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Important topics and their relevance in UPSC CSE exam for October 9, 2025. If you missed the October 8, 2025, UPSC CSE exam key from the Indian Express, read it here.
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance
Mains Examination: General Studies-II: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.
General Studies-III: Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways etc
What’s the ongoing story: Asserting that “national policy” is the foundation of his Government’s politics, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Wednesday inaugurated two mega infrastructure projects in Mumbai — Phase 1 of Navi Mumbai International Airport and Phase 2B of the underground Metro Line-3.
Key Points to Ponder:
— How is India establishing itself as a major power in the aviation sector?
— What is the status of India’s aviation sector?
— What is the role of airport connectivity in boosting economic growth?
— What do you understand about the Greenfield project?
— What is the Public Private Partnership (PPP) Model?
— What are the various PPP models in India?
— What are the challenges faced by PPP models in India?
— Know about the Vijay Kelkar Committee on PPP models in India
Key Takeaways:
— Describing the projects as those that reflect the “much cherished goal of Viksit Bharat”, the Prime Minister underscored their potential to play a significant role in growth, development and employment generation.
— On his two-day visit to Mumbai, Modi also launched Mumbai One App, India’s first integrated common mobility platform, where commuters can access bus, metro, monorail and suburban rail services in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) through a single ticket.
— Addressing a gathering at the Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA), Modi said the airport “will play a major role in establishing the region as Asia’s one of largest connectivity hub”. “This is not just an airport. Through this airport, farmers in Maharashtra will get connected to the global markets in the Middle East and Europe and it will also attract investments and new businesses,” he said.
— Stating that the country had 74 airports in 2014, and 160 now, the Prime Minister said Indian aviation companies have placed orders of over 1,000 planes and that will lead to job creation not only for pilots, crew members and ground staff but also in maintenance, repairs and overhaul (MRO).
Do You Know:
— Navi Mumbai International Airport Private Limited (NMIAL) is a special purpose vehicle established for the development, construction, operation, and maintenance of the greenfield international airport project at Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra.
— NMIAL is a Public Private Partnership (PPP) between Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL), a subsidiary of Adani Airports Holdings Limited (AAHL), which holds the majority stake of 74 percent, while the City and Industrial Development Corporation of Maharashtra Limited (CIDCO), a Government of Maharashtra undertaking, holds the remaining 26 percent.
— Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) in infrastructure refer to the provision of a public
asset and service by a private partner who has been conceded the right (the
“Concession”) for the purpose, for a specified period of time, on the basis of market-
determined revenue streams that allow for commercial return on investment.
— Listing out a slew of measures to revive PPP model, the committee, headed by Vijay Kelkar, former finance secretary formed in 2015, said that the government should encourage development of infrastructure sectors including airports, ports and railways under the PPP mode by ensuring easier funding. It also recommended review of model concession agreements, raising of funds through zero coupon bonds and setting up of independent regulators.
— The other suggestions include restrictions on number of banks in a consortium, building up of risk assessment and appraisal capabilities by banks and specific RBI guidelines to lenders for encashment of bank guarantees.
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
📍Hospitals to flyovers: Delhi BJP govt has a new plan to develop big infra projects
Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:
(1) The Vijay Kelkar committee was set up to study and evaluate the:
(a) Status of Sugar Mills
(b) Privatization of Air India
(c) Public-Private Partnership Model
(d) Poverty in India
Previous year UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme:
Examine the development of Airports in India through joint ventures under Public–Private Partnership (PPP) model. What are the challenges faced by the authorities in this regard? (UPSC CSE 2017)
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance
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: Terming the India-UK trade deal signed in July as a “launchpad for growth”, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who arrived in Mumbai on a two-day visit Wednesday, said trade with India would become “quicker and cheaper” and the opportunities waiting to be seized are “unparalleled”.
Key Points to Ponder:
— What is the significance of the India-UK trade deal?
— What is a free trade agreement?
— What are the areas of cooperation between India-UK?
— The two leaders will aim to enhance the UK-India partnership across artificial intelligence, telecom and defence technology. Analyse the potential areas of cooperation between the two nations.
Key Takeaways:
— This is Starmer’s first visit to India after assuming charge as PM. He is accompanied by a 125-member delegation — UK’s largest ever trade delegation to India — which includes his country’s leading CEOs, entrepreneurs, university Vice Chancellors and heads of cultural institutions.
— Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to hold bilateral talks with Starmer on Thursday.
— Under current projections, it is expected to raise bilateral trade by £25.5 billion per year, with UK exports to India projected to grow by nearly 60 per cent. It significantly improves market access for businesses in both countries, leading to cheaper products and services for consumers.
— The Modi-Starmer meet, with the focus on tech and trade, is expected to boost ties at a time when the US has posed tariff challenges. But there are thorny issues with UK too: visa curbs, Sikh separatism and economic fugitives.
— Starmer, who also visited the Yash Raj Films Studio on Wednesday, said three new Bollywood films will be made in the UK from next year. Meanwhile, British Airways announced that it would introduce a third daily flight between Delhi and London Heathrow in 2026.
— According to the Ministry of External Affairs, Starmer and Modi will also attend the India-UK CEO Forum and the Global Fintech Fest on Thursday, besides holding bilateral talks in which fintech, trade and defence are expected to dominate the agenda.
Do You Know:
— India is set to benefit from tariff elimination on approximately 99 per cent of tariff lines, covering nearly 100 per cent of trade value, as per the deal.
— A British government statement said that the India–UK deal is the “best agreement ever secured by any country with India” and that the deal is set to increase UK GDP by £4.8 billion each year.
— The deal is expected to raise bilateral trade by £25.5 billion per year, with UK exports to India projected to grow by nearly 60 per cent.
— Whisky producers have particularly benefited from tariffs being reduced immediately from 150 per cent to 75 per cent, and then dropped even further to 40 per cent over the next ten years – giving the UK an advantage over international competitors in accessing the Indian market.
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
Previous year UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme:
The newly tri-nation partnership AUKUS is aimed at countering China’s ambitions in the Indo-Pacific region. Is it going to supersede the existing partnerships in the region? Discuss the strength and impact of AUKUS in the present scenario. (UPSC CSE 2021)
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance
Mains Examination: General Studies-II: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation; Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.
What’s the ongoing story: Keshav Kumar and Nikita Opal writes: Often called the “pharmacy of the world,” India’s pharmaceutical industry faces a growing crisis that threatens both public health and national credibility — the unchecked proliferation of counterfeit and substandard drugs.
Key Points to Ponder:
— Know about the ongoing issue of contaminated cough syrup linked to death
— What is diethylene glycol?
— What is the legislative framework in India to curb counterfeit drugs?
— Which authority is responsible for regulating drugs in India?
— A robust forensic framework is the backbone of successful prosecution. Elaborate.
— India’s counterfeit drug challenge is both a law-enforcement crisis and a legislative gap. What do you understand from this statement?
Key Takeaways:
— The tragic deaths of children in multiple states due to adulterated cough syrups are not isolated accidents but symptoms of a systemic failure. India’s investigative and prosecutorial machinery remains ill-equipped to combat the complex, organised networks behind counterfeit medicines.
— The conviction rate for counterfeit drug cases in India is a mere 5.9 per cent, and after procedural adjustments, the effective conviction rate rarely exceeds 3 per cent.
— This statistic exposes the inadequacy of investigative processes under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 (D&C Act), a law ill-suited for modern transnational crimes.
— A significant procedural impediment stems from the Supreme Court’s Ashok Kumar (2020) verdict, which limited the registration of offences under the D&C Act exclusively to Drug Control Officers.
— While this decision aimed to prevent misuse of police powers, it inadvertently paralysed law-enforcement capability. Excluding the police from directly registering cases under the Act created an enforcement vacuum that is exploited by counterfeiters.
— Drug Control Officers are knowledgeable about regulatory compliance, but they lack the field intelligence and forensic tools needed to unearth large-scale counterfeit networks. Consequently, most investigations remain confined to seizures without uncovering the criminal ecosystems.
— A careful legal reading, however, reveals that the police are not entirely powerless. The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, provides avenues for initiating police investigations under general criminal provisions such as Section 318 (Cheating) and Sections 336–338 (Forgery and Falsification of Records).
— The sale of fake or adulterated medicines inherently involves deception of consumers, while forged labels, invoices, and manufacturing licenses amount to forgery.
— To achieve tangible deterrence, India must embrace a “Best of Both Worlds” model — one that fuses the technical precision of the Drug Control Department with the investigative acumen of the police and forensic agencies.
