PIB Weekly, 5 October – 11 October 2026

Syllabus: GS1 › Indian art, literature & architecture › Folk, tribal & regional art forms

Dhokra is the traditional lost-wax (cire perdue) metal-casting craft of central and eastern India's tribal communities, with a continuous history of more than 4,000 years; its figures of Nandi and tribal couples remain the signature of Chhattisgarh's craft heritage.

• Technique: a clay core is coated with wax, modelled, covered with clay, then heated; molten brass or bronze replaces the melted wax, so every piece is unique.
• Practised by the Dhokra Damar tribes; strongholds in Bastar (Chhattisgarh), Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal (Bankura horses) and Telangana (Adilabad Dokra, GI-tagged).
• The Harappan 'Dancing Girl' of Mohenjo-daro is a lost-wax bronze: the same technique, four millennia apart.
• Chhattisgarh's wider craft map: Ramnami Samaj stoles inscribed 'Ram Ram', tribal ceremonial headgear with peacock feathers and cowries, Bastar wood and bell-metal work.

Know the concept: Lost-wax casting is the oldest method of producing hollow and solid metal sculpture; the Chola bronzes of Tamil Nadu used it at the other end of the social spectrum, so one technique links tribal and classical art.

UPSC asked (Prelims GS1 2025): The famous female figurine known as 'Dancing Girl', found at Mohenjo-daro, is made of Open →

Mains: GS1 art and culture: use Dhokra to argue that India's 'living traditions' are economic as well as cultural assets, and that GI tags and craft clusters are the policy tools that keep them alive.

Abbreviations: GI: Geographical Indication

Syllabus: GS1 › Women, population, poverty & urbanisation › Urbanisation: problems & remedies

NSO (MoSPI) has conducted India's first National Household Travel Survey to produce data for transport and urban planning.

First covered in the Daily Brief: "Women Commute Differently: India's First National Household Travel Survey"

• Conducted by the National Statistics Office (MoSPI) over July 2025–June 2026, the first of its kind.
• A 'trip' is travel of more than 1 km; coverage includes daily commute of workers and students.
• Overnight trips (over 24 hours, at least 50 km) are surveyed separately.
• Two-wheelers dominate commuting; women's daily work trips are far fewer than men's.

Know the concept: Travel surveys give evidence on modal share, commute cost and gender gaps, which feed into planning for public transport, last-mile links and logistics.

Mains: Evidence on commuting patterns should shape investment in public transport and women's mobility, not just roads.

Syllabus: GS2 › Groupings & agreements › Free trade agreements & India's trade negotiations

The India–EFTA Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA) anchors a wider India–Switzerland relationship that now extends into mobility and science cooperation.

First covered in the Daily Brief: "India–Switzerland: A Migration and Mobility Partnership on TEPA's First Anniversary"

• TEPA is India's first FTA with a European bloc; in force since 1 October 2025.
• EFTA members: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland. Binding aim: USD 100 billion investment in 15 years and one million jobs.
• EFTA covers 92.2% of its tariff lines (99.6% of India's exports); India covers 82.7% (95.3% of EFTA exports).
• Migration and Mobility Partnership: multiple-entry visas up to 5 years, stays up to 6 months, renewable 1-year student permits.
• Indo-Swiss S&T Inter-Governmental Agreement dates from 2003; the Joint Research Programme began in 2005.

Know the concept: EFTA is a four-member bloc separate from the EU; TEPA (signed March 2024) also covers services, IP, procurement and sustainable development, with investment commitments written into the treaty text.

Mains: Trade pacts are now bundled with mobility and science partnerships, making economic diplomacy people-centred and technology-led.

Abbreviations: EFTA: European Free Trade Association · EU: European Union · FTA: free trade agreement · IP: intellectual property · IR: international relations

Syllabus: GS1 › Indian society & diversity › Tribes: scheduled areas, PESA & forest rights

The Forest Rights Act, 2006 is being pushed through regional review conferences by MoTA, with a joint advisory aligning community forest management with forest working plans.

