Turning Brain Drain into Brain Gain: India’s “Star Faculty” Strategy

Posted inCurrent Affairs, Essay, Governance, Society, Technology
UPSC Syllabus Link GS Paper I (Society & Geography): Effects of Globalization; Migration (Brain Drain vs. Reverse Migration); Indian Diaspora. GS Paper II (Governance): Government Policies for development in various sectors; Indian Diaspora (Role in Soft Power). GS Paper III (Science & Economy): Achievements of Indians in S&T; Indigenization of technology; Mobilization of resources (R&D Funding). Essay Topics: "Innovation is the key to Viksit Bharat," "Brain Drain: Crisis or Opportunity?" Context: The Government of India is reportedly finalizing a new "Star Faculty" scheme to attract high-achieving Indian-origin researchers from the US and other advanced economies. This move comes at a…

Feminization of Agriculture: Invisible Hands, Unpaid Labor

Posted inAgriculture, Current Affairs, Society
UPSC Syllabus Link GS Paper I: Role of women and women’s organizations; Social empowerment; Poverty and developmental issues.GS Paper III: Inclusive growth; Agriculture (Cropping patterns, e-technology, economics of animal-rearing); Land reforms.Essay: Gender Justice; "Invisible Labor"; Rural Transformation. Context: India’s agriculture is increasingly being carried by women, but nearly half of them work as unpaid family workers, exposing a serious mismatch between “Feminisation of Agriculture” and real economic empowerment; this is why tools like the Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) / Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Index (WEAI) are crucial for measuring inclusive growth when India’s FLFPR has stayed around or below 35%…

Decoding India’s Demographic Trinity: Fertility Decline, Son Preference, and the Aging Crisis – UPSC Notes: GS1, GS2

Posted inCurrent Affairs, Society
Syllabus Link GS Paper I: Population and associated issues; Women and women related issues. GS Paper II: Government policies (Health, Vulnerable Sections), Social Justice. Essay: "Demographic Dividend or Demographic Disaster?", "Gender Justice". Why is this Relevant for UPSC? Mains: Direct relevance to GS-I (Population and associated issues, Women) and GS-II (Vulnerable sections - Elderly, Mechanisms for protection). The "North-South Demographic Divide" and "Feminization of Aging" are high-probability essay and answer-writing themes. Prelims: Trends in TFR, specific reports (UNFPA, SRS), and provisions of Acts like PCPNDT and MWPSC are frequent targets for MCQs. Definitions and Core Concepts Total Fertility Rate (TFR):…

The Employment & Employability Crisis: Converting Demographic Dividend into Economic Power (UPSC CSE GS3)

Posted inCurrent Affairs, Economy, Governance, Society
UPSC Civil Services 2026Syllabus Link GS III: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization of resources, growth, development and employment; Inclusive growth and issues arising from it.The topic sits at the intersection of GS III (Economy), GS II (Governance/Human Resources), and GS I (Society). Introduction: The "Two-India" Paradox India currently faces a unique paradox: The headline Unemployment Rate has dropped to a historic low of 3.2% (PLFS 2023-24), yet the Employability Crisis is peaking, with reports indicating that massive segments of the educated workforce are "unemployable." The central narrative for UPSC aspirants should not just be "joblessness" but "Job…