UPSC Key: RELIEF Scheme, Inter-State water disputes and World Happiness Report 2026

Key Points to Ponder:

• What is the RELIEF Scheme?

• RELIEF Scheme-know the highlights, features and its objectives

• What is the Export Promotion Mission (EPM)?

• Why exporters are facing more challenges due to the ongoing war in West Asia?

• What kind of challenges are faced by export sector?

• What is Export Promotion Capital Goods (EPCG) credit insurance?

• What are other schemes to promote Export?

• How West Asia crisis impacting India’s trade and exports?

Key Takeaways:

• The Ministry said that the ‘RELIEF’ scheme would include automatic extension of export obligations, logistical support, and potential financial measures to manage shipping delays and would mainly include consignments destined for delivery or trans-shipment to the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Iraq, Iran, Israel and Yemen.

• Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agarwal, addressing the press, said, “We are announcing a new scheme under the Export Promotion Mission (EPM), especially focused upon exporters exposed to these 17-18 geographies which have been impacted by the conflict to assuage some of the challenges that our exporters are facing.”

• He said the crisis has had some impact on the overall trade environment and exporters are facing challenges as there have been instances where exports meant for West Asia have not reached their destination, and “there is a sense of worry”. He said an inter-ministerial group is trying to respond to challenges, particularly addressing challenges related to warehousing and logistics.

• This comes at a time when exporters are facing a number of hurdles amid the widening war in West Asia. The Indian Express had reported that over 300 rice containers were stuck at various stages due to the crisis, and exporters were concerned about higher port and demurrage charges.

Do You Know:

• According to a statement released by the Ministry, the scheme has three parts: “First, exporters who have already obtained Export Promotion Capital Goods (EPCG) credit insurance cover for eligible consignments will benefit from up to 100% risk coverage, over and above the existing ECGC cover, during the eligible period – February 14, 2026 till March 15, 2026 – thereby ensuring enhanced protection without additional financial burden.”

• “Second, exporters planning upcoming consignments, during the next three months (March 16, 2026 till June 15, 2026), will be encouraged to obtain ECGC cover with Government support for up to 95% risk coverage, over and above the existing ECGC cover, which will help sustain exporter confidence and facilitate continued shipment flows despite logistics uncertainties,” it said.

• “Third, recognising that some MSME exporters may not have availed credit insurance – February 14, 2026, till March 15, 2026 – but are facing extraordinary freight and insurance surcharge burdens, RELIEF includes a partial reimbursement (up to 50%) mechanism for eligible non-ECGC-insured MSME exporters. This support will be extended subject to prescribed conditions, documentary verification and notified ceilings (up to Rs 50 lakh per exporter), and is intended to provide timely relief against conflict-related logistics cost escalation,” the Ministry said.

• The Ministry said, “Through ‘RELIEF’, the government aims to mitigate the immediate impact of logistics disruptions, protect exporter confidence, prevent order cancellations and safeguard employment in export-linked sectors. The intervention also reinforces India’s commitment to maintaining resilience and competitiveness in global trade during periods of uncertainty.”

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍How West Asia conflict has hit India’s rice exports, left thousands of containers stuck at ports

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:
(1) A “closed economy” is an economy in which (UPSC CSE, 2011)
(a) the money supply is fully controlled
(b) deficit financing takes place
(c) only exports take place
(d) neither exports or imports take place

(2) Increase in absolute and per capita real GNP do not connote a higher level of economic development, if (UPSC CSE,2018)
(a) Industrial output fails to keep pace with agricultural output.
(b) Agricultural output fails to keep pace with industrial output.
(c) Poverty and unemployment increase.
(d) Imports grow faster than exports.

Explained

Ras Laffan attack deepens India’s worries over LNG

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Mains Examination: General Studies II: Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests, Indian diaspora.

What’s the ongoing story: Hours after Israel hit South Pars, the world’s largest natural gas field located in the Persian Gulf and shared between Iran and Qatar, Iranian missiles on Thursday morning (March 19) struck the world’s biggest liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility in Qatar’s Ras Laffan Industrial City.

Key Points to Ponder:

• Map Work-Qatar, Ras Laffan Industrial City and South Pars

• What is the significance of Ras Laffan?

• How energy flows may be affected after Ras Laffan strike?

• India’s LNG dependency on Qatar-Know in detail

• How attack on Ras Laffan affect India’s energy security?

• India’s dependence on LNG imports-Know in detail

• Why diversification in energy imports is important?

