General Studies Paper-2 Context Recent innovation in India — particularly digital innovation — has emerged as a powerful equaliser, transforming governance, empowering citizens, and redefining access to opportunity. Need of Innovation in India Innovation is the engine that can drive inclusive growth, global competitiveness, and sustainable development. It offers: Scalable solutions to public service delivery; Efficient use of resources in agriculture, energy, and manufacturing; Empowerment of youth and entrepreneurs through digital tools; Global competitiveness in emerging technologies like AI, biotech, and clean energy; According to the NITI Aayog, innovation has already played a transformative role in India’s Green, White, and....Read More

General Studies Paper-2 Context The UN Gender Snapshot 2025, released by UN Women and UN DESA, highlights that without urgent action more than 351 million women and girls could remain in extreme poverty by 2030. Key Findings Persistent Poverty: Female poverty has remained stuck at 10% since 2020. Climate change and conflict are worsening vulnerabilities. Work and Representation: Women spend 2.5 times more hours on unpaid domestic and care work than men. They hold less than one-third of parliamentary seats worldwide. 102 countries have never had a woman head of state or government. Digital Divide: In 2024, 70% of men....Read More

General Studies Paper-2/3 Context NITI Aayog launched two transformative initiatives, AI for Viksit Bharat Roadmap: Opportunity for Accelerated Economic Growth and NITI Frontier Tech Repository under its Frontier Tech Hub. AI for Viksit Bharat Roadmap The roadmap lays out a practical action plan to translate AI’s promise into outcomes, highlighting two major levers: Accelerating adoption of AI across industries to enhance productivity and efficiency; Transforming R&D with generative AI to help India leapfrog into innovation-driven opportunities. Vision: Mainstream AI-assisted technologies across all districts to foster inclusive development and ensure India does not lag in the global tech race. NITI Frontier....Read More

General Studies Paper-2 Context The National Annual Report & Index on Women’s Safety (NARI) 2025, released by the National Commission for Women (NCW), provides a city-wise ranking of women’s safety in India. Key highlights from NARI 2025 Safest cities: Kohima, Visakhapatnam, Bhubaneswar, Aizawl, Gangtok, Itanagar, Mumbai. Least safe cities: Patna, Jaipur, Faridabad, Delhi, Kolkata, Srinagar, Ranchi. The national safety score was pegged at 65 per cent, serving as the benchmark for assessing city performance. In 2024, 7 per cent of women experienced harassment in public spaces, while the figure rose to 14 per cent among women under the age of....Read More

General Studies Paper-2 Context The Government of India released the Special Bulletin on Maternal Mortality in India 2021–23, prepared by the Office of the Registrar General of India (ORGI), Ministry of Home Affairs under the Sample Registration System (SRS). About The report shows a Stable Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) of 88 per 1,00,000 live births for the period 2021–23. Categorization of States: States are categorized as “Empowered Action Group” (EAG), “Southern,” and “Other” for analyzing regional trends. What is Maternal Mortality? Maternal death is the death of a woman while pregnant or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy, irrespective....Read More

General Studies Paper-2 Context The latest Sample Registration Survey (SRS) Statistical Report 2023, released by the Office of the Registrar General of India, points to falling fertility and birth rates, improved survival outcomes, and a rising elderly population. Key Highlights From the Report 2023 State-Wise Variations in CBR and TFR: Crude Birth Rate (CBR): Fell from 19.1 in 2022 to 18.4 in 2023, marking a 0.7-point decline. Highest in Bihar (25.8) and Lowest in Tamil Nadu (12); Total Fertility Rate (TFR): Dropped to 1.9 in 2023, after remaining steady at 2.0 in 2021 and 2022. It is the first decline....Read More

General Studies Paper-2 Context The Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) has written to the Registrar General and Census Commissioner, urging that particularly vulnerable tribal groups (PVTGs) be separately enumerated in the upcoming census. While data on Scheduled Tribes was collected during the 2011 Census, data separately for PVTGs was not collected. Who are Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs)? In 1973, the Dhebar Commission set up a separate category for Primitive Tribal Groups (PTGs). In 1975, the Union identified 52 tribal groups as PTGs. In 1993, 23 more groups were added to the list. Later, in 2006, these groups were named....Read More

General Studies Paper-2 Context Recently, the Parliament of India passed the ‘Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025’ that is designed to curb addiction, financial ruin and social distress caused by predatory gaming platforms that thrive on misleading promises of quick wealth. Need For Promotion & Regulation of Online Gaming Bill 2025 India’s online gaming sector is booming — with over 650 million smartphone users, a youthful population, and a rapidly growing digital economy. According to the MeitY data: Over 45 crore Indians have been negatively affected by online money games. Estimated ₹20,000 crore in financial losses have occurred....Read More

General Studies Paper-2 Context Nearly one-third of the population in India living in urban areas, with a projection of 40% by 2036 and over 800 million urban population by 2050 presents both a challenge and an opportunity. Scale of the Urban Challenge According to a World Bank estimate, India aims to require nearly ₹70 lakh crore by 2036 to meet its urban infrastructure needs. However, current annual investments hover around ₹1.3 lakh crore — barely a quarter of the required ₹4.6 lakh crore per year. This shortfall is compounded by: Stagnant municipal finances, which remain at just 1% of GDP;....Read More

General Studies Paper-2 Context Recently, the Supreme Court of India directed the Delhi government and authorities of Noida, Gurgaon, and Ghaziabad to capture and relocate stray dogs to shelters, calling the situation ‘grim’. It stressed that ‘infants and young children, at any cost, should not fall prey to rabies’. Stray Dog Problem in India India is home to over 60 million stray dogs, accounting for 37% of the global stray dog population. Dog bites occur every 10 seconds in India, totaling over 3 million annually. Rabies claims two lives every three hours, making India the global epicenter for rabies-related deaths.....Read More