GS PAPER 1
International Relations
On June 13, 2025, Israel launched a large-scale and unprecedented strike on Iran, targeting nuclear and military facilities, including the killing of senior Iranian military leadership. In retaliation, Iran fired dozens of missiles into Israel, escalating tensions between two long-time adversaries into open conflict.
Key Developments:
- Israeli Offensive:
- Israel launched airstrikes and used drones (reportedly placed earlier inside Iran) to hit nearly 100 strategic targets. These included the Natanz nuclear facility and missile launchers near Tehran. Mossad and Israeli Air Force coordinated the operation with around 200 aircraft.
- High-Profile Casualties:
- The attack killed top Iranian military figures:
- Mohammad Bagheri (armed forces chief),
- Hossein Salami (head of Revolutionary Guard),
- Amir Ali Hajizadeh (ballistic missile program head).
- Iran’s Retaliation:
- Iran launched a wave of missiles and drones targeting Israeli cities like Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, triggering air raid sirens and structural damage. Civilian evacuation to bomb shelters was ordered by the Israeli government.
- Global Response:
- The U.S. had prior knowledge; precautionary evacuations were carried out in Iraq.
- Iran requested an emergency UNSC meeting.
- UN’s IAEA had just censured Iran over nuclear non-compliance.
- International leaders called for restraint, fearing regional spillover.
Strategic & Security Implications:
- Nuclear Non-Proliferation at Risk:
- The direct targeting of Iran’s nuclear facility signals that Israel perceives Iran to be close to weaponisation.
- Undermines the already fragile Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and possibly emboldens Iran to militarise its program fully.
- Destabilisation of West Asia:
- The confrontation risks pulling the region into a wider conflict, potentially involving proxy groups like Hezbollah (Lebanon) and Hamas (Gaza).
- Countries like Iraq, Syria, and the Gulf states may be inadvertently drawn in due to their geostrategic positions.
Global Economic Fallout:
- Oil prices may surge due to fears over supply disruption in the Persian Gulf.
- Global markets may experience uncertainty due to escalated tensions in a nuclear-sensitive zone.
- S. Strategic Dilemma:
- The U.S. may struggle to balance support for Israel with avoiding full-scale war in the region.
- Regional military bases and troops are at risk, requiring tactical repositioning and diplomatic recalibration.
- Diplomatic Fallout:
- Israel’s unilateral action, especially targeting nuclear infrastructure, may draw criticism for violating international norms.
- UNSC may witness renewed polarization among P5 members over West Asia.
Way Forward:
- De-escalation through Multilateral Dialogue: UN and major powers (EU, Russia, China) must push both nations toward diplomatic resolution and nuclear verification.
- Reinforcing Non-Proliferation Regimes: Strengthening IAEA’s mandate and reinvigorating JCPOA or similar treaties is critical.
- India’s Stand: India should call for restraint and reiterate its long-standing position against nuclear weapons proliferation and support peaceful resolution.
- This crisis underscores the fragility of peace in West Asia and the urgent need for a robust international framework to address nuclear threats, state-sponsored retaliation, and the growing use of drones in strategic strikes.
UPSC Mains Practice Question
Ques : “The recent Israel-Iran military confrontation exposes the limitations of global nuclear non-proliferation regimes.” Discuss in the context of the evolving West Asian security architecture. (250 words)
GS PAPER 2
social Justice
A joint pilot study by ChildFund India and the Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (KSCPCR) titled “Online Risks of Children: Focus on Online Sexual Exploitation and Abuse of Children” has brought attention to the rising threat of online sexual exploitation and abuse (OSEAC) of children in Karnataka. The study recommends integrating digital literacy and online safety into school curricula from the primary level to safeguard children in the digital age.
Key Highlights of the Study:
- Scope and Coverage:
- The study surveyed 903 school-going children between the ages of 8 to 18 in Karnataka, engaging with children, parents, teachers, and child protection stakeholders.
- Major Findings:
- The COVID-19 pandemic significantly increased children’s online exposure, leading to higher vulnerability to exploitation.
- Underreporting of abuse is widespread due to social stigma, fear, and lack of awareness.
- Parental supervision, teacher training, and digital literacy were identified as the most effective preventive measures.
