The Hindu — UPSC Analysis
Sunday, 21 June 2026
Bengaluru City Edition · Curated for Prelims & Mains | GS I · II · III · IV
📋 Today's Topics
- Iran 'Closes' Hormuz Again: The US–Iran Deal Under StrainGS2 · GS3
- Fertilizer Security & the Hormuz DisruptionGS3
- What a 'Super' El Niño Means for the MonsoonGS1 · GS3
- IIT-Delhi Study: Human Activity Drives 'Wild' WeatherGS3
- Insuring Informal Workers Against HeatGS2 · GS3
- Anti-Defection Saga: Merger, Frozen Accounts & DisqualificationGS2
- 16 Fixed Dose Combination Drugs BannedGS2 · GS3
- Ladakh's Demands: Statehood, Sixth Schedule & Article 371GS2
- NEET-UG Retest Amid Unprecedented SecurityGS2
- Modi's Odisha Push: Purvodaya, Coal Gasification & SuryagramGS3
- Microsoft's Pay-As-You-Go AI & the Economics of AIGS3
- Manipur: Justice for Slain Nagas & the SoO AgreementGS3
- Environment · Polity · IR — Quick RoundupGS2 · GS3
- Quick Prelims Revision (MCQ Bank)Prelims
- FAQsRevision
Iran 'Closes' Hormuz Again: The US–Iran Deal Under Strain
Context
Iran's military announced it had again closed the Strait of Hormuz, citing U.S. "violations" of the first clause of the June 15 memorandum of understanding (MoU) — chiefly Israel's continued strikes on Lebanon and its refusal to withdraw from southern Lebanon. The closure is the "first step of response to the enemy's breach of trust", even as Pakistan said technical US–Iran talks were set to restart in Geneva.
What the MoU Says
- Ceasefire on all fronts "including Lebanon", with both sides respecting each other's sovereignty; the U.S. lifted its naval blockade and issued waivers for Iranian oil exports.
- Nuclear pledge: Iran reaffirmed it will never make a nuclear weapon; both sides agreed to "downblend" (dilute) Iran's enriched material under IAEA supervision. Contentious issues — Iran's stock of 60% enriched uranium (a step from weapons-grade) and its "enrichment right" — are deferred to a second phase.
- Status quo: Iran won't expand its programme; the U.S. won't impose new sanctions or deploy more troops.
- Frozen funds: unfreezing contingent on phase-two progress (Iran has demanded $24 billion unfrozen); the U.S. says no American money will be paid — frozen funds are Iranian assets held abroad under sanctions.
- Reconstruction: a $300 billion fund if a final settlement is reached.
Why Lebanon Matters & Where Israel Stands
- Israel launched the war (Feb 28) seeking regime change in Iran; the project "collapsed" as Iran survived 40 days of bombing — leaving the U.S. to diverge from Israel's maximalist demands.
- Israel still occupies parts of southern Lebanon (a Hezbollah stronghold) and refuses to withdraw; its strikes killed 16 people in Lebanon on Saturday despite a reported truce.
- Three sticking points for a final deal: (1) Lebanon as a tinderbox; (2) Iran's highly enriched uranium and IAEA access; (3) Iran's enrichment right (Iran insists on civilian enrichment).
- U.S. VP J.D. Vance disputed the closure, saying 16 million barrels of oil moved through the strait on Friday.
Fragile detente: The MoU ended post-ceasefire skirmishes but is "not a final settlement"; Lebanon posed the first test, with the Hormuz closure showing how quickly it can unravel.
Iran's leverage: Iran emerged regionally stronger — it can negotiate without fear of a U.S. strike and uses Hormuz as a strategic lever.
India's exposure: Hormuz carries about a fifth of global crude; closures threaten India's energy and fertilizer supply chains and inflation.
- India should sustain crude/fertilizer diversification and protect transit for its vessels (naval escorts as needed).
- Support a verifiable nuclear settlement with restored IAEA access and uphold UNCLOS-based freedom of navigation.
- Back de-escalation in Lebanon as the key to a durable deal (links to SDG 7, SDG 16).
Strait of Hormuz Highly enriched uranium Downblending / IAEA Hezbollah JCPOA (2015)
MCQ: US–Iran Deal
With reference to the US–Iran memorandum of understanding, consider the following statements:
- It provides for the 'downblending' of Iran's enriched uranium under IAEA supervision.
