Current Affairs 04 September 2026

Andhra Pradesh Literacy Rate Rises Above National Average

Andhra Pradesh’s literacy rate has increased from 72.6% in 2024 to 82.1% in 2026, crossing the national average of 80.9%. The State government has attributed a major part of this improvement to the Akshara Andhra literacy programme.

Around 25 lakh people have reportedly become literate through the programme. The government has now set a target of achieving 100% literacy by the end of September 2027. As an intermediate milestone, another 25 lakh people are targeted to become literate by March 2027.

Akshara Andhra Programme

Akshara Andhra is an adult literacy programme of the Government of Andhra Pradesh aimed at eliminating adult illiteracy in the State. The programme was formally approved for implementation through G.O.Ms.No. 37 of the School Education Department dated 25 November 2025. It is aligned with the Government of India’s ULLAS – Understanding of Lifelong Learning for All in Society (New India Literacy Programme).

The programme was originally designed to achieve 100% adult functional literacy by 2029, with an annual target of about 25 lakh learners. In September 2026, however, the Andhra Pradesh government advanced the target and announced an objective of achieving 100% literacy by September 2027. About 25 lakh people had already reportedly become literate, while another 25 lakh were targeted by March 2027 and the remaining 27 lakh by September 2027.

The primary target group consists of non-literate adults aged 15–59 years, with special emphasis on women in rural and tribal areas, workers, daily labourers, street vendors and marginalised communities including SCs, STs, OBCs and minorities.

892 Andhra Pradesh Villages Declared Adarsh Grams

The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is implementing the Pradhan Mantri Anusuchit Jaati Abhyuday Yojana (PM-AJAY) to promote the socio-economic development of Scheduled Caste (SC) communities through integrated village development, livelihood support, skill development and essential infrastructure.

Since 2018–19, a total of 1,159 villages in Andhra Pradesh have been selected under the Adarsh Gram component of PM-AJAY. Of these, 892 villages have been declared Adarsh Grams, while the remaining 267 villages are progressing towards the required development standards. To attain Adarsh Gram status, villages are expected to achieve the prescribed score of 70 out of 100 across identified socio-economic development indicators.

Tirupati has the highest number of selected villages at 221, followed by Prakasam (111), Chittoor (101), Eluru (99) and Krishna (88). All 88 selected villages in Krishna, as well as all selected villages in Sri Sathya Sai and Vizianagaram districts, have achieved Adarsh Gram status.

The major components of PM-AJAY include development of eligible villages into Adarsh Grams, Grants-in-Aid for socio-economic development projects, and construction or repair of hostels in higher educational institutions. No additional funds were released to Andhra Pradesh under the Adarsh Gram component during 2023–24 to 2025–26 because of an unspent balance and pending Utilisation Certificates.

Key Points for Exams:

• PM-AJAY: Pradhan Mantri Anusuchit Jaati Abhyuday Yojana
• Implementing Ministry: Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment
• Target group: Scheduled Caste communities
• Andhra Pradesh villages selected to transform as Adarsh Grams since 2018–19: 1,159
• Villages declared Adarsh Grams: 892
• Tirupati has the highest number of selected villages at 221, followed by Prakasam (111), Chittoor (101), Eluru (99) and Krishna (88).
• All selected villages in Krishna, Sri Sathya Sai and Vizianagaram districts have achieved Adarsh Gram status.

Appointment of ‘Distinguished Jurist’ as Supreme Court Judge

Supreme Court judge Justice Ujjal Bhuyan recently highlighted an unused constitutional provision that permits a “distinguished jurist” to be appointed directly as a judge of the Supreme Court. Speaking at the 13th Convocation of National Law University Delhi’s postgraduate programmes, he noted that despite the Constitution being in force for more than 76 years, no person has so far been appointed to the Supreme Court through this route.

Under Article 124(3) of the Constitution, a citizen of India is qualified for appointment as a Supreme Court judge if he or she satisfies any one of three conditions: has been a High Court judge for at least five years; has been an advocate of a High Court for at least ten years; or is, in the opinion of the President, a distinguished jurist. The Constitution, however, does not define the expression “distinguished jurist” or prescribe a minimum professional experience for this category.

