UPSC Key: RBI monetary policy, Monument conservation, and Amazon’s ‘flying rivers’

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

Mains Examination: General Studies-III: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilisation of resources, growth, development and employment.

What’s the ongoing story: AT A TIME when India is grappling with rising trade frictions with the US and President Donald Trump’s sharp rhetoric against a BRICS currency, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Wednesday unveiled a series of measures to deepen the financial markets, allow banks a greater role in corporate consolidation, and crucially, take steps towards internationalising the rupee.

Key Points to Ponder:

— What are Special Rupee Vostro Accounts (SRVAs)?

— What is headline retail inflation?

— What is monetary policy?

— What are the major instruments of monetary policy employed by the RBI?

— What is repo rate and reverse repo rate?

— What is the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC)?

—-What is the difference between monetary policy and fiscal policy in managing the economy?

— Read about the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and its functions.

Key Takeaways:

— The package includes two breakthrough decisions. First, banks will be allowed to finance corporate takeovers — a domain from which they were long barred. Second, Indian banks and their overseas branches can begin extending rupee-denominated loans to residents of neighbouring countries such as Nepal, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka.

— Both steps mark a strategic shift in how the RBI envisions India’s financial system: no longer inward-looking, but geared towards building regional and eventually global influence.

— These new measures were announced by RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra along with the interest rate decisions. The RBI Wednesday kept the repo rate unchanged at 5.5 per cent and monetary policy stance ‘neutral’.

— The RBI’s most striking move lies in its fresh push to globalise the rupee. It has decided to allow authorised dealer banks in India, and their overseas arms, to lend in rupees to residents and institutions in select neighbouring countries.

— Another reform aimed at strengthening the rupee’s global credibility involves expanding the list of currencies benchmarked by the Financial Benchmarks India Limited (FBIL). So far, only the US dollar, euro, pound and yen were covered.

— Equally significant is the RBI’s decision to allow surplus balances in Special Rupee Vostro Accounts (SRVAs) to be invested in corporate bonds and commercial papers. SRVAs, introduced in 2022, permitted invoicing and settlement of trade in rupees. Until now, idle balances could only be parked in government securities. Opening this window to corporate debt instruments not only gives foreign participants more options but also boosts liquidity in India’s corporate bond market.

— Together, these steps form part of a deliberate plan: to make the rupee a settlement and investment currency of choice in India’s extended neighbourhood, while laying the groundwork for its eventual acceptance on a broader stage.

“From the Explained page: RBI rate cuts and growth”

— The Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) on Wednesday (October 1) left the key interest rate and policy stance unchanged at 5.5% and ‘neutral’, respectively.

— This was expected. The repo rate has been reduced by 100 basis points (bps) so far in 2025 already, and central banks are known for their cautious approach in the face of anything less than a full-blown crisis.

— However, the absence of an interest rate cut this week does not mean there is no space for it. As the MPC said in its statement, economic developments have been such that they have “opened up policy space for further supporting growth” — headline retail inflation is now expected to average a mere 2.6% in 2025-26, significantly lower than the RBI’s medium-term target of 4%. What the central bank has instead decided to do is to keep its powder dry and support growth through more structural routes.

— The RBI has, as it should, kept Indian banks on a tight leash to ensure the financial system is stable. And while it allows them some leeway and space from time to time, the decisions announced on Wednesday are far more than that.

— One, banks are set to be permitted to finance acquisitions by Indian companies.

— Two, a decade-old framework that discouraged lending to certain borrowers over and above a limit of Rs 10,000 crore or more for the entire banking system is set to be withdrawn.

— Three, infrastructure financing by non-bank lenders should get cheaper going forward once the RBI reduces the so-called ‘risk weights’ for the same when loans are given to operational and high-quality projects.

Do You Know:

— The Reserve Bank of India is a central bank of India. While central banks in developed countries can be traced as far back as the 17th century, among developing countries, the Reserve Bank of India, established on April 1, 1935, is one of the oldest such institutions.

