In-Depth PIB Analysis2 Items Core TopicImportantConcise Social Justice, Health & GovernanceGS Paper II 01Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan at Six — Drug Demand Reduction Economy — MSMEs & Financial InclusionGS Paper III 02Cabinet Extends CGFMU (Mudra) & Stand-Up India to 2031 Social Justice, Health & GovernanceGeneral Studies Paper II 01 Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan at Six: From an Awareness Campaign to India’s Drug-Demand-Reduction Architecture Core TopicGS-II · Social Justice — Vulnerable Sections, Health, Government SchemesGS-III · Internal Security — Drug Trafficking & Organised CrimePrelims + MainsPIB · Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment · 11 Nov 2026 Six years after its launch in 272 districts, the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan (NMBA) now covers every district and, by Government count, has reached 35.84 crore people. A new three-tier State–District–Block monitoring structure and a second national drug survey with district-level estimates (due 2027) are meant to shift the focus from outreach to outcomes. ◈ Static Background — Drugs, the Constitution and the Law Article 47 (DPSP): the State shall endeavour to bring about prohibition of the consumption, except for medicinal purposes, of intoxicating drinks and drugs injurious to health — alongside raising nutrition levels and improving public health. Seventh Schedule: Entry 6, State List (public health), Entry 8, State List (intoxicating liquors), Entry 19, Concurrent List (drugs and poisons) and Entry 59, Union List (cultivation, manufacture and sale for export of opium). Alcohol policy is therefore largely a State matter — Bihar, Gujarat, Nagaland and Mizoram follow prohibition. NDPS Act, 1985: India’s main drug law, enacted to implement the three UN conventions — the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs (1961), the Convention on Psychotropic Substances (1971) and the Convention against Illicit Traffic (1988). Section 27 punishes consumption; Section 64A grants immunity from prosecution to an addict who volunteers for de-addiction treatment. Mental Healthcare Act, 2017: its definition of mental illness covers conditions associated with the abuse of alcohol and drugs — the legal basis for treating addiction as a health condition. Division of labour: supply reduction — Ministry of Home Affairs and the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB, 1986); demand reduction — Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment (MoSJE); treatment — Health Ministry institutions such as the National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre (NDDTC), AIIMS. The Narco Coordination Centre (NCORD), set up by the MHA in 2016, links them. Geography of risk: India lies between the Golden Crescent (Afghanistan–Iran–Pakistan) and the Golden Triangle (Myanmar–Laos–Thailand), exposing Punjab and the North-East to trafficking routes. ◈ Static Background — Understanding Substance Use Disorder Substance use is the consumption of alcohol, cannabis, opioids, sedatives, inhalants or other psychoactive substances. It becomes a substance use disorder when use turns harmful (damaging health or life) or dependent (craving, tolerance, withdrawal, loss of control). The release calls it a psycho-social-medical problem — it needs prevention, clinical treatment and social reintegration, not policing alone. Continuum of care: prevention (awareness, life skills) → early identification → treatment (detoxification, medication, counselling) → rehabilitation → reintegration (skills, jobs, family support) → relapse prevention. Harm reduction: approaches such as opioid substitution therapy lower risks (overdose, HIV, hepatitis) for those not yet ready to stop. Figure 1 — Scale of the Challenge: National Survey on Substance Use (2018, released 2019) UsersHarmful / dependent use16 crore5.7 crore3.1 crore25 lakh2.26 crore77 lakhAlcoholCannabisOpioidsSource: Magnitude of Substance Use in India (NDDTC, AIIMS, for MoSJE) · population aged 10–75 · bars to scale Alcohol is by far the most widely used substance, but for both alcohol and opioids about a third of users show harmful or dependent use, against roughly one in twelve for cannabis — which is why treatment, not awareness alone, decides outcomes. Overall, more than 7 crore people had a substance use disorder, including about 1.2 crore children and 58 lakh women. ▤ Scheme at a Glance — NMBA and NAPDDR Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment. Umbrella scheme: National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction (NAPDDR) — a Centrally Sponsored Scheme with Central Sector components; objectives: reduce demand through prevention, counselling, treatment and rehabilitation, and reduce stigma and discrimination. NMBA: NAPDDR’s flagship awareness campaign, launched on 15 August 2020 in 272 districts chosen using NCB inputs and the national survey; 372 districts (August 2022); all districts from 15 August 2023. Funding: ₹10 lakh per district per year for campaign activities; NAPDDR outlay ₹333 crore (BE 2026-27), against ₹420 crore (RE 2025-26) and ₹268.32 crore spent in 2024-25. Reach (as on 10 Nov 2026, Government data): 35.84 crore people, including 14.33 crore youth and 11.32 crore women; 33.57 lakh activities in educational institutions; 46.73 lakh pledges; over 2 lakh Nasha Mukti Mitr volunteers. Treatment: persons seeking treatment and counselling rose from 2.08 lakh (2020-21) to 9.11 lakh (2025-26); 39.91 lakh treated and rehabilitated in all. Helplines: 14446 (de-addiction, since 1 March 2017; 5.10 lakh calls), integrated with MANAS – 1933 (NCB, for reporting drug-related issues) and Tele-MANAS (mental health, launched 10 October 2022). Partners: MoUs with 13 spiritual and faith-based organisations (reach 7.72 crore); NSS and MY Bharat volunteers; PRIs, ASHA and Anganwadi workers. Figure 2 — NMBA’s Reach as on 10 November 2026 These are activity counters — people reached, pledges taken — rather than measures of reduced drug use. Infographic: PIB / Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment; reproduced with credit for educational use. The Treatment Network 344Integrated Rehabilitation Centres for Addicts (IRCAs) 198District De-Addiction Centres (DDACs) 155Addiction Treatment Facilities in Govt hospitals 71 + 45Outreach & Drop-In Centres + peer-led CPLIs IRCAs: inpatient treatment, counselling and rehabilitation, mostly run by NGOs with grant-in-aid. ODICs screen, assess and refer; CPLIs use youth peer volunteers for early prevention among vulnerable adolescents. DDACs bring IRCA, ODIC and CPLI services under one roof at the district headquarters. ATFs are set up in Government hospitals through NDDTC, AIIMS and, for the North-East, the LGB Regional Institute of Mental Health, Tezpur. Quality controls: a beneficiary-level Management Information System, surprise inspections, grants tied to inspection reports, mandatory registration on NITI Aayog’s NGO Darpan, and accreditation through the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals (NABH). What Is New — Three-Tier Monitoring At the 9th Apex Level Meeting of NCORD, chaired by the Union Home Minister, a three-year action plan for demand reduction was directed, along with a permanent monitoring structure at three levels. Figure 3 — The Three-Tier Monitoring and Coordination Mechanism Centre: NCORD apex (MHA) — three-year action plan · MoSJE — monthly reviews, Chintan Shivirs, NMBA portalSTATE / UT — Steering & Monitoring CommitteeChair: Chief Secretary · meets quarterly · targets, convergence of line departments, hotspot plansDISTRICT — Drug Demand Reduction CommitteeChair: District Collector / DC · meets monthly · mandatory quarterly inspections · district planBLOCK — Drug Demand Reduction CommitteeChair: Block Development Officer · meets and inspects monthly · mapping, referrals, reintegration The design mirrors other convergence missions: targets flow down from the State, inspections and data flow up from the block. Its success depends on whether committees actually meet and whether inspection findings change funding. Lineage — How the Policy Evolved 1985-86: the Ministry’s scheme for prevention of alcoholism and substance abuse begins, the same year the NDPS Act comes into force. 