PrelimsPrelims General Studies Paper I

Indian and world geography

Syllabus: Indian and World Geography: Physical, Social, Economic Geography of India and the World.

Current affairs on this topic 16

Karnataka seeks ₹7,142.64 crore in Central drought aid for 177 taluks 4 October 2026
Karnataka puts its drought loss at ₹46,324 crore. How much can the Centre's disaster fund actually pay?
Centre and Ladakh fix standard names for 28 places on the Survey of India map 2 October 2026
Atisha, Milarepa, Kanishka, Zorawar: why a list of Ladakh's peaks reads like a history syllabus.
Monsoon 2026 ends 12.6% below normal, India's weakest season since 2015 1 October 2026
A dry June, a strong El Niño and a late rally: how did India end up with a 'deficient' monsoon?
El Niño, heat deaths and why parched Maharashtra cannot declare drought yet 24 September 2026
Crops are wilting, but the drought manual says wait. Why?
The persistent decline in India's groundwater 21 September 2026
India pumps more groundwater than any other country. For how long?
Monsoon begins withdrawing from west Rajasthan with 43% of India's area rain-deficient 20 September 2026
The monsoon is leaving on time, but 15% short. What decides when it 'withdraws', and what comes next?
Six States sign the Kishau dam pact on the Tons; Centre to bear about 90% of the cost 16 September 2026
A dam pending for about four decades finally has six signatures. Who gains, who loses land, and who pays?
Saudi Arabia shuts its East-West oil pipeline after attacks: why it matters for India 13 September 2026
The pipeline built to bypass Hormuz has itself been shut. What does that do to an importer like India?
Study finds rapid Himalayan erosion releases CO2 through pyrite oxidation 13 September 2026
Mountains are said to pull carbon out of the air as rocks weather. In the upper Indus, the balance runs the other way.
Bihar floods despite a 27% rain deficit, and the Ganga, not Nepal, is behind it 11 September 2026
How can a State short of rain be under water? Look downstream at the Ganga and Farakka, not north at Nepal.
Houthis seize Yemen's Red Sea port of Mokha, close to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait 11 September 2026
A coffee port that gave 'mocha' its name is now a frontline on a vital sea lane. Why does India care?
UN General Assembly backs the Equal Earth map to show Africa's true size 6 September 2026
On a Mercator map Africa looks about as big as Greenland. It is about 14 times bigger. Does that matter?
Mecca defence pact prompts a call for India to add a security role in the Gulf 5 September 2026
Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan now promise to defend each other. Is buying oil and sending workers enough for India?
Centre asks Himalayan States to step up monitoring of glacial lakes and avalanche zones 4 September 2026
Can a warning reach a mountain village before a glacial lake empties into the valley below?
Hague court says the Indus Waters Treaty is fully in force; India rejects the award 1 September 2026
A tribunal says India cannot suspend the Indus treaty. India says the tribunal itself is illegal. Who is right?
India records its hottest August since 1901; IMD forecasts below-normal September rain 1 September 2026
A record-hot August, a 14% rain deficit and a strong El Niño: how bad can September get?

Indian and world geography

Current affairs on this topic 16

Previous-year questions 4