India-UK Trade Deal, National Sports Governance Bill, ICJ Climate Opinion, National Cooperative Policy 2025

Vocabulary flashcards covering the major terms, institutions, goals and challenges discussed in the lecture notes on the India-UK CETA, National Sports Governance Bill 2025, ICJ climate advisory opinion, and National Cooperative Policy 2025.

India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA)

A pact concluded in 2025 to liberalise trade in goods and services between India and the United Kingdom.

Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA)

The higher-level India-UK FTA that also covers investment protection, labour mobility, regulatory cooperation and sustainable development.

Doubling-trade Goal

Target within the India-UK CETA to raise bilateral trade from USD 56 billion to USD 120 billion by 2030.

Duty-Free Access (India→UK)

Approx. 99 % of Indian exports—textiles, gems & jewellery, leather, pharma, etc.—enter the UK with zero tariffs.

Tariff Cut (UK→India)

Average Indian tariff on UK goods falls from ≈15 % to ≈3 %, with steep cuts for Scotch whisky, gin and cars.

Implementation Timeline

Staggered tariff reductions and reforms spread over roughly 10 years under the India-UK deal.

MSME Awareness Challenge

Need for India’s small exporters to understand and leverage new CETA provisions.

Services Mobility Quota

Up to 1,800 annual UK visas for Indian chefs, yoga teachers, classical musicians and similar professionals.

National Insurance Exemption

Indian employees on intra-company transfer to the UK for ≤3 years need not pay UK national-insurance contributions.

Nondiscrimination in Services (UK)

India grants UK accounting, legal and financial firms market access on par with domestic providers.

Digital Customs Procedures

Paperless trade documentation and simplified, electronic customs under CETA.

Government Procurement Access

British firms can bid for non-sensitive Indian public tenders above ₹200 crore.

Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM)

EU-origin policy taxing carbon-intensive imports; excluded from the India-UK FTA though the UK plans a similar levy from 2027.

Post-Brexit Trade Strategy

UK’s effort to secure large bilateral FTAs, with the India deal being its biggest since leaving the EU.

National Sports Governance Bill 2025

Legislation introduced in Lok Sabha to overhaul sports administration through statutory oversight bodies.

National Sports Board

A SEBI-like regulator envisaged to frame rules and monitor 56 recognised National Sports Federations (NSFs), including BCCI.

National Sports Tribunal

Quasi-judicial body with civil-court powers to resolve athlete-federation disputes; appeals lie to the Supreme Court.

National Sports Election Panel

Panel of former election officials mandated to ensure fair and timely NSF elections.

Athlete Committee

Body within each NSF requiring representation of Sportspersons of Outstanding Merit and at least four women members.

Term & Age Limits (NSFs)

Cumulative 12-year tenure cap and 70-year age ceiling (extendable to 75 under intl. statutes) for top sports officials.

RTI Act Coverage

Provision bringing all recognised sports federations under the Right to Information Act 2005 for transparency.

Centralisation Concern

Critique that the Bill could concentrate power in the Union government at the expense of autonomous sports bodies.

BCCI Resistance

Expected pushback from India’s powerful cricket board against external regulatory oversight.

International Court of Justice (ICJ)

UN’s principal judicial organ seated at The Hague with 15 judges elected for nine-year terms.

ICJ Advisory Opinion

Non-binding legal advice issued by the Court on questions referred by UN organs or agencies.

Vanuatu Climate Resolution

2022 UNGA request, led by the Pacific island nation, seeking ICJ opinion on states’ climate-protection obligations.

ICJ Climate Opinion 2025

Court’s view that states are legally obliged to curb greenhouse-gas emissions and may owe compensation for failure.

Binding vs Non-Binding (ICJ)

Contentious cases create binding judgments; advisory opinions, like the climate ruling, are influential but not compulsory.

Paris Agreement

2015 treaty under the UNFCCC aiming to limit global warming; referenced by the ICJ in assessing legal obligations.

UNCLOS

UN Convention on the Law of the Sea; cited in climate context for obligations to protect the marine environment.

UNFCCC

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (1992), foundational climate treaty recognised by the ICJ opinion.

National Cooperative Policy 2025

Government blueprint to expand and modernise India’s cooperative sector, launched by the Minister of Cooperatives.

International Year of Cooperatives 2025

UN designation celebrated through India’s new cooperative policy initiatives.

Triple-GDP Contribution Target

Goal to raise cooperatives’ share of national GDP threefold by 2034.

Active-Member Target

Aim to enrol 50 crore active cooperative members nationwide by 2034.

One-Village-One-Cooperative

Objective to establish at least one cooperative unit in every Indian village within five years.

2 Lakh PACS Goal

Plan to create 200,000 Primary Agricultural Credit Societies by February 2026.

Primary Agricultural Credit Society (PACS)

Village-level cooperative providing short-term credit; supplies about 20 % of rural lending in India.

Sahkar Taxi Initiative

Proposed cooperative taxi scheme where drivers retain 100 % of profits.

Green-Energy Cooperatives

Solar, wind and biogas ventures promoted under the new policy for farmer collectives.

Cooperative Sector Data

India hosts 8.44 lakh cooperatives across 30 sectors, a backbone for rural credit and employment.

Scotch Whisky Tariff Path

Example of phased duty drop: ~150 % → ~75 % at signing → ~30-40 % over 10 years.

Carbon Leakage

Relocation of high-emission industries to jurisdictions with lax climate rules; addressed by CBAM.

Sportspersons of Outstanding Merit (SOM)

Category of elite athletes mandated for representation in NSF committees.

Legal Obligation to Mitigate (Climate)

ICJ affirmation that states must actively reduce emissions under existing international law.

Compensation Liability (Climate)

ICJ suggestion that states failing to mitigate may owe reparations for climate-related harm.