UPSC Key: Caste Census, World War II and Article 142 of the Constitution

Caste census to be held with national Census, Shah calls it historic

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development-Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, etc.

Main Examination: General Studies II: Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes; mechanisms, laws, institutions and Bodies constituted for the protection and betterment of these vulnerable sections.

What’s the ongoing story: The Centre Wednesday announced that the forthcoming population census will include a caste census with Union Home Minister Amit Shah describing the move as a “historic decision” by a government “committed to social justice”.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What does social justice mean?

• How caste census will ensure social justice?

• What do you understand by caste census?

• But, why caste census?

• What is the difference between caste census and socio economic caste census?

• Know the historical context and significance of conducting a caste census in India after nearly a century.

Key Takeaways:

• The decision, which also addresses a key demand of the Congress-led Opposition, was taken at a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA) headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

• Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Union Information & Broadcasting Minister Ashwani Vaishnaw said the caste census “will strengthen the social and economic structure of our society while the nation continues to progress”.

• Non-BJP-ruled Telangana and Karnataka had already conducted separate caste surveys after their demand for such a census was rejected by the Centre. Bihar, where Assembly elections are due later this year, had also conducted such a census in 2023 when the JDU was in power with RJD and Congress. The Centre, meanwhile, had largely been silent on the issue — until now.

• It is not yet clear when the next census will be held — it was due in 2021 but could not be conducted due to the Covid pandemic.

• Posting on X in Hindi, Shah said, “The Modi government, which is committed to social justice, has taken a historic decision today. At the meeting of the CCPA chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a message of strong commitment to social justice and the rights of every section has been sent with the decision to include caste census in the upcoming census.”

• Taking on the Opposition, Shah said, “For decades, while in power, the Congress and its allies opposed caste census and played politics over it. This decision will empower all economically and socially backward classes, promote inclusion and pave the way for the uplift of the deprived.”

Do You Know:

• The data collected in Censuses since 1951 include the numbers of individuals belonging to the Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs), and of various religious denominations. But the members of caste groups other than SCs and STs have not been counted.

• The most recent caste data available is from the Census of 1931. The 1941 Census, carried out during the War, collected data on caste, but they were never released.
Ahead of the first Census of independent India, the government chose to avoid the question of caste. Thereafter, demands for a caste census were repeatedly raised, especially by parties who had a base among Other Backward Classes (OBCs), primarily farming communities and artisans.

• SECC is a study of socio economic status of rural and urban households and allows ranking of households based on predefined parameters. SECC 2011 has three census components which were conducted by three separate authorities but under the overall coordination of Department of Rural Development in the Government of India. Census in Rural Area has been conducted by the Department of Rural Development (DoRD). Census in Urban areas is under the administrative jurisdiction of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation (MoHUPA). Caste Census is under the administrative control of Ministry of Home Affairs: Registrar General of India (RGI) and Census Commissioner of India.

• The Census Act of 1948 mandates confidentiality for all Census data, while the SECC (Socio-Economic and Caste Census) website states that personal information from the SECC is open for government use in awarding or restricting benefits.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Explained: Demands for a caste census, and what happens now after its approval

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:
1. Consider the following statements: (2009)
2. Between Census 1951 and Census 2001, the density of the population of India has increased more than three times.
3. Between Census 1951 and Census 2001, the annual growth rate (exponential) of the population of India has doubled.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

GOVT & POLITICS

SC asks Govt, RBI to update KYC norms for disabled

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Indian Polity and Governance

Main Examination: General Studies II: Structure, organization and functioning of the Executive and the Judiciary—Ministries and Departments of the Government; pressure groups and formal/informal associations and their role in the Polity.

What’s the ongoing story: Underlining that “right to digital access” is “an instinctive component” of the right to life and liberty, the Supreme Court Wednesday ordered the revision of digital Know Your Customer (KYC) norms to make it accessible to persons with disabilities, particularly those with visual disabilities and facial disfigurement.

Key Points to Ponder:

• Which constitutional articles were invoked by the Supreme Court in its 2025 judgment affirming digital access as a fundamental right?

• What specific change did the Supreme Court direct regarding the digital KYC process for persons with disabilities?