2017–2019: national de-addiction helpline (2017); national survey conducted (2018) and released (February 2019) — the first nationally representative data on substance use. 2020–2023: NMBA launched in 272 districts (2020), expanded to 372 (2022), then nationwide (2023). 2025–2026: result-based targets in six areas (after August 2025); NMBA 2.0 App (24 April 2026); Mitr dashboard (17 June 2026); three-tier monitoring; NAPDDR being restructured with revised guidelines. Figure 4 — Six Years of the Abhiyaan The campaign scaled from 272 districts to the whole country in three years; the next phase is about measuring impact at district level. Infographic: PIB / Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment; reproduced with credit for educational use. Why It Matters Demographic dividend: drug use concentrates among the young; with 14.33 crore youth reached, the campaign targets the age group whose productivity drives growth. Security link: drug money funds organised crime and insurgency; the Union Home Minister has set 31 December 2029 as the target to uproot the drug trade — the Abhiyaan is the demand side of that goal. Federal convergence: health, police, education, panchayats and welfare departments must act together — the three-tier structure institutionalises this. Model in J&K: the UT’s whole-of-government approach (1.26 crore reached; a “Circle of Care” from admission to long-term follow-up) has been cited as replicable. The Critical View Outreach is not outcome: “people reached” and pledges measure activity, not reduced use, relapse or overdose deaths; the 2027 district-level survey must become the benchmark. Treatment gap: about 9.11 lakh people sought treatment in 2025-26 against more than 7 crore with a disorder in the 2018 survey — only a small fraction. Criminal vs health approach: consumption remains an offence under the NDPS Act; fear of prosecution and stigma deter users from seeking help despite Section 64A. Private centres: unregulated private “de-addiction centres” have faced complaints of coercion and confinement; NABH accreditation and inspections must extend beyond grant-funded centres. Evidence base: faith-based partners widen reach, but clinical care must follow medical protocols; the 2018 survey also predates the spread of synthetic drugs. Funding: ₹10 lakh per district a year is modest, and allocations have swung between years. ✎ Mains Practice Question “Substance use disorder is a psycho-social-medical problem, not merely a law-and-order issue.” In this light, evaluate India’s drug-demand-reduction strategy under the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan and suggest measures to close the treatment gap. 15 marks · 250 words Economy — MSMEs & Financial InclusionGeneral Studies Paper III 02 Credit Guarantees for the Smallest Borrowers: Cabinet Extends CGFMU and Stand-Up India Till 2031 Core TopicGS-III · Economy — MSMEs, Banking, Inclusive GrowthGS-II · Welfare of Vulnerable Sections — Women, SCs & STsPrelims + MainsPIB · Union Cabinet (Ministry of Finance) · 11 Nov 2026 The Union Cabinet has extended two credit-guarantee schemes for the 16th Finance Commission cycle (FY 2026-27 to 2030-31): the Credit Guarantee Fund for Micro Units (CGFMU), which backs Mudra loans, with a ₹5,000 crore corpus and a lower fee; and the Stand-Up India scheme for women, SC and ST entrepreneurs, with a ₹4,111 crore guarantee corpus and a target of 2.5 lakh more borrowers. ◈ Static Background — What Is a Credit Guarantee? Banks usually ask for collateral — property or assets they can seize if a loan is not repaid. First-time micro-entrepreneurs rarely have any. A credit guarantee fills the gap: a fund promises the lender that it will cover a part of the loss if the borrower defaults. In return, the lender pays a small annual guarantee fee. Leverage: because only a fraction of loans default, a modest corpus can back a much larger loan book — the Government expects ₹5,000 crore to support about ₹12.6 lakh crore of Mudra loans, roughly 25 times the corpus. Non-Performing Asset (NPA): a loan on which interest or principal is overdue for more than 90 days; guarantee claims arise when such loans turn bad. Moral hazard: if lenders know losses are covered, they may appraise borrowers less carefully — the central design risk of any guarantee scheme. NCGTC: the National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company, set up in 2014 by the Department of Financial Services, manages several funds, including CGFMU and the fund for Stand-Up India loans. ◈ Static Background — Mudra, Jan Dhan and MSMEs MSME definition (from 1 April 2025): micro — investment up to ₹2.5 crore and turnover up to ₹10 crore; small and medium firms have higher limits, under the MSMED Act, 2006. Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY), 8 April 2015: collateral-free loans for non-farm (and allied agricultural) income-generating micro enterprises through banks, NBFCs and MFIs. MUDRA Ltd, a subsidiary of SIDBI, refinances lenders — it does not lend directly. Mudra categories: Shishu (up to ₹50,000), Kishore (₹50,000–₹5 lakh), Tarun (₹5–10 lakh) and Tarun Plus (₹10–20 lakh, for those who have repaid earlier Tarun loans), after the ceiling was raised to ₹20 lakh in the Union Budget 2024-25. PMJDY (2014): basic accounts with an overdraft facility of up to ₹10,000 — also covered by CGFMU. Priority Sector Lending: RBI requires scheduled commercial banks to lend 7.5% of adjusted net bank credit to micro enterprises. Sister scheme: the Credit Guarantee Fund Trust for Micro and Small Enterprises (CGTMSE, 2000), run by SIDBI and the MSME Ministry, guarantees larger MSE loans — its cover limit was raised to ₹10 crore in 2025. ▤ Scheme at a Glance — CGFMU Approving authority: Union Cabinet; continuation for five years, up to 31 March 2031. Corpus: ₹5,000 crore, expected to enable Mudra loans of ₹12.6 lakh crore (Government projection). Covers: PMMY loans up to ₹20 lakh; PMJDY overdrafts up to ₹10,000; SHG loans where the portfolio is ₹10–20 lakh. Trustee: NCGTC; launched in January 2016. Changes: guarantee coverage now linked to the disbursed amount (working capital) or the outstanding amount (term loans), to reflect actual risk; guarantee fee cut from 1% to 0.75% a year; SHG fee unchanged at 0.25% (first year) and 0.50% (later years). Track record: 60.36 crore Mudra loans worth ₹43.34 lakh crore sanctioned since 2015 (September 2026) — an average of roughly ₹72,000 per loan. ▤ Scheme at a Glance — Stand-Up India Approving authority: Union Cabinet; continuation up to 31 March 2031; credit guarantee corpus ₹4,111 crore. Target: loans to at least 2.5 lakh additional women, SC and ST entrepreneurs in five years; 2.75 lakh+ helped since April 2016. Loan size: above ₹10 lakh and up to ₹1 crore, covering up to 85% of project cost, as a composite (term loan plus working capital) or term loan. Eligible: greenfield (first-time) enterprises in manufacturing, services, trading and agri-allied activities. Guarantee: cover of 85% of the loan; standard fee 0.50%. Original design: every bank branch was to finance at least one SC/ST and one woman entrepreneur. Figure 5 — How a Credit Guarantee Works Government of Indiacorpus: ₹5,000 cr (CGFMU)₹4,111 