What to read in Indian Express
20 November 2025
| No. | Headline (as printed) | Page No. | GS Paper & Topic | Theme / Issue | UPSC Relevance / Analytical Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Now, desi gene editing technology to aid cheaper, commercial GE crop breeding | 1 | GS 3 – Science & Tech + Agriculture | CRISPR-based indigenous gene-editing platform | Marks a major step in Atmanirbhar biotech innovation; allows low-cost GM crops without foreign patents. Links to Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC), Bio-safety guidelines, and food security goals. |
| 2 | Pressure mounts for global roadmap to phase out fossil fuels | 6 | GS 3 – Environment & Economic Development GS 2 – IR / Climate Governance | Fossil fuel phase-out negotiations | Reflects growing Global North–South divide at COP30; connects to India’s stance on Just Energy Transition, Global Stocktake, and Climate Finance. |
| 3 | More than two decades later, there is light at the end of the red corridor | 10 | GS 3 – Internal Security / Extremism | Decline of Left-Wing Extremism | Discusses success of SAMADHAN strategy, infrastructure & governance outreach in Maoist regions. Illustrates development-security linkage. |
| 4 | Green exception should not become the rule (Editorial) | 10 | GS 3 – Environment / EIA & Judicial Oversight | Supreme Court’s stance on “green exceptions” | Warns against misuse of environmental exemptions for infrastructure projects. Useful for EIA 2006, Environmental Jurisprudence, and Sustainable Development Principles (Vellore case). |
| 5 | We need a mental health movement rooted in community (Editorial) | 11 | GS 2 – Social Justice / Health | Community-based mental health reform | Advocates decentralised care models, counsellor training, and stigma reduction. Links to Mental Healthcare Act 2017 and National Mental Health Programme (NMHP). |
| 6 | Global South is redefining credible climate action. COP30 must acknowledge this (Editorial) | 11 | GS 3 – Environment & Ecology | Equitable climate responsibility | Highlights India’s Green Hydrogen Mission, Brazil’s Amazon initiatives, and South–South cooperation. Links to CBDR, climate justice, and technology transfer. |
| 7 | China ran disinformation campaign against Rafale after Op Sindoor: US report | 13 | GS 3 – Internal Security / Cyber Threats + Defence | Cyber warfare & information operations | Exposes state-sponsored propaganda & hybrid warfare tactics. Useful for cyber security, defence modernization, and media literacy in national security. |
| 8 | Gustav Klimt portrait that spared its subject from Nazis sold for $236 mn | 19 | GS 1 – Art & Culture / World History | European art & wartime legacy | Links art restitution to WWII-era expropriations, connecting cultural preservation with historical justice — valuable for GS1 Art & Heritage in Modern World History. |
| 9 | 3 States, 25 years: Story so far, road ahead | 20 | GS 1 – Post-Independence Reorganization | Formation of Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand (2000) | Reviews successes, challenges, and governance models of smaller states. Links to reorganization principles under Articles 2–4 and Centre–State fiscal relations. |
| 10 | New rates, old challenges: Can royalty tweaks fix bottlenecks in India’s critical minerals sector? | 21 | GS 3 – Economy, Technology & Environment | Critical minerals policy & energy transition | Discusses new royalty framework for lithium, cobalt, nickel, aligning with National Mineral Policy 2019 and energy security. Connects to strategic autonomy & Make-in-India for EVs. |