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Current Affairs 17 July 2025

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Current Affairs 17 July 2025. From heritage revival to AI laws, top updates shape India’s identity, rights, and exports. All your UPSC must-knows in a single daily brief.

Table of Contents

🏛️ National Affairs

Maratha Pride
India honours Maratha legacy, but many heroes still missing

📝 What You Should Know
India’s inclusion of the Maratha Military Landscapes in the UNESCO World Heritage List marks a shift towards celebrating neglected chapters of Indian history. But this positive step has sparked calls for deeper reforms. Critics argue that many sites—like the samadhi of Maharani Tarabai or the temple in Meerut linked to 1857 revolutionaries—remain unrecognised. Colonial-era decisions, such as protecting Afzal Khan’s wives’ graves while ignoring civilisational icons like Adi Shankaracharya’s birthplace, still dominate our monument policy. Tribals, Dalits, and regional figures like Baba Baghel Singh and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar also find little space in mainstream heritage. Even ancient Hindu temples in Kashmir like Martand and Harwan lack UNESCO consideration. Experts urge a comprehensive audit of current protected monuments and a new heritage vision that truly reflects India’s civilisational pride and pluralism.

📌 Key Takeaway:

Many patriotic, tribal, and spiritual sites lack heritage status
Colonial-era biases still shape monument recognition
Heritage revival must include all regional histories

👶 Vulnerable Sections

POCSO Reform
SC flags teenage rights, calls for nuanced law reforms

📝 What You Should Know
In a sensitive ruling (May 2025), the Supreme Court balanced legal integrity and adolescent realities in a POCSO case involving consensual relations between a 25-year-old and a minor. Though the conviction was technically restored, the SC used Article 142 to waive the sentence—considering the emotional and financial trauma the girl, now a mother, would face. This move reignited debate over the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The 2012 law criminalises all sexual activity under 18 without distinction, leading to over 25% of cases involving consensual teenage love. Activists argue this penalises normative adolescent behaviour, especially among rural and marginalised youth. Experts recommend legal reforms like “close-in-age” exemptions and stakeholder training to avoid re-victimisation. POCSO must evolve into a tool for protection, not punishment.

📌 Key Takeaway:

SC acknowledged teenage relationships need nuanced legal treatment
25% of POCSO cases involve consensual adolescent acts
Calls grow for reforming age of consent and judicial discretion

📦 Economy & Exports

Export Pulse
India’s services lead as exports grow by 6% in Q1

📝 What You Should Know
India’s total exports grew 6% in Q1 of FY2025–26, reaching $210.31 billion, as per Ministry of Commerce data. Merchandise exports rose by a modest 1.92% to $112.17 billion, while services exports surged by 10.93% to $98.13 billion—helping cut the trade deficit by 9.4%. Imports also saw a 4.38% rise to $230.62 billion. The US remained India’s top export destination, followed by the UAE, Netherlands, China, and UK. Meanwhile, China led imports. With FY2025 exports hitting an all-time high of $824.9 billion, India eyes a bold $1 trillion target for FY26. Policymakers see digital services and tech products as key drivers, but merchandise trade needs greater diversification and competitiveness.

📌 Key Takeaway:

Q1 exports: $210B; Services export growth outpaces goods
India’s trade deficit narrowed by 9.4%
Government targets $1 trillion exports by FY26

🐦 Environment

Kaziranga Birds
43 species found in first-ever grassland bird survey

📝 What You Should Know
Kaziranga National Park released its first Grassland Bird Survey Report on July 15, 2025, after a 2-month study across its three divisions. It identified 43 bird species, including Bengal Florican (CR), Finn’s Weaver, and Swamp Grass Babbler (EN), and 6 others listed as Vulnerable like the Swamp Francolin. A key highlight: a breeding colony of Finn’s Weaver was discovered in the Kohora range. These birds act as “ecological health indicators” of grasslands, crucial to Kaziranga’s ecosystem. The park lies in the Brahmaputra floodplains, hosts 2/3 of the world’s one-horned rhinos, and is listed as an IBA and UNESCO site. Its mixed vegetation supports diverse fauna, including the “Big Five”: rhino, tiger, elephant, buffalo, and swamp deer.

📌 Key Takeaway:

First bird survey highlights 43 grassland-dependent species
Critical sightings: Bengal Florican, Finn’s Weaver
Report strengthens Kaziranga’s biodiversity data

🦏 Science & Conservation

Rhino DNA
India to map rhino horns in major forensic step

📝 What You Should Know
Assam’s Wildlife Department has launched rhino horn DNA profiling, collecting samples to be sent to the Wildlife Institute of India under the RhoDIS programme. This initiative started in 2016, in partnership with MoEFCC, WII, and WWF, and aims to build a national database of rhino DNA. It helps trace poached horns and strengthen legal cases. The Indian rhino (VU), found only in Nepal, Bhutan, and India, is under threat due to poaching and habitat loss. Kaziranga, Manas, and Pobitora host most of India’s population. The profiling process uses genetic signatures to verify origin, like a fingerprint, helping stop illegal trade. Globally, other rhino species like the Javan and Sumatran rhinos remain critically endangered. India’s move sets a global precedent in wildlife DNA forensics.

