About Mangrove clam:

• Mangrove clams, commonly known as mud clams, locally called 'Kandal Kakka' in northern Kerala.
• It belongs to the genus Polymesoda or Geloina.
• Habitat: They are found in muddy, brackish and even nearly freshwater regions within mangrove swamps.
• Distribution: These are widely distributed in the Indo-Pacific region.
• Characteristics of Mangrove clam:
  • It is a burrowing bivalve inhabiting organic-rich muddy substrates in intertidal mangrove ecosystems. 
  • This species display remarkable tolerance, enabling them to thrive across a broad spectrum of salinity levels.
  • It is a filter-feeding species, primarily active during low-tide immersion stages characterized by frequent inundation.
  • It plays a crucial ecological role by recycling nutrients, stabilising sediments and strengthening mangrove ecosystems.
  • Threats: In India, particularly along the east coast and in island regions, wild stocks have been steadily declining due to indiscriminate harvesting, habitat degradation, pollution and coastal development.

About Eritrea:

• Location: It is located in the Horn of Africa.
• Bordering Countries: It is bordered with Ethiopia, Sudan and Djibouti.
• Bordering Seas: It has an extensive coastline on the Red Sea to the north and east. 
• It is a member country of African Union, COMESA(Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa).
• Capital City: Asmara
• Geographical features of Eritrea:
  • Climate: The climate of Eritrea is tropical desert on the coast and the eastern plain, mild semiarid in the mountainous belt and tropical semiarid in the south-west.
  • Highest Peak: Mount Emba Soira
  • Major Rivers:  Tekezé, Mereb, and Barka
  • Islands: It includes the Dahlak Archipelago and several of the Hanish Islands.
  • Natural Resources: It mainly consists of copper, potash, zinc, oil, natural gas, cement, gypsum, granite, marble, ceramics, limestone, and iron ore.

Why in news?

During his first foreign visit of 2026 to Malaysia, PM Modi highlighted the deep-rooted presence of Tamil, underscoring that it is not just a diaspora language but a public and historical language in Malaysia.

Spoken across schools, temples, media, and cultural spaces, Tamil predates both the Malaysian nation-state and colonial rule. Its arrival was driven by centuries of maritime trade, labour migration, settlement, and cultural continuity, rather than modern policy.

This long civilisational history explains why nearly three million people of Indian origin—predominantly Tamil—form one of Southeast Asia’s most visible and well-established diasporas.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• Before Plantations, There Were Ships: Tamil Roots in the Malay World
• A Century of Labour: How Plantation Migration Shaped Tamil Malaysia?
• The Political Moment: Diplomacy Built on a Deeper History
• A Diaspora That Feels Local: Tamil Life in Malaysia
• A Bond Older Than States

Before Plantations, There Were Ships: Tamil Roots in the Malay World

• Ancient Maritime Links - Long before British rule, maritime routes connected India’s Coromandel coast with ports along the Malay Peninsula, especially Kedah and the Strait of Malacca.
  • These links date back well before the 1st century BCE, facilitating sustained contact across the seas.
• Trade, Settlement, and Culture - Commerce in spices, textiles, and forest goods moved both ways—and so did people. South Indian merchant guilds formed semi-permanent settlements, built temples, and left Tamil inscriptions, embedding culture alongside trade.
• Religious and Social Exchange - Cultural exchange accompanied commerce, carrying Hindu and Buddhist practices into local societies. These were durable ties, not fleeting visits, shaping local religious and social life.
• Tamil Muslim Communities - Tamil Muslim traders—including Rowthers and Marakkayars—settled, intermarried locally, and remained. Place names, rituals, and customs still reflect these early arrivals.
• Before the Colonial Reorganisation - As noted by historians, Tamil presence was already woven into the region’s social fabric before European powers arrived. The British later reorganised and scaled up these movements—but did not begin them.

