Current Affairs — 25 September 2026

1. Twelve Years of Make in India

Basic Concept

Make in India, launched on 25 September 2014, is the Government of India's flagship initiative to transform the country into a global manufacturing and investment hub, aiming to raise manufacturing's share of GDP, attract foreign direct investment (FDI), and generate large-scale employment. It works alongside complementary instruments such as the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) schemes (which offer financial incentives tied to incremental production) and Startup India, and was refreshed as "Make in India 2.0" in February 2021 with a sharper sectoral focus. For GS3 (Indian economy, industrial policy), the initiative is a recurring anchor for questions on industrial growth, FDI trends, and manufacturing competitiveness.

Core Context

The government marked the 12th anniversary of Make in India by releasing a scorecard of manufacturing gains alongside newer sector-specific schemes, even as economists flagged that manufacturing's share of GDP and India's global export share have grown only marginally.

Latest Developments

• Manufacturing Gross Value Added (GVA) grew at a 10.88% CAGR between 2022-23 and 2025-26; electronics production rose nearly sevenfold from ₹1.9 lakh crore (2014-15) to ₹13.11 lakh crore (2025-26), and mobile-phone manufacturing grew roughly 33-fold, making India the world's second-largest mobile-phone manufacturer by volume.

• Defence production rose about 283% (₹46,429 crore to ₹1.78 lakh crore) and crude steel output doubled (81.7 to 170.0 million tonnes); cumulative FDI since 2014-15 reached about $843 billion, and PLI schemes have drawn roughly ₹2.4–2.6 lakh crore in investment across 14 sectors.

• Newer scheme announcements include Semicon 2.0 (₹1,27,500 crore), a Mobile Phone Manufacturing Scheme (₹62,500 crore for FY27–FY31), the BHAVYA industrial-parks scheme (₹33,660 crore for 100 parks), and a Rare Earth Magnets Scheme (₹7,280 crore).

• Despite these gains, manufacturing's share of GDP has moved only marginally (from about 14.6% to 15.6%), India's global export share remains near 1.7%, and economists point to a persisting "assembly trap" — high dependence on imported intermediate inputs rather than deep domestic value addition.

UPSC Prelims Pointers

• Make in India was launched on 25 September 2014; Make in India 2.0 was rolled out in February 2021.

• Production Linked Incentive (PLI) schemes offer financial incentives tied to incremental production/sales in identified sectors.

• India is the world's second-largest mobile-phone manufacturer by volume.

• The National Manufacturing Mission was announced in the Union Budget 2025-26.

2. Haryana's "Parali Protection Force" Against Stubble Burning

Basic Concept

Stubble (parali) burning — setting fire to leftover paddy straw to quickly clear fields before the next sowing cycle — is a major seasonal contributor to air pollution across the Indo-Gangetic plain, particularly in Punjab, Haryana, and the National Capital Region, since it releases large quantities of particulate matter within a short post-monsoon window. Enforcement has traditionally relied on satellite-based fire-count monitoring (via ISRO and CPCB systems) combined with penalties under the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 and the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in NCR and Adjoining Areas Act, 2021, but satellite passes can miss fires lit at night or under cloud cover. This is relevant to GS3 (environment, pollution) and GS2 (governance/enforcement mechanisms).

Core Context

The Haryana government announced a dedicated "Parali Protection Force," a district- and block-level enforcement mechanism combining police, agriculture officials, and administrative staff to prevent stubble burning ahead of this year's paddy-harvest season.

Latest Developments

• The force combines drone surveillance coordinated with the DRIISHYA monitoring system and late-night ground patrols specifically to catch fires that satellite passes might miss.

• Verified burning incidents can result in an FIR, a challan (fine), and a red entry in land records, while compliant farmers are offered a subsidy of about ₹1,200 per acre for crop-residue management machinery.

• About 8,134 nodal officers have been equipped with a mobile application for real-time fire reporting, alongside efforts to build straw-storage facilities and industry linkages (such as biomass power and paper/packaging units) that create demand for collected stubble as a sustainable alternative to burning.

UPSC Prelims Pointers

• The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in NCR and Adjoining Areas Act, 2021 governs air-quality enforcement across Delhi-NCR, including Haryana.

• Satellite-based stubble-fire monitoring in India draws on data from ISRO and the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

• Stubble burning is a major contributor to post-monsoon air pollution in the Indo-Gangetic plain, alongside vehicular and industrial emissions.