• India’s energy diplomacy-know in detail

Key Takeaways:

• These attacks have marked a major escalation in the conflict raging in West Asia, with specific energy infrastructure now being targeted, raising prolonged risks of supply disruption. Consequently, the price of international oil benchmark Brent, which was already at a little over $100 per barrel this week, has now hit around $118. It is now over 50% higher than the pre-West Asia conflict levels. Natural gas prices also shot up significantly.

• Iran released a statement hours earlier that it would also target other facilities in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, apart from Ras Laffan, in response to the attack on the South Pars gas field. Saudi Arabia and the UAE have said they intercepted missiles and drones from Iran. Saudi Arabia also said a drone hit its SAMREF refinery in the port city of Yanbu on the Red Sea. There are reports of energy infrastructure being hit in Kuwait, too.

Attacks on energy infra in West Asia.

• While the true extent of damage is not yet known, the strikes have significant escalatory implications. First, it is now unclear how
much time it will take for gas output from these facilities to return to normal, even if the war were to stop. Two, until now, the concerns have been about the transit pathway, but they have now moved further upstream to the production and supply side.

• Moreover, it’s clear that Israel is now undoubtedly calling the shots in terms of further escalation, which includes a no-holds-bar attack on energy facilities, and the extremists in Iran are willing to push the attacks into a self-destructive phase. Both players are willing to play this Russian roulette, even as the world faces the escalating impact of spiralling energy prices.

Do You Know:

• The Ras Laffan hit is of particular significance, not just for global LNG flows but also for India. QatarEnergy’s primary LNG production units, liquefaction plants, and export infrastructure are all concentrated in Ras Laffan, accounting for roughly a fifth of global LNG supply.

• The Ras Laffan hit is of particular significance, not just for global LNG flows but also for India. QatarEnergy’s primary LNG production units, liquefaction plants, and export infrastructure are all concentrated in Ras Laffan, accounting for roughly a fifth of global LNG supply.

• Qatar is India’s largest source of LNG. India depends on LNG imports to meet roughly half of its natural gas demand, and over two-fifths of the country’s LNG comes from Qatar — almost all of it from Ras Laffan.

• According to Commerce Ministry data, India imported 27 million tonnes of LNG in 2024-25, of which 11.2 million tonnes, or 41.4%, came from Qatar. QatarEnergy has an LNG production capacity of 77 million tonnes per annum, which is under expansion. In 2025, QatarEnergy exported around 81 million tonnes of LNG.

• With LNG from Qatar and other sources in West Asia unable to reach India due to the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz and a production suspension by QatarEnergy, India had already cut natural gas supplies to certain industries.

• Overall, India depends on imports to meet over 88% of its crude oil requirement, 60% of its LPG needs, and around 50% of its natural gas requirement. For a large share of these energy imports, India depends on West Asia, from which they primarily come to India through the Strait of Hormuz. Around 2.5–2.7 million bpd of India’s crude imports — accounting for about half of the country’s total oil imports — have transited the Strait in recent months; the longer-term average is about 40%. This oil is mainly from Iraq, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Kuwait. India doesn’t buy Iranian oil due to American sanctions on Tehran.

• India’s dependence on the Strait for LNG and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) supplies is greater than for crude. Roughly 60% of India’s LNG imports come through the Strait of Hormuz, the figure is a staggering 90% for LPG, as evidenced by the LPG supply crisis the country is already grappling with.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
📍Qatar declares Iranian attaches ‘persona non grata’ after missile strike ‘significantly damages’ Ras Laffan

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:
(3) Consider the following statements:
1. Ras Laffan is a major LNG export hub.
2. South Pars is one of the largest gas fields in the world.
3. Both are located in Qatar.
Select the correct answer using the codes given below:
a) 1 and 2 only
b) 2 and 3 only
c) 1 only
d) 1, 2 and 3

Citing equality, SC scraps age limit for maternity leave in adoptions

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

Mains Examination: General Studies I: Role of women and women’s organization, Social empowerment

What’s the ongoing story: The SC on Tuesday (March 17) held that motherhood under the law cannot depend on the age of a child at the time of adoption, striking down a rule that denied maternity leave to women adopting children older than three months.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What is the recent Supreme Court order on maternity leave?

• What exactly the Maternity Benefit Act, 1961 says about adoptive mothers?

• What Supreme court said about ‘motherhood’?

• Why the three-month limit was impossible to meet?

• What are the Constitutional provisions for child care and maternity leave?

• What maternity benefits are actually for?

• What is the Wollstonecraft dilemma?

• Why Supreme Court pointed out ‘Wollstonecraft dilemma’ in this case?

• How have maternity benefit policies evolved in India?

