UPSC Key: Zojila Tunnel, Birsa Munda and Outward-Inward remittance

Zojila Tunnel: The challenge of digging through the Himalayas

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Mains Examination: General Studies III: Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways etc.

What’s the ongoing story: The breakthrough of the Zojila Tunnel, a 13-km passage being carved through the Himalayas at an altitude of over 11,500 feet, is a major milestone for one of India’s most challenging infrastructure projects. But unlike tunnels bored through relatively stable rock formations elsewhere, excavation in the Himalayas comes with a unique set of geological and environmental risks.

Key Points to Ponder:

• Zojila Pass connects Srinagar and Leh-true or false?

• Map work-Zojila Pass, Zanskar Range, Higher (Greater) Himalaya, major passes of Himalayas, eastern end of the Himalayan range and the western end the Himalayan range,

• Why the Zojila Tunnel is being constructed?

• Zojila Pass lies in Sub-Himalaya or Lesser Himalaya or Higher (Greater) Himalaya or Trans-Himalaya system?

• Compare Zojila pass with other major passes.

• What you know about the geology of the Himalayas?

• Why are the Himalayas considered geologically fragile?

• Why is building a tunnel through the Himalayan mountains a feat?

• What methods were used to safely excavate the Zojila tunnel?

Key Takeaways:

• A final 2.5 metres of rock inside the strategically significant Zojila Tunnel was blasted away with 300 kg of explosives on Tuesday, marking a major breakthrough in the construction of the 13.153-km tunnel that will provide all-weather road connectivity between Kashmir and Ladakh.

• Multiple reasons make tunnelling through the Himalayas a challenging feat. The altitude — the Zojila tunnel is at 11,578 feet — lends to difficult working conditions. So do the temperatures, which fall to as low as -30℃.

Do You Know:

• Arnold Dix, geologist, engineer, and former president of the International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association, said that working in these conditions is difficult for both workers and combustion engine machines. The harsh winters often bring along avalanches, which can be fatal. Two workers died in an avalanche at Sarbal, near Sonamarg, in January 2023, a few days after which 172 workers were trapped and rescued in a subsequent avalanche.

• Additionally, the rock strata in the Himalayas are highly variable, even differing metre to metre, said Dix. And unlike tunnelling through the hard basalt rock underground in Mumbai, this means a long list of surprises lie in store for the engineers as they drill through. Loose rock, boulders, water ingress: the rock formations can be delicate and susceptible to disasters. Each variation requires a different treatment for structural integrity.

• The Himalaya range is a relatively new mountain range, making it far more tectonically active. “To a geologist,” said Dix, “the Himalayas are ocean floors that have been pushed upwards.”
This rock strata the engineers can encounter can be soft rock, characteristic of a sea bed, to boulders and everything in between. The way the mountain has formed could have left cavities and cracks.
A lot of water — even up to an ocean’s worth — is stored in the mountains. Due to its age, there are sheer zones where there is higher strain on the rock and tunnelling can lead to instability. The inside of the mountains can be highly sensitive.
Dix described the mountain range as “alive,” moving and responding to pressures it feels.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍After six years of tunnelling, Zojila breakthrough connects Kashmir and Ladakh route

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:
1. Consider the following statements: (UPSC CSE, 2017)
1. In India, the Himalayas are spread over five States only.
2. Western Ghats are spread over five States only.
3. Pulicat Lake is spread over two States only.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 3 only
(c) 2 and 3 only
(d) 1 and 3 only

2) When you travel in Himalayas, you will see the following: (UPSC CSE, 2012)
1. Deep gorges
2. U-turn river courses
3. Parallel mountain ranges
4. Steep gradients causing land-sliding
Which of the above can be said to be the evidence for Himalayas being young fold mountains?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 1, 2 and 4 only
(c) 3 and 4 only
(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:
📍Differentiate the causes of landslides in the Himalayan region and Western Ghats. (UPSC, GS1, 2021)

How Birsa Munda helped define Adivasi identity, rights

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: History of India and Indian National Movement

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: On June 9, the death anniversary of the iconic Adivasi leader and freedom fighter Birsa Munda, several tribal organisations in Jharkhand took a pledge to “protect his legacy”.