📌 Key Takeaway:

RhoDIS project to build DNA profile of Indian rhinos
Supports tracking poached horns and law enforcement
Major step for wildlife protection and biodiversity forensics

🛰️ Defence & Strategy

Defence Boost
Operation Sindoor sparks record-breaking export boom

📝 What You Should Know
India’s defence exports skyrocketed after Operation Sindoor validated indigenous systems in live combat. Exports hit ₹23,622 crore in 2024–25, from just ₹686 crore in 2013–14. Major buyers include USA, Armenia, and France. Private firms contributed 65% of exports, while PSUs grew 42.85%. Key items included BrahMos, Akash missiles, UAVs, and radars. Combat performance, G2G deals, and EXIM Bank’s credit enabled growth. However, challenges remain—India still imports engines, sensors, and faces global rivals. Key initiatives like DPEPP 2020, iDEX for startups, and defence corridors in UP and TN are driving local innovation. Experts suggest investing in R&D, simplifying export approvals, and building “Brand India” abroad to sustain the momentum.

📌 Key Takeaway:

India’s defence exports rose to ₹23,622 crore in FY25
Private sector drives 65% of growth
Sindoor success fuels global trust in Indian systems

🤖 Science & Tech

Deepfake Law
Denmark grants copyright over face and voice

📝 What You Should Know
Denmark has proposed a landmark bill granting individuals copyright over their digital identity—face, voice, gestures—making it the first nation to comprehensively tackle Deepfakes. The bill enforces posthumous rights (up to 50 years), mandates prior consent, and penalises platforms for hosting deepfakes. With 96% of deepfakes being pornographic, such regulation is urgent. Victims can now demand takedown or compensation. The bill also protects artists from AI-generated mimicry. It sets a global benchmark. For India, the lessons are critical: there’s no standalone law, no consent requirement, and platforms largely escape liability. Legal scholars urge similar safeguards and AI watermarking protocols. As India’s deepfake scams rise, Denmark’s law offers a model for balancing free expression and digital dignity.

📌 Key Takeaway:

Denmark grants copyright over face, voice to stop deepfakes
Platforms face legal action for hosting fake content
India urged to adopt similar standalone digital identity law

🧬 Science & Justice

DNA Evidence
SC issues strict DNA handling rules to prevent misuse

📝 What You Should Know
The Supreme Court, while acquitting a man wrongly sentenced to death in a 2011 rape-murder case, issued national protocols for DNA evidence handling. Flaws included delayed transportation, poor packaging, and missing signatures. New rules require DNA to be sent to labs within 48 hours, fully sealed, labelled, and documented with a chain-of-custody register. No resealing is allowed without court orders. DGPs must introduce forms; police academies must train officers. The SC urged all High Courts to enforce these reforms. India lacks a compensation law for wrongful prosecution. Experts stress the need for legal reform and stronger forensic capacity. This judgment reaffirms the principle of “innocent until proven guilty” and protects the rights of accused persons in serious criminal trials.

📌 Key Takeaway:

SC enforces nationwide DNA evidence protocols
Case highlights India’s forensic system flaws
Calls grow for legal safeguards against wrongful conviction

🎓 In News

UK-India Campus
Southampton opens India’s first foreign university campus

📝 What You Should Know
On July 15, 2025, Union Education Minister inaugurated the India campus of the UK’s University of Southampton in Gurugram. It’s the first under UGC’s 2023 Rules permitting top 500 global universities to set up Indian campuses. The move marks five years of NEP 2020 and aligns with its goal of making India a global knowledge hub. The university plans to offer future-focused disciplines like AI, climate science, and innovation-driven entrepreneurship. This initiative boosts bilateral education ties with the UK and offers Indian students world-class education without going abroad. With more universities expected to follow, India’s higher education is poised for globalisation, improving both accessibility and quality.

📌 Key Takeaway:

First foreign university campus opens in India (UGC 2023)
Ties into NEP 2020 vision for internationalised education
UK-India academic cooperation deepens

⚔️ International Affairs

Talisman Sabre
India joins mega Indo-Pacific drill with 19 nations

📝 What You Should Know
India is participating for the first time in the Talisman Sabre military exercise, co-led by Australia and the US, involving 19 nations in its 2025 edition. The biennial drill spans land, air, sea, cyber, and space warfare domains. Held outside Australia for the first time, in Papua New Guinea, it trains for interoperability and regional security. Major players include Japan, France, and the US; Vietnam and Malaysia are observers. India’s participation strengthens Indo-Pacific security cooperation. It also complements its existing military ties via exercises like Ausindex, Vajra Prahar, and Tiger Triumph. As regional tensions rise, this exercise boosts India’s strategic presence and preparedness.

📌 Key Takeaway:

India joins Talisman Sabre military exercise with 19 nations
Multidomain drill boosts Indo-Pacific defence ties
First edition held beyond Australian soil

🏅 Awards & Recognitions

Kalinga Honours
President honours NEP architect, celebrates Odia legacy

📝 What You Should Know
On July 15, 2025, President Droupadi Murmu honoured Adikabi Sarala Das’s birth anniversary and conferred the Kalinga Ratna Award 2024 to Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Sarala Das, a 15th-century poet, is hailed for translating the Mahabharata into Odia, pioneering vernacular literature. The Kalinga Ratna, awarded by Sarala Sahitya Sansad, celebrates excellence in literature, education, and public service. Pradhan was honoured for his work in implementing NEP 2020. Bijaya Nayak won the Sarala Samman for contributions to Odia literature. The UNESCO Kalinga Prize was also highlighted for science communication. These awards reflect India’s ongoing efforts to value both modern policy and cultural heritage.

📌 Key Takeaway: