GK One-Liners

What: The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) held its second Intelligence and Investigations workshop in New Delhi in 2025, hosted jointly with the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) India, bringing together anti-doping officials from 11 Asian nations to strengthen intelligence cooperation and investigation capabilities. WADA is the independent international organization established in 1999 to harmonize anti-doping policies worldwide, maintain the Prohibited List of banned substances, oversee testing standards, and coordinate investigations into systematic doping programs. The workshop focused on sharing best practices for detecting sophisticated doping schemes, analyzing athlete biological passports, and conducting intelligence-led testing targeting high-risk athletes and periods.

How: Intelligence-based anti-doping represents an evolution from random testing to targeted investigations using information from whistleblowers, suspicious purchasing patterns of banned substances, irregular testing data, and athlete behavioral analysis. The workshop trained participants on investigative techniques including financial tracking to identify doping networks, digital forensics to recover deleted communications, and witness protection protocols encouraging athletes and support staff to report violations without fear of retaliation. NADA India’s hosting demonstrates the country’s commitment to clean sport following high-profile doping cases and the need to strengthen domestic capabilities ahead of hosting major events like National Games and potential Olympic bids.

Why: This is relevant for UPSC Prelims (Sports Administration) and questions on international cooperation. Topics include the global anti-doping architecture under the World Anti-Doping Code adopted by signatories including India, the tension between athlete privacy rights and anti-doping whereabouts requirements (athletes must report location details for out-of-competition testing), India’s doping challenges including limited testing infrastructure covering only a fraction of athletes and lack of research on supplement contamination risks, the reputational and medal consequences of doping violations (medal stripping, ban from competitions), and how clean sport principles align with Olympic ideals of fair play and sporting integrity.

What: The India-UK Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement (CETA) is projected to significantly boost Indian exports by offering zero-duty access on 99% of tariff lines into the UK market, eliminating customs duties that previously made Indian products less competitive against European and other preferential suppliers. Seafood exports are expected to see particularly sharp increases given India’s strong competitiveness in shrimp, fish, and frozen seafood products where tariff elimination of 6-12% creates substantial price advantages for Indian exporters competing in premium UK markets against Norwegian, Icelandic, and EU suppliers who currently enjoy preferential access.

How: Tariff elimination works through phased schedules: most products receive immediate duty-free access upon CETA implementation, while sensitive items follow 5-10 year phase-out timelines allowing domestic industries to adjust. For seafood specifically, Indian exporters gain cost parity with EU competitors who previously enjoyed duty-free access through UK-EU trade relationships, enabling Indian companies to leverage lower production costs, skilled processing capabilities, and established supply chains to UK importers, restaurants, and retail chains. Beyond tariffs, the CETA includes sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) provisions streamlining certification processes, mutual recognition of quality standards reducing duplicate testing, and customs cooperation expediting clearances reducing time-to-market for perishable goods.

Why: This is crucial for UPSC Mains GS II (International Trade) and questions on FTA economics. Topics include the debate over FTAs—whether tariff concessions genuinely expand exports or merely shift existing trade patterns, concerns about import competition threatening domestic industries (UK goods also gain preferential access to India), the importance of non-tariff measures (regulations, standards, logistics) often mattering more than tariffs in determining trade competitiveness, how India’s FTA strategy has shifted from earlier caution to actively pursuing agreements with major economies (UAE, Australia, UK, EU negotiations ongoing), and measuring FTA success through actual export growth, diversification beyond traditional items, and value addition rather than just signing ceremonies and projections.

What: India achieved 20% ethanol blending in petrol (E20 fuel) by June 2025, reaching this milestone five years ahead of the original 2030 target set under the National Biofuel Policy 2018. This accelerated achievement reflects coordinated efforts across the petroleum, agriculture, and renewable energy sectors to expand ethanol production capacity from approximately 4 billion liters annually in 2018 to over 15 billion liters currently, primarily using sugarcane molasses, damaged food grains unsuitable for consumption, and increasingly from second-generation cellulosic sources like agricultural residue.

How: The E20 program required multiple infrastructure investments: oil marketing companies (IOCL, BPCL, HPCL) retrofitted approximately 75,000 fuel stations with ethanol-compatible storage tanks, blending equipment, and dispensing pumps preventing corrosion from ethanol’s solvent properties; automobile manufacturers transitioned to E20-compatible engines under BS-VI emission norms with modified fuel injectors, gaskets, and fuel lines; and distilleries received financial incentives including interest subvention loans and capital subsidies to establish new ethanol production units and upgrade existing sugar mills with distillation capacity. The government provides assured procurement prices for ethanol creating predictable revenues for farmers and processors, while the Ethanol Blending Programme mandates oil companies to blend specified percentages ensuring demand certainty driving investment.

Why: This is important for UPSC Mains GS III (Energy Security, Environmental Conservation) and questions on renewable energy. Topics include quantifying benefits—E20 reduces petroleum imports by approximately 5 billion liters annually saving $3-4 billion in foreign exchange, cuts vehicular emissions (ethanol burns cleaner than petrol reducing particulate matter and carbon monoxide), and creates additional farmer income through ethanol procurement estimated at ₹50,000+ crore annually; challenges include the food versus fuel debate where diverting grains to ethanol may affect food security, water-intensive sugarcane cultivation straining resources, and vehicle compatibility issues for older vehicles requiring retrofitting or replacement; and pathways to higher blending including E30 and E100 (flex-fuel vehicles) requiring further infrastructure and technology adaptation.