• Section 3 recognises individual, community and Community Forest Resource (CFR) rights; the Gram Sabha initiates claims.
• Habitat rights are recognised for Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs); Odisha and Chhattisgarh pioneered them.
• New mechanism: regional review conferences by MoTA, held State-cluster-wise.
• MoTA–MoEFCC joint advisory lets CFR management plans integrate with Forest Department working plans.
• DA-JGUA (Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan) funds Gram Sabha capacity building.

Know the concept: The FRA corrects the 'historical injustice' of denied forest rights by making the Gram Sabha the primary authority; CFR rights allow communities to govern and manage forest resources they traditionally protected.

UPSC asked (Prelims GS1 2018): Consider the following statements: Open →

Mains: Rights recognition without integration into forest working plans leaves community governance weak; the advisory addresses that gap.

Abbreviations: FRA: Forest Rights Act, 2006

Syllabus: GS2 › Government policies & interventions › Housing, water & sanitation: PMAY, Jal Jeevan, Swachh Bharat

Jal Jeevan Mission is shifting its focus from building tap connections to sustainable, accountable water service delivery, with handover of schemes to local bodies.

• JJM launched 15 August 2019 under the Ministry of Jal Shakti to give functional household tap connections.
• Jal Arpan: formal handover of schemes to the Gram Panchayat and Village Water and Sanitation Committee (VWSC).
• WQMIS (Water Quality Management Information System) supports quality monitoring, with Gram Sabha review urged.
• Jal Seva Adhayan found pipeline leakages and breakages the leading cause of supply disruption.
• Drinking water is item 11 of the Eleventh Schedule (Article 243G), a Panchayat function.

Know the concept: Creating infrastructure is only half the task; operation, maintenance and local ownership decide whether tap water stays functional.

UPSC asked (Prelims GS1 2025): Consider the following statements: Open →

Mains: Handing schemes to Gram Panchayats makes decentralisation real only if they get funds, technical staff and tariff powers.

Abbreviations: JJM: Jal Jeevan Mission

Syllabus: GS3 › Science & technology in everyday life › Health technology: vaccines, stem cells, telemedicine

eSanjeevani is India's national telemedicine platform, built by C-DAC, delivering doctor-to-doctor and patient-to-doctor consultations through the Ayushman Arogya Mandir network.

• Developed by C-DAC (Mohali); runs in two modes: doctor-to-doctor (hub-and-spoke) and patient-to-doctor OPD.
• Spokes are Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (health and wellness centres); hubs are doctors at higher facilities.
• Specialist OPDs are being run from AIIMS institutions, with expansion planned to JIPMER and PGIMER.
• Integrated with the emergency response system ERSS-112; available in 15 languages.
• An AI-based Clinical Decision Support System has been added to support doctors.

Know the concept: Hub-and-spoke telemedicine pushes specialist care to primary-care spokes, reducing travel and out-of-pocket costs, and is a core digital-health pillar under Ayushman Bharat.

Mains: Telemedicine can narrow the rural–urban doctor gap, but connectivity, digital literacy and language access decide its reach.

Abbreviations: AIIMS: All India Institute of Medical Sciences · ERSS-112: Emergency Response Support System (112) · JIPMER: Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research · OPD: out-patient department · PGIMER: Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research

Syllabus: GS2 › Health, education & human resources › Mental health, non-communicable diseases & public health

Tele-MANAS is the government's free, 24x7 mental health helpline, part of a larger architecture of statutory and programme-based mental health care.

• Tele-MANAS launched 10 October 2022; toll-free 14416, free, confidential, 24x7.
• District Mental Health Programme (under the National Mental Health Programme, 1982) provides district-level services.
• Mental Healthcare Act, 2017 guarantees a right to mental healthcare.
• Section 115 of the Act presumes severe stress in attempted suicide, effectively decriminalising it.
• Mental health services are also integrated into Ayushman Arogya Mandirs.

