1 .NPCI International–Uzbekistan Partnership: UPI via UZQR
Syllabus Mapping:GS II: India–Central Asia Relations • Digital Diplomacy + GS III: Digital Economy • Digital Public Infrastructure
- UPI (Unified Payments Interface) is an instant real-time payment system developed by NPCI, enabling multiple bank accounts to be linked through a single mobile application.
- UPI facilitates Person-to-Person (P2P) as well as Person-to-Merchant (P2M)
- It enables payments using identifiers such as UPI ID/VPA, mobile number and QR code, reducing dependence on cash and cards.
- NPCI (National Payments Corporation of India) operates India’s retail payment and settlement systems and developed UPI.
- NPCI International Payments Ltd. (NIPL) is the international arm of NPCI responsible for taking UPI and RuPay to international markets.
- Under the latest partnership, NIPL partnered with National Interbank Processing Centre JSC (NIPC), operator of Uzbekistan’s national payment system HUMO.
- Indian users can make merchant payments in Uzbekistan by scanning UZQR, the country’s national interoperable QR code, through UPI-enabled applications.
- HUMO has been designated as NIPL’s authorised partner for cross-border merchant acceptance.
- UZQR is part of the Unified National QR infrastructure mandated by the Central Bank of Uzbekistan (CBU).
- The arrangement enables P2M payments directly from Indian bank accounts while travelling in Uzbekistan.
- RBI regulates payment systems, while NPCI operates UPI.
- UPI Lite facilitates small-value payments with simplified authentication.
- UPI 123PAY enables UPI transactions through feature phones, promoting financial inclusion.
- UPI AutoPay enables recurring payments through UPI mandates.
- NIPL (NPCI International Payments Ltd.) is the international arm of NPCI responsible for expanding UPI and RuPay globally
- UPI international acceptance includes Singapore, UAE, France, Mauritius, Nepal, Bhutan, Qatar, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Greece and Uzbekistan.
2. Mission Zero: Depalpur Achieves Zero Legacy Waste
Syllabus Mapping:GS III: Solid Waste Management • Urbanisation • Environmental Governance
- Swachh Shehar Jodi — launched during Swachhata Hi Seva 2025 under SBM-U 2.0; follows an “Each One Teach One” model of mentor–mentee city collaboration.
- Depalpur (Madhya Pradesh) became the first city under Swachh Shehar Jodi to achieve “Zero Legacy Waste”, with 1,250 MT of legacy waste scientifically remediated.
- Indore = Mentor city; Depalpur = Mentee city — cooperation focused on door-to-door collection, 4-bin segregation and scientific waste processing.
- Legacy waste is the waste accumulated over years at old dumpsites; its remediation involves segregation, recovery, recycling and scientific processing/disposal rather than simply shifting the waste elsewhere.
- RDF (Refuse Derived Fuel) recovered from waste can be used as a fuel substitute; in Depalpur, RDF was sent for co-processing in cement factories.
- Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0 (SBM-U 2.0) focuses on sustaining ODF outcomes and achieving garbage-free cities through scientific solid-waste management, including segregation, processing and remediation of legacy dumpsites.
- 4-bin segregation enables source/stream-wise separation of waste for appropriate recycling, recovery and processing.
- In a 4-bin waste segregation system, the four streams are generally:
- Wet/biodegradable waste — food waste, vegetable/fruit peels, garden waste → composting/biological processing
- Dry/recyclable waste — paper, cardboard, plastic, metal, glass → recycling/material recovery
- Domestic hazardous waste — batteries, paint containers, chemicals, expired medicines, etc. → specialised safe treatment/disposal
- Sanitary waste — diapers, sanitary napkins, used masks, bandages, etc. → separate collection and appropriate treatment/disposal.
- Co-processing means using waste-derived materials such as RDF as a resource/fuel in an industrial process, reducing dependence on conventional fuel and landfill disposal.
3. Agatti Island, Lakshadweep
Syllabus Mapping: GS-I — Indian Geography; GS-III — Blue Economy, Fisheries, Environment & Biodiversity
- Agatti Island is part of Lakshadweep, a Union Territory of India in the Arabian Sea.
