Daily Current Affairs 25 August 2026 – IAS Current Affairs

Current Affairs 25 August 2026 focuses on the Prelims-Mains perspective. Major events are :

Ken-Betwa Link Project

Source: PIB
GS I: Indian Geography- River interlinking, GS II: Governance, GS III: Environmental Impact Assessment

Why in the News?

The Ken–Betwa Link Project (KBLP) is the first priority project under the National Perspective Plan for Interlinking of Rivers to enter the implementation stage

News in Brief

• The foundation stone was laid on 25 December 2024;
• The Daudhan Dam and associated components are under construction, while the link canal is yet to begin.
• The project is targeted for completion by 2030.

About Ken-Betwa Link Project

• The Ken–Betwa Link Project (KBLP) is a major water-resources development project intended to address the long-standing water scarcity and irrigation challenges of the Bundelkhand region of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
• The project envisages transfer of water from the Ken basin to the Betwa basin through a system comprising the Daudhan Dam, link canal and associated works.

Need for the project

• Bundelkhand region has historically faced recurrent water scarcity, dependence on rainfall, inadequate irrigation facilities, declining groundwater availability in several areas and vulnerability of agriculture to drought.
• The Ken Betwa Link Project is designed to provide more dependable water availability for irrigation and drinking-water requirements while also generating renewable energy and supporting broader regional development.
• The project is therefore a comprehensive water-security and regional-development initiative for Bundelkhand.

Major Benefits of Ken-Betwa Link Project

• The Project will provide irrigation to 10.62 lakh ha.
• Provide drinking water to about 62 lakh people,
• Generate 103 MW of hydropower
• Produce 27 MW of solar power.
• Thus, it will supply clean drinking water, electricity, and reliable year-round irrigation across vast farmlands in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, permanently resolving the long-standing water crisis in the Bundelkhand region.

Major Benefits

• Agriculture
  • The project will provide more reliable irrigation, reduce dependence on uncertain monsoon rainfall, increase cropping intensity and productivity, promote crop diversification and high-value crops, reduce drought vulnerability and improve farm incomes.
• Water Security
  • It will provide irrigation to 10.62 lakh hectares and drinking water to around 62 lakh people, strengthening water security in Bundelkhand.
• Energy
  • The project will generate 103 MW of hydropower and 27 MW of solar power, adding to the region’s clean-energy capacity.
• Employment & Regional Development
  • Construction and related activities are creating employment in engineering, transport, material supply and services.
  • Improved water availability is expected to support agriculture and allied activities, increase local economic activity and reduce distress migration.
• Human Development
  • Reliable drinking water can improve public health, sanitation, education, livelihoods and household security, while reducing the time spent by families, particularly women, in collecting water.

Geographical Coverage

• Madhya Pradesh: The project will benefit Chhatarpur, Niwari, Tikamgarh, Panna, Sagar, Damoh, Datia, Vidisha, Shivpuri and Raisen districts.
• Uttar Pradesh: The beneficiary districts include Banda, Mahoba, Jhansi and Lalitpur.

Groundwater & Drought

• Drought Resilience: The KBLP is not expected to completely eliminate drought.
• Instead, it aims to improve water security and make the region more resilient to drought by providing dependable irrigation and drinking water.
• Groundwater: Greater availability of surface water could reduce dependence on groundwater.
• Rejuvenation and feeding of tanks along the canal may also support groundwater recharge.
  • However, the actual improvement will depend on local hydrogeological conditions and sustainable groundwater use.

Flood & Downstream Concerns

• Downstream Water- The project provides for continuous minimum environmental water releases to protect downstream farming, drinking-water needs and aquatic ecosystems.
• Flood Management- The dam is designed to act as a buffer during heavy monsoon.
  •  Automated spillway gates and 24×7 control rooms will monitor inflows and help prevent sudden flooding in low-lying areas.

