UPSC Key: India-ASEAN relations, AI regulation, and self-sufficiency in farm

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Mains Examination: General Studies-II: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests.

What’s the ongoing story: With the ASEAN countries careful not to pick sides between the US and China despite being mauled by the Trump tariffs, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told the region’s leaders Sunday that the India-ASEAN partnership, representing nearly one-fourth of the world’s population, is “emerging as a robust foundation for global stability and development” in “this era of uncertainties”.

Key Points to Ponder:

— Know about the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

— What are the ASEAN-led forums and their objectives?

— What is the status of India-ASEAN ties?

— What are the areas of cooperation between India and ASEAN?

— What is the significance of ASEAN for India?

— What is India’s Act East policy?

— What do you understand by the term ‘global south’?

— Map Work: ASEAN Countries

Key Takeaways:

— And with China in mind, he declared 2026 as the ‘ASEAN-India Year of Maritime Cooperation’. Beijing’s assertions in regional waters and the Indo-Pacific have unsettled many in ASEAN although China remains the grouping’s largest trading partner.

— Addressing the ASEAN-India leaders’ summit in Kuala Lumpur via virtual mode, Modi said, “The 21st century is our century, the century of India and ASEAN. I am confident that the ASEAN Community Vision 2045 and the goal of Viksit Bharat 2047 will build a bright future for all of humanity. Alongside all of you, India is committed to working shoulder to shoulder in this direction.”

— Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, the summit host, said the ASEAN-India relations “for us, remain a force for stability, for mutual prosperity” and “your strides in economic advancement in various fields… will be beneficial both to India and ASEAN”.

— Ibrahim said they were discussing the ASEAN-India plan of action 2026-2030 and want to conclude the ASEAN-India trade and goods agreement this year. 

— Modi too flagged maritime cooperation: “India has stood firmly with its ASEAN friends in every disaster. Our cooperation in HADR (humanitarian assistance and disaster relief), maritime security and the blue economy is growing rapidly. In view of this, we are declaring 2026 as the ‘ASEAN-India Year of Maritime Cooperation’.”

— “At the same time, we are steadily advancing our cooperation in education, tourism, science and technology, health, green energy, and cyber security. We will continue to work together to preserve our shared cultural heritage and strengthen people-to-people ties,” he said, outlining the areas of cooperation.

From EXPLAINED Page: “Asia’s youngest nation joins ASEAN: Snapshot of East Timor”

— The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) welcomed East Timor as its newest member on Sunday (October 26), at its ongoing summit in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur.

— Established in 1967, ASEAN has engaged with countries such as the United States, China and India over the years, and US President Donald Trump attended the summit on Sunday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the leaders virtually, welcoming East Timor and saying that India and ASEAN shared not only geographies but also deep historical relationships, alongside shared values.

— East Timor, also known as Timor-Leste, had long attempted to join ASEAN, given the organisation’s significance in maintaining economic, political and security coordination in the region. East Timor Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao said, “For the people of Timor Leste this is not only a dream realised, but a powerful affirmation of our journey — one marked by resilience, determination and hope.”

— It also marked ASEAN’s first expansion in years, after Cambodia last joined it in 1999.

— With a population of 1.4 million, East Timor is located in the Pacific Ocean to the north of Australia.

— ASEAN was formed a few years before East Timor gained independence from Portugal. Since then, it has been held up as one of the more successful international organisations, despite challenges that usually accompany expanding groupings, featuring a range of nations with varying goals.

Do You Know:

— ASEAN is central to India’s Act East policy, which focuses on the extended neighbourhood in the Asia-Pacific region.

— India is part of the ASEAN Plus Six grouping. The other countries in this grouping include China, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand and Australia as well.

— India and ASEAN started to hold summits together in 2002 — a decade after the country established formal engagement with the group.  In 2010, a Free Trade Agreement was signed and entered into force between India and ASEAN. 

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Knowledge Nugget | ASEAN in Focus: Expansion, India ties and key takeaways for the UPSC Exam

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:

(1) Consider the following countries: (UPSC CSE 2018)

1. Australia

2. Canada

3. China

4. India

5. Japan

6. USA

Which of the above are among the ‘free-trade partners’ of ASEAN?

(a) 1, 2, 4 and 5

(b) 3, 4, 5 and 6

(c) 1, 3, 4 and 5

(d) 2, 3, 4 and 6

Previous year UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme:

Evaluate the economic and strategic dimensions of India’s Look East Policy in the context of the post-Cold War international scenario. (UPSC CSE 2016)

 

THE EDITORIAL PAGE

Trust versus fake reality 

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Mains Examination: General Studies-II, III: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation, Awareness in the fields of IT. 

