In News

India has secured its first-ever global exploration contract from the International Seabed Authority (ISA) to explore polymetallic sulphide nodules in the Carlsberg Ridge.

Carlsberg Ridge

It is a 3,00,000-sq km stretch that lies in the Indian Ocean, specifically in the Arabian Sea and northwest Indian Ocean.

It forms the boundary between the Indian and Arabian tectonic plates, extending from near Rodrigues Island to the Owen fracture zone.

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Context

The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has unveiled a proposed National Framework for Global Capability Centres (GCCs).

What are Global Capability Centres?

Global In-house Centres or Captives (GICs) or Global Capability Centres (GCCs), are mainly offshore centres established by global level firms/MNCs to provide various services to their parent organisations. 

These centres operate as internal organisations within the global corporate structure, providing specialised solutions such as IT services, Research and Development (R&D), customer support and other business tasks. 

GCCs have evolved from being cost-saving centres that were largely set up to gain from lower labour costs to becoming strategic hubs that encourage innovation and lead to value creation, over the past couple of decades.

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Context

The Supreme Court declined to take into consideration a plea seeking to extend the ambit of the Protection of Women from Sexual Harassment at Workplace (POSH) Act to include political parties, observing that such organisations cannot be classified as workplaces under the law.

Background

In Centre for Constitutional Rights Research and Advocacy v State of Kerala & Ors (2022) the Kerala High Court ruled that political parties do not have a conventional employer-employee relationship and cannot be mandated to set up Internal Complaints Committees (ICCs).

This ambiguity, combined with the decentralised and informal nature of political party structures, has often been cited as a reason for non-compliance.

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Context

The Supreme Court has upheld the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025 while striking down few provisions and balancing state regulation with minority rights.

Key changes SC has incorporated into the Act

Practicing Islam: The Court’s most significant intervention concerns Section 3(r), which requires anyone creating a waqf to demonstrate they have been practising Islam for at least five years.

The court stayed the provision until the government frames rules for determining religious practice.

Collector’s Power Over Waqf Properties: Section 3C empowers the district collectors to determine whether properties claimed as waqf actually belong to the government.

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Context

Recently, the Governor of Andhra Pradesh emphasized a critical gap in the nation’s political landscape at the first national conference on parliamentary and legislative committees on the empowerment of women.

Women’s Political Participation: Current Landscape

According to UN Women, only 27.2% of parliamentarians in single or lower houses are women, up from 11% in 1995.

In India, women hold 14.7% of seats in Lok Sabha, but still far below the global average of 26.5% and ministerial representation is even lower, hovering around 10–11%.

In State Assemblies, women’s representation varies widely, often falling below 10%.

Chhattisgarh leads with 19 women MLAs, while Himachal Pradesh has just one, and Mizoram has none.

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Procurement policies and frameworks in India, often designed with transparency and cost-efficiency, frequently killing innovation by prioritising procedural compliance over scientific needs.

भारत में पारदर्शिता और लागत-कुशलता को ध्यान में रखकर तैयार की गई खरीद नीतियाँ एवं ढांचे प्रायः वैज्ञानिक आवश्यकताओं की तुलना में प्रक्रियात्मक अनुपालन को प्राथमिकता देकर नवाचार को बाधित कर देते हैं।

संदर्भ 

भारत-ईरान-उज़्बेकिस्तान की प्रथम त्रिपक्षीय बैठक तेहरान में आयोजित की गई, जिसमें उग्रवाद और आतंकवाद के विरुद्ध सहयोग बढ़ाने तथा भारत के साथ व्यापार के लिए उज़्बेकिस्तान द्वारा चाबहार बंदरगाह के उपयोग को बढ़ावा देने पर ध्यान केंद्रित किया गया।

परिचय 

बैठक में अंतर्राष्ट्रीय उत्तर-दक्षिण परिवहन गलियारे (INSTC) के माध्यम से गहन संपर्क को भी प्राथमिकता दी गई। 

भारत-ईरान-अर्मेनिया ने भी एक त्रिपक्षीय बैठक की, जिसमें INSTC और चाबहार के उपयोग पर ध्यान केंद्रित किया गया। 

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संदर्भ 

रक्षा मंत्री ने रक्षा खरीद नियमावली (DPM) 2025 को स्वीकृति दे दी है।

रक्षा खरीद नियमावली 2025

यह एक संशोधित दस्तावेज़ है जिसका उद्देश्य सशस्त्र बलों के लिए राजस्व खरीद को तीव्र करना, घरेलू उद्योग के लिए प्रक्रियाओं को सरल बनाना और रक्षा विनिर्माण में नवाचार को समर्थन देना है। 

यह अंतिम बार 2009 में अद्यतन की गई थी और रक्षा मंत्रालय में सभी राजस्व खरीद के लिए सिद्धांतों एवं प्रावधानों को निर्धारित करती है। 

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संदर्भ 

वाणिज्य और उद्योग मंत्रालय के अनुसार, देश का व्यापार घाटा अगस्त 2024 के $21.7 बिलियन की तुलना में 54% से अधिक घटकर $9.9 बिलियन रह गया है, जिसका मुख्य कारण वस्तुओं के निर्यात में तीव्र वृद्धि है।

व्यापार घाटा क्या है?

यदि कोई देश अन्य देशों से जितना आयात करता है, उससे कम निर्यात करता है, तो उसे व्यापार घाटा कहा जाता है। 

व्यापार घाटा घरेलू मुद्रा को कमजोर करता है। 

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