TGPSC Daily Current Affairs - 21st January 2026
Relevance:
Paper IV – Economy and Development State economic vision (Telangana Rising 2047; $3 trillion economy target)
Important Keywords
For Prelims:
- Bharat Future City, World Economic Forum 2026, Davos, Telangana Rising 2047, Net-Zero Greenfield Smart City, Joint Task Force, United Arab Emirates, Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, Marubeni, Sembcorp, Reliance Group Vantara
For Mains:
- Global City Development, Net-Zero Urban Planning, International Collaboration, Sustainable Smart Cities, Urban–Industrial Hubs, State-led Economic Vision, Rural–Agriculture Partnerships, Foreign Investment in Infrastructure
Why in News?
On the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) 2026 summit at Davos, A. Revanth Reddy held discussions with Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, during which the United Arab Emirates expressed its interest in collaborating with the Telangana government on the Bharat Future City project. The talks resulted in a broad understanding on developing the project as a top global city.
Discussions at World Economic Forum 2026
The cash-rich United Arab Emirates has shown keen interest in partnering with Telangana to develop the Bharat Future City, a flagship project envisioned by the Chief Minister. The discussions took place during the WEF 2026 summit in Davos, where both sides explored avenues for cooperation and speedy implementation of the project.
Proposal for Joint Task Force
During the interaction, Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, known for his role in the UAE’s economic diversification and modernisation efforts, suggested the formation of a joint task force comprising officials from both the Telangana government and the UAE. The objective of this task force would be to expedite the implementation of the Bharat Future City project.
Telangana Rising 2047 Vision
Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy presented the Telangana Rising 2047 vision, outlining a future-defining roadmap to transform Telangana into a $3 trillion economy by 2047. The Bharat Future City project was highlighted as a key component of this long-term development strategy.
Key Features of Bharat Future City
- Envisioned as India’s first Net-Zero Greenfield Smart City
- Spread over 30,000 acres
- Planned as a multi-sectoral, sustainable urban–industrial hub
- Dedicated spaces for:
- Artificial Intelligence
- Education
- Healthcare
- Industries
- Residential and entertainment zones
Global Partnerships and Ongoing Collaborations
The Chief Minister informed the UAE delegation that global companies such as Marubeni and Sembcorp are already on board for the project. He also noted that a recent MoU with Reliance Group’s Vantara has been signed to establish a new zoo in the Bharat Future City.
Proposed Sectoral Cooperation
The UAE minister expressed interest in forging a strategic partnership between the UAE food cluster and Telangana, with a focus on strengthening the rural and agriculture-based economy.
Participants in the Meeting
The discussions were attended by:
- D. Sridhar Babu, IT and Industries Minister
- Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy, Revenue Minister
- Senior officials from the Telangana government
Conclusion
The UAE’s expression of interest and the proposal to set up a joint task force mark a significant development for the Bharat Future City project. The discussions at WEF 2026 reflect growing international engagement with Telangana’s development agenda and reinforce the strategic importance of Bharat Future City within the Telangana Rising 2047 vision.
CARE MCQ
Q. With reference to international reports, consider the following pairs:
- Global Competitiveness Report – World Economic Forum
- World Economic Outlook – International Monetary Fund
- World Investment Report – World Bank
- Global Gender Gap Report – World Economic Forum
Which of the pairs given above are correctly matched?
- 1, 2 and 4 only
- 1 and 3 only
- 2 and 3 only
- 1, 2, 3 and 4
Answer: A
Explanation:
- Pair 1 – Correct
The Global Competitiveness Report is published by the World Economic Forum (WEF). - Pair 2 – Correct
The World Economic Outlook is published by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). - Pair 3 – Incorrect
The World Investment Report is published by UNCTAD, not by the World Bank. - Pair 4 – Correct
The Global Gender Gap Report is published by the World Economic Forum (WEF)
Relevance:
GS Paper I (Art & Culture) – Buddhist stupas and relic traditions – Sanchi, Ashokan architecture, pilgrimage landscapes – Living heritage vs museum objects
Important Keywords
For Prelims:
- Piprawaha relics – Buddhist relics – Stupa – Sanchi model – Ashokan heritage – Repatriation – Cultural restitution – Museum reform – Colonial museology – Living heritage.
