1. PLI Scheme for White Goods (Air Conditioners & LED Lights)

2. Asiatic Wild Dog (Dhole)

3. Advanced Chemistry Cell (ACC) – Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme

4. Muna Island

5. 71 Fugitives Located Abroad

1. PLI Scheme for White Goods (Air Conditioners & LED Lights)

Why in the news?

The Government of India has selected five companies in the fourth round of the Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for White Goods, involving a committed investment of ₹863 crore, strengthening domestic manufacturing of air conditioners and LED lighting components.

What is the PLI Scheme for White Goods?

• The PLI Scheme for White Goods is a central sector scheme that provides performance-linked financial incentives to companies manufacturing key components of Air Conditioners (ACs) and LED lights in India, based on incremental domestic sales over a base year.
• It aims to reduce import dependence, deepen domestic value chains, and strengthen India’s position in electronics and consumer appliance manufacturing.

Launch and institutional framework

• The scheme was launched in FY 2021–22 and will be implemented till FY 2028–29.
• It is implemented by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, with overall monitoring by the Empowered Group of Secretaries (EGoS) chaired by the Cabinet Secretary.

Target segments

Air Conditioners

• The scheme covers high-value intermediates such as compressors, copper tubes, and aluminium foils that drive value addition and reduce import dependence.
• It also includes low-value intermediates like PCB assemblies, BLDC motors, service valves, and cross-flow fans, which are essential for functional integration.
• Further, it supports sub-assemblies for Indoor and Outdoor Units (IDUs and ODUs), enabling deeper supply-chain localisation.

LED Lights

• The scheme targets core electronic components such as LED chip packaging, integrated circuits, resistors, and fuses that determine efficiency and lifespan.
• It also covers supporting components like LED drivers, engines, modules, mechanical parts, and wire-wound inductors to strengthen end-product manufacturing.

Key features

• The scheme offers a 4%–6% incentive on incremental domestic sales, encouraging scale-based manufacturing.
• FY 2019–20 serves as the base year for calculating incremental performance.
• An incentive period of five years, along with a one-year gestation period, allows firms time to create production capacity before performance-linked rewards begin.
• Eligibility is restricted to greenfield and brownfield investments, ensuring real asset creation rather than mere assembly operations.
• Firms must meet mandatory investment and sales thresholds, ensuring accountability and outcome orientation.

Coverage and scale

• The scheme has a total outlay of ₹6,238 crore.
• So far, 85 companies have been selected across four rounds, reflecting strong industry participation.
• It is expected to attract around ₹11,198 crore in investment and generate production worth nearly ₹1.9 lakh crore.
• The scheme is projected to create significant direct and indirect employment across electronics and appliance manufacturing ecosystems.

Significance

• The scheme strengthens Atmanirbhar Bharat by localising critical AC and LED components that were earlier largely imported.
• It enhances India’s export competitiveness in consumer durables and electronics.
• It supports the objectives of the National Policy on Electronics, National Logistics Policy, and broader industrialisation strategy.
• It contributes to energy efficiency and climate goals by boosting domestic production of energy-efficient cooling and lighting technologies.

Conclusion

The PLI Scheme for White Goods represents a targeted industrial policy intervention to deepen domestic value chains in air conditioners and LED lighting. By linking incentives to performance outcomes, the scheme balances fiscal prudence with manufacturing expansion, strengthening India’s electronics ecosystem while advancing employment generation and import substitution.

UPSC Prelims Practice Question

Q. With reference to the PLI Scheme for White Goods, consider the following statements:

1. It provides financial incentives based on incremental domestic sales of AC and LED components.
2. It is implemented by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
3. It prioritises core component manufacturing and large investments to deepen value chains.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?A. 1 onlyB. 1 and 3 onlyC. 2 and 3 onlyD. 1, 2 and 3

Answer: B

UPSC Mains Practice Question

Q. “Production-Linked Incentive schemes represent a shift toward performance-based industrial policy in India.” Discuss this statement with reference to the PLI Scheme for White Goods (Air Conditioners and LED Lights).

2. Asiatic Wild Dog (Dhole)

Why in the news?

A rare Asiatic Wild Dog (Dhole) has been camera-trapped for the first time in Ratapani Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh, indicating improving habitat quality, prey availability, and ecological connectivity in the landscape.

