UPSC Key: Quasi-Judicial Bodies, Buffalo-Meat Exports and PM CARES Fund

Inside one-shot therapy to lower bad cholesterol

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

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

What’s the ongoing story: A new experimental therapy from US pharma major Eli Lilly and its subsidiary Verve Therapeutics — involving a single shot infusion that may bust LDL (low-density lipoprotein), or bad cholesterol, at one go and which sharply lowered LDL by 62% for as long as 18 months after treatment in a trial — continues to make waves among cardiologists.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What is low-density lipoprotein (LDL)?

• Why low-density lipoprotein (LDL) is known as bad cholesterol?

• What is In vivo base editing therapy?

• Why VERVE-102 is in news with respect to low-density lipoprotein (LDL)?

• How VERVE-102 works?

• What is PCSK9?

• Why target PCSK9?

• The study produced a roughly 60% reduction in LDL cholesterol after a single infusion in patients. How would that reduce their actual risk of heart attack or stroke?

Key Takeaways:

• The therapy works by permanently switching off a cholesterol-related gene called PCSK9 inside the liver, taming LDL forever.

• VERVE-102 is not a traditional drug. It is a form of in vivo (administered directly to the patient’s body) gene editing, which allows scientists to alter DNA and modify gene function. Instead of temporarily blocking cholesterol production with medicines, researchers use genetic instructions delivered through an intravenous infusion to permanently alter liver cells from producing it altogether.

• Professor David E Newby, British Heart Foundation Duke of Edinburgh Chair of Cardiology and a co-author of the VERVE-102 phase 1 trial, told The Indian Express, “In traditional treatment, you keep taking the medicine to keep the effect of lowering LDL. In VERVE-102, you make a one-time targeted change to DNA inside liver cells to keep the effect going.”

• “The goal is to permanently reduce the liver’s ability to produce PCSK9 after a single intravenous infusion. We are hoping that a ‘one-and-done’ cholesterol treatment could eventually replace conventional medicines,” he said.

• The study is exciting because it shows that a concept once considered futuristic — a one-time genetic treatment for lifelong cholesterol control — has begun to enter human clinical testing.

Existing treatments for LDL, or bad cholesterol.

• The challenge now is proving that the benefits of making such a change last a lifetime truly outweigh the risks. For now, it is a promising potential future option for selected high-risk patients, rather than a replacement for existing treatments such as statins, ezetimibe, PCSK9 inhibitors, or inclisiran.

Do You Know:

• LDL is called “bad cholesterol” because high levels make it stick to artery walls and form hard fatty deposits called plaque. These deposits narrow the arteries and block blood flow, elevating the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

• PCSK9 is a protein involved in regulating LDL cholesterol in the blood. Scientists discovered that people who naturally have certain loss-of-function changes in the PCSK9 gene tend to have lower LDL cholesterol throughout their lives and a lower risk of coronary heart disease. This provided an important clue: reducing PCSK9 activity could be a safe and effective way to lower cardiovascular risk.

• That discovery was later supported by drug trials. Medicines such as PCSK9 monoclonal antibodies can substantially reduce LDL cholesterol and cardiovascular events. Traditional medicines temporarily block PCSK9 or reduce its production. Their effects therefore require continued treatment. VERVE-102 is designed to change that battle with daily compliance of drugs.

• In vivo base editing therapy is an advanced genetic approach that directly changes a single DNA letter (base) inside a patient’s body without cutting the DNA strands.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Can an injection prevent heart attacks? Eli Lilly’s gene-editing therapy cuts LDL cholesterol by 62%

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:
1) With reference to the use of Nano-technology in health sector, which of the following statement(s) is/are correct? (UPSC CSE, 2015)
1. Targeted drug delivery is made possible by nanotechnology.
2. Nanotechnology can largely contribute to gene therapy.
Select the correct answer using the codes given below.
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Previous year UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme:
📍What are the research and developmental achievements in applied biotechnology? How will these achievements help to uplift the poorer sections of the society? (UPSC, GS3, 2021)

With ‘no soap or toothpaste’, why the USS Lincoln is still at sea

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

What’s the ongoing story: The senior-most US military commander in the Middle East, US Central Command chief Admiral Brad Cooper, visited the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea on Saturday (August 15), amid claims of food shortages, flagging morale, and even suicide attempts on the aircraft carrier. The USS Abraham Lincoln has been at sea without a break for over 260 days.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What is an aircraft carrier?

