Main Examination: General Studies II: Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests
What’s the ongoing story: Syrian Rebel fighters raced into Damascus unopposed on Sunday, overthrowing President Bashar al-Assad and ending more than five decades of his family’s iron-fisted rule after a lightning advance that reversed the course of a 13-year civil war.
Key Points to Ponder:
• Know about the history of the Syrian civil war.
• What were the reasons behind the Syrian civil war?
• What was the “Arab Spring”?
• What can be the geopolitical implications of the regime change in Syria for the Middle East and the world?
• What is the status of India-Syria relations?
• Read about the ‘Hayat Tahrir al-Sham’?
• Map Work: Damascus, Homs, Aleppo and other places in news related to the Syrian Civil War.
Key Takeaways:
• Late on Sunday, Russian news agencies, citing a Kremlin source, reported that Assad and his family had arrived in Russia and been granted asylum there.
• In one of the most consequential turning points in the Middle East for generations, the fall of Assad’s government wiped out a bastion from which Iran and Russia exercised influence across the Arab world.
• His sudden overthrow at the hands of a Turkish-backed revolt with roots in jihadist Sunni Islam limits Iran’s ability to spread weapons to its allies and could cost Russia its Mediterranean naval base.
• The Syrian rebel coalition said it was working to complete the transfer of power to a transitional governing body with executive powers.
• The pace of events stunned Arab capitals and raised concerns about a new wave of instability in a region already in turmoil following the spread of conflict after the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, and the ensuing Gaza war.
• The biggest strategic losers were Russia and Iran, which had intervened in the war’s early years to rescue Assad when his regime appeared in danger, helping him recapture most territory and all major cities. The frontlines were frozen four years ago under a deal Russia and Iran reached with Turkey.
• But Moscow’s distraction by war in Ukraine and the blows to Iran’s allies following the war in Gaza — particularly the decimation of Hezbollah by Israel over the past two months — left Assad with scant support at the end.
• Iran’s foreign ministry said Syria’s fate was the sole responsibility of the Syrian people and should be pursued without foreign imposition or destructive intervention.
From “History of rebels to their geography: Why Delhi is cautious”
• Shubhajit Roy writes- “The exit of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has been met with joy in the streets of Damascus but in capitals near and far, including New Delhi, the multiple moving parts in the sprawling insurrection are keeping many fingers crossed.
• New Delhi is much more circumspect about Hayat Tahrir al-Sham’s (HTS) moves in the days and weeks ahead. South Block experts recall how the Arab Spring experiment in Libya, after the fall of Gaddafi, quickly unravelled into chaos. And how in Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood took control. So there is caution in the Indian establishment on how it will play out in Syria post-Assad.”
• Notably, New Delhi was preparing to revive its political and economic ties with Damascus late last month. On November 29, India and Syria held Foreign Office Consultations in New Delhi. India has been a keen developmental partner for Syria and is also actively involved in the capacity-building of the Syrian youth.
Do You Know:
• The Syrian civil war began around the “Arab Spring” of 2010, dubbed so as many countries in the Middle East and North Africa saw uprisings against authoritarian governments that had been in power for decades. In some nations, such as Tunisia and Egypt, ruling governments were forced out. In most others, governments and militaries crushed the movements.
• The Arab Spring also echoed in street protests in Syria. But Assad put it down with force unleashing a harsh crackdown on those opposing the regime. This set off a civil war, with the US backing the rebels while Russia, Iran and Hezbollah backing Assad. Indeed, the local Syrian war was seen as a theatre of global conflict.
• Assad’s regime was accused of even using chemical weapons on the rebels and his own people even as the Islamic State took control of some parts of Syria.
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
📍Explained: The state of the war in Syria, and the bloody battle for Idlib
📍India puts out advisory, days after Assad team held talks in Delhi to boost ties
Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:
(1) Consider the following pairs: (UPSC CSE 2018)
| Towns sometimes mentioned in news | Country | |
| 1. | Aleppo | Syria |
| 2. | Kirkuk | Yemen |
| 3. | Mosul | Palestine |
| 4. | Mazar-i-sharif | Afghanistan |
Which of the pairs given above are correctly matched?
