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Type: Schemes

  • Conflict of interest surfaces in the Rs 1 lakh crore RDI Fund

    Why in the News

    An investigation found that a large share of soft loans under the Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) Fund went to firms linked to the fund’s own selection panel. The tension is between fast tracking private deep tech financing and preserving impartial public fund governance.

    What is the Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) Fund?

    1. Corpus: A Rs 1 lakh crore fund to provide low cost, long tenure financing for private research and deep technology.
    2. Anchor body: It operates under the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) framework, with the Technology Development Board (TDB) disbursing loans.

    What is the conflict of interest concern?

    1. Panel linkage: Members of the selection panel had financial ties to firms that received public funding.
    2. Concentration: A majority of the sanctioned loans went to entities connected to those approving them.

    What safeguards does the government cite?

    1. Super majority: Approvals require a super majority of the selection committee.
    2. Stake disqualification: Members holding a stake above a threshold are barred from that decision.
    3. Cost cap: Public funding is capped at a share of total project cost.
    4. Disclosure: Members must declare any negative interest before voting.

    Why does the safeguard design still draw scrutiny?

    1. Small expert pool: India’s narrow deep tech expert base makes overlaps between funders and funded hard to avoid.
    2. Verification gap: Declared interests need independent audit to prevent capture.

  • RDI deep-tech fund: most beneficiaries linked to selection panel

    Why in the News

    An investigation found that 15 of the 22 companies receiving the first round of assistance from the Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) Fund had investment links with members of the fund’s selection committee. The panel approved Rs 2,192 crore in soft loans, raising concerns over conflict of interest and transparency.

    What is the Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) Fund?

    • Definition: A Rs 1 lakh crore fund to support private sector research in strategic and deep tech sectors.
    • Focus Areas: Artificial Intelligence, Quantum Technology, Space, Defence, Robotics, Clean Energy, Semiconductors and Digital Healthcare.
    • Financial Support: Collateral free loans up to 50% of project cost, at 2 to 4% interest for up to 15 years.
    • Custodian: Managed through a Special Purpose Fund under the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF).
    • Fund Managers: Loans are disbursed through Second Level Fund Managers (SLFMs), currently the Technology Development Board (TDB) and Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC).

    How are companies selected?

    • Investment Committees: Each SLFM forms an independent investment committee to evaluate proposals.
    • Composition: The TDB committee had 12 members, largely from private equity and technology, with one non voting government representative.
    • Eligibility: Projects must have achieved at least Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 4, meaning laboratory validation is complete.
    • Selection Criteria: Scientific, technological, financial and commercial viability, with decisions taken by majority vote.

    What did the investigation reveal?

    • Conflict Links: 15 of 22 beneficiaries had investment ties with 7 committee members.
    • Funding Concentration: These firms received over Rs 1,377 crore of the total approved amount.
    • Chairman’s Role: Nine selected firms were linked to the committee chairman, who reportedly also held a personal stake in one beneficiary.
    • Committee’s Defence: Members stated that interests were disclosed and they recused themselves from related decisions.
    • Governance Concern: The episode has renewed demands for stronger safeguards in the use of public funds.

    Existing safeguards

    • Mandatory disclosure of financial interests by committee members.
    • Recusal from decisions involving associated companies.
    • Background verification of applicants by fund managers.
    • Expert driven selection to improve technical assessment.
    • However, only two SLFMs currently operate the scheme, concentrating decision making and highlighting the need for greater transparency.

    Back2Basics: Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) Fund

    • Launched: 2025
    • Corpus: Rs 1 lakh crore
    • Nodal Framework: Operates under the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF)
    • Objective: Provide long term, low cost financing for private sector research in deep tech and strategic sectors.
    • Implementing Agencies: Technology Development Board (TDB) and Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) as Second Level Fund Managers.
    • Key Feature: Collateral free loans covering up to 50% of project cost through independent investment committees.

  • Parliamentary panel flags that only 30% of urban households under AMRUT have sewerage

    Why in the News

    The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Housing and Urban Affairs reported that only about 30% of urban households under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) have a sewerage connection. It flagged slow progress and inter state gaps in sanitation infrastructure.

