Category: 7 PM

HIGHLIGHTS: ECONOMIC SURVEY 2025-26 STATE OF THE ECONOMY       The global environment remains fragile, with growth holding up better than expected but risks elevated amid intensifying geopolitical tensions, trade fragmentation and financial vulnerabilities. The impact of these shocks may still surface with a lag. Against this backdrop, India’s performance stands out. The First Advance Estimates place FY26… Continue reading HIGHLIGHTS: ECONOMIC SURVEY 2025-26

The India-EU Free Trade Agreement (called the Bilateral Trade and Investment Agreement (BTIA)) has been under negotiation since 2007, with talks restarting in 2021 after a long pause. Now after almost 2 decades of negotiation, India & EU have finalized the FTA – which has been referred to as the ‘Mother of All Deals’. Table… Continue reading India-EU FTA – Explained Pointwise

Recently, the Uttarakhand Forest Department approved the felling of nearly 7000 Deodar trees in the Dharali-Harsil region for the Char Dham road-widening project – diverting 43 Ha of forest land for the project, with 10 Ha meant for muck dumping. With nearly 331-days of continuous climate impact, >4000 deaths attributed to climate-induced disasters like cloudburst,… Continue reading Himalayan Ecocide – Reasons & Consequences – Explained Pointwise

The RBI has recently recommended to the Central Government that the interlinking of Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) of BRICS countries be included in the agenda of the BRICS 2026 Summit, which is to be hosted by India. Previously, India has pushed for international cooperation & standardization on cryptocurrencies during its presidency of G-20 in… Continue reading CBDC – Significance & Challenges – Explained Pointwise

Child trafficking remains a grim reality in India. According to the latest NCRB data, in 2022, ~3100 children below the age of 18y were rescued from getting trafficked. Between Apr 2024 & Mar 2025, 53000 children were rescued from child labour, trafficking & kidnapping across India. The SC in recent K.P. Kiran Kumar Case has… Continue reading Child Trafficking in India – Explained Pointwise

The India-EU trade agreement, which is expected to be signed on January 26, is considered to be most comprehensive & mutually advantageous agreement for both the sides. The India-EU trade agreement has been decades in the making. Both have finally come close to signing the agreement after talks were re-launched in 2022. Negotiations were started… Continue reading India-EU Relationship – Significance & Challenges – Explained Pointwise

Iran has plunged into another crisis. What began as a localised strike by shopkeepers in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar on December 28 has now snowballed into the largest uprising against the Islamic Republic since 1979 Revolution that toppled the Shah regime & brought the Islamic regime to power. The severe repression by the security forces against… Continue reading Iran Protests – Causes & Consequences – Explained Pointwise

Amidst the rising number of digital arrest cases, the Central govt has constituted a high-level Inter-Ministerial Committee (IDC) with the mandate to examine the real-time issues faced by the enforcement agencies, and to identify the relevant legislations & implementation gaps related with the digital arrest fraud cases. Digital arrest fraud is a new form of… Continue reading Digital Arrest Fraud- Concerns and Way Forward- Explained Pointwise

The adoption of the Paris Agreement Crediting Mechanism (Article 6.4) at COP29 marked a milestone in the transition from the Clean Development Mechanism & has paved the way for a more rigorous, transparent, and globally aligned crediting framework under the Paris Agreement. In this entire scenario of climate finance, India has transformed from a cautious… Continue reading Article 6 (A6) of Paris Agreement – Explained Pointwise