PIB News Today for UPSC: 7 November 2026 (Semicon 2.0, Child Marriage, Rice Stocks)

1. Semicon 2.0 Portal Opens and 12 More Projects Approved Under the Electronics Components Scheme

About Semicon 2.0

• The Cabinet has approved Semicon 2.0 with a fiscal outlay of ₹1,27,500 crore under the India Semiconductor Mission (ISM).
• Its six pillars are chip design, machines and materials, more fabs, ATMP/OSAT units, research and development, and talent development.
• Applications are now open for machines and materials, new fabs and ATMP/OSAT units through the new portal.
• The Minister set a target of attracting at least three major equipment makers and five chemicals and gases companies to India.
• Under Semicon 1.0, 12 projects worth over ₹1.64 lakh crore were approved in six States, and five had begun commercial production by October 2026.

The new ECMS approvals

• The 12 projects are expected to produce goods worth ₹39,045 crore and create 7,127 direct jobs across seven States.
• They include the first ECMS approvals for copper foil, cathode active material and specialty ceramics, which are upstream inputs for PCBs and Li-ion cells.
• In total, ECMS has now approved 118 applications covering 34 products in 16 States, with expected investment of ₹77,051 crore.
• Nearly half of the approved units belong to the MSME sector, according to the Minister.

Why it matters

• India’s electronics output has grown mainly through assembly, so value addition stays low while components are still imported.
• Domestic production of materials, chemicals and equipment reduces exposure to supply shocks in a sector dominated by a few countries.

Source: PIB release 2333716

2. PIB Backgrounder: Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat Completes Two Years

The numbers

• NFHS-6 (2023-24) found that 20.1% of women aged 20-24 were married before 18, down from 23.3% in NFHS-5 (2019-21).
• The campaign has held 6.85 lakh awareness programmes, reached 12.47 crore participants and registered 42.01 lakh pledges.
• It aims to make India child-marriage-free by 2030 through law enforcement, awareness and community action.

The legal framework

• The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 replaced the Child Marriage Restraint Act, 1929, also called the Sarda Act.
• A child is a male below 21 years or a female below 18 years, and offences under the Act are cognizable and non-bailable.
• A child marriage is voidable at the option of the party who was a child, and void where trafficking, force or deceit is involved.
• Section 16 lets State Governments appoint Child Marriage Prohibition Officers to prevent marriages and collect evidence for prosecution.

Why it still persists

• Poverty, dowry, concerns over girls’ safety and social norms push families towards early marriage, especially in rural areas.
• In October 2024 the Supreme Court directed full-time CMPOs and a shift in focus from punishment to prevention and empowerment.
• Keeping girls in school is one of the strongest ways to delay marriage, which links the campaign to Beti Bachao Beti Padhao.

Source: PIB release 2333696

3. Centre Doubles OMSS Rice Sale Target and Orders Weekly Stock Disclosure

The measures

• Traders, wholesalers, retailers, big chain retailers and millers must declare rice and paddy stocks every Friday on the Food Stock Portal.
• Stocks are reported in six categories: basmati, non-basmati premium, non-basmati, parboiled, broken rice and paddy.
• Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana may impose stock limits on rice and paddy until 31 January 2027.
• Extra Bharat Rice will be given to NAFED, NCCF and Kendriya Bhandar for wider retail sale, especially in the southern States.

Why it matters

• Up to 31 October, 25 LMT of rice had been sold through OMSS (D) e-auctions, against 11 LMT in the same period last year.
• Selling surplus central pool stock in the open market adds supply and cools prices without import or export curbs.
• Weekly disclosure lets the Government spot hoarding early, and violators face action under Sections 6 and 7 of the Essential Commodities Act, 1955.

Points to note

• Stock limits can hurt millers and traders if kept too long, since they reduce the incentive to hold buffer stocks.
• The focus on southern States reflects their higher per capita rice consumption and the regional nature of the price rise.

Source: PIB release 2333623

4. CAQM Invokes GRAP Stage-III in Delhi-NCR as AQI Reaches 382

Key points

• Stage-III actions apply in addition to Stage-I and Stage-II measures, which were already in force.
• The action was taken in advance, based on IMD and IITM forecasts and poor dispersion of pollutants, before AQI crossed 400.
• Citizens are asked to avoid coal and wood for heating, combine trips, and follow hybrid classes for primary schools when instructed.
• Stage-III usually brings curbs on non-essential construction and on older BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel cars in Delhi and nearby districts.

Why it matters

• Calm winds and low temperatures in early winter trap emissions from vehicles, dust, industry and biomass burning close to the ground.
• GRAP is an emergency tool, so it can limit peaks but cannot replace year-round action on sources such as transport and waste burning.

Source: PIB release 2333904

5. Amended BharatNet Agreement Signed for 12,769 Gram Panchayats in Telangana

Key points

• The scope covers 12,769 Gram Panchayats, including 10,787 Phase II GPs and 36 newly created GPs.
• The 1,946 Phase I GPs will be upgraded from a linear to a ring topology, so a single cable cut does not disconnect a village.
• About three lakh rural home fibre connections are expected with subsidy support from the Centre.
• The Union Cabinet approved the Amended BharatNet Program on 4 August 2023 to upgrade and extend the network to all GPs and villages.

Why it matters

• Reliable rural broadband supports e-governance, online education, telemedicine and digital payments in villages.
• Under the State-led model, the State’s own agency builds and runs the network, which can speed up rights of way and local coordination.

Source: PIB release 2333683

6. Maiden BIMSTEC Maritime Security Exercise and India-Myanmar Exercise Rahat Mitra

BIMSTEC exercise

• It ran from 30 October to 3 November 2026 with ships from India, Myanmar and Sri Lanka, and a Bangladesh Navy representative also took part.
• Indian ships INS Taragiri, INS Karmuk and INS Saryu took part, along with UMS King Aung Zeya and SLNS Gajabahu.
• It followed the 4th BIMSTEC Experts Group Meeting on Maritime Security Cooperation held in November 2025.

Exercise Rahat Mitra

• The two-day exercise on 5-6 November brought together more than 300 personnel from all three services of both countries.
• Its theme is ‘Together for Humanity, Stronger through Partnership’, and the Indian Navy coordinated it.
• The release links it to the Neighbourhood First policy and the MAHASAGAR vision for the Indian Ocean Region.

Source: PIB release 2333721 · PIB release 2333709

7. NHAI Issues Standard Design Guidelines for Barrier-Free MLFF Toll Plazas

Key points

• The guidelines set uniform norms for plaza layout, number of lanes, gantries, lighting, signage and Variable Message Signs.
• Fewer lanes are needed than at conventional plazas, because vehicles no longer queue at physical barriers.
• Projects at the DPR stage will include the new design, while awarded and ongoing projects will adopt it through contract provisions.
• The aim is to cut queues, waiting time and fuel use at toll plazas while making journeys safer.

Why it matters

• Stopping and restarting at toll booths wastes fuel and adds to emissions and logistics costs on busy corridors.
• A common design across projects makes it easier to roll out the same tolling technology nationwide later.

Source: PIB release 2333654