Latest News

Recently, Jharkhand's Bhagaiya Silk, Kuchai Silk, Munda Jewellery, and Jharkhand Bamboo Craft were awarded the prestigious Geographical Indication (GI) Tag, recognising their unique geographical origin, traditional craftsmanship, and cultural heritage.

About Geographical Indication (GI) Tag

• A Geographical Indication (GI) is an Intellectual Property Right (IPR) that identifies a product as originating from a specific geographical region where its quality, reputation, or other characteristics are essentially linked to that place of origin.

• In India, GI Tags are granted under the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999, and are administered by the GI Registry, Chennai, under the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT).

• The GI tag protects traditional knowledge, prevents unauthorised use of regional products, promotes rural livelihoods, and enhances export potential.

Bhagaiya Silk

About

• Bhagaiya Silk is a hand-spun silk textile traditionally woven by Santhal tribal women in Jharkhand. It represents centuries-old indigenous weaving practices that have been preserved through generations.

• The silk is known for its natural texture, traditional designs, and eco-friendly production methods. The weaving process reflects the rich cultural identity of the Santhal tribal community and forms an important source of livelihood for rural households.

• The GI recognition is expected to preserve this traditional art while expanding national and international market opportunities for local artisans.

Kuchai Silk

About

• Kuchai Silk is produced from Tussar silkworms, which are reared on Asan and Arjun trees found in the forests of Jharkhand.

• The craft originated in the village of Kuchai in Seraikela-Kharsawan district and has gradually spread across different parts of the state. It forms an integral part of Jharkhand's traditional silk industry and provides sustainable employment to numerous rural families.

• The GI tag recognises the distinctive quality of Kuchai Silk and strengthens efforts to preserve the state's ancient sericulture traditions.

Munda Jewellery

About

• Munda Jewellery represents the unique artistic tradition of the Munda tribal community of Jharkhand.

• The jewellery is distinguished by its traditional motifs, intricate craftsmanship, and deep cultural symbolism. Each ornament reflects the customs, beliefs, and identity of the Munda people and plays an important role during festivals, marriages, and other social ceremonies.

• The GI tag helps safeguard this indigenous tribal heritage while providing artisans with greater economic opportunities through wider market recognition.

Jharkhand Bamboo Craft

About

• Jharkhand Bamboo Craft showcases the creativity and craftsmanship of rural artisans who transform locally available bamboo into a wide variety of utility products, household items, decorative articles, and handicrafts.

• The craft reflects sustainable resource utilisation by combining traditional skills with eco-friendly production techniques. Bamboo-based products have long supported the livelihoods of tribal and rural communities across the state.

• The GI recognition is expected to increase product visibility, improve market access, and promote environmentally sustainable handicraft industries.

Significance of the New GI Tags

The GI recognition strengthens the protection of traditional knowledge, tribal heritage, and indigenous craftsmanship of Jharkhand. It enhances the commercial value of these products by preventing imitation and ensuring authenticity.

The recognition is also expected to generate higher incomes for artisans, promote rural employment, encourage women's participation in traditional industries, preserve tribal cultural identity, and boost exports and tourism by showcasing Jharkhand's unique heritage.

Way Forward

The benefits of GI registration should be complemented by quality certification, branding, digital marketing, export promotion, skill development, and financial support for artisans. Integrating GI products with initiatives such as ODOP (One District One Product), PM Vishwakarma, Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation (TRIFED), and e-commerce platforms can significantly improve market reach and ensure sustainable livelihoods.

Latest News

Recently, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) conducted a successful flight test of the Long Range Land Attack Cruise Missile (LRLACM) from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the coast of Odisha. The successful trial marks an important milestone in India’s effort to develop an indigenous long-range precision strike capability.

What is the Long Range Land Attack Cruise Missile?

The Long Range Land Attack Cruise Missile (LRLACM) is an indigenously developed subsonic, surface-launched cruise missile designed to strike land targets at long distances with high precision. Unlike ballistic missiles, a cruise missile remains within the atmosphere throughout its flight and uses aerodynamic lift to sustain a controlled, manoeuvrable trajectory.

The missile has been developed by the Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE), Bengaluru, with contributions from multiple DRDO laboratories and Indian industry partners, reflecting India’s growing self-reliance in advanced missile technologies.

Key Features

Range and Warhead

The LRLACM is capable of engaging targets at ranges approaching 1,000 km. It can carry a 450 kg conventional warhead, enabling it to strike a wide variety of high-value military targets with substantial destructive capability.