cr (Stand-Up India)NCGTCtrustee of guarantee fundsLending institutionbank · NBFC · MFIBorrowermicro unit · SHG · entrepreneurcorpusloan without collateralguarantee fee(0.75% / 0.50%)claim paidon defaultEffectlender’s risk is shared →collateral-free credit flows The guarantee changes the lender’s calculation, not the borrower’s obligation: the borrower still owes the full loan, but the bank’s loss on default is capped — the basis of collateral-free lending. Figure 6 — The Ladder of Guaranteed Credit, by Loan Size Mudra — ShishuMudra — KishoreMudra — TarunMudra — Tarun PlusStand-Up IndiaCGTMSE (MSEs)≤ ₹50,000₹50,000–5 lakh₹5–10 lakh₹10–20 lakhabove ₹10 lakh – ₹1 croreup to ₹10 crore← all Mudra tiers: CGFMU coverwomen · SC · STBars are ordered by loan size and not drawn to scale CGFMU covers the bottom rungs — tiny loans to first-time borrowers — while Stand-Up India and CGTMSE cover larger enterprise loans. The gap between the average Mudra loan (about ₹72,000) and the Stand-Up India floor (above ₹10 lakh) illustrates the large jump between a typical micro loan and enterprise-scale credit. Lineage CGTMSE (2000) → PMJDY (2014) and NCGTC (2014) → PMMY (2015) → CGFMU (January 2016) → Stand-Up India (April 2016) → Mudra ceiling raised to ₹20 lakh (2024-25) → continuation of both schemes to 2031, aligned with the 16th Finance Commission cycle. What changed now: a lower fee for CGFMU (to ease lenders’ costs), coverage tied to actual exposure, and fresh corpus and targets for both schemes. Why It Matters Formal credit for the excluded: collateral-free loans pull first-time entrepreneurs away from informal moneylenders and their high interest rates. Jobs and self-employment: MSMEs contribute about 30% of India’s GVA and are the largest non-farm employers; most are micro units. Social inclusion: Stand-Up India targets groups historically under-represented in enterprise ownership — women, SCs and STs (constitutional basis in Articles 15(3), 15(4) and 46). Lower lending cost: a fee cut from 1% to 0.75% can feed through to cheaper or more abundant loans. The Critical View Asset quality: rising bad loans under Mudra have been flagged in the past, including by the RBI in 2019; a lower fee reduces the fund’s inflows when claims may rise. Moral hazard: guarantees can weaken credit appraisal and follow-up, especially when lending targets are pressed from above. Small tickets: an average loan of about ₹72,000 sustains self-employment but rarely builds job-creating firms; employment impact data are contested. Stand-Up India’s reach: about 2.75 lakh borrowers in a decade — roughly the number the original design hoped to reach far sooner — and women borrowers have dominated over SC/ST borrowers. Way forward: cash-flow based lending using Account Aggregators and the RBI’s Unified Lending Interface, handholding and mentoring, and independent evaluation of default and survival rates. ✎ Mains Practice Question Credit guarantee schemes can bridge the collateral gap faced by micro-entrepreneurs, but they also carry the risk of moral hazard. Discuss with reference to the Credit Guarantee Fund for Micro Units and the Stand-Up India scheme. 15 marks · 250 words

Editorials, Opinions & Explained2 Items Core TopicImportantConcise OpinionsGS Paper III 01Growth Held Up — Now Lower Costs, Raise Productivity, Innovate02Battery Waste to Mineral Wealth — Recycling for Critical Mineral Security OpinionsSigned Op-eds & Ideas 01 India’s Growth Has Weathered the Shocks — Can It Turn Lucky Export Gains into Lasting Competitiveness? Core TopicOpinionGS-III · Economy — Growth, Inflation, Monetary Policy, External Sector, IndustryPrelims + MainsOp-ed · Dharmakirti Joshi (Chief Economist, Crisil) A year of tariff wars, a West Asia conflict and disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz did not produce the feared global slump. The author credits AI-linked investment and a muted oil-price response, expects Indian growth of about 7% this fiscal, and warns that rising inflation, capital outflows and one-off export tailwinds make manufacturing competitiveness the Budget’s top task. ◈ Static Background — Reading Growth and Inflation from the Basics GDP measures the value of final goods and services produced; from the demand side it is consumption + investment + government spending + net exports. Private consumption is the largest part (over half of GDP); investment is measured as Gross Fixed Capital Formation (GFCF). Inflation is a sustained rise in the general price level, tracked through the Consumer Price Index (CPI) compiled by the NSO (base year revised to 2024 in February 2026). Demand-pull inflation comes from excess spending; cost-push inflation from costlier inputs such as fuel, freight or fertiliser — the kind the author describes. Flexible Inflation Targeting: under Section 45ZA of the RBI Act, 1934 (amended in 2016), the Centre sets a CPI target every five years; on 25 March 2026 it retained 4% ± 2% for April 2026 – March 2031. Monetary Policy Committee (MPC): six members (three from the RBI, three external) set the repo rate — the rate at which the RBI lends to banks. 25 basis points = 0.25 percentage point. Raising the repo rate cools demand and inflation but also slows growth. El Niño: unusual warming of the central and eastern equatorial Pacific, often linked to a weaker Indian monsoon — hitting kharif output, reservoir levels and then the rabi crop. ◈ Static Background — External Sector and Corporate Health Terms Balance of Payments: the current account records trade in goods and services and remittances; the capital account records investment flows. FDI brings a lasting stake (10% or more of a company’s equity); FPI is portfolio money in shares and bonds — faster to enter and to leave. Rupee depreciation makes imports costlier (fuelling inflation) but raises the rupee value of exports — which is why petroleum exports grew far faster in rupee terms than in dollar terms. Strait of Hormuz: the chokepoint between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, through which about a fifth of global oil consumption passes. India holds strategic petroleum reserves of 5.33 million tonnes at Visakhapatnam, Mangaluru and Padur (ISPRL). Credit ratio: rating upgrades divided by downgrades — above 1 means more firms improved than worsened. Debt-to-equity: borrowed funds relative to owners’ funds — lower means less leverage. EBITDA margin: operating profit (before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation) as a share of revenue. Household net financial savings = financial assets acquired minus new borrowing; they fell to around 5% of GDP in 2022-23, a multi-decade low, as loans grew faster than deposits. LTCG tax: since July 2024, long-term gains on listed equity are taxed at 12.5% above an exemption of ₹1.25 lakh a year. ~7%Expected GDP growth this fiscal ~5.3%Expected average CPI inflation (upside risks) +19%Merchandise exports, first half (Apr–Sep) 2.18xCrisil credit ratio, H1 (1.50x in H2 of last year) All four figures are the author’s and Crisil’s estimates. Petroleum exports rose 37% in dollar terms and nearly 50% in rupee terms in April–September, as damage to refineries abroad lifted product prices faster than crude. Figure 1 — How This Year’s Global Shocks Travelled into India’s Economy The year’s global shocksWest Asia conflict · Hormuz · tariffs · AI boomCostlier oil, freight, insuranceimported, cost-push inflation(fuel, fertiliser, food)Capital outflowsFPIs chase AI-led markets→ rupee weakensOffsets for Indiarefined-product prices up →petroleum exports +37% (USD)Central banks, including the RBI, stay tighter for longera further 25 bp repo hike expected in December → growth moderates in H2Cushion: reserve drawdownskept crude’s rise mutedChannels as described