• Why are aircraft carriers so important?

• What is USS Abraham Lincoln?

• Why the USS Lincoln hasn’t left the Arabian Sea?

• What are the strategic significance of the Arabian Sea?

• Do you think that the drones, missiles and satellites changing the strategic utility of aircraft carriers?

• What is the future of aircraft carriers?

• Does India have aircraft carriers?

Key Takeaways:

• While US President Donald Trump has dismissed reports of hardships on the USS Lincoln, the USS George Washington is leaving the Pacific Ocean, at a time China has been assertive about its territorial claims in the region, in all likelihood to replace the long-deployed carrier in the Arabian Sea.

• The USS Lincoln has been at sea for over eight months now, three months behind its original target of May. It has been parked in hostile territory, amid a naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz by both Iran and the US, so vessels carrying mails and fresh rations have faced difficulty reaching the carrier and the 5,000 personnel abroad.

• For more than a month now, there have been reports of deteriorating conditions aboard the ship. At a town hall with senior US Navy officers held earlier in August, families spoke of sailors feeling distressed, and at least two trying to jump overboard.

• Captain Anurag Bisen, a veteran Indian Navy submariner with over 35 years of service, told The Indian Express, “For seafarers, the biggest factor is mental stress. The long separation from loved ones extracts a heavy toll, particularly when there is a complete lack of communication. Material factors, even though important, are secondary, but as time goes by, they have a multiplier effect on the young minds. Also, the monotonous routine, with little space for diversions, is another major contributor. The movies, books, puzzles, games, and whatever else is carried onboard, run their course after a while.”

• Longer the deployment, worse the conditions get. “For a sailor, the lack of terra ferma underneath, after prolonged spells at sea, is also a major factor that affects morale. This is further negatively amplified in the case of submariners, who are bereft even of sunlight for prolonged durations. It is a test for the command team and that is
why morale is very very closely watched on an afloat combatant platform,” Captain Bisen added.

• The claims have now gained political mileage. Democrat Congressman Mike Levin, who serves on the Veterans Affairs committee, posted on X on August 11, “It’s been a week since a dozen military families shared what their loved ones are enduring aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln. Moldy showers, broken toilets, laundry down for weeks, long stretches with no hot water, a meal that came down to half a cup of rice and two tortillas. No soap, deodorant, or toothpaste.”

• On August 15, Acting Secretary of the Navy, Hung Cao, said as part of a longer statement, “A small number of mental health cases were treated with no loss of life. Meal plans were adjusted when fresh resupply was unavailable, without a single meal being missed. Calls home were limited when the operational threat was too high. There is no question our young men and women have been pushed to their limits—but they have never broken. They are rightly tired—but have never been out of the fight.”

Do You Know:

• An aircraft carrier is basically a mobile airbase. A land-based fighter plane can fly hundreds or even thousands of kilometres out over the ocean. But after it completes its mission, it needs somewhere to land. It also needs fuel, weapons, maintenance and people to service it. A carrier takes all of this with it.

• A carrier can launch fighter jets to attack targets, intercept enemy aircraft and defend the fleet. Other aircraft and helicopters can search for submarines. Specialised aircraft can provide early warning, essentially acting as flying radar stations. The carrier can therefore serve as an airbase miles away from a country’s territory.

• India currently operates two aircraft carriers — INS Vikramaditya, the refurbished former Soviet-era Admiral Gorshkov, and the indigenously built INS Vikrant. The Navy has also sought a third carrier to expand its ability to maintain a sustained presence in distant waters.
—INS Vikrant was the first indigenously built aircraft carrier of the Indian Navy. With a displacement of 45,000 tonnes, it is the largest warship ever built in India. The Navy says roughly 76% of the carrier comprises indigenous content, including 23,000 tonnes of steel, 2,500 km of electric cables and 150 km of pipes. Vikrant can carry up to 34 aircraft, with Russian-made MiG-29K fighter jets as its primary combat aircraft. It has a crew of about 1,600 and functions almost like a small town at sea, with a hospital featuring two operation theatres and an ICU, workshops, and three galleys.
—INS Vikramaditya, commissioned in 2013, was originally the Soviet-era Admiral Gorshkov, which India acquired from Russia and had refurbished. It operates MiG-29K fighter jets using a ski-jump for take-off and arrester wires for landing.
—Before Vikramaditya and Vikrant, India operated INS Viraat, formerly the British HMS Hermes. Commissioned by the Indian Navy in 1987, Viraat participated in Operation Pawan, the Indian Peace Keeping Force mission in Sri Lanka, and later in Operation Parakram in the North Arabian Sea. It was decommissioned in 2017.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍An Expert Explains: Indian Navy’s long and illustrious road to an Indigenous Aircraft Carrier

