Why in news?

The ongoing wars in Ukraine, Lebanon, and West Asia (US-Israel-Iran conflict) have demonstrated a fundamental shift in how modern wars are fought.

Drones — cheap, mass-produced, and rapidly adaptable — have moved from support tools to central instruments of warfare, challenging decades-old assumptions about military power.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• End of Conventional Superiority
• Ukraine: The World's First Industrial-Scale Drone War
• Iran's Strategic Drone Model
• The Economics of Drone Warfare
• India's Relevance and Takeaways

End of Conventional Superiority

• For decades, battlefield dominance belonged to nations with advanced tanks, aircraft, warships, precision missiles, and large defence budgets.
• Smaller militaries and non-state actors were largely confined to guerrilla and asymmetric tactics.
• This paradigm has now been shattered. Commercially derived drones, produced at scale and deployed widely, have redefined military power.
• They perform functions spanning:
  • Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR)
  • Target acquisition and artillery spotting
  • Precision strikes and deep-strike missions
  • Electronic warfare and logistics support
• The result is a continuous and interconnected battlespace where no position is truly safe, no movement remains concealed for long, and detection is rapidly followed by destruction.

Ukraine: The World's First Industrial-Scale Drone War

• Russia's invasion of Ukraine (February 2022) began as a conventional war. Within two years, it became the world's first industrial-scale, drone-intensive conflict.
• Ukraine initially adapted commercially available drones — designed for photography, mapping and surveying — into improvised reconnaissance and strike systems.
• By 2024, drones were integrated into every layer of Ukrainian combat: battlefield surveillance, frontline targeting, and deep-strike missions against Russian logistics and infrastructure.
• The FPV Revolution
  • At the core of Ukraine's drone warfare is the First-Person View (FPV) drone — a cheap, commercially available platform originally built for recreational racing.
  • Operators control them via live video fed to VR-style goggles, giving exceptional precision and manoeuvrability.
  • FPV drones were rapidly converted into:
    • Kamikaze/Strike drones — small quadcopters carrying explosive payloads, flown directly into targets as disposable precision missiles. A drone worth a few hundred dollars can destroy armoured vehicles worth millions.
    • Bomber drones — adapted from commercial DJI Mavic and Matrice platforms; they drop grenades and anti-tank mines and survive missions, enabling repeated sorties against trenches and bunkers.
    • Interceptor and long-range attack variants — used to strike deep inside Russian territory against airbases, logistics hubs and critical infrastructure.
• Loitering Munitions
  • Ukraine also deploys loitering munitions — drone-missile hybrids that loiter over a target area before striking:
    • RAM II — short-range precision munition used alongside reconnaissance drones like Shark and PD-2
    • UJ-31 Zozulya — an aerially deployed "parasite drone" carried by the larger UJ-22 UAV, enabling penetration of heavily contested airspace under intense electronic warfare conditions
• Ukraine's Most Significant Innovation: Fibre-Optic FPV Drones
  • Conventional drones rely on radio-frequency links, which are vulnerable to jamming.
  • Ukraine's most critical innovation is the fibre-optic FPV drone, which transmits commands and video through ultra-thin fibre-optic cables that unspool during flight.
  • This makes them immune to electronic jamming — a decisive advantage in heavily contested electromagnetic environments, and one that Russia has struggled to counter.

Iran's Strategic Drone Model

• Iran represents a structurally distinct model of drone warfare. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) does not use drones merely as tactical tools.
• Instead, it integrates them into a broader strategy of deterrence, coercion and power projection across West Asia.
• Through Shahed variants and platforms supplied to proxy forces in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen, Iran has demonstrated the ability to threaten US and Israeli military bases, naval assets and critical infrastructure across the region — at remarkably low cost.