What is the Asiatic Wild Dog (Dhole)?

The Asiatic Wild Dog, commonly known as the Dhole (Cuon alpinus), is a highly social wild canid native to South and Southeast Asia. It is a cooperative pack-hunting predator that plays an important role in regulating herbivore populations and maintaining ecosystem balance.

Habitat and distribution

• Dholes prefer dense forests, forest–grassland mosaics, and hilly or undulating terrains with adequate prey availability.
• In India, they are mainly found in central Indian forests and the Western and Eastern Ghats, especially within large, well-connected protected landscapes.
• They require large contiguous habitats due to wide-ranging pack movements and dependence on continuous prey availability.

Conservation status

• IUCN Red List: Endangered (EN)
• They face threats from habitat fragmentation, prey depletion, disease transmission from domestic dogs, and human disturbance.

Key characteristics

• Dholes are pack hunters, relying on cooperative group strategies rather than solitary ambush.
• They primarily prey on medium-to-large ungulates, such as chital, sambar, and other deer species.
• They are highly social, with cooperative breeding, group care of pups, and strong coordination during hunts
• They have a distinct reddish coat, rounded ears, and specialised dentition adapted for meat-shearing.

Ecological significance

• Their presence indicates a healthy prey base, good habitat quality, and reduced anthropogenic disturbance.
• They contribute to trophic regulation, strengthening predator guild diversity and enhancing ecosystem resilience.
• As a wide-ranging species, they function as an umbrella species, helping conserve large forest landscapes.

Conclusion

The detection of the Dhole in Ratapani Tiger Reserve reflects improving ecological conditions and conservation outcomes. Protecting large, connected habitats and maintaining prey populations remain essential for securing the future of this endangered social predator.

UPSC Prelims Practice Question

Q. With reference to the Asiatic Wild Dog (Dhole), consider the following statements:

1. It is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List.
2. It is primarily a solitary ambush predator similar to leopards.
3. It requires large, connected habitats due to wide-ranging pack behaviour.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?A. 1 onlyB. 1 and 3 onlyC. 2 and 3 onlyD. 1, 2 and 3

Answer: B

UPSC Mains Practice Question

Q. “The conservation of lesser-known carnivores is crucial for maintaining ecological balance.” Discuss this statement in the context of the Asiatic Wild Dog (Dhole) and its role in Indian forest ecosystems.

3. Advanced Chemistry Cell (ACC) – Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme

Why in the news?

India’s Advanced Chemistry Cell–Production Linked Incentive (ACC-PLI) Scheme has fallen behind schedule, with only 1.4 GWh of battery capacity commissioned against a target of 50 GWh by 2026, raising concerns over delays in domestic battery manufacturing and energy transition goals.

What is the ACC-PLI Scheme?

The ACC-PLI Scheme is a central sector incentive programme aimed at promoting domestic manufacturing of advanced battery cells (especially lithium-ion cells) for electric vehicles (EVs) and grid-scale energy storage, thereby reducing India’s strategic dependence on imported batteries.

Launch and institutional framework

• The scheme was announced in October 2021.
• It is implemented by the Ministry of Heavy Industries, with beneficiary selection through competitive bidding.

Objectives

• To establish 50 GWh of domestic ACC manufacturing capacity.
• To build an integrated local battery supply chain, including cells, components, and materials.
• To reduce import dependence, particularly on China-dominated battery supply chains.
• To support India’s electric mobility transition, renewable energy integration, and energy security.

Key features

• The scheme has a total outlay of ₹18,100 crore, reflecting large-scale fiscal commitment to advanced battery manufacturing.
• Incentives are performance-linked, based on actual battery cells sold, ensuring output-based support rather than upfront subsidies.
• A per-unit incentive cap of around ₹2,000 per kWh limits fiscal exposure.
• Eligible firms must make a minimum investment of ₹1,100 crore, ensuring only serious and large-scale players participate.

Beneficiaries-

• Through competitive bidding, Ola Electric, Reliance New Energy, and Rajesh Exports were selected as beneficiaries.
• Hyundai Global exited the scheme subsequently, reducing the effective capacity allocated under the programme.

