In News:

India has joined the U.S.-led Pax Silica initiative (2025) to strengthen resilient supply chains in critical minerals, semiconductors, electronics, and AI technologies.

India Joins Pax Silica

India has signed the Pax Silica Declaration and joined the U.S.-led global initiative aimed at building secure and diversified supply chains for emerging technologies and critical minerals.

The initiative is spearheaded by the United States Department of State.

What is Pax Silica?

Pax Silica is a strategic international framework designed to promote:

• Resilient supply chains for critical minerals
• Secure semiconductor and electronics ecosystems
• Collaboration in Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies
• Trusted and diversified global technology networks

It emerged in response to rising concerns over supply chain concentration, particularly in rare-earth processing and advanced semiconductor manufacturing.

Background

• Conceptualised amid growing geopolitical tensions over critical technology supply chains
• Inaugural Summit: December 2025
• Venue: Washington D.C.

Objectives

• Diversify and secure global supply chains for:
  • Critical minerals
  • Semiconductors
  • AI-related technologies
• Reduce dependence on concentrated or monopolistic supply sources
• Deepen strategic and economic partnerships among like-minded countries
• Strengthen technology governance and economic security frameworks

Key Features

1. Supply Chain Security

• Diversification of sourcing and processing
• Reduced vulnerability to coercive economic practices

2. Critical Minerals Cooperation

• Coordinated refining and processing networks
• Access to rare-earth and strategic minerals essential for electronics and AI

3. AI & Semiconductor Collaboration

• Cooperation in AI systems and data infrastructure
• Development of advanced manufacturing ecosystems

4. Investment & Infrastructure

• Shared investments in trusted industrial ecosystems
• Incentives for innovation and supply chain resilience

5. Fair Market & Security Framework

• Address non-market practices and unfair dumping
• Protect critical infrastructure and sensitive technologies

6. Private Sector Participation

• Mobilises industry and innovation ecosystems
• Encourages entrepreneurship in advanced technology sectors

Participating Countries

• Signatories: Australia, Greece, Israel, Japan, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Singapore, UAE, United Kingdom and India.
• Non-signatory Participants: Canada, European Union, Netherlands, OECD, and Taiwan

Significance for India

• Enhances India’s role in trusted technology supply chains
• Supports India’s ambitions in semiconductor manufacturing and AI development
• Strengthens cooperation in critical mineral sourcing and processing
• Aligns with India’s push for resilient and diversified global economic architecture

In News:

SANKALP (?4,455 crore outlay) is a World Bank-assisted skill reform programme launched in 2018, but only 44% of its budget was disbursed between 2017–18 and 2023–24, raising concerns over weak monitoring and slow implementation.

About SANKALP Scheme

SANKALP stands for Skill Acquisition and Knowledge Awareness for Livelihood Promotion.

• Launched: 19 January 2018
• Implementing Ministry: Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE)
• Approval: Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (October 2017)
• Initial Duration: Till March 2023 (extended to March 2024)
• Total Outlay: ?4,455 crore

Funding Pattern

• World Bank Loan: ?3,300 crore
• State Contribution: ?660 crore
• Industry Leverage: ?495 crore

Objectives of SANKALP

• Strengthen short-term skill training
• Improve institutional capacity at Central, State and District levels
• Enhance industry linkage for demand-driven training
• Promote inclusion of marginalised and disadvantaged groups
• Establish quality assurance and monitoring mechanisms

The scheme aims at systemic reforms rather than direct training delivery.

Key Features

1. Institutional Strengthening

• Capacity building of skill development institutions
• Improved coordination between Centre, States and districts

2. Industry Linkage

• Partnerships with industries
• Demand-driven curriculum and improved placement outcomes

3. Inclusion Focus

• Targeted support to marginalised communities
• Greater equity in access to skill development

4. Performance-Based Funding

• Uses Results Framework
• Disbursement Linked Indicators (DLIs) to track measurable outcomes

Issues Flagged by Audit and Parliamentary Oversight

CAG Observations

The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) highlighted:

• Only 44% of budgeted funds disbursed between 2017–18 and 2023–24 (as of October 2023)
• Delays in financial and physical progress
• Weak adherence to implementation guidelines
• Non-preparedness before commencement of World Bank loan period

Loan Utilisation

• Against first tranche of $250 million, ?1,606.15 crore (86%) was disbursed by World Bank
• Ministry utilised only ?850.71 crore (as of December 2023)

Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Concerns

Public Accounts Committee criticised slow implementation and:

• Absence of a central monitoring mechanism
• Gaps in due diligence
• Sluggish pace of execution across components

The PAC was examining the CAG report on SANKALP’s performance.

