UPSC Key: India-UAE deepen ties, Spike in crude oil price, and Zoonotic spillovers

Key Points to Ponder:

— What is the status of India-UAE relationship?

— What are Strategic Petroleum Reserves? What is its significance for a country?

— Understand India’s outreach programme for energy security amidst war in West Asia

— Know about the geographical location of UAE

— What is the significance of the UAE for India?

— What is the significance of the India-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA)?

Key Takeaways:

— The UAE also pledged investments totalling USD 5 billion in Indian infrastructure and RBL Bank and Samman Capital.

— The upswing in ties marked Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s brief stopover in Abu Dhabi on his tour of four European nations, days after the UAE came under Iranian missile and drone attacks.

— Underlining that the Strait of Hormuz should be “free, open and safe”, Modi told President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan that India stands “shoulder to shoulder” with the UAE.

— Energy security was a major focus of the visit.

— The PMO statement said, “The leaders agreed to promote new initiatives for a comprehensive energy partnership. In this context, they welcomed the conclusion of a Strategic Collaboration Agreement between Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Limited and Abu Dhabi National Oil Company to enhance UAE’s participation in India’s Strategic Petroleum Reserves to 30 million barrels, and work together to set up strategic gas reserves in India.”

– Last year, the UAE was India’s fourth largest source of crude oil, meeting nearly 11 per cent of the requirement. The UAE is India’s  largest source of LPG, catering to nearly 40 per cent of the requirement.

— Also, the UAE has been the first country to partner with India in strategic petroleum reserves. In 2018, the ISPRL and ADNOC entered into an agreement for the UAE to store over 5 million barrels of crude oil reserves at ISPRL’s facility in Mangaluru.

— The leaders welcomed the signing of the Framework for the Strategic Defence Partnership between the two countries during the visit. Under this, the two sides have agreed on deepening defence industrial collaboration and cooperation on innovation and advanced technology, training, exercises, maritime security, cyber defence, secure communications and information exchange.

Do You Know:

— The ISPRL is a specialised Indian public sector company under the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas, responsible for maintaining the country’s strategic crude oil reserves, holding 5.33 MMT (million metric tons) of crude across three underground facilities to ensure energy security against supply disruptions.

— The India-UAE CEPA marks the first trade agreement India has made with a major trading partner in over a decade. The last major FTA India signed was with Japan in 2011.

— India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) established diplomatic relations in 1972. While the UAE opened its Embassy in India in 1972, the Indian Embassy in UAE was opened in 1973.

— India and the UAE enjoy strong cooperation at the United Nations. Both countries are also currently part of several plurilateral platforms such as BRICS, I2U2 (India-Israel-UAE- USA) and UFI (UAE-France-India) Trilateral, etc. UAE was invited as a Guest Country to the G- 20 Summit held under India’s Presidency.

— The traditionally strong bilateral relations enjoyed by India-UAE gained a new momentum when the PM Narendra Modi visited UAE in 2015, the first PM of India in 34 years which marked the beginning of a new Comprehensive and Strategic partnership between the two countries.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍How India’s UAE gold trade deal may have made its import bill concerns worse

📍Nuclear to LNG, India & UAE ink 4 key pacts to expand energy ties 

UPSC Prelims Practice Question Covering similar theme:

(1) Which of the following is not a member of ‘Gulf Cooperation Council’?

(a) Iran

(b) Saudi Arabia

(c) UAE

(d) Kuwait

Previous year UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme:

The question of India’s Energy Security constitutes the most important part of India’s economic progress. Analyse India’s energy policy cooperation with West Asian countries. (UPSC CSE 2017)

Araghchi: Chabahar a golden gateway, hope India still develops it

Syllabus:

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

What’s the ongoing story: Underlining that India can play a “constructive role” in the region, visiting Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi Friday described his country’s Chabahar port a “golden gateway” and a “symbol of cooperation”, expressing the hope that India will continue to develop the strategic port.

Key Points to Ponder:

— What is the strategic significance of Chabahar port?

— What is the issue related to Chabahar port?

— What is the role of India in the development of the port?

— Who are the members of BRICS?

— What are the major initiatives of BRICS?

— Who is holding the BRICS chair for 2026?

— What is the purpose of BRICS?

— What is the significance of the Strait of Hormuz?

— How things have become complicated for BRICS members since the beginning of West Asia crisis?

