PC&PNDT Act in the Digital Age

Source: TH 

Why in News? 

The fight against sex-selective abortion in India has moved online, where influencers and self-styled doctors circumvent the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of Sex Selection) Act, 1994 (PC&PNDT Act) by promoting unscientific gender-prediction myths to vast audiences. 

• The internalised bias for sons has renewed focus on gender bias, digital regulation, and reproductive rights. 

What is Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of Sex Selection) Act, 1994 (PC&PNDT Act)? 

• About: It was enacted in 1994 to address the issue of female foeticide and the declining child sex ratio resulting from the misuse of diagnostic technologies for sex selection. (India’s sex ratio as per 1991 Population Census - 929 females per 1,000 males).  
  • The Act was significantly amended in 2003 to strengthen its provisions, explicitly include pre-conception techniques, and prohibit sex selection more comprehensively. 
• Key Provisions: 
  • Prohibition of Sex Selection: Bans any procedure, technique, or test like ultrasound aimed at determining or selecting the sex of a foetus (Section 3A). 
  • Permitted Uses: 
  • Regulation of Facilities: Genetic counselling centres, laboratories, and clinics must register under the Act. Unregistered facilities are prohibited from conducting such procedures (Section 18). 
  • Advertisement Ban: Prohibits advertisements related to pre-conception or pre-natal sex determination (Section 22). 
  • Supervisory Bodies: Establishes the Central Supervisory Board, State Supervisory Boards, and Appropriate Authorities for implementation and monitoring. 
• 2003 Amendment: Extended coverage to pre-conception sex selection techniques. 
  • Explicitly included ultrasound and imaging technologies within the regulatory ambit. 
  • Empowered supervisory boards and authorities with greater enforcement powers, including search and seizure. 
• Offences and Penalties: Every offence under this Act shall be cognizable, non-bailable, and non-compoundable. 
  • Penalties include up to 3–5 years imprisonment and fines ranging from Rs 10,000 to Rs 100,000 or more, depending on the offence and whether it is a repeat violation.

What are the Reasons for Lax implementation of the PC&PNDT Act, 1994? 

• Collusion and No-complainant Dynamics: Sex selection continues due to shared incentives—families demand it, and providers supply it—making reporting rare and enforcement difficult without proactive intelligence and strong enforcement systems. 
• Inadequate Infrastructure: District/State Appropriate Authorities face staff shortages, limited budgets, and inadequate training, reducing inspections, follow-up, and case-building. 
• Low Conviction Rates: Conviction rates remain abysmally low (e.g., only 617 convictions in 25 years, as per a Parliamentary Committee report), with many states registering few or no cases.  
• Digital and Online Challenges: Conceived long ago, the Act is ill-equipped to tackle modern challenges, especially the indirect promotion of son preference via social media, where influencers, self-styled experts, and religious figures spread unscientific claims, rituals, and narratives to large online audiences. 
• Deep-Rooted Societal Demand: Persistent son preference, driven by patriarchal norms, cultural expectations, and economic factors, sustains demand for sex selection and encourages illegal circumvention of the law. 
• Professional Misconduct: Sex determination remains a highly lucrative illegal business, with practitioners using coded language, odd-hour scans, and portable machines to evade detection.

How can Implementation of the PC&PNDT Act, 1994 be Strengthened? 

• Strengthen Institutional Framework: Appoint dedicated Appropriate Authorities (e.g., Civil Surgeons, Medical Superintendents) and Appellate Authorities at state and district levels, with clear roles to ensure timely registrations, inspections, and appeals. 
• Leverage Technology: Mandate online submission of Form F (pre-test declarations) for real-time tracking and provide anonymous grievance redressal via helplines and dedicated websites to report illegal practices. 
• Addressing the Online Ecosystem: Legally require technology platforms (Google, Meta, Amazon, etc.) to proactively remove sex-selection content, while supporting credible health influencers to counter myths and promote the value of girls online. 
• Legal and Procedural Reforms: Establish fast-track courts for PC&PNDT cases to ensure swift convictions and deterrence, and expand the Act’s definition of advertisement to cover all indirect promotions and online sex-prediction services. 
• Awareness and Behavioral Change: Official reviews note that enforcement alone cannot stop sex selection without addressing deep-rooted son preference.  
  • They emphasize the need for sustained awareness, community engagement, and regulation of indirect promotion, especially via advertisements and digital/social media, where enforcement strategies need urgent updating.  

