UPSC Key: Rupee Depreciation, Special Intensive Revision and Sir David Attenborough

Key Points to Ponder:

• What you understand by “Rupee Depreciation” or “Rupee hit an all-time low”?

• What are causes for depreciation of the Rupee?

• Why Rupee is compared with the US Dollar? (for example, the rupee hit an all-time low of 95.75 per dollar?)

• ‘The Demand and supply of Rupee vis a vis Dollar’-how this leads to depreciation of rupee?

• What is exchange rate?

• If the Indian rupee depreciates against the US dollar, how does it affects Indian economy?

• How effective is RBI’s strategy in defending the Indian rupee?

• What is the difference between rupee appreciation and rupee depreciation?

• What are the reasons for current depreciation of Indian Rupee?

• What will be the impact, and will exporters benefit?

• What measures can the RBI and the government take to stabilize the currency?

• How does the fall of the Indian Rupee impact the macroeconomic indicators of India, such as inflation, foreign exchange reserves, and the current account deficit (CAD)?

Key Takeaways:

• Speaking at the Confederation of Indian Industry’s (CII) annual business summit in New Delhi, Nageswaran said, “Managing the current account credibly, financing it, and preventing further currency depreciation are the central macroeconomic imperatives of FY27.” He said India’s exposure to the West Asia crisis was “structural” and presented a “live Balance of Payments stress test, with direct consequences for inflation, the current account, and the exchange rate.”

• The remarks by the government’s top economist came on the day the rupee hit another all-time low, falling to as much as 95.75 per dollar during the day before closing at 95.63 – the lowest it has ever ended a session. Since the war in West Asia began, the rupee has slumped by almost 5% against the US dollar and has been Asia’s worst performing currency so far in 2026 – a period in which it has fallen by 6%

• India, which is widely considered to have low exposure to AI, has seen Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) exit domestic financial markets to the tune of $23 billion since the start of the war, putting pressure on the Balance of Payments.

• The Balance of Payments is the difference between the money Indians send abroad to pay for various things such as imports and investments and the money India receives from overseas for exports and in the form of remittances and capital flows

Do You Know

• Depreciation of the rupee means a fall in the value of the Indian Rupee (INR) compared to foreign currencies, most commonly the US dollar (USD). It indicates that the rupee has weakened, requiring more rupees to purchase the same amount of foreign currency. It is market-driven, occurring in a floating exchange rate system due to high import demand, low export volume, capital outflows, or inflation.
—When the Indian currency depreciates, the first and most immediate casualty is the import bill. Crude oil, electronic components, fertilisers and industrial machinery — all priced in dollars — suddenly become more expensive. The burden then steadily shifts to businesses and households, pushing up inflation and eroding purchasing power. The threat of imported inflation is now increasingly becoming a reality.
—A weaker rupee makes all of this more expensive. For example, an annual tuition fee of $100,000 would be Rs 85 lakh at an exchange rate of 85-per-dollar. When the rupee weakens to 90, the same fee becomes Rs 5 lakh higher in rupee terms – more than twice India’s nominal per capita income of Rs 2.05 lakh in 2024-25. For those who have to finance their foreign education through loans, this is a big price to pay.

• An exchange rate is the price of one country’s currency expressed in terms of another, determining how much one currency is worth relative to another. It acts as the conversion rate for international trade, tourism, and investment, fluctuating constantly based on market demand and supply (floating) or central bank regulation (fixed).

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Rupee’s fall: What it means for you and what you can do to de-risk

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:
1) With reference to the Indian economy, consider the following statements: (UPSC CSE, 2022)
1. If the inflation is too high, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is likely to buy government securities.
2. If the rupee is rapidly depreciating, RBI is likely to sell dollars in the market.
3. If interest rates in the USA or European Union were to fall, that is likely to induce RBI to buy dollars.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

SIR-deleted can’t avail govt schemes: Bengal; Bihar to cancel passbooks

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

Mains Examination: General Studies II: Salient features of the Representation of People’s Act

What’s the ongoing story: Triggering fresh apprehension among those deleted from electoral rolls under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, the BJP governments in West Bengal and Bihar have said that they will not be able to avail government schemes in their states.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What is Special Intensive Revision (SIR)?

• The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise is primarily associated with what?

• Which Article in the constitution governs elections in India?

