Present Affairs 19 April 2025

Content material:

1. Two Kuno cheetahs to be moved to Gandhi Sagar on April 20
2. No GST on UPI transactions over ₹2,000, Centre clarifies
3. NCERT insists all new college textbooks have been ‘named thoughtfully’
4. FY25 pharma exports cross $30 bn, surge 31% in March
5. 74 killed in U.S. assault on Yemen, say Houthis

Two Kuno cheetahs to be moved to Gandhi Sagar on April 20

Cheetah Translocation Replace

• Occasion: Two cheetahs to be shifted from Kuno Nationwide Park to Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary on April 20, 2025.
• Location:
  • Kuno Nationwide Park – Sheopur district, Madhya Pradesh.
  • Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary – Unfold throughout Mandsaur and Neemuch districts, MP.

Relevance : GS 3(Atmosphere and Ecology)

 Background Context

• Cheetahs have been reintroduced in India in 2022 after native extinction in 1952.
• Kuno was chosen as the first website for the Venture Cheetah, with cheetahs from Namibia and South Africa.

Implementation Particulars

• Recognized Animals: Two cheetahs at Kuno chosen for translocation.
• New Enclosure: Gandhi Sagar has ready a 64 sq.km. enclosure.

 Worldwide Side

• Deliberate Import: 6–8 cheetahs from South Africa have been to be introduced.
• Delay: Talks with South African officers are taking longer; now anticipated by September 2025.

Challenges & Issues

• Climate Issue: Preliminary plan was to maneuver cheetahs earlier than peak summer season to scale back stress.
• Logistical Coordination: Cross-country negotiations inflicting delays in augmentation plans.

Significance

• Marks the second habitat for cheetahs below Venture Cheetah.
• Goals to diversify habitat danger, increase eco-tourism, and take a look at carrying capability past Kuno.
• Might function a stepping stone for bigger conservation and species revival methods in India.

About Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus)

 Organic Options

• Quickest land animal: Can run as much as 112 km/h (quick bursts).
• Belongs to the Felidae household, genus Acinonyx.
• Tailored for velocity with:
  • Enlarged nasal passages and lungs
• In contrast to different large cats, cheetahs can’t roar.
• Distinctive black “tear marks” below eyes assist in searching.

Cheetahs in India – Historic Context

• Subspecies: Asiatic cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus venaticus).
• As soon as present in Rajasthan, Gujarat, MP, Chhattisgarh, and Deccan Plateau.
• Extinct in India by 1952 as a consequence of:
  • Overhunting by royals and British officers

Reintroduction Efforts: Venture Cheetah

• Launched: 2022 (First batch from Namibia).
• Goal: Reintroduce the species to Indian grasslands.
• First website: Kuno Nationwide Park, Madhya Pradesh
• Whole cheetahs introduced:
  • 8 from Namibia (Sept 2022)
  • 12 from South Africa (Feb 2023)
• A part of India’s “grassland ecosystem revival”.

Second Website: Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary

• Positioned in Mandsaur & Neemuch, MP.
• Ready a 64 sq.km. enclosure.
• First 2 male cheetahs to be translocated on April 20, 2025.
• Anticipated to host extra cheetahs, together with from South Africa later in 2025.

 World Standing

• African cheetah: Present in sub-Saharan Africa, comparatively steady however weak.
• Asiatic cheetah: Critically endangered, discovered solely in Iran (fewer than 20 people left).

No GST on UPI transactions over ₹2,000, Centre clarifies

Background Context

• Current media experiences speculated that the federal government might impose GST on UPI transactions exceeding ₹2,000.
• These experiences sparked considerations about digital fee prices and influence on cashless economic system.

Relevance : GS 2(Governance) , GS 3(Indian Economic system)

Official Clarification by the Finance Ministry

• The Ministry referred to as such experiences “false, deceptive, and with out foundation.”
• No proposal is below authorities consideration to levy GST on UPI transactions, whatever the quantity.
• Aimed toward quelling misinformation and reassuring digital fee stakeholders.

GST Applicability on Digital Funds (Present Framework)

• GST is just not levied on UPI transactions themselves.
• GST is barely relevant on providers, resembling:
  • Service provider Low cost Charge (MDR) – a small charge charged by banks/fee suppliers on digital transactions.
• MDR on P2M UPI and RuPay debit card transactions was abolished from January 1, 2020 below authorities mandate.
  • CBDT issued notification to advertise low-cost digital funds.
  • Thus, P2M UPI funds are MDR-free and GST-exempt.