    What is AMRUT?

    1. Flagship civic scheme: AMRUT is the Union government’s flagship urban civic infrastructure mission, providing water supply, sewerage, septage, stormwater drains and green spaces.
    2. Two phases: AMRUT (2015 to 2021) covered 500 cities, and AMRUT 2.0 (from 2021) covers all statutory towns with a focus on universal water and sewerage coverage.

    What did the parliamentary panel find?

    1. Low sewerage coverage: Of 11.32 crore urban households, only 3.44 crore had sewerage connections and 2.84 crore relied on septage systems, per the City Water Balance Plans (2025).
    2. Inter state variation: Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Odisha, Jharkhand and Bihar depend more on septage than on sewer networks.
    3. Network gap: Of 59,261 km of approved sewer network, only 27,418 km has been laid so far.

    Why does the sewerage gap persist?

    1. Small share of projects: Of 8,743 projects approved under AMRUT 2.0, only 594 (about 6.79%) relate to sewerage and septage management.
    2. Slow completion: Only 104 of those 594 sewerage projects (17.51%) are complete, while 398 (67%) remain under implementation.
    3. Funds pending: Only Rs 22,762 crore of the Rs 66,059 crore committed as central assistance has been released.

    What did the committee recommend?

    1. Database and audit: The Ministry should build a database of existing sewer networks, functional status and household connectivity gaps and carry out periodic assessments.
    2. End manual cleaning: Manual cleaning of sewers and septic tanks should be eliminated.

    Challenges to urban sanitation delivery

    1. Weak urban local bodies: Municipal bodies often lack the finances and technical staff to build and operate sewage treatment plants.
    2. Trunk versus last mile: Laying trunk sewer lines without household connections leaves treatment capacity underused.
    3. Cost recovery: User charges for sewerage are politically difficult, so operation and maintenance is chronically underfunded.
    4. Land and legacy: Retrofitting sewer networks into dense, unplanned settlements is slow and expensive.
    5. Faecal sludge gap: Cities dependent on septic tanks lack faecal sludge treatment plants, so untreated waste re enters water bodies.

    AMRUT

    1. Launched in 2015 by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
    2. Aims at universal household water supply and sewerage or septage coverage in urban areas.
    3. AMRUT 2.0, launched in 2021, targets all statutory towns and water body rejuvenation.
    4. Beneficiaries are urban households, with a stated focus on the urban poor.

    [2022] Consider the following statements
    1. The India Sanitation Coalition is a platform to promote sustainable sanitation and is funded by the Government of India and the World Health Organization.
    2. The National Institute of Urban Affairs is an apex body of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs in Government of India and provides innovative solutions to address the challenges of Urban India.
    Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

    [A] 1 only

    [B] 2 only

    [C] Both 1 and 2

    [D] Neither 1 nor 2

  • Strategic stockpiling of critical minerals under the National Critical Mineral Mission

    Why in the News

    India committed Rs 500 crore in 2025 towards critical mineral stockpiling under the National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM). The commitment exposes a tension between long gestation domestic mining and the immediate supply risk that flows from dependence on China for processed minerals and rare earth elements.

    What is the National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM)?

    1. Mandate: The NCMM is a scheme launched in 2025 to build a framework for self reliance across the critical mineral value chain, from exploration to processing.
    2. Stockpiling seed: It allocated Rs 500 crore in 2025 towards building strategic reserves of critical minerals.

    What are critical minerals and rare earth elements?

    1. Critical minerals: These are minerals essential to the economy and national security whose supply faces a high risk of disruption, such as lithium and cobalt.
    2. Rare earth elements (REEs): These are a set of 17 metallic elements used in permanent magnets, electronics and defence systems, most of which are refined in China.

    Why must a reserve hold processed minerals and not raw ores?

    1. Refining lead time: Converting raw ore into usable inputs needs onshore capacity with a long lead time, so raw stock is of little use during a shock.
    2. Composition rule: A reserve must hold refined rare earth oxides, processed minerals and finished components such as permanent magnets.
    3. Midstream gap: India’s midstream refining capacity is nascent, so supply agreements must cover intermediate goods rather than raw material.
    4. Storage integrity: Refined oxides are sensitive to moisture and oxidation, requiring climate controlled and nitrogen atmosphere warehousing.
    5. Rotation cycle: Reserves cannot stay static, so the government must release older stock into the market while procuring fresh supplies.

