16 July 2025

• Energy milestone: India reached 50 per cent installed electricity capacity from non-fossil sources, five years ahead of its 2030 Nationally Determined Contribution target. Total non-fossil capacity is 242.78 GW.
• Polity: The Supreme Court held that promoting regionalism for electoral gain is "as dangerous as communalism."
• Governance: Over 97 per cent of cases under the Protection of Civil Rights Act on untouchability remain pending in Indian courts.
• Skill development: PMKVY (Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana) completes 10 years, having trained 1.63 crore youth across 30-plus sectors.
• Security: Maharashtra's Special Public Security Bill, 2025 targets Left-Wing Extremist organisations operating in urban areas.

GS area: Economy (energy), Environment (climate action)

India's installed electricity generation capacity crossed 50 per cent from non-fossil sources, five years ahead of the 2030 NDC target.

• Total installed capacity: 484.82 GW.
• Non-fossil capacity: 242.78 GW (50.08 per cent).
  • Renewable energy (solar, wind, small hydro, others): 184.62 GW.
  • Large hydro: 49.38 GW.
  • Nuclear: 8.78 GW.
• Fossil capacity: 241.04 GW (49.92 per cent), almost entirely coal.
• NDC commitment: India committed at Paris to 40 per cent non-fossil installed capacity by 2030. The target was later revised upward to 50 per cent by 2030. India met it in 2025.
• Remaining challenge: Installed capacity is not generation share. Coal plants run at higher utilisation rates than solar and wind. Non-fossil energy still provides less than 50 per cent of actual units generated.
• Grid challenge: Integrating variable renewables requires storage, grid upgrades and demand-side management.

Static linkage: Environment (NDC, Paris Agreement, renewable energy, climate targets), economy (energy policy).

GS area: Polity (fundamental rights, national integration)

The Supreme Court observed that promoting regionalism for electoral gain is "as dangerous as communalism." The observation came in a case involving a political leader's speeches.

• What regionalism means legally: Promoting regional interests in ways that discriminate against persons from other states violates Article 19 rights (right to move freely, reside anywhere, practice any profession).
• Constitutional provisions against discrimination: Article 15 prohibits discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth. This extends to the state-of-origin issue.
• Manifestations: Gorkhaland demand, Bodoland demand, employment preferences for "sons of the soil," language-based politics and anti-migrant rhetoric.
• Causes: Uneven development between states, cultural and linguistic assertion, electoral incentives.

Static linkage: Polity (Articles 15, 19, national integration, federalism).

GS area: Polity (legislation), Internal Security

The Maharashtra Special Public Security (MSPS) Bill, 2025 targets Left-Wing Extremist organisations and their urban support networks.

• Penalties: 2 to 7 years imprisonment and fines of 2 to 5 lakh rupees.
• Nature of offence: Non-bailable and cognizable. Arrests can be made without a warrant.
• Criticism: Civil liberties groups argue the broad definition of "unlawful activity" can be misused to target journalists, academics and activists.
• Context: LWE (Left Wing Extremism), also called Maoist insurgency, has shifted organisational work to cities. Urban networks provide logistics, funding and communication.

Static linkage: Internal security (LWE, Naxalism, policing), polity (fundamental rights vs. security laws).

GS area: Polity (constitutional law, social justice)

The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment's 2022 report found that over 97 per cent of cases under the Protection of Civil Rights (PCR) Act remain pending in courts.

• PCR Act: The Protection of Civil Rights Act, 1955. It criminalises the practice of untouchability, which is abolished by Article 17 of the Constitution.
• Numbers: Only 13 FIRs were registered under PCR Act in 2022, down from 24 in 2021.
• Acquittal rate: 30 of 31 disposed cases in 2022 ended in acquittal.
• Article 17: Abolishes untouchability. Enforcement of any disability arising from untouchability is an offence. This is an absolute prohibition.
• Gap: The low FIR count, high pendency and near-total acquittal rate point to fear of social consequences among victims, weak investigation and prosecution, and judicial capacity.

Static linkage: Polity (Article 17, PCR Act, SC/ST issues, constitutional rights).

GS area: Economy (MSMEs, energy efficiency), Governance

The ADEETIE scheme (Assistance for Decarbonisation and Energy Efficiency Transition in India's Economy) targets MSME energy efficiency.

• Budget: 1,000 crore rupees for FY 2025-28.
• Interest subvention: 5 per cent for Micro and Small enterprises. 3 per cent for Medium enterprises.
• Expected investment catalysed: 9,000 crore rupees.
• Purpose: Help MSMEs upgrade machinery and processes to reduce energy consumption and carbon footprint.
• Significance: MSMEs account for a large share of India's industrial energy use. Their transition to efficiency has outsized climate impact.

Static linkage: Economy (MSMEs, energy efficiency, decarbonisation), governance.

GS area: Economy (skill development), Governance

Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) completes 10 years in 2025.

• Trained: 1.63 crore youth since 2015.
• Sectors: 30-plus across construction, electronics, healthcare, hospitality and more.
• Women beneficiaries: Approximately 45 per cent of trainees.
• Ministry: Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.
• Criticism: Placement rates have been a consistent concern. Training completion does not automatically translate to employment, particularly in rural areas.

Static linkage: Economy (skill development, PMKVY, employment), governance.

GS area: Environment (rivers), Geography

The Pavana River's 1,500-crore rupee rejuvenation project in Pune is under scrutiny for prioritising aesthetics over ecology.

• Origin: 6 km south of Lonavala in the Western Ghats.
• Course: Flows east through Dehu, Chinchwad, Pimpri and Dapodi before merging with the Mula River near Pune.
• Confluence chain: Pavana joins the Mula, which becomes the Mula-Mutha, which joins the Bhima, which joins the Krishna River.
• Concern: The rejuvenation plan is criticised for concrete embankments that destroy riparian biodiversity rather than genuine ecological restoration.

Static linkage: Environment (river ecology, urban rivers), geography (peninsular rivers, Krishna basin).

• GM Maize field trials: Bayer is conducting confined research trials (BRL-I and BRL-II) for GM maize with herbicide tolerance and insect resistance genes at Punjab Agricultural University. These are regulatory trials, not commercial release.
• E10 Shinkansen: Japan's next-generation bullet train. India is the first country outside Japan to adopt this technology for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail project. The 21-km BKC-Thane tunnel section is partially complete. Target completion: 2030.