UPSC Key: Tobacco Consumption in India, Madman Theory and Marine Spatial Plan

Key Points to Ponder:

• Map Work– Strait of Hormuz, Persian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Musandam Peninsula, Red Sea, Gulf of Aden,

• Strait of Hormuz connects the Persian Gulf to the Arabian Sea-true or false?

• Is there any alternative to Strait of Hormuz?

• The United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia are scrambling to reduce their dependence and vulnerability on this chokepoint that is Strait of Hormuz. What alternatives they have?

• Saudi Arabia, UAE and Iraq-Can three pipelines help oil escape Strait of Hormuz?

• Which oil pipelines could serve as alternate routes?

• Saudi Arabia’s East-West Pipeline-what you know about the same?

• What the main difference between “territorial waters” and “international waters”?

• The Strait of Hormuz falls under territorial waters or international waters?

• What are the international legal framework that governs maritime passage and maritime combat?

• ‘The Iranian strategy violates a comprehensive set of international maritime delimitation laws’-Analyse

Key Takeaways:

• The Iran-Israel/ US conflict has seen an unprecedented halt in maritime traffic through the Strait—a narrow waterway between Iran and Oman—through which about one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) flows.

• The West Asia war gives reason enough for the Gulf states to collaborate and coordinate for revitalising old pipelines and building new ones. According to reports from the region, early efforts may already be underway to do just that.

• For decades, Iran threatened to close the Strait, but didn’t actually do it. The US-Israel war against Iran that started on February 28 changed that. Tehran—and the world—now know that it can effectively halt vessel movements through the maritime chokepoint almost at will, and impose a massive cost on the global economy.

• The West Asia war has clearly demonstrated the criticality of the Strait of Hormuz for global flows of oil, gas, and some other key commodities, with its effective closure by Iran sending shockwaves, particularly through energy markets.

• Even as numerous oil tankers, among scores of merchant vessels, have been stranded in the Persian Gulf, Saudi Arabia and the UAE managed to export some of their oil using pipelines that bypass the Strait of Hormuz. These are Saudi Arabia’s 1,200-km long East-West pipeline that runs from oil fields near the Persian Gulf all the way to the Red Sea port of Yanbu, and the UAE’s Abu Dhabi Crude Oil Pipeline (ADCOP) that connects the Habshan oil field to the port of Fujairah in the Gulf of Oman.

• While the volumes that can be moved through these pipelines are much lower than what Saudi Arabia and the UAE usually export through the Strait of Hormuz, they have exhibited the potential of pipelines as a tool to reduce dependence on the Strait of Hormuz.

Do You Know:

• According to Al Jazeera, the East-West Pipeline is also known as the Petroline and is operated by Saudi oil giant Aramco. Aramco is one of the world’s largest companies with a market capitalisation exceeding $1.7 trillion and annual revenues of $480bn. The oil giant controls 12 percent of global oil production with a capacity of more than 12 million barrels per day (bpd).

• The 1,200km (745-mile) pipeline runs from the Abqaiq oil processing centre close to the Gulf in Saudi Arabia to the Yanbu port on the Red Sea on the other side of the country. However, the pipeline does not have the capacity to fully make up for the Hormuz closure.

• In 2024, about 20 million bpd passed through the Strait of Hormuz, according to data from the United Nations. Crude oil and condensate made up 14 million bpd of this while petroleum was the remaining 6 million bpd.

• The East-West Pipeline has the capacity to transport up to 7 million bpd. On March 10, Aramco said about 5 million bpd could be made available for exports while the rest could supply local refineries. Since the US-Israeli war on Iran began on February 28, Saudi Arabia has ramped up its oil flow through this pipeline.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Strait of Hormuz: Who gets through, who doesn’t, and can Iran charge ships for passage?

📍West Asia disruptions prompt fuel supply shift

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:
1) Consider the following statement:(UPSC CSE, 2024)
Statement I: Sumed pipeline is a strategic route for Persian Gulf oil and natural gas shipments to Europe.
Statement-II: Sumed pipeline connects the Red Sea with the Mediterranean Sea.
Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?
(a) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains. Statement-I
(b) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
(c) Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
(d) Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct

‘Chips to ships’: India and South Korea target $50 bn trade by 2030

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: India and South Korea Monday decided to restart negotiations to upgrade the trade pact, signing agreements on digital cooperation in AI, small and medium enterprises, sports, and culture, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi met the visiting President of South Korea, Lee Jae Myung.