• Know about the paternity leave.

• How Supreme Court judgment is significant in extending maternity benefits to adoptive mothers?

• How maternity benefits contribute to gender equality in the workplace?

Key Takeaways:

• The bench comprising Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan held that the law’s three-month cut-off created an “artificial” distinction between adoptive mothers, noting that women adopting older children are “similarly situated” in terms of their “roles, responsibilities and caregiving obligations”.

• The condition, which was introduced to extend maternity benefits to adoptive mothers and support women’s participation in the workforce, limited the benefit to children below three months. This condition that most adoptions could not meet made the benefit “illusory and devoid of practical application”.

• The court held that mothers who adopt a child “shall be entitled to maternity benefit for a period of twelve weeks from the date the child is handed over to her.”

• The bench noted that children raised in institutions often show higher stress levels and disrupted bonding responses, underlining the need for early, consistent care. Beyond biology, the bench relied on the ordinary meaning of “maternity” as the “state…of being a mother,” not something tied to only childbirth.

• The bench also relied on developmental research to underline that early caregiving is crucial for a child’s emotional development, and that children in institutional care often present with higher stress (cortisol) and disrupted bonding hormones like oxytocin, which are directly linked to emotional regulation. The bench concluded that early caregiving has positive effects on children and therefore the law cannot treat bonding time as optional, or make it contingent on how old the child was when they came home.

Do You Know:

• The Maternity Benefit Act, 1961, and its successor, the Code of Social Security, 2020, were both amended to include adoptive mothers within the scope of maternity leave. The carve-out was that only those women who adopted a child below the age of three months would qualify for twelve weeks of leave.

• Section 60(4) of the 2020 Code states that “ a woman who legally adopts a child below the age of three months or a commissioning mother shall be entitled to maternity benefit for a period of twelve weeks from the date the child is handed over.”

• The petitioners argued that the three-month cap was “artificial and violative of Article 14”. They said a woman who adopts a four-month-old baby has the same caregiving responsibilities as one who adopts a two-month-old. The child still needs to be fed, held and introduced to an entirely new environment. The mother still needs time away from work to make that happen.

• The government responded by saying that women adopting older children could use the crèche facilities at their establishments. The court found this “seemingly appears to be lucrative” argument to be deeply flawed.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍All adoptive mothers entitled to maternity leave, says top court

UPSC Prelims Practice Question Covering similar theme:
(4) Which of the following best explains child welfare principle?
a) Economic growth
b) Best interest of the child
c) Legal uniformity
d) Taxation

Why Punjab CM wants Rajasthan to pay for water used since 1960

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

Mains Examination: General Studies II: Functions and responsibilities of the Union and the States, issues and challenges pertaining to the federal structure, devolution of powers and finances up to local levels and challenges therein.

What’s the ongoing story: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has said his government will seek Rs 1.44 lakh crore from Rajasthan for drawing 18,000 cusecs of water since 1960 without payment. He has argued that an older, pre-Independence agreement required Rajasthan to pay for this water and called for its review. The statement has revived a long-running and complex dispute over river waters, historical agreements and inter-state allocations.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What is the 1920 agreement the Punjab CM is referring to?

• How did things change in 1960 with the Indus Waters Treaty?

• What changed in 1981 under then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi?

• Did Punjab ever revoke these agreements? Did it target Rajasthan?

• What has changed in river water availability since then?

• Technically, what is Punjab’s argument against Rajasthan?

• What are the Inter-State water disputes in India?

• What are the Constitutional Provisions for interstate water disputes?

• What Article 262 of the Constitution says about interstate water disputes?

• What is the role of the Union Government under the Jal Shakti Ministry in mediating inter-state water conflicts?

• What is the way out?

Key Takeaways:

• The reference is to an arrangement in the 1920s between the princely state of Bikaner and undivided Punjab under British rule. Maharaja Ganga Singh of Bikaner secured water from the Sutlej through what came to be known as the Gang (or Bikaner) Canal, originating at the Ferozepur headworks. Under this arrangement, Bikaner paid Punjab a royalty or usage charge, typically linked to irrigated acreage. This was essentially a commercial agreement between a princely state and the colonial administration, with payments continuing till around 1960.

• In 1981, a tripartite agreement was signed between Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan, all ruled by Congress governments, with the backing of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
This agreement reallocated Ravi-Beas waters based on an estimated availability of 17.17 million acre feet (MAF). Rajasthan was allocated 8.6 MAF, the largest share, despite being a non-riparian state.
—The allocation formalised Rajasthan’s entitlement and supported the expansion of the Indira Gandhi Canal system, which carries water from the Harike Barrage in the Tarn Taran district of Punjab deep into the Thar desert.

