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India and Canada begin the fifth round of CEPA talks
খবরে কেন?
Pulses, potash and visas: the India-Canada CEPA trade-off that GS2 bilateral questions test
Fifth CEPA round opens with pulses, potash and visas on the agenda.
Why it matters: factual, Prelims-type
What you need to know
2 মিনিট
India and Canada have begun the fifth round of negotiations on a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, with pulses, potash and visas on the table.
Both governments are trying to conclude the deal before the Prime Minister's expected visit to Canada.
সূত্র: Topper IAS editorial (PIB / The Hindu / Indian Express)
মূল তথ্য
Remember these
- India and Canada have begun the fifth round of talks on a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA).
- Pulses, potash and visas are on the negotiating table this round.
- Both governments are trying to conclude the deal before the Prime Minister's expected visit to Canada.
- A CEPA goes beyond a plain free trade agreement by covering trade in goods, services and investment.
- Canada is the world's largest potash producer, a key input for India's fertiliser sector.
প্রিলিমস · মেইনস
How the exam will ask it
প্রিলিমস
- A Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement typically covers trade in goods and services, investment and economic cooperation, not tariffs alone.
- Potash (muriate of potash) is a potassium fertiliser input that India largely meets through imports.
- Pulses are a commodity where India both imports and protects domestic farmers, so tariff concessions on them are sensitive.
মেইনস
GS2 International Relations and GS3 Economy. India-Canada trade talks balance India's import needs (pulses, potash) and its demand for easier mobility of professionals (visas) against farm-sector sensitivities. A balanced CEPA that protects farmers, secures fertiliser supply and eases services mobility can deepen the bilateral relationship and diversify India's trade partners.
Quick recall
Answer before you reveal
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2026 recognised work on optogenetics, a technique that controls the activity of chosen neurons using:
- Magnetic nanoparticles in the brain
- Ultrasound-sensitive ion channels
- Radio-frequency electrodes in tissue
- Light-sensitive proteins such as channelrhodopsin
উত্তর দেখুন
উত্তর: D — Correct: Light-sensitive proteins such as channelrhodopsin — Optogenetics places light-sensitive proteins such as channelrhodopsin in chosen neurons so that light switches them on or off. • Magnetic nanoparticles in the brain — wrong: Magnetic nanoparticles are used in magnetogenetics, a different approach from optogenetics. • Ultrasound-sensitive ion channels — wrong: Ultrasound-sensitive channels belong to sonogenetics, not to optogenetics. • Radio-frequency electrodes in tissue — wrong: Implanted electrodes stimulate tissue electrically and do not target chosen cell types with light.
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