Topic 1: Seven Years of SWAYATT Initiative on GeM
GS Paper 2: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors; Issues arising out of their design and implementation.
Context: Government e-Marketplace (GeM) celebrated the seventh anniversary of its flagship initiative, SWAYATT (Startups, Women and Youth Advantage through e-Transactions), highlighting its role in making public procurement inclusive for marginalized and emerging entrepreneurs.
What is SWAYATT?
Launched on 19 February 2019, SWAYATT is a GeM initiative aimed at democratizing the ₹4 lakh crore+ government procurement market.
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- Target Groups: Startups, Women Entrepreneurs, Youth, Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs), Self Help Groups (SHGs), and last-mile sellers.
- Three Pillars of Intervention:
1. Access to Markets: Connecting local sellers directly to over 1.5 lakh government buyers.
2. Access to Finance: Simplifying transaction processes to improve cash flow for small units.
3. Access to Value Addition: Providing tools for startups and MSEs to scale their product visibility.
Key Performance Metrics (FY 2018–19 vs. FY 2025–26)
The initiative has seen exponential growth in both the volume and value of orders placed by government departments to these specific segments.
1. Women Entrepreneurs
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- Order Value: Jumped from ₹1,265 crore to ₹83,323 crore.
- Order Volume: Increased from ~1 lakh to over 44.48 lakh orders.
- Flagship Tool: Womaniya storefront on GeM.
2. Startups
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- Order Value: Surged from ₹497 crore to ₹54,005 crore.
- Order Volume: Grew from ~17,000 to over 5.30 lakh orders.
- Flagship Tool: Startup Runway (allows startups to list innovative products that may not have traditional tender references).
Strategic Impact & Inclusive Procurement
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- Democratization: SWAYATT has effectively “made the invisible invincible” by allowing rural SHGs and home-grown startups to compete with large corporations on a level playing field.
- Direct Benefit: By removing intermediaries, it ensures higher margins for the actual producers/entrepreneurs.
- Transparency: Every transaction is digital, end-to-end, reducing the scope for corruption in local-level government purchasing.
UPSC Prelims Fodder: Fact-Check
| Feature | Details |
| SWAYATT | Startups, Women and Youth Advantage through e-Transactions. |
| Launch Date | 19 February 2019. |
| GeM Status | Section 8 (Non-profit) company under the Ministry of Commerce & Industry. |
| MSE Reservation | 25% of annual procurement by Central Ministries/PSUs is mandatory from MSEs (including 3% from women-owned MSEs). |
| Startup Runway | A dedicated corner on GeM for DPIIT-recognized startups. |
Conclusion:
By recording over ₹1.37 lakh crore in cumulative orders for women and startups alone, the initiative is a cornerstone of India’s Viksit Bharat vision.
Topic 2: AI-Powered Robotic Sanitation: G-SPIDER in Thiruvananthapuram
GS Paper 3: Science and Technology- developments and their applications; Awareness in the fields of AI and Robotics; Infrastructure: Urban Sanitation.
Context: Under the Swachh Bharat Mission–Urban 2.0, the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation has deployed G-SPIDER, an AI-powered robotic system, to clean high-risk urban canals, effectively phasing out manual entry in hazardous environments.
The Problem: Operational Challenges in Urban Canals
The deployment specifically targets the Amayizhanchan Canal, a stretch that has historically been a sanitation nightmare due to:
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- Restricted Vertical Clearance: Large sections are covered beneath the Thampanoor Railway Station.
- Inaccessibility: Lack of safe human entry points and confined working conditions.
- Environmental Hazards: Continuous water flow combined with toxic gases and contaminated water.
Technology Profile: G-SPIDER Robot
Developed by Genrobotic Innovations (the creators of the ‘Bandicoot’ robotic scavenger), the G-SPIDER is a specialized tool for complex drainage networks.
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- Architecture: Built on Cable-Driven Parallel Robotics (CDPR), allowing it to move and stabilize across open or covered canals.
- AI & Machine Vision: Uses sensor intelligence to autonomously detect, assess, and identify different types of waste and structural obstacles in real-time.
- Robotic Mechanism: Features a five-degrees-of-freedom arm with a biomimetic claw-type grabber for handling irregular and hazardous debris.
- Hands-Free Process: Debris is extracted and directly transferred to collection vehicles without any human contact.
Strategic Impact & Benefits
The shift toward mechanized cleaning addresses social, environmental, and operational goals:
1. Elimination of Manual Scavenging: Directly supports the legal mandate to stop humans from entering sewers and septic tanks/canals.
2. Worker Safety: Minimizes exposure to sharp debris, hazardous materials, and lethal toxic gases.
3. Flood Mitigation: Regular, systematic cleaning strengthens drainage efficiency, which is crucial for preventing Urban Flooding during heavy rains.
4. Operational Consistency: Unlike manual labor, the robot can function efficiently during high water levels and continuous flow.
Alignment with National Missions
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- Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM-U 2.0): Focuses on making cities “Garbage Free” and ensuring the safety and dignity of sanitation workers.
- SafaiMitra Suraksha: Technology-driven interventions like G-SPIDER fulfill the vision of providing a “safety net” for frontline sanitation workers.
UPSC Prelims Fodder: Fact-Check
| Feature | Details |
| G-SPIDER | AI-powered Automated Canal Cleaning Robot. |
| Genrobotic Innovations | Indian startup known for the ‘Bandicoot’ robot. |
| Amayizhanchan Canal | Critical urban drainage in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. |
| CDPR | Cable-Driven Parallel Robotics (The robot’s movement mechanism). |
| Manual Scavenging Act | The Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013. |
Conclusion:
The deployment of G-SPIDER marks a “decisive shift” from manual to mechanized urban maintenance.