What’s the ongoing story: Manish Maheshwari writes- “India has reached a turning point in its digital evolution. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has proposed draft amendments to the IT Rules, 2021, to regulate synthetic content, including AI-generated videos, images, and voices. The draft, open for public consultation until November 6, aims to make the creators and platforms behind such content accountable and transparent.”

Key Points to Ponder:

— What is artificial intelligence (AI)?

— What are the various applications of AI?

— Read about the IT Rules, 2021. 

— Know about the key features of the IT Act, 2000.

— What are the concerns associated with the use of AI?

— What are the challenges on the path of regularisation of AI to curb fake news and deepfake-based fraud?

Key Takeaways:

— “If adopted, India would become one of the first democracies to formally address the dangers of AI-driven misinformation. In a year when deepfakes have infiltrated politics, entertainment, and social discourse, the timing could not be more urgent. At stake is something deeper than data or privacy; it is the integrity of truth itself.”

— “The draft amendments would propose the following. One, to define “synthetically generated information” as content created or altered by algorithms to resemble authentic media. Two, they require platforms that create or host such content to label it clearly, for example, dedicating at least 10 per cent of visual space or the first 10 per cent of audio to disclaimers. Three, they mandate automated detection systems and user declarations for synthetic media uploads. And four, they preserve safe-harbour protection for intermediaries that remove harmful synthetic content, while penalising those that don’t.”

— “The government’s goal is to curb the spread of impersonation, fake news, and deepfake-based fraud without stifling innovation. But translating that intent into effective enforcement will be India’s toughest governance challenge.”

— “Every technological revolution tests society’s immune system. The internet tested privacy; social media tested civility; AI is now testing reality itself. Deepfake tools can empower creators, educators, and entrepreneurs. A small business can use AI to make multilingual ads; a filmmaker can restore lost footage. But the same technology can also destroy reputations, manipulate elections, or incite violence.”

— “The paradox is: We need AI for growth, but we need governance for trust. MeitY’s draft rules are a recognition that truth has become an infrastructure problem, not just a moral one. The question is how to build that infrastructure without choking creativity.”

— “India must resist the temptation to legislate faster than it can enforce. The draft’s proposed “10 per cent visual disclaimer” is symbolically strong but technically weak. A more durable approach would rest on three pillars. First, verification infrastructure: Build a digital provenance framework, akin to Aadhaar, for authenticity, where each piece of content carries an invisible but verifiable signature. Second, tiered accountability: Differentiate between platforms that host, generate, or monetise synthetic media. Responsibility should rise with influence. Third, AI literacy: Equip citizens to detect manipulation. Technology alone can’t defend democracy; informed citizens can.”

— “Such a system would make India not just compliant, but competitive. A model for balancing innovation with integrity.”

— “India’s challenge is unique. Its digital population is vast, multilingual, and heavily reliant on social media for news. The risk of viral misinformation is therefore exponentially higher. That’s why India must pioneer a third way. Neither laissez-faire Silicon Valley nor state-controlled Beijing. A model that empowers creators, educates users, and enforces accountability.”

— “The solution isn’t censorship. It’s clarity. Regulate authenticity, not opinion. If India can institutionalise transparency in AI-generated media, it won’t just protect its elections. It will export a model of digital responsibility for the world.”

Do You Know:

— Artificial intelligence (AI) refers to the field of computer science which aims to make computer systems think, reason, learn, and act to solve a complex system like humans.

— AI can be classified into two types: Artificial Narrow Intelligence (ANI) also known as weak AI and Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) also referred to as strong AI. 

— ANI is designed for specific tasks and excels within a narrow domain. Examples include virtual assistants like Siri, recommendation systems on platforms like Netflix, and image recognition software. ANI systems are highly specialised and cannot transfer their expertise to unrelated tasks. 

— In contrast, AGI aims to replicate human cognitive abilities, enabling it to perform any intellectual task a human can do. AGI would possess general reasoning skills, understand context, and adapt to new situations across various domains. It would be capable of autonomous learning and problem-solving without requiring task-specific programming.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍AI basics: What are artificial intelligence and machine learning?

