UPSC current affairs · Thursday

Current Affairs, 5 November 2026

3 issues picked from 14 PIB releases · about 2 minutes each · written by UPSC Grade, each fact checked against its PIB release or by a second model

How to readRead “Why in news” and “What it is” for every issue. Open For Prelims or For Mains for the exam you’re preparing for, then Test yourself at the foot of each card. Half the news questions in Prelims are answered from background, not the news itself.

In 60 seconds

Capex Support Scheme to Promote Critical Mineral Processing. Cabinet approves ₹2,814 crore capital subsidy for four lithium and nickel processing plants.
Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, 2025. Joint advisory links VB–G RAM G works to fodder production and livestock infrastructure.
BIS Hallmarking. BIS hallmarking has grown sharply since 2021, with digital HUID tracing and a consumer verification app.

Scheme

Capex Support Scheme to Promote Critical Mineral Processing

GS3 Economy / MineralsGS2 International RelationsPrelims and Mains

Why in news: The Union Cabinet approved the CAPEX Support Scheme to Promote Critical Mineral Processing on 4 November 2026, with an outlay of ₹2,814 crore. PIB issued a backgrounder on it on 5 November 2026.
What it is: This is a central scheme that gives a capital subsidy to firms building domestic plants that refine lithium and nickel into high-purity products. It targets India's heavy import dependence on refined critical minerals. Beneficiaries are picked by competitive bidding and paid against project milestones.

Subsidy and plants: 30% of eligible investment is given as subsidy for four plants: two lithium (at least 30 kt each) and two nickel (at least 50 kt each).
Caps per beneficiary: Support is capped at ₹500 crore per lithium beneficiary and ₹900 crore per nickel beneficiary.
Selection: Two stages: technical qualification, then financial bidding on the least-cost criterion, i.e. the lowest CAPEX support sought.
Governance: The apex Governing Council is chaired by the Secretary, Ministry of Mines. It makes the final selection of beneficiaries. A Techno-Financial Committee evaluates applications and a Project Management Agency supports implementation.
Commissioning timeline: The plant must be commissioned within three years of the Letter of Award, and in any case within five years. Delay beyond three years triggers tapering of the remaining support.
Support rate: Capital subsidy is 30% of eligible investment for four plants: two lithium and two nickel.
Caps: Support is capped at Rs 500 crore per lithium beneficiary and Rs 900 crore per nickel beneficiary.
Disbursal and cobalt: Incentives are paid in three milestone-linked tranches. Cobalt is expected as a by-product of nickel production.

Don’t confuse with CAPEX scheme vs NCMM recycling scheme: The CAPEX scheme (₹2,814 crore) subsidises lithium and nickel processing plants. The ₹1,500 crore recycling scheme, approved on 3 September 2025 under NCMM, promotes recovery of critical minerals from e-waste and spent batteries.

Don’t confuse with Lithium plants vs nickel plants: Lithium: at least 30 kt, cap ₹500 crore. Nickel: at least 50 kt, cap ₹900 crore.

Schemes: 52 Prelims questions since 2013, 10 in Prelims 2026 alone. They test features, the period and who funds it. In Mains, 33 news-triggered questions, mostly GS3.

Why it matters

Cuts import dependence on refined lithium and nickel, improving supply security against geographically concentrated processing.
Fills the missing processing link between mining and battery or speciality steel manufacturing, supporting clean energy and net-zero 2070 goals.
Expected to bring about ₹10,000 crore of investment and jobs, and to save foreign exchange.
Cuts import dependence on refined lithium, nickel and cobalt.
Supports EVs, battery storage, electronics, defence and speciality steel value chains.
Improves supply chain resilience and economic security against concentrated global processing.

Problems

Processing is not viable now: high capital costs, advanced technology needs and strict environmental safeguards.
Limited access to raw materials and suitable technologies; lithium plants exclude brines, so feedstock must be sourced.
Only four plants are supported, so capacity may fall short of demand unless more private investment follows.
High capital cost and limited availability of suitable technology.
Constrained access to raw materials, as ores are largely imported.
Only four plants are supported, so scale is small against demand.

Way forward

Secure long-term raw material access through overseas assets, block auctions and recycling.
Link the scheme with downstream battery and steel schemes and build technology partnerships and R&D.
Enforce milestone-linked disbursement and environmental norms, and review capacity needs for scale-up.
Secure overseas and domestic raw material supply through mineral diplomacy and auctions.
Support processing technology through R&D and partnerships.
Link the scheme with recycling and battery manufacturing incentives.

Put in your answer

Critical minerals list: India has identified 24 critical minerals, including lithium, nickel, cobalt, graphite and rare earths.

Mineral block auctions: 64 critical and strategic mineral blocks and 11 Exploration Licence blocks have been auctioned so far.

Import dependence: India depends substantially on imports for refined intermediates and high-purity materials.

Test yourselfMains

True or false?

1 of 13

Statements the way Prelims prints them. Say first, then see the fact.

