Present Affairs 14 June 2025

Content material :

1. Black field recovered from roof of hostel; Modi visits crash web site
2. India abstains from UNGA decision for Gaza ceasefire
3. In a primary, Centre sanctions over 300 FRA cells to ‘facilitate’ implementation of Forest Rights Act throughout 18 States, UTs
4. Israel-Iran battle could affect oil provide to India, spike export prices
5. Why Israel attacked Iran’s nuclear amenities

Black field recovered from roof of hostel; Modi visits crash web site

Relevance : GS 3(Catastrophe Administration)

Background:

• Flight Particulars: Air India Flight AI-171 was working on a world route when it crashed throughout descent close to Meghaninagar, Ahmedabad.
• Plane Sort: The flight was operated utilizing a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, a long-haul wide-body plane.
• Crash Timing: The crash occurred shortly earlier than touchdown, with early stories suggesting a attainable technical failure or structural malfunction.
• Mayday Sign: Reviews point out the crew issued a Mayday misery name, hinting at a speedy emergency or system failure.
• First Main Crash Involving 787 in India: This incident marks the primary deadly crash involving a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner in Indian aviation historical past.
• Excessive Casualty Occasion: With over 240 onboard fatalities, it ranks among the many deadliest air crashes in Indian civil aviation in recent times.
• Survivor: Solely one onboard survivor, Vishwas Kumar Ramesh, has been confirmed thus far, presently present process remedy.

Crash & Investigation Standing

• Crash Incident: Air India flight AI-171 crashed in Ahmedabad, killing at the least 241 individuals on board.
• Floor Casualties: No confirmed information but on casualties on the bottom.
• Black Field Recovered: Discovered on the roof of a hostel; will help in figuring out the reason for the crash.
• AAIB Motion: Plane Accident Investigation Bureau has launched a proper probe.
• Police FIR: Ahmedabad police registered a case of unintended loss of life.

Political & Administrative Response

• PM Modi’s Go to: Visited the crash web site and chaired a overview assembly at Ahmedabad airport.
• Public Assertion: Expressed grief, calling the devastation “saddening”.
• Interplay with Victims: PM spoke to Vishwas Kumar Ramesh, the one onboard survivor, and met different injured people.
• UK-India Coordination: British Excessive Commissioner Lindy Cameron met PM; each nations collaborating to determine crash information.

Casualty Administration

• Our bodies Retrieved: 265 our bodies despatched to Ahmedabad Civil Hospital.
• Identifications Made: Solely 6 our bodies recognized thus far and handed over to households.
• DNA Profiling Underway: On account of extreme charring, DNA matching is getting used.
  • Course of anticipated to take 72 hours.
  • Remaining our bodies will probably be launched post-confirmation.

Safety & Surveillance

• Central Company Involvement: NIA and different central businesses visited the crash web site, indicating deeper investigation angles (safety/sabotage not dominated out).

India abstains from UNGA decision for Gaza ceasefire

India’s UNGA Abstention: Context & Implications

• India abstained from a UNGA decision calling for a ceasefire in Gaza on June 13, 2025 — 4th abstention in 3 years.
• Marks a shift from India’s earlier vote in favour of ceasefire (December 2024), indicating a altering diplomatic posture.
• India cited consistency with previous votes (Dec 2022, Oct 2023, early 2024) the place it abstained on resolutions crucial of Israel.

Relevance : GS 2(Worldwide Relations)

Diplomatic Significance

• India was the solely abstaining nation amongst BRICS, SCO, and South Asia, isolating it from its conventional groupings.
• Abstention got here whereas EAM Jaishankar was in Paris; France and Saudi Arabia are internet hosting a convention on the two-state resolution (June 17–20).
• Uncertainty over India’s participation on this upcoming convention; MEA has not but confirmed delegation.

UNGA Vote Particulars

• Decision title: “Safety of civilians and upholding authorized and humanitarian obligations”.
• Launched by Spain, handed with 149 in favour, 11 in opposition to, and 19 abstentions.
• India abstained together with nations like Albania, Malawi, Kiribati, Ecuador, and Dominica.
• The US and Israel opposed the decision, citing lack of criticism towards Hamas.

India’s Acknowledged Purpose

• India’s UN envoy Parvathaneni Harish acknowledged that India stays “deeply involved” about Gaza however abstained to promote dialogue and diplomacy.
• Maintained that solely peaceable negotiations can resolve the battle.

