Q.110 marks · 150w 9 min Hard
Subtopic: Environment and Disaster Management
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Introduction → Extent of Fulfilment of CBDR-RC Obligations → Technology Transfer – limited Progress → Conclusion
Key points- Climate Finance – largely Inadequate
- NCQG (COP29): Agreed floor of USD 300 billion/year by 2035, far below the USD 1.3 trillion/year demanded by developing countries
- Technology Mechanism (TEC & CTCN) has facilitated cooperation but has not enabled large-scale affordable access to critical green technologies due to the
- Implications for Developing Countries
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Q.215 marks · 250w 14 min Hard
Subtopic: Environment and Disaster Management
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Introduction → CRZ primarily regulates activities through → Inadequate Climate Change Integration → Weak Enforcement and Monitoring → Conclusion
Key points- Coastal regulation is divided among MoEFCC, State CZMAs, Tourism and Urban Development Departments, leading to overlapping mandates and weak coordination
- CRZ primarily regulates activities through zoning rather than managing interconnected ecosystems such as mangroves, estuaries, coral reefs and wetlands
- Inadequate Climate Change Integration
- Limited consideration of sea-level rise, coastal erosion, storm surges and coastal flooding despite increasing climate risks highlighted by the IPCC AR6
- Weak Enforcement and Monitoring
- Limited monitoring capacity & Frequent violations through illegal construction, sand mining and tourism infrastructure
- Limited Community Participation
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Q.315 marks · 250w 14 min Hard
Subtopic: Environment and Disaster Management
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Introduction → Implications of Glacial Retreat → Water Security → Increased Disaster Vulnerability → Downstream River Ecosystems → Conclusion
Key points- Altered River Flows: Initial increase in meltwater followed by long-term decline affecting perennial rivers like the Ganga, Indus and Brahmaputra
- Drinking Water Stress: Himalayan springs and glacier-fed water sources are drying, affecting mountain communities
- Uncertainty: Reduced glacier-fed discharge lowers generation potential, affecting India's renewable energy transition
- Threat to Agriculture: Reduced irrigation availability impacts food security in the Indo-Gangetic plains
- Rising GLOF Risk: like lake Lhonak GLOF (Sikkim, 2023) destroyed the Teesta-III hydropower project
- Landslides & Slope Instability: Glacier retreat destabilises mountain slopes, increasing landslides and debris flows
- Flash Floods: Erratic meltwater combined with extreme rainfall amplifies flood risks
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Q.415 marks · 250w 14 min Hard
Subtopic: Environment and Disaster Management
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Introduction → Multiple pathways → Structural Challenges → Conclusion
Key points- Electric Mobility – for Urban Passenger Transport and Ideal for 2wheelers, 3-wheelers and buses due to shorter travel distances and higher efficiency
- Ethanol Blending – this can help India in attaining energy security
- Bio-CNG – for Circular Economy
- Green Hydrogen – Most suitable for heavy trucks, long-distance freight, shipping and railways, where battery technology is less feasible
- Public Transport – Best for Sustainable Urbanisation: Expansion of Metro Rail, PM e-Bus Sewa and RRTS offers the largest reduction in congestion,
- Critical mineral dependence: Heavy reliance on imported lithium, cobalt and rare earth elements
- Infrastructure deficit: Inadequate charging stations, hydrogen refuelling and Bio-CNG distribution networks
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Q.510 marks · 150w 9 min Hard
Subtopic: Environment and Disaster Management
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Introduction → New Version → Significance → Implications for Infrastructure Planning → Implications for Disaster Governance → Conclusion
Key points- It recognises the faulted segments capable of 8+ magnitude events which alligns India with global standards
- It safeguards critical border infrastructure in strategic places like Ladakh, Uttarakhand and Arunachal
- It also provides a uniform basis for risk-informed planning across Himalayan region
- Retrofitting burden: Schools, hospitals, hydropower dams (e.g., Tehri, Teesta basin) require seismic strengthening
- Revamping of Building codes: New construction in hill towns must adopt stricter, site-specific design
- Land-use planning: Curbs on unplanned urban sprawl in ecologically fragile, high-risk zones
- Institutional coordination: Greater NDMA–state–municipal convergence needed for enforcement
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Q.610 marks · 150w 9 min Hard
Subtopic: Environment and Disaster Management
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Introduction → Fragmented institutional framework → Reactive approach → Inadequate protection of vulnerable groups → Weak local capacity and data integration → Conclusion
Key points- Fragmented institutional framework: Heat is still not a notified national disaster, restricting SDRF access
- Reactive approach: Plans overwhelmingly fund short-term relief — drinking water, ORS, cooling centres — while long-term measures like urban greening, cool
- Inadequate protection of vulnerable groups like Informal workers, farmers, construction labourers and the urban poor
