Current Affairs 14th June 2024 for UPSC Prelims Exam

Grey Zone Warfare

Context: Since Lai Ching-te (Taiwan’s new president) was elected, China has employed various sophisticated and non-traditional warfare tactics, often referred to as ‘grey-zone’ warfare, to exert pressure on Taiwan.

About Grey Zone Warfare

• Grey-zone warfare is a concept used to describe military and non-military actions that fall below the threshold of traditional warfare.
• Unlike conventional wars with open fighting and clear declarations of conflict, grey-zone activities operate in a grey area, often below the level that would trigger a full-blown military response.
• These actions manifest in the form of disinformation campaigns, proxy wars, economic pressure through sanctions or trade manipulation, technological espionage to steal intellectual property and support for insurgencies or non-state actors without openly declaring war.

International Examples

• Russia’s Annexation of Crimea (2014): This is often cited as a classic example of grey zone warfare, where “little green men” or soldiers without insignia took control of the region, effectively seizing territory without engaging in open warfare.
• The growth of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in the Levant threatens global energy markets and regional stability.
• The Boko-Harim terror incursion into West Africa.
• The Houthi rebellion in Yemen and Iran used subversion and proxy warfare to destabilise adversaries and shift the balance of power in the region.

India to Remain Fastest Growing Economy

Context: Moody’s Ratings reported that India will continue to be the fastest-growing economy in the Asia-Pacific region in 2024, maintaining its domestically driven momentum from the previous year.

More In News

• In the report titled “Credit Conditions – Asia-Pacific H2 2024 Credit Outlook,” Moody’s highlighted that India, along with Indonesia and the Philippines, led growth in the first half of 2024.
• These countries are expected to outperform pre-COVID growth levels due to rising exports, local demand, and government spending on infrastructure.
• India’s growth is driven by increased exports, strong domestic demand, and significant government infrastructure spending.
• The report anticipates continued policy stability post-general election and a sustained focus on infrastructure development and encouraging private sector investment.
• The continuation of domestically driven growth momentum is expected, with a particular emphasis on infrastructure and private sector investments supporting this trend.

Examples, Data and Case Studies

• Agriculture (GS 3): India which is one of the largest importers of urea, plans to be self-sufficient by 2025.
  • The government reports that urea imports decreased from 91.36 lakh tonnes to 75.8 lakh tonnes in 2022–2023.
  • The fertiliser subsidy skyrocketed to Rs 2.55 lakh crore in 2022–2023.
• Related Information:
  • The ‘PM Programme for Restoration, Awareness, Nourishment and Amelioration of Mother Earth’ (PM-PRANAM) initiative was also introduced by the government to encourage states and Union Territories (UTs) to use chemical fertilisers sparingly and to encourage the use of alternative fertilisers.

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