On July 18th, 2025, India & the world witnessed important developments across various sectors. India is actively charting its course across diverse domains, from bolstering its agricultural sector and safeguarding domestic industries against unfair trade practices to enhancing its defence capabilities and navigating complex global geopolitical landscapes. Recent developments highlight the nation's proactive stance in driving internal growth, securing its economic interests, modernizing its military, and responding to international crises.
Awareness regarding daily UPSC current affairs is crucial for cracking the UPSC Prelims, excelling in UPSC Mains. It helps perform well in the UPSC personality test, thus becoming an informed and effective UPSC civil servant.
Daily UPSC Current Affairs 18-07-2025
Below are the current affairs and headlines of the day taken from The Hindu, Indian Express, Press Information Bureau & All India Radio as required for UPSC preparation:
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PM Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana: A New Era for Indian Agriculture
Source: The Hindu
Syllabus: GS Paper II (Governance)
IN NEWS
- The Union Cabinet recently approved the PM Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana (PMDDKY).
- This scheme was initially announced in the Union Budget 2025–26.
- It involves the merger of 36 existing schemes across 11 Ministries/Departments, with a substantial annual outlay of ₹24,000 crore for 6 years.
- Implementation of the scheme is set to begin from October 2025, strategically coinciding with the Rabi (winter crop) season.
What is PM Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana (PMDDKY)?The PM Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana is a centrally sponsored scheme designed to bring about a significant transformation in agriculture and allied sectors.
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Key Features of PM Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana
- Convergence Model: It integrates 36 different schemes from 11 Union Ministries/Departments, along with State schemes and private sector partnerships, to ensure a holistic approach.
- Financial Outlay: The scheme has an annual budget of ₹24,000 crore, amounting to a total outlay of ₹1.44 lakh crore over its 6-year implementation period.
- District Selection: The 100 target districts are selected based on specific criteria:
- Low agricultural productivity.
- Low cropping intensity.
- Low agricultural credit disbursement.
- At least one district from each State/UT, considering Net Cropped Area and operational holdings.
- Implementation Structure: The scheme will be implemented through a dedicated District Dhan-Dhaanya Samiti at the local level.
- Monitoring: Monthly monitoring will be conducted using a dashboard that tracks 117 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to ensure effective progress.
- Advisory Role: NITI Aayog will play a crucial advisory and evaluation role, providing strategic guidance and assessing the scheme's impact.
Dumping and Import Surge: India's Trade Defence Measures
Source: The Hindu
Syllabus: GS Paper III (Economy)
IN NEWS
- The Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) under the Ministry of Commerce initiated 8 anti-dumping investigations in June 2025. These investigations target product lines originating from 12 countries, including China, the EU, and Indonesia.
- The government is responding to a surge in imports and malpractices such as:
- Disguised imports: For example, gold being imported disguised as alloyed metals to evade higher duties.
- Price manipulation: Practices that harm domestic industries by undercutting their prices.
- The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) has also begun restricting imports to effectively counter these activities.
- A specific malpractice identified involves importing high-duty goods (e.g., gold) disguised as low-duty alloys like palladium, rhodium, or iridium.
What is Dumping?Dumping is an unfair trade practice where a country or company exports a product at a price lower than its normal value. This "normal value" is often considered to be below the cost of production or the price at which the product is sold in the exporting country's domestic market.
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Related Regulatory Bodies in India
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Body |
Role |
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DGTR (Directorate General of Trade Remedies) |
Investigates and recommends anti-dumping, countervailing duty (CVD), and safeguard duties. |
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DGFT (Directorate General of Foreign Trade) |
Regulates import/export policies and issues notifications on trade restrictions. |
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Ministry of Commerce and Industry |
Responsible for policy formulation and inter-ministerial coordination regarding trade. |
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CBIC (Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs) |
Enforces customs duties, including Anti-Dumping Duty (ADD) and Countervailing Duty (CVD). |
International Mechanism (WTO Agreements)
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WTO Agreement |
Relevance |
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Allows member countries to impose Anti-Dumping Duties if dumping causes injury to local industry. |
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Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures (SCM) |
Governs the use of Countervailing Duties against subsidized imports. |
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Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) |
Addresses violations and ensures compliance among WTO members regarding trade rules. |
Javelin Missile: India's Co-Production Bid with the US
Source: The Hindu
Syllabus: GS Paper III (International Relations)
IN NEWS
- India has formally submitted a Letter of Request (LoR) to the United States for the co-production of Javelin Anti-Tank Guided Missiles (ATGMs). This initiative falls under the "Make in India" program.
