Saturday, 14 November 2026The Hindu
The Hindu – Important News Articles & Editorial
Today’s coverage: record merchandise exports in October, a global Microsoft outage and cloud concentration risk, the WHO on TB funding gaps, a proposal to divide the Supreme Court, the ban on exporting battery black mass, and an editorial on holding the Quad together.
Exports touch record high as diversification pays off in October
India’s merchandise exports hit an all-time monthly high of $49.47 billion in October 2026, up 45.03% year-on-year, narrowing the overall trade deficit to $20.1 billion from $25.1 billion a year earlier. Petroleum products drove much of the rise, but officials credit diversification of export markets.
Key Facts
- Overall exports: goods and services together reached $89.99 billion, up nearly 30%.
- Imports: merchandise imports hit a record $89.35 billion (+16.5%); total imports were $110.1 billion (+16.6%).
- Breadth: 43 of the top 50 destinations grew, and 12 of the top 20 grew by double digits. Exports to Africa rose 44% to $31.4 billion in April–September 2026.
- West Asia: exports $5.7 billion (from $5.5 billion); imports $16.2 billion (from $15.99 billion).
- Services: exports $40.5 billion (+15%); imports $20.7 billion (+17%). Final services data comes from the RBI next month.
| Item | Exports | Imports | Balance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Merchandise | $49.47 bn (+45.03%) | $89.35 bn (+16.5%) | Deficit of about $39.9 bn |
| Services | $40.5 bn (+15%) | $20.7 bn (+17%) | Surplus of about $19.8 bn |
| Total | $89.99 bn (up nearly 30%) | $110.1 bn (+16.6%) | Deficit of $20.1 bn (from $25.1 bn) |
Static Dimensions
- Trade balance versus current account: the trade balance covers goods (and here services); the current account also includes remittances and income flows. Services and remittances usually offset much of the goods deficit.
- Policy tools: Foreign Trade Policy 2023, RoDTEP, PLI schemes, the Export Promotion Mission, and FTAs (UAE CEPA, EFTA TEPA, U.K. CETA, India-EU FTA).
- Data sources: the Commerce Ministry (DGCI&S) for merchandise; the RBI for services.
Analysis
- Price versus volume: exports growing faster than imports suggests a volume rise, but analysts also credit higher global prices. Petroleum exports are price-sensitive, so part of the gain may reverse if prices fall.
- Diversification: broad-based growth across 43 markets and Africa’s rise reduce dependence on a few destinations and cushion against tariff or demand shocks.
- Imports remain high: record, largely energy-linked imports keep the merchandise deficit large (about $39.9 billion); the narrower overall deficit relies on a services surplus of about $19.8 billion.
- Services as stabiliser: services exports are about double services imports, but imports are growing faster (17% versus 15%).
- Base effect: year-on-year growth is flattered if the 2025 base was weak; the trend over several months matters more.
- Macro link: a smaller deficit eases pressure on the current account and the rupee, helpful when inflation and imported energy costs are high.
Challenges
- Dependence on petroleum re-exports and global prices.
- Global demand and geopolitical risks.
- Non-tariff barriers abroad.
- High logistics costs.
- Low value addition in exports.
Way Forward
- Push value-added manufactured exports (electronics, engineering, pharma) over price-led commodities.
- Use FTAs fully through awareness, standards and rules-of-origin compliance, especially for MSMEs.
- Deepen market access in Africa, ASEAN and Latin America; improve trade finance and logistics.
- Diversify energy imports and expand renewables and ethanol to contain import bills.
India Implications
- External stability: a narrower deficit supports the rupee and foreign-exchange reserves.
- Resilience: a wider spread of markets reduces exposure to tariff shocks in any one country.
- Quality of growth: lasting gains depend on manufactured, high-value exports rather than oil prices.
Himachal angle: Pharmaceuticals, one of the value-added exports the article calls for, are Himachal’s main export link: the Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh belt supplies medicines to many of the new markets, including Africa. Better trade finance, standards support and logistics from the hills would let more of the State’s MSMEs use FTAs directly.
ConclusionThe record export figure is encouraging, especially its geographic breadth, but a price-led surge with record imports calls for caution. Sustained gains need volume growth, value addition and effective use of trade agreements.
Prelims Practice
Which of the following best explains the significance of geographical diversification of export markets?
- (a) It eliminates the need for imports from other countries.
- (b) It ensures that export earnings remain unaffected by global recessions.
- (c) It reduces excessive dependence on a limited number of destinations and helps manage external demand shocks.
- (d) It automatically eliminates non-tariff barriers in international trade.
Click to reveal answer
Answer: (c) – Spreading exports across many markets means a slowdown or tariff in one country hurts less. It cannot make earnings immune to a global recession or remove non-tariff barriers.
Mains Practice
India’s merchandise exports have registered significant growth, but the sustainability of this growth depends on several structural factors. Discuss. (10 Marks, 150 Words)
Global disruption of Microsoft services hits Indian firms
A global disruption of Microsoft services that began on Thursday and continued into Friday affected email and workplace applications in businesses, public services and other organisations worldwide. Indian firms, from start-ups to multinationals, lost internal communication and customer support. The episode shows the risk of concentrating critical digital services in a few providers, and bears on cyber resilience, digital sovereignty and critical information infrastructure.
Key Facts
- Cause and scope: Microsoft named Exchange Online (cloud email, calendar, contacts, tasks) as the primary service affected. Some Microsoft Graph requests to Exchange Online data timed out, hitting dependent features in Teams, Copilot and SharePoint; core Teams messaging and meetings largely continued.
- No attack found: Microsoft said it knew of no malicious activity and promised a root-cause report after restoration.
- Recovery: better in North America and Europe, encouraging in Asia-Pacific; intermittent delays could continue, and a 48-hour timeout window protects delayed messages.
- Impact in India: a major telecom firm’s staff could not send service-disruption alerts and call-centre traffic rose; a deep-tech start-up and a Big Four firm reported disrupted emails, Teams meetings and internal operations; IndiGo and Akasa Air reported email support delays, while Air India said flight operations were unaffected.
- Impact abroad: government email disruptions in Singapore and Japan; in Britain, NHS staff handling emergency calls could not access patient details as usual, and prescriptions were delayed.
- CERT-In advisory: a separate high-severity advisory on multiple Microsoft product vulnerabilities, including an Outlook flaw reported as actively exploited. No link to the outage is established.
- Expert views: reduce dependence on external providers and build a diverse ecosystem (citing Germany’s regional choice of email providers, many using open-source software); keep backup channels, multiple providers and tested continuity plans.
| Institution or law | Role |
|---|---|
| CERT-In (Section 70B, IT Act, 2000) | National nodal agency under MeitY for cyber incidents; issues advisories; 2022 directions require incidents to be reported within six hours |
| NCIIPC (Section 70, IT Act) | Protects Critical Information Infrastructure in power, banking, telecom, transport and government |
| DPDP Act, 2023 | Data fiduciaries must adopt reasonable security safeguards |
| MeghRaj cloud policy | Government cloud initiative and empanelment of cloud providers |
| NIC email and open-source policy | Indigenous options to reduce dependence on foreign vendors |
Static Dimensions
- Concentration risk: a few hyperscalers (Microsoft, Amazon, Google) host a large share of global workloads, so a single fault can cascade across sectors.
- CIA triad: confidentiality, integrity and availability – the three goals of information security. An outage is a failure of availability.
- Business continuity and disaster recovery (BCP/DR): redundancy, failover, multi-cloud, offline backups and regular drills.
- Precedent: the July 2024 CrowdStrike-Windows outage disrupted airports and banks worldwide.
Analysis
- Single point of failure: hospitals, airlines, telecom firms and governments were hit because many depend on one vendor’s cloud. Email looks routine but carries alerts, customer service and emergency coordination.
- Not an attack, similar effect: even without malice, an availability failure harms the CIA triad; for essential services, resilience matters as much as protection from hackers.
- Preparedness pays: firms with alternative channels (IndiGo’s virtual assistant, Akasa Air’s call centre and social media) coped better, and Air India’s rerouting of email shows planning helps.