Propulsion System

The missile uses a turbofan/turbojet propulsion system. Such engines are well suited for cruise missiles because they provide sustained thrust, fuel efficiency, and the ability to maintain long-duration flight at relatively low altitudes.

Navigation and Guidance

For mid-course guidance, the missile combines an advanced Inertial Navigation System (INS) with satellite navigation support. In the terminal phase, it employs a terminal seeker and/or terrain-contour matching capability, allowing the missile to compare the terrain below with stored digital maps and achieve a high degree of targeting accuracy.

Terrain-Hugging Flight Profile

One of the most important operational characteristics of the LRLACM is its low-altitude, terrain-hugging flight. By flying close to the ground and using natural terrain features as cover, the missile reduces the time available for enemy radar detection and interception.

This feature significantly enhances the missile’s survivability against modern air-defence systems and makes it particularly effective for penetrating defended airspace.

Strategic Significance

The LRLACM provides India with a survivable long-range precision strike capability. It can threaten high-value command and control infrastructure, logistics hubs, radar installations, communication nodes, and naval assets located deep inside adversary territory.

Its ability to conduct accurate strikes from stand-off ranges strengthens India’s deterrence posture, improves the credibility of conventional response options, and reduces dependence on imported long-range strike systems.

Cruise Missile vs Ballistic Missile

A cruise missile and a ballistic missile differ fundamentally in their flight profile.

A cruise missile remains within the atmosphere, uses aerodynamic lift, follows a relatively low and manoeuvrable path, and is optimised for precision strikes against specific targets.

A ballistic missile is launched on a high-arc trajectory, spends part of its flight outside the atmosphere, and then re-enters at very high speed. Ballistic missiles are generally associated with very long ranges and rapid target engagement, whereas cruise missiles emphasise stealth, flexibility, and accuracy.

Why the Test Matters

The successful flight test demonstrates the maturity of several critical indigenous technologies, including long-range propulsion, autonomous navigation, terrain-following flight control, and precision terminal guidance. It also aligns with the broader Atmanirbhar Bharat objective of developing advanced defence systems within India.

Latest News

India will participate in Exercise Pitch Black 2026, hosted by Australia, from 20 July to 7 August 2026, alongside 18 other nations. The exercise highlights the growing defence cooperation between the Indian Air Force (IAF) and partner air forces in the Indo-Pacific region.

About Exercise Pitch Black

Introduction

Exercise Pitch Black is a biennial (held every two years) multinational air combat exercise hosted by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). It is regarded as the flagship international flying exercise of the RAAF and is one of the largest and most sophisticated air warfare exercises in the Indo-Pacific.

The exercise aims to improve interoperability, operational coordination, and combat readiness among participating air forces by conducting realistic and complex air combat missions.

Origin of the Name

The name "Pitch Black" originates from the exercise's strong emphasis on night-time flying operations over Australia's vast unpopulated northern regions. These conditions provide an ideal environment for pilots to practise advanced combat missions under low-visibility conditions.

Exercise Pitch Black 2026

Duration and Locations

The 2026 edition will be conducted from 20 July to 7 August 2026.

Operations will take place from three major Australian air bases:

• RAAF Base Darwin (Northern Territory)

• RAAF Base Tindal (Northern Territory)

• RAAF Base Amberley (Queensland)

These strategically located bases provide extensive airspace for conducting large-scale multinational air operations.

Scale of the Exercise

Exercise Pitch Black 2026 will witness the participation of 19 countries, including India, making it one of the largest multinational air exercises in the region.

More than 100 military aircraft and over 4,400 personnel will participate, providing an exceptional platform for joint planning, coordination, and execution of advanced air combat missions.

Major Operational Features

The exercise focuses on high-end aerial warfare and involves complex operational scenarios that simulate modern battlefield conditions.

Training includes offensive counter-air operations, air defence missions, air surveillance and tracking, electronic warfare, and tactical coordination among aircraft from different countries operating with diverse communication systems, doctrines, and technologies.

The emphasis is on enhancing network-centric warfare capabilities, improving joint operational planning, and strengthening multinational interoperability.

India's Participation

Indian Air Force (IAF)

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has deployed a multi-role operational task force to participate in the exercise, demonstrating India's growing capability to operate seamlessly with advanced global air forces.

The participation allows IAF personnel to train alongside leading air forces such as those of the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, France, and several Indo-Pacific partners.