— The Drug Control Department possesses domain knowledge—licensing, formulation standards, and pharmacovigilance, while the police offer operational capability, intelligence gathering, and prosecutorial experience.
— Joint investigations would enable simultaneous enforcement of specific legislation (D&C Act) and general criminal laws (BNS, PMLA, IPC-equivalents), creating a dual layer of accountability.
— This framework not only broadens investigative scope but also enhances the admissibility of evidence in court through scientific validation and multi-agency corroboration.
— A robust forensic framework is the backbone of successful prosecution. Every counterfeit medicine case must transition from mere seizure of the spurious drugs to scientific evidence collection.
— India’s counterfeit drug challenge is both a law-enforcement crisis and a legislative gap. The solution lies not in replacing one system with another but in integrating regulatory specialisation with criminal investigation.
— The following needs to be done to achieve synergy between the D&C Act and the BNS and PMLA:
— One, amend the D&C Act to permit joint jurisdiction between Drug Control Officers and police.
— Two, constitute national and state-level SITs to probe counterfeit medicine crimes.
— Three, mandate forensic analysis in every major counterfeit drug case.
— Four, enable financial probes through ED, Income Tax, and GST units.
— Five, institutionalise training for inter-agency cooperation and forensic awareness.
Do You Know:
— The World Health Organisation (WHO) Thursday sought answers from the Indian authorities on whether the cough syrup linked to child deaths in the country was exported to other nations.
— WHO said that the global health agency will decide on issuing a ‘Global Medical Products Alert’ for the cough syrup Coldrif once it receives official confirmation from authorities in India. Such alerts are issued for medicines found to be substandard or contaminated.
— Till now, 22 children have died due to kidney infections caused by the consumption of the “contaminated” cough syrup, containing Diethylene Glycol (DEG) and Ethylene Glycol (EG).
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
📍WHO seeks clarity from Indian authorities on export of cough syrup linked to child deaths
UPSC Prelims Practice Question Covering similar theme:
(2) Consider the following statements:
1. Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) provides general information about drug regulatory requirements in India.
2. CDSCO under Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers.
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
Previous year UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme:
How is the Government of India protecting traditional knowledge of medicine from patenting by pharmaceutical companies? (UPSC CSE 2019)
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: General Science
Mains Examination: General Studies-III: Science and Technology- developments and their applications and effects in everyday life
What’s the ongoing story: In most materials, atoms and molecules are packed tightly together, leaving little or no empty space between them. This year’s Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been awarded to three scientists who created novel materials in which atoms and molecules are linked in a way that leaves large, neatly arranged open spaces inside the molecular structure.
Key Points to Ponder:
— What are the components of an atom?
— Understand the difference between normal compounds and the MOFs?
— What is the role of the MOFs in capturing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere?
— What are organic molecules?
— What do you understand about the principle of “the usefulness of useless”?
— What are the various applications of the MOFs?
Key Takeaways:
— These spaces are extremely useful for storing or trapping other substances, making these materials — called Metal-Organic Frameworks, or MOFs — highly valuable in many situations.
— The Nobel Prize in Chemistry, announced on Wednesday, recognises the work of Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson, and Omar Yaghi in creating these special molecular constructions, made by linking metal atoms with carbon-containing molecules.
— Susumu Kitagawa, working separately and inspired by the principle of “the usefulness of useless”, built sturdier structures, and also showed that gases could pass through the cavities in them.
— Different kinds of MOFs can be used for applications like harvesting water from desert air, capturing carbon dioxide, or storing toxic gases. The great utility of MOFs lies in their ability to temporarily hold other substances in the empty spaces they contain, like a foam or sponge is able to hold air or water, and release it when needed.
— The difference between most normal compounds and the MOFs is similar to that between a building with very tiny rooms and many solid brick walls and one comprising only pillars and beams and no walls. MOFs, thus, contain very large empty spaces confined within their molecular structures.
— There is an important difference between these (bread, sponge) and MOFs. In bread or biscuit molecules, the pores are randomly arranged. There is no control over where these spaces would occur, or how much water they would absorb. The beauty of MOFs is that they can be customised to a very fine detail. And that is why they can be tailor-made for specific purposes
— “One of the most sought-after uses of MOFs these days is to try and capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. This is very important from the climate change perspective. These MOFs can selectively attract CO2 molecules from the air, ignoring others,” Banerjee, who did his post-doctoral research with Omar Yaghi, and works in precisely the same area now, a branch of chemistry called reticular chemistry, said.