- It calls for a ceasefire on all fronts, including Lebanon.
- It transfers ownership of the Strait of Hormuz to Iran permanently.
- 1 and 2 only
- 2 and 3 only
- 1 and 3 only
- 1, 2 and 3
Fertilizer Security & the Hormuz Disruption
Context
With Iran tightening Strait transit rules, India has shifted focus to evacuating bulk fertilizer carriers from the Persian Gulf — earmarking 34 ships for repatriation, including 15 fertilizer-carrying bulk carriers and one ammonia carrier serving domestic fertilizer production, with possible naval escorts.
Background & Key Facts
- Ships in transit: a Hong Kong-registered vessel carrying 50,000 tonnes of urea crossed Hormuz and is due at Krishnapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) on June 27; others anchored west of the strait carry urea, DAP, sulphur and ammonia.
- Kharif need: the Agriculture Ministry assessed the season's fertilizer need at ~384 lakh tonnes; current stocks ~196 lakh tonnes, with an opening stock of 200+ lakh tonnes.
- Buffer: the standard buffer norm is 33%, but advance availability this year exceeded half the requirement, aided by domestic production of 118+ lakh tonnes since the crisis began.
- Diversified imports: ~40 lakh tonnes arrived during the crisis, mostly not via Hormuz — urea from Oman, Malaysia, Vietnam, Georgia, Russia; DAP/NPK from Russia, Morocco, Egypt, U.S., Jordan.
- Iran's grip: the new Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA) is the sole channel for transit requests; it will levy no fee for 60 days but "reserves the right" to introduce an insurance fee later (terms submitted to the IMO).
Resilience tested: Strong domestic production and diversified sourcing cushioned the shock, but a prolonged Hormuz disruption could strain kharif supplies and subsidy costs.
New transit regime: The PGSA's emergence institutionalises Iran's control over the strait — a structural shift for global shipping.
- Deepen import diversification and build strategic buffers for critical fertilizer inputs.
- Accelerate domestic fertilizer and nano-fertilizer production and balanced-use practices.
- Coordinate naval-escort protocols for essential cargo (links to SDG 2).
Urea / DAP / NPK Kharif season Buffer norm PGSA
MCQ: Fertilizer Security
Consider the following statements:
- DAP (di-ammonium phosphate) is a phosphatic fertilizer largely imported by India.
- Urea is a nitrogenous fertilizer.
- India is fully self-sufficient in fertilizer production and does not import any.
- 1 and 2 only
- 2 and 3 only
- 1 and 3 only
- 1, 2 and 3
What a 'Super' El Niño Might Mean for India's Monsoon
Context
The U.S. NOAA confirmed an El Niño has formed in the equatorial Pacific, with ~63% odds it strengthens into a "very strong" ("super") event by winter. India's June rainfall (to the 16th) was ~35% below normal — reviving the question of how reliably strong El Niño events translate into a failed monsoon.
Background & Key Facts
- What it is: El Niño is the periodic warming of the central/eastern equatorial Pacific that tends to weaken the South Asian monsoon. Trade winds weaken, the eastern Pacific warms, creating a self-amplifying feedback loop.
- Gradations (IMD): 0.5–1°C = weak, 1–1.5° = moderate, 1.5–2° = strong, >2° = very strong. The current event could approach ~2.5°.
- Calendar: El Niño establishes in spring, peaks in winter, and weakens the next spring — so its suppressing effect is felt mainly in the mid-to-late monsoon, not at onset. A weak June alone isn't a reliable guide.
- The IOD counter: the 1997-98 El Niño actually brought 2% above-normal rains due to a positive Indian Ocean Dipole; this year the IOD is expected to be too weak to counter the Niño.
- Drought link: of ~two dozen El Niño years since 1950, ~15 saw below-normal monsoons and ~10 tipped into deficiency (<90% of the long-period average); worst droughts include 1972, 1982, 2009, 2015.
- Cyclones: El Niño suppresses Atlantic hurricanes (more wind shear) but favours central/eastern Pacific storms and raises super-typhoon odds near Asia.
Climate amplification: A warmer baseline ocean (from long-term warming) makes recent events more intense than earlier ones.
Planning stakes: The El Niño–monsoon correlation is strong enough to shape food and fiscal planning, but the IOD and local factors add uncertainty.
