UPSC Key: India-Japan Annual Summit, GDP growth and E-will

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

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

What’s the ongoing story: Charting what Prime Minister Narendra Modi called “a roadmap for the next decade”, India and Japan Friday agreed to raise the Japanese investment target in India to 10 trillion yen, launch initiatives on economic security cooperation, digital partnership, artificial intelligence and a new mobility partnership.

Key Points to Ponder:

— What are the major outcomes of the recent visit of PM Modi to Japan?

— Know about the historical background of India-Japan relationship

— How is the deepening of the India-Japan relationship at this time crucial in the current geoeconomic scenario?

— What is the Economic Security Cooperation Initiative?

— What do you understand about the rules-based Indo-Pacific?

— How are ISRO and JAXA cooperating in the space sector?

Key Takeaways:

— After bilateral talks with Japanese counterpart Shigeru Ishiba – the 15th India-Japan Annual Summit – Modi, who reached Tokyo early Friday, also said India and Japan will exchange about 5 lakh people in the next 5 years, including 50,000 skilled professionals from India.

— The two sides had set a target of 5 trillion yen for public and private investments and financing by 2026. That, sources said, had already been achieved in 2025, and the target was increased to 10 trillion yen.

— “We are launching the Economic Security Cooperation Initiative. Under this, we will move forward with a comprehensive approach in critical and strategic areas,” he said.

— “Cooperation in the field of high technology is a priority for both of us. In this context, Digital Partnership 2.0 and AI cooperation initiatives are being taken. Semiconductors and rare earth minerals will remain at the top of our agenda,” he said.

— On furthering cooperation in defence and security, Modi said India and Japan are committed to a free, open, peaceful, prosperous and rules-based Indo-Pacific.

GOVT & POLITICS: At Modi-Ishiba meet, pact on Moon exploration, supply chains for chips and rare earths

— Among the key outcomes of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Japan visit was an agreement between the space agencies of both countries for an exploration of the Moon’s polar region under the forthcoming Chandrayaan-5 mission.

— JAXA will launch the Moon mission onboard its H3-24L launch vehicle, carrying the ISRO-made lunar lander, which, in turn, will carry the Japan-made lunar rover.

— The two countries also launched an Economic Security Initiative “to promote supply chain resilience” in sectors such as semiconductors, clean energy, telecom, pharmaceuticals, critical minerals as well as new and emerging technologies, as per the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

— They also launched the India-Japan Small and Medium Enterprises Forum to strengthen collaboration between Indian and Japanese SMEs, “which are the engines of our respective economies”, as per the MEA.

— After the 15th India-Japan Annual Summit, the two PMs made a series of announcements focusing on three areas: bolstering defence and security cooperation, reinforcing economic partnership and deepening people-to-people exchanges.

— Important documents in key sectors, including clean energy, critical minerals, digital partnership, space, science and technology and diplomatic training, were also signed.

— As part of the India-Japan Economic Security Initiative, the foreign ministries of both countries have been tasked with accelerating policy exchanges on economic security.

— The two leaders called for concerted actions against all UN-listed terrorist groups and entities. Prime Minister Ishiba also noted “with concern” the Pahalgam terror attack carried out by Lashkar-e-Taiba offshoot The Resistance Front, said the MEA statement.

Do You Know:

— Japan and Russia are India’s two oldest Annual Summit-level mechanisms. India-Japan bilateral relations were elevated to Global Partnership in 2000, Strategic and Global Partnership in 2006, and Special Strategic and Global Partnership in 2014.

— The partnership between India and Japan, two of Asia’s leading democracies and among the world’s top five economies, is rooted in civilizational ties that have been reinforced by convergence in their regional and global outlooks.

— India’s Act East Policy and Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI) align closely with Japan’s Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) policy. Japan leads IPOI’s connectivity pillar, and is India’s largest Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) donor.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Explained: As PM Modi lands in Tokyo, an overview of the India-Japan relationship

UPSC Prelims Practise Question Covering similar theme:

(1) Consider the following countries:

1. Denmark

2. Japan

3. United Kingdom

4. United States of America

5. Australia

Which of the above are the members of the ‘QUAD’?

