Category: Environment and Ecology

Context:

• As per a government census conducted across 68 forest divisions of Uttar Pradesh, the population of sarus cranes in the state has gone up by 634 or 3.1% in a year.

About Sarus Crane:

• Nature: It is non-migratory and India’s only resident breeding crane.

• • Uniqueness: It is renowned as the tallest flying bird in the world, standing up to 156 cm (approx. 5.1 feet).
  • Recognition: it is the official state bird of Uttar Pradesh.
  • Habitat: They primarily live in wetlands like marshes, canals, and ponds, but they are also uniquely adapted to live in association with humans in paddy fields and cultivated plains.
  • Diet: They are omnivorous in nature, feeding on insects, aquatic plants, grains, and small vertebrates. 
  • Worldwide spread: They live in Southeast Asia, northern India, and northern Australia.
  • Distribution in India: In India, most sarus cranes are widely distributed along the Gangetic plain and in eastern Rajasthan in the northern states of India. Population densities decrease going to the south.
  • Appearance: They can be distinguished by a predominantly grey plumage with a naked red head and upper neck, and pale red legs.

• Mating behaviour: They are strictly monogamous, famously mating for life and often cited as symbols of marital fidelity.

• • Social behaviour: They are regarded as the least social crane species, found mostly in pairs or small groups of three or four. 

• Lifespan: It has been estimated that cranes in general can live 30 to 40 years.

• Conservation Status:

• • IUCN: Vulnerable
  • CITES: Appendix II
  • Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972: Schedule IV.

Source:

• Hindustan Times

Category: Economy

Context:

• RBI conducted its first Monetary Policy Committee meeting of 2026, during which RBI Governor announced that the repo rate, will remain unchanged at 5.25%.

About Monetary Policy Committee (MPC):

• • Origin: It was established in 2016 following an amendment to the RBI Act, 1934 (specifically Section 45ZB).

• Replacement: The MPC replaced the previous arrangement of the Technical Advisory Committee.

• • Composition: MPC will have six members: the RBI Governor (Chairperson), the RBI Deputy Governor in charge of monetary policy, one official nominated by the RBI Board, and the remaining three members would represent the Government of India.
  • Objective: It aims to maintain price stability while keeping growth in mind. The current inflation target is 4% with a tolerance band of ±2% (i.e., 2%–6%).

• Decision making: Decisions are made by majority vote, with each member having one vote. In the event of a tie, the RBI Governor has a casting vote.

• Meetings: It is required to meet at least four times a year.

• • Quorum: The quorum for a meeting shall be four Members, at least one of whom shall be the Governor and, in his absence, the Deputy Governor, who is the Member of the MPC.

• Binding decision: The decision of the MPC would be binding on the RBI.

About Monetary Policy:

• • Definition: Monetary policy refers to the use of monetary instruments under the control of the central bank to regulate magnitudes such as interest rates, money supply, and availability of credit with a view to achieving the ultimate objective of economic policy.

• Responsibility of RBI: The RBI is vested with the responsibility of conducting monetary policy. This responsibility is explicitly mandated under the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934.

• • Objective: The primary objective of monetary policy is to maintain price stability while keeping in mind the objective of growth. Price stability is a necessary precondition to sustainable growth.

• Statutory basis: In May 2016, the RBI Act, 1934, was amended to provide a statutory basis for the implementation of the flexible inflation targeting framework.

• Inflation targeting: The amended RBI Act also provides for the inflation target to be set by the government of India, in consultation with the Reserve Bank, once in every five years. The MPC constituted by the central government under Section 45ZB determines the policy interest rate required to achieve the inflation target.

Source:

• The Times of India

Category: Geography

• Recently, the Defence Minister flagged off a joint mountaineering expedition to Mount Aconcagua in Argentina from New Delhi.

About Mt Aconcagua:

• • Location: It is located in Argentina (near the border with Chile).
  • Uniqueness: It is the highest mountain in South America and the tallest mountain outside of Asia.
  • Origin: Aconcagua is of volcanic origin, but it is not itself an active volcano.
  • Formation: The Mountain was formed when the heavier Nazca Plate dived beneath the South American Plate through a process known as subduction.
  • Nature: It is a folded mountain composed of sedimentary and metamorphic rock.

• Boundary: It is one of the mountains in the Principle Cordillera, a mountain range in the Andes making up the boundary between Argentina and Central Chile.