— RBI was established in accordance with the provisions of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934. The first Governor of the RBI was the Australian Sir Osborne Arkell Smith, one of the two managing governors of the Imperial Bank of India. Sir C. D. Deshmukh was the first Indian to become Governor of the RBI.

— Notably, the Preamble of the RBI describes the basic functions of the Reserve Bank as “to regulate the issue of banknotes and keeping of reserves with a view to securing monetary stability in India and generally to operate the currency and credit system of the country to its advantage; to have a modern monetary policy framework to meet the challenge of an increasingly complex economy; and to maintain price stability while keeping in mind the objective of growth.”

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍UPSC Issue at a Glance | RBI Explained – History, tools of monetary policy, and surplus transfer

📍Knowledge nugget of the day: RBI’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC)

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:

(1) If the RBI decides to adopt an expansionist monetary policy, which of the following would it not do? (UPSC CSE 2020)

1. Cut and optimize the Statutory Liquidity Ratio

2. Increase the Marginal Standing Facility Rate

3. Cut the Bank Rate and Repo Rate

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Previous year UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme:

Among several factors for India’s potential growth, savings rate is the most effective one. Do you agree? What are the other factors available for growth potential? (UPSC CSE 2017)

RSS has roadmap for challenges on the road to Vikshit Bharat: PM

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

Mains Examination: General Studies-I: Modern Indian history from about the middle of the eighteenth century until the present – significant events, personalities, issues.

What’s the ongoing story: Comparing the organisation to a river which had nurtured and nourished a civilization of nationalists around it, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday showered praise on the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) on the eve of its centenary.

Key Points to Ponder:

— Know about the history of RSS

—  What is the role of RSS in India’s socio-cultural history?

— Who was Dr K B Hedgewar?

— What are the prominent ideologies of RSS?

— What are the other socio-religious organisations of pre-independent India?

— Who was the founder of Anushilan Samiti?

Key Takeaways:

— Speaking at an event to mark the occasion at Dr Ambedkar International Centre in Delhi, PM Modi also released a commemorative stamp and coin symbolising Bharat Mata as an entity for the first time in independent India as well as a stamp acknowledging the Sangh’s association with the nation’s history – its cadres marching as part of the ceremonial parade on Republic Day in 1963.

— The Sangh’s commitment to the ‘Panch Parivartan’ – swabodh (self-knowledge), samajik samrasta (social cohesion), kutumbh prabodhan (awareness regarding family), nagrik shishtachaar (citizen etiquette), and paryavaran (environment) – forms a significant inspiration for each Swayamsevak to tide over the challenges facing the nation and also lay the foundation for an Atmanirbhar Bharat by 2047, PM Modi said.

— Seeking to underline the RSS’s role in India’s socio-cultural history and terming practices such as untouchability as a disease, the PM sought to highlight its struggle for an equal society which was praised even by Mahatma Gandhi.

— PM Modi also showered praise on those who had led the RSS over its 100-year journey. From its founder Dr Keshav Baliram Hedgewar till incumbent RSS chief Dr Mohan Bhagwat, every Sarsanghchalak, he said, had fought against discrimination and untouchability.

— The Rs 100 commemorative coin released on the occasion features the national emblem on one side and an image of Bharat Mata in Varad Mudra with a lion being saluted by Swayamsevaks on the other.

— This, PM Modi said, was possibly the first time in the history of independent India that Bharat Mata’s image has appeared on Indian currency. It also features the Sangh’s motto of “Rashtraya Swaha, Idam Rashtraya, Idam Na Mama”.

— The PM underlined that from its inception, the RSS had been synonymous with patriotism and service, recalling its activities to provide relief to refugees from the Partition in 1947 to as recently as the COVID pandemic.

Do You Know:

— The first shakha of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the organisation that Hedgewar established in 1925 with just five members, was an act of imagination that few outside Nagpur noticed at the time. Yet, a century later, the RSS has grown into one of the most powerful forces in India, presiding — through its political progeny, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) — over the most complete dominance of the Indian state.

— From Hedgewar’s modest beginnings, through decades of suspicion, bans, and marginalisation, to its present-day role as the ideological core of the ruling dispensation, the RSS’s journey has been remarkable for its resilience and adaptability.