Key Points to Ponder:

• Who was Birsa Munda?

• Know the life and contribution of Birsa Munda to India’s tribal resistance movements.

• Birsa Munda’s Ulgulan-Know in detail

• Why Munda Rebellion is significant?

• Why is Birsa Munda regarded as an icon of tribal identity?

• Who were the other tribal freedom fighters?

• Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups and Schedule Tribes-Compare and Contrast

• Know the effectiveness of constitutional safeguards for Scheduled Tribes

Key Takeaways:

• This pledge came amid the fresh demands for “delisting” — removing tribal converts to Christianity or Islam from the Scheduled Tribes (ST) list — that have reignited a long-running debate over Adivasi identity. The latest delisting demand was made last month at a tribal gathering attended by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi.

• The tribal organisations in Jharkhand said during the pledge event that Birsa Munda’s vision was rooted in Adivasi identity, sovereignty and land rights, and accused right-wing groups of attempting to reinterpret that outlook.

Do You Know:

• Birsa Munda is one of the most influential figures in the history of the Chotanagpur plateau, the mineral-rich region spanning Jharkhand and adjoining states. Revered by many as “Dharti Aba” (father of the Earth), he is remembered for leading the Ulgulan, or the “Great Tumult” — a movement against colonial rule and “diku” (non-tribal outsider) zamindars amid the growing encroachment on Adivasi land and cultural institutions in the closing years of the 19th century.
Birsa’s influence, however, extended beyond the borders of the current Jharkhand state to the remote villages of Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and more.

• In his seminal study Birsa Munda and His Movement, historian K S Singh described Birsa as a religious reformer, social mobiliser and political leader who transformed the Munda tribal society.

• Adivasi historian Joseph Bara similarly argues that Birsa cannot be understood merely as the leader of an agrarian uprising. Rather, he articulated a broader vision of Adivasi identity, autonomy and self-rule (Adivasi disum).
Bara notes that his prominence in mainstream political and public discourse grew significantly during the decades preceding and following the creation of Jharkhand in 2000. Today, he is one of India’s most widely recognised Adivasi icons, occupying a central place in debates around Adivasi identity, land rights, religion and self-governance.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Knowledge nugget of the day: Birsa Munda

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:
3) With reference to the history of India, “Ulgulan” or the Great Trumult is the description of which of the following events? (UPSC CSE, 2020)
(a) The Revolt of 1857
(b) The Mappila Rebellion of 1921
(c) The Indigo REvolt of 1859-60
(d) Birsa Munda’s Revolt of 1899-1900

Previous year UPSC main Question Covering similar theme:
📍What are the two major legal initiatives by the State since Independence addressing discrimination against Scheduled Tribes (STs)? (UPSC, GS1, 2017)
📍Why are the tribals in India referred to as ‘the Scheduled Tribes’? Indicate the major provisions enshrined in the Constitution of India for their upliftment. (UPSC GS1, 2016)

Trump’s $100,000 H-1B fee scrapped, but some Indians have paid the price

Syllabus:

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: A US federal judge’s decision to strike down President Donald Trump’s controversial $100,000 fee on new H-1B visas will come as some relief to employers, but many foreign workers have already faced much of its brunt.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What is the H-1B programme and how did the fee affect it?

• Why did the court strike down the fee?

• How H-1B visas shaped India-U.S. relations?

• Why is the ruling important for Indians?

• Has the fee already affected Indian workers?

• How did the fee affect employers?

• Could this case create a broader precedent?

• what are the challenges posed by the Trump administration’s immigration policies on the H-1B visa program?

• How does the H-1B visa program contribute to the U.S. economy?

Key Takeaways:

• The H-1B visa allows US employers to hire foreign nationals in specific occupations or roles that require at a minimum a bachelor’s degree and a body of specialised knowledge. Congress has capped approvals at 65,000 per year for most private employers, with an additional 20,000 for holders of advanced degrees. Universities, non-profit research organisations and government research bodies are exempt from this cap and can file petitions at any time.

• Before the $100,000 proclamation, the petition fees ranged from $960 to $7,595. Trump signed the proclamation in September 2025, citing concerns that the programme had been used to replace American workers with foreign labour at lower wages, particularly in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) fields. The issue also held political resonance for a section of Trump supporters.

