(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main

1. 8-point action plan as per Stage-III of GRAP in the entire NCR invoked with immediate effect READ MORE
2. Kerala Government moves Supreme Court against Governor Arif Mohammed Khan over pending Bills READ MORE
3. CBAM will kill EU manufacturing, India will have its own carbon taxes: Goyal READ MORE
4. NCERT to add content on electoral literacy in school textbooks; EC, Education Ministry sign MoU READ MORE
5. Antony Blinken, Lloyd Austin to visit New Delhi next week for ‘2+2’ dialogue READ MORE
6. Cooperatives are the solution for hunger, farmers’ woes: Brazil Agriculture Minister READ MORE
7. 7 takeaways from GoI’s report on road accidents READ MORE
8. A ‘land bridge’ across Thailand’s Kra Isthmus: What is this centuries-old idea, resurrected again? READ MORE
9. Food production accounts for 15% fossil fuel use, as big oil locks in dependence on petroleum-based pesticides READ MORE
10. No legal identity for a billion people globally, says UN body READ MORE

Main

GS Paper- 1

1. Child marriages: Haryana girls continue to be victimised READ MORE
2. WWF: 32 million acres of grasslands across US & Canadian Great Plains ploughed up since 2012 READ MORE

GS Paper- 2

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. Testing the south’s patience READ MORE
2. Electoral bonds: ‘Selective anonymity’ undermining scheme READ MORE
3. Bond of secrecy READ MORE
4. Aadhaar data bust raises fresh safety and privacy concerns READ MORE

SOCIAL ISSUES

1. Challenges in equipping job seekers with skills READ MORE

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1. Is the United Nations toothless in ending wars? READ MORE
2. US can help India become battery manufacturing powerhouse. And decouple from China READ MORE
3. The need to reimagine global order READ MORE

GS Paper- 3

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. Understanding worker productivity and how it relates to economic growth READ MORE
2. Slowing momentum: On palpable softening in economic momentum READ MORE
3. Lessons in how to build an innovation ecosystem READ MORE
4. Looking for soft targets READ MORE
5. Food sector’s recipe for rural prosperity READ MORE
6. Could job creation be a driver of poverty reduction in India? READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

1. ‘Modest’ 2023 Antarctic ozone hole ranks 12th overall but still sign of recovery READ MORE  
2. Biosphere reserves are evolving as pockets of hope READ MORE

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

1. AI and the issue of human-centricity in copyright law READ MORE

INTERNAL SECURITY

1. Malware malice: On the Apple cyberattack alert READ MORE
2. India’s Need for a National Security Strategy Cannot Be Ignored READ MORE
3. Is it Time to Call India a Digital Dystopia? READ MORE

DISASTER MANAGEMENT

1. Farm fires rage on: Stakeholders not doing enough to curb menace READ MORE

GS Paper- 4

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

1. Bridging the gap, from pickle to perfection READ MORE
2. Power of patience READ MORE

Questions for the MAIN exam

1. Biosphere reserves are vital for the future of our planet, and they have become crucial in our fight against climate change. Comment.
2. India’s Food Processing Industry is a catalyst for economic growth and rural prosperity. Justify the statement with appropriate examples.
3. Caste censuses are essential for addressing socioeconomic inequalities and informing policymaking. How far do you agree with this view? Justify your view.
4. India is deploying smart fencing, but there should be a balance between manned security and technologies. Comment on the statement the light of recent developments.
5. Recent data breach shows that digital India, in reality, too far from the claiming and India needs to renew its efforts to de-mystify technology with the aim of surveillance reforms. Comment.

QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

• As long as poverty, injustice and gross inequality persist in our world, none of us can truly rest.
• Biosphere reserves are vital for the future of our planet.
• In recent years, biosphere reserves have become crucial in our fight against climate change, as these areas are home to many of the world’s carbon sinks helping to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
• The UNESCO Man and the Biosphere (MAB) programme enhances the human-environment relationship through combining natural and social sciences to improve livelihoods, safeguard ecosystems, and promote sustainable economic development.
• Productivity of an activity is usually measured as the quantum of output value per unit of labour (time) cost at a micro level. At a macro level, it is measured in terms of the labour-output ratio or change in Net Domestic Product (NDP) per worker in each sector (where working hours are assumed to be 8 hours per day).
• Post the Cold War, we saw a gradual decline in the ability of the UN to undertake any kind of meaningful roles (in resolving conflicts). The Israel crisis is just one of them.
• Such cross-subsidisation of poorer states by richer ones is inevitable in a large and diverse country like ours, and has, in fact, been an accepted principle.
• Over the last two-three decades, the UN has been like a bystander. With the major powers developing severe differences, they have made it impossible for the UN with its frozen membership of decision-making bodies, such as the UNSC, to be able to undertake any meaningful action.
• Lazy workers aren’t holding back economy; the blame lies with policies that encourage small firms with no ecosystem of innovation.
• While the Indian economy continues to grow, there is a consensus that creating more jobs is vital to reduce poverty.
• Cryptocurrency scams are not just about losing money; they are also about erosion of trust in the digital economy that holds immense potential for India’s economic growth.
• Diplomacy, backed by the principles of justice and compassion, should be the cornerstone of international engagement.
• Recent developments in the Middle East have the potential to reshape the landscape for peace in the Middle East and must not be allowed to be derailed.

50-WORD TALK

• India’s major IT companies have laid off 21,000 people between June and September, largely citing operational efficiency. This data is important. While there is the social cost of such a move, this is how markets function. It’s important for IT giants to think long and hire responsibly, not on impulse.
• India is testing smart fencing in Kashmir using sensors by Magal, which developed systems in Gaza and US. But the Israel episode shows that there needs to be a balance between manned security and technologies that enable unmanned defence at borders. Reliance on such technologies can only go so far.

Things to Remember:

• For prelims-related news try to understand the context of the news and relate with its concepts so that it will be easier for you to answer (or eliminate) from given options.
• Whenever any international place will be in news, you should do map work (marking those areas in maps and exploring other geographical locations nearby including mountains, rivers, etc. same applies to the national places.)
• For economy-related news (banking, agriculture, etc.) you should focus on terms and how these are related to various economic aspects, for example, if inflation has been mentioned, try to relate with prevailing price rises, shortage of essential supplies, banking rates, etc.
• For main exam-related topics, you should focus on the various dimensions of the given topic, the most important topics which occur frequently and are important from the mains point of view will be covered in ED.
• Try to use the given content in your answer. Regular use of this content will bring more enrichment to your writing.