Important topics and their relevance in UPSC CSE exam for April 22, 2026. If you missed the April 21, 2026 UPSC CSE exam key from the Indian Express, read it herePreliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development-Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, etc.Main Examination: General Studies III: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessmentWhat’s the ongoing story: Noting difficulties faced by pastoralist communities in accessing grazing rights inside national parks and sanctuaries, the Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife (SC-NBWL) has directed the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) to undertake a comprehensive study on the pastoral and nomadic communities’ dependence on protected areas.Key Points to Ponder:• What is a pastoral community?• What are the nomadic pastoral communities of India?• Who are the nomadic communities?• Does pastoral mean nomadic?• The Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife (SC-NBWL) has directed the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) to undertake a comprehensive study on the pastoral and nomadic communities-why?• Who are Gujjars, Bakkarwals, Bhotia, Van Gujjars, Mongpa, Maldharis, Rabari, Raika, Dhangar, Gollar, Gaddi, Changpa, and Kuruba?Story continues below this ad• What is Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA)?• What are the issues and challenges faced by pastoral and nomadic communities?• Why is over-concentration of livestock problematic?• What you know about Rangeland desertification?• What UN Convention on Combating Desertification (UNCCD) says about nomadic pastoral communities?Key Takeaways:• The SC-NBWL, chaired by Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav, directed the WII to examine the nature and extent of such communities’ dependence on protected areas, legal issues involved, as well as socio-economic and ecological aspects, as per minutes of a March 21 meeting.Story continues below this ad• Communities such as Gujjars, Bakkarwals, Bhotia, Van Gujjars, Mongpa, Maldharis, Rabari, Raika, Dhangar, Gollar, Gaddi, Changpa, and Kuruba are some of the prominent pastoralist communities across India.• The dependence of nomadic communities on protected areas was taken up for policy discussion in the SC-NBWL meeting. The WII made a presentation to the panel and said that during the seasonal movement of domesticated animal herds, pastoralists move across states, through forested areas, including those in national parks and sanctuaries.• Globally also known as rangelands, the land pastoralists depend on is under threat of rising degradation. A 2024 report by the United Nations Convention on Combating Desertification stated that about half of the world’s rangelands, comprising grasslands, deserts, and shrublands, needed policy interventions and support.Do You Know:• India has an estimated pastoralist population of 13 million across 46 groups, as per research and advocacy groups.Story continues below this ad• Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh will be the focus of the study, as per minutes of the meeting.• The committee directed the WII to submit a detailed project report (DPR) and seek funding under the National CAMPA (Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority).• Pastoralists rear livestock and depend on grasslands, scrublands, shrubs, and plateaus for their livelihoods. They produce dairy, meat, wool, and leather, and contribute to the country’s livestock economy.• Rangelands, an umbrella term for different lands used by pastoralists, occupy 121 million hectares in India, ranging from the Thar desert to meadows in the Himalayas, as per a report of the United Nations Convention on Combating Desertification.Story continues below this ad• The SC-NBWL emphasised the need for “institutionalisation of access arrangements” to address issues faced during seasonal movement, while ensuring that protected areas and their management are not compromised. It stated that a balanced view was required when considering rights and access given to pastoralists in protected areas due to the importance of grazing in habitat management.Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:Pastoralists in India need better access to land and rights recognition, says UN reportPrevious year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:1) Consider the following statements: (UPSC CSE, 2019)1. As per law, the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority exists at both National and State levels.2. People’s participation is mandatory in the compensatory afforestation programmes carried out under the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act, 2016.Which of the statements given above is/are correct?(a) 1 only(b) 2 only(c) Both 1 and 2(d) Neither 1 nor 22) Consider the following pairs: (UPSC CSE, 2014)Programme/Project Ministry1. Drought-Prone Area – Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare2. Desert Development Programme – Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change3. National Watershed Project Development for Rainfed Areas – Ministry of Rural DevelopmentWhich of the above pairs is/are correctly matched?