September 2025

Current Affairs: 21st Sept 2025

Trump hikes H-1B visa fees to $100,000
Context: In a move that is likely to disrupt the mobility of skilled workers from India to the U.S., U.S. President Donald Trump sharply raised H-1B visa fees, from the current $2,000-$5,000 range to a flat $100,000, or almost ₹90 lakh.

• The presidential proclamation directed the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security to “restrict approvals” for H-1B visa petitions from applicants who are “currently” outside the United States, unless they are accompanied by the new fees.
• “Skilled labour mobility and exchanges have contributed enormously to technology development, innovation, economic growth, competitiveness and wealth creation in the U.S. and India. Policy makers will therefore assess the recent steps, taking into account mutual benefits, which include strong people-to-people ties between the countries.

State government brings 12 services under ESMA
Context: The State government has notified 12 functions in Bengaluru city, essentially solid waste management, water supply, public health, ambulance and crematorium services, among others, under the Karnataka Essential Services Maintenance Act (K-ESMA), 2013.

• “Government of Karnataka is of the opinion that a refusal to work by employees…would prejudicially affect the maintenance of public utility services which are necessary for the life of the community or would result in the infliction of grave hardship on the community”, making a case to bring these services under K-ESMA, 2013.
• The city has seen several strikes by pourakarmikas and garbage collectors over the last decade and a half, which will become difficult henceforth, with this order. “Ironic that a government which can’t ensure even pay is made on time for auto drivers and loaders on contract, which can’t ensure that they have basic equipment wants to ensure that they won’t strike. Why will workers strike if the government treats them fairly? This is meant to make it difficult for workers to fight for their rights,” said Vinay Sreenivasa, a trade union leader working with pourakarmikas for over a decade now.
• The list of 12 services brought under K-ESMA, 2013 include: water, cleaning and sweeping of all streets, door-to-door collection, transportation and processing of waste, management and maintenance of all municipal water works, collection, removal, treatment and disposal of sewage, maintenance of ambulance service and service for conveying dead bodies to crematorium, among others.

India backs resolution to let Palestine President address UNGA
Context: India voted in favour of a UN General Assembly (GA) resolution that allows Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to address its upcoming high-level session through video after the U.S. denied visas to Palestinian officials, preventing their participation in person.

• The 193-member GA adopted the resolution titled ‘Participation by the State of Palestine’ during its 80th session, with 145 nations voting in favour, five against and six abstentions.
• The U.S. and Israel opposed the measure, while India was among those supporting it.
• It decided that Mr. Abbas can address the General Debate of the 80th UNGA session on September 25 via a “pre-recorded statement”, which will be played in the GA Hall after introduction by its representative physically present in the venue.

Meghalaya groups oppose new directive on uranium mining
Context: Several organisations in Meghalaya have expressed concern over a recent office memorandum issued by the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change, exempting uranium mining from mandatory public consultations.

• The State has one of the country’s largest uranium reserves in the Domiasiat, Wahkaji, and their adjoining areas in the West Khasi Hills district.
• Locals have resisted attempts to explore and extract the radioactive substance, citing health and environmental reasons.
• The Khasi Students’ Union (KSU), which led an anti-uranium movement for decades, reaffirmed its opposition to any move to start mining in Meghalaya. He said the memo excluding atomic, critical, and strategic minerals from public hearings under the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, and it was disconcerting. “The exemption of public consultations is an assault on the rights of the indigenous people. We will oppose fresh attempts to explore uranium in Meghalaya,” KSU president Lambokstar Marngar said.
• The Hynniewtrep Youth Council said the office memorandum underlined the Centre’s bid to extract uranium at any cost after failing for decades to convince the local people to give up their land. “This is a new strategy to snatch the people’s right to their land and resources, and to deny their right to live without being exposed to the dangers associated with uranium mining. Our people are aware of how people in Jharkhand’s Jaduguda have been suffering owing to radioactivity caused by uranium mining there,” a spokesperson of the youth body said.

Mohanlal to receive Dadasaheb Phalke Award
Context: The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting on Saturday announced that actor Mohanlal will be presented the country’s highest film honour, the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award, for 2023. The award will be presented at the 71st National Film Awards ceremony on September 23.

• “On the recommendation of the Dadasaheb Phalke Award Selection Committee, the Government of India is pleased to announce that Shri Mohanlal will be conferred the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award 2023. Mohanlal’s remarkable cinematic journey inspires generations!”
• He has also delivered remarkable performances in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, and Hindi films. His cinematic and theatrical brilliance across mediums is truly inspiring…may his accomplishments continue to inspire generations to come.”
• “The legendary actor, director, and producer is being honoured for his iconic contribution to Indian Cinema. His unmatched talent, versatility, and relentless hard work have set a golden standard in Indian film history.
• The award will be presented at the 71st National Film Awards ceremony on Sept. 23, 2025,” it said.
• “Outside cinema, he was commissioned as an Honorary Lieutenant Colonel in the Indian Territorial Army in 2009.
• During his career spanning more than four decades, he has worked in about 400 films and bagged five national awards and several Kerala State honours. He was given the Padma Shri in 2001 and the Padma Bhushan in 2019 by the Union government.

El Niño makes India’s heavy rains more intense

• While the El Niño is well known for reducing total rainfall across India, a study that analysed daily data from 1901 to 2020 has reported that it simultaneously increases the intensity of heavy downpours in the wetter parts of central and southwest India. That is, the extremes become more likely even as light and moderate rain events decline. This means El Niño drought years can still bring catastrophic floods, complicating how farmers, city planners, and disaster managers prepare.