The Economics of Drone Warfare

• The drone revolution is defined as much by economics as by technology. Key shifts include:
  • Cheap, mass-produced drones are replacing expensive conventional platforms
  • Industrial production capacity has become a core military capability
  • Warfare is increasingly a test of industrial endurance — the ability to build, deploy and counter ever-evolving drone systems continuously

India's Relevance and Takeaways

• India faces active drone threats on both its western and northern borders. Pakistan has used Turkish Bayraktar TB2 drones; China has an advanced indigenous drone programme.
• Several key lessons from global drone warfare are directly relevant to India:
  • India must invest in domestic drone manufacturing under Make in India / iDEX frameworks.
  • Counter-drone systems — both kinetic and electronic — need to be integrated into India's air defence architecture.
  • Asymmetric warfare capability using drones is as important as conventional platforms.
  • The fibre-optic drone technology gap must be urgently addressed.

Conclusion

• Drones are no longer just weapons — they are the infrastructure of modern war, shaping how conflicts are surveilled, fought, sustained and decided.
• The nation that can out-produce, out-innovate and out-counter in the drone domain will hold the decisive military edge in 21st-century conflicts.

Context:

• Over 100 days have passed since Tarique Rahman's BNP government assumed power in Bangladesh.
• Despite initial optimism, India-Bangladesh relations remain strained — much as they were under the preceding interim government led by Muhammad Yunus.
• This article highlights the growing trust deficit in India-Bangladesh relations despite the formation of a new government in Bangladesh and multiple diplomatic outreach efforts by India.
• It examines the unresolved issues driving bilateral tensions, including trade restrictions, visa policies, water-sharing concerns, immigration rhetoric, and the looming renewal of the Ganga Water Treaty, while underscoring the need for pragmatic engagement to safeguard regional stability.

India's Outreach: Gestures Without Substance

• India made two diplomatic gestures even before Rahman formally took charge:
  • EAM S. Jaishankar visited Dhaka in December 2025, to condole the death of Rahman's mother and former PM Khaleda Zia.
  • Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri delivered PM Modi's invitation letter, and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla attended Rahman's swearing-in ceremony on February 17.
• However, BNP insiders consider these gestures insufficient. They expected India to reverse concrete punitive measures taken during the Yunus-led interim period.

Pending Grievances: What Dhaka Wants?

• Bangladesh's key expectations from India remain unmet:
  • Transhipment revival — resumption of goods transit from Bangladesh through India
  • Visa restoration — full reinstatement of business and medical visas
  • Market access — removal of restrictive trade barriers on Bangladeshi goods
  • Ganga Water Treaty — renewal of the 1996 treaty due to expire on December 31, 2026
• Dhaka argues that without these actions, India has given Rahman no political capital to spend while managing anti-India domestic forces, including the Jamaat-e-Islami and student groups.

The Hasina Factor and the Immigration Rhetoric

• BNP's veteran leadership made a significant concession by publicly stating that Sheikh Hasina's continued presence in India would not be a dealbreaker for normalising ties — a departure from the hard position of the Yunus government.
• India did not reciprocate. Instead, after the recent elections in West Bengal and Assam, New Delhi intensified its rhetoric around illegal immigration from Bangladesh in official communications.
• Bangladeshi diplomats expected this language to be toned down after the elections. The Ministry of External Affairs' continued stridence has generated what officials in Dhaka's secretariat describe as "a sense of betrayal."

Rahman's China Option

• Sensing a stall in normalisation, Rahman is reportedly in the final stages of planning visits to Malaysia and China in late June 2026 — a signal that Dhaka may seek to diversify its partnerships further if India does not engage meaningfully.
• However, the China pivot has its limits. Bangladesh's ties with China, the US, and others have grown since August 2024 — but these cannot substitute for India on one critical issue: river water.

The Ganga Treaty: A Ticking Clock

• The 1996 Ganga Water Treaty — a 30-year agreement — must be renewed before December 31, 2026.
• The stakes are high:
  • River experts warned that a delay would jeopardise the Ganges-Kobadak irrigation project, affecting large parts of western and central Bangladesh.
  • Unpredictable water supply will disrupt upcoming sowing seasons and hurt an economy already battered by an energy crisis caused by the US-Israel war on Iran.

Bangladesh's Domestic Vulnerabilities

• The Rahman government faces compounding internal pressures:
  • A severe measles outbreak has killed at least 600 infants, with the government criticised for poor crisis management.
  • Rising incidents of sexual violence reflect a law and order breakdown that has persisted since the August 2024 protests.
  • A banned but mobilising Awami League under Sheikh Hasina's banner stands to gain if Rahman fails to deliver on the Ganga treaty before the year-end deadline.

