Why in news?

The Centre has introduced a new Seeds Bill that mandates compulsory registration of all seed varieties and imposes stricter penalties for violations.

Released by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare recently, the draft legislation aims to modernise and strengthen seed regulation in India, and will replace the existing Seeds Act, 1966 once enacted.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• Why India Needs a New Seeds Bill?
• Problem of Spurious and Substandard Seeds in India
• India’s Annual Seed Requirement and Market Size
• Key Features of the New Seeds Bill, 2025
• Major Concerns Raised by Critics

Why India Needs a New Seeds Bill?

• The current Seeds Act regulates only notified seed varieties, and registration is not mandatory.
• Several categories — including green manure seeds, commercial crops, and plantation crops — fall outside its scope.
• Penalties are outdated and minimal, limited to six months’ imprisonment and a ₹1,000 fine.
• These regulatory gaps have driven longstanding demand for an updated law.
• An earlier attempt in 2004, when a new Seeds Bill was introduced and sent to a Parliamentary committee, did not progress into legislation.

Problem of Spurious and Substandard Seeds in India

• Complaints about low-quality and fake seeds are frequent, and the Agriculture Ministry has repeatedly highlighted the issue.
• Between 2022 and 2025, 43,001 seed samples were found non-standard out of nearly 6 lakh samples tested.
  • West Bengal accounted for the highest share at 62%, followed by Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh.
• During the same period, authorities also took extensive action: 12,287 warnings, 12,915 stop-sale orders, 1,914 FIRs/cases, and 164 forfeitures, underscoring the scale of the problem.

India’s Annual Seed Requirement and Market Size

• For 2024–25, India required 48.20 lakh tonnes of seeds, while 53.15 lakh tonnes were available, indicating adequate supply.
• The country’s seed market is worth around ₹40,000 crore.
• Between May 2014 and August 2025, 3,053 new seed varieties were released, with the public sector accounting for 85% of them and the private sector contributing 15%.

Key Features of the New Seeds Bill, 2025

• The Draft Seeds Bill, 2025 aims to overhaul India’s seed laws by replacing the Seeds Act, 1966 and Seeds Control Order, 1983.
• The government says it will improve seed quality, curb counterfeits, and protect farmers.
• Mandatory Registration of Seed Varieties
  • All seed varieties (except traditional farmers’ varieties and export-only seeds) must be registered.
  • Varieties must undergo Value for Cultivation and Use (VCU) testing at multiple locations.
  • Only seeds meeting minimum germination and purity standards can be sold.
• Stronger Market Controls and Traceability
  • Seed dealers must obtain a state registration certificate for selling, importing or exporting seeds.
  • Each seed container must carry a QR code generated through the central Seed Traceability Portal.
• Easier Compliance for Large Companies
  • A new Central Accreditation System allows nationally accredited firms to operate across states without additional approvals — a move critics say benefits big agribusinesses.
• Higher Penalties
  • Minor offences attract fines starting at ₹1 lakh.
  • Major offences, including selling spurious or unregistered seeds, carry penalties of up to ₹30 lakh and three years’ imprisonment.
• Farmers’ Rights
  • Farmers may grow, save, exchange, share and sell farm-saved seeds (but not under a brand name).
  • New central and state seeds committees will oversee implementation.

Major Concerns Raised by Critics

• The Bill has drawn strong criticism from farmers’ groups, seed experts, and civil society, who argue it favours large seed companies over small cultivators.
• No Easy Compensation for Farmers - Crop failure due to faulty seeds still requires farmers to seek compensation through courts — an expensive, time-consuming process. Critics say the Bill lacks a farmer-friendly grievance mechanism.
• Community Seed Keepers Excluded - Collectives like FPOs, women’s seed groups, and traditional seed networks will be treated as commercial entities, subject to heavy compliance burdens. Experts warn this may open doors to biopiracy of India’s genetic resources.
• Corporate Bias and Digital Burden - VCU trials favour uniform hybrid seeds from big companies, making it harder for indigenous, diverse, climate-resilient varieties to qualify. Mandatory digital reporting, QR tracking and online submissions are difficult for small rural seed keepers with low digital access.
• Risk of Foreign Seed Entry - Foreign organisations may be recognised for VCU testing. Critics fear this could allow genetically modified or patented seeds into India without strong domestic evaluation. Some warn this could worsen farmer distress and lead to severe social consequences, including higher farmer suicides.

Why in news?

The IMF’s 2025 annual staff report for India has once again given the country’s national accounts, including GDP data, a C-grade, indicating that the statistics have “some shortcomings” that hinder effective economic surveillance.

This assessment comes even as India’s GDP growth unexpectedly rose to 8.2% in July–September, the highest in six quarters and above the 7.8% recorded in April–June. The stronger-than-expected data has revived familiar questions about the reliability and interpretation of India’s GDP numbers.

With the IMF highlighting concerns over statistical quality and economists surprised by the sharp growth, the debate on the credibility and meaning of India’s GDP figures has resurfaced.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• Why the IMF Evaluates India’s Data?
• What the IMF Said in Its 2025 Assessment?
• IMF Ratings Before 2024: How India’s Data Was Seen?
• Reasons Behind the IMF’s Gradual Downgrade
• What Comes Next for India’s Official Statistics?

Why the IMF Evaluates India’s Data?

• The IMF assesses India’s economic statistics as part of its annual Article IV consultations, during which an IMF team visits the country, reviews economic developments, and prepares a detailed report.
• This includes a Data Adequacy Assessment to judge whether India’s data is sufficient for effective economic surveillance.

What the IMF Said in Its 2025 Assessment?

• The IMF stated that India would benefit from better quality, availability, and timeliness of macroeconomic and financial statistics to support policymaking.
• While acknowledging India’s efforts to update GDP and CPI series, the IMF recommended:
  • Regular revisions of national accounts and price indices
  • Conducting the overdue population census on priority
  • Timely publication of combined Centre–State fiscal data
  • Improvements in coverage and consistency of key statistics
• India responded that improvements were underway, with new GDP and CPI series expected in February 2026, and argued that this warranted higher ratings.
• Ratings Given by IMF
  • Despite India’s submissions, the IMF retained the same ratings as in 2024:
    • National accounts: C grade
    • All other categories: B grade
    • Overall rating: B
• What the IMF Grades Mean?
  • IMF ratings run from A to D:
    • A – Data fully adequate for surveillance
    • B – Data broadly adequate, with some shortcomings
    • C – Data has shortcomings that somewhat hamper surveillance
    • D – Data has serious shortcomings that significantly hamper surveillance
  • India’s C rating for national accounts means the IMF sees notable issues in GDP data coverage, granularity, or methodology that limit robust analysis, even though other datasets are broadly acceptable.

IMF Ratings Before 2024: How India’s Data Was Seen?

• The IMF introduced its four-tier data adequacy rating system only in 2024. India received a B overall rating that year for the first time.
• Before this system, India’s data was described as:
  • “Broadly adequate” from 2017 to 2023
  • “Adequate for surveillance” in 2016
• This shows a gradual decline in confidence over time.
• Why 2015 Became a Turning Point?
  • India last updated its GDP base year in 2015, shifting to the 2011–12 series.
  • The new numbers surprised economists and even IMF staff, who noted:
    • Large revisions to historical data
    • Short time span of the new series
    • Major discrepancies between GDP by activity and GDP by expenditure
  • These issues complicated economic interpretation and contributed to growing concerns about data reliability.
• Reasons Behind the IMF’s Gradual Downgrade
  • In 2023, IMF staff said the 2011–12 base year is outdated and should be updated urgently. This had been a repeated recommendation.
  • A persistent criticism has been India’s use of the Wholesale Price Index (WPI) instead of a Producer Price Index (PPI) to deflate nominal GDP.
  • This affects the accuracy of real GDP calculations, since WPI is not fully representative of producer-level prices.

What Comes Next for India’s Official Statistics?

• New GDP Series Launch in February 2026
  • MoSPI will release the new GDP series with 2022–23 as the base year on February 27, 2026.
  • This series is expected to include methodological improvements and new data sources.
  • The first numbers released will be:
    • Q3 2025–26 GDP (Oct–Dec 2025)
    • Second advance estimate for FY 2025–26
• Updated CPI Inflation Series
• A revised CPI series will be introduced earlier, on February 12, 2026, based on:
  • The 2023–24 Household Consumption Expenditure Survey
  • 2024 as the new base year
• This will replace the current CPI series based on the 2011–12 survey.
• Other Major Statistical Updates
  • Additional updates planned under the statistical overhaul include:
    • A new Index of Industrial Production (IIP) with 2022–23 as the base year
    • Expanded and modernised datasets across sectors to align with current economic structure
• More Frequent Balance of Payments Data
  • The Reserve Bank of India plans to publish monthly Balance of Payments (BoP) statistics, including the crucial current account balance, instead of only quarterly updates.
  • This will improve the timeliness and granularity of external sector monitoring.