— Hedgewar’s own trajectory reflected the ferment of early 20th-century India. A medical practitioner inspired by Bal Gangadhar Tilak and shaped by his association with the Anushilan Samiti — a fitness club that operated as an underground society for anti-British revolutionaries — he was an enthusiastic Congress worker, even courting arrest during Gandhi’s non-cooperation movement.

— But the Mahatma’s support for the Khilafat agitation and the Congress’s emphasis on Hindu-Muslim unity left him disenchanted. After a brief association with the Hindu Mahasabha, Hedgewar decided to chart his own course.

— Hedgewar believed that the British, though numerically insignificant, could rule India only because Hindus were disunited, lacking in parakram (valour) and civic character. His answer: to systematically train “energetic Hindu youth with revolutionary fervour.”

— When Hedgewar died in 1940, the Sangh was still small, but his successor Golwalkar would turn it into a national force. A zoology lecturer at Banaras Hindu University, Golwalkar, or “Guruji”, became chief at just 34.

— Golwalkar provided ideology and organisation. His writings — We or Our Nationhood Defined (1939) and Bunch of Thoughts (1966) — offered the RSS an intellectual core.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍The brotherhood that shaped Hindu nationalism: As RSS turns 100, a look at its journey to becoming a dominant force in Indian polity

UPSC Prelims practise Question Covering similar theme:

(2) Who among the following wrote these pieces: We or Our Nationhood Defined (1939) and Bunch of Thoughts (1966)?

(a) K.B Hedgewar

(b) M.S Golwalkar

(c) Madhukar Dattatraya Deoras

(d) K.S. Sudarshan

In a first, monument conservation will open to pvt players

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

Mains Examination: General Studies-I: Indian culture will cover the salient aspects of Art Forms, literature and Architecture from ancient to modern times

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: For the first time, the government plans to open up conservation of protected monuments — so far the mandate of only the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) — to private players.

Key Points to Ponder:

— What is the significance of conservation of monuments?

— What is the role and function of ASI?

— What is the National Culture Fund?

— What is the Adopt a Heritage scheme?

— Know about the conservation regulation for monuments in India

— What are the challenges in conservation of monuments?

Key Takeaways:

—  Soon, corporates, public sector undertakings and even private organisations will be able to directly hire external agencies to undertake required conservation work at forts, baolis, and other heritage spaces across the country, The Indian Express has learnt.

— As of now, the core conservation work of as many as 3,700 protected monuments across the country has been solely the ASI’s mandate, which functions under the aegis of the Ministry of Culture.

— Sources said the new move aims to create a public-private-partnership model in heritage conservation, leading to capacity building and also fast-tracking of conservation projects.

— This, however, will come with some checks and balances, sources said. While funds have to be routed through the National Culture Fund, the conservation project will be under ASI’s supervision and the detailed project report (DPR) has to follow the National Policy for Conservation, 2014.

— The ASI will no longer be the only conservation implementing agency in the country, and several private players with relevant experience will be on board, as directly hired by these donors, once this takes shape.

— So, the idea is that instead of giving the money to the government, the donors spend the money themselves, through the National Culture Fund, and also get tax benefits. This will create greater participation of the private sector in heritage conservation and can go a long way in making conservation activities sustainable.

— In return, corporates/ donors will also get due credit at the monument campus for partnering towards heritage conservation, sources said.

— Earlier, the government had launched Adopt a Heritage scheme to allow corporates and PSUs to come in a “monument mitras” and help in creation of amenities for visitors (ticket windows, toilet blocks, entry and exits, cafes etc), but this is the first time that private donors can sign up for the execution of the core conservation work at the monuments.

Do You Know:

— The National Culture Fund was set up in 1996 with an initial corpus of Rs 20 crore by the government. The idea was to retain the base corpus and use interest amount for conservation activities at the monuments. Ever since, Rs 140 crore has come into NCF through corporate and PSU donations, which have been used to fund around 100 conservation projects at protected monuments.

