UPSC Mains Current Affairs for 26 August 2026

Reimagining India’s Skilling Ecosystem – Bridging the Education–Employment Gap for Viksit Bharat

August 26, 2026

Reimagining India’s Skilling Ecosystem Latest News

India’s skilling ecosystem faces a fundamental education–employment mismatch.
The NITI Aayog report Reimagining Skilling for Viksit Bharat highlights that unemployment among graduates remains substantially above the national average, while generic degrees often fail to translate into employability.
The report calls for a shift towards specialised, industry-linked education, apprenticeships and outcome-oriented skilling.

The Education-Employment Disconnect

Only 8.25% of graduates are employed in jobs aligned with their qualifications, according to data cited from the Economic Survey 2024-25.
Graduate unemployment stands at around 13%, while unemployment among graduate women is 20.4%, compared with the national unemployment rate of 3.2%.
Of 3.4 crore undergraduate students, 1.13 crore are enrolled in B.A., while combined enrolment in B.A., B.Sc. and B.Com exceeds 2 crore.
The State of Working India report also highlights persistent educated unemployment.
- For example, unemployment among graduates below 25 rose from 35% in 1983 to 39% in 2023, while that among graduates aged 25–29 increased from 12% to 20%.
Thus, the challenge is not merely a shortage of jobs but a mismatch between qualifications, skills and labour-market demand.
This reflects the problem of credential inflation—possession of degrees has expanded faster than the availability of suitably skilled employment.

NEET and the Skilling Information Gap

NITI Aayog identified 8.7 crore people aged 15–29 as NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training), accounting for 11% of the population outside the labour force.
However, the Aayog subsequently clarified that the NEET category in its report refers to people not seeking employment and should therefore not be equated with unemployment or added to the unemployment rate.
Lack of awareness is a major barrier to skilling.
- For example, around 47% of women, 43% of youth, 36% of higher-education students, 52% of formal workers and 55% of informal workers, do not pursue skills.
- This is due to inadequate information about suitable programmes among the leading reasons.

Social Stigma Around Vocational Education

Technical and vocational pathways such as ITIs, diplomas and vocational training continue to be viewed as “second-tier” options by many families and students.
Career choices are frequently influenced by -
- Examination scores and family preferences;
- Perceived social status of conventional degrees;
- Cost of acquiring additional skills;
- Inadequate knowledge of career alternatives; and
- Absence of visible success stories from vocational pathways.
This creates a degree-centric education culture, even when alternative pathways may offer better employment prospects.

Skilling Has Significant Wage Returns

The report cites BCG data showing that a generic undergraduate without additional skilling earns an average starting salary of about ₹22,000 per month, compared with ₹29,000 for a similarly qualified graduate with skilling.
At the reported growth rate, the initial ₹7,000 monthly difference could translate into an estimated ₹9.7 lakh cumulative income gap over 10 years.
For women, barriers are compounded by concerns regarding safety, trust, social permission, time constraints and uncertain employment outcomes.

Structural Weaknesses in Existing Skilling Architecture

Existing programmes often measure success through enrolment and completion, rather than placement; wage progression; career advancement; or long-term employability.
Delivery is also often inflexible and insufficiently differentiated for diverse learner groups.
Awareness of schemes such as PMKVY, DDU-GKY and PM Internship Scheme remains inadequate, particularly among those who could benefit most.
India needs to move from an input-based skilling model to an outcome-based model, where funding and institutional performance are linked to employment, earnings and career progression.

NITI Aayog’s Policy Roadmap

- Shift towards industry-linked education: Generic degrees should be redesigned into applied specialisations, such as B.A. Hospitality; B.Sc. Applied Technology; and B.Com. Analytics.
- Expand work-based learning: Scale up Apprenticeship Embedded Degree Programmes (AEDP) and Work-Integrated Degree Programmes (WIDP) to integrate classroom learning with practical experience.