📍To identify AI-generated content, labelling is not enough. We need AI literacy

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:

(2) With the present state of development, Artificial Intelligence can effectively do which of the following? (UPSC CSE 2020)

1. Bring down electricity consumption in industrial units

2. Create meaningful short stories and songs

3. Disease diagnosis

4. Text-to-Speech Conversion

5. Wireless transmission of electrical energy

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(a) 1, 2, 3 and 5 only

(b) 1, 3 and 4 only

(c) 2, 4 and 5 only

(d) 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5

 

EXPLAINED

Foreign varsities coming to India: Reasons, potential benefits

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance. 

Mains Examination: General Studies-II: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation, Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education.

What’s the ongoing story: When UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer arrived on his first official visit to India earlier this month, his 125-member delegation included 14 university vice chancellors and representatives.

Key Points to Ponder:

— Know about the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

— What are the constitutional provisions related to education?

— What factors are driving foreign universities to set up campuses in India?

— What are the limitations of India’s higher education system?

— What is the significance of the establishment of foreign university campuses in India?

— What are the challenges and concerns related to foreign universities’ operation in India?

— What can be the implications of foreign universities’ entry into India for domestic higher education institutions?

Key Takeaways:

— Both Starmer and Prime Minister Narendra Modi referred to the United Kingdom’s interest in Indian higher education after they met in Mumbai. While Modi said that “it is a matter of great joy that nine universities from the UK are going to open campuses in India”, Starmer pointed to “the demand for the best quality higher education” being “very high” in India.

— The idea finds mention in the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which recommends that select universities — those among the top 100 globally — be allowed to operate in India, calling for the “internationalisation” of education.

— The University Grants Commission (UGC) issued regulations in 2023 on the subject. Before them, foreign university campuses were permitted in Gujarat’s GIFT City under International Financial Services Centres Authority regulations, issued in 2022.

— Including the three already here, 17 foreign universities have been permitted to set up campuses in India — in Mumbai, the NCR (Gurgaon, Noida, Greater Noida), Chennai, and Bengaluru.

— Under the UGC regulations, the only eligibility criterion for a foreign university is ranking within the top 500 in global rankings. They can then apply for approval.

— Most universities are offering three-year undergraduate courses and one-year master’s programs, mostly in business management, computer science, accounting and finance, economics, data science, and artificial intelligence (AI).

— UGC regulations mandate that the university impart the same quality of education and offer the same qualifications, curriculum, and assessment in India as the main campus. They are also allowed to hire faculty from India and abroad.

— A press release during Starmer’s visit referred to “the explosion in demand for higher education in India… which has created a huge opportunity for UK universities seeking new funding streams.” While permissions granted under the UGC regulations gained momentum this year, conditions in the UK have also played a role.

— Universities in the UK have been grappling with a financial crisis for some time now. The government announced an increase in tuition fees from the 2025-26 academic session onwards, but its previous freeze for undergraduate students meant they relied on international students (who pay higher fees) to keep pace with inflation. International student numbers have, however, fallen in recent years. Cost-cutting measures have thus kicked in, leading to courses being closed and cutbacks on staff and research.

— The UGC regulations were introduced at a time when the number of Indian students going abroad, to the top destination countries of the US, UK, and Canada, saw a sharp spike post-Covid. However, with countries increasingly introducing measures to reduce immigration, these numbers have seen a slump.

— While some of these foreign universities have said that students from their India campuses might be able to spend a semester or a year at the campus abroad, studying at the India campus of these universities may not necessarily pave the way for students to land a job abroad.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Which five foreign universities have announced campus in India?

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:

(3) Which of the following provisions of the Constitution of India have a bearing on Education? (UPSC CSE 2012)

1. Directive Principles of State Policy

2. Rural and Urban Local Bodies

3. Fifth Schedule

4. Sixth Schedule

5. Seventh Schedule

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:  

 (a) 1 and 2 only   

 (b) 3, 4 and 5 only  

 (c) 1, 2 and 5 only   

(d) 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5

 

THE IDEAS PAGE

Make the farm atmanirbhar 

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance, social and economic development.

Mains Examination: General Studies-II, III: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors, Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilisation of resources, growth, development and employment.

What’s the ongoing story: Ashok Gulati and Ritika Juneja write- “On October 16, the global community observed World Food Day under the theme “Hand in Hand for Better Food and a Better Future,” marking the 80th anniversary of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). The theme underscores the collective responsibility to transform our food systems through collaboration between nations, businesses, farmers, policymakers, and scientists. Central to this transformation is regenerative agriculture — a holistic approach that restores soil health, enhances biodiversity, builds climate resilience, and promotes nutritional security.”