by the author; arrows show direction of effect, not magnitude The same shock that raised India’s import bill also lifted its refined-product exports — a reminder that India is both a large crude importer and a major refiner. The net effect this year was growth that held up, with inflation and the rupee as the pressure points. The Author’s Argument, in Brief Why the world held up: heavy investment in AI infrastructure — data centres, chips — has driven capital spending, especially in the US; and crude prices rose less than feared as countries drew down reserves and inventories. India’s first half: broad-based — public investment, strong goods exports, double-digit credit growth, demand for consumer durables (notably cars), and household spending supported by tax relief and direct benefit transfers. Corporate health: upgrades outpace downgrades; median debt-to-equity near 0.5x; revenue up about 16–16.5% in July–September — but commodity producers gained while downstream manufacturers absorbed higher input costs. Headwinds: CPI expected near 5.3% with upside risks; a deficient kharif monsoon, low reservoirs and a persistent El Niño; net foreign capital outflows in the first eight months exceeded those of all of last year, though November saw FPI inflows return. Prescription: make manufacturing competitiveness the Budget’s focus; FTAs open doors but do not guarantee outcomes — lasting export powers cut costs, raise productivity and innovate faster than rivals. A favourable look at LTCG taxation could also support equity inflows. Analysis — What “Competitiveness” Requires Manufacturing share: still around 16–17% of GVA, short of the long-standing 25% goal first set in the National Manufacturing Policy (2011) and carried into Make in India (2014). Lower costs: logistics costs of roughly 7.8–8.9% of GDP (DPIIT–NCAER estimate, 2021-22) — targeted by the National Logistics Policy (2022) and PM GatiShakti (2021); power tariffs and compliance burdens also matter. Productivity: scale through PLI schemes (14 sectors, ₹1.97 lakh crore), skills, and simpler labour rules under the four Labour Codes; regulatory decriminalisation under the Jan Vishwas Act, 2023. Innovation: India’s R&D spending, about 0.6–0.7% of GDP, is low; private R&D finance under the ₹1 lakh crore RDI scheme is a start. Trade architecture: agreements with the UAE and Australia (2022), EFTA (in force 2025), the UK (signed 2025) and Oman (in force 2026) widen market access — but only competitive firms can use it. The Critical View Borrowed tailwinds: export gains rest partly on refinery outages abroad, high commodity prices and a weaker rupee — none of them permanent, as the author himself cautions. Concentrated global engine: if the AI investment boom cools, the main prop of global demand weakens at once. Household leverage: consumption financed by borrowing is less durable than consumption financed by income growth. Policy trade-off: rate hikes to contain cost-push inflation may hurt growth without addressing the supply-side causes of high food and energy prices. Capital flows: tax tweaks may attract portfolio money, but stable flows depend on earnings growth and macroeconomic stability more than on tax rates. ✎ Mains Practice Question India’s economy has shown resilience amid global shocks, but part of its recent export success rests on temporary factors. Discuss the drivers of this resilience and suggest measures to build durable manufacturing competitiveness. 15 marks · 250 words 02 Turning Spent EV Batteries into Strategic Mineral Wealth: The Case for a Circular Battery Economy Core TopicOpinionGS-III · Environment & Economy — Critical Minerals, Circular Economy, Waste ManagementGS-II · IR — Resource GeopoliticsPrelims + MainsOp-ed · Shyamasis Das (Fellow, Centre for Social and Economic Progress) With the Prime Minister warning at the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi (13 September 2026) against the “weaponisation of technology and critical minerals”, the author argues that India’s growing pile of spent lithium-ion batteries is a domestic mine waiting to be tapped — recycling could meet about 10–12% of the lithium needed for EV battery manufacturing. ◈ Static Background — Critical Minerals from the Basics Definition: minerals essential to the economy and national security whose supply is scarce or geographically concentrated — lithium, nickel, cobalt, graphite and rare earths power batteries, electronics and clean energy. India’s list: the Ministry of Mines identified 30 critical minerals in 2023; the MMDR Amendment Act, 2023 lets the Centre auction blocks of critical and strategic minerals and removed lithium and five others from the atomic-minerals list to open them to private mining. National Critical Mineral Mission (2025): ₹16,300 crore from the Centre plus about ₹18,000 crore from PSUs (2024-25 to 2030-31) for exploration, processing, overseas assets, recycling and a National Critical Mineral Stockpile. Overseas sourcing: KABIL (Khanij Bidesh India Ltd, 2019) holds lithium blocks in Argentina; India joined the US-led Mineral Security Partnership in 2023. A 5.9 million tonne inferred lithium resource was reported at Reasi (J&K) in 2023. Concentration risk: China dominates global refining of lithium, cobalt, graphite and rare earths, and has imposed export controls on gallium and germanium (2023), graphite (2023) and rare earths (2025). ◈ Static Background — Inside a Lithium-Ion Battery, and How It Is Recycled Anatomy: a cathode (lithium compounds such as NMC — nickel-manganese-cobalt — or LFP — lithium iron phosphate), a graphite anode, an electrolyte carrying lithium ions and a separator. Second life: an EV battery is usually retired at about 70–80% of its original capacity — still useful for stationary storage before recycling. Black mass: the powder left after discharging, dismantling and shredding batteries; it contains lithium, nickel, cobalt, manganese and graphite but is only an intermediate product. Recovery routes: pyrometallurgy (high-temperature smelting; energy-intensive, loses lithium), hydrometallurgy (chemical leaching; higher recovery of battery-grade salts) and emerging direct recycling (restoring cathode material). Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR): a polluter-pays rule making producers responsible for collecting and recycling what they sell, usually through tradable EPR certificates. ▤ Policy at a Glance — Battery Waste Management Rules, 2022 and Recycling Support Notified by: MoEFCC on 24 August 2022 under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, replacing the 2001 rules; covers EV, portable, automotive and industrial batteries. EPR: producers must meet collection and recycling obligations, tracked on a centralised CPCB portal with tradable EPR certificates; violations attract environmental compensation. Recovery targets for recyclers (share of battery dry weight): 70% (2024-25) → 80% (2025-26) → 90% from 2026-27 for EV and portable batteries. Recycled content: from 2027-28, new batteries must contain a minimum share of domestically recycled material, rising over time. Incentive Scheme for Critical Mineral Recycling: ₹1,500 crore under the NCMM (approved September 2025, running to 2030-31) — capital and operating support for plants that recover minerals; units producing only black mass are excluded. EV base: more than 8.7 million EVs on Indian roads by FY 2025-26, backed by FAME, PM E-DRIVE (2024) and the PLI scheme for Advanced Chemistry Cells (2021). Figure 2 — Closing the Battery Loop 1 · Primary supplymining · imports · KABIL2 · Cell manufacturingdesign for recycling3 · First life in EVs8.7 million EVs (FY26)4 · Second lifestationary storage5 · Collectiontake-back · buy-back · EPR6 · Formal recyclingblack mass → refined saltsLeakage: informallandfill / kabadiwalabatteries not collected formally leak to informal channelsrecycled mineralsback to manufacturingRecovery rate:informal 10–20%formal 90%+ Every battery that slips into informal channels takes most of its minerals with it. Collection — not recycling technology alone — is the weakest link, which is why the author stresses take-back schemes and public participation. Figure 3 — Material Recovery: Informal Practice vs Formal Targets (%) 10–2070809090+Informal sector(reported)BWMR target2024-25BWMR target2025-26BWMR targetfrom 2026-27Formal facilities(reported) The legal target already assumes formal-grade recovery; the gap is in getting batteries to formal recyclers. Informal bar drawn at the midpoint of the reported range; all bars to scale (1.6 px per percentage point). The Author’s Argument, in Brief A mine at home: spent batteries are a “waste-to-wealth” resource; recycling will not make India self-sufficient but can be a strategic secondary source alongside mining and imports, and build the processing capability India lacks. Plan ahead: volumes are small now, but “just-in-time” investment will not work — capacity must be built before the surge, even if plants run below capacity at first. Five-point strategy: (1) a mandated share of recycled minerals in the proposed national stockpile, nudging recyclers beyond black mass; (2) R&D for higher recovery and purity across diverse chemistries; (3) standards for battery characterisation, recycled-mineral quality and second-life use, with “design for repurposing and recycling”; (4) easy take-back or buy-back through EV makers and dealers; (5) patient capital for long-gestation plants. Why It Matters Strategic autonomy: recycled minerals are immune to foreign export bans once they are inside the country. Environment: landfilled lithium-ion batteries can catch fire and leach toxic substances; formal recycling also avoids the land and water impacts of fresh mining. Industrial opportunity: recycling plants create domestic refining skills that can later serve mined ore too — a step into the processing stage China now dominates. Climate goals: a circular battery chain lowers the lifecycle emissions of EVs, supporting India’s net-zero 2070 pathway (and SDG 12 on responsible consumption). The Critical View Chemistry shift: the move to LFP batteries, which contain no nickel or cobalt, lowers the value recyclers can recover, weakening plant economics. Price swings: volatile lithium prices can make recycled material uncompetitive with fresh imports in some years — the reason stockpile purchases or price support are proposed. Timing of collection: EV batteries can last a decade; EPR collection targets based on conservative battery-life assumptions risk forcing early retirement. Informal workers: lakhs of kabadiwalas depend on scrap; formalisation should integrate them as collectors and aggregators rather than shut them out. Enforcement: EPR systems depend on verifying certificates and recycler claims; weak checks undermine the whole chain. ✎ Mains Practice Question “The EV revolution should not end when a battery leaves the vehicle.” Examine how battery recycling can contribute to India’s critical mineral security, and discuss the regulatory and economic challenges in building a circular battery economy. 15 marks · 250 words

In-Depth News Analysis8 Items Core TopicImportantConcise Polity, Governance & Social JusticeGS Paper II 01Safe Harbour Under Review — Should Platforms Stay Immune?02Sex, Gender & the Law — Plea Challenges Transgender Certification Economy, Industry & TechnologyGS Paper III 03Semicon 2.0 Portal & 12 New ECMS Approvals04Export Ban on Lithium-ion Battery Black Mass Environment & Urban GovernanceGS Paper III · II 05Deepavali Air Pollution — 70% of Stations Hit ‘Severe’ PM2.506Swachh Survekshan 2025-26 — Visakhapatnam Cleanest, Puri Top Coastal Town Internal SecurityGS Paper III 07Terror Attack on CRPF Checkpoint in Kulgam Art & CultureGS Paper I 08Yuge Yugeen Bharat Museum in North & South Block — ₹3,230 Crore Polity, Governance & Social JusticeGeneral Studies Paper II 01 Safe Harbour Under Review: Should Social Media Platforms Keep Their Legal Shield? Core TopicGS-II · Governance — Regulation of Digital Platforms, Fundamental RightsGS-III · S&T — IT & Cyber LawsPrelims + MainsThe Indian Express · Explained The Ministry of Electronics and IT has begun preliminary discussions on whether platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and X should keep the “safe harbour” immunity of Section 79 of the IT Act, 2000 — the argument being that platforms that rank, recommend and amplify content are no longer passive carriers. Any change would need an amendment to the IT Act; no decision has been taken. ◈ Static Background — Intermediaries and Safe Harbour from the Basics Intermediary (Section 2(1)(w), IT Act): anyone who receives, stores or transmits electronic records on behalf of others — telecom and internet service providers, search engines, marketplaces, social media. Safe harbour (Section 79): an intermediary is not liable for third-party content if it only provides access or hosting, does not initiate the transmission, select the receiver or modify the content, and observes due diligence. It loses the shield if it abets an unlawful act or fails to remove content after actual knowledge (Section 79(3)(b)). Shreya Singhal v. Union of India (2015): struck down Section 66A and read down “actual knowledge” to mean a court order or a government notification on Article 19(2) grounds; upheld blocking under Section 69A. IT Rules, 2021: due-diligence rules; Significant Social Media Intermediaries (over 50 lakh users) must appoint India-based compliance, nodal and grievance officers; messaging services must enable tracing of the first originator; Grievance Appellate Committees were added in 2022. Global models: the US Section 230 (1996) gives broad immunity; the EU’s Digital Services Act (2022) keeps conditional immunity but adds systemic-risk duties for very large platforms. Figure 1 — The Spectrum of Online Liability: Where Should Platforms Sit? Immune (pure conduit)Fully liable (publisher)ISPs, telecomtransmit onlyHosting, cloudstore, do not curateSocial media feedsrank, recommend, amplifyPublishersedit and choose contentThe question under discussiondoes algorithmic curation end passivity?Today: Section 79 treats all intermediaries alike if they do not select or modify content and follow due diligenceOption discussed: keep safe harbour only for intermediaries that merely transmit information The law was written for a world of passive hosts. Recommendation algorithms decide what billions see, which is why regulators everywhere are revisiting where platforms belong on this spectrum. Lineage — How Platform Regulation Has Tightened 2000: IT Act; 2008: Section 79 rewritten to its present conditional form after the Avnish Bajaj (Baazee.com) case. 2011: first intermediary guidelines; 2015: Shreya Singhal; 2021: IT Rules with SSMI obligations; 2022: Grievance Appellate Committees. 2023: consultations on a Digital India Act to replace the IT Act, with safe harbour flagged for review; 2024–25: the Sahyog portal for takedown notices, upheld by the Karnataka High Court against a challenge by X (2025). 