Land Acquisition and Rehabilitation

Land Requirement

• Land is required for the Daudhan Dam, reservoir/submergence area, link canal, powerhouses, access roads, project infrastructure, colonies, construction facilities and other ancillary works.

Affected Villages & Public Hearing

• In Madhya Pradesh, 22 villages are affected—8 in Panna and 14 in Chhatarpur. Public hearings were conducted as part of the Environmental Clearance process under the EIA Notification, 2006.

Legal Framework & PAFs

• Land acquisition is being undertaken under the RFCTLARR/LARR Act, 2013 and applicable state laws.
• A Project Affected Family (PAF) may include landowners, tenants, agricultural labourers, sharecroppers, livelihood-affected persons, and eligible Scheduled Tribes and traditional forest dwellers.
• Thus, land ownership is not the only basis for R&R benefits.

Special R&R Package

• The Madhya Pradesh Government has provided a Special R&R Package covering land compensation, compensation for houses and other immovable assets, house-plot assistance and additional support for eligible SC/ST families in Scheduled Areas.
• Families can choose the applicable benefits under the approved package.

Compensation Status

• Compensation has been awarded and paid to a substantial majority of affected families, with the remaining payments linked to completion of the required legal formalities.

Livelihood Support

• Affected families may receive vocational and skill-development training, financial assistance for Self-Help Groups (SHGs), support for small businesses and priority employment in project operations.

Social Support

• The project also provides medical camps, mobile health services, school infrastructure support and scholarships.
• Efforts are made to enrol children of displaced families in schools and Anganwadi centres and connect families with relevant welfare schemes.

Grievance Redressal

• Re-surveys, land-record reviews, compensation updates, Field Facilitation Officers, grievance camps and the National Monitoring Committee help address issues and support affected families.

Rights of Tribal and Forest-Dependent Communities

• Protection of Rights- The rights of Scheduled Tribes and other forest-dependent communities are protected under the Forest Rights Act, 2006, through the statutory process of recognising and settling their forest rights.
• Gram Sabha Consent – The concerned District Collectors initiated the process to obtain the free, prior and informed consent of the relevant Gram Sabhas under the Forest Rights Act, 2006.
  • Forest Clearance for the project was subsequently accorded by MoEFCC on 3 October 2023, subject to applicable statutory requirements.

Environmental and Legal Clearances

• Statutory Clearances- The project has received the required clearances, including Environmental Clearance (2017), Wildlife Clearance (2016), Ministry of Tribal Affairs clearance (2017) and Forest Clearance (2023).
• Environmental Assessment- The environmental impacts were studied as part of the statutory clearance process. The project has an Environmental Management Plan (EMP) along with measures for environmental management, compensatory afforestation, wildlife conservation and biodiversity protection.
• Panna Tiger Reserve- Since the project has implications for the Panna landscape, measures include compensatory afforestation, habitat management, catchment-area treatment and the Integrated Landscape Management Plan (ILMP) for the Greater Panna Landscape.
  • An equivalent area of non-forest land has also been provided adjacent to the Reserve’s core area for compensatory purposes.
• Wildlife Conservation- The conservation approach covers landscape-dependent species such as the tiger, vulture and gharial.
  • The Wildlife Institute of India prepared the ILMP covering the Panna Tiger Reserve and surrounding areas to strengthen wildlife and biodiversity conservation.
• Greater Panna Landscape Council
  • A comprehensive Integrated Landscape Management Plan (ILMP) has been prepared for the conservation of wildlife and biodiversity in Panna Tiger Reserve (PTR) & surrounding areas.
  • The GPLC, chaired by the Chief Secretary of Madhya Pradesh and involving relevant stakeholders, has been constituted to ensure systematic and time-bound implementation of the landscape management plan.
  • Funds have been earmarked for the EMP and ILMP, with the model intended as a template for future development.
• Compensatory Afforestation- Where approved forest diversion takes place, compensatory afforestation and other prescribed measures are undertaken under applicable forest laws to compensate for the diversion and support long-term ecological restoration.
• Biodiversity Protection- Biodiversity impacts have been considered during project planning.
  • Mitigation and conservation measures are being used to reduce and manage unavoidable impacts, with environmental monitoring planned during both construction and operation.