- This move comes amidst heightened tensions with neighboring countries like China and Pakistan, and a growing strategic need for advanced, lightweight anti-tank weaponry to modernize its armed forces.
About Javelin Missile
The Javelin missile is a highly advanced and combat-proven anti-tank guided missile system.
|
Feature |
Description |
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Type |
Anti-Tank Guided Missile (ATGM) |
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Generation |
Third-generation, characterized by its "fire-and-forget" capability. |
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Developed by |
Jointly developed by Raytheon Technologies and Lockheed Martin, USA. |
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Role |
Primarily used for neutralizing armored vehicles, main battle tanks, and fortified bunkers. |
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Guidance System |
Infrared Imaging (IIR) seeker with autonomous targeting, allowing the operator to fire and immediately seek cover ("fire-and-forget"). |
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Launch Platform |
Can be launched from the shoulder, mounted on a tripod, or integrated into a vehicle. |
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Range |
Approximately 4 km (latest versions offer extended ranges). |
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Warhead Type |
Tandem shaped-charge warhead, designed to penetrate advanced reactive armor. |
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Weight (missile only) |
Approximately 11.8 kg, making it relatively lightweight for infantry use. |
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Combat Proven |
Widely used and proven effective in various conflicts, including Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, and recently in the Ukraine-Russia conflict. |
Escalating Conflict and Geopolitical Dynamics
Source: The Hindu
Syllabus: GS Paper II (International Relations)
IN NEWS
- Israel recently launched rare and direct airstrikes in central Damascus, specifically targeting the Syrian Defence Ministry headquarters and an area near the Presidential Palace.
- These strikes coincided with intense clashes in Sweida, a Druze-majority city in southern Syria, which led to over 300 deaths and alarming reports of field executions.
- The conflict marks a major escalation, involving both domestic unrest (internal factions) and external military interventions (like those by Israel).
Read the article on the India-Syria Relations!
Details related to Syria
Syria's ongoing conflict is deeply intertwined with its geographical and political landscape.
- Geographical Profile:
- Location: Situated in the Eastern Mediterranean region.
- Capital: Damascus, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world.
- Borders: Shares land borders with Turkey (north), Iraq (east), Jordan (south), Israel (southwest), and Lebanon (west). It also has a coastline along the Mediterranean Sea (west).
- Major Physical Features:
- Western Highlands: Home to the Anti-Lebanon mountains and Mount Hermon (Jabal al-Shaykh), which forms a natural border.
- Syrian Desert (Badiyat al-Sham): Covers a vast expanse of eastern and central Syria.
- Euphrates River: Syria’s most important water body, flowing from the northwest to the southeast, crucial for agriculture and life.
- Orontes River: Flows north-south along western Syria, providing water to agricultural areas.
- Golan Heights: A strategically significant plateau, largely occupied by Israel since the 1967 Six-Day War.
- Political Landscape:
- Former President: Bashar al-Assad, who was ousted in December 2024 by Islamist-led rebel forces after years of civil war.
- Current Leadership: President Ahmad al-Sharaa now holds power, following the collapse of the previous regime.
- Fractured Country: Syria remains fractured, with multiple armed groups controlling different territories, including:
- Syrian Arab Army (SAA) – remnants of the former government forces.
- Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) – primarily operating in the northeast.
- Islamist insurgents (e.g., Hayat Tahrir al-Sham) – controlling areas in the northwest.
- ISIS remnants – still present in pockets, though significantly weakened.
- Iranian-backed militias – supporting various factions.
- Humanitarian Crisis: The protracted conflict has led to a massive humanitarian crisis, with over 11 million people displaced internally or abroad since the war began in 2011.
Monthly Current Affairs Compilation
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Monthly Current Affairs |
| UPSC Current Affairs for July 2025 |
| UPSC Current Affairs for June 2025 |
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