• ‘The linkage of welfare schemes with electoral verification exercises raises important questions about due process and inclusion’-do you agree?

• What can be the impact of denying welfare benefits to persons deleted from electoral rolls?

• How Special Intensive Revision (SIR) can affect vulnerable groups such as migrants, women, marginalised communities and Informal workers?

• Compare the SIR measures in West Bengal with SIR measures in Bihar.

Key Takeaways:

• However, those whose cases are under consideration before tribunals in West Bengal will continue to receive the same till their matter is decided, the newly elected government in the state said.

• The BJP government in West Bengal held its first Cabinet meeting Monday, where it announced that all social schemes of the previous governments in the state would continue, while Central programmes that the Trinamool Congress regime had blocked would now be available.

• Before the SIR process began, Bengal had 7.66 crore voters. After the SIR, there were 58.20 lakh deletions initially, which rose to around 91 lakh after adjudication of “logical discrepancy cases” (an exercise done only for Bengal). Bihar saw around 68 lakh deletions.

• After the EC set up 19 Appellate Tribunals in West Bengal on March 20 on orders of the court, over 34 lakh appeals against exclusions and inclusions were filed. The slow-moving process meant that before the state polls, only 1,607 names of those deleted after adjudication could be added back to the electoral roll, while 14 more names were deleted.

• Matters related to citizenship, including deprivation of citizenship, are governed by the Citizenship Act, 1955, and it is the Union Home Ministry that has the power to declare somebody a foreigner or revoke citizenship. During the Supreme Court hearings on the SIR, where the question of whether it is a test of citizenship has been debated, the Election Commission of India has been clear that though it does not have the power to determine citizenship, its right to “verify” citizenship status flows from Article 326 of the Constitution, which says Indian citizens above the age of 18 years can be registered as electors.

• In fact, in its counter-affidavit filed in the court in July last year, the ECI had underlined this point, while adding: “Under the SIR exercise, the citizenship of an individual will not terminate on account of the fact that he / she is held to be ineligible for registration in the electoral rolls.”

Do You Know

• The term ‘SIR’ has been trending across India… and along with it a lot of questions and confusion. The exercise first began in Bihar ahead of the Assembly elections and has now expanded to 13 states and Union Territories in the country.

• SIR, or Special Intensive Revision, is a large-scale verification exercise that the ECI undertakes when it believes the routine annual “Summary Revision” is not enough to clean the voter rolls. It involves house-to-house enumeration, pre-filled forms, online submissions, and fresh verification of old voter data.

• Article 324 of the Indian Constitution grants ECI ‘plenary powers’ to supervise and update electoral rolls. Section 21 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, also allows the Commission to order an intensive revision whenever it finds inaccuracies in the existing rolls.

• The Election Commission has reasoned that the usual yearly revisions can no longer fix what it calls “legacy data” issues — errors built up as India has not had a nationwide house-to-house revision since 2002-2004. In those two decades, voter rolls across states have accumulated:
—Dead or shifted voters who were never deleted
—Duplicate registrations of the same person in multiple locations
—Statistical distortions where elector numbers rise faster than projected population

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Special Intensive Revision (SIR): Why is it important? Why ECI is doing it now and what you need to do

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:
2) Right to vote and to be elected in India is a (UPSC CSE, 2017)
(a) Fundamental Right
(b) Natural Right
(c) Constitutional Right
(d) Legal Right

NATION

Unchanged since 2012, old age pension of Rs 200 eroded due to inflation: Study

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

Main Examination: General Studies II: Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes; mechanisms, laws, institutions and Bodies constituted for the protection and betterment of these vulnerable sections.

What’s the ongoing story: A government-commissioned evaluation showed that the Centre’s Rs 200–500 monthly pension has lost nearly half its purchasing power since 2012, recommending a new inflation-linked National Floor Pension.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What are the key takeaways from the report titled “Impact Assessment and Evaluation of the National Social Assistance Program (NSAP)”?

• What is social pension?

• What is the National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP)?

• What are the other schemes specifically related to old-age pension?

• How old-age pensions helps in reducing vulnerability among elderly populations in India?