Humanitarian Disaster in Gaza

• Loss of life toll in Gaza stands at ~55,000, with half the inhabitants dealing with catastrophic starvation and well being crises.
• WHO and different UN our bodies report dozens of kid deaths from malnutrition for the reason that ceasefire collapse.
• Decision known as for:
  • Speedy and everlasting humanitarian help entry.
  • Compliance with worldwide humanitarian legislation by each Israel and Hamas.

World Responses

• US criticism: Decision doesn’t condemn Hamas straight.
• Russia’s stance: Ceasefire is crucial; Israel’s blockade is resulting in mass hunger and loss of life.
• Broader worldwide consensus coalescing round want for humanitarian ceasefire and revival of peace talks.

In a primary, Centre sanctions over 300 FRA cells to ‘facilitate’ implementation of Forest Rights Act throughout 18 States, UTs

Background Context

• Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006: Acknowledges rights of Scheduled Tribes (STs) and Different Conventional Forest Dwellers (OTFDs) over forest land and sources.
• Duty until now: Implementation has been the accountability of State and UT governments.

Relevance : GS 3(Setting and Ecology)

Key Growth

• First-ever Central Structural Assist: The Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) has sanctioned 324 district-level FRA cells and 17 State-level cells in 18 States/UTs.
• Beneath DAJGUA Scheme: The initiative is a part of the Dharti Aba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyaan, launched in October 2024, aimed toward tribal welfare.

Goal and Position of FRA Cells

• Supportive Position Solely:
  • Help Gram Sabhas and claimants in paperwork for FRA claims.
  • Assist in information administration and documentation.
  • Help in “fast disposal” of pending claims, particularly post-DLC approval.
• No decision-making energy: Cells will not intrude with selections of Gram Sabhas, SDLCs, DLCs, or State departments.

Considerations Raised

• Activists’ Criticism:
  • Fears of a “parallel mechanism” being created exterior the statutory framework of FRA.
  • Danger of undermining community-based buildings like Gram Sabhas.

• Governance Battle:
  • Cells are framed beneath DAJGUA guidelines, not beneath FRA 2006, elevating questions on authorized sanctity and overlap.

Funding and Construction

• Funding by Centre:
  • By Grants-in-aid Basic.
  • ₹8.67 lakh per district FRA cell.
  • ₹25.85 lakh per State-level cell.
• Operational Management: FRA cells are anticipated to operate inside State authorities programs.

Present Standing of FRA Claims

• Complete claims filed: ~51.11 lakh throughout 21 States/UTs (as of March 2025).
• Claims disposed: ~43 lakh.
  • Rejected claims: Over 42%.
• Pending claims: 14.45% general.
  • Excessive pendency in Assam (60%+) and Telangana (~50.27%).

State-wise FRA Cell Sanctions (Prime States)

Significance

• Coverage Shift: Marks a departure from earlier Union stance of passive encouragement to States.
• Potential Impression:
  • Might enhance pace and high quality of declare processing.
  • Might assist sort out persistent pendency and excessive rejection charges.
• Warning Required: Should not bypass or dilute democratic group establishments enshrined beneath FRA.

Israel-Iran battle could affect oil provide to India, spike export prices

Macro-Financial Dangers for India

• Oil Dependency:
  • India imports ~80% of its crude oil wants.
  • A international oil worth spike (~8% in a single day) because of the Israel-Iran battle poses inflationary dangers.
  • Though India doesn’t straight import a lot from Iran, provide chain disruptions can elevate general crude import prices.

Relevance : GS 2(Worldwide Relations)

• Key Commerce Route at Danger:
  • Strait of Hormuz:
    • ~20% of worldwide oil commerce passes via it.
    • Disruption may have an effect on provide from Iraq, Saudi Arabia, UAE — all main suppliers to India.

• Suez Canal & Purple Sea:Battle escalation may limit entry.Exports could also be pressured to reroute through the Cape of Good Hope, rising journey time by 15–20 days and price by $500–$1,000 per container.Results in 40–50% rise in export transport prices.

Sectoral Impacts

• Gasoline & Inflation:
  • Greater crude prices = Greater gasoline costs, transport prices, and CPI inflation.
  • Impacts family budgets and should have an effect on RBI’s financial stance.

• Export Sector:
  • Engineering exports and others may endure attributable to delayed timelines and better freight prices.
  • India’s competitiveness in international markets could cut back.