2026: scrutiny of platforms’ handling of deepfakes and harmful content, examination of whether recommendation systems fit “intermediary” status, and now a possible rethink of Section 79 itself. Why It Matters Accountability: platforms profit from engagement that algorithms create; harms from deepfakes, child sexual abuse material, fraud and hate speech spread through these systems. Business model: without immunity, a platform could face action over any of millions of posts — the protection is foundational to the modern internet. Constitutional stakes: the balance between Article 19(1)(a) (speech) and reasonable restrictions under Article 19(2). The Critical View Over-censorship: digital rights groups warn that platforms facing liability will remove content excessively to stay safe — a chilling effect on lawful speech. Small players: compliance costs may entrench Big Tech while hurting Indian start-ups and smaller forums. Middle paths: graded liability by size and risk, algorithmic transparency and audits, and a statutory duty of care (as in the DSA) can raise accountability without ending immunity outright. Process: a change of this scale belongs in Parliament through a full IT Act amendment, with public consultation — not through rules or informal pressure. ✎ Mains Practice Question “Platforms that curate and amplify content can no longer claim to be passive intermediaries.” Critically examine this argument for revisiting safe harbour under Section 79 of the IT Act, 2000, keeping in view the right to free speech. 15 marks · 250 words 02 Gender Identity vs Biological Sex: A Supreme Court Plea Reopens the NALSA Debate ImportantGS-II · Polity & Social Justice — Fundamental Rights, Vulnerable Sections, JudiciaryGS-I · Society — GenderPrelims + MainsThe Indian Express · Explained The Supreme Court has sought the Centre’s response (28 October 2026) to a plea by Women’s Declaration International India challenging Section 7 of the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019 (as amended in 2026) and Rule 7 of the 2020 Rules, which allow a change of gender on official documents. It argues this could affect benefits meant for women, and seeks reconsideration of NALSA (2014). ◈ Static Background — Sex, Gender and the Constitution Sex vs gender: sex (male, female, intersex) is biological — chromosomes, reproductive anatomy, hormones; gender is a person’s social and psychological identity, which may differ from the sex assigned at birth. NALSA v. Union of India (2014): recognised a “third gender”; held that “sex” in Articles 15 and 16 includes gender identity; upheld self-identification without any requirement of surgery or hormone treatment; and asked governments to treat transgender persons as a socially and educationally backward class. Related rulings: Puttaswamy (2017) — privacy includes sexual orientation and identity; Navtej Singh Johar (2018) — Section 377 read down. Transgender Persons Act, 2019: bans discrimination in education, jobs, health care and services; sets up a National Council for Transgender Persons; identity certificates are issued by the District Magistrate — Section 6 (as transgender) and Section 7 (as male or female after medical intervention). 2026 Amendment: passed in March 2026, it deleted the right to self-perceived gender identity (Section 4(2)), revised the definition of “transgender person” and tied recognition more closely to a medically supported certificate; its validity is pending before a three-judge Bench, which declined an interim stay. Census 2011 counted about 4.88 lakh transgender persons — widely considered an undercount. ▤ The Two Positions Petitioner’s case: legal recognition of gender should not automatically open access to women-specific provisions — reservations in local bodies, prison accommodation, women’s sports, shelters and safeguards during criminal investigation; it also says “gender” lacks a clear statutory definition for Section 7. Response from rights experts: the Court already settled that gender identity is distinct from biological sex and is determined by the individual; the plea treats transgender persons as a “risk” rather than as rights-holders, while discrimination in services, education and jobs continues. Comparative note: in April 2025, the UK Supreme Court held that “woman” in its Equality Act 2010 refers to biological sex — a ruling now cited in debates elsewhere. Analysis Article 15(3) allows special provisions for women; NALSA extends equality to gender identity — the case asks how two protective guarantees interact. Context-specific answers: most democracies distinguish between contexts (documents and dignity vs sports or prisons) rather than adopting one rule for all. Implementation gap: welfare boards, certificates and protections under the 2019 Act remain unevenly implemented; litigation should not further delay basic access for a marginalised group. ✎ Mains Practice Question Discuss the significance of the NALSA judgment (2014) in recognising gender identity. How should the State balance the rights of transgender persons with women-specific protections under the Constitution? 10 marks · 150 words Economy, Industry & TechnologyGeneral Studies Paper III 03 Semicon 2.0 Opens for Applications and ECMS Adds 12 Projects: Building India’s Chip and Component Value Chain Core TopicGS-III · Economy — Industrial Policy, Manufacturing; S&T — ElectronicsPrelims + MainsPIB · Ministry of Electronics & IT · 6 Nov 2026 MeitY has opened the Semicon 2.0 web application portal for three of its six pillars — machines and materials, more fabs and ATMP/OSAT — and approved 12 more projects under the Electronics Component Manufacturing Scheme (ECMS), with projected investment of ₹7,503 crore, including India’s first approvals for copper foil, cathode active material and specialty ceramics. ◈ Static Background — Semiconductors from the Basics Semiconductor: a material (usually silicon) whose conductivity lies between a conductor and an insulator and can be controlled by adding impurities (doping); billions of transistors etched on it form an integrated circuit or chip. Value chain: design (using EDA software; “fabless” firms) → fabrication in a fab (wafers processed at a given node, e.g., 28 nm) → ATMP/OSAT (assembly, testing, marking and packaging) → devices. Each step depends on specialised equipment, chemicals and gases. Global concentration: leading-edge fabrication in Taiwan; extreme-ultraviolet lithography machines from the Netherlands; design software in the US; key materials in Japan — hence the race for subsidies such as the US CHIPS Act (2022) and the EU Chips Act (2023). India’s early attempt: the Semiconductor Complex Ltd at Mohali (1984) was crippled by a fire in 1989, setting back domestic fabrication by decades. India Semiconductor Mission (ISM): launched in December 2021 with ₹76,000 crore under the Semicon India Programme, run as a division of the Digital India Corporation (MeitY); it offers fiscal support for fabs, display fabs, compound-semiconductor and packaging units, plus a Design-Linked Incentive scheme. Figure 2 — The Chip Value Chain and Where Semicon 2.0’s Six Pillars Fit DesignFabricationATMP / OSATDevicesEDA tools, chiparchitectswafers processedin fabsassembly, testing,packagingphones, cars,defence, data centresPillar 1Pillar 3 — more fabsPillar 4 — ATMP/OSATPillar 2 — Machines & Materials (equipment, chemicals, gases)target: at least 3 major equipment makers and 5 chemicals/gases companies in IndiaPillar 5 — Research & Development · Pillar 6 — TalentChips to Startup: 332 institutions with EDA tools · 70,000 students trained · 105 start-ups given tool accessPortal now open for Pillars 2, 3 and 4 · outlay for Semicon 2.0: ₹1,27,500 crore Semicon 1.0 focused on getting fabs and packaging units built; Semicon 2.0 reaches upstream into equipment, materials and chemicals — the layers where global supply is most concentrated. ▤ Scheme at a Glance — Semicon 2.0 and ECMS Semicon 1.0 record: 12 projects in six States with cumulative investment of over ₹1.64 lakh crore; 5 in commercial production by October 2026. Semicon 2.0: approved by the Union Cabinet with an outlay of ₹1,27,500 crore under ISM; six pillars — chip design, machines and materials, more