About Perseverance Rover:

• Perseverance, nicknamed “Percy“, is a semi-autonomous rover the size of a small car designed to explore the surface of Mars.
• It is part of NASA’s ongoing Mars 2020 Mission.
• Landing: Successfully landed on the surface of Mar’s Jezero Crater in 2021.
  • It is the first rover to actually land in an ancient Martian river delta, located inside the Jezero crater.
• Objective: Seek signs of ancient life and collect samples of rock and regolith (broken rock and soil) for possible return to Earth.
  • The rover will be able to detect organic matter and minerals, map the chemical composition of rocks and sediments, and zoom in on distant rocks and rugged terrain for further inspection.
• It is the first rover to record sounds on Mars and broadcast them back to Earth.
• It is the first rover to create oxygen on Mars. Perseverance carries an instrument called MOXIE, which can generate oxygen from Mars’ carbon dioxide atmosphere.
• Features:
  • Perseverance is built from the same basic design as Curiosity, which landed on Mars about a decade before Perseverance.
  • Power source: Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (MMRTG). It converts heat from the radioactive decay of plutonium into electricity.

Key Facts about Ingenuity Helicopter:

• It is a small, autonomous aircraft.
• Objective: Technology demonstration to test the first powered flight on Mars.
• The helicopter rode to Mars attached to the belly of the Perseverance rover.
• It became the first aircraft in history to make a powered, controlled flight on another planet.
• Ingenuity uses solar power to charge its batteries and can operate autonomously.

About Ellora Caves:

• They are located near the village of Ellora in Maharashtra.
• Inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983, the Ellora Caves are an extraordinary complex of rock-cut monasteries and temples carved into a high basalt cliff.
• These structures date from the 6th to the 10th century CE and represent three major religions—Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism.
• The sculptures range from depictions of deities, celestial beings, and mythological scenes to portraits of royalty and everyday life.
• The architectural brilliance of Ellora is most evident in the Kailasanatha Temple, the site’s grandest and most breathtaking structure.
  • It is one of the largest monolithic structures in the world.
  • The structure is carved vertically from a single rock.
  • The temple features ornate pillars, detailed sculptures, massive courtyards, and elaborate carvings that depict stories from Hindu epics like the Ramayana and Mahabharata.
• The Buddhist caves include large chaityas (prayer halls) and viharas (monasteries), while the Jain caves are known for their intricate detailing and depictions of Jain Tirthankaras.

About Thalassemia:

• It is an inherited blood disorder.
• It affects the body’s ability to produce normal hemoglobin.
• Hemoglobin is a protein in red blood cells (RBCs). It allows the RBCs to transport oxygen throughout your body.
• In thalassemia, the body produces fewer healthy hemoglobin proteins, and bone marrow produces fewer healthy RBCs.
  • The condition of having fewer RBCs is called anemia.
  • As RBCs serve the vital role of delivering oxygen to tissues in body, not having enough healthy RBCs can deprive your body’s cells of the oxygen they need to make energy and thrive.
• Thalassemia is caused by inheriting a gene mutation (change in the normal DNA) from one or both parents.
• Traits for thalassemia are more common in people from Mediterranean countries, like Greece and Turkey, and in people from Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.
• There are different types of thalassemia. The type someone has depends on which gene mutation they inherit.
• Symptoms: Thalassemia can cause mild or severe anemia and other complications over time (such as iron overload).
• Symptoms of Anemia Include:
  • Trouble breathing.
  • Feeling cold.
  • Pale skin.
• Severe thalassemia may cause death.
• Treatments:
  • Blood transfusions – regular blood transfusions treat and prevent anemia; in severe cases these are needed around once a month.
  • Chelation therapy – treatment with medicine to remove the excess iron from the body that builds up as a result of having regular blood transfusions.
  • The only possible cure for thalassemia is a stem cell or bone marrow transplant, but this is not done very often because of the risks involved.