(a) 1 and 2
(b) 1 and 4
(c) 2 and 3
(d) 3 and 4
EXPLAINED
The new Oilfields Bill, concerns it raises about states’ rights
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance
Mains Examination: General Studies-II: Functions and responsibilities of the Union and the States, issues and challenges pertaining to the federal structure, devolution of powers and finances up to local levels and challenges therein.
What’s the ongoing story: To encourage domestic production of petroleum and other mineral oils, along with private investment in these sectors to reduce import dependence, the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday (December 3) passed the Oilfields (Regulation and Development) Amendment Bill, 2024.
Key Points to Ponder:
• What is mineral oil?
• Read about the Oilfields (Regulation and Development) Act of 1948.
• Know about the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957.
• What are the key amendments proposed in the Oilfields (Regulation and Development) Bill?
• What is the significance of defining “mineral oils” in the amended Oilfields Act?
• How will the Oilfields Bill impact the power of states concerning taxing mining and petroleum activities?
• Read about the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution of India.
Key Takeaways:
• The Bill amends the Oilfields (Regulation and Development) Act of 1948. It draws a clear line between the law governing the mining of “minerals” — defined under the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 — and the Oilfields Act. If passed by Parliament, the Oilfields Act in its amended form would be limited to governing petroleum and other “mineral oil” production.
• When the Oilfields Act was first passed it was known as the Mines and Minerals (Regulation and Development) Act, 1948. This sole legislation governed and regulated oilfields, mines and minerals until 1957, when the present-day Mines and Minerals Act came into force.
• To demarcate the spheres in which the two Acts would operate, the 1948 legislation was renamed the Oilfields (Regulation and Development) Act, 1948, and its language was amended to replace references to “minerals” with “mineral oils”. However, the Act does not define “mineral oil”, an oversight that the current Oilfields Bill aims to correct.
• The Bill defines mineral oils as “any naturally occurring hydrocarbon, whether in the form of natural gas or in a liquid, viscous or solid form, or a mixture thereof” and includes a long list of resources (such as crude oil, natural gas and petroleum) that would fall under this definition.
• However, it clarifies that the definition will not include “coal, lignite and helium occurring in association with petroleum or coal or shale”, likely because regulation of coal and lignite is governed by the Mines and Minerals Act.
• The original approach of replacing references to “minerals” with “mineral oils” has now been revived in the Oilfields Bill, which replaces references to “mining leases” with “petroleum leases”.
• Subsequently, the provisions relating to the grant of mining leases and the Centre’s power to make rules on them would instead govern the granting and regulation of petroleum leases.
• The Bill also includes several provisions for encouraging investment from private players to spur domestic production of petroleum and other mineral oils.
• Several opposition members raised concerns about how the Bill would affect the rights of states, given that Indian states have the power to tax mining activities.
Do You Know:
• On July 25 this year, a nine-judge bench of the Supreme Court held that states had the exclusive power to tax mining activities and collect royalties from mining leaseholders. This power, the court held, stems from Entry 50 of the State List in the Indian Constitution, which gives states the power to impose taxes on “mineral rights”.
• However, by reframing the Oilfields Act as providing petroleum leases instead of mining leases, and limiting the operation to mineral oils instead of minerals, it could be argued that the law would fall under Entry 53 of the Union List. It gives Parliament the power to create laws regarding the “Regulation and development of oilfields and mineral oil resources; petroleum and petroleum products; other liquids and substances declared by Parliament by law to be dangerously inflammable”.
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
📍 Rajya Sabha passes Bill to streamline oil and gas exploration
UPSC Prelims Practice Question Covering similar theme:
(2) Consider the following statements about the seventh schedule:
1. State does not have the power to make laws with respect to any of the matters enumerated in List III in the Seventh Schedule.
2. States have exclusive power to make laws with respect to any of the matters enumerated in List I in the Seventh Schedule.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 Nor 2
Why RBI wants a hedge against dollar reliance, but not push for de-dollarisation?
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Current events of national importance, Economic Development
Mains Examination: General Studies-III: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilisation of resources, growth, development and employment.
What’s the ongoing story: Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das said on Friday (December 6) that India is not pursuing “de-dollarisation”, and that recent measures promoting transactions in domestic currencies are intended to de-risk Indian trade.
Key Points to Ponder:
• What do you understand by the “de-dollarisation”?