Key Points to Ponder:

— Know about the Green revolution. 

— What do you understand by the regenerative agriculture?

— What is the status of India’s import of pulses?

— What is the Global AgXelerate platform?

— What are the challenges to India’s food security?

— What steps have been taken by the government to achieve self-sufficiency in pulses and oilseeds?

Key Takeaways:

— “This call for action could not be more urgent. Humanity’s footprint on the planet has grown exponentially, especially over the past two centuries….Today, their population is around 8.2 billion. This rapid expansion has placed immense strain on this planet’s finite resources.”

— “Only 29 per cent of the Earth’s surface is land, and a mere 10.7 per cent of that is farmed. Soil, water, and ecosystems everywhere are under mounting pressure from overuse, pollution, and climate change.”

— “India is fortunate that 52 per cent of its land area is arable. However, the rising population has depleted natural resources and led to environmental degradation. It threatens the long-term sustainability of agriculture — a sector that still employs nearly 46 per cent of the nation’s workforce. These intertwined challenges demand systemic solutions that no single actor or discipline can tackle alone. That is why innovation and collaboration must go hand in hand.”

— “Innovation generates new products and practices; collaboration ensures they are scaled and adopted effectively through partnerships. Together, the “4 Ps”— policies, products, practices, and partnerships — can pave the way for true transformation.”

— “India’s journey from a food-deficient nation in the 1960s to the world’s largest exporter of rice is a powerful example of what the 4 Ps can achieve. The technological breakthroughs in high-yielding varieties (HYVs) of wheat by Norman Borlaug and his team at CIMMYT, and in rice by Henry Beachell and Gurdev Khush at IRRI, ushered in the Green Revolution, ensuring global food security. Borlaug’s pioneering work earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970 for saving millions of lives from famine.”

— “However, the innovations that once averted mass starvation created new challenges. In India, excessive and imbalanced use of fertilisers caused primarily by distorted pricing of N, P, and K fertilisers, has degraded soils, increased GHG emissions, and contaminated groundwater.”

— “Today, India’s soil is in distress. The country’s average Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) level is below 0.3 per cent, far short of the 1 per cent threshold recommended by experts like Rattan Lal and R S Paroda. Soil quality depletion is particularly grave in Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan. Restoring soil vitality is no longer optional; it is an ecological and economic imperative. What we need is a mission on regenerative agriculture for sustaining the nation’s agricultural future.”

— “India’s flagship innovation initiatives, such as the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) and the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF), are still evolving, with substantial breakthroughs yet to materialise.”

— “The launch of the Global AgXelerate platform during the October 15 event exemplifies this spirit of innovation. This platform aims to connect agricultural innovators with global markets, fostering growth and transformation in the sector. Such initiatives highlight that with the right support, significant advancements can stem from modest beginnings.”

— “As nutrition is the central concern of regenerative agriculture, India must prioritise nutritional security by enhancing domestic production of pulses and oilseeds—crops that require fewer inputs and naturally fix nitrogen in the soil. To address this, the government has launched the Rs 11,440 crore “Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses” (2025–26 to 2030–31) — it aims to scale up domestic pulse production to 350 lakh tonnes.”

— “However, achieving self-sufficiency in pulses and oilseeds requires innovative policies that promote crop-neutral incentives. Unless pulses and oilseeds receive incentives and market support similar to rice and wheat, it may be difficult to realise the dream of atmanirbharta in pulses and oilseeds. Additionally, substantial investments in agricultural R&D are crucial to enhance productivity and resilience.”

— “The success of the government’s initiatives hinges on effective implementation and active participation from farmers and stakeholders across the agricultural value chain. Achieving self-sufficiency in pulses and oilseeds will not only improve India’s nutritional security but also start regenerative agriculture. It will heal our soils, conserve groundwater, save air from pollution, and promote biodiversity.”

Do You Know:

— The government has announced an allocation of Rs 1,000 crore for a six-year initiative called the “Pulse Mission,” aimed at boosting pulse production to achieve self-sufficiency. 

— The initiative will focus on three types of pulses: tur (arhar), urad (mash), and masoor. It will involve central agencies such as NAFED (National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India) and NCCF (National Cooperative Consumers Federation) procuring these pulses over the next four years from farmers who register with such agencies.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Knowledge Nugget: What you must read on 3 pulses under ‘Pulse Mission’ on World Pulses Day for UPSC exam?

