1 . PRASHAST Portal – Inclusive Education for Children with Special Needs
Syllabus Mapping: GS-II: Social Justice | Education | Vulnerable Sections | Rights of Persons with Disabilities | Inclusive Governance
- The Department of School Education & Literacy (DoSEL), Ministry of Education, organised a nationwide screening of a 30-minute Sensitization and Orientation Module on Inclusive Education for Children with Special Needs (CwSN) through the PRASHAST Portal.
- More than 60,000 schools participated in the nationwide screening, while over 72 lakh teachers had already been sensitised through the module over the preceding three months.
- The module is available in 12 Indian languages and targets school heads, general teachers, special educators and non-teaching staff, including transport and administrative personnel.
- The initiative promotes a whole-school approach to inclusion, making inclusive education a shared responsibility of everyone interacting with children in classrooms, offices, transport and other school spaces.
- PRASHAST is a school-based digital tool for identifying children with probable disability conditions covered under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016.
- Its two-part checklist enables teachers to screen students using observable indicators. Special educators subsequently validate cases and facilitate referrals for medical assessment wherever required.
- The initiative seeks to create a safe, accessible and supportive school environment through practical examples and interactive sensitisation, in alignment with the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020 and the RPwD Act, 2016.
2. World Development Report 2026: The Promise of Artificial Intelligence
Syllabus Mapping: GS-III: Science & Technology | Artificial Intelligence | Inclusive Growth | Human Capital | Economic Development
- The World Bank Group’s World Development Report (WDR) 2026: The Promise of Artificial Intelligence was launched in New Delhi on 8 October 2026 by Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, with the India launch jointly hosted by the IndiaAI Mission, MeitY and the World Bank Group.
- The report examines how AI can help developing economies accelerate development, improve productivity and address persistent challenges in healthcare, education, agriculture and public services.
- The report proposes a three-part framework: Adopt, Adapt and Advance—adopt existing AI solutions, adapt them to local languages and development needs, and progressively develop domestic technological capabilities.
- It emphasises that developing countries need not immediately build expensive, large-scale AI models; they can benefit from existing and affordable tools, including “small AI” applications accessible through basic phones, voice calls and text messages.
- The report identifies gaps in electricity, connectivity, digital infrastructure, skills, data and institutional capacity as barriers to AI adoption, while highlighting the need to manage risks and avoid excessive dependence on a single technology provider.
- AI can potentially improve development outcomes by supporting medical screening, helping farmers access better weather forecasts and enabling teachers to prepare improved learning materials.
- The report notes that 4.5% of existing jobs in low- and middle-income countries are at risk from generative AI, compared with 14.2% in high-income countries; meanwhile, AI could meaningfully enhance productivity in 16.2% of jobs in developing economies.
- The India launch included discussions on scaling AI beyond isolated pilot projects, with a focus on evidence-based deployment, inclusive development and sectoral applications.
3. Windergy India 2026 – India’s Wind Energy Expansion
Syllabus Mapping: GS-III: Renewable Energy | Energy Security | Climate Change | Green Growth | Manufacturing | Infrastructure
- Windergy India 2026, the 8th edition of the global wind energy conference, was inaugurated by Union Minister Pralhad Joshi in Chennai on 8 October 2026; the event is being held from 7–9 October.
- India’s installed wind power capacity reached 59.20 GW as of 30 September 2026, with a national ambition to achieve 100 GW by 2030.
- India achieved its highest-ever annual wind capacity installation of 6.05 GW in FY2025–26; annual installations are expected to surpass this record in FY2026–27.
- Windergy India 2026 brought together around 400 exhibitors from more than 20 countries and 500 delegates, with country pavilions from Denmark, Germany and Spain, promoting technology exchange and international partnerships.
- Tamil Nadu highlighted its role in wind energy development, including initiatives such as a state repowering policy to promote more efficient use of existing wind-energy sites.
- The event announced collaborations including the IWTMA–BWE Global MoU, IWTMA–PTB Letter of Intent and IWTMA–OECD collaboration, alongside reports on Energy Transition in Tamil Nadu and Reimagining Contractual Mechanism for Indian Wind Sector.
- The Minister emphasised that achieving 100 GW will require a strong project pipeline, supportive policies, timely clearances, land facilitation, resolution of Right-of-Way (RoW) issues and collaboration among government, industry, academia and research institutions.
- Wind repowering involves replacing older, lower-capacity or less-efficient wind turbines with modern, more efficient turbines at existing wind farms, potentially increasing electricity generation from established sites.
- Right-of-Way (RoW) refers to the permissions and access required for infrastructure such as transmission lines, which are essential for evacuating electricity from wind-rich regions to demand centres.