• According to the ruling, the central question was whether the $100,000 payment was a legitimate immigration penalty or an unlawful tax. Judge Sorokin concluded that the fee functioned as a tax regardless of what the administration chose to call it. Because the US Constitution grants Congress, not the President, the authority to levy taxes, the court held that the measure exceeded executive power.

• Robert Bray, a retired Immigration Officer with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Fraud Detection and National Security division, told The Indian Express that the judge’s reasoning was heavily influenced by a recent Supreme Court decision involving tariffs.

Do You Know:

• The H-1B visa program allows American employers to hire immigrant workers in occupations that require “a high level of skill” and “at least a bachelor’s degree”, according to the US Department of Labour.

• The program was started in 1990, with the intention of helping “employers who cannot otherwise obtain needed business skills and abilities from the US workforce by authorising the temporary employment of qualified individuals who are not otherwise authorised to work in the United States”.

• An H-1B visa can be issued for a maximum of six years at a stretch, after which the visa holder has to either leave the US for a period of at least 12 months before returning, or apply for and receive permanent residence (“Green Card”).

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍In Trump era, look beyond IT for H-1B visas: Think tank RIS

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:
📍Indian diaspora has scaled new heights in the West. Describe its economic and political benefits for India. (UPSC GS2, 2023)
📍 Indian Diaspora has an important role to play in South East Asian countries’ economy and society. Appraise the role of Indian Diaspora in South-East Asia in this context. (UPSC GS2, 2015)

FRONT PAGE

Human contribution to global warming highest ever in 2025, says study

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: General issues on Environmental ecology, Bio-diversity and Climate Change – that do not require subject specialization.

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

What’s the ongoing story: At a time when global political attention to climate change appears to be receding, a new assessment has confirmed earlier estimates that 2025 was the third warmest year on record. Importantly, this annual study, called the Indicators of Global Climate Change or IGCC, found that the contribution of human activities to the overall warming observed in 2025 was possibly the highest ever.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What is the Indicators of Global Climate Change (IGCC) project?

• What exactly the Indicators of Global Climate Change study observed about global warming?

• “The year 2025 was the third warmest year”-What are the reasons?

• What are the role of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide in an environment?

• What is the meaning of ocean heat content?

• “The world remains divided between the historically responsible and the contemporary accused who believe they are being asked to pay”-Analyse

• What is the Kyoto Protocol?

• What is the Paris Agreement and its purpose?

• Paris Agreement and Kyoto Protocol-Know the difference

• What is ‘common but differentiated responsibilities’?

• Which agreement recognised ‘common but differentiated responsibilities’?

• What is the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM)?

• Why 1.5 degrees Celsius temperature rise is considered an important threshold?

• What could happen now?

Key Takeaways:

• For 2025, the contribution of human activities to global warming is possibly the highest ever, but the scale of natural variations in climate differ from year to year. 2025 happened to be a La Nina year, a year in which the equatorial Pacific Ocean, off the western coast of South America, was cooler than normal. La Nina is known to have a general cooling effect on the planet. This could have been the reason why the year, despite the potentially record-breaking contribution of human-induced warming, was slightly cooler than 2024 and 2023.

• The ongoing climate meet in Germany has proposed a glo¬bal commitment to ens¬ure that electricity accounts for at least 35% of final energy consumption by 2035. Currently, it accounts for 20% of global energy consumption. This is a key step towards the transition from fossil fuels.

• The IGCC study said human-induced warming had been increasing at the rate of about 0.27 degree Celsius per decade, as a result of record levels of greenhouse gas emissions. It found that greenhouse gas emissions had reached 56.8 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2025, an all-time high.

• The IGCC study is being released in a week when countries are assembled in Bonn, Germany, for the annual mid-year climate talks. The discussions are centred mainly around ways to increase the ambition of climate action which has suffered a major blow due to the withdrawal of the United States from the 2015 Paris Agreement last year. Global climate action has been unable to keep pace with the requirement to significantly cut greenhouse gas emissions in the near term.

