PYQ Relevance:
[UPSC 2024] The West is fostering India as an alternative to reduce dependence on China’s supply chain and as a strategic ally to counter China’s political and economic dominance.’ Explain this statement with examples.
Linkage: The strategic imperative of countering China’s influence and building alternative supply chains and alliances, which is a primary reason why strengthening the U.S.-India subsea cable agenda is crucial. |
Mentor’s Comment: The strategic and commercial engagement between India and the United States is being deepened, with subsea cables emerging as a frontline asset in this collaboration. Subsea cables, which carry over 95% of international data and form the backbone of global internet infrastructure, are being recognized for their critical geostrategic value. Efforts are being made by India to diversify its digital infrastructure under the proposed TRUST framework (Technology for Resilient, Open and Unified Security and Trust).
Today’s editorial will discuss the problems related to subsea cable systems and the actions taken by the Indian Government. This information will be useful for GS Paper II (International Relations) and GS Paper III (Science & Technology).
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Let’s learn!
Why in the News?
The urgency to secure and expand subsea cable systems is rising, particularly in light of disruptions like the Red Sea cable sabotage by Houthi rebels in 2024.
Why are Subsea Cables crucial in India-U.S. strategic cooperation?
- Foundation of Global Digital Connectivity: Subsea cables carry over 95% of international data traffic, forming the physical backbone of the internet and digital economy. Securing these is vital for protecting critical infrastructure and ensuring uninterrupted communication between nations. Eg: The U.S. and India are focusing on trusted subsea cable systems under the TRUST framework to reduce reliance on Chinese-controlled infrastructure.
- Strategic Response to China’s Digital Expansion: China’s Digital Silk Road is rapidly laying subsea cables across the Indo-Pacific, posing geopolitical and cybersecurity concerns. India-U.S. cooperation on secure cable networks counters this influence and promotes trusted alternatives. Eg: The upcoming India-U.S. trade agreement includes provisions for enhancing digital infrastructure as a counter to China’s presence in the Indo-Pacific.
- Enabling Regional Digital Resilience and Trade: Joint efforts in building resilient cable systems support broader technology cooperation and secure trade flows, particularly as India emerges as a digital hub in Asia. Eg: Meta’s investment in a 50,000-km undersea cable project connecting five continents is backed by U.S.-India cooperation, reinforcing digital ties and strategic alignment.
What is the role of the TRUST framework in securing digital supply chains?
- Promotes Resilient and Secure Digital Infrastructure: The TRUST (Technology for Resilient, Open and Unified Security and Trust) framework aims to build trusted digital ecosystems by reducing dependence on untrusted vendors and creating secure, interoperable technology supply chains. Eg: TRUST supports investments in secure subsea cables that avoid reliance on Chinese-controlled infrastructure.
- Strengthens India’s Role as a Regional Security Provider: The framework acknowledges India’s potential as a net security provider in the Indo-Pacific, aligning with U.S. efforts to de-risk strategic technologies and build redundancy in digital connectivity. Eg: TRUST initiatives encourage India to lead regional subsea cable projects using trusted suppliers.
- Facilitates U.S. Investment and Technical Cooperation: TRUST enables concessional finance, cybersecurity assistance, and encourages American companies to anchor digital infrastructure projects in India and the region. Eg: Under TRUST, Meta’s multi-year undersea cable investment project aligns with U.S.-India strategic digital cooperation.
How can India become a regional hub for subsea connectivity?
- Leverage Strategic Geographic Location: India is centrally positioned between Europe, Africa, and Southeast Asia, near key maritime choke points like the Strait of Hormuz, Strait of Malacca, and Bab-el-Mandeb, making it ideal for global cable routes. Eg: India can serve as a transit junction for Africa-Asia and Europe-Asia subsea cables.
- Expand and Diversify Cable Landing Infrastructure: India must increase the number of landing stations beyond existing clusters to reduce regional risk and build redundancy in the network. Eg: Most of India’s 17 cables land in Mumbai; expanding to ports along the east and west coasts can distribute traffic load.