- Agatti is one of the islands of Lakshadweep and is known for its coral reefs, lagoon ecosystem and marine biodiversity.
- Lakshadweep is an archipelago of coral islands; its islands are predominantly atolls, with lagoons enclosed by coral reefs.
- Agatti’s significance: It is an important location for fisheries, tourism and marine-resource-based livelihoods.
- Fisheries: Agatti has an ornamental fish hatchery; Lakshadweep has 300+ ornamental fish species.
- Blue Economy: Agatti was the venue for the Fisheries Outreach Programme (2026) and the launch of Mission Rangeen Machhli 2031 for development of ornamental fisheries.
- Lakshadweep’s marine space: It has a lagoon area of about 4,200 sq km and an EEZ of nearly 4 lakh sq km.
- Lakshadweep accounts for nearly 17% of India’s EEZ, despite its very small land area.
- Important fisheries:Yellowfin Tuna and Skipjack Tuna are major high-value resources of Lakshadweep.
- Ecological significance: Coral reefs around Lakshadweep support marine biodiversity, fisheries and island livelihoods, making conservation important alongside economic utilisation.
4. Green Forge Complex at BRIC-NABI, Mohali
Syllabus Mapping: GS-III — Biotechnology; GM Crops; Agriculture; Bioeconomy; Environment
- Green Forge is a controlled simulation facility at BRIC-NABI, Mohali, designed for cultivation and experimentation of genetically modified (GM) crops under controlled environmental conditions.
- It can vary light (quality and quantity), temperature and humidity to simulate different environmental conditions and study crop performance before field cultivation.
- Genetically Modified (GM) crops are produced by introducing/altering specific genetic material using modern biotechnology, to obtain desired traits such as pest resistance, improved nutrition or stress tolerance.
- Bt cotton is India’s major commercial GM crop; it contains genes from Bacillus thuringiensis that provide resistance against certain insect pests.
- BioE3:Biotechnology for Economy, Environment and Employment (BioE3) focuses on promoting high-performance biomanufacturing, linking biotechnology research with industry, sustainability and employment.
- BRIC (Biotechnology Research and Innovation Council) is an autonomous institution under the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Ministry of Science & Technology, created by integrating multiple DBT autonomous institutions.
- NABI:National Agri-Food and Biomanufacturing Institute (NABI) focuses on research in agri-food biotechnology and biomanufacturing, including conversion of agricultural resources/residues into high-value products.
- Bioeconomy: Biotechnology-based conversion of agricultural waste into nutraceuticals and biomaterials can support a circular and low-carbon economy by creating value from biomass that would otherwise be treated as waste.
- Carbon Capture and Utilisation (CCU) involves capturing CO₂ emissions and using the captured carbon as a resource/feedstock, rather than only storing it.
5. Index of Services Production (ISP)
Syllabus Mapping: GS Paper III – Indian Economy → Services Sector → Growth & Employment → Economic Statistics
- Index of Services Production (ISP) is India’s first high-frequency indicator dedicated to measuring services-sector output; it tracks short-term changes in the volume of output of the formal services sector. Base year:2024–25 — aligned with the newer CPI series. Released by MoSPI.
- First trial ISP: Released for April 2026, covering 19 service sub-sectors and around 60% of the services sector.
- Key distinction:IIP measures industrial production, whereas ISP is intended to capture short-term changes in services-sector output.
- Why deflator is needed: Services data are generally available in nominal/value terms; a price deflator removes the effect of price changes to obtain real/volume growth.
- Important deflators:WPI is used for wholesale trade; relevant CPI is used for most other services. CPI-General is used for repair & maintenance, banking and insurance.
- Key data sources:Administrative data + GST data + ASISSE (Annual Survey of Incorporated Services Sector Enterprises).
- ISP marks the first use of GST data in statistical applications for its compilation.
- Institutional framework:MoSPI constituted a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) in May 2025 to develop the conceptual and methodological framework of ISP.
- International reference:OECD Compilation Manual for Index of Services Production (2007) is a major reference; Eurostat is another important guide.
- Services excluded from current ISP coverage include public administration & defence, certain financial activities, government health & education, gambling & betting, and several predominantly non-market/informal activities.