(a) 1 and 2 only(b) 3 only(c) 1, 2 and 3(d) NoneNationStory continues below this adFossil-based power declines globally as clean power in India grows: ReportPreliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.Main Examination: General Studies III: Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways etc.What’s the ongoing story: Record power generation from clean energy sources in India in 2025 resulted in a rare decline in production of electricity from fossil fuels not just in India but also globally, a new report has revealed.Key Points to Ponder:• Electricity from fossil fuels-what you know about the same?• India’s fossil fuel-based electricity production-know in detail• The annual Global Electricity Review report by Ember-what are the key highlights?Story continues below this ad• What is the target of solar capacity in India in 2030?• What is the total capacity of renewable energy in India?• What CREA and Carbon Brief has reported?Key Takeaways:• India’s fossil fuel-based electricity production in 2025 was about 52 TWh (52 billion units) less than the previous year, the global energy think tank Ember said in its annual Global Electricity Review. China also reported a similar decline in fossil-based electricity, producing about 56 TWh lesser power than 2024.• The combined effect of declines in these two countries drove down global fossil electricity generation, the Ember report said. It was only the fifth time this century, and the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic, that fossil fuel-based electricity generation did not show a year-on-year increase, it said.Story continues below this ad• “The global fall in fossil (fuel-based power) generation was driven by a historic reversal in fossil trends in China and India, the largest and third-largest fossil power countries globally. 2025 was the first year this century when fossil generation fell in both countries,” the report said.• “In China, it fell by 56 TWh, marking the first decline since 2015… In India, a record increase in both solar and wind generation, combined with strong hydro output and lower-than-average demand growth, led to a decline in fossil generation of 52 TWh,” it said.• In January this year, a study by Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), in collaboration with Carbon Brief, a UK-based climate-focused publication, had revealed that coal-fired electricity generation in India had shown a year-on-year decline for the first time in half a century, leaving aside the pandemic period. Coal accounts for the bulk of fossil fuel-based power generation in India.• In an earlier publication, released in 2025, CREA and Carbon Brief had also reported that India’s carbon dioxide emissions from the power sector in the first half of 2025 had shown a dip, the first time ever, compared with the same period the previous year (2024).• The year 2026, however, could be very different, despite projections of India adding even more renewable capacity than previous year.Do You Know:• India added almost 38 GW of new solar energy capacity in 2025. This was the first time that India had installed more solar capacity than the United States in a year. The US added about 33 GW of solar capacity in 2025.• India also added more than 6.3 GW of wind power and about 4 GW of hydropower capacity. The total renewable energy capacity added in the year happened to be more than 48 GW.• Due to a relatively tepid growth in electricity demand, thanks to good monsoon and a milder summer, the increase in power generation from renewables more than covered for the increase in demand. Compared to 2024, India needed additional electricity of just about 49 TWh, while renewable energy produced about 98 TWh more than the previous year.• Low rainfall during this year’s monsoon season could reverse the situation witnessed in 2025. The Met department has predicted below normal monsoon rainfall, which could lead to a rise in power demand to meet the potential increase in irrigation and air-conditioning needs. Fossil fuel-based electricity generation is likely to increase again this year.• The findings of the Ember report are in line with some other estimates of the 2025 trends in India’s power sector released earlier this year.Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:Coal-fired plants’ inflexibility jeopardises India’s clean energy push: Can an incentive scheme work?Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:3) With reference to technologies for solar power production, consider the following statements: (UPSC CSE, 2014)1. ‘Photovoltaics’ is a technology that generates electricity by direction conversion of light into electricity, while ‘Solar Thermal’ is a technology that utilizes the Sun’s rays to generate heat which is further used in electricity generation process.2. Photovoltaics generate Alternating Current (AC), while solar Thermal generates Direct Current (DC).3. India has manufacturing base for Solar Thermal technology, but not for Photovoltaics.Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?