Do You Know:
— MOFs are a class of materials composed of metal ions connected by organic molecules, forming a three-dimensional network with large, porous cavities. This design allows gases and liquids to flow through, making MOFs highly adaptable for various applications.
— Metals can form bonds in multiple directions, and thus metal ions are the anchors here, like joints in a scaffolding. Organic molecules link them together. Organic molecules are flexible, can form rings and chains, and can be designed to have chemical groups with specific properties.
— The unique properties of MOFs have led to their application in various fields:
— Water harvesting: MOFs can extract water from dry air, offering a potential solution for water-scarce regions.
— Pollutant Removal: They can filter out harmful substances like PFAS from water, addressing environmental contamination.
— Carbon capture: MOFs are effective in capturing carbon dioxide, aiding in efforts to mitigate climate change.
— Hydrogen storage: Their porous nature allows for the safe storage of hydrogen, crucial for clean energy applications.
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
📍Interesting facts about Nobel Prize
Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:
(3) The known forces of nature can be divided into four classes, viz., gravity, electromagnetism, weak nuclear force and strong nuclear force. With reference to them, which one of the following statements is not correct? (UPSC CSE 2013)
(a) Gravity is the strongest of the four
(b) Electromagnetism acts only on particles with an electric charge
(c) Week nuclear force, causes radioactivity
(d) Strong nuclear force holds protons’ and neutrons inside the nucleus of an atom four
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.
Mains Examination: General Studies-II: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.
General Studies-III: Science and Technology- developments and their applications and effects in everyday life.
What’s the ongoing story: US President Donald Trump, in his speech at the United Nations General Assembly on September 23, said that climate change was the greatest “con job” ever. “All of these predictions made by the United Nations and many others, often for bad reasons, were wrong. They were made by stupid people that have cost their countries fortunes and given those same countries no chance for success,” he said.
Key Points to Ponder:
— Are weather models and climate models the same?
— What is the significance of these climate models?
— Know about the various climate models that were used in the past
— The most glaring shortcoming of these models is that they tend to be less accurate in the Global South.What are the reasons for this?
— What are the efforts taken by India to enhance weather forecasting?
— What is the Bharat Forecast System?
Key Takeaways:
— The predictions that Trump alluded to in his speech are usually made using climate models. These computer programs are at the heart of climate research: they help scientists understand how the climate changed in the past, how it is changing now, and how it might change in the future.
— A climate model is a computer simulation that uses mathematical formulae and algorithms to replicate how the Earth’s climate system — including the atmosphere, ocean, land and ice — works.
— Climate models can forecast how variables such as temperature and humidity will change over time under different scenarios, like increased greenhouse gas emissions or changes in land use. Simply put, they allow scientists to test hypotheses and draw conclusions on past and future climate systems.
— Note that climate models are different from weather models. While weather models make predictions over specific areas and short time spans, climate models are broader and analyse long-term patterns.
— Scientists then feed input data from observations, for example, of greenhouse gases or ocean conditions, and have the model solve equations to determine how the weather will change within each cell, what impacts those changes will have on adjacent cells, and what changes those adjacent cells will have on others.
— The output from the model can include “projected changes in temperature and precipitation patterns, sea-level rise, ocean circulation, frequency and intensity of extreme weather events (such as heatwaves, droughts, and storms), and shifts in snow and ice cover,” Vidya said.
— The earliest form of climate models, known as the Energy Balance Models (EBMs), emerged in the 1960s. Then came Radiative Convective Models (RCMs), which are more complex and simulate the transfer of energy through the height of the atmosphere.
— Subsequently, General Circulation Models (GCMs), also called Global Climate Models, emerged. They are the most sophisticated and precise models for understanding climate systems and predicting climate change.
— There are also Regional Climate Models (RCMs) that do a similar job as GCMs, but offer more precise local forecasts and concentrate on smaller regions, such as a country or a continent.
— Researchers say that modern climate models are fairly accurate when it comes to capturing large-scale patterns and long-term changes, particularly at the global level.
