On June 21, 1991, as P. V. Narasimha Rao prepared to take oath as India’s Prime Minister, an unsettling reality surfaced even before he assumed office. Cabinet Secretary Naresh Chandra handed him a top-secret eight-page document—a report that would redefine the fate of a nation. Rao’s reaction was immediate and visceral: “Is India’s economy really in such bad shape?” The reply came cold and unambiguous: “No, sir. It’s worse.” This was not rhetoric. It was a warning of an impending economic...

Why El Niño 2026 is a Major Concern for India’s Monsoon, Heatwaves and Economy In 1877, a major climate anomaly led to one of the deadliest humanitarian crises in history. In the Madras Presidency, famine and extreme heat caused nearly 2 crore deaths. The crisis was not confined to India—China recorded 2–3 crore deaths, Brazil around 200,000, and large parts of Africa were similarly affected. The trigger was not war or disease, but a disruption in the Pacific Ocean, now recognised as El Niño....

Test your UPSC CSE 2026-27 preparation with today’s International Relations (Every Friday) Quiz — covering AZEC (Asia Zero Emission Community), places Odesa and Dnipro, Equator Prize 2025, Eastern Mediterranean Sea, snapback and more. Previous UPSC International Relations Quiz 17 April 2026 Click Here 10 April 2026 Click Here 03 April 2026 Click Here 27 March 2026 Click Here 20 March 2026 Click Here 13 March 2026 Click Here