3. The Cool Leaders Award

Basic Concept

As global temperatures rise, demand for cooling — air conditioners, refrigeration, and related appliances — is projected to grow sharply, creating a tension between improving thermal comfort/food security and the additional greenhouse-gas emissions and electricity demand that conventional cooling technologies generate. The Cool Coalition, convened by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), brings together governments, cities, and businesses to promote "sustainable cooling" — approaches such as passive and nature-based cooling (urban greenery, reflective roofs), energy-efficient appliances, and better building design — as an alternative to simply scaling up conventional air conditioning. This is relevant to GS3 (environment, climate change, urbanisation).

Core Context

UNEP's Cool Coalition, working with Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL), presented its inaugural "Cool Leaders Award" at the Global Cooling Pledge Assembly 2026 in Singapore, recognising leadership in sustainable cooling policy, technology, and urban design.

Latest Developments

• The inaugural winners were Singapore (for integrating passive cooling and urban greenery into city planning), the United Arab Emirates (for large-scale district cooling infrastructure), and Dong Mingzhu of China's Gree Electric (for ultra-efficient, low-carbon cooling technology).

• The award cites nature-based and passive cooling measures — such as urban forests and green roofs — as capable of lowering peak urban temperatures by up to 5°C in some settings.

• It also flags that the global stock of conventional cooling appliances is projected to reach 5.6 billion units by 2050, underlining the scale of the emissions and electricity-demand challenge if cooling is not made more efficient and sustainable.

UPSC Prelims Pointers

• The Cool Coalition is convened by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) to promote sustainable cooling globally.

• Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) is an international organisation working with the UN on universal energy access and clean energy.

• "District cooling" refers to centralised cooling systems that supply chilled water to multiple buildings, improving energy efficiency compared with individual building units.

4. Exercise VARUNA 2026

Basic Concept

India and France share a "Strategic Partnership" dating to 1998, with defence cooperation as one of its pillars, expressed through joint exercises across all three services — VARUNA (navy), Garuda (air force), and Shakti (army). Exercise VARUNA, the bilateral naval exercise between the Indian Navy and the French Navy (Marine Nationale), began in 1983 and was formally named VARUNA in 2001; it is conducted alternately in Indian and French waters and has grown in scope and complexity over more than four decades. This is relevant to GS3 (defence and security) and GS2 (bilateral relations).

Core Context

The Indian Navy's guided-missile stealth frigate INS Trishul arrived at Toulon — the French Navy's principal Mediterranean base — for the 24th edition of Exercise VARUNA, involving harbour and sea phases with the French Navy.

Latest Developments

• The exercise covers air-defence drills, anti-submarine warfare (ASW) operations, surface combat manoeuvres, and cross-deck visits between Indian and French ships during the harbour and sea phases.

• INS Trishul is a Talwar-class stealth frigate commissioned in 2003, representative of India's Russian-origin frigate fleet that also carries indigenous weapons and sensor upgrades.

• The exercise reinforces the rules-based maritime order and the security of Sea Lanes of Communication (SLOCs), and demonstrates India's capacity for sustained naval deployments beyond the Indian Ocean Region, into the Mediterranean.

UPSC Prelims Pointers

• Exercise VARUNA is the India–France bilateral naval exercise, held since 1983 and formally named in 2001.

• INS Trishul is a Talwar-class stealth frigate of the Indian Navy.

• India–France defence exercises across the three services are VARUNA (Navy), Garuda (Air Force), and Shakti (Army).

5. PLA-Based Biodegradable Bioplastics under BioE3

Basic Concept

The BioE3 (Biotechnology for Economy, Environment and Employment) policy is India's framework for building a biomanufacturing-led "bioeconomy," encouraging the use of biological feedstocks and processes to produce fuels, chemicals, and materials as substitutes for fossil-fuel-based products. Polylactic Acid (PLA) is a bio-based, compostable thermoplastic made by fermenting plant-derived sugars into lactic acid, which is then polymerised; unlike conventional petroleum-based plastics, it can break down into water, carbon dioxide, and biomass under industrial composting conditions. This connects to GS3 (science and technology, environment, circular economy).

Core Context

India formally launched commercial-scale development of PLA-based biodegradable bioplastic under the BioE3 policy, with government support for a pilot production facility using sugarcane-derived feedstock.