— That said, current climate models are not perfect. This is because of imperfect, incomplete, or unavailable data on complex, dynamic processes such as the nature of clouds, the climatic effects of sudden geophysical events such as a volcanic eruption, or natural phenomena such as El Niño events.
— Climate models also overlook regional specifics such as intense rain in rural areas, flooding in urban areas, or heat in towns, as they view the Earth in broad sections, typically ranging from 100 to 250 kilometres (the size of each cell of the three-dimensional grid), according to Vidya.
— The most glaring shortcoming of these models is that they tend to be less accurate in the Global South. This could be because of inadequate ground data, and more complex and poorly represented regional climate patterns, such as the Indian monsoon.
— These flaws, however, do not mean that climate models are useless. Since they are based on well-founded physical principles of Earth system processes, climate models are still one of the best ways to understand general climate patterns and make policy decisions to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change.
— As such, almost all climate models and climate scientists agree on one fundamental fact: that climate change is real, and the rise of the global mean surface temperatures is due to the continuing emission of heat-trapping greenhouse gases.
Do You Know:
— It was reported in May that the India Meteorological Department (IMD) will soon adopt the Bharat Forecast System (BFS) which offers the highest resolution among weather models. This move will significantly enhance the IMD’s weather forecasting capabilities, especially with respect to extreme rainfall and cyclones.
— Developed by Pune-based Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), the BFS offers a spatial resolution of 6km x 6km, making it the first weather model with such high resolution. In fact, weather modellers have also been working to fine-tune this resolution to 3km and 1km.
— Currently, the IMD operates Coupled Forecasting System (CFS) developed under the Monsoon Mission Project. The original model framework of CFS was developed by US-based National Center for Environmental Prediction.
— For Indian use, it was modified to provide forecasts for the Indian monsoon region for different spatial and temporal resolutions. In addition, it also runs the Global Forecasting System (GFS), which a coupled model (factors-in ocean and atmospheric parameters), for issuing the weather forecasts at time scales ranging from a few hours, to five days, a month to a season.
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
📍IMD to receive high resolution Bharat Forecast System today
Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:
(4) Arrange the following India Meteorological Headquarters in Chronological order of their establishment. (UPPSC 2018)
A. New Delhi
B. Kolkata
C. Shimla
D. Pune
Select your correct answer from the codes given below:
(a) CDAB
(b) BADC
(c) DBCA
(d) BCDA
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance
Mains Examination: General Studies-III: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilisation of resources, growth, development and employment; Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment
What’s the ongoing story: The first half of this year saw something significant — for the first time ever, renewable energy eclipsed coal as the world’s leading source of electricity, according to new data from the UK-based energy think tank Ember.
Key Points to Ponder:
— What is India’s commitment to reduce carbon emissions?
— What is the status of India’s carbon emission?
— What are the various sectors of renewable energy in India?
— What is the contribution of the power sector in carbon emission?
— How has good weather conditions impacted the carbon emission from the power sector?
— What are the various initiatives taken by the government to reduce carbon emission in energy sector?
Key Takeaways:
— India’s grid has broadly mirrored this trend, with separate government data up to June 30 showing that non-fossil fuel sources in the country accounted for 50.1 per cent of its installed electricity capacity, displacing thermal.
— These sources — which include nuclear, large hydro, and renewables — made up just 30 per cent of installed capacity in India up to 2015 and 38 per cent in 2020, before surging sharply over the last five years, on the back of solar and wind power.
— When the Paris Agreement was signed in 2015, India had committed to achieving 40 per cent non-fossil fuel capacity by 2030, a target hiked to 50 per cent in 2022.
— The new Ember report, which analysed changes in global electricity generation from January to June 2025 compared with the same period last year, said that while coal fell in both China and India, the dip in India was deemed as “temporary” while it was cited as “more structural” in China.
— A separate report by the Paris-based International Energy Agency (IEA) noted that global renewables could more than double by the end of the decade, with 80 per cent of new clean energy capacity expected to come from solar power.
— The IEA said China would remain the world’s biggest growth market for renewables, with India emerging as the second largest over the decade.
— Solar and wind outpaced demand growth in the first half of 2025: Global electricity demand grew by 2.6 per cent overall in the first half of 2025, with this increase more than met by increases in solar (31 per cent) and wind (7.7 per cent) generation.