• The findings of the IGCC study are a further reminder to the rapidly rising global temperatures. Just last month, a WMO study said there was a 91 per cent chance that at least one of the next five years, between 2026 and 2030, would break the 1.5 degree Celsius threshold, just like 2024 did. It further said that there was a 75 per cent possibility that the average temperature of this five-year period also exceeded 1.5 degree Celsius level from the 1850-1900 baseline.

Do You Know:

• The Indicators of Global Climate Change (IGCC) project provides annual updates on key metrics from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). It tracks human influence on the climate, global heating rates, and remaining carbon budgets to bridge the gap between major scientific assessments.

• The IGCC study, first published in 2023, is the work of an independent international group of climate scientists which includes several contributors to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that produces periodic reports on the state of climate change, which are considered the most authoritative word on the subject.

• The latest IGCC study said average global temperatures in 2025 were about 1.39 degree Celsius higher than the average of 1850-1900 baseline. Of the total increase, it said 1.37 degree Celsius was due to human activities, primarily greenhouse gas emissions, while the rest could be the result of natural variations in climate systems.

• The IGCC study, published in the peer-reviewed open access journal called Earth System Science Data, confirms the earlier estimate of the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) which, in January this year, had said that 2025 was likely to emerge as the third warmest year, after 2024 and 2023. WMO had said the average global temperatures in 2025 were likely to be 1.44 degree Celsius above the 1850-1900 baseline.

• The warmest-ever year, 2024, was about 1.55 degree Celsius hotter than the 1850-1900 baseline. That year, human activities had contributed about 1.36 degree Celsius of warming, according to the IGCC study for 2024, the rest being attributed to natural variations. The year 2023 was about 1.45 degree Celsius warmer than 1850-1900 baseline. Human contribution that year was assessed to be about 1.31 degree Celsius.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
📍 Warming up to climate change: As greenhouse gases occur naturally, why do emissions from human activities matter?

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:
4) In the context of which of the following do some scientists suggest the use of cirrus cloud thinning technique and the injection of sulphate aerosol into stratosphere? (UPSC CSE, 2019)
(a) Creating the artificial rains in some regions
(b) Reducing the frequency and intensity of tropical cyclones
(c) Reducing the adverse effects of solar wind on the Earth
(d) Reducing the global warming

5) In the context of mitigating the impending global warming due to anthropogenic emissions of carbon dioxide, which of the following can be the potential sites for carbon sequestration? (UPSC CSE, 2017)
1. Abandoned and uneconomic coal seams
2. Depleted oil and gas reservoirs
3. Subterranean deep saline formations
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

Previous year UPSC Main Question Covering similar theme:
📍Discuss global warming and mention its effects on the global climate. Explain the control measures to bring down the level of greenhouse gases which cause global warming, in the light of the Kyoto Protocol, 1997. (UPSC GS3, 2022)

ECONOMY

Workers’ remittances cross $100 billion in FY26, but long-term BoP solution needed

Syllabus:

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

Main Examination: General Studies III: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization, of resources, growth, development and employment

What’s the ongoing story: Despite the capital outflows from financial markets and subdued net foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows, India managed to record a Balance of Payments (BoP) surplus of $7.22 billion in the January-March 2026 quarter, aided by a factor thought to be at risk from the West Asia conflict: remittances from abroad.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What does remittance mean?

• What is the remittance of India?

• Which country has the most remittances?

• Where do India’s remittances come from?

• What is outward and inward remittance?

• Is inward remittance taxable in India?

• What is the role of the Indian diaspora in India’s economic development?

• How do remittances influence India’s Balance of Payments?

• Why are remittances considered relatively stable external inflows?

Key Takeaways:

• In the first quarter of 2026, Indians working abroad sent home $31.07 billion — the most in 13 years, as per Reserve Bank of India (RBI) data — registering a year-on-year growth of 34%. But what is more striking is the annual figure.

• The West Asia war presented a new hurdle for India’s external balance because of the number of Indians working in the region. However, as per the RBI’s latest survey on remittances, inflows from the Gulf countries of UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain had declined from 47% in 2016-17 to 38% of the total in 2023-24.

• Remittances, however, cannot be relied upon to bail out the Indian economy. FDI and FPI inflows must improve, while the trade deficit will have to be managed. And although the government is not done announcing measures, it knows its hands are tied beyond a point.