The Case for Pragmatism

• Both capitals need to act on material realities, not political optics.
• If Bangladesh spirals into instability — economic, hydrological, or political — it would directly hurt India's northeastern connectivity, border security, and regional influence. Instability in Bangladesh is emphatically not in India's interest.

Conclusion

• India and Bangladesh are caught in a cycle of unmet expectations — India offers gestures, Dhaka wants action; Dhaka softens on Hasina, India escalates immigration rhetoric.
• With the Ganga treaty deadline looming, pragmatism must replace posturing before bilateral inertia becomes irreversible damage.

Why in the News?

• India and Slovakia have elevated their bilateral relationship to a Comprehensive Partnership during PM Modi's historic visit to Bratislava, the first by an Indian Prime Minister since Slovakia's founding in 1993.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• India-Slovakia (Background, Strategic & Diplomatic Engagement, Trade Ties, Diaspora, etc.)
• News Summary (Key Outcomes of PM Modi’s Visit)

India-Slovakia Bilateral Relationship

• India and Slovakia share a warm and steadily growing partnership, rooted in shared democratic values and mutual interest in technology, manufacturing, and trade.
• Slovakia, a Central European nation and member of the European Union (EU) and NATO, has emerged as a significant partner for India in the region.
• Historical Ties
  • India's relations with Slovakia began with the establishment of independent diplomatic ties in 1993, following the peaceful dissolution of Czechoslovakia into the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
  • Prior to this, India had strong relations with Czechoslovakia, which was among the earliest countries to recognise India after independence.
  • Both countries have maintained cordial ties characterised by:

• Shared democratic values and pluralistic societies
• Active engagement in multilateral forums
• Cultural exchanges and people-to-people contacts
• Steady growth in trade and economic cooperation

Strategic and Diplomatic Engagement

• India and Slovakia have engaged at multiple levels through:

• High-level political dialogue, including ministerial visits
• Slovakia's strong support for India's bid for permanent UN Security Council membership
• Cooperation within EU frameworks, especially in trade negotiations
• Collaboration on global issues like terrorism, climate change, and UN reform
• Shared positions on multilateralism and rules-based international order

• Slovakia has been a constructive voice within the EU for stronger India-EU engagement, including the India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) that was recently concluded.

Trade and Economic Cooperation

• Economic ties between India and Slovakia have witnessed steady expansion. Total bilateral trade during  2024 stood at Euros 1.28 billion.
• The major items of India’s export to Slovakia are mobile phones, footwear, part of footwear, garments, motor vehicle parts, tyres, medicaments, seats, electrical apparatus.
• Major items of import from Slovakia include motor vehicles, machinery and mechanical appliances, pumps, transmission shafts, measuring instruments, wire and cables, bearings.

Indian Diaspora in Slovakia

• The Indian community in Slovakia is relatively small but growing:

• Approximately 5,000-7,000 Indians reside in Slovakia.
• Primarily engaged in IT, engineering, academia, and business.
• The community contributes to cultural exchanges through festivals and academic engagements.

Key Outcomes of PM Modi's Visit to Slovakia

• PM Modi's visit to Bratislava marked a transformational moment in India-Slovakia relations, with multiple agreements signed and the bilateral relationship elevated to a Comprehensive Partnership.

Elevation to Comprehensive Partnership

• The most significant outcome was the elevation of bilateral ties to a Comprehensive Partnership, symbolising:

• Shared trust, shared priorities, and a shared future
• A structured framework for deeper engagement across sectors
• Recognition of the growing strategic importance of the relationship

• PM Modi described the visit as a "historic moment," while Slovak PM Robert Fico emphasised his commitment to strengthening ties with India.

Defence Cooperation

• Defence ties received a major boost during the visit:

• A Letter of Intent was signed in the defence sector
• Focus on joint development and joint production of defence equipment
• Strengthening defence industrial cooperation between the two countries
• PM Modi described defence cooperation as a "testament to deep mutual trust and strategic convergence."

