UPSC Key: Modi, Putin chart roadmap, Semaglutide patent suit, and Fighter pilot ejection test

Key Points to Ponder:

— What were the major outcomes of the India-Russia annual summit?

— Know about the deals that were signed during Putin visit and how significant are they

— What are the other areas where both nations can cooperate?

— What is the stand of India on Russia-Ukraine war?

— What is the difference between war and conflict?

— What is the significance of this summit amidst imposition of tariffs by the Trump administration?

Key Takeaways:

— These were the key outcomes of bilateral talks between Putin and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Capital and meetings of delegations of the two sides, wrapping up the Russian President’s first visit to the country since the start of the Ukraine war in February 2022.

— World capitals tracked the state visit amid efforts by the US to force an end to the Ukraine war after penalising India for its import of Russian oil which the Trump administration claimed was funding Putin’s war machine. Incidentally, there was no mention of Ukraine in the joint statement issued in Delhi although both Modi and Putin spoke about it.

— Following the Modi-Putin talks, the two sides inked 16 pacts, ranging from health to maritime cooperation, fertiliser to customs, academic to media collaboration. Defence and nuclear energy cooperation dominated discussions.

— The joint statement welcomed the signing of agreements related to “mobility of skilled workers”.

— The two sides also flagged concerns regarding terrorist exploitation of information and communications technology such as “payment technologies, social media platforms and fundraising methods and misuse of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs or drones)”

— The two sides agreed to broaden cooperation in nuclear energy, including fuel cycle, life cycle support for operating the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP) and non-power applications, and to elaborate a new agenda of interaction in the field of peaceful use of atomic energy and related high technologies.

— While they welcomed the progress achieved in implementation of KKNPP including the construction of the remaining NPP units and agreed on adhering to the timeline for supplies of equipment and fuel, they mentioned discussions on a “second site in India” for NPP, where the Indian side will strive to “finalise formal allotment of the second site”.

After ‘not the era of war’, PM Modi frames Ukraine: India not neutral, on side of peace

— With the war in Ukraine grinding on, amid efforts by the US and its European allies to bring it to an end, and all eyes on his meetings with the visiting Russian President, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Vladimir Putin Friday that “India is not neutral, India is on the side of peace” and “we support all efforts towards peace”.

— Putin, on his part, did not give away much about their discussion on the war. He said he had the opportunity to speak in “detail on the situation in Ukraine” and on the talks initiated by the US towards a “possible peaceful settlement of this crisis”.

— What did not go unnoticed was that the two leaders did not mention the word “war” or “conflict”, and referred to the Ukraine situation as a “crisis”.

— This was different from what Modi told Putin in September 2022, months after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, that “this is not the era of war”. And in July 2024, when they met in Moscow, Modi told Putin that “solutions can’t be found on the battlefield”. Of late, European capitals have been urging Delhi to lean on Putin to end the war.

— On India’s oil imports from Russia that have been hit by the Trump administration’s 25 per cent penalty tariffs, the two leaders framed it as an “energy security” issue.

— Modi said, “Energy security has been a strong and important pillar of the India-Russia partnership. Our decades-old cooperation in the field of civil nuclear energy has been crucial in realising our shared priorities of clean energy. We will continue this win-win cooperation.”

— Putin linked energy supply to India’s economic growth and said, “Our partnership in the energy sector is developing successfully. Russia is a reliable supplier of energy resources and everything necessary for the development of India’s energy sector. We are ready to continue ensuring uninterrupted fuel supplies for India’s fast-growing economy.”

THE PUTIN VISIT: Pacts pave way for labour movement to Russia, curb illegal migration

— India and Russia on Friday signed two pacts on movement of workers, one aimed at curbing illegal immigration and the other at facilitating labour mobility.

— The first pact, ‘Cooperation in Combating Irregular Migration’, comes in the shadow of several Indian citizens losing their lives on the battlefield after signing up for the Russian Army.

— The other agreement, ‘Temporary Labour Activity of Citizens of one State in the Territory of the other State’, will enable the temporary migration of skilled Indian workers to labour-intensive sectors in Russia, including construction, agriculture and IT-enabled services.