• Treasured Metals:
  • Gold costs surged previous ₹1 lakh/10 grams amid uncertainty.
  • Displays its function as a safe-haven asset in geopolitical crises.
  • Central financial institution gold accumulation and inflation issues additional driving demand.

Skilled Insights

• Amit Kumar (Grant Thornton):
  • Even oblique results from the Strait of Hormuz may affect India’s oil imports attributable to interlinked international provide chains.
• Pankaj Chadha (EEPC India):
  • Closure of Suez Canal = severe blow to export sector, particularly time-sensitive or heavy items.
• Norbert Rücker (Julius Baer):
  • Views oil worth surge as non permanent; expects costs to stabilize, following previous patterns of battle.
• Amit Jain (Ashika World):
  • Rise in gold demand a part of a long-term structural pattern, not merely a reactionary spike.

Total Implications for India

• Quick-term dangers:
  • Inflation, rising present account deficit (CAD), and monetary stress on oil subsidies.
• Medium-term:
  • Export sector could lose margins.
  • Potential must reassess strategic oil reserves and diversify power sources.
• Geopolitical dimension:
  • Underscores India’s strategic vulnerability attributable to heavy oil dependence and commerce route reliance.

Why Israel attacked Iran’s nuclear amenities

 Nature and Scale of the Assault

• June 13, 2025: Israel carried out large airstrikes focusing on:
  • Iranian nuclear amenities (e.g., Natanz).
  • Residences of high Generals.
  • Over two dozen nuclear scientists.
• Heaviest army strike on Iran for the reason that 1979 Islamic Revolution.
• Seen as fruits of years of clandestine operations, together with the 2020 assassination of nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh and the 2014 bombing of the Iranian embassy in Damascus.

Relevance : GS 2(Worldwide Relations)’

Strategic Shifts Enabling the Assault

• Lengthy-standing Israeli goal: Neutralize Iran’s nuclear programme, deemed an “existential risk.”
• Earlier, U.S. administrations vetoed direct strikes attributable to concern of escalation.
• Nonetheless, the regional and international strategic context has modified:
  • Collapse of Iran’s regional deterrent post-October 7, 2023 (Hamas assault on Israel).
  • Fall of Assad’s regime in Syria (Dec 2024): Broke Iran–Hezbollah–Syria connectivity, weakening Iran’s regional “axis of resistance.”
  • Israel exploited this vacuum to extend stress on Iran.

 Israel’s Escalatory Trajectory

• Launched a “mini regional battle” focusing on:
• Comply with-up assaults in October 2024 focused Iran’s missile protection programs, exposing nuclear websites to future strikes.

 Position of the U.S. & Trump’s Diplomacy

• Donald Trump, now President, initially signaled curiosity in diplomacy, stalling an Israeli strike in Might 2025.
• Trump’s diplomacy was coercive: Pressuring Iran to fully dismantle its nuclear programme (past the 2015 deal).
• After failed talks, Trump appeared to greenlight Israeli strikes as stress techniques.
• Trump’s Reality Social posts advised:
  • Extra assaults are “already deliberate”.
  • Iran should settle for the deal or face destruction.
  • Talks may nonetheless resume in Muscat, implying diplomacy beneath duress.

 Iran’s Strategic Dilemma

• Three stark selections earlier than Tehran:
  • Escalate militarily:
    • Dangers full-scale battle and attainable U.S. intervention.
  • Settle for U.S. deal beneath stress:
    • Politically humiliating; undermines sovereignty and strategic leverage.
  • Proceed restricted engagement/deterrence:
    • Might not deter future Israeli strikes; may very well be perceived as weak.

Implications for the Area and the World

• Danger of wider battle: Any misstep may drag the U.S., Gulf states, and international powers into direct confrontation.
• World financial fallout:
  • Particularly via oil provide disruptions (through Strait of Hormuz).
  • Doable surge in commodity costs and elevated geopolitical uncertainty.
• Diplomatic vacuum: Absence of efficient worldwide mediation dangers extended battle and regional instability.

 Conclusion

• The Israel-Iran conflict has moved from proxy battles to direct confrontation.
• The collapse of Iran’s regional alliances, U.S. backing beneath Trump, and inside Iranian vulnerabilities have emboldened Israel.
• Iran’s response will outline the course of West Asian geopolitics — whether or not via diplomacy, deterrence, or escalation.