Trade and Economic Ties

• Both countries are committed to significantly boosting trade and investment in priority sectors:

• Automobiles: leveraging Slovakia's strong automotive industry
• Railways: cooperation in modernisation and equipment
• Advanced manufacturing: including precision engineering
• Green technology: clean energy and sustainability
• Electronics: manufacturing and supply chain integration

• Slovakia expressed support for the early implementation of the India-EU FTA, which would benefit industries, startups, and traders from both countries.

Technology and Digital Cooperation

• Technology emerged as a central theme of the talks:

• MoU on Digital Technology signed to create opportunities in digital public infrastructure.
• Establishment of an India Chair on Artificial Intelligence at a Slovak university.
• Cooperation in space sector, with Slovak companies invited to participate in India's expanding space industry.
• Collaboration in civil nuclear energy.

• PM Modi emphasised that "technology is a key pillar of our future partnership."

Labour Mobility and Migration

• A significant outcome was the MoU on Labour Migration signed to:

• Facilitate the mobility of workers between the two countries
• Enable the exchange of information between authorities
• Address the manpower needs of Slovakia, which faces labour shortages
• Provide structured opportunities for Indian workers

• Both sides also agreed to conclude a Social Security Agreement to protect the rights and benefits of workers in each other's countries.

Counter-Terrorism Cooperation

• Both leaders strongly condemned the April 2025 Pahalgam terror attacks and agreed to:

• Form a Joint Working Group on Terrorism
• Work towards the adoption of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT) at the UN
• Take action against the UN Security Council 1267 Sanctions Committee listed terrorists
• Address state sponsors of terrorism
• Reject double standards in counter-terrorism

Multilateralism and UN Reform

• Both countries reaffirmed their support for:

• Multilateralism and rules-based international order
• Reform of the United Nations, including the UN Security Council
• Expansion of permanent and non-permanent seats on the UNSC
• India's bid for permanent UNSC membership

Context:

• Recurring heatwaves and rising temperatures across cities such as Narsinghpur (MP), Ahmedabad (Gujarat), and Barmer (Rajasthan) have intensified urban water scarcity.
• High evaporation rates, growing domestic demand, and dependence on distant water sources have exposed the vulnerabilities of India's urban water management system.
• With annual per capita water availability projected to decline from about 1,500 m³ to below 1,200 m³ by 2050, India is moving closer to the internationally recognised water-scarcity threshold of 1,000 m³ per capita.
• This necessitates a shift towards a circular water economy centred on the reuse of treated wastewater.

Why Water Reuse Matters?

• Treated domestic wastewater (used water) can be reused for several non-potable purposes, including:
  • Agriculture and horticulture
  • Landscaping and urban greening
  • Construction activities
  • Public sanitation facilities
  • Industrial processes such as textiles
  • Lake and water-body rejuvenation
• According to the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), large-scale wastewater reuse can:
  • Create an investment opportunity exceeding ₹3 lakh crore.
  • Generate nearly 1 lakh additional jobs by 2047.
  • Reduce freshwater stress in urban areas.
• For example, Thane can bridge its current water deficit of 53 million litres per day through expanded reuse of treated wastewater.

Key Actions to Build a Circular Water Economy:

• Develop city-specific water reuse plans:
  • While around 14 Indian States have introduced water reuse policies, broad policy frameworks alone are insufficient.
  • Cities require tailored reuse plans that define water deficit reduction targets, water quality standards, sector-wise reuse priorities, revenue models, and institutional implementation mechanisms.
  • This is because of diverse urban needs, for example,
    • Delhi, Varanasi, Bengaluru (agriculture in peri-urban areas);
    • Chennai (lake and water-body rejuvenation);
    • Thane (construction sector); and
    • Surat (industrial applications).
  • City-specific planning can maximise local benefits and improve resource efficiency.
• Mobilise private financing:
  • India's wastewater infrastructure remains inadequate. For example, less than 50% of urban sewage is connected to treatment networks, and only about one-third of sewage was actually treated in 2021.
  • Major constraints include insufficient sewerage infrastructure, lack of skilled manpower, energy shortages, and poor maintenance funding. To bridge the investment gap, private capital must complement public expenditure.
  • Blended finance models:
    • The Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM) adopted under the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) offers a useful template by sharing financial risks between governments and private developers.
    • Such models can accelerate the development of sewage treatment and reuse infrastructure.
• Improve functionality of Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs):
• Many sewage treatment plants fail to meet the discharge standards prescribed by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
• Major challenges are poor operation and maintenance, mixing of domestic sewage with industrial effluents, and discharge of untreated waste by non-compliant industries.
• Most STPs depend on biological treatment processes using microorganisms. Heavy metals and toxic chemicals from industrial waste can destroy these microorganisms, reducing treatment efficiency.
• Strengthening compliance: Strict enforcement of Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) norms, use of AI and digital monitoring systems, real-time tracking of industrial violations, and incentives for compliant industries.
• Gujarat’s financial support mechanisms for industries implementing ZLD provide a successful model.
• Launch a National Circular Water Mission:
  • India requires a comprehensive mission to transition from the traditional "use-and-dispose" approach to a regenerative water management model.
  • Key reform areas:
    • Technological reforms: Expansion of decentralised wastewater and faecal sludge treatment systems. Focus on rapidly growing peri-urban regions.
    • Institutional reforms: Empower Urban Local Bodies (ULBs), establish Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) for reuse projects, and convert wastewater management into a viable economic activity.
    • Financial reforms: Incentivise users of treated wastewater, recognise freshwater as an economic asset, introduce efficient water pricing mechanisms, and protect vulnerable sections through targeted subsidies.
    • Behavioural reforms: Promote public acceptance of treated wastewater reuse. Encourage citizen participation in water conservation. Mainstream wastewater reuse as a normal urban practice.

Policy Support and Emerging Roadmap:

• The vision for a circular water economy has received policy backing through:
  • The study "Water, Nature, Progress"
  • Economic Survey 2025–26
• Both documents advocate institutional, financial, and technological reforms to enhance water resilience and reduce dependence on freshwater resources.

Conclusion:

• India's aspiration of becoming a Viksit Bharat by 2047 hinges on strengthening water security amidst rising climate risks and urbanisation.
• A circular water economy offers a transformative pathway. The policy framework and successful examples already exist; the challenge now is rapid and large-scale implementation to build long-term water resilience.

About Tetanus:

• Tetanus, also known as lockjaw, is a serious bacterial infection that affects the body's nervous system.
• It's caused by a poison (toxin) made by the bacterium Clostridium tetani (C. tetani).
• The bacterium usually enters the body through an open wound.
• Tetanus bacteria live in soil and manure. They can also be found in the human intestine and other places.
• Tetanus occurs more often in warmer climates or during the warmer months.
• It’s not spread from person to person.
• Anyone can get tetanus, but the disease is particularly common and serious in newborn babies and pregnant women who have not been sufficiently immunized with tetanus-toxoid-containing vaccines.
• Treatment:
  • There's no cure for tetanus.
  • Treatment focuses on managing symptoms and complications until the effects of the tetanus toxin resolve.
  • People who recover from tetanus do not have natural immunity and can be infected again.
• Prevention:
  • Tetanus is completely preventable by being immunized (vaccinated).
  • Immunization usually protects against tetanus infection for 10 years.
  • The childhood schedule includes five doses, followed by boosters in adolescence and every 10 years.
  • Pregnant women are also advised to receive Tdap to protect their newborns.

About Zardalu Mangoes:

• Zardalu mango, also called Jardalu, is a unique mango variety from Bhagalpur, Bihar.
• It is known for its light yellow skin and distinct special aroma.
• Its story dates back to the early 19th century when Maharaja Rahmat Ali Khan Bahadur of Haveli Kharagpur introduced its cultivation in the Bhagalpur region.
• The first sapling, planted between 1810 and 1820, still stands in Tagepur village, serving as a living testament to this mango's enduring legacy.
• The Jardaloo mangoes are available from mid-April through the end of June.
• The fruits have a rich, creamy, tender texture, and delicate, non-fibrous, juicy pulp.
• As the fruit matures, the skin of the Zardalu mango turns golden-yellow with a tinge of red across the top of the fruit.
• Jardalu mangoes are rich with fibre & enzymes; it's highly beneficial to the digestive system.
• In 2018, the Jardalu mango received the prestigious Geographical Indication (GI) tag.