- Public-sector exposure: government and health services on commercial clouds face continuity risk and loss of control over uptime; the NHS example shows the human cost.
- Sovereignty versus efficiency: diversification and open-source options raise resilience and bargaining power but cost more and need skills. Total independence is unrealistic; a multi-vendor approach is more practical.
- Regulatory gap: India has incident-reporting rules but no framework treating major cloud and SaaS providers as systemic, with outage reporting and service-level obligations.
- Caution: the cause is not yet known; conclusions should wait for Microsoft’s root-cause report.
Challenges
- Vendor lock-in and concentration of critical services.
- Limited visibility into failures on the vendor’s side.
- Untested continuity plans, especially in MSMEs.
- Skill and cost barriers for open-source or in-house alternatives.
- Outages overlapping with active exploitation of vulnerabilities.
Way Forward
- Mandate BCP/DR plans and periodic drills for critical infrastructure and essential-service operators.
- Encourage multi-vendor and hybrid architectures, with offline and alternate communication channels.
- Define systemic cloud providers and require incident disclosure, SLAs and post-incident reports.
- Promote indigenous and open-source options (NIC email, MeghRaj) for government use.
- Strengthen CERT-In and NCIIPC coordination; patch quickly on advisories.
- Support MSMEs with affordable resilience tools and skills.
India Implications
- Digital public services: as more governance moves online, provider outages become governance failures.
- Economic cost: lost productivity and delayed customer service hit firms of every size.
- Digital sovereignty: the episode strengthens the case for diverse, interoperable and partly indigenous systems.
Himachal angle: In a State where floods and landslides often cut roads and power, online services for permits, land records, tourism bookings and disaster alerts need backup channels as much as physical infrastructure does. Government departments relying on a single email or cloud provider should have tested fallbacks, such as SMS, NIC email and offline records.
ConclusionDigital services are now essential infrastructure, so their failure is a governance issue, not just a technical one. India should combine vendor diversity, strong continuity planning and a clear regulatory framework to protect public services and businesses from provider-level failures.
Prelims Practice
In the context of digital infrastructure, the term ‘redundancy’ refers to:
- (a) Eliminating all alternative systems to reduce costs.
- (b) Restricting access to digital services during peak hours.
- (c) Replacing human employees with automated systems.
- (d) Maintaining additional or alternative systems and resources to ensure continuity in case of failure.
Click to reveal answer
Answer: (d) – Redundancy means keeping backup systems, providers or channels so that service continues if one fails – the lesson of firms that coped better during this outage.
Mains Practice
What is cloud computing? Discuss its significance in the functioning of modern businesses and public service delivery. (10 Marks, 150 Words)
WHO flags funding gaps in prevention, treatment of TB
The WHO Global Tuberculosis Report 2026 shows that about 86% of TB spending in 2025 came from domestic sources, while international donor funding fell and research funding remains far below target. The South-East Asia Region carries about a third of the global burden. The report raises a central question: can countries end TB by 2030 (SDG 3.3) when financing is uneven and donor support is shrinking?
Key Facts
- Domestic share: about 86% of TB spending in 2025 came from domestic sources.
- Concentration: Brazil, China, India, Russia and South Africa accounted for $3.7 billion (65%) of the $5.63 billion domestic funding in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
- Need: $22 billion a year is needed for prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care to meet the 2023 UN High-Level Meeting targets by 2027.
- Donor decline: international donor funding fell 14%, from $1.1 billion (2024) to $0.94 billion (2025), after being stable at $1.1–1.3 billion a year during 2015–2024.
- Research gap: TB research funding was $1.2 billion in 2023, against a target of $5 billion a year.
- Burden: over 80% of cases and deaths are in LMICs. The South-East Asia Region had 3.6 million new cases and 4,00,000 deaths in 2025 – about a third (34–35%) of the global total.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Annual need by 2027 (UN High-Level Meeting target) | $22 billion |
| Domestic funding in LMICs, 2025 | $5.63 billion (65% from Brazil, China, India, Russia and South Africa) |
| International donor funding | $0.94 billion in 2025, down 14% from $1.1 billion in 2024 |
| TB research funding | $1.2 billion in 2023, against a $5 billion annual target |
Static Dimensions
- TB: an airborne disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis; curable, and preventable with TB preventive treatment. Drug-resistant forms (MDR/RR-TB) need longer, costlier regimens.