Conclusion 

The PC&PNDT Act’s main challenge is deep-rooted son preference, now amplified by digital platforms. Effective implementation requires modernizing the law for the online era, ensuring swift legal deterrence, and fostering societal change to value the girl child, shifting from clinic-based policing to an ecosystem approach. 

Drishti Mains Question Discuss the socio-economic and cultural factors that sustain the demand for sex-selective technologies in India. How can a multi-pronged strategy address these determinants effectively?

SHANTI Bill 2025

Source:TH

Why in News?  

The Union Government has introduced the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Bill, 2025 in the Lok Sabha to overhaul India’s nuclear energy laws and enable private sector participation in building and operating nuclear power plants for the first time since Independence. 

What are the Key Provisions of SHANTI Bill 2025? 

• Replacement of Existing Nuclear Laws: The SHANTI Bill repeals the Atomic Energy Act, 1962 and the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, 2010, creating a single, consolidated legal framework to govern India’s civil nuclear energy sector and simplify regulatory and liability procedures. 
• Enabling Private and Joint Venture Participation: For the first time since Independence, the Bill permits private Indian companies, joint ventures, and foreign entities to build, own, operate, and decommission nuclear power plants, ending the monopoly of Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL)  in plant operations. 
• Retention of Strategic State Control: While allowing private participation, the Bill retains government control over sensitive areas such as nuclear fuel production, heavy water manufacturing, and radioactive waste management, safeguarding national security and non-proliferation commitments. 
• Statutory Status to the Nuclear Regulator: The Bill grants statutory backing to the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) and makes it accountable to Parliament, strengthening regulatory independence, transparency, and safety oversight. 
• Revised Nuclear Liability Framework: The SHANTI Bill repeals the CLND Act, 2010 and removes supplier liability, ensuring that nuclear plant operators alone are responsible for compensation, thereby aligning India’s regime with international nuclear liability conventions. 
  • Operator liability is capped and linked to the installed capacity of nuclear plants rather than the extent of damage, with graded limits to reduce financial uncertainty and encourage investment. 
• Creation of a Dedicated Atomic Disputes Tribunal: Proposes a dedicated atomic disputes tribunal to improve regulatory certainty and investor confidence. 
• Facilitation of Advanced Nuclear Technologies: By enabling private participation and regulatory clarity, the Bill supports the deployment of Small Modular Reactors and indigenous reactor designs, contributing to India’s clean energy transition and long-term energy security.

What is the Need for Reforms in Nuclear Governance in India?

• Ambitious Capacity Targets: India aims to expand nuclear capacity from 8.8 GW to 22 GW by 2032 and 100 GW by 2047, but NPCIL alone lacks the capital, manpower, and execution capacity to meet these goals. 
• Large Financing Gap: Achieving 100 GW requires about Rs 15 lakh crore, while Budget 2025–26 provides only Rs 20,000 crore, making private investment essential to mobilise long-term capital. 
• Project Delays: NPCIL projects like Kudankulam Units 3–6 face chronic delays; private players can improve project management and Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) efficiency. 
• Technology and Innovation Needs: Private participation can accelerate adoption of SMRs, advanced reactors, and global best practices, improving safety and scalability. 
• Weak Uranium Supply Chains: Limited domestic production and Government-to-Government (G2G) imports necessitate private involvement in uranium mining, processing, and imports for fuel security. 
• Energy Security and Climate Goals: Enhanced focus on nuclear power supports grid stability and net-zero 2070, complementing renewables with low-carbon baseload power.

What Measures are Required to Strengthen Nuclear Governance in India?

• Regulatory Independence: AERB operational independence must be strengthened through transparent appointments, financial autonomy, and protection from executive interference. 
• Rebalance Safety and Investment Incentives: Liability caps should be periodically reviewed and indexed to inflation and risk, ensuring investor confidence does not come at the cost of public safety and the “polluter pays” principle. 
• Build Public Trust Through Transparency: Mandatory disclosure of safety audits, accident reporting protocols, and emergency preparedness plans is essential to address public concerns rooted in past industrial disasters. 
• Centre–State Coordination in Emergency Response: Clear protocols are needed for coordination between the Centre, States, and local authorities during nuclear emergencies, especially as private operators enter the sector. 
• Waste Management and Decommissioning Frameworks: Clear, enforceable norms for long-term waste disposal and plant decommissioning must be laid down before large-scale private expansion.