- Streamline Regulatory and Clearance Processes: Simplifying India’s licensing regime and enabling faster cable repair operations will attract more international projects and reduce downtime risks. Eg: Reducing the current requirement of over 50 clearances can boost investor confidence and facilitate timely repairs.
What challenges hinder India’s subsea cable infrastructure?
- Complex and Burdensome Licensing Regime: Deploying subsea cables in India requires navigating a maze of over 50 clearances across multiple ministries, discouraging investment and delaying projects.
Eg: Lengthy approvals from customs, naval authorities, and telecom departments hinder timely cable deployments.
- Overconcentration of Landing Stations: Most cables land in a narrow stretch in Mumbai, making the network vulnerable to disruption from natural disasters or sabotage. Eg: 15 of 17 subsea cables land in Mumbai, despite India’s 11,098 km coastline, limiting redundancy and resilience.
- Lack of Domestic Repair Capabilities: India depends on foreign-flagged ships for cable repairs, which take 3–5 months to respond due to long travel times and clearance delays. Eg: Repair vessels from Singapore or Dubai face delays due to India’s slow customs and naval permissions process.
What are the steps taken by the Indian Government?
- Policy push for TRUST framework: India is partnering with the U.S. to implement the Technology for Resilient, Open and Unified Security and Trust (TRUST) framework, focusing on trusted digital infrastructure and secure supply chains. Eg: TRUST includes collaboration on regional subsea cable investments and cybersecurity standards.
- Expansion of Subsea Cable Projects: The government has supported large-scale undersea cable initiatives to expand India’s role in global connectivity. Eg: The India-U.S. backed Meta project, spanning 50,000 km, aims to connect five continents, enhancing India’s digital footprint.
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Way forward:
- Accelerate Regulatory Reforms: Simplify and streamline the complex licensing and clearance processes to attract greater investments and enable faster deployment and repair of subsea cables.
- Build Domestic Repair and Infrastructure Ecosystem: Develop Indian-flagged cable repair vessels and expand cable landing stations along the coast to enhance network resilience, reduce downtime, and establish India as a reliable regional connectivity hub.
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Why in the News?
In 2025, the Southwest Monsoon, which plays a vital role in India’s farming economy, brought heavy and destructive rains. Instead of simply starting the farming season, it has caused widespread damage across the northeastern states.
Why is the northeastern region particularly vulnerable to monsoon-related disasters?
- Geographical Terrain and River Systems: The Northeast has a complex topography of steep hills and fast-flowing rivers like the Brahmaputra and Barak. These rivers often overflow during monsoon, causing floods and erosion. Eg: In Assam, over 10 major rivers flowed above danger level in June 2025, affecting over 3 lakh people across 19 districts.
- High and Prolonged Rainfall: The region receives one of the highest average monsoon rainfalls in India, making even a “below normal” monsoondestructive. Eg: Despite IMD predicting lower-than-normal rainfall, Assam, Tripura, and Sikkim faced flash floods and landslidesin May–June 2025.
- Dual Monsoon Exposure and Fragile Ecology: The region experiences both the southwest monsoon (June–September) and a retreating monsoon (October–December), increasing disaster exposure. The fragile ecology, including deforestation and slope instability, worsens risks. Eg: In North Sikkim, landslides in early June 2025 marooned 1,500 tourists and blocked arterial roads due to incessant rain.
What is the Dual Monsoon Pattern?
Dual Monsoon Pattern refers to the occurrence of two distinct monsoon phases in a year that affect a region, particularly the Northeastern States of India. These are:
- Southwest Monsoon (June to September):
This is the primary monsoon season for most of India. The Bay of Bengal branch of the southwest monsoon brings heavy rainfall to the Northeastern States like Assam, Meghalaya, and Arunachal Pradesh.
- Retreating/Post-Monsoon (October to December):
This secondary phase brings additional rainfall, especially to Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, and Tripura (NMMT region). This is often accompanied by cyclonic storms originating from the Bay of Bengal.
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How does the dual monsoon pattern affect the disaster preparedness of northeastern States?
- Extended Vulnerability Period: The presence of both the southwest monsoon (June–September) and the retreating/post-monsoon (October–December) leads to a prolonged rainy season, increasing the duration for which states must stay alert and prepared. Eg: In 2023, flash floods affected parts of Meghalaya in both July and November, stretching disaster response capacities.