Is it feasible to blend isobutanol and diesel?
Context: On September 11, Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari said the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) was exploring the possibility of blending isobutanol with diesel.

• Isobutanol is an alcoholic compound with inflammable properties and is used as a solvent in several industries, including painting.
• Mr. Gadkari said ARAI was studying the possibility of blending isobutanol with diesel, after efforts to blend ethanol with diesel was unsuccessful.

Is isobutanol better suited for diesel?

• The discussion on the potential use of isobutanol primarily stems from the assumption that the alcoholic compound blends better with diesel, and after the blending experiment with diesel and ethanol failed.
• Ethanol, however, is available in surplus; as a biofuel, it is being seen as an important contributor to the government’s objective of scaling the net zero emission target by 2070.
• “There was no need to add any complement [for efficiency], and isobutanol’s properties are better than ethanol for blending diesel.
• More importantly,the flash point, or the lowest temperature at which isobutanol yields a vapour igniting a momentary flash, is higher than ethanol. A lower flash point was among the reasons that ethanol was not considered ideal for blending with diesel. Fuels with lower flash points are more volatile and entail a higher risk of catching fire.
• The other aspect relates to diverting some of the raw material required to produce ethanol to make isobutanol, as there is already a surplus of ethanol.
• According to an ISMA note, even after catering for industrial use in different States, the potential for ethanol supply is “more than 50% of the requirement” for the one-fifth blending with petrol.
• In addition to this, the sugar manufacturers’ association has also urged the government to revise the procurement prices for ethanol produced from cane juice/syrup or B-heavy molasses.
• The prices have not been changed since Ethanol Supply Year (ESY) 2022-23, while the Fair and Remunerative prices (FRP), or the minimum price sugar mills are required to pay farmers for sugarcane has increased by 16.5% during the period. “This imbalance has eroded economic viability, discouraged ethanol production and risked a build-up of surplus sugar in the domestic market,” it stated. Thus, the proposed blending also opens another avenue for the surplus production to be used.

How economical is it to make isobutanol?

• Isobutanol can be produced from the same feedstock required to produce ethanol, such as sugarcane syrup and molasses and grains, among others.
• “Natural sugars are fermented by specially designed microbes under sterile conditions, unlike conventional yeast that produces ethanol; these engineered microbes are tuned to produce isobutanol.”
• Producing isobutanol from biomass would require retrofitting a fermentation tank, and a distillation tank to separate ethanol from isobutanol. “A plant with a production capacity of 150 kilo litres per day (klp/d) can easily produce 125 klp/d of ethanol and 20 klp/d of isobutanol without a lot of changes to the overall infrastructure,”.

What are some of the issues to consider?

• Isobutanol’s significantly lower cetane number compared with diesel, and about flash points.
• Isobutanol and diesel may have issues on miscibility (ability of two substances to mix to form a homogenous mixture) though it can be sorted out by mixing biodiesel to the blend. The latter refers to the fuel manufactured from non-edible vegetable oils, used cooking oil and/or animal fat.
• The impact of the blend on the cetane number, which is a measure of combustion quality. An ideal combustion translates to rapid ignition and the fuel combusting completely to produce the necessary energy.
• The alcoholic compound’s significantly lower cetane number compared with the base fuel, diesel, would reduce the blend’s overall cetane number.
• Also, a lower cetane number raises concerns about ‘[diesel] knock’ which can result in reduced power and can potentially damage engines. ‘Knocking’ occurs when the fuel burns unevenly and/or prematurely in the vehicle’s fuel cylinder, also generating an audible sound.
• The cetane value can be restored through proper additives which would entail incremental costs.
• The proposed blend would have an impact on reducing emission and help with import substitution, but the riders must be addressed, and proper studies should be initiated encompassing varied vehicle classes and types.
• More importantly, “No more than 10% blending [of isobutanol] should be considered, else it could have an impact on engines.”
• The blending paradigm is still being studied and the pilot project would take about 18 months to complete. If successful, India would be the first country to have blended isobutanol with diesel.

Current Affairs: 20th Sept 2025

• SC cites Preamble to reject plea against Banu Mushtaq opening Dasara in Mysuru

Context: The Supreme Court reminded a petitioner, who did not want “Muslim” Booker Prize winner Banu Mushtaq to inaugurate the historical Mysuru Dasara festivities, about the Preamble which enshrines secularism, liberty of thought and faith, as well as equality and fraternity as ideals cardinal to national unity.

• Dismissing the petition, a Bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta asked the petitioner, Bengaluru resident H.S. Gaurav, whether he had read the Preamble to the Indian Constitution. “What is the Preamble of the Constitution?” Justice Nath asked Mr. Gaurav, represented by senior advocate P.B. Suresh.
• Mr. Suresh said the inauguration of Dasara festivities at Chamundeshwari temple on September 22 had two aspects — the “ribbon-cutting”, which was a secular activity, and then the inaugural pooja before the temple deity, an essentially Hindu religious and spiritual activity. The latter would involve lighting of lamps before the sanctum sanctorum of Goddess Chamundeshwari, along with the offering of flowers and other traditional items to the deity.
• “Inviting her was a purely political act by the State,” the senior counsel argued. The petition contended that having a Hindu dignitary perform the pooja was part of the essential religious practice protected under Article 25 of the Constitution.
• It argued that the Karnataka High Court, while dismissing the case on September 15, erred in not seeing that “Ms. Mushtaq belongs to the Muslim community and is therefore a non-Hindu. As such, she cannot perform rituals before the deity, which is against established Hindu religious and ceremonial practices”.

