GK One-Liners

What: The Union Cabinet approved the Bharat Audyogik Vikas Yojna (BHAVYA), a ₹33,660 crore scheme to develop 100 plug-and-play industrial parks across India. The implementing agency is the National Industrial Corridor Development Corporation (NICDC), which operates under the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT).

How: Each park will range from 100 to 1,000 acres, with government support of up to ₹1 crore per acre. Projects are selected through a challenge-based process, ensuring competitive and demand-driven site selection. A single-window clearance mechanism is built in to reduce investor friction. The scheme targets approximately 15 lakh direct jobs.

Why: BHAVYA directly maps to GS-III themes of industrial policy, infrastructure, and employment generation. It is a high-yield Prelims topic for its full form, outlay, and implementing agency. For Mains, it connects to debates on ease of doing business, DPIIT’s role, and India’s manufacturing competitiveness under Atmanirbhar Bharat.

What: The Cabinet approved a ₹2,584.60 crore Small Hydro Power (SHP) scheme targeting the addition of approximately 1,500 MW of capacity through projects in the 1–25 MW range, running from FY2026 to FY2031. The scheme gives special incentives to North-Eastern and border states — ₹3.6 crore per MW or 30% of project cost, whichever is lower.

How: Central financial assistance is provided to state agencies and private developers. The scheme is expected to leverage around ₹15,000 crore in total investment, significantly multiplying the central outlay. Small hydro projects are run-of-the-river type, meaning they have minimal storage and lower ecological disruption compared to large dams.

Why: This scheme is relevant to GS-III (Energy, Infrastructure) and GS-II (Centre-State relations, NE region development). For Prelims, remember the outlay, MW target, and FY period. For Mains, it connects to India’s renewable energy targets, NE region energy deficits, and the policy preference for decentralised, low-impact hydro generation.

What: IOS SAGAR stands for Indian Ocean Ship — Security and Growth for All in the Region. The 2nd edition of this mission commenced on 16 March 2026, with the Indian Navy conducting joint patrols and exercises alongside naval contingents from 16 friendly foreign countries across the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).

How: The mission involves coordinated maritime patrols, humanitarian assistance drills, and capacity-building exercises. It operationalises Prime Minister Modi’s SAGAR doctrine, which frames the Indian Ocean as a zone of peace, stability, and shared prosperity. India positions itself as a “net security provider” in the region.

Why: High-yield for both Prelims (full form, edition number, date) and Mains GS-II (India’s neighbourhood policy, Indian Ocean strategy, multilateral diplomacy). The SAGAR doctrine is frequently tested in the context of India’s foreign policy priorities and its competition with China in the IOR.

What: The Geological Survey of India (GSI), established in 1851 and functioning under the Ministry of Mines, designated the Kalinjar Fort area in Banda district, Uttar Pradesh, as a National Geo-Heritage Site. The fort sits on the Vindhya Range at roughly 700 metres elevation and was originally built by the Chandela dynasty.

How: Geo-heritage designation recognises sites of significant geological importance — in this case the Vindhyan rock sequences — and aims to protect them from developmental encroachment while promoting geotourism and scientific research. GSI maintains a register of such sites across India, coordinating with state governments for conservation.

Why: Relevant for GS-I (History — Chandela dynasty, Vindhyan geography) and GS-III (Science — GSI’s mandate, geo-heritage policy). For Prelims, remember: GSI was established in 1851, reports to the Ministry of Mines, and Kalinjar is in Banda district, UP — not Madhya Pradesh, a common confusion given the Vindhyan belt straddling both states.

What: Atanu Chakraborty, a 1985-batch IAS officer from the Gujarat cadre and former Secretary of the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA), resigned as Non-Executive Chairman of HDFC Bank on 18 March 2026, citing a conflict with the bank’s “values and ethics.” The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) subsequently approved Keki Mistry as Interim Part-Time Chairman for three months from 19 March 2026. The bank’s stock fell by approximately ₹1 lakh crore in market capitalisation.

How: Chakraborty had presided over the historic HDFC Bank–HDFC Ltd merger, valued at approximately USD 40 billion — the largest merger in Indian corporate history. RBI’s role in approving bank chairmanships reflects its regulatory authority under the Banking Regulation Act, 1949, particularly over private sector banks’ key managerial personnel.

Why: Strong GS-III (Banking regulation, corporate governance) and GS-II (Regulatory bodies, RBI’s powers) topic. For Mains, the case raises questions about IAS officers on corporate boards, the accountability mechanisms in private banking, and systemic risk from concentration in large private banks. The HDFC merger remains a benchmark case in Indian financial history.

What: Scientists have decoded approximately 130 million years of geological history embedded in the Ladakh Magmatic Arc (LMA), located in the north-western Himalayas. The rock formations preserve evidence of the ancient collision between the Indian tectonic plate and the Eurasian tectonic plate — the event that created the Himalayan range.

How: Researchers analysed igneous and metamorphic rock sequences in the LMA to reconstruct the timing, pressure, and temperature conditions of the plate collision. These findings have two practical implications: identifying zones likely to host economically valuable mineral deposits (e.g., copper, gold associated with magmatic arcs), and improving geohazard assessments for earthquake and landslide risk in the region.

Why: Directly relevant to GS-I (Physical Geography — Himalayan formation, plate tectonics) and GS-III (Science & Technology — geological research, mineral resource exploration). For Prelims, note the LMA’s location (NW Himalaya, Ladakh) and its role as evidence of the Indian–Eurasian collision. For Mains, it connects to debates on sustainable mining in ecologically sensitive Himalayan zones and disaster preparedness in the region.