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:
2) Which of the following items of defence hardware is/are manufactured in India? (UPSC CSE, 2026)
1. Su-30 MKI Fighter Jets
2. T-90 MK-III Tanks
3. Akula Class Submarine
Select the answer using the code given below:
(a) 1 and 2
(b) 1 and 3
(c) 1 only
(d) 2 only

Behind new Tribunals bill, decade-long tussle between Centre, SC

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Indian Polity and Governance

Mains Examination: General Studies II: Statutory, regulatory and various quasi-judicial bodies.

What’s the ongoing story: Parliament has passed the Tribunals Reforms Bill, 2026, introducing sweeping changes to the administration of tribunals across the country.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What are quasi-judicial bodies?

• What is a Tribunal?

• What was the rationality behind the introduction of tribunals in India?

• What are the constitutional provisions related to the tribunals?

• The Tribunals Reforms Bill, 2026, says what?

• Article 323-A and Article 323-B of the Constitution-compare and contrast

• The Government vs Supreme court of India over the governance of tribunals-what you know so far?

• What was a major principle established in L. Chandra Kumar v. Union of India?

• Tribunal reforms act, 2021 vs Tribunals Reforms Bill, 2026-Compare and contrast

• Why is a National Tribunals Commission needed?

• How Tribunal is different from Courts?

• What do you understand by the term “Principles of ‘natural justice”?

• Powers Conferred to tribunals in India -Know in detail

• Know the Important Landmark Judgements of tribunals in India

Key Takeaways:

• Tribunals are quasi-judicial bodies that are set up to provide swift and specialised resolution of disputes and reduce the caseload of courts.

• The Bill establishes a National Tribunals Commission, fixes the tenure of tribunal members at five years and requires the Union government to appoint members within three months of their names being recommended by the commission.

• These changes address several of the concerns repeatedly raised over the years by the Supreme Court regarding the administration of tribunals, particularly over tenure and the executive’s discretion in appointments.

• But the Bill does not entirely remove the government from the administration of tribunals: the Centre retains important powers over the commission, its funding and rules, and service conditions.

• For years, the Supreme Court and the Union government have been locked in a legislative and judicial back-and-forth over the governance of tribunals.

• The friction began with the Finance Act of 2017, which empowered the Centre to frame rules for tribunals. These rules were struck down by a Constitution bench of the court in the 2019 Rojer Mathew case for undermining judicial independence.

• When the Centre notified new rules in 2020, the Supreme Court recommended several modifications, including suggesting a five-year tenure for members. Instead of incorporating these suggestions, the Centre promulgated an Ordinance in April 2021 that fixed the tenure at four years, set a minimum appointment age of 50 and required selection committees to recommend a panel of two names for the government to choose from.

• After the Supreme Court struck down these provisions as arbitrary, Parliament passed the Tribunals Reforms Act in August 2021, re-enacting the exact provisions the court had just declared unconstitutional.

Do You Know:

• The 2026 Bill repeals the Tribunals Reforms Act, 2021 and contains detailed transitional provisions protecting certain existing appointments and allowing some selection processes begun under the old framework to continue.

• The Statement of Objects and Reasons of the 2026 Bill says that it is being introduced “in consonance with the directions of the Supreme Court” to “improve the efficiency, ensure independence, transparency and uniformity” in the functioning of tribunals. The reference is to a Supreme Court judgement in November last year that had struck down provisions of the Tribunal Reforms Act, 2021.

• The most significant change is the establishment of the National Tribunals Commission. The Supreme Court had repeatedly insisted on the creation of this independent body to sever the tribunals’ reliance on their parent government ministries for administrative and financial needs, which the court argued kept them under executive control.

• The Commission will conduct the selection process for vacancies, review the performance of tribunals, oversee inquiries into complaints against members and maintain a National Tribunals Data Grid. It will be headed by a former Supreme Court judge or a former Chief Justice of a High Court and comprise two judicial members and two technical members. The technical members must have at least 25 years’ experience in fields such as public administration, finance or law.