Conclusion

The Ken-Betwa Link Project can strengthen Bundelkhand’s water and agricultural security while supporting regional development.

Its long-term success, however, will depend on balancing these benefits with environmental protection, effective rehabilitation of affected families and sustainable water management.

UPSC Prelims and Mains Practice Question

Consider the following statements regarding the Ken–Betwa Link Project (KBLP):

1. KBLP involves the transfer of water from the Ken basin to the Betwa basin.
2. The project is the first priority project under the National Perspective Plan for Interlinking of Rivers to enter the implementation stage.
3. The project is not limited to irrigation, it also includes drinking-water supply and power-generation components.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Answer: d) 1, 2 and 3

Mains Practice Question 

Q. The Ken-Betwa Link Project represents the potential of water-resource development  to address regionl water scarcity, but also highlights the challenges of balancing development with environmental  protection and the  rights of displaced communities.  Discuss. (250 Words)

India’s Youth Unemployment

Source: Indian Express 
GS III: Indian Economy- Economy 

Why in the News?

The State of Working India (SWI) 2026 report, prepared by researchers at Azim Premji University (APU), highlights that India’s improving unemployment rate does not fully capture the employment crisis among its youth.

News in Brief

• India’s overall Unemployment Rate (UER) for those aged 15 years and above declined from 6.1% in 2017–18 to 3.1% in 2025.
• However, youth unemployment remains significantly higher, it remains a major concern among young people aged 15–29 years.
• Graduate unemployment has also worsened, particularly among those below 25 and those aged 25–29.
• India’s workforce increased from 43.3 crore in 2017–18 to 61.6 crore in 2025, but much of the additional employment has been concentrated in agriculture and low-paying/self-employment.
• Around 25% of India’s youth are Not in Employment, Education or Training (NEET). With a projected youth population of about 36.8 crore in 2026, this translates to approximately 9.2 crore young people outside employment, education or training.

Key Highlights

Unemployment Rate Can Be Misleading 

• Unemployment Rate (UER) measures the percentage of unemployed persons within the labour force.
• The labour force include people who are working or actively seeking/available for work.
• The fundamental limitation of the standard Unemployment Rate (UER) – “discouraged worker effect” or the problem of hidden unemployment. 
  • The Disappearing Act– When a jobless person stops looking for work, they drop out of the labor force. Paradoxically, this causes the UER to decrease, making the economy look healthier than it is.
  • Underemployment– The UER treats someone working 1 hour a week the same as someone working 40 hours. It ignores people forced into low-paying, part-time gigs who desire full-time careers.
  • The “Quiet” Workforce– In many economies, millions of individuals (often women) perform vital unpaid domestic work or agricultural labor. Because they are not in the formal job search market, they are statistically invisible.
• Hence, a low UER does not necessarily mean that economy has generated sufficient or good-quality employment.

Youth Unemployment Remains A Major Concern

• Higher education no longer guarantees employment in India.
• Although overall youth unemployment has declined, it remains high among the 15–29 age group, falling from nearly 15% in 2017–18 to around 10% in 2022–23 and remaining at a similar level thereafter.
• Graduate unemployment has also worsened- among graduates below 25 years, it increased from 35% in 1983 to 39% in 2023, while for those aged 25–29, it rose sharply from 12% to 20%.
• This highlights the growing mismatch between educational qualifications and suitable job opportunities, showing that higher education alone does not ensure employment.

Quantity of Jobs vs Quality of Jobs

• India has witnessed a significant expansion in its workforce, rising from 43.3 crore in 2017–18 to 61.6 crore in 2025.
• However, the increase in the number of jobs does not necessarily indicate an improvement in job quality.
• A substantial share of new employment has been concentrated in agriculture, self-employment and relatively low-paying occupations, with earnings showing limited growth.
• Between 2021–22 and 2023–24, around 8.3 crore jobs were added, of which nearly 4 crore were in agriculture, highlighting concerns about the nature, productivity and sustainability of employment.