Latest Developments

• A 100 tonnes-per-annum (TPA) pilot facility is planned at Balrampur Chini Mills in Uttar Pradesh, supported by a ₹75 crore grant from BIRAC (Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council) under the Department of Biotechnology.

• Feedstocks include sugarcane juice, molasses, and other agricultural biomass; the resulting PLA offers useful rigidity, tensile strength, and transparency for applications in packaging, agricultural films, textiles, and medical sutures.

• Lifecycle greenhouse-gas emissions are estimated to be 60–70% lower than for equivalent petroleum-based plastics, and the initiative is positioned to support India's Plastic Waste Management Rules, diversify sugar-mill revenues beyond ethanol, and contribute to a targeted $300 billion domestic bioeconomy.

UPSC Prelims Pointers

• BioE3 stands for Biotechnology for Economy, Environment and Employment, India's biomanufacturing policy framework.

• BIRAC (Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council) functions under the Department of Biotechnology.

• Polylactic Acid (PLA) is both bio-based (from plant sugars) and biodegradable (compostable), distinguishing it from plastics that are merely bio-based but not biodegradable.

6. Can the Chief Election Commissioner Be Removed?

Basic Concept

To protect the Election Commission's independence, the Constitution gives the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) security of tenure comparable to a Supreme Court judge: under Article 324(5), the CEC cannot be removed except in the manner and on the grounds applicable to a Supreme Court judge under Article 124(4) — namely, proved misbehaviour or incapacity, established through a rigorous process. The Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023 reaffirms these removal terms in Section 11(2), without diluting the constitutional safeguard. This is relevant to GS2 (constitutional bodies, polity).

Core Context

An opposition coalition announced its intention to move a removal motion against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, drawing attention to the demanding, rarely-invoked constitutional procedure for removing a sitting CEC.

Latest Developments

• A removal motion requires a notice signed by at least 100 members in the Lok Sabha or 50 members in the Rajya Sabha; the House's Presiding Officer has discretion to admit or reject the motion.

• If admitted, a three-member judicial inquiry committee — comprising a Supreme Court judge, the Chief Justice of a High Court, and a distinguished jurist, constituted under the Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968 — examines the charges.

• The motion must then pass by a "special majority" in both Houses: a majority of the total membership of each House, and two-thirds of members present and voting, before the President issues a formal removal order.

• No Chief Election Commissioner has ever been removed under this process in independent India's history, underlining how high the constitutional bar is set.

UPSC Prelims Pointers

• Article 324(5) protects the CEC's tenure on terms similar to a Supreme Court judge under Article 124(4).

• A CEC removal motion needs 100 Lok Sabha MPs' or 50 Rajya Sabha MPs' signatures to be moved.

• The Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968 governs the judicial committee process for such removal inquiries.

• Unlike the CEC, other Election Commissioners can be removed on the CEC's recommendation, a key institutional asymmetry debated in recent years.

7. UN Charter's "Enemy State" Clauses

Basic Concept

The UN Charter, drafted in 1945 by 50 founding nations at the San Francisco Conference and in force since 24 October 1945, is the foundational treaty of the modern international order, enshrining principles such as sovereign equality (Article 2), the prohibition on the use of force (Article 2(4)), and the right to self-defence (Article 51). However, several Charter provisions — Articles 53, 77, and 107 — still formally reference World War II "enemy states" (the Axis powers: Japan, Germany, Italy, Bulgaria, Hungary, and Romania), permitting certain military or trusteeship actions against them outside the normal Security Council authorisation process. This is relevant to GS2 (international organisations, UN reform).

Core Context

Japan's Prime Minister used her address at the 81st UN General Assembly session to call for the immediate deletion of the UN Charter's enemy-state clauses, which continue to name Japan eight decades after the war ended.

Latest Developments

• Article 53(1) allows regional organisations to take military action against "enemy states" without prior UN Security Council authorisation, while Article 107 validates earlier Allied wartime actions against them, and Article 77(1)(b) touches the trusteeship system for territories detached from enemy states.

• The UN General Assembly declared these clauses obsolete as far back as 1995, and the 2005 World Summit Outcome Document again called for their deletion, but no formal amendment has been carried through.

