GK One-Liners

What: The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Strategic Forces Command successfully tested the Agni-Prime Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile (IRBM) from a rail mobile launcher. This achievement places India among a select group of nations—including Russia and China—with proven rail-based missile launch capability, significantly enhancing strategic mobility and survivability of India’s nuclear deterrent forces.

How: Rail-based launchers offer several tactical advantages over traditional road-mobile systems. The missiles are mounted on specially designed railway carriages that can operate on India’s extensive rail network, making them harder to detect and target through satellite reconnaissance. The system can be rapidly relocated across vast distances using existing railway infrastructure, provides better concealment through tunnels and depots, and offers superior weight-carrying capacity compared to road vehicles, enabling deployment of larger warheads or multiple missiles.

Why: This test is crucial for UPSC Mains (GS3 – Internal Security & Defence) questions on India’s strategic deterrence, nuclear triad capabilities, and second-strike capability. The Agni series forms the backbone of India’s land-based nuclear deterrent under the “No First Use” policy. Questions may focus on comparing rail versus road-mobile versus silo-based launch systems, the strategic significance of IRBM range (1,000-5,500 km), India’s missile development programs, and how this capability affects the regional strategic balance vis-à-vis China and Pakistan.

What: India nominated the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) as a United Nations Centre of Excellence for Artificial Intelligence capacity-building under the UN Office for Digital and Emerging Technologies. This designation recognizes IIT Madras as a hub for developing AI expertise and aims to help Global South countries bridge critical AI skills gaps through training programs, research collaboration, and technology transfer initiatives.

How: As a UN Centre of Excellence, IIT Madras will design and deliver AI training programs tailored for developing nations, focusing on practical applications in healthcare, agriculture, education, and governance. The center will facilitate knowledge sharing through workshops, online courses, and research partnerships, while also addressing ethical AI development, data governance frameworks, and inclusive technology deployment. The initiative leverages IIT Madras’s established AI research ecosystem, including its Robert Bosch Centre for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence.

Why: This nomination demonstrates India’s emerging leadership in South-South cooperation and technology diplomacy. For UPSC Mains (GS2 – International Relations), expect questions on India’s role in multilateral technology governance, Voice of Global South initiatives, and bridging the digital divide. It connects to GS3 topics on AI policy, India’s digital infrastructure exports (like UPI, Aadhaar stack), and positioning India as a responsible technology power. The recognition also validates India’s domestic AI capabilities and educational institutions’ global standing.

What: Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal flagged off India’s first fleet of electric heavy-duty trucks with swappable batteries at Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA), India’s largest container port. JNPA has set an ambitious target to electrify 90% of its approximately 600-truck fleet by 2026 and is establishing battery-swapping infrastructure to significantly reduce vehicle turnaround time while eliminating diesel emissions from port operations.

How: The electric trucks use swappable battery technology rather than fixed charging systems, allowing depleted batteries to be replaced with fully charged ones in minutes instead of hours-long charging waits. This addresses the primary limitation of electric commercial vehicles—downtime during charging. The battery-swapping stations at the port operate on a subscription or pay-per-swap model, reducing upfront vehicle costs for operators. JNPA’s electrification plan includes dedicated charging infrastructure, renewable energy integration, and phased replacement of diesel trucks over the next two years.

Why: This initiative connects multiple UPSC themes: decarbonization of transport (GS3 – Environment), green logistics infrastructure (GS3 – Infrastructure), and India’s electric vehicle ecosystem development. Mains questions may focus on challenges in commercial EV adoption, battery-swapping versus fixed-charging models, port modernization strategies, India’s climate commitments under Paris Agreement and net-zero targets, and the role of public sector enterprises in accelerating clean energy transitions. The project demonstrates how targeted sectoral interventions can achieve rapid emissions reductions.