— The NCF is managed by a Council and an Executive Committee. The Council is chaired by the Union Minister of Culture and has members representing the corporate and public sector, private foundations and non-profit organisations. The Executive Committee is chaired by the Secretary, Ministry of Culture.

— With donations to the NCF eligible for 100% tax exemptions, the aim is to encourage corporates to partner with it through CSR for promoting the cultural heritage of India.

— The ASI, which works under the Union Ministry of Culture, is responsible for protecting and maintaining certain specific monuments and archaeological sites that have been declared to be of national importance under the relevant provisions of The Ancient Monuments Preservation Act, 1904 and The Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958 (AMASR Act).

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Archaeological Survey of India will ‘delist’ some ‘lost’ monuments. What’s happening, and why?

📍Mystery of vanishing monuments

UPSC Prelims practice Question Covering similar theme:

(3) Consider the following statements about National Culture Fund:

1. It was set up in 1996 to mobilise extra resources through Public Private Partnerships (PPP) towards conservation of monuments.

2. It is managed by a Council and an Executive Committee and the Council is chaired by the Union Minister of Culture.

3. The donation to NCF is eligible for 100% tax exemptions.

Which of the above-mentioned statements are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Previous year UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme:

Safeguarding the Indian art heritage is the need of the moment. Discuss. (UPSC CSE 2018)

 

ECONOMY

RBI Governor says GST 2.0 to have ‘sobering impact’ on inflation

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.

What’s the ongoing story: The recent rate rationalisation exercise under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime is likely to have a “sobering impact” on inflation while giving a push to consumption and growth, Reserve Bank of India Governor Sanjay Malhotra said while outlining the monetary policy review on Wednesday (October 1).

Key Points to Ponder:

— What is the GST rate rationalisation?

— Know about the GST 2.0

— What is inflation?

— How is inflation calculated?

— What is CPI-based retail inflation?

— The recent GST reforms will also support growth further, along with other factors such as a favourable monsoon, lower inflation, and monetary easing. Elaborate.

Key Takeaways:

— Malhotra said the GST rate rationalisation, which was implemented on September 22, would lead to a reduction in prices of several items in the CPI basket.

— About 11.4 per cent of the CPI basket would be impacted by the recent changes, with the magnitude varying significantly across product groups, the RBI said separately in its Monetary Policy Report for October, which was also released on Wednesday.

— The overall impact of GST changes on CPI-based retail inflation is conditional on the extent of the pass-through, which is likely to remain partial on account of offsetting changes in input tax credit and compensation cess, as well as various forms of price rigidities.

— The price cuts following the tax reduction under GST 2.0 are seen moderating retail inflation. While the RBI’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) maintained the status quo on the repo rate in its monetary policy review on Wednesday, it cut the FY26 inflation projection to 2.6 per cent from 3.1 per cent earlier and raised the FY26 growth projection to 6.8 per cent from 6.5 per cent.

— The “salubrious impact” of recent GST reforms will also support growth further, along with other factors such as a favourable monsoon, lower inflation, and monetary easing, the RBI Governor said.

— While the RBI flagged the risks on the external front by stating that the tariffs will moderate exports, it said the implementation of several growth-inducing structural reforms, including streamlining of GST, is expected to offset some of the adverse effects of the external headwinds.

Do You Know:

— Inflation refers to the rate at which the general price level for goods and services increases over a period of time, causing a decrease in purchasing power of money or real income. In other words, as inflation rises, each unit of currency can buy fewer goods and services than before.

— Rising inflation affects the financial well-being of households, especially those with lower incomes or fixed incomes. As the cost of goods and services increases, it reduces the quantity of goods and services that can be purchased with the same nominal income, thereby affecting households’ cost of living.

— There are different methods for measuring inflation such as Consumer Price Index (CPI), Wholesale Price Index (WPI), GDP deflator, Producer Price Index (PPI), and wage inflation, with each focusing on a specific aspect of price changes.

— Typically, inflation relates to consumer prices of all goods purchased by the consumer which may be either domestically produced or imported. The government publishes CPI each month. CPI measures changes over time in the general level of prices of goods and services that households purchase for consumption.