(a) 1, 2 and 3 only

(b) 2, 4 and 5 only

(c) 1, 3 and 4 only

(d) 3, 4 and 5 only

Previous year UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme:

‘The time has come for India and Japan to build a strong contemporary relationship, one involving global and strategic partnership that will have a great significance for Asia and the world as a whole.’ Comment. (2019)

GDP surprise: Services pushes up Q1 growth to 5-quarter high of 7.8%

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

Mains Examination: General Studies-III: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilisation of resources, growth, development and employment.

What’s the ongoing story: STRONG SERVICES sector activity helped GDP growth comfortably beat expectations for the second quarter in a row, rising to a five-quarter high of 7.8 per cent for April-June 2025, according to data released by the statistics ministry on Friday. It is more than the January-March 2025 growth rate of 7.4 per cent, and first quarter  2024-25 growth rate of 6.5 per cent.

Key Points to Ponder:

— How is GDP calculated?

— What are the issues related with GDP as a marker of economic growth?

— What is GVA?

— What is Gross fixed capital formation?

— What are the reforms introduced by the government to push growth in the economy?

— How significant is the GST reform in this regard?

Key Takeaways:

— The rapid growth in the first quarter of the current financial year further consolidates India’s position as the world’s fastest growing large economy amid a particularly turbulent time that has seen the US tariff war buffet global economic prospects and push policymakers into a tight spot.

— In his Independence Day speech earlier this month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a raft of reforms to boost growth, including the long-awaited rationalisation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime that is widely expected to drive consumption higher.

— This follows a similar consumption push announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the Union Budget for 2025-26, when income tax rates under the new direct tax regime were reduced.

— The sharp pick-up in growth in April-June was on the back of services sector growth hitting a two-year high of 9.3 per cent. The rise in services growth in April-June was aided by a broad improvement in all three components.

— On the whole, GVA growth – seen as a more meaningful measure of activity levels – in April-June was at a six-quarter high of 7.6 per cent in April-June. GVA is arrived at by subtracting net indirect taxes – indirect taxes after adjusting for subsidies – from the GDP. In April-June, net taxes were 10.3 per cent higher from a year ago, when measured in constant prices.

— All sectors, from manufacturing to services, fired the economy in the first quarter of 2025-26. Services growth rate was at a 2-year high, farm sector expanded 3.7%, and manufacturing 7.7%. If the US trade talks work, the momentum will continue.

— Services apart, the primary and secondary sectors also showed robust growth in April-June, with the agricultural sector expanding by 3.7 per cent, more than double the 1.5 per cent growth recorded in the same three months of last year.

— The unexpected pick-up in growth will be welcomed by policymakers, who have been scrambling to offset the impact of the 50 per cent tariff imposed by the US on goods from India.

— The latest GDP data, though, showed reasonable growth in private consumption. While lower than the 8.3 per cent growth a year ago, private final consumption expenditure rose by 7 per cent in April-June, up from 6 per cent in January-March.

— “Growth for the full year is still likely to average around 6.5 per cent, even after factoring in tariff headwinds, while nominal GDP growth in the high single digits supports corporate earnings expansion of 11–13 per cent,” Hajra added.

Do You Know:

— Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is an important macroeconomic indicator that measures the economic growth of a country. It is also an easy parameter for comparing the growth of a country with that of other countries in the world.

— GDP is the sum of the market value of all the final goods and services produced within the geographical boundaries of a country each year. If a country produces “n” commodities each year with quantities represented by q₁ to qₙ and their corresponding market prices denoted as p₁ to pₙ, then GDP is calculated by multiplying the price per unit with the total quantity produced and summing it across all goods and services.

— This is indicated in a mathematical format below:

GDP = (q₁​×p₁​)+(q₂​×p₂​)+(q₃​×p₃​)+…+(qₙ×pₙ​)

— GDP accounts for the value of only newly produced goods – goods produced during the year for which GDP is being calculated, normally taken as the financial year.

— Only final goods and services are included in GDP. Intermediate goods — those goods which are used as inputs in the production of other goods — are excluded to avoid double counting.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Why is GDP considered a key measure of economic growth?

📍Explained: What is GDP and why does it matter?

