Both Houses passed a Bill to rename Kerala as “Keralam”, its name in Malayalam. The change follows two resolutions of the Kerala Assembly and routes through the constitutional process for altering a state’s name.
How is a state renamed under the Constitution?
Parliament’s power: Under Article 3, Parliament can alter the name of a state by law.
Presidential referral: Such a Bill needs the President’s recommendation and the views of the affected state legislature.
Simple majority: The change is passed by ordinary legislative majority, not a constitutional amendment.
Why “Keralam”?
Linguistic identity: “Keralam” is the state’s name in Malayalam, and the change aligns official usage with local usage.
Assembly resolutions: The Kerala Assembly twice sought the change unanimously.
Why does the process matter?
Union primacy: Only Parliament, not the state, can effect the legal renaming.
Federal courtesy: The state legislature’s view is sought, but its resolution is not binding.
Back2Basics: Article 3 of the Constitution
Scope: Formation of new states and alteration of areas, boundaries, or names of existing states.
Initiation: Only on the President’s recommendation, after seeking the state legislature’s views.
Nature: Treated as an ordinary law, reflecting the “indestructible states” feature of Indian federalism.
“[2022, GS1, 15] The political and administrative reorganization of states and territories has been a continuous ongoing process since the mid-nineteenth century. Discuss with examples.”
[2025] Consider the following pairs : State:Description 1. Arunachal Pradesh: The capital is named after a fort, and the state has two National Parks 2. Nagaland: The State came into Existence on the basis of a Constitutional Amendment Act. 3. Tripura: Initially a Part ‘C’ State, it became a centrally administered territory with the reorganization of State in 1956 and later attained the status of a full-fledged State How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has asked the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to join its Moon Base programme, a project to establish a permanent research station on the Moon. The offer exposes a tension between the chance to accelerate ISRO’s own crewed-mission goals and the risk of locking India into another agency’s technology ecosystem. Space cooperation has continued to progress even amid the volatility of India-US relations.
What is the Moon Base programme?
About: An ambitious project to establish a permanent research station on the Moon where astronauts can live, work, and carry out experiments for extended periods.
Sequence: It is the logical follow-up to landing humans on the Moon, aimed at preparing the ground for longer stays.
What is the Artemis programme?
About: A US-led programme that aims to land humans on the Moon before 2028, the first crewed return since 1972.
Purpose: It is spearheaded by the United States and is designed to move faster and more efficiently by bringing in partner countries and private companies.
What are the Artemis Accords?
About: A US-led coalition of spacefaring countries setting principles for cooperative and sustainable lunar exploration, which India has already signed.
Contested feature: The Accords sidestep and seek to replace the 1979 Moon Agreement, a framework for multilateral governance of lunar resources.
What is the 1979 Moon Agreement?
About: An international agreement that seeks to develop a multilateral governance framework for the use of lunar resources.
Relevance: The Artemis Accords are seen as an alternative that the Moon Agreement’s supporters view as bypassing multilateral governance.
What does India gain from joining?
Crewed-mission experience: ISRO, which plans to land humans on the Moon by 2040, would gain hands-on experience in executing complex crewed missions.
Technology access: Participation offers access to technologies relevant to sustained lunar operations.
Existing commitments: India has signed the Artemis Accords and agreed with the US to develop a strategic framework for human spaceflight cooperation.
Strategic stakes: Over coming decades the Moon could become strategically and economically important as countries begin to extract lunar resources.
What are the risks of joining? (the central tension)
US-led alliance perception: The Artemis Accords are increasingly seen as a US-led alliance, and two major space powers, China and Russia, are not part of it.
Technology lock-in: It is important that ISRO does not get locked into NASA’s technology ecosystem, which would make it vulnerable to technology denial.
Goal displacement: Cooperation should help ISRO achieve its own goals faster, not lead it to abandon or delay them in the service of someone else’s goals.
Wariness of structures: India has been wary of joining such international structures, and signing the Accords already represented a choice.