Such engagements provide valuable experience in contemporary aerial warfare, electronic warfare, air defence operations, joint mission planning, and network-enabled combat operations.

Previous Participation

India has previously participated in Exercise Pitch Black in the 2018, 2022, and 2024 editions.

Its continued participation reflects the strengthening strategic partnership between India and Australia and India's expanding role in promoting security, stability, and interoperability in the Indo-Pacific.

Strategic Significance

Exercise Pitch Black enhances multinational interoperability by enabling participating air forces to operate together under realistic combat conditions.

For India, the exercise strengthens defence cooperation with Australia and other strategic partners, improves operational readiness, and provides exposure to the latest air combat tactics, electronic warfare systems, and network-centric operations.

Latest News

Recently, a detailed cellular study of Crohn's disease mapped changes in gene activity across more than 50 different cell types in the human gut. The findings provide deeper insights into the disease mechanism and may contribute to the development of more targeted and personalised therapies in the future.

About Crohn's Disease

Introduction

• Crohn's disease is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) characterised by persistent inflammation of the digestive tract. The disease can affect any part of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, extending from the mouth to the anus, although it most commonly involves the terminal ileum (end of the small intestine) and the beginning of the large intestine (colon).

• Unlike some other gastrointestinal disorders, the inflammation in Crohn's disease extends deep into the layers of the intestinal wall, leading to progressive tissue damage and various complications.

• Since it is a chronic autoimmune-mediated inflammatory disorder, the disease follows a lifelong course with alternating periods of flare-ups and remission.

Causes of Crohn's Disease

Etiology

• The exact cause of Crohn's disease remains unknown, but it is believed to result from a combination of genetic susceptibility, immune system dysfunction, environmental factors, and alterations in the gut microbiome.

• Individuals with a first-degree relative, such as a parent, sibling, or child affected by the disease, have a significantly higher risk of developing Crohn's disease, highlighting the importance of genetic factors.

• The disease occurs when the body's immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissues of the digestive tract, resulting in chronic inflammation.

Risk Factors

Crohn's disease can develop at any age, but it is most commonly diagnosed among people in their 20s and 30s.

Although historically more prevalent in Western countries, its incidence has been steadily increasing in developing nations, reflecting changes in lifestyle, diet, urbanisation, and environmental exposures.

Symptoms

Clinical Features

• The symptoms of Crohn's disease vary depending on the location and severity of inflammation within the digestive tract.

• The most common manifestations include persistent diarrhoea, abdominal pain and cramping, fever, fatigue, and blood in the stool. Many patients also experience mouth ulcers, loss of appetite, and unintentional weight loss.

• Some individuals develop fistulas, which are abnormal tunnel-like connections between the intestine and surrounding tissues, leading to pain or drainage around the anus.

• The disease characteristically progresses through recurring episodes of active inflammation (flares) followed by periods of symptom-free remission.

Complications

• If left untreated, Crohn's disease can result in serious complications.

• Persistent inflammation may cause intestinal narrowing (strictures), bowel obstruction, fistulas, abscesses, malnutrition, and vitamin deficiencies due to impaired nutrient absorption.

• Long-standing Crohn's disease involving the colon also increases the risk of colorectal cancer, making regular medical monitoring essential.

Diagnosis

Diagnosis is based on a combination of clinical evaluation, blood investigations, stool tests, endoscopy (colonoscopy) with biopsy, and imaging techniques such as CT enterography or MRI enterography to assess intestinal inflammation and complications.

Treatment

Management

Crohn's disease is a lifelong condition, and no permanent cure is currently available.

The primary objective of treatment is to control inflammation, reduce symptoms, prevent complications, and maintain long-term remission.

Management includes anti-inflammatory drugs, immunosuppressants, biologic therapies, nutritional support, and surgery when complications such as strictures, fistulas, or bowel obstruction occur.

Advances in precision medicine, including recent gene-expression studies, are expected to improve future treatment strategies.

Crohn's Disease vs Ulcerative Colitis

Although both belong to the group of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD), they differ in several important aspects.

Significance of the Recent Study

The recent research mapped gene activity across more than 50 different gut cell types, providing a detailed understanding of how Crohn's disease develops at the cellular level.

Context

Recent global reports such as the World Inequality Report 2026 and the United Nations (UN) report Counting What Counts have highlighted persistent gender inequalities in employment, wages, and unpaid care work. However, these reports pay relatively little attention to gender disparities in ownership of wealth and productive assets, despite wealth being a critical determinant of long-term economic empowerment and intergenerational equity.