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:

(2) A decrease in tax to GDP ratio of a country indicates which of the following? (UPSC CSE 2015)

1. Slowing economic growth rate

2. Less equitable distribution of national income

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Previous year UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme:

“Industrial growth rate has lagged behind in the overall growth of Gross-Domestic-Product(GDP) in the post-reform period” Give reasons. How far the recent changes in Industrial Policy capable of increasing the industrial growth rate? (UPSC CSE 2017)

EXPLAINED

India’s China challenge

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

Mains Examination: General Studies-III: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilisation of resources, growth, development and employment.

What’s the ongoing story: It is now clear that the Modi-Trump bromance is over. In fact, Trump is now punishing Modi and India with unjust levels of tariffs. India’s diplomatic focus has now shifted to countries other than the US.

Key Points to Ponder:

— What actions were taken by the Indian government against China post-Galwan clash?

— What is the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP)?

— What is the “China +1” strategy?

— What are inflation and deflation?

— How does inflation affect the cost of living?

— What are the challenges in the Indian manufacturing sector?

Key Takeaways:

— Later this week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Tianjin, the city that will host the 2025 Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit, and meet the Chinese President Xi Jinping to build closer ties between the two countries.

— However, since then, India has been positioning itself against China on key economic factors. India’s aversion towards trade with China was most on display when India decided to pull out of joining the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) at the last moment in late 2019.

— Over these years, and especially in the aftermath of the Covid pandemic, India also presented itself to the world over as a credible investment alternative to China — especially to Western businesses who were adopting a “China +1” strategy. India competed with the likes of Vietnam, Mexico and even Poland to be that “+1” but with limited success.

— Barring Brazil, India, at 50%, is right now the most tariffed country by the US. China faced 145% tariffs not so long ago before talks resumed, and tariffs were rolled back to 30%. China started reaching out to several countries soon after it became clear to it that Trump is adopting a tariff-first-ask-questions-later approach.

— On August 28, Bloomberg reported that China had reached out to India as early as March but India only responded in June.

— A week ago, the Chinese ambassador to India, Xu Feihong, reportedly said: “US has imposed tariffs of up to 50% on India and even threatened for more. China firmly opposes it. Silence only emboldens the bully.”

— But there are many reasons why a closer trade partnership with China can be more challenging for India than a closer trade partnership with the US.

— In other words, if protecting its domestic producers (be it in manufacturing or in other sectors) is the central goal of Indian policymakers, then choosing China over the US may be akin to jumping out of the frying pan into the fire.

— India’s trade relations with China are completely in contrast to its trade strength with the US. Against the US, India has enjoyed a trade surplus of over $40 billion… By contrast, India suffers a trade deficit of nearly $100 billion against China.

— To be sure, India is not the only one that suffers a trade deficit with China. The fact is that over the past quarter of a century, China has come to dominate exports globally.

— Since trade is a relative game, it is of utter consequence that at a time when China is overflowing with manufacturing prowess and capacity, India’s manufacturing is struggling to even outpace farm output.

— One, if India openly sides or even aligns with China, it may severely compromise its claim to be an investment destination for those western businesses that want to de-risk from China.

— Worse still, just as the US is likely pressurising its trading allies to raise trade barriers against China, it may pursue a similar line of attack with India if it is seen to be closer to China than to the US.

— China is already battling deflation — that is, the opposite of inflation and refers to a period when prices fall in absolute terms. A deflation can bring an economy to its knees.

— The way out for China is to flood markets other than the US — and now perhaps its allies — with its excess capacity. If India stands too close to China, pressures to absorb cheaper Chinese goods may increase.

— India continuing to be shy about opening itself up for free global trade is essentially a result of the deep structural weaknesses that continue to plague the domestic economy.

— For a while, lack of reforms were blamed on the existence of weak coalition governments that were more bothered about surviving a full term than actually undertaking structural reforms.

— China, in the meantime, has become so big that it has become a threat to the US. But at the same time, it is bursting with overcapacity and looking for countries where it can sell its goods cheap.

— The US, on the other hand, increasingly looks like a superpower desperate to remedy its weakening grip on a world it once ruled without question. It is being helped along with poor and arbitrary policy choices under President Trump that are likely to be counterproductive apart from alienating its long-standing allies.