Key Points to Ponder:

• Map Work– South Korea

• India and South Korea-Know about bilateral relations

• Why India is important for South-Korea?

• Why South-Korea is important for India?

• India and South Korea-know the trade relations

• Indian diaspora in South Korea-know in brief

• How India and South Korea can enhance their bilateral trades amid ongoing war?

• South Korea is now a member of both the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative and the International Solar Alliance. What significance does this have for India?

• The Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between India and South Korea-know in detail

Key Takeaways:

• They also agreed on a joint strategic vision for the India-South Korea special strategic partnership, and a comprehensive framework for partnership in shipbuilding, shipping and maritime logistics.

• After the bilateral meeting in Hyderabad House, PM Modi said, “Today, with President Lee’s visit, we are going to transform this trusted partnership into a futuristic partnership. We will realise new opportunities for cooperation in every field, from chips to ships, talent to technology, environment to energy, and together we will ensure the progress and prosperity of both countries.”

• Referring to the wars in West Asia and Europe, he said, “In this era of global tension, India and Korea together send a message of peace and stability. We are very pleased that today Korea is joining the International Solar Alliance and the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative. Through our joint efforts, we will continue to contribute to a peaceful, progressive, and inclusive Indo-Pacific.”

• Modi also said, “Bilateral trade between India and Korea has reached $27 billion today. We have taken several important decisions today to increase this to $50 billion by 2030”. He was referring to the joint declaration on resumption of talks to upgrade the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), which Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal signed.

Do You Know:

• India and South Korea’s Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), in force since 2010, has strengthened bilateral economic engagement. Bilateral trade has grown from $14.2 billion at the time of its implementation to $26.89 billion in 2024–25, an increase of nearly 90 per cent.

• Of this, India’s imports from South Korea account for approximately $21 billion, while exports stand at about $5.8 billion. Both sides have held 11 rounds of CEPA upgradation negotiations, with the latest round in July 2024.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍C Raja Mohan writes | Amid a widening Gulf, the need for a bridge between India and South Korea

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:
2) In which one of the following groups are all the four countries members of G20? (UPSC CSE, 2020)
(a) Argentina, Mexico, South Africa and Turkey
(b) Australia, Canada, Malaysia and New Zealand
(c) Brazil, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Vietnam
(d) Indonesia, Japan, Singapore and South Korea

Nation

10% of Indian households can rise to a higher economic class just by quitting tobacco: Study

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: Over 20.49 million households — 10.6% of all households in the country — could rise to a higher economic class just by stopping spending on tobacco and redirecting that money to other needs, as per a new study published in BMJ Global Health.

Key Points to Ponder:

• Tobacco Consumption in India-what data says?

• How tobaccos are cultivated?

• What are the measures taken by Government of India against Tobacco?

• How tobacco taxation policies are one of the hurdles in curbing tobacco consumption?

• India has proposed an increase in Goods and Services Tax (GST) on aerated drinks, cigarettes, and tobacco to 35%- Know the rationale behind such a proposal.

• What are the advantages and disadvantages of using indirect taxes, such as GST, to address issues like health risks associated with tobacco?

Key Takeaways:

• The study led by researchers at ICMR National Institute of Cancer Prevention and Research (ICMR-NICPR), Noida, and Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai, is the first to quantify at national scale the households using tobacco in different forms.

• The poorest households, the study finds, spend 6.4% of their entire monthly income on tobacco, the study found. “Tobacco is not just a health burden — it is a poverty trap. We have now shown, with the most rigorous national data available, that 20 million households could move up an economic class simply by quitting.

• For a rural family already spending nearly 7% of all its income on tobacco, this is not an abstraction — this is the difference between poverty and dignity. Tobacco cessation must be treated as a poverty alleviation strategy, not merely a health message,” Dr Prashant Kumar Singh, Senior Scientist, ICMR-NICPR, Noida, and corresponding author told The Indian Express.

• India carries one of the world’s largest tobacco burdens. With over 267 million tobacco users, which is nearly a quarter of the adult population, tobacco is the single largest preventable cause of death and disease in the country, responsible for over a million deaths every year.

• Its established links to cancers of the mouth, throat, lung, and oesophagus as well as to heart disease and stroke, have long made it a central concern of public health policy.

• Drawing on 2,61,746 nationally representative households from the 2022-23 survey on Household Consumption Expenditure, the study found that the poorest families are paying the highest price.

• According to the study (The economics of quitting: estimating the uplift potential of Indian households through tobacco cessation), a family in the lowest income group spends 6.4% of its entire monthly income on tobacco. A family at the top spends just 2%. Among the poorest households, 5.62 million (12.4%) could escape their income class entirely through cessation, the study suggests.