• Which of the directive NOT issued by the Supreme Court to make digital services more accessible?

• Under which act does the Supreme Court’s directive to revise digital KYC norms for persons with disabilities find statutory backing?

• What is the significance of the Supreme Court’s 2025 judgment regarding digital access?

• What is the broader constitutional implication of the Supreme Court’s 2025 judgment on digital access?

Key Takeaways:

• This was part of a series of directions by a bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and R Mahadevan to the Centre and different public entities, including the RBI, on two writ petitions seeking to make the digital KYC framework inclusive for those with vision impairment or low vision, and acid attack survivors.

• “In the contemporary era, where access to essential services, governance, education, health care and economic opportunities are increasingly mediated through digital platforms, the right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution must be re-interpreted in light of these technological realities,” said Justice Mahadevan, writing for the bench.

• “The digital divide, characterised by unequal access to digital infrastructure, skills and content, continues to perpetuate systematic exclusion not only of persons with disabilities but also of large sections of rural populations, senior citizens, economically weaker communities and linguistic minorities,” the bench said.

• Among other directions, the court asked various ministries to direct all the regulated entities, government or private, to follow accessibility standards and appoint a nodal officer in every department responsible for digital accessibility compliance.

• It said all the regulated entities must mandatorily undergo periodical accessibility audit by certified accessibility professionals and involve persons with blindness in user acceptance testing phase while designing any app or website, or in case a new feature is launched.

• It also asked the RBI to issue guidelines to all regulated entities to adopt alternative modes for verifying the “liveness” or capturing a “live photograph” of the customers, as mandated under the rules for the purpose of conducting Digital KYC/ e-KYC beyond the traditional “blinking of eyes” to ensure inclusivity and user-convenience.

• One of the petitions, by acid attack victims who suffer from facial disfigurement and severe eye burns, said the current norms require facial movements such as blinking and head tilting, which are impossible for them.

Do You Know:

• Digital KYC is a process of verifying a customer’s identity using digital means, like e-documents, biometric data, or Aadhaar authentication, rather than traditional paper-based methods.

• One of the petitions, by acid attack victims who suffer from facial disfigurement and severe eye burns, said the current norms require facial movements such as blinking and head tilting, which are impossible for them.

• The other, by a person suffering from 100% blindness, pointed to barriers in the KYC process, including the inability to take selfies, difficulties with handwritten signatures, and challenges with short OTP durations. These, it said, discriminated against persons with disabilities.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍How an amendment introduced through the Data Protection Act puts the Right to Information at risk

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:
📍The emergence of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Digital Revolution) has initiated e-Governance as an integral part of government”. Discuss. (2020)

Sugar production set to decline, Govt hikes fair price of sugarcane by 4.41%

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development

Main Examination: General Studies III: Issues related to direct and indirect farm subsidies and minimum support prices

What’s the ongoing story: Amid a drop in sugar production during the current season (October 2024 to September 2025), the Centre on Wednesday increased the fair and remunerative price (FRP) of sugarcane by Rs 15 (or 4.41%) to Rs 355 per quintal for the sugar season 2025-26.

Key Points to Ponder:

• Map Work-Sugar Industry in India

• Sugarcane Cultivation in India-Know the Geographical Conditions of Growth

• Sugar production and Sugar Cane Policy in India-Know in detail

• Raw sugar and finished sugar-compare and contrast

• Sugar exports from India-What data and statistics says?

• What is International Commission for Uniform Methods of Sugar Analysis?

• Raw sugar and finished sugar-compare and contrast

• Top sugar producing states-know in detail

Key Takeaways:

• The new FRP — it is the minimum price mandated by the Government that sugar mills are obligated to pay farmers for their produce — will come into effect October 1, 2025.

• “Keeping in view interest of sugarcane farmers, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved FRP of sugarcane for sugar season 2025-26 (October-September) at Rs 355/qtl for a basic recovery rate of 10.25%, providing a premium of Rs 3.46/qtl for each 0.1% increase in recovery over and above 10.25%, & reduction in FRP by Rs 3.46/qtl for every 0.1% decrease in recovery,” according to an official statement issued after the CCEA meeting.