- CoreRecommendations:
- Make digital literacy and cyber safety compulsory in school curricula.
- Promote open communication between parents and children.
- Strengthen capacity-building of educators and school systems to recognize and report OSEAC.
Issues and Implications:
- Child Safety in the Digital Age:
- Children are increasingly accessing the internet for education, entertainment, and social interaction, often unsupervised.
- Lack of awareness about online predators, privacy risks, and grooming techniques makes children soft targets for exploitation.
- Gaps in Education Policy:
- The current school curriculum does not adequately address digital ethics, cyber hygiene, or online behavioural safety.
- The New Education Policy (NEP) 2020 highlights digital learning but lacks a robust framework for digital risk education.
- Need for Multi-Stakeholder Action:
- Parents, schools, technology companies, law enforcement, and civil society must collaborate to build a safer digital ecosystem.
- Clear reporting mechanisms, child-friendly redressal systems, and community awareness are essential.
- Social Stigma and Silence:
- Cultural taboos around discussing sexuality and abuse often deter victims from speaking up.
- Empowering children with knowledge and resilience is crucial to overcome these barriers.
- Ethical and Legal Dimensions:
- The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act must be enforced more effectively in the context of online crimes.
- Tech platforms must be held accountable for content moderation and user safety.
Conclusion:
- The study serves as a critical wake-up call to urgently reform school education and digital governance policies. In an increasingly online world, protecting children from exploitation requires not just surveillance and laws, but education, awareness, and empathy. Institutionalizing digital safety education from an early age is no longer optional but a foundational need for safeguarding child rights and building a secure digital society.
UPSC Mains Practice Question
Ques: “Digital literacy is no longer a luxury but a child protection imperative.” In the context of increasing online sexual exploitation of children, critically evaluate the need to integrate online safety education into the school curriculum. (250 words)
GS PAPER 3
Indian Economy
The recent escalation between Israel and Iran, marked by military strikes and counterattacks, has led to an immediate global spike in oil and gold prices. For India, a major oil importer and export-driven economy, the conflict poses significant economic risks, particularly through disruption in energy supply chains, inflationary pressures, and elevated export logistics costs.
Key Developments:
- Oil Prices Surge:
- Crude oil prices surged by nearly 8% in a single day due to conflict fears, despite India not directly importing significant volumes from Iran.
- Strategic Chokepoints at Risk:
- The Strait of Hormuz, through which nearly 20% of global oil supply passes, lies between Iran and Gulf states like Saudi Arabia and UAE – major suppliers to India. Any disruption could severely affect India’s oil imports.
- Export Route Disruption:
- The closure or threat to the Suez Canal and Red Sea corridor, due to increased military activity, may force Indian exports to reroute via the Cape of Good Hope, adding 15–20 days to shipping time and increasing freight costs by 40–50%.
- Surge in Gold Prices:
- Amid geopolitical uncertainty, gold has emerged as a hedge, crossing ₹1 lakh per 10 grams. This is partly driven by global central banks’ accumulation and investor hedging against inflation.
Economic Implications for India:
- Energy Security Risks:
- India imports over 80% of its crude oil requirements.
- Price volatility threatens the country’s import bill and trade balance.
- Subsidy burdens and fuel price controls could strain fiscal policy if prices remain high.
- Inflationary Pressures:
- A sustained rise in crude prices would affect transportation, manufacturing, and food prices.
- This may force the RBI to reconsider its accommodative monetary stance.
- External Sector Vulnerability:
- Export sectors (especially engineering and textile) face cost escalation and delivery delays.
- Higher current account deficit and depreciation pressure on the rupee may follow.
- Strategic and Diplomatic Dimensions:
- India must balance ties between Iran, Israel, and Gulf nations while ensuring continued oil flow.
- May require diplomatic engagement with shipping nations and multilateral forums to maintain maritime security.
Conclusion:
- The Israel-Iran conflict exemplifies how geopolitical shocks can ripple into economic vulnerabilities for energy-dependent countries like India. Beyond short-term oil price spikes, the disruption of maritime trade routes and inflationary risks demand proactive diplomatic engagement and economic resilience planning. Strengthening domestic energy alternatives, diversifying import sources, and ensuring trade route security are essential steps for India in managing such external shocks.