Do You Know:

• India is the second largest consumer and producer of tobacco globally. Tobacco products account for nearly 1.35 million deaths every year (3,700 deaths every single day). India also accounts for 70% of the global burden of smokeless tobacco, and 27% of all cancers in India are attributable to tobacco use.

• Nearly 9 out of 10 adults who use tobacco started before age 18 when the brain is still developing, making young people far more susceptible to nicotine dependence.

• Among adolescents specifically, tobacco prevalence among those aged 13-15 was 8.5% in 2019 according to the Global Youth Tobacco Survey. In India, 9.6% of boys and 7.4% of girls use tobacco, it said.

• According to the researchers, 17 million rural households could move up an economic class through tobacco cessation, compared to 3.5 million urban households. Rural families spend a larger share of income on tobacco (6.6% vs 5.6% in cities) and have far fewer financial safety nets. The rural uplift rate is 60% higher than in urban areas. Also 7.12 million lower-middle-income households (16.8%) could advance to a higher income bracket through cessation.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Can stronger awareness drives on the benefits of quitting tobacco help?

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:
3) Which one of the following groups of plants was domesticated in the ‘New World’ and introduced into the ‘Old World’? (UPSC CSE 2019)
(a) Tobacco, cocoa and rubber
(b) Tobacco, cotton and rubber
(c) Cotton, coffee and sugarcane
(d) Rubber, coffee and wheat

4) Which of the following are the reasons/factors for exposure to benzene pollution? (UPSC CSE, 2020)
1. Automobile exhaust
2. Tobacco smoke
3. Wood burning
4. Using varnished wooden furniture
5. Using products made of polyurethane
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
(a) 1, 2 and 3 only
(b) 2 and 4 only
(c) 1, 3 and 4 only
(d) 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5

Finalising enhanced security cooperation with India: Zelenskyy

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: Days after Ukraine’s Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Rustem Umerov visited India and met NSA Ajit Doval, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Monday that the two sides are finalising an enhanced security cooperation. This assumes significance at a time when India and Russia have robust security and defence cooperation.

Key Points to Ponder:

• India-Ukraine Relations-Know the historical background

• What has led India to depart from its older foreign policy stance towards Ukraine?

• India closeness towards Ukraine can impact India’s relations with Russia-discuss

• What are the challenges in the India-Ukraine relationship?

• What are the areas of cooperation between India and Ukraine relationship?

• India and Ukraine defence trade and deal-know about the same

• What is the Russia-Ukraine war all about and what have been the key events?

• How was Ukraine created?

• How has been the global support for Ukraine and what peace efforts have been made so far?

Key Takeaways:

• “We are preparing important announcements regarding our security cooperation with partners next week. We do not forget that air defense for Ukraine and support for our army remain constant priorities,” Zelenskyy posted on X.

• “More security arrangements are forthcoming. We already have an arrangement on security cooperation with India, and we are finalizing it so that the documents are in place,” the post said.

• “We are also preparing for further work with our European partners to unblock the already-approved support package for Ukraine, delivery of which still hasn’t begun,” Zelenskyy said.

• At the meeting with Ukraine’s NSA Rustem Umerov on Friday, Doval conveyed India’s “principled position and focus on peaceful resolution through dialogue and diplomacy”.

• This has been Delhi’s position for the last four years of the war between Russia and Ukraine, and was articulated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visits to Russia and Ukraine in the past.

Do You Know:

• Kyiv’s outreach to Delhi on security issues is an important takeaway after the dialogue between the two National Security Advisers. Umerov, who was meeting Doval for the first time, is expected to power the security ties between India and Ukraine. This comes a month before Russian Foreign minister Sergey Lavrov is expected to visit India in mid-May.

• After Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the Russia-Ukraine war is now in its 5th year and there has been no end in sight even as the talks between the two sides were brokered by the US. President Trump has sought to end the conflict, but the war has been in a deadlock.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Doval reiterates India’s position on peace during meet with Ukraine’s NSA

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:
5) Consider the following countries: (UPSC CSE, 2023)
1. Bulgaria
2. Czech Republic
3. Hungary
4. Latvia
5. Lithuania
6. Romania
How many of the above-mentioned countries share a land border with Ukraine?
(a) Only two
(b) Only three
(c) Only four
(d) Only five

Explained

Marine Spatial Plan: Odisha’s bid to strengthen climate resilience

Preliminary Examination: General issues on Environmental ecology, Bio-diversity and Climate Change – that do not require subject specialization.