— Although no details were provided on a timeline for the pact or on the number of Indians who would be sent to Russia, sources said that as many as 70,000 skilled and semi-skilled Indian workers could be employed in electronics, Information Technology Enabled Services, construction and textile industries over the next two to three years.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Russia’s Minister of Internal Affairs Vladimir Kolokoltsev exchange an MoU at Hyderabad House on Friday. (PTI)

— The agreements have been signed at a time when Russia is struggling with a severe labour shortage. Russia’s Ural region, an industrial hub, is one of the areas urgently seeking workers. According to estimates reported in the Russian media, the country needs to fill over three million labour-intensive positions by 2030.

— India has lately signed such pacts with countries including Japan, Israel, United Arab Emirates and Germany. In this regard, the government has facilitated skill centres in various regions of the country. Sources said such facilities in Maharashtra are being considered for training workers before deployment to Russian industries.

— While Indian workers have traditionally migrated to the Gulf for such jobs, Russia has lured Indian workers lately, with estimates putting around 10,000 Indians arriving in Russia seeking jobs in the construction and textile sector. Though there is a language barrier, Russia offers competitive incentives to overseas workers and regulated working hours.

Amid US tariffs, Delhi & Moscow reiterate $100-bn target for bilateral trade by 2030

— India and Russia on Friday reiterated their commitments to increase bilateral trade to $100 billion from the current level of $70 billion and boost settlements using their domestic currencies after the summit meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

— Former trade officer and head of think tank Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) said the trade gap between the two countries has surged to $58.9 billion, but India can lift exports to Russia seven-fold — from $5 bn to $35 bn — if it cracks market access in food, pharma, textiles and machinery.

— India and Russia also agreed to deepen cooperation in building stable and efficient transport corridors, with a focus on expanding logistics links for improving connectivity and enhancing infrastructure capacity to support the International North-South Transport Corridor, the Chennai-Vladivostok (Eastern Maritime) Corridor and the Northern Sea Route.

EDITORIAL: For Putin, a political win; for India, a stable partner

— Shyam Saran writes: Russian President Vladimir Putin has concluded his two-day state visit to India and has every reason to go back to Moscow a happy man. For a leader being subjected to Western sanctions and international isolation, a reception at the airport by the Prime Minister of India and riding back to the latter’s official residence, accompanied by his host, were unusual gestures of courtesy that may grate in Western capitals.

— For India, the visit comes at a time when underlying assumptions of its foreign policy, which had remained relatively stable and predictable over the past quarter-century, are being shaken.

— Putin’s visit in the wake of this negative turn in India-US relations is, therefore, politically significant. True, Russia would not be able to provide an alternative market for Indian goods that had access to the US market, but there is a serious effort to ramp up the economic and commercial relationship through the Economic Vision for 2030 and the target of $100 billion trade by that year.

— India-Russia relations are not of the same significance as Indo-Soviet relations before the end of the Cold War, in the early 1990s. It is important to understand the changed geopolitical context in which current political equations are playing out.

— This legacy relationship continues to bolster India-Russia relations. In addition, there are key platforms such as nuclear submarines and anti-missile systems where Russia is the only country ready to share technology with India. This has been of great value and was demonstrated most recently in the effective use of the S-400 system during Operation Sindoor. — Russia is also an important partner in the development of nuclear power in India, and during the visit, Putin specifically referred to Russian willingness to collaborate with India on small modular reactors (SMR) and floating nuclear power plants.

— The challenge for India is how to preserve its continuing reliance on the US for high-tech collaboration and advanced weaponry.

— What about China’s reaction to Putin’s visit? Some Chinese commentaries warn that beyond a certain point, the India-Russia partnership may adversely impact China’s interests by providing military muscle to a country it considers an adversary.

— But it may also welcome a closer India-Russia relationship at a time when Indo-US ties are under strain, because it would have to worry less about American containment if India distances itself from the US.

— But Delhi should be clear that there are limits to the India-Russia partnership, which cannot compare to  the declared “no-limits partnership” between Russia and China.

— Europe is the most unhappy about the red-carpet welcome given to Putin by India at a time when he is escalating the war in Ukraine and holding out threats to Europe. But Europe has more to fear from the US’s unreliability and its repeated bullying of Ukraine to concede substantially to Russian demands.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Putin’s visit: The long arc of India’s ties with Russia, the road ahead

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:

(1) Recently, India signed a deal known as ‘Action Plan for Prioritization and Implementation of Cooperation Areas in the Nuclear Field’ with which of the following countries? (UPSC CSE 2019)

(a) Japan

(b) Russia

(c) The United Kingdom

(d) The United States of America

Previous year UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme:

What is the significance of Indo-US defence deals over Indo-Russian defence deals? Discuss with reference to stability in the Indo-Pacific region. (UPSC CSE 2020)

Repo rate cut 25 bp to 5.25%; ‘rare Goldilocks period’, says RBI Governor

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: Buoyed by stronger-than-expected economic momentum and a steady cooling in inflation, the Reserve Bank of India’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) on Friday unanimously cut the repo rate by 25 basis points (bps) to 5.25 per cent, a move that is likely to bring down lending and deposit rates across the banking system.

