GS-3

Restoring river biodiversity through river ranching

River Ranching is a scientific fisheries management initiative implemented under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) to restore depleted fish populations in India’s rivers. The programme involves releasing hatchery-reared fingerlings of native species into natural water bodies to enhance fish production, conserve riverine biodiversity, and strengthen ecological balance. Implemented by the Department of Fisheries with the National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB) as the nodal agency, it covers major river basins such as the Ganga, Brahmaputra, and Mahanadi. The initiative also supports sustainable inland fisheries, improves food security, and enhances the livelihoods of river-dependent communities while contributing to the broader goal of sustainable river ecosystem management.

Changing dynamics of global trade governance

The global trade system is undergoing a significant transformation from a multilateral, rules-based framework under the World Trade Organization to a more complex structure dominated by bilateral, regional, and strategic trade agreements. The rise of Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) and new reciprocal arrangements reflects growing geoeconomic competition, supply chain realignment, and the expansion of trade into areas such as digital commerce, data flows, and regulatory standards. While these developments offer opportunities for market access and economic integration, they also risk fragmenting global trade rules and weakening multilateralism. For India, the evolving landscape presents both opportunities to integrate into global value chains and challenges related to policy autonomy, domestic industry protection, and digital sovereignty, requiring a balanced and strategic trade approach.

Graphics Processing Units and AI Revolution

Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) are specialised processors designed for high-speed parallel computing, making them essential for graphics rendering, artificial intelligence, and large-scale data processing. Their architecture, which includes thousands of cores, high-bandwidth memory (VRAM), and programmable shaders, enables faster execution of repetitive numerical tasks compared to CPUs. In India, GPUs are becoming critical digital infrastructure, supporting AI innovation, scientific research under the National Supercomputing Mission, the startup ecosystem, and large-scale digital governance platforms. With rising demand and heavy import dependence, strengthening domestic semiconductor capabilities and expanding energy-efficient data centre infrastructure are key to ensuring technological self-reliance and global competitiveness.

PAC observation on SANKALP Scheme

The SANKALP (Skill Acquisition and Knowledge Awareness for Livelihood Promotion) scheme, launched in 2018 by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship with assistance from the World Bank, aims to strengthen short-term skill training by improving institutional capacity, ensuring industry relevance, and promoting inclusion of marginalised groups. However, audit findings by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India and observations of the Public Accounts Committee have highlighted concerns such as underutilisation of funds, slow implementation, weak monitoring mechanisms, and lack of preparedness. The issue underscores the need for stronger governance, outcome-based implementation, better industry linkages, and integration of vocational education within the school system to improve employability and effectively harness India’s demographic potential.

Export Promotion Mission and key interventions

The Export Promotion Mission (EPM) is a comprehensive initiative aimed at strengthening India’s export ecosystem, particularly for MSMEs, new exporters and labour-intensive sectors. Through its twin components Niryat Protsahan (financial support) and Niryat Disha (ecosystem and market support), the Mission reduces the cost of finance, improves compliance with global standards, enhances logistics and warehousing access, and promotes entry into new markets. By integrating digital monitoring, credit support, trade intelligence and district-level export promotion, EPM seeks to boost export competitiveness, diversify markets and ensure inclusive, regionally balanced growth while deepening India’s integration into global value chains.

RARE EARTH MAGNETS : OPPOTUNITY & CHALLENGES

Rare earth magnets are high-performance materials essential for electric vehicles, wind turbines, electronics, and defence systems, making them critical for India’s clean energy transition and technological growth. With China dominating global processing, India’s push for domestic manufacturing, critical mineral processing, and recycling aims to reduce import dependence and build a self-reliant mine-to-magnet ecosystem to strengthen economic and strategic security.

