Current Affairs 30 September 2025

Content

1. More Women Employed in Agriculture, but Half of Them Are Unpaid
2. The Wassenaar Arrangement: The Need to Reform Export Control Regimes
3. E-Waste Collection Faces Gaps as Informal Sector Plays Huge Role
4. Suriname Pledges to Protect 90% of Forests
5. India’s Push for Polymetallic Sulphides (PMS) Exploration

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More women employed in agriculture, but half of them are unpaid

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Basics

• Agriculture = backbone of Indian economy; largest employer of women.
• Women now make up 42% of India’s agricultural workforce.
• Women’s employment in agriculture surged 135% in past decade, as men moved to non-farm jobs.
• Yet, participation has not translated into higher incomes or recognition.

Relevance

• GS-1 (Society):
  ◦ Gender issues, women’s participation in rural economy.
  ◦ Social inequality, unpaid labour, empowerment gaps.
• GS-2 (Governance, Social Justice):
  ◦ Policies for women farmers, FPOs, SHGs, digital inclusion initiatives.
  ◦ Land rights, credit schemes, gender budgeting, legal recognition of women as farmers.
• GS-3 (Economy, Agriculture):
  ◦ Feminisation of agriculture, wage gaps, labour productivity.
  ◦ Agri-export potential (India–UK FTA), value chains, high-margin crops.

Current Situation

• Unpaid Labour: 1 in 3 working women is unpaid; unpaid women in agriculture rose from 23.6 million to 59.1 million in 8 years.
• Regional Inequities: Bihar & UP → >80% women in agriculture, >50% unpaid.
• Systemic Barriers:
  • Only 13–14% landholdings owned by women.
  • 20–30% wage gap vis-à-vis men.
  • Limited asset ownership, credit, decision-making power.
• Macroeconomic Picture: Despite rising participation, agriculture’s GVA share fell from 15.3% (2017-18) to 14.4% (2024-25) → feminisation reinforced inequities.

Opportunities

1. Global Trade Shifts
   1. India–UK FTA → projected 20% boost in agri exports in 3 years; >95% products duty-free.
   1. Women-heavy value chains: rice, spices, dairy, ready-to-eat foods.
   1. Export-oriented growth can transition women from labourers → entrepreneurs.
2. Value-Addition & Premium Markets
   1. High-margin areas: processing, packaging, branding, exporting.
   1. Growth sectors: tea, spices, millets, organics, superfoods.
   1. Tools: Geographical Indications (GI), branding, export standards.
3. Digital Innovations
   1. Platforms: e-NAM, mobile advisories, precision farming apps, voice-assisted tech.
   1. Formalises women’s labour + expands credit, schemes, pricing access.
   1. Examples:
      1. BHASHINI, Jugalbandi → multilingual, voice-first government access.
      1. L&T Digital Sakhi → digital literacy training for rural women.
      1. Odisha’s Swayam Sampurna FPOs, Rajasthan’s Mahila Kisan Producer Company, Assam tea-sector training.

Challenges

• Structural: Low digital literacy, language barriers, lack of devices.
• Institutional: Weak recognition of women as farmers → exclusion from schemes/loans.
• Economic: Wage gap, landlessness, invisibility of unpaid work.
• Cultural: Male dominance in decision-making, gendered stereotypes in farming roles.

Reforms & Solutions

1. Land & Labour Reforms
   1. Joint/individual land ownership for women.
   1. Legal recognition as “farmers” → eligibility for credit, insurance, government support.
2. Institutional Support
   1. Expand women-centric FPOs/SHGs with export orientation.
   1. Credit schemes, gender-responsive budgeting, targeted subsidies.
3. Digital Inclusion
   1. Subsidised smartphones/devices, local language interfaces, AI-powered advisory systems.
   1. Scale up models like Digital Sakhi, BHASHINI, Jugalbandi.
4. Trade & Value Chain Integration
   1. Embed gender provisions in FTAs (training, credit, market linkages).
   1. Promote women-led branding & GI-tagged exports.

Implications

• Structural Game-Changer: Women-led agricultural development can address both economic growth and social equity.
• Economic Potential: Unlocking women’s contributions in high-value agri chains can add significantly to exports, GVA, and rural incomes.
• Global Context: With climate change and shifting trade, resilient, inclusive, and sustainable agriculture needs women at the core.
• Governance Dimension: Recognition, legal empowerment, and digital inclusion are critical for sustainable transformation.
• Social Impact: Enhances food security, reduces poverty, empowers households, and improves child welfare (education, nutrition).

Conclusion

Women’s rising presence in agriculture must not reinforce invisibility but instead unlock transformative potential.