4. National SC-ST Hub (NSSH): Inclusive Entrepreneurship
Syllabus Mapping: GS-II: Social Justice | Vulnerable Sections | Social Empowerment | GS-III: MSMEs | Public Procurement |
- The National SC-ST Hub (NSSH) was launched on 18 October 2016 and is implemented through the National Small Industries Corporation (NSIC) to strengthen SC/ST-owned micro and small enterprises (MSEs) through finance, technology, training, mentoring and market access.
- Since inception, NSSH has assisted 1,90,414 beneficiaries and trained 54,499 candidates as of 31 July 2026. Procurement from SC/ST-owned MSEs increased from ₹99.37 crore in 2015–16 to ₹4,013.42 crore in 2025–26, nearly a 39-fold increase.
- During 2025–26, procurement reached ₹4,013.42 crore from 12,524 MSEs. A total of 10,717 candidates were trained through 47 institutions across 27 States, including 24 Aspirational Districts; 55% of trainees were women.
- Under the Special Credit Linked Capital Subsidy Scheme (SCLCSS), eligible SC/ST-owned MSEs receive a 25% capital subsidy, capped at ₹25 lakh, for plant, machinery and equipment financed through institutional credit. Since inception, 3,160 MSEs received ₹356.10 crore in support by March 2026.
- The Single Point Registration Scheme (SPRS) facilitates government procurement access through NSIC registration, including free tender sets and exemption from Earnest Money Deposit (EMD). Under the Public Procurement Policy, 25% of annual procurement by Central Ministries, Departments and CPSEs is earmarked for MSEs, including a 4% sub-target for SC/ST-owned MSEs.
- The Special Marketing Assistance Scheme (SMAS) supports exhibitions, trade fairs and vendor-development programmes. During 2025–26, 141 SC/ST MSEs participated in four domestic exhibitions, 247 Special Vendor Development Programmes were organised, 197 e-tendering workshops conducted and 230 awareness workshops held.
- NSSH also reduces business costs through reimbursements for bank loan processing fees, performance bank guarantee charges and product testing/certification fees. Eligible support generally covers 80% of the relevant charges, subject to prescribed limits.
- The Export Promotion Council Membership Reimbursement Scheme covers 80% of eligible membership charges up to ₹20,000 per financial year, while the Government-promoted e-commerce portal membership component covers 80% of fees up to ₹25,000 per financial year.
- The Capacity Building Management Fee Reimbursement Scheme supports training at the top 50 management institutes identified under NIRF. Eligible entrepreneurs and their wards can receive reimbursement of 90% of course fees, capped at ₹1 lakh per financial year.
- The Business Accelerator Programme (BAP) provides structured mentorship in business strategy, pricing, cost management, operational efficiency and market positioning. Examples include a West Bengal enterprise securing ₹8.48 lakh in tenders from Power Grid Corporation of India Limited and a Maharashtra enterprise securing a ₹5.10 lakh SAIL tender.
5. NBA Receives ₹9.68 Crore under Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) Framework
Syllabus Mapping: GS-3: Biodiversity Conservation | Biological Diversity Act, 2002 | Sustainable Use of Biological Resources |
- The National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) received ₹9.68 crore under the Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) framework between April and September 2026, in accordance with the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, as amended in 2023, and the ABS Regulations.
- The agriculture-seed sector contributed the largest share at ₹7.16 crore, followed by Food and Beverages (₹1.59 crore) and Animal Husbandry (₹62.01 lakh); other contributions came from AYUSH, Red Sanders wood, cosmetics and related sectors.
- Biological resources covered include agricultural crops, medicinal plants such as Ashwagandha and Shatavari, soil microorganisms such as Rhizobium and Azotobacter, and livestock genetic resources such as Mithun and Murrah buffalo.
- Since 2008, the NBA has realised approximately ₹278 crore through ABS and disbursed over ₹200 crore towards biodiversity conservation and benefits for communities, farmers, institutions and other benefit claimers.
- ABS funds support biodiversity conservation, preparation and updating of People’s Biodiversity Registers (PBRs), strengthening of Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs), biodiversity research and documentation, and benefits to local communities.
- Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) is based on three objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD): conservation of biological diversity, sustainable use of its components, and fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilisation of genetic resources.
- The Biological Diversity Act, 2002 provides India’s legal framework for biodiversity conservation, sustainable use and benefit sharing; the NBA is the national-level statutory authority under this framework.
- ABS links the commercial or other utilisation of biological resources with benefit-sharing obligations, helping ensure that benefits arising from their use are shared with relevant communities and other benefit claimers.
- People’s Biodiversity Registers (PBRs) document locally available biological resources, associated knowledge and related information, while Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs) operate at the local-body level and support biodiversity documentation and conservation.