About SIM Binding:

• SIM binding refers to a form of device binding in which a user's mobile device is securely linked to their SIM card.
• This approach enhances security by ensuring that authentication processes are tied not just to the device but specifically to the unique identity of the SIM card, reducing the risk of unauthorised access.
• This prevents the user from hackers, spammers, and fraudsters to misuse numbers.

Recent Government Directions:

• The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has asked all over-the-top communication platforms operating in India to complete the SIM-binding-to-device exercise within the next 90 days.
• The DoT has directed these apps to make sure their services work only when the correct SIM card is in the phone.
• If the app stops working the moment the SIM is removed, the government believes it will close one loophole that scammers use to stay untraceable.
• Several financial applications, including banking and Unified Payment Interface (UPI) apps, already enforce strict active-SIM rules to prevent fraud.

About International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA):

• It was adopted by the Thirty-First Session of the Conference of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations in 2001.
• Entering into force in 2004, it is the only legally binding international agreement that specifically deals with the conservation and sustainable management of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (PGRFA).
• The countries which participate in the treaty exchange and share genetic material and information for most of the world’s most important food crops.
• Objectives:
  • Conservation and sustainable use of PGRFA.
  • Fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of their use, in harmony with the Convention on Biological Diversity, for sustainable agriculture and food security.
• The treaty ensures that farmers and plant breeders access, easily, the raw genetic material needed to develop new crop varieties, including those with higher yields and those that are resilient to climate change.
• The International Treaty makes it possible to share plant genetic resources across borders through a unique Multilateral System of Access and Benefit-sharing (MLS).
  • MLS applies to 64 major crops and forages over which recipients cannot claim Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) or any other rights.
• The exchange of material from the MLS is operationalised through the standard material transfer agreement (SMTA), a legal document that governs the terms under which genetic material is shared.
• Those who access genetic materials through the Multilateral System agree to share any benefits from their use.
  • Fair sharing of benefits from use can be achieved through information exchange, access to and transfer of technology, capacity building, and sharing of the financial and other benefits of marketing.
• This treaty established and operates a special initiative operated for the benefit of developing countries–the Benefit-sharing Fund (BSF).
  • BSF supports agricultural projects for farmers, public institutions and others in developing countries to conserve and use PGRFA to improve food crop production, fight plant pests, and adapt to the effects of climate change.

About Sahariya Tribe:

• It is one of the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG).
• The Sahariya community is also called by the names Seher, Sair, Savar, Saonar, Sahra, etc.
• They live in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
• Living condition and Social Structure:
  • They mostly live in a separate area in the village, which is called ‘Seharana’ which is generally a cluster of houses.
  • The houses are made of some stone boulders, and the roofing is also made of stone slabs – locally called Patore. In some villages, mud structures are also constructed.
• Religion and Language
  • Language: While the Sahariyas have lost their original language, they speak the local dialects of the regions they inhabit.
  • They are known for their dance, the Saharia Swang, which is performed on the festival of Holi.
• Livelihood: They are predominantly forest dwellers and make their living from forest produce, additionally cultivating small plots of land.
• They are particularly skilled in making catechu from khair trees.

About Asia Power Index:

• It is published annually by the Australia-based think tank, Lowy Institute.
• It assesses the ability of nations, particularly of those in the Asian continent, to influence their external environment.
• It is the seventh edition it evaluates the countries and territories across Asia, based on indicators across eight thematic measures, including Military Capability and Defence Networks, Economic Capability and Relationships, Diplomatic and Cultural Influence and Resilience and Future Resources.

Highlights of Asia Power Index 2025:

• India ranks third for two measures economic capability and future resources.
• India’s economic and military capability, have both increased in the 2025 edition of the Asia Power Index. 

About Hansa-3 (NG) Trainer Aircraft:

• It is India’s first indigenous flying trainer aircraft.
• It was designed and developed by CSIR-National Aerospace Laboratories, Bangalore, under the aegis of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).
• Features of Hansa-3 (NG) Trainer Aircraft:
  • It has an advanced electronic fuel injection system, which controls the fuel and air mixtures electronically and provides optimum fuel air mixture at every altitude.
  • It is an ideal aircraft for Commercial Pilot Licensing (CPL) due to its low cost and low fuel consumption.