• ‘The Centre’s old-age pension remaining unchanged since 2012 reflects deeper challenges in India’s social protection system’-Discuss

Key Takeaways:

• With the Centre’s contribution to monthly old age pensions unchanged at Rs 200–500 per beneficiary since 2012 under the National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP), the real value of these fixed cash transfers has “significantly eroded” due to inflation, an evaluation commissioned by the Union Ministry of Rural Development has found

• According to the report, inflation has reduced the real value of these cash transfers by around 45 per cent and adjusted to the current Consumer Price Index (CPI), a pension of Rs 200 would now need to be about Rs 353 to retain its original purchasing power.

• The findings are part of a report titled “Impact Assessment and Evaluation of the National Social Assistance Program (NSAP),” which was submitted to the ministry recently. The evaluation study was conducted across Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir, Tamil Nadu, and Chhattisgarh.

• The study points out that the monthly pension amount was revised to Rs. 200 for old age people between 60 and 79 years of age, to Rs. 300 for widows (40-79 years) and persons with disability (18-79 years), and Rs. 500 for beneficiaries of 80 years of age and above in 2012.

• The study has recommended a National Floor Pension (NFP) on the lines of the National Floor Level Minimum Wage set by the Ministry of Labour and Employment.
“This would ensure a minimum level of financial assistance uniformly across all states. The NFP should be linked to the Consumer Price Index to automatically adjust with inflation, with annual revisions based on the cost of living. Additionally, states should be encouraged to provide top-ups to the central share in a uniform and transparent manner to reduce regional disparities in benefit levels,” states the report.

Do You Know

• Launched in 1995, NSAP is a key social welfare scheme that provides pensions to vulnerable groups, including the elderly, widows, and persons with disabilities. Currently, NSAP covers five schemes, including Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme (IGNOAPS), Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme (IGNWPS), Indira Gandhi National Disability Pension Scheme (IGNDPS), National Family Benefit Scheme (NFBS), and the Annapurna Scheme.

• Under IGNOAPS, the Centre provides financial assistance of Rs 200 per month to individuals aged 60–79 years and Rs 500 per month to those aged 80 and above. Currently, more than 221 lakh beneficiaries are covered, the study noted.

• Under IGNWPS, the Centre provides Rs 300 per month to widows aged 40–79 years and Rs 500 to those 80 and above. According to the study, more than 67 lakh beneficiaries are currently covered.

• Financial assistance of Rs 300 per month is provided to individuals with severe or multiple disabilities aged 18–79, and Rs 500 to those aged 80 years and above. According to the study, more than 8.8 lakh beneficiaries are covered.

• The amount of one-time financial assistance under NFBS is fixed at Rs 20,000. This is provided to families after the death of a primary breadwinner aged 18 to 59. The report says that the assistance amount of Rs 20,000 under NFBS should have increased to Rs 38,200 (approximately Rs 40,000).

• Under the Annapurna Scheme, 10 kg of food grains per month, free of cost, are provided to those senior citizens who, though eligible, were not receiving old-age pension.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Why India needs a unified welfare state

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:
3) With reference to Union Budget, which of the following is/are covered under Non-Plan Expenditure? (UPSC CSE, 2014)
1. Defence expenditure
2. Interest payments
3. Salaries and pensions
4. Subsidies
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1, 2, 3 and 4
(d) None

THE EDITORIAL PAGE

In a shifting world order, five principles should guide India’s diplomacy

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.

What’s the ongoing story: C Raja Mohan writes: The lesson is straightforward. In foreign policy, there is no substitute for nurturing trusted partnerships even while seeking new opportunities

Key Points to Ponder:

• What is world order?

• What is multipolarity in international relations?

• What has been India’s traditional foreign policy approach after Independence?

• Know the role of minilateral groupings in India’s diplomatic strategy?

• How does geoeconomics influence India’s foreign policy today?

• ‘India’s foreign policy is increasingly driven by realism rather than idealism’-how far you agree with the given statement?

• What is the significance of the five principles proposed for guiding India’s diplomacy in a shifting world order?

Key Takeaways:

C Raja Mohan writes:

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s brief stop in the United Arab Emirates en route to Europe this week comes amid growing uncertainty over the fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran and the danger of an intensifying regional war. Modi’s presence in Abu Dhabi underlines an enduring principle of sound diplomacy: Stand by your partners when they need you.

• Cynics will argue that no relationship is permanent. But when two countries are bound by deep economic interests, share stakes in regional stability, and support each other’s core interests, there is no room for Indian hesitation in demonstrating solidarity.