(a) 1 only(b) 2 and 3 only(c) 1, 2 and 3(d) NoneExplainedA year on from Pahalgam, tracking the security shiftPreliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.Main Examination: General Studies III: Security challenges and their management in border areas – linkages of organized crime with terrorismWhat’s the ongoing story: A year ago, the quiet of the Baisaran meadows in Pahalgam—broken only by tourists and pony rides—was shattered by automatic gunfire. On April 22, 2025, three terrorists emerged from the tree line and killed 26 people, most of them visitors.Key Points to Ponder:• Map Work—Pahalgam• What can be the long term implications of the 2025 Pahalgam terror attack on internal security and counter-terrorism strategies?• Operation Sindoor 2025—What you know about the same?• Why Operation Sindoor?• Who are called militants?• What is terrorism in Indian law?• Militant and Terrorist-What are the differences?• What are the types of terrorism?• What are the reason for terrorism especially in the Jammu and Kashmir?• What are the components of terrorism?• Current events shaping India-Pakistan Relations-What are they?• India-Pakistan Relations-Know the Historical Background• What is the role of Indian Army in Jammu and Kashmir?• Major ‘changes’ in Indian diplomacy in the last eight years of New Delhi’s towards Pakistan-What is that ‘Change’?Key Takeaways:• For the security establishment in Jammu & Kashmir, the attack was not just a tragedy; it was a systemic shock. Never before had tourists been targeted at scale. It forced a rethink of both assumptions and deployment.• Twelve months on, as tourist footfall begins to recover, the shift in the Valley’s security posture is visible. The emphasis has moved from reactive containment in urban centres to a more dispersed, intelligence-led grid—one that seeks to dominate high-altitude terrain, integrate local networks, and rely more heavily on surveillance and precision operations.• The Pahalgam attack marked a rupture in the narrative of “normalcy” that had guided administrative policy in the preceding years. A sustained decline in urban violence and a surge in tourism had encouraged the opening up of remote, high-altitude destinations across the Pir Panjal range—Sinthan Top, Boota Pathri and dozens of other sites were among nearly 75 locations made accessible after the pandemic.• The working assumption within the security grid had been that militant groups would continue with familiar patterns—targeted attacks in towns or direct engagements with security forces. The possibility that tourists, in relatively unguarded meadows, could become primary targets had not been fully factored in.• In effect, many of these destinations functioned as “soft frontiers”, opened up faster than they could be secured. The closure of over 50 such sites in the immediate aftermath of the attack was, as a former Director General of J&K Police put it, “an acknowledgement that the push for normalcy had outpaced the expansion of the security grid.”• If the attack exposed a vulnerability, it also triggered a structural shift in deployment. Over the past year, security forces have established 43 Temporary Operating Bases (TOBs) across the higher reaches of the Pir Panjal range, with personnel from the CRPF and Rashtriya Rifles now stationed at altitudes ranging from 3,000 to nearly 9,000 feet.• The idea is to deny militant groups the advantage of terrain. By occupying ridgelines and forested heights, forces aim to disrupt the traditional infiltration-to-execution cycle, where small modules would enter through forest corridors, lie low, and strike when opportunities arose.As one J&K Police officer described it, the shift is from “holding the road” to “holding the ridge”—a move away from visible, road-centric security towards terrain dominance in areas that were previously thinly monitored.• Alongside redeployment, the security grid has leaned more heavily on technology and local integration. In the past year, over 50,000 individuals linked to the tourism economy—pony handlers, guides, photographers and vendors—have been brought onto an Aadhaar-linked database and issued QR-coded identification.• Perhaps the most significant shift has been towards intelligence-driven operations. In July 2025, under Operation Mahadev, security forces tracked and eliminated the three-member module behind the Pahalgam killings in the Harwan heights, using a combination of human intelligence and drone surveillance.Do You Know:• In the deadliest terror attack on civilians in the country since the Mumbai 26/11 attacks, at least 25 tourists and a Valley resident were shot dead on 22 April 2025 at a meadow near Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir.• Haseeb A Drabu Writes-While the Indian state responded decisively with Operation Sindoor, the security forces eliminated the perpetrators in a counter-operation, delivering immediate justice. Beyond the strike itself, Operation Sindoor marked a significant doctrinal shift in India’s counterterrorism policy: Major attacks on Indian soil would now trigger calibrated conventional retaliation without the need to definitively establish Pakistan’s direct state complicity.