Key Points to Ponder:

— What is the role, function and composition of the MPC?

— What is the repo rate?

— How does the cut in the repo rate impact inflation in the economy?

— What is headline inflation?

— What are the open market operations (OMO)?

— What are the various tolls used by the RBI to control inflation?

Key Takeaways:

— The reduction — the first after two consecutive pauses — signals a calibrated shift towards supporting growth at a time when the rupee has depreciated and breached the 90-mark against the dollar.

— The central bank said the combination of robust GDP numbers and a benign inflation trajectory created the policy space to pivot toward accommodation. The growth engine has been firing ahead of expectations, prompting the RBI to sharply lift its GDP projection for FY26 by 50 bps to 7.3 per cent from 6.8 per cent earlier.

— At the same time, headline inflation has continued to ease, allowing the central bank to trim its Consumer Price Index (CPI) forecast to 2 per cent from 2.6 per cent.

— With inflation now well anchored and growth proving resilient, the central bank noted that a modest rate cut would help reinforce the positive momentum in investment and consumption without jeopardising price stability.

— This repo rate cut, the first since June 2025, when the key policy rate was reduced by 50 bps, is likely to ease borrowing costs and boost consumption and investment. Equated monthly instalments (EMIs) on home, vehicle, personal corporate and small business loans are set to decline with the latest cut.

— The six-member rate-setting panel, by a 5:1 majority, also decided to maintain the neutral stance, with external MPC member Ram Singh voting for a shift to an accommodative stance.

— To inject durable liquidity into the market, the central bank also announced open market operations (OMO) purchases of government securities worth Rs 1 lakh crore. It will also conduct a three-year USD/INR Buy Sell swap amounting to USD 5 billion during the current month.

Do You Know:

— Under Section 45ZB of the amended RBI Act, 1934, the central government is empowered to constitute a six-member Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) to determine the policy interest rate required to achieve the inflation target. The first such MPC was constituted on September 29, 2016.

— Section 45ZB says the MPC shall consist of the RBI Governor as its ex officio chairperson, the Deputy Governor in charge of monetary policy, an officer of the Bank to be nominated by the Central Board and three persons to be appointed by the central government.

— The RBI uses several direct and indirect instruments to maintain price stability while keeping the objective of growth. The instruments are Cash Reserve ratio (CRR), Repo rate, reverse repo rate, Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR), Standing Deposit Facility (SDF) Rate, Bank rate, and Liquidity Adjustment Facility (LAF).

— The interest rate that the RBI charges when commercial banks borrow money from it is called the repo rate. It is used by the banks to meet their short-term funding needs.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍How inflation affects cost of living

📍Knowledge nugget of the day: RBI’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC)

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:

(2) Which of the following statements is/are correct regarding the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC)? (UPSC CSE 2017)

1. It decides the RBI’s benchmark interest rates.

2. It is a 12-member body including the Governor of RBI and is reconstituted every year.

3. It functions under the chairmanship of the Union Finance Minister.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(a) 1 only

(b) 1 and 2 only

(c) 3 only

(d) 2 and 3 only

 

THE IDEAS PAGE

New labour codes are a win-win for workers and employers 

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: Shamika Ravi writes: India’s labour market has been shaped by a complex legacy of well-intentioned but ultimately restrictive regulations. For decades, labour laws designed to protect workers ended up discouraging firms from growing, formalising, or hiring at scale.

Key Points to Ponder:

— What are the four labour codes?

— What is the purpose of introducing it?

— How does the reform in labour laws promote the ease of doing business?

— What are the challenges in the implementation of these codes?

— What challenges do these labour codes aim to address?

— Understand how these labour codes benefit various stakeholders- gig workers, women, formal and informal employees, and employers.

— Know about the major reforms introduced for the laborers.

Key Takeaways:

— The sweeping labour reforms implemented through the four labour codes mark an important break from this past. By modernising outdated legislation and simplifying compliance, these reforms promise to reshape the labour landscape and unlock India’s employment and growth potential. From here on, the states that enforce these reforms with full commitment are likely to witness major investments and job creation.