• “However, the Government with a view to protect the interest of sugarcane farmers has also decided that there shall not be any deduction in case of sugar mills where recovery is below 9.5%. Such farmers will get Rs 329.05/qtl for sugarcane in ensuing sugar season 2025-26,” it said.

• The FRP hike will encourage sugarcane farmers to plant more when sugar production is seeing a dip. According to Indian Sugar and Bio-Energy Manufacturers Association, as on April 30, estimated sugar production is 257 LMT; and overall production in the whole season is likely to be 264 LMT, which was 319 LMT last year.

• According to the statement, the cost of sugarcane production for the sugar season 2025-26 is Rs 173/qtl. “This FRP of Rs 355/qtl at a recovery rate of 10.25% is higher by 105.2% over production cost. The FRP for 2025-26 is 4.41% higher than current sugar season,” it said.

Do You Know:

• The statutory minimum price (SMP) is announced by the central government based on the cost of cultivation estimated by the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP). This is the basic price which the sugar mills must pay sugarcane growers. However, citing differences in cost of production, productivity levels and also as a result of pressure from farmers groups, some states (Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Tamil Nadu and Uttarakhand) used to declare state-specific sugarcane prices called State Advised Prices (SAP),usually higher than the SMP.

• These states also argued that SMP was merely the minimum price which could be enhanced to protect farmers interests. Even though the name suggest that SAPs are advisory prices, litigation in courts has established that the mills in these states mandatorily pay SAP to farmers in these states.

• Unlike the MSP for wheat or paddy announced by the Centre, where the government procures a commodity from farmers directly in case market prices go below the MSP, the government never procures sugarcane from farmers directly. It is only sugar mills or khandsari units that buy it from farmers at the prices which shouldn’t fall below that determined by the government (SMP or SAP).

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Sugar, and the spice

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:
2. With reference to the usefulness of the by-products of sugar industry, which of the following statements is/are correct? (2013)
1. Bagasse can be used as biomass fuel for the generation of energy.
2. Molasses can be used as one of the feedstocks for the production of synthetic chemical fertilizers.
3. Molasses can be used for the production of ethanol.
Select the correct answer using the codes given below:
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

EXPRESS NETWORK

Rajnath to attend WWII Victory Day event in Moscow

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Main Examination: 

• General Studies I: History of the world will include events from 18th century such as industrial revolution, world wars, redrawal of national boundaries, colonization, decolonization, political philosophies like communism, capitalism, socialism etc.— their forms and effect on the society.

• General Studies II: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests.

What’s the ongoing story: Almost a month after Prime Minister Narendra Modi was invited for the Victory Day celebrations on May 9 in Moscow, India has decided that Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will be attending the event, sources said on Wednesday.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What is Victory Day parade?

• What is Victory Day in Russia?

• What is the strategic significance of India’s participation in Russia’s Victory Day parade in 2025 amidst escalating tensions with Pakistan?

• What implications will be there of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decision to delegate attendance at the Victory Day parade to the Defence Minister on India-Russia relations?

• What you about World War II?

• Which event is widely considered the immediate cause of World War II?

• The Atlantic Charter was a pivotal statement during WWII. It was signed by whom?

• Discuss the main causes that led to the outbreak of the Second World War.

• How did the Treaty of Versailles contribute to the outbreak of the Second World War?

Key Takeaways:

• Government sources said, “An invitation was extended to the prime minister to attend the Victory Day Parade at Moscow. The Russian side was informed earlier that India would be represented by Defence Minister Singh.”

• This year marks the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s Red Army’s victory over German Nazi forces in the Second World War. In January 1945, the Soviet Army launched an offensive against Germany. The commanders-in-chief on May 9 signed the Act of Unconditional Surrender of Germany which ended the war.

• Earlier this month, the Ministry of External Affairs’ official spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, when asked about the Russian invitation, had said that India has received an invitation, and it will be announcing its participation at the “appropriate time”.

• Modi has already travelled to Russia twice last year for an annual summit with President Vladimir Putin in July and to attend the BRICS Summit in Kazan in October.