- Recurring Strain on Resources: The back-to-back monsoon cycles put continuous pressure on relief infrastructure, emergency services, and budgetary resources, often without adequate recovery time between events. Eg: In Assam, flood shelters and boats used during June floods had to be reactivated again during October rains, delaying repairs and replenishment.
- Challenges in Long-term Planning: The dual monsoon system makes it harder to plan and execute infrastructure repair, agricultural recovery, and resettlement efforts, as damage may recur within months. Eg: In Arunachal Pradesh, roads repaired after July landslides were again washed away during October rains in 2022, disrupting connectivity repeatedly.
Why has infrastructure development lagged in the northeastern States compared to the rest of India?
- Challenging Geographical Terrain: The region is dominated by mountainous landscapes, dense forests, and seismic zones, which make construction of roads, bridges, and railways technically difficult and cost-intensive. Eg: In Sikkim, frequent landslides and narrow mountain roads delay road-widening and highway projects.
- Security and Strategic Concerns: The presence of international borders with countries like China, Myanmar, and Bangladesh and historical instances of insurgency have led to delays in project execution due to security concerns and administrative restrictions. Eg: The construction of the India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway through Manipur has faced repeated delays due to local unrest and law-and-order issues.
- Low Political and Economic Prioritisation: Compared to other regions, the Northeast has received less investment in infrastructure due to lower population density, limited industrial base, and less political influence at the national level. Eg: States like Nagaland and Mizoram have limited railway connectivity even today, unlike the rapid expansion seen in western and southern India.
What are the steps taken by the Indian government?
- Strengthened Disaster Response and Early Warnings: The government has deployed NDRF units across the Northeast and enhanced IMD’s region-specific alerts for floods and landslides in states like Assam, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh.
- Infrastructure Development in Vulnerable Areas: Schemes like NESIDS support critical infrastructure such as flood protection embankments and all-weather roads in remote regions of Manipur and Mizoram.
- Integration into National Disaster Management Frameworks: NDMA conducts capacity building, mock drills, and implements region-specific guidelines for urban flooding and landslide risk in cities like Gangtok and Guwahati.
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What long-term measures are needed to ensure sustainable disaster management in the Northeast? (Way forward)
- Region-Specific Infrastructure Planning and Investment: Develop climate-resilient infrastructure suited to the region’s fragile ecology, such as landslide-resistant roads, flood-resistant housing, and robust early warning systems. Eg: The installation of a real-time flood monitoring system in the Brahmaputra basin has improved early evacuation in parts of Assam.
- Integrated Inter-State and Central Coordination Mechanism: Establish a permanent regional disaster coordination body with participation from all Northeast states and the Centre to plan, share resources, and respond collectively to disasters. Eg: A joint task force involving Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, and Meghalaya could improve flood response across shared river systems like the Barak and Brahmaputra.
Mains PYQ:
[UPSC 2024] Flooding in urban areas is an emerging climate-induced disaster. Discuss the causes of this disaster. Mention the features of two such major floods in the last two decades in India. Describe the policies and frameworks in India that aim at tackling such floods.
Linkage: The Bay of Bengal branch of the monsoon reaches the northeastern States first. These areas usually get a lot of rain during the monsoon, even in years when rainfall is lower than normal. Because of this, the region is naturally more prone to problems like flooding, which often comes with such heavy rain.
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Why in the News?
The RBI Bulletin (May 2025) reports that India received a record-breaking $81 billion in gross FDI inflows in FY 2024-25, but retained only $353 million in net FDI, revealing a dramatic divergence in the investment narrative.
What do gross and net FDI trends indicate about India’s investment climate?
- Gross FDI inflows are high: India received a record $81 billion in gross FDI in 2024-25, indicating strong headline interest from foreign investors. Eg: Media and government reported this as a sign of a robust investment climate.
- Net FDI is drastically low: Net FDI dropped to only $353 million, showing that much of the incoming investment is offset by capital outflows, weakening the real impact on the economy. Eg: Rising outward FDI and disinvestment reduced net foreign capital retained in India.