• Seven summits: It is considered as one of the world’s “Seven Summits” (each of the seven tallest mountains in each continent).
• Climate Zones on the mountain: Dry and desert-like with sparse vegetation, Alpine desert zone and arctic conditions at the top.
• Glaciers: The mountain also contains glaciers, of which Ventisquero Horcones Inferior is the largest.

Source:

• PIB

Category: International Organisations

Context:

• Recently, India and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have signed the Terms of Reference for a Free Trade Agreement in New Delhi.

About Gulf Cooperation Council:

• • Establishment: It is a regional political and economic alliance established in 1981.

• Members: The member countries include Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

• • Objective: It aims to foster economic, security, cultural, and social cooperation among its members. This cooperation is based on common Islamic values, tribal links, and mutual security and development goals.

• History: It was formed in response to escalating regional tensions, particularly the Iranian Revolution (1979) and the Iran-Iraq War (1980–1988).

• Headquarters: Its headquarters is located in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

• Significance: GCC countries are located strategically along the Persian Gulf, linking Europe, Asia, and Africa through maritime routes. Further, the bloc controls around 30% of global oil reserves and is a major exporter of natural gas.
• Organizational Structure: Supreme council is the highest authority of the GCC, composed of the heads of the member states. Ministerial council is composed of foreign ministers or their representatives from member states. It proposes policies and implements decisions of the Supreme Council.
• Key exports and imports from India: Key exports from India to GCC include engineering goods, rice, textiles, machinery, gems and jewelry. Key sectors of imports from GCC primarily comprise crude oil, LNG, petrochemicals, and precious metals such as gold.

Source:

• News on AIR

Category: History and Culture

Context:

• The president of India, who is on a six-day tour to Odisha and Chhattisgarh, offered prayers at the Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri recently.

About Jagannath Temple:

• Location: It is a Hindu temple located in Puri, Odisha.

• • Deity: It is dedicated to Lord Jagannath, a form of the Hindu deity Vishnu.
  • Construction: It is believed to have been built during the reign of King Anantavarman Chodaganga Deva, of the Eastern Ganga dynasty, in the 12th century. However, the completion of the temple happened in 1230 AD under Anangbheema Deva III, who also installed the deities in the shrine.
  • Significance: It is one of the four sacred pilgrimage sites, known as the Chaar Dhaams, that hold great significance for Hindus.
  • Uniqueness: Ratha Yatra is a Hindu festival associated with Lord Jagannath temple.
  • Architecture: It is a striking example of Kalinga architecture, a distinct style prevalent in the Odisha region. The entire temple complex is enclosed within two concentric walls. The temple complex includes shrines, gardens, and sacred tanks, creating a serene atmosphere for devotion.

• Artistic features: It is constructed in such a way that no shadow of the temple falls on the ground at any time of the day. Unlike other temples of the region, the carvings on the temples are predominantly of gods and goddesses.

Source:

• News on AIR

(GS Paper III – Environment, Internal Security, Resource Governance)

Context (Introduction)

The February 5, 2026 explosion in an illegal rat-hole coal mine in Meghalaya, killing at least 18 workers, highlights the persistence of illegal mining despite judicial prohibitions. The tragedy underscores a deeper governance failure where court orders and regulatory frameworks exist, but enforcement, accountability, and livelihood alternatives remain weak.

Nature of the Problem: Rat-hole Mining in Meghalaya

• Rat-hole mining involves narrow, unengineered tunnels lacking roof or side-wall protection, making them prone to collapse
• Coal seams in Meghalaya are thin and scattered, favouring small-scale illegal extraction over mechanised mining
• Mining occurs on privately or community-owned land, complicating regulation and liability
• A high degree of fragmented ownership and contractorship diffuses accountability
• Strong local economic dependence on coal sustains social tolerance of illegality

Legal and Regulatory Background

• Rat-hole mining was banned by the National Green Tribunal in 2014 due to environmental and safety concerns
• Meghalaya operates under the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act (MMDR Act) to regulate mining, transport, and storage
• Despite this, illegal mines continue to function, indicating weak enforcement capacity rather than absence of law

Systemic Governance Gaps

• Court supervision cannot substitute governance: judicial bans lack last-mile enforcement
• Illegal coal is easily laundered into legal supply chains through intermediaries once it enters transport networks
• Accidents are underreported; workers are kept off formal records, masking injuries, child labour, and occupational disease
• Enforcement focuses on miners rather than intermediaries, transporters, and buyers, who face low risk and high profit
• Informal labour markets enable continuous supply of vulnerable workers