Key Takeaways:

— Araghchi, who has been leading negotiations with the US and representing the Iranian regime in world capitals, made these remarks at the Iranian embassy in New Delhi after attending a meeting of the BRICS Foreign Ministers. That meeting ended without a consensus on the language over the war in West Asia.

— Araghchi, who met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar for a bilateral meeting, said, “Chabahar is a symbol of cooperation between Iran and India. India played an important role in the development of that port.”

Chabahar port location.

— On possible energy supply to India, he said India has been a “customer of Iranian oil” and was stopped by India due to unilateral US sanctions. “We are interested in continuing the oil business. We want to sell oil to India…we are ready to provide India with energy sources,” he said.

— On the Strait of Hormuz, he said it was the territorial waters of Iran and Oman and that Iran is ready to help all vessels pass through the Strait of Hormuz, but the situation is “very complicated” now.

From the Politics page: Divisions between Iran, UAE on war in West Asia thwart joint statement

— With Iran and UAE divided on the war in West Asia, India was unable to bridge the diplomatic gap within the BRICS Foreign Ministers and could not come up with a joint statement after the two-day meeting.

— Instead, Delhi on Friday issued a chair statement and outcome document trying to reflect the divergences between Iran and UAE on the war in West Asia. But, it also flagged two paragraphs on Palestine and Yemen to which Iran is learnt to have objected, since they targeted Hamas and Houthis.

From the Politics page: Pahalgam attack condemned

— BRICS foreign ministers on Friday issued a strong condemnation of last year’s terrorist attack in Pahalgam, and underlined the commitment to combat the cross-border movement of terrorists, terrorism-financing and safe havens. For Delhi, it is a win considering China, Pakistan’s benefactor and ally, is part of the grouping.

— India, which issued a chair’s statement after the two-day BRICS foreign ministers’ meeting, also obliquely criticised US President Donald Trump’s arbitrary tariff wars.

— On terrorism, the BRICS “expressed strong condemnation of any acts of terrorism as criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, whenever, wherever and by whomsoever committed.”

Do You Know:

— BRICS claims to be a platform for those countries that didn’t have a seat at the table when the post-war world order was designed. The group presents itself as a voice for the Global South. It talks about fairer development, more inclusive trade rules, and reforms in global institutions. It also backs concrete alternatives.

— The New Development Bank offers loans without the political strings often attached to IMF or World Bank funding. BRICS countries are exploring joint investments in infrastructure and clean energy.

— Chabahar, which sits at the mouth of the Gulf of Oman, is Iran’s first deepwater port that puts the country on the global oceanic trade route map. The port lies to the west of Iran’s border with Pakistan, about as far as Gwadar, a competing port developed by China in Pakistan, lies to the east of the border.

— Chabahar is of strategic importance to both Iran and India. It can potentially help Tehran ward off the effect of Western sanctions, and offers New Delhi an alternative route that bypasses Pakistan, which does not allow India land access for trade with Afghanistan and Central Asia.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍How BRICS is chipping away at the Western order

📍The history of Iran’s Chabahar port, and its imperative for India

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:

(2) What is the importance of developing Chabahar Port by India? (UPSC CSE 2017)

(a) India’s trade with African countries will enormously increase.

(b) India’s relations with oil-producing Arab countries will be strengthened.

(c) India will not depend on Pakistan for access to Afghanistan and Central Asia.

(d) Pakistan will facilitate and protect the installation of a gas pipeline between Iraq and India.

(3) Consider the following statements with regard to BRICS: (UPSC CSE 2025)

I. 16th BRICS Summit was held under the Chairship of Russia in Kazan.

II. Indonesia has become a full member of BRICS.

III. The theme of the 16th BRICS Summit was Strengthening Multiculturalism for Just Global Development and Security.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) I and II

(b) II and III

(c) I and III

(d) I only

Previous year UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme:

In what ways would the ongoing US-Iran Nuclear Pact Controversy affect the national interest of India? How should India respond to this situation? (UPSC CSE 2018)

Petrol, diesel prices hiked by Rs 3 per litre, covers only part of losses incurred by oil PSUs

Syllabus:

Mains Examination: General Studies-II, III: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation; Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways etc.

What’s the ongoing story: Public sector oil marketing companies (OMCs) hiked petrol and diesel prices by Rs 3 per litre on Friday, the first price increase in over four years, as the companies grapple with severe financial strain due to the surge in international prices amid the West Asia crisis.