- Global targets: SDG 3.3 (end the TB epidemic by 2030); WHO End TB Strategy (90% fewer cases and 95% fewer deaths by 2035, compared with 2015); UN High-Level Meeting 2023 targets on treatment, preventive therapy, vaccines, financing ($22 billion) and research ($5 billion).
- India’s programme: the National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP) aimed to end TB by 2025, ahead of the SDG date. Key elements: Ni-kshay Poshan Yojana (nutrition support through DBT), Ni-kshay Mitra (community and donor support), Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan and the 100-day intensified campaign, the Ni-kshay portal for notification, rapid diagnostics (CBNAAT, TrueNat) and the shorter BPaLM regimen for drug-resistant TB.
- Funding institutions: Global Fund, Stop TB Partnership and bilateral donors; India now largely self-finances its TB programme.
- Social determinants: undernutrition, poverty, diabetes, tobacco, alcohol, HIV and crowded housing raise TB risk.
Analysis
- Domestic financing is the backbone: with 86% from domestic sources, national budgets decide progress – but spending is concentrated in five larger economies, leaving low-income countries dependent on shrinking aid.
- Donor retreat: a 14% fall in aid matters most for poorer, high-burden countries with little fiscal space, affecting case-finding, drug supply and community programmes.
- Gap versus ambition: domestic and donor funds together are far below the $22 billion need, though the figures cover different scopes and should not be added to claim an exact gap.
- Research underinvestment: slows new vaccines, rapid diagnostics and shorter regimens. BCG protects mainly children, so an adult vaccine is a major gap.
- Regional burden: SEAR’s one-third share shows why India, Indonesia and Bangladesh decide the world’s outcome.
- Equity: TB is a disease of poverty that pushes families into catastrophic health spending, so nutrition, housing, tobacco and diabetes control matter alongside medicine.
- India’s position: as the largest-burden country and a large domestic funder, India can show self-financed delivery and lead South-South cooperation.
Challenges
- Declining donor funding and global aid reprioritisation.
- Gaps in detection, treatment adherence and drug-resistant TB care.
- Undernutrition, diabetes and other risk factors.
- Low research and vaccine funding.
- Health-system strain, stigma and gaps in private-sector reporting.
Way Forward
- Raise public health spending and ring-fence TB funds; use pooled and innovative financing.
- Strengthen regional cooperation in SEAR on procurement, data and research.
- Scale up preventive treatment, active case-finding and rapid molecular diagnostics.
- Integrate nutrition, diabetes, tobacco and HIV services with TB care.
- Invest in domestic R&D, vaccine trials and affordable diagnostics.
- Engage the private sector and communities through Ni-kshay Mitra and local bodies.
India Implications
- Largest burden: India’s progress largely decides whether the world meets SDG 3.3.
- Self-reliance: falling aid matters less for India’s programme, but research and vaccine gaps still slow it.
- Social protection: nutrition support and free treatment protect poor households from catastrophic costs.
Himachal angle: Himachal set itself an early target of ending TB ahead of the national goal and has certified many panchayats as TB-free, often through community support of the Ni-kshay Mitra type. Long winters spent indoors in high-altitude areas and long distances to diagnostic centres make active case-finding and nutrition support especially important in the State’s remote districts.
ConclusionTB elimination depends on sustained and predictable financing as much as on medicine. With donor funds falling, domestic commitment, regional cooperation and investment in research must rise together, or the 2030 goal will slip further.
Prelims Practice
Which of the following approaches best reflects an integrated strategy for achieving TB elimination?
- (a) Focusing exclusively on expanding hospital infrastructure.
- (b) Replacing public health programmes with private healthcare delivery.
- (c) Combining early diagnosis, preventive treatment, nutritional support, research and community participation.
- (d) Restricting TB control measures to countries with the highest disease burden.
Click to reveal answer
Answer: (c) – An integrated strategy works on several fronts at once: early diagnosis, preventive treatment, nutrition, research and community support. Options (a), (b) and (d) each rely on a single narrow measure.