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

What’s the ongoing story: The Odisha government recently signed a memorandum of understanding with the National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR) under the Union Ministry of Earth Sciences to launch a Marine Spatial Plan (MSP) in the state for integrated coastal and marine planning.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What is Marine Spatial Plan (MSP)?

• Why Marine Spatial Plan (MSP) is important?

• Odisha has become the first state in the country to implement the MSP-why this is significant?

• What is National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR)?

• Which ministry is National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR) under?

• How Marine Spatial Plan will encourage coastal economy and livelihoods?

Key Takeaways:

• Sustainable ocean planning has been underway in India since 2019, with collaboration between India and Norway. In the first phase, it was taken up in two Union territories, Puducherry and Lakshadweep. Odisha has become the first state in the country to implement the MSP in the second phase.

• Odisha has a huge coastline of more than 550km and the coastline is defined in many ways, featuring lagoons, mangroves and estuaries. According to Chithra Arumugam, additional chief secretary, science and technology department, Odisha, the NCCR will study the components of the water in the entire ocean adjoining Odisha’s coast as part of the MoU.

• In August 2025, the Odisha government launched the Odisha Marine Biotechnology Research and Innovation Corridor (OMBRIC) to promote the use of biotechnology for marine environmental protection and economic development.

Do You Know:

• The MSP is a tool for sustainable and integrated ocean management aimed at boosting the blue economy and strengthening climate resilience. It helps for sustainable utilisation of marine resources in energy, economic activities like developing ports, harbours, setting up industries, environment, fisheries, aquaculture and tourism and to formulate policies accordingly.

• As part of the process, the experts analyse the coasts and specify areas for human activities in marine areas to achieve ecological, economic and social objectives. This is a part of the Indo-Norway Integrated Ocean Initiative under the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the two countries in 2019. This aligns with the Centre’s emphasis on the blue economy as one of the ten core dimensions of growth.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍MoES plans first coastal spatial mapping initiative for sustainable ocean activities

‘Trump has cultivated more of a madman image than most other world leaders’

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

Mains Examination: General Studies IV: Ethical issues in international relations

What’s the ongoing story: Roseanne McManus, professor of political science and international affairs at Pennsylvania State University, explains why some US Presidents and other leaders have cultivated the ‘madman’ image, and its benefits and pitfalls.

Key Points to Ponder:

• The “madman theory” and Donald Trump-What exactly Roseanne McManus said?

• How Roseanne McManus, professor of political science and international affairs at Pennsylvania State University placed US President Donald Trump’s statements and actions In the framework of the “madman theory”?

• How has Trump’s approach differed from that of former US presidents like Richard Nixon and George W Bush?

• How has Trump’s approach is different from other world leaders like Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un?

• In this age, when every action and statement is decoded and dissected, what are the limits to madman theory?

• What impact has Trump’s approach had in terms of how current and future US foreign policy will be perceived — both internally and externally?

• “When a clown moves into a palace he doesn’t become a king, the palace instead becomes a circus.”-decode the quote with the US President Donald Trump’s statements and actions In the framework of the “madman theory”?

• The ethics of Trump’s foreign policy-know in detail

Key Takeaways:

• While questions remain over whether the ceasefire would hold after Israel continued its aggression in south Lebanon and Iran struck oil facilities in the Gulf nations, Trump’s vacillating statements and inconsistent actions — not just during the course of the war but throughout his second presidential term — have lent credence to belief that the US President is practising the “madman theory”.

• In foreign policy, the theory gained currency during the Cold War and proposes that heads of state, by showing a willingness to take extreme measures, can influence an adversary’s calculations by raising fears of escalation. Although it was meant to be used to explain erratic or unpredictable behaviour, this was subsequently deployed as a deliberate strategy to intimidate opponents into making concessions.

• Roseanne McManus, professor of political science and international affairs at Pennsylvania State University, explains how Trump seems to have put the theory into practice since his return to the White House last year, and what it means for the US’s standing in the global order.

Do You Know:
Roseanne McManus, professor of political science and international affairs at Pennsylvania State University, explains-

• Exactly what it means to be a “madman” is not always clearly defined, but in my research, I argue that two types of “madness” can give leaders’ threats more credibility. The first is unpredictability, meaning that the leader might do anything. The second is extremism, meaning that the leader is insensitive to the consequences of war, including casualties.
—Trump’s statements and actions during the war could lend support to perceptions that he has both types of ‘madness’. His inconsistent statements about the goals of the war and vacillation between threats and more conciliatory rhetoric give the impression of
unpredictability.

