Daily Mains Answer Writing – 29 September 2025

Model Answer

Introduction

Special and Differential Treatment (SDT) provides developing countries with longer transition periods, policy flexibility, and preferential market access. China’s 2025 decision to renounce new SDT claims marks a turning point for global trade governance.

Body

For WTO reform: Strengthens the case for objective criteria to decide SDT eligibility rather than self-declaration, paving the way for more tailored, rules-based differentiation.
For India: India relies on SDT to safeguard food security, protect farmers, and preserve policy space. China’s stance may heighten pressure on India to reconsider, especially in agriculture and fisheries negotiations.
For developing countries: Smaller economies may lose China’s bargaining support but benefit from reduced criticism that large economies exploit SDT benefits.

Conclusion

China’s decision could accelerate WTO reforms and reshape negotiation coalitions. For India, the challenge lies in retaining SDT where it is crucial— agriculture, public stockholding, and digital policy—while preparing for gradual reform pressures in global trade.

Model Answer

Introduction

SDT provisions in WTO allow developing countries greater policy flexibility and longer compliance timelines. For India, SDT is vital for safeguarding developmental priorities but has drawn scrutiny from advanced economies.

Body

Agriculture: India uses higher de minimis thresholds (10%) and longer timelines for subsidy reforms. Public stockholding under MSP is defended using SDT, despite developed nations’ objections.
Intellectual Property (TRIPS): India has invoked SDT to secure extended implementation periods and safeguard compulsory licensing. During COVID-19, India led efforts for IP waivers to expand vaccine access.
Fisheries: India seeks 25 years of transition to protect artisanal fishers, arguing per capita benchmarks should guide subsidy disciplines rather than aggregate levels.
India’s stance in debates: India opposes U.S.-led criteria for limiting SDT, arguing that per capita income does not capture poverty and rural dependence. It frames SDT as a treaty right, not a privilege.
Criticism: Advanced developing countries like India are accused of “free-riding.” Critics push for a “differentiated differentiation” model with objective, case-specific rules.

Conclusion

India’s approach treats SDT as essential for balancing growth with social equity. However, reforms may require selective concessions—phasing out non-core SDT while retaining protections in agriculture, health, and fisheries. This calibrated defence ensures both domestic development and credibility in global negotiations.

Model Answer

Introduction

The WTO’s credibility rests on two pillars—dispute settlement and rule-making. Both are under strain: the Appellate Body has been paralysed since 2019, and digital trade rules remain outdated.

Body

Dispute settlement challenges: U.S. blocking of Appellate Body appointments has left disputes “in a void.” Proposals suggest stricter timelines, mediation, and clearer criteria for judges. India insists reforms must protect developing members’ access and safeguard its food security policies like MSP-based stockholding.
Digital trade challenges: WTO’s e-commerce rules only cover a moratorium on customs duties. With digital trade exceeding 50% of global services exports, India fears permanent tariff-free digital trade could cause $500m annual revenue loss and widen the digital divide.
India’s stance: Supports revival of dispute settlement but rejects plurilateral digital trade agreements. It seeks consensus-based, development-sensitive rules to protect digital sovereignty.

Conclusion

For India, reforms must restore WTO’s credibility without compromising developmental priorities. Balancing modernization with equity is essential to keep multilateralism relevant.

Model Answer

Introduction

Traditionally, healthcare in India was viewed through a narrow welfare lens, emphasizing charity and relief rather than development. Recent reforms have reframed health as an investment in human capital and a driver of economic transformation. This shift positions healthcare not merely as social protection but as an essential pillar for achieving “Viksit Bharat” by 2047.

Body

Ayushman Bharat – Shielding Families, Stimulating Markets: World’s largest publicly funded health insurance scheme, covering 55 crore citizens. Protects households from catastrophic health expenditure, a major cause of debt-induced poverty. Reduced out-of-pocket expenditure from 64% (2013–14) to 39% (2021–22). Indirectly spurred private investment in tier-2 and tier-3 cities, creating healthcare infrastructure and jobs.
POSHAN Abhiyaan – Nutrition as Economic Capital: Focuses on maternal and child nutrition through growth monitoring, behavioural change, and supplementary food. Reduces stunting and enhances cognitive development, raising future productivity and earning capacity. Represents a long-term investment in human capital measurable across generations.
Swachh Bharat Mission – Sanitation as Preventive Health: Over 60 million toilets built, drastically cutting open defecation. UNICEF estimates rural families save Rs 50,000 annually due to reduced disease burden. Saves 60,000–70,000 infant lives annually by reducing waterborne diseases.
Pharmaceutical Affordability and Accessibility: 16,900 Jan Aushadhi Kendras provide quality generics at steep discounts. Redirects household income towards education, food security, or small-scale investments.
Critical Perspective: Success varies across states; rural–urban disparities persist. Insurance-based models risk neglecting preventive care and primary healthcare. Shortage of medical professionals, despite doubling of medical colleges, remains a bottleneck.

Conclusion

India’s healthcare reforms illustrate that public health can be both a social good and a growth strategy. By reducing disease burden, enhancing productivity, and creating new investment opportunities, healthcare now serves as a structural driver of economic transformation. However, the challenge lies in balancing insurance expansion with preventive care, equitable access, and systemic efficiency to realize the full potential of health-led development by 2047.

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