• The Bill resolves the previously contested issue of tenure by aligning with the court’s mandate and stipulating that chairpersons and members of tribunals will hold office for a term of five years. The maximum age limit has been set at 70 years for chairpersons and 67 years for members. They can be considered for reappointment.

• The selection process has also been changed. The search-cum-selection committee for members will be headed by a judicial member of the Commission and will include a retired High Court judge, a government secretary, a technical member and experts. The committee will recommend one suitable candidate for each vacancy, with one additional name kept on a waiting list. The government must make the appointment within three months of receiving the recommendation.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Knowledge Nugget | Why Tribunals matter in India’s justice system

📍The Tribunal System in India

Previous year UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme:
📍Comment on the need of administrative tribunals as compared to the court system. Assess the impact of the recent tribunal reforms through rationalization of tribunals made in 2021.(UPSC GS2, 2025)
📍How far do you agree with the view that tribunals curtail the jurisdiction of ordinary courts? In view of the above, discuss the constitutional validity and competency of the tribunals in India? (UPSC GS2, 2018)
📍What is quasi-judicial body? Explain with the help of concrete examples. (UPSC, GS2, 2016)

How India’s new nuclear rules could favour old nuclear energy partner Russia

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 and Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.

What’s the ongoing story: Russia’s nuclear sector advantage in India could only get more pronounced if the draft rules issued by the Department of Atomic Energy for the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Act are anything to go by.

Key Points to Ponder:

• The Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Act-know the key highlights and features

• What is a small modular reactor?

• What are the opportunities offered by Small Modular Reactors for India’s energy sector?

• Why does Russia potentially benefit?

• What are the factors behind Russia’s advantage?

• What are the supplier liability provisions under the SHANTI Act?

• How nuclear liability works and how it has changed under the SHANTI Act?

• What is the history of India-Russia bilateral relations?

• What are the areas of cooperation between India and Russia?

Key Takeaways:

• The rules specifically state that foreign nuclear technology sourced for a nuclear power plant or reactor in India must mandatorily have its design certified or approved by the regulatory body in its country of origin and must already be operational there or in another foreign country.

• “The technology intended to be imported or acquired domestically does not adversely affect the interest of India, does not constitute an unreasonable risk to public health and safety and is in conformity with the national policies framed under the Act,” the rules read. This could be a big factor when it comes to the small modular reactor (SMR) sector, an area where India is keen to step up its presence.

• Russian nuclear company Rosatom State Corporation, a state-owned company based in Moscow that specialises in nuclear energy and non-nuclear energy products, has made a strong pitch for deploying its small modular reactors (SMRs) for targeted applications in India, alongside efforts to position its large new-generation atomic power reactor-based projects as the cornerstone of bilateral cooperation between the two countries in the field of nuclear energy. It has a clear edge over its Western competitors.

• While it is already building conventional nuclear projects in India, Russia has a lead in the nascent field of SMRs, which are advanced nuclear reactors that have about a third of the generating capacity of most traditional nuclear power reactors but can produce a large amount of low-carbon electricity.

• Currently, two SMR projects have reached the operational stage globally, including an SMR named the ‘Akademik Lomonosov floating power unit’ that has two modules of 35 MWe (megawatt electric) and started commercial operation in May 2020.

• The Lomonosov is a non-self-propelled power barge that doubles up as a floating nuclear power station and is docked in Pevek harbour, providing heating for the Arctic port town of Pevek and supplying electricity to the regional Chaun-Bilibino power system. It is designated as the world’s northernmost nuclear power plant.

• The other operational SMR is a demonstration project called HTR-PM in China that was grid-connected in December 2021 and is reported to have started commercial operations in December 2023.

• Other global companies that are in the fray for SMR leadership include New Jersey-based Holtec International, Rolls-Royce SMR, NuScale’s VOYGR SMR, Westinghouse Electric’s AP300 SMR and GE-Hitachi’s BWRX-300. But nearly all of these reactors are in the design certification phase and are yet to be cleared by their domestic regulators, and none of them are operational yet. So, in effect, that clause could be a problem for most of these players if they seek to make an India entry.

Do You Know:

• SMR technologies are aimed at supplying clean electricity to remote regions with limited grid infrastructure, as well as to individual industrial enterprises. India is looking at SMRs as a solution for localised applications, such as energy-hungry data centres, and for quickly scaling up baseload capacity.