Performance concerns

• Against a target of 50 GWh by 2026, only 1.4 GWh has been commissioned so far.
• Key challenges include technology transfer delays, supply-chain constraints, land and infrastructure bottlenecks, regulatory approvals, and global market volatility in critical minerals.

Significance

• The scheme is central to India’s EV adoption targets, renewable energy storage requirements, and net-zero ambitions.
• It strengthens Atmanirbhar Bharat by localising a strategically critical manufacturing sector.
• It supports Make in India, industrial employment, and export competitiveness in advanced energy technologies.

Conclusion

The ACC-PLI Scheme represents a cornerstone of India’s clean energy industrial strategy. However, delays in capacity commissioning highlight the need for faster execution, technology partnerships, critical mineral security, and infrastructure readiness to realise India’s ambitions in electric mobility and energy storage.

UPSC Prelims Practice Question

Q. With reference to the Advanced Chemistry Cell (ACC) – PLI Scheme, consider the following statements:

1. It aims to promote domestic manufacturing of lithium-ion and other advanced battery cells for EVs and energy storage.
2. It is implemented by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.
3. It mandates minimum domestic value addition targets for participating firms.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?A. 1 onlyB. 1 and 2 onlyC. 1 and 3 onlyD. 1, 2 and 3

Answer: C

UPSC Mains Practice Question

Q. “Domestic battery manufacturing is critical to India’s energy transition and strategic autonomy.” Examine this statement in the context of the Advanced Chemistry Cell–PLI Scheme and discuss the challenges in its implementation.

4. Muna Island

Why in the news?

Rock art dated to at least 67,800 years ago has been discovered on Muna Island, Indonesia, making it the oldest known cave art in the world, surpassing similar findings from Europe and western Indonesia.

What is Muna Island?

• Muna Island is a large island in Southeast Sulawesi Province, Indonesia, known for its limestone karst landscapes, archaeological richness, and Austronesian cultural heritage.
• Administratively, it is divided into Muna, West Muna, and Central Buton regencies.

Location

• It lies south-east of Sulawesi and west of Buton Island.
• The island is located in the Flores Sea, within the Wallacea biogeographical zone, a transition region between Sunda (mainland Asia) and Sahul (Australia–New Guinea).

Geological features

• The island is dominated by limestone karst formations, with extensive caves and rock shelters.
• It contains speleothems (calcium carbonate deposits), which enabled precise U-series dating of cave art.
• The terrain is largely hilly, with elevations reaching about 445 metres.

Discovery of ancient rock art

• At Liang Metanduno cave, a hand stencil was dated using laser-ablation uranium-series dating of calcite layers overlying the pigment.
• The art has a minimum age of around 67.8 thousand years, making it the earliest known evidence of symbolic cave art globally.
• Motifs include hand stencils, some with intentionally modified fingers, indicating advanced symbolic expression and cultural practices

Significance.

• The discovery establishes Muna Island as a global archaeological landmark, redefining the origins of cave art.
• It demonstrates that early Homo sapiens possessed complex symbolic and artistic capacities during their dispersal across Asia.
• It supports the northern maritime migration route from Southeast Asia to Sahul around 65,000 years ago, strengthening evidence for early seafaring and coastal adaptation.

Conclusion

The rock art discoveries on Muna Island transform understanding of early human creativity and migration. By pushing back the timeline of symbolic behaviour, they reaffirm Southeast Asia’s central role in the story of modern human evolution.

UPSC Prelims Practice Question

Q. With reference to Muna Island, consider the following statements:

1. It is located in Southeast Sulawesi Province of Indonesia and lies within the Wallacea biogeographical zone.
2. The world’s oldest known cave art has been discovered in its limestone caves.
3. It is situated east of New Guinea in the Sahul region.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?A. 1 onlyB. 1 and 2 onlyC. 2 and 3 onlyD. 1, 2 and 3

Answer: B

UPSC Mains Practice Question

Q. “Recent archaeological discoveries in Southeast Asia have reshaped understanding of early human migration and symbolic behaviour.” Discuss this statement with reference to the findings from Muna Island, Indonesia.

5. 71 Fugitives Located Abroad

Why in the news?