- Strengthen seasonal forecasting (ENSO + IOD monitoring) and early drought-contingency planning.
- Promote climate-resilient cropping, water conservation and buffer stocks.
- Improve last-mile agro-advisories for farmers (links to SDG 2, SDG 13).
El Niño / ENSO Indian Ocean Dipole Walker circulation Vertical wind shear NOAA / IMD
MCQ: El Niño & IOD
Consider the following statements:
- El Niño is associated with the warming of the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean.
- A positive Indian Ocean Dipole can offset the drying effect of El Niño on the Indian monsoon.
- El Niño typically peaks in the northern-hemisphere winter.
- 1 and 2 only
- 2 and 3 only
- 1 and 3 only
- 1, 2 and 3
IIT-Delhi Study: Human Activity Drives India's 'Wild' Weather
Context
A new study (Environmental Research Letters) by IIT-Delhi and KSMDB College (Kollam) provides, for the first time, "dispositive evidence" that human activity is the primary driver of India's increasingly concentrated rainfall and violent floods.
Background & Key Facts
- Method: analysed rainfall data from 1905–2014 using "fingerprinting", comparing real observations with climate models to separate natural cycles (like El Niño) from human-caused changes.
- The contest in the skies: greenhouse gases warm the atmosphere and intensify rain, while aerosols (from vehicle exhaust and factories) scatter sunlight and can suppress rain.
- Key finding: in the core monsoon zone (including West Central India), GHG forcing is a dominant driver of intensifying extreme precipitation.
- The 'unmasking' risk: as air pollution is cleaned up and the aerosol cooling vanishes, the full force of GHG warming could be "unmasked", surging extreme-rainfall events now being held in check.
Policy paradox: Reducing air pollution (a health imperative) may unmask stronger warming-driven rainfall — a tension between clean-air and climate-adaptation goals.
Planning implication: Historical rainfall baselines may no longer reliably guide future risk; "stationarity" can no longer be assumed for extreme rainfall in warming-affected regions.
- Update urban flood-design baselines to account for non-stationary extreme rainfall.
- Integrate aerosol-unmasking risk into climate-adaptation and disaster planning.
- Pursue deep decarbonisation alongside air-quality improvements (links to SDG 11, SDG 13).
Aerosols & rainfall suppression Greenhouse-gas forcing Climate fingerprinting Extreme precipitation
MCQ: Climate & Aerosols
Consider the following statements:
- Aerosols from combustion can scatter incoming sunlight and exert a cooling effect.
- Greenhouse gases tend to intensify extreme rainfall by warming the atmosphere.
- A reduction in aerosol pollution would always reduce extreme rainfall.
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- 2 and 3 only
- 1 and 3 only
- 1, 2 and 3
Insuring the Informal Worker Against the Soaring Heat
Context
As India faces above-normal heat (IMD forecasts a hot 2026; WMO expects El Niño to intensify heat), informal workers are being enrolled in parametric heat-insurance schemes that pay out automatically when temperatures cross a threshold.
Background & Key Facts
- How it works: parametric insurance pays out on a pre-set trigger (a weather index from temperature, humidity, rainfall, AQI) — no premiums or claims to file by the worker.
- Jan Sahas scheme: 3,925 informal workers enrolled across Delhi-NCR (with Go Digit and Godrej Properties' CSR arm); last year, 722 workers in Noida received ₹1,000 when the trigger fired.
- SEWA programme: the largest of its kind, grew from 21,000 women (Gujarat, 2023) to ~2.25 lakh women across seven States by 2025, paying out when temperatures exceed 40°C.
- Government gap: no State government runs a heat-insurance scheme for workers; Nagaland's is the lone government parametric policy (against excess rainfall). Premiums are almost everywhere paid by philanthropies, not workers.
- Behavioural evidence: a randomised trial of 276 gig workers found a ₹200 heatwave payment let workers shift schedules to cooler hours and rest; those getting only heat warnings worked fewer days and reported more fatigue.
Climate-justice tool: Heat insurance lets workers choose health over income without being forced to keep working in dangerous heat — a model of climate adaptation for the informal economy.
Sustainability question: Experts note "parametric insurance does not have its own legs" — without philanthropic or government premium support, the model doesn't work.
- Build government-backed parametric schemes for heat-exposed informal workers.
- Integrate with Heat Action Plans, occupational-safety norms and wage-loss protection.