Do You Know:

• In 2025-26 as a whole, Indian workers abroad sent back home a record $110.47 billion, up 26% from $87.55 billion in 2024-25, with economists suggesting that the West Asia crisis likely led to a “precautionary” rise in remittances.

• This is the first time that workers’ remittances have ever crossed the $100-billion-mark in a single year. The more widely quoted remittances number — which has been above $100 billion for four years in a row now — is, in fact, not remittances as we think of them, but a broader category called ‘private transfers’.

• While workers’ remittances make up more than two-third of private transfers, this category also includes withdrawals from non-resident deposits and their redemption, personal gifts and donations (including to religious and charitable institutions in India), and gold and silver brought through passenger baggage.

• Private transfers rose 15% in 2025-26 to $151.71 billion, while net transfers (after adjusting for money sent abroad) was up 16% at $144.07 billion.

• FDI inflows – which totalled less than $9 billion in 2024-25 and 2025-26 combined on a net basis – are another difficult subject as it has been on the decline – as a percentage of GDP – since 2010.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍World Migration Report 2026: Top 10 countries receiving highest remittances; India tops the list

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:
6) Which of the following constitute Capital Account? (UPSC CSE, 2013)
1. Foreign Loans
2. Foreign Direct Investment
3. Private Remittances
4. Portfolio Investment
Select the correct answer using the codes given below:
(a) 1, 2 and 3
(b) 1, 2 and 4
(c) 2, 3 and 4
(d) 1, 3 and 4

Previous year UPSC main Question Covering similar theme:
📍‘Indian diaspora has a decisive role to play in the politics and economy of America and European Countries’. Comment with examples. (UPSC GS2, 2020)

Why Anthropic has released a Mythos version despite risks

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

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

What’s the ongoing story: Just two months ago, Anthropic publicly warned that its most advanced AI system, Claude Mythos Preview, was too risky for a general release. The company argued that the model had demonstrated an unprecedented ability to discover and exploit software vulnerabilities, raising fears it could accelerate cyberattacks if widely deployed.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What is Claude Mythos?

• What can Mythos?

• Why are there concerns?

• What have cyber experts said about it?

• What made Mythos so concerning?

• If Mythos was considered too dangerous for the public in April, why is a version of it being released in June?

• What has changed with Anthropic’s Fable 5?

• Should Government of the day be worried about it?

• What is artificial intelligence (AI)?

• How is artificial intelligence (AI) currently governed?

• Is Claude Mythos is proving to be a Human(stein) Monster?

• What is global AI governance?

Key Takeaways:

• Access was restricted to a small group of trusted organisations through its Project Glasswing programme, which included governments, cybersecurity firms and critical infrastructure operators.

• Mythos is part of a new generation of large AI systems that sit above Anthropic’s existing flagship models in terms of reasoning, coding ability and problem-solving. Internally described as a “step change” in capability, the system is designed to analyse software, understand complex codebases and identify security weaknesses with minimal human supervision.

• Anthropic has previously claimed that Mythos was able to find severe vulnerabilities in “every major operating system and web browser”, including one that had gone undetected for nearly three decades.

• The concern was not merely that the model could assist security researchers. Anthropic feared that the same capabilities could be weaponised by malicious actors. In its assessment, even users without deep technical expertise could potentially use the model to find exploitable weaknesses in critical systems. That prompted the company to withhold a public launch and instead provide access only to a vetted set of organisations.

• The model also spooked policymakers worldwide, including in India, as they saw it as a threat to critical infrastructure such as energy and banking. Earlier this year, the UK AI Security Institute (AISI), in its evaluation of Anthropic’s Claude Mythos Preview, flagged a marked jump in cyber capability, especially in structured testing environments. One of its headline findings is that the model was able to solve 73% of expert-level cybersecurity challenges in benchmark settings, far higher than earlier frontier models. These tests, largely drawn from capture-the-flag (CTF) style tasks, were designed to approximate real-world vulnerabilities and require a mix of technical depth and problem-solving ability.