• Amending the UN Charter requires a two-thirds majority in the General Assembly and ratification by two-thirds of UN member states, including all five permanent Security Council members — a high bar that helps explain why largely symbolic but sensitive provisions like these have persisted unamended for decades.

UPSC Prelims Pointers

• The UN Charter was signed in 1945 at the San Francisco Conference and entered into force on 24 October 1945 — commemorated annually as UN Day.

• Article 53(2) of the UN Charter defines "enemy states" as the WWII Axis powers.

• UN Charter amendments require a two-thirds General Assembly majority plus ratification by two-thirds of members, including all five P5 states.

8. The River Thames (Mapping)

Basic Concept

The River Thames is the principal river of southern England and the longest river lying entirely within England (second-longest in the UK after the River Severn), flowing eastward from the Cotswold Hills through Oxford, Reading, Windsor, and London before reaching the North Sea via the Thames Estuary. Its lower course, from Teddington onward, is tidal, while its upper freshwater course is regulated by a system of navigation locks — a classic example of a river whose management combines flood control, water supply, and navigation, useful for comparative study with Indian rivers facing similar multi-use pressures. This is relevant to GS1 (world physical geography/mapping).

Core Context

The Thames featured in the day's "Mapping" segment after a pod of around 25 pilot whales was safely guided back to sea during a six-hour rescue operation near Gravesend, Kent, on the river's tidal lower stretch.

Latest Developments

• The Thames has a catchment basin of about 5,500 square miles (14,250 sq km) and a length of roughly 330 km, originating at Thames Head in the Cotswolds with the River Churn as a major early tributary.

• Its tidal lower course sees strong fluctuations — spring tides can reach about 7 metres at London Bridge — managed since 1982 by the Thames Barrier, a system of ten movable steel gates protecting London from tidal flooding.

• The river supplies roughly two-thirds of Greater London's drinking water and has been a historic trade route past landmarks including Westminster, the Tower of London, Greenwich, and Windsor Castle.

UPSC Prelims Pointers

• The River Thames is the longest river entirely within England; the River Severn is the UK's longest river overall.

• The Thames Barrier, operational since 1982, protects London from tidal flooding using movable steel gates.

• The Thames supplies about two-thirds of Greater London's drinking water.

9. DDU-GKY 2.0 — Rural Skilling Overhaul

Basic Concept

The Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY) is a placement-linked skill-training scheme under the Ministry of Rural Development, targeting rural youth from poor families to improve their employability and incomes. Like many skilling schemes, DDU-GKY has faced a recurring policy challenge common across India's skill-development ecosystem: training large numbers of candidates does not automatically translate into stable, long-term employment, prompting periodic redesigns to shift the metric of success from training volume to actual job retention. This is relevant to GS2/GS3 (government schemes, employment, rural development).

Core Context

On DDU-GKY's 12th anniversary, the Ministry of Rural Development rolled out "DDU-GKY 2.0," redesigning the scheme to prioritise twelve-month job retention over headline training numbers.

Latest Developments

• The upgraded scheme standardises training into 576-hour courses (396 domain-specific hours plus 180 non-domain/soft-skill hours) and extends the definition of successful "placement" from three months of retention to six months.

• Migration support centres for candidates who move for work have had their funding enhanced to up to ₹30 lakh annually per centre, alongside a new digital system for tracking candidates through their training-to-employment lifecycle.

• Cumulative results so far stand at about 18.47 lakh people trained and 12.43 lakh placed (a roughly 67% placement rate), with a budget allocation of ₹750 crore for 2026-27.

UPSC Prelims Pointers

• DDU-GKY (Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana) is a placement-linked rural skilling scheme under the Ministry of Rural Development.

• DDU-GKY is one of three sub-schemes under the National Rural Livelihood Mission umbrella focused on skilling and placement.

• DDU-GKY 2.0 redefines successful placement as six months of job retention, up from three months earlier.

10. India–Netherlands Water Cooperation: The Kalpasar Project

Basic Concept

The Kalpasar project is a long-proposed Gujarat mega-infrastructure scheme envisaging a roughly 30 km dam across the Gulf of Khambhat to convert it into a freshwater reservoir, storing monsoon runoff from rivers such as the Sabarmati, Mahi, and Dhadhar for irrigation, drinking water, and flood control. The Netherlands has globally recognised expertise in large-scale coastal and delta engineering, most famously demonstrated by the 1932 Afsluitdijk — a dam that converted a North Sea inlet, the Zuiderzee, into the freshwater IJsselmeer — making Dutch institutions a natural technical partner for a project of Kalpasar's scale and ambition. This is relevant to GS2 (bilateral cooperation) and GS3 (water resources, infrastructure).