— Under the circumstances, closer trade ties with China, a country with which India has several strategic conflicts, apart from China being capable of overwhelming the Indian economy (definitely far more than the US) with its export prowess, is fraught with challenges.

Do You Know:

— The RCEP is a free trade agreement between 15 countries of the Asia-Pacific, creating the world’s largest trading bloc. The only problem was that China was a key member and there was deep anxiety among Indian policymakers that joining the RCEP could give China easy access to Indian markets, which would be swamped with cheap Chinese imports.

— Inflation refers to the rate at which the general price level for goods and services increases over a period of time, causing a decrease in purchasing power of money or real income. In other words, as inflation rises, each unit of currency can buy fewer goods and services than before.

— Rising inflation affects the financial well-being of households, especially those with lower incomes or fixed incomes. As the cost of goods and services increases, it reduces the quantity of goods and services that can be purchased with the same nominal income, thereby affecting households’ cost of living.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍How inflation affects cost of living

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:

(3) With reference to Indian economy, demand-pull inflation can be caused/ increased by which of the following? (UPSC CSE 2021)

1. Expansionary policies

2. Fiscal stimulus

3. Inflation-indexing wages

4. Higher purchasing power

5. Rising interest rates

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

(a) 1, 2 and 4 only

(b) 3, 4 and 5 only

(c) 1, 2, 3 and 5 only

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

Trump targets cashless bail: How the practice works, situation in India

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Indian Polity and Governance – Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues

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

What’s the ongoing story: President Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive order targeting cashless bail in the United States. The order cuts federal funding for jurisdictions which allow the practice.

Key Points to Ponder:

— What is the Kalief Browder case in the debate on cashless reform in the US system?

— What are the criticisms related to the cash bail system?

— Which law in India lays down the process for releasing a person on bail?

— What is a personal recognisance bond (PR bond)?

— What is the difference between bail and bail bond?

— What are the challenges faced by the Indian prison system in India?

— What are the important judicial judgements for prison reform?

Key Takeaways:

— While granting bail, a court’s primary concern is that the accused does not evade trial and abscond, or in any manner hamper the ongoing probe by tampering evidence or influencing witnesses. As a safeguard, the court sets certain conditions for bail.

— To ensure that the accused does not abscond, the court requires a guarantee or surety that they will not abscond. One of the ways in which this has been done historically is to take a cash deposit from the accused which is usually returned at the end of the trial. Failure to make this deposit means the accused will remain in prison till the trial is concluded.

— Cash bail, by design, disadvantages the poor. Advocates of cashless bail — which does not come with a cash assurance — say that it often keeps innocent accused behind bars for even minor offences simply because they are poor and puts them under further financial strain, which itself can be a trigger for crime.

— In the US, many states began to allow cashless bail after a Black teenager, Kalief Browder, spent three years in prison, including more than 700 days in solitary confinement, on charges of stealing a backpack because he was unable to pay $3000 for his release on bail.

— Chapter 35 of the Bhartiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, which replaced the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, lays down the process for releasing a person on bail.

— Bond: By signing a bond, an accused agrees to their bail terms and assures the court they will remain present for the trial. This is usually accompanied by a cash deposit, with the amount depending on the nature of the crime and the economic condition of the accused.

— If an accused does not have the means to furnish cash, courts may consider releasing them on a personal recognisance bond (PR bond). This requires the accused to arrange for the cash within a specific time after being released on bail.

— Bail bond: This is essentially a surety from another person or persons, along with a payment of a specific amount. These persons assure the court that the accused will abide by the bail conditions.

— The court beforehand verifies the documents of the person signing the bail bond, who is then called before the court and asked questions regarding the accused and their own standing. This is to verify that the person guaranteeing the accused’s presence in the trial can indeed ensure that they do not abscond.

— The 268th Report of the Law Commission of India, submitted in 2017, pertained to bail provisions. It said that granting or refusing bail based on monetary surety was “contrary to Constitutional ethos”.

— In 2023, the Supreme Court had issued guidelines regarding cases in which an accused remains in prison for more than a week despite being granted bail.

Do You Know:

— Both furlough and parole stem from jail manuals and prison rule and are in the domain of the executive. Both are conditional releases, subject to good behavior in prison and to not committing specific offences.

