Current Issues and Analysis 24th June 2026

Climate Change and the Rising Cost of Living in India: Current Affairs Update

Tags: GS Paper 3 (Environmental Pollution & Degradation)

Key Concepts: Food inflation, National Disaster Response Fund, India Cooling Action Plan, Article 21, Climate Justice, Green Budgeting.

Core Issue

Climate change in India is no longer just a distant 2070 net-zero target; it is an immediate “end-of-the-month” economic crisis. Rising temperatures and erratic weather are driving up the daily cost of living, disproportionately penalizing vulnerable and low-income populations.

Key Drivers of Climate-Induced Inflation

• Persistent Food Inflation: Food constitutes nearly 45.86% of India’s Consumer Price Index (CPI). Extreme heat and monsoon deficits directly damage crop yields, creating supply bottlenecks and driving up retail prices for daily staples.
• Soaring Energy Bills: Extreme heatwaves have pushed India’s power demand to record highs (e.g., 270.8 GW in May 2026). Utilities are forced to buy expensive imported coal, passing the financial burden to consumers through higher tariffs.
• Water Scarcity and the Tanker Economy: Erratic rainfall is drying up rural groundwater and municipal supplies, forcing citizens to pay steep premiums to unregulated private water tankers.
• Healthcare Costs: Heat stress and climate-sensitive diseases are increasing out-of-pocket medical expenditures, trapping informal laborers in debt cycles due to lost wages and high treatment costs.

Economic and Social Disparities

• GDP and Living Standards: The World Bank projects that changing monsoons and rising heat could reduce India’s GDP by up to 2.8% by 2050.
• Vulnerability Hotspots: States like Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Maharashtra face the sharpest potential drops in living standards.
• A Regressive Tax: While wealthier households can invest in climate-adaptive technologies, marginalized communities cannot, making climate change a regressive burden on those who contribute least to emissions.

Governance and Legislative Limitations

• Disaster Management Act, 2005: Heatwaves and cold waves are not classified as notified national disasters, restricting access to National Disaster Response Funds (NDRF).
• Advisory Action Plans: The India Cooling Action Plan and local Heat Action Plans (HAPs) lack statutory backing, dedicated budgets, and mandatory compliance for real estate developers.
• Scheme Limitations: Insurance programs like PMFBY rely on broad village-level assessments that often miss localized climate damage, resulting in inadequate payouts.

State-Level Innovations

• Tamil Nadu: Declared heat waves a state-specific disaster to unlock State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) financing.
• Telangana: Implemented a dedicated Cool Roof Policy (2023-2028) aimed at low-income areas.
• Rajasthan: Pioneered net-zero cooling stations in Jodhpur using passive cooling techniques to reduce local temperatures by 8 to 12°C.
• Kerala: Integrated decentralized, village-level heat planning into its State Action Plan on Climate Change.

Required Strategic Measures

• Omnibus Legislation: Enact a ‘Climate Resilience and Adaptation Act’ to establish a statutory National Climate Adaptation Authority.
• Right to Thermal Comfort: Expand Article 21 (Right to Life) jurisprudence to explicitly include climate safety, making passive cooling legally binding in affordable housing.
• Green Budgeting: Institutionalize a Climate-Risk Budgeting Framework to ensure all ministries allocate funds for resilience-building.
• Municipal Heat Governance: Make it legally binding for urban local bodies to map heat islands and execute green-infrastructure interventions like urban forests.

Note for Mains: The core narrative to master here is the transition of climate change from a purely environmental challenge to a pressing macroeconomic and socio-economic crisis.

UPSC Previous Year Questions (PYQs)

Prelims

Q1. In the context of India’s preparation for Climate-Smart Agriculture, consider the following statements: (2021)

1. The ‘Climate-Smart Village’ approach in India is a part of a project led by the Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS), an international research programme.
2. The project of CCAFS is carried out under Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) headquartered in France.
3. The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) in India is one of the CGIAR’s research centres.Which of the statements given above are correct?(a) 1 and 2 only(b) 2 and 3 only(c) 1 and 3 only(d) 1, 2 and 3Ans: (d)

Q2. Which of the following best describes/describe the aim of ‘Green India Mission’ of the Government of India? (2016)

1. Incorporating environmental benefits and costs into the Union and State Budgets thereby implementing the ‘green accounting’.
2. Launching the second green revolution to enhance agricultural output so as to ensure food security to one and all in the future.
3. Restoring and enhancing forest cover and responding to climate change by a combination of adaptation and mitigation measures.Select the correct answer using the code given below:(a) 1 only(b) 2 and 3 only(c) 3 only(d) 1, 2 and 3Ans: (c)

Q3. With reference to ‘Global Climate Change Alliance’, which of the following statements is/are correct? (2017)

1. It is an initiative of the European Union.
2. It provides technical and financial support to targeted developing countries to integrate climate change into their development policies and budgets.
3. It is coordinated by World Resources Institute (WRI) and World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD).Select the correct answer using the code given below:(a) 1 and 2 only(b) 3 only(c) 2 and 3 only(d) 1, 2 and 3Ans: (a)

Mains

Q1. Describe the major outcomes of the 26th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). What are the commitments made by India in this conference? (2021)

Q2. ‘Climate Change’ is a global problem. How will India be affected by climate change? How Himalayan and coastal states of India be affected by climate change? (2017)

India Hosts 16th BRICS National Security Advisers Meeting: Current Affairs Update

Tags: GS Paper 2 (Groupings & Agreements Involving India and/or Affecting India’s Interests)

Core Update

As the chair of BRICS 2026, India hosted the BRICS National Security Advisers’ (NSA) Meeting in New Delhi. Chaired by National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, the conclave focused on navigating global security challenges amidst significant geopolitical shifts and rising tensions in West Asia. It serves as a key preparatory track for the BRICS leaders’ summit later in the year.