• But Justice Nath indicated that the event was conducted by the State of Karnataka. The State was secular, and “maintained no religion of its own” as observed by a Constitution Bench in a 1994 judgment in the M. Ismail Faruqui case over the validity of the Ayodhya Act.
• The 1994 judgment had begun by quoting Swami Vivekananda’s “religion is not in doctrines, in dogmas, nor in intellectual argumentation; it is being and becoming, it is realisation”.
• “This is a State event and not a private programme… The State cannot distinguish between A, B or C religion,” Justice Nath emphasised.

• The court refused to oblige the petitioner’s demand to direct the State to give an undertaking that Ms. Mushtaq would not be a part of the pooja. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Karnataka, appreciated the court’s reasoning while dismissing the petition.

• The Supreme Court had in Kesavananda Bharati and S.R. Bommai judgments upheld secularism as a “basic feature of the Constitution”.
• In R.C. Poudyal judgment, the court had observed that although the term ‘secular’ was not present in the Constitution before its insertion in the Preamble through the 42nd Constitution Amendment in 1976, “secularism essentially represented the nation’s commitment to treat persons of all faiths equally and without discrimination”.
• The court had succinctly laid down in a 2024 order in Dr. Balram Singh versus Union of India that the State’s neutral attitude to all religions did not prevent it from intervening to “eliminate attitudes and practices, derived from or connected with religion, which impede development and the right to equality”.

• Pak. to share its nuclear programme with Saudi

Context: Pakistan’s Defence Minister said the country’s nuclear programme “will be made available” to Saudi Arabia if needed, under the countries’ new defence pact, marking the first specific acknowledgment that Islamabad had put the kingdom under its nuclear umbrella.

• Defence Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif’s comments underlined the importance of the pact struck this week between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, which have had military ties for decades.
• Mr. Asif made the comments while answering a question on whether “the deterrence that Pakistan gets from nuclear weapons” will be made available to Saudi Arabia.
• Pakistan’s Defence Minister said the country’s nuclear programme “will be made available” to Saudi Arabia if needed under the countries’ new defence pact, marking the first specific acknowledgment that Islamabad had put the kingdom under its nuclear umbrella. Defence Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif’s comments underlined the importance of the pact struck this week between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, which have had military ties for decades.
• The move is seen by analysts as a signal to Israel, long believed to be West Asia’s only nuclear-armed nation. It comes after Israel’s attack targeting Hamas leaders in Qatar last week killed six persons and sparked new concerns among Gulf Arab nations about their safety amid the Israel-Hamas war that’s devastated the Gaza Strip and set the region on edge.
• Speaking in an interview, Mr. Asif made the comments while answering a question on whether “the deterrence that Pakistan gets from nuclear weapons” will be made available to Saudi Arabia. “Let me make one point clear about Pakistan’s nuclear capability: that capability was established long ago when we conducted tests,” Mr. Asif said. “What we have, and the capabilities we possess, will be made available to (Saudi Arabia) according to this agreement,” he added.
• The two countries signed a defence deal declaring that an attack on one nation would be an attack on both.

• Enrolment to State board schools dips

Context: The enrolment of children in government, aided and private-unaided schools following the State Board curriculum in Karnataka has been declining sharply year-on-year. Compared to the previous year, the enrolment of schoolchildren declined by 5.22 lakh across the State Board schools this year.

• The enrolment in government schools declined by about 2.54 lakh, while in aided schools it decreased by 77,000 and by 1.7 lakh children in unaided, private schools.
• The admission process of schoolchildren from classes 1 to 10 in government, aided and unaided schools across the State for the year 2025-26 was completed on July 31, 2025 and 99,47,261 students enrolled this year. In 2024-25, 1,04,69,944 (1.04 crore) children were enrolled in schools. In 2023-24, 1,05,94,694 (1.05 crore) children had enrolled in schools in the State.
• In 2025-26, 38,20,393 children enrolled in government schools, 11,09,583 in aided schools, 46,66,722 in private unaided schools and 3,50,563 in other schools (run by the social welfare and minorities departments). However, in 2024-25, around 40.74 lakh children were enrolled in government schools, 11.86 lakh in aided and 48.36 lakh in private unaided schools.
• According to data, from 2023-24 to 2025-26, enrolment decreased by about 7.26 lakh in government schools.

Private schools

• The number of students in private schools during the same period decreased by only 31,000.
• Interestingly, although the number of children in private schools in the State increased by 1.39 lakh in 2024-25, compared to 2023-24, there has been a decline of 1.7 lakh children this year.
• Educationists are of the opinion that the decrease in the birth rate and others factors are the main reason for the decrease in the enrolment in schools.
• “The birth rate has decreased due to various factors. At the same time, the decline in enrolment in government schools is a matter of concern. If government schools are to survive, the government should take steps to increase enrolment,” said development educationist V.P. Niranjanaradhya. He stressed on developing basic infrastructure, filling teacher vacancies and providing quality education.

Errors in SATS?

• The Associated Managements of Primary and Secondary Schools in Karnataka (KAMS), an organisation of private school managements, alleged that the number of student enrolment has fallen due to “technical errors” in the Student Achievement Tracking System (SATS)
• K.V. Trilok Chandra, Commissioner of Public Instruction, said, “The decline in enrolment of children in schools is a serious issue. Therefore, emphasis has been placed on the development of basic infrastructure and quality education to attract children to government schools. In this regard, the government has taken steps to increase the number of KPS school and taken other initiatives.”

• ‘Deepika Student Scholarship’ to give ₹30K per year to 37,000 students

Context: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah launched the ‘Deepika Student Scholarship’ programme of the Department of Higher Education, in collaboration with the Azim Premji Foundation, to support higher education of girl students.