CIRCULAR ECONOMY IN AGRICULTURE : POLICY AMBITION & GROUND REALITY

India generates nearly 350 million tonnes of agricultural waste annually, creating both an environmental challenge and a major economic opportunity. The circular agriculture approach aims to convert this waste into valuable resources such as bioenergy, organic fertilisers, and bio-based products, with the potential to create a $2 trillion market and millions of jobs by 2050. While the Government has launched multiple initiatives for biomass utilisation, residue management, and infrastructure development, implementation gaps, weak supply chains, limited monitoring, and uneven regional performance remain key concerns. Strengthening outcome-based monitoring, market linkages, and integrated waste management is essential to transform agricultural waste into sustainable rural wealth.

AI driven education reform

The Government of India plans to integrate artificial intelligence into the education system through the Bharat EduAI Stack, a Digital Public Infrastructure being developed by Bodhan AI at IIT Madras. The initiative aims to enable personalised learning, multilingual support, teacher assistance, and data-driven governance across all levels of education in line with the National Education Policy 2020. While it has the potential to improve learning outcomes and promote inclusive, scalable education, its success will depend on addressing challenges related to digital access, data privacy, teacher training, and infrastructure.

Bio-based chemicals and enzymes: Opportunities and challenges

Bio-based chemicals and enzymes are industrial products derived from renewable biological resources such as crops, biomass, and agricultural residues through processes like fermentation and enzymatic conversion. They offer a sustainable alternative to petrochemicals by reducing fossil fuel dependence, lowering carbon emissions, and supporting a circular bioeconomy.

India has strong potential in this sector due to its large agricultural base, established fermentation expertise, and growing manufacturing capacity. The government has prioritised biomanufacturing under the BioE3 policy, and domestic companies are increasingly investing in bio-based production. However, challenges such as higher costs, feedstock supply constraints, limited infrastructure, and slow market adoption need to be addressed.

With appropriate policy support, shared infrastructure, and market incentives, bio-based chemicals and enzymes can strengthen India’s industrial competitiveness, promote agricultural value addition, and contribute to sustainable economic growth.

Urban Challenge Fund

The Union Cabinet has approved the ₹1 lakh crore Urban Challenge Fund to support market-driven and reform-based urban infrastructure development. The scheme aims to mobilise about ₹4 lakh crore over five years by focusing on cities as growth hubs, urban redevelopment, and improved water and sanitation, with special emphasis on sustainable, resilient, and inclusive development in Tier-II and Tier-III cities.

RBI tightens norms on loan recovery to protect borrower rights

The Reserve Bank of India has issued draft Responsible Business Conduct (Second Amendment) Directions, 2026 to regulate the conduct of loan recovery agents, effective from July 1, 2026. The guidelines prohibit harassment, abusive language, excessive or anonymous calls, inappropriate digital messages, and any form of intimidation or public humiliation of borrowers or guarantors. Banks are required to establish a dedicated grievance redressal mechanism and adopt board-approved policies covering due diligence, code of conduct, and performance standards for recovery agents. The move aims to strengthen financial consumer protection, promote ethical recovery practices, and balance borrower dignity with credit discipline in India’s expanding retail lending ecosystem.

Viksit Bharat and Net Zero: Opportunities and challenges for India

The reports by NITI Aayog present an integrated roadmap showing that India can achieve the vision of Viksit Bharat by 2047 while reaching Net Zero emissions by 2070. The transition requires a structural transformation of the economy through rapid electrification, large-scale expansion of renewable energy, improved energy efficiency, and adoption of low-carbon technologies. Electricity’s share in final energy demand is expected to rise significantly, while fossil fuel dependence will decline sharply.

The analysis highlights that India’s development trajectory will be investment-driven, requiring nearly USD 500 billion annually in climate-related investments. Key challenges include financing gaps, rising demand for critical minerals, infrastructure lock-in risks—especially as 80–86% of future building stock is yet to be constructed—and managing a just transition for over 150 fossil-fuel-dependent districts.

The strategy emphasises behavioural change through Mission LiFE, circular economy practices, climate-resilient agriculture, sustainable urbanisation, and strong institutional coordination. With nearly 40% of districts facing high climate risk, adaptation and resilience must complement mitigation efforts.

Overall, the Net Zero pathway is framed not just as a climate obligation but as an opportunity to enhance energy security, create green jobs, improve public health, and build a resilient, competitive, and sustainable Indian economy.