• The UAE has emerged as one of India’s most important partners. It is a major supplier of energy, a growing source of investment, and home to millions of Indians whose contributions bind the two countries in ways that go far beyond formal agreements. Over the last decade, the relationship has expanded from trade and remittances to encompass security cooperation, logistics, food security, new technologies, and coordination on regional issues.

• The lesson is straightforward. In foreign policy, there is no substitute for nurturing trusted partnerships even while seeking new opportunities. Modi’s Gulf visit will be followed by a tour of Europe, including the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, and Italy, as well as a Nordic summit in Oslo.

Do You Know

C Raja Mohan writes:

• Meanwhile, the world’s attention will be riveted this week on the encounter between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping in Beijing — the US president’s first trip to China in nine years. India will also host meetings of the BRICS and Quad foreign ministers in New Delhi and convene an India-Africa summit at the end of the month. Each of these events reflects a different strand of Indian diplomacy. Together, they illuminate five principles that should guide India in a period of extraordinary international turbulence.
—The first principle is reciprocity. The UAE has been a consistent partner on issues of central importance to India, including Kashmir and cross-border terrorism. Modi’s visit signals that India, in turn, stands with the Emirates at a time of heightened threat to its security.
—The second principle is diversification. Modi’s European tour underlines how far India’s engagement with Europe has evolved. During the Cold War, India’s view of Europe was often filtered through its close ties with the Soviet Union. In the decades after the Cold War, India was slow to recognise Europe’s strategic significance.
—The third principle is strategic flexibility. India’s outreach to Europe unfolds amid the return of great-power politics and a rapid restructuring of relations among the United States, Europe, Russia, and China. The Donald Trump-Xi Jinping summit in Beijing may not resolve the structural rivalry between the US and China, but it could alter the terms on which they manage competition.
—The fourth principle is strategic expansion. The India-Africa summit at the end of the month highlights a region whose importance to India will grow steadily in the decades ahead.
—The fifth and most important principle is domestic renewal. No amount of diplomatic activism can compensate for the economic sclerosis at home. Managing the consequences of geopolitical turbulence, the restructuring of global trade, and the rise of disruptive technologies requires rapid internal reform. That will not be easy. Bureaucratic resistance to change and the political comfort with the status quo remain formidable obstacles. But world history reminds us that only those countries that continually reinvent themselves at home are the ones that leverage the world for the peace and prosperity of their citizens.
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍India’s Africa policy needs sustained engagement, not periodic summits

Previous year UPSC main Question Covering similar theme:
📍“Energy security constitutes the dominant kingpin of India’s foreign policy, and is linked with India’s overarching influence in Middle Eastern countries.” How would you integrate energy security with India’s foreign policy trajectories in the coming years? (UPSC CSE, GS2, 2025)

THE IDEAS PAGE

At 100, David Attenborough has a message we cannot ignore

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

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

What’s the ongoing story: Manvendra Singh Writes-The world’s most trusted naturalist now speaks with unprecedented clarity: Humans are not stewards of nature, but its greatest threat.

Key Points to Ponder:

• Personality in News– Sir David Attenborough

• Why is Sir David Attenborough famous?

• What is biodiversity?

• What are the contributions of Sir David Attenborough for the biodiversity and for the climate change?

• What is the role of biodiversity in maintaining ecological balance?

• What ‘our planet’ documentary shows?

• How environmental documentaries shapes public awareness and policy discourse?

• Know the role of science communication and public intellectuals in shaping environmental consciousness.

Key Takeaways:

Manvendra Singh Writes-

• Attenborough has seen more of this planet than any living being. From the middle of the 20th century to well into the 21st, he has travelled to the remotest parts of Earth to bring the natural world to viewers everywhere. He has witnessed the destruction of our natural world.

• Attenborough likely sees that contagion as part of a larger issue since he describes himself as a “standard boring left-wing liberal”. And in an era where science is being challenged by political authority across the world, he will see it as “misery really, the market economy”.

• Soon after national service in the Royal Navy, Attenborough found himself with a job at the BBC, and he remained there for most of his employed life. He was not in front of the camera in the early years, working as a producer for various projects. It was Zoo Quest that launched him as a presenter, albeit with a voiceover from the studio. That was the show which made him a household name in Britain, khaki attire vivid despite the black and white footage, whether in West Africa or Indonesia, his Britishness conspicuous.