- Improve granular weather/heat-index data for accurate triggers (links to SDG 1, SDG 8, SDG 13).
Parametric insurance Heat Action Plans SEWA Heatwave criteria (IMD)
MCQ: Parametric Insurance
Which of the following best describes 'parametric insurance'?
- Insurance that pays out only after the policyholder files and proves a claim
- Insurance that pays a pre-agreed amount automatically when a measurable parameter crosses a defined threshold
- Insurance available only to government employees
- Insurance that covers only crop losses
Anti-Defection Saga: Merger, Frozen Accounts & Disqualification
Context
The defection wave deepened. Trinamool Congress general secretary Abhishek Banerjee said the 20 Lok Sabha MPs who declared a merger with the little-known Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) are liable for disqualification under the anti-defection law, and urged the Speaker to rule on the petition.
Background & Key Facts
- The constitutional argument: Abhishek Banerjee stressed that at least two-thirds of the political party — not just the legislature party — must agree to a merger for it to be valid, citing Supreme Court judgments submitted to Speaker Om Birla.
- Speaker's role: Birla said he would call the 20 rebel MPs for a hearing before deciding.
- Frozen accounts: three TMC bank accounts (₹440 crore) were "debit-frozen" after the former party treasurer flagged the split and 10 rebel MLAs complained to cyber-crime police alleging illegal financial dealings.
- Wider churn: fresh exits, resignations and arrests of TMC leaders continued in West Bengal after its Assembly defeat.
The merger test: Whether a legislature-party "merger" with a little-known party qualifies for the Tenth Schedule exception — without the parent party merging — is the crux, and tests the law's intent.
Speaker as adjudicator: The case again highlights concerns about delays and neutrality when the Presiding Officer decides defection petitions.
Institutional spillover: Frozen party accounts and competing claims show how defections cascade into financial and organisational disputes.
- Time-bound adjudication of disqualification petitions by an independent authority.
- Judicial clarity that a valid merger must involve the parent party, not merely the legislature party.
- Strengthen intra-party democracy and accountability to the electorate (links to SDG 16).
Tenth Schedule Merger exception Role of the Speaker Kihoto Hollohan case
MCQ: Anti-Defection
Consider the following statements regarding disqualification under the Tenth Schedule:
- A member may be disqualified for voluntarily giving up membership of their political party.
- The decision on disqualification is taken by the Presiding Officer of the House.
- The Supreme Court has held that the Presiding Officer's decision is final and not subject to judicial review.
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- 2 and 3 only
- 1 and 3 only
- 1, 2 and 3
16 Fixed Dose Combination Drugs Banned
Context
Stating that certain drug cocktails lack therapeutic justification and could pose risks to patients, the Union Health Ministry banned 16 fixed dose combination (FDC) medications in public interest — including dermatological, analgesic/antispasmodic and antibiotic-based formulations.
Background & Key Facts
- What an FDC is: a medicine containing two or more active drugs combined in a fixed ratio in a single dosage form. Some improve compliance and effectiveness; irrational ones may be ineffective or harmful.
- Banned categories: certain analgesic/antispasmodic combinations, several antibiotic-based formulations (e.g., amoxicillin with serratiopeptidase; amoxicillin with cloxacillin), and aloe-vera-based dermatological mixtures deemed irrational or unsafe.
Rational-use push: Banning irrational FDCs curbs ineffective/harmful prescribing and antimicrobial misuse — important for antimicrobial resistance (AMR) control.
Enforcement matters: As with earlier FDC bans, the impact depends on consistent enforcement across States and pharmacies.
- Strengthen drug-regulatory enforcement and pharmacovigilance.
- Promote rational prescribing and antimicrobial stewardship to curb AMR.
- Improve public awareness of risks of irrational drug combinations (links to SDG 3).
Fixed Dose Combinations CDSCO Antimicrobial resistance Drugs & Cosmetics Act
MCQ: Fixed Dose Combinations
Consider the following statements:
- A fixed dose combination (FDC) contains two or more active pharmaceutical ingredients in a fixed ratio.
- All FDCs are irrational and harmful.
- Irrational use of antibiotic combinations can contribute to antimicrobial resistance.