Key Points to Ponder:

— How are petrol and diesel prices determined in India?

— What is the war in West Asia impacting India’s fuel prices?

— What are the solutions to this problem?

— What is the headline inflation?

— How does the increase in fuel prices affect the Consumer Price Index (CPI)?

— What is the Current Account Deficit?

— What are the alternatives to petrol and diesel?

Key Takeaways:

— With this price hike, petrol is now priced at Rs 97.77 per litre, and diesel at Rs 90.67 in Delhi. Fuel prices vary across the country due to different levels of levies imposed by states. Along with petrol and diesel prices, CNG prices were also hiked by Rs 2 per kg in cities like Delhi and Mumbai.

— Global crude oil and fuel prices have surged due to the West Asia war and the consequent closure of the Strait of Hormuz, but in a bid to insulate domestic consumers from high prices, the government and the OMCs had so far not hiked regular petrol and diesel prices.

— According to industry sources, the quantum of this price hike will only partially ease the pressure on the OMCs, as the gap between the retail price of the two fuels and the market price is much wider. More calibrated and staggered price hikes may be on the cards.

— As of early this week, the OMCs were losing Rs 14 per litre on sale of petrol and Rs 42 per litre on diesel, according to sources. The OMCs are also incurring losses on sale of cooking gas to households and jet fuel for domestic flights, where only a fraction of the price escalation has been passed on.

— “Given the weightage of petrol and diesel in the CPI (Consumer Price Index) basket, a 3-5% increase (in fuel prices) likely adds about 15-25 bp (basis points) to the headline inflation, besides second round impact,” said Radhika Rao, senior economist and executive director, DBS Bank.

— While the country has managed to secure adequate crude oil volumes from non-Gulf suppliers and has not faced a shortage of crude amid the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, Indian refiners have been paying for the oil through their nose, spending valuable foreign exchange.

— Given the severity of its impact and the uncertainty over how long the supply crisis could last, Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently appealed for conservation of petroleum fuels, among other measures, aimed at moderating imports and foreign exchange outgo.

— On its part, the government had slashed excise duty by Rs 10 per litre on petrol and diesel late March to blunt the impact of high international prices on the OMCs, the retailers continue to bleed heavily on fuel sales. The excise duty cut has resulted in the government foregoing revenue of about Rs 14,000 crore a month, or close to Rs 1.7 lakh crore on an annualised basis.

— While the retail prices of petrol and diesel are deregulated, in practice, the government-owned OMCs — with 90% market share in fuel retail — kept prices stable in consultation with the government. They incurred losses when international oil prices surged, and earned hefty profits when the prices slumped.

— Given that India imports 1.8-2 billion barrels of crude oil a year, every $1-per-barrel increase in oil prices bumps up the country’s oil import bill by up to $2 billion on an annualised basis. According to a March report by Nomura, India is among the three most vulnerable Asian economies to high oil prices in terms of import bill and current account balances, the other two being Thailand and South Korea.

— It also said that every 10% oil price increase typically widens India’s current account deficit by 0.4% of the GDP. Crude oil alone is the country’s largest merchandise import. According to Commerce Ministry data, crude oil imports in 2025-26 stood at about $135 billion. If oil prices sustain at $100 per barrel in the current financial year and import volumes don’t decline, the oil import bill could be upwards of $200 billion for the year.

Do You Know:

— Inflation rate is the rate at which prices increase over one year to another. Typically it is a positive number — suggesting the general price level went up from one year to another — but sometimes it can be negative too — suggesting prices actually fell from one year to another

— The trade balance refers to the net effect of the export and import of goods between India and the rest of the world. Since India has a high dependence on crude oil imports — a dependence that has only increased over the past 12 years — higher crude oil prices tend to worsen India’s trade balance. In the data, a negative sign is referred to as a trade deficit.

— A higher trade deficit has to either be plugged by surpluses on other aspects of India’s Balance of Payment (trade in services, foreign investments into India etc.) or by depreciation in the rupee or else by drawing down forex reserves (read dollars).

— Typically, higher crude oil prices tend to worsen the government’s fiscal deficit — which essentially refers to the amount of money the government was forced to borrow in a bid to bridge the gap between its expenses and its earnings.