Mains Practice
Discuss the significance of the WHO End TB Strategy and Sustainable Development Goal 3.3 in shaping global efforts towards tuberculosis elimination. (10 Marks, 150 Words)
To strengthen the Supreme Court, divide it
In this opinion piece, the head of a consumer-policy think tank argues that the Supreme Court should be split into a small Constitutional Court (about 11 judges, in Delhi) and four or five regional Courts of Appeal. The Court, the author says, has become a general appellate body drowning in Special Leave Petitions (SLPs), while its constitutional work has withered. The proposal raises basic questions about judicial structure, access to justice and the role of the apex court; the opposing view is set out below.
Key Facts
- Backlog: 92,318 pending cases at the end of 2025, the highest ever and nearly 10,000 more than a year earlier. In 2025 the Court disposed of 65,615 cases, but 75,410 fresh matters arrived.
- Strength versus pendency: sanctioned strength was raised to 34 in 2019, when pendency was near 60,000; pendency is now close to 93,000. In 2026, Parliament raised the sanctioned strength to 38.
- Constitution Benches: an average of 134 cases a year in the early 1960s, against fewer than 10 a year over the last decade.
- SLPs: Article 136 appeals formed 84.6% of the admission docket in 2011. In Bihar Legal Support Society (1986), the Court said it was never meant to be an ordinary court of appeal.
- Pending reference: in 2016, a three-judge Bench framed 11 questions on the Court’s role and referred them to a larger Bench; the reference remains unheard.
- Earlier proposals: the 229th Law Commission Report (2009) proposed a Constitution Bench in Delhi with four regional Cassation Benches, arguing Article 130 may permit regional Benches without a constitutional amendment. A 2023 Parliamentary Standing Committee recommended regional Benches, which the Law Ministry has accepted.
| Country | Structure |
|---|---|
| United States | Supreme Court sits above 13 Courts of Appeals and grants review in about 1% of roughly 7,000 petitions a year |
| South Africa | Separate Constitutional Court and Supreme Court of Appeal |
| Germany | Federal Constitutional Court hears only constitutional matters |
| Brazil | Superior Tribunal of Justice created in 1988, but the backlog fell only after the 2004 “general repercussion” filter |
| Article | Provision |
|---|---|
| 124 | Establishment and composition; strength fixed by Parliament (Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1956) |
| 130 | The Court sits in Delhi or at such other place(s) as the CJI decides with the President’s approval |
| 131 | Original jurisdiction (Centre-State disputes) |
| 132–134 | Appellate jurisdiction (constitutional, civil, criminal) |
| 136 | Special leave to appeal |
| 141 | Law declared by the Supreme Court binds all courts |
| 143 | Advisory jurisdiction |
| 145(3) | At least five judges for a substantial question of constitutional interpretation |
Static Dimensions
- Other jurisdiction: Article 32 (writs for fundamental rights) and Article 139A (power to transfer cases).
- Landmark ruling: Kesavananda Bharati (1973, 13-judge Bench) and the basic structure doctrine.
- Related ideas: cassation (a higher court reviewing legal errors), Courts of Appeal, regional Benches and certiorari-type filtering of cases.
- Other reforms: National Court Management Systems, e-Courts, case-listing rules, and Alternative Dispute Resolution (Mediation Act, 2023).
Analysis
- Drift from constitutional role: fewer Constitution Benches leave questions on federalism, rights and separation of powers unsettled and reduce predictability for lower courts.
- Capacity argument: judge strength and pendency both rose between 2019 and 2025, which supports sorting work rather than only adding judges – a reasonable inference, though listing practices, adjournments and lower-court vacancies also matter.
- Access to justice: litigants from the South or the North-East must travel to Delhi; regional appeal courts would cut cost and delay, in the spirit of Article 39A.
- Consistency: a dedicated Constitutional Court sitting in full Benches would give consistent rulings, whereas many small Benches sometimes reach conflicting views.
- Filtering is essential: Brazil shows a split alone does not cure backlog without discretion to refuse cases, so a tighter Article 136 practice is part of the design.
