Raman Academy • Daily Current Affairs
Important News Articles & Editorial Analysis
The Hindu
Saturday, 06 June 2026
Edition: International
Economy Page 01 • GS III • Indian Economy
GDP growth estimated at 7.7% in 2025-26: govt.
Per MoSPI provisional estimates, India’s Real GDP growth for FY 2025-26 is 7.7% — above the 7.1% of FY 2024-25 and the 7.6% advance estimate of February 2026. The data is key to reading India’s macroeconomic health, the impact of structural reforms, and emerging risks.
1. Primary Drivers of Growth
| Sector | FY 2024-25 | FY 2025-26 | Q4 trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 9.3% | 10.7% | moderated to 7.3% |
| Services (trade, hotels, transport, communication) | 6.6% | 11% | accelerated to 12.4% |
2. Demand & Investment
| Indicator | FY 2024-25 | FY 2025-26 |
|---|---|---|
| Private Final Consumption Expenditure (PFCE) — demand proxy | 5.8% | 7.7% |
| Gross Fixed Capital Formation (GFCF) — investment | 6.4% | 8.2% |
Rebounding PFCE signals revived rural and urban consumer confidence; rising GFCF reflects the crowding-in effect of government CapEx alongside a private-investment recovery.
3. Areas of Concern
- Agriculture deceleration: Growth moderates to 3% (3.6% in Q4) from 4.2% — rural distress and erratic monsoon.
- Methodological shift: Base year moved to 2022-23 with optimised methodology — historical comparisons must account for this recalibration.
4. Outlook & Challenges
- FY 2026-27 slowdown: RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra projects growth moderating to 6.6%.
- Geopolitical risk: West Asia (US-Iran) frictions disrupt supply chains, spiking crude and energy prices.
- Domestic risk: A below-normal monsoon could stoke food inflation; RBI revised its inflation projection up to 5.1%.
India Implications
- Fastest-growing major economy: Near double-digit manufacturing and services growth despite global uncertainty.
- Inclusive-growth gap: Agricultural distress and continuity of private CapEx need policy attention.
- Insulation: Macroprudential measures and Ease-of-Doing-Business + youth employment focus to absorb supply-side shocks.
Conclusion: The 7.7% print vindicates India’s economic strength and reform momentum, keeping it the fastest-growing major economy. Yet agricultural deceleration, sustaining private capex, and external shocks like the West Asia crisis could weigh on coming quarters — making employment generation and macroprudential resilience essential for sustained, inclusive growth.
Prelims Practice
Q. What is the primary objective of changing the Base Year for GDP calculation?
- (a) To control inflation
- (b) To increase tax collection
- (c) To better reflect the current structure of the economy
- (d) To attract foreign investment
Click to reveal answer
Answer: (c) — Updating the base year captures structural shifts (new sectors, changing weights) for more accurate measurement.
Mains Practice
Analyse the role of the manufacturing and services sectors in India’s economic growth. Evaluate their contribution in light of the latest GDP estimates. (10 Marks, 150 Words)
Int'l Relations Page 03 • GS II • International Relations
Pressure to limit India-Russia ties will hurt global stability, says Putin
At a St. Petersburg press conference, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Western attempts to pressure a sovereign major economy like India into scaling back ties with Russia would be detrimental to global stability — reaffirming India as a ‘reliable’ strategic partner.
1. Western Pressure & National Interest
- Counterproductive: Pressuring PM Modi and the world’s most populous country harms international relations.
- Energy security first: Despite US/Western objections to Russian crude imports amid the Ukraine conflict, India kept national interest paramount.
2. India-U.S. Ties & 3. India-China Stance
| Issue | Russian position |
|---|---|
| India-U.S. alignment | No structural friction in Russia-India ties; India free to pursue multi-alignment |
| India-China dispute (LAC) | ‘Delicate, multi-dimensional’; third-country intervention is unwise |
| Strategic equilibrium | Moscow’s ties with Delhi and Beijing evolved naturally, not at each other’s cost |
4. Military-Technical Cooperation & 5. Pakistan
- Su-57 offer: Russia formally offered its fifth-gen stealth fighter with a joint-manufacturing roadmap under Make in India.
- Transfer of Technology: Readiness to share advanced defence tech without restrictive clauses — a window for self-reliance.
- On Pakistan: Putin dismissed the view that Pakistan is entirely under China’s geopolitical control.
India Implications
- Strategic autonomy validated: Closeness to the US via QUAD alongside Russia/China engagement via BRICS and SCO.
- Defence self-reliance: Su-57 + ToT could deepen Make-in-India defence manufacturing.
- BRICS 2026: The September 2026 India-hosted Summit can chart a new India-Russia trajectory.