• Amrita Nayak Dutta Writes-Soon after the Pahalgam attack, the Army conducted a security audit of popular tourist areas in the Valley. The audit was aimed at considering a limited redeployment of its existing troops in the hinterlands of Kashmir to areas deemed vulnerable.—Additional deployment of Special Forces has been carried out in the higher reaches for operations. Seek and Destroy missions are being executed by troops by combing through areas, seeking encounters with terrorists in hiding, searching for hideouts. The hideouts are destroyed in such operations to deny the terrorists suitable places to hide, thus forcing them out in the open.—The use of Integrated Command Control Systems, which include a strengthened fence, surveillance cameras and drones automatically launched using AI, is also being established, people familiar with the developments said.Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:Tourism ‘limping back’ but still a long way to goA year later, Pahalgam’s shadow lingers over Kashmir’s people and economyPrevious year UPSC Main Question Covering similar theme:‘Terrorism has become a significant threat to global peace and security.’ Evaluate the effectiveness of the United Nations Security Council’s Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) and its associated bodies in addressing and mitigating this threat at the international level. (2024)”Increasing crossborder terrorist attacks in India and growing interference in the internal affairs of several member states by Pakistan are not conducive for the future of SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation).” Explain with suitable examples. (2016)Terrorist activities and mutual distrust have clouded India – Pakistan relations. To what extent the use of soft power like sports and cultural exchanges could help generate goodwill between the two countries? Discuss with suitable examples. (2015)Was US seizure of Iran ship legal? What maritime framework saysPreliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.Main Examination: General Studies II: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests.What’s the ongoing story: On Sunday (April 19), the US intercepted and seized the Iran-flagged cargo ship Touska in the Gulf of Oman as it attempted to get past the American naval blockade near the Strait of HormuzKey Points to Ponder:• What’s the status of the conflict?• What does international law say?• What international law says about maritime conflicts?• What is Geneva Convention?• What is a blockade?• US naval blockade of Strait of Hormuz-How India has reacted?• What does the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz by US mean for the world?• How the US Navy could blockade Iran’s ports?• What the main difference between “territorial waters” and “international waters”?• The Strait of Hormuz falls under territorial waters or international waters?• What are the international legal framework that governs maritime passage and maritime combat?• ‘The Iranian strategy violates a comprehensive set of international maritime delimitation laws’-Analyse• What is United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)?• What United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) says about Strait of Hormuz?• What is the 1969 Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties (VCLT)?Key Takeaways:• The USS Spruance struck and damaged the Touska’s engine room, following which Marines boarded and took custody of the vessel. The Iranian vessel had reportedly ignored radio and visual warnings by US Central Command (CENTCOM) for almost six hours leading up to the attack.• The US defended the operation as lawful enforcement to protect the integrity of its blockade on Iranian ports, which has been in place since April 13. Iran, on the other hand, said both the blockade as well as the operation constituted overarching “acts of piracy”.• The US-Israeli alliance began the war on Iran on February 28. Iran responded by effectively “closing” the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow passage that accounts for a fifth of the world’s energy flows in peacetime. A temporary ceasefire took effect on April 8, but, days later, US President Donald Trump announced a naval blockade aimed at restricting Iran’s oil exports and intercepting vessels entering or exiting its ports. Iranian forces retaliated by intercepting foreign-flagged oil tankers on April 18 — two days before the commencement of the second round of diplomatic talks scheduled in Islamabad.Do You Know:• The 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) regulates peacetime activities. International conflicts, meanwhile, are governed by the Law of Active Combat (LOAC), which is also known as International Humanitarian Law (IHL). The LOAC says an ‘international armed conflict’ exists whenever there is a “resort to armed force between States”, regardless of whether a formal declaration of war has been made. This is where the transition from a ceasefire becomes legally tricky. A ceasefire is merely a pause in fighting, not a legal end to a war.