About Giant’s Causeway:

• It is located on the coastal edge of the Antrim Plateau in Northern Ireland.
• The region consists of 6 kilometers (4 miles) of stepping-stone-like black basalt columns.
• Each stone is a curiously distinct polygon or hexagon, with seemingly unnatural straight edges.
• The pillars range in height, and shoot up out of the sea, increasing in height until they reach the cliff top.
• This stepping stone or stair-like appearance of the area is where the Giant’s Causeway name is thought to have originated, as the columns look much like steps for a giant.
• It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986.
• Formation:
  • The rock and column formations were first formed some 50 to 60 million years ago, during the Paleogene Period.
  • The columns originally formed due to extensive volcanic activity in the area.
  • Molten basalt rose up through a layer of chalk beds, creating what is known as a volcanic plateau.
  • The lava then began to cool and contract, which caused fractures and edges within the rock.
  • As the lava flow continued to cool, it receded, leaving behind tall column shapes.
  • Because the lava cooled very quickly, it receded a great deal, leaving behind particularly prominent and large columns.

About Indrayani River:

• It is located in Maharashtra.
• It is a tributary of the Bhima River (a tributary of the Krishna River).
• Course:
  • It is a rain-fed river that originates from the Western Ghats, near the hill station of Lonavala, located along the Mumbai-Pune Highway.
  • It flows eastward, making its way through parts of the Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad districts before merging into the Bhima River at Tulapur.
  • It follows a course mostly north of the city of Pune.
• The river has great religious importance, and the two sacred towns, Alandi and Dehu, are situated on its banks.
  • Dehu is known to be a sacred place for being the hometown of the poet Saint Tukaram, who was a popular saint of Maharashtra, and Alandi holds the samadhi of the poet Dnyaneshwar.
• The Indrayani also passes through the industrial town of Pimpri-Chinchwad and plays a role in irrigation and local agriculture.
• Valvan Dam at Kamshet, situated on the Indrayani River, is a hydroelectric generating station.

About  Arbitrage Funds:

• Arbitrage funds are equity-oriented hybrid funds that leverage arbitrage opportunities in the market.
• The basic principle behind arbitrage is to take advantage of temporary price differences to generate profits with minimal risk.
• These can be a pricing mismatch between two exchanges, different pricing in the spot and futures market,
• The fund manager of an arbitrage fund buys and sells the shares at the same time and earns the difference between the selling price and the buying price of the share.
• The underlying principle is to capture the price spread between the buying and selling, often within a short time frame.
• This is fundamentally different from any other form of investing, where you purchase an asset and wait for it to grow in value before selling it.
• In an arbitrage fund, the fund manager invests in equities only when he finds a definite opportunity to earn returns.
• If there are no arbitrage opportunities available, then the fund invests in short-term money market instruments and debt securities to ensure stable returns.
• The important thing to note here is that the price difference is usually very small. Therefore, the fund manager has to make several trades in one day to book a reasonable profit.
• They are classified as hybrid mutual funds where according to the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), at least 65% of the fund’s assets must be in equities and equity-related securities.
• Benefits:
  • Low Risk, Equity-Like Returns: Since the buying and selling are hedged, the risk is minimal, making it an attractive option for risk-averse investors.
  • Tax Advantages: Gains from arbitrage funds held for more than one year qualify as long-term capital gains (LTCG).
  • Liquidity: Arbitrage funds offer high liquidity, allowing investors to redeem their money quickly when needed.
  • Diversified Portfolio: These funds diversify investments across various sectors and instruments, reducing the risk.
• Limitations:
  • Market Dependency: Returns are linked to market volatility; low volatility means fewer opportunities for arbitrage.
  • Short-Term Focus: They may not be ideal for long-term wealth creation.