fabs, ATMP/OSAT, R&D, and talent. ECMS: approved in 2025 (outlay ₹22,919 crore, six-year tenure) for components, sub-assemblies, supply-chain materials and capital goods. This round: 12 approvals in 7 States; investment ₹7,503 crore; production ₹39,045 crore; 7,127 direct jobs; items include multi-layer PCBs, relays, heat sinks, anode and cathode materials for Li-ion cells, capacitor film and factory-automation equipment. Cumulative ECMS: 118 applications, 34 products, 16 States; investment ₹77,051 crore; production ₹5,73,146 crore; 81,755 jobs (projections); nearly half the approved units are MSMEs. Why It Matters Beyond assembly: India assembles phones at scale but imports most components; local copper foil, laminates, PCBs and cell materials raise domestic value addition. Strategic security: chips run defence systems, telecom and power grids; supply concentration in a few countries is a geopolitical risk. Battery link: anode and cathode material approvals connect electronics policy with the EV and battery-recycling push. The Critical View Capital and resources: fabs need huge capital, ultra-pure water and stable power; subsidies run into lakhs of crores with long payback. Mature nodes: Indian projects focus on mature and packaging technologies; leading-edge capability remains far off. Talent and ecosystem: experienced process engineers are scarce; supplier ecosystems take years to form. Projections vs outcomes: investment, production and job figures are projections; independent tracking of actual output and jobs is needed. ✎ Mains Practice Question India’s semiconductor strategy is moving from attracting fabs to building an upstream ecosystem of equipment, materials and components. Discuss the rationale, progress and challenges of this approach. 15 marks · 250 words 04 Centre Prohibits Export of Lithium-ion Battery Black Mass to Build a Domestic Recycling Ecosystem ImportantGS-III · Economy — Trade Policy; Environment — Critical Minerals, WastePrelims + MainsThe Indian Express · with Explained The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) has moved the export policy for lithium-ion battery “black mass” and related battery waste from “Free” to “Prohibited” with immediate effect, so that the critical minerals in spent batteries are recovered and refined in India. ◈ Static Background — How India Regulates Exports DGFT: an attached office of the Ministry of Commerce & Industry that administers the Foreign Trade Policy (2023). Legal power: the Foreign Trade (Development and Regulation) Act, 1992 lets the Centre prohibit, restrict or regulate imports and exports by notification. Export policy categories (in the ITC-HS schedule): Free (no permission), Restricted (licence needed), Prohibited (not allowed) and STE (only through a State Trading Enterprise). Transitional relief: the usual protection for contracts already signed (Para 1.05 of the FTP) has been expressly excluded this time. WTO angle: GATT Article XI generally bars export restrictions, but Article XX(g) (conservation of exhaustible resources) and Article XXI (security) provide exceptions; China lost WTO disputes over raw-material (2012) and rare-earth (2014) export curbs. 57Li-ion recyclers on the CPCB EPR portal 5.17 lakh tTheir combined annual processing capacity ~75,500 tCapacity to process black mass itself ₹2,814 crNew capex scheme for lithium & nickel processing Why the Ban Value was leaving: many Indian recyclers only shred batteries into black mass and export it — largely to China, which has the biggest refining capacity — instead of extracting lithium, cobalt and nickel at home. Feedstock for refiners: the ban guarantees raw material for the new ₹2,814 crore processing scheme approved by the Cabinet days earlier, and for the recycling incentives under the National Critical Mineral Mission. Supply risk: India imports nearly all its lithium; China has added export controls and licensing on battery materials and technologies, making EV makers vulnerable to supply shocks. The Critical View Capacity mismatch: India can shred far more than it can refine (5.17 lakh t vs about 75,500 t), so recyclers may be left holding stock in the short run. Abrupt change: no transition period hurts firms with export contracts; clearer timelines would have eased adjustment. Quality and technology: refining to battery-grade purity needs know-how; the ban works only if refining capacity grows quickly. Leakage: prohibition can push material into informal or illegal channels without strong EPR tracking. ✎ Mains Practice Question Export restrictions on critical-mineral waste can build domestic capability but may also disrupt markets. Examine with reference to India’s prohibition on exports of lithium-ion battery black mass. 10 marks · 150 words Environment & Urban GovernanceGeneral Studies Papers III & II 05 Beyond Delhi: 70% of Monitoring Stations Recorded ‘Severe’ PM2.5 During Deepavali — and Many Went Silent ImportantGS-III · Environment — Air Pollution, Monitoring, Pollution ControlPrelims + MainsThe Hindu · Data An analysis of the CPCB’s network found that of 551 stations reporting PM2.5 during Deepavali (7–9 November 2026), 375 (about 70%) touched the “severe” level of 250 µg/m³ or more at least once — against 96 before the festival. Many stations stopped reporting even before readings neared the analysers’ 1,000 µg/m³ limit, raising questions about data gaps. ◈ Static Background — Measuring Air Quality PM2.5: particles 2.5 micrometres or smaller — fine enough to enter the lungs and bloodstream; linked to heart and lung disease. Standards: India’s National Ambient Air Quality Standards (2009) cover 12 pollutants; PM2.5 limits are 60 µg/m³ (24-hour) and 40 µg/m³ (annual). The WHO guidelines (2021) are far stricter — 15 and 5 µg/m³. National Air Quality Index (2014): six categories based on eight pollutants; for PM2.5 — Good (0–30), Satisfactory (31–60), Moderate (61–90), Poor (91–120), Very Poor (121–250) and Severe (above 250). Monitoring: the Central Pollution Control Board (set up in 1974 under the Water Act; also administers the Air Act, 1981) runs automated Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAAQMS) — 634 in all — alongside manual stations. Policy: the National Clean Air Programme (2019) targets a 40% cut in particulate levels by 2025-26 in 131 cities; the Commission for Air Quality Management (2021) and the Graded Response Action Plan cover Delhi-NCR. Why winter nights are worst: cold, calm air and temperature inversion trap pollutants near the ground, so festival smoke lingers. Figure 3 — Difficult to Breathe: Stations, Cities and SO₂ During Deepavali Smaller cities such as Kaithal, Mandi Gobindgarh and Anpara recorded some of the steepest jumps — the problem is national, not just Delhi’s. Graphic: The Hindu, using CPCB data; reproduced with credit for educational use. ▤ Key Findings Coverage: only 571 of 634 stations were live; 551 reported PM2.5 at least once in the festival window. Spread: all 59 Delhi stations hit “severe”; so did over two-thirds of stations in Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh. Data gaps: CPCB says analysers are calibrated to 1,000 µg/m³ and readings beyond are discarded as invalid; yet most stations that fell silent had last reported 500 µg/m³ or less. Tamil Nadu had 37 stations but only 9 reported. “Green crackers”: SO₂ readings in Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata show no decline over five years; Chennai’s drop may reflect missing data. The Critical View Data integrity: silent stations at peak pollution weaken public trust and the evidence base for action; transparent logs of downtime and calibration are needed. Enforcement: rules on cracker type and timing are poorly enforced outside a few cities. Beyond festivals: crackers add a sharp spike, but year-round sources — vehicles, industry, construction dust, biomass and stubble burning — set the baseline. ✎ Mains Practice Question “Air pollution in India is a national problem, not a Delhi problem.” Discuss in the light of recent monitoring data, and suggest measures to strengthen air quality monitoring and enforcement. 