— The foundation of India’s labour regulation was the Industrial Disputes Act (IDA) of 1947. This created powerful disincentives for firms to expand beyond a small size. Three major distortions emerged.

— First, productive firms deliberately stayed smaller than optimal, fearing regulatory burdens if they grew. This prevented the development of large, competitive manufacturing enterprises.

— Second, India became a country of micro and small informal units, which often lacked access to technology, capital, and skilled management. These firms naturally struggled to raise productivity or offer secure, well-paid jobs.

— Third, the laws ended up protecting a tiny minority of formal, unionised workers, while the vast majority remained outside any legal safety net. Ironically, rules intended to defend workers benefited only those already fortunate enough to be in stable, formal jobs.

— Despite India’s 1991 economic liberalisation, the labour law system remained largely untouched, continuing to discourage large-scale, labour-intensive manufacturing. Over time, this rigid regulatory environment led to a structural imbalance: India had abundant labour, but firms were reluctant to hire. Job creation lagged behind economic growth, and millions remained in informal employment.

— Recognising these distortions, the government consolidated 29 laws into four comprehensive labour codes: the Code on Wages (2019), the Industrial Relations Code (2020), the Code on Social Security (2020) and the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code (2020).

— Now notified, these reforms aim to balance worker protection with economic dynamism. They modernise outdated provisions, simplify compliance, expand social protection, and give firms the flexibility they need to grow.

— Universal wage and social protection: The Code on Wages establishes a uniform national framework for minimum wages and timely payments. This is a major step toward inclusivity.

— The Code on Social Security expands the safety net to gig workers, platform workers, and other non-traditional categories that form a rapidly growing share of India’s workforce.

— Simplified compliance and reduced bureaucracy: A major obstacle for Indian firms has historically been the complexity of labour compliance. Different laws required multiple registrations, licences, inspections, and returns. The new codes consolidate these into one registration, one licence, and one return, greatly reducing bureaucratic friction.

— Flexibility in hiring and managing labour: The Industrial Relations Code introduces greater flexibility in hiring and workforce management. While maintaining protections against arbitrary dismissal, it streamlines processes for layoffs and retrenchment in medium-sized firms. This reduces the uncertainty firms previously faced, encouraging them to hire without fear of crossing rigid thresholds.

— Modern, safer workplaces: The Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code consolidates safety and health regulations across sectors and establishes clearer standards for working conditions. This is significant in construction, mining, manufacturing, and transportation, where outdated or fragmented laws previously created confusion.

— India’s labour market has long been shaped by protective laws that turned into a stranglehold, pulling back its economic potential. The new labour codes represent a comprehensive attempt to correct that historical imbalance.

— By simplifying regulation, expanding protections, embracing new forms of work, and giving firms the flexibility to grow, these reforms create the conditions for a more dynamic labour market. If implemented effectively, the reforms can promote formal employment, raise productivity, encourage investment, and deliver better working conditions.

Do You Know:

— India’s old labour laws were too many, too complex, and outdated. They increased the compliance burden and discouraged businesses from hiring. Many workers, especially gig, platform, MSME, and migrant workers, had no uniform social security. States had already begun reforming their labour laws, leading to fragmented rules. The new Labour Codes try to fix all this.

— Labour is a Concurrent List subject, and while most states have finalised rules aligned with the four Codes, central-level implementation remains pending. This delay results in: Uneven social security coverage for workers, and Compliance complexity for employers operating across multiple states.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍How India’s 4 labour codes aim to improve wages and worker safety

📍Understanding India’s New 4 Labour Codes: The what, why and how

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:

(3) Consider the following statements: (UPSC CSE 2017)

1. The Factories Act, 1881 was passed with a view to fix the wages of industrial workers and to allow the workers to form trade unions.

2. N.M. Lokhande was a pioneer in organizing the labour movement in British India.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Previous year UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme:

“Success of ‘Make in India’ programme depends on the success of ‘Skill India’ programme and radical labour reforms.” Discuss with logical arguments. (UPSC CSE 2015)

EXPLAINED

GDP: Amid the rupee’s fall, how investors are shunning the Indian economy

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: In recent days, the Indian rupee’s exchange rate against the dollar has again made headlines. More often than not, the primary reason for weakness in rupee’s exchange rate has been India’s trade deficit (in other words, the fact that India imports more than it exports) and India’s current account deficit. More simply, more money (read dollars) was flowing out of India than coming in.