A Century of Labour: How Plantation Migration Shaped Tamil Malaysia

• Colonial Demand and Mass Migration - While early trade brought the first Tamils, British colonialism brought them in large numbers.
  • Plantation capitalism in Malaya—rubber estates, railways, tin mines, and ports—created huge labour demands.
  • Recruiters turned to the Madras Presidency, using the kangani system to bring bonded groups of workers.
• Life on the Estates - By the early 20th century, hundreds of thousands of Tamil labourers had arrived. They cleared forests, tapped rubber, and built infrastructure, often living in cramped estate lines with low wages and limited mobility.
  • Recruitment slowed by 1910 amid criticism, but a permanent community had formed.
• Oppression—and Endurance - As historian Carl Vadivella Belle noted, colonial labour life was marked by oppression and brutalisation. Yet within estates, Tamil society showed resilience—temples, Tamil schools, local presses, festivals like Thaipusam, and cinema sustained cultural life.
• Language as the Community’s Spine - Tamil became the anchor of continuity. Over generations, estate communities produced teachers, clerks, traders, and later professionals, enabling social mobility beyond plantations.
• Post-Independence Urban Shift - After 1957, families moved to cities like Kuala Lumpur and Penang for education and stable jobs. The transition expanded—rather than diluted—Tamil institutions.
• A Public Language, Not a Memory - Today, Tamil schools, newspapers, television, radio, and cinema thrive in Malaysia. The language remains publicly visible, making PM Modi’s observation about Tamil in “education, media, and cultural life” a structural reality, not a sentimental nod.

The Political Moment: Diplomacy Built on a Deeper History

• In his address, PM Modi framed the three million–strong Indian diaspora in Malaysia as a “living bridge” between the two nations.
• He announced practical measures—social security agreements, easier visas, and the rollout of India’s digital payment interface in Malaysia—to deepen people-to-people ties.
• The Cost of Migration and Settlement
  • Citing historian Carl Vadivella Belle, the scale and human cost of migration is stark:
    • At Merdeka (1957), Indians numbered 858,616, with 62.1% locally born
    • Between 1860 and 1957, around 4 million Indians entered Malaya and 2.8 million left
    • Much of the 1.2 million net immigration was lost to disease, exhaustion, malnutrition, and hazards
• Strategic Signalling, Cultural Resonance
  • Choosing Malaysia as the first foreign visit of 2026 signalled Southeast Asia’s importance to India’s Indo-Pacific strategy.
  • Yet the most resonant note of the speech was cultural, underscoring how language and lived history continue to anchor bilateral ties more powerfully than strategy alone.

A Diaspora That Feels Local: Tamil Life in Malaysia

• In parts of Kuala Lumpur where Tamil is widely spoken, the boundary between “Indian” and “Malaysian” fades.
• Families rooted for five or six generations see their histories tied to local estates and neighbourhoods, not distant villages in Tamil Nadu.
• Festivals and politics are distinctly local, even as the language carries echoes of the old coast across the sea.
• Malaysia’s Tamil community stands apart from newer diasporas. Shaped first by maritime trade, then empire, and finally nationhood, it is a historical community.
• Tamil here feels inherited rather than imported, sustained across generations.

A Bond Older Than States

• The Tamil–Malaysia connection predates governments: ships before steamers, temples before treaties, schools before summits.
• Long after speeches fade, this older current endures—steady, lived, and visible in everyday language and life.

Why in news?

The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has informed the Lok Sabha Secretariat that questions or matters related to the PM CARES Fund, the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF), and the National Defence Fund (NDF) are not admissible under Lok Sabha rules.

The PMO cited Rule 41(2)(viii) and Rule 41(2)(xvii) of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha to state that such questions and discussions cannot be taken up in Parliament.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• PM CARES Fund, PMNRF and NDF: What Are These Funds?
• Government’s Stand on PM CARES Fund: Past Position Explained
• Supreme Court’s Ruling on the PM CARES Fund
• Why Lok Sabha Questions on PM CARES, PMNRF and NDF Are Not Admissible
• Rules Cited to Bar Lok Sabha Questions on PM CARES, PMNRF and NDF

PM CARES Fund, PMNRF and NDF: What Are These Funds

• The PM CARES Fund was set up on March 27, 2020, in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
• It was created to deal with emergency and distress situations and to provide relief during crises such as public health emergencies.
  • Full name: Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund
  • Legal status: Public Charitable Trust
  • Registered under the Registration Act, 1908, in New Delhi
  • Fund balance (March 2023): ₹6,283.7 crore (as per latest available report)
• Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF)
  • The Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund was established in January 1948, originally to assist refugees displaced from Pakistan after Partition.
  • Over time, its scope expanded and it is now primarily used to:
    • Provide immediate relief to families affected by natural calamities such as floods, cyclones, and earthquakes
    • Assist victims of major accidents and riots
  • The fund is financed through public contributions and is controlled by the Prime Minister’s Office.
• National Defence Fund (NDF)
  • The National Defence Fund is dedicated to the welfare of Armed Forces personnel, including paramilitary forces, and their dependents.
  • It is
    • Used for financial assistance and welfare measures
    • Administered by an Executive Committee
    • Chaired by the Prime Minister, with the Defence, Finance, and Home Ministers as members
• Common Feature
  • All three funds:
    • Are controlled or administered by the Prime Minister’s Office
    • Receive voluntary public contributions
    • Operate outside the Consolidated Fund of India, which has implications for parliamentary scrutiny