- Legal route: whether Article 130 allows regional Benches without amendment is contested; a true appeals tier with final power likely needs a constitutional amendment.
- The unity objection: successive Chief Justices have worried that a divided apex court loses its single authoritative voice, that regional courts may be seen as second-class, and that litigants would still push to reach Delhi. The author replies that the Court is already effectively divided into many Benches. Both sides have force.
Challenges
- Constitutional and legal uncertainty over the route.
- Opposition within the judiciary on unity and prestige.
- Defining which cases reach the Constitutional Court.
- New infrastructure and appointment of judges.
- Vacancies and pendency in High Courts and lower courts, which feed appeals.
Way Forward
- Hear the pending 2016 reference so the Court itself settles its role.
- Frame clear Article 136 filters: substantial legal questions, grave injustice or public importance.
- Pilot regional Benches under Article 130, evaluate, then decide on an amendment for a full appeals tier.
- Fix listing and case management; use technology and digital filing.
- Fill High Court vacancies and strengthen lower courts, tribunals and ADR.
- Build consensus with the Bar, Bench, Law Commission and Parliament.
India Implications
- Rule of law: timely constitutional rulings give certainty to governments, businesses and citizens.
- Access to justice: distance and cost now limit who can reach the apex court.
- Judicial independence: any restructuring must protect the Court’s authority as the final interpreter of the Constitution.
Himachal angle: Under the 229th Law Commission plan, the northern region including Himachal would be served by a Bench in Delhi itself, so the State gains less on distance than the South or North-East. For Himachal litigants, the bigger issues are the cost of Supreme Court counsel and pendency in the High Court at Shimla and subordinate courts, which feeds appeals upward.
ConclusionThe case for reform rests on a real problem: a constitutional court overwhelmed by ordinary appeals. A two-tier structure with strong case filtering could restore the Court’s constitutional role and improve access to justice, but it needs a legally sound route and protection of judicial authority, so reform should be tested step by step.
Prelims Practice
With reference to the Supreme Court of India, consider the following statements:
- Under Article 130, the Supreme Court sits in Delhi or at such other place(s) as the Chief Justice of India may appoint with the approval of the President.
- Under Article 145(3), at least five judges must sit to decide a case involving a substantial question of law as to the interpretation of the Constitution.
- The number of Supreme Court judges is fixed by the Constitution and can be changed only by a constitutional amendment.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
- (a) 1 and 2 only
- (b) 2 and 3 only
- (c) 1 and 3 only
- (d) 1, 2 and 3
Click to reveal answer
Answer: (a) – Statements 1 and 2 are correct. Under Article 124, Parliament fixes the number of judges by ordinary law – the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1956, which was amended to raise the strength to 34 in 2019 – so statement 3 is incorrect.
Mains Practice
The Supreme Court of India was envisaged as the guardian of the Constitution rather than an ordinary court of appeal. Examine this statement in the context of its increasing appellate workload. (10 Marks, 150 Words)
Critical ban: India needs an entire ecosystem for recycling lithium-ion batteries
On 10 November, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) moved lithium-ion battery black mass from the “free” to the “prohibited” export list, to keep feedstock in India for domestic refiners. The editorial argues that a ban alone will not create a recycling ecosystem.
Key Facts
- Black mass: an intermediate product from shredded spent batteries and factory scrap, containing lithium, nickel, cobalt, manganese and graphite.
- Commerce Ministry’s aim: secure feedstock, raise refiners’ capacity use and draw investment.
- Sector status: lead-acid recycling is formalised; lithium-ion recycling is emerging, with only a few dozen licensed operators.
- Value chain: producing black mass is mostly mechanical; downstream chemical refining needs far larger investment and policy support.
- EPR problem: under the Battery Waste Management Rules, 2022, producers buy EPR certificates from recyclers, but these are undervalued, favouring paper compliance over high-yield plants.
