Stay updated with the most relevant UPSC daily current affairs for 10 June 2025. This quick roundup includes key topics from The Hindu, Indian Express, and PIB, covering major developments in polity, economy, science, and social issues. Ideal for UPSC Prelims revision and Mains answer writing 1. Critical Minerals and India’s Strategic Needs 🔹 About: Critical minerals are essential elements required for high-tech devices, clean energy technologies, and defense applications. These include rare earth elements (REEs), lithium, cobalt, gallium, and more—vital for India’s energy transition, economic growth, and national security. 🔹 Key Facts & Functions: Definition: No universal definition. Countries define based on essentiality and supply risk. Dynamic Criticality: The critical status of a mineral can change due to geopolitical and market shifts. Top Global Producers: China, Congo, Chile, Indonesia, Australia, South Africa. 🔹 Applications: Renewable energy (solar panels, wind turbines) Electric vehicles (lithium-ion batteries) Electronics & semiconductors Aerospace & defense 🔹 India’s Current Status: Heavily import-dependent, especially on China for REEs. Ministry of Mines identified 30 critical minerals (e.g., lithium, cobalt, gallium). 🔹 Significance: Economic Growth: Backbone for electronics, EVs, and manufacturing. Strategic Security: Helps reduce import dependence and supply chain vulnerabilities. Energy Transition: Key enabler for green technologies. 🔹 Challenges: Limited domestic reserves; many unexplored. Heavy import reliance, particularly on China. Weak downstream processing ecosystem. Policy, R&D, and investment gaps. 🔹 Steps Taken: 30 minerals identified as critical. Priority focus: Lithium, cobalt, gallium, antimony. Collaborations initiated with resource-rich countries. 🔹 Way Forward: Set up a Critical Minerals Authority. Promote exploration, processing, and recycling. Incentivize public-private investment. Strategic stockpiling and global supply diversification. 2. SEZ Norms for Semiconductor & Electronics Units 🔹 Introduction: Special Economic Zones (SEZs) are specially designated areas with relaxed regulatory frameworks to attract exports and investments. India is reforming SEZ norms to support semiconductor and electronics manufacturing—critical to digital self-reliance. 🔹 Key Facts & Functions: Definition: SEZs offer relaxed rules to support investment and industry. Semiconductor Significance: Backbone of the digital economy, AI, defense, and automation. India targets becoming a global hub via Semicon India Programme. SEZ Functioning: Offers tax exemptions, customs facilitation, ease of doing business. Major focus on electronics, IT, pharma exports. 🔹 Reforms for Chip Manufacturing: Export obligations relaxed. Domestic sales allowed (with duties). Integrated PLI (Production Linked Incentives) with SEZ benefits. 🔹 Concerns: Underperformance of many SEZs due to: Regulatory overlaps Weak domestic linkages High compliance burden 🔹 Reforms Needed: Enable dual-use infrastructure (export + domestic use). Strengthen logistics, power, and customs clearance. Simplify exit norms and rationalize taxes. 3.Women in Agriculture 🔹 Introduction: Women are the backbone of India’s agriculture, forming a large part of the workforce. Despite this, they face low recognition, unequal access, and minimal institutional support—calling for gender-sensitive reforms. 🔹 Key Facts & Functions: Workforce Share: Over 60% of rural women are in agriculture; they form over 50% of the agri workforce. Roles Performed: Sowing, weeding, harvesting, post-harvest processing Animal husbandry, fisheries, horticulture “Invisible Farmers”: Most lack land titles and recognition. Land Ownership: Less than 15% of women own land in India. Global Recognition: UN has declared 2026 as the International Year of Women Farmers. Recognizes their role in food security and climate action. 🔹 Challenges: Ownership Gaps: Less than 15% of women own land. Access Barriers: To credit, technology, training, and markets. Lack of Recognition: Seen as unpaid family labor. 🔹 Way Forward: Legal Reforms for women's land rights. Promote gender-responsive agricultural policies. Expand access to training, finance, tools. Encourage women-led FPOs and self-help groups. 4. Tighten the Process: Electoral Reforms for Transparency 🔹 About:This editorial underscores the urgent need for transparency in India’s electoral process, especially amid rising concerns over the integrity of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and vote counting procedures. 🔹 Key Points: Prominent leaders like Rahul Gandhi have raised questions on the fairness of the voting and counting process. The gap between polling and counting, notably in Maharashtra, has fueled public skepticism and speculation. Election Commission of India (ECI) has protocols for CCTV footage retention and EVM sealing, yet access and enforcement remain weak. 🔹 Government and Institutional Measures: Form 17C Protocol: Issued by ECI to verify vote counts, but currently lacks public accessibility. VVPAT (Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail): Introduced to improve transparency; only 5 machines per constituency verified as per SC. CCTV Footage Rules: Footage is retained post-election, but real-time or public access is missing. 