Daily Current Affairs Analysis | 18th September, 2026 | Shankar IAS Academy | UPSC | Mains 2026

[music] Hello everyone, welcome to the daily current affair analysis brought to you by Shakar Academy 18th September 2026. Before getting into the discussion, please make sure that you subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you haven't, please do subscribe and also hit the bell icon to receive ontime updates from the academy. And coming to the topics for today's discussion, the first topic is about census town. So recently the ministry of housing and urban affairs have raised their concern that uh even today we are using the old criteria to classify or to define the census town. And the second article is about UPI merchant discount rate. So we know that recently the national payment corporation of India they have announced that the the merchant discount rate will come into effect from 15th October 20126. So followed by this announcement there are a lot of confusions and debate about this merchant discount uh rate. So in this background we'll be discussing what is merchant discount rate and how it is going to impact the UPI transactions in India. And the third article is about the gender disparity index. So now the world economic forum has released the global gender gap report and based on this we'll be discussing the the position of India and what are the areas of improvements and also what are the areas we are still lacking and the fourth article is about Tara call block auction. So the Tara call block which is located in the state of Chhattisgarh you know got permission uh from the central government to include in the auction and now it is auctioned to a a company which is associated with the Adani group. So this auction has sparked uh protest in the state of Chhattisgarh. So in this background we'll be discussing what are the issues associated with this why there is a stiff opposition against the opening of the Tara code block and what are the major concerns. So it is a mains article and we'll be discussing you know a mains uh question along with this and finally we'll be discussing the prelims focus for the day. So if all set let's begin the discussion with the first article coming to the first article center town definition is outdated ministry to panel article is taken from the Hindu. So what is the news? So now the ministry of housing and urban affairs they have raised their concern that is the definition that we are using for defining the census towns is outdated. So why now it is a concern because the nation is going for 2027 census and now the ministry of urban affairs have raised this concern that the definition or the criteria that we are using to define the census town is outdated. it is nearly four decade old and on other side the register general of India they responded that they are proceeding with the old criteria to define the census town because the concern raised by the ministry is too late. So in this background let us understand more about this article. So what is census town? Census town is a settlement classified as urban by the census but it is not governed by the municipality. It is governed by the grammar panchay. So it is a settlement which has all the urban regions but it is governed by the grammar. So what are the major uh uh criteria to define a settlement as a census town? So the first is population. So the population should be minimum 5,000 or more than 5,000. And next is the employment. So 75%age of the male workforce should be in non-aggricultural activity. And next is the population density. So the population density should be uh you know 400 or more than 400 per square kilometer. So if all the three conditions are met then we will classify that settlement as a census term. So how the census what is the core difference between the census town and statutory town? The statutory town will have municipality. It is governed by municipality or nagar panchay but the census town which has all the urban characteristics it is governed by the graange. Okay. And now we are going to see who defines the census term. So we can see that uh the register general of India he conducts the census and notifies the census term. So the register general of India according to the census act of 1948 they will be they are responsible for conducting the census and after the census they will notify a settlement as a census term and the ministry for oversee know overseeing this uh procedure is the ministry of home affairs and it is based the census we know that census is based on 1948 act. So uh the census act of 1948 empowers the register general of India to conduct the census and next the criteria is set by the registister general of India and it is remaining unchanged since 1981. So we are even today we are using the criteria that formed that was formulated in the year 1981. So it is nearly 45 years old and on the ground so the governance stays with the punjayat not with the urban bodies. So like I mentioned it has this census town has all the urban features but it is governed by the uh grand panchay and user ministries. So you know we can see that the ministry of housing and urban affairs nida and state level urban planning will be there. So they will be govern they they are also playing an important role in the governance of the census term and the census 2027 call. So the uh the the governor general of India uh sorry uh sorry the register general of India they said that the concern raised by the ministry was too late. So they are proceeding with the old criteria for uh the census 2027 and talking about the urban India in numbers. So we are going to uh see the population census of 2011. So in 2011 we can see that the total population in India was 121 cr and out of this 121 cr 68%age of the population that is approximately 83 uh cr of Indian population was living in the rural area and urban share was just uh 31 percentage and that is nearly 37 37.7 cr population lived in the urban area but in 2015 there was a satellite imaging And as for the satellite imaging that we can consider nearly 63 the urban area occupies nearly 63%age. So from this uh data mispatch that means from the census of 2011 and from the satellite imaging of 2015 it is just you know four years gap. But we can see that there was there is an issue uh in you know uh in in in identifying the or in tracing the urbanization of India. So the urbanization of