What to Read in Indian Express Editorial( Topic and Syllabus wise)

Editorial 1: Good Diplomacy, Good Business

Context:

There is growing strategic and economic significance of India–United Kingdom relations, especially in the backdrop of a changing global trade environment. As the United States adopts a more protectionist stance, the United Kingdom under Prime Minister Keir Starmer is seeking to build stronger economic ties with India through the proposed Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA).

Changing Global Dynamics and India’s Opportunity:

• In recent years, global trade patterns have undergone significant shifts. The United States, which traditionally supported liberalized trade, is now prioritizing domestic industryand protectionist measures.
• At the same time, China’s economic slowdown and Europe’s internal challengeshave created uncertainty in global markets.
• In this environment, middle powers such as India and the UK are exploring new partnerships to secure economic resilience and strategic leverage.
• For the UK, post-Brexit realitieshave compelled it to look beyond Europe for trade diversification.
• India, with its vast market, youthful workforce, and growing manufacturing and digital sectors, offers a natural partner.
• For India, deepening economic relations with the UK provides access to advanced technology, research institutions, green innovation, and a stable investment environment.
• The CETA, therefore, is seen as an instrument to translate diplomatic goodwill into tangible economic outcomes.

Current scenario of India-UK bilateral ties:

• Bilateral tradebetween India and the UK currently stands at around USD 20 billion annually, far below its potential.
• India’s key exports to the UK include gems and jewellery, pharmaceuticals, vehicles, machinery, and textiles.
• In contrast, India imports precious metals, engineering goods, chemicals, and professional services from the UK.
• Despite these strong linkages, several bottlenecks persist. High tariffs, long customs clearance times, and regulatory discrepancieslimit the scale of trade.
• India’s export competitiveness is hampered by logistical delays and policy complexities.
• For instance, according to the World Bank’s Enterprise Survey, the average time for customs clearance in India is 13 days, compared to 6.7 days in Bangladesh and 1.3 days in China.

Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement:

• The proposed Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreementaims to remove trade barriers, enhance market access, and create a predictable environment for investment.
• If implemented effectively, CETA can serve as a launch pad for economic expansion in sectors like agriculture, renewable energy, manufacturing, education, and information technology.
• The UK’s strengths in finance, research, and higher education complement India’s capabilities in technology, pharmaceuticals, and services.
• Greater collaboration in these fields could lead to skill development, innovation, and job creation in both countries.
• Moreover, liberalized visa norms under the CETA could facilitate smoother mobility of professionals and students further strengthening people-to-people ties.
• From India’s perspective, the agreement also has the potential to open up its domestic industries to modern technologies and best practices, thus boosting productivity.
• However, the benefits will be sustainable only if domestic reforms accompany external partnerships.
• Addressing these procedural inefficiencies through better infrastructure, digitization of trade documentation, and alignment with global quality standardsis essential for India to realize the full benefits of any trade agreement.

Need for domestic reforms:

• India’s success in leveraging the CETA will depend on reforms in regulatory frameworks, logistics, and competitiveness.
• Policy initiatives such as Production Linked Incentive (PLI) schemes, trade facilitation measures, and export credit supportcan play a critical role in enabling Indian industries to tap global markets.
• India’s “regulatory cholesterol”, which means the complex rules, overlapping jurisdictions, and inconsistent enforcement, must be streamlined.
• Simplifying customs procedures, improving ease of doing business, and ensuring stable policy environments will attract long-term investment
• There must be greater focus on quality assuranceand standard harmonization, as access to developed markets like the UK depends heavily on compliance with safety and environmental norms.

Strategic and Geopolitical Importance:

• The India–UK partnership is not merely economic; it also carries strategic importance. Both nations share democratic values, a commitment to rule-based global order, and a common interest in ensuring stability in the Indo-Pacific region.
• As the US and China adopt more inward-looking policies, India and the UK can act as bridges for fair and sustainable globalization.
• Through the CETA, the UK can strengthen its global presence post-Brexit, while India can reinforce its image as a reliable and reform-oriented economic partner.
• The agreement can complement other initiatives such as the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF),G20 commitments, and Make in India, providing synergy between foreign policy and domestic economic priorities.

Way Forward:

India’s engagement with the UK through the CETA exemplifies how proactive foreign policy, combined with domestic reform, can enhance economic growth, attract investments, and build international credibility. If effectively realized, the India–UK CETA could emerge as a model for future trade diplomacy, demonstrating how nations can align strategic vision with inclusive and sustainable growth.

 

Editorial 2: Quantum Leap by Indian Researchers in Boosting Digital Security

Context:

Scientists from the Raman Research Institute (RRI), Bangalore, in collaboration with the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO), have successfully demonstrated a new quantum random number generator (QRNG), a foundational technology for quantum-based encryption systems.

The Need for Quantum Security:

• In today’s world, digitalsystems are vulnerable to sophisticated cyber attacks and data breaches.
• Traditional encryption techniques rely on mathematical algorithmsthat can, in principle, be decoded with enough computational power especially with the advent of quantum computers, which can break current encryption standards.
• To counter this, researchers worldwide are turning to quantum cryptography, which uses the laws of quantum physics to secure data transmission.
• One of the fundamental requirements of such systems is true randomness, an essential element in generating cryptographic keys.
• Classical systems often use algorithms that only simulate randomness, leaving them vulnerable to prediction and hacking.

Achievements of Indian scientists:

• The Indian team developed a new method for generating quantum random numbers, which are completely unpredictable and cannot, be replicated or tampered with.
• Unlike pseudo-random numbersproduced by algorithms, quantum random numbers are derived from the inherent uncertainty of quantum mechanics.
• The researchers used the quantum properties of light, specifically the behavior of photons, to extract randomness.
• Their system measures the quantum fluctuations in the phase and intensity of light waves, creating sequences of numbers that are both naturally random and uncorrelated.
• This ensures a much higher degree of unpredictability and security.
• The team has demonstrated that these numbers pass rigorous randomness testsmeeting international standards required for secure encryption.
• Moreover, their QRNG system is compact, energy-efficient, and scalable, making it suitable for practical deployment in communication and defense networks

Importance of QRNs:

• In secure communications, random numbers are used to generate encryption keysthat protect sensitive data.
• If these numbers are predictable, an attacker could theoretically reconstruct the key and decrypt the information.
• Quantum-generated random numbers are immune to such attacksbecause they originate from physical processes governed by fundamental quantum uncertainty, randomness that even the most powerful computer cannot predict.
• This technology has applications beyond cybersecurity, extending to financial systems, cloud computing, digital identity protection, and defense communication.
• It also forms the backbone of Quantum Key Distribution (QKD),a technique that allows two parties to share cryptographic keys securely, even if a hacker is monitoring the communication channel.

Global Context and Future Prospects:

• Globally, countries like China, the USA, and members of the EU are heavily investing in quantum technologies, viewing them as the next frontier of digital security and computing.
• China,for example, has already launched a quantum communication satellite, while the US has a National Quantum Initiative supporting research and private partnerships.
• India’s progress in developing indigenous QRNG and QKD systemsdemonstrates growing technological self-reliance.
• The next step involves commercializing and integrating these systems into national communication frameworks such as defense networks, financial exchanges, and secure governmental data systems.

Way Forward:

The development of the quantum random number generator by Indian scientists is a landmark step in strengthening India’s digital security ecosystem. It bridges the gap between theoretical quantum research and practical, deployable technologies. By ensuring truly random encryption keys, this innovation significantly enhances cybersecurity resilience in the age of quantum computing.