UPSC Key: Cheetahs, AI governance norms, and Climate Finance Report

Key Points to Ponder:

— Read about the Cheetahs.

— What is the Conservation status of Cheetah?

— What is Project Cheetah?

— How was the Reintroduction of the cheetah in India executed?

— What are the challenges of Project Cheetah?

— Cheetah Project Steering Committee and  National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) —Know their role, vision and powers.

— What is the significance of the Project Cheetah?

— Map work (World): Namibia, Botswana, and South Africa.

— Map work (India): Kuno Palpur National Park, Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary, largest wildlife sanctuary in Nauradehi. 

Key Takeaways:

— As the state government prepares the state’s largest wildlife sanctuary in Nauradehi as the third home of cheetahs, the fastest big cats on the planet will, for the first time, have to compete with an apex predator. Twenty-five tigers have already made Nauradehi their home since 2018. Add to that an estimated 100 crocodiles, Indian wolves, wild dogs and panthers.

— As Kuno National Park’s pioneering cheetah reintroduction project captures global attention, wildlife officials are quietly preparing Nauradehi to become India’s third cheetah stronghold. Dr A A Ansari, Deputy Director at Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary, told The Indian Express, “Our prey base and grassland quality are excellent; that’s a clear indication of the sanctuary’s potential. Tiger was introduced here in 2018. From just two individuals, there are now 25, including cubs, which shows the habitat can support apex predators.’

— The decision marks a calculated gamble on a landscape that MP wildlife and National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) officials describe as possessing “immense potential”, though one that will require transforming what has been “a neglected protected area”.

— Spread across the Sagar, Damoh, and Narsinghpur districts, the sanctuary sits atop the upper Vindhyan range that straddles the Ganges and Narmada basins. Officials said an additional buffer zone of 925 sq km has been added across Damoh, Narsinghpur, and Sagar districts, coupled with a core zone of 1,414 sq km. To address staff shortage, a proposal has been sent to the state government to fill 30 vacant forest guard posts.

— A tender has been floated to construct the cheetah enclosures, where the first batch expected to arrive next year will be housed before their release into the wild. This build-up of critical infrastructure is made possible by the relocation of villages. Out of 93 in its core area, 44 have been relocated outside the sanctuary, and 10 are in the process.

Do You Know:

— Project Cheetah was launched in September 2022 and introduced African cheetahs into India from Namibia and South Africa. Initially, 20 cheetahs were imported from the two countries.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Project Cheetah: Where things stand after two years

📍Explained: How cheetahs went extinct in India, and the plan to reintroduce them into the wild

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:

(1) Consider the following: (UPSC CSE 2012)

1. Black-necked crane

2. Cheetah

3. Flying squirrel

4. Snow leopard

Which of the above are naturally found in India?

(a) 1, 2 and 3 only

(b) 1, 3 and 4 only

(c) 2 and 4 only

(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

Plans on fundings sought from developed nations

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: General issues on Environmental ecology, Bio-diversity and Climate Change.

Mains Examination: General Studies-II, III: Government Policies and interventions, conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment.

What’s the ongoing story: Ahead of the COP30 climate meeting starting in Belem, Brazil, next week, a new report on climate finance has asked developed countries to work together to formulate a clear delivery plan by next year for the $300 billion per year that they have promised to mobilise every year from 2035 to help developing nations deal with climate change.

Key Points to Ponder:

— What is climate finance?

— What is Conference of the Parties or COP?

— Which international agreements laid the foundation for climate finance commitments by developed countries?

— Why are developing nations demanding climate finance?

— What is the principle of “common but differentiated responsibility and respective capabilities”?

— Green finance and climate finance-Compare

— What is India’s position on climate finance in the context of global climate negotiations?

— How can India balance its development needs with its increasing global leadership on climate finance and climate action?

— Read about the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the 2015 Paris Agreement.

Key Takeaways:

— The report has also asked the developed nations to significantly scale up current levels of grants and concessional finance being provided through bilateral or multilateral channels to help efforts to raise more resources for the developing countries, in addition to the $300 billion that has been promised.

— The Report on Baku to Belem Roadmap to 1.3T was commissioned last year to address the disappointment among the developing countries over the finance deal finalised in Baku, Azerbaijan, during the COP29 meeting. 