— Asia, including India, has particularly suffered due to supply disruptions and price surges because of the West Asia war. New Delhi depends on imports to meet over 88% of its crude oil needs, over 40% of which came via the Strait of Hormuz.

— The country depends on imports to meet half of its natural gas requirement, with about 60% coming through the strait. As for liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), the import dependency level is 60%, and 90% of those imports came through the maritime chokepoint.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Why the spike in crude oil price will test the economy

📍West Asia war impact on oil market worse than earlier anticipated: What’s the worry for India?

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:

(4) In the context of global oil prices, “Brent crude oil” is frequently referred to in the news. What does this term imply? (UPSC CSE 2011)

1. It is a major classification of crude oil.

2. It is sourced from North Sea.

3. It does not contain sulphur.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 2 only
(b) 1 and 2 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

EXPLAINED

Hantavirus as a warning: Why outbreaks like this may become more common

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Indian Polity and Governance – Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues

Mains Examination: General Studies-II: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.

What’s the ongoing story: The recent hantavirus outbreak has once again raised a question that scientists have been warning about for years: are zoonotic spillovers — the transmission of pathogens from animals to humans — becoming less of an exception and more of an inevitability?

Key Points to Ponder:

— What is hantavirus?

— What are zoonotic diseases?

— What are the reasons for zoonotic spillovers?

— How important is the global disease surveillance system to address these spillovers?

— What is the role of climate change in India?

— What are India’s initiatives for diseases surveillance?

— Know about these diseases: filoviruses, influenza, coronaviruses, Nipah, Ebola

Key Takeaways:

— If Covid was the defining reminder of how devastating an animal-borne virus can become, hantavirus is the latest signal that the ecological conditions enabling such spillovers are a risk.

— As forests are cleared, cities expand deeper into wildlife habitats, industrial farming intensifies, and climate change reshapes the movement of species and disease-carrying vectors, such outbreaks can become more frequent.

— According to Dr. Gagandeep Kang, Director-Enterics, Diagnostics, Genomics and Epidemiology, Global Health, Gates Foundation, “I think the two main categories to consider are industrial livestock farming and deforestation-driven habitat fragmentation as systematically underregulated and poorly tracked drivers of human-animal interaction.

— Industrial farming creates enormous concentrations of genetically similar animals, which can amplify pathogens with pandemic potential. Influenza is the clearest example, but it is far from the only one, and can also happen in backyard poultry farming, as we have seen in Asia.

— The danger with the industrial production of animals is the potential for widespread dissemination of those products in the context of limited bio-surveillance for pathogens.”

— Deforestation is different— it creates contact between human communities and reservoir hosts that previously had little reason to intersect. Nipah in India, Malaysia and Bangladesh, Ebola in Central Africa follow a recognisable pattern of habitat loss that pushes bats and rodents into human-modified landscapes.

— Veterinary surveillance, wildlife monitoring, and environmental sampling — the earliest points in the spillover chain —are underfunded and fragmented, though efforts have been initiated in some countries, including India, for One Health surveillance. It is important to recognise that a pathogen can circulate in an animal reservoir for years before it generates a human case visible enough to trigger a formal alert.

— Changes in rainfall patterns, temperature and land productivity are altering animal behaviour and migration routes, creating new contact points with human populations. Bat roost stability is disrupted by climate variability, potentially increasing virus shedding.

— Rodent population dynamics shift with agricultural patterns themselves responding to climate pressure. These are indirect pathways, but they operate simultaneously and interact with the habitat disruption drivers I mentioned earlier.

— Zoonotic diseases are a defining challenge because of the convergence of drivers — ecological disruption, climate change, globalisation, and antimicrobial resistance in animal reservoirs. This means that this is a threat that will continue to evolve, making preparedness an urgent and necessary policy for global and public health.

Do You Know:

— Dr Shilpa Singi, Lead Consultant – Academies and Strategies Internal Medicine, Aster Whitefield Hospital, Bangalore explains that Hantavirus is an infection that occurs when people come into contact with infected rodent urine and droppings and saliva from a group of viruses.

— Dr Swati Rajagopal, Senior Consultant – Infectious Disease & Travel Medicine, Aster CMI Hospital, Bangalore, adds that while it does not spread through casual contact between people in most cases, humans also run the risk of getting infected by breathing in contaminated air with rodent urine, droppings, or saliva, especially in closed or dusty spaces.