Government’s Stand on PM CARES Fund: Past Position Explained

• Public Charitable Trust, Not a Statutory Body - In January 2023, the Union government told the Delhi High Court that the PM CARES Fund is a public charitable trust, not created under the Constitution or by any law enacted by Parliament or a State legislature.
• Not ‘State’ Under Article 12 - The submission came in response to a plea seeking to declare PM CARES a “State” under Article 12 to ensure transparency.
  • The Centre argued that the trust is neither owned nor controlled by the government, and that trustees holding public office do so for administrative convenience, not governmental control.
• RTI Act Not Applicable - The government’s affidavit further stated that since PM CARES is not constituted under law or the Constitution, it does not qualify as a public authority under the Right to Information Act, and therefore is outside the RTI framework.

Supreme Court’s Ruling on the PM CARES Fund

• In August 2020, the Supreme Court of India refused to direct the transfer of money from the PM CARES Fund to the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF).
• The Court held that the two are “entirely different funds” with distinct objectives and purposes, leaving “no occasion” for such a direction.
• The Court noted that:
  • The NDRF is audited by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) under specific guidelines
  • The PM CARES Fund, being a public charitable trust, does not fall under those guidelines, and therefore no CAG audit can be mandated

Why Lok Sabha Questions on PM CARES, PMNRF and NDF Are Not Admissible?

• The PMO has directed the Lok Sabha Secretariat not to admit questions or matters related to the PM CARES Fund, PMNRF, and the National Defence Fund on the ground that these funds are entirely financed through voluntary public contributions.
• Since they do not receive any allocation from the Consolidated Fund of India, they fall outside the scope of parliamentary scrutiny under Lok Sabha rules.
• This reasoning aligns with the Centre’s earlier position before courts that these funds are non-statutory, trust-based entities, not government funds subject to legislative oversight.

Rules Cited to Bar Lok Sabha Questions on PM CARES, PMNRF and NDF

• The PMO informed the Lok Sabha Secretariat that questions or matters related to PM CARES Fund, PMNRF and the National Defence Fund are not admissible under specific provisions of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha.
• Rule 41(2)(viii): Not a Government Concern
  • This rule bars questions that do not relate primarily to the concern of the Government of India.
  • The PMO argued that since the three funds are financed through voluntary public contributions and are not part of the Consolidated Fund of India, they do not fall under the government’s primary administrative domain.
• Rule 41(2)(xvii): Outside Government Control
  • This provision states that questions cannot raise matters under the control of bodies or persons not primarily responsible to the Government of India.
  • The PMO maintained that these funds operate as independent trusts, and hence are not directly accountable to the government in a manner that would permit parliamentary questioning.

Why in the News?

• Concerns have emerged over the alleged misuse of Form 7 applications during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, leading to large-scale deletion of voters’ names across several States.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• Electoral Rolls (Background, Importance)
• Form 7 (Basics, Legal Framework, SIR, Controversy, Voter Deletions, Verification Process, Concerns, Way Forward)

Electoral Rolls and Their Importance in Indian Democracy

• Electoral rolls form the foundation of India’s democratic process, ensuring that every eligible citizen has the right to vote.
• Prepared and updated under the Representation of the People Act, 1950, these rolls are periodically revised to include new voters and remove ineligible entries.
• The credibility of elections depends heavily on the accuracy, transparency, and fairness of this process.
• Any large-scale error or manipulation can directly impact political representation and voter confidence in the electoral system.

Form 7 and Its Legal Framework

• Form 7 is a statutory mechanism used to object to the inclusion of a person’s name in the electoral roll.
• Under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, objections can be raised on specific grounds such as death, duplication of entries, shifting of residence, ineligibility due to age, or lack of citizenship.
• Earlier, objections could be raised only by voters from the same polling booth.
• However, a 2022 amendment expanded the scope, allowing any voter within a constituency to file objections.
• While intended to improve roll accuracy, this change also increased the risk of misuse.
• To prevent abuse, rules mandate verification by the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO), especially when an individual files more than five objections.