- Rare earths: a smartphone holds up to 1% NdFeB magnet by weight (about 3,000 ppm rare earths, comparable to monazite-bearing sands); separated magnets are about 30% rare earth. E-waste rules do not require rare earth separation.
| Stage | What happens | Status in India |
|---|---|---|
| Collection | Spent batteries and factory scrap gathered | Largely informal, with weak tracking |
| Black mass production | Mechanical shredding and separation | A few dozen licensed operators |
| Refining | Chemical recovery of lithium, nickel, cobalt and manganese | Capital-heavy and limited; ban aims to feed it |
| Reuse in cells | Recovered materials go into new batteries | Link to domestic cell manufacturing still weak |
Static Dimensions
- Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR): producers are responsible for end-of-life management of their products; certificates are traded under the Battery Waste Management Rules, 2022 and the E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2022, both under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
- Circular economy: reduce, reuse, recycle, recover.
- Critical minerals: the National Critical Mineral Mission (2025) covers exploration, processing and recycling; India depends on imports for lithium, cobalt and nickel.
- DGFT: under the Commerce Ministry; enforces the Foreign Trade (Development and Regulation) Act, 1992.
Analysis
- Feedstock security: the ban protects raw material and supports self-reliance in battery materials, but demand for black mass depends on refiners being ready.
- Dumping risk: without downstream capacity, spent batteries may be dumped, creating a hazardous-waste problem.
- Perverse incentive: a low EPR certificate price rewards cheap, low-recovery recycling.
- Missed opportunity: weight-based EPR cannot value trace minerals such as rare earths.
Challenges
- Capital-heavy refining and technology gaps.
- Informal collection and weak tracking.
- Price gap between recycled and imported material.
Way Forward
- Set a floor price for EPR certificates that covers full recovery cost, with digital tracking.
- Incentivise downstream refining and link output to domestic cell manufacturing.
- Create a separate EPR category and mandatory separation for rare earth magnets.
- Strengthen formal collection and standards.
India Implications
- Critical mineral security: recycled lithium, nickel and cobalt reduce import dependence for the EV and storage transition.
- Environment: formal recycling prevents toxic dumping of spent batteries.
- Industrial policy: trade measures work only alongside investment in processing capacity.
Himachal angle: As Himachal electrifies transport – HRTC’s electric buses and subsidised e-taxis – it will generate a growing stream of spent EV batteries. With little recycling capacity in the State and costly hill logistics, formal collection and transport to licensed recyclers, rather than informal scrap dealers, will need planning from the start.
ConclusionRestricting exports secures raw material, but a real circular economy needs processing capacity, fair pricing and sound EPR design.
Prelims Practice
With reference to ‘black mass’, recently in the news, consider the following statements:
- It is an intermediate product obtained by shredding spent lithium-ion batteries and battery-manufacturing scrap.
- It contains valuable metals such as lithium, nickel, cobalt and manganese.
- The DGFT has recently placed it in the ‘free’ category of exports to encourage refining abroad.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
- (a) 1 and 2 only
- (b) 2 and 3 only
- (c) 1 and 3 only
- (d) 1, 2 and 3
Click to reveal answer
Answer: (a) – Black mass is shredded battery material rich in lithium, nickel, cobalt and manganese. On 10 November the DGFT moved it from “free” to “prohibited” to keep it in India for domestic refiners, so statement 3 is incorrect.
Mains Practice
What is black mass in the context of lithium-ion battery recycling? Discuss its significance for India’s critical mineral security. (10 Marks, 150 Words)
Editorial: The challenge of holding the Quad together
The U.S. Secretary of State has announced that Quad leaders (India, Australia, Japan and the U.S.) are expected to meet in Manila in November, on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit. It would be the first leaders’ summit since Wilmington in 2024, and the first with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. The editorial argues that the Quad survived a turbulent 2025, but its future depends on how the U.S. engages the Indo-Pacific.
Key Facts
- Continuity despite strain: Quad Foreign Ministers met twice in 2025 (Washington) and three times in 2026 (New Delhi, Manila, Atlanta).
- Operational progress: the Indo-Pacific Maritime Domain Awareness initiative was elevated to the Indo-Pacific Maritime Surveillance Collaboration framework (New Delhi, May 2026).
- U.S. distractions: the Russia-Ukraine war, transatlantic burden-sharing and West Asia absorb attention; the AUKUS review adds uncertainty.