Government Initiatives in the Space Sector
Gaganyaan: India’s human spaceflight programme to send astronauts to low-Earth orbit.
Bharatiya Antariksh Station: India’s planned space station for sustained microgravity research.
IN-SPACe: The body enabling private participation in the space sector.
Challenges for India’s Lunar Cooperation
Technology denial: Dependence on foreign systems risks future denial.
Alliance optics: Alignment with a US-led coalition affects ties with other space powers.
Parliament passed the National Cooperative Development Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2026, enabling the NCDC to provide loans and grants directly to cooperative societies.
What is NCDC?
NCDC (National Cooperative Development Corporation) is a statutory corporation established under the National Cooperative Development Corporation Act, 1962.
Functions under the Ministry of Cooperation.
Promotes and finances cooperatives involved in production, processing, marketing, storage and trade of agricultural and allied produce.
What does the Amendment Change?
Direct lending: NCDC can directly provide loans and grants to cooperative societies.
Wider coverage: Definition of foodstuffs expanded to include processed food and other food items notified by the Centre.
No additional budgetary outlay: The Bill does not provide for additional government financial assistance.
Why is it Needed?
Faster flow of credit by removing intermediary delays.
Supports over 8 lakh cooperatives with more than 30 crore members.
Extends cooperative financing into value added food chains.
Why are States Concerned?
Cooperation is largely a State subject.
Direct central lending may bypass State governments and registrars.
Raises concerns about cooperative federalism and centralisation.
Key Challenges
Financial weakness and poor governance of PACS (Primary Agricultural Credit Societies).
Dual regulatory control.
Regional concentration of cooperatives.
Delayed elections and audits.
Limited professional management.
Centre State friction.
Constitutional Framework
Entry 32, State List: Incorporation and regulation of cooperative societies within a State.
Article 43B: Promotes voluntary formation and autonomous functioning of cooperatives.
Part IXB, Articles 243ZH to 243ZT: Constitutional provisions on cooperatives.
Multi State Cooperative Societies Act, 2002: Governs cooperatives operating across multiple States.
The draft National Food Security (Amendment) Bill, 2026 proposes to link Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) entitlements to household size, opening a new phase in India’s food security debate. The reset exposes a triple tension: correcting the inequity of a flat household ration without reducing existing foodgrain access, while building a pathway from cereal security toward nutrition security amid a rising burden of diabetes and other non-communicable diseases.
What is the National Food Security Act, 2013?
Definition: The National Food Security Act, 2013 (NFSA) legally guarantees subsidised foodgrains to a large share of the population through the Public Distribution System, treating food as a legal entitlement rather than welfare.
Coverage design: It allows coverage of up to 75% of the rural and 50% of the urban population, split into Priority Households and Antyodaya Anna Yojana households.
What is the Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) category?
Definition: AAY covers the poorest of the poor households and provides a flat 35 kg of foodgrains per household per month, regardless of household size.
Contrast: Priority Households instead receive 5 kg of foodgrains per person per month, a per-head rather than per-household entitlement.
Why does the flat AAY entitlement create inequity?
Small households protected: The flat 35 kg shields smaller and highly vulnerable families, such as a widow or an older person living alone.
Large households squeezed: A seven-member AAY household receives only 5 kg per person and an eight-member household about 4.4 kg, below the Priority Household entitlement.
The distortion: Support per person falls as household size rises, inverting the intended pro-poor design.
What does the draft amendment propose?
Per-person formula: The draft proposes 7 kg of foodgrains per person, capped at 35 kg per household.
Winners and losers: It would reduce support for households with one to four members by 20% to 80%, leave those with five or more members unchanged, and give no AAY household any additional foodgrain.
The design flaw: By reducing rather than raising any allocation, it corrects inequity by levelling down.
Why does the proposal risk reducing existing access?
Tamil Nadu illustration: The State reports that 15.75 lakh of its 18.64 lakh AAY households, or 84.5%, have fewer than five members.