- Weak local capacity and data integration: Many districts lack cityspecific heat risk mapping, early warning dissemination and convergence between IMD
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Q.715 marks · 250w 14 min Hard
Subtopic: Environment and Disaster Management
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Introduction → National Executive Committee → NDMA and SDMAs themselves → Enables creation of Urban → Disaster Management → Authorities for State capitals → State Disaster → Conclusion
Key points- Exclusion of climate disasters like Heatwaves and coastal erosion
- Weak integration with land-use planning: The Amendment does not mandate risk-sensitive land-use regulations, allowing continued construction in
- Implementation deficit: UDMA provisions lack clarity on funding, staffing, and enforcement
- Data duplication: The new database ignores the existing Climate Hazard and Vulnerability Atlas of India
- Rights and participation gap: No rights-based framework, despite Supreme Court emphasis on pre-disaster preparedness protecting the right to life
- Coordination and accountability concerns: The addition of multiple authorities may create overlapping jurisdictions between NDMA, SDMAs, UDMAs and local
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Q.815 marks · 250w 14 min Hard
Subtopic: Environment and Disaster Management
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Introduction → Unique Characteristics of Urban Disasters → Structural Vulnerabilities of Indian Cities → Comprehensive Urban DRR Framework → Conclusion
Key points- Cascading impacts: Dense populations and interlinked infrastructure (power, water, transport) mean one failure triggers a chain reaction
- High exposure density: Concentrated people, assets, and economic activity magnify losses
- Human angle: Urban flooding, heat islands, building collapses, and fires are largely human-induced, not purely natural
- Differential vulnerability: Slum dwellers and informal workers bear disproportionate risk
- Delayed response: The response forces find It very difficult to act due to huge congestion on roads post disaster
- Planning failures: Encroached wetlands & choked drainage (e.g., Bengaluru's lost lakes)
- Fragmented, under-empowered urban local bodies with poor coordination and finances
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Q.915 marks · 250w 14 min Hard
Subtopic: Environment and Disaster Management
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Introduction → Sustainable Tourism → India's Policy Framework — NSST 2022 → Conclusion
Key points- Weak carrying-capacity assessment: Most tourist destinations lack scientific visitor limits, resulting in overcrowding in Shimla, Kedarnath and Goa
- Fragmented governance: Poor coordination among tourism, forest, urban development and local bodies weakens destination management
- Limited community participation: Local communities often remain beneficiaries rather than stakeholders in tourism planning
- Weak regulatory enforcement: Environmental Impact Assessments, waste management norms and construction regulations are inadequately enforced in
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Q.1010 marks · 150w 9 min Medium
Subtopic: Science and Technology
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Introduction → Clean technology pathway for energy independence → Role of Biotechnology → Conclusion
Key points- Renewable energy expansion: India must scale up solar, wind, hydro, offshore wind, and decentralised renewable energy to reduce dependence on coal and oil
- Energy storage and smart grids: Battery energy storage systems, pumped hydro storage, smart meters and AI-based grid management can address the
- Green hydrogen: Green hydrogen can decarbonise refineries, fertilisers, steel, shipping and heavy transport, where direct electrification is difficult
- Nuclear and small modular reactors: Nuclear power can provide reliable, low-carbon baseload electricity and complement renewable energy
- Electric mobility: EVs, battery swapping, domestic cell manufacturing and charging infrastructure can reduce petroleum demand in the transport sector
- Energy efficiency: Efficient appliances, green buildings, industrial efficiency and waste-heat recovery can reduce energy demand without compromising
- Critical minerals and domestic manufacturing: India must build resilient supply chains for lithium, cobalt, nickel, rare earths, solar modules, batteries
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Q.1110 marks · 150w 9 min Medium
Subtopic: Science and Technology
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Introduction → India’s Contributions to ITER → Distribution → System → Implications of ITER’s Success for Global Energy → Conclusion
Key points- Financial and in-kind contribution: India is one of the seven ITER partners and contributes around 9% of ITER’s in-kind hardware components (valued at
- Cryostat: India has supplied the world's largest high-vacuum stainlesssteel pressure chamber
- In-Wall Shielding blocks: India designed complex in-wall shielding blocks to protect the vacuum vessel walls from high-energy neutron bombardment during
- Plasma heating systems: India built complex Ion-Cyclotron RF and Electron-Cyclotron RF heating systems required to heat plasma to fusion conditions
- Power Supplies: India provided high-voltage electrical networks and steady-state power supply systems vital for powering the heavy electromagnetic