1.The scheme offers a capital subsidy of 30% of eligible investment for setting up critical mineral processing plants.
2.The scheme supports processing plants for lithium, nickel and cobalt, with two beneficiaries selected for each of the three minerals.
3.Beneficiaries are selected on the least-cost criterion, that is, the lowest CAPEX support sought, after a technical qualification stage.
4.The Governing Council of the scheme is chaired by the Union Minister of Mines.
5.The lithium plants supported under the scheme will process ores and concentrates, excluding brines, into battery-grade products.
6.Incentives are released in two tranches, with the final release after the plant is commissioned.
7.The scheme is funded partly by budgetary support and partly by a levy on mineral royalties.
8.The National Critical Mineral Mission was launched in January 2025.
9.The scheme provides a capital subsidy of 50% of eligible investment.
10.The scheme supports two lithium and two nickel processing plants.
11.The maximum support per lithium beneficiary is Rs 900 crore and per nickel beneficiary Rs 500 crore.
12.Beneficiaries are chosen by the lowest capex support sought by bidders after a technical qualification stage.
13.The incentive is paid as a single lump sum on commissioning of the plant.

Written by us from the release, not by UPSC; checked by a second model.

Source: PIB Backgrounder, 5 Nov, 13:56 IST · Release 2332964

Issue page →

Worth revising until Prelims 2028: most news questions come within two years of the event.

Scheme

Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, 2025

GS2 Welfare schemesGS3 Rural employment and assetsPrelims and Mains

Why in news: On 5 November 2026, the Department of Rural Development and the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying issued a joint advisory to States and UTs. It asks them to use VB–G RAM G works for fodder security and livestock infrastructure.
What it is: VB–G RAM G is the Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, 2025. It is the statutory rural wage-employment framework that ties wage work to durable assets planned through Gram Panchayat plans. Works are chosen from a list of permissible works and planned bottom-up through Gram Sabhas.

Wage guarantee: The Act guarantees 125 days of wage employment per rural household. It came into force on 1 July 2026.
Works for fodder: 22 works out of 375 permissible works relate to fodder and livestock infrastructure, such as fodder banks, silage units, pastures, shelters, milk collection centres and veterinary centres.
5% spending target: States are encouraged to raise spending on fodder and livestock works progressively towards at least 5% of total programme expenditure, where local needs and plans support it.
Planning route: Fodder works are to be integrated into Viksit Gram Panchayat Plans approved through the Gram Sabha. ICAR–IGFRI state-wise Fodder Resource Development Plans can guide district and block planning.
Statutory safeguards: Safeguards include compulsory social audit, a district-level 40% ceiling on the material component, weekly public disclosure and grievance redressal.
Livestock-dependent focus: Gram Panchayats with more than 30% livestock-dependent population may get particular attention.
Levels of redress: State Governments must set up the mechanism at Gram Panchayat, Block and District levels, each with designated Grievance Redressal Officers.
District role: The District Programme Coordinator oversees grievance redressal at the district level.
No refusal: A grievance cannot be refused registration for its format, language, manner of submission or any procedural deficiency.
Escalation: A grievance unresolved within 15 days goes to the next higher level in the State's mechanism and is monitored electronically until resolved.
Appeals: Appeals against orders under the mechanism are filed and disposed of as per Schedule I to the VB–G RAM G Act, 2025.
Start of nationwide implementation: The scheme has been implemented across all rural areas from 1 July 2026.
Face authentication: Face authentication was added to the NMMS app in March 2026 to curb fake attendance and wages claimed in others' names.
Technical partner and new features: The upgraded app was built with IIT Madras support. It adds device-level security, AI-based verification and anti-tampering safeguards.
Wage payment safeguards: Wages follow measurement in the electronic Measurement Book and are paid by DBT to bank accounts. Suspicious photo entries lead to the wage list and Fund Transfer Order being withheld.
Livelihood share: Livelihood-related works are 26 percent of the total, against 1.1 percent earlier.
Disaster category: A dedicated disaster preparedness and extreme weather category of 38 works is included for the first time.

Don’t confuse with DoRD vs DAHD: DoRD sits in the Ministry of Rural Development and runs the employment Act. DAHD sits in the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying and handles livestock policy.

Don’t confuse with Material ceiling vs spending target: The 40% ceiling on the material component is a binding district-level safeguard. The 5% fodder spending level is only an encouraged target.

Don’t confuse with Enquiry time vs resolution time: Enquiry must finish in seven working days; the full grievance must be resolved within 15 days of receipt.

Don’t confuse with NMMS app vs e-MB: The NMMS app records worker attendance. The electronic Measurement Book records the work actually done, as measured by technical engineers, and wages are based on it.

Don’t confuse with VB–G RAM G vs the previous scheme: VB–G RAM G is the 2025 Act whose Schedule has 375 works; the 'previous framework' had 266 works.

Schemes: 52 Prelims questions since 2013, 10 in Prelims 2026 alone. They test features, the period and who funds it. In Mains, 33 news-triggered questions, mostly GS3.