• Before SHANTI, India’s nuclear liability framework rested on the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, 2010, which established a no-fault regime. Victims of a nuclear incident did not have to prove negligence, only damage.

• The 2010 Act also included Section 17(b), which gave the operators a right of recourse against suppliers, i.e., if an accident occurred because a manufacturer had supplied defective equipment, the operator who had paid out compensation could recover that amount from the supplier. The provision also covered “supply of equipment or material with patent or latent defects or substandard services.”

• SHANTI repealed the 2010 Act. Under Section 11, the operator is liable for nuclear damage, but Section 13, read with the Second Schedule, fragments that liability by reactor size.

• The protections written into SHANTI were the product of a decade of pressure from foreign reactor manufacturers and governments backing them.

• In SHANTI’s Statement of Objects and Reasons, this is framed as a matter of economic necessity. India has set a target of 100 GW of nuclear capacity by 2047. To reach it, the government determined that private and foreign participation were unavoidable and that a “pragmatic civil liability” framework was required to bring that capital in. The liability structure, caps on operators, no statutory exposure for suppliers, and residual liability absorbed by the state are the price of that participation.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Why SHANTI Act’s nuclear liability limits are under Supreme Court scrutiny

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:
3) In India, why are some nuclear reactors kept under “IAEA safeguards” while others are not? (UPSC CSE, 2020)
(a) Some use uranium and others use thorium
(b) Some use imported uranium and others use domestic supplies
(c) Some are operated by foreign enterprises and others are operated by domestic enterprises
(d) Some are State-owned and others are privately owned

Previous year UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme:
📍With growing energy needs should India keep on expanding its nuclear energy programme? Discuss the facts and fears associated with nuclear energy. (UPSC, GS3, 2018)
📍What is the significance of Indo-US defence deals over Indo-Russian defence deals? Discuss with reference to stability in the Indo-Pacific region. (UPSC, GS2, 2020)

Economy

Youth don’t find govt banks ‘cool’, be part of their lives: FM to PSBs

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development

Mains Examination: General Studies III: Inclusive growth and issues arising from it.

What’s the ongoing story: Calling on India’s public sector banks (PSBs) to up their ‘cool’ quotient in the eyes of the country’s youth without sacrificing the prudence the business requires, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday said state-owned lenders should organise a month-long campaign starting October 2 focused on youngsters over the age of 16.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What is financial literacy?

• “India continues to face a significant financial literacy gap”-Discuss

• Why early financial literacy is essential?

• Why does the government want public sector banks to attract youth?

• Why youth financial literacy matters?

• Financial Literacy vs Financial Inclusion-compare

• How proposed initiatives like ‘Yuva Kiosks’ or ‘Yuva Banking Mitra’ will attract youths?

• What are the steps the government has taken to promote financial inclusion amongst the youths?

Key Takeaways:

• Addressing senior banking officials on the second day of the PSB Confluence conference in the capital, the Finance Minister said that having grown up with smartphones, the youth today are tech savvy and they expect banking to be simple, intuitive, personalised, and available at all times. And PSBs need to keep pace with these expectations.

• “Pardon me if I say with some liberty, because I take the blame as much as all of you, public sector banks still give the impression of a government bank,” Sitharaman said, adding that in her interactions with youngsters under the age of 25, not one named a PSB in which they had an account.

• At the same time, Sitharaman cautioned this was not a recommendation from her to PSBs to “go and do something to make you all appear ‘cool’ but not bank enough”. Saying that she did not want to trivialise the issue, the Finance Minister said banking is “serious business” and a balance had to be struck. “But somewhere, private banks seem to have that picture of being banks but cool enough as well,” she said.

• Organised by the finance ministry’s Department of Financial Services, the two-day PSB Confluence meeting saw discussions across seven themes relevant to the next phase of growth of the banking and financial sector. After deposit mobilisation, banking for youth, supporting the investment cycle, and global capability centres were discussed on Monday, the focus on Tuesday was on agriculture and horticulture value chain infrastructure, priority sector lending, and reimagining the credit card business.

Do You Know:

• The World Economic Forum’s Global Retail Investor Outlook Survey revealed that 51% of Indian individuals declare to be struggling to meet their debts and liabilities, far exceeding the global average of 32%.

• Financial inclusion is central to India’s vision of equitable development. Over the past decade, India has expanded access to banking, digital payments, credit, insurance, pensions and investment opportunities. Digital Public Infrastructure and citizen-centric reforms have driven this transformation. India has moved beyond universal bank account ownership towards active participation in the formal financial system.