Conclusion: Putin’s remarks show how firmly anchored India is in global geopolitics, having preserved strategic autonomy across QUAD, BRICS and SCO. Russia’s neutrality on India-China and acceptance of India-US ties reflect deep understanding of New Delhi’s compulsions and strengths. India’s core challenge: balancing interests between global powers without compromising sovereign principles.
Prelims Practice
Q. The term “Strategic Autonomy” in India’s foreign policy refers to:
- (a) Permanent alignment with a major power
- (b) Remaining outside all military partnerships
- (c) Pursuing an independent foreign policy based on national interests
- (d) Supporting only the Non-Aligned Movement
Click to reveal answer
Answer: (c) — Strategic autonomy means independent, interest-driven choices, not permanent alignment or total non-alignment.
Mains Practice
Explain the concept of Strategic Autonomy. How has India demonstrated this principle during the Russia-Ukraine conflict? (10 Marks, 150 Words)
Int'l Relations Page 06 • GS II • International Relations
Rubio fails to win India back for Washington
Strategic experts have warned for nearly a year that worsening India-U.S. ties could damage a partnership central to America’s Indo-Pacific strategy. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s visit (May 23–26, 2026) was widely seen as a chance to repair the relationship — but it produced no breakthrough, deepening a strategic, not merely transactional, trust deficit.
1. Warnings & the ‘Sense of Betrayal’
- Think-tank alarm: A March 2026 CNAS report (“Repairing the Breach”) said ties had “stumbled badly” in late 2025; the Hudson Institute’s “New India Conference” underscored India’s strategic value.
- Beyond transactional: Indian experts hold the damage is strategic, requiring sustained effort to rebuild trust.
2. Three Indicators of Deterioration
| Indicator | Detail |
|---|---|
| US-Pakistan tilt | Growing US-Pakistan strategic ties post-Operation Sindoor; Trump’s praise for Pakistani leaders read in India as betrayal |
| Trade | A 50% tariff penalty — the highest on any country — imposed on India for buying Russian oil |
| Quad neglect | Absence of head-of-state summits; the Quad seen as downgraded in US priorities |
3. The Rubio Visit & After
- Disputed trade claim: Rubio asserted India committed to buying $500 billion of American products over five years — contested by Indian officials.
- No Quad breakthrough: The Foreign Ministers’ summit yielded no major announcement.
- ‘America First’: Rubio praised Pakistan’s role in the Iran crisis; the signal was that US choices are driven by America First, not by repairing India ties.
4. A Partnership That Still Matters
- Strong shared interests endure: a stable Indo-Pacific, partnership among major democracies, and cooperation on technology, AI, semiconductors, defence and energy security.
- The two countries are not as closely aligned as 18 months ago, but the strategic logic for cooperation remains intact.
India Implications
- Diversify, don’t depend: The trust deficit reinforces India’s multi-alignment across Russia, the EU and the Global South.
- Trade leverage: The 50% tariff makes resolving the bilateral trade deal a strategic priority.
- Keep channels open: Indo-Pacific and tech/defence interests justify steady engagement despite friction.
Conclusion: Rubio’s visit failed to reverse the perceived damage to India-U.S. relations, signalling that American policy is now shaped more by ‘America First’ than by careful strategic thinking. Yet the partnership still matters: deep shared interests in the Indo-Pacific and critical technologies mean India should manage the deficit pragmatically while guarding its strategic autonomy.
Prelims Practice
Q. Consider the following statements:
- Strategic Autonomy means that India will not enter into a partnership with any country.
- The objective of multi-alignment is to maximise national interests while maintaining relations with various power centres.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
- (a) 1 only
- (b) 2 only
- (c) Both 1 and 2
- (d) Neither 1 nor 2
Click to reveal answer
Answer: (b) 2 only — Statement 1 is wrong: strategic autonomy permits partnerships; it rejects permanent alignment, not all partnerships.
Mains Practice
Discuss the major reasons behind the emerging trust deficit in India-U.S. relations. (15 Marks, 250 Words)
Int'l Relations Page 09 • GS II • International Relations
India-China relations have improved to a new level of development: Xu Feihong
At ‘The Hindu Huddle’ in Bengaluru, China’s Ambassador Xu Feihong said ties have moved beyond a “reset and fresh start” to a “new level of development” — while candidly admitting a “serious deficit of trust” persists, to be overcome by working toward “full normalisation.”
1. Progress & Recent Ease
- Strategic guidance: PM Modi’s and President Xi’s leadership steered ties from a long-term perspective.
- Pragmatic strides: Calibrated easing of Press Note 3 investment curbs, resumption of the Kailash-Mansarovar Yatra, restored direct flights and eased trade rules.