• The scholarship provides ₹30,000 per year to girl students who have completed SSLC and Pre-University Course (PUC) in government schools and colleges and have enrolled in any general degree, professional degree, or diploma course.
• It will benefit over 37,000 students starting 2025-26. If more than 37,000 eligible students enroll, the government will provide scholarships to all qualified applicants.
• Chief Minster said, “Azim Premji, a renowned IT guru of our State, has undertaken many public works through the Foundation. He is providing aid for distribution of eggs and banana for government and aided schools children.”

Premji’s dream

• Azim Premji, founder of Azim Premji Foundation, said, “About 25 years ago, when I started the Foundation, my dream was for every child in India to get a good school education. In this period, I have seen more and more children go to school. When I meet school students, they tell me now that they want to go to college. This makes me happy. So I decided to start a scholarship programme for girls who want to go to college.”
• Higher Education Minister M.C. Sudhakar said, “It is highly commendable that Azim Premji, one of India’s most successful entrepreneurs, is using 50% of his earnings for social and educational work through his foundation. The students can apply for this scholarship online. The last date for registration is September 30, 2025.”

• As India and Canada reset ties, NSAs hold talks on security cooperation

Context: Indian and Canadian National Security Advisers (NSAs) and security teams held talks on enhancing bilateral cooperation in Delhi, two years after bilateral ties were ripped apart by Ottawa’s allegation that Indian government officials were linked to the killing of Khalistani activist Harjeet Singh Nijjar.

• “This is part of the regular bilateral security consultations that happen between the two countries,” said Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal.
• “It was also an opportunity and occasion for them to follow up on the discussions that happened between Prime Minister [Narendra Modi] and [Canadian] Prime Minister [Mark] Carney in Kananaskis on the sidelines of G-7 in Alberta [in June this year],” he added.
• The day-long talks between NSA Ajit Doval and Nathalie Drouin, the Canadian National Security and Intelligence Adviser, did not focus on the Nijjar case, which is now in trial court. Instead, they discussed moving ahead on sharing information and counter-terror cooperation, as well as India’s requests for the extradition of a number of Khalistani activists wanted in cases registered in India.

• The Canadian delegation included Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs David Morrison, Royal Canadian Mounted Police Commissioner Mike Duheme, and senior diplomats from Global Affairs Canada.
• Significantly, many officials on both sides of the table had been part of the stormy meetings held in 2023, when Canada had claimed it had “credible evidence” that Indian government agents were connected to the assassination of Nijjar who was shot dead outside a Toronto-area gurudwara in June 2023.
• In particular, a meeting in Singapore between Mr. Doval and his previous counterpart had ended with both sides trading charges, and subsequently expelling each other’s diplomats for espionage.
• The repairing of ties began only earlier this year, after Mr. Carney invited Mr. Modi to the G-7 summit, and both sides decided to restore their High Commissioners and restart the trade talks suspended by Canada two years ago.

Khalistani threats

• The talks in Delhi came a day after a Khalistani group laid “siege” to the Indian Consulate in Vancouver, to protest what it called “espionage and surveillance by Indian diplomats” and also targeted the newly arrived Indian High Commissioner to Canada, Dinesh Patnaik, on posters. Mr. Patnaik and Canada’s High Commissioner to India Christopher Cooter took charge of their missions last week, and are expected to present their credentials in Ottawa and Delhi later this month.
• Asked whether India had taken up the latest threats with the visiting Canadian delegation, Mr. Jaiswal said that the security of diplomatic missions is the responsibility of the host government.
• “As and when there is a concern, we do take it up with our [counterparts] in Canada to ensure that there is adequate security of our diplomatic premises,” Mr. Jaiswal said.
• Mr. Morrison also held talks with MEA Secretary (East) P. Kumaran on resuming all dialogue mechanisms suspended since 2023, including on trade, defence and other issues and address the problems for visas due to the downsizing of diplomatic staff strength.

• 474 registered unrecognised parties takenout of EC’s list

Context: A total of 474 more Registered Unrecognised Political Parties (RUPP) have been de-listed for flouting norms, including not contesting elections in the last six years, as part of a comprehensive and continuous strategy to clean up the electoral system, the Election Commission (EC).

• The EC had, in the first phase, de-listed 334 RUPPs on August 9.
• “In continuation, in the second phase, ECI de-listed 474 RUPPs on September 18, based on non-contestation in elections conducted by ECI continuously for 6 years. Thus, 808 RUPPs have been delisted in the last 2 months,” the poll body said in a statement.

• After the de-listing process, at present, 2,046 RUPPs remain. Political parties in the country are registered with the EC under the provisions of Section 29A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.

• UAPA tribunals uphold ban on J&K Ittihadul Muslimeen, Awami Action Committee

Context: Two tribunals constituted under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) have upheld the Union Home Ministry’s ban of the Awami Action Committee (AAC), headed by Kashmir’s influential cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, and Jammu and Kashmir Ittihadul Muslimeen (JKIM), led by Shia leader Masroor Abbas Ansari.

• The tribunals, both headed by Justice Sachin Datta, observed that through the material and evidence placed before them, they found that there was ample justification to declare the two groups unlawful associations under UAPA, 1967.
• “Thus, this Tribunal, having followed the procedure laid down in the UAPA and its Rules and having independently and objectively appreciated and evaluated the material and evidence on record, is of the firm and considered view that there is sufficient cause for declaring the organisation as an unlawful association under Section 3(1) of the UAPA,” the identical order issued by the tribunals read.
• On March 11, while declaring the two groups banned, the Home Ministry said the AAC and the JKIM were indulging in unlawful activities that were threatening the integrity, sovereignty and security of the country. It said the two groups have been involved in mobilising funds for perpetrating unlawful activities, including supporting secessionist, separatist and terrorist activities in J&K.
• These groups show sheer disrespect towards the constitutional authority and constitutional setup of the country through their activities. The outfits were involved in promoting and aiding the secession of J&K from India by involving in anti-national and subversive activities and sowing seeds of disaffection among people, the Ministry said.
• The AAC and the JKIM were exhorting people to destabilise law and order, encouraging the use of arms to separate J&K from India and promoting hatred against the established government, it said.
• The tribunal referred to a chargesheet by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in a case pertaining to terrorist and secessionist activities that have plagued J&K since the late 1980s and the early 1990s.