India is much faster and the census of India is not in you know it couldn't cope with the phase of Indian urbanization that means the census data is not changing according to the or it is not coping with the the changing phase phase of the urbanization. So that is the uh uh that is the information that we can conclude from this data from this data. And next is uh the definition why the 18 1981 definition is outdated. Why the ministry of urban affairs housing and urban affairs are considering the 1981 definition as outdated definition. So the first is the proson threshold. So we can see that the criteria to determine a region as a census town was formed in 1981 which is nearly 45 years old. So the population of uh the the demographic uh structure of India in 1981 was entirely different from what we are seeing today. So the population criteria may not be you know suitable for the present situation. And next is the male only lens. So a male bias. So we can see that one of the criteria to determine a region as a census normally is nothing but the the employment of the male population. So if 75%age of the male population is employed in non-aggricultural activity then that is considered as one of the criteria for considering a region as a census thumb and here the problem is we are not considering the female workforce. So the male bias in the criteria and third ignores the new economy. So we can see that it is giving focus on what the agricultural and non-aggricultural activity right. So it is focusing on agricultural uh sector but today the even in rural area the gig economy the digital economy is very active and next is the rural urban trap. So you know we cannot strictly uh classify one region as urban area and another region as rural area or we cannot draw a a clear boundary between the urban and rural area. There is always a continuum. So what about the region which is located between the town and the village that is going to be a question. So we do not have a proper framework to consider this very urban area. And next is the administration bias. So the density is computed on administration not built up areas. So that means you know uh we can say that uh uh the uh uh uh that means we are we we are just focusing on the administration instead of focusing on the the demographic features or the social features of the uh particular region. And next is the uniform norms. That means uh the the norm that means the criteria that we are using to classify a region as a census town is uniform. Right? It is applicable across India. But at the same time if you if you check the population of the hilly regions or the northeastern states, it is entirely different. The number of population is different. The the demographic structure is different. Right? And the population density is also different. In that case there is a possibility for you know uh mismatch or you know or there is a possibility in in in considering the census sounds or classifying the regions as census sounds in the northeastern region. And next is limited satellite use or no satellite use. So we can see that in 2011 the the census found that 63% uh 63%age of the population is living in the village area or in the rural area but the satellite imaging found that 67%age of the population is you know living in urb in urbanization or in urban area. So the the census data is not able to cope with the the changing pace of urbanization of Indian society. So these are the major reasons why the 18 uh 1981 definition is considered as outdated and that is why now the ministry of housing and urban affairs have raised this as a concern and moving on why the home ministry of housing and urban affairs raised it as a issue we have discussed it but let's go through the main uh you know key points so the first is male bias like I mentioned it is considering only the employment of the male population in the region so it is ignored ing the female workforce and even even if you take the present situation we can see that comparing with the male population the female population is more active in the rural economy they are more active in the agriculture they are more active in the in in the livestock management. So in that case if you are considering only the male population then there is a possibility for male bias in the data collection and also in considering a region as a census town and second is cloud density. So we can see that 1981's population and 2011's population and now 2027's population is entirely different. So the changing population density is not cannot be considered as a uniform criteria uh to classify the towns or settlements in all parts of India. And the next is binary trap. So the rural urban concept. So we cannot strictly draw a line between the rural and urban area. There is always a continuum. So how we are going to classify this continue? And next is uniform cutff. So like I mentioned now one one nation threshold hurts the northeast and hilly regions. So like I mentioned the population density the population structure the migration pattern everything is different in the northeastern part and in the Himalayan region. So how this one uniform criteria is going to fit all the regions. So these are the major reasons why the ministry has raised objections and why India needs a new definition that can be a question why India needs a new definition. Now first is accurate urban count. So we can see that according to the census of 2011 only 31%age of the population was living in rur in in the urban area but 2015 satellite image found that nearly 60 plus population 63 percentage of the population is living in urban and urban-like area. For example, if you take the case of Gurugram or Noida, you know the these regions are uh you know there is even today there is a concern or there is a confusion in considering this region as a rural or urban area. So it is this transition zones are also becoming more urban and the transition zones are experiencing more urbanization. So in that case you know if you are moving with the uh the old criteria there is a possibility for you know underestimating or undermining the the per urban areas and next is the fiscal devolution. So we can see that the finance commission and central government grant right on correct classification. So we can see that if we have a new definition then we can go for better consideration of developments of all these you know all different layers