• How does dollarisation affect the monetary policy and economic sovereignty of a country?
• How can India’s efforts toward internationalising the rupee contribute to de-dollarization?
• How does the use of the Indian rupee in international trade benefit India’s economy?
• What are Vostro accounts?
• Read about the BRICS.
Key Takeaways:
• The clarification came days after US President-elect Donald Trump threatened “100 per cent tariffs” against BRICS countries if they sought to reduce reliance on the US dollar in international trade.
• Das said that BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) nations have discussed the possibility of a shared currency, but reached no decision. RBI decisions such as allowing Vostro accounts and entering local currency trade agreements are aimed at diversifying risk rather than reducing dependence on the dollar.
• A key reason India is not backing de-dollarisation is the rise of the Chinese yuan as a challenger to the US dollar. India has resisted using the yuan for Russian oil imports, even as the acceptance of the currency is growing in Russia. Following the Western sanctions on Russia, including freezing $300 billion in Russian foreign holdings, the yuan became Russia’s most traded currency last year.
• At the same time, India is wary of over-dependence on the dollar. The RBI has increased gold purchases and has begun moving its gold, held abroad, back into the country.
• Central banks, particularly in emerging market economies, have increased their gold holdings sharply so as to diversify away from a dollar-dominated financial system.
• Depleting dollar reserves amid surging oil prices has recently caused considerable social and political unrest in India’s neighbourhood. Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Pakistan witnessed sharp declines in their dollar reserves following the Ukraine war, which upset their trade relations with India. While India has managed to keep a robust reserve, the surging value of the dollar has become a concern.
• To partially de-risk its trade ties, India is pushing for trade with Russia and the UAE in domestic currencies that could help cut reliance on the US dollar. However, the domestic currency trade has not yet picked up as expected because of India’s low foothold in goods and services trade internationally.
• India’s efforts toward internationalising the rupee could get a boost if oil exporters begin accepting rupee payments. But they have remained hesitant due to the high transaction costs.
Do You Know:
• For the past 80 years, the US dollar has dominated as the global reserve currency. Dollar supremacy underpins the global financial system.
• Today, the dollar is the most widely held reserve currency, playing a role in an estimated $6.6 trillion in daily transactions. Oil, despite efforts by OPEC+ and China to diversify pricing mechanisms, remains priced in dollars — just like most major commodities.
• However, discussions about ‘de-dollarization’ have gained traction in recent decades. Driven by US sanctions and a growing shift toward multipolarity, countries such as China and Russia are increasingly using the Chinese renminbi (RMB) in trade.
• The BRICS bloc — including Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, and new members like Iran, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia — is even exploring the creation of a new common currency to reduce dependence on the dollar.
• According to the Center for Foreign Relations (CFR), a reserve currency is defined as “a foreign currency that a central bank or treasury holds as part of its country’s formal foreign exchange reserves.” Countries hold reserves for a number of reasons including to withstand economic shocks, pay for imports, service debts and regulate the value of their own currencies.
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
📍Why ‘de-dollarisation’ is imminent
📍How the US Dollar emerged as the global reserve currency in the post-World War II era
UPSC Prelims Practice Question Covering similar theme:
(3) Countries hold reserve currency to:
1. To withstand economic shocks
2. Pay for imports
3. Service debts
4. Regulate the value of their own currencies
How many of the above are correct?
(a) Only One
(b) Only two
(c) Only three
(d) All four
FDI flows, forex reserves
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Indian Economy
Mains Examination: General Studies-III: Economic Development, Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilisation of resources, growth, development, Effects of liberalisation on the economy.
What’s the ongoing story: India’s foreign exchange reserves registered a $1.51 billion weekly rise to touch $658.09 billion on November 29. This reversed eight straight weeks of decline, from the all-time-high $704.89 billion reached on September 27.
Key Points to Ponder:
• What is foreign direct investment (FDI)?
• What are ‘Foreign Exchange Reserves’?
• What is the significance of forex reserves?
• How is depletion in forex reserves a matter of concern?
• What are the factors that lead to depletion in forex reserves?
• What is the significance of FDI for the Indian economy?
• What is the difference between FDI and FPI?
• Read about the Balance of Payment (BoP).
• How is FDI regulated in India?