    What do international frameworks show about coordinated stockpiling?

    1. Quad Critical Minerals Initiative Framework: The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) launched this USD 20 billion framework in 2025 to fortify regional supply chains.
    2. G7 Evian summit 2026: The Group of Seven (G7) reiterated a commitment to establishing a standards based market for critical minerals.
    3. Modelling caution: If seven major economies simultaneously built six month reserves, aggregate demand could consume 34% of annual global cobalt supply and 10% of lithium supply.

    Why can uncoordinated stockpiling worsen the shortage it aims to solve?

    1. Demand inflation: Uncoordinated buying inflates global demand and deepens the very shortages stockpiling is meant to ease.
    2. Volatility risk: It heightens the price volatility that a reserve is supposed to hedge against.
    3. Limits of price floors: A guaranteed minimum purchase price addresses underinvestment but rarely addresses scarcity.
    4. Dynamic price bands: A band with a floor near USD 12,000 and a ceiling near USD 30,000 triggers coordinated buying below the floor and releases above the ceiling.

    What are the challenges to critical mineral stockpiling?

    1. Capital intensity: Specialised storage demands heavy and continuous capital expenditure, commercial expertise and multi stakeholder involvement.
    2. Material decay: Reserves risk technological obsolescence and physical decay unless constantly rotated. (Nickel and cobalt powders or precursor materials must be constantly tested and rotated back into active commercial supply chains before their chemical integrity drops.)
    3. Access in friend shoring: Collaboration with industrialised powers requires hedging mechanisms so access matches the size of India’s contribution.
    4. Delayed releases: Reserve releases can be blocked by vetoes, so pre agreed market and geopolitical triggers are needed to automate them.
    5. Sidelining of emerging economies: Larger consumers can crowd out India unless minimum guaranteed allocation baselines are fixed.
    6. China concentration: China dominates the mining and processing of several rare earths, giving it leverage over prices and export flows. Past export restrictions on gallium, germanium, and graphite demonstrated how Beijing’s dominance allows it to instantly manipulate global export flows and drive up input costs for rival manufacturing nations.

    Conclusion

    India’s optimal strategy is to join a coordinated stockpiling platform, potentially housed within the G7, which also covers Quad members. This lets India tap a mature ecosystem without bearing the full cost of independent reserves, provided it secures staggered procurement, automatic release triggers and guaranteed allocation baselines.

    Back2Basics:

    National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM)

    1. Nodal ministry: Ministry of Mines.
    2. Launched: 2025.
    3. Aim: self reliance across the critical mineral value chain covering exploration, mining, processing and recycling.
    4. Coverage: domestic exploration, overseas asset acquisition, stockpiling and building a processing ecosystem.
    5. Stockpiling outlay: Rs 500 crore seeded in 2025.

    PYQ Relevance

    “[2026] Which of the following statements about Rare Earth Elements (REEs) and Critical Minerals is/are correct?
    1. Modern technological innovations including Artificial Intelligence, robotics and space exploration extensively utilise Rare Earth Elements (REEs).
    2. China has the highest share in mining of REEs followed by India.
    3. The Government of India launched the National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM) in 2025 to establish a robust framework for self-reliance in the critical mineral sector.
    4. Rare Earth Elements are a set of 13 metallic elements.
    (a) 1 and 3 only
    (b) 3 only
    (c) 1, 3 and 4
    (d) 1, 2 and 4

  • The dilemma over PM SHRI in Kerala

    Why in the News?

    Kerala’s Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) government is caught between the need for withheld central education funds and its declared opposition to the National Education Policy, 2020 (NEP 2020). The funds are tied to the PM SHRI scheme, whose memorandum of understanding the earlier Left government had signed. The bind exposes the conflict between fiscal dependence and ideological consistency in India’s education federalism.

    What is the PM SHRI scheme?