Special Intensive Revision of Electoral Rolls

• The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) is a comprehensive exercise undertaken by the Election Commission of India (ECI) to update electoral rolls in select States and Union Territories.
• Phase II of the ongoing SIR has covered nearly 51 crore voters across multiple regions, including Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and others.
• The revision follows a compressed timeline, involving enumeration forms, objections, verification by Booth Level Officers (BLOs), and hearings before final publication of the rolls.

Nature of the Form 7 Controversy

• The controversy centres on the bulk filing of Form 7 applications, allegedly without the knowledge or consent of the voters concerned.
• Opposition parties have accused organised actors of misusing Form 7 to systematically delete the names of eligible voters, thereby distorting the electoral process.
• Reports from States such as Rajasthan and Gujarat have highlighted cases where individuals claimed that Form 7 applications were submitted in their names without their involvement.
• This has raised serious concerns about impersonation, procedural lapses, and administrative oversight.

Scale of Voter Deletions

• According to draft electoral rolls released during the SIR, around 6.5 crore voters were removed from the rolls across nine States and three Union Territories.
• These deletions reduced the total electorate from about 51 crore to 44.4 crore in the affected regions. The removed voters were categorised as ASD (Absent, Shifted, Dead/Duplicate).
• The highest number of deletions was reported from Uttar Pradesh, followed by Tamil Nadu and Gujarat.
• Critics argue that the sheer scale of deletions, combined with a tight revision schedule, raises questions about the adequacy of verification and grievance redressal mechanisms.

Verification Process and Safeguards

• Once a Form 7 application is submitted, Booth Level Officers are required to conduct physical verification.
• In cases of alleged death, confirmation from neighbours and a death certificate are necessary.
• If a voter is reported absent, BLOs must conduct multiple visits to confirm relocation.
• Affected voters are entitled to receive notice and attend hearings before final deletion.
• Appeals against ERO decisions can be filed with the district magistrate within 15 days of the roll publication.
• Despite these safeguards, concerns persist about their effective implementation under time pressure.

Concerns and the Way Forward

• At the core of the controversy lies the risk of voter disenfranchisement, particularly among marginalised and economically weaker sections.
• Filing a false declaration under Form 7 is a punishable offence under Section 32 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950.
• Experts suggest stricter scrutiny of bulk applications, improved digital tracking, longer verification timelines, and enhanced transparency to restore trust in the electoral revision process.
• Ensuring balance between roll accuracy and voter protection remains crucial.

Why in News?

• The Indian Prime Minister and Seychelles President (Patrick Herminie) held bilateral talks in New Delhi, marking 50 years of diplomatic relations and coinciding with the 50th anniversary of Seychelles’ independence.
• The visit—within 100 days of President Herminie’s victory—underscores the strategic weight Seychelles attaches to India amid evolving geopolitics in the Western Indian Ocean Region (WIOR).
• The two countries adopted a Joint Vision for Sustainability, Economic Growth and Security through Enhanced Linkages (SESEL) and signed multiple agreements across sectors.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• Strategic and Maritime Cooperation - The Core Pillar
• Joint Vision (SESEL) - Broadening the Partnership
• Economic and Developmental Assistance
• Geostrategic Significance
• India–Seychelles Relations
• Challenges
• Way Forward
• Conclusion

Strategic and Maritime Cooperation - The Core Pillar:

• Defence and maritime security:
  • It remains the central pillar of bilateral ties, and collaboration includes -
    • Maritime surveillance
    • Defence capacity development
    • Counter-piracy operations
    • Combating international crime and maritime threats
    • Protection of critical Sea Lines of Communication (SLOCs)
  • The cooperation assumes greater importance given rising piracy and economic offences in the strategic Indian Ocean Region (IOR), and growing geopolitical contestation in the region.
• Colombo Security Conclave (CSC):
  • Seychelles was welcomed as a full member of the CSC.
  • Originally formed in 2011 by India, Sri Lanka, and Maldives; CSC later expanded to include Mauritius and Bangladesh.
  • The inclusion of Seychelles strengthens regional efforts towards -
    • Maritime domain awareness
    • Regional stability
    • Cooperative security architecture in the IOR
  • This aligns with India’s broader SAGAR doctrine and Vision MAHASAGAR (Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions).