Topic 3: Revamped Public Dashboard of MPLADS e-SAKSHI Portal
GS Paper 2: Statutory, regulatory and various quasi-judicial bodies; Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors; E-governance- applications, models, successes, limitations, and potential.
Context: The Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation (MoSPI) has significantly enhanced the transparency of the MPLADS (Member of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme) by revamping its public dashboard on the e-SAKSHI portal.
What is the e-SAKSHI Portal?
Introduced on 1 April 2023, the e-SAKSHI portal transitioned the MPLADS implementation from a manual/physical mode to a fully digital, real-time fund-flow procedure.
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- Stakeholders: MPs, MoSPI (Central Nodal Agency), State Nodal Authorities, District Authorities, and Implementing Agencies.
- Functionality: * MPs recommend works and earmark funds online.
- District Authorities perform feasibility checks and sanction works.
- Implementing Agencies (IAs) execute works and raise digital payment requests for vendors.
- Visual Verification: IAs and MPs can upload photographs of assets at various stages of completion.
New Features of the Revamped Dashboard (2026)
The recent update aims to improve data accuracy and public accessibility:
1. Drill-down Tabs: The dashboard now provides granular details on:
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- Works Recommended vs. Sanctioned.
- Works Completed.
- Expenditure on both completed and ongoing projects.
- Calamity Relief: Specific amounts consented for use during natural disasters.
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2. MP-led Verification: Hon’ble MPs can now personally upload photographs of completed works to ensure the accuracy of the digital record.
3. Correction Mechanism: District Authorities and IAs have a new provision to replace incorrectly uploaded images of completed assets.
Important Data Note: The 2023 Divide
The portal highlights a technical limitation regarding historical data:
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- Post-April 2023: Full digital tracking available for the 17th Lok Sabha (2023-24) and beyond.
- Pre-April 2023: Data for earlier years (2019–2023) and older Rajya Sabha terms are not available on the portal as they were managed through physical files and district-level bank accounts.
About the MPLAD Scheme
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- Type: Central Sector Scheme.
- Entitlement: Each MP is entitled to recommend works up to ₹5 crore per annum.
- Objective: Creation of durable community assets (drinking water, primary education, public health, sanitation, and roads) based on locally felt needs.
- Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation (MoSPI).
UPSC Prelims Fodder: Fact-Check
| Feature | Details |
| Portal Name | e-SAKSHI (www.mplads.mospi.gov.in). |
| Nodal Agency | MoSPI is the Central Nodal Agency (CNA). |
| Sanction Power | Rests with the District Authority (Collector/DM). |
| Timeframe | Sanctioned works generally must be completed within one year. |
| Completion Proof | Mandatory marking of “Complete” on the portal + uploading of asset images. |
Conclusion:
The revamp of the e-SAKSHI dashboard is a major step toward “Minimum Government, Maximum Governance.”
Topic 4: Final Results of the Civil Services Examination (CSE), 2025
GS Paper 2: Appointment to various Civil services; Role of UPSC; Issues relating to the management of Human Resources.
Context: The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has declared the final results of the Civil Services Examination, 2025. This culminates a year-long cycle of Prelims (May 2025), Mains (August 2025), and Personality Tests (Dec 2025–Feb 2026).
Overview of Recommendations
A total of 958 candidates have been recommended for appointment to various Group ‘A’ and Group ‘B’ services, including the IAS, IFS, and IPS.
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- Category-wise Break-up of Recommended Candidates:
- General: 317
- EWS: 104
- OBC: 306
- SC: 158
- ST: 73
- Total: 958
- PwBD Inclusion: The list includes 42 candidates with benchmark disabilities across various sub-categories.
- Category-wise Break-up of Recommended Candidates:
Vacancy Analysis & Allocation
The Government reported a total of 1,087 vacancies to be filled through the 2025 examination.
| Service | Gen | EWS | OBC | SC | ST | Total |
| I.A.S. | 74 | 18 | 47 | 28 | 13 | 180 |
| I.F.S. | 22 | 06 | 15 | 08 | 04 | 55 |
| I.P.S. | 60 | 15 | 42 | 22 | 11 | 150 |
| Central Group ‘A’ | 211 | 48 | 141 | 73 | 34 | 507 |
| Group ‘B’ Services | 79 | 17 | 61 | 27 | 11 | 195 |
| Total | 446 | 104 | 306 | 158 | 73 | 1087 |
Rules of the Reserve List
In accordance with Rule 20 (4) & (5) of the CSE Rules 2025, the Commission maintains two lists beyond the initial recommendations:
1. Consolidated Reserve List: Comprises 258 candidates (129 General, 26 EWS, 86 OBC, 08 SC, 06 ST) to be used if recommended candidates do not join or vacancies remain.
2. Extended List: Maintained alongside the reserve list for further contingencies.
Administrative Safeguards
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- Provisional Status: The candidature of 348 recommended candidates is kept provisional pending final verification of documents.
- Withheld Results: The results of 02 candidates have been kept withheld.
- Verification: Final appointment is subject to the verification of reservation claims (EWS/OBC/SC/ST/PwBD) and medical fitness.
UPSC Prelims Fodder: Fact-Check
| Feature | Details |
| UPSC Status | A Constitutional Body under Article 315-323 of the Indian Constitution. |
| Rule 20 (4) & (5) | Governs the maintenance of the Reserve and Extended Lists in CSE. |
| Service Categories | IAS, IFS, and IPS (All India Services) + Central Group A & B. |
| Total Vacancies 2025 | 1,087 (Significant increase from previous years). |
| PwBD-5 | Refers to Multiple Disabilities including deaf-blindness. |
Conclusion:
The 2025 Civil Services results reflect a continued push for a diverse and inclusive bureaucracy.
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