Significance for Skill Development

SANKALP is important because:

• India has a large youth population requiring employable skills
• Short-term skilling is key to employment generation
• Industry-aligned training enhances productivity and job readiness
• Effective implementation is crucial for achieving skill ecosystem reforms

However, delayed fund utilisation and weak monitoring undermine intended outcomes.

In News:

NITI Aayog’s report “Revitalizing Apprenticeship Ecosystem” highlights low completion rates (only 2.51 lakh completed out of 13.1 lakh registrations in 2024–25) and calls for a National Apprenticeship Mission and targeted reforms to strengthen India’s skilling strategy.

Launch of Policy Report

• NITI Aayog launched a policy report titled “Revitalizing Apprenticeship Ecosystem: Insights, Challenges, Recommendations and Best Practices.”
• The report provides a comprehensive review of India’s apprenticeship system and suggests reforms to make it a cornerstone of India’s skilling and employment framework.

Apprenticeship: Concept and Importance

• Apprenticeship is a structured, work-based learning model that bridges the gap between formal education and employment.

Significance

• Provides industry-relevant skills to youth
• Enhances productivity and innovation for businesses
• Reduces skill mismatch in labour markets
• Facilitates smoother school-to-work transition

Demographic Imperative

• Youth (15–29 years) constituted 27.2% of India’s population in 2021
• India projected to have ~345 million youth by 2036 (largest globally)

To convert this demographic potential into a demographic dividend, strengthening the apprenticeship and skilling ecosystem is critical.

Current Landscape of Apprenticeship (2024–25 Data)

1. Gap in Registration and Completion

• Registrations: 13.1 lakh (1.31 million)
• Engaged: 9.85 lakh (985,000)
• Completed training: 2.51 lakh (251,000)

Significant drop between registration, engagement, and completion.

2. Enterprise Participation

• Medium & large enterprises:
  • <30% of active establishments
  • Account for >70% of apprenticeship engagement
• Low participation by:
  • MSMEs
  • Start-ups
  • Informal sector

3. Gender Gap

• Male participants dominate registrations and engagements
• Limited targeted support for women and marginalized groups

4. Regional Disparities

• Top 10 states contribute 79–84% of total engagement
• Low participation from:
  • North-East states
  • Union Territories
• Significant district-level variation within states

Key Recommendations by NITI Aayog

1. Policy Reforms

• Establish a National Apprenticeship Mission
• Develop a unified National Apprenticeship Portal
• Provide targeted incentives for:
  • Aspirational districts
  • North-East states
  • Women apprentices

2. Regulatory Measures

• Create an Apprenticeship Engagement Index for benchmarking States/UTs
• Conduct robust evaluation of apprentice competencies

3. State & District-Level Interventions

• Focus on “high-potential but low-performing” districts
• Recognition/reward initiative for Top 25 districts based on growth

4. Enhancing Enterprise Participation

• Cluster-based approach for MSMEs
• Integration with start-up ecosystem
• Alignment with gig and platform economy

5. Support for Women & Marginalized Sections

• Travel and accommodation assistance
• Expanded insurance coverage
• Structured career counselling
• International mobility pathways
• Targeted measures to enhance women’s inclusion

Key Government Initiatives

1. National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS), 2016

• Implemented by Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship
• Target group: 14–35 years
• Incentives:
  • Government shares 25% of stipend (up to ?1,500/month)
  • Reimbursement of basic training costs

2. National Apprenticeship Training Scheme (NATS)

• Administered by Ministry of Education
• For graduate and diploma holders
• Provides 6 months to 1 year structured on-the-job training

In News:

Busy Tirupati pilgrimage route makes Red Sanders smuggling easy in south Andhra Pradesh.