— In furlough, the sentence continues to run despite the convict being released from prison for a specified period of time. For example, if a person has been sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment and is released on furlough for 30 days, in effect he will be in jail for 9 years 11 months and yet will be deemed to have completed the sentence.

— Paroles are granted in short-term imprisonment, to provide relief to prisoners in certain specified exigencies such as illness, sowing and harvesting of crops, and to pursue an appeal against conviction in the SC.

— Furlough is usually granted in case of long-term imprisonment and after spending a certain period of time incarcerated. It is aimed to prevent solitude of prisoners, allow them to establish family and social ties, a way of motivation for maintaining good conduct, and to remain disciplined in prison.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Who has the power to grant furloughs? Why Delhi HC is hearing a case about this

📍Gag on freedom of expression shouldn’t be a bail condition

Previous year UPSC Prelims/Mains Question Covering similar theme:

(4) With reference to India, consider the following statements: (2021)

1. When a prisoner makes out a sufficient case, parole cannot be denied to such prisoner because it becomes a matter of his/her right.

2. State Governments have their own Prisoners Release on Parole Rules.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither I nor 2

Behind Madhopur barrage breach: Heavy rain infrequently used gates

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: General issues on Environmental Ecology, Biodiversity and Climate Change – that do not require subject specialisation

Mains Examination: General Studies-III: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment

What’s the ongoing story: Two of the 54 gates of the Madhopur barrage, located downstream of the Ranjit Sagar Dam on the Ravi river, gave way after heavy rains. The barrage, first built in the 19th century and rebuilt in 1959 near Pathankot, regulates the Ravi’s flow.

Key Points to Ponder:

— What is the purpose of Barrages?

— How is it different from Dam?

— Where is Ranjit Sagar Dam located?

— Know about the location of Ravi

Key Takeaways:

— With the Ranjit Sagar Dam filled to the brim, water began outflowing at up to 2.21 lakh cusecs on Tuesday (August 26), continuing till Wednesday. The floodgates of the Madhopur barrage were opened, but two collapsed under pressure.

— Officials have not given the exact cause of the breach, but sources say that a delay in opening the gate could have triggered it. Massive discharge from the Ravi has already inundated parts of Pathankot and Gurdaspur.

— Barrages are one of the components of a headworks system which diverts river water to canals for irrigation, drinking, and industry. Punjab’s major headworks are Nangal, Ropar, Hussainiwala (at Ferozepur) and Harike on the Sutlej and Beas, and Madhopur on the Ravi.

— Unlike a dam, which stores massive volumes of water in a reservoir, barrages are low structures with sluice gates to regulate and divert water. Rather than storing water, they regulate its flow, acting more like a tap.

— While the collapse/failure of a dam is likely to be much more catastrophic than that of a barrage gate, the latter can also cause significant damage. When gates break or jam, water gushes out uncontrolled.

— Barrage gates do not fail overnight. Rather, the failure is the product of aging, poor upkeep, and stresses from floods.

— How the gates are opened during high-stress situations also matters. “Sudden cloudbursts in the catchment area increase flow beyond design limits. If the gates aren’t opened gradually, pressure builds up,” he said.

— Unlike dams, which might fail due to storage pressure (the reservoir exceeding the holding capacity of the dam), barrage failures are usually due to poor upkeep and delayed operation.

— At Madhopur, gates were opened only after huge releases of water from the Ranjit Sagar Dam located some 20 km upstream… BBMB experts call it a man-made disaster due to a delay in opening the gates.

Do You Know:

— Ranjit Sagar, one of the highest earthen dams in the country, was commissioned in 2000 and its reservoir has a capacity of 540 meters and the maximum limit is 527.91 meters. Before this season it had witnessed highest level in August 2018 when the dam reached to 526.29 meters.

— The Pong Dam, an earth-core gravel shell structure commissioned in 1974, has a maximum reservoir level of 1,421 feet, but its critical threshold is 1,390 feet. The only time in August that Pong crossed dangerously high levels before 2023 was when it touched 1,399.65 feet on August 15, 2023.

— The Bhakra Dam, operational since 1963, has a maximum level of 1,690 feet and a normal operating level of 1,680 feet. Like Pong, Bhakra typically nears its upper band at the end of the monsoon. August exceptions include 1,680.28 feet on August 31, 1982, and 1,680.82 feet on August 20, 2019—rare occurrences so early in the season.