Conclusion 

Reforms in nuclear governance are essential to unlock capital, technology, and execution capacity that the public sector alone cannot provide. Carefully regulated private participation, backed by strong safety oversight, is critical for India to achieve its long-term nuclear energy and climate ambitions. 

Drishti Mains Question: Private participation in nuclear energy can accelerate India’s clean energy transition but also raises governance concerns. Discuss.

India’s Strategic Turn to Free Trade Agreements

Source:IE 

Why in News?

India is currently accelerating its pursuit of Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with a wide range of countries like New Zealand, Russia and Oman, even though past FTAs delivered modest trade gains.  

• This shows a shift in focus, with FTAs now used more to secure strategic partnerships and geopolitical interests than to boost trade alone.

What are the Reasons Behind India’s Renewed Emphasis on FTAs?

• Strategic Realignment in Global Geopolitics: The global shift from a unipolar to a multipolar order (e.g., US-China rivalry, weakening of the World Trade Organization (WTO)) has made bilateral and regional FTAs a tool of strategic engagement. 
  • India is leveraging FTAs to strengthen political alignments, especially in the Indo-Pacific, West Asia, and Africa. 
  • In a volatile world order, FTAs act as “political safety nets”, ensuring closer bilateral ties and strategic insurance (e.g., India-Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA), India-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA)). 
• Decline of Multilateralism: The stagnation of WTO negotiations (Doha Round) and protectionist trends globally have reduced the effectiveness of multilateral trade forums. 
  • FTAs provide a platform to pursue WTO-plus commitments, especially in areas like services, digital trade, and investment. 
  • The India-EFTA TEPA exemplifies this shift binding commitment of USD 100 billion in FDI over 15 years. 
• Diversification of Economic and Trade Partners: FTAs help reduce overdependence on a few markets (e.g., US, EU, China). 
  • They enable India to access new markets, diversify supply chains, and secure critical resources (e.g., energy, minerals). 
  • Also, FTAs are no longer just about market access, they are strategic tools to operationalize the "China Plus One" policy and secure upstream supply chains. 
• Unlocking Untapped Potential in Services and Investment: India has a comparative advantage in services (IT, healthcare, education), but past FTAs underutilised this potential. 
  • New FTAs (e.g., UAE-India CEPA) focus more on services, fintech, and investment flows. 
• Strengthening Domestic Capabilities and Value Chain: FTAs are aligned with initiatives like ‘Make in India’ and Production Linked Incentive schemes, aiming to integrate Indian manufacturing into global value chains. Strategic FTAs can help attract Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and technology transfers. 
• Correcting Past Imbalances: Learning from asymmetric gains in earlier FTAs (e.g., ASEAN), India now seeks better-balanced, services-focused agreements, ensuring domestic industry interests are protected. 
  • For example, India’s export share to ASEAN increased only marginally from 10.2% to 10.8%, while it declined from 2.1% to 1.9% with Japan, and from 1.9% to 1.4% with South Korea, based on five-year averages before and after the respective FTAs. 
  • This trend suggests that previous FTAs have mostly codified existing trade flows rather than generating significant new trade.

What are the Concerns Accompany India’s Expanding Network of in Free Trade Agreements?

• Trade Deficits and Asymmetric Gains: Many of India’s earlier FTAs have not led to a strong export boost. Imports from partner countries often rose faster than exports, widening trade deficits. 
  • Example: Between FY 2009 and FY 2023, imports from ASEAN to India grew by 234.4% while exports from India rose only by 130.4% despite FTA.  
    • Indian exporters often fail to gain reciprocal market access. 
• Non-Tariff Barriers (NTBs): Developed economies impose stringent standards (e.g., IPR, sanitary measures) that dilute tariff benefits. India–EU FTA has stalled over data localisation and IPR issues. 
  • Furthermore, India's FTA utilization rate remains low at just 25%, compared to 70–80% in developed countries. 
  • FTAs with the EU and the UK involve stringent environmental and labour compliance requirements, which India is cautious about adopting and risk India’s exclusion from emerging “green” trade regimes. 
• Harm to Domestic Sectors: MSMEs, farmers, and labour-intensive sectors struggle to compete with cheaper imports. Tariff cuts can hurt sectors that are not yet globally competitive. 
  • FTAs often commit to zero-duty imports on finished goods while domestic tariffs on raw materials remain high (to protect upstream industries), creating a structural disadvantage for Indian manufacturers. 
    • This "Inverted Duty Structure" incentivizes trading (importing finished goods) over manufacturing, directly contradicting the Atmanirbhar Bharat (Make in India) vision. 
    • Example: Indian rubber farmers hurt by cheaper imports under the ASEAN FTA. 
  • Opening markets in dairy, plantation crops, or cereals raises concerns over farmer livelihoods. 
• Risk of Import Surges via Third Countries: Goods from non-FTA countries may enter India through partner nations by exploiting rules of origin. This weakens domestic manufacturing and undermines the spirit of FTAs.