Target sunrise and transition sectors:

- Skilling should prioritise high-growth sectors such as green industries, electric vehicles and emerging technologies.
- At the same time, workers affected by technological disruption or structural decline in sectors such as traditional automotive manufacturing and mining require reskilling and transitional income support.
Strengthen institutional infrastructure: The report recommends -
- Greenfield PPP skilling universities, drawing on models such as the World Skill Center in Odisha;
- PPP skilling hubs within existing public campuses;
- Industry partnerships to redesign college curricula;
- Greater academic and administrative autonomy for ITIs; and
- Local-demand-based courses and flexible trainer/procurement arrangements.

Conclusion

India’s skilling challenge requires a whole-of-education-and-employment approach rather than isolated training schemes.
General employability should be strengthened through digital literacy, financial literacy, communication and workplace readiness, alongside entrepreneurship skills.
The larger objective should be to create a demand-driven, industry-backed and outcome-linked skilling ecosystem in which degrees signal relevant capabilities rather than merely educational attainment.

Source: IE

Reimagining India’s Skilling Ecosystem FAQs

Q1: What is the major cause of educated unemployment in India?

Ans: The key cause is the education–employment skill mismatch, with generic degrees, outdated curricula and weak industry linkages.

Q2: Why does vocational education remain underutilised in India?

Ans: Due to social stigma, information gaps, family preferences and poor visibility of successful vocational careers.

Q3: How can apprenticeships address India’s skill mismatch?

Ans: By combining academic learning with workplace exposure, improving employability and industry readiness.

Q4: What reforms does NITI Aayog propose for India’s generic degree programmes?

Ans: It recommends transforming B.A., B.Sc. and B.Com into industry-aligned applied specialisations.

Q5: How can India make skilling programmes more outcome-oriented?

Ans: Skilling should shift from enrolment- and completion-based models to employment-, wage- and career-progression outcomes.

PRAGATI Platform – Strengthening Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation

August 26, 2026

PRAGATI Platform Latest News

Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired the 53rd PRAGATI meeting on August 25, 2026, reviewing six infrastructure projects worth more than Rs. 30,000 crore, along with issues relating to AgriStack and cyber fraud.

PRAGATI

PRAGATI stands for Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation.
It is an ICT-enabled, multi-modal platform designed to facilitate direct interaction between the Union Government, State Governments and implementing agencies for resolving bottlenecks in major projects and government programmes.
The platform combines digital technology, data-based monitoring and inter-governmental coordination.
Its purpose is not merely to review project progress but also to identify pending issues and ensure that they are addressed by the concerned authorities.

Key Features of PRAGATI

Monitoring of major government projects.
Review of important government programmes.
Identification and resolution of implementation bottlenecks.
Coordination between Central ministries and State governments.
Use of technology and data for evidence-based governance.
Time-bound follow-up on decisions taken during reviews.
The platform is particularly relevant for large infrastructure projects because their implementation often involves multiple ministries, State governments, agencies and other stakeholders.

Significance of PRAGATI

Large infrastructure projects can face delays because of issues such as inter-agency coordination, pending approvals, land-related matters, utility shifting and administrative bottlenecks.
PRAGATI provides an institutional mechanism through which such issues can be reviewed at a high level and responsibility for their resolution can be clearly identified.
It therefore seeks to improve administrative coordination, accountability and timely implementation.

News Summary

During the 53rd PRAGATI meeting, six infrastructure projects across the Railway, Road and Power sectors were reviewed.
The projects are spread across nine States and involve a cumulative investment of more than Rs. 30,000 crore. The review focused on:
- Adherence to project timelines
- Inter-agency coordination
- Resolution of pending issues
- Expeditious completion of projects
The projects are significant for strengthening connectivity, supporting industrial and economic activity and improving public services.

Speed Alongside Quality

The Prime Minister emphasised that faster execution should not compromise quality.
Ministries, State governments and implementing agencies were asked to adopt modern technologies and strengthen quality assurance and supervision at every stage of project execution.
The review also emphasised a more proactive work culture, with greater ownership at different levels of administration.
An important observation was that infrastructure projects should be viewed as an integrated whole rather than as separate sections or packages.
Progress in individual components should ultimately result in the timely completion and commissioning of the entire project.
The meeting also called for examining the feasibility of common utility corridors for infrastructure services, particularly while planning major transport projects.