The formula for calculating inflation is ((CPI x+1 – CPI x )/CPI x ))*100.

CPI x = the value of the CPI in the initial/base year x.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Why low inflation is a problem for government’s finances, Budget targets

📍How inflation affects cost of living

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:

(4) In India, which one of the following is responsible for maintaining price stability by controlling inflation? (UPSC CSE 2022)

(a) Department of Consumer Affairs

(b) Expenditure Management Commission

(c) Financial Stability and Development Council

(d) Reserve Bank of India

 

GOVT & POLITICS

Cabinet hikes MSP for six Rabi crops, wheat sees `160 increase

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national importance, Economic and Social Development.

Mains Examination: General Studies-II, III: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation, Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilisation of resources, growth, development and employment.

What’s the ongoing story: The Centre on Wednesday announced minimum support prices (MSPs) for six rabi crops for the rabi marketing season 2026-27, with wheat seeing an increase of Rs 160 per quintal over the current MSP.

Key Points to Ponder:

— Kharif and Rabi Crops-Compare and Contrast

— What is MSP? Is it legally binding on the government?

— How MSP is calculated and which crops are covered under the MSP?

— What are the pros and cons of MSP?

—  The Commission for Agricultural Costs & Prices (CACP)-Know in Detail.

— What is Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulse?

— What are the issues related to the agricultural sector in India?

Key Takeaways:

— The MSP hikes were approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, which met under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

— “Government has increased the MSP of Rabi Crops for Marketing Season 2026-27, to ensure remunerative prices to the growers for their produce. The absolute highest increase in MSP has been announced for Safflower at Rs.600 per quintal followed by Lentil (Masur) at Rs.300 per quintal. For Rapeseed & Mustard, gram, barley, and wheat, there is an increase of Rs.250 per quintal, Rs.225 per quintal, Rs.170 per quintal and Rs.160 per quintal respectively,” said an official statement.

— The MSP of wheat is fixed at Rs 2,585 per quintal, 6.60 per cent higher than the current MSP of Rs 2,425 per quintal.

— Wheat is the second-largest crop (after paddy) in terms of area coverage. In 2023-24, the area under wheat cultivation stood at 318.33 lakh hectares.

— Uttar Pradesh is the top wheat-producing state, followed by Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Bihar, Gujarat, and Maharashtra.
— The Cabinet also approved the Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses—a landmark initiative aimed at boosting domestic production and achieving self-sufficiency in pulses.

— “The Mission will be implemented over a six-year period, from 2025-26 to 2030-31, with a financial outlay of Rs 11,440 crore,” said an official statement.

Do You Know:

— MSP is the price at which the government is supposed to procure/buy that crop from farmers if the market price falls below it. MSPs provide a floor for market prices and ensure that farmers receive a certain “minimum” remuneration so that their costs of cultivation (and some profit) can be recovered.

— The MSPs are announced by the Union government on the recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices.

— The Commission for Agricultural Costs & Prices recommends MSPs for 22 mandated crops and fair and remunerative price (FRP) for sugarcane. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) of the Union government takes a final decision on the level of MSPs.

— Crops covered under MSP

— 7 types of cereals (paddy, wheat, maize, bajra, jowar, ragi and barley),

— 5 types of pulses (chana, arhar/tur, urad, moong and masur),

— 7 oilseeds (rapeseed-mustard, groundnut, soyabean, sunflower, sesamum, safflower, nigerseed),

— 4 commercial crops (cotton, sugarcane, copra, raw jute)

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Knowledge Nugget: What you must know about the Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) and MSP for UPSC Exam

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:

(5) Consider the following statements: (UPSC CSE 2020)

1. In the case of all cereals, pulses and oil-seeds, the procurement at Minimum Support Price (MSP) is unlimited in any State/UT of India.

2. In the case of cereals and pulses, the MSP is fixed in any State/UT at a level to which the market price will never rise.

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

The World 

As Amazon’s ‘flying rivers’ weaken with tree loss, scientists warn of severe droughts

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of international importance and environment.