What’s MDR?

• Service provider Low cost Charge is a charge paid by retailers to banks or fee processors for accepting digital funds.
• It might appeal to GST as it’s a service.
• Abolished on UPI & RuPay P2M to increase digital inclusion and ease price burden on small companies.

Potential Affect of GST on UPI (if ever imposed)

• Might disincentivize digital funds, particularly high-value ones.
• Contradicts India’s push for a cashless, clear economic system.
• Would possibly burden small retailers and disrupt UPI ecosystem development.

UPI in India – Significance

• India’s UPI system is a international benchmark in real-time digital funds.
• Facilitates over 18.3 billion transactions in March 2025 alone.
• Key to authorities’s Digital India and monetary inclusion agenda.
• Backed by zero-MDR coverage to advertise adoption amongst small distributors.

Why This Clarification Issues

• Prevents misinformation-driven panic amongst companies and customers.
• Indicators coverage continuity in digital fee help.
• Reinforces belief in UPI as a free and handy fee possibility.

NCERT insists all new college textbooks have been ‘named thoughtfully’

Context: The Controversy

• A row erupted over the usage of Hindi titles for English-language NCERT textbooks.
• Critics, together with politicians from Tamil Nadu and Kerala, alleged linguistic imposition and cultural homogenization.
• The NCERT responded, stating the names have been chosen with cultural and academic intent, not language desire.

Relevance : GS 2 (Governance, Social Justice)

NCERT’s Clarification – Key Factors

• Textbook titles are chosen for their cultural, linguistic, and pedagogical significance, to not promote a particular language.
• The names purpose to advertise a joyful, rooted, and culturally contextualised studying expertise.
• They replicate the range and unity of India, aligning with the Nationwide Schooling Coverage (NEP) 2020 imaginative and prescient.

Examples of E book Titles and Cultural Anchoring

• Mridang (Class 1 & 2 English): Refers to Mridangam, a Carnatic percussion instrument – represents South Indian musical heritage.
• Santoor (Class 3 English): A stringed instrument with Persian origin, used broadly in Indian classical music – image of cross-cultural synthesis.
• Maths Mela (Class 3 Maths): A mix of English (“Maths”) and Hindi (“Mela”), emphasizing inclusivity.
• Veena (Class 3 Hindi): A conventional string instrument, symbolizing classical Indian arts.
• Sitar (Urdu textbook): Identified throughout Indian and Pakistani classical music traditions.
• Poorvi (Class 6 & 7 English): A classical raga historically sung within the night – signifies emotional and cultural depth.
• Ganita Prakash (Class 6 Maths): Means “Illumination of Arithmetic”; attracts from India’s historical mathematical heritage.
• Kriti-I (Class 6 Arts): Sanskrit for creation or composition, frequent throughout Indian languages.

NCERT’s Pedagogical Rationale

• Naming fosters pleasure in Indian data programs and linguistic range.
• Encourages curiosity about India’s scientific and cultural legacy.
• Aligned with NEP 2020 objectives of introducing Indian context and multilingual flexibility in curriculum design.

NCERT’s Response to Criticism

• Titles have been derived from a number of Indian languages, not simply Hindi.
• Aimed toward selling inclusive cultural publicity, not imposing uniformity.
• Emphasised the usage of English titles too (e.g., Honeydew for Class 8, Beehive for Class 9, First Flight for Class 10), making certain linguistic steadiness.

Curriculum Background

• New books are a part of textbook reform below Nationwide Curriculum Framework for Faculty Schooling (NCFSE) 2023, based mostly on NEP 2020.
• Newly launched textbooks: Lessons 1, 2, 3, and 6.
• Concentrate on activity-based studying, worth training, and integration of India’s cultural richness.

FY25 pharma exports cross $30 bn, surge 31% in March

General Efficiency in FY25

• India’s pharmaceutical exports touched a document $30.47 billion in FY25.
• This marked a 9.39% enhance YoY from $27.85 billion in FY24.
• The FY25 export goal was $29.38 billion, which was efficiently surpassed.