Major Findings of Recent Global Reports

World Inequality Report 2026

• The World Inequality Report 2026 highlights the widening income and household wealth inequalities both within and across countries. It identifies female labour force participation and the female-to-male hourly earnings ratio as the principal indicators of gender inequality.

• According to the report, women’s lower participation in the labour market is largely driven by inadequate childcare facilities, limited access to affordable transportation, discriminatory hiring practices, and weak family leave policies.

• While the report acknowledges that wealth inequality is one of the most significant drivers of overall economic inequality, it pays limited attention to the individual ownership of wealth, land, housing, and productive assets by women, thereby leaving an important dimension of gender inequality underexplored.

UN Report – Counting What Counts

The United Nations report Counting What Counts advocates measuring development beyond Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by incorporating broader indicators of well-being and social progress. It recognises the importance of unpaid care work, labour market disparities, and women’s employment outcomes.

However, like the World Inequality Report, it primarily focuses on employment and wage-related inequalities, while giving comparatively little emphasis to gender disparities in wealth ownership, inheritance, and productive assets. Consequently, the report does not fully capture the structural nature of women's economic disadvantage.

Why Ownership of Wealth Matters

Economic Empowerment Beyond Employment

True economic empowerment extends beyond access to employment. Sustainable empowerment depends on ownership of assets, which provides long-term financial security, bargaining power, economic resilience, and opportunities for wealth creation. Employment generates income, whereas ownership generates both future income and economic independence.

Improvement in Household Welfare

Research consistently demonstrates that women’s ownership of land, housing, and productive assets significantly improves household welfare. Women who own property are more likely to invest in the nutrition, health, and education of their children, thereby improving overall human development outcomes.

Ownership also enhances women’s bargaining power within households, strengthens their financial autonomy, and substantially reduces the risks of domestic violence, economic dependence, and post-divorce poverty.

Higher Productivity and Economic Growth

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), providing women with equal access to productive resources—including agricultural land, irrigation, farm machinery, institutional credit, and technology—can substantially increase agricultural productivity and contribute to higher national economic growth.

Since women constitute a significant proportion of the agricultural workforce, improving their access to productive assets directly enhances food security and rural development.

Importance in the Informal Economy

The significance of wealth ownership is particularly evident in developing economies such as India, where a majority of women are employed in the informal sector. In such economies, sustainable livelihoods depend less on wages and more on ownership of land, livestock, machinery, shops, transport vehicles, and digital assets.

Ownership of productive assets enables women to generate stable incomes, access formal financial institutions, and build long-term economic resilience.

India's Scenario

Women's Employment Pattern

The Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) 2023–24 reveals that women's employment in India remains overwhelmingly concentrated in the informal economy. Approximately 86% of all working women are employed in the informal sector, while the corresponding figure in rural India reaches nearly 91%.

Agriculture continues to dominate rural female employment, with nearly 77% of rural women workers engaged in agricultural activities. Furthermore, around 73% of rural women workers are self-employed, many of them functioning as unpaid family workers without independent economic ownership.

Ownership Gap

Despite their substantial contribution to agriculture, women possess legal ownership of agricultural land in only 12–16% of rural land-owning households, according to data from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS), the India Human Development Survey (IHDS), and ICRISAT.

Although male migration has increasingly transformed women into de facto cultivators, they frequently lack formal ownership rights over the land they cultivate.

This ownership deficit prevents women from accessing institutional credit, crop insurance, agricultural subsidies, government support schemes, and organised agricultural markets.

Consequently, employment without ownership represents only partial economic empowerment, leaving women economically vulnerable despite active participation in production.

Key Challenges

Limitations of Existing Gender Indicators

Most international gender indices continue to rely primarily on indicators such as labour force participation, wage gaps, hourly earnings, and unpaid domestic work.

While these indicators remain important, they overlook ownership of land, financial assets, housing, inheritance rights, and wealth accumulation, thereby providing only a partial assessment of women's economic status.

Gender Wealth Inequality

Wealth inequality differs fundamentally from income inequality because wealth generates future income, provides economic security during crises, increases decision-making power, and is transferred across generations.

Although the World Inequality Lab has recognised inheritance as a major contributor to wealth inequality, gender disparities in inheritance and wealth ownership remain inadequately measured and insufficiently reflected in global inequality assessments.