Allocation cut: The proposal would reduce the State’s monthly AAY allocation from 65,261 tonnes to 42,040 tonnes, a fall of about 35.6%.
Composition matters: A smaller household may include a person with a disability, a widow or an older person living alone, so headcount alone is a poor proxy for need.
Why must coverage, not just the formula, be reformed?
Outdated ceiling: The NFSA’s 81.35-crore beneficiary ceiling remains based on Census 2011, though about 80 crore people currently receive free foodgrains.
Coverage erosion: Against an estimated population of 146.4 crore in 2025, the ceiling covers only 55.6% of people.
Recalculation needed: The ceiling should be recalculated when Census 2027 figures become available, with accessible inclusion and appeal mechanisms in the interim.
Why is grain alone not nutrition security?
Uneven child nutrition: NFHS-6 (2023-24) found stunting among under-fives fell from 35.5% to 29.3%, but wasting barely moved from 19.3% to 19.0% and underweight from 32.1% to 31.8%.
Diet inadequacy: Only about 15% of children aged six to 23 months receive a minimally adequate diet.
Double burden: The ICMR-India Diabetes study estimated 101 million Indians had diabetes and 136 million had prediabetes in 2021.
Life-course risk: Maternal undernutrition and low birth weight raise the risk of non-communicable diseases later in life.
Should the PDS cereal basket be blamed for diabetes risk?
Not a direct cause: Foodgrain entitlement should not itself be equated with diabetes risk.
The real concern: A predominantly cereal-based basket, combined with diets already high in carbohydrates and low in protein, can reinforce dietary imbalance.
Evidence: A 2025 ICMR-INDIAB study of 18,090 adults found carbohydrates supplied 62.3% of daily energy and protein 12%, with the highest carbohydrate intake carrying 30% higher odds of newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes.
Millets caution: Replacing refined cereals with whole-wheat or millet flour was not linked to lower risk when the carbohydrate share stayed high, so more grain or millets alone is not a complete nutrition policy.
How can diets be diversified without cutting cereals?
Balanced target: The ICMR-NIN 2024 guidelines recommend cereals and millets provide at most 45% of energy, with more from pulses, milk, nuts, vegetables and fruits.
What the PDS can do: The PDS can best supply affordable, shelf-stable foods, with States supported to offer pulses, local rice, wheat, millet choices and healthy edible oils.
Procurement link: Local production and consumption should guide supply chains and effective Minimum Support Price procurement for pulse, millet and oilseed growers.
Programme convergence: Sustained investment should link the PDS, Anganwadi services and Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman (PM POSHAN), providing eggs, milk or suitable alternatives where feasible.
Separate budgeting: Dietary diversification must be separately budgeted, not financed by reducing cereal entitlements, against a food subsidy allocation of Rs 2,27,629 crore in the 2026-27 Union Budget.
Phased pilots: Additions should be tested through State pilots assessing consumption, dietary diversity, anaemia, glycaemic risk, wastage and exclusion.
How does the delivery network enable this reform?
Digitised last mile: By the end of 2025, 5.50 lakh of 5.51 lakh fair price shops used electronic point-of-sale devices.
Portability: One Nation One Ration Card covered nearly all NFSA beneficiaries, supporting portability and monitoring.
Safeguards needed: Systems must include reliable offline alternatives, assisted or doorstep access for people with limited mobility, and a guarantee that authentication failure will not deny entitled foodgrains.
Nutrition referral: Fair price shops could carry multilingual receipts and messages and, where feasible, link willing adults to diabetes and hypertension services, with over 1.86 lakh Ayushman Arogya Mandirs and 41.3 crore diabetes screenings recorded by June 2026.
What three safeguards should anchor the reform?
No-loss guarantee: Any per-person formula should preserve the existing 35 kg monthly entitlement for every AAY household.
Periodic review: The adequacy of the 35 kg ceiling should be reviewed for larger and high-dependency households using consumption, nutritional and fiscal evidence.