    1. Core design: PM SHRI (Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising India) upgrades selected government schools into model schools that showcase the NEP 2020. It is a centrally sponsored scheme of the Ministry of Education.
    2. Access condition: A State must sign a memorandum of understanding to receive funds. The framework requires the school curriculum to follow the National Curriculum Framework aligned with the NEP.
    3. Funding link: Kerala has around Rs 1,158.13 crore in education funds held up by the Centre. Access depends on continuing with the PM SHRI commitment.

    What is the National Education Policy, 2020?

    1. Definition: The NEP 2020 is the Union government’s framework for restructuring school and higher education, replacing the 1986 policy. It covers curriculum, pedagogy, and school structure.
    2. Curriculum clause: The NEP allows States to prepare their own curricula and textbooks. It also states that the NCERT curriculum is to be treated as the nationally acceptable criterion.

    Why is the UDF government in a bind?

    1. Reversed roles: The UDF had attacked the previous Left Democratic Front (LDF) government for signing the PM SHRI memorandum. The current government now argues it is bound because Kerala became a party once the deal was signed.
    2. Coalition fault lines: The Indian Union Muslim League and other allied organisations oppose implementation and want the Cabinet sub-committee’s report first. The internal split has produced repeated flip-flops on the government’s stance.
    3. Fiscal pressure: The Union Minister of State for Education said in the Rajya Sabha that States that do not sign or withdraw miss out on PM SHRI benefits. Punjab opted out in 2023 and reversed course after the Centre froze its funds.

    What is the deeper federalism concern?

    1. Curriculum autonomy: The memorandum asks States to implement all NEP provisions in their entirety. Kerala fears this narrows its freedom to design its own curriculum.
    2. Funding leverage: The Union government declared in 2022 that the Samagra Shiksha scheme’s objective was to help implement the NEP. Regular school funding is thereby tied to policy acceptance.
    3. Creeping intervention: Even without direct curriculum control now, the State fears future prescription of teaching materials and assessment patterns. Curriculum-based programme implementation could later be imposed.

    What are the challenges before the UDF government?

    1. Legal route risk: Following Tamil Nadu’s litigation path is available but slow. It offers no guarantee of releasing the frozen funds in time.
    2. Reputational cost: Writing to the Centre to demand curricular freedom exposes the government to the charge of letting the NEP enter Kerala by the back door. Its earlier opposition sharpens this criticism.
    3. Loss of funds: Refusing PM SHRI forfeits crucial federal education funding. A cash-strained State cannot easily absorb the shortfall.
    4. Precedent of coercion: The Punjab episode shows the Centre freezes funds to force compliance. The leverage limits how far any State can resist.

    Conclusion

    The dispute reflects how conditional central funding narrows a State’s room to hold an independent education stance. The UDF loses either way: implementing PM SHRI concedes its NEP opposition, while refusing forfeits over Rs 1,158 crore. The resolution rests on whether cooperative federalism can separate routine school funding from acceptance of a contested national policy.

    Back2Basics

    PM Shri

    1. Full form: Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising India, a centrally sponsored scheme to develop model schools aligned with the NEP 2020.
    2. Ministry: Ministry of Education, launched in 2022.
    3. Objective: Upgrade and strengthen selected existing schools run by Central, State, and local bodies into exemplar schools.
    4. Funding pattern: Shared between the Centre and States, contingent on a signed memorandum of understanding.
    5. Linked scheme: Samagra Shiksha is the umbrella school-education programme through which much of this funding is routed.

    The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020:

    It replaces the 34-year-old 1986 policy with a focus on a 5+3+3+4 school structure, mother tongue instruction, and flexible higher education. You can read the official document on the Ministry of Education portal.

    School Education Changes

    1. 5+3+3+4 Design: Covers ages 3 to 18, broken into foundational (5 years), preparatory (3 years), middle (3 years), and secondary (4 years) stages.
    2. Language: Mother tongue or local language used as the medium of instruction until at least Grade 5, and ideally Grade 8.
    3. No Hard Separations: Mixing of science, arts, vocational crafts, and sports streams.
    4. Assessments: Focus on regular, competency-based testing instead of rote memory, with school exams in grades 3, 5, and 8.