of uh administration or different layers of you know uh settlements. And next is targeted key like we have the uh you know uh other mission for uh urban regeneration and transformation. So Amrit and uh then we have smart city program. So if uh if we if we can identify new settlements urban settlements or uh new uh you know changing nature of the settlements then we can go for better implementation of these uh programs and um very urban planning. So like I mentioned if you take the case of Noida and Gurugram you know all these regions are considered as very urban regions and they they are experiencing faster urbanization rapid pace of urbanization. In that case if you can identify this regions or this transition zone then we can give better focus on planning in this region and next is gender data. So we can see that the 45 year old old definition is not considering the female participation in the rural economy. Therefore it can be this gender bias can be addressed. And next is the governance bit that means urban settlements get a municipal municipality not punay rule. So we can see that you know uh uh this uh census town they have all the urban features but it is governed by punay. So in that case you know if the if still we are using the same old criteria then there is a possibility that the regions which have developed much more towards urbanization towards urbanism may still get governed by the punch. So that will lead to governance issue. So such issues can be addressed and next is the alliance with the SG goal number 11 which is talking about sustainable cities. So for uh you know to manage the an urban center first we have to identify the urban center then only we can go for better planning and sustainable development in the urban area right and for for the management of urban area we need a municipality not grammar. So if you're still using the old uh definition there's a possibility for the data collection uh there's a mismatch there's a possibility for mismatch in the data collection and also there's a possibility for underounting of the the uh the ch the changing uh uh features of the uh Indian cities and better criteria so what can be done so how we can address this issue so first is instead of just using the sensors or instead of just depending on uh data collection we can also include satellite imagery. So the satellite imagery will help us to identify more urban areas more per urban areas in India. And second is transitional area that is add urban class alongside the rural urban uh you know classification. So don't go for a strict line uh to uh for to classify the regions into urban and rural area. Include a a place for the the per urban areas. And next is considering the female workforce. So they know um that means it will address the gender bias. And next is builtup density. So compute density not on builtup footprint not administration. So instead of just focusing on the administration consider the the population density of the region and based on that go for uh planning and classification. And next is state specific cutff. So instead of going for a nationwide you know uniform criteria for classifying a region as a census town go for you know region wise uh criteria and definition and like I mentioned this nationwide definition may not be suitable for the regions of northeast and hilly regions. Next is the wider economy test. So way the service MSM is and also the digital economy that means instead of just focusing on the non-aggricultural you know you know a vague definition of non-aggricultural uh as a criteria go for including the the the changing economic nature of the rural and per urban areas which means you know consider the changes in the field of service and the consider the role of mummy and also uh include the the role of digital economy when it comes to classification of a Now next is dynamic review. So revisit the criteria every decade not once in 45 years. So you know we are we formulated this criteria in 1981 and even today even in 2027 the that means even for the census of 2027 we are going to use the same criteria. So instead of waiting for such a long time go for periodic periodical revision and review of the criteria. So these are the measures that we can take uh you know to address uh the uh these type of administrative issues. And now we have a prelimin practice question. The question is consider the following statements about census town in India. Statement one, it is notified by the ministry of housing and urban affairs on the uh on the state government's recommendation. And statement two, it needs uh 5,000 population and uh 75 percentage of male workforce in non-farm work. And statement three, unlike a statutory town, it has no municipality or nagar panchay. And statement four its criteria have been revised twice since 1991 census. So we can say that the statement four is definitely incorrect. So that means we can eliminate the option D and it is notified by the uh you know the uh housing and urban affairs. No it is uh the census is done by the register general of India and they will be notifying the uh the region has the settlements has you know uh census now. So the statement one is also incorrect. So that means option A can be eliminated and uh it needs criteria. The criteria means 5,000 or not less than 5,000 population and with 75%age of the workforce male workforce in non-farming uh you know work that is correct and unlike statutory town it has no municipality and the municipality or nagar panchay yes that is the major difference it has all the urban features but it is governed by the panchay. So the statement two and three are correct. So the correct answer will be option C 2 and three only. With this we will move to the next article. Coming to the second article UPI fee who will pay how much and what's exempt article is taken from the Indian experts. So we know that recently the National Payment Corporation of India announced that from 15th October 2026 the merchant discount rate will come into effect and followed by this announcement there was wide discussion in the public about how this merchant discount rate is going to impact the digital transactions in India and there are a lot of confusions. So in this background let us understand what is merchant discount rate and how it is going to impact the digital transactions in India. So talking about the merchant discount rate, it is a fee paid by