Female Employment

Female employment in India has grown fast in total numbers, but the quality of these jobs and low earnings remain major concerns.

The Quantitative Surge

• Rapid Growth- The female workforce rose from 9.4 crore in 2017–18 to 18.6 crore in 2023–24.
• Recent Highs- Numbers reached about 20.6 crore by 2025.
• Driven by Necessity- Much of this rise comes from rural areas and economic pressure on households.

The Qualitative Deficit

• Rise in Self-Employment- Most working women are in own-account work or unpaid family labor rather than stable careers.
• Low Salaried Jobs- Formal, regular salaried jobs have not grown at the same speed.
• Stagnant Pay- Earnings for both men and women have flatlined, offering little financial growth.
• Missing Security- These jobs often lack paid sick leave, written contracts, or health benefits.

Major Barriers for Women

• Household Work- Women spend hours on unpaid care and domestic chores, limiting time for full-time careers.
• Safety and Travel- Poor transport and safety fears stop women from taking jobs far from home.
• Social Norms- Family expectations often restrict women from working in formal or external sectors.

India’s Huge NEET Population

• India’s massive NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) population translates to roughly 8.7 to 9.2 crore young individuals aged 15–29, a scale recently underscored in policy evaluations by NITI Aayog.
• A large NEET demographic creates severe national bottlenecks.

Key Factors Behind the NEET Crisis

• Skill Mismatches: Academic and university curricula often fail to match fast-evolving industry requirements. Only a small fraction of graduates secure roles suited to their formal qualifications.
• Domestic and Social Pressures: A significant portion of the NEET population, particularly young women are entirely absorbed by unpaid domestic duties and caregiving responsibilities rather than formal economic sectors.
• Transition Barriers: Young job-seekers face acute gaps when moving from education systems into active employment, worsened by limited entry-level hiring and high competition.

Why UER alone is insufficient?

• It ignores non-participants (LFPR)
  • UER only looks at people inside the labor force.
  • If discouraged workers stop looking for jobs, they drop out of the labor force.
  • The UER might go down, making the economy look better, even though fewer people are working.
• It leaves out total employment (WPR)
  • The Worker Population Ratio shows the share of the entire working-age population that actually holds a job.
  • UER only measures a small slice of people who are active job-seekers.
• It hides youth struggles (NEET)
  • Youth who are out of school, training, and work face unique long-term risks.
  • UER does not single out this vulnerable group clearly.
• It ignores job quality
  • A person is counted as “employed” even if they earn very low wages, work in unsafe conditions, or are severely underemployed.
  • UER treats a bad job the same as a great job.

Way Forward and Conclusion

India needs to focus on quality employment by promoting manufacturing,  MSMEs and modern services, while aligning education and skills with industry needs.Expanding apprenticeships, improving women’s participation and connecting NEET youth with jobs and training are also important.

Employment  should be assessed through LFPR, UER, WPR, NEET and job quality indicators to ensure that India can fully realise its demographic dividend.

UPSC Prelims and Mains Practice Question

Consider the following statements regarding NEET:

1. NEET stands for Not in Employment, Education or Training.
2. NEET captures only those who are actively seeking employment.
3. NEET can include people who are outside the labour force and are neither studying nor employed.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

A) 1 ans 3 only

B) 2 and 3 only

C) 1 and 2 only

D) 1.2 and 3
Answer: 1 and 3 only

Mains Practice Question 

Q. India’s declining unemployment rate does not necessarily indicate adequate employment generation. Examine the limitations of the unemployment rate and discuss how the NEET indicator provides a broader understanding of India’s youth employment challenge. (250 Words)

Pradhan Mantri Janjatiya Vikas Mission

Source:  PIB
GS II: Social Justice- Welfare Schemes for vulnerable sections

Why in the News?

