UPPSC PYQ 1 (2020) — Geography
Which of the following ocean currents is associated with Indian Ocean?
- Florida current
- Canary current
- Agulhas current
- Kurile current
Answer: C. Agulhas current
Get the weekly digest
Top current affairs + exam tips, every Monday morning.
📝 AI-generated analysis for exam preparation. This is original educational content curated for competitive exam aspirants.
On July 24, 2026, the United States rolled out permanent tariffs ranging from 10% to 12.5% across 60 economies under Section 301 of the US Trade Act of 1974, with India securing the lower 10% bracket after New Delhi amended its Foreign Trade Policy to explicitly ban the import of goods made using forced or compulsory labour. The action, announced by US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer under the direct authorisation of President Trump, replaces a temporary 10% baseline tariff that had expired, and followed a multi-month US investigation into how major trading partners enforce prohibitions on forced-labour-linked goods. For aspirants preparing for UPSC, UPPSC, MPSC, and other state PSC exams, this topic is directly relevant for GS Paper 2/3 (International Relations, India's Economic Diplomacy and Trade Policy) and frequently appears as a source-based question on India-US trade relations.
India was initially bracketed for the higher 12.5% levy alongside countries like China and Israel, but Washington lowered the rate after taking note of India's policy amendment, illustrating how a targeted domestic regulatory change can directly shift a country's standing in a major trading partner's tariff schedule.
Section 301 of the US Trade Act of 1974 empowers the US Trade Representative to investigate and act against foreign trade practices deemed "unreasonable or discriminatory" and burdensome to US commerce, historically used against practices like intellectual-property violations and, more recently, forced-labour supply chains; it operates as US domestic trade law rather than through multilateral World Trade Organization dispute mechanisms, meaning its tariff determinations are unilateral US actions rather than WTO-sanctioned measures.
India-US trade relations have gone through several rounds of tariff friction and negotiation in recent years, with India previously facing a temporary baseline tariff before this permanent tariff schedule was announced; India's decision to formally amend its Foreign Trade Policy to prohibit forced-labour-linked imports reflects a broader global trend of trade policy increasingly incorporating labour and human-rights standards as a condition for preferential market access.
Tariff Action
India's Position
Basis of the Action
Comparative Impact
China and Israel face the higher 12.5% tariff bracket.
India's differentiated, lower rate reflects its recent policy compliance.
Syllabus relevance: UPSC GS Paper 2/3 - India's Foreign Trade Policy, International Relations, Bilateral Economic Diplomacy; state PSC prelims and mains under International Relations and Economy.
Political and Constitutional Dimensions India's Foreign Trade Policy is framed under the Foreign Trade (Development and Regulation) Act, 1992, by the Union government's Directorate General of Foreign Trade, and foreign trade policy itself falls within the Union's exclusive domain under Entry 41 of the Union List (List I) - "Trade and commerce with foreign countries" - meaning the swift policy amendment banning forced-labour imports was entirely within the Centre's constitutional competence to execute unilaterally.
Economic and Financial Dimensions A 2.5 percentage-point tariff gap between India's 10% rate and China's 12.5% rate provides Indian exporters a relative price advantage in the US market for competing product categories, potentially reinforcing "China-plus-one" sourcing shifts already underway among US importers diversifying supply chains away from China.
Social Dimensions The forced-labour compliance requirement underlying this tariff differentiation reflects growing international linkage between trade access and labour-rights standards, indirectly incentivising stricter labour-law enforcement within India's own supply chains, including in sectors like textiles and manufacturing that have historically faced scrutiny over informal and bonded labour practices.
Governance and Administrative Dimensions Meeting the compliance bar required rapid inter-ministerial coordination between the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and labour authorities to amend the Foreign Trade Policy credibly enough to satisfy a foreign investigator's forced-labour audit, illustrating how domestic regulatory agility increasingly has direct, quantifiable trade consequences.
International Perspective Section 301 actions, being unilateral US determinations outside the WTO's multilateral dispute-settlement framework, continue to be a point of friction in global trade governance, with countries increasingly having to navigate parallel unilateral US trade requirements alongside their existing multilateral WTO commitments and bilateral free trade agreement negotiations.
Test yourself · no signup needed
Try 3 real UPPSC PYQs, see the answer instantly, then unlock the full set free.
Which of the following ocean currents is associated with Indian Ocean?
Answer: C. Agulhas current
Without green house effect, the average temperature of earth surface would be
Answer: B. –18°C
1. In Ease of Doing Business Report 2020, India's rank is 63. 2. India ranking for Ease of Doing Business in the year 2019 was 77.
With reference to the World Bank's Ease of Doing Business Report, which of the following statement(s) is/are correct?
Answer: B. 2 only
Free sample · Question 1 of 3
Geography · 2020Which of the following ocean currents is associated with Indian Ocean?
This week's CA quiz · 20 questions
Cross-topic questions from recent current affairs
President Murmu's Historic Romania Visit Boosts India-Romania Trade and Strategic Ties
27 JulPresident Murmu's Romania Visit: India-Romania Business Forum 2026 Explained
25 JulAndhra Pradesh UAE Food Cluster: APEDB's ₹100-Crore Chittoor Processing Push
23 JulChina Launches World AI Cooperation Organisation, Challenging Western AI Governance
22 Jul