— Developing countries had been demanding that developed countries commit to providing at least $1.3 trillion a year in climate finance. In Baku, the developed countries agreed only for a $300 billion a year figure, and that too from 2035.

— Under the international climate architecture, governed by the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the 2015 Paris Agreement, developed countries are obliged to provide financial support to the developing countries to fight climate change. This is because it is the developed countries which have been primarily responsible for emitting greenhouse gases in the past 150 years that is the main reason for global warming and consequent climate change.

— Between 2020 and 2025, the developed countries had promised to raise at least $100 billion every year for this purpose. But the Paris Agreement mandates that this figure should be revised upwards every five years.

—In Baku, the developed countries agreed to a new figure, but the delivery would happen only from 2035. Developing countries, including India, had reacted angrily to the ‘paltry’ and ‘abysmally’ insufficient amount.

— The presidencies of COP29 and COP30 (Azerbaijan and Brazil) had then jointly commissioned this report to explore additional avenues to reach the $1.3 trillion goal by 2035.

— The new report, however, acknowledges that the climate and nature-related investment requirements of the developing countries in 2035 would be about $3.2 trillion a year. It explores a variety of options to raise additional financial resources for climate action, and considers the possibility of carbon tax, wealth tax, corporate taxes, aviation taxes, levies on luxury goods and even direct budget contributions from developed countries. These were based on the inputs and suggestions it had received from different countries and other stakeholders.

Do You Know:

— Climate finance refers to large-scale investments required for actions aiming to mitigate or adapt to the consequences of climate change.

— Adaptation involves anticipating the adverse effects of climate change and taking appropriate action to prevent or minimise the damage they can cause. One example of adaptation measures includes building infrastructure to protect coastal communities against sea-level rise.

— Meanwhile, mitigation involves reducing the emission of greenhouse gases (GHG) into the atmosphere so that impacts of climate change are less severe. Mitigation is done by increasing the share of renewable energy sources, expanding forest cover, etc.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍What is climate finance — and why developing countries need it

📍Climate finance: India takes lead in cornering developed nations

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:

(2) With reference to the Agreement at the UNFCCC Meeting in Paris in 2015, which of the following statements is/are correct? (UPSC CSE 2016)

1. The Agreement was signed by all the member countries of the UN, and it will go into effect in 2017.

2. The Agreement aims to limit the greenhouse gas emissions so that the rise in average global temperature by the end of this century does not exceed 2ºC or even 1.5ºC above pre-industrial levels.

3. Developed countries acknowledged their historical responsibility in global warming and committed to donate $ 1000 billion a year from 2020 to help developing countries to cope with climate change.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(a) 1 and 3 only

(b) 2 only

(c) 2 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Previous year UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme:

Describe the major outcomes of the 26th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). What are the commitments made by India in this conference? (UPSC CSE 2021)

FATF report lauds ED for role in asset recovery, flags challenges

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national importance, Polity and Governance. 

Mains Examination: General Studies-II, III: Important International institutions, agencies and fora- their structure, mandate, Statutory, regulatory and various quasi-judicial bodies.

What’s the ongoing story: A recently published report by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) places India and its Enforcement Directorate (ED) under the global spotlight for their role in asset recovery while also highlighting challenges that persist in the country’s enforcement and legal framework.

Key Points to Ponder:

— What is the Financial Action Task Force (FATF)?

— How many lists are there under the FATF?

— Read about the Enforcement Directorate and its powers.

— Read about the Prevention of Money Laundering Act and the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act.

— What is the significance of the Enforcement Directorate’s powers to attach and confiscate property under different laws like PMLA, FEMA, and FEOA?

— What are the concerns related to the operational independence of ED?

— How does the Enforcement Directorate’s role intersect with federal principles enshrined in the Indian Constitution?

Key Takeaways:

— The “Asset Recovery Guidance and Best Practices” document, released earlier this month, underscores India’s “innovative” use of conviction-based and non-conviction based confiscation mechanisms, legal empowerment under acts such as the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act, and the country’s inter-agency coordination.

An Andhra Pradesh investment fraud scandal where the ED and state Crime Investigation 

— The report noted the ED’s swift international collaboration, highlighted by the seizure of 268.22 bitcoins valued at Rs 1.3 billion (USD 29 million) linked to a drug-trafficking case pursued jointly with the United States.