Data Constraints

Although comprehensive gender-disaggregated wealth databases remain limited, significant information already exists through FAO, the World Bank, NFHS, agricultural surveys, land records, and pension databases.

The primary challenge lies not in the complete absence of data but in the limited integration, systematic collection, and effective utilisation of gender-disaggregated wealth statistics.

Government Initiatives

India has introduced several policy measures aimed at strengthening women's economic empowerment through enhanced ownership rights.

The Hindu Succession (Amendment) Act, 2005 grants daughters equal coparcenary rights in ancestral property, thereby strengthening inheritance equality.

The SVAMITVA Scheme provides formal ownership records for rural residential properties, while Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) encourages property registration in women's names or joint ownership.

The Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana (MKSP) recognises and empowers women farmers by improving access to agricultural resources and institutional support.

The Digital India Land Records Modernisation Programme (DILRMP) seeks to improve transparency and accessibility of land records, thereby facilitating secure property rights.

Women's economic participation is further supported through Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana–National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM), Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY), and Stand-Up India, which promote financial inclusion, entrepreneurship, and access to institutional credit.

Measures to Strengthen Women's Economic Empowerment

• A comprehensive strategy requires developing gender-disaggregated databases covering ownership of land, housing, enterprises, financial assets, pensions, and other forms of wealth.

• Existing legal provisions relating to equal inheritance rights and joint property ownership should be effectively implemented and enforced.

• Strengthening women's ownership of productive assets will improve their access to credit, insurance, markets, agricultural inputs, and entrepreneurship opportunities, thereby enhancing long-term economic resilience.

• Labour market reforms should simultaneously focus on expanding childcare services, safe public transport, maternity benefits, flexible work arrangements, and equal employment opportunities.

• National and international inequality indices should incorporate wealth ownership indicators alongside conventional labour market measures to present a more accurate picture of gender inequality.

• Improving legal literacy, digitising land records, and simplifying property registration processes will further enable women to assert and protect their ownership rights.

Way Forward

• Women's participation in the labour market remains a crucial indicator of empowerment, but employment alone cannot adequately capture the full extent of economic inequality.

• In countries such as India, where a majority of women work in agriculture and the informal economy, ownership of productive assets is equally important as employment for achieving genuine economic independence.

• Future assessments of gender inequality must therefore move beyond wage-based indicators and incorporate wealth ownership, inheritance rights, property ownership, and access to productive assets.

• Reducing intra-household wealth inequalities will play a pivotal role in achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5 – Gender Equality, while also promoting inclusive growth, poverty reduction, and long-term economic resilience.

Conclusion

A meaningful assessment of women's empowerment requires shifting the focus from "women who work" to "women who own." While labour market participation remains essential, ownership of land, housing, enterprises, and productive assets provides lasting economic security, strengthens decision-making power, and promotes intergenerational equity. Integrating gender wealth inequality into national and global development indicators is therefore essential for building an inclusive and equitable economy

Why in News?

More than 100 days have passed since Tarique Rahman’s BNP government assumed office in Bangladesh. Despite expectations of a fresh beginning, India–Bangladesh relations remain strained, with unresolved issues relating to trade, visas, water sharing, immigration, and regional geopolitics continuing to hamper bilateral ties.

Overview

India and Bangladesh share a historic, strategic, economic, and cultural partnership, making Bangladesh one of India's most important neighbours under the Neighbourhood First Policy and the Act East Policy. However, the political transition in Bangladesh has not translated into an improvement in bilateral relations. Although India has undertaken several diplomatic outreach initiatives, Bangladesh believes these gestures have not been matched by substantive policy changes, leading to a widening trust deficit.

India’s Diplomatic Outreach Towards Bangladesh

High-Level Engagement

Even before Tarique Rahman formally assumed office, India attempted to demonstrate goodwill through a series of diplomatic initiatives. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar visited Dhaka in December 2025 to convey condolences following the demise of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia. Subsequently, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri delivered Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s invitation to the new leadership, while Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla attended Rahman’s swearing-in ceremony on 17 February 2026.

These engagements reflected India's willingness to maintain diplomatic continuity despite political changes in Bangladesh.

Why Bangladesh Remains Dissatisfied

Perception of Symbolic Rather Than Substantive Diplomacy

Although Bangladesh appreciated India's diplomatic gestures, the BNP leadership viewed them largely as symbolic. Dhaka expected India to reverse several restrictive measures imposed during the previous Muhammad Yunus-led interim government, but these expectations have remained largely unfulfilled.