• Farm machinery firms urged to reduce prices after GST cut

Context: The Union government has asked agricultural machinery manufacturers to reduce their product prices in line with the revised Goods and Services Tax (GST) rates, so that the benefit directly reaches farmers “with full transparency.”

• Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, after a meeting with farm machinery manufacturers here, said the reduction in GST rates was a significant step that would have a widespread impact.

• Representatives from the Tractor and Mechanisation Association, Agricultural Machinery Manufacturers Association, All India Combine Manufacturers Association, and Power Tiller Association of India, among others, participated in the meeting.
• Mr. Chouhan said the GST on agricultural machinery, earlier at 12% and 18%, has been reduced to 5%. As a result, tractors will now be cheaper by ₹41,000 to ₹63,000, a four-row paddy transplanter by ₹15,400, and a four-tonne-per-hour multi-crop thresher by ₹14,000.
• He said the measure would promote mechanisation of agriculture. “Suggestions from manufacturer associations will be considered while framing future plans,” he added.

Welcomes move

• According to a government release, the machinery associations welcomed the decision, assured faithful implementation of the Minister’s directions, and reiterated their commitment to farmers’ welfare.

• ‘SEBI, RBI in talks to boost trading in corporate bond index derivatives’

Context: The Securities and Exchange Board of India and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) are in advanced talks to encourage trading in corporate bond index derivatives to deepen the debt market, a top SEBI official.

• “Corporate bond index derivatives trading is another frontier. Good discussions are ongoing between SEBI and the RBI, and we are hopeful that we will see progress soon.”
• Secondary bond trading volumes, at about ₹1.4-lakh crore a month, lag equity markets that trade similar volumes in a single day.
• This is even as bond issuances have picked up pace, with nearly ₹10-lakh crore raised in FY25 and ₹3.5-lakh crore already issued till July this fiscal.
• SEBI had first cleared the way for futures in corporate bond indices in January 2023, by allowing stock exchanges to introduce Cash-Settled Corporate Bond Index Futures (CBIF) contracts on indices of corporate debt securities rated AA+ and above.
• The idea is to renew the push by collaborating with the RBI, as the earlier attempt failed to gain traction. “If we can make bond trading more comparable to equity trading — in settlement, platforms, even trading culture — we might well see this investment class take off,” he said.
• Outstanding corporate bonds have also grown steadily, rising from ₹17.5-lakh crore at the end of FY15 to ₹53.6-lakh crore as of March 2025. “But the market remains dominated by institutional investors — banks, insurers, provident funds, mutual funds. Retail and foreign investors remain on the fringes,” he said. The municipal bond market remains nascent. Since 2017, only 16 issuances worth ₹3,134 crore have been made — equivalent to just 0.02% of GDP.

• Kerala eyes seafood sector partnerships with EU

Context: A two-day blue economy conclave held at scenic Kovalam here where Kerala and the European Union (EU) discussed future partnerships in the marine products sector has grabbed attention just when the prohibitory U.S. import tariffs have been posing stiff challenges to the Indian seafood sector.

• Inaugurating the conclave, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said his State was “embracing the vision of blue economy” and the EU collaboration would help expand opportunities for its fisheries sector.
• ‘Blues Tides – Kerala-European Union Blue Economy Conclave,’ organised by the State Fisheries Department, was attended by the Ambassadors to India of several EU member nations.

‘Exciting area’

• The Kerala-EU partnership, the CM said, would have a strong foundation built on mutual respect and shared values. The seafood sector was one of the most exciting areas where Kerala can collaborate with EU, given the latter’s ‘global leadership’ in marine technologies, ocean governance and sustainability frameworks.
• The Ambassador of European Union to India, Herve Delphin said the EU had suggested to the CM a ‘joint platform and nodal point’ be created for making the collaboration between the regions smooth.
• A survey by a Kerala government-backed think tank showed the three-year average value of marine product exports from Kerala to the U.S. had risen from ₹513 crore during the three fiscals from 2014-15 to 2016-17 to ₹1,093 crore during 2022-23 to 2024-25.

• EU proposes new Russia sanctions, Indian entities likely to be part of list

Context: The European Commission announced that it was proposing a sanctions package, the 19th since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, to member states for approval. The bloc’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, suggested that Indian entities would be impacted. The move comes two days after the EU announced that it was upgrading its relationship with India as a strategic priority.

• “These new sanctions will also squeeze Russia’s access to technologies, including AI and geospatial data, as well as critical resources that feed weapons production.
• This includes those received from foreign suppliers, including China and India,” Kaja Kallas, the EU’s top diplomat said on Friday in a televised statement. Indian entities have been subject to Russia-related EU sanctions in previous rounds.
• U.S. President Donald Trump has increased pressure on Europe to stop energy trade with Russia. Last week, Trump administration officials had attempted to persuade the EU to apply tariffs on India and China for their trade with Russia. The EU however has focused on the more traditional sanctions approach and thus far not announced Russia-related tariffs on India or China.
• The Commission , proposed a total ban on imports of Russian LNG by January 2027, according to EU president Ursula Von der Leyen.