- 1 and 2 only
- 2 and 3 only
- 1 and 3 only
- 1, 2 and 3
Ladakh's Demands: Statehood, Sixth Schedule & Article 371
Context
Ladakh civil-society umbrella groups — the Ladakh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) — called for a shutdown on June 23, accusing the Centre of "backtracking" on May 22 decisions and delaying the release of the agreed meeting minutes.
Background & Key Facts
- Statehood: the KDA said it was agreed to address the Statehood demand by "creating a legislature under an elected Chief Minister", with executive, legislative and financial powers over matters concerning locals.
- Constitutional safeguards: it was agreed in principle to grant special powers drawing on Articles 371A, 371F and 371G, with the "best provisions" to be included under a proposed Article 371K for Ladakh.
- Context: activist Sonam Wangchuk attended the meeting where the shutdown was decided; only transport will be allowed during the tourist season.
Identity & ecology: Ladakhi demands centre on protecting land, jobs, culture and the fragile high-altitude ecology — concerns that special constitutional provisions (or Sixth Schedule status) are meant to address.
Trust deficit: Alleged "backtracking" and delays in releasing minutes risk eroding confidence in Centre–civil-society dialogue.
- Sustain transparent, time-bound dialogue and publish agreed minutes.
- Craft constitutional safeguards tailored to Ladakh's demographic and ecological realities.
- Balance development with environmental protection and local empowerment (links to SDG 11, SDG 16).
Articles 371A / 371F / 371G Sixth Schedule Union Territory of Ladakh Special constitutional provisions
MCQ: Special Provisions
Consider the following statements:
- Articles 371A to 371J provide special provisions for certain States.
- The Sixth Schedule provides for the administration of tribal areas in some northeastern States.
- Ladakh is currently a State of the Indian Union.
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- 2 and 3 only
- 1 and 3 only
- 1, 2 and 3
NEET-UG Retest Amid Unprecedented Security
Context
Over 22 lakh aspirants took the NEET (UG) 2026 re-examination on Sunday across 5,440 centres in 551 cities (and 14 abroad), after the May 3 test was cancelled over paper-leak allegations.
Background & Key Facts
- Security architecture: 95,000+ exam rooms each with CCTV (1,38,560 cameras, feeds monitored at national/State/Ministry levels); 51,311 jammers deployed against electronic malpractice.
- Personnel: two invigilators per room; 38,795 frisking staff and 48,448 personnel for biometric verification; on average 40–50 security personnel per centre, with paramilitary forces, the IAF, police and postal departments involved.
- Monitoring: the NTA is acting against rumour-mongering and fraudulent "paper leak" claims on social media.
- Venue row: a Nagpur aspirant was allotted an Abu Dhabi centre; the NTA said web-activity records showed the city change was made through the candidate's own login during the correction window.
Integrity vs accessibility: Heavy security restores credibility, but the scale of mobilisation and candidate stress underline systemic vulnerabilities in high-stakes exams.
Reform need: Recurrent leaks point to the need for structural reform of exam security, question-paper logistics and grievance redress.
- Strengthen end-to-end question-paper security and digital safeguards (per the public-examinations anti-cheating law).
- Improve transparent grievance redress and candidate support.
- Build resilient, decentralised exam infrastructure to reduce single-point failures (links to SDG 4, SDG 16).
National Testing Agency NEET-UG Public Examinations Act, 2024 Exam integrity
MCQ: Examinations
Consider the following statements:
- The National Testing Agency conducts the NEET-UG examination.
- The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act was enacted to curb cheating and paper leaks in public examinations.
- NEET-UG is the common entrance test for undergraduate medical admissions in India.
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- 2 and 3 only
- 1 and 3 only
- 1, 2 and 3
Modi's Odisha Push: Purvodaya, Coal Gasification & Suryagram
Context
PM Modi unveiled development projects worth ₹47,000 crore for Odisha (power, roads, railways, health, education) at Rairangpur, also marking President Droupadi Murmu's 68th birthday with a visit to her in-laws' village, Pahadpur.
Background & Key Facts
- Key projects: foundation laid for a ₹25,016-crore coal gasification unit in Jharsuguda; ₹700 crore of rail infrastructure under East Coast Railway; ₹6,000 crore+ in the power sector.
- Suryagram: Pahadpur village will be developed as a solar village where every household generates solar power — invoking Konark's Sun Temple legacy.
- Purvodaya: the Centre's policy to drive India's development through the eastern region; investment proposals worth ~₹20 lakh crore received, with mega projects worth ₹3.5 lakh crore+ underway.