As a result, Bangladesh believes that India has not provided sufficient political space for the new government to strengthen bilateral relations while managing domestic political pressures.

Major Issues Creating Bilateral Tensions

Trade Restrictions

Bangladesh seeks the restoration of transhipment facilities through India and the removal of trade restrictions affecting Bangladeshi exports. It argues that greater market access would strengthen bilateral economic integration and reduce trade imbalances.

Visa Restrictions

Dhaka has requested the full restoration of business and medical visas, which were curtailed during the political uncertainty of recent years. Limited visa access has adversely affected trade, tourism, healthcare, education, and people-to-people exchanges.

Ganga Water Treaty

• One of the most sensitive bilateral issues remains the 1996 Ganga Water Treaty, which is scheduled to expire on 31 December 2026.

• Bangladesh considers the timely renewal of the treaty essential because millions of people depend on Ganga waters for irrigation, agriculture, and drinking purposes. Delays could threaten projects such as the Ganges–Kobadak Irrigation Project, disrupt agricultural cycles, and worsen existing water shortages.

• The treaty has therefore become both an economic necessity and a politically sensitive issue for the Rahman government.

Immigration Narrative

• The BNP government made a notable diplomatic concession by publicly stating that Sheikh Hasina’s continued stay in India would not become an obstacle to restoring bilateral relations.

• However, India continued to emphasise concerns regarding illegal immigration from Bangladesh, particularly after elections in West Bengal and Assam. Bangladeshi officials expected this rhetoric to soften after the elections but instead perceived India's continued emphasis on illegal migration as a sign of diminished trust.

• This has contributed significantly to the growing perception of political mistrust between the two countries.

Bangladesh’s Strategic Diversification

Increasing Engagement with China

• Facing slow progress in relations with India, the Rahman government has reportedly intensified preparations for high-level visits to China and Malaysia.

• This reflects Bangladesh's broader strategy of diversifying its foreign partnerships and reducing excessive dependence on any single country.

• However, despite expanding relations with China, the United States, and other countries, India remains indispensable in one critical area—transboundary river water management. No external partner can replace India's role in sharing the waters of common rivers.

Domestic Challenges Facing Bangladesh

Economic and Social Pressures

• The Rahman government is simultaneously dealing with several internal crises.

• Bangladesh has experienced a serious measles outbreak resulting in the deaths of hundreds of infants, attracting criticism over public health management.

• The country has also witnessed rising incidents of sexual violence and concerns regarding deteriorating law and order, which have persisted since the political unrest of August 2024.

• Furthermore, a politically active Awami League, despite restrictions, continues to remain influential. Failure to secure the renewal of the Ganga Water Treaty could provide additional political opportunities to opposition forces.

Importance of Stable India–Bangladesh Relations

Strategic Importance for India

A stable Bangladesh is vital for India's North-East connectivity, border management, regional trade, and implementation of the Act East Policy.

Political instability in Bangladesh could adversely affect:

• Border security

• Counter-terrorism cooperation

• Cross-border trade

• Connectivity projects

• Regional stability in South Asia

Therefore, maintaining constructive engagement with Bangladesh remains a strategic imperative for India.

Way Forward

Moving Beyond Symbolic Diplomacy

India and Bangladesh need to shift from symbolic diplomatic gestures towards practical policy measures. Restoring trade facilitation, expanding visa services, resolving water-sharing issues, and strengthening economic cooperation would significantly improve mutual trust.

Timely Renewal of the Ganga Water Treaty

Negotiations on the Ganga Water Treaty should be prioritised well before its expiry. A timely agreement would strengthen confidence, ensure water security, and demonstrate India's commitment to cooperative river basin management.

Strengthening Economic Integration

Both countries should deepen cooperation in trade, connectivity, energy, digital infrastructure, and supply chains. Greater economic interdependence can reduce political mistrust and create shared incentives for long-term stability.

Respecting Mutual Sensitivities

Both governments should avoid public rhetoric that fuels domestic political tensions. Sensitive issues such as illegal immigration and political asylum require careful diplomatic handling rather than public confrontation.

Conclusion

The change of government in Bangladesh has not automatically resolved longstanding bilateral concerns. While India has demonstrated diplomatic goodwill, Bangladesh continues to expect concrete policy actions relating to trade, visas, and water sharing. The approaching expiry of the 1996 Ganga Water Treaty provides both countries with an opportunity to rebuild confidence. A relationship founded on pragmatism, mutual respect, and sustained cooperation will remain essential for ensuring regional stability, economic prosperity, and strategic security in South Asia.