• Path forward: recognition, ownership, digital access, and trade-linked empowerment.
• A women-led agri model is not just about social justice; it is a strategic economic imperative for India’s global ambitions.

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The Wassenaar Arrangement: the need to reform export control regimes

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Basics

• Wassenaar Arrangement (WA):
  • Multilateral export control regime (est. 1996).
  • Members: 42 states (India joined in 2017).
  • Aim: prevent proliferation of conventional arms and dual-use goods/technologies.
  • Operates via voluntary coordination: states adopt common control lists, but implementation depends on domestic laws.
• Traditional focus:
  • Physical exports → devices, chips, hardware, software modules.
  • Military and WMD-use technologies.

Relevance

• GS-2 (International Relations, Governance):
  ◦ India’s multilateral commitments, export control regimes.
  ◦ Cybersecurity diplomacy, human rights in tech governance.
• GS-3 (Security, Science & Technology):
  ◦ Dual-use technologies, AI/cloud exports, intrusion software, surveillance risks.
  ◦ Strategic implications for national and global security.

Contemporary Challenge

• Cloud & AI realities:
  • “Export” ≠ physical transfer anymore → remote access, API calls, SaaS, cloud hosting.
  • Example: Microsoft Azure, AWS — global backbones where a user in one country can access sensitive capabilities hosted elsewhere.
  • Digital surveillance & intrusion tools now used in repression, profiling, and cyber warfare.
• Gap: WA control lists don’t clearly treat cloud services, SaaS, AI models as “exports.”
• Result: grey zones → states exploit loopholes; surveillance tech proliferates without oversight.

Why Reform is Needed ?

1. Human Rights Risks
   1. Cloud-based surveillance → mass profiling, repression (e.g., Israel–Palestine debates, authoritarian regimes).
   1. Dual-use: “intrusion software” could aid both cyber defence & authoritarian crackdowns.
2. Geopolitical Stakes
   1. Some states benefit from surveillance exports → resist reform.
   1. National laws differ → fragmented enforcement.
3. Structural Weakness of WA
   1. Voluntary nature → uneven application.
   1. Consensus requirement → one state can block updates.
   1. Patchy coverage: e.g., EU has dual-use rules, U.S. EAR stricter, others laxer.

Proposed Reforms

1. Expand Scope
   1. Explicitly include cloud infrastructure, SaaS, AI systems, biometric databases, cross-border data transfers in control lists.
2. Binding Obligations
   1. Move beyond voluntary → mandatory treaty with minimum standards, export denial in atrocity-prone regions.
3. End-Use Controls
   1. Licensing based not only on tech specs but on user identity, jurisdiction, human rights risk.
4. Agility & Oversight
   1. Create a technical committee/secretariat to fast-track updates.
   1. Sunset clauses: periodic review & removal/addition of items.
5. Global Information-Sharing
   1. Shared watchlists of flagged customers/entities.
   1. Real-time red alerts on misuse.
6. Accountability Mechanisms
   1. Corporate human rights duties, procurement restrictions on violators.
   1. Peer review to check national implementation.

India’s Position

• Joined WA in 2017; incorporated lists into domestic framework.
• Engagement has been legitimacy-driven, not reformist.
• Opportunity for India:
  • Position itself as advocate of human rights–sensitive tech governance.
  • Push for inclusion of AI, cloud, and surveillance exports.
  • Balance innovation and sovereignty concerns with global responsibility.

Implications

• WA relevance eroding → designed for hardware era, now facing cloud/AI surveillance.
• Risks of inaction → authoritarian regimes exploit loopholes, global human rights abuses.
• Reform obstacles → geopolitical rivalries, innovation fears, sovereignty claims.
• Pragmatic path:
  • Incremental expansion of control lists.
  • Align with EU’s dual-use regulation.
  • Build coalitions of like-minded states (EU, India, Japan) to press reform.

Conclusion

• WA must evolve from hardware-centric export controls to cloud & AI governance.
• Without reform, it risks irrelevance in an era where surveillance, digital repression, and cross-border data exploitation are primary threats.
• For India, engaging proactively in reform debates offers strategic leverage as both a tech hub and a responsible democracy.

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E-waste collection faces gaps as informal sector plays huge role

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Basics

• Definition: E-waste = discarded electronic & electrical equipment (EEE) like mobiles, laptops, fridges, batteries.
• India’s Position: World’s 3rd largest generator of e-waste (after China & USA).
• Quantum: 4.17 million metric tonnes in 2022 → surged 73% by 2023-24 to 7.23 MMT approx (official + unofficial).