    PYQ Relevance

    [UPSC 2020] ‘Education is not an injunction, it is an effective and pervasive tool for all-round development of an individual and social transformation’. Examine the New Education Policy, 2020 (NEP, 2020) in light of the above statement.

    Linkage: UPSC has examined NEP 2020 as a tool for educational and social transformation. The article highlights the federal and implementation challenges of NEP 2020, especially when central funding is linked to policy adoption.

  • Nasha Mukt Yuva for Viksit Bharat Sankalp Abhiyan launched

    Why in the News?

    The government launched the Nasha Mukt Yuva for Viksit Bharat Sankalp Abhiyan, a nationwide anti-drug campaign from 28,000+ locations with a 100-week action plan to promote a drug-free youth for Viksit Bharat 2047.

    About the Campaign

    • A national drug awareness and demand reduction campaign targeting youth.
    • Launched simultaneously from 28,000+ locations.
    • Over 1 crore youth participated in the anti-drug pledge.
    • Includes a 100-week activity plan for sustained community engagement.

    Significance

    • Strengthens the demand reduction pillar of India’s anti-drug strategy.
    • Promotes awareness, prevention and rehabilitation alongside enforcement.
    • Supports the vision of a healthy workforce for Viksit Bharat 2047.

    Challenges

    • Sustaining community participation over 100 weeks.
    • Expanding de-addiction and counselling infrastructure.
    • Measuring the campaign’s long-term impact.
    • Success depends on parallel action against drug trafficking.

    Prelims Facts

    • Implemented under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS).
    • Complements the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan (NMBA) launched by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MoSJE).
    • Focuses on awareness, prevention, rehabilitation and youth participation.

  • Cabinet approves Pradhan Mantri Surya Sarovar Yojana for floating solar power

    Why in the News?

    The Union Cabinet approved the Pradhan Mantri Surya Sarovar Yojana, a ₹5,070 crore scheme to promote floating solar power projects on reservoirs and other water bodies, targeting 5,000 MW capacity by 2030-31.

    Key Features

    • Financial Assistance: Up to ₹1 crore per MW for floating solar projects.
    • Battery Storage: Mandatory 2-hour Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) with projects.
    • Implementing Agency: Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI).
    • Target: 5,000 MW floating solar capacity by 2030-31.

    Why is the Scheme Needed?

    • India has installed only 0.7 GW of floating solar against an estimated 102 GW potential.
    • Addresses land scarcity for new solar parks, especially in states like Rajasthan and Gujarat.
    • Battery storage improves grid stability and reduces renewable energy curtailment.

    Significance

    • Expands renewable energy without acquiring additional land.
    • Reduces water evaporation from reservoirs.
    • Improves solar panel efficiency due to the cooling effect of water.
    • Supports India’s 500 GW non-fossil fuel capacity target by 2030 and Net Zero by 2070.

    Challenges

    • Higher installation and maintenance costs than ground-mounted solar plants.
    • Complex clearances due to multiple authorities managing water bodies.
    • Possible ecological impacts on aquatic ecosystems.
    • Battery storage increases project costs.

    Floating Solar Power

    • Solar photovoltaic (PV) panels installed on lakes, reservoirs, dams and other water bodies.
    • Requires floating platforms, anchoring systems and underwater cables.
    • Suitable where land availability is limited.

    Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI)

    • Established in 2011.
    • Functions under the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE).
    • Nodal agency for implementing renewable energy schemes and conducting renewable energy auctions.

    PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana vs Surya Sarovar Yojana

    • PM Surya Ghar: Rooftop solar for households.
    • Surya Sarovar Yojana: Floating solar projects on reservoirs and water bodies.
    • Related Initiatives: National Green Hydrogen Mission, National Solar Mission, PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana, and PM-KUSUM Scheme

    [2022, GS3, 15.0 marks] Do you think India will meet 50 percent of its energy needs from renewable energy by 2030? Justify your answer. How will the shift of subsidies from fossil fuels to renewable energy help achieve the above objective? Explain.