According to the 2024–25 annual report of the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) located 71 fugitives abroad, the highest number in the last 12 years, highlighting intensified international cooperation but persistent challenges in extradition.

Who are fugitives?

Fugitives are individuals accused or convicted of crimes who deliberately evade the legal process by fleeing the jurisdiction of the country where the offence was committed. Their return requires internationally recognised legal mechanisms, primarily extradition.

What is extradition?

• Extradition is the legally recognised international process through which an accused or convicted person is surrendered by one country to another upon request for prosecution or enforcement of a sentence.
• It operates through bilateral treaties, executive arrangements, and multilateral conventions, guided by principles such as dual criminality, speciality, and respect for human rights.

India’s extradition performance

• Over the last five years, India has sent 137 extradition requests, many of which have been accepted but remain pending execution.
• As of 2025, around 533 Letters Rogatory (LRs) seeking judicial assistance were pending with foreign jurisdictions, reflecting procedural delays.

Institutional framework governing extradition

• The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) acts as India’s Interpol National Central Bureau, issuing notices and coordinating with foreign police agencies to locate fugitives.
• The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) manages diplomatic engagement related to extradition and mutual legal assistance.
• India currently has extradition treaties with around 48 countries and extradition arrangements with 12 countries.

Related legal cooperation mechanisms

• Mutual Legal Assistance Treaties (MLATs) enable countries to formally cooperate in the investigation, prevention, and prosecution of crimes, especially in evidence collection across borders.
• Letters Rogatory (LRs) are formal judicial requests sent through diplomatic channels to foreign courts for assistance, such as serving summons or gathering evidence; these are generally slower than MLATs.

Legal architecture in India

• Extradition is governed domestically by the Extradition Act 1962, which provides the statutory basis for surrendering or receiving fugitives.
• India is party to multilateral conventions such as the UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) and the UN Convention against Transnational Organised Crime (UNTOC).
• The Fugitive Economic Offenders Act, 2018 (FEOA) empowers the Enforcement Directorate to attach and confiscate properties of economic offenders who evade Indian courts by remaining abroad.

Structural challenges in extradition

• Judicial scrutiny in foreign jurisdictions often delays extradition, as courts examine prison conditions, procedural safeguards, and human rights protections in the requesting country.
• Asylum claims and political offence exceptions transform criminal proceedings into complex legal and humanitarian disputes.
• Absence of treaties with some jurisdictions limits India’s ability to compel surrender.
• Outdated treaty frameworks, based on restrictive offence lists, exclude modern crimes such as cybercrime and complex financial fraud.

Governance and security implications

• Low extradition success undermines the rule of law and weakens deterrence against economic and transnational crimes.
• Delays impair efforts to combat money laundering, corruption, organised crime, and terror financing, while eroding public trust in the criminal justice system.

Way forward

• India should expand its extradition treaty network, particularly with major financial centres and tax havens.
• Sustained diplomatic engagement is needed to expedite pending requests and streamline cooperation.
• Upgrading prison infrastructure, ensuring speedy trials, and strengthening procedural safeguards will enhance India’s credibility before foreign courts.
• Modernising extradition treaties to cover cybercrime, financial fraud, and emerging transnational offences is essential.

Conclusion

The location of 71 fugitives abroad reflects improved investigative coordination but also exposes systemic weaknesses in India’s extradition regime. Strengthening legal frameworks, diplomatic engagement, and institutional capacity is crucial to ensure that fugitives do not escape accountability in an increasingly interconnected world.

UPSC Prelims Practice Question

Q. With reference to extradition in India, consider the following statements:

1. The Extradition Act, 1962 provides the legal framework for surrendering fugitives to and from India.
2. Letters Rogatory are formal requests issued directly by police agencies to foreign courts without diplomatic channels.
3. The Fugitive Economic Offenders Act, 2018 allows attachment and confiscation of properties of certain economic offenders who remain abroad.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?A. 1 onlyB. 1 and 3 onlyC. 2 and 3 onlyD. 1, 2 and 3

Answer: B

UPSC Mains Practice Question

Q. “Extradition is a critical instrument for maintaining the rule of law in a globalised world, yet it faces serious legal and institutional challenges.” Examine this statement in the context of India’s extradition framework and suggest reforms.