• According to PIB, several indicators highlight the significant progress made in expanding financial access, infrastructure and participation across India.
— RBI’s Financial Inclusion (FI) Index: The RBI’s FI Index measures the extent of financial inclusion across access, usage and quality of financial services. It serves as a comprehensive indicator of progress in expanding formal financial services nationwide. The FI Index increased from 43.4 in March 2017 to 70.0 in March 2026, reflecting broad-based improvements across all three dimensions.
—World Bank Global Findex: The Global Findex Database is the world’s leading source of data on financial inclusion. It measures how adults access and use financial services across economies. The Global Findex 2025 highlights India’s remarkable progress in financial inclusion. Account ownership has reached 89% since 2011, reflecting significant gains in access to formal financial services and active account usage over the past decade.
—Banking Access Network: Bank branches remain the foundation of India’s formal banking system. They provide savings, credit and other financial services across the country. India has over 1.81 lakh bank branches (17 July 2026). Banking access is delivered through branches, Business Correspondents and India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) outlets. As of 6 March 2026, 99.92% villages in the country are covered with banking outlets within a 5 km radius.
—India’s financial inclusion ecosystem rests on interconnected policy and institutional pillars. They promote universal access and meaningful participation in the formal financial system: Pradhan Mantri Jan – Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) and JAM Trinity

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Gen Z’s buy-now, pay-later habit fuelling unsecured loans, worrying RBI

Previous year UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme:
📍Is inclusive growth possible under market economy? State the significance of financial inclusion in achieving economic growth in India. (UPSC, GS3, 2022)
📍Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) is necessary for bringing unbanked to the institutional finance fold. Do you agree with this for financial inclusion of the poor section of the Indian society? Give arguments to justify your opinion. (UPSC, GS3, 2016)

Front Page

$5-bn success story, and growing: Buffalo meat exports surge

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Mains Examination: General Studies III: Economics of animal-rearing.

What’s the ongoing story: Buffalo meat, the shipments of which surged by 25.6% to $5.1 billion in 2025-26 (April-March). The current fiscal has seen further growth, a whopping 66.6% from $896.8 million in April-June 2025 to nearly $1.5 billion in April-June 2026. “We crossed $5 billion for the first time last fiscal and are on track to do $6 billion-plus in 2026-27,” said a Commerce Ministry official. But it’s not just overall value increase. More impressive is the value realisation per tonne.

Key Points to Ponder:

• Which is India’s best-performing agricultural export item?

• India’s buffalo-meat exports-know the facts and figures.

• What exactly does India export?

• What is beef in India?

• How India’s buffalo economy provides an important linkage between dairy production, food processing and meat exports?

• What are the major challenges confronting India’s livestock exports despite its large domestic production base?

• What is Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA)?

Key Takeaways:

• In 2014-15, India exported 14.8 lakh tonnes (lt) of buffalo meat worth $4.8 billion, translating into an average value of $3,240 per tonne. The subsequent years till 2023-24 recorded a drop in the value as well as quantity of exports (see charts), and also average realisations to $2,700-3,000 levels.

Source: Department of Commerce

• The revival started in 2024-25, when exports touched $4.1 billion at a unit value of $3,236 per tonne. The latter number rose to $3,591 in 2025-26 and $4,392 during April-June 2026.

• “The higher unit value realisations indicate improved product acceptability of Indian buffalo meat. This has been enabled by government policy, allowing exports only from plants registered by the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) that is conditional upon their meeting stringent safety, hygiene and infrastructure requirements. We also ensure ongoing compliance through periodic and surprise inspections,” the official explained.

Source: Department of Commerce

• “In the last couple of years, we have consciously worked at making Indian buffalo meat a global brand and not a number two alternative to cattle beef. The world too is recognising our product quality and safety standards,” claimed Fauzan Alavi, secretary of the All-India Buffalo and Sheep Meat Exporters Association.

Do You Know:
• India has 83 APEDA-approved integrated abattoirs-cum-meat processing plants that can handle between 500 and 2,000 large animals (buffaloes) each daily. In addition, there are five standalone slaughterhouses and 10 meat processing plants registered by APEDA for export purpose.