What: India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) went live in Qatar, starting with Qatar Duty Free outlets at Hamad International Airport. Indian travelers can now make instant digital payments using UPI apps like BHIM, PhonePe, and Google Pay at participating merchants. The launch resulted from partnerships among National Payments Corporation of India International (NIPL), Qatar National Bank (QNB), and Japanese payment processor NETSTARS.

How: The implementation involves technical integration between India’s UPI infrastructure and Qatar’s payment systems through QNB’s acquiring network. Indian users link their existing UPI accounts to their Indian bank accounts, and when making purchases in Qatar, the payment is processed in Qatari Riyals while being debited in Indian Rupees from their accounts. The real-time settlement happens through cross-border payment gateways, eliminating the need for currency exchange or international credit cards. NETSTARS provides the payment processing technology that bridges the two systems.

Why: UPI’s international expansion demonstrates India’s fintech leadership and is highly relevant for UPSC Mains (GS3 – Indian Economy). Questions may address India’s digital payment ecosystem export strategy, the role of UPI in promoting financial inclusion globally, cross-border payment infrastructure, and soft power through technology diplomacy. Qatar hosts a significant Indian diaspora and receives millions of Indian tourists, making UPI adoption economically significant. This connects to themes of “Digital India going global,” India Stack exports, and reducing transaction costs for the Indian diaspora.

What: The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) released the fourth edition of the ‘Children in India 2025’ report, providing comprehensive data on child welfare indicators across India. The report highlights significant progress including lower infant mortality rates, reduced school dropout rates, declining child marriage prevalence, and rising adoption numbers. New indicators have been added covering children’s mobile device usage patterns and detailed classification of child mortality causes.

How: The report synthesizes data from multiple sources including the National Family Health Survey (NFHS), Census data, educational statistics from the Ministry of Education, crime data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), and health statistics from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. It provides disaggregated data by state, gender, rural-urban divide, and socio-economic categories, enabling evidence-based policymaking. The inclusion of digital device usage reflects evolving child development concerns in the digital age, while detailed mortality cause analysis helps target health interventions more effectively.

Why: This report is critical for UPSC Mains questions on child welfare policies, social indicators, and development outcomes (GS2 – Social Justice & Welfare Schemes). Questions may focus on comparing India’s child development indicators with global benchmarks, effectiveness of schemes like Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) and Mid-Day Meal Scheme, challenges in implementing child rights under the Juvenile Justice Act and POCSO Act, and emerging issues like digital addiction among children. The data helps assess progress toward Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 3 (Good Health), SDG 4 (Quality Education), and SDG 5 (Gender Equality).

What: Larsen & Toubro (L&T) and Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) formed a 50:50 consortium to compete for development work on India’s Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), a fifth-generation stealth fighter project valued at ₹15,000 crore. This partnership represents a major private sector entry into India’s fighter aircraft development program, which has traditionally been dominated by public sector entities like Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), alongside the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) and DRDO.

How: The consortium will bid for various AMCA subsystems including avionics, electronic warfare systems, mission computers, and potentially airframe components. L&T brings manufacturing expertise and precision engineering capabilities developed through its aerospace division, while BEL contributes specialized defense electronics, radar systems, and avionic integration experience from programs like Tejas LCA and Su-30MKI upgrades. The partnership leverages the government’s “Aatmanirbhar Bharat” policy in defense, which encourages private sector participation through Strategic Partnership Model and Technology Development Fund allocations. AMCA aims for first flight by 2028-29 with operational induction by the early 2030s.

Why: This development is crucial for UPSC Mains questions on defense indigenization, private sector participation in defense manufacturing, and India’s aerospace capabilities (GS3 – Science & Technology, Defence). Questions may address the Strategic Partnership Model, challenges in developing fifth-generation fighter capabilities (stealth, supercruise, advanced avionics, sensor fusion), comparison with global programs like F-35 or Su-57, Make in India in defense sector, and reducing import dependence on fighter aircraft. AMCA will eventually replace aging MiG-29s and Mirage 2000s while complementing the Tejas Mark-II, making it central to IAF modernization plans.