— Dr Singi informs that Hantavirus infections have two main clinical presentations: Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS), a lung illness, and haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, a kidney disease.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍A suspected outbreak of the rare hantavirus on a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean kills 3 people

📍Knowledge Nugget | From Hantavirus to COVID-19: Understanding viral diseases in news 

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:

(5) Consider the following statements: (UPSC CSE, 2025)

1. No virus can survive in ocean water.

2. No virus can infect bacteria.

3. No virus can change the cellular transcriptional activity in host cells.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) All the three

(d) None

(6) Which of the following statements is/are correct? (UPSC CSE, 2016)

Viruses can infect

1. bacteria

2. fungi

3. plants

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 3 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Winds plus heat: The triggers for deadly UP storm

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Mains Examination: General Studies-I, III: Important Geophysical phenomena, Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment.

What’s the ongoing story: More than 100 people died due to powerful thunderstorms that hit Uttar Pradesh earlier this week. The atmospheric phenomenon, called Andhi in meteorological literature, is a common annual phenomenon in the region, but the devastation this year is more widespread. The worst-hit district was Prayagraj, which reported 21 deaths, followed by Mirzapur (19) and Bhadohi (16).

Key Points to Ponder:

— What is lightning?

— What is the process of formation of wind?

— What are the reasons for pre-monsoon thunderstorms in northern India?

— What are western disturbances?

— How far are climate changes responsible for this?

— Why did strong winds occur despite almost no rain?

Key Takeaways:

— Most such thunderstorms are uneventful. They involve gusty winds of speeds up to 40 and 60 kmph, but more powerful ones can cause widespread destruction. Wind speeds of over 90 kmph can uproot big trees. Walls can collapse, electricity poles and billboards can be toppled, and loose objects can become airborne and turn into dangerous projectiles. Some deaths are reported due to lightning, as well.

— Pre-monsoon thunderstorms in northern India are usually preceded by intense surface heating. Moisture-laden winds, usually from the Bay of Bengal side, provide the necessary fuel.

— But it was the coincidence of a few other meteorological conditions that led to the powerful thunderstorm activity. Temperatures crossed 45°C in many regions, while strong southeasterly winds ensured that moisture from the Bay of Bengal reached even northwestern Uttar Pradesh. As a result, the air near the surface was warm and moist

— Due to the prevailing western disturbances, which are east-moving rain-bearing wind systems that originate beyond Iran and bring rains to India, the air at the top was cool and dry in comparison to the warm air closer to the surface. “This creates instability in the atmosphere, and is a classic triggering mechanism for strong thunderstorms,” IMD director general Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said.

— Unlike cyclones, evacuation is not an option here after forecasts. The direction of threat from a cyclone is specific — from the sea towards the coastline — and moving people away from the coastline minimises casualties. On the other hand, thunderstorms are a much more dispersed phenomenon, with multiple events happening near each other.

Do You Know:

— Western disturbances are rain-bearing wind systems, originating beyond Afghanistan and Iran, that pick up moisture from the Mediterranean Sea, the Black Sea, the Caspian Sea and the Arabian Sea as they move eastward towards India.

— Western Disturbances trigger rain (and snowfall in higher altitudes) in the northwest, north, northeast and some parts of eastern India during the non-monsoon months (June-September). This also holds true for early March, when the effect of winter is still lingering.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Why storms battered Delhi-NCR and turned deadly in UP

📍From Western Disturbance to El Niño: The climate terms you’re hearing this summer, explained

📍Knowledge Nugget | What are Western Disturbances?

UPSC Prelims Practice Question Covering similar theme:

(7) Consider the following pairs:

1. Kaal Baisakhi: localised thunderstorms in West Bengal

2. Mahawat: winter rainfall in north India

3. Mango showers: pre-monsoon showers of Kerala

How many of the above pairs are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) All three

(d) None

Previous year UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme:

Why is the South-West Monsoon called ‘Purvaiya’ (easterly) in Bhojpur Region? How has this directional seasonal wind system influenced the cultural ethos of the region? (UPSC CSE 2023)

 

ECONOMY

3 old thermal power sites chosen for new nuclear power projects

Syllabus:

Mains Examination: General Studies-III: Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways etc

What’s the ongoing story: In a significant move to repurpose ageing coal-fired power infrastructure, a government panel has shortlisted at least three old thermal power plant sites for setting up of new nuclear power projects.