— Despite lauding the achievements, the FATF report flags challenges India faces in enhancing asset recovery. These include:

— Legal and procedural complexity: Harmonising the enforcement across varied laws, jurisdictions, and conviction protocols remains challenging. Navigating judicial oversight requirements, balancing swift asset freezing with due process, and managing protracted litigations slow down effectiveness, the report said.

— Inter-agency coordination barriers: While India demonstrates strong collaboration, the report points to occasional operational silos, rivalry, and inconsistent information-sharing, which impede seamless case- handling and strategic intelligence flows.

— Data and transparency gaps: Like many countries, India lacks comprehensive, consolidated, and publicly available statistics on key asset recovery metrics, an essential tool for monitoring, policy design, and accountability.

— Technical and investigative limitations: Growing challenges such as complex corporate ownership, nominee structures, and virtual assets require enhanced technical, forensic, and regulatory capabilities.

— Funding and conflicts of interest: Financing investigation and prosecution through recovered assets holds benefits, but necessitates stringent safeguards against conflicts of interest or undue prioritisation of confiscation over justice.

— Judicial and enforcement bottlenecks: Delays in provisional freezing and asset seizure orders, complexities in enforcing cross-border confiscation, and judicial backlog have been cited as impediments requiring reform.

— The FATF’s new standards, the first substantial asset recovery reform in over 30 years, hold India’s framework up as a reference while underscoring the need for continual improvement. India’s policies on early financial investigations, use of technology like blockchain analytics and multi-agency coordination have set a high bar, but “comprehensive statistics, enhanced technical capabilities, and streamlined judicial processes” have been identified as priority areas.

Do You Know:

— The ED was established on May 1, 1956, as the ‘Enforcement Unit’ under the Department of Economic Affairs within the Ministry of Finance for handling violations of exchange control laws under the now-repealed Foreign Exchange Regulation Act, 1973 (FERA). Later on, it was renamed the Enforcement Directorate and was transferred to the administrative control of the Department of Revenue, and subsequently entrusted with the enforcement of a broader range of financial laws.

— The enactment of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), which replaced FERA in 1999, and the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in the early 2000s, increased the power of ED. These moves aligned its functions with international standards to combat financial crimes, notably those recommended by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

— In 2006, India received observer status in FATF – which was created in 1989 to coordinate anti-money laundering efforts across the world – and in 2010, it became its member state.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Knowledge Nugget | FATF simplified for UPSC: The who, what, and why of the global money laundering and terror financing watchdog

UPSC Prelims Practice Question Covering similar theme:

(3) Consider the following statements with reference to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF):

1. It was formed in 1989 as a G7 initiative to examine and develop measures to combat money laundering.

2. India became a member of FATF in 1990.

3. Saudi Arabia and Pakistan are FATF member since June 2019.

How many of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Two only

(c) All three

(d) None

Previous year UPSC Maine Question Covering similar theme:

Discuss how emerging technologies and globalisation contribute to money laundering. Elaborate measures to tackle the problem of money laundering both at national and international levels. (UPSC CSE 2021)

 

POLITICS

Rahul brings focus back on duplicate votes— and a tool EC stopped using

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national importance and Polity.

Mains Examination: General Studies-II: Constitution of India — significant provisions and basic structure.,  Salient features of the Representation of People’s Act, powers, functions and responsibilities of various Constitutional Bodies.

What’s the ongoing story: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s latest “vote chori” allegation in Haryana has put the spotlight on a key Election Commission (EC) tool that has quietly gone unused for two years — the deduplication software designed to identify duplicate and photo-similar entries in the electoral rolls.

Key Points to Ponder:

— Read about the Election Commission of India (ECI) and its powers and functions.

— What are the constitutional provisions related to the elections?

— What is Special Intensive Revision?

— What are the challenges to free and fair elections?

— What key reforms are implemented by the Election Commission to strengthen the electoral process?

— What steps should be taken to tackle the challenge of duplication of voters?

Key Takeaways:

— According to sources in the Commission, this tool, developed by the Centre for Development and Advanced Computing (CDAC), was last deployed during the 2022 annual Special Summary Revision (SSR). That exercise led to a rare contraction in the country’s total number of registered voters and the removal of roughly 3 crore duplicate or invalid entries, officials familiar with the process said.