Separately financed diversification: Dietary diversification must be separately financed and progressively implemented without reducing existing cereal entitlements.
Conclusion
The proposed amendment is an opportunity to correct the inequity of a flat AAY ration, but only if it preserves the 35 kg entitlement, assesses the needs of larger households, and finances a gradual transition toward more diverse and nutritious diets. India’s next food security reform must protect people from hunger while addressing the dietary drivers of diabetes, judged not by tonnes of grain moved but by whether vulnerable families can eat enough, eat healthier and obtain their entitlements with dignity.
Food Security in India (Foundational Context)
About: Food security means physical, economic and social access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food for an active, healthy life.
Scale: The NFSA covers about 80 crore people through the world’s largest food-based safety net.
Progress: The share of households unable to afford the ICMR-NIN recommended diet fell from about 52% in 2011-12 to about 25% in 2023-24, at 25% rural and 21% urban.
Back2Basics: National Food Security Act, 2013
Coverage: Up to 75% of rural and 50% of urban population.
Entitlement: 5 kg per person per month for Priority Households; 35 kg per household for AAY households.
Woman as head: The eldest woman aged 18 or above is the head of household for ration card issuance.
Maternity and child benefits: Entitlements for pregnant and lactating women and for children through supplementary nutrition programmes.
Grievance redress: State and district-level redress and vigilance mechanisms.
Statutory Framework Governing Food Security
Article 21: The right to life, read to include the right to food.
Article 47 (DPSP): Duty of the State to raise nutrition levels and the standard of living.
National Food Security Act, 2013: Legal entitlement to subsidised foodgrains.
Essential Commodities Act, 1955: Regulation of production, supply and distribution of essential commodities.
Government Initiatives for Food and Nutrition Security
Public Distribution System: Distribution of subsidised foodgrains through fair price shops.
PM POSHAN: Hot cooked meals for schoolchildren.
Anganwadi and ICDS: Supplementary nutrition for young children and pregnant or lactating women.
One Nation One Ration Card: Portable ration access across States.
Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana: Free foodgrains scheme scaling the NFSA entitlement.
Key Facts about Food Security
PoS coverage: 5.50 lakh of 5.51 lakh fair price shops digitised by end 2025.
Diabetes burden: 101 million diabetics and 136 million prediabetics estimated in 2021.
Guideline: ICMR-NIN 2024 caps cereals and millets at 45% of dietary energy.
Challenges in Food and Nutrition Security
Cereal-heavy basket: High carbohydrate share crowding out protein and micronutrients.
Double burden: Coexistence of undernutrition and rising non-communicable diseases.
Outdated coverage: Beneficiary ceiling frozen at Census 2011.
Exclusion errors: Authentication failures and mobility barriers at the last mile.
Fiscal pressure: Large and rising food subsidy bill.
Procurement skew: MSP concentrated in rice and wheat over pulses and oilseeds.
Way Forward
No-loss safeguard: Legally protect the 35 kg AAY entitlement in any new formula.
Update coverage: Recalculate the ceiling on Census 2027 with accessible appeals.
Diversify diets: Separately fund pulses, millets and healthy oils in the PDS.
Converge programmes: Link PDS, Anganwadi and PM POSHAN for nutrition delivery.
Pilot before scale: Test additions through phased State pilots measuring nutrition and fiscal outcomes.
Previous Year Question
[2018] With reference to the provisions made under the National Food Security Act, 2013, consider the following statements:
1. The families coming under the category of ‘below poverty line (BPL)’ only are eligible to receive subsidised food grains.
2. The eldest woman in a household, of age 18 years or above, shall be the head of the household for the purpose of issuance of a ration card.
3. Pregnant women and lactating mothers are entitled to a ‘take-home ration’ of 1600 calories per day during pregnancy and for six months thereafter.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 and 2
(b) 2 only
(c) 1 and 3
(d) 3 only
[2021 GS3 15m] What are the salient features of the National Food Security Act, 2013? How has the Food Security Bill helped in eliminating hunger and malnutrition in India?”
