📊 Index & Rankings
A recent FICCI-KPMG study titled ‘Global Mobility of Indian Workforce’ has projected a significant global talent shortage in the coming years, estimating that by 2030, the world will face a skilled worker shortfall of 85.2 million people. This gap could result in an estimated $8.45 trillion in unrealized annual revenue worldwide.
- 85.2 million — Projected global skilled worker shortage by 2030
- $8.45 trillion — Estimated unrealized annual revenue due to the gap
- Indian diaspora is the second-largest and fastest-growing in Australia
- India’s GDP projected to reach $6.5–9 trillion by 2030
The study identifies several reasons for this growing shortage, including aging populations in Europe, GCC nations, and Australia, a skill mismatch with emerging sectors such as AI, IoT, and sustainability, complex visa processes and regulatory barriers, and rapid technological advancements creating entirely new skill demands.
The GCC, Europe, and Australia have high demand for skilled workers. India’s young, English-speaking population gives it a significant advantage. The Skill India Mission has trained over 40 million workers since its launch in 2015.
🇮🇳 National News
The Central Government has withheld ₹2,152 crore in funds to Tamil Nadu under the Samagra Shiksha scheme due to the state’s refusal to implement the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020’s three-language formula. Tamil Nadu has followed a two-language policy (Tamil and English) since 1968 and views the three-language formula as an imposition of Hindi.
- Introduced in NEP 1968 under PM Indira Gandhi
- Hindi-speaking states: Hindi + English + a modern Indian language (preferably South Indian)
- Non-Hindi states: Regional language + Hindi + English
- NEP 2020 emphasizes mother tongue education till Grade 5–8
The dispute highlights the ongoing tension between federal education policies and state linguistic autonomy, raising important questions about cooperative federalism and linguistic rights in India’s education system.
A high-level delegation led by Maharashtra’s Cultural Affairs Minister is in Paris to seek UNESCO World Heritage status for 12 forts under the ‘Maratha Military Landscape of India’ nomination. These forts span Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, and were included in UNESCO’s Tentative List in 2021.
- Maharashtra (11 forts): Raigad, Rajgad, Pratapgad, Panhala, Shivneri, Lohagad, Salher, Sindhudurg, Suvarnadurg, Vijaydurg, Khanderi
- Tamil Nadu (1 fort): Gingee Fort
| Fort Type | Forts |
|---|---|
| Hill Forts | Shivneri, Lohagad, Raigad, Rajgad, Salher, Gingee |
| Hill-Forest Fort | Pratapgad |
| Hill-Plateau Fort | Panhala |
| Coastal Fort | Vijaydurg |
| Island Forts | Khanderi, Suvarnadurg, Sindhudurg |
Built between the 17th and 19th centuries under Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and subsequent Maratha rulers, these forts showcase advanced military architecture and guerrilla warfare tactics. If approved, this would be Maharashtra’s 6th UNESCO World Heritage Site.
India dispatched 26 tons of humanitarian assistance to Honduras following the devastation caused by Tropical Storm SARA, which originated in the Atlantic Ocean and made landfall near the Nicaraguan-Honduran border.
- Location: Central America
- Capital: Tegucigalpa
- Borders: Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Caribbean Sea, Pacific Ocean
- Over 75% mountainous terrain
- Coco River forms the border with Nicaragua
- Key exports: Coffee, tropical fruits, sugarcane, textiles
The aid underscores India’s growing commitment to international humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations across the globe.
Archaeologists unearthed significant Buddhist artifacts at Ratnagiri, Odisha during excavations conducted from December 2024 to March 2025, revealing some of the most important Buddhist heritage findings in recent decades.
- Buddha Head (1.4 metres tall): Largest ever found in Odisha, possibly India
- Votive Stupas: Over 1,500 years old, arranged in sequence
- Stone Tablets: Sanskrit text in Kutila script (Siddhamatrika)
- Buddhist Deities: Sculptures of Amoghasiddhi, Ratnasambhava, Akshobhya, Amitabha, Tara, and Marici
- Located in Jajpur district, Odisha
- Part of the Diamond Triangle (with Lalitgiri and Udayagiri)
- Major centre of Vajrayana (Tantric Buddhism)
- First discovery: 1906 by Manmohan Chakravarti
- Systematic excavation: 1958–1961 by Debala Mitra (first woman DG of ASI)
The F-35 Lightning II fighter jet gained significant attention at Aero India 2025 after US President Donald Trump hinted at a potential offer for India. The F-35 is a single-seat, single-engine stealth fighter classified as a Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA), manufactured by Lockheed Martin (USA).