AI-generated infographic

• India is the world’s third largest bovine meat exporter. Its projected volume of 17 lt (in carcass weight equivalent) for 2026 is next to Brazil’s 42.8 lt and Australia’s 21.6 lt, as per US Department of Agriculture data. The country’s top three exporters are the Mumbai-based Allanasons Private Ltd, the Abu Dhabi-headquartered LuLu Group-owned Fair Exports India, and HMA Agro Industries, Agra.
Indian buffalo meat, also called carabeef, is widely used for processed industrial foods such as sausages, burger patties, emulsified nuggets, canned and ready-to-eat products. But there’s a concerted attempt now at boosting value realisation by selling more through retail channels – including in 1-kg or less consumer packs, as against 20-30 kg bulk frozen blocks.

• In 2014-15, 45% of India’s $4.8 billion buffalo meat exports went to Vietnam ($2.2 billion), followed by Malaysia ($422.9 million), Egypt ($422.3 million), Thailand ($393.4 million), Saudi Arabia ($259 million), United Arab Emirates ($130.8 million), Algeria ($125.1 million) and Philippines ($115.8 million).

AI generated infographic

• Cut to 2025-26, where out of the total $5.1 billion, 10 countries imported over $100 million worth each: Vietnam ($933.9 million), Egypt ($725 million), Malaysia ($654.1 million), UAE ($444.2 million), Saudi Arabia ($359.3 million), Uzbekistan ($307 million), Indonesia ($301.3 million), Iraq ($300.1 million), Philippines ($176.6 million) and Jordan ($105.5 million). “Uzbekistan is a new market. So are others that have become significant buyers: Russia ($97.5 million), Georgia ($70.5 million), Oman ($82.7 million) and Senegal ($70.9 million),” the official noted.

• India doesn’t permit export of beef (cattle meat). Even export of carabeef is from buffaloes that do not produce enough milk after around five calvings/lactations (when they would be 8-9 years old), are infertile, have damaged udders or happen to be male. For farmers, maintaining them is uneconomical, both direct and indirect in terms of diverting fodder, feed, water and labour resources away from bovines giving milk now or in future.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍India is world’s third-biggest beef exporter: FAO report

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:
4) As per the NSSO 70th Round “Situation Assessment Survey of Agricultural Households”, consider the following statements: (UPSC CSE, 2018)
1. Rajasthan has the highest percentage share of agricultural households among its rural households.
2. Out of the total agricultural households in the country, a little over 60 percent belong to OBCs.
3. In Kerala, a little over 60 percent of agricultural households reported to have received maximum income from sources other than agricultural activities.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 2 and 3 only
(b) 2 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

Previous year UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme:
📍Livestock rearing has a big potential for providing non-farm employment and income in rural areas. Discuss suggesting suitable measures to promote this sector in India. (UPSC GS3, 2015)

Nation

PM CARES Fund sees drop in donations, spending

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Indian Polity and Governance

Mains Examination: General Studies II: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.

What’s the ongoing story: Total contributions to the Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM CARES Fund) fell to Rs 479.96 crore in financial year 2024-25. Its closing balance, however, touched an all-time high of Rs 8,452.06 crore as the spending, too, fell to a five-year low of Rs 87.85 lakh.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What is Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM CARES Fund)?

• What is the apprehension with the Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM CARES Fund)?

• Who are the Trustees of the PM CARES Fund?

• What are the Objectives of the PM CARES Fund Trust?

• What is the legal framework of PM CARES Fund?

• Public Charitable Trust and Article 12 of the Indian Constitution-Connect the dots

• What type of domestic donations are accepted in PM CARES Fund?

• Are contributions towards the PM CARES Fund exempted from Income Tax?

• Who audits the PM CARES Fund?

• Contribution to PM – CARES Fund will Qualify as CSR Expenditure?

• Whether Foreign Donation is accepted in PM CARES Fund?

• PM CARES Fund-Controversy, Issues and Challenges

• Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) and Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM CARES)-Compare and Contrast

Key Takeaways:

• According to the latest Receipt and Payment Accounts (Audited) statement available on the PM CARES Fund portal, domestic donations accounted for Rs 479.04 crore of the total contributions while foreign donations added up to about Rs 92 lakh. The Fund also received Rs 475.14 crore as interest income (Rs 469.37 crore from fixed deposits, Rs 5.76 crore from regular accounts), about Rs 13.49 lakh as refund of tax deducted at source (TDS) on interest on fixed deposits from banks, and Rs 324.65 crore as “refund from implementing agencies”.