Key Takeaways:
• The roughly two months since September 27 has witnessed not only a $46.79 billion dip in forex reserves, but the rupee, too, weakening from 83.67 to 84.66 to the US dollar. September 27 was also when the BSE Sensex and NIFTY 50 benchmark stock market indices scaled peaks of 85,978.25 and 26,277.35 points respectively.
• The period following those highs has been marked by foreign portfolio investors (FPI) pulling out money from India’s equity and debt markets.
• As these outflows – basically dollars leaving the country – put pressure on the rupee, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had to support the domestic currency. It did so by selling dollars from the official forex chest. That has, in turn, led to a depletion in the reserves, which are under its sole custody.
• A depletion or accretion in forex reserves is, however, caused not just by FPIs taking out or bringing in money into Indian markets.
• Reserve movements are a function of the country’s external balance of payments (BoP) transactions, both current and capital. Current account transactions basically cover exports and imports, of goods as well as services.
• India’s BoP problems today stem mainly from the capital, and not current, account. So long as CADs are modest, they can be financed through capital flows.
• Capital flows include those from foreign direct investment (FDI), FPIs, external commercial borrowings (ECB) and Non-Resident Indian (NRI) deposits.
Do You Know:
• Forex reserves are external assets in the form of gold, SDRs (special drawing rights of the IMF) and foreign currency assets (capital inflows to the capital markets, FDI and external commercial borrowings) accumulated by India and controlled by the RBI.
• The Reserve Bank functions as the custodian and manager of forex reserves, and operates within the overall policy framework agreed upon with the government.
• Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is defined as an investment in which a company takes controlling ownership of a business entity in another country. Therefore, foreign companies get directly involved with day-to-day operations in other countries. India gets FDI through two routes:
(a) Automatic route: Under this route, the non-resident or Indian company does not require a prior nod from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) or the government of India for FDI.
(b) Government route: Under this route, the government’s approval is mandatory
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
📍UPSC Essentials: One Word A Day- FDI
📍RBI issues new framework for reclassification of FPI to FDI
Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:
(4) Consider the following: (UPSC CSE 2021)
1. Foreign currency convertible bonds
2. Foreign institutional investment with certain conditions
3. Global depository receipts
4. Non-resident external deposits
Which of the above can be included in Foreign Direct Investments?
(a) 1, 2 and 3 only
(b) 3 only
(c) 2 and 4 only
(d) 1 and 4 only
THE EDITORIAL PAGE
A TB warning
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance
Mains Examination: General Studies-II: Government policies and interventions, Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.
What’s the ongoing story: Last month, the World Health Organisation’s report on the global burden of tuberculosis listed significant positives in India’s fight against the disease.
Key Points to Ponder:
• What is tuberculosis (TB) and its different forms?
• How do tuberculosis cases present a big challenge for public health in India?
• What is India’s TB elimination target?
• What are the challenges on the path of TB elimination from India?
• What are the implications of high TB incidence in India, and how can preventive strategies help mitigate them?
• What are the key highlights of the Global TB Report?
• What initiatives have been taken by the government to eliminate TB from the country?
Key Takeaways:
• The country has registered an 18 per cent decline in TB incidence in the past 10 years and a nearly 25 per cent fall in deaths due to the disease in the same period. However, one key takeaway of the report was also that India is not on course to achieve its target of eliminating TB by 2025.
• The Centre’s programme to procure and supply TB drugs to states has progressed in fits and starts. Supplies were erratic between 2020 and 2022 when a major section of the government machinery had to be mobilised to combat the Covid pandemic. Now an investigation by this newspaper has revealed that supply chain gaps have not been completely plugged.
• As the government embarks on an ambitious project to reduce TB incidence and mortality in 347 worst-affected districts by March 2025, the Union Health Ministry must make sure that government pharmacies in these areas have enough reserves. Forcing government TB centres to ration drugs would defeat the programme’s purpose.
• The repeated instances of drug shortages, many of them due to bureaucratic red tape, are particularly frustrating because the country is almost self-sufficient in TB medicines.
• TB patients are severely immuno-compromised. Even a day’s break in therapy can lead to a relapse of symptoms and make a patient vulnerable to the drug-resistant strains of TB.
