PRELIMS CA 18 SEPT 2026

Subject: Schemes

Context: The Union Cabinet approved raising the mandatory wage ceiling under the EPFO to ₹25,000.
Nodal Ministry: Administered by the Ministry of Labour and Employment through the EPFO.
Legislative Basis: Governed under the Employees’ Provident Funds and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952.
Applicability: Mandatory for establishments employing 20 or more persons.
Wage Threshold: Raised from ₹15,000 to ₹25,000 per month | Includes basic pay plus dearness allowance.
Covered Schemes: Unlocks statutory benefits under EPF, EPS-95, and Employees' Deposit Linked Insurance (EDLI).
EDLI Benefit: Provides mandatory life insurance coverage up to ₹7 lakh for formal sector workers.
EPS Contribution: Employer’s 8.33% pension contribution cap rises from ₹1,250 to ₹2,083 per month.
Fiscal Outlay: Central government’s annual budgetary support for EPS will increase by ₹1,089 crore.

Subject: Schemes

Context: Prime Minister inaugurated the 5th edition of SEMICON India at Yashobhoomi, New Delhi.
Organisers: Jointly by India Semiconductor Mission (ISM), Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY), and SEMI.
Theme: Silicon to Systems: Building the Ecosystem | Focuses on the global microelectronics supply chain.
ISM Phase 2: Outlay of 13.5 billion USD | Supports silicon photonics, specialty gases, and advanced packaging.
Target: Train 100,000 engineering students in EDA tools | Over 70,000 students trained so far.

Subject: Environment

Context: Farmers in Punjab and Haryana received India's first farm-level soil carbon payments for regenerative farming.
Program Name: Aadi initiative | Managed by agri-tech joint venture Grow Indigo.
Certification: First Indian agricultural program verified under global VM0042 standard.
Eligible Practices: Focuses on Direct Seeded Rice (DSR), minimum tillage, cover crops, and residue retention.
Monetisation: Credits sold in voluntary carbon market | Farmers receive 75% of net proceeds.
Geography: Targeted at smallholder farmers in Punjab and Haryana to curb stubble burning.
Resource Savings: Conserved 45 billion litres of groundwater + diverted 2 lakh tonnes of residue.

Subject: IR

Context: European Commission proposed Canada as the first-ever associate member of the EU.
Concept: Status does not exist in foundational EU Treaties | No current legal provision for third-country associate membership.
Legal Mechanism: Formal tier creation requires unanimous ratification by all 27 EU member states.
Alternative Route: Article 217 of TFEU allows negotiating a sui generis bilateral association pact.
Approval: Requires unanimous approval from Council of the EU + European Parliament consent.
Scope: Focuses on critical minerals and Arctic security + excludes automatic single market access.
Sovereignty: No voting rights in EU Council | No jurisdiction ceded to European Court of Justice.
Regulatory Impact: Partner country must align with EU standards, becoming a rule-taker without legislative design power.

Subject: Schemes

Context: Union Finance Minister inaugurated the Bharat Vann urban micro-forest initiative in Central Delhi.
Methodology: Miyawaki afforestation method | High-density planting of multi-layered, indigenous vegetation.
Location: Lodhi Colony Park in Central Delhi | Implemented by New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC).
Funding: Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) of India Infrastructure Finance Company Limited (IIFCL).
Implementing Partner: Enviro Creators Foundation | Involves 36-month maintenance protocol for high survival rates.
Species Diversity: Exclusively uses 76 distinct native species | Over 10,000 saplings planted across one acre.
Convergence: Integrated with the citizen-led Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam plantation drive.

Subject: Science

Context: Astronomers confirmed a planet named Elias 2-24 b as the youngest known exoplanet ever detected.
What it is: A nascent, Jupiter-mass gas-giant exoplanet | Still embedded in its circumstellar disk of gas and dust.
Host Star: Orbits the young star Elias 2-24 | Located 450 light-years from Earth in the Ophiuchus star-forming region.
Age: Estimated at less than 1 million years old | Shatters previous records of PDS 70 and WISPIT 2.
Orbital Distance: Orbits at 55 Astronomical Units from its star + situated inside a dark ringed gap.
Detection Method: Identified using high-contrast coronagraphy to block host star glare + captured via infrared signatures.
Significance: Rapid formation challenges standard models | Supports faster mechanisms like gravitational instability or pebble drift.

Subject: Geography

Context: Emerged as a strategic alternative gateway for Indian cargo to GCC nations amid maritime disruptions in the region.
Location: Situated in northern Oman | Faces the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea.
Geography: Positioned directly outside the volatile Strait of Hormuz maritime chokepoint.
Administration: Managed by Sohar Industrial Port Company | A 50:50 joint venture between Oman and the Port of Rotterdam.
Infrastructure: Features deepwater berths capable of docking ultra-large carriers, including Valemax-class vessels.
Connectivity: Operates as an intermodal hub connected via road networks to GCC countries.