Key Points to Ponder:

— What is depreciation of a currency?

— What is the strengthening and weakening of a currency?

— What are the factors behind the fall of the Indian Rupee?

— What are the constituents of a Capital Account?

— How is the rupee’s exchange rate connected with the trade deficit?

— What is the impact of the fall of FDI on the Indian economy?

Key Takeaways:

— But there was always a flip-side to this story: India, thanks to growth potential, also received a lot of foreign investments — either in the form of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI, or investing money into things like building a new factory in India) or in the shape of Foreign Portfolio Investments (FPI, or investing money in the form of buying stocks and shares of company). Historically, the “surplus” on this count — called the Capital Account — papered over the “deficit” on the trade or current account.

— This edition of GDP is focussed on highlighting how “net” foreign investments in India have taken a beating, and thus contributing to rupee’s weakness. In other words, how the net money flowing into India via this route of financial investments — as against the trade route — has been falling. The use of the word “net” implies that once all the money coming in and going out of India is taken together.

— Let’s first look at what has happened to FDI coming into India. In CHART 1, the green line shows the money coming into India as FDI and the red line shows the money going out of India (that is, the FDI for foreign countries).

Chart 1

— As the chart shows, since 2021-22, the green line has plummetted even as the red line has surged. In other words, while foreigners are holding back investing in India via the FDI route. This is critical problem because the FDI route is preferred over the FPI route; investments through the FDI route show that a foreign investor is really committed to staying invested in India for the long term. This data is only up to March 2025.

Chart 2

— CHART 2 shows what has happened in the current financial year. The story is pretty much the same. The green line is falling and has been overtaken by the red line — Indian investments abroad are more than foreign FDI into India. This is exactly the opposite of the Swadeshi call in many ways.

— What is the “net” result? CHART 3 shows that precisely. The “net” FDI into have fallen towards the zero level. The story is the same if one looks at the data in the current financial year

Chart 3

— But this is still only the FDI bit. There is also the FPI investments that India receives. CHART 4 maps the net FPIs and it yet again shows how they are negative. That mean again, more money has been invested by Indians in stocks and share abroad than by foreigners into Indian stock markets.

Chart 4

— When more money goes out of India than what comes in, the rupee’s exchange rate fall or weakens because it essentially means that the US dollars are more in demand relative to Indian rupee.

— The trend is counter-intuitive: Indian Indian economy is growing much faster than all the comparable economies then presumably the Indian companies would also be doing very well and, by extension, foreign investors should be making a beeline to invest in India in every shape or form.

Do You Know:

— The rate at which one can swap between currencies is the exchange rate. In other words, how many rupees would buy you a dollar or a euro.

— In such a market — also referred to as the currency market — each currency is like a commodity itself. The value of each currency relative to another currency is called the exchange rate. These values can stay the same over time but more often than not they keep changing.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍ExplainSpeaking: How is India’s exchange rate related to its current account deficit, forex reserves, and balance of payment?

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:

(4) Which of the following constitute capital account? (UPSC CSE 2013)

1. Foreign loans

2. Foreign Direct Investment

3. Private Remittances

4. Portfolio Investment

Select the correct answer using the codes given below.

(a) 1, 2 and 3 only

(b) 1, 2 and 4 only

(c) 2, 3 and 4 only

(d) 1, 3 and 4 only

Why Delhi HC rejected semaglutide patent suit

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination:Current events of national and international importance

Mains Examination: General Studies-II: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources

What’s the ongoing story: Refusing to grant an interim injunction sought by Danish pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk, the Delhi High Court on Tuesday allowed Dr Reddy’s Laboratories (DRL) to continue manufacturing and exporting its version of the drug containing semaglutide.

Key Points to Ponder:

— What is semaglutide?

— What is a patent?

— What are generic medicines?

— What is the evergreening of drugs?
— What are the concerns related to evergreening?

— What are GLP-1 drugs? What is its purpose?

— What are the major drugs to treat obesity that are in the news?

— How do these drugs work?

— What are the recent WHO guidelines on these obesity drugs?

Key Takeaways:

— In May, Novo Nordisk moved the Delhi HC against DRL, seeking that the Indian firm and its distributors be restrained from using, manufacturing, selling, distributing, advertising, exporting semaglutide active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) or any product derived from it.