• His most striking feature was his accent, of course — BBC posh, but not pompous. And it has remained that way, almost as a statement of his political philosophy. Even as he turned to greater climate advocacy in later years, Attenborough’s contribution to television broadcasting was not limited to the natural wonders of the world. In fact, as Director of Programming at the BBC, Attenborough introduced, as a 1998 interview in The New Statesman noted, “along with one-day cricket, Pot Black, floodlit rugby league and Match of the Day — a package designed as sport for the masses and now reinvented as fodder for Murdoch.”

Do You Know

• Born on May 8, 1926, the British broadcaster and conservationist Sir David Attenborough turned 100 . Over the course of the last seven decades, Attenborough has spearheaded multiple documentaries with anything and everything to do with the natural world. Having kickstarted his career before the advent of colour television, Attenborough’s works can claim to have withstood not the test of time.

• A notable advocate for addressing climate change and increased focus on awareness through education, Attenborough challenged society to rethink its relationship with the natural world. His impact, however, cannot be categorised as simply entertaining or informative; instead, it must be understood through the ethos with which he tackled his work.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Sir David Attenborough at 100: Why iconic conservationist’s legacy lies beyond his documentaries

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:
4) The most important strategy for the conservation of biodiversity together with traditional human life is the establishment of (UPSC CSE, 2014)
(a) biosphere reserves
(b) botanical gardens
(c) national parks
(d) wildlife sanctuaries

NATION

PCOS is now PMOS — to help with correct diagnosis and treatment

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

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

What’s the ongoing story: In a landmark global effort led by Monash University, one of the world’s most common women’s health conditions has been renamed to better reflect its complex, multisystem nature.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What is Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)?

• Why Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) now to be called as Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome (PMOS)?

• Why was there a need for renaming?

• How India played a significant role in reclassification?

• Why terminology matters?

• Why this matters for India?

• What are the challenges faced by India’s healthcare system in addressing chronic women’s health disorders such as PCOS?

Key Takeaways:

• The condition, previously known as Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), will now be called Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome (PMOS), a change experts say corrects decades of misunderstanding that reduced the disorder to just “ovarian cysts.”

• The renaming, published in The Lancet, follows 14 years of global collaboration involving clinicians, researchers, patient groups and women living with the condition. Experts say the new name reflects the condition’s broader impact across the endocrine, metabolic and reproductive systems, and could improve how it is diagnosed, explained and treated.

• “For too long, the name reduced a complex, long-term endocrine disorder to a misunderstanding about ‘cysts’ and a narrow focus on the ovaries. This contributed to delayed diagnosis and inadequate treatment,” said Professor Helena Teede, Director of the Monash Centre for Health Research and Implementation and president of the International Society of Endocrinology.

Do You Know

• What was known as PCOS affects around one in eight women globally, or more than 170 million women, and is associated with a wide spectrum of symptoms including irregular or absent menstrual cycles, infertility, pregnancy complications, excess hair growth, acne, anxiety, depression, weight gain, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

• India was closely involved in the global consensus-building process. “India had significant engagement in this process,” Prof Teede told The Indian Express. Dr Madhuri Patil, president-elect of the Indian Society for Assisted Reproduction and one of the clinicians involved, said the renaming involved “more than 22,000 survey responses, multiple workshops, women with lived experience, health professionals and 56 patient and professional societies across the world.”

• The naming process also considered cultural sensitivities across countries. “The term ‘reproductive’ was intentionally avoided after extensive global consultation, including women from different cultural contexts. In some societies, a strong focus on fertility can increase stigma or shame, particularly where a woman’s social value is closely tied to childbearing,” Dr Patil explained.

• The change carries particular significance for India, where experts estimate the prevalence of the condition to be between 16 and 18 per cent. Dr Patil said the inclusion of “metabolic” in the new name is especially relevant given India’s high rates of metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance. “Even adolescents with PCOS can show metabolic abnormalities, though the incidence rises with age,” she added. She pointed to the “thrifty genotype” hypothesis — the idea that populations historically exposed to cycles of food scarcity evolved to store energy more efficiently, increasing susceptibility to obesity and Type 2 diabetes in modern environments of calorie abundance.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍What is PCOS?

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:
📍Discuss the positive and negative effects of globalization on women in India. (UPSC CSE, GS1, 2015)

 

PRELIMS ANSWER KEY

1.(b)  2.(c)  3.(c)  4.(a)

  

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