Know the concept: The 2017 Act shifts mental health from custodial care to a rights-based approach; tele-counselling extends the reach where psychiatrists are scarce.

Mains: Tele-MANAS and primary-care integration show a shift toward community-based care, but the shortage of mental health professionals remains the constraint.

Syllabus: GS2 › Health, education & human resources › Health: primary care, insurance & workforce

New regulations under the NCAHP Act, 2021 set out the Autonomous Boards and the Central Assessment Committee that run allied and healthcare professions regulation.

• The Act created the National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions and State Allied and Healthcare Councils.
• Four Autonomous Boards: Undergraduate, Postgraduate, Assessment and Rating, and Ethics and Registration.
• Boards sit under State Councils; a Central Assessment Committee performs their functions where no functional State Council exists.
• Curricula follow the One Nation One Curriculum principle for the allied and healthcare sector.

Know the concept: Separating education, assessment and ethics functions into boards mirrors the NMC model and brings uniform standards to a fragmented set of professions.

Mains: A single regulator with common curricula can improve quality and portability of allied health workforce, if States set up their Councils.

Abbreviations: NCAHP: National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions · NMC: National Medical Commission

Syllabus: GS3 › IT, space, robotics, biotech & IPR › Patents, pharmaceuticals & compulsory licensing

Government has approved capping trade margins at 30% on non-scheduled anti-cancer drugs. A DGHS expert committee will finalise the list and NPPA will notify; it is not yet in force.

First covered in the Daily Brief: "Cancer Drug Prices and Pharma Marketing"

• Mechanism: trade-margin rationalisation under Paragraph 19 of the Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 2013.
• Cap is 30% of MRP, covering branded and generic, domestic and imported, patented and non-patented drugs.
• Roles: DGHS expert committee finalises the list; NPPA notifies the cap.
• Precedent: February 2019, margins of 42 non-scheduled anti-cancer drugs were capped under the same paragraph.
• Status: approved, not yet notified.

Know the concept: NPPA fixes ceiling prices of scheduled (NLEM) drugs under DPCO 2013 (Essential Commodities Act, 1955); non-scheduled drugs can rise 10% a year, so margin capping is the tool for non-scheduled ones.

Mains: Margin caps lower out-of-pocket costs for cancer care without price-fixing, but supply continuity must be guarded.

Abbreviations: DGHS: Directorate General of Health Services · DPCO: Drugs (Prices Control) Order · MRP: maximum retail price · NPPA: National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority

Syllabus: GS3 › Infrastructure › Digital infrastructure: broadband, data centres & 5G

India Mobile Congress is Asia's major telecom forum, and India uses it to showcase 5G and its roadmap to lead in 6G standards.

• IMC is organised by DoT and COAI, since 2017; 5G was launched there in October 2022.
• Bharat 6G Alliance brings industry, academia and government together; target is 10% of global 6G patents and standards.
• Telecommunications Act, 2023 replaced the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885.
• Digital Bharat Nidhi (formerly USOF) funds the Telecom Technology Development Fund (TTDF) for indigenous R&D.

Know the concept: Standard-setting power comes from patents in international bodies; India's 6G strategy aims to shift from technology-taker to standards-shaper.

Mains: Indigenous telecom R&D, backed by dedicated funds, is key to reducing import dependence and building strategic autonomy.

Abbreviations: COAI: Cellular Operators Association of India · IMC: India Mobile Congress · USOF: Universal Service Obligation Fund

Syllabus: GS3 › Cyber security, media & money-laundering › Cybersecurity & critical infrastructure

DoT's Sanchar Saathi portal and allied tools form India's layered defence against telecom-enabled financial fraud.