— API is the chemical in a medicine that produces the intended therapeutic effect. Semaglutide is the API for a new class of revolutionary drugs to treat Type 2 diabetes and obesity; it is marketed by Novo Nordisk as Ozempic for diabetes, and as Wegovy for weight loss.

— By rejecting Novo Nordisk’s demand for a temporary injunction, the court has essentially sided with DRL, allowing it to continue manufacturing and exporting its semaglutide drug. The court has also held that DRL’s challenge to Novo Nordisk’s patent to be prima facie valid, although final adjudication is pending on this matter.

— The expiry of the basic composition patent in 2024 opened the door to potential generic development. However, the formulation patent remains in force and continues to confer exclusive rights on Novo Nordisk.

— After the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) in September cleared DRL’s semaglutide injection in India for grant manufacturing and marketing, the Indian company has been manufacturing the drug to be sold in international markets, beginning with Canada.

— Novo Nordisk filed a patent infringement suit in the Delhi HC alleging that DRL imported substantial quantities of semaglutide API and manufactured finished formulations without its permission, thereby infringing Indian Patent No. 262697. On the other hand, DRL’s patent revocation petition claimed that the second patent was for an analogue of the previously patent-protected product, and that it lacked novelty and inventive step.

— In patent law, inventive step means that a patented creation must involve a creative leap beyond what an average expert could figure out from existing knowledge. DRL claimed that the tweaks made to the earlier compound would be “obvious” to anyone skilled in the domain, and thus should not be provided patent protection.

— Novo Nordisk countered by saying that the compound for which it held the second patent had shown “exceptionally higher efficacy” compared to the prior versions of the compound, which made it “novel”.

— The court agreed with DRL’s assertion that there is no novelty in Novo Nordisk’s second GLP-1 formulation, and thus concluded that the company had obtained two patents for the same compound. This double patenting resulted in “evergreening”, the court said.

— Treatment for diabetes and obesity has emerged as an extremely lucrative market for drug makers worldwide. The new class of GLP-1 drugs such as semaglutide, developed by Novo Nordisk, and tirzepatide, developed by Eli Lilly and marketed as Mounjaro and Zepbound, has created ripples in this market.

— Notably, it has triggered a global battle over the rights to manufacture and sell these drugs. While the pharma giants have sought to enforce and extend their patents over the drugs and thus protect their bottomline, other manufacturers, including of generics, have sought to grab a share of the pie — and the profits.

Do You Know:

— Evergreening involves drugmakers making only minor changes to an existing medicine and then seeking new patents. This does not reflect any significant innovation but prolongs a company’s monopoly over a drug and keeps low-cost generics out of the market. Evergreening is prohibited by Section 3(d) of Indian Patents Act, 1970.

— With the new class of GLP-1 medicines leading to effective weight loss, the World Health Organisation (WHO) released its first guidelines on their use to combat the obesity crisis. The agency recommended long-term use of these medicines for obesity but added that those prescribed these medicines should also undergo intensive behavioural therapy as part of a multi-pronged approach to treating obesity.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Knowledge Nugget: What must you read on ‘Obesity’ for UPSC exams?

📍Knowledge Nugget of the day: Patent evergreening

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:

(5) Consider the following statements: (UPSC CSE 2019)

1. According to the Indian Patents Act, a biological process to create a seed can be patented in India.

2. In India, there is no Intellectual Property Appellate Board.

3. Plant varieties are not eligible to be patented in India.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 and 3 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Previous year UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme:

How is the Government of India protecting traditional knowledge of medicine from patenting by pharmaceutical companies. (UPSC CSE 2019)

Significance of DRDO’s recent fighter pilot ejection test 

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Mains Examination: General Studies-III: Achievements of Indians in science & technology; indigenization of technology and developing new technology.

What’s the ongoing story: The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) on Tuesday (December 2) conducted a successful high-speed rocket-sled test of a fighter aircraft escape system at controlled velocity. The technical achievement places India in an elite club of nations with advanced in-house escape system testing capability.

Key Points to Ponder:

— What is the significance of an aircraft eject system?

— What is the difference between static and dynamic ejection tests for fighter aircraft?

— What are the major initiatives taken by the government for self-reliance in the defence sector?

— “The successful test of India’s indigenous fighter aircraft escape system represents a major strategic milestone.” Elaborate.

— What are drogue parachutes?