The Tribal Council of Great and Little Nicobar has raised concerns that the Great Nicobar Island (GNI) Project could lead to assimilation and disturbance of the Shompen, a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG).
What is the GNI Project?
Large infrastructure and township project in Great Nicobar.
Estimated cost: around ₹91,000 crore.
Includes a proposed power plant at Galathea, near Shompen settlements.
Who are the Shompen?
Hunter-gatherer indigenous community.
Fewer than 300 members.
Recognised as a PVTG.
Their isolation makes contact, displacement and forced assimilation particularly sensitive.
What are PVTGs?
PVTG = Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group: Identified based on characteristics such as:
Pre-agricultural technology
Low literacy
Stagnant or declining population
Economic backwardness
India recognises 75 PVTGs.
Key Concerns
Assimilation: Proposal to shift the Shompen towards a modern lifestyle.
Displacement: Concern over possible settlement and relocation.
Consent: Questions regarding consultation over wildlife reserves and project decisions.
Health risks: Contact with isolated communities can expose them to diseases and other risks.
Assurance gap: Earlier assurance stated that the project would not disturb or displace the Shompen.
Laws Protecting Tribal Rights
Forest Rights Act, 2006: Recognises individual and community forest rights.
PESA, 1996: Provides self-governance and consent provisions in Scheduled Areas.
Andaman and Nicobar Islands (Protection of Aboriginal Tribes) Regulation, 1956: Restricts entry into tribal reserves.
Government Initiatives
PM-JANMAN: Development of PVTG households and habitations.
Development of PVTGs Scheme: Habitat-specific support for 75 PVTGs.
“[2009] In which one of the following places is the Shompen tribe found?
The National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) has decided to comprehensively review all proposals from the Centre over the last three years to dereserve government posts. The decision has exposed a running clash between the Commission and Union departments over the practice of filling reserved vacancies as unreserved ones, particularly in promotion vacancies. The Commission holds that such proposals are often incomplete and fail to show alternate efforts to fill reserved posts.
What is de-reservation?
Definition: De-reservation is the practice of filling a reserved vacancy as an unreserved one, permitted only in exceptional circumstances.
General ban: Department of Personnel and Training rules impose a general ban on dereserving posts, with very specific exceptions.
Direct recruitment exception: A direct recruitment vacancy may be dereserved only where a Group A service vacancy cannot be allowed to remain vacant in public interest.
What is the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC)?
Constitutional body: The NCSC is a constitutional body established under Article 338 to safeguard the interests of Scheduled Castes against exploitation and to ensure their social, economic and educational advancement.
Composition: It consists of a Chairperson, a Vice Chairperson and three other members appointed by the President.
Advisory role on de-reservation: Any de-reservation proposal must first be examined by the Commission before it proceeds further.
What is the current status of reservation in India?
Category wise quotas: Scheduled Castes hold 15 per cent, Scheduled Tribes 7.5 per cent, Other Backward Classes 27 per cent for the non creamy layer, and Economically Weaker Sections 10 per cent.
Ceiling position: The judicially settled ceiling on reservation is 50 per cent, subject to exceptions such as the EWS quota upheld by the Supreme Court.
Promotion reservation: Reservation in promotions for SCs and STs is permitted subject to data on backwardness, inadequate representation and administrative efficiency.
Backlog and de-reservation: Reserved vacancies that remain unfilled generate a recurring pressure to dereserve, which the Commission is now examining across the last three years.
Constitutional provisions related to reservation:
Article 338: Establishes the NCSC and empowers it to investigate and monitor safeguards for Scheduled Castes, with the powers of a civil court.
Article 16(4): Enables reservation in appointments for backward classes inadequately represented in state services.
Article 16(4A): Enables reservation in promotions with consequential seniority for SCs and STs inadequately represented.
Article 335: Requires that SC and ST claims be considered consistently with the maintenance of efficiency of administration.