🔹 Judicial and Legal Interventions: Subramanian Swamy vs ECI (2013): SC mandated use of VVPAT for enhanced confidence in EVMs. ECI vs Ashok Shankarrao Chavan (2017): Emphasized stricter scrutiny of election expenditure and finance. 🔹 Way Forward: Real-time publication of Form 17C data. Mandatory public access to CCTV footage at critical election phases. Expand VVPAT verification to at least 25% of machines. Introduce stronger audits and enable third-party technological monitoring. 5. The Census and the Remaking of a People 🔹 About:India’s decadal Census is more than a demographic exercise—it determines political representation, state policy, and social identity. This editorial explores how the Census reshapes the Indian state and citizenry. 🔹 Key Points: Political Tool: Influences delimitation, reservation, and resource distribution. Population Growth Disparities: Northern states see higher growth, while southern states decline, causing political imbalances. Caste Enumeration: Increasing demand for caste-based census to support targeted policies. 🔹 Constitutional Provisions: Article 82 & Article 170: Enable constituency redrawing based on Census data. 73rd & 74th Amendments: Strengthen local governance, aided by Census inputs. 🔹 Recent Developments: 2021 Census Delayed due to COVID-19; will be the first digital census. States like Bihar and Tamil Nadu are strongly pushing for caste-based census. 🔹 Global Comparisons: USA: Uses Census data for House representation and federal funding. Brazil & South Africa: Employ census data for affirmative action and welfare schemes. 🔹 Challenges: Politicization of census data may deepen regional divides. Ethical and legal issues in caste data collection. Digital Census risks—privacy, security, and reliability. 🔹 Way Forward: Ensure transparent methodology with third-party audits. Create a legal data protection framework. Maintain inclusive representation without reinforcing identity politics. 6. Empowering Women in Agriculture for Food Security 🔹 About:Women are central to India’s agriculture and food systems. This article highlights their critical but underrecognized role and urges gender-inclusive reforms to achieve sustainable food security. 🔹 Key Points: Women contribute 60–80% of food production in developing countries. Despite this, they face challenges in land rights, credit access, technology, and leadership. Gender inequality hampers productivity and food security. 🔹 Key Global Initiatives & Reports: FAO’s 2023 Report: Closing gender gaps can raise global agri-output by 2.5–4%. Beijing Platform for Action (1995): Advocates rural women’s economic empowerment. UN SDGs – Goal 2 & 5: Link zero hunger with gender equality. 🔹 Government Schemes in India: MKSP: Focuses on skill-building among women farmers. DAY-NRLM: Promotes Self Help Groups (SHGs) for rural women. PM-Kisan: Often registered under male names, limiting women’s benefit. eNAM: Offers digital access to markets, though female participation is low. 🔹 Challenges: Only 13% of women own land in India. Bias in extension services and support systems. Underrepresentation in agri-policy and leadership. 🔹 Case Study:SEWA (Gujarat) has empowered thousands via women-led cooperatives, enhancing income and autonomy. 🔹 Way Forward: Introduce gender budgeting in agriculture. Ensure joint land ownership and access to institutional credit. Strengthen female leadership in FPOs. Promote digital literacy and market linkage for women farmers. 7. The Epidemic of Lifestyle Diseases in India 🔹 About:This editorial discusses the rapid rise of non-communicable diseases (NCDs)—like diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and hypertension—due to urbanized lifestyles and poor health awareness. 🔹 Key Points: NCDs account for over 60% of deaths in India, as per WHO. Caused by sedentary lifestyle, poor diet, stress, and tobacco/alcohol use. Early onset observed—many affected in their 30s and 40s. 🔹 Government Initiatives: NPCDCS: Offers screening, awareness, and treatment for major NCDs. Ayushman Bharat – HWCs: Provide primary healthcare with NCD diagnosis. Fit India & Eat Right India Campaigns: Promote lifestyle and dietary improvements. Tobacco Control Programme: Targets reduction in tobacco-related deaths. 🔹 Reports & Data: ICMR 2023 Report: 11.4% of adults in India now have diabetes. Global Burden of Disease (Lancet, 2022): Surge in ischemic heart disease linked to poor lifestyle. 🔹 Challenges: Awareness gaps in rural India. Weak healthcare systems for referrals and chronic management. High out-of-pocket expenses for patients. Cultural changes pushing junk food and screen addiction. 🔹 Global Frameworks & Examples: WHO Global NCD Plan (2013–2020): Aims to reduce premature deaths by 25%. Japan’s “Metabo Law” enforces waistline checks to prevent obesity. Thailand’s Sugar Tax effectively reduced sugar consumption among youth. 🔹 Way Forward: Mandate health education in schools and workplaces. Tax unhealthy foods and sugary beverages. Offer annual health screenings under public health systems. Promote traditional diets, yoga, and active living through local bodies. [caption id="attachment_26213" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Daily Current Affairs 10th June 2025[/caption]
