areas.

• Canadian political parties often rely on support from “power brokers” within the community to garner votes. Many of these community leaders have sympathy for the separatist cause — even though the vast majority of the Canadian Sikh population does not care for Khalistan.

Do You Know-

• The 1980s witnessed a new wave of migration to Canada, amid the Indian government cracking down on the pro-Khalistan movement at home. Many of its supporters fled to Canada and continued rallying for the cause, giving it a global dimension.

• According to the government agency Statistics Canada, the proportion of Canada’s Sikh population rose from 0.9% to 2.1% between 2001 and 2021. Ontario (300,435) had the largest Sikh community in Canada in 2021, followed closely by British Columbia (290,870). Just under one-third of the Sikhs living in Canada are based in the Toronto metropolitan region, while over one-quarter lived in Vancouver in 2021.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

????India accuses Canada of ‘vote bank politics’: How political significance of Sikhs grew there

Previous year UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme:

????‘Indian diaspora has a decisive role to play in the politics and economy of America and European Countries’. Comment with examples. (UPSC GS2, 2020)

ECONOMY

India faces ‘tariff asymmetry’ in ASEAN agreement, says official

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.

What’s the ongoing story– Amid a widening trade deficit with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), a senior government official said on Wednesday that India is facing tariff asymmetry in the ASEAN agreement and is aiming to complete the review by next year.

Key Points to Ponder-

• Know about Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)

• Map Work-ASEAN Countries

• What is tariff asymmetric?

• India faces tariff asymmetry in the agreement, with a blanket “74 per cent plus” tariff elimination for ASEAN nations-explain

• “We have higher tariff elimination from lower-order economies and lower tariff elimination from fast-growing and major economies”-Elaborate

• India exited the RCEP negotiations in 2019-Why?

• What is India’s link with ASEAN?

For Your Information-

• On 8 August 1967, five leaders – the Foreign Ministers of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand – came together in Bangkok, according to the website of ASEAN. Thailand was brokering some disputes among Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines, and it eventually led to the signing of a document. “The five Foreign Ministers who signed it – Adam Malik of Indonesia, Narciso R. Ramos of the Philippines, Tun Abdul Razak of Malaysia, S. Rajaratnam of Singapore, and Thanat Khoman of Thailand – would subsequently be hailed as the Founding Fathers of probably the most successful inter-governmental organisation in the developing world today. And the document that they signed would be known as the ASEAN Declaration.

• The ASEAN Declaration signed by the five leaders conveyed the aspiration to further regional cooperation. These were about cooperation in the economic, social, cultural, technical, educational and other fields, and in the promotion of regional peace and stability and adherence to the principles of the United Nations Charter. It stipulated that the Association would be open for participation by all States in the Southeast Asian region subscribing to its aims, principles and purposes.

• Its major pillars that help lay out a blueprint for cooperation are Political-Security Community (APSC), Economic Community (AEC) and Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC).

• ASEAN is central to India’s Act East policy, which focuses on the extended neighbourhood in the Asia-Pacific region. The policy was originally conceived as an economic initiative but has gained political, strategic and cultural dimensions including the establishment of institutional mechanisms for dialogue and cooperation. India is part of the ASEAN Plus Six grouping, which includes China, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand and Australia as well.

• In 2010, a Free Trade Agreement was also signed and entered into force between India and ASEAN. While India was part of negotiations to join the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) in 2020, it ultimately decided not to do so. However, in the past eight years, trade has grown in terms of value, barring the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021.

Do You Know-

• The India-ASEAN trade deal was signed in 2009 during the UPA era and has become an important source of input materials for Indian industry. While palm oil and natural gas are sourced from Indonesia and Malaysia, items like natural rubber come from Thailand.

• Indian industry has begun calling for anti-subsidy measures against industrial imports from ASEAN, on the grounds that Chinese products are being rerouted through the region to claim benefits under the India-ASEAN trade deal. Moreover, the trade deficit between the two regions is rapidly rising, especially after the pandemic.

• Beginning in 2005, 16 participating countries comprised EAS grouping, with their first meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. These members were the 10 ASEAN countries, Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, and the Republic of Korea. ASEAN’s 10 member countries are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. The United States and the Russian Federation joined at the 6th East Asia Summit in 2011. Simply, the EAS is an ASEAN initiative and refers to the annual Meeting of Heads of States/Governments of these countries, where they are able to discuss common concerns and interests.

• Its creation was based on the idea of enhancing cooperation among East Asian countries and those in the neighbouring regions. Six priority areas of cooperation were identified – environment and energy, education, finance, global health issues and pandemic diseases, natural disaster management, and ASEAN Connectivity.

• In the past, the issues of claims over the South China Sea, the United Nations Convention on the Law Of the Sea, terrorism, the actions of North Korea and the conflict situation in Myanmar have been discussed by the countries.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

????Why a review of the India-ASEAN trade deal figures in PM Modi’s 10-point plan to strengthen relations with the bloc

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