Mains General Studies Paper III

Amid the 2026 West Asia conflict and the disruption of the Strait of Hormuz, global crude prices have surged sharply. A steep fall in China's oil imports has unexpectedly freed up non-Hormuz supplies for India and other Asian buyers, cushioning the shock. This article explains the Strait of Hormuz chokepoint, India's oil import dependency, the impact of high oil prices on the current account deficit and inflation, India's Strategic Petroleum Reserves, and the government's energy security response — fully explained for UPSC Prelims and Mains.

The Maharashtra government has exempted a large iron-ore mining and processing project in Gadchiroli from wildlife clearance, stating the site does not fall in any tiger corridor — a claim that official maps and the NTCA-approved Tiger Conservation Plan appear to contradict. The project, involving diversion of 9.4 sq km of forest land by Lloyds Metals & Energy, overlaps the ecologically vital Tadoba–Indravati tiger corridor. This article explains what a tiger corridor is, the legal framework under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 (Section 38-O), Project Tiger, NTCA, the difference between forest, wildlife and environmental clearances, the role of the Forest Rights Act and PESA, and the development-versus-conservation debate this case raises.

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.

Ahead of the RBI Monetary Policy Committee meeting (June 3–5, 2026) and amid a crude-oil spike triggered by the West Asia conflict, economists have flagged a key gap: policymakers target the inflation rate, but households experience affordability — whether incomes outpace the cumulative rise in prices. This article explains the difference between inflation and affordability, India's Flexible Inflation Targeting framework, CPI measurement, real vs nominal wages, PLFS worker data, and how RBI's tools work.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the Bundibugyo strain Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), with WHO chief Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus visiting the epicentre as cases crossed 900 and deaths mounted. Because no vaccine or treatment is approved for the Bundibugyo strain, the Serum Institute of India (SII), with Oxford University and CEPI, is fast-tracking a ChAdOx1 vaccine. This article explains the Ebola virus and its strains, the PHEIC mechanism under the International Health Regulations (2005), the vaccine race, India's role in global vaccine security, and the One Health link — all from a UPSC Prelims and Mains perspective.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD), in its second-stage long-range forecast on 29 May 2026, lowered its 2026 Southwest Monsoon estimate to 90% of the Long Period Average (LPA), pushing the season into the "below normal" category amid a developing El Niño. This article explains the monsoon mechanism, the meaning of LPA and IMD's rainfall categories, how El Niño (ENSO) and the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) shape Indian rainfall, the impact on agriculture and inflation, and why ample reservoirs and foodgrain buffers offer a silver lining.

The Reserve Bank of India released its Annual Report for 2025-26 on 29 May 2026, projecting India's real GDP growth at 6.9% for FY27 while flagging the West Asia conflict, elevated crude prices and supply disruptions as near-term headwinds to growth and inflation. The report also announced a record ₹2.86 lakh crore surplus transfer to the Centre, a 20.6% jump in the RBI balance sheet, a sharp rise in bank fraud amounts to ₹48,021 crore, and proposed new digital-payment safeguards including a "kill switch." This article explains the RBI Annual Report's statutory basis, the Economic Capital Framework and surplus transfer mechanism, monetary policy and inflation targeting, forex reserve management, bank-fraud classification, and digital-payment security — everything an aspirant needs for Prelims and Mains.

India's chemical industry bodies and key ministries — including Textiles and Commerce — have urged a suspension of ongoing anti-dumping investigations on petrochemical intermediates amid surging input prices caused by the West Asia war and Strait of Hormuz disruptions. With the government already exempting customs duty on 40 critical petrochemicals till June 30, 2026, and DPIIT pushing indigenisation of 200+ import-dependent items, this article explains the anti-dumping framework under the Customs Tariff Act 1975, DGTR's role, WTO rules, the MSME vs large-manufacturer divide, and India's $31 billion chemical trade deficit.

Western and Central Europe are in the grip of an extraordinary May heatwave, with the UK and France recording their highest-ever May temperatures and parts of Spain crossing 38°C — temperatures 10 to 15°C above seasonal norms. Driven by a "heat dome" trapping warm air, the event coincides with the rapid emergence of an El Niño phase in the equatorial Pacific, which the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has flagged as a key reason for cutting its 2026 Southwest Monsoon forecast to 90% of the Long Period Average — a "below normal" category. This article explains the science of heat domes, ENSO, Walker Circulation, the Indian Ocean Dipole, climate whiplash, IMD's heatwave criteria, and what a strong El Niño could mean for India's agriculture, inflation, and food security.

The United States has said that China will address American concerns over shortages of rare earths and other critical minerals, including yttrium, scandium, neodymium and indium. However, the latest White House statement reportedly dropped an earlier reference to completely removing China’s export control regime, indicating that Beijing’s broader restrictions are likely to continue. The issue is important for UPSC because rare earths and critical minerals are linked to semiconductors, defence systems, electric vehicles, renewable energy, telecom, data centres and strategic supply-chain security. This article explains China’s rare earth export controls, the importance of indium, why the US sees the development as only a small gain, and what it means for India’s critical mineral strategy.

In a first of its kind, the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) launched the SMILE mission (Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer) on 19 May 2026 aboard a Vega-C rocket to study Earth's magnetic shield against the Sun. SMILE will capture the first-ever X-ray images of the magnetosphere. This article explains the SMILE mission, Earth's magnetosphere, solar wind, geomagnetic storms, auroras, space weather, the four science instruments, the highly elliptical orbit, and how it links to India's Aditya-L1 — everything UPSC aspirants need on this landmark space-science mission.

On 23 May 2026, the Union Ministry of Rural Development released draft rules under the Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, 2025 (VB-G RAM G), the new law that will replace the two-decade-old MGNREGA from 1 July 2026. This article explains what VB-G RAM G is, how it differs from MGNREGS, the shift from demand-driven to supply-driven employment, normative allocation, the new 60:40 funding pattern, the role of the 16th Finance Commission, the federalism and wage concerns raised, and everything UPSC aspirants need on this major change in India's rural employment policy.