• In September, the government approved the use of a new therapy which can improve treatment outcomes considerably for patients of multi-drug resistant TB. It’s time the government makes uninterrupted supply of drugs a priority.
Do You Know:
• According to the Global TB Report 2024, India saw a slight decline in the estimated number of tuberculosis cases and deaths in 2023, but it is nowhere near its elimination target. India had an estimated 28 lakh TB cases in 2023, accounting for 26% of the global cases. And, there were estimated 3.15 lakh TB-related deaths, accounting for 29% of the deaths globally.
• Tuberculosis is caused by an organism called mycobacterium tuberculosis, which mainly affects the lungs, but can also impact other parts of the body. TB spreads through the air when an infected individual coughs, sneezes, or speaks.
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
📍Knowledge Nugget of the day: Global Tuberculosis Report
UPSC Prelims Practice Question Covering similar theme:
(5) Consider the following statements:
1. Tuberculosis is caused by mycobacterium tuberculosis.
2. TB spreads through the air when an infected individual coughs, sneezes, or speaks.
3. India has the target of TB elimination by 2025.
How many of the statements given above are correct?
(a) Only one
(b) Only two
(c) All three
(d) None
THE IDEAS PAGE
All is not well with soil
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Indian and World Geography- Physical, Social, and Economic Geography of India and the World.
Mains Examination: General Studies- I, III: Geography and Agriculture
What’s the ongoing story: Ashok Gulati and Ritika Juneja write- “December 5, 2024, was the 10th World Soil Day. Topsoil — up to two to three cms in depth — which nature takes 1,000 years to create, is critical: Almost 95 per cent of food currently produced comes from it. So, ‘Caring for Soils – Measure, Monitor, and Manage’ — the theme of this year’s World Soil Day — was appropriate as our soils are becoming deficient in the essential nutrients needed for healthy soils.”
Key Points to Ponder:
• Read about the major types of soil in India.
• What is the status of soil health in India?
• What is the Nutrient-Based Subsidy scheme?
• How does the imbalance in nutrient availability in soil affect agricultural productivity?
• What are the issues associated with fertiliser subsidies?
• How does the subsidy structure for fertilisers in India impact agricultural practices?
• What initiatives have been taken by the government for sustainable agriculture?
• What reforms should be taken in the fertiliser sector?
Key Takeaways:
• “December 4 to 6 was also the time when the Fertiliser Association of India (FAI) hosted its annual seminar on ‘Sustainable Fertiliser and Agriculture’. More than 1,400 delegates from 20 countries participated in the seminar. The role of the fertiliser industry is critical in ensuring that our soils are healthy and well-nourished.”
• “Less than 5 per cent of Indian soils have high or sufficient nitrogen, only 40 per cent have sufficient phosphate, 32 per cent have sufficient potash and just 20 per cent are sufficient in organic carbon.”
• “All is not well either with our soils or our fertiliser industry or our agriculture. There is a slack of at least 30 per cent, and at places even up to 50 per cent. It is this slack that needs to be filled and richer harvests will follow.”
• “Our fertiliser sector is living on huge subsidisation. It amounted to Rs 1.88 lakh crore, which was almost 4 per cent of the Union budget of the last fiscal year.”
• “Urea, which bags almost two-thirds of the subsidy, is being produced primarily in granular form, and its price is controlled by the government, roughly at $70/tonne, which is the cheapest in the world by a wide margin. This has remained almost constant for over a decade.”
• “While DAP and MOP, were brought under the Nutrient-Based Subsidy scheme in 2010, urea was left out. As a result, the relative prices of urea, DAP and MOP were highly distorted as was the use of these essential fertilisers.”
• “In most of the major agricultural states, N is being overused compared to the recommended dose, while P and K are underused…This highly imbalanced use of N, P and K, and the neglect of micronutrients, leading to suboptimal results on agricultural productivity and thereby farmers’ profitability, is largely caused by the fertiliser subsidy policy.”
• “It is ironic that the massive subsidy on urea is actually creating more poison in the atmosphere than increasing grain yields. On top of this, at least 20-25 per cent of urea is being diverted to non-agricultural uses and also leaking to neighbouring countries. This must change.”