The distinguished-jurist provision was intended by the Constituent Assembly to widen the pool from which Supreme Court judges could be chosen and potentially allow eminent legal scholars and academics to enter the Court. H.V. Kamath, while moving the proposal in 1949, argued that outstanding juristic knowledge was not confined to practising lawyers and judges. The debates also referred to Felix Frankfurter, a Harvard Law professor who was appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1939.

A similar provision for appointment of distinguished jurists as High Court judges was introduced into Article 217 by the 42nd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1976. However, it was subsequently removed by the 44th Constitutional Amendment Act, 1978. Therefore, at present, the distinguished-jurist route exists for the Supreme Court but not for High Courts.

Key Points for Exams:

• Article 124(3): It prescribes qualifications for appointment as a Supreme Court judge in three ways.
  • First route: Minimum experience as High Court judge: 5 years
  • Second route: Minimum experience as High Court advocate: 10 years
  • Third route: a “distinguished jurist” in the opinion of the President
• The Constitution does not define “distinguished jurist”.
• The distinguished-jurist route currently applies to the Supreme Court, not High Courts.

Limiting Overshoot: UNEP Report

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), in its 2026 report Limiting Overshoot: Navigating Exceedance of 1.5°C and Pathways Towards Return, warned that temporarily exceeding the 1.5°C global warming threshold is now widely assessed as unavoidable. The 1.5°C target refers to limiting the rise in global average temperature to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, as pursued under the Paris Agreement.

For the first time, UNEP has detailed an “overshoot, peak and decline” pathway. Under this approach, global temperature first exceeds 1.5°C (overshoot), then reaches the lowest possible peak, and subsequently declines towards below 1.5°C through deep emission reductions and long-term net-negative emissions. UNEP stresses that this is not a preferred pathway, but the best remaining option for limiting climate damage.

Even if countries fully implement their climate commitments and net-zero targets, the report estimates that peak warming could still reach around 1.8°C. Higher and longer overshoots increase the risks of sea-level rise, glacier and coral-reef loss, food-production decline and irreversible climate tipping points, including potential changes to major ice sheets and ecosystems. Global food production could decline by as much as 14% by 2050 without effective adaptation.

UNEP therefore calls for immediate and sustained reductions in greenhouse-gas emissions, particularly methane, alongside adaptation and carefully governed Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR). CDR involves removing CO₂ from the atmosphere and storing it through methods such as afforestation and other natural or technological approaches.

Q1. The “Overshoot, Peak and Decline” pathway, proposed in the 2026 report ‘Limiting Overshoot’, is associated with which organisation?
A. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
B. United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
C. International Energy Agency (IEA)
D. World Meteorological Organization (WMO)

Q2. Under which Article of the Constitution can a person who is, in the opinion of the President, a “distinguished jurist” be appointed as a Judge of the Supreme Court?
A. Article 124(3)
B. Article 217(2)
C. Article 222
D. Article 224

Q3. Andhra Pradesh has set a target to achieve 100% literacy under the Akshara Andhra programme by which of the following dates?
A. March 2027
B. September 2027
C. March 2028
D. September 2028

Q4. What was Andhra Pradesh’s literacy rate in 2026?
A. 72.6%
B. 78.4%
C. 80.9%
D. 82.1%

Q5. What is the primary objective of the Andhra Pradesh government’s ‘Akshara Andhra’ programme?
A. To provide free digital devices to school students
B. To achieve adult functional literacy across the State
C. To establish new residential schools in rural areas
D. To provide skill training exclusively to unemployed graduates

Q6. How many villages in Andhra Pradesh have been declared as Adarsh Grams under the PM-AJAY scheme as of September 2026?
A. 692
B. 792
C. 892
D. 992

Q7. Under the Adarsh Gram component of PM-AJAY, a selected village is expected to achieve what minimum score across prescribed socio-economic development indicators to attain Adarsh Gram status?
A. 50 out of 100
B. 60 out of 100
C. 70 out of 100
D. 80 out of 100

Q8. ‘Adarsh Gram’ is a component of which of the following schemes?
A. PM-AJAY
B. PM-JANMAN
C. PMAY-G
D. PM-KUSUM