What Should be India’s Policy Approach to Enhance the Effectiveness of Its FTA Strategy?

• Strengthen Domestic Competitiveness: Invest in R&D, infrastructure, skill development, and MSME support to prepare industries for global competition. 
• Focus on WTO-Plus Areas: Prioritise sectors like digital trade, green energy, and services, especially in future FTAs with developed economies. 
• Incorporate Balanced Safeguards: Ensure strong Rules of Origin, safeguard duties, and anti-dumping provisions to prevent misuse by third countries. 
• Institutional Reforms and Inter-Ministerial Coordination: Enhance cooperation between the MEA, Commerce Ministry, and NITI Aayog to align strategic and economic interests. 
• Improve Dispute Resolution Frameworks: Include binding timelines and independent panels in FTAs for swift resolution of trade disputes. 
• Monitor and Review Existing FTAs: Establish mechanisms for periodic impact assessment, public consultation, and course correction. 
• Promote Inclusive and Sustainable Trade: Integrate labour and environmental safeguards without undermining domestic flexibility.

Conclusion 

India’s renewed emphasis on FTAs is less about expanding trade volumes and more about navigating a fragmented global order. As multilateralism weakens and geopolitics dominates economics, FTAs have evolved into tools of strategic alignment, diplomatic insurance, and supply-chain security. In this emerging order, strategic logic—rather than pure economic efficiency—will increasingly drive India’s trade policy. 

Drishti Mains Question: India’s recent surge in Free Trade Agreements reflects a strategic shift from market access to geopolitical alignment. Discuss.

Mercy Petition

Source: TH

Why in News?  

The President of India has rejected the mercy petition of a convict found guilty of kidnapping, raping, and murdering a two-year-old girl in Maharashtra in 2012, reaffirming the constitutional process governing capital punishment.

What is Mercy Petition? 

• About: A Mercy Petition is a constitutional remedy available to convicts, especially in death sentence cases, seeking pardon, commutation, remission, or suspension of sentence. 
• Constitutional Basis: The power to grant pardon, commutation, remission, or suspension of sentences is vested in the President under Article 72 and the Governor under Article 161 of the Constitution. 
  • The President’s pardoning power is broader than the Governor’s power, as it extends to court-martial cases, while the Governor’s power is limited to offences under State laws and does not apply to military court sentences. 
• Grounds for Filing: A mercy petition may be filed on grounds such as good conduct, mental health, age, medical condition, humanitarian factors, miscarriage of justice, or rehabilitation efforts. 
• Legal Provisions: Section 472(1) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023  sets a time-bound process for mercy petitions. 
  • A convict must file within 30 days of dismissal of appeals by the Supreme Court or confirmation of a death sentence by the High Court, while in cases with multiple convicts, petitions must be filed within 60 days. 
• Role of Governments: Under BNSS, 2023 upon receiving a mercy petition, the Central Government seeks comments from the State Government, examines the case records, and makes its recommendation to the President within 60 days.  
  • It may also obtain the trial judge’s opinion and certified records. In cases with multiple convicts, petitions are decided together.  
  • While no time limit is set for the President’s decision, the Centre must communicate the President’s order to the State Home Department and jail authorities within 48 hours. 
• Finality and Non-Justiciability: Section 472(7) of the BNSS declares that the President’s decision on a mercy petition is final.  
  • Courts are barred from questioning or reviewing the grounds of pardon or commutation, reinforcing the exclusive executive nature of clemency powers. 
• Judicial Pronouncements: 
  • Maru Ram v. Union of India (1981): The Supreme Court clarified that these powers are to be exercised on the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers, making clemency an executive function rather than a personal discretion. 
  • Kehar Singh v. Union of India (1988): The Supreme Court held that the President’s pardoning power is independent of the judiciary but subject to limited judicial review to ensure procedural fairness, not to examine the merits of the decision. 

Drishti Mains Question: Evaluate the significance of time-bound procedures for mercy petitions introduced under Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023.