— Since then, however, the software has not been used, even as allegations over inflated or error-ridden voter lists have resurfaced. On Wednesday, Gandhi claimed that 25 lakh votes were “stolen” in the 2024 Haryana Assembly elections, including 5.21 lakh duplicate voters. Among these, he alleged, were multiple entries with different names but identical photographs, one of which, he said, appeared to be a stock image of a Brazilian model.

— The possibility of duplicate and photo-similar entries is not new. The EC has, over the years, repeatedly directed states to identify and delete such entries during the annual Special Summary Revision (SSR) of rolls. In fact, the June 24 order for a *Special Intensive Revision* (SIR) of electoral rolls — now underway — was also aimed at addressing these very concerns.

— But the problem persists. Part of the reason, current and former EC officials say, lies in the limited use of a de-duplication software once central to the EC’s clean-up efforts. 

— Developed by the Centre for Development and Advanced Computing (CDAC), the software was designed to flag “photo similar entries” (PSE) and “demographically similar entries” (DSE) — essentially, multiple entries that could belong to the same person.

— An analysis of EC data from 2008 to 2024 shows that India’s electoral rolls have contracted only twice (in 2011 and in 2023) referring to the SSR that began in late 2022 and was published in January 2023. Officials attribute that 2022-23 contraction largely to the deduplication exercise, which led to around 3 crore deletions even as the net fall in the rolls was 18.26 lakh.

— When asked at a press conference on October 27 about the current status of the software, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar said technical deduplication is used only when house-to-house verification is not taking place — a process now being undertaken under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR).

— The deduplication tool had helped Electoral Registration Officers flag entries with identical photographs for ground verification. However, EC officials said the system was limited by the uneven quality of voter photos, which reduced its accuracy and effectiveness.

— The EC did not respond to queries on whether it plans to reintroduce the tool in future revisions. But with allegations such as Gandhi’s bringing voter-roll accuracy back into public debate — and with states such as Bihar already under SIR — the issue of photo-similar and duplicate entries may once again test the EC’s balancing act between scale, technology, and credibility.

Do You Know:

— Article 324(1) of the Constitution gives the ECI the power of “superintendence, direction and control of the preparation of the electoral rolls for, and the conduct of” elections to Parliament and state legislatures.

— The Election Commission of India (ECI) is a permanent, independent, and constitutional authority responsible for conducting free and fair elections in the Union and the States of India.

— The ECI is empowered to supervise, oversee, and manage elections to Parliament, state legislatures, and the offices of President and Vice President of India. Since the ECI does not oversee elections to state-level urban bodies like municipalities and panchayats, there is a separate State Election Commission. 

— The Constitution has the following articles (Articles 324–329) to empower the Election Commission and provide insight into the potential roles and functions of the commission. 

— Article 324: The superintendence, direction and control of the preparation of the electoral rolls for, and the conduct of, all elections to Parliament and the Legislature of every state and of elections to the offices of President and Vice-President.

— Article 325: No individual to be excluded from electoral rolls on the basis of religion, race, caste, sex or any of them. 

— Article 326: Adult suffrage shall be the basis for elections to the House of the People and to the Legislative Assemblies of States.

— Article 327: Parliament may, according to the provisions of this Constitution, from time to time enact laws with respect to all matters relating to elections to Parliament and Legislative Assemblies of States.

— Article 328: A state’s Legislature may from time to time by law make provision with respect to all matters relating to, or in connection with, the elections to the House or either House of the Legislature.

— Article 329: The article prohibits the courts from becoming involved in electoral matters. 

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Election Commission of India: Composition, powers and functions

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:

(4) Consider the following statements: (UPSC CSE 2017)

1. The Election Commission of India is a five-member body.

2. The Union Ministry of Home Affairs decides the election schedule for the conduct of both general elections and bye-elections.

3. Election Commission resolves the disputes relating to splits/mergers of recognised political parties.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2 only

(c) 2 and 3 only

(d) 3 only

Previous year UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme:

To enhance the quality of democracy in India the Election Commission of India has proposed electoral reforms in 2016. What are the suggested reforms and how far are they significant to make democracy successful? (UPSC CSE 2017)

 

ECONOMY

MeitY unveils AI governance norms, transparency in focus

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Mains Examination: General Studies-II, III: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation, Awareness in the fields of IT.