• Meanwhile, the total spending fell to Rs 87.85 lakh, including Rs 87.84 lakh on the PM CARES for Children Scheme and Rs 451 as bank charges and SMS charges. The total spending was Rs 15.59 crore in 2023-24; Rs 437.87 crore in 2022-23; Rs 3,716.29 crore in 2021-22; and Rs 3,976.17 crore in 2020-21.

Do You Know:

• The PM CARES Fund was registered as a public charitable trust under the Registration Act, 1908, on March 27, 2020 — days after the country went into a lockdown in the wake of Covid-19. The Prime Minister is the ex-officio chairman of the Fund, while the Defence Minister, Home Minister and Finance Minister are ex-officio trustees.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍PMO directive on PM CARES: What questions can Lok Sabha ask?

Previous year UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme:
📍Examine critically the recent changes in the rule governing foreign funding of NGOs under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA), 1976. (UPSC, GS2, 2015)

Politics

BRICS Environment Ministers oppose EU’s Carbon Border Tax

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: BRICS environment and climate ministers Tuesday opposed the European Union’s (EU) Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) or Carbon Border Tax, calling it a unilateral, punitive, discriminatory and protection measure that is not in line with international law.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What is the carbon boundary adjustment mechanism CBAM?

• Why BRICS environment and climate ministers opposed the European Union’s (EU) Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) or Carbon Border Tax?

• Why the European Union has proposed a Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) to tax carbon-intensive products?

Key Takeaways:

• They reiterated that developed nations must urgently scale up climate finance, especially for climate adaptation. CBAM is an import levy on carbon-intensive goods like steel, iron, fertilisers, aluminium and cement. The tax was aimed as a measure to reduce the carbon footprint of imported goods, but the step has been seen as a trade barrier by developing countries.

• Rolled out on October 1, 2023, with a reporting-only phase, CBAM was entirely effected from January 1, 2026, when importers were asked to purchase and surrender CBAM certificates tied to carbon emissions embedded in their goods.

• In the ‘Adaptation and climate resilience’ part of the joint statement, member nations “expressed concern” that measures like CBAM “undermine efforts by countries, specifically the developing countries”, aimed at addressing the adverse impacts of climate change, increased adaptive capacity, and resilience. The meeting, chaired by India in New Delhi, brought together environment and climate ministers and senior officials from Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Ethiopia.

• In a joint statement issued at the conclusion of the 12th BRICS Environment Ministers’ meeting, the bloc of nine developing economies has also urged wealthy nations to deliver on the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) reached at the COP (Conference of Parties) 30 held in Belem, Brazil, to triple adaptation finance to developing countries by 2035.

• The joint declaration document invoked the principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities” (CBDR-RC), underscoring that all cooperation commitments — from forest fire protocols to circular economy standards — remain voluntary and calibrated to each country’s national circumstances. It marked the culmination of a year of technical work by the BRICS Environment Working Group and its Contact Group on Climate Change and Sustainable Development. India formally handed over hosting duties for the 13th edition to China, which will lead the meeting in 2027.

Do You Know:

• According to the World Bank, “a carbon tax directly sets a price on carbon by defining a tax rate on greenhouse gas emissions or – more commonly – on the carbon content of fossil fuels”. It is a type of carbon pricing, and the other type of carbon pricing is the emissions trading systems (ETS). The CBAM is a form of carbon pricing system.

• The CBAM or Carbon Tax was first introduced by the European Union in 2021. It taxes certain products coming in from other countries based on their carbon emissions footprint in their production process. For instance, if the imported steel was produced through a process that entailed higher emissions than the emissions standards for that product in Europe, it would be taxed.

• CBAM allows industries in Europe to remain competitive while continuing to maintain high environmental standards. It prevents these industries from relocating their production to countries where the production might be cheap owing to less strict emission norms, a situation described as carbon leakage. In the process, it hopes to contribute to reducing global emissions.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Knowledge Nugget: What is Carbon Tax and why is it important for UPSC exam?

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:
5) Consider the following statements: (UPSC CSE, 2024)
Statement-I: The European Parliament approved The Net-Zero Industry Act recently.
Statement-II: The European Union intends to achieve carbon neutrality by 2040 and therefore aims to develop all of its own clean technology by that time.
Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?
(a) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-I explains Statement-II
(b) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
(c) Statement-1 is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
(d) Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct

 

PRELIMS ANSWER KEY

1.(c)  2.(a)  3.(b) 4.(c)  5.(c)

  

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