For Mains:
- Heritage stewardship – Illicit antiquities trade – Community custodianship – Cultural diplomacy – Buddhist pilgrimage – Intangible heritage – Heritage governance.
Why in News?
- Ancient Buddhist relics and gems excavated from Piprawaha (Uttar Pradesh) have been partially reunited after more than a century.
- These relics were acquired from an overseas seller by an Indian conglomerate and handed over to the Government of India.
- The relics are currently displayed in a temporary exhibition in Delhi inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, raising urgent questions about their long-term housing, interpretation, and stewardship.
Context & Contemporary Relevance
- The return of the Piprawaha relics represents a major milestone in India’s cultural repatriation and heritage diplomacy.
- It highlights a shift from colonial-era museum practices toward ethically informed, community-centric, and historically grounded heritage governance.
- The debate extends beyond display to include:
- Museum reform
- Restitution ethics
- Community engagement
- Anti-trafficking strategies
- Education of future heritage professionals
- If managed well, this event could redefine India’s museum culture and strengthen its position as a global Buddhist pilgrimage destination.
Background: Piprawaha Relics and Their Significance
- The relics consist of ancient gems associated with the corporeal remains of the historical Buddha.
- Originally excavated in the colonial period, they were dispersed abroad for over a century.
- In early Buddhism, such relics were not valued for aesthetics but for their spiritual potency and ability to sanctify space.
- Their return marks not just physical restitution, but the possibility of cultural and civilisational restoration.
Buddhist Relics in Early Indian Heritage Practices
- After the Buddha’s Mahaparinirvana, his ash and bone fragments were divided among followers.
- These remains were placed in vessels with offerings and interred in stupas, large hemispherical mounds that served as:
- Reliquaries
- Ritual centres
- Teaching devices
- Relics functioned as living spiritual agents, shaping devotion, pilgrimage, and community life.
Sanchi as a Model of Spatial and Ritual Engagement
- The Great Stupa at Sanchi (initially built under Ashoka) illustrates how relics were historically contextualised.
- The stupa complex featured:
- Gateways in four cardinal directions
- A circumambulatory path
- Carved reliefs depicting Buddha’s life, worshippers, auspicious symbols, and foreign visitors
- These visual and spatial strategies:
- Prepared visitors mentally and spiritually
- Created a semi-sacred environment
- Facilitated reflection, devotion, and community bonding
- Sanchi’s success is evident in its growth as a major religious and cultural centre supported by diverse social groups.
Adaptation Across Regions and Symbolic Presence
- As Buddhism spread, relic practices evolved.
- In peninsular India’s rock-cut caves, monolithic stupas without corporeal relics symbolically conveyed Buddha’s presence.
- This demonstrates that sacred experience depends on spatial, ritual, and visual framing, not merely physical remains.
- These historical precedents provide valuable lessons for modern museums.
Contemporary Challenges of Display and Stewardship
- The original Piprawaha stupa no longer survives, making museum stewardship inevitable.
- Placing relics in sterile vitrines would reproduce colonial museology that treats artifacts as lifeless objects.
- Such an approach risks stripping relics of their ritual, spiritual, and communal significance.
- Museums must instead create:
- Preparatory spaces
- Zones for meditation, chanting, contemplation
- Contextual narratives that restore meaning
- Relics should be treated as living cultural entities, not merely visual exhibits.
Institutional Responsibilities and Community Engagement
- The reunification should catalyse systemic reforms:
- Interdisciplinary grants and fellowships for art historians, anthropologists, scientists, filmmakers
- Postgraduate training in stewardship, restitution ethics, and interpretation
- Collaboration with colleges to train heritage professionals
- Communities near heritage sites must be empowered to:
- Document cultural assets
- Understand trafficking networks
- Prevent illicit antiquities trade
- Engage with legal and judicial processes
- This aligns India’s heritage governance with international ethical norms and strengthens grassroots protection.
Conclusion
The reunification of the Piprawaha relics is more than an act of repatriation; it is an opportunity to reimagine India’s heritage ecosystem. By adopting historically informed display strategies, investing in education, and empowering communities, India can ensure these relics are not merely preserved but revitalised as living symbols of its Buddhist civilisational legacy, inspiring global audiences once again.
UPSC PYQ
Q. Which one of the following sculptures found at Sanchi Stupa is NOT directly inspired by Buddhist ideas? (NDA-I/2025)
- Empty seat
- Shalabhanjika
- Tree
- Wheel
Answer: B
Explanation
The sculptures at the Sanchi Stupa reflect a synthesis of both Buddhist and non-Buddhist traditions.
- The empty seat (throne), tree (Bodhi tree), and wheel (Dharmachakra) are direct Buddhist symbols, used during the aniconic phase of Buddhist art to represent:
- Buddha’s meditation (empty throne),
- Enlightenment (Bodhi tree),
- First sermon at Sarnath (Dharmachakra).
- In contrast, the Shalabhanjika (or Shalabhjika) is not a Buddhist symbol in origin.
- It is a pre-Buddhist fertility motif, depicting a woman holding or touching a tree branch.
- In ancient Indian belief systems, such a maiden’s touch was thought to make trees blossom, symbolising fertility, abundance, and prosperity.
- Though later incorporated into Buddhist gateways (toranas) at Sanchi for auspiciousness and decorative enrichment, it derives from popular folk and secular traditions, not Buddhist philosophy.
Thus, Shalabhanjika represents the assimilation of indigenous cultural motifs into Buddhist art, rather than a concept inspired directly by Buddhist doctrine.
CARE MCQ
Q. With reference to the Piprawaha relics, consider the following statements:
- Buddhist relics were historically valued more for their spiritual potency than their aesthetic appearance.
- The Sanchi Stupa provides a model for contextualising relics through architecture, art, and ritual movement.
- Colonial museology treated relics as living ritual objects integrated with community practices.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
A. 1 and 2 only
B. 2 only
C. 1 and 3 only
D. 1, 2 and 3Answer: A
Explanation:
Statements 1 and 2 are correct. Statement 3 is incorrect because colonial museology reduced relics to visual objects, stripping them of ritual meaning.
Relevance:
GS Paper III (Space Technology)
Important Keywords
For Prelims:
- Reusable Launch Vehicles (RLVs), Falcon 9, Starship, Staging, Tsiolkovsky Rocket Equation, Launch Cost per kg, Partial Reusability, Full Reusability, Retro-propulsion
For Mains:
- Commercialisation of Space, Sustainable Space Access, Space Transportation Systems, Cost Economics of Launch Vehicles, India’s Space Competitiveness, Private Sector Participation
Why in News?
The global space sector is undergoing a paradigm shift driven by reusable rocket technology, spearheaded by private companies such as SpaceX. With the space economy projected to cross $1 trillion by 2030, reusability has emerged as the most decisive factor in reducing launch costs, increasing launch frequency, and making space access environmentally and economically sustainable.
Commercial Revolution in the Space Sector
For nearly four decades, space exploration was government-dominated, marked by:
- Low launch frequency
- Extremely high launch costs
The new millennium has ushered in a commercial space revolution, where:
- Private companies fund, design, and operate launch systems
- Market-driven innovation accelerates technological progress
Partial rocket reusability has been a critical breakthrough:
- Reduced cost of access to space by 5–20 times per kg
- Enabled rapid launch cadence
Resulting transformation:
- Spaceflight has shifted from occasional, bespoke missions
- To a repeatable, service-oriented transportation model suitable for commercial operations
Why Space Access Is Expensive
Human space missions cost 3–5 times more than satellite launches due to:
- Life-support systems
- Crew safety and redundancy
- Stringent certification and mission planning
Most satellite missions, in contrast, are one-way, with simpler architectures and no requirement for return or human survival.
Physics Behind Rocket Launches
Rockets face two fundamental challenges:
- Gravity, which constantly pulls the vehicle downward
- Aerodynamic drag, which resists motion through the atmosphere
Since a rocket has nothing external to push against, it accelerates by ejecting exhaust gases backward at supersonic speeds.
The Tsiolkovsky Rocket Equation explains the harsh reality of spaceflight economics:
Fuel mass dominates rocket design.
Over 90% of a rocket’s total mass is propellant and tanks, leaving less than 4% for the actual payload. This creates a vicious cycle where fuel is required mainly to lift fuel itself.