Why in News?

The Government of India has intensified regulatory action against major social media platforms such as Meta (WhatsApp and Instagram), Telegram, and Signal over concerns relating to digital fraud, online piracy, Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Material (CSEAM), AI-generated harms, privacy, and intermediary accountability. The developments have reignited the debate on intermediary liability, algorithmic accountability, privacy versus traceability, and the need for a comprehensive digital platform law.

Overview

The rapid expansion of digital platforms has transformed communication, commerce, governance, and access to information. However, the growing influence of these platforms has also increased concerns regarding cyber fraud, misinformation, copyright infringement, online child abuse, algorithmic manipulation, and synthetic media. As social media platforms evolve from passive intermediaries into active curators of online content, the Government has sought stronger regulatory oversight while balancing privacy, innovation, freedom of speech, and public safety.

Major Concerns Regarding the Growing Power of Social Media Platforms

Rise in Digital Fraud and Online Impersonation

The Government has expressed concern over proposed features such as WhatsApp usernames, which allow communication without revealing mobile numbers. Although intended to enhance privacy, such features may facilitate identity theft, phishing attacks, digital arrest scams, and name-squatting. While Meta has clarified that mobile numbers will remain linked internally and usernames of verified institutions will be protected, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) remains concerned about potential misuse.

Privacy Versus Traceability

Modern platforms increasingly employ End-to-End Encryption (E2EE) and privacy-enhancing technologies that protect users' personal information. While these features strengthen digital privacy, they also complicate criminal investigations by making it difficult for law enforcement agencies to trace offenders involved in cybercrime, identity theft, and financial fraud.

The Government has classified WhatsApp as a Significant Social Media Intermediary (SSMI) under the Information Technology Act, 2000 and the IT Rules, 2021, thereby imposing enhanced due diligence obligations. However, civil society organisations argue that the Government's powers remain limited by the conditional safe harbour provisions under Section 79 of the IT Act.

Growing Challenge of Online Piracy

The Government has identified over 3,100 Telegram channels allegedly distributing pirated films, OTT content, and copyrighted material. Traditional notice-and-takedown mechanisms have proved inadequate because infringing content quickly reappears under new channels and identities.

Consequently, the Government has urged Telegram to proactively detect, report, and disable access to pirated content rather than relying solely on reactive content removal. The issue reflects a broader shift towards preventive due diligence by digital intermediaries.

Algorithmic Promotion of Child Sexual Exploitation Material

Investigations have revealed instances where Instagram advertisements allegedly promoted access to Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Material (CSEAM) and redirected users to Telegram channels.

Although Meta maintains a zero-tolerance policy towards such content, sophisticated criminal networks have exploited weaknesses in automated advertising systems and recommendation algorithms. The Government has therefore directed Meta to remove such content immediately and submit an Action Taken Report (ATR). These incidents highlight the limitations of AI-driven content moderation systems operating at massive scale.

Threat from AI-Generated Synthetic Content

The emergence of Artificial Intelligence has enabled the creation of deepfakes, synthetic identities, voice cloning, and non-consensual intimate imagery, collectively referred to as Synthetically Generated Information (SGI).

Such technologies threaten individual dignity, electoral integrity, cybersecurity, and public trust, making AI governance an increasingly important regulatory priority.

Algorithmic Amplification of Harmful Content

Social media platforms increasingly function as active content curators rather than passive hosts. Their recommendation engines often amplify misinformation, hate speech, piracy, extremist content, and fraudulent material, thereby increasing their societal impact.

In several instances, viral misinformation circulating through social media has contributed to communal violence, riots, and public disorder, raising demands for greater platform accountability.

Cross-Border Enforcement Challenges

Most major digital platforms operate across multiple jurisdictions, making investigation, evidence collection, prosecution, and content removal significantly more complex. Differences in legal systems and data protection laws often hinder effective international cooperation against cybercrime.

Important Supreme Court Judgments

Shreya Singhal vs Union of India (2015)

The Supreme Court upheld the constitutional validity of Section 69A of the IT Act while striking down Section 66A. The Court held that blocking orders under Section 69A contain adequate procedural safeguards and judicial oversight.