Article 341: Empowers the President to specify the castes deemed Scheduled Castes for a State or Union Territory.
Why is the NCSC reviewing de-reservation proposals now?
Recurring incompleteness: The Commission found that de-reservation proposals are often incomplete and do not reveal the alternate efforts made to fill the reserved posts.
Consistent rejection: In four of the five Full Commission meetings held since 2024, de-reservation featured high on the agenda, and none of the proposals was agreed to by the NCSC.
Spread of proposals: Proposals came for posts in public sector undertakings and in the Ministries of Law and of Housing and Urban Affairs, the Narcotics Control Bureau, the Central Reserve Police Force and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
Objection window extended: Nudging by the Commission led the Department of Personnel and Training to double the time SC and ST Commissions get to object, from two weeks to one month.
Systemic remedy sought: The June 4 Full Commission meeting resolved to examine recurring issues and formulate recommendations for effective implementation of the reservation policy.
What is the procedure for de-reservation?
First scrutiny: A proposal is examined first by the National Commissions for SCs, STs or OBCs, whichever is applicable.
Committee of Secretaries: It then goes to a Committee of Secretaries of the concerned Department, the Department of Personnel and Training and the Social Justice Ministry.
Final authority in direct recruitment: The final decision rests with the Minister of Personnel and Training.
Weaker check in promotions: For promotion vacancies, the recruiting Department or Ministry retains the final say even though it must submit a proposal to the National Commissions and the Department of Personnel and Training.
Alternatives suggested: The Commission proposed that departments explore deputation or short term contracts to fill reserved vacancies with eligible SC candidates rather than dereserving them.
What are the major debates surrounding de-reservation?
Public interest versus social justice: The Group A public interest exception is contested where it is used to bypass the effort to find eligible reserved candidates.
Weak promotion safeguard: The Commission’s objection carries less weight for promotion vacancies, where the recruiting Ministry retains the final say.
Efficiency argument: Departments invoke administrative efficiency under Article 335, while the Commission stresses the mandate to fill reserved posts first.
Data transparency: The dispute turns on whether departments disclose the alternate efforts and backlog data that justify de-reservation.
Conclusion: The NCSC has decided to review all Union de-reservation proposals of the last three years and to formulate recommendations on their recurring shortcomings. The immediate friction is the Commission’s finding that such proposals hide the alternate efforts made to fill reserved posts. The next step is the Commission’s examination of the flagged proposals and its recommendations to secure effective implementation of the reservation policy.
Back2Basics: National Commission for Scheduled Castes
Governing provision: Article 338 of the Constitution.
Origin: Created in its present form by the 89th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2003, which bifurcated the earlier combined Commission for SCs and STs.
Composition: Chairperson, Vice Chairperson and three other members appointed by the President by warrant.
Powers: Investigates and monitors safeguards, inquires into specific complaints, and has the powers of a civil court while inquiring.
Reporting: Submits reports to the President, which are laid before Parliament.
Way Forward:
Mandatory disclosure: Require every de-reservation proposal to attach the record of alternate efforts and the backlog position.
Strengthen promotion check: Give the Commission a binding role in promotion vacancy de-reservation, not merely a consultative one.
Backlog drives: Conduct special recruitment drives to clear reserved vacancy backlogs before considering de-reservation.
Time bound examination: Use the extended one month window to ensure substantive scrutiny rather than lapse by default.
Deputation and contract routes: Institutionalise deputation and short term contracts to keep reserved posts within the reservation policy.
Matching Previous Year Question
“[2018 GS2 10m] Whether National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) can enforce the implementation of constitutional reservation for the Scheduled Castes in the religious minority institutions? Examine.”
A three member inquiry committee found all three charges proved against former judge Justice Yashwant Varma over unexplained burnt currency found at his official residence. The key issue is whether Parliament can continue the removal process after his resignation.
Judicial Removal Process
Under the Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968:
Motion: Signed by 100 Lok Sabha or 50 Rajya Sabha members.