- Declining FDI-to-GDP ratio: The gross inflow-to-GDP ratio fell from 3.1% (2020-21) to 2.1% (2024-25), and net FDI-to-GDP fell from 1.6% to near zero, reflecting a slowing domestic investment environment despite high gross inflows. Eg: This signals tepid corporate investment and cautious investor sentiment in India.
What is Private Equity (PE) and Venture Capital (VC)?
- Private Equity (PE) refers to investment funds that buy existing companies or large stakes in businesses, often to improve their performance and later sell them for profit. PE typically invests in more mature companies.
- Venture Capital (VC) is a type of financing that supports early-stage startups and small businesses with high growth potential. VC investors take higher risks in exchange for potentially high returns.
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Why is the rise in Private Equity (PE)/Venture Capital (VC) driven FDI a concern for long-term investment?
- PE/VC-driven FDI focuses on brownfield investments: These funds mainly acquire existing firms rather than creating new production capacity, limiting contributions to capital formation and technology acquisition. Eg: Investments by Blackstone in Care Hospitals and ChrysCapital in Lenskart.
- Short investment horizon: PE/VC funds typically have a 3-5 year exit strategy, often selling holdings during stock market booms, which leads to disinvestment rather than sustained growth. Eg: The spike in disinvestment in FY25 was partly due to PE/VC funds liquidating their positions.
- Limited impact on long-term industrial growth: Since these funds focus on services like fintech and retail rather than manufacturing or infrastructure, they contribute less to enhancing India’s productive capacity. Eg: The declining share of FDI in greenfield projects shows limited greenfield capital formation.
How does outward FDI suggest India is used for tax arbitrage?
- High correlation between inward and outward FDI: India shows a strong link between the money flowing in and out, suggesting that funds often enter and exit quickly rather than being invested long-term. Eg: Similar volumes of FDI both coming into and going out of India.
- Use of tax havens as intermediaries: A significant portion of both inward and outward FDI involves countries like Singapore and Mauritius, known for tax concessions and treaty benefits. Eg: Many Indian companies route investments through these jurisdictions to reduce tax liabilities.
- ‘Treaty shopping’ for tax benefits: Global investors move capital through India to exploit variations in tax laws, a practice called tax arbitrage, which may not contribute to domestic economic growth. Eg: Research shows India ranked 6th among emerging markets for such correlated FDI flows, indicating use as a conduit for tax optimization.
What are the effects of declining FDI-to-GDP and GFCF ratios?
- Reduced contribution to economic growth: Declining FDI-to-GDP and FDI-to-GFCF (Gross Fixed Capital Formation) ratios indicate that foreign investments are becoming a smaller part of India’s overall economy and capital investment, potentially slowing down industrial expansion and technology adoption. Eg: Gross FDI inflows peaked at 7.5% of GFCF in FY21 but have declined sharply since then.
- Weakening investor confidence: The downward trend signals tepid domestic corporate investment and reduced foreign investor interest, which can affect job creation and long-term economic stability. Eg: Net FDI relative to GDP has declined from 1.6% in 2020-21 to nearly zero in 2024-25, showing declining investor enthusiasm.
Why should India reform its foreign capital regulations?
- To curb tax arbitrage and ‘hot money’ flows: Current regulations allow large volumes of inward and outward FDIthrough tax havens, enabling tax optimization rather than genuine investment, which undermines domestic economic goals. Eg: High FDI flows involving Singapore and Mauritius reflect such practices.
- To promote long-term, productive investments: Reform is needed to encourage FDI that contributes to capital formation, technology acquisition, and industrial growth rather than short-term PE/VC-driven disinvestment. Eg: The rising share of alternative investment funds in FDI has led to increased disinvestment, affecting sustainable growth.
Way forward:
- Strengthen Regulatory Frameworks: Implement stricter rules to curb tax arbitrage and limit quick inflows and outflows via tax havens, ensuring FDI supports genuine, long-term economic growth.
- Promote Greenfield and Productive Investments: Encourage FDI in new capacity building, manufacturing, and technology sectors over short-term PE/VC deals to boost capital formation, industrial growth, and sustainable development.