    [2019] With reference to solar power production in India, consider the following statements :
    1. India is the third largest in the world in the manufacture of silicon wafers used in photovoltaic units.
    2. The solar power tariffs are determined by the Solar Energy Corporation of India.
    Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

    [A] 1 only

    [B] 2 only

    [C] Both 1 and 2

    [D] Neither 1 nor 2

  • Cabinet approves 5-year extension of PM-KISAN scheme

    Why in the News?

    The Union Cabinet approved a five-year extension of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) from 2026-27 to 2030-31, with an outlay of ₹3.15 lakh crore. The annual assistance of ₹6,000 per farmer remains unchanged.

    What is PM-KISAN?

    • Launched in February 2019.
    • A Central Sector Scheme under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
    • Provides ₹6,000 per year to eligible landholding farmer families in three equal instalments of ₹2,000 through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).
    • Fully funded by the Central Government.

    Key Highlights

    • Scheme extended till 2030-31.
    • Total outlay: ₹3.15 lakh crore.
    • 23rd instalment (June 2026): Over 9.49 crore farmers received ₹18,984 crore.
    • Since launch, over ₹4.47 lakh crore has been transferred through 23 instalments.
    • Women beneficiaries have received over ₹1.06 lakh crore.

    Significance

    • Provides assured income support for purchasing seeds, fertilisers and other inputs.
    • Reduces dependence on informal credit.
    • Promotes financial inclusion through DBT.
    • Strengthens farmers’ income security.

    Challenges

    • Annual assistance (₹6,000) has remained unchanged since 2019 despite rising input costs.
    • Excludes tenant farmers and sharecroppers due to land ownership criteria.
    • Errors in Aadhaar and land records may exclude genuine beneficiaries.
    • Uniform benefit irrespective of landholding size or farm distress.

    Features of PM-KISAN

    • Type: Central Sector Scheme.
    • Funding: 100% Central Government.
    • Transfer Mode: Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).
    • Implementing Ministry: Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.

    Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT)

    • Introduced to transfer subsidies directly into beneficiaries’ bank accounts.
    • Reduces leakages and improves transparency.
    • Uses the JAM Trinity: Jan Dhan Accounts, Aadhaar, and Mobile

    Related Schemes

    • PM Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY)
    • Kisan Credit Card (KCC)
    • PM Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY)
    • e-NAM (National Agriculture Market)

    [2015, GS3, 12.5 marks] In what way could replacement of price subsidy with direct benefit Transfer (DBT) change the scenario of subsidies in India? Discuss.”

    [2020] Consider the following statements:
    1.Aadhaar metadata cannot be stored for more than three months.
    2.State cannot enter into any contract with private corporations for sharing of Aadhaar data.
    3.Aadhaar is mandatory for obtaining insurance products.
    4.Aadhaar is mandatory for getting benefits funded out of the Consolidated Fund of India.
    Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

    [A] 1 and 4 only

    [B] 2 and 4 only

    [C] 3 only

    [D] 1, 2 and 3 only

  • PM Modi inaugurates semiconductor project and other projects in Andhra Pradesh

    Why in the News?

    The Prime Minister inaugurated and laid foundation stones for ₹18,000 crore worth of projects in Andhra Pradesh, including a semiconductor project at Tarluvada (Visakhapatnam), to strengthen India’s semiconductor ecosystem and reduce import dependence.

    Key Components

    • Semiconductor Project (Tarluvada): Boost domestic chip manufacturing and employment.
    • National Highways: Four-lane NH-365BG sections and Tadipatri Bypass (NH-67).
    • Power Transmission: Integrate renewable energy from Kurnool and Ananthapuram into the National Grid.
    • Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport: Improve connectivity for North Andhra, South Odisha and Chhattisgarh.

    Significance

    • Reduces dependence on imported semiconductors.
    • Diversifies India’s semiconductor ecosystem beyond Gujarat.
    • Supports Make in India, Digital India and electronics manufacturing.
    • Strengthens supply chain resilience and national technological security.
    • Renewable energy integration ensures reliable power for semiconductor fabrication.

    Challenges

    • Very high capital investment.
    • Limited domestic ecosystem for semiconductor equipment, chemicals and skilled manpower.
    • Long gestation period before commercial production.
    • Requirement of uninterrupted power and ultra-pure water.