• Last Saturday, Mr Trump had said the U.S. would also increase sanctions on Russia if the EU imposes tariffs on China and NATO countries stop buying Russian oil. While EU countries have significantly scaled back their imports of Russian oil in recent years they still import other commodities (for instance iron and steel, fertilizer, nickel) from Russia.
• The new package will also sanction another 118 vessels part of Russia’s “shadow fleet”, i.e., thought to carry out trade, breaking existing sanctions of the EU. It will also include transactions bans on banks in Russia and third parties and sanctions on certain crypto platforms.
• “…When speaking directly with partners that speak to Russians, they say that among the first Russian request is sanction relief. So we know that our sanctions are an effective tool of economic pressure and we will keep using them till Russia comes to the negotiation table with Ukraine for just and lasting peace,” Ms. Von der Leyen said.

• Sports: Jefferson-Wooden completes sprint double; Lyles’ 200m reign continues
• The latter emulates Bolt with fourth straight gold in the event; Pichardo reclaims triple jump crown in dramatic fashion; Benjamin and Bol delight.
• Noah Lyles scorched to a fourth successive World championships 200m gold as he delivered his trademark drive to the line to triumph in 19.52 seconds, pipping compatriot and perennial bridesmaid Kenny Bednarek, who timed 19.58.
• The American held four fingers in the air after crossing the line as he matched Usain Bolt, who won four-in-a-row from 2009-15.
• As Lyles, sporting a new crazy bleached hair look, celebrated, Bednarek looked distraught as he now has two World and two Olympic silvers in the event.
• Bryan Levell took bronze in a personal best 19.64, edging Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo, to win Jamaica’s first medal in the event since Bolt did the sprint double in 2015.
• Later, Lyles’ compatriot Melissa Jefferson-Wooden became the first woman since Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce in 2013 to complete the sprint double at the Worlds with victory in 21.68 seconds.
• The 24-year-old American ran the fastest time of the year to cap a brilliant season with another gold to add to the one she won in the 100m. Britain’s Amy Hunt was a distant second to take silver in 22.14, while bronze went to double defending champion Shericka Jackson of Jamaica in 22.18.
• The 2022 champion Pedro Pichardo reclaimed the men’s triple jump after an extraordinary finale as Italy’s Andrea Dallavalle thought he had snatched it with a huge final jump of 17.64m, only for the Tokyo Olympics winner to respond with a massive 17.91 metres. Cuba’s Lazaro Martinez, silver medallist in 2023, finished third with 17.49.
• Femke Bol, who had won eight races in a row, put the seal on a fantastic season by retaining the 400m hurdles crown in emphatic style as the Dutchwoman stormed home in 51.54 seconds. Jasmine Jones of the U.S. took silver in 52.08, while Slovakian Emma Zapletalova got bronze in 53.00.
• Olympic champion Rai Benjamin stormed to victory in the men’s event in 46.52 to finally clinch his first World title after two silvers and a bronze.
• The 28-year-old American had a few nervous moments after initially being disqualified for crashing into the final hurdle and affecting other athletes as he raced for the line. Benjamin’s appeal was upheld, however, and he was restored to the top of the time-sheet. Brazil’s 2022 champion Alison Dos Santos finished second in 46.84 ahead of Qatar’s Abderrahman Samba (47.06s). Norway’s world record holder Karsten Warholm, gunning for a fourth title, finished fifth.

Current Affairs: 19th Sept 2025

Attack on one of us is an attack on both, says Saudi-Pak. pact

Context: Saudi Arabia and nuclear-armed Pakistan have signed a mutual defence pact that defines any attack on either nation as an attack on both — a key accord in the wake of Israel’s strike on Qatar last week.

• The kingdom has long had close economic, religious and security ties to Pakistan, including reportedly providing funding for Islamabad’s nuclear weapons programme as it developed.

Signal to Israel

• But the timing of the pact appeared to be a signal to Israel, West Asia’s only nuclear-armed state, which has conducted a sprawling military offensive since Palestinian nationalist Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel stretching across Iran, Lebanon, the Palestinian territories, Qatar, Syria and Yemen.
• The pact marks the first major defence decision by a Gulf Arab country since the Qatar attack.
• Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman signed the pact with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
• While not specifically discussing the bomb, the agreement states “any aggression against either country shall be considered an aggression against both”, according to statements issued by both Pakistan’s Foreign Affairs Ministry and the state-run Saudi Press Agency. “This agreement… aims to develop aspects of defence cooperation between the two countries and strengthen joint deterrence against any aggression,” the statement said.
• A senior Saudi official, speaking on condition of anonymity, seemed to suggest that Pakistan’s nuclear protection was a part of the deal.

Will study pact to protect India’s interests: MEA

Context: Hours after Pakistan signed a defence agreement with Saudi Arabia, India said it was aware that the pact had been under consideration. The External Affairs Ministry said India would study its implications for “our national security” and “regional stability”.

• Hours after Pakistan signed a mutual defence agreement with Saudi Arabia, India has said that it was aware of the development and reiterated its commitment to “comprehensive national security”.
• The Indian response came after Saudi Arabia and Pakistan issued a joint statement during the visit of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to Riyadh that said, “Any aggression against either country shall be considered an aggression against both.”
• “The government was aware that this development, which formalizes a long-standing arrangement between the two countries, had been under consideration. We will study the implications of this development for our national security as well as for regional and global stability. The government remains committed to protecting India’s national interests and ensuring comprehensive national security in all domains,” said the Ministry of External Affairs in response to the Saudi-Pakistan mutual defence agreement.
• Following talks between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the two sides issued a joint statement on September 17 in which they highlighted bilateral relations over the past nearly eight decades and said, “This agreement which reflects the shared commitment of both nations to enhance their security and to achieving security and peace in the region and the world, aims to develop aspects of defense cooperation between the two countries and strengthen joint deterrence against any aggression.” The agreement states that any aggression against either country shall be considered an aggression against both.
• On September 15, Mr. Sharif had participated in the extraordinary Arab-Islamic summit held by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Doha, where Israel’s September 9 bombing of Qatar was condemned.
• Saudi Arabia has close ties with India and had sent Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubair to New Delhi, hours after India targeted locations inside Pakistan under Operation Sindoor on May 7. He also visited Pakistan after his unannounced visit to Delhi.

