UPSC CARE Mains Practice 1st January 2026
Mains Practice Questions for the Day
- What is a bomb cyclone? Explain its formation and why it causes severe weather conditions. (GS Paper I: Physical Geography – Climatology)
- How did the initiatives of the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas in 2025 strengthen India’s energy access, sustainability, and long-term energy security? (GS Paper III: Energy security, clean energy transition)
What is a bomb cyclone? Explain its formation and why it causes severe weather conditions. (GS Paper I: Physical Geography – Climatology)
Introduction:
A bomb cyclone is an extremely intense mid-latitude storm system that undergoes explosive intensification. Recently, such a storm affected the northern United States, causing widespread power outages, flight disruptions, and blizzard conditions, highlighting its destructive potential.
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Formation of a Bomb Cyclone
- Bomb cyclones form when cold polar air collides with warm, moist air.
- The warm air rises rapidly, deepening the low-pressure system.
- When the central pressure falls by at least 24 millibars within 24 hours, the process is termed bombogenesis.
- The steep pressure gradient created results in very strong surface winds.
Why Bomb Cyclones Are Highly Dangerous
- Strong Winds: Wind speeds can reach 80 kmph or more, uprooting trees and damaging infrastructure.
- Blizzard Conditions: Heavy snowfall combined with strong winds leads to whiteout conditions.
- Power and Transport Disruption: Power lines collapse and aviation, road, and rail networks are severely affected.
- Secondary Impacts: Coastal or lakeshore flooding and extremely low wind-chill temperatures.
Conclusion:
Bomb cyclones are among the most violent non-tropical storms due to their rapid intensification and large spatial impact. With increasing climate variability, such extreme weather events underline the need for advanced forecasting systems and resilient infrastructure to minimise human and economic losses.
How did the initiatives of the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas in 2025 strengthen India’s energy access, sustainability, and long-term energy security? (GS Paper III: Energy security, clean energy transition)
Introduction:
In 2025, the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas (MoPNG) pursued a multi-pronged energy strategy aligned with the objectives of energy access, sustainability, affordability, and security. Through welfare-oriented schemes, infrastructure expansion, clean fuel transition, and upstream reforms, India strengthened its resilience against supply disruptions while advancing an inclusive energy transition.
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Strengthening Energy Access
Universal access to clean cooking energy remained a core priority. Under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, beneficiary coverage expanded to over 10.35 crore households, supported by simplified eligibility norms and additional LPG connections. Targeted LPG subsidies improved affordability, leading to higher refill rates and sustained behavioural shift away from biomass fuels.
Expansion of City Gas Distribution networks, with rising PNG connections and CNG stations, improved access to cleaner fuels in urban and peri-urban areas. Door-to-door fuel delivery and improved retail outlet amenities further enhanced last-mile energy access.
Advancing Energy Sustainability
India accelerated its transition to cleaner fuels in 2025. Ethanol blending crossed 19%, reducing emissions and import dependence. The rollout of Compressed Bio-Gas (CBG) blending obligations and operationalisation of second-generation ethanol plants strengthened circular economy linkages.
Electric mobility was promoted through large-scale deployment of EV charging infrastructure and development of multi-fuel Energy Stations. Introduction of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) blending targets marked a strategic step toward decarbonising hard-to-abate sectors like aviation.
Enhancing Long-Term Energy Security
Expansion of the national gas pipeline network and implementation of the Unified Pipeline Tariff (One Nation–One Grid–One Tariff) improved regional equity and market integration, reducing logistics costs and price volatility.
Upstream sector reforms through the Oilfields (Regulation and Development) Amendment Act, 2025 and expanded hydrocarbon exploration under HELP strengthened domestic production prospects. Simultaneously, progress in Strategic Petroleum Reserves and overseas energy investments enhanced India’s preparedness against global supply shocks.
Conclusion:
The initiatives of 2025 reflect a calibrated shift from energy availability to energy resilience. By combining welfare delivery, cleaner fuels, infrastructure integration, and upstream reforms, India strengthened energy access, advanced sustainability, and laid the foundation for long-term energy security in an increasingly uncertain global energy landscape.