UPSC Mains Practice Question
Ques: “India’s heavy dependence on imported crude oil makes it highly vulnerable to global geopolitical shocks.” Analyse in the context of the recent Israel-Iran conflict. (150 Words )
GS PAPER 4
Economy
On June 13, 2025, Israel launched a large-scale military operation targeting Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, ballistic missile sites, and high-ranking military officials. This marks Israel’s most direct and forceful strike on Iranian soil since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The attack represents a turning point in the long-simmering hostility between the two regional powers and reshapes the strategic balance in West Asia.
Background and Buildup:
- Historical Antagonism:
- Israel has long viewed Iran’s nuclear and missile programs as an “existential threat.” In previous years, it conducted covert assassinations of Iranian nuclear scientists and cyberattacks (e.g., Stuxnet). However, overt direct attacks were avoided due to international diplomatic pressure and Iran’s regional deterrence.
- Collapse of Iran’s ‘Axis of Resistance’:
- Iran’s strategic depth in West Asia relied on alliances with Hezbollah, Syria (under Bashar al-Assad), and Hamas. However, recent Israeli offensives weakened Hezbollah and Hamas, while the fall of Assad’s regime in December 2024 dealt a severe blow to Iran’s regional leverage.
- Vulnerability and Timing:
- The October 2024 Israeli operation had already degraded Iran’s missile defense systems. With Iran yet to recover, Israel viewed this as a “historic opportunity” to strike before Iran could reassert its regional and domestic military posture.
US-Israel Strategic Alignment:
- Trump’s Return to Power:
- The return of Donald Trump to the U.S. presidency shifted the diplomatic calculus. Though initially seeking talks with Iran, Trump ultimately aligned with Israel’s hardline stance.
- Deal Under Duress:
- Trump appears to be using Israeli strikes as leverage to compel Iran into accepting a U.S.-dictated nuclear deal, one more stringent than the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). While Iran may be willing to scale back its program, it is unwilling to completely dismantle it under pressure.
- Public Messaging:
- Trump’s social media posts suggest that further strikes are planned unless Iran capitulates. This points to a coordinated pressure campaign where military force is used to achieve diplomatic objectives.
Strategic and Diplomatic Implications:
- Risk of Regional War:
- Iran is faced with difficult choices: retaliate and risk escalation, surrender diplomatically and lose face, or intensify the conflict to involve the U.S. directly.
- Any escalation could engulf the Gulf region and affect global energy supply routes.
- Impact on Nuclear Non-Proliferation:
- The attack undermines multilateral mechanisms like the IAEA and the NPT framework.
- If Iran is attacked while under international monitoring, it may lose faith in diplomacy and pursue nuclear weapons as a deterrent.
- Shift in West Asian Balance:
- With Syria, Hezbollah, and Hamas weakened, Iran’s strategic buffer has eroded.
- Israel may feel emboldened to act unilaterally, changing regional security dynamics.
- India’s Concerns:
- Escalation in West Asia may disrupt oil supply routes (via the Strait of Hormuz), threaten economic stability, and create diplomatic dilemmas due to India’s balanced relations with Iran, Israel, and Gulf countries.
Conclusion:
- Israel’s strike on Iran marks a dramatic escalation with far-reaching regional and global implications. What was once covert hostility has now entered overt conflict, driven by strategic calculations and diplomatic brinkmanship. For countries like India, the situation demands calibrated diplomacy, energy contingency planning, and reaffirmation of the need for multilateral conflict resolution mechanisms to prevent further destabilization in West Asia.
UPSC Mains Practice Question
Ques: “Israel’s strike on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure marks a shift from covert deterrence to overt military assertion.” Discuss the implications of this shift on regional stability in West Asia. (250 words)
In News: Black Box
- A black box is a small device that records flight data and cockpit audio, helping investigators understand the events leading up to an aircraft incident or crash.
- After a Gatwick-bound Air India plane(AI171) crash, the search for the flight’s black box continues, which is crucial equipment to find out what happened moments before the disaster.
About Black Box
- It is a small machine that records information about an aircraft during its flight.