• Additionally, Trump’s willingness to shatter norms and experience domestic and global backlash for making extreme threats, such as to destroy an entire civilisation, suggests an unusual indifference to the consequences of his actions.

• Overall, I think that Trump has cultivated more of a madman image than most other leaders. According to private records, Richard Nixon desired to cultivate a reputation for madness. Yet he was not consistent enough at acting madly for others to believe it. The Soviets not only did not believe he was mad, but they considered him their favorite US president to work with.
—George W Bush was called a madman by some critics who used the term for general disparagement, but I don’t think he either sought or had a reputation for either type of madness that I identified above. He was viewed as a hawk, but not necessarily unpredictable or extremist.
—Vladimir Putin developed a madman image after invading Ukraine, and he sought to convince the West that he was insensitive to the costs of using nuclear weapons. However, I think his reputation for madness faded a bit when he never did use nuclear weapons, despite getting bogged down in the Ukraine War.
—Kim Jong Un probably developed the strongest reputation for madness of any of the leaders you mentioned. With extreme threats and surprising actions, such as executing his own uncle and brother in dramatic ways, he came to be seen as both extreme and unpredictable. He is probably the closest analogy for Trump.

• Madman theory is intended to be a crisis bargaining strategy, and it may have some benefits in crises. Outside of crises, however, having a leader who is perceived as a madman will cause the United States to be perceived as a less reliable partner for cooperation. It also reduces the US’s image of responsibility and competence. Thus, I ultimately expect it to decrease the US’s standing in the global order.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Trump speech: 5 takeaways, and what India must prepare for

Economy

War impact: Core industries’ output dropped 0.4% in March

Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development

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

What’s the ongoing story: In one of the first signs of the impact of the West Asia war on Indian industries, the output of the eight core industries contracted by 0.4% in March, the Ministry of Commerce & Industry said on Monday. Production of fertiliser suffered the most, dropping 24.6% compared to the same month last year.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What are the Eight core sector industries in the Indian Economy?

• What is the weight/weightage of the different core sectors in the Index of Industrial Production?

• How Iran-US war is impacting the eight core sector industries?

• Who releases the eight core industries of India?

• Is the Index of eight core industries released monthly or yearly?

• What is the weightage of the eight core industries in 2026?

Key Takeaways:

• This is the first time since October 2025 that the output of the eight core industries has fallen compared to a year ago, with the fall in output being the most since August 2024, when it had declined by 1.5%. In February, output of the eight core industries had risen 2.8%.

• For 2025-26 as a whole, the output of India’s eight core industries rose a mere 2.6%, marking the worst performance since the pandemic-hit year of 2020-21, when production had fallen 6.4%.

• Of the eight core industries – coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, fertilisers, steel, cement, and electricity – half of them witnessed lower production in March compared to a year ago. Apart from fertilisers, crude oil output fell 5.7% – the seventh month in a row it was down on a year-on-year basis. Meanwhile, coal production declined 4%, the first such fall in five months. This is the first time in data going back till April 2012 that India’s coal output has fallen on a year-on-year basis in March.

• The 24.6% fall in fertiliser output in March is the largest on record, with the US and Israel’s war with Iran and the latter’s subsequent retaliation, including the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and attacks on Gulf nations, having led to sharply higher energy prices and disruptions in the supply of key inputs for the petrochemicals sector. Data released last week showed the wholesale price of ammonia gas in India was 22% higher in March compared to February – the highest month-on-month rise as per data going back till 2012. Ammonia is used to make fertilisers.

Do You Know:

• The combined Index of Eight Core Industries (ICI) increased by 4.0 per cent (provisional) in January, 2026 as compared to the Index in January, 2025. The production of Cement, Steel, Electricity, Fertilizer and Coal recorded positive growth in January, 2026.

• The ICI measures the combined and individual performance of production of eight core industries viz. Coal, Crude Oil, Natural Gas, Refinery Products, Fertilizers, Steel, Cement and Electricity. The Eight Core Industries comprise 40.27 percent of the weight of items included in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP).

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Was March the worst month ever for the Indian economy?

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:
6) In the ‘Index of Eight Core Industries’, which one of the following is given the highest weight? (UPSC CSE, 2015)
(a) Coal production
(b) Electricity generation
(c) Fertilizer production
(d) Steel production

 

PRELIMS ANSWER KEY

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

  

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