• The US may view the underlying February conflict as still active and argue, therefore, that imposing a blockade is a lawful resumption of hostilities. Iran, however, may argue that the ceasefire functioned as an end to the fighting, making the blockade an unprovoked attack in peacetime.• A naval blockade is strictly a wartime operation, according to maritime law. While the main conditions regarding the status of the conflict and exact coordinates of the blockade determine the legality of the action, the multiplicity of doctrinal choices in maritime law must also be acknowledged. There is the modern LOAC, which is underpinned by the Geneva convention, the San Remo manual (1994) and international Prize law (whose formal domestic courts have been largely dormant since World War II). There is also the UN Charter, whose Article 2(4) prohibits member states from using or threatening force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state.Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:US announces Iran port blockade: The laws governing passage through the Strait of HormuzThe Ideas PageCosts of permanent revolution are catching up with TehranPreliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importanceMain Examination: General Studies II: Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interestsWhat’s the ongoing story: C Raja Mohan writes-Four dynamics — rigidity, fracture, decay, and war — do not operate in isolation. They reinforce one another. Within this tightening vice, Iran’s room for strategic manoeuvre is shrinking.Key Points to Ponder:• Permanent revolution and Iran-what author is trying to say?• The 1979 Iranian Revolution-what you know about the same?• What are the internal challenges faced by Iran’s regime?• What is the role of ideology in shaping foreign policy?• Iran has been isolated from the Islamic world since 1979-why?• Why Tehran’s relationship with the Arab world soured?Key Takeaways:C Raja Mohan writes-• Revolutionary regimes rarely collapse in a single dramatic moment. They fray, tire, and lose coherence long before they stumble and fall. Their decline begins not in the streets but within the squabbles of the revolutionary elite.• Over time, revolutionary institutions grow rigid, self-serving, and detached from the societies in whose name they rule. Iran’s present crisis — deepened by war, economic strain, and political turbulence — offers a compelling moment to reflect on how such regimes unravel.• Developments over 2025-26 have placed the Islamic Republic under extraordinary stress. Two rounds of coordinated US-Israeli airstrikes on nuclear and military facilities have decimated, if not eliminated, Iran’s military deterrent. Meanwhile, an economy battered by sanctions, isolation, and structural mismanagement is grappling with punishing inflation that has eroded household incomes and deepened social frustration.• The popular anger that erupted in protests in late 2025 has not disappeared; it has merely been bottled up by the war and internal repression. Yet, the underlying contradiction remains stark: Between a regime that defines itself through revolutionary defiance and a society that increasingly demands economic stability and political normalcy.Do You Know:C Raja Mohan writes-• History tells us change is inevitable. We have seen revolutionary regimes evolve over time or collapse. China’s post-Mao turn under Deng Xiaoping in 1978 demonstrated how revolutionary regimes can reinvent themselves — abandoning rigid ideology in favour of pragmatic adaptation in enlightened self-interest. The Vietnamese communists did much the same in the 1990s.• Iran’s Islamic Revolution of 1979 is not immune to change. Iran now confronts pressures that have historically undone other ideological states. History suggests four broad pathways through which revolutionary regimes erode.• The Soviet Union and Eastern European socialist states confronted this challenge in the 1970s and 1980s. When reform finally came, it was too late to preserve the system. Iran’s continued framing of foreign policy through the language of “resistance” reflects a similar rigidity. Yet, its own history underscores the necessity of compromise. In 1988, Ayatollah Khomeini accepted a ceasefire with Iraq, likening it to “drinking from a poisoned chalice”. In 2013-14, Ayatollah Khamenei endorsed “heroic flexibility” to justify nuclear diplomacy with the West.• Sooner than later, revolutionary leaders are compelled to recognise the limits of ideological purity: The founder of the Soviet Union, Vladimir Lenin, accepted humiliating concessions at Brest-Litovsk to preserve the new-born Bolshevik Russia. Iran, however, appears less capable of such political and policy recalibration. The effective absence of the Supreme Leader, the unifying political authority, has complicated strategic decision-making. Internal political flux has produced incoherence at precisely the moment when clarity is mostneeded.• Iran today shows signs of such fragmentation. Divisions between the “principalists” (the ideological hardliners), the reformers, and the reconcilers are sharpening. While not yet fatal, these fractures complicate governance and weaken the regime’s capacity for decisive action.