Do You Know:

• Article 262 in Constitution of India provides adjudication of disputes relating to waters, of inter-State rivers or river valleys. It says:
—Parliament may by law provide for the adjudication of any dispute or complaint with respect to the use, distribution or control of the waters of, or in, any inter-State river or river valley.
—Notwithstanding anything in this Constitution, Parliament may by law provide that neither the Supreme Court nor any other court shall exercise jurisdiction in respect of any such dispute or complaint as is referred to in clause (1).

• The Interstate River Water Disputes Act, 1956 (IRWD Act) is an act of the Parliament of India enacted under Article 262 of Constitution of India on the eve of reorganization of states on linguistic basis to resolve the water disputes that would arise in the use, control and distribution of an interstate river or river valley.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Pay Rs 1.44 lakh-crore for water usage since 1960 or stop drawing, Punjab CM Mann tells Rajasthan

UPSC Prelims Practice Question Covering similar theme:
(5) Water is primarily a subject under:
a) Union List
b) State List
c) Concurrent List
d) Residuary List

Previous year UPSC mains Question Covering similar theme:
📍Constitutional mechanisms to resolve the inter-state water disputes have failed to address and solve the problems. Is the failure due to structural or process inadequacy or both? Discuss. (2013)

Bengal row: A look at poll panel’s power to transfer officials during elections

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

Mains Examination: 

• General Studies II: Salient features of the Representation of People’s Act.

• General Studies II: Parliament and State legislatures—structure, functioning, conduct of business, powers & privileges and issues arising out of these.

What’s the ongoing story: Following the announcement of the schedule for the five upcoming Assembly polls at an Election Commission press conference at 4 pm on Sunday (March 15), the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) has come into force. With that, the EC has begun deploying security personnel and appointing officers for the smooth conduct of elections.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What happens after the Election Commission announces schedule for the polls?

• From which date the Model Code of Conduct is enforced and operational up to which date?

• What is the role of Election Commission in the matter?

• What action has the EC taken so far?

• Whether Election Commission can make transfers and postings of officials who are related to election work?

• What are the legal provisions on the transfer of officials during elections?

• Election Commission of India- Powers and Functions

• What are the salient features of the Model Code of Conduct?

• Election Commission of India and Article 324 of the Constitution-Know in detail

• The independent and impartial functioning of the Election Commission-How it is ensured?

• What is the precedent?

Key Takeaways:

• The MCC refers to the rules of conduct for parties and candidates, set to be in effect until the poll results are declared on May 4. In the first three days of its operation, the EC has made a slew of appointments and transfers of top IAS and IPS officers in West Bengal, Assam, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

• With Bengal seeing the most changes, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee hit out at the EC, terming the transfers as “sweeping”. She wrote to Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, calling the move “a matter of deep concern and surprise” and asking him to “refrain from adopting such unilateral measures in the future”.

• The EC has been making appointments at various levels of state governments and police. The first such move was on Monday morning, when the EC announced the transfer of the Chief Secretary and Principal Secretary, Home and Hill Affairs, in Bengal. In total, at least 21 top IAS and IPS officers have been transferred by the Commission in Bengal, including the state’s DGP and Kolkata Police Commissioner.

• While the reason for the transfers was not mentioned in the orders, CEC Gyanesh Kumar said that the Election Commission is “committed to holding transparent, free of fear, violence-free and inducement-free elections,” in a written comment provided by the ECI along with the orders.

Do You Know:

• During an election and electoral roll revision, all officers concerned with related tasks are treated as though they are on deputation to the ECI. This is as per Section 13CC of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, which says, “Chief Electoral Officers, District Election Officers, etc., deemed to be on deputation to Election Commission.”

• “The officers referred to in this part and any other officer or staff employed in connection with the preparation, revision and correction of the electoral rolls for, and the conduct of, all elections shall be deemed to be on deputation to the Election Commission for the period during which they are so employed and such officers and staff shall, during that period, be subject to the control, superintendence and discipline of the Election Commission,” it adds.

• Though this section was added through an amendment in 1989, there was disagreement between the EC and the government on what “discipline” meant. In 1993, the TN Seshan-led EC moved the Supreme Court for clarification on this.