First covered in the Daily Brief: "Prelims pointer: Sanchar Saathi crosses 30 crore visits"

• Sanchar Saathi (DoT, 2023): Chakshu reporting of suspected fraud, check of connections in one's name, IMEI-based handset blocking.
• Financial Fraud Risk Indicator (FRI) flags risky numbers and is shared through the Digital Intelligence Platform.
• ASTR, an AI-based tool from C-DOT, identifies fraudulent mobile connections.
• Cyber-crime helpline is 1930 (cybercrime.gov.in).
• ITU, the UN specialised agency for ICT, has proposed joint trials on caller-identity verification.

Know the concept: Cross-sector data sharing between telecom operators, banks and police is the core design principle of India's fraud defence.

Mains: Technical blocking works only when paired with user awareness and international standards on caller identity.

Abbreviations: ASTR: Artificial Intelligence and Facial Recognition powered Solution for Telecom SIM Subscriber Verification · ITU: International Telecommunication Union

Syllabus: GS3 › Infrastructure › Transport: roads, railways, ports & waterways

The first cargo from upper Assam to a foreign port since 1947 moved from Bogibeel Terminal via National Waterway-2 and the Indo-Bangladesh Protocol route.

First covered in the Daily Brief: "First International Cargo From Upper Assam Since 1947 Sails Down the Brahmaputra"

• NW-2 is the 891-km Sadiya–Dhubri stretch of the Brahmaputra, declared in 1988.
• Indo-Bangladesh Protocol on Inland Water Transit and Trade dates from 1972.
• National Waterways Act, 2016 declared 111 national waterways; IWAI develops them; NW-1 is the Ganga.
• Bogibeel terminal (Dibrugarh) opened in 2024; the Jalvahak cargo incentive scheme launched in 2024.

Know the concept: Waterways cut logistics costs and open the landlocked Northeast to Bangladesh's ports, complementing the Act East and neighbourhood connectivity push.

UPSC asked (Mains GS1 2016): Enumerate the problems and prospects of inland water transport in India. Open →

Mains: River transit with Bangladesh needs customs and immigration facilities, dredging and a stable protocol to be viable.

Abbreviations: IWAI: Inland Waterways Authority of India · NW-1: National Waterway-1 (Ganga) · NW-2: National Waterway-2 (Brahmaputra)

Syllabus: GS3 › Economy: planning, growth & employment › Growth, employment & jobless growth

MoSPI is widening India's statistical base through a monthly services index, environmental-economic accounts and State-level expenditure-side GDP.

• Index of Services Production: monthly, base 2024-25, trial since July 2026; expansion to education, health, administration proposed.
• Strategy for Environmental Economic Accounts 2026–30 follows the UN's SEEA framework; MoSPI's work began in 2018.
• SEEA-CF (Central Framework) covers forest, minerals, soil, land, water, carbon stock and biodiversity accounts.
• Draft GSDP by expenditure approach: PFCE, GFCE, GFCF, inventories, valuables and net exports.
• No State/UT compiles PFCE today; the aim is uniform, comparable State estimates.

Know the concept: GDP can be measured by production, income and expenditure approaches; the expenditure identity is C + I + G + (X − M). Green accounts adjust for depletion of natural capital.

Mains: High-frequency services data and green accounts improve policy design, though administrative data quality and State capacity limit rollout.

Abbreviations: GFCE: government final consumption expenditure · GFCF: gross fixed capital formation · GSDP: Gross State Domestic Product · PFCE: private final consumption expenditure · SEEA: System of Environmental-Economic Accounting · UT: Union Territory

Syllabus: GS3 › Conservation, pollution & EIA › Climate change & India's commitments

The India–Japan Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM) is a bilateral carbon-credit framework under Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement, now with an operational manual.

First covered in the Daily Brief: "India–Japan Joint Crediting Mechanism: Operational Manual Launched"

• Article 6.2: countries trade mitigation outcomes bilaterally (ITMOs) with corresponding adjustments to avoid double counting.
• Article 6.4 is the separate, UN-supervised crediting mechanism.
• Japan's JCM has run since 2013 with partner countries.
• India–Japan Memorandum of Cooperation signed in 2025; the manual covers the cycle from project idea to credit issuance.