Mains PYQ:
[UPSC 2013] Though India allowed Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in what is called multi-brand retail through the joint venture route in September 2012, the FDI, even after a year, has not picked up. Discuss the reasons.
Linkage: The net FDI-to-GDP ratio has steadily fallen from 1.6% in 2020-21 to zero in 2024-25. This ongoing decline is worrying, even though policymakers continue to make optimistic claims.
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Why in the News?
Union Minister of State for Science & Technology has launched ‘Bharat Gen’, India’s first indigenously developed AI-based Large Language Model (LLM) tailored for Indian languages.
About Bharat Gen:
- What is it: Bharat Gen is India’s first homegrown AI-based multimodal large language model (LLM) supporting 22 Indian languages.
- Developed By: Created under the National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM-ICPS) and implemented by the TIH Foundation for IoT and IoE at IIT Bombay.
- Key Features:
- Understands text, speech, and image inputs.
- Works across India’s diverse languages and cultures.
- Designed to be ethical, inclusive, and culturally rooted.
- Support and Collaboration: Backed by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and developed in collaboration with top academic and AI institutions.
- Bharat Data Sagar: A national effort to collect language data for lesser-known Indian languages to train future AI tools.
- Real-World Use: In places like Udhampur, an AI doctor powered by Bharat Gen is helping patients in their native language.
What are Large Language Models (LLMs)?
- LLMs are computer programs that can read, understand, and write language like humans. They can answer questions, explain topics, write stories, translate languages, and more.
- Why are they called “large”?
- They are trained using a huge amount of text from books, websites, newspapers, etc.
- They also have billions of settings (called parameters) that help them understand words and sentences better.
- How do they work?
- LLMs break your sentence into small parts (called tokens).
- They guess the next word in the sentence, one by one, using what they’ve learned.
- This is how they create full and meaningful answers.
- How are they trained?
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- Step 1 – Pre-training: The LLM reads lots of text and learns how language works.
- Step 2 – Fine-tuning: It is then taught how to do specific tasks like summarising or translating.
- Step 3 – Human Help: People check the answers and give feedback, so the LLM learns to give better responses.
- How do LLMs understand language so well? They use a special model called a transformer, which has tools to:
- Focus on important words in a sentence (self-attention).
- Understand the order of words (positional encoding).
- Learn patterns and meaning using neural networks (like a brain made of computer code).
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| [UPSC 2020] With the present state of development, Artificial Intelligence can effectively do which of the following?
(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:
Options: (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 |
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Why in the News?
The recent terror attack in Pahalgam has led to lower turnout at the annual Jyestha Ashtami festival at the Kheer Bhawani temple in Kashmir.
About the Kheer Bhawani Festival:
- What is it: The Kheer Bhawani Festival, also called Mela Kheer Bhawani, is celebrated every year on Jyestha Ashtami by the Kashmiri Pandit community.
- Location of Celebration: It takes place at the Kheer Bhawani Temple in Tulmulla village, Ganderbal district, Jammu and Kashmir.
- Deity Worshipped: The temple is dedicated to Goddess Ragnya Devi, an important deity in the Kashmiri Hindu tradition.
- Sacred Spring and Ritual: The temple sits over a natural spring. Devotees offer kheer (rice and milk pudding) as a sacred offering.
- Largest Kashmiri Hindu Gathering: It is the biggest Hindu religious gathering in the Kashmir Valley after the Amarnath Yatra.
- Beliefs about Water Color: Devotees believe that the spring’s color changes based on the region’s condition:
- Light colors mean good times.
- Black water is a warning sign (reportedly turned black in 1990, just before the Kashmiri Pandit Massacre).
- Historical Legacy: The temple structure was built by Maharaja Pratap Singh and later renovated by Maharaja Hari Singh in the early 1900s.
- Ancient Mentions: References to the site are found in Kalhana’s Rajtarangini, Bhrigu Samhita, and Abu’l-Fazl’s Ain-i-Akbari, which also mentions flooding in Tula Mula.
Significance of the Festival and Temple:
- Cultural Importance: The temple serves as a symbol of faith and identity for Kashmiri Pandits, especially those displaced.
- Communal Harmony: Local Muslim communities assist in festival arrangements, showcasing communal unity and harmony.