the merchant to the entities involved in facilitating a digital payment service. So we can see that it is a fee paid by whom? Paid by the merchant to whom? To the companies who provides the digital payment service. And we can see that in the case of India the MDR is fixed that 0.4%age for the people to merchant transactions above the uh threshold of 2,000 rupees. And we can another major uh factor we have to understand regarding the MDR is that the customer or the consumer should not be affected because of this uh MDR. That means the payment has to be done by the merchant and to compensate the payment the merchant should not increase the price of the goods and services. So the customer or the consumer should not be affected. They should not be charged for this MDR. And talking about uh the payment how this is going to work, how this MDR is going to work. So to understand that we have to classify the payments or the transactions into three category. The first is the regular merchant transaction. Second is the people-to-people transaction and the third is the small merchant transaction. So how the MDR is going to affect or impact all the all the three categories of transactions for in the for example in the case of the regular merchant transaction an MDR is fixed at 0.4%age 4 percentage for the transaction above the threshold of 2,000 rupees and for uh for the transaction so transaction of 75,000 and above uh the MDR is capped at 300 rupees per transaction. For example, if you are transacting 70 75,000 rupees in in uh uh in you know in a day then you have to pay 300 rupees as uh the merchant has to pay 300 rupees as uh the MDR and if there is another payment then the then know based on that amount there will be another if if it is above 75,000 then based on that amount there will be another 300 rupees uh you know will be charged and this 300 rupees is capped that means this amount will not pass surpass 300 00 rupees. And next is the persontoperson transaction. There is no MDR for the persontoperson transaction. And next is the small merchants. So for the small merchants that means for the for the business entities or the small business groups who are involving in transaction less than one lakh per month will not attract any MDR. So the small merchants who are transacting below the the threshold of 1 lakh rupees will not attract any MDR. They are free from MDR. Okay. And now we are going to see certain special MDR rates and exemptions. So we can see that areas like the auto payment the UPI auto payments are exempted from uh the uh from the MDR. For example, the auto payment to the OTT platform or to the digital uh you know subscriptions are exempted from the uh MDR. And second is for the essential services like railway uh telecom insurance in that case a flat 5 rupees is charged at charged as the MDR from the merchants. And next for the capital markets uh transaction for the mutual fund and security u an MDR of 0.02 percentage is fixed and the maximum is 300 rupees and it is capped and for the educational purpose for the education fee there is no specific MDR but based on the processing and all there will be you know uh fee will be there. So this is how the uh MDR is going to work. So there is no MDR for the people-to-people transaction and there is an MDR for the people to merchant transaction if the merchant if the people to merchant transaction is about 200 2,000 rupees and if the merchant transaction is above 75,000 rupees then for each payment there will be 300 rupees and that is capped and for the small business groups if the transaction is less than one lakh per month then they are free from MDR okay so this is how it is going to work in India and now we are going to see a data released by the national payment corporation of India in the month of uh August. So this data is talking about the the digital payment in the month of August 2026 in India. So here we have to understand two concepts. First is the volume of trade and second is the sorry the volume of transaction and second is the value of transaction. What is the difference between the volume of transaction and value of transaction. Volume of transaction means the number of transactions in a particular period of time. So the volume of transaction means number of transactions in a particular period of time. And in this context we are considering it as the the number of transactions took place through the digital platform in a particular period of time. And the second is the value of transaction. Value of transaction means the total amount transacted through the digital uh uh payment facilities in a particular period. And here we are considering it as a number the total amount transacted through the digital platforms in the month of August 2026. And now we can see that the the volume of transaction in the month of August is 2451 cr and the total value of transaction in the same period is 29.82 lakh cr. So 2451 transactions took place through the digital platform is in the month of August and the value is 29.82 82 lakh cr was transacted through the digital platform and if you take the volume we can see that out of the total uh transaction total number of transactions 63%age of the transaction was peopleto merchant transaction and the remaining 37% was people-to-people transaction and the MDR is charged on what peopleto merchant transaction and it has a threshold that is about two 2,000 rupees if the people to merchant transaction is above 2,000 rupees then only the MDR will be applicable and here comes another uh fact That is out of the total people to merchant transaction only 4%age of the transaction is above 2,000 rupees. That is only 4% of the transaction is above the threshold of 2,000 rupees. And here if you look at the value so the total value is 29.82 82 lakh and out of this total value of transaction 70%age of the transaction was peopleto-people transaction and remaining 30%age of the transaction 30%age of the total uh value transaction was people to merchant transaction and out of this uh total value 67%age of the people to merchant transaction was above the num above the threshold of 2,000 rupees. So here from this data in simple words we can conclude that uh uh know this is not about uh the number of people it is about the value of people. So uh so sorry so it it is about the value of transaction not about the number of transactions. So the number of transactions above