Admission: Speaker/Chairman may admit or reject it.
Inquiry Committee: Supreme Court Judge, Chief Justice of a High Court, and Distinguished jurist
Parliamentary approval: Motion must pass in both Houses by:
Majority of total membership, and
2/3 of members present and voting
Final removal: President issues the removal order.
Constitutional Provisions
Article 124(4): Removal of Supreme Court judges for proved misbehaviour or incapacity.
Article 124(5): Parliament can regulate the inquiry procedure.
Articles 217 & 218: Apply the removal framework to High Court judges.
Article 121: Parliament cannot discuss a judge’s conduct except during a removal motion.
Varma Inquiry: Three Charges
Unexplained cash: Burnt currency found at his official residence.
Evidence preservation: Failure to preserve the material evidence.
Evasive explanations: Committee found his explanations misleading and unsupported.
Key Constitutional Issue
Removal motion was admitted before his resignation.
The law does not expressly clarify whether proceedings can continue after resignation.
The issue therefore exposes a legal gap concerning post resignation proceedings and consequences for pension and other benefits.
“[2019] Consider the following statements:
1. The motion to impeach a Judge of the Supreme Court of India cannot be rejected by the Speaker of the Lok Sabha as per the Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968.
2. The Constitution of India defines and gives details of what constitutes “incapacity and proved misbehaviour” of the Judges of the Supreme Court of India.
3. The details of the process of impeachment of the Judges of the Supreme Court of India are given in the Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968.
4. If the motion for the impeachment of a Judge is taken up for voting, the law requires the motion to be backed by each House of the Parliament and supported by a majority of total membership of that House and by not less than two-thirds of total members of that House present and voting.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 (b) 3 only (c) 3 and 4 only (d) 1, 3 and 4
India’s CPI (Consumer Price Index) inflation rose to 4.45% in July, driven mainly by food and fuel prices, while remaining within the RBI’s tolerance band.
What is CPI?
CPI = Consumer Price Index
Measures changes in retail prices of a fixed basket of goods and services.
India’s CPI was rebased to 2024.
Sector-wise data under the new series is available from January 2026.
What Drove Inflation?
Food inflation: 5.52%.
Onion inflation: 22.54%.
Restaurants & accommodation: 7.7%.
Transport: 4.4%.
Personal care: 14.8%.
What Remained Stable?
Core inflation: 3.9%, excluding food and fuel.
Health inflation: 1.3%.
Recreation: 1.6%.
Stable core inflation suggests limited demand-pull pressure, with the current rise largely driven by supply-side factors.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has invited the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to join its Moon Base programme, the effort to return humans to the Moon and set up a permanent settlement near the lunar South Pole. The invitation was extended at the ninth meeting of the India and United States Civil Space Joint Working Group, deepening a partnership that already spans the Artemis Accords and a joint radar satellite.
What was announced and what is the Moon Base programme?
The invitation: NASA invited ISRO to join its Moon Base programme, building on the two countries’ partnership under the Artemis Accords.
The venue: The offer was made at the ninth meeting of the India and United States Civil Space Joint Working Group, held in Bengaluru on 5 and 6 August.
The programme: The Moon Base programme aims to establish humanity’s first outpost on another celestial body, near the South Pole of the Moon.
Wider setting: The meeting advanced civil and commercial space cooperation under a strategic technology initiative aligned with the February 2025 Joint Leaders’ Statement.
What are the Artemis Accords?
Definition: The Artemis Accords are a United States led set of non binding principles to govern the peaceful civil exploration and use of outer space, including the Moon.
India’s role: India signed the Accords in 2023 as the 27th country, and a total of 70 countries are now part of them.
Relevance: The Moon Base invitation and agreed open scientific data sharing are being pursued under this framework.
What deepening ties does the invitation reflect?
NISAR mission: The two agencies last year launched the NASA and ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) mission, a dual frequency radar satellite and a first of its kind joint venture.