2. Trust Deficit & 3. Border Situation
- Stalled dialogues: Of ~50 government-to-government mechanisms, most remain stalled; reviving them is imperative for normalisation.
- Post-Galwan stability: The border (since the June 2020 Galwan clash) is “generally stable and peaceful.”
- WMCC: The 35th meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation & Coordination on India-China Border Affairs met in Beijing on demarcation, management and trans-border cooperation.
4. The Pakistan Factor & 5. BRICS
- Operation Sindoor: India raised concerns over China’s military assistance to Pakistan; Beijing urged India-Pakistan peaceful dialogue and claimed neutrality.
- BRICS 2026: China backs India’s hosting; a possible Xi visit (first since Mamallapuram 2019) is under logistical preparation.
India Implications
- Non-negotiable baseline: Peace on the border and restoration of the April-2020 status quo ante across the LAC remain prerequisites for full normalisation.
- Leverage the market: China’s outreach reflects India’s consumer-market and diplomatic weight.
- Sovereignty first: Use BRICS to keep channels open without compromising territorial sovereignty.
Conclusion: Xu’s remarks show both sides recognise the global weight of their equation. China’s push for normalisation acknowledges India’s market and stature, but India’s baseline is unwavering: complete disengagement and restored patrolling rights precede wholesale normalisation. India should use platforms like BRICS to bridge the trust deficit without ceding sovereignty.
Prelims Practice
Q. The WMCC mechanism between India and China primarily deals with:
- (a) Trade negotiations
- (b) Border management and coordination on border affairs
- (c) Military alliance building
- (d) BRICS coordination
Click to reveal answer
Answer: (b) — The WMCC is the diplomatic mechanism for consultation and coordination on India-China border affairs.
Mains Practice
What are the major factors responsible for the trust deficit between India and China? (10 Marks, 150 Words)
Social Justice Sci & Tech Page 08 • GS II & III • Editorial Analysis
India needs innovative strategies to eliminate TB
The ICMR-sponsored PreVenTB Phase-III trial, published in The BMJ, evaluated two new TB vaccines — VPM1002 (Serum Institute of India) and Immuvac/Mw (Cadila) — on 12,700+ household contacts of active TB patients, with major implications for India’s health strategy.
1. The TB Burden & Impediments
- Highest global burden: India’s high-prevalence pockets report 200–300 cases/100,000; elimination requires driving this to 10–20/100,000.
- Extrapulmonary TB (EPTB): TB also affects organs beyond the lungs; EPTB is hard to diagnose, often causing delayed treatment and high mortality.
2. Core Trial Findings
| Finding | Result |
|---|---|
| VPM1002 vs EPTB | 50.4% efficacy — first global trial to measure efficacy against extra-pulmonary TB |
| VPM1002 in children 6–14 (all forms) | 64.6% efficacy |
| Immuvac vs EPTB (6–10 yrs) | >60% efficacy |
| Logistics | VPM1002 is single-dose (recombinant BCG) — eases cold-chain and mass production |
Both vaccines missed the primary endpoint (absolute efficacy against all/pulmonary TB), but sub-group, site-specific results were significant.
3. Nutrition × TB Efficacy
- Low-BMI bottleneck: Real-world efficacy dropped sharply in people with low BMI or chronic malnutrition.
- Policy lesson: Immunisation is no silver bullet — vaccines must be paired with nutritional support (e.g., expanding the Nikshay Poshan Yojana).
4. India’s Pragmatic Track Record & 5. Multi-Tiered Strategy
- Precedents: TrueNat adopted before WHO endorsement; Covaxin in ‘clinical trial mode’; indigenous Rotavirus vaccine despite moderate efficacy — all chose timely action over waiting for perfection.
- Tier 1 — Diagnostics: Scale indigenous molecular tools for early interception of subclinical TB.
- Tier 2 — Preventive therapy: Prophylaxis among household contacts to stop latent-to-active progression.
- Tier 3 — Targeted immunisation: Deploy VPM1002/Immuvac as boosters for school children and high-risk adolescents.
India Implications
- Act on indigenous evidence: As the TB epicentre, India cannot wait for a flawless global vaccine.
- Integrate nutrition: Nutritional safety nets are central to vaccine effectiveness.
- Leverage manufacturing: Use domestic vaccine capacity for targeted field deployment.
Conclusion: PreVenTB is “light at the end of the tunnel” for TB research. A TB-free India will be built not by a single perfect vaccine but by a layered mix of diagnostics, preventive therapy, targeted immunisation and nutrition. India must act decisively on this indigenous evidence to defeat a long-standing public-health threat.
Mains Practice
“TB is not merely a medical issue but also a socio-economic challenge.” Discuss this in the context of nutrition, poverty, and public health. (15 Marks, 250 Words)
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