Key Points to Ponder:

— What are the main features of the SHANTI Act?

— Draw a comparison of coal fired thermal plants and nuclear powered plants.

— What are the steps taken by India for clean energy transitions?

— What are the concerns with coal powered power plants?

— What are the essential things required for setting up nuclear plants in a region?

Key Takeaways:

— Of the three shortlisted sites, two have been found suitable for large nuclear reactors of 700 megawatt-electric (MWe) capacity, while one site is being considered for smaller 220 MWe reactors.

— The disclosures were made during a presentation at a high-level workshop on the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Act organised by Central Electricity Authority (CEA) showed.

— However, exclusion zone requirements have emerged as one of the key challenges in the broader exercise of repurposing old thermal power plant sites for large nuclear reactor projects.

— The move comes as India seeks to expand its civil nuclear power capacity from the current 8.8 gigawatt-electric (GWe) to 100 GWe by 2047.

— In December, the Parliament passed SHANTI Act, 2025, marking a major shift in how India’s tightly-controlled nuclear power sector will be governed in the coming years. For the first time, the Act enabled private players to enter the operations side of this critical sector as well as areas such as fuel management, which had remained under tight public-sector control for decades.

— There are multiple reasons behind repurposing old thermal power plant sites for future nuclear projects.

— They include India’s ageing coal power fleet, rising emissions from older plants, increasingly stringent environmental norms, and the availability of existing land, water and infrastructure at these sites.

— Such a transition is also being viewed as an opportunity to support the country’s broader clean energy transition.

— At present, nuclear reactors in India are required to maintain a minimum exclusion zone of around 1 km radius around the reactor site, within which no habitation or economic activity is permitted.

Do You Know:

— Earlier in December, Parliament had passed the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Act, 2025, which marked a major shift in how India’s tightly-controlled nuclear power sector will be governed in the coming years.

— This Act is an effort to align with norms of global nuclear commerce. It replaces the Atomic Energy Act of 1962 and the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act of 2010 with a single umbrella law.

— The new law allows public and private companies to set up nuclear power plants and undertake activities related to the transport, storage, import and export of nuclear fuel, technology, equipment and minerals. Until now, these activities were restricted to public sector entities only.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍How can India meet its long-term energy needs? An Expert Explains why thorium as nuclear fuel can help

📍Knowledge Nugget: India–US Thorium Fuel partnership and its significance for UPSC exam

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:

(8) To meet its rapidly growing energy demand, some opine that India should pursue research and development on thorium as the future fuel of nuclear energy. In this context, what advantage does thorium hold over uranium? (UPSC CSE 2012)

1. Thorium is far more abundant in nature than uranium.

2. On the basis of per unit mass of mined mineral, thorium can generate more energy compared to natural uranium.

3. Thorium produces less harmful waste compared to uranium.

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

ALSO IN NEWS
Behind the long wait for neeT-UG exam to go online	Announcing a shift that has long been discussed and debated, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said Friday that the NEET-UG exam, the gateway to undergraduate medical admissions in the country, will be a computer-based test (CBT) from next year onwards. After a NEET-UG paper leak came to light in 2024, the Centre constituted a seven-member committee headed by former ISRO chief K Radhakrishnan to suggest reforms in the conduct of public exams. Pradhan said on Friday that this committee had recommended a switch to computer-based testing but “we have not been able to implement it”. The CBT it described is one where candidates log onto a computer terminal that is not connected to a keyboard, and answers to questions can only be marked using a mouse, with the option of being able to modify answers at any point during the exam. The committee’s argument was that a pen-and-paper test “increases potential leakages” since it involves multiple third-party agencies in the logistics of printing, packing, transporting, and storing papers. The committee flagged this process of handling question papers as “one of the weakest links” in the process.
In Great Nicobar, strategic ambitions are at odds with ecology	C P Rajendran writes: The proposal to build an international transhipment port, an airport, and a 160-square-kilometre township on Great Nicobar — promising to remake the island as India’s “Singapore or Hong Kong”— has the makings of an ecological disaster. Marketed as a deep-draft port positioned to outpace regional competitors, the Rs 72,000-crore project is fraught with logistical, safety, and economic contradictions.

PRELIMS ANSWER KEY

1. (a)  2. (c)  3. (a)   4. (b)  5. (d)  6. (d) 7. (c)  8. (d)

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