Relevance

• GS-3 (Environment & Ecology, Economy):
  ◦ E-waste management, circular economy, sustainable resource recovery.
  ◦ Strategic materials (rare earths), reducing import dependency, domestic recycling potential.
• GS-2 (Governance):
  ◦ E-Waste Management Rules, Extended Producer Responsibility, policy compliance and audits.

Policy Framework

• Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR): Manufacturers responsible for collection & recycling of end-of-life products.
• E-Waste Management Rules, 2016 (amended 2022): Formalized collection targets, introduced EPR certificates, banned unscientific dismantling.
• ₹1,500 crore mineral recycling scheme (2025): To boost rare earths & strategic metals recovery.
• CPCB Portal: Tracks EPR compliance & audits.

Current Challenges

• Informal Sector Dominance: Handles 90–95% of e-waste via unsafe methods (open burning, acid leaching).
• Low Formal Recycling: Only ~43% of e-waste recycled formally despite growth in facilities.
• Health Hazards: Informal workers exposed to lead, cadmium, mercury, brominated plastics.
• Data Gaps: No uniform inventory system; mismatch in national vs global estimates.
• Paper Trading under EPR: Fake reporting of recycling for incentives.
• Traceability Issues: Lack of downstream tracking of recovered materials → leakage back into informal streams.

Economic & Strategic Dimensions

• Resource Value: E-waste contains copper, aluminum, gold, silver, palladium, rare earth elements (REEs).
• Supply Chain Risks: Global fragility + China’s curbs on REE exports heighten India’s strategic vulnerability.
• Potential: India could meet 70% of REE demand in 18 months with strong policy & industry integration (Attero).
• Circular Economy Gap: Repair-focused informal operations prevent materials recovery → undermines resource security.

Social Dimensions

• Livelihoods: Informal sector employs ~95% of workforce in e-waste handling.
• Integration Need: Skilling, EPR floor pricing, and cooperative models needed for inclusion.
• Best Practice: “Mandi-style” aggregation models by firms like Attero to link informal collectors with formal recyclers.

Way Forward

• Inventory & Audits: Standardized national inventory; third-party audits for EPR compliance.
• Technology Scale-up: Investment in hydrometallurgical & pyrometallurgical recycling facilities.
• Integration of Informal Sector: Training, social security, microcredit, buy-back systems.
• EPR Reform: Floor pricing for EPR credits; strict penalties for paper trading.
• Policy Push: Incentivize domestic rare-earth recycling to reduce import dependence.
• Awareness & Consumer Role: Incentives for take-back, deposit-refund systems, repair-to-recycle pipelines.

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Suriname pledges to protect 90% of forests

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Basics

• Country: Suriname, small South American nation, ~93% forest cover.
• Recent Pledge: Commit to permanently protect 90% of its tropical forests.
• Context: Announced during Climate Week, New York, ahead of COP30 (Belem, Brazil).
• Significance: Surpasses the global 30×30 target (protect 30% of land and oceans by 2030).

Relevance

• GS-1 (Environment & Ecology):
  ◦ Forest conservation, biodiversity protection, carbon sinks, climate change mitigation.
• GS-2 (International Relations, Governance):
  ◦ Global climate commitments, COP30, 30×30 target, international funding & cooperation.

Forest & Climate Context

• Forest Coverage: 93% of land heavily forested → one of the highest in the world.
• Carbon Sink Status: Suriname is one of only three countries worldwide absorbing more CO₂ than it emits.
• Biodiversity:
  • Jaguars, tapirs, giant river otters
  • 700+ bird species
  • Blue poison dart frog
• Role in Climate Mitigation: Preserving intact forests stabilizes global climate, prevents CO₂ emissions.

Policy & Legal Measures

• Conservation Law Updates: Expected by end of 2025 to strengthen forest protection.
• Indigenous & Maroon Land Rights: Potential recognition of ancestral lands to empower local forest stewardship.
• Forest Management:
  • Expansion of eco-tourism opportunities
  • Participation in carbon credit markets

Financial & International Support

• Donor Commitment: $20 million from environmental coalitions to support forest protection & local jobs.
• Global Leadership: Sets a benchmark for Amazonian countries struggling with deforestation (e.g., Brazil, Peru).

Challenges

• Land Rights Issues:
  • Suriname does not legally recognize Indigenous & tribal land rights.
  • Local communities crucial for forest protection but currently lack formal authority.
• Illegal Activities:
  • Mining, logging, and roadbuilding threaten forests.
  • Past international court rulings have been ineffective in halting concessions.
• Implementation Needs:
  • Sustainable economic alternatives to extraction for local communities.
  • International technical and financial support.

Environmental & Socio-Economic Implications

• Biodiversity Conservation: Protects key species and preserves ecosystem services.
• Climate Mitigation: Maintains a significant carbon sink.
• Local Livelihoods: Supports eco-tourism, carbon markets, and sustainable forestry jobs.
• Global Example: Provides a model for forest-rich nations with high deforestation pressure.