Core Context

India's Central Water Commission, Gujarat's Kalpasar Department, and Dutch research institutions — Deltares and TU Delft — signed tripartite Memoranda of Understanding to support technical modelling, coastal engineering, and climate-resilience planning for the Kalpasar project.

Latest Developments

• The cooperation focuses on drawing on Dutch expertise in large hydraulic structures, sediment dynamics, and climate-resilient coastal design, with explicit reference to the historical Afsluitdijk model.

• The proposed reservoir is intended to capture monsoon runoff from the Sabarmati, Mahi, and Dhadhar river systems that would otherwise flow largely unused into the sea, for irrigation and drinking-water supply in Saurashtra and South Gujarat.

• Given the project's scale, environmental groups have flagged concerns around impacts on the Gulf of Khambhat's marine ecology and fisheries, underscoring that any final design will need to balance water-security gains against ecological trade-offs.

UPSC Prelims Pointers

• The Kalpasar project proposes damming the Gulf of Khambhat to create a freshwater reservoir in Gujarat.

• The Afsluitdijk (1932) is a Dutch dam that converted the Zuiderzee inlet into the freshwater IJsselmeer.

• Deltares and TU Delft are prominent Dutch institutions specialising in water and coastal engineering research.

11. Practice MCQs

Practice MCQs

Q1. Consider the following statements regarding Make in India:
1. It was launched in September 2014.
2. India has become the world's largest mobile-phone manufacturer by volume.
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

Answer: (a) 1 only

Explanation: Make in India was launched on 25 September 2014; India is the world's second-largest, not largest, mobile-phone manufacturer by volume, so statement 2 is incorrect.

Q2. With reference to the removal of the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), consider the following statements:
1. The CEC can be removed only in the manner applicable to a Supreme Court judge.
2. A removal motion requires a notice signed by at least 100 members of the Lok Sabha or 50 members of the Rajya Sabha.
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

Answer: (c) Both 1 and 2

Explanation: Article 324(5) links CEC removal to the Article 124(4) process for a Supreme Court judge, and such a motion needs 100 Lok Sabha or 50 Rajya Sabha signatures to be admitted.

Q3. Which of the following Articles of the UN Charter are among those still containing references to World War II "enemy states"?
1. Article 53
2. Article 77
3. Article 107
Select the correct answer using the code below:

• (a) 1 and 2 only

• (b) 2 and 3 only

• (c) 1 and 3 only

• (d) 1, 2 and 3

Answer: (d) 1, 2 and 3

Explanation: Articles 53, 77, and 107 of the UN Charter all retain references to WWII "enemy states," which the UNGA has called obsolete since 1995 without a formal amendment being carried through.

Q4. Consider the following statements about the River Thames:
1. It is the longest river entirely within England.
2. Its lower course is tidal, beginning at Teddington.
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

Answer: (c) Both 1 and 2

Explanation: The Thames is indeed the longest river wholly within England (the Severn, the UK's longest river overall, flows partly through Wales), and its tidal stretch begins at Teddington.

Q5. With reference to Exercise VARUNA, consider the following statements:
1. It is a bilateral naval exercise between India and France.
2. It has been held annually without interruption since 1983 under the name VARUNA.
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

Answer: (a) 1 only

Explanation: VARUNA is indeed an India–France bilateral naval exercise, but it began in 1983 and was only formally named VARUNA in 2001, so statement 2 is incorrect.

Q6. Polylactic Acid (PLA), as discussed under India's BioE3 policy, is best described as:

• (a) A petroleum-based plastic that is recyclable but not biodegradable

• (b) A bio-based and biodegradable thermoplastic made from fermented plant sugars

• (c) A synthetic rubber used mainly in tyre manufacturing

• (d) A metal alloy used in electric-vehicle batteries

Answer: (b) A bio-based and biodegradable thermoplastic made from fermented plant sugars

Explanation: PLA is produced by fermenting plant-derived sugars (e.g., from sugarcane) into lactic acid, which is then polymerised; it is both bio-based in origin and biodegradable under industrial composting, unlike ordinary petroleum plastics.