Joint Vision (SESEL) - Broadening the Partnership:

• The adopted Joint Vision for SESEL expands cooperation beyond security into sustainable development.
• Key areas of cooperation:
  • Marine research and ocean governance: Ocean observation, maritime scientific research, data-sharing mechanisms.
  • Climate action and renewable energy: Cooperation in renewable energy solutions, climate resilience initiatives for small island developing states (SIDS).
  • Health cooperation: Pharmacopoeial collaboration, strengthening healthcare systems.
  • Digital transformation: Support in digital governance and capacity-building, enhancing e-governance frameworks.
  • Meteorological cooperation: Technical and scientific collaboration between meteorological authorities.
  • Capacity-building: Training programmes for Seychelles civil servants, institutional strengthening initiatives.
  • Cultural and people-to-people ties: Cultural Exchange Programme (2026–2030); tourism cooperation, with India emerging as a growing market.

Economic and Developmental Assistance:

• Special economic package: India announced a $175 million Special Economic Package, comprising $125 million Line of Credit (rupee-denominated) - remaining amount as grant assistance.
• The package will support:
  • Public housing, infrastructure, mobility, maritime security, and capacity-building.
  • This reflects India’s model of development partnership without conditionalities, especially for small island nations.

Geostrategic Significance:

• WIOR: Critical for global trade and energy flows. Seychelles’ strategic location enhances India’s maritime reach.
• Countering extra-regional influence: Strengthening ties helps balance growing external powers’ presence in the IOR. Reinforces India’s role as a net security provider.
• Blue economy and SIDS diplomacy: Seychelles, as a Small Island Developing State (SIDS), is central to climate diplomacy, sustainable ocean governance, and blue economy initiatives.
• People-centric diplomacy: Shared democratic values, historical and cultural linkages, and emphasis on inclusive development.

India–Seychelles Relations:

• Overview:
  • Today, India-Seychelles relations embody close friendship, understanding and cooperation.
  • Diplomatic ties were established with Seychelles after its independence in 1976.
  • With a significant presence of Indian Diaspora in Seychelles, cultural contacts between the two countries have been primarily community-driven with support from the two governments.
• Key aspects:
  • Trade: India exported goods worth US$ 64.88 million and imported goods worth US$ 8.96 million from Seychelles during 2022-23.
  • Energy and environment: A Blue Economy Protocol between India and Seychelles was signed in 2015.
  • Development assistance: An important aspect of bilateral cooperation revolves around various development assistance programs extended to Seychelles under ITEC, ICCR and IAFS.
  • Defence and security: India is a key security partner for Seychelles, helping with coastal surveillance, radar systems, and joint exercises like 'LAMITIYE'.

Challenges:

• Geopolitical competition in the IOR: Rising strategic competition may complicate smaller states’ balancing strategies.
• Climate vulnerability of Island States: Seychelles faces existential risks from climate change, sea-level rise, and extreme weather events.
• Maritime security threats: Piracy resurgence; drug trafficking; Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing
• Economic dependence on tourism: Seychelles’ economy remains vulnerable to global shocks.

Way Forward:

• Institutionalising: Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) through real-time data-sharing.
• Deepening: Blue Economy cooperation, including sustainable fisheries and marine biodiversity protection.
• Expanding: Renewable energy partnerships tailored to SIDS needs.
• Strengthening: Multilateral maritime frameworks, particularly through the CSC and IORA.
• Enhancing: Digital and governance partnerships for resilient institutions.
• Leveraging: India’s Vision MAHASAGAR and SAGAR doctrine to build a cooperative Indian Ocean architecture.

Conclusion:

• The India–Seychelles partnership is evolving from a traditional defence relationship into a multidimensional strategic partnership encompassing sustainability, digital transformation, climate action, and economic growth.
• As maritime neighbours in the Indian Ocean, their collaboration contributes not only to bilateral development but also to the broader architecture of peace, stability, and inclusive growth in the WIOR.
• In the emerging geopolitics of the Indo-Pacific, Seychelles remains a key pillar of India’s maritime vision, reinforcing India’s aspiration to be a credible and responsible security and development partner in the region.