- Spiritual Symbolism: The temple spring, called Syandh, holds spiritual meaning and is not connected to the Sindhu (Indus) River.
| [UPSC 2018] Consider the following pairs:
Tradition – State
1. Chapchar Kut festival — Mizoram
2. Khongjom Parba ballad — Manipur
3. Thong-To dance — Sikkim
Which of the pairs given above is/are correct?
Options: (a) 1 only (b) 1 and 2* (c) 3 only (d) 2 and 3 |
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Why in the News?
Flowering plants appeared around 130 million years ago and rapidly diversified, puzzling scientists including Charles Darwin, who called it an “abominable mystery”.
A new study by CSIR-CCMB, Hyderabad, has identified the SHUKR gene, which controls pollen development in flowering plants.
About the SHUKR Gene in Flowering Plants
- What is SHUKR? It is a newly discovered gene found in flowering plants like Arabidopsis thaliana. It plays a key role in forming pollen, which plants need to reproduce.
- Function in the Plant Life Cycle: SHUKR is active during the sporophyte phase (the main plant body stage) and helps in producing healthy, viable pollen.
- Effect of Gene Loss: If SHUKR is missing or not working, the plant fails to make good pollen, leading to poor or no reproduction.
- How SHUKR Works: It controls F-box genes, which remove old proteins and replace them with new ones to help pollen grow well.
- Adaptive Advantage: SHUKR and F-box genes evolve quickly, allowing plants to adjust to harsh conditions like heat, cold, or drought.
- Evolutionary Origin: This gene first appeared 125 million years ago in eudicots, a plant group that now includes three-fourths of all flowering plants.
- Why it matters: SHUKR shows that pollen-making is closely linked with the rest of the plant, challenging the earlier belief that these processes were separate.
- Significance: Climate change causes heat-induced pollen damage in flowering plants, but genes like SHUKR could help develop climate-resilient crops.
Back2Basics: Darwin’s “Abominable Mystery”
- Darwin’s Confusion: Charles Darwin was puzzled by the sudden appearance and rapid spread of flowering plants about 130 million years ago — calling it an “abominable mystery”.
- Mismatch with Evolutionary Pace: According to standard evolution theory, species change slowly over time, but flowering plants diversified very quickly, showing great variety.
- Genetic Explanation: The SHUKR gene may solve this mystery by showing how flowering plants gained molecular tools to adapt and reproduce faster.
- New Insight: This discovery offers a genetic explanation for the rapid rise of flowering plants and helps clarify Darwin’s long-standing puzzle.
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| [UPSC 2017] Consider the following statements:
1. Genome sequencing can be used to identify genetic markers for disease resistance and drought tolerance in various crop plants.
2. This technique helps in reducing the time required to develop new varieties of crop plants.
3. It can be used to decipher the host-pathogen relationships in crops.
Select the correct- answer using the code given below:
Options: (a) 1 only (b) 2 and 3 only (c) 1 and 3 only* (d) 1, 2 and 3 |
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Why in the News?
Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma dismissed Pakistan’s claim about China blocking the Brahmaputra’s water as a baseless panic tactic with no scientific substance.
Sarma’s Clarification on the Brahmaputra Issue:
- Brahmaputra is an Indian river and not fully controlled by China.
- Only about 30–35% of the river’s flow comes from China, mainly through glacial melt and rainfall on the Tibetan Plateau.
- A major 65–70% of the river’s volume is generated within India, especially from monsoon rains and Indian tributaries.
- He explained that the river’s flow increases from 2,000–3,000 cubic metres/second at the Indo-China border to 15,000–20,000 m³/s in Assam during the monsoon.
- This proves that India plays a dominant role in sustaining the river, not China.
- Even if China tried to restrict the river’s flow, it could help reduce annual floods in Assam that displace thousands of people.
- He confirmed that China has never threatened to weaponize the Brahmaputra.
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About Brahmaputra River System:
- The Brahmaputra River System is one of the major Himalayan drainage systems, along with the Ganga and Indus.
- Stretch: It stretches over 2,900 kilometres, making it one of the longest rivers in Asia.