    Semiconductor Value Chain

    • Chip Design
    • Wafer Fabrication (Fab)
    • Assembly, Packaging and Testing (OSAT/ATMP)
    • Integration into electronic products

    India’s Semiconductor Ecosystem

    • Dholera (Gujarat): India’s first commercial semiconductor fab.
    • Morigaon (Assam): Tata Semiconductor Assembly and Test (TSAT) facility.
    • Sanand (Gujarat): OSAT facility by CG Power-Renesas partnership.
    • Tarluvada (Andhra Pradesh): Expands the semiconductor ecosystem to southern India.
      • Importance of Semiconductors: Smartphones, Artificial Intelligence, Electric Vehicles, Defence systems, Telecommunications (5G/6G), Medical devices, and Consumer electronics

    India Semiconductor Mission (ISM)

    • Launched in 2021 under MeitY.
    • Financial outlay of ₹76,000 crore.
    • Supports: Semiconductor Fabs, Display Fabs, Compound Semiconductor & Silicon Photonics, Sensors, and OSAT/ATMP facilities
    • Objective: Develop an end-to-end semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem in India.

    Note:

    • OSAT: Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly and Test; packages and tests semiconductor chips.
    • ATMP: Assembly, Testing, Marking and Packaging of semiconductor devices.
    • Fab: Manufacturing facility where silicon wafers are processed into integrated circuits.

    [2025, GS3, 15.0 marks] India aims to become a semiconductor manufacturing hub. What are the challenges faced by the semiconductor industry in India? Mention the salient features of the India Semiconductor Mission.”

    [2026] Which one of the following pairs of semiconductor plants in India and their locations is not correctly matched?

    [A] CG Power and Industrial Solutions Pvt. Ltd. in partnership with Renesas Electronics and STARS Microelectronics: Gujarat

    [B] Tata Semiconductor Assembly and Test Pvt. Ltd: Assam

    [C] HCL-Foxconn Joint Venture India Chip Ltd: Madhya Pradesh

    [D] SicSem Pvt. Ltd: Odisha

  • Cabinet approves Samudra Manthan offshore exploration scheme

    Why in the News?

    The Union Cabinet approved the Samudra Manthan Scheme (31 July 2026), a ₹84,084 crore National Offshore Exploration Scheme to boost domestic oil and gas production and reduce India’s growing import dependence.

    Key Components

    • Deepwater Drilling (₹43,200 crore): Support for 60 exploratory wells with funding up to 50% of drilling cost or ₹675 crore per well.
    • Offshore Data Acquisition (₹28,534 crore): Seismic surveys and geological data interpretation.
    • Common Infrastructure (₹10,000 crore): Shared offshore production facilities and pipelines.
    • Manufacturing & Service Zones (₹2,000 crore): Promote indigenous oil and gas equipment manufacturing.

    Objectives

    • Reduce crude oil and gas import dependence.
    • Expand hydrocarbon reserves from 1,600 MTOE to 2,200 MTOE.
    • Increase production from 62 MTOE to 80 MTOE.
    • Strengthen India’s energy security and support Atmanirbhar Bharat.

    Why is it Needed?

    • India imports over 88% of crude oil and about 50% of natural gas.
    • Deepwater exploration is costly and risky, discouraging private investment.
    • Existing oil fields are witnessing declining production.

    Challenges

    • Long gestation period (8 to 10 years).
    • High risk of unsuccessful exploration.
    • High development costs may affect commercial viability.
    • Dependence on foreign deepwater technology.
    • Need to offset declining output from ageing fields.

    Value Addition

    • Major offshore basins: Krishna Godavari, Cauvery, Mahanadi, Mumbai Offshore and Andaman.
    • Deepwater: 400 to 1,500 m water depth.
    • Ultra Deepwater: More than 1,500 m.

    [2025] Consider the following activities:
    I. Production of crude oil
    II. Refining, storage and distribution of petroleum
    III. Marketing and sale of petroleum products
    IV. Production of natural gas
    How many of the above activities are regulated by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board in our country?

    [A] Only one

    [B] Only two

    [C] Only three

    [D] All the four