📍Budget announcement: Why aatmanirbharta in pulses is a challenge

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:

(4) Consider the following statements: (UPSC CSE 2020)

1. In the case of all cereals, pulses and oil-seeds, the procurement at Minimum Support Price (MSP) is unlimited in any State/UT of India.

2. In the case of cereals and pulses, the MSP is fixed in any State/UT at a level to which the market price will never rise.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

(5) In the context of India’s preparation for Climate-Smart Agriculture, consider the following statements: (UPSC CSE 2021)

1. The ‘Climate-Smart Village’ approach in India is a part of a project led by the Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS), an international research programme.

2. The project of CCAFS is carried out under Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) headquartered in France.

3. The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) in India is one of the CGIAR’s research centres.

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

Previous year UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme:

Explain various types of revolutions, took place in Agriculture after Independence in India. How these revolutions have helped in poverty alleviation and food security in India? (UPSC CSE 2017)

ECONOMY

Citing disruptions to level playing field, why ECI asked parties to label AI content

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

Mains Examination: General Studies-II, III: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation, Awareness in the fields of IT. 

What’s the ongoing story: Stating that the growing menace of deepfakes generated through artificial intelligence (AI) carries the risk of “contaminating the level-playing field in the electoral arena,” the Election Commission of India (ECI) in an advisory issued Friday, such synthetically generated information could disrupt fair and equal conditions for political participants.

Key Points to Ponder:

— What are deepfakes and how do we identify them?

— Read about the Election Commission of India, its powers and functions.

— What are the concerns associated with the deepfakes?

— What initiatives are taken by India to regulate deepfakes?

— What are the global initiatives related to deepfakes?

— What measures should be taken to combat the misuse of deepfakes and ensure digital trust?

Key Takeaways:

— The Commission has directed political parties to add labels to videos, images, and audio clips they share that are altered or created through AI, and has prescribed specific prominence and placement standards of such markers. These prescriptions closely echo draft rules that the IT Ministry recently released.

— Ahead of last year’s Lok Sabha polls, the ECI had, for the first time, addressed the issue of deepfakes in election campaigning, and had directed parties that whenever a deepfake comes to their notice, they shall take down the post within three hours. 

— In January this year, the Commission had directed parties to apply labels such as “AI-Generated,” “Digitally Enhanced”, or ” Synthetic Content” to images or videos that had been digitally altered.

— The Commission’s advisory on Friday takes its previous directions one step forward by specifically prescribing that the labels and watermarks on such images and videos should cover at least 10% of the visible display area, or the initial 10% duration for audio content. The label in the case of video content shall be carried as part of the top hand of the screen, the ECI said.

— Another new direction is that such digitally altered videos shall prominently disclose the name of the entity responsible for their generation in the metadata or accompanying caption. Parties would also have to maintain internal records “of all AI-generated campaign materials, including creator details and timestamps, for verification when sought by the ECI,” the Commission said.

Do You Know:

— The ECI’s advisory prescribing the specific visibility and placement of AI-labels closely follows amendments to Information Technology Rules, 2021, which the IT Ministry proposed earlier this week. Although it is worth noting that the amendments are currently in a draft stage and have yet to be implemented.

— As per the draft amendments, social media platforms would have to get users to declare whether the uploaded content is synthetically generated; deploy “reasonable and appropriate technical measures”, including automated tools or other suitable mechanisms, to verify the accuracy of such declaration; and, where such declaration or technical verification confirms that the content is synthetically generated, ensure that this information — that the content is synthetically generated — is clearly and prominently displayed with an appropriate label or notice.

— If they fail to comply, the platforms may lose the legal immunity they enjoy from third-party content, meaning that the responsibility of such platforms shall extend to taking reasonable and proportionate technical measures to verify the correctness of user declarations and to ensure that no synthetically generated information is published without such declaration or label.

— The draft amendments introduce a new clause defining synthetically generated information as “information that is artificially or algorithmically created, generated, modified, or altered using a computer resource, in a manner that appears reasonably authentic or true”.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍How deepfakes on Insta, X cast shadow over women’s dignity, privacy

📍UPSC Issue at a Glance | Deepfakes: 5 Key Questions You Must Know for Prelims and Mains

📍What are the draft amendments to IT Rules, 2021?

UPSC Prelims Practice Question Covering similar theme:

(6) Consider the following:

1. Eye movement

2. Body movements

3. Audio quality

4. Facial Movement

How many of the above are used to identify deepfakes?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) Only three

(d) All four

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PRELIMS ANSWER KEY

1. (c)        2. (b)         3. (d)          4. (d)           5. (d)            6. (d)

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