- Cooling water and heat rejection system: Indian contribution includes systems needed to remove heat generated during fusion experiments
- Commercial Proof of Concept: It will prove that a self-sustaining "burning plasma" can be controlled at an industrial scale, providing the foundational
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Q.1215 marks · 250w 14 min Medium
Subtopic: Science and Technology
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Introduction → Facts Supporting Nuclear Expansion → Associated Fears and Challenges → Conclusion
Key points- Energy Security: Nuclear power drastically reduces reliance on imported fossil fuels and insulates the economy from global supply chain disruptions
- Reliable Baseload Power: Unlike solar and wind, which are intermittent, a nuclear plant provides continuous 24/7 power, making it an essential grid
- Supports renewable integration: Nuclear energy can complement solar and wind by providing stable power when renewable generation is low
- Economic Multiplier: Once constructed, nuclear plants have long lifespans (40-60 years) with very low marginal generation costs
- Technological self-reliance: India's 3-stage nuclear program is designed to eventually leverage its vast Thorium reserves, which would provide centuries
- Land-efficient: Nuclear plants require far less land per unit of electricity generated compared to large solar or wind parks
- Reduced air pollution: Replacing coal-based power with nuclear energy can reduce particulate pollution, SOx, NOx and associated public-health costs
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Q.1315 marks · 250w 14 min Medium
Subtopic: Science and Technology
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Introduction → Challenges before Crop Diversification → Emerging Technologies can provide Opportunities as → Conclusion
Key points- The Green Revolution created a strong shift towards wheat-rice monocropping at the cost of coarse grains, pulses and oilseeds
- Monsoon dependence and irrigation gaps: Roughly 55% of India's net sown area is rain-fed
- Fragmented landholdings: Over 86% of farmers are classified as small and marginal (owning <2 hectares)
- Subsistence farming: High population pressure keeps farmers locked into low-risk, survival-oriented farming
- Commercial monocropping: Limited diversification as replacement of food crops with water- or input-intensive cash crops
- Technological constraints: Lack of suitable HYV seeds, poor seed replacement, old implements and limited use of weather-based advisories
- Institutional bottlenecks: Defective land leasing arrangements, insecure tenancy and weak extension services discourage long-term investment in
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Q.1415 marks · 250w 14 min Medium
Subtopic: Science and Technology
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Introduction → Key Achievements in Applied Biotechnology → Industrial & Environmental → Uplifting the Poorer Sections → Conclusion
Key points- Agriculture: Development of climate-resilient and high-yielding crops
- Healthcare: Mass production of recombinant therapeutics
- Assisted Reproductive Technologies like IVF, Test tube babies
- Bioremediation (using microbes to clean up soil and water) to reduce environmental degradation
- Production of Bioplastics and sustainable biomaterials
- Reduce disease burden: Affordable vaccines, diagnostics and biosimilars reduce out-of-pocket expenditure and medical costs
- Improve maternal and child health: Vaccines, nutrition diagnostics, biofortified foods and low-cost medical tests can reduce anaemia, malnutrition,
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Q.1510 marks · 150w 9 min Medium
Subtopic: Science and Technology
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Introduction → AI can help in Clinical Diagnosis as → Privacy Threats in AI-Based Healthcare → Conclusion
Key points- Medical imaging: AI can analyse X-rays, CT scans, MRI, ultrasound and retinal images to detect cancers, TB, stroke, fractures and diabetic retinopathy
- Early disease detection: Machine-learning models can detect changes in vital signs, ECGs, lab values and wearable data before symptoms become severe
- Clinical decision support: AI can combine symptoms, medical history, test results and imaging to suggest probable diagnoses and treatment options
- Pathology and lab analysis: AI can assist in analysing biopsy slides, blood samples and molecular markers, improving speed and consistency
- Genomics and precision medicine: AI can process large genomic datasets to identify disease predisposition, likely mutations, and support personalised
- Remote and rural healthcare: AI-enabled apps, telemedicine platforms and portable diagnostic tools support frontline workers and doctors in underserved
- Pandemic/public health use: AI can help track outbreaks, predict disease spread and prioritise high-risk patients
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Q.1610 marks · 150w 9 min Medium
Subtopic: Science and Technology
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Introduction → Surveillance and Contact Tracing → Testing and Diagnosis → Vaccine Development → Vaccination Management → Telemedicine → Conclusion
Key points- Surveillance and Contact Tracing: Digital dashboards, GIS mapping and Apps like Aarogya Setu helped identify hotspots, trace contacts, map containment