The Press Information Bureau (PIB) highlighted how the Pradhan Mantri Janjatiya Vikas Mission (PMJVM) is transforming the tribal forest economy by organizing tribal communities into Van Dhan Vikas Kendras (VDVKs), promoting value addition to Minor Forest Produce (MFP), providing MSP-based procurement and improving access to markets.

News in Brief

• MFP remains an important livelihood base for forest-dependent tribal communities, making its effective collection and marketing crucial for tribal income security.
• The tribal MFP ecosystem has evolved through PESA (1996), Forest Rights Act (2006), MSP support and Van Dhan initiatives, strengthening community rights and economic participation.
• VDVKs bring together tribal SHGs and provide a local platform for processing, storage, finance and business development, helping create community-based enterprises.
• Tribal women play a major role in collection and sales, with VDVKs enabling them to participate as joint owners and entrepreneurs, rather than only as workers.

About PMJVM

• The Pradhan Mantri Janjatiya Vikas Mission (PMJVM) is a government initiative aimed at improving tribal livelihoods
  • Through MFP procurement at MSP, value addition, skill development, technology and infrastructure, market linkages, branding and promotion, and community-owned enterprises.

Minor Forest Produce (MFP)

• It provides a systematic approach to enhancing the value of MFP by equipping tribal communities with improved technologies and practices, while connecting them to national and digital markets.
• The Mission also supports direct procurement of MFP at MSP, helping tribal producers reduce dependence on intermediaries and gain better market opportunities.

Significance of Minor Forest Produce (MFP)

• Minor Forest Produce (MFP) provides 20% to 40% of annual income for millions of forest-dependent tribal families.
• MFP provides income to tribal families, especially during the agricultural off-season. It also provides food, medicines and household materials. Women are actively involved in its collection and processing, supporting their economic empowerment.
• Major problem
  • Despite collecting valuable forest products, tribal gatherers often receive only a small share of their final market value because they sell to intermediaries at low/distress prices.
• The PM Janjatiya Vikas Mission (PMJVM) transforms the traditional supply chain:
  • Aggregation: Collects and organizes produce through tribal Self Help Groups (SHGs) and Van Dhan Vikas Kendras (VDVKs).
  • Value Addition: Processes raw materials locally into branded, marketable goods (like pickles, jams, and powders).
  • Direct Market Access: Connects tribal producers directly to domestic, digital, and e-commerce platforms to increase earnings.

Minor Forest Produce – Legal Framework

• Forest Rights Act, 2006 and the PESA Act, 1996, which together secure community ownership, livelihood, and governance rights for forest dwellers.
• Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006
  • Recognizes that forest-dwelling communities have historically depended on forest products for sustenance and livelihood.
  • The Act gives tribals rights to procure and sell non-timber minor forest produce.
  • Definition of MFP: Includes all non-timber forest produce of plant and animal origin such as bamboo, cane, brush wood, cocoons, honey, wax, lac, tendu leaves, medicinal plants, roots, and tubers.
  • Management Rights: Empowers Gram Sabhas (village assemblies) to protect, regenerate, conserve, or manage community forest resources.
• PESA Act, 1996
  • Extension to Scheduled Areas: The Provisions of the Panchayats (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) Act extends Panchayati Raj to tribal areas.
  • Ownership Rights: Explicitly vests tribal Gram Panchayats with ownership rights over Minor Forest Produce.
  • Support and Value Addition
    • TRIFED: Organizations like the Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India assist with fair pricing, marketing development, and value chains.
    • Minimum Support Price: The government implements an MSP for specific MFP items to ensure financial safety nets for collectors.

