Daily Briefing Current Affairs

GS-3NUCLEAR ENERGY ECONOMICS

N-Reactor Cost Soars 55%: What's Really Driving Nuclear's Price Problem

Union Minister Jitendra Singh disclosed in a Lok Sabha reply, released via PIB on July 30, that costs for Kudankulam Units 3-6 have risen sharply since Russia's invasion of Ukraine disrupted supply chains for the Russian-designed VVER reactors. The same disclosure revealed an even steeper 86% cost overrun at the indigenous PHWR-based Rawatbhata project, which has no exposure to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, raising separate…

Sub TopicLEVELISED COST OF ELECTRICITY - GEOPOLITICAL VS DOMESTIC…SourcePIB
UPSC Relevance9/10
Time to Read3 min read
Total Views29,234
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GS-3ENVIRONMENTAL CLEARANCE PROCESS & PUBLIC CONSULTATION

SC Orders Fresh Hearing for Coal Mine EC, But Lets Mining Continue

On July 24, 2026, a Supreme Court Bench led by CJI Surya Kant ruled that the word "afresh" in an earlier NGT order meant authorities were obligated to hold a new public hearing before granting EC to MAHAGENCO's coal mine, reversing the NGT's own reading of its 2024 order. Despite finding the process legally deficient, the Court declined to stop mining operations and sent the matter back to the NGT to monitor compliance.

Sub TopicEIA NOTIFICATION 2006 - PUBLIC HEARING AS A PROCEDURAL…SourceTHE INDIAN EXPRESS
UPSC Relevance9/10
Time to Read3 min read
Total Views46,530
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GS-3INDUSTRIAL AIR POLLUTION REGULATION

91% of NCR industries miss emission deadline, CAQM grants two-month extension

The CAQM issued the amendment on Thursday after the Central Pollution Control Board recommended the extension, following representations from industry associations who had sought anywhere from three months to a full pollution season. The original standard, tightened from 80 mg/Nm³ to 50 mg/Nm³, was set for 17 categories of high-polluting industries based on CPCB and IIT-Kanpur studies, targeting a key precursor of NCR's…

Sub TopicCAQM EMISSION NORMS - CAPACITY GAP BEHIND THE COMPLIANCE…SourcePIB
UPSC Relevance9/10
Time to Read3 min read
Total Views33,734
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GS-3DIRECT INCOME SUPPORT SCHEMES IN AGRICULTURE

Cabinet clears five-year extension for PM-KISAN, ₹6,000-a-year support unchanged since 2019

The extension was cleared at Friday's Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Hindu's headline described it as a four-year extension while the Indian Express and the scheme's own 2026-27 to 2030-31 timeline confirm it is in fact a five-year extension - a discrepancy in reporting, not in the underlying decision. The renewal comes with the per-instalment amount left exactly as it was set in 2019.

Sub TopicPM-KISAN - FIVE-YEAR EXTENSION AND THE UNINDEXED…SourcePIB
UPSC Relevance9/10
Time to Read3 min read
Total Views27,709
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GS-3ENERGY SECURITY - OFFSHORE HYDROCARBON EXPLORATION

Cabinet okays ₹84,084-crore Samudra Manthan scheme for offshore oil and gas exploration

The scheme was cleared by the Union Cabinet on Friday, fulfilling an announcement first indicated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Independence Day address last year. It marks a shift from India's earlier acreage-licensing approach toward direct state co-funding of exploration risk in frontier offshore basins such as the Krishna-Godavari, Cauvery, Mahanadi and Andaman regions.

Sub TopicSAMUDRA MANTHAN SCHEME - RISK-SHARING MODEL FOR…SourcePIB
UPSC Relevance9/10
Time to Read3 min read
Total Views26,276
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