• During his last visit, Modi invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to visit India and he is expected to travel to India this year as part of the established framework for reciprocal annual engagements between the leaders of the two nations. However, the dates of Putin’s visit have not been announced yet.

Do You Know:

• Victory Day marks the end of World War II and the victory of the Allied Forces in 1945. Adolf Hitler had shot himself on April 30. On May 7, German troops surrendered, which was formally accepted the next day, and came into effect on May 9.

• The erstwhile Soviet Union had not wanted the surrender to take place in the west, and wanted that such a significant event should reflect the contribution of the Red Army and the Soviet population. According to military historian Antony Beevor’s definitive book on World War II, Joseph Stalin, premier of the Soviet Union, wanted Germany to also sign a surrender in Berlin.

• The Act of Military Surrender was signed by Chief of the Operations Staff of the Armed Forces High Command Generallutenant Alfred Jodl and General Admiral Hans-George von Friedeburg in the early hours of May 7 in France at Rheims, which was the headquarters of the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF). The surrender was to come into effect a minute past midnight on May 9.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Russia invites Modi for Victory Day Parade on May 9

📍Victory Day: Why Russia celebrates WWII triumph on a different date

📍What is the Munich Agreement and the role it played in starting World War II?

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:
📍“There arose a serious challenge to the Democratic State System between the two World Wars.” Evaluate the statement. (2021)
📍To what extend can Germany be held responsible for causing the two World Wars? Discuss critically. (2015)

Appellate courts can modify arbitral awards: Supreme Court

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Indian Polity and Governance

Main Examination: General Studies II: Structure, organization and functioning of the Executive and the Judiciary—Ministries and Departments of the Government; pressure groups and formal/informal associations and their role in the Polity.

What’s the ongoing story: In a 4:1 decision, the Supreme Court on Wednesday held that appellate courts can modify arbitral awards while exercising powers under the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What is Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996?

• What is Article 142 of the Constitution?

• Why Supreme Court invoked Article 142 in this issue?

• Article 142 of the Constitution and ‘complete justice’-How Article 142 ensures ‘Complete Justice’?

• Can High court use Article 142?

• Discuss the implications of the Supreme Court’s 4:1 ruling on the limited power of courts to modify arbitral awards under the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996.

• How the Supreme Court’s invocation of Article 142 in modifying arbitral awards balances judicial intervention with the principle of party autonomy in arbitration.

Key Takeaways:

• The majority ruling by Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna and Justices B R Gavai, Sanjay Kumar and A G Masih held that courts have “limited power” under Section 34 and 37 of the Act to modify arbitral awards. Justice K V Viswanathan delivered a dissenting opinion, disagreeing with the majority on certain aspects.

• The CJI reading out the conclusions said, “this limited power may be exercised” when the award is severable by separating the invalid portion from the valid portion of the award, to correct any clerical, computational or typographical errors which appear erroneous on the face of the record, to modify post-award interest in some circumstances. The SC may also modify awards by exercising powers under Article 142 of the Constitution, the ruling said, adding, it “must be exercised with great care and caution and within the limits of Constitutional power”.

• Section 34 of the Act deals with application for setting aside an arbitral award while Section 37 deals with the circumstances in which an appeal would lie against the order in an arbitral dispute.

• Justice Viswanathan held that “courts exercising powers under Section 34 and the courts hearing appeals therefrom under Section 37 have no power to modify an award”.

• Justice Viswanathan further said that “power to modify is not a lesser power than the power to set aside as the two operate in separate spheres. The inherent power under Section 151 CPC cannot be used to modify awards, as it is against the express provision of Section 34. Similarly, there is no scope to invoke the doctrine of implied powers to imply the power to modify the award. Article 142 of the Constitution cannot be exercised to modify an award, as it is well settled that Article 142 cannot be used to go by the substantive statutory provisions”.

• The five judges were answering a reference made by a three-judge bench in February 2024 on the question whether courts can modify arbitral awards.