AgriStack and Agricultural Data

The meeting also reviewed AgriStack, which is part of the Digital Agriculture Mission.
The Prime Minister emphasised greater use of modern digital technologies, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), to derive greater value from agricultural data.
The data ecosystem was highlighted as being relevant across the agricultural value chain, from input planning to processing.
Better utilisation of agricultural data can support:
- More informed interventions
- Better targeting of government measures
- Data-driven decision-making
- Improved delivery of services to farmers
The meeting also noted the efforts of the Central and State governments in developing the AgriStack ecosystem and called for its further strengthening.

Cyber Fraud and Digital Arrest

Cyber fraud cases, including incidents involving digital arrest, were also reviewed.
The discussion emphasised that prevention requires sustained efforts in training, public awareness and education.
The Prime Minister called for continuous and targeted awareness campaigns, particularly for senior citizens, youth & other vulnerable sections of society.
Such campaigns should familiarise citizens with common fraud techniques, warning signs and safe digital practices.
The meeting also stressed the need for regular capacity-building of personnel dealing with cyber fraud, so that emerging forms of fraud can be identified and acted upon quickly.

Conclusion

PRAGATI provides a technology-enabled mechanism for strengthening coordination between different levels of government and addressing implementation bottlenecks in major projects and programmes.
The 53rd meeting demonstrated its broad scope by combining reviews of infrastructure projects with issues concerning agricultural data and cyber fraud.
The emphasis on timely execution, quality assurance, technology adoption and institutional capacity-building highlights the importance of effective implementation in achieving public policy outcomes.

Source: IE | PIB

PRAGATI Platform FAQs

Q1: What does PRAGATI stand for?

Ans: PRAGATI stands for Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation.

Q2: What is the primary purpose of PRAGATI?

Ans: It facilitates high-level monitoring of major projects and government programmes and helps resolve implementation bottlenecks through coordination among the Centre, States and implementing agencies.

Q3: What infrastructure projects were reviewed in the 53rd PRAGATI meeting?

Ans: Six projects across the Railway, Road and Power sectors, involving more than ₹30,000 crore, were reviewed.

Q4: What is AgriStack?

Ans: AgriStack is a digital agricultural data ecosystem being developed under the Digital Agriculture Mission to support data-driven interventions and improve delivery of services to farmers.

Q5: What was emphasised regarding cyber fraud?

Ans: The meeting emphasised continuous public awareness, training and education, along with regular capacity-building of personnel dealing with cyber fraud and emerging forms of digital fraud.

Gorkha Statehood Demand: From 1907 Petition to New Committee

August 26, 2026

Gorkha Statehood Demand Latest News

Recently, the govt constituted a high-level committee following a key meeting between Gorkha leaders, Union Home Minister, and West Bengal government representatives in Siliguri.
The committee has been tasked with preparing a framework for a "permanent political solution" to the Gorkha issue — a demand whose roots stretch back over a century.

Roots of the Gorkha Demand

The Gorkha movement for a separate administrative identity is among the oldest such movements in India.
Darjeeling and its adjoining areas — Kalimpong, Kurseong, the Terai, and the Dooars — are culturally, ethnically, and linguistically distinct from the rest of West Bengal.
Because the region's population predominantly speaks Nepali and has distinct physical features, residents frequently face racial profiling and are mistakenly identified as citizens of Nepal or China.
This persistent alienation has fuelled a deep identity crisis, driving demands for a separate state to affirm their Indian citizenship.

Early Political History (1907-1947)

The movement formally began in 1907, when the Darjeeling Hillmen's Association, led by Sonam Wangel Laden La, submitted a petition to the Minto-Morley Reforms Committee seeking to separate Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri from Bengal.
Over subsequent decades, other groups joined the cause — the Gorkha Officers' Association and the Kurseong Gorkha Library among them.
They presented their case before the Simon Commission (1929) and British officials Sir Samuel Hoare and Lord Pethick-Lawrence, proposing alternative governance arrangements such as a Chief Commissioner's Province for direct rule.
By 1947, the undivided Communist Party of India (CPI) formally submitted a memorandum demanding a separate "Gorkhasthan" to interim leaders Jawaharlal Nehru and Liaquat Ali Khan.