Key Highlights

• Meeting Theme: The central focus of the NSA meeting was “Non-traditional security challenges confronting the world today,” with deep dives into cybersecurity, terrorism, artificial intelligence, and technology governance.
• Geopolitical Stances: India officially welcomed the US-Iran Islamabad MoU and emphasized that the opening of the Strait of Hormuz is a critical step to relieve supply chain bottlenecks and ensure global energy security.
• Bilateral Engagements on the Sidelines:
  • India-China: NSA Doval held a “forward-looking” discussion with the Chinese Foreign Minister, noting progress toward the gradual normalization of ties. Both sides emphasized that stable, predictable relations build mutual trust.
  • India-Iran: The delegations reviewed the ongoing situation in West Asia and discussed expanding cooperation under the BRICS platform.

India’s 2026 BRICS Chairship

UPSC Previous Year Questions (PYQs)

Prelims

Q1. Consider the following statements with regard to BRICS: (2025)

1. 16th BRICS Summit was held under the Chairship of Russia in Kazan.
2. Indonesia has become a full member of BRICS.
3. The theme of the 16th BRICS Summit was Strengthening Multiculturalism for Just Global Development and Security.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 and 2

(b) 2 and 3

(c) 1 and 3

(d) 1 only

Ans: (a)

(Statement 3 is incorrect because the official theme of the 16th Summit was “Strengthening Multilateralism…”, not Multiculturalism).

Q2. With reference to a grouping of countries known as BRICS, consider the following statements: (2014)

1. The First Summit of BRICS was held in Rio de Janeiro in 2009.
2. South Africa was the last to join the BRICS grouping.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Ans: (b)

(Statement 1 is incorrect; the first formal summit was held in Yekaterinburg, Russia).

Western Ghats Set for Eco-Sensitive Tag: Current Affairs Update

Tags: GS Paper 3 (Environment & Ecology, Biodiversity Conservation)

Core Update

Nearly 13 years after the first draft notification, the Centre is preparing to finalize and notify Ecologically Sensitive Areas (ESA) in the Western Ghats. This move aims to provide legal protection to the region’s fragile ecosystem by regulating human activities and industrial projects.

Key Highlights

• Committee Background:
  • Madhav Gadgil Committee (2011): Recommended stringent protection for the entire Western Ghats region.
  • Kasturirangan Committee (2013): Formed after states objected to the Gadgil report. It reduced the proposed ESA by distinguishing between “natural landscapes” and “cultural landscapes.”
• Proposed ESA Coverage: The notification demarcates over 56,000 sq km of the Western Ghats as an ESA across six states: Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu (based primarily on the Kasturirangan report).
• Legal Backing: ESAs are notified by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
• ESA vs. ESZ:
  • Ecologically Sensitive Areas (ESA): Protect unique biological resources and fragile landscapes.
  • Eco-Sensitive Zones (ESZ): Act as “shock absorbers” or buffer zones around specific National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries (designated since 2002).
• Regulated Activities within the ESA:
  • Banned/Restricted: New mining and quarrying, thermal power plants, red-category (highly polluting) industries, and large construction projects (20,000 sq m or above).
  • Permitted: Environment-friendly activities like organic farming, rainwater harvesting, green technology, and sustainable local livelihood practices.
• Ecological Significance: The Western Ghats is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the world’s hottest biodiversity hotspots. It acts as the “water tower of peninsular India,” heavily influencing the monsoon system and feeding major peninsular rivers.

UPSC Previous Year Questions (PYQs)

Prelims

Q1. ‘Gadgil Committee Report’ and ‘Kasturirangan Committee Report’, sometimes seen in the news, are related to (2016)

(a) constitutional reforms

(b) Ganga Action Plan

(c) linking of rivers

(d) protection of Western Ghats

Ans: (d)

Q2. Consider the following statements: (2017)

1. In India, the Himalayas are spread over five States only.
2. Western Ghats are spread over five States only.
3. Pulicat Lake is spread over two States only.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 3 only

(c) 2 and 3 only

(d) 1 and 3 only

Ans: (b)

(Statement 2 is incorrect because the Western Ghats are spread across six states: Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu).

Q3. In which of the following States is lion-tailed macaque found in its natural habitat? (2013)

1. Tamil Nadu
2. Kerala
3. Karnataka
4. Andhra Pradesh

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

(a) 1, 2 and 3 only

(b) 2 only

(c) 1, 3 and 4 only

(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

Ans: (a)

(The Lion-tailed macaque is endemic to the Western Ghats, found naturally only in Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu).

Mains

Q1. Assess the purely ecological significance of the Western Ghats. In this context, critically evaluate the role of the Gadgil Committee and Kasturirangan Committee reports. (Based on recent trends)