What’s the ongoing story: The ministry of electronics and IT (MeitY), on Wednesday, under the IndiaAI Mission launched the India AI Governance Guidelines in a move to build a comprehensive framework for responsible and ethical Artificial Intelligence (AI) deployment across sectors.

Key Points to Ponder:

— Read about the IndiaAI Mission.

— What is AI? 

— What are the various applications of AI?

— Know about the key features of the IT Act, 2000.

— What are the concerns associated with the use of AI?

— What are the challenges on the path of regularisation of AI?

Key Takeaways:

— The guidelines, prepared under the Principal Scientific Adviser, Ajay Sood, recommend a phased governance model built on existing laws and institutions, focusing on inclusion, transparency, fairness, and accountability rather than immediate regulation.

— The framework proposes the creation of new oversight bodies such as an AI safety institute, a technology and policy expert committee, and an AI governance group to coordinate standards and monitor AI risks across sectors. It also suggests developing a risk classification framework, operationalising incident reporting systems, and introducing regulatory sandboxes in the medium term.

— The panel led by IIT Madras professor B Ravindran recommended seven core principles for AI governance, mainly trust, fairness, accountability, explainability, innovation over restraint, equity, and sustainability.

— The AI governance committee has said that many of the risks emerging from artificial intelligence  technologies can be effectively managed under existing laws, while emphasising a “techno-legal” approach to strengthen future oversight mechanisms.

— According to the committee’s latest assessment, provisions under the Information Technology Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita already cover the misuse of AI tools such as deepfakes, while the Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDP) governs the use of personal data for training AI models without consent.

— The committee is now advocating a techno-legal approach to AI governance-a framework that embeds legal safeguards directly into technology systems. This model aims to make regulatory compliance “automatic by design,” reducing the need for manual enforcement and ensuring accountability is built into digital architectures.

— Speaking at the release, IT Secretary S Krishnan said India would take a “deliberate, innovation-first approach,” stepping in with legislation only when required to safeguard citizens.

Do You Know:

— Artificial intelligence (AI) refers to the field of computer science which aims to make computer systems think, reason, learn, and act to solve a complex system like humans.

— AI can be classified into two types: Artificial Narrow Intelligence (ANI) also known as weak AI and Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) also referred to as strong AI. 

— ANI is designed for specific tasks and excels within a narrow domain. Examples include virtual assistants like Siri, recommendation systems on platforms like Netflix, and image recognition software. ANI systems are highly specialised and cannot transfer their expertise to unrelated tasks. 

— In contrast, AGI aims to replicate human cognitive abilities, enabling it to perform any intellectual task a human can do. AGI would possess general reasoning skills, understand context, and adapt to new situations across various domains. It would be capable of autonomous learning and problem-solving without requiring task-specific programming.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍AI basics: What are artificial intelligence and machine learning?

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:

(5) With the present state of development, Artificial Intelligence can effectively do which of the following? (UPSC CSE 2020)

1. Bring down electricity consumption in industrial units

2. Create meaningful short stories and songs

3. Disease diagnosis

4. Text-to-Speech Conversion

5. Wireless transmission of electrical energy

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(a) 1, 2, 3 and 5 only

(b) 1, 3 and 4 only

(c) 2, 4 and 5 only

(d) 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5

India’s 2024 crash toll to rise even as 9 states record decline in accidents

Syllabus:

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

Mains Examination: General Studies-II, III: Government policies and interventions, Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways etc.

What’s the ongoing story: With nearly one death in every two crashes, Uttar Pradesh had among the deadliest records for Indian states in terms of overall number of road accidents and deaths last year, according to a provisional report of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH).

Key Points to Ponder:

— Road Accidents in India-Know Broad Profile of Road Accidents.

— What position does India have in terms of Road safety?

— Road accidents are a multi-causal phenomenon and are the result of an interplay of various factors-What are those factors?

— What are the important global initiatives on road safety?

— What initiatives has the government taken on road safety?

— What measures should be taken to ensure road safety?

— Read about the ‘Brasilia Declaration on Road Safety’. 

Key Takeaways:

— While the overall number of road accidents and deaths in India will likely surpass figures for 2023, one positive factor is that nine states registered a decline in both accidents and fatalities in 2024, including Gujarat, Haryana and Punjab. Among the states, Kerala recorded the lowest accident severity, with one death for every 13 accidents.