Why Rockets Use Multiple Stages
Staging is an engineering solution to overcome this mass penalty.
By dividing a rocket into independent propulsion stages and discarding them after fuel exhaustion, the remaining vehicle becomes lighter and more efficient. Traditional expendable rockets—such as PSLV and LVM-3—discard each stage permanently, usually into the ocean.
While effective, this approach treats rockets as single-use machines, limiting sustainability.
Reusability: The Key Breakthrough
Reusability marks the transition from a disposable rocket model to a space transportation system.
The first stage of the Falcon 9 exemplifies this shift. After stage separation, it:
- Re-ignites engines to cancel most kinetic energy
- Uses aerodynamic drag to slow down
- Executes precision vertical landings using automation
This combination of smart engineering and software has revolutionised launch economics.
Global Progress in Reusable Rockets
- SpaceX has successfully recovered Falcon 9 first stages over 520 times
- Its next-generation system, Starship, is being developed as a fully reusable vehicle capable of Earth orbit, lunar, and Mars missions
- Blue Origin has demonstrated vertical booster recovery for its New Glenn rocket
- China’s private space sector, including firms like LandSpace, is rapidly advancing reusable technologies
Limits of Rocket Reuse
ocket reuse is constrained by:
- Structural fatigue in engines and tanks
- Extreme thermal cycling from cryogenic fuel to combustion heat
- High g-forces during ascent and re-entry
Over time, micro-fractures and material wear increase inspection and refurbishment costs. Beyond a point, the economics of reuse diminish. Even so, SpaceX has reused some first stages more than 30 times, demonstrating unprecedented durability.
Where Does India Stand?
ISRO is actively developing recovery technologies through:
- Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) programme — a winged, spaceplane-like vehicle capable of runway landings
- Concepts involving retro-propulsive recovery of rocket stages on land or sea
Experimental missions and autonomous landing tests mark steady progress, positioning India to adapt to a future where reusability becomes the global norm.
Designing Future Sustainable Launch Systems
To remain competitive, future launch vehicles must:
- Minimise the number of stages
- Integrate partial or full reusability as a core design driver
- Exploit advances in propellant density and engine efficiency
Modern two-stage systems can now perform missions that previously required three stages. Balancing energy delivery, cost distribution, recovery technology, and refurbishment cycles will be critical to achieving high launch cadence at low cost.
Conclusion
Reusable rocket technology is not merely a cost-saving innovation—it is the foundation of sustainable access to space. By transforming rockets from expendable machines into reusable transport systems, the space sector is moving toward higher launch frequency, lower environmental footprint, and broader participation.
For India and the world, reusability represents the bridge between elite space exploration and democratised, routine access to orbit, shaping the next era of human activity beyond Earth.
UPSC PYQ
Q. Which one of the following aerospace companies designed and manufactured Falcon 9, a reusable rocket? (CAPF 2022)
A. Blue Origin
B. Boeing
C. Lockheed Martin
D. SpaceX
Answer: D
Explanation
- Falcon 9 is a two-stage, orbital-class reusable launch vehicle designed and manufactured by SpaceX.
- It pioneered first-stage recovery and reuse, significantly lowering launch costs.
- In December 2015, SpaceX achieved the first successful vertical landing of an orbital-class rocket booster after an orbital mission.
- The first-stage booster is routinely reflown multiple times, making Falcon 9 the primary operational reusable rocket in the commercial launch sector.
- Blue Origin focuses on vehicles like New Shepard and New Glenn; Boeing and Lockheed Martin are major aerospace firms but did not design Falcon 9.
CARE MCQ
Q. The rocket equation that explains the relationship between velocity, mass, and fuel is known as:
- Newton’s First Law of Motion
- Bernoulli’s Principle
- Tsiolkovsky Rocket Equation
- Kepler’s Third Law
- Answer: C
Explanation:
The Tsiolkovsky Rocket Equation mathematically relates the change in velocity of a rocket to the exhaust velocity and the ratio of initial to final mass. It highlights the fundamental mass–fuel constraint of spaceflight, explaining why rockets require large amounts of propellant and why staging and reusability are crucial for efficient access to space.