• Saudi Arabia, one of the top energy suppliers to India, is also a major employer of Indian blue and white collar expat workers in the Gulf and, in recent years, has gradually built military relations as well.

• However, in comparison, the Saudi relations with Pakistan have been marked prominently by the generous support that Riyadh extended to Pakistan, especially after the humiliating defeat in the 1971 India-Pakistan war. Saudi Arabia first came to Pakistan’s rescue with a $300 million assistance that King Faisal extended after meeting Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto’s Foreign Minister in Riyadh in 1974.
• Over the years, Pakistan has intensified defence cooperation with Saudi Arabia and in recognition of that, Saudi Arabia conferred the prestigious King Abdulaziz Medal of Excellent Class on then Pakistani Army Chief Qamar Javed Bajwa in 2022.

Award in B. Saroja Devi’s name

• The State government has instituted an award in the name of actor B. Saroja Devi.
• The award titled “Abhinaya Saraswati” will be given to women who have rendered a minimum of 25 years of service in the Kannada cine world. The award will carry a cash prize of ₹1 lakh and a silver plaque.

Approximation exercise to be taken up to identify beneficiaries of ABVV

Context: Karnataka’s Health Department will take up an approximation exercise to identify beneficiaries for the Ayushman Bharat Vay Vandana (ABVV) scheme, which promises free medical treatment to all senior citizens aged 70 and above, regardless of their economic status. A government notification on the rollout of the scheme in the State was issued on September 17.

• The implementation of ABVV was put on hold in Karnataka due to a lack of clarity on fund-sharing between the Centre and the State.

• Under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY), the Centre has been providing support to 69 lakh families based on the 2011 Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC) data with a 60:40 sharing ratio between the Centre and State.

• With several States already rolling out the ABVV scheme, there has been a growing demand for its implementation in Karnataka as well. Now, following a workshop organised by the Centre last month, officials stated that the Health Department sought the State Cabinet’s approval to conduct an approximation exercise to identify senior citizens through proxy indicators.
• “While the Centre currently supports the SECC-linked 69 lakh families under existing health schemes, there are many eligible families that fall outside this database. Since it is impossible to identify them using outdated SECC identifiers, we are working on an approximation exercise to cover those left out,” Harsh Gupta, Principal Secretary (Health and Family Welfare).

Proxy indicators

• Pointing out that the Centre has also advised other States to use their own methods of identification, Mr. Gupta said: “In Karnataka, we are adopting proxy indicators such as families with children studying in government schools or anganwadis, recipients of widow or disability pensions, MNREGA wage earners, and people who have undergone procedures or availed themselves of treatment at government hospitals. These are practical indicators of identifying the poorest of the poor and most vulnerable in the absence of updated survey data.”
• “We estimate that about 17 lakh additional families [with over 24 lakh senior citizens] will be included through this approximation. Based on past experience, only 7% to 8% of these families will actually seek treatment in a given year,”.

Fund sharing

• On the fund sharing pattern, Mr. Gupta said: “The financial model is likely to follow a 60:40 cost-sharing ratio between the Centre and the State. Based on our calculations, we will submit the data to the Centre, seek their approval, and then begin implementation once the Cabinet gives its clearance. “Once we get clearance, the rollout can begin within weeks,”.
• In November last year, Mr. Gupta wrote to the Union Health Secretary, pointing out that the State is entitled to receive ₹36.58 crore from the Centre for the scheme, as per the existing 60:40 sharing ratio.
• He said the aim is to ensure that senior citizens are not denied healthcare because of financial barriers. “Our approximation method is a step towards covering those who were left out of the SECC framework,” he asserted.

E-cards

• To simplify access, the State will not mandate pre-registration or physical cards. Instead, an electronic health card (e-cards) will be generated instantly at the time of hospital admission, linked to the patient’s mobile number and accessible through WhatsApp. This avoids unnecessary inconvenience to citizens, he added.

‘I believe in true secularism, in all religions,’ CJI says putting the quietus on a controversy

Context: After 48 hours of incessant social media outrage over his oral remarks made in a hearing on a damaged Lord Vishnu idol, Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai broke his silence to clarify in open court that he believes in all religions, visits sites of worship of every faith, and firmly trusts in “true secularism”.