the uh the know above the two uh 2,000 rupees uh is just 4 percentage but this 4 percentage is pending you know higher uh they are engaging in higher transaction via UPI. So that's what we can you know uh you know uh we can conclude from this data. So only four percentage of the total number of transaction is above 2,000 rupees but the score percentage contributes to this 67%age of the total value of the transaction. So the MDR is applicable to this 67% of people to merchant transaction. So the now we may have a question is the is many know is it is there any possibility for large number of people is going to be affected. The possibility is the the people who are engaging in large transactions the merchants who are engaging in large transactions can be affected. Okay. And now we are going to see the reason behind the MDR introduction. Why now MDR is introduc you know is is going to be introduced in India. Uh the first is financial stability. So we can see that the banks you know the the financial companies they have to operate this UPI platforms and for that they need operating costs and to support this we are now going for MDR and second is infrastructure investments like this MDR can be used for supporting servers bandwidth you know cyber security upgrades and customer support. So you know uh to for the betterment of the infrastructure we can use this MDR and also for future expansion of the digital payment facilities. So we know that even today there you know only 37%age of the Indian villages have last mile connectivity. Only 37%age of the Indian villages have last mile connectivity. So in such case we can use this MDR the the MDR amount that we are collected from the merchants for expanding the digital infrastructure to the rural and remote area and what are the major concerns and what are the major concerns associated with the MDR. First is the merchant burden. So we can say that you know this may discourage the merchants the especially the medium and small scale merchants and second is cash revival. So this is charged only on UPI transactions that means the merchants may go for cash transaction. So this is this may this may uh slow down the progress of digital payment infrastructure or the digital payment trends in India. And next is the digital adoption. So the digital adoption so in the coming days the increased the cost can discourage the merchants and eventually the the customers also will be forced to you know go for cash payment. So the merchants will say that no we we won't accept the digital payment because of this MDR. So in that case you know there is a process for there is a possibility for you know customers also going for the cash payments. And next is implementation. So how we are going to classify uh clear how we are going to clearly classify and you know introduce no billing system. So that is going to be a confusion. So we can see that for example in the case of the small merchants for the transaction below 1 lakh rupees there is no India but if it is above 1 lakh rupees you know there will be India. So how can we make sure that this particular company it's a small scale company and that receives only less than 1 lakh rupees per month. So uh you know sometimes they will receive more than one lakh rupees sometimes they they can they can transact less than one one lakh rupees right. So how we are going to address this gray areas that is going to be a question and way forward. So what can be done first is making sure that the small merchants are protected. the small merchants are protected. That means you know we can go for differential MDR that means imposition of MDR based on the the the profit generation or the profit margin of the small scale business entities. And next is transparent implementation. So we have to make sure that there is a proper rules and regulations for the implementation of the MDR. And next is digital incentives. That means using the digital incentive for uh this MDR for providing uh you know for expanding the digital infrastructure. And next is monitoring the impact. So we have to monitor at least for some time we have to monitor how this MDR is going to affect the transactions. Know is this impact positive or is this impact negative? You know is there any impact? So all the things has to be assessed. So these are the measures that we can take while introducing the MDR in India. So uh now we have a mains practice question. The question is UPA has emerged as a major component of India's digital public infrastructure. discuss the rational behind introducing a introducing a merchant discount rate on selected UPA transactions and examine the implications for merchants consumers and financial inclusion. So the question is about what is uh know uh the dig merchant discount rate and how it is going to impact the merchants consumers and financial inclusion of India. So remember this is applicable only to the merchant to uh sorry people to merchant transaction above the value of 2,000 rupees right and it uh and for the peopleto people transaction there is no MDR and for the small businesses who are receiving or who are transacting less than 1 lakh rupees per month have no MDR right so please keep these facts about the MDR in mind okay and try to answer the question post it in the comment section we will review and we will reply for your answer now it's time to move to the next article. Coming to the third article, India's rank on global gender gap index unchanged at 131. Article is taken from the Hind. So what is the news? The World Economic Forum released the global gender gap report 2026 and India ranks 131st out of 145 economics and the top country is Iceland with a parity score of approximately 93%age. So in this background let us understand more about this article. So talking about the key findings. So we can see that the overall gender parity score of India is standing at a 64.5 percentage which is much below than the global average of 69.2%age and India's score has improved by 4.3%age since 2006 and India's progress has been driven mainly by improvements in educational attainment. So in education sector we have attained a 96 percentage of gender parity but when it comes to employment the parity is much less. So talking about the major dimensions or uh or the sub index uh in the global gender gap report first we are going to see the economic participation and opportunity. So here the score of India is 41.2%age which is marginally higher than the previous edition. And talking about the uh professional and technical workers. So here the parity got increased from 26 percentage to uh 49%age in 2006. So in 200 sorry in 2006 it was 26%age but now in 2026 it is 49.6% and talking about the legislators legislators senior officials and managers the parity score is just 13.1%age. And uh when it comes to the labor force participation the parity is just 4 44.1 percentage which is much lesser than you know the educational attainments. So if you take the case of education we can see that India recorded a gender parity of approximately 96.6 percentage. But when it comes to the employment it is just 44.1 percentage. That means the achievements in the education is not transforming uh into employment. and next health and survival. So here the India recorded a parity of approximately 96.6%age which is good but at the same time still there are concerns associated with the sex ratio at birth because in many regions you know the people are giving more preference to son you know than the daughter. So there is a concern about the the sex ratio ratio at birth. So apart from that the gender parity is recorded at 96.6 95.6%age 6 percentage which is good and next political empowerment. So we can see that India's best performing sub index in terms of its relative global rank. So here in this sub index India's rank is 67 uh globally and uh we can see that only 24.5%age of the political empowerment gap has been closed and in the case of parliament 16.1%age of the gender gap has been closed and there's the 7%age increase in the boines comparing with the 2006 and talking about the ministerial representation the parity score got increased from uh 3.5%age in 2006 6 to 5.9%age in 2026 but in 2019 it was 30%age. So currently there is a decline and the head of state indicator uh indicator has also got declined since 2021 and next global picture. So what is the situation in the global level? So the first country is Iceland and then it is followed by Finland and Norway. So glo uh across the world n 69.2%age 2%age of the gender gap has been closed. But if you go by this pace then it will take another 120 years to close the gender parity uh you know gender disparity completely. And next we can see that uh Iceland is the top country with a score of 93 percentage of parity and it is followed by Finland and Norway and Chad, Iran and Pakistan are the last three countries in the report and among them Chad is the last one and we can see that talking about the gender gap so it is very severe in the South Asian region. So the score of the South Asian countries are much lesser comparing with other parts of the world. And next is emerging concern. So we can see that now the economy is driven by artificial intelligence, machine learning and all. And we can see that women account for less than 1/5ifth of the AI engineers. So if you take five AI engineers out of the five only less than one percentage of them are uh you know women. So this is uh you know uh this is indicating the under reppresentation of women in the emerging areas of development like uh AI and technology and uh we can see that women occupy 19.1%age of CEO positions globally but still you know their uh role in the coming in the emerging technology is limited. So these are the key findings from the uh global gender gap report released by the uh world economic forum. So note the report name and the the publishing authority. It is very important for the prelimin's point of view. And uh coming to the practice question, the question is with reference to the global gender gap index 2026. Consider the following statements. Statement one, it is released by the world economic forum and measures glo gender parity across four dimensions. And statement two, India has achieved higher gender parity in education attainments than in economic participation and opportunity. And statement three, Iceland has retained the top position in the global gender gap index 2026. So which of the following statements is or are correct? So we can see that all the three statements are correct. So first statement, second statement. So we can see that in the case of education we have a score of nearly 96 90 96 above, right? So that is good and also we have a very good attain uh gender we have attained the gender parity in uh health also health and survival. So the score is about 90. So India is performing good in education and health but there are concerns when it comes to uh employment and also uh you know the the opportunity. So all the three statements are correct. So the correct answer will be option D 1 2 and three. So with this we will move to the next article. Coming to the fourth article why there is stiff opposition to the auction of Tara cord block in Chhattisgarh. Article is taken from the Hindu. So recently the Tara call block was auctioned uh in the state of Chhattisgarh and followed by this incident there's a wide protest across the state against this auction. So in this background let us understand more about this article. So talking about the Husdev Arena. So the Tara call block in the state of Chhattisgarh is located in Husdev Arinia. So it is a avar is located in the north central part of chhattisgar and it it has an area of approximately,878 square kilometer and it lies in the catchment area of av river which is a tributary of Mahanadi and forest cover. So we can see that this region you know has thick forest cover which protects the biodiversity and also it provides livelihood to the uh tribal population in this region. And talking about the wildlife we can see that it is a home to elephants 450 plus different species of animals and out of this nearly 20 plus population or 20 plus species are classified as critically endangered and next is elephant habitat. So we can see that important elephant corridors are there and also many elephant habitats are located in the hustape arinia and on other side we can see that it is one of the largest it is one of the India's largest untapped cauldrons so the concerns are there about ecological sensitivity the life of the people and also the life of flora and flora and uh talking about the tara cold block The Sarak call block incident was actually started in 2011. So in 2011 the Tara call block in Chhattisgarh was alerted to the uh Chhattisgar Minerals and Mines and Mineral Development Corporation. So we can see that know sorry the M Chhattisgar Mineral Development Corporation. So in 2011 the Chhattisgar Mineral Development Corporation received the permission to start mining of the Sara coal block. But later considering the ecological sensitivity considering the negative impact of the mining we had to halt the program and in 2023 the the Chhattisgarh state government unanimously opposed the mining of Tara coal block. And in 2025 the new government when the new government came to power they requested the central government to include the Tara block in the auction and now the Tara block is awarded to the CG SAS and chemicals limited which is a company associated with the Adani Corporation. So this incident has sparked the uh the protest across Chhattisgarh and we can see that uh on other side the government is claiming that opening the Tara coal mine can provide approximately 1,200 plus cr uh you know revenue to the state and also it can generate approximately 8,000 plus direct and indirect employment to the people and uh talking about the opposition. So why there's a stiff opposition? So the first is the possibility or the risk of massive deforestation. So as per the estimation over 10 lakh trees has to be you know cut off for this mining and this will lead to severe deforestation and this deforestation will lead to biodiversity lo and the next is the risk for the life of elephant. So this uh this region is is an important elephant corridor and also many elephant habitats are there in this region. So if the mining is started then there this will lead to increased the man animal conflict and also the elephants will lose their life because of pollution and next is the possibility or the concern associated with the tribal displacement. So we can see that the chhattis that the central is sorry the central Indian region you know is rich in tribal culture. So once the mining is started then we have to uh go for deforestation and if the forest is lost the life of the the tribal population will be affected. Next is the water security concern. So we can see that this harv sorry the hustdev arena is located in in the catchment of the hust river. So this can lead to the opening of mine mining in this region can lead to river river pollution and water scarcity and also the next is uh renewable contradiction. So we can see that on one side we are know we are boosting our renewable energy capacity. we are accelerating our transition towards green energy but on other side we are opening new cold blocks. So this is you know this imbalance is the major concern and next is the chhattisgut bau antholins charge. So they called this auction this this procedure as echosite because this can lead to loss of biodiversity loss of forest and also uh the loss of livelihood. Chhattikkarat Bachava Andolan is a you know it's a it's a movement working for the protection and conservation of forest and wildlife and the next ecological stakes. So what are the major ecological concerns associated with the opening of Tara call block? The first is the Limbru elephant reserve. So the elephant habitat, elephant corridor maybe gets affected. And next is the Hustdev river. So the Hustdev river it's a one of the important tributaries of Mahanadi and also it is a you know it's a lifeline of this region. So if the coal mining is started then there is a high risk that this river will get polluted. And next is a loss of biodiversity. 450 plus you know uh species are living in this region and 20 plus of them are classified as critically endangered. And next is forest cover. So 4,000 plus acres of den forest has to be cleared or 10 lakh plus trees has to be cut for this uh mining. So that is raising concern about the environmental degradation and the government response. So what is the government's view? First is revised boundary. So we can see that you know the the block reconsidered only after 2025 request and redrawing. So the so like I mentioned in 2023 the Chhattisgarh Chhattisgarh government know opposed the opening of the Tara coal mine and in 2025 the new government filed the request and now uh you know after that request really the central government granted permission for including the Tara call block in the auction. So the the government is tell responding that you know this auction is based on the request filed by the state government and also after the redrawing of the boundary and the next is the outside corridor. So the Chhattisgar Mineral Development Corporation states that block lies outside the Lemu elephant corridor. So it is not a it will not affect the life of the elephants. And next so but the question is can we contain the impact of you know uh a particular development. So that is the question. So how can we make sure that the mining will not affect the life of the uh the elephant? So can we contain it within a limit? That is the question. And the next is revenue argument. So we can say that the chhattisgu they claimed that this can generate approximately,200 cr to the state revenue and it can lead to develop uh you know development of 8,000 plus direct and indirect employments and also statutory safeguard. So the forest and environmental clearance still mandatory. So we can see that you know uh uh you know to start the mining the the clearance is mandatory. Therefore uh you know clearing can be you know supported on that ground. And next is no immediate felling. That means you know the the estimation is saying that approximately 10 lakh trees has to be cut for this mining. But the state government responded that immediately we are not going to uh deforest you know deforestation or if we are not going to cut down the entire you know uh trees and next is historical process. So the government responded that this process has been started for a long time. So in 2011 we alled the auction we alled this region to the Chhattiskar Minerals Development Corporation. So this process has started a long time. This is not you know this was not uh came yesterday. So this is going on for a long time. So these are the major views of the government on this issue. So what can be done? So the first is going for independent review that means conducting a fresh environmental impact assessment and second is ensuring the role of Gram Sabha to ensure that the livelihood and the ground uh the life in the ground level is not affected because of the development. And next is establishment of no gone zone that is notifying certain regions sensitive regions as no gown zone nogo zones. So we can protect the biodiversity and the life in that region. And next is corridor protection. So make sure that the elephant corridor elephant habitat is not affected because of the developmental activity. And next is energy transition. So prioritize the renewable over fresh coal in echosensitive belt. So in the central Indian region is rich in coal but at the same time you know we are pushing for water renewable sources of energy. So instead of opening you know instead of opening the new cold blocks in the uh in the ecologically sensitive zone go for renewable energy and next is just uh just compensation. So that means ensure that you know uh the the people if they get displaced they will receive uh you know adequate uh fund and also rehabilitation. The next is institutional clarity. So they have to bring a clarity how we are going to implement this initiative what will be the prop what will be the exact impact of this how we are going to contain the impact. So the institution has to give a clarity on these issues. So these are the measures that we can or these are the know steps that we can consider for balancing this issue. And now we have a mains practice question. The question is discuss the ecological and the constitutional concerns raised by the auction of call blocks in Hdev Arena region of Chhattisgarh. So it's a 10 marks question and you have to write around 150 words. Write the answer. Post it in the comment section. We will review and we will reply for your answer. Now it's time to move to the prelims focus for the day. Coming to the prelims focus for the day. The first topic is Sharat Chandra Chadopaty. So recently the prime minister paid tribute to the Bengali writer and novelist Sharat Chandra Chadapati on his 150th birth anniversary. So who was Sarat Chandra Chadapati? He was a Bengal writer and novelist known for his simple style of writing and also the use of natural pros and powerful statements and his writings his works always focus on uh the marginalized sections of Indian society and the major or the notable works of Shaharachandra Chadobi are Devadas in 1917 Parinida in 1914 and Sri Gandha and Padar Dhabi and also Charitraina in 1917. So these are the major works of charachandra chhatta. So not the works of works of the charhatra chhattaphya which is very important for the prelims. And we can see that uh talking about his life in the early stage of his life he's he struggled a lot due to various you know family issues and as well as you know he had to face a lot of struggle struggles in his life and later because of the situation he had to uh discontinue his college education and then he went to Burma to work in Burma for some time and later he came back to India and you know stepped into the world of literature and he gave the notable works like Devadas, Parini, Parinida and also Padra Davi. So not those works which is very important and this is a picture of Sharat Chandra Chhatabati and next all India official language conference. So recently the sixth all India official language conference was held in Nabi Mumbai in Maharashtra alongside the Hindi dias and we can see that the event was organized by the department of official languages which is working under which ministry? the ministry of home of course and in this event the home minister Mr. Mr. Rammit Sha presented you know he he conferred uh awards like prestigious awards like Rajapasha Gowra and Raja Shaaki to eligible institutions and uh individuals and also many discussions seminars were held in this event which is mainly focused on the recent issues like the in the the wand madra and also as a part of the event we we have included the book launches and many books were launched in this event and also we established the exhibition start to exhibit the linguistics initiatives taken by various ministries and various departments of the government of India and the next topic is hazard perception test. So now the state of Keralum has planning to uh now the state of Keralum is planning to introduce hazard perception test for driving license. So what is the hazard perception test? So before that the procedure to get the license was two-stage procedure that means uh you know not uh two-stage procedure that means you have to write a learner test and then you have to attend the uh the driving test right in the driving test you have to take uh you know uh uh the the road test as well as uh the the the test within the ground right and now the government is the government of Keralam is planning to introduce a hazard perception test. So what is a hazard perception test which is already you know established in many uh nations like UK. So here you know it is a computer- based test which enables the the driver to identify the hazard or accident in the road. So you know video clips will be played and in this video clip the you know the the the the person who is taking the test will be there and they have to identify the hazard. when there is when they spot the hazard they have to immediately click the mouse that means they have to immediately notify the system. So this is how the hazard test is going to work and based on the reaction time and based on know based on the the the ability of the reaction they will get good score. So this is how the hazard perception test is going to work. So in simple words this will enable the driver to not to identify the hazard on draw. And now we have the prelims practice question. The question is consider the following statements regarding hazard perception test. Statement one is it assess a driver's ability to identify potential hazards while driving and statement two it is designed to improve road safety by testing drivers response to developing hazards. So which of the statements given above is or are correct? So please let us know in the comment section what is the correct answer. With this we are coming to the conclusion for today's prelimin. With this we are coming to the conclusion for today's current affair analysis. If you like the video, hit the like button, give your feedbacks as comments and share this content with your friends. And before leaving this channel, don't forget to subscribe and also hit the bell icon to receive on time updates from the academy. Thank you for listening to us. Thank you for listening to me. Have a nice day. [music]