“IPMDA (Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness) bridges the gap between India’s SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) vision and the Quad’s collective Indo-Pacific strategy.” Make a critical assessment of the statement focusing on IPMDA

Theme

T116 Indo-Pacific, Quad, AUKUS & sea lanes: straits, South China Sea, trade shift

What UPSC asks in this theme

A cross-paper GS1–GS2 theme: global trade shifting to the Indo-Pacific, importance of straits and isthmuses, South China Sea geopolitics, India–China maritime issues, IPMDA bridging SAGAR and Quad, AUKUS, Quad's shift to trade, India–Japan ties, and Look/Act East.

What to cover

• Indo-Pacific concept and India's vision (SAGAR, IPOI)
• Chokepoints: Malacca, Hormuz, Bab-el-Mandeb; isthmuses and canals
• South China Sea disputes and UNCLOS
• Quad, IPMDA, AUKUS: purposes and overlaps
• Look East to Act East; ASEAN centrality
• India–Japan: investment, infrastructure, constraints

Writing the answer

• Join geography (GS1) and IR (GS2) — a map sketch helps
• End with India's strategic autonomy

These notes are for the whole theme, built from all 8 of its PYQs. UPSC does not publish model answers.