The Gorkhaland Movement: Post-Independence Escalation

The demand took a violent, high-profile turn in the 1980s under Subhas Ghising, founder of the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF), who coined the term "Gorkhaland."
The resulting unrest led to the creation of the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC) in 1988 — a semi-autonomous body that governed the hills for 23 years.
In 2007, Bimal Gurung formed the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM), reviving the statehood demand and leading to the establishment of the Gorkha Territorial Administration (GTA) in 2011, replacing the DGHC.
Agitations flared again in 2013 after the Centre's decision to carve Telangana out of Andhra Pradesh, triggering fresh strikes and central security deployment in the hills.

The 2017 Crisis: Longest Period of Unrest

The Darjeeling hills witnessed their most intense unrest in 2017, sparked by the West Bengal government's decision to make Bengali a mandatory language in state-run schools across the region.
GJM supporters clashed with security forces, burning outposts and prompting military intervention.
The agitation lasted 104 days, resulting in 11 protestor deaths, bomb blasts in Darjeeling and Kalimpong (killing a civic volunteer), and a complete collapse of the region's tourism economy.

Mandate of the New Committee

The newly formed committee will examine all dimensions of the Gorkha issue within the framework of the Indian Constitution.
Beyond structural governance, the panel will also assess financial assistance for the region and review a roadmap to grant Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to 11 key Gorkha communities.

Conclusion

The Gorkha statehood demand represents one of India's oldest sub-regional political movements, evolving from a constitutional petition in 1907 into a decades-long struggle marked by both peaceful advocacy and violent agitation.
While repeated administrative arrangements — the DGHC and GTA — have offered partial autonomy, the underlying demand for identity recognition remains unresolved.
The Centre's new committee, with its constitutional mandate and focus on ST status and financial support, signals a fresh attempt at a lasting political settlement, though its success will depend on balancing Gorkha aspirations with West Bengal's territorial integrity.

Source: IE | IT

Gorkha Statehood Demand FAQs

Q1: What is the Gorkha Statehood Demand?

Ans: The Gorkha Statehood Demand seeks a separate political or administrative identity for Darjeeling and adjoining regions, driven by distinct linguistic, cultural and ethnic identity.

Q2: When did the Gorkha Statehood Demand begin?

Ans: The Gorkha Statehood Demand formally began in 1907 when the Darjeeling Hillmen's Association petitioned for separating Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri from Bengal.

Q3: Why has the Gorkha Statehood Demand continued for so long?

Ans: The Gorkha Statehood Demand persists because many residents experience identity-based alienation, racial profiling and questions about their citizenship despite being Indian citizens.

Q4: What administrative arrangements followed the Gorkha Statehood Demand?

Ans: The Gorkha Statehood Demand led to the creation of the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council in 1988 and the Gorkha Territorial Administration in 2011.

Q5: What will the new committee examine regarding the Gorkha Statehood Demand?

Ans: The new committee will examine a permanent constitutional solution, financial assistance for the region and a roadmap for Scheduled Tribe status for 11 Gorkha communities.

Hijab in Schools: Why the Allahabad High Court Rejected the Plea

August 26, 2026

Hijab in Schools Latest News

The Allahabad High Court has rejected a Muslim student's challenge to her school's dress code, ruling that years of attending classes in a headscarf did not entitle her to continue doing so. In its, the Division Bench held that her claim of religious necessity rested on a "bare assertion" unsupported by evidence.
The ruling is the latest in a series of judgments turning on the "essential religious practice" test under Article 25 of the Constitution — a question that has travelled through multiple High Courts and remains pending before a larger Supreme Court bench.

Background of the Case

The petitioner, a minor student at a school in Prayagraj, had studied there from Class VI to Class X wearing a headscarf, with photographs and ID cards on record showing her in uniform with the scarf throughout those years.
She argued that since she had worn it without objection for years, she should be permitted to continue.
The school countered that the scarf violated its dress code and that other students from her own religious community complied without it, adding that permitting the scarf would affect "the administration of the School."
The student, who belongs to the Muslim Shia community, argued that the headscarf is integral to her faith.
She contended that since the school permits "formal and decent" attire, singling out the scarf effectively treated it as improper, and that the refusal violated her right to free expression under Article 19(1)(a) and affected her dignity and bodily integrity.