Eastern catch-up: Purvodaya targets historic regional imbalance by leveraging eastern India's natural resources and connectivity.
Energy transition tension: Coal gasification supports energy/chemical self-reliance, but its emissions profile sits alongside the clean-energy push (Suryagram) — requiring careful balancing.
- Pair resource-led growth with clean-energy and just-transition planning.
- Strengthen connectivity, health and education to translate investment into inclusive development.
- Scale decentralised solar (Suryagram) models (links to SDG 7, SDG 9, SDG 10).
Purvodaya Coal gasification Suryagram / solar village East Coast Railway
MCQ: Regional Development
Consider the following statements:
- Coal gasification converts coal into synthesis gas (syngas) that can be used for chemicals and energy.
- The 'Purvodaya' vision focuses on the accelerated development of eastern India.
- The Konark Sun Temple is located in Odisha.
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- 2 and 3 only
- 1 and 3 only
- 1, 2 and 3
Microsoft's Pay-As-You-Go AI & the Economics of AI
Context
Microsoft introduced a pay-as-you-go model for its AI agents, letting customers pay by usage rather than committing to fixed licences — moving AI closer to the consumption-based economics of cloud computing.
Background & Key Facts
- The billing problem: AI usage varies enormously — one employee may use an assistant occasionally; another all day. A flat monthly fee misaligns price and value.
- AI agents: increasingly, AI systems are agents that perform actions on behalf of users, consuming compute on every prompt, response and action.
- Cloud analogy: cloud computing became a trillion-dollar business by replacing large upfront costs with consumption-based pricing — aligning costs with value.
- Cost reality: unlike one-time software sales (e.g., Word), every AI interaction generates ongoing token/compute cost for the provider.
Aligning cost with value: Usage-based pricing better reflects AI's variable consumption, but introduces budget unpredictability (the familiar "surprise cloud bill" problem).
Strategic shift: Treating AI as a metered utility signals AI's move from a product to an embedded organisational capability — with implications for compute demand and energy.
- Build cost-monitoring and governance tools so organisations can scale AI without losing budget control.
- Plan for rising compute and energy demand from AI adoption.
- Strengthen India's sovereign-AI/compute capacity to manage costs (links to SDG 9).
AI agents Consumption-based pricing Cloud computing Tokens / compute
MCQ: AI & Cloud
Consider the following statements:
- An 'AI agent' can autonomously perform tasks on behalf of a user.
- Consumption-based pricing charges customers according to actual usage of a service.
- In cloud computing, customers must always pay a large fixed upfront cost regardless of usage.
- 1 and 2 only
- 2 and 3 only
- 1 and 3 only
- 1, 2 and 3
Manipur: Justice for Slain Nagas & the SoO Agreement
Context
Hundreds protested in Imphal demanding justice for six Naga villagers (including a pastor) whose dismembered bodies were recovered almost a month after they were allegedly abducted in May. The All-Naga Students' Association, Manipur (ANSAM) organised the rally.
Background & Key Facts
- The case: the six went missing from Leilon Vaiphei village (Kangpokpi district) after three church leaders were ambushed and killed on May 13; ANSAM accused the armed Kuki National Front-Presidential (KNF-P) of the killings.
- Demands: abrogation of the "misused" Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement with 25 Kuki-Zomi groups, and removal of the Deputy CM over alleged family links to the KNF-P.
- Connectivity context: the CM said a peaceful environment is needed to extend the railway to Moreh (India–Myanmar border, a gateway under the Act East policy); the line from Jiribam has reached Khongsang and is expected to reach Imphal in two years.
SoO under strain: The demand to scrap the SoO reflects concerns that ceasefire arrangements with armed groups are being misused amid ongoing ethnic conflict.
Peace as precondition: Manipur's development (railways, Act East connectivity) hinges on restoring peace among Kuki, Meitei and Naga communities.
- Ensure swift, credible investigation and accountability for the killings.
- Review SoO arrangements and strengthen inter-community dialogue and reconciliation.
- Protect civilians and restore the rule of law as the basis for development (links to SDG 16).
Suspension of Operations (SoO) Act East Policy Moreh (India–Myanmar) Manipur ethnic groups
MCQ: Northeast & Act East
Consider the following statements:
- Moreh, in Manipur, lies on India's border with Myanmar.
- The Act East Policy aims to strengthen India's engagement with Southeast and East Asia.
- A 'Suspension of Operations' agreement is a ceasefire-type arrangement with certain armed groups.
- 1 and 2 only
- 2 and 3 only
- 1 and 3 only
- 1, 2 and 3
Environment · Polity · IR — Quick Roundup
Golden Langur Trafficking Bust (GS3 — Environment)
- Nine wildlife traffickers (including a Bangladesh national) were arrested in Assam's Chirang district; eight golden langurs were recovered. The golden langur is an endangered species listed under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 — pointing to an international trafficking network bound for the black market via West Bengal.
EU Lifts Assam Travel Advisory (GS2 — IR)
- The EU's 27 member states lifted restrictive travel advisories for Assam (after Australia and Japan). Many countries had warned against travel to the northeast since 1979 (the Assam Agitation and ULFA insurgency) — the revision signals improved security perceptions.
'India' → 'Bharat' & PMJAY Fraud Probe (GS2 — Polity/Health)
- Guru Ghasidas Central University (Chhattisgarh) will replace "India" with "Bharat" in marksheets, degrees and official communications.
- J&K suspended a doctor and ordered a probe into alleged misrepresentation of 103 cardiac procedures under the PMJAY-SEHAT scheme — highlighting health-insurance fraud risks.
India–U.K. CETA: No Investment Chapter (GS3 — Economy)
- U.K. expert Anton Muscatelli said the absence of an investment chapter in the CETA (effective July 15) is not a concern — higher trade and ease-of-doing-business create the "enabling framework" that actually drives FDI; the EU, by contrast, wants a separate investment deal.
Bangladesh PM Bypasses India (GS2 — IR)
- Bangladesh PM Tarique Rahman will make his first foreign trip to Malaysia and China — bypassing India as his inaugural destination, a notable signal in neighbourhood diplomacy.
Kailash Mansarovar Yatra via Nathu La (GS2 — IR/Culture)
- The first batch of 44 pilgrims was flagged off through the Nathu La Pass in Sikkim after acclimatisation — reflecting improving India–China people-to-people exchanges.
Golden langur / Schedule I WPA ULFA / Assam Accord PMJAY-SEHAT India–U.K. CETA Nathu La Pass
MCQ: Mixed Current Affairs
Consider the following statements:
- The golden langur is found mainly in parts of Assam and Bhutan.
- Species listed under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 receive the highest level of protection.
- The Nathu La Pass connects Sikkim with the Tibet Autonomous Region of China.
- 1 and 2 only
- 2 and 3 only
- 1 and 3 only
- 1, 2 and 3
📝 Quick Prelims Revision — MCQ Bank
Q1 — Strait of Hormuz
The Strait of Hormuz connects which two water bodies?
- The Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden
- The Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman
- The Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea
- The Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal
Q2 — El Niño
El Niño generally has which effect on the Indian summer monsoon?
- It strengthens the monsoon
- It tends to weaken/suppress the monsoon
- It has no effect
- It only affects winter rainfall
Q3 — Aerosols
Atmospheric aerosols from combustion sources generally:
- Warm the surface by trapping heat
- Scatter incoming sunlight and can have a cooling/rain-suppressing effect
- Have no effect on climate
- Increase the ozone layer
Q4 — Anti-Defection
For a merger to be valid under the Tenth Schedule, the Supreme Court has held that it must involve:
- The legislature party alone
- The parent political party as well, not just the legislature party
- Only the party president's consent
- A simple majority of legislators
Q5 — Wildlife Protection
Species listed under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972:
- Can be freely hunted with a licence
- Receive the highest degree of protection with the strictest penalties
- Are considered vermin
- Are exempt from protection
❓ FAQs
Frequently asked exam-oriented questions — 21 June 2026 edition
Why did Iran close the Strait of Hormuz again after signing the deal?
How does a 'super' El Niño affect India's monsoon, and does it guarantee drought?
What is parametric insurance, and why does it suit heat protection for informal workers?
Why are irrational fixed dose combination (FDC) drugs banned?
What constitutional safeguards is Ladakh seeking?
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Analysis based on The Hindu, Bengaluru City Edition, 21 June 2026. Prepared for academic use. Static background and frameworks added for exam preparation; original article text has been paraphrased, not reproduced.