- Hedging: Japan’s OCEAN framework; Australia’s defence ties with India, Japan, Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands; India’s multi-alignment; and the Japan-Australia-India (JAI) Defence Ministers’ meeting in Cebu, with France as a new entrant.
- Why Manila: hosting by the Philippines reinforces ASEAN centrality, and Manila is at the centre of sovereignty disputes with China.
| Year | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 2004 | Informal cooperation on Indian Ocean tsunami relief |
| 2007 | First Quadrilateral Security Dialogue initiative |
| 2008 | Paused |
| 2017 | Revived at officials’ level |
| 2018 | U.S. Pacific Command renamed Indo-Pacific Command |
| 2021 | Leaders’ summits begin |
| 2024 | Last leaders’ summit, Wilmington |
| 2026 | Leaders expected to meet in Manila in November |
Static Dimensions
- Nature: a minilateral grouping with no secretariat, built on flexible, issue-based cooperation – maritime domain awareness, vaccines, critical technology, climate, the Quad Fellowship and the Malabar exercise.
- Law: UNCLOS (1982) and the 2016 arbitral award in the Philippines-China case underpin the “rules-based order” language.
- Why it matters to India: maritime security in the Indian Ocean, technology and supply-chain access, and a counterbalance to unilateral change in the region, consistent with SAGAR/MAHASAGAR and the Act East policy.
- Related groupings: AUKUS (2021), ASEAN-led forums (East Asia Summit, ADMM-Plus) and India’s Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI).
Analysis
- Resilience through functional work: with no bureaucracy, summits renew political purpose, while ministerial meetings and maritime projects kept the Quad alive.
- U.S. priorities are the key variable: allies seek reassurance on U.S. commitment, including on the Taiwan Strait and AUKUS.
- Strategic diversification: members are deepening ties among themselves (JAI) and with France, reducing dependence on a single partner.
- ASEAN centrality: Manila’s role shows the Quad is not a military alliance and works with regional priorities.
- Burden-sharing: demands that partners do more in one theatre raise questions elsewhere; partners respond by building their own capability, which strengthens the regional balance but may fragment arrangements.
- Symbolism of venue: a message on sovereignty in the South and East China Seas delivered from Manila carries weight.
- Limits: divergent threat perceptions, India’s strategic autonomy and the absence of a joint defence mechanism.
- Caution: this is one analyst’s view, and the summit is expected, not confirmed.
Challenges
- Uncertainty over U.S. engagement.
- Differing priorities among members.
- China’s reaction and maritime expansion.
- Limited institutionalisation.
- Balancing ASEAN sensitivities.
Way Forward
- Hold regular leaders’ summits with a clear agenda.
- Expand practical cooperation: maritime surveillance, supply chains, critical technology and disaster relief.
- Engage ASEAN and the Pacific Islands through capacity-building.
- Institutionalise coordination through working groups and ministerial reviews, without turning the Quad into an alliance.
- India should continue multi-alignment while strengthening Indo-Pacific partnerships.
India Implications
- Maritime security: surveillance cooperation strengthens India’s watch over the Indian Ocean.
- Strategic autonomy: a non-military Quad lets India gain from cooperation without alliance obligations.
- Technology and supply chains: Quad initiatives support India’s access to critical technology and resilient supply chains.
Himachal angle: The Quad is maritime, but India’s most direct China challenge lies on land, along the LAC – including Himachal’s border in Kinnaur and Lahaul-Spiti, where the Quad has no role. That is one reason India keeps the Quad non-military. For Himachal, the relevant security investments remain border roads, tunnels such as Atal Tunnel and the planned Shinku La tunnel, and frontier villages under the Vibrant Villages Programme.
ConclusionThe Manila summit offers a chance to reaffirm the Quad’s purpose and respect for international law. Its durability will rest on delivery in maritime security, technology and partnership with ASEAN, not on any single leader’s priorities.
Mains Practice
“The future of the Quad depends less on summit-level declarations and more on sustained functional cooperation among its members.” Critically examine in the context of recent developments in the Indo-Pacific. (15 Marks, 250 Words)
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