ADB Development Financing to Support India

Source: PIB 

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has signed 5 loan agreements with India to finance development projects focusing on skilling, renewable energy, healthcare, urban transport, and sustainable livelihoods. 

• It includes a USD 650 million loan to support the Pradhan Mantri Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana to help 1 crore households adopt rooftop solar by 2027. 

Asian Development Bank (ADB) 

• About: ADB, founded in 1966, is a regional development bank with a mission to foster a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific, while also striving to eradicate extreme poverty in the region.  
  • The ADB also has an official observer status at the United Nations. 
• Functions: ADB aids its member countries and partners by offering loans, technical assistance, grants, and equity investments to promote social and economic development. 
  • Also, ADB provides direct financial assistance to approved private sector projects, financial institutions, and private equity funds. 
• Membership: ADB, headquartered in Manila, Philippines, consists of 69 members, of which 50 are from within Asia and the Pacific and 19 outside. 
  • As of December 2024, ADB’s 5 largest shareholders are Japan and the United States (each with 15.6% of total shares), the People’s Republic of China (6.4%), India (6.3%), and Australia (5.8%). 
• ADB and India: India is a founding member of ADB and is its 4th-largest shareholder. The bank's support aligns with India’s goals of robust, climate-resilient, and inclusive growth.

Read More: Asia Development Outlook Report 2024

Exercise Ekatha 2025

Source: PIB 

India’s Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff (DCNS) of the Indian Navy visited Maldives to attend the closing ceremony of 8th edition of Exercise Ekatha 2025. 

Exercise Ekatha 

• About: Established in 2017, it is an annual bilateral maritime military exercise conducted between the Indian Navy and the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF). 
• Key Objectives: It focuses on enhancing interoperability between the marine commandos of both nations, particularly in specialized areas such as diving operations, special forces tactics, and asymmetric warfare. 
• Significance: It is in line with India’s vision of Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth for all in the Region (MAHASAGAR), and the Neighbourhood First policy. 

Maldives 

• About: The Maldives (Capital - Male) is an archipelagic nation in the Indian Ocean, comprising about 1,200 coral islands arranged in a double chain of 26 natural atolls. 
  • The Maldives has the world’s 7^th-largest coral reef system and the 5th most diverse reef ecosystem. 
  • The Eight Degree Channel separates Minicoy Island of India (Lakshadweep) from the Maldives. 
• Topography: It is the flattest country in the world, with terrain averaging around 1.5 metres above sea level. 
• India-Maldives Military Exercises: Exercise EKUVERIN (India-Maldives), Exercise MILAN (multilateral naval exercise), Exercise DOSTI (India, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives).   

Read More: Strengthening India-Maldives Defence Cooperation

DGLL Hosts 3rd IALA Council Meeting

Source: PIB 

The Directorate General of Lighthouses and Lightships (DGLL) successfully hosted the 3^rd Council Meeting of the International Organization for Marine Aids to Navigation (IALA) in Mumbai, highlighting its growing role in shaping international maritime standards and navigation safety. 

• Outcomes of 3rd IALA Council Meeting: India launched a Digital Ticketing Portal for Lighthouse Tourism to enhance digital access, transparency, and visitor convenience across 75 lighthouse tourism destinations nationwide. 
• IALA: It was established in 1957 and transitioned from a Non-Governmental Organization to an Intergovernmental Organization in 2024. 
  • Guided by the motto “Successful voyages, Sustainable Planet”. It works to harmonise marine aids to navigation, enhance safety and efficiency of maritime transport, and protect the marine environment. 
• IALA Governance & Structure: The IALA Council is its principal decision-making body. IALA has around 200 members and is headquartered in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France. 
• India’s Role in IALA: India has been a member of IALA since 1957. The DGLL represents India, has been a Council Member since 1982, and will host the IALA Conference in 2027. 
• DGLL: The DGLL under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways, responsible for the development, maintenance, and management of marine aids to navigation along India’s 11,098 km coastline, under the Marine Aids to Navigation Act, 2021. 
  • Headquartered in Noida and operating through nine regional directorates, DGLL also serves as the designated authority for training in aids to navigation and Vessel Traffic Services (VTS). 
  • As a signatory to the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), 1974 Convention, India meets its navigation safety obligations through DGLL. 
  • DGLL manages a vast network of lighthouses, Racons, Navtex, buoys, and VTS, while also promoting lighthouse tourism and developing the world’s tallest Lighthouse Museum at Lothal, Gujarat. 

Read more: Marine Aids to Navigation Bill 2021