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The World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial Conference is the apex decision-making forum where the member countries discuss the opportunities and challenges faced in the multilateral trade system. It generally meets once every two years. Recently, the 14th WTO Ministerial Conference (MC14) was held in the capital city of Cameroon, Yaounde from 26th March to 29th March 2026.

The biggest development in this conference was the failure to extend the e-commerce moratorium. Since May 1998, the WTO members had agreed to ban customs duties on electronic transmissions, which was extended every two years, but it has lapsed for the first time in 2026. Now tariffs can be imposed on digital downloads and streaming. The safeguard against non-violation complaints under the TRIPS Agreement of the WTO has expired on March 31, 2026. This will allow countries to challenge even WTO-complaint policies if they affect commercial gains, which can increase risks for India’s public health as well as patent regulations. Additionally, there were negotiations on the second phase of the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies regarding curbing of subsidies that drive overcapacity and overfishing. Here, India demanded that a 25-year transition period should be given to developing countries for the protection of small-scale fishers.

The MC14 conference witnessed a growing division in global trade governance with a low consensus outcome. This showed how divided countries have become on global trade issues. This division was clear between developed countries, who want faster decisions and stricter rules, and developing countries, who want flexibility in policies.

The National Statistics Office (NSO) has released the annual publication of ‘‘Energy Statistics India 2026”. It comprises integrated dataset on reserves, capacity, production and consumption. Including trade of all energy commodities such as coal, petroleum, natural gas and renewable energy. During FY 2024-2025, India’s Total Primary Energy Supply (TPES) recorded an increase of 2.95%, following a staggering 47,04,043 Mega Watt potential for generating renewable energy.

Energy Statistics India is a compendium that gives a detailed overview of the nation’s energy sector yearly. Through the visual aid of energy balance tables, Sankey diagrams and sustainable energy indicators under the parameters of international standards.

Key enhancements in the 33rd edition involve the expanded coverage of credit flow to energy sectors on a domestic level and statistics of global energy. Using the Annual Survey of Industries (ASI) it addresses data gaps regarding e-auction, imported non-cooking coal and industry-level electricity consumption. Further information includes datasets on International Aviation and Marine Bunker data. It also standardizes sectoral end-use consumption across all energy commodities, establishing a uniform classification and comparability across sectors.

India’s energy landscape has seen exponential growth following an increase in renewable capacity from 90,134 Mega Watts in 2016 to 2,29,346 by 2025. During this period electric generation from renewable resources rose from 1,89,314 GWH in the time of FY 2015-16 to 4,16,823 GWH throughout FY 2024-2025. While for the same time period energy supply coal increased from 3,87,761 Ktoe to 5,52,315 Ktoe and remains the largest source of energy supply.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has released a document called Payments Vision 2028, which outlines a plan to further strengthen India’s rapidly growing digital payments system. Since 2001, RBI has been releasing such vision documents. Each of these documents were designed according to how these payment systems were evolving at that time, while also keeping an eye on its future growth and possibility. The theme of the current document is ‘Shaping India’s Payment Frontier’. It aims to empower users, reduce fraud, make international payments more efficient, and make it easier to do business.

One of the key measures proposed in this document is the enhancement of the TReDS platform by enabling full interoperability. This will increase efficiency, competitive spirits, and avoid duplication of efforts among MSMEs. To make digital payments safer, RBI plans to let users easily switch payment features on or off through their banks. A Cyber Key Risk Indicators (KRI) framework shall be implemented for increasing cyber resilience. To promote ease of doing business, planning has been done to simplify cross-border payments under the PSS Act, 2007 and FEMA, 1999. Also, implementation of a Payments Switching Service (PaSS) shall be explored which will allow customers to switch between payment service providers easily. To make the system more stable, key players like major fintech companies will be brought under the regulatory framework and a uniform Domestic Legal Entity Identifier (DLEI) may be introduced. RBI plans to encourage innovation in card payments and is also exploring the introduction of electronic cheques to make transactions more modern and convenient.

The Payment Vision outlines the roadmap up to December 2028. But it remains flexible which will keep options open for introduction of new initiatives as needs and opportunities evolve.

A transfer event was organised by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) for its indigenous bio-bitumen technology derived from lignocellulosic biomass. Developed by the joint efforts of CSIR-Central Road Research Institute and CSIR-Indian Institute of Petroleum it enables the conversion of farm residue into conventional bitumen. The objective is to support infrastructure development while reducing stubble burning and dependence on petroleum-based materials.

The bio-bitumen technology uses thermochemical processes to change agricultural biomass and crop residues into eco-friendly material for road construction. Along with its low carbon footprint it exhibits similar characteristics to conventional bitumen when durability and compatibility are considered. The technology has been developed for adoption by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH).

The initiative reflects a convergence of science, agriculture and infrastructure sectors, progressing India’s national priorities such as Atmanirbhar Bharat, Net Zero targets and the National Bio-Energy Mission. By leveraging farm waste into high infrastructure, it has bridged a way in the form of a new income stream for farmers.

In attendance for the event was the Union Minister for Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare and Rural Development, Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who praised the event as a groundbreaking step towards linking agriculture with innovation. Also present in the attendees was Dr. Jitendra Singh, Union Minister for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, emphasized its role in promoting self-reliance and clean-energy transition under the “Waste to Wealth” approach.

The adoption of bio-bitumen technology serves a dual benefit of economic sustainability while simultaneously enhancing economic value by reducing dependence on imported bitumen. It serves a key factor in moving India towards a low-carbon and fostering a circular economy by integrating farmers into the value chain.

The Maritime Warfare Center, Kochi hosted the Indian Navy-led IONS Maritime Exercise IMEX TTX 2026 on March 27. The exercise focused on evolving non-traditional maritime security challenges and in attendance had delegates from IONS member navies, along with international officers of IOS SAGAR and the Indian Navy. The Table-top exercise huddled navies of the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) together for maritime cooperation and security and following a 16-year hiatus, India takes the IONS Chairmanship for 2026–2028.

Important matters involving maritime security challenges in the Indian Ocean Region, of great importance to global trade, energy flows and connectivity were broached up. The main objective of the initiative was to increase understanding of participating navies on operational approaches and constraints while examining coordination mechanisms such as information sharing. It also included the validation of maritime security guidelines by means of practical application. Through the simulation of multi-scenarios contingencies without the constraint of live deployments, the exercise enabled new opportunities for professional exchange and fostered a shared commitment of strengthening maritime security among the 12 countries in participation: Bangladesh, France, Indonesia, Kenya, Maldives, Mauritius, Myanmar, Seychelles, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, and Timor-Leste.

IMEX TTX 2026 reaffirmed the position of IONS as a quintessential platform for the promotion of regional maritime cooperation via dialogue and collective responsibility. The insights produced out of the exercise are expected to continue strengthening the framework of IONS, for a more coherent, responsive, and stable maritime environment in the Indian Ocean Region while reinforcing India’s maritime leadership role.

Which of the following best describes the purpose of Payments Switching Service (PaSS)?

Which of the following is NOT a benefit of 3D printing in rocket engine manufacturing?

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Answer: Option B
To enable seamless switching between payment service providers

Answer: Option C
Increased dependency on multiple suppliers