UPSC Daily Current Affairs for 27 August 2025

Census To Count Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups Separately: MoTA

Context

The Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) has written to the Registrar General and Census Commissioner, urging that particularly vulnerable tribal groups (PVTGs) be separately enumerated in the upcoming census.

Why the Census Matters?

Better Resource Allocation: Helps the government to channel resources effectively for infrastructure, healthcare, and education.

Targeted Welfare Schemes: It will enable the design and delivery of focused development programmes.

Improved Planning: Provides data for long-term development strategies and policy decisions.

Support for Research and Governance: Offers reliable information for the judiciary, policymakers, and scholars to study trends in migration, urbanisation, employment, and fertility.

Sci-Hub Ban and the One Nation, One Subscription (ONOS) Scheme

In News

The Delhi High Court has ordered authorities to block access to so-called online shadow libraries Sci-Hub, Sci-Net and their mirror domains, in a copyright infringement case.

About

Sci-Hub (founded in 2011 by Alexandra Elbakyan (Kazakhstan)), despite being illegal, has been a crucial resource for many researchers lacking affordable access to scientific papers due to expensive journal subscriptions.

Against this backdrop, the government’s One Nation, One Subscription (ONOS) scheme is being positioned as a legitimate alternative to piracy-driven access.

Results of Comprehensive Modular Survey: Education, 2025

Context

The Comprehensive Modular Survey (CMS: Education) conducted under the 80th Round of the National Sample Survey (NSS), April–June 2025, has revealed that households spend nearly nine times more per child in private schools compared to government schools.

Reasons for Such a Trend

Rural–Urban Divide: Rural households are more dependent on government schools due to affordability, but urban families often choose private schools.

Perceived Quality Gap: Parents usually prefer private schools due to perceived better teaching standards, infrastructure, and English-medium instruction.

Inefficient Learning Outcomes: Challenges in teacher availability and accountability in government schools push parents towards private institutions.

Shadow Education Dependence: Growing reliance on coaching reflects limitations in classroom learning effectiveness.

India Requires $50 Billion New Investment in Storage by 2032: Report

In Context

India has crossed 50% installed power capacity from non-fossil sources five years early. The next challenge is rapidly scaling up Energy Storage Systems (ESS) to meet rising demand, cut costs, and keep power affordable.

Why is ESS Crucial for India?

Round-the-clock Renewable Energy (RE): Solar and wind are variable; storage balances supply-demand.

Peak Load Management: Batteries can release power during evening peaks when solar declines.

Grid Stability: Reduces frequency fluctuations and blackout risks.

Economic Gains: According to a 2025 study by the India Energy & Climate Centre (UC Berkeley) and the Power Foundation of India, large-scale ESS could save consumers $7 billion (₹60,000 crore) annually by 2032.

Centre Finalises National Designated Authority to Kick-start Carbon Markets

Context

The Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change has announced a ‘National Designated Authority (NDA)’ to enable a carbon emissions trading regime.

Carbon Markets

Carbon markets are trading systems in which carbon credits are sold and bought.

Companies or individuals can use carbon markets to compensate for their greenhouse gas emissions by purchasing carbon credits from entities that remove or reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

One tradable carbon credit equals one tonne of carbon dioxide or the equivalent amount of a different greenhouse gas reduced, sequestered, or avoided.

When a credit is used to reduce, sequester, or avoid emissions, it becomes an offset and is no longer tradable.

News In Short 27-August-2025

Context

The Government of India has set up three separate high-level committees to oversee celebrations of the 150th Birth Anniversaries of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel (1875–2025), Birsa Munda (1875–2025) and Birth Centenary of Atal Bihari Vajpayee (1924–2024).

About Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel (1875–1950)

Vallabhbhai Patel was born on 31st October 1875 in Gujarat. His birth anniversary is now observed as National Unity Day or Rashtriya Ekta Diwas.

He had accomplished the task of integrating 565 Princely States into the Union of India within a remarkably short span of time.

Vallabhbhai Patel is also known as the Iron Man of India.

Civil Services Day is observed on 21st April every year to commemorate the day in 1947 when Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel addressed the first batch of civil servants at the Metcalfe House, New Delhi.