• “The solution lies in deregulating the fertiliser sector from price controls. Farmers may be given equivalent direct income transfers in the form of digital coupons to buy fertilisers…Also, we need to promote the use of micro-nutrients to give the best results in terms of productivity as well as farmers’ profits.”
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
📍How land degradation is threatening Earth’s capacity to sustain humanity
Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:
(6) Which of the following statements regarding laterite soils of India are correct? (UPSC CSE 2013)
1. They are generally red in colour.
2. They are rich in nitrogen and potash.
3. They are well-developed in Rajasthan and UP.
4. Tapioca and cashew nuts grow well on these soils.
Select the correct answer using the codes given below:
(a) 1, 2 and 3 only
(b) 2, 3 and 4 only
(c) 1 and 4 only
(d) 2 and 3 only
ECONOMY
From cocaine stuffed in children’s books to currency in ‘lehengas’: How smuggling is evolving
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: Over the past year, lehengas, broomsticks, hair wigs, thermocol balls — seemingly unrelated items — have been used to smuggle illicit cash and drugs such as heroin and cocaine into India, according to a new report by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), the country’s apex anti-smuggling agency.
Key Points to Ponder:
• What are the key highlights of the ‘Smuggling in India’ report?
• What is cocaine?
• What are Death Crescent and Death Triangle?
• What are the primary types of smuggling prevalent in India?
• How does the smuggling impact the economy and national security?
• What are the factors contributing to the rise of smuggling activities in India?
• What legal frameworks and measures have been taken by the government to combat smuggling?
• What are the challenges in countering the threat of smuggling?
• What steps should be taken to address the menace of smuggling?
Key Takeaways:
• The ‘Smuggling in India’ report highlighted inventive methods of smuggling and maps key geographic routes. The DRI also reported a sharp rise in seizures of cocaine, methamphetamine, contraband cigarettes, and illicit foreign currency.
• In addition to traditional land and maritime routes linking India to two major narcotics hubs — the Death Crescent (Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan) and the Death Triangle (Myanmar, Laos, and Thailand) — new smuggling routes have also emerged.
• Cocaine from South America increasingly arrives via foreign nationals transiting through African countries by air. Meanwhile, free trade warehousing zones in West Asia, particularly Dubai, have become key transit hubs for smuggling contraband cigarettes from Southeast Asia into India.
• Cocaine is a drug derived from the leaves of the coca plant native to western South America. In recent years, air travel has emerged as a preferred route to smuggle cocaine from South American countries into India, according to DRI.
• The modus operandi for cocaine smuggling into India typically follows three patterns – a foreign national travelling by air with cocaine concealed in their bodies, an Indian “mule” travelling to and from Africa, or courier consignments.
• After foreign nationals, major seizures of cocaine were linked to Indian mules traveling to Africa, collecting cocaine (often unknowingly), and coming back to India.
• “Indian nationals being used as mules have also become a common occurrence, with many being deceived by lottery schemes or job offers that sometimes involve carrying contraband unknowingly,” the report said.
• Following air travel, the most prevalent route for cocaine trafficking is through courier services. At times, smugglers have also attempted to export drugs under the guise of chemicals and medicines.
Do You Know:
• Seizures of drugs such as cocaine and methamphetamine, contraband cigarettes, and illicit foreign currency by the DRI have seen a sharp rise over the past year.
• According to DRI’s latest Smuggling in India report, the agency conducted 47 cocaine seizures worth Rs 975 crore in FY24—more than double the number recorded in the previous financial year. The quantity of cocaine smuggled into India, primarily through airports, increased by 9 per cent to 107 kg during the same period.
• Illicit foreign currency seizures have also surged. DRI officials seized Rs 13.8 crore in foreign currency during the first half of FY25, surpassing the Rs 12.4 crore confiscated in all of FY24.
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
📍Spike in cocaine, contraband cigarettes, and currency seizures: India’s anti-smuggling agency
UPSC Prelims Practice Question Covering similar theme:
(7) Consider the following statements:
1. Cocaine is a drug derived from the leaves of the coca plant.
2. Coca plant native to western South America.
Which of the statements given above is/are not correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
Previous year UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme:
Analyze internal security threats and transborder crimes along Myanmar, Bangladesh and Pakistan borders including Line of Control (LoC). Also discuss the role played by various security forces in this regard. (UPSC CSE 2018)
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