Human spaceflight: An Indian astronaut flew to the International Space Station in 2025 through an Axiom mission, a result of a strategic framework for human spaceflight cooperation.
Data cooperation: Both sides agreed to advance open scientific data sharing and discussed joint missions to the Moon and beyond.
Outer space governance: They reaffirmed commitment to United Nations guidelines on the long term sustainability of outer space activities.
What are India’s own lunar and human spaceflight programmes?
Gaganyaan: ISRO is pursuing its human spaceflight programme to send Indian astronauts to low Earth orbit.
Moon landing target: India has stated plans to achieve a human landing on the Moon by 2040.
Chandrayaan legacy: India’s earlier lunar missions established its capability, including a South Pole region landing.
Complementary strengths: NISAR’s success is seen as a base for more complex joint missions, including the lunar base and human spaceflight.
Back2Basics: NISAR Mission
Full form: NASA and ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar mission.
Nature: A joint Earth observation satellite using dual frequency radar, a first of its kind.
Purpose: Monitors changes in land surface, ice sheets, ecosystems and natural hazards.
Significance: Regarded as a landmark joint venture that could enable more complex India and United States space missions.
Government Initiatives / Programmes in Indian Space
Gaganyaan: India’s human spaceflight programme to send astronauts to low Earth orbit.
Chandrayaan Programme: Series of lunar missions advancing India’s Moon exploration.
IN-SPACe: Regulator and promoter enabling private sector participation in space.
Indian Space Policy 2023: Framework opening the sector to non governmental entities.
Key Facts about India and Global Space Cooperation
Artemis signatory: India was the 27th country to sign the Artemis Accords in 2023, now numbering 70 countries.
Working group: The invitation came at the ninth India and United States Civil Space Joint Working Group in Bengaluru.
Moon landing goal: India targets a human landing on the Moon by 2040.
South Pole focus: The Moon Base aims for humanity’s first outpost near the lunar South Pole.
“[2016] Consider the following statements: The Mangalyaan launched by ISRO
1. is also called the Mars Orbiter Mission
2. made India the second country to have a spacecraft orbit the Mars after USA
3. made India the only country to be successful in making its spacecraft orbit the Mars in its very first attempt
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
A Parliamentary Standing Committee flagged a major gap between training and employment under the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY), highlighting low wages, poor retention and distress migration.
What is DDU-GKY?
Ministry: Ministry of Rural Development.
Launched: 2014.
Target: Poor rural youth aged 15–35 years.
Nature: Placement-linked skill development scheme.
Training providers are assessed on training, placement and post-placement retention.
Implemented through Project Implementing Agencies (PIAs).
Key Findings of the Committee
18.38 lakh youth trained and 11.94 lakh placed as of March 2026.
Low wages and relocation costs lead to early job exits.
9.65 lakh women trained and 6.03 lakh placed.
PIAs focus more on initial placement than sustained employment.
Major Challenges
Skill-training does not match labour market demand.
Poor training quality and infrastructure.
Low wages reduce job retention.
Migration creates financial and social pressures.
Weak post-placement tracking.
Committee Recommendations
Near 100% placement tracking.
Mandatory industry linkages and local placement drives.
District-level placement cells.
Migration assistance, mentorship and retention support.
Assess PIAs on sustained employment, not just initial placement.
Set and monitor minimum wage employment targets.
Skill Development Initiatives
Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY)
DAY-NRLM
Rural Self Employment Training Institutes (RSETIs)
Startup Village Entrepreneurship Programme (SVEP)
Skill India Digital
[2023, GS2, 15 marks] Skill development programs have succeed in increasing human resources supply to various sectors. In the context of the statement analyze the linkages between education, skill and employment.”
[2018] With reference to Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana, consider the following statements:
It is the flagship scheme of the Ministry of Labour and Employment.
It, among other things will also impart training in soft skills, entrepreneurship, financial and digital literacy.
It aims to align the competencies of the unregulated workforce of the country to the National Skill Qualification Framework.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