What: Anuradha Thakur, Secretary of the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA) in the Ministry of Finance, was appointed as a Director on the Reserve Bank of India’s Central Board effective July 24, 2025, replacing Ajay Seth who moved to head the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI). The RBI Central Board is the apex decision-making body for non-monetary policy matters, consisting of the Governor, four Deputy Governors, government-nominated directors (typically senior bureaucrats from Finance Ministry), and independent directors representing diverse expertise in economics, banking, industry, and agriculture.

How: The Central Board oversees RBI’s administrative and policy functions excluding monetary policy decisions which are made exclusively by the six-member Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) under the inflation targeting framework. Board responsibilities include reviewing RBI’s annual accounts and budgets, approving policies for banking regulation and supervision, determining dividend transfers to government from RBI’s surplus, and providing strategic guidance on currency management, financial stability, and developmental initiatives. Government-nominated directors like the DEA Secretary ensure coordination between fiscal policy (government’s domain) and monetary policy (RBI’s domain), though the RBI Act 1934 maintains central bank autonomy on core monetary policy functions protecting against political pressure for populist measures.

Why: This is relevant for UPSC Prelims (Financial Institutions) and Banking exams covering RBI governance. Questions focus on the distinction between the Central Board’s administrative oversight versus MPC’s monetary policy autonomy, historical tensions between government and RBI over surplus transfer demands, regulatory forbearance pressures, and interest rate preferences, the evolution of central bank independence following global best practices after 1991 reforms, ongoing debates about appropriate government representation on regulatory bodies balancing accountability versus autonomy, and how board composition affects RBI’s effectiveness in managing inflation-growth tradeoffs, ensuring financial stability through banking supervision, and promoting financial inclusion while maintaining institutional credibility.

What: Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) appointed Professor Uma Kanjilal as its first woman Vice-Chancellor since the university’s establishment in 1985, bringing decades of experience in open and distance learning (ODL) systems and national digital education platforms. IGNOU is the world’s largest open university by enrollment with over 4 million students, offering degree and diploma programs through distance education mode, operating 67 regional centers, and providing flexible learning opportunities for working professionals, homemakers, and students in remote areas unable to access conventional universities.

How: Prof. Kanjilal’s expertise in digital education platforms positions IGNOU to leverage technology for expanding access and improving quality—implementing learning management systems (LMS) for online content delivery, virtual labs for science practicals, AI-powered doubt resolution chatbots, proctored online examinations ensuring assessment integrity, and mobile applications enabling learning on smartphones addressing connectivity constraints in rural areas. Her leadership comes at a critical juncture as higher education digitalizes rapidly post-pandemic, the National Education Policy 2020 emphasizes flexible learning pathways with credits portability between institutions, and competition intensifies from private edtech platforms and foreign online degree providers requiring IGNOU to innovate while maintaining affordable access for marginalized students.

Why: This is important for UPSC Mains GS II (Education Policy, Women Empowerment) and questions on inclusive education. Topics include the ODL system’s role in democratizing higher education by removing geographical, temporal, and economic barriers enabling access for 4+ million students who would otherwise lack university education, challenges of ensuring quality in distance education including concerns about degree value perception, examination malpractice, and limited student-teacher interaction, the appointment’s symbolic significance for women’s representation in higher education leadership (women constitute <15% of university VCs despite being 40%+ of faculty), and IGNOU's potential to support NEP 2020's vision of 50% Gross Enrollment Ratio by 2035 through flexible online-offline hybrid models and credit accumulation frameworks.

What: World Nature Conservation Day is observed annually on July 28 to raise awareness about conserving natural resources, protecting biodiversity, and promoting sustainable practices that balance human development with ecosystem preservation. The 2025 theme emphasizes digital innovation in conservation—using technology like satellite monitoring, AI-powered wildlife tracking, blockchain for supply chain transparency preventing illegal wildlife trade, and mobile apps connecting people with conservation actions—while strengthening connections between people, plants, and wildlife recognizing that conservation succeeds when local communities benefit economically from protecting rather than exploiting natural resources.

How: Modern conservation increasingly leverages technology: remote sensing satellites monitor deforestation in real-time enabling rapid response to illegal logging, camera traps with AI image recognition automatically identify and count wildlife populations reducing manual survey costs, DNA forensics trace seized ivory or timber to source locations aiding law enforcement, and citizen science apps like eBird engage millions in biodiversity documentation creating massive datasets for research. Simultaneously, community-based conservation models recognize indigenous peoples and local communities as effective stewards—programs like Joint Forest Management in India, community wildlife conservancies in Kenya, and Payment for Ecosystem Services schemes provide tangible benefits including employment, revenue sharing, and resource access rights incentivizing conservation over conversion to agriculture or development.

Why: This is crucial for UPSC Mains GS III (Environment & Biodiversity) and questions on conservation strategies. Topics include India’s biodiversity conservation framework through Protected Area network (tiger reserves, national parks, wildlife sanctuaries covering ~5% territory), legal instruments including Wildlife Protection Act 1972, Forest Rights Act 2006 balancing conservation with tribal rights, and Biological Diversity Act 2002 preventing biopiracy, the challenges of human-wildlife conflict as expanding human populations encroach wildlife habitats requiring mitigation through compensation, barriers, and relocation, the economics of conservation demonstrating that intact ecosystems provide services (water purification, pollination, carbon storage, tourism) worth trillions annually justifying protection, and international cooperation through conventions like CBD, CITES, and Ramsar addressing transboundary conservation challenges.