Do You Know:

• Mythos is one of Anthropic’s latest models developed as part of its broader AI system called Claude. It encompasses the company’s AI assistant and family of models, rivalling OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini. It was revealed by Anthropic in early April as “Mythos Preview”.
Researchers who test how AI models handle particular requests or tasks, known as “red-teams”, said in a report Mythos was “strikingly capable at computer security tasks”.

• While this new model performs strongly across the board, its standout feature is this incredibly capable at executing computer security tasks: both fixing them (if set to work as a defender), as well as exploiting them (if deployed as a hacker). What’s spooked policymakers around the world is Anthropic’s claim that Mythos has already found severe vulnerabilities in “every major operating system and web browser”, including one that had gone undetected for nearly three decades.

• How fast Mythos’ capabilities have emerged is, as the name suggests, almost mythical in terms of scale. Just last month, Anthropic had announced that its previous generation Opus 4.6 model “is currently far better at identifying and fixing vulnerabilities than at exploiting them”.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Mythos shock: Why regulators in India, other nations are spooked by

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:
7) With the present state of development, Artificial Intelligence can effectively do which of the following? (UPSC CSE, 2020)
1. Bring down electricity consumption in industrial units
2. Create meaningful short stories and songs
3. Disease diagnosis
4. Text-to-Speech Conversion
5. Wireless transmission of electrical energy
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
(a) 1, 2, 3 and 5 only
(b) 1, 3 and 4 only
(c) 2, 4 and 5 only
(d) 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5

Previous year UPSC Main Question Covering similar theme:
📍Introduce the concept of Artificial Intelligence (AI). How does AI help clinical diagnosis? Do you perceive any threat to privacy of the individual in the use of AI in healthcare? (UPSC GS3, 2023)

NATION

Study: Hindu Kush Himalaya region to face drier monsoon, but threat of climate hazards remains

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: General issues on Environmental ecology, Bio-diversity and Climate Change – that do not require subject specialization.

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

What’s the ongoing story: THE HINDU Kush Himalaya (HKH) region, the source of at least 10 large river basins in Asia, including Ganga, Indus and Brahmaputra in India, is likely to witness below-normal rainfall and above-normal temperatures in the upcoming monsoon, according to a new analysis.

Key Points to Ponder:

• Map Work-Hindu Kush Himalaya region

• What is the Hindu Kush Himalaya?

• The HKH monsoon outlook published by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) and the Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences said what?

• How Hindu Kush Himalaya region is regulating the Indian monsoon system?

• ‘The Himalayas are increasingly becoming a hotspot of climate-induced disasters’-Attest the statement with suitable examples.

Key Takeaways:

• The combination of below par rainfall, owing to the El Niño weather phenomenon, and rising temperatures is also expected to increase drought as well as hazard risks from floods, glacial lake outbursts, and landslides, said the findings of the HKH monsoon outlook published by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) and the Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

• The HKH Monsoon Outlook 2026, warned that lower rainfall and warmer conditions will also likely intensify heat stress and reduce water availability. The outlook is also crucial for administrative management as winter snow persistence (the time snow remains on the ground) in the season that passed was below long-term average.

Do You Know:

• The HKH region is a mountain arc stretching 3,500 km across Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal, India, China, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Bhutan. Home to thousands of glaciers and large river basins such as Ganga, Indus, Brahmaputra, Yangtze, Irrawady, Mekong and Amu Darya, they support the food and livelihood security of about two billion people in this region of Asia.

• The HKH region is described as “highly sensitive” to El Niño, as it strongly shapes the South Asian monsoon, which accounts for nearly 70-80% of the region’s annual rainfall. Historically, El Niño conditions have suppressed monsoon rainfall across South Asia. Compounding the picture, Northern Hemisphere snow cover was recorded slightly below normal during January–March 2026 — a condition that is inversely linked to subsequent monsoon strength. Climate models also suggest the possible emergence of a positive Indian Ocean Dipole later in the season, which could partially offset El Niño’s drying effect, though uncertainty remains. The India Meteorological Department has already predicted below-par monsoon this
year.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍In our Himalayan village, summers are hotter, winters warmer and the rains crueller

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:
📍 Briefly mention the alignment of major mountain ranges of the world and explain their impact on local weather conditions, with examples. (UPSC GS3, 2021)

 

PRELIMS ANSWER KEY

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

  

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