Sevilla Forum on Debt

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The Sevilla Forum on Debt was launched during the 16th United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD 16), held in Geneva to tackle the entrenched debt crisis in developing countries.

Sevilla Forum on Debt

• The forum is a Spanish-led initiative supported by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA).
• The initiative aims to establish a global dialogue hub that unites creditors, borrowers, international financial institutions and academia to promote debt sustainability, effective management and innovative solutions to address rising global debt challenges.
• Global public debt had reached $102 trillion in 2024, with developing countries owing $31 trillion and paying $921 billion in interest.
• The Sevilla Forum stands as one of the first tangible outcomes of the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4) and was launched under the Sevilla Platform for Action, complementing the Sevilla Commitment, which outlines a roadmap for strengthening global development financing and  fairer debt governance.

United Nations Conference on Trade and Development

• UNCTAD is a permanent intergovernmental body established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1964. 
• UNCTAD helps developing countries integrate beneficially into the global economy by addressing issues of trade, finance, technology, and investment.
• UNCTAD headquarters are located in Geneva, Switzerland.

Uttarakhand Eases UCC Rules for Marriages

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Recently, the Uttarakhand government amended the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) rules to simplify marriage registration for residents married to partners from Nepal, Bhutan and Tibet, easing previous bureaucratic hurdles.

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The amendment allows marriage registration between Uttarakhand residents and their partners from Nepal, Bhutan and Tibet, without the earlier requirement of both partners to possess a valid Aadhaar cards issued in the state.

The UCC committee outlined the revised documentation requirements for registration:

• For Nepali nationals: A valid Nepali citizenship certificate and a certificate issued by the Nepali Mission in India confirming a stay of over 180 days.
• For Bhutanese nationals: A valid Bhutanese citizenship certificate and a certificate from the Royal Bhutanese Mission confirming a stay exceeding 180 days.
• For Tibetan nationals: A valid registration certificate issued by the Foreigners Regional Registration Officer (FRO).

These amendments remove technical barriers and acknowledge the longstanding social ties between Uttarakhand residents and populations from these neighboring regions.

About the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) 

• The Uniform Civil Code (UCC) is a set of common personal laws that apply uniformly to all citizens, irrespective of religion, gender or caste.
• It seeks to replace religion-based personal laws governing marriage, divorce, inheritance and adoption with a single secular legal framework.
• In India, the idea of a UCC is rooted in Article 44 of the Constitution, which directs the State to strive for a uniform civil code across the country.
• The UCC aims to promote gender equality, national integration and social justice by ensuring equal rights for men and women in matters of family and property.
• The Uttarakhand UCC Bill, passed by the State Assembly in February 2024, made the state the first in India to implement a UCC.

Global Antibiotic Resistance Surveillance Report 2025

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Recently, the World Health Organisation’s Global Antibiotic Resistance Surveillance Report 2025 revealed that India is one of the largest contributors to the rising global threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

Key Findings of the report

In 2023 approximately one in six laboratory-confirmed bacterial infections worldwide were caused by bacteria resistant to antibiotics.

The report found that Antibiotic Resistance increased in over 40 per cent of monitored drugs between 2018 and 2023, with an annual rise of 5 to 15 per cent.

India along with China and Pakistan accounted for nearly half of all reported cases of bloodstream infections caused by drug-resistant bacteria.

It showed that 42 per cent of urinary tract infection studies came from India, Iraq, Iran and Pakistan while China and Iran accounted for 42 per cent of gastrointestinal infections indicating that these countries are at the centre of the growing AMR crisis.The report emphasised that Superbug-related infections are particularly severe in countries with weak health systems, overcrowded living conditions and unregulated antibiotic usage.

• Superbugs are bacteria that over-time have become resistant to various antibiotics, making the infections caused by them harder to treat.

Antimicrobial resistance

• It refers to the ability of bacteria to evolve and stop responding to drugs designed to kill them, rendering treatments ineffective.
• The WHO listed AMR as one of the top ten global health threats, warning that resistant bacteria are spreading rapidly across regions, especially in low- and middle-income countries.

Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY)

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The Annual Report of the National Health Authority (2024–25) highlights a major stride in women’s healthcare inclusion, with women constituting nearly half of all hospital admissions under AB-PMJAY.

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• This indicates significant progress in bridging gender gaps in healthcare access, especially in rural and low-income regions.
• Haemodialysis emerged as the most availed treatment, accounting for 14% of hospitalisations.
• The scheme now covers over 15 crore eligible families, with an expanding network of empanelled hospitals across India.

Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY)

• The Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana is a government-funded health assurance scheme launched in 2018.
• It provides cashless and paperless treatment coverage of up to ₹5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary care.
• The scheme targets economically weaker sections and aims to reduce financial barriers to quality healthcare.
• AB-PMJAY is considered the world’s largest government-funded health assurance programme.
• It is implemented by the National Health Authority under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

India Faces Specialty Fertiliser Price Jump

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China’s suspension of urea and specialty fertiliser exports ahead of India’s rabi season is expected to push up input costs and disrupt global fertiliser supply chains.

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China had briefly resumed urea and specialty fertiliser exports between May 15 and October 15, 2025, with stricter inspection controls before closing the export window again indefinitely.

• Specialty fertiliser refers to advanced, tailored nutrient solutions designed to improve nutrient efficiency and meet the specific needs of certain crops or soil conditions.

The move comes just before India’s crucial rabi crop season, which runs from October to March and accounts for most fertiliser demand.The suspension affects major fertiliser categories, including Technical Monoammonium Phosphate (TMAP), Urea-solution products such as AdBlue, and conventional fertilisers.

Current fertiliser prices are already high and the suspension of Chinese exports is likely to push them up by another 10–15%, increasing input costs for farmers.

India’s Fertiliser Status

• India is highly dependent on imports for specialty fertilisers, sourcing nearly 95% of its requirements—mainly phosphates and urea-based products—from China.
• The country consumes around 2.5 lakh tonnes of specialty fertilisers annually, with 60–65% used during the rabi cropping season from October to March.