Why it matters

Links rural wage work to fodder security and dairy livelihoods, helping small, marginal and landless households.
Promotes convergence between rural development, animal husbandry and agriculture departments, and climate-resilient assets.
Gives rural workers a clear, time-bound route to complain, strengthening accountability and the rights-based nature of the scheme.
Digital end-to-end tracking improves transparency and lets higher authorities monitor delays.
Technology-based attendance checks can cut impersonation and leakage, protecting public funds and genuine wages.
Links wage employment to durable assets such as water, livelihood and climate-resilient infrastructure.
Bottom-up Gram Sabha planning strengthens local self-government.

Problems

The advisory is not binding: the 5% target is only encouraged, so state uptake may vary.
Fodder works must stay within the 40% material ceiling and social audit rules, which needs strong Gram Panchayat capacity.
Capacity and staffing of Gram Panchayat and Block officers, and digital access gaps in remote areas, may weaken the system.
States run the mechanism, so uneven implementation and fear of local reprisal may deter complaints.
Poor connectivity, elderly or disabled workers and device problems can cause genuine workers to be denied wages.
Many works across four pillars need strong technical capacity at Gram Panchayat level.
Convergence across Central, State and local schemes can be hard to coordinate.

Way forward

States should prepare Action Plans with convergence among rural development, animal husbandry and agriculture departments.
Use ICAR–IGFRI plans and Gram Sabha approval so works match local needs.
Train grievance officers, keep helplines and in-person options, and publish disposal data regularly.
Use social audits and independent review of escalated cases to check the digital records.
Keep offline attendance and the exception mechanism workable, and back them with social audits and spot inspections.
Build Gram Panchayat planning and technical capacity.
Use the digital Stack for transparent tracking and social audit of assets.

Put in your answer

Permissible works: 22 of 375 permissible works cover fodder and livestock infrastructure: an example of asset creation linked to livelihoods.

Social audit and DBT: Social audits, public disclosure and direct bank transfers are used to make payments traceable.

Livelihood share shift: Livelihood works rise from 1.1 percent to 26 percent of permissible works.

Disaster resilience works: A new 38-work category covers flood shelters, embankments and forest-fire lines.

Test yourself

Source: PIB, Ministry of Rural Development, 5 Nov, 10:22 IST · Release 2332844

Issue page →

Worth revising until Prelims 2028: most news questions come within two years of the event.

Law and statutory body

BIS Hallmarking

GS2 Consumer protection and standardsGS3 EconomyPrelims and Mains

Why in news: PIB released a backgrounder on BIS hallmarking on 5 November 2026. It reports that over 65 crore gold articles received HUID numbers as of 15 October 2026.
What it is: BIS hallmarking certifies the purity of gold and silver articles against prescribed Indian Standards. The Bureau of Indian Standards runs the scheme, which began as voluntary in 2000. Each hallmarked article carries a BIS mark, a purity mark and a six-digit HUID code.

Operating agency: BIS is the sole agency that operates the Hallmarking Scheme in India.
Gold standard and grades: IS 1417 covers 7 caratages, from 9K (375) to 24KS (995).
Testing centres: Assaying and Hallmarking Centres are recognised by BIS after it verifies their infrastructure, testing facilities and personnel.

Don’t confuse with Gold vs silver hallmarking: Gold hallmarking is mandatory (in notified districts). Silver hallmarking is voluntary, but HUID is mandatory on any silver article that is hallmarked.

Don’t confuse with Fineness mark vs HUID: The purity mark (such as 22K916) states the purity. The HUID is a separate code that identifies the individual article.

Laws, judgments and statutory bodies: 30 Prelims questions since 2013 (what the law says, who chairs, legal basis). In Mains, 44 news-triggered questions, most in GS2, asking for provisions and challenges.

No practice question for this one; the card may still help an answer. Why: Lasting topic with facts (mandatory gold hallmarking 2021, HUID for silver from September 2025), but BIS hallmarking has no clear news-linked UPSC question record in these counts.

Source: PIB Backgrounder, 5 Nov, 14:07 IST · Release 2332987

Issue page →

Worth revising until Prelims 2028: most news questions come within two years of the event.

What we left out: 11 of 14 releases

Meetings and conferences (3)
Speeches without a decision (2)
Routine body compliance news (1)
Ceremonies and campaigns (1)
Same issue as another release (1)
Routine drive tests (1)
Review meetings and visits (1)
Awards and ceremonies (1)

Practise the day’s news

In UPSC’s formats, inside each issue. The answer and why come after you choose.

1Capex Support Scheme to Promote Critical Mineral ProcessingMCQ · 13 true or false · Mains
2Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, 2025MCQ · 5 true or false · Mains

Mains question of the day

15 marks · 250 words

The Union Cabinet has approved a ₹2,814 crore CAPEX Support Scheme to promote the domestic processing of lithium and nickel. Discuss the provisions of the scheme and examine how far it can reduce India's import dependence on refined critical minerals, along with the challenges in its implementation.

From: Capex Support Scheme to Promote Critical Mineral Processing

Write and get it marked

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