• “Someone told me the other day that the comments I made are being portrayed in social media. I believe in all religions. I respect all…” Chief Justice Gavai said to the assembled courtroom when the Bench re-assembled after the lunch break.
• Solicitor-General Tushar Mehta, who was present, said he had known the Chief Justice for over a decade and knew of his visits to “temples and religious places of all religions”.
• Chief Justice Gavai added to Mr. Mehta’s response by saying that he had visited dargahs and gurdwaras too. “I believe in true secularism, in all religions,” the CJI reiterated.
• On September 16, the court was hearing a petition seeking directions to reconstruct/replace or rejuvenate the seven-foot Lord Vishnu idol at the Javari temple, which forms a part of the Khajuraho group of monuments, a UNESCO World Heritage site in Madhya Pradesh.
• Declining the plea, the CJI, speaking for the Bench with Justice Vinod Chandran, had orally remarked that this was purely public interest litigation.
• “Go and ask the deity himself to do something. If you are saying that you are a strong devotee of Lord Vishnu, then you pray and do some meditation,” the CJI was reported to have told the petitioner, Rakesh Dalal.
• The CJI explained that his remarks were intended to convey that the court could not possibly intervene as the area was a protected monument. He noted that the comments had been taken out of context. “We said it is within the monuments controlled by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), and how can we pass orders,” he explained.
• The Chief Justice said the petition had come up when the waqf case was still fresh in his mind. He referred to an ASI report which had led to the insertion of a provision in the Waqf (Amendment) Act of 2025.

Army scales up induction of drones, aims to make every soldier a drone operator

Context: The Army is rapidly scaling up the induction of drones and counter-drone systems, with multiple units already operational and drone centres established at premier training institutions.

• The Chief of the Army Staff, General Upendra Dwivedi, visited one such facility at Likabali in Arunachal Pradesh, underscoring the Army’s focus on operationalising drone capabilities.
• The initiative aims to make drone operations a standard soldier capability across all arms of the Army. Training institutions include the Indian Military Academy (Dehradun), Infantry School (Mhow), and the Officers Training Academy (Chennai).
• According to officials associated with the training, the concept is captured in the idea of “Eagle in the Arm” — that every soldier should be able to operate a drone just as he carries his weapon. Depending on mission needs, drones will be deployed for combat, surveillance, logistics, and even medical evacuation, while counter-drone systems are being inducted in parallel to create layered protection.
• The Army chief had earlier, during the 26th Kargil Vijay Diwas at Dras (July 26), announced that every infantry battalion will have a drone platoon, artillery regiments will be equipped with counter-drone systems and loiter munitions, and composite Divyastra batteries will be raised to boost precision and survivability. “Our firepower will now increase manifold in the coming days,” Gen. Dwivedi had said.
• This dual thrust — arming soldiers with drones while strengthening counter-drone defences — reflects the Army’s recognition that unmanned systems are no longer niche but essential elements of modern warfare.

U.S. to revoke waiver on Chabahar port sanctions

Context: Decision will hamper India’s plans for regional connectivity, investment of over ₹200 crore in the project in Iran; move comes just days after U.S., India had signalled rapprochement on trade issues

• In yet another harsh measure by the Donald Trump administration, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Thursday that the country was revoking its waiver of sanctions over the Iranian port of Chabahar within 10 days, ending a special waiver given to India in 2018.
• The decision, among a number of other moves by the U.S. to impose “maximum pressure on Iran”, including designating several entities involved in Iran’s oil trade, will affect India’s plans to develop the Shahid Beheshti terminal at the Chabahar port as an alternative trading route for India, circumventing Pakistan, to send cargo to Afghanistan and Central Asia.
• The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) did not respond to requests for a comment on the development, which could severely hamper India’s plans for regional connectivity.
• President Trump had first announced that he planned to end the waiver given to India in his previous term, on February 5 this year, as he signed an executive order mandating Mr. Rubio to “rescind or modify” all such orders that provided any relief to Iran.
• “Consistent with President Trump’s maximum pressure policy to isolate the Iranian regime, the Secretary of State has revoked the sanctions exception issued in 2018 under the Iran Freedom and Counter-Proliferation Act (IFCA) for Afghanistan reconstruction assistance and economic development, effective September 29, 2025,” the State department said in a statement.
• “Once the revocation is effective, persons who operate the Chabahar port or engage in other activities described in the IFCA may expose themselves to sanctions under the IFCA,” it added.
• Earlier this month, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval had discussed intensifying India’s engagement with Iran on Chabahar during a conversation with Iranian SNSC Secretary Ali Larijani over telephone. According to an Iranian official release issued in Tehran, Mr. Doval discussed “expanding cooperation in economic ties, security and defence relations, and advancing the Chabahar port project,” adding that the two sides would meet in Delhi soon.

• According to a note issued by the Shipping Ministry in 2024, India has spent about ₹200 crore of a total allocation of ₹400 crore on the Chabahar project since 2016.
• “The port recorded a 43% rise in vessel traffic and a 34% increase in container traffic in 2023-24” the note said.

• The imposition of sanctions on Chabahar is the fourth such round of sanctions the Trump administration has passed that directly affects India, and comes just days after the two sides had signalled a rapprochement on trade issues.
• In 2017-18, India had conceded to the U.S.’s demand to end all oil imports from Iran and then from Venezuela. India has not so far agreed to cutting down its imports of oil from Russia this year, despite the U.S.’s demand and imposition of a penalty tariff of 25% on all Indian goods in addition to a 25% “reciprocal tariff” already in place.
• The sanctions will cost India in terms of its investment in the Iranian port, for which the Modi government signed a 10-year lease agreement in May 2024.

‘Weak finances deter municipal bond issue’

Context: The weak balance sheets of municipal bodies are a challenge in the development of municipal bond market in India, said Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) Chairperson Tuhin Kanta Pandey.

• “Municipal bonds have been a cornerstone of city-level development, enabling urban local bodies to raise long-term funds for essential projects such as water supply, sanitation, transport, and waste management… challenge lies in project readiness and credibility. Many municipal bodies struggle with weak balance sheets or delayed clearances,” he said at an event here.
• “While the municipal bond market in India is still at a nascent stage, its potential is immense.”
• He called for measures to develop the capital market and make it attractive for institutional and retail investors to invest in municipal and green bonds.

Asset monetisation

• He also emphasised on the need to expand asