1 . PM E-DRIVE Scheme
Syllabus Mapping: GS-III: Environment | Electric Mobility | Energy Security | Automobile Industry | Infrastructure | Sustainable Development
- PM E-DRIVE — PM Electric Drive Revolution in Innovative Vehicle Enhancement — was launched in September 2024 and implemented from October 2024 to accelerate EV adoption and develop supporting infrastructure.
- It is a Central Sector Scheme of the Ministry of Heavy Industries (MHI). The scheme has a total outlay of ₹11,900 crore and has been extended up to 31 March 2028.
- PM E-DRIVE provides demand incentives and infrastructure support for e-2Ws, e-3Ws, e-ambulances, e-trucks, e-buses, EV charging infrastructure and upgradation of vehicle-testing agencies.
- For registered e-2Ws, the incentive was ₹2,500/kWh, capped at ₹5,000 per vehicle, for vehicles priced up to ₹1.5 lakh ex-factory; the e-2W demand-incentive component had a terminal date of 31 July 2026.
- The e-3W L5 target has been achieved and this sub-component was closed on 26 December 2025, while support for e-rickshaws and e-carts continues until March 2028.
- Eligible buyers receive the demand incentive through e-vouchers as an upfront reduction in purchase price, with the amount subsequently reimbursed to the OEM by the Ministry of Heavy Industries (MHI).
- The scheme also promotes domestic EV manufacturing and localisation; participating OEMs have localised EV models and obtained compliance certificates under the Phased Manufacturing Programme (PMP).
- Charging infrastructure support is intended to address the infrastructure gap that can constrain EV adoption and includes establishment of public charging stations.
- The scheme also supports modernisation and upgradation of vehicle-testing agencies, strengthening the institutional ecosystem required for testing and certification of advanced and electric vehicles.
2. NABKISAN’s WASH Social Bond
Syllabus Mapping: GS-III: Inclusive Growth | Sustainable Finance | Rural Development | Social Infrastructure | Water & Sanitation
- NABKISAN Finance Limited, a subsidiary of NABARD, listed India’s first Social Bond dedicated exclusively to the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sector on NSE, Mumbai, on 1 October 2026.
- The ₹180 crore Social Bond was oversubscribed 8 times, indicating strong investor participation in development-oriented financial instruments.
- The bond has a five-year tenure, carries an 10% coupon rate and will mature in September 2031.
- It received the highest domestic credit ratings of CRISIL AAA (Stable) and CARE AAA (Stable).
- The proceeds will finance expansion of safe water, sanitation and hygiene solutions for rural and underserved communities, with expected benefits for health, livelihoods and quality of life.
- org supported the transaction as Technical Advisor and Knowledge Partner, along with other market institutions, advisors, trustees and arrangers.
- The issuance demonstrates the use of capital-market financing for development priorities, enabling development institutions to mobilise private/institutional capital while targeting measurable social outcomes.
- A Social Bond is a debt instrument through which funds are raised specifically for projects that generate positive social outcomes, distinguishing it from a conventional bond through the use-of-proceeds objective.
- NABKISAN Finance Limited is a subsidiary of NABARD and focuses on providing financial support to agriculture and rural-sector activities, making it an important institutional link for rural development financing.
3. Great Indian Bustard (GIB) Recovery Programme
Syllabus Mapping: GS-III: Environment & Ecology | Species Conservation | Biodiversity | Protected Areas | Human–Wildlife Interface
- During Wildlife Week 2026, two captive-bred male Great Indian Bustards were released into the wild at Desert National Park, Jaisalmer, marking the transition from conservation breeding towards rewilding.
- The release is part of a decade-long GIB Recovery Programme and will help generate scientific learnings to progressively refine protocols for releasing captive-bred birds into their natural habitat.
- The Bustard Recovery Programme is a collaborative initiative of MoEFCC, Rajasthan Forest Department and Wildlife Institute of India (WII), with technical collaboration from the International Fund for Houbara Conservation and funding support from National CAMPA.
- Captive breeding produced 24 live chicks in 2025 and 29 in 2026, while the innovative ‘jumpstart’ approach involved placing captive-laid eggs in wild nests accepted by incubating females, producing six chicks in Rajasthan and two in Gujarat.
- Rajasthan Forest Department has established around 200 sq km of fenced grassland enclosures inside Desert National Park, identified through long-term WII telemetry studies as important breeding habitats.
- Great Indian Bustard (Ardeotis nigriceps) is a large, ground-dwelling bird adapted to open arid and semi-arid landscapes, including short grasslands, open scrub and rain-fed agricultural areas; it is a specialist of open habitats rather than dense forests.