Know the concept: Corresponding adjustments mean the seller deducts the transferred reduction from its own NDC tally, so credits are not counted twice.

UPSC asked (Prelims GS1 2025): Consider the following statements: Open →

Mains: Bilateral carbon markets can bring technology and finance, but India must ensure credits do not hamper its own NDC delivery.

Abbreviations: NDC: nationally determined contribution

Syllabus: GS2 › Groupings & agreements › Climate negotiations & India's commitments

Ahead of COP31 (Antalya, Türkiye, November 2026, with Pre-COP hosted by Australia, Fiji and Tuvalu), India restated its long-held UNFCCC positions.

First covered in the Daily Brief: "Pre-COP31 Talks: No One-Size-Fits-All Climate Path"

• CBDR-RC and equity are upheld; developed countries must lead on emissions cuts.
• Adaptation, mitigation and means of implementation deserve equal weight.
• Article 9.1 of the Paris Agreement obliges developed countries to provide climate finance.
• Article 6 cooperative approaches are seen as a way to bridge finance gaps; no one-size-fits-all pathway.

Know the concept: CBDR-RC (common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities) is the UNFCCC equity principle that differentiates obligations by historical contribution and capacity.

UPSC asked (Prelims GS1 2016): With reference to the Agreement at the UNFCCC Meeting in Paris in 2015, which of the following statements is/are correct? Open →

Mains: India links higher ambition to finance, technology transfer and capacity-building, framing climate action as a development issue.

Abbreviations: UNFCCC: United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

Syllabus: GS3 › Conservation, pollution & EIA › Conservation of biodiversity, wetlands & forests

The Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) mechanism routes a share of commercial use of India's biological resources back to local communities.

• Legal basis: Biological Diversity Act, 2002 (amended 2023) and ABS Regulations; NBA (Chennai) is the national authority.
• Three tiers: NBA, State Biodiversity Boards (SBBs) and local Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs).
• ABS implements the Nagoya Protocol to the CBD; linked to Kunming-Montreal Targets 13 and 19.
• Funds flow from NBA to SBBs and then to BMCs; unidentified beneficiaries are covered by area-based shares.
• Cumulative disbursement stands at about ₹200 crore since 2008.

Know the concept: ABS operationalises the principle that communities holding traditional knowledge and genetic resources should share in profits from their commercial use.

UPSC asked (Prelims GS1 2023): Consider the following statements: Open →

Mains: ABS works only if BMCs are functional and People's Biodiversity Registers are updated.

Abbreviations: BD: Biological Diversity (Act) · CBD: Convention on Biological Diversity

Syllabus: GS3 › Conservation, pollution & EIA › Wildlife protection, human–wildlife conflict & trafficking

India's cheetah reintroduction has reached the stage where Indian-born females are breeding, and a Botswanan male has started a new genetic lineage.

First covered in the Daily Brief: "Prelims pointer: Kuno cheetah gives birth to five cubs, population 60"

• Cheetah was declared extinct in India in 1952.
• Project Cheetah began September 2022 at Kuno with Namibian cheetahs; South African batch followed February 2023.
• Gandhi Sagar sanctuary is the second site.
• Population is about 60, roughly two-thirds India-born; a third Indian-born female has now bred, with a Botswanan father.
• Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve (Madhya Pradesh) has been named the third cheetah site.

Know the concept: Reintroduction success is judged by self-sustaining breeding and genetic diversity, not just survival of translocated animals.

UPSC asked (Prelims GS1 2017): Recently there was a proposal to translocate some of the lions from their natural habitat in Gujarat to which one of the following sites? Open →

Mains: Project Cheetah needs a metapopulation across multiple landscapes and continued genetic exchange to be viable.