• The costs of pursuing a permanent revolution are mounting for Tehran. Failure to adapt accelerates the erosion of domestic legitimacy, even as external military pressure intensifies. The coming weeks will show if the Islamic Republic chooses reform and reorientation or defiance and a wider war.Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:In Delhi’s support for Arab Gulf, a return of the Bombay school of thoughtPrevious year UPSC main Question Covering similar theme:In what ways would the ongoing U.S-Iran Nuclear Pact Controversy affect the national interest of India? How should India respond to this situation? (2018)From Telangana, a new way to measure caste inequityPreliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.Main Examination: General Studies I: population and associated issues and Social empowermentWhat’s the ongoing story: Praveen Chakravarty Writes-Poor General Caste children access private education eight times more than equally poor SC and ST children. Pick four equally poor households from each broad caste group, and the gap in their CBI scores mirrors that of four richer households from each.Key Points to Ponder:• Which State has introduced Composite Backwardness Index (CBI)?• What are major findings of the Telangana caste survey?• What is the Composite Backwardness Index (CBI)?• What is “Backwardness”?• “Backwardness” is an abstract social idea-what is your take?• What is social justice?• Why the idea that “poverty is the only caste” is misleading?Key Takeaways:Praveen Chakravarty Writes-• Some states rightfully argue that fiscal contribution must also be a factor to determine representation in Parliament, not just population size. Similarly, shouldn’t the level of a caste’s backwardness be a factor in social justice policies, rather than just its population size? Fiscal contribution can be measured, but how can a caste’s backwardness be measured?• First, an independent expert committee constituted by the Government of Telangana has developed an empirical framework — the Composite Backwardness Index (CBI) — for measuring the “backwardness” of castes.• It measures 242 caste groups using data from 35 million people, with 75 information fields for each, captured by the caste survey. “Backwardness” is an abstract social idea, but one rooted in relativity: Is one group of people doing worse than another? The very idea of social justice is to help groups that have been left behind catch up.• Each of the 242 castes (133 BCs, 59 SCs, 32 STs and 18 General) was scored on 42 wide-ranging parameters —from daily-wage work and English-medium schooling to toilet access, irrigated land, and discrimination at places of worship — producing a “relative backwardness” score using a quartile distribution.• For context, the Mandal Commission used only 11 parameters in its 1980 report. The analysis empirically proves what has long been believed to be true. SCs and STs are three times, and BCs 2.7 times, more backward than the “General” castes. Not all oppressed castes are equally oppressed, and there is now objective, scientific evidence of this truism.• Among the 133 BCs, 69 are more backward than the state average, while 64 are better off. Similarly, 18 of the 59 SC castes and seven of the 32 ST groups are better than the state average. But they represent a tiny share of the total population. In terms of population, 99 per cent of STs, 97 per cent of SCs and 71 per cent of BCs are more backward than the state average.• The biggest determinant of backwardness is not land or asset ownership but access to English and private education. The backward castes of Gouds, Goldsmiths and Christians rank low in land ownership but high in private education. On the flip side, Lambadi tribals and the Mudiraj and Valmiki backward castes rank high in irrigated land but low in private education, and remain more backward. Backwardness is a conflation of factors — from the curse of the birth lottery to the place of birth to living standards.Do You Know:• Telangana’s caste and socio-economic survey has uncovered sharp inequalities across communities in the state. Findings of the Independent Expert Working Group on Telangana’s Socio, Economic, Educational, Employment, Political and Caste (SEEEPC) Survey were released Wednesday (April 15). The survey was conducted in 2024.• The data shows that Backward Classes (BCs), excluding Muslim minorities, form the largest social block, constituting 46.3% of the total population. Together with Scheduled Castes (17.4%) and Scheduled Tribes (10.4%), they account for 74.1% of the population. Muslim minorities make up 12.6% and Other Castes 13.3%.Despite their numerical strength, 135 castes — 69 BC castes, 41 SC groups, and 25 ST castes — are more backward than previously understood. The OC category, though just 13.3% of the population, holds a disproportionately large share of private sector jobs and educational opportunities, commands higher salaries, lives in larger homes, and enjoys a generally higher standard of living.