Way Forward

• Legal Recognition: Granting Indigenous and tribal land rights to enable community-led conservation.
• Enforcement: Strengthen monitoring, anti-illegal logging, and mining measures.
• Financial & Technical Support: International funding for alternative livelihoods, monitoring tech, carbon credit integration.
• Integrated Conservation Strategy: Balance biodiversity protection, climate goals, and socio-economic development.

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India’s push for Polymetallic Sulphides (PMS) exploration

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Basics

• Topic: India’s push for Polymetallic Sulphides (PMS) exploration in the Indian Ocean.
• Significance: PMS are rich in strategic and critical metals (copper, zinc, lead, gold, silver) essential for renewable energy, green technology, and electronics.
• Historic First: India is the first country to secure two International Seabed Authority (ISA) contracts for PMS exploration, covering the largest area in the world.

Relevance

• GS-3 (Science & Technology, Economy, Security):
  ◦ Deep-sea exploration, hydrothermal vents, ROV/AUV technology.
  ◦ Strategic minerals for renewable energy, electronics, EV batteries.
  ◦ Critical minerals security, reducing import dependence, supply chain resilience.
• GS-2 (International Relations):
  ◦ UNCLOS, International Seabed Authority, maritime law, global positioning of India in seabed mining.

Geographical Context

• Carlsberg Ridge:
  • Location: Indian Ocean, between Indian Plate and Somali Plate.
  • Features: Rough topography, high mineralization, hydrothermal vents.
  • Role: Major source of Polymetallic Sulphides.
• Other key locations: Central Ridge, Mid-Indian Ridge, Madagascar Ridge.

Phases of India’s PMS Exploration

1. Phase I – Reconnaissance Surveys:
   1. Goal: Identify promising PMS sites via seabed surveys and remote sensing.
2. Phase II – Targeted Exploration:
   1. Methods: Conduct near-seabed surveys and ROVs (Remotely Operated Vehicles) to assess resource potential.
3. Phase III – Resource Evaluation:
   1. Goal: Estimate extractable quantities and assess economic viability.

India’s Previous PMS Exploration

• 2016: NCOPR conducted exploration in Indian Ocean and Southwest Indian Ocean.
• Achievements: Developed expertise in deep-ocean mining, hydrothermal vent mapping, and resource characterization.
• Ongoing research: Ocean Mission programme to enhance deep-ocean exploration capabilities.

Significance of the Carlsberg Ridge

• Geology: High topography, mineralized hydrothermal vent systems.
• Minerals: Rich in copper, zinc, lead, gold, silver.
• Strategic importance: Supports renewable energy, electronics, and green technologies.
• Hydrothermal Activity: Deposits formed by hot fluids interacting with basaltic ocean crust, creating metal-rich chimneys.

How PMS Exploration Differs from Other Underwater Minerals

• Seabed complexity: PMS deposits concentrated near hydrothermal vents; irregular and uneven seafloor makes extraction challenging.
• Dynamic positioning required: Unlike sand or nodules, PMS mining requires precise navigation and site-specific systems.
• Advanced techniques: Geophysical and hydrographic surveys, autonomous vehicles (AUVs and ROVs), sampling, and lab analysis.

Economic & Strategic Importance

• Critical metals: PMS contain copper, zinc, lead, gold, silver essential for EV batteries, electronics, and renewable energy.
• Geopolitical significance:
  • Reduces dependence on China for critical metals.
  • Positions India as a leader in deep-sea resource exploration.
• Renewable energy transition: Metals support solar, wind, and electric mobility sectors.

International Seabed Authority (ISA)

• Role: Governs resource exploration beyond national jurisdictions.
• India’s position:
  • Submitted two PMS exploration applications.
  • Follows UNCLOS framework and deep-sea mining protocols.
• Approval process: Requires ISA review and compliance with environmental safeguards.

Challenges

• Technical:
  • Deep-sea exploration at ~4000–5000 meters depth.
  • Difficult terrain with active hydrothermal vents.
• Environmental:
  • Potential disturbance to fragile ocean ecosystems.
  • Need for sustainable extraction techniques.
• Financial:
  • High capital and operational costs.
  • Uncertain global market prices for metals.

Way Forward

• Strengthen domestic capabilities: Advanced ROVs, AUVs, remote sensing, and deep-sea mapping.
• International collaboration: Partner with ISA, research institutes, and technology providers.
• Environmental safeguards: Develop sustainable extraction and monitoring protocols.
• Strategic stockpiling: Use PMS metals to support India’s renewable energy and tech industries.

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