- Origin: It originates in the Chemayungdung glacier in southwestern Tibet, where it is known as the Tsangpo River.
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- The river flows through Tibet, India (Arunachal Pradesh and Assam), and Bangladesh.
- In Tibet, the river flows slowly with a wide, navigable channel for about 640 km.
- Upon entering India through Arunachal Pradesh, it becomes the Dihang, and later merges with Lohit and Dibang rivers to be called the Brahmaputra.
- In Bangladesh, it is called the Jamuna, which merges with the Ganga (Padma) and Meghna before flowing into the Bay of Bengal.
- The world’s largest and smallest river islands, Majuli and Umananda, are located on the Brahmaputra in Assam.
- Important Tributaries:
- Left-bank tributaries: Lhasa, Nyang, Parlung Zangbo, Lohit, Dhanashri, Kolong
- Right-bank tributaries: Kameng, Manas, Beki, Raidak, Jaldhaka, Teesta, Subansiri
- States the River Flows Through in India: Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, West Bengal, and Sikkim.
- Major Cities on the River: Dibrugarh, Pasighat, Neamati, Tezpur, and Guwahati.
- Major Hydel Projects:
- Arunachal Pradesh: Subansiri, Kameng, Ranganadi, etc.
- Assam: Kopili
- Sikkim: Teesta, Rangit
- Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram: Multiple local hydropower stations
| [UPSC 2016] With reference to the Brahmaputra River, which of the following is/are tributary/ tributaries of Brahmaputra?
1. Dibang
2. Kameng
3. Lohit
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
Options: (a) 1 only (b) 2 and 3 only (c) 1 and 3 only (d)1, 2 and 3* |
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Why in the News?
D Gukesh, the reigning World Chess Champion, achieved a milestone by defeating world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen for the first time in a classical game during Round 6 of Norway Chess.
Who is D. Gukesh?
- About: D Gukesh is an Indian chess grandmaster (born on May 29, 2006) and the current World Chess Champion.
- Early Start: He started playing chess at the age of seven and quickly rose to fame due to his extraordinary skill.
- Topmost Indian Player: In September 2023, he became India’s highest-rated chess player, ending Viswanathan Anand’s 37-year reign.
- Global Recognition: He is considered one of the most talented chess prodigies in the world today.
His Accomplishments:
- FIDE Master Title: In 2015, he became a FIDE Master after winning the Under-9 Asian School Chess Championship.
- International Master: In March 2018, he became an International Master at the age of 11.
- Grandmaster Milestone: At 12 years and 7 months, he became the second-youngest Grandmaster in history.
- World Youth Champion: He won the Under-12 World Youth Chess Championship in 2018.
- Asian Youth Success: He won five gold medals at the 2018 Asian Youth Championships in classical, rapid, blitz, and team events.
- Chess Olympiad 2022: In the 44th Chess Olympiad, he won individual gold on board one and helped India win team bronze.
- Victory Over Carlsen: In 2022, he defeated Magnus Carlsen in rapid chess at the Aimchess Rapid tournament.
- Crossed 2700 Elo: He crossed the 2700 Elo rating in 2022, becoming the third-youngest to achieve it.
- Broke Carlsen’s Record: In August 2023, he crossed 2750 Elo, becoming the youngest ever to do so.
- Candidates Tournament: He won the 2024 Candidates Tournament, becoming the youngest player to ever win it.
- World Champion Title: On December 12, 2024, at 18 years and 195 days, he defeated Ding Liren to become the youngest undisputed World Chess Champion.
- Indian Chess Legacy: He became only the second Indian after Viswanathan Anand to win the world title.
- Chess Olympiad 2024: At the 45th Chess Olympiad, he helped India win team gold and secured individual gold.
- National Honour: In January 2025, he received the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award, India’s highest sporting honour.
| [UPSC 2025] Consider the following statements:
I. In the finals of the 45th Chess Olympiad held in 2024, Gukesh Dommaraju became the world’s youngest winner after defeating the Russian player Ian Nepomniachtchi.
II. Abhimanyu Mishra, an American chess player, holds the record of becoming world’s youngest ever Grandmaster.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Options: a) I only b) II only* c) Both I and II d) Neither I nor II |
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