- This bright orange or yellow rectangular box is crafted to withstand explosions, fire, water pressure, and high-speed crashes.
- It was discovered by Australian scientist David Warren, it is used to discover the cause of a plane crash.
- Most aircraft are required to be equipped with two black boxes – the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and the flight data recorder (FDR) – that record the information about a flight and help reconstruct the events leading to an aircraft accident.
- The CVR records radio transmissions and other sounds in the cockpit, such as conversations between the pilots and engine noises.
- The flight data recorder records more than 80 different types of information, such as altitude, airspeed, flight heading, vertical acceleration, pitch, roll, autopilot status, etc.
- The recording devices are stored inside a unit that is generally made out of strong substances such as steel or titanium and are also insulated from factors such as extreme heat, cold or wetness.
- To protect these black boxes, they are equipped towards the tail end of the aircraft, where the impact of a crash is usually the least
UPSC Prelims Practice Question
Ques:In the context of civil aviation, what is a “Black Box”?
- A) A device used to control the altitude of aircraft
- B) A system that prevents air traffic collisions
- C) A flight recorder that stores cockpit and flight data
- D) A radar system used for detecting other aircraft
Ans : C)
GS PAPER 5
Editorial Analysis
Context :
- The Air India AI171 crash in Ahmedabad has exposed deep-rooted structural flaws in India’s civil aviation safety ecosystem. While the immediate cause is under technical investigation, aviation experts like Captain A. Mohan Ranganathan point to long-standing issues such as poor training standards, weak regulatory oversight, and political interference.
- The tragedy, which resulted in the deaths of over 300 people including passengers and local residents, reflects systemic neglect and institutional complacency.
Key Concerns Raised in the Analysis:
- Lack of Institutional Accountability:
- Despite multiple fatal air crashes since 1990, India’s civil aviation authorities have repeatedly failed to implement systemic reforms. Blame is typically placed on pilots, while senior officials in the DGCA, MoCA, and AAI continue without facing consequences.
- Degradation of Safety Culture:
- The commentary reveals a deterioration in professional training, enforcement of ICAO norms, and aviation audit transparency. Statements defending airport safety are often released without ground validation.
- Violation of International Norms:
- The DGCA prematurely named pilots involved in the crash, which violates ICAO standards of confidentiality during ongoing investigations — a move unheard of in global aviation systems.
- Infrastructure and Bird Hazard Risks:
- The video evidence suggests possible bird ingestion due to untrimmed grass attracting bird activity near the runway. Ahmedabad airport is known for bird hazards, yet monsoon preparations were reportedly inadequate.
Speculated Contributing Factors:
- Possible bird strike leading to compressor stall in both engines.
- Aircraft took off using full runway but failed to retract landing gear, increasing drag and reducing climb performance.
- Building close to the takeoff path (a five-storey hostel block) raises questions about unauthorized or poorly regulated construction near aviation zones.
- Possibility of foreign object debris (FOD) on the runway, similar to the Air France Concorde crash in 2000.
- Misuse of Training Flights:
- The DGCA statement hinted at a line-training scenario. If true, critical decisions during a partial thrust situation may have been complicated by role-sharing between trainee and trainer, affecting response time.
Systemic Issues Identified:
- Regulatory Capture and Political Interference:
- Aviation institutions are often led by bureaucrats rather than trained professionals.
- Safety concerns are routinely brushed aside for political or commercial convenience.
- Judicial Apathy in Aviation Safety:
- A Supreme Court bench dismissed a PIL after the Mangaluru crash by forwarding it back to MoCA, raising concerns about institutional checks and balances.
- Lack of Independent Investigative Framework:
- Accident probes are susceptible to internal bias, especially when the investigators are part of the same institutional structure being probed.
- Urban Development Mismanagement:
- Issuance of No Objection Certificates (NOCs) for high-rise buildings near air corridors reflects regulatory compromise.
Conclusion:
- The Air India AI171 crash is not merely an accident but a result of cumulative negligence across multiple institutions. As India aspires to become a global aviation hub, this tragedy should serve as a turning point to overhaul the regulatory framework, professionalize aviation leadership, and enforce accountability at the highest levels. Without systemic reform, the fastest-growing aviation sector may become the most unsafe one.