What the Court Held

On prior tolerance: The bench held that years of wearing the headscarf without objection created no enforceable right going forward.
- The school's earlier silence could be attributed to "lethargy, inaction, lack of will, non-enforcement of the uniform policy, even courtesy or hesitation" — none of which barred the school from enforcing its dress code later.
On institutional authority: The bench held that so long as a dress code is "uniform, bona fide, non-discriminatory and intended to maintain discipline and institutional identity," the choice of uniform lies primarily with the school.
- Permitting even minor departures, the court said, "would militate against the idea of a uniform" and would shift disciplinary authority from the institution to individual students.
On the religious claim: The court found the petitioner's case to be a "bare assertion," noting the absence of any authoritative religious text, expert material, or other evidence establishing that wearing a headscarf inside the classroom was religiously obligatory, or that omitting it would alter the fundamental character of her faith.

Judicial Precedents Underpinning the Ruling

The Allahabad High Court situated its decision within a consistent judicial trend treating school uniforms as matters for educational institutions to decide, while requiring students claiming religious protection to prove the practice is obligatory to their faith.
Karnataka High Court (2022): The Court relied heavily on the Karnataka High Court's Full Bench judgment, which held that wearing a hijab does not constitute an essential religious practice in Islam, and that uniform requirements do not violate Articles 14, 15, 19, or 21.
Supreme Court (2022) — Split Verdict: This Karnataka ruling reached the Supreme Court in October 2022, where a two-judge bench delivered a split verdict:
- Justice Hemant Gupta held that a student cannot claim the right to wear a headscarf in a secular school as a matter of right, since students must follow prescribed uniforms in state-run institutions.
- Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia (dissenting) approached the issue through the lens of choice and access to education, holding that a girl's right to wear the hijab does not stop at the school gate, and that fundamental rights do not become "derivative rights" inside a classroom.
- Owing to this split, the matter was referred to the Chief Justice of India for constitution of a larger bench — a decision still pending.
Kerala High Court (2018): Went further, ruling that permitting a headscarf is "purely within the domain of the institution," and that courts cannot even direct an institution to consider such a request.
Since the Supreme Court has yet to deliver an authoritative ruling, the Allahabad High Court treated the Karnataka judgment and similar High Court decisions as "persuasive authority of great value."

Conclusion

The Allahabad High Court's ruling reinforces a consistent judicial pattern: absent Supreme Court clarity, High Courts have generally upheld institutional authority over dress codes and required strict evidentiary proof for claims of religious obligation under Article 25.
With the issue still pending before a larger Supreme Court bench following the 2022 split verdict, the essential religious practice test for the hijab remains constitutionally unsettled — leaving the tension between individual religious expression and institutional discipline unresolved at the highest judicial level.

Source: IE

Hijab in Schools FAQs

Q1: What is the Allahabad High Court ruling on Hijab in Schools?

Ans: The ruling on Hijab in Schools upheld the school's dress code, holding that previous tolerance of a headscarf did not create an enforceable right.

Q2: Why did the court reject the student's claim on Hijab in Schools?

Ans: The court rejected the Hijab in Schools plea because the student provided no authoritative religious text or evidence proving the headscarf was obligatory.

Q3: Can schools regulate Hijab in Schools through uniform rules?

Ans: According to the ruling, Hijab in Schools may be regulated through uniform rules when the dress code is bona fide, uniform, non-discriminatory and promotes institutional discipline.

Q4: What is the essential religious practice test in Hijab in Schools cases?

Ans: In Hijab in Schools cases, the essential religious practice test examines whether a claimed practice is demonstrably obligatory and integral to the religion.

Q5: Is the Supreme Court's position on Hijab in Schools settled?

Ans: No, the constitutional position on Hijab in Schools remains unsettled because the Supreme Court delivered a split verdict in 2022 and referred the matter onward.