Government Policies & Interventions

India’s amended Census Rules expressly include private-school teachers and employees of specified establishments as potential enumerators. The change raises questions about compulsory public service, statutory powers and protection of classroom teaching.

Chhattisgarh’s forest department is seeking expert assistance to save over 500 recently girdled trees in Udanti–Sitanadi Tiger Reserve through bridge grafting. The episode connects plant transport systems with habitat restoration, geospatial monitoring and the need to reconcile forest protection with legally recognised community rights. The proposed treatment is a rescue attempt; recovery has not been established. [1] [2]

The Union government has approved a 30% trade-margin cap on expensive non-scheduled cancer medicines, with reports indicating that approximately 110 medicines, including 35 patented drugs, could be covered. The measure aims to reduce excessive pharmaceutical mark-ups, potentially lowering medicine prices by up to 70% and generating estimated annual patient savings of ₹2,500 crore. Amid Supreme Court scrutiny of medicine pricing, the decision raises important questions about India's drug-price regulation, the National List of Essential Medicines, pharmaceutical patents, affordable cancer treatment and the right to health.

The Government of India is working on a new contributory pension scheme under the EPFO 3.0 reform programme to extend retirement security to unorganised and formal sector workers currently left out of the Employees' Pension Scheme (EPS). The scheme proposes a Target Retirement Sum (TRS) that converts accumulated savings into a pension at age 60, with options of an annuity or a systematic withdrawal plan. This article explains the proposed scheme, the TRS concept, the existing EPFO and EPS-95 framework, the defined contribution model, the Code on Social Security 2020, comparisons with NPS and PM-SYM, the Singapore model, and key data for UPSC Prelims and Mains.

India’s rapid transition to E20 petrol has triggered debate over fuel choice, vehicle compatibility, mileage, pricing, feedstock use and consumer communication. A recent discussion on Brazil’s long ethanol journey highlights why India can learn from Brazil’s gradual, consumer-choice-based biofuel model while strengthening its own Ethanol Blended Petrol Programme. Brazil’s first ethanol blending law dates to 1931, while India’s E20 push accelerated after the National Policy on Biofuels target was advanced to ESY 2025–26.

India's two flagship decentralised solar schemes — PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana (rooftop solar for households) and PM-KUSUM (solar power for farmers) — are running well below their targets, a gap recently flagged by the Parliamentary Estimates Committee. A key reason is the paradox of free and subsidised power offered by several states, which removes the incentive to install rooftop solar. This article explains both schemes in detail, the latest progress figures and the sharp inter-state disparity, the power-subsidy paradox, and why decentralised solar is central to India's clean energy transition and 500 GW non-fossil target by 2030.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare released the National Family Health Survey-6 (NFHS-6, 2023-24) factsheets on 29 May 2026, and the number of indicators has fallen from 131 in NFHS-5 to 101 — with data on anaemia prevalence, sex ratio at birth, infant and child mortality, cancer screening, HIV awareness, clean cooking fuel and sanitation no longer reported. The government calls it "data harmonisation"; critics call it suppression. This article explains what NFHS is, why these indicators were dropped, the meaning of data harmonisation, the role of the Sample Registration System and ICMR, and the survey's key health findings on fertility, obesity and immunisation for the UPSC GS-II Governance and Health syllabus.

UN-Habitat has released the World Cities Report 2026, "The Global Housing Crisis: Pathways to Action", at the 13th World Urban Forum (WUF13) in Baku, Azerbaijan, warning that 3.4 billion people now lack adequate housing and that financialisation is a key driver of unaffordability. This article explains the report's findings, the meaning and measurement of housing affordability, the concept of financialisation, India's specific data, the constitutional right to shelter, and schemes like PMAY.

From June 1, 2026, India is enforcing a major new domestic-sourcing rule under which "net-metering" and "Open Access" solar projects must use solar PV cells made by manufacturers listed on the ALMM List-II, not just domestically assembled modules. Aimed at cutting import dependence and deepening Atmanirbhar Bharat in clean energy, the mandate has triggered concern that smaller, non-integrated module makers could be squeezed because India's cell capacity (~30 GW) lags far behind its module capacity (~200 GW). This article explains the ALMM framework, List-I vs List-II, the Domestic Content Requirement, net-metering and Open Access, PM Surya Ghar Yojana, the PLI scheme, BCD walls, the overcapacity problem, and the federalism and trade dimensions — everything a UPSC aspirant needs on India's solar manufacturing push.

The United States has initiated a Section 301 investigation into India’s labour practices, questioning whether India has ratified key International Labour Organization (ILO) treaties related to the future of work. Indian negotiators will hold talks with the US next week to address the concerns. This article explains what Section 301 investigation means, the role of ILO treaties, India’s position on labour standards, implications for bilateral trade and all basic technical concepts behind the probe.

The Centre has delayed the annual wage hike for over 11 crore NREGS workers under MGNREGA for 2026-27 as it prepares to roll out the new Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) or G-RAM-G scheme. This is the first time in more than a decade that the revised wage notification has not been issued in February-March. Previous year’s rates will continue until the new scheme is implemented. This article explains what NREGS is, how wages are notified every year, what the new G-RAM-G scheme changes, why the hike is halted, its impact on rural workers and families, and all basic technical concepts behind the transition.

On March 28, 2026, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh chaired the first meeting of the newly formed Informal Group of Ministers (IGoM) in New Delhi to review the evolving situation in West Asia and its impact on India. The IGoM was set up under the direction of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to monitor the conflict involving Iran, Israel and the US, and to prepare for any challenges. Singh emphasised adopting a medium to long-term preparedness strategy, swift decision-making, and coordinated efforts to counter rumours, misinformation and fake news about the conflict’s effects on India.