• Since the creation of Telangana as a separate state in June 2014, the government has invested heavily in education, particularly in English-medium instruction. Schemes like Mana Vooru Mana Badi (Our Village, Our School) upgraded school infrastructure and introduced digital classrooms that taught in English, along with improvements such as toilets and drinking water. The government also invested in training teachers.• Over a decade, this has produced a significant generational shift: among those aged 6–29, 60.5% now receive instruction in English, compared with 35.3% in Telugu. The trend is even more pronounced in urban areas and among higher-income groups.Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:Telangana caste survey findings: SCs, STs three times more backward than general categoriesPrevious year UPSC Main Question Covering similar theme:Despite comprehensive policies for equity and social justice, underprivileged sections are not yet getting the full benefits of affirmative action envisaged by the Constitution. Comment. (2024)Why is caste identity in India both fluid and static? (2023) “Caste system is assuming new identities and associational forms. Hence caste system cannot be eradicated in India.” Comment. (2018)EconomyGovt to tighten AI labelling rules for social media over ‘unsatisfactory compliance’Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importanceMain Examination: General Studies II: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.What’s the ongoing story: The Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY) has proposed that social media companies like YouTube, Instagram and X will have to ‘continuously’ display labels on content generated through artificial intelligence (AI), further tightening a recently notified rule which required such labels be applied “prominently,” without specifying a time duration.Key Points to Ponder:• Why to label AI-generated content?• What is AI Content Labelling under the IT Rules 2026?• What exactly Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY) has proposed?• Why social media companies like YouTube, Instagram and X will have to ‘continuously’ display labels on content generated through artificial intelligence (AI)?• What is AI-generated content?• What is Synthetically Generated Information?• How can AI-generated content be detected?• What other changes have been made?Key Takeaways:• A senior government official told The Indian Express that the changes are being proposed on account of “unsatisfactory compliance” by platforms.• In amendments proposed to the IT Rules, 2021, Tuesday, the ministry said that intermediaries, like social media platforms, will have to ensure “continuous and clearly visible display of such label(s) throughout the duration of the content, in a visual display.”• This would effectively apply to videos created through AI.• In February, MeitY had notified the requirement to display these labels prominently, as part of broad amendments to the IT Rules, but had diluted an earlier proposal to apply a label to content generated through AI tools to cover at least 10% of the space.• The proposed amendments have been released for public consultation and comments can be sent to the ministry until May 7. Queries sent to MeitY, Google and Meta remained unanswered until publication.• As per the IT Rules, the definition of synthetically generated information (SGI) has carveouts for assistive and quality-enhancing uses of AI. Routine and good faith editing of audio, video or audio-visual content is excluded from the definition of SGI.• The pitfalls of AI generated content were on full display earlier this year when Grok, the AI service of X (formerly Twitter) started creating, prompted by user requests, pictures of women in revealing clothing, casting a shadow on their dignity and privacy.• The episode drew global criticism from governments, including India. Following the furore which led to Grok being banned in some countries, X modified its filters to prevent the creation of such images.Do You Know:• On 22 October 2025, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology introduced the draft amendments to the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules 2021 to regulate the circulation of synthetically generated information (which includes deepfakes) on the internet. In its explanatory note accompanying the draft amendment, the government framed the rationale in these words: “To curb the spread of misinformation, damage reputation, manipulate and influence elections or commit financial fraud.”• The framework envisages labelling of synthetically generated information, which can be defined as any information “artificially or algorithmically created, generated, modified or altered using a computer resource” in a manner that it appears to be authentic. Such content, under the new rules, must be prominently labelled using a permanent unique metadata or identifier, covering at least 10 per cent of the total surface area of visual content and 10 per cent of the total duration of audio content.