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

What’s the ongoing story: Droughts have withered crops in Peru, fires have scorched the Amazon and hydroelectric dams in Ecuador have struggled to keep the lights on as rivers dry up. Scientists say the cause may lie high above the rainforest, where invisible “flying rivers” carry rain from the Atlantic Ocean across South America.

Key Points to Ponder:

— Read about the Amazon rainforests.

— What are flying rivers and how do they work?

— Why are the Amazon rainforests called the “lungs of the planet”?

— How does the Amazon rainforest act as a water pump?

— What are the factors that contribute to drought in the Amazon Rainforest?

— What are trade winds?

— What is meant by the “tipping point” of the Amazon rainforest?

Key Takeaways:

— New analysis warns that relentless deforestation is disrupting that water flow and suggests that continuing tree loss will worsen droughts in the southwestern Amazon and could eventually trigger those regions to shift from rainforest to drier savanna — grassland with far fewer trees.

— Most of the Amazon’s rainfall starts over the Atlantic Ocean. Moist air is pushed inland by steady winds that blow west along the equator, known as the trade winds. The forest then acts like a pump, effectively relaying the water thousands of miles westward as the trees absorb water, then release it back into the air.

— The forest acts like a pump, effectively relaying the water thousands of miles westward as the trees absorb water, then release it back into the air.

The forest acts like a pump, effectively relaying the water thousands of miles westward as the trees absorb water, then release it back into the air. (Source: AP)

— Brazilian climate scientist Carlos Nobre was among the early researchers who calculated how much of the water vapor from the Atlantic would move through and eventually out of the Amazon basin. He and colleagues coined the “flying rivers” term at a 2006 scientific meeting, and interest grew as scientists warned that a weakening of the rivers could push the Amazon into a tipping point where rainforest would turn to savanna.

— That’s important because the Amazon rainforest is a vast storehouse for the carbon dioxide that largely drives the world’s warming. Such a shift would devastate wildlife and Indigenous communities and threaten farming, water supplies and weather stability far beyond the region.

Do You Know:

— The average size of trees in the Amazon rainforest has been steadily increasing due to the rising levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere, according to a new study. The trees are increasing in size by more than three per cent every ten years, the analysis said. The study, ‘Increasing tree size across Amazonia’, was published in the journal Nature Plants on September 25.

— The rise of CO2 levels can benefit tree growth because of a phenomenon known as the carbon fertilisation effect. More CO2 in the atmosphere increases the rate of photosynthesis, leading to increased growth in some plants.

— The Amazon rainforest is the world’s largest tropical rainforest, spanning nine countries in South America: Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, and Venezuela. However, nearly 60% of the rainforest is situated in Brazil.

— Despite covering around 1% of the planet’s surface, the Amazon rainforest is home to 10% of all the wildlife species known to humans. Notably, scientists call the Amazon rainforest the “lungs of the planet” due to the role it plays in absorbing CO2 and producing oxygen. It is estimated that around 150-200 billion tonnes of carbon are stored in the Amazon rainforest.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Amazon rainforest trees are getting bigger due to climate change: What a new study says

UPSC Prelims Practice Question Covering similar theme:

(6) Which of the following countries are covered under the Amazon rainforests?

1. Brazil

2. Venezuela

3. Peru

4. Argentina

5. French Guiana

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

(a) 1, 2 and 3 only

(b) 1, 3, 4 and 5 only

(c) 1, 4 and 5 only

(d) 1, 2, 3 and 5 only

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Cabinet clears 86-km 4-lane highway passing through Kaziranga at over Rs 6,000 crore	The Union Cabinet Wednesday approved the construction of 86-km four-lane highway from Kaliabor to Numaligarh on NH-715 in Assam at a cost of Rs 6,957 crore. The stretch of the highway lies on the Guwahati-Dibrugarh Corridor, which runs along the Brahmaputra river and passes through Kaziranga National Park. The project, which has been given a construction period of three years, will be developed in Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) Mode. Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) officials said that the section of the highway passing through Kaziranga National Park has been designed in consultation with the Union Environment Ministry, National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and Wildlife Institute of India (WII).

 

PRELIMS ANSWER KEY

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

 

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