— Compiled by the ministry’s Transport Research Wing (TRW), the report indicates that 4.73 lakh road accidents and 1.70 lakh fatalities were recorded across 35 states and Union Territories (UTs) in 2024. However, data from West Bengal is still awaited.

— In comparison, during 2023, India reported 4.80 lakh road accidents, which claimed 1.73 lakh lives. West Bengal alone accounted for 13,795 accidents and 6,027 fatalities that year. This implies that once West Bengal’s 2024 figures are incorporated, the national totals are likely to exceed those of 2023, continuing a year-on-year upward trend in road crashes and deaths. A temporary decline was observed during the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021.

— In terms of the source of the numbers, TRW collects accident data from the state police departments in formats provided by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) under the Asia-Pacific Road Accident Data (APRAD) base project. The TRW uses this data to publish the Road Accidents in India report. The latest issue is for the calendar year 2023, with provisional data for 2024.

— Despite the overall numbers, some states showed improvements, too. An analysis of the data reveals that nine states/UTs have achieved a decrease in both reported road accidents and fatalities between 2023 and 2024. This dual reduction is a positive sign for road safety.

— Among the larger states showing a downward trend in the numbers, Gujarat reduced its accident count from 16,349 in 2023 to 15,588 in 2024, and its fatalities dropped from 7,854 to 7,717. Similarly, Haryana recorded a decrease in accidents (10,463 to 9,806) and a reduction in fatalities (4,968 to 4,689). Punjab also saw 6,269 accidents and 4,829 fatalities in 2023, compared to 6,063 accidents and 4,759 fatalities in 2024.

— The smaller states showing improvements on both metrics are Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Manipur and Nagaland, and the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir. In particular, Nagaland’s accident count dropped significantly — from 303 in 2023 to 129 in 2024.

In terms of overall numbers, Tamil Nadu maintained its top position for the seventh consecutive year in 2024 with 67,526 accidents, followed by Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, and Karnataka.

— In terms of fatalities in accidents, Uttar Pradesh topped the chart with 24,118 deaths in 2024, followed by Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Rajasthan.

Despite various initiatives launched to improve road safety and reduce fatalities, the data underscore a worrying trend — roads are increasingly more unsafe and accidents in India are on the rise.

— According to the World Road Statistics by the International Road Federation, India continues to be the top country in terms of the total number of people killed due to road accidents, followed by China and the United States. Iran has the highest rate of persons killed per lakh population. Even when adjusting for population, countries such as Pakistan, Nigeria, Ethiopia and China have lower rates of fatalities per one lakh population than India.

— Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari recently said that road accidents and fatalities are increasing owing to poor civil engineering and substandard detailed project reports (DPRs).

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍UPSC Issue at a Glance | Road Safety: 5 Key Questions You Must Know for Prelims and Mains

UPSC Prelims Practice Question Covering similar theme:

(6) Which of the following committees is related to road safety?

(a) Pannir Selvam committee

(b) T.S.R.Subramanium committee

(c) Mukherjee committee

(d) Sundar committee

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Govt panel working on new SEZ norms for exporters to access domestic market	A government panel, comprising officials from the Commerce and Industry Ministry, NITI Aayog, as well as exporters, is working on new Special Economic Zones (SEZs) norms aimed at boosting manufacturing and helping exporters leverage the domestic market amid steep US tariffs that have hurt production, a person aware of the development told The Indian Express.
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Mamdani takes NewYork, tells Trump: ‘You are watching… turn the volume up’	Democrats swept a trio of races on Tuesday in the first major elections since Donald Trump regained the presidency, elevating a new generation of leaders and giving the beleaguered party a shot of momentum ahead of next year’s congressional elections. In New York City, Zohran Mamdani, a 34-year-old democratic socialist, won the mayoral race, capping a meteoric and unlikely rise from an anonymous state lawmaker to one of the country’s most visible Democratic figures. And in Virginia and New Jersey, moderate Democrats Abigail Spanberger, 46, and Mikie Sherrill, 53, won their elections for governor with commanding leads, respectively.

 

PRELIMS ANSWER KEY

1. (b)    2. (b)     3. (a)   4.(d)    5. (b)     6. (d)

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