Key Takeaways:

— The test was conducted in collaboration with the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) of the Ministry of Defence and public sector entity Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). It was carried out at the Rail Track Rocket Sled (RTRS) facility of the Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory (TBRL), a key DRDO facility in Chandigarh.

— The rocket sled is a ground-based testing system, which is propelled by rockets to climb to high speeds while moving on rail tracks, simulating the aerodynamic conditions of an aircraft in flight.

— Here, the dual-sled system allows the forebody of an aircraft to be mounted and tested under controlled velocities. In the recent test, a system with the forebody of the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) was propelled to a precisely controlled velocity of 800 kilometres per hour through phased firing of multiple solid propellant rocket motors.

— Dynamic ejection tests are significantly more complex than static tests, which occur with the aircraft stationary or at zero altitude and zero speed. They are also considered the true measure of evaluating the pilot’s escape aid, such as ejection seats and canopy severance systems.

— Modern ejection seats use a combination of small explosive cartridges and, in many cases, rocket motors to propel the seat out of the aircraft. The initial explosive charge fires and lifts the seat.

— On the other hand, canopy severance is the controlled breaking of an aircraft’s cockpit canopy to create a clear path for the ejection seat. The sequence includes canopy removal, seat firing, stabilisation, and parachute deployment that ensures the pilot’s safe exit.

— At high speeds, pilots experience extreme aerodynamic forces. Emergency ejections can happen under a variety of circumstances — low or high altitude, zero or supersonic speed, during aircraft spin, or even inverted flight. The safety systems must function perfectly across all these conditions, which makes testing critical.

— The pilot’s body is exposed to forces at a massive scale, and wrong sequencing can cause serious injuries. Thus, safety testing under flight-like conditions is critical to meet global safety standards, officials said

— The successful test of India’s indigenous fighter aircraft escape system represents a major strategic milestone. Escape systems are among the most safety-critical components of a combat aircraft, and their reliability directly affects pilot survivability during emergencies.

— Until now, India has had to rely upon test ecosystems abroad to evaluate the performance of the ejection mechanisms. Sources have said that the indigenous tests cost between one-fourth and one-fifth as much as the tests conducted abroad.

— Officials said that possessing an in-house dynamic ejection-testing facility boosts India’s ability to design, certify, and upgrade ejection systems for both current and future fighter platforms. A DRDO scientist said that this not only reduces dependence on foreign testing facilities but also significantly shortens development cycles.

— Notably, TBRL has had an RTRS since 2014, which can test defence and aerospace systems at supersonic speeds (exceeding the speed of sound). Earlier in February, drogue parachutes of Gaganyan, India’s planned crewed orbital spacecraft, were successfully tested at the RTRS facility of the TBRL in Chandigarh.

— The test involved the simultaneous firing of two drogue parachutes to simulate deployment at the maximum angle of attack of the crew module during descent. The escape system testing facility, which includes high-speed cameras and state-of-the-art measurement mechanisms, was developed over the last year.

Do You Know:

— Last month, the ISRO conducted a key test towards preparing for the launch of the country’s first human spaceflight mission — a test to check whether the crew module can remain stable if there is a delay in one of the main parachutes opening up.

— This test was meant to validate the parachute system even in possible extreme scenarios. The scenario chosen for the test was an “asymmetric disreefing” — where one of the two main parachutes unfurls completely slightly later than the other one.

—  To avoid sudden jerks as the parachutes deploy on the astronauts’ journey back to the earth, the parachutes open slowly in a step by step process known as reefed inflation.

— Reefing essentially limits how much the parachute can open, following which disreefing at a scheduled time allows the parachute to open up completely. The disreefing is done using a pyro device.

— The test saw the deployment of a drogue parachute, followed by two main parachutes, one of which unfurled a little after the first. The test was successful in demonstratingstructural integrity and load distribution even in this extreme scenario.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Can Gaganyaan remain stable if one of the parachutes fails to open on time? ISRO conducts test to find out

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:

(6) Find the incorrect statements, about the Gaganyaan Mission of India. (MPSC 2020)

1. Four pilots from Indian Air Force were shortlisted to be astronauts of Gaganyaan.

2. They will be trained at Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Centre in Russia.

3. This mission was announced by Prime Minister in 2014.

4. It is scheduled for 2022 with a team of 5 crew members and a month-long stay in space.

(a) 1,2,3,4

(b) 2,3,4

(c) 3,4

(d) 2,3

 

PRELIMS ANSWER KEY

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

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