Relevance : GS 3(Exterior Sector)

Surge in March 2025

• March 2025 noticed a outstanding 31.21% YoY surge, reaching $3.68 billion (vs $2.80 billion in March 2024).
• March’s efficiency was the strongest month of the 12 months.
• Different vital development months:
  • January: +21.47% YoY ($2.59 bn)
  • Might: +10.63% YoY ($2.30 bn)
• February was the one month with a contraction: -1.52% YoY ($2.47 bn).

Elements Behind the Surge

• US Market Alternative:
  • Scarcity of generic pharmaceuticals within the US boosted Indian exports.
  • Anticipation of a 26% US tariff (introduced and later paused) pushed exporters to ship extra quickly.
  • Pharma was excluded from the proposed US tariffs, providing reduction.

• Strategic Diversification:
  • India continued efforts to faucet new and rising markets.
• Export development achieved regardless of international headwinds:
  • Geopolitical tensions (e.g., Ukraine, Center East)
  • Rising delivery and logistics prices

Class-wise Export Composition (April–Feb)

• Drug formulations and biologicals:
  • Contributed $20.12 bn, over 75% of complete pharma exports.

• Bulk medication and drug intermediates:

• Vaccines:
  • $1.04 bn (decline of -4.20% YoY)

Nation-wise Export Insights

• Prime market: United States:
  • Share: ~30% of complete pharma exports
  • FY25 exports: $8.95 billion (+14.29% YoY)
• Different prime locations: UK, Brazil, France, South Africa — collectively accounted for
• South Africa noticed a 1.78% contraction

Regional Export Efficiency

• Prime 4 areas (76% of exports):
  • NAFTA (US, Canada, Mexico): 36.60%, up 14.06% YoY to $9.80 bn
  • LAC (Latin America and Caribbean)

• Areas with declining exports:

Significance and Implications

• First time pharma exports crossed $30 bn: Milestone in India’s international commerce and pharma diplomacy.
• Displays resilience and international belief in Indian pharma amidst international uncertainties.
• Aligns with India’s imaginative and prescient to develop into a worldwide pharma hub

74 killed in U.S. assault on Yemen, say Houthis

Context :

• The U.S. navy struck the Ras Issa gasoline port—a essential Houthi logistics and income hub on the Purple Sea.
• The purpose: Disrupt gasoline provide chains that finance or facilitate Houthi operations (possible together with Purple Sea assaults on delivery).

Relevance : GS 2(Worldwide Relations)

• Deadliest in 15-Month Marketing campaign:
  • With a minimum of 74 deaths, that is the most deadly U.S. strike since operations started concentrating on the Houthis in early 2023.
  • Represents a main escalation in U.S. kinetic exercise in opposition to non-state actors within the Center East post-Afghanistan withdrawal.

• Houthi Function in Purple Sea Disaster:
  • Houthis have carried out drone and missile assaults on business vessels within the Purple Sea, citing help for Palestinians amid the Gaza battle.
  • This has threatened international maritime commerce through the Suez Canal, prompting worldwide naval interventions.

Humanitarian and Civilian Affect

• Civilian Casualties:
  • No less than 74 confirmed deaths, with rescue efforts ongoing—suggests a excessive collateral toll.
  • Might invite worldwide criticism over proportionality and civilian concentrating on (Geneva Conventions/Worldwide Humanitarian Regulation implications).

• Financial Fallout:
  • Ras Issa is significant to Yemen’s gasoline distribution—harm might deepen the humanitarian disaster in an already war-torn nation.
  • Gasoline shortages may have an effect on hospitals, assist supply, and meals transport in Houthi-controlled areas.

Diplomatic Implications

• U.S.-Iran Proxy Dynamics:
  • The Houthis are backed by Iran, inserting this inside the broader U.S.-Iran proxy battle framework.
  • Might pressure nuclear negotiations or result in retaliatory strikes in Iraq, Syria, or Lebanon by different Iranian allies.

• Regional Tensions:
  • The strike might influence regionalstability, particularly with:
    • Hezbollah-Israel tensions
    • Saudi Arabia’s current diplomatic outreach to Houthis (through Oman/Iran mediation)

• UN & World Reactions:
  • Anticipated to attract scrutiny from the United Nations, particularly the Safety Council and OCHA, given Yemen’s fragile peace prospects.
  • Might undermine peace talks and reignite lively warfare in components of Yemen