Do You Know:

• The landmark 2015 amendments were aimed at establishing India as an international arbitration hub. The energy in the legal market, both
domestic and international, was palpable. Until 2018, the market remained upbeat. With minimal judicial interference, India seemed well on its way. However, repeated calls for third-party funding legislation and opening the Indian market to foreign lawyers went unheeded. Legislatively, the baffling regression of reforms was evident with each subsequent amendment in 2018, 2019, and 2021, culminating in the present setback of the 2024 memorandum.

• In 2015, the Supreme Court in a decision recognised the practice of foreign law firms in a very narrow sense. In ‘AK Balaji v Government of India’, the Madras High Court also held that foreign firms cannot practise either on the litigation or non-litigation side unless they meet the requirements and rules laid down by the Advocates Act and the BCI rules. Over 32 foreign law firms from the UK, the US, France and Australia had been impleaded as respondents in the case. However, the Madras High Court created an exception. It said that there would be no ban on temporary visits or advising clients on a “fly in and fly out” basis.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Finance to states, depts: Use arbitration only in disputes under Rs 10 crore

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:
📍What are the major changes brought in the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 through the recent Ordinance promulgated by the President? How far will it improve India’s dispute resolution mechanism? Discuss. (2015)

Potential presence of primitive lunar mantle material at landing site: Study

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Main Examination: General Studies III:  Awareness in the fields of IT, Space, Computers, robotics, nano-technology, biotechnology and issues relating to intellectual property rights.

What’s the ongoing story: “There is an anomalous depletion in sodium and potassium at the site, whereas there is an enrichment in sulphur found in the soils at the highland landing site,” said the study published in the journal Nature Communications Earth and Environment.

Key Points to Ponder:

• The South Pole–Aitken (SPA) Basin on the Moon is significant—Why?

• Which instrument onboard Chandrayaan-3 was used to analyze the elemental composition at the landing site?

• The enrichment of sulphur and depletion of sodium and potassium at the Chandrayaan-3 landing site suggests what?

• The term ‘ferroan anorthosite’ refers to what?

• What is the significance of finding primitive mantle materials on the Moon?

• The Lunar Magma Ocean (LMO) hypothesis suggests what?

• The presence of sulfur-rich materials at the Chandrayaan-3 landing site suggests what?

Key Takeaways:

• The Shiv Shakti point, where the world’s first lunar landing was facilitated by India’s Chandrayaan 3 in 2023, could hold a promising potential site for scientists to study the most primitive mantle samples on the lunar surface.

• The Shiv Shakti point is located at the southern high-latitude highlands of the nearside of the Moon. Scientists from Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) used data gathered by Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer onboard the Pragyan rover. They compared metal remnants and elemental concentrations of sulfur, potassium, sodium among others at the Shiv Shakti point where Chandrayaan 3 landed on August 23, 2023. Sulphur, potassium and sodium can give insights into the mantle composition and chemistry.

• “There is an anomalous depletion in sodium and potassium at the site, whereas there is an enrichment in sulfur found in the soils at the highland landing site,” said the study published in the journal Nature Communications Earth and Environment.

• “There is a potential presence of primitive lunar mantle materials at the landing site, which was excavated during formation of the South Pole-Aitken basin, around 4.3 Ga (billion years) ago and may have got redistributed by subsequent impacts on the SPA basin ejecta. While the primitive mantle contributed to the excess sulfur, it later got mixed up with the materials at the landing site,” the paper noted.

• The South Pole-Aitken basin is one of the largest known impact craters on the lunar surface.

• The low levels of sodium and potassium at the Shiv Shakti point, the researchers said, could suggest that these elements may not have originally existed at the place and time of the very formation of the SPA basin.

• According to the PRL team, Chandrayaan 3 data noted the concentration of sulfur to be 300-500 parts per million higher than in soils gathered by the above missions. The Indian team is studying this anomalous difference in the concentrations and trace the causes at the landing site.

Do You Know:

• The Moon is believed to have formed as a result of a collision between a massive asteroid and Earth approximately 4.2 to 4.3 billion years ago.

• The Moon is believed to have been composed of magma during its early life. As it cooled over millions of years, heavier silicon and magnesium-rich minerals such as Olivine and Pyroxene sunk and created the Moon’s interior layers. The outer layer was made up of lighter minerals containing calcium and sodium compounds.