Context

• The global diamond trade symbolises wealth and prestige but has also been linked to violence and political instability.
• During the 1990s, armed groups financed civil wars through illegal sales of rough diamonds, commonly called conflict diamonds.
• To curb this problem, the international community established the Kimberley Process, a multilateral framework regulating the trade of rough diamonds.
• India’s assumption of the chairmanship in 2026 marks a significant moment.
• Positioned at the centre of the international diamond value chain, India can guide reforms addressing ethical trade, accountability, and technological modernization while strengthening global governance

Origin and Evolution of the Kimberley Process

• Emergence of the Initiative
  • The initiative began in 2000 through dialogue among southern African nations to prevent the financing of wars through diamonds.
  • Negotiations among participating countries resulted in the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme in 2003.
  • The framework now includes 60 participants representing 86 countries and oversees about 99.8% of the world’s rough diamond production.
  • It functions as an important international regulatory arrangement controlling trade in a single high-value commodity.
• The Certification Mechanism
  • The certification scheme requires each shipment of rough diamonds to carry a validated certificate confirming legitimate origin.
  • Trade is permitted only between compliant member states, and participants must share statistical data on production and exports.
  • This mechanism is intended to maintain transparency and prevent illegal trade networks.

India’s Strategic Role in the Global Diamond Value Chain

• India is not a major producer but remains the largest global processor of diamonds.
• It imports nearly 40% of global rough diamonds and performs cutting and polishing mainly in Surat and Mumbai before exporting to the United States, China, the United Arab Emirates, Israel, and Hong Kong.
• Countries such as Angola, Botswana, Russia, Canada, Congo, and Namibia dominate mining, yet India controls the value-addition stage.
• This central position provides strong leverage within the supply chain and enables India to influence international standards through diplomacy and trade practices.

Major Challenges Facing the Kimberley Process

• Narrow Definition of Conflict Diamonds
  • The existing definition focuses only on diamonds funding rebel groups against governments.
  • It excludes broader abuses including state violence, forced labour, human trafficking, environmental damage, and exploitation in artisanal mining.
  • Consequently, diamonds linked to human rights violations may still enter legitimate markets.
• Decision-Making Constraints
  • The Kimberley Process relies on consensus, allowing any participant to block action through veto
  • This weakens enforcement and limits the system’s capacity to identify problematic sources.
• Ineffective Sanctions
  • The ban imposed on the Central African Republic in 2013 showed that embargoes alone can increase smuggling and instability.
  • Without economic assistance, communities dependent on mining face hardship, reducing the effectiveness of punitive measures.

Reform Opportunities Under India’s Chairmanship

• Institutional Reforms
  • A technical working group could examine violence and risks beyond rebel insurgencies and gradually build agreement for redefining conflict diamonds.
  • Institutional improvements may include independent audits, public disclosure of detailed data, and strengthened engagement with civil society.
• Technological Modernisation
  • Digital innovation offers a major reform pathway. A blockchain-based system could provide tamper-proof, time-stamped shipment records.
  • Enhanced digital certification would reduce fraud, improve traceability, and modernize the global supply chain.
• Capacity Building for Producer Countries
  • Support for producing regions is essential. Establishing regional capacity-building hubs in central and eastern Africa could provide training, technical support, and forensic
  • Cooperative reforms would encourage compliance rather than punishment.

Developmental Focus, the African Dimension and India’s Global Leadership Role

• Developmental Focus and the African Dimension
  • Diamond mining supports livelihoods across Africa.
  • Aligning KP initiatives with the SDGs, including poverty reduction and decent work, can ensure revenues contribute to local health, education, and infrastructure.
  • Responsible trade would shift the framework from restriction toward development, sustainability, and inclusive economic growth.
• India’s Global Leadership Role
  • As a major voice of the Global South, India can balance the interests of producers, processors, and consumers.
  • By strengthening accountability and promoting multilateralism, India can transform the Kimberley Process into a more credible international institution and reinforce its reputation as a constructive global actor.

Conclusion

• The Kimberley Process has reduced the circulation of conflict diamonds but remains constrained by narrow definitions, political limitations, and weak developmental engagement.
• India’s leadership in 2026 presents a major opportunity to implement institutional reforms, technological modernisation, and cooperative partnerships with African producers.
• A reformed framework emphasising transparency, community welfare, and ethical trade can convert the diamond industry into a responsible global system while strengthening international cooperation and sustainable economic progress.