Tehseen Poonawalla vs Union of India (2018)

The Court directed governments to take strong action against the spread of fake news and inflammatory social media messages capable of inciting mob violence and lynching.

Anuradha Bhasin vs Union of India (2020)

The Supreme Court recognised access to the Internet as an essential component of the Fundamental Rights under Article 19, subject to reasonable restrictions.

Ajit Mohan vs Delhi Legislative Assembly (2021)

The Court observed that platforms like Facebook (Meta) are no longer merely passive intermediaries because their algorithms actively influence public opinion. Consequently, such platforms carry greater societal responsibility.

Important Cybersecurity Concepts

Border Gateway Protocol (BGP)

BGP is the core routing protocol of the Internet that determines how data travels across interconnected networks. However, it lacks built-in authentication mechanisms, making it vulnerable to BGP hijacking, where attackers reroute Internet traffic for malicious purposes.

Resource Public Key Infrastructure (RPKI)

RPKI is a cryptographic framework designed to secure BGP by verifying the legitimacy of Internet routing information and reducing the risk of route hijacking.

DNS Hijacking

DNS Hijacking involves manipulating the Domain Name System (DNS) to redirect users from legitimate websites to fraudulent websites without their knowledge.

Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA)

Zero Trust Architecture follows the principle of "Never Trust, Always Verify." Every user and device must continuously authenticate itself before accessing digital resources, regardless of its location inside or outside the network.

Splinternet

Splinternet, also known as Cyber Sovereignty, refers to the fragmentation of the global Internet into multiple nationally controlled digital ecosystems governed by different regulatory standards.

Challenges in Regulating Digital Platforms

Ambiguity in Intermediary Liability

As digital platforms increasingly recommend, promote, and monetise content using sophisticated algorithms, the distinction between a neutral intermediary and an active publisher has become blurred. Determining when platforms should lose their safe harbour protection remains a major legal challenge.

Reactive Rather Than Preventive Regulation

India's current regulatory framework largely follows a notice-and-takedown model, responding only after harmful content has already circulated. Preventive, risk-based regulation remains underdeveloped.

Opaque Algorithms

Recommendation systems and content moderation algorithms function largely as black boxes, limiting regulatory oversight, transparency, and independent auditing of harmful outcomes.

Fragmented Legal Framework

Digital platforms are governed by multiple laws, including the IT Act, 2000, Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, Copyright Act, 1957, POCSO Act, 2012, and Competition Act, 2002, resulting in overlapping jurisdictions and regulatory uncertainty.

Balancing Fundamental Rights

Regulation must carefully balance privacy, freedom of speech, innovation, child safety, copyright protection, and national security, ensuring that legitimate rights are not undermined.

Institutional Capacity Constraints

Effective regulation increasingly requires expertise in AI governance, digital forensics, cryptography, algorithm auditing, and cybersecurity, capacities that are still evolving within India's regulatory institutions.

Measures Needed to Strengthen Digital Platform Regulation

Comprehensive Digital Platform Law

India should establish a dedicated legal framework for AI and Digital Platforms, moving beyond piecemeal amendments to the Information Technology Act, 2000.

Transparent and Fair Takedown Procedures

Content removal mechanisms should comply with the principles of natural justice, ensuring users receive reasoned decisions and adequate opportunities to appeal.

Mandatory Algorithm Audits

Large digital platforms should be required to conduct annual public-interest algorithmic audits to evaluate their impact on elections, public health, child safety, and social harmony.

Comprehensive AI Governance Framework

India should operationalise the IndiaAI Safety Institute and develop robust standards governing deepfakes, synthetic media, AI-generated content, and algorithmic transparency.

Lawful Traceability Mechanisms

Judicially supervised traceability should be introduced for serious offences such as terrorism, organised cybercrime, and child sexual exploitation, while preserving strong encryption for ordinary users.

Strengthening Child Online Protection

Digital platforms should adopt Safety-by-Design, mandatory CSAM detection technologies, age-appropriate platform design, and faster compliance with lawful takedown requests in accordance with POCSO Act, 2012 and the IT Rules, 2021.

Conclusion

The recent controversies involving WhatsApp, Telegram, and Meta demonstrate that digital platforms have evolved into powerful actors capable of shaping public discourse, economic activity, and democratic processes. India therefore requires a balanced, rights-based, technology-neutral regulatory framework that preserves privacy, innovation, and freedom of expression while ensuring platform accountability, child protection, cybersecurity, due process, and effective enforcement in the rapidly evolving digital ecosystem