• The Chandrayaan-3 mission was India’s third lunar mission and second attempt to make a soft landing on the surface of the Moon. It was launched by Launch Vehicle Mark-III (LVM3).

• The propulsion module carried the lander and rover configuration to a 100 km lunar orbit. The propulsion module had a Spectro-polarimetry of Habitable Planet Earth (SHAPE) payload to study the spectral and Polari metric measurements of Earth from the lunar orbit.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍‘Shiv Shakti’, ‘Tiranga’, ‘Jawahar Sthal’ after Chandrayaan missions: Who names sites on the Moon?

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:
3. Consider the following statements: (UPSC CSE 2016)
The Mangalyaan launched by ISRO
1. is also called the Mars Orbiter Mission
2. made India the second country to have a spacecraft orbit the Mars after USA
3. made India the only country to be successful in making its spacecraft orbit the Mars in its very first attempt
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

THE WORLD

Ukraine ready to sign key minerals deal with US in bid to mend ties with Trump

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Main Examination: General Studies III: Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests.

What’s the ongoing story: The United States and Ukraine Wednesday finalised a sweeping new agreement that will give Washington access to Ukraine’s vast reserves of critical minerals and natural resources, as Kyiv looks to secure future American support in its war against Russia.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What is critical minerals?

• Which minerals are included in the U.S.-Ukraine critical minerals agreement?

• What is the primary purpose of the joint Reconstruction Investment Fund established by the U.S.-Ukraine minerals deal?

• What is a significant geopolitical implication of the U.S.-Ukraine minerals deal?

• What was Russia’s response to the U.S.-Ukraine minerals agreement?

• How do international supply chain disruptions of critical minerals impact India’s energy security and manufacturing sectors?

Key Takeaways:

• The pact, known as the United States-Ukraine Reinvestment Fund, marks a significant shift in the economic partnership between the two countries. Though details of the fund’s structure remain sparse, US officials described it as a mechanism that will allow America to tap into Ukraine’s valuable rare earth minerals — including titanium, uranium, and lithium — while also attracting global investment to rebuild the war-torn nation.

• The announcement comes at a critical juncture in the three-year war, as President Donald Trump, who returned to office this year, has expressed growing frustration with the slow progress toward ending the conflict. Trump, who has criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for failing to make concessions, said on Wednesday that the new deal ensures the US will “get more from Ukraine than it contributed.”

Do You Know:

• Ukraine has rich resources of minerals that are critical in manufacturing a variety of products, from high-end weapon systems to clean energy solutions like Electrical Vehicles to electronic gadgets and semiconductors. These minerals are not found widely and are also difficult to extract, making them valuable. What makes them even more important for the US and the West is that China has large sources of them. Mineral resources are part of the reason Trump wants to buy Greenland, too.

• Two classifications are important when talking about these resources — rare earth elements, and critical minerals.
There are 17 rare earth elements, including 15 Lanthanides (atomic numbers 57 — which is Lanthanum — to 71 in the periodic table), Scandium (atomic number 21) and Yttrium (39).

• Minerals are defined as ‘critical’ by countries based on their needs, broadly using two parameters: their importance for economic development and national security, and their lack of availability. India in 2023 identified 30 critical minerals.

• According to a report by Ukraine’s Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources and the Ukrainian Geological Survey, “Ukraine holds 22 of the 50 strategic materials identified by the US as critical, and 25 out of the 34 recognised by the EU as critically important. Particularly, Ukraine holds very competitive positions in five key ones: graphite, lithium, titanium, beryllium and uranium.”

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Trump calls Zelenskyy a ‘dictator’, deepens rift between Washington and Kyiv amid Russia-Ukraine war

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:
4. Recently, there has been a concern over the short supply of a group of elements called ‘rare earth metals’. Why? (2012)
1. China, which is the largest producer of these elements, has imposed some restrictions on their export.
2. Other than China, Australia, Canada and Chile, these elements are not found in any country.
3. Rare earth metals are essential for the manufacture of various kinds of electronic items and there is a growing demand for these elements.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

 

PRELIMS ANSWER KEY

1.(d) 2.(c) 3.(c) 4.(c)

  

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