| Variant | Type | Primary User |
|---|---|---|
| F-35A | Conventional takeoff and landing | US Air Force |
| F-35B | Short takeoff / vertical landing | US Marine Corps |
| F-35C | Carrier-based operations | US Navy |
- Stealth technology with radar-evading features
- Advanced avionics with AI-driven sensor fusion
- Supersonic speed: Mach 1.6 (1,960 km/h)
- Network-centric warfare capabilities
- Cost: Over $100 million per unit
💼 Business & Economy
CII President highlighted the increasing ‘servicification’ of manufacturing, a trend where manufacturers increasingly rely on specialized services within manufacturing processes, making traditional wage trend comparisons difficult.
It refers to the increasing reliance on specialized service providers within manufacturing. Companies outsource non-core tasks such as utility management, OEM machinery maintenance, security services, logistics, and power management to third-party agencies.
Impact on the Economy:
- Efficiency boost — Businesses focus on core manufacturing activities
- Wage structure shift — More workers moving to contractual roles
- Job market transformation — Increased demand for high-skilled service professionals
GS Paper 3: Industrial growth, employment trends, labor dynamics
GS Paper 2: Labor laws and reforms, public policy. Traditional manufacturing boundaries are blurring with the rise of technology, AI, and data-driven services reshaping employment.
The Ministry of Mines has reclassified Barytes, Feldspar, Mica, and Quartz as major minerals from their previous minor mineral status. These minerals will now be regulated by the Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM), with lease periods of up to 50 years under the MMDR Act, 1957 and allocated through a competitive bidding process.
| Mineral | Key Uses |
|---|---|
| Barytes | Oil drilling, electronics, radiation shielding, medical applications |
| Feldspar | Ceramics, glass, and paints |
| Mica | Electrical insulation, cosmetics, aerospace industry |
| Quartz | Semiconductors, optics, industrial applications |
- These minerals contain critical elements like Beryl, Lithium, Niobium, and Tantalum
- To boost scientific and sustainable mining practices
- To reduce import dependence and strengthen domestic supply chains
🌐 International News
Vietnam’s foreign ministry released a map defining its baseline claim in the Gulf of Tonkin. The baseline extends from Quang Ninh to Quang Tri provinces and aligns with UNCLOS 1982 and the Vietnam-China Gulf of Tonkin Delimitation Agreement (2000), reinforcing Vietnam’s sovereign rights and maritime jurisdiction.
- Location: Northwestern South China Sea
- Bordered by: Vietnam (West & Northwest) and China (North & East)
- Red River is the largest river flowing into the gulf
- Historical significance: Site of the Gulf of Tonkin Incident (1964) that led to US military intervention in the Vietnam War
🔬 Science & Technology
The Central TB Division (CTD) has recommended the DeepCXR AI tool for tuberculosis screening under the National TB Elimination Program (NTEP). DeepCXR is an AI-based chest X-ray interpretation tool developed by the Institute for Plasma Research, Gandhinagar, trained on 54,000 X-ray images and validated using 14,000 images. It has been approved for use by ICMR.
- Claimed accuracy: 96% on test datasets
- Works in resource-limited settings with minimal infrastructure
- Reduces screening time to less than a minute
- Provides instant results, reducing dependence on radiologists
- Lacks published validation studies
- No official Health Technology Assessment (HTA) assessment
- Unlike other AI tools (qXR, Genki), no peer-reviewed research confirming real-world performance
Scientists at the Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences (CeNS), Bengaluru have developed an innovative method to enhance the stability of perovskite nanocrystals, paving the way for next-generation Perovskite-Based LEDs (PeLEDs). These LEDs use perovskite nanocrystals as the light-emitting material and combine the advantages of OLEDs and QLEDs.
- High brightness, energy efficiency, and color tunability
- Low power consumption compared to traditional LEDs
- Flexible displays possible (bendable screens)
- Low-temperature manufacturing and solution-processable, reducing costs
- Wider commercial applications in TVs, smartphones, automotive lighting
- Stability issues from moisture, heat, and oxygen exposure
- Most PeLEDs contain lead, raising environmental concerns
- Low efficiency at large scale production
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