- It is classified as Critically Endangered by the IUCN and receives the highest legal protection as a Schedule I species under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.
- GIB has a slow life-history, including delayed maturity and very low reproductive output; this makes population recovery difficult even after threats are reduced and makes every breeding adult particularly valuable for conservation.
- Its major contemporary threats include habitat conversion and fragmentation, intensive agriculture, infrastructure development and especially collisions with overhead power lines; its heavy body and flight behaviour make power-line collisions particularly dangerous.
- Desert National Park (DNP) is located in Jaisalmer and Barmer districts of Rajasthan and represents one of India’s important protected landscapes of the Thar Desert; its ecological significance extends beyond the GIB to desert and grassland biodiversity.
4. Tiger Reintroduction in Buxa Tiger Reserve
Syllabus Mapping: GS-III: Environment & Ecology | Tiger Conservation | Species Reintroduction | Human–Wildlife Conflict
- Buxa Tiger Reserve (BTR), West Bengal has begun a phased Tiger Reintroduction Programme with the release of the first tigress, translocated from Valmiki Tiger Reserve, Bihar, to restore a viable and self-sustaining tiger population.
- The intervention is designed to complement natural recovery, rather than simply introduce animals, and follows assessment of habitat, prey availability, veterinary parameters, protection preparedness and population viability.
- Buxa has historically been an important tiger landscape but suffered from habitat degradation and fragmentation, land-use changes and reduced prey availability, resulting in the prolonged absence of a stable resident tiger population.
- Since 2018, the Tiger Augmentation and Recovery Project, led by West Bengal with support from NTCA and WII, has focused on habitat improvement, prey augmentation, protection, scientific monitoring and capacity building.
- More than 800 chital have been released to strengthen the prey base, while around 380 hectares of grassland have been restored or converted over the past eight years; monitoring indicates improvement in prey abundance.
- The released tigress will undergo intensive post-release monitoring through telemetry, camera trapping and field-based monitoring to assess movement, adaptation, health and behaviour.
- Buxa Tiger Reserve was established in 1983 and is located in Alipurduar district of northern West Bengal, forming an important forest landscape adjoining Bhutan to the north and Assam to the east.
- Buxa forms part of the Eastern Himalayan–Terai-Duar ecological landscape, making it important for maintaining connectivity between forests of eastern India and Bhutan.
- The reserve contains a mosaic of forests, grasslands and riverine habitats, providing habitat for tigers as well as their prey base and other wildlife.
- The Buxa–Manas connectivity is particularly important because natural movement of tigers between landscapes can maintain gene flow, dispersal and demographic resilience, reducing the risks associated with isolated populations.
5. RoDTEP Scheme
Syllabus Mapping: GS-III: Indian Economy | Exports | Foreign Trade Policy | Export Competitiveness | WTO
- The Department of Commerce has extended the Remission of Duties and Taxes on Exported Products (RoDTEP) Scheme up to 31 December 2026.
- The extension covers exports by Domestic Tariff Area (DTA) units, Advance Authorisation (AA) holders, Special Economic Zone (SEZ) units and Export Oriented Units (EOUs).
- RoDTEP reimburses embedded and un-rebated Central, State and local duties, taxes and levies borne on exported products, including prior-stage cumulative indirect taxes.
- The existing RoDTEP rates and value caps under Appendix 4R and Appendix 4RE remain unchanged during the extended period.
- The scheme seeks to improve the international price competitiveness of Indian exports by neutralising domestic taxes and levies that are not otherwise refunded or exempted.
- RoDTEP was introduced from 1 January 2021 as an export-remission mechanism to replace the earlier MEIS (Merchandise Exports from India Scheme), which had come under WTO-related concerns.
- RoDTEP is based on the principle that taxes and duties that are not meant to be exported should not remain embedded in the price of exported goods; hence, it seeks to refund such unrebated levies rather than provide an export subsidy linked to export performance.
- The benefit is provided through a digital transferable e-scrip, which can be used for payment of specified Basic Customs Duty (BCD)
- Rates and value caps are product-specific, with rates notified under the relevant appendices; therefore, the benefit is not a uniform percentage for all exports.
- The scheme is administered under the Foreign Trade Policy framework by the Department of Commerce/DGFT, with the remission mechanism operationalised through customs systems.
- RoDTEP is distinct from schemes that directly subsidise exporters: its basic rationale is remission of embedded unrebated taxes and duties, helping maintain a level playing field in international markets.