Context

• In contemporary capitalism, markets increasingly rely not only on material resources but on a new, inexhaustible commodity: the human self.
• Modern economic systems extract value from identity, emotions, and lived experiences.
• Through digital networks and media infrastructures, individuals themselves become economic inputs.
• Personal narratives, everyday interactions, and expressions of identity circulate as exchangeable goods within a global economy.
• The digital environment allows human life to be continuously recorded, interpreted, and monetised, turning personality into a productive resource.

From Labour to Identity: A New Stage of Capitalist Extraction

• Classical industrial capitalism generated surplus value from human labour. In the current stage, extraction moves beyond labour into social existence itself.
• The new target is sociality, relationships, behaviour, and emotional expression.
• Friendships, families, preferences, and habits are tracked through profiling, creating datasets valuable to corporations and institutions.
• The erosion of privacy, intimacy, and trust follows, as daily life becomes observable and commercially useful.
• The process resembles extraction, where identity functions as raw material. The commodification of experience transforms communication into marketable information.
• Every interaction, online purchase, conversation, or political expression, becomes part of a continuous system of data collection.
• Human identity is no longer only personal; it is economically productive. The self becomes infinitely renewable, constantly generating information and therefore profit.

The Global Story Economy: Where Local and Global Converge

• The market thrives on stories. A worldwide demand exists for narratives rooted in specific places yet relatable everywhere.
• Folklore, migration journeys, conflict, and everyday struggles circulate internationally. The boundary between global and local dissolves as a single recorded event can travel across continents within seconds.
• News media, independent creators, and ordinary witnesses act as media networks feeding a shared narrative system.
• A local incident becomes globally meaningful once framed within larger social themes such as migration, violence, or cultural conflict. Locality no longer refers simply to physical proximity but to narrative relevance.
• Communities imagine themselves through international attention, while global audiences interpret distant experiences through familiar narrative patterns.
• This convergence transforms identity into content. Individuals, cities, and organisations participate in a continuous exchange of narratives. The story economy reorganises geography into a networked cultural marketplace.

Streaming Platforms and the Democratisation of the Self

• The rise of streaming services accelerates this transformation. Internet-based platforms distribute entertainment without traditional studios or broadcasting structures.
• Their success depends on relatable characters and ordinary experiences. The appearance of everyday people in entertainment suggests democratisation, where anyone may be visible.
• Yet visibility becomes economic participation.
• The modern individual increasingly exists as an algorithmic profile composed of behaviour patterns and measurable traits.
• Credit ratings, consumption histories, and recommendation systems construct a digital personality. Identity becomes fragmented and quantifiable rather than unified and stable. The selfie symbolises this shift.
• The image promises equality before the camera but simultaneously converts appearance into shareable currency. Personal representation is no longer private expression alone; it functions as cultural capital within platform economies.

Artificial Intelligence and the Expansion of Personhood

• The emergence of AI intensifies the instability of identity. Chatbots and virtual assistants simulate empathy, conversation, and emotional response. Machines now perform aspects of personality once considered uniquely human.
• By reproducing emotion, digital systems compete in communication, companionship, and decision-making.
• This development blurs distinctions between authentic and constructed identity. If emotional expression can be generated computationally, personhood becomes performative rather than inherent.
• Human identity becomes one version among many communicative agents in a shared environment.

The Chain of Storytelling and the Culture of Visibility

• A cultural logic governs the system: everyone has a story, and every story deserves an audience. Social platforms enable constant storytelling, encouraging users to narrate achievements, trauma, failure, or redemption.
• The pursuit of virality drives participation, as visibility promises recognition and economic opportunity.
• Influencers, content creators, and public figures cultivate audiences through regular self-disclosure.
• Platforms reward attention, converting narratives into advertising revenue and social influence.
• Individuals willingly share experiences for validation and opportunity, participating in their own economic incorporation.
• This produces a cycle in which identity requires performance. The desire for recognition sustains continuous self-presentation.
• The audience becomes essential to personal meaning, while attention functions as currency. Human life transforms into an ongoing broadcast within a market for visibility.

Conclusion

• The modern economy increasingly relies on identity and self-presentation rather than material production, turning personal experience, emotion, communication, and data into valuable resources.
• Through digital representation and the circulation of narratives, everyday private life is integrated into economic systems that extract value from how people live, express, and connect.
• This creates a paradox: individuals enjoy unprecedented opportunities for participation and expression, yet their visibility also places the self itself, constantly observed and commercially used, at the centre of a global marketplace as a renewable commodity.