MSP for Minor Forest Produce

• The government provides a fixed Minimum Support Price (MSP) for 87 Minor Forest Produce (MFP) items under the Pradhan Mantri Janjatiya Vikas Mission (PMJVM) to protect tribal gatherers from distress sales.
• Purpose: Ensures fair prices for forest-dwelling communities who derive 20–40% of their annual income from MFP.
• Role of TRIFED: The Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India manages marketing, development, and procurement at pre-determined MSPs regardless of market fluctuations.
• Implementation: Carried out via state agencies like forest development corporations and tribal cooperatives using community hubs like Van Dhan Vikas Kendras (VDVKs).

The MFP- Economic Value Chain

Major Interventions Under PMJVM

Beyond MSP procurement, the PVJM scheme also provides skilling, technological, marketing, and infrastructural support to tribals.

• The Mission mobilizes tribal gatherers into self-help groups (SHGs).
• A group of 15 SHGs, comprising about 300 tribals, are clustered together into one Van Dhan Vikas Kendra (VDVK).
• At least 60% of VDVK members must be from Scheduled Tribe communities.
• Skill Development
  • The Government organizes skilling and other training programmes for MFP gatherers, including trainings on scientific harvesting practices, at Van Dhan Vikas Kendras (VDVKs).
• Infrastructure
  • VDVKs provide SHGs with infrastructure, primary processing equipment, training, working capital, storage and transportation support to improve MFP processing and value addition.
• Market and Businesses support
  • They also serve as market-linkage centres, connecting tribal producers with local and distant markets through Haat Bazaars, private partners and e-commerce platforms.
  • TRIFED provides market information, while PMJVM supports branding, promotion, GI-based recognition, geo-tagging, IT and e-commerce platforms, and research and development to improve the reach and value of tribal products.

VDVKs Help in Tribal Women Empowerment

• Women play a major role in the collection and sale of MFP, making VDVKs an important source of financial empowerment.
• Case Study- Arunachal Pradesh
• The Nyigamane, Ho Yorbe, Medumhagdum VDVK in Arunachal Pradesh’s Leparada district, established in 2021 with 300 women SHG members and farmers, converts local forest and agricultural produce into products such as pickles, powders, jams and squashes.
• It has recorded sales of around ₹11 lakh since 2022–23.
• The model provides women with year-round income and joint ownership of the enterprise and brand, rather than limiting them to the role of workers.

Significance and Challenges of PMJVM

• PMJVM strengthens tribal livelihoods and inclusive growth by reducing distress sales, improving market access and promoting value addition.
• It supports women-led enterprises, community ownership and rural entrepreneurship, while e-commerce and branding help tribal products reach wider markets.
• It also promotes a sustainable forest-based economy and preserves the identity of tribal products through branding and GI recognition.

Challenges

• Key challenges include limited processing, storage and transport facilities, weak market connectivity, inadequate business skills and access to finance, and uneven functioning of VDVKs.
• There is also a need to balance commercialization with sustainable forest use, improve product quality and branding, and address the digital divide affecting access to e-commerce.

Conclusion

PMJVM can strengthen the tribal economy by improving MFP-based livelihoods, promoting value addition and ensuring better market access.

By combining community ownership, women’s participation and sustainable use of forest resources, it can contribute to more inclusive tribal development and the vision of Viksit Bharat@2047.

UPSC Prelims and Mains Practice Question

Consider the following statements regarding Minor Forest Produce (MFP):

1. The Forest Rights Act, 2006 recognises the rights of forest-dwelling communities to procure and sell MFP.
2. PESA provides tribal Gram Panchayats ownership rights over MFP.
3. MSP has been notified for 87 MFP items under PMJVM.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

A) 1 and 2 only

B) 2 and 3 only

C) 1 and 3 only

D) 1,2 and 3

Mains Practice Question

Q. “The Pradhan Mantri Janjatiya Vikas Mission seeks to transform tribal communities from forest-produce gatherers into community-owned entrepreneurs.” Discuss the role of MFP procurement, Van Dhan Vikas Kendras and market linkages in achieving inclusive and sustainable tribal development. (250 words)

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