- Testing and Diagnosis: RT-PCR, rapid antigen tests, genome sequencing and AI-assisted chest imaging helped detect infections, monitor variants and support
- Vaccine Development: Biotechnology, bioinformatics and faster clinical trial platforms accelerated vaccine development
- Vaccination Management: The CoWIN platform enabled digital registration, slot booking, vaccine allocation, QR-coded certificates and real-time tracking of
- Telemedicine: Platforms such as eSanjeevani expanded remote consultations, reduced hospital crowding and helped patients in home isolation, rural areas
- Genome Surveillance: Sequencing networks such as INSACOG helped detect and monitor variants, aiding public health planning and travel advisories
- Robotics, Drones and 3D Printing: Robots and UV devices supported sanitisation and contactless delivery in hospitals
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Q.1715 marks · 250w 14 min Medium
Subtopic: Science and Technology
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Introduction → Recent government steps to promote Civilian Nuclear Energy → Key Challenges hindering India’s Nuclear Energy Potential → Conclusion
Key points- Legislative Reform and Private Participation:
- The Act strengthens the role of the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) and introduces a graded civil liability framework (replacing the uniform
- Nuclear Energy Mission and Financial Backing:
- Indigenous Technology and Next-Generation Reactors:
- Fleet-Mode Expansion: The government is promoting standardised 700 MWe Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs) through a “fleet mode” approach to reduce
- Cooperation: India has civil nuclear cooperation arrangements with 18 countries for technology access, uranium supply and reactor collaboration
- Land and Infrastructure Support: The government is exploring nuclear deployment at brownfield sites, including existing nuclear sites and retired thermal
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Q.1815 marks · 250w 14 min Medium
Subtopic: Science and Technology
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Introduction → Soft landing on the Lunar surface → Subsystems in Chandrayaan-3 Mission → Chandrayaan-3 comprises three primary subsystems/modules → Role of VLCC in Chandrayaan-3 Launch → Conclusion
Key points- Chandrayaan-3 made one of the closest approaches to the Moon’s South Pole by any lunar lander
- Chandrayaan-2’s intended landing site was also in the south polar region
- Primary role: Transport the Lander Module to the final 100 km circular lunar polar orbit
- Payload: Carries the SHAPE experiment to study spectral and polarimetric signatures of Earth from lunar orbit
- Named Vikram, this is the core module responsible for achieving a soft landing on the lunar surface
- Payloads: ChaSTE: Measured temperature and thermal properties of the lunar surface near the polar region
- Named Pragyan, this is a 26-kg, six-wheeled solar-powered mobile platform (rover) designed to explore and analyse the lunar surface around the landing site
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Q.1910 marks · 150w 9 min Medium
Subtopic: Science and Technology
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Introduction → Applications of Nanotechnology in Agriculture → It uplifts farmers as → Conclusion
Key points- Nano-fertilisers: Nano-urea and nano-DAP improve nutrient-use efficiency through foliar application and controlled release
- Nano-pesticides and Nano-herbicides: They deliver active ingredients in smaller and targeted doses, reduce chemical overuse, pest resistance and
- Nano-biosensors can detect soil moisture, salinity, nutrient deficiency, pathogens and pesticide residues in real time to helping farmers take better
- Smart delivery systems: Nano-carriers can release fertilisers, pesticides or micronutrients according to soil moisture, pH or crop need etc., thus
- Seed treatment: Nano-coatings can improve seed germination, stress tolerance and protection against seed-borne pathogens
- Water-use efficiency: Nanocomposite hydrogels and nano-clays can improve soil water retention and nutrient-holding capacity
- Soil Remediation: Nanoparticles can detect and remove contaminants from degraded agricultural soils
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Q.2010 marks · 150w 9 min Medium
Subtopic: Science and Technology
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Introduction → Applications in the Health Sector → Associated Concerns → Conclusion
Key points- Targeted drug delivery: Nanoparticles can deliver medicines directly to diseased cells, reducing side effects and improving efficacy
- Cancer treatment: Nanomedicine can improve chemotherapy delivery, tumour imaging and photothermal therapy (where nanoparticles help destroy cancer cells
- Diagnostics and imaging: Quantum dots, gold nanoparticles and iron oxide nanoparticles improve contrast in MRI, CT, biosensors and molecular imaging
- Vaccine delivery: Nanoparticles can act as carriers or adjuvants, improving immune response
- Regenerative medicine: Nanofibres and nanoscaffolds help tissue engineering, wound healing, bone repair and organ regeneration
- Antimicrobial applications: Silver nanoparticles and nano-coatings can be used in wound dressings, medical devices and hospital surfaces to reduce
- Point-of-care testing: Nanosensors can detect disease biomarkers quickly, enabling early diagnosis of diabetes, cancer, infections and cardiovascular
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