• As a result, the EC and government agreed to the terms of settlement in 2000, which made it clear that the EC could suspend and substitute officers for dereliction of duty. It is under these provisions that the EC continues to act during elections and revision processes to transfer officers.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Day after Mamata’s rebuke, EC transfers 13 district electoral officers and 5 DIGs

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:
(6) A Parliamentary System of Government is one in which (UPSC CSE, 2020)
(a) all political parties in the Parliament are represented in the Government
(b) the Government is responsible to the Parliament and can be removed by it
(c) the Government is elected by the people and can be removed by them
(d) the Government is chosen by the Parliament but cannot be removed by it before
completion of a fixed term

The World

World Happiness Report flags social media’s negative impact; Finland happiest

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

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

What’s the ongoing story: Amid rising geopolitical tensions, 79 countries recorded significant gains in happiness levels from the 2006–2010 base period to 2023–2025, according to the World Happiness Report 2026.

Key Points to Ponder:

• World Happiness Report 2026-what are major development this year?

• What are the factors used in the World Happiness Report rankings?

• What is World Happiness Report rankings?

• Who publishes World Happiness Report rankings?

• Map Work- Nordic nations

• The World Happiness Report this year draws attention to social media’s impact-what exactly the report said?

• Why Costa Rica is a standout performer this year?

• Where does India rank in the World Happiness Report 2026?

• Why are the Nordic countries the happiest?

• How economic development, social welfare, and governance influences the happiness of a citizens?

• What lessons can India learn from Finland’s approach to well-being and quality of life?

Key Takeaways:

• Finland remains the happiest country in the world in 2026, holding the top spot for the ninth consecutive year. The Finnish population reported an average life evaluation score of 7.764 out of 10 this year, up 0.375 points from last year.

• The Nordic countries, Iceland (2nd), Denmark (3rd), Sweden (5th), and Norway (6th), also rank among the top 10 happiest countries in 2026.

• Costa Rica is a standout performer this year, climbing steadily from 23rd in 2023 to 4th in 2026, its highest-ever ranking. Switzerland returned to the top 10 at 10th place after slipping to 13th last year.

• The 2026 rankings showed a notable absence of English-speaking countries, with none appearing in the top 10 for the second consecutive year.

• In contrast, Afghanistan, at the bottom of the list at 147th, has once again been ranked the world’s unhappiest country, along with Malawi (145th) and Sierra Leone (146th), all affected by conflict.

• India improved its ranking from 126th in 2024 to 118th in 2025, rising two positions this year and currently standing at 116th with a life evaluation score of 4.536.

India’s standing in World Happiness Report

Do You Know:

• The annual report is published by the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford. Country rankings were based on answers given by around 100,000 people in 140 countries and territories who were asked to rate their own lives. The study was done in partnership with the analytics firm Gallup and the U.N. Sustainable Development Solutions Network.

• These rankings increasingly influence government policy, with countries like Bhutan famously adopting Gross National Happiness over GDP as a development metric.

• As per the report, the six factors to explain life evaluations:
—Having someone to count on
—GDP per capita
—Healthy life expectancy
—Freedom to make life choices
—Generosity
—Freedom from corruption

• India improved its ranking from 126th in 2024 to 118th in 2025, rising two positions this year and currently standing at 116th with a life evaluation score of 4.536.

• Finland remains the happiest country in the world in 2026, holding the top spot for the ninth consecutive year. The Finnish population reported an average life evaluation score of 7.764 out of 10 this year, up 0.375 points from last year.

• The Nordic countries, Iceland (2nd), Denmark (3rd), Sweden (5th), and Norway (6th), also rank among the top 10 happiest countries in 2026.

• Costa Rica is a standout performer this year, climbing steadily from 23rd in 2023 to 4th in 2026, its highest-ever ranking. It is largely attributed to well-being boosts from family bonds and other social connections.

• The World Happiness Report this year draws attention to social media’s impact, amid growing moves by countries to regulate its use among youth.
—Heavy social media use is linked to a significant decline in well-being among young people, with the impact especially severe for teenage girls in English-speaking countries and Western Europe.
—The report notes a sharp fall in life satisfaction among those under 25 in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand over the past decade, with prolonged social media use identified as a key factor.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Knowledge Nugget | World Happiness Report 2026: How is social media linked to lower happiness among youth?

UPSC Prelims Practice Question Covering Similar Theme:
(6) Consider the following factors used in the World Happiness Report rankings:
1. GDP per capita
2. Social support
3. Freedom to make life choices
4. Military strength
5. Corruption perception
Which of the above are considered in determining a country’s ranking in the World Happiness Report?
a) 1, 2, 3, and 5 only
b) 2, 3, and 4 only
c) 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5
d) 1, 3, and 5 only

 

PRELIMS ANSWER KEY

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

  

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