— The Ravi is situated on the border between India and Pakistan at Dera Baba Nanak, and the Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara is located across the river. The 4-km-long Kartarpur Sahib Corridor links Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, believed to be the final resting place of Guru Nanak, to Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Punjab’s Gurdaspur district.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Dams full to the brim, more rain forecast: Punjab to see many long nights before monsoon ends

📍Flood waters enter Gurudwara Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan as Ravi overflows

Previous year UPSC Prelims/Mains Question Covering similar theme:

(5) With reference to the Indus river system, of the following four rivers, three of them pour into one of them which joins the Indus direct. Among the following, which one is such river that joins the Indus direct? (UPSC CSE 2021)

(a) Chenab

(b) Jhelum

(c) Ravi

(d) Sutlej

 

THE IDEAS PAGE

Where there’s an e-will 

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.

What’s the ongoing story: L S Narayanswamy writes: When Prime Minister Narendra Modi flags the need for the next generation of reforms, key to that is the array of digital substacks. One area which has remained largely untouched and needs this reform is inheritance and wills — given India’s demographics and the rising middle class, this has huge ramifications for equity, fairness and economic justice. 

Key Points to Ponder:

— What are the laws in India governing inheritance and wills?

— What could be potential benefits of having electronic wills?

— What are the steps taken by the government for digitalisation?

— What is living will?

— What is the purpose of making will?

Key Takeaways:

— A minuscule fraction of Indians write a will; even those who do are highly concentrated in the major metro cities, leaving a huge gap in rural and remote areas. Even in cases where wills are written, forgeries, multiplicity of wills, and corresponding challenges in courts are rampant.

— This calls for the adoption of electronic wills. These have several clear advantages that cut through red tape and speed up access.

— Electronic/ digital wills offer a streamlined and efficient alternative to traditional paper-based wills, addressing the challenges of physical storage, accessibility, and potential tampering.

— Testators and witnesses can complete the process virtually, eliminating geographical barriers and reducing the time and cost associated with in-person interactions.

— A digital process will reduce the burden on courts extensively, at least in terms of challenges to execution and authenticity, as it will address the concern of non-repudiable authentication, using auditable trails in the system infrastructure.

— In the United States, the Uniform Electronic Wills Act is a model law. It validates wills stored electronically, allows for remote witnessing, and includes a “harmless error” provision allowing for validation of wills which don’t exactly meet execution requirements so long as they are readable as text and were intended to act as a will.

— It was first passed in 2019 and has since been adopted and enacted in nine states, including Colorado, North Dakota, Utah, the US Virgin Islands and Washington.

— If electronic wills have to be introduced in India or solutions similar to the above have to be implemented, appropriate amendments in relevant laws will be required, including the following: The Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023; The Indian Succession Act, 1925; the Information Technology Act, 2000; The Hindu Succession Act, 1956, and The Registration Act, 1908.

— As India transitions towards digitisation across various sectors, recognition of electronic wills will modernise the estate planning process and encourage more individuals to formalise their succession plans, addressing the current gaps in accessibility and legal recognition of digital instruments.

Do You Know:

— The Supreme Court had in 2018 legalised passive euthanasia, contingent upon the person having a “living will”, or a written document that specifies the actions to be taken if the person is unable to make their own medical decisions in the future.

— The Supreme Court had allowed passive euthanasia while recognising the living wills of terminally-ill patients who could go into a permanent vegetative state and issued guidelines regulating the procedure.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍What is a living will, and the new Supreme Court order for simplifying passive euthanasia procedure?

ALSO IN NEWS
Daruma doll, presented to Modi in Japan	On the inaugural day of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Japan, Rev Seishi Hirose, chief priest of the Daruma-ji temple, presented him with a Daruma Doll — an iconic cultural symbol of Japan. The Daruma is a traditional Japanese wish doll, which is typically made of papier-mâché. It is modelled after Bodhidharma, the 5th-century founder of Zen Buddhism.

 

PRELIMS ANSWER KEY

1. (b)             2. (a)          3. (a)             4. (b)         5. (d)

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