10 marks · 150 words 06 10th Swachh Survekshan: Visakhapatnam Is Cleanest Big City, Navi Mumbai Tops the Super Swachh League ImportantGS-II · Governance — Urban Local Bodies, Government SchemesGS-III · Environment — Solid Waste ManagementPrelims-orientedThe Indian Express The President presented the 10th Swachh Survekshan awards on 11 November 2026. Visakhapatnam was ranked the cleanest city with a population over 10 lakh, followed by Jabalpur and Lucknow; new categories recognised the cleanest riverfront, coastal and Himalayan towns. ◈ Static Background — Swachh Bharat and the Survey Swachh Bharat Mission: launched on 2 October 2014; the urban component is run by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, the rural one by the Ministry of Jal Shakti. SBM-Urban 2.0 (from 1 October 2021): aims at “Garbage-Free Cities” — source segregation, processing of all waste and remediation of legacy dumpsites; cities are also rated under ODF/ODF+/ODF++ and Garbage-Free City star ratings. Swachh Survekshan: the annual cleanliness survey of cities, started in 2016 with 73 cities; it now covers 4,751 cities and drew feedback from 2.7 crore citizens this year. Constitutional link: sanitation and solid waste management are municipal functions under the Twelfth Schedule (74th Amendment, 1992). ▤ Results at a Glance (Swachh Survekshan 2025-26) Super Swachh League (for past top performers): Navi Mumbai, then Surat and Vijayawada. Over 10 lakh population: Visakhapatnam, Jabalpur, Lucknow. 3–10 lakh: Ujjain, Chandigarh, Guntur. 50,000–3 lakh: Dewas, New Delhi Municipal Council, Sagar. New categories: cleanest riverfront town — Rewa; coastal town — Puri; Himalayan city — Rudrapur, then Jammu and Shopian. “Swachh Shehar Jodi” (mentor–mentee pairs within a State): Ahmedabad–Sanand first; Indore–Depalpur second; Tirupati–Kuppam third. Improvement: about 1,700 cities improved their rank; 350 rose by more than 500 places. The Critical View Rankings vs ground reality: survey-based rankings can reward documentation; legacy dumpsites and segregation at source remain weak in many cities. Waste pickers: the informal workers who sustain recycling are rarely recognised in rankings or contracts. Behaviour change: the President’s call to teach cleanliness and plastic-waste management in schools recognises that infrastructure alone is not enough. Internal SecurityGeneral Studies Paper III 07 Terrorists Fire on CRPF Checkpoint in Kulgam: The Persistent Challenge of Targeted Attacks in South Kashmir ImportantGS-III · Internal Security — Terrorism, Security Forces, Border AreasMains-orientedThe Hindu Three CRPF personnel of the 46th Battalion were injured when terrorists fired at close range on a checkpoint in Kulgam, south Kashmir, on 11 November 2026 — the day the Lieutenant-Governor was to visit the district. The LG called it a cowardly act and said security forces had a “free hand” to act. Figure 4 — On High Alert in South Kashmir The area has seen several recent incidents, including the killing of two migrant labourers in Kulgam and the shooting of a policeman in Anantnag in July 2026. Graphic: The Hindu; photo: ANI; reproduced with credit for educational use. ◈ Static Background — Security Governance in J&K Constitutional change: Article 370 was rendered inoperative in August 2019; the J&K Reorganisation Act, 2019 created the Union Territories of J&K (with a legislature) and Ladakh (without one) from 31 October 2019. The Supreme Court upheld the move in December 2023. Who controls security: in the J&K UT, police and public order rest with the Lieutenant-Governor and the Centre, not the elected government. CRPF: India’s largest Central Armed Police Force, under the Ministry of Home Affairs, deployed in counter-terrorism and checkpoint duties alongside the J&K Police and the Army. Kulgam: a district carved out of Anantnag (2007) in south Kashmir, about 75 km from Srinagar, near the Pir Panjal range. Recent context: the Pahalgam attack (April 2025), which killed 26 people, led to Operation Sindoor (May 2025) against terror infrastructure across the border. Analysis Pattern of attacks: small groups using pistols or rifles at close range — “hit-and-run” attacks on soft targets, migrant workers and isolated checkpoints — are hard to prevent and aim at headlines and fear. Response toolkit: intelligence-led operations, area domination, surveillance and CCTV networks, action against overground worker networks, and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for terror financing. Beyond force: lasting peace depends on community trust, jobs for youth, de-radicalisation and political normalisation — including the pending question of statehood. ✎ Mains Practice Question Despite a decline in large-scale violence, targeted attacks continue in Jammu and Kashmir. Analyse the nature of this threat and suggest a strategy that combines security measures with community engagement. 15 marks · 250 words Art & CultureGeneral Studies Paper I 08 Cabinet Approves ₹3,230-Crore Yuge Yugeen Bharat Museum in North and South Block ImportantGS-I · Art & Culture — Heritage Conservation, Museums, Modern ArchitecturePrelims + MainsThe Hindu The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved ₹3,230 crore to convert the historic North and South Blocks in New Delhi into the Yuge Yugeen Bharat Museum, showcasing India’s civilisational journey across a built-up area of about 1.79 lakh square metres. ◈ Static Background — The Buildings and the Idea North and South Blocks: designed by Herbert Baker as part of Lutyens’ Delhi, after the capital’s shift from Calcutta was announced at the Delhi Durbar (1911); New Delhi was inaugurated in 1931. They housed key ministries — Home and Finance in North Block; the PMO, External Affairs and Defence in South Block. Central Vista redevelopment: with ministries moving to the new Common Central Secretariat (Kartavya Bhavan) buildings, the old blocks were freed for public use. Adaptive reuse: giving heritage buildings a new function while preserving their architectural character — a recognised conservation approach. Museum institutions: the National Museum (established 1949) and the Archaeological Survey of India (1861), whose site museums will contribute objects. ▤ Project at a Glance Cost: ₹3,230 crore; appraised by the Public Investment Board on 27 July 2026; nodal: Ministry of Culture. Announced: 18 May 2023, International Museum Day. Collections: about 1.8 million objects identified from the National Museum, other Culture Ministry museums, 52 ASI site museums, State museums and private collections. Galleries: architecture and cityscapes, mathematics and astronomy, languages and scripts, faith and spirituality, and “Bharat Connects — Trade and Ideas”, with conservation facilities and digital experiences. The Critical View Heritage risk: converting century-old office buildings needs careful conservation of structure and interiors. Curation: a national museum of civilisation should reflect scholarly consensus and India’s plural traditions, with independent expert oversight. Regional balance: moving objects to Delhi should not strip State and site museums of their best collections; loans and digital access can help. ✎ Mains Practice Question “Adaptive reuse of heritage buildings can serve both conservation and public purpose.” Discuss with reference to the proposed Yuge Yugeen Bharat Museum. 10 marks · 150 words