• In case of social media platforms such as Facebook or Instagram, before uploading any content, (a) a user must declare if such content is AI-generated; following which (b) reasonable and appropriate technical measures will be deployed by such platform to verify accuracy of such declaration; and once confirmed, (c) the said content will be displayed with an appropriate label indicating that such content is synthetically generated.Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:To identify AI-generated content, labelling is not enough. We need AI literacyPrevious year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:4) With the present state of development, Artificial Intelligence can effectively do which of the following? (UPSC CSE, 2020)1. Bring down electricity consumption in industrial units2. Create meaningful short stories and songs3. Disease diagnosis4. Text-to-Speech Conversion5. Wireless transmission of electrical energySelect the correct answer using the code given below:(a) 1, 2, 3 and 5 only(b) 1, 3 and 4 only(c) 2, 4 and 5 only(d) 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5Previous year UPSC main Question Covering similar theme:Introduce the concept of Artificial Intelligence (AI). How does AI help clinical diagnosis? Do you perceive any threat to privacy of the individual in the use of AI in healthcare? (2023)Why 3D glass semiconductor project is India’s top chip betPreliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importanceMain Examination: General Studies II: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.What’s the ongoing story: The foundation stone for India’s first advanced 3D chip packaging unit was laid in Bhubaneswar, a project which IT Secretary S Krishnan said can put the country “on the map” in terms of advanced chip packaging, and one the government will be watching “very closely”.Key Points to Ponder:• What is semiconductor?• What are 3D glass semiconductors?• How are they different from traditional chips?• What is the most basic component of a semiconductor chip?• Semiconductors are the foundation of nearly every modern electronic gadget. Where does India stand in the semiconductor industry?• The Government of India has undertaken several initiatives to promote electronics manufacturing-Know the important schemes• What are the current challenges of the semiconductor industry in India?• India’s semiconductor push-know in detail• Why is India focusing on semiconductor manufacturing?• What factors may contribute to potential challenges in the domestic semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem?• What makes Semiconductors the most important commodities in the global market right now?• What is the supply chain for semiconductors?• What are the steps in the semiconductor supply chain?• Which nation holds the distinction of being the primary source of semiconductors on a global scale?Key Takeaways:• Last year, under its Rs 76,000 crore India Semiconductor Mission (ISM), the government had approved a Rs 1,934 crore 3D glass chip packaging facility in Odisha, led by US-based 3D Glass Solutions, will produce glass substrate panels and advanced 3D heterogeneous integration (3DHI) modules, with applications spanning artificial intelligence, 5G, defence and data centres. The project has received investments from Intel, Lockheed Martin, and other VC and PE funds.• It is among the ten plants that have been approved under the ambitious scheme, including a chip fabrication plant being built by the Tata Group, and a number of other assembly and testing plants including the US-based Micron Technology, among others.Do You Know:• Launched in 2021 with a Rs 76,000-crore outlay, the India Semiconductor Mission was conceived as a state-backed push to build a full-stack chip ecosystem, from fabrication and packaging to design and display manufacturing. Under the scheme, ten semiconductor projects have been approved so far across six states, drawing investments of over Rs 1.6 lakh crore. These include fabrication plants, OSAT (assembly, testing, packaging) units and design-linked incentives.• The government is understood to be working on the next iteration of the plan, and could approve a scheme with an outlay of around $11 billion, The Indian Express had earlier reported. However, under the revised scheme, the priorities of the government might change. While ISM 1.0 focused on attracting chipmaking infrastructure to India, ISM 2.0 is likely to offer greater support to ancillary industries such as gases, chemicals and capital goods, among others.Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:Knowledge Nugget: India’s First 3D Chip Packaging Plant — Technology and Semiconductors ExplainedPrevious year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:5) Which one of the following laser types is used in a laser printer? (UPSC CSE, 2008)(a) Dye laser(b) Gas laser(c) Semiconductor laser(d) Excimer laser PRELIMS ANSWER KEY1.(a) 2.(d) 3.(a) 4.(b) 5.(c) For any queries and feedback, contact priya.shukla@indianexpress.comSubscribe to our UPSC newsletter. Stay updated with the latest UPSC articles by joining our Telegram channel – IndianExpress UPSC Hub, and follow us on Instagram and X.