About Red Sanders

• Scientific Name: Pterocarpus santalinus
• Common Name: Red Sandalwood
• Type: Tropical dry deciduous tree
• Endemic to: Southern Andhra Pradesh

Geographic Distribution

• Restricted to three districts: Chittoor, Nellore, and YSR Kadapa
• Largest reserve located in the Seshachalam Biosphere Reserve, part of the Eastern Ghats
• Spread over 4,755 sq km
• Located about 35 km from Tirupati temple town

Ecological Characteristics

• Grows in rocky, degraded and red soil areas
• Requires hot and dry climate
• Fire-hardy and drought-resistant
• Slow-growing: 25–40 years to reach maturity
• Wood is relatively brittle compared to teak

Economic Importance

• Contains ‘Santalin’, a natural red dye
• Used in:
  • Pharmaceutical preparations
  • Textile and leather industries
  • Food colouring
  • Perfume and medicinal products
• Gained global attention in the 1960s when Japanese instrument makers used it for crafting the traditional shamisen due to superior tonal quality

Conservation Status

• IUCN Red List: Endangered
• CITES: Appendix II (International trade strictly regulated)
• Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule IV

Harvesting and felling inside reserve forests is prohibited. Legal trade permitted only under regulated plantation and CITES-controlled export mechanisms.

Red Sanders Smuggling: Key Issues

Role of Tirupati Pilgrimage Route

The proximity of the Tirupati pilgrimage corridor to Seshachalam forests facilitates smuggling due to:

• Heavy traffic movement
• Limited vehicle checking
• Multiple forest entry points
• Inter-state border with Tamil Nadu

Smugglers often:

• Enter from Tamil Nadu
• Disguise themselves as labourers or pilgrims
• Use small vehicles for transport
• Hide timber in containers or dump logs inside forests/water temporarily
• Use sea routes for international export

Organised Timber Mafia

• Operates in coordinated teams (felling transport units)
• Several trees cut within short duration
• Cross-firing incidents reported
• Forest officials issued arms after killings of personnel
• Andhra Pradesh Police–Forest Department task force formed in 2014

Recent Enforcement Action

• January 9, 2026: 75 Red Sanders logs seized in Kadapa division

Broader Issue: Illegal Timber and Deforestation

• India among top 10 forest-rich nations (area-wise)
• Since 1980, 1.5 million hectares of forest land diverted for development
• Majority diversion after 2000
• India is also one of the largest timber importers
• Illegal logging contributes to:
  • Deforestation
  • Carbon emissions
  • Biodiversity loss
  • Forest conflicts

Inter-state borders often act as transit hubs (e.g., timber movement in central India).

Conservation Efforts

• National Biodiversity Authority sanctioned ?82 lakh
• Andhra Pradesh State Biodiversity Board initiative
• Target: Raise 1 lakh (100,000) saplings
• Distribution to farmers for conservation and regulated cultivation

In News:

The 16th edition of Exercise Vajra Prahar (2026) is held from 23 February to 15 March at Bakloh, Himachal Pradesh, focusing on counter-terror and advanced special operations interoperability between India and the US.

About Exercise Vajra Prahar

• Exercise Vajra Prahar is a bilateral Special Forces exercise conducted between India and the United States to enhance defence cooperation, interoperability, and joint operational readiness.

Key Objectives

• Exchange of advanced Special Operations Tactics, Techniques and Procedures (TTPs)
• Strengthening counter-terrorism capabilities
• Improving precision strike capabilities
• Enhancing intelligence-based mission planning
• Conducting joint planning under simulated battlefield conditions
• Building mutual trust and operational synergy

The exercise is conducted in realistic combat scenarios, helping both forces refine coordination in high-risk operations.

Focus Areas in 2026

The 16th edition will emphasize:

• Counter-terror operations
• Precision targeting
• Intelligence-driven missions
• Joint operational planning
• Special Forces operations in diverse terrains

Previous Editions

• 15th Edition (2024): Held in Idaho, USA
  • Participation: 45 personnel from each side
  • US contingent represented by the Green Berets
• 2023 Edition: Conducted at Umroi, Meghalaya
  • Included joint drills with the Indian Air Force
  • Featured Mi-17 helicopter operations at Umiam Lake
  • Helocasting operations demonstrated high operational precision

Exercise Vayushakti-26

Apart from Vajra Prahar, the Indian Air Force (IAF) will conduct Exercise Vayushakti-26.

Key Details

• Venue: Pokhran Air to Ground Range, Jaisalmer
• Date: 27 February 2026
• Nature: Firepower and full-spectrum air power demonstration exercise

Objectives of Vayushakti-26

• Demonstrate IAF’s rapid response and strike capability
• Showcase transformation of tactical actions into strategic outcomes
• Highlight role in Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR)
• Display readiness for conflict and emergency evacuation operations