Why Enforcement Alone Fails

• Bans without livelihood alternatives push mining further underground
• Administrative tolerance and local patronage networks dilute deterrence
• Weak monitoring makes detection costlier than non-compliance

Way Forward: Making Illegality Costly and Alternatives Viable

• Increase expected cost of illegality through mandatory GPS tracking of coal carriers and route-based validation
• Integrate satellite imagery, drones, and control-room analytics to reduce detection costs
• Seize vehicles, cancel licences, prosecute intermediaries, and blacklist offenders from future auctions
• Introduce community-based monitoring, incentivised by sharing penalties with local bodies
• Offer conditional amnesty to workers to testify against contractors, while aggressively prosecuting organisers
• Rotate officials in hotspot districts and independently audit permits to curb administrative capture
• Displace illegal mining as an income source by expanding horticulture, construction, tourism, and small manufacturing, supported by credit and market linkages
• Reorient public works to absorb former mining labour

Conclusion

Treating illegal rat-hole mining solely as a law-and-order problem risks driving it deeper underground. Sustainable resolution requires raising the social and economic costs of illegality while simultaneously creating credible livelihood alternatives. Only a governance-led, incentive-aware approach can break the cycle of tragedy.

Mains Question

1. What do you understand by Rat hole mining? What are the causes behind its persistence? Discuss (250 words)

Source: The Hindu 

(GS Paper II – International Relations | GS Paper III – Technology & Energy)

Context (Introduction)

The contemporary international system is witnessing a decisive shift from a rules-based, institution-led order to a fragmented, power-centric and transactional system. Multilateral frameworks are weakening, global consensus on climate, trade and development is eroding, and national interest increasingly overrides shared norms. In this environment, capabilities — not commitments — shape influence, and two domains stand out as rule-defining: Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Energy.

How Artificial Intelligence is Reshaping Global Power

AI has moved beyond being a productivity tool to become a strategic asset that shapes economic competitiveness, military superiority and governance capacity.

• Geopolitical rivalry: The US–China contest increasingly revolves around AI leadership — semiconductors, data ecosystems, compute power and talent.
• Rule-making power: Countries leading in AI are setting standards on data governance, algorithmic accountability, cyber security and digital trade.
• Economic concentration: AI favours scale, capital and platforms, reinforcing hierarchies between technology leaders and followers.
• Strategic uncertainty: It remains unclear whether frontier innovation or rapid imitation will determine dominance, adding instability to global planning.

Thus, AI is not merely disruptive — it is reconstituting global hierarchies.

How Energy Dynamics Are Rewriting Strategic Calculations

Energy, unlike speculative technology markets, remains anchored in material fundamentals, but its geopolitical role is intensifying.

• Structural oil surplus has kept prices stable despite wars, sanctions and regional instability.
• Narrowing cost gap between fossil fuels and renewables has slowed the green transition.
• Critical mineral constraints — especially copper, lithium and rare earths — are emerging as new chokepoints in electrification.
• Energy security over climate idealism is increasingly guiding national policies.

Control over energy supply chains and transition materials is becoming a determinant of strategic autonomy.

Combined Impact: Technology–Energy Nexus and Rule Rewriting

AI and energy together shape:

• Industrial competitiveness
• Military capability
• Supply chain resilience
• Standards in trade, climate and digital governance

In a fragmented order, rules follow power, and power increasingly flows from technological depth and energy control, not multilateral consensus.

Challenges and Choices for India

India faces a complex strategic balancing act:

• Strategic autonomy amid US–China rivalry without technological dependence
• Energy security during a slow and resource-constrained green transition
• AI capability building despite gaps in semiconductors, data infrastructure and R&D
• Institutional deficit in global rule-making forums despite growing economic weight

India must avoid becoming a rule-taker in both AI governance and energy transitions.

Conclusion

In a world where multilateralism is thinning and power is increasingly transactional, AI and energy are the twin pillars of global influence. For India, the challenge is not merely adaptation but capability creation — ensuring that technological and energy choices reinforce sovereignty, competitiveness and long-term resilience rather than strategic vulnerability.

Mains Question

1. “The contemporary world order is shifting from rule-based multilateralism to transactional power politics. In this context, critically analyse how Artificial Intelligence and energy are redefining global hierarchies and assess India’s strategic positioning.” (250 words)

Source: The Hindu