— Coal dips in China and India — temporarily in India, but more structurally in China: As the strong rise in solar led to renewables overtaking coal generation for the first time on record in the first half of 2025, renewable’s share of global electricity rose to 34.3 per cent while coal’s share fell to 33.1 per cent.
— Power sector emissions plateaued: Despite global electricity demand rising, emissions fell slightly in the first half of 2025. Declines in China and India reflected clean generation growth outpacing demand, while emissions increased in the EU and the US compared with the same period last year.
Do You Know:
— As of June 2025, India’s total installed capacity stood at 485 gigawatts (GW), of which renewables – including solar, wind, small hydro, and biogas – accounted for 185 GW, according to the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.
— Large hydro contributed 49 GW, and nuclear 9 GW, taking the total non-fossil fuel capacity just over the halfway mark. Thermal power, mostly coal- and gas-based, made up the remaining 242 GW, or 49.9 per cent. In 2015, thermal’s share was 70 per cent.
— With the surge in green power, carbon dioxide emissions from India’s electricity sector in the first half of this year too have shown a marginal decline from the same period last year, a new analysis has revealed.
— This break from the trend was the first time India’s CO2 emissions from the power sector showed a dip and was partly on account of better weather conditions dampening demand, according to data from the UK-based Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air. More than half of India’s CO2 output comes from coal used for electricity and heat generation, making this sector the most important by far for the country’s emissions.
— India’s focus on rapid expansion of renewables in the absence of energy storage systems, especially over the last decade, is now resulting in increasing instability in the country’s electricity grid.
— The issue is compounded by the scaling down of thermal expansion, which provides critical baseload support to the grid during evenings in summer months, when solar generation dips and demand remains high.
— The Indian government has begun moving proactively on the policy front in recent months, with a push for energy storage and a policy pivot back towards thermal, and nuclear, especially the small modular reactors segment.
— In February, the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) issued an advisory to co-locate energy storage systems with solar projects in future tenders to ensure grid stability.
— The Ministry of Power has also expanded its viability gap funding (VGF) scheme for battery storage, adding 30 gigawatt-hours (GWh) to the 13 GWh already under implementation, with a total outlay of Rs 5,400 crore.
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
📍First time, India’s CO2 emissions from power sector dip in Jan-June
Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:
(5) Consider the following statements: (UPSC CSE 2020)
1. Coal ash contains arsenic, lead and mercury.
2. Coal-fired power plants release sulphur dioxide and oxides of nitrogen into the environment.
3. High ash content is observed in Indian coal.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Previous year UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme:
To what factors can the recent dramatic fall in equipment costs and tariff of solar energy be attributed ? What implications does the trend have for the thermal power producers and the related industry ? (UPSC CSE 2015)
| ALSO IN NEWS | |
| Centre proposes prior green clearance exemption for solid waste management, effluent treatment units | The Union Environment Ministry has proposed to exempt common municipal solid waste management facilities and common effluent treatment plants (CETPs) from obtaining prior environmental clearance.
The ministry issued two separate draft notifications—one on October 3 for CETPs and another on October 6 for solid waste facilities—both proposing exemptions based on recommendations from the sectoral expert appraisal committee (EAC) on infrastructure projects. The draft notifications have thus proposed to omit entries related to solid waste municipal management facilities and CETPs from the list of activities that need prior environmental clearance under the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) notification, 2006. |
| From Washington to London: A new economic consensus | In April 1990, the English economist John Williamson published a paper titled ‘What Washington Means by Policy Reform’. It basically listed 10 “economic policy instruments” that countries needed to adopt and deploy in order to achieve sustainable growth. The so-called Ten Commandments included: Fiscal discipline, Prioritise public expenditure, Tax reform, Decontrol interest rates, Competitive exchange rates, Trade liberalisation,
Foreign direct investment, Privatise state-owned enterprises. Deregulation, and Grant and uphold property rights. In May 2023, a group of 55 scholars met at the London School of Economics (LSE) to share their thoughts and work towards forging a “new economic consensus for the 21st century”. The project was labelled the London Census after the venue. Instead of clearcut commandments, they offer five “core principles” to guide policymaking, particularly in the light of the new economic challenges arising from climate change, transformative technologies such as artificial intelligence, authoritarian populism and waning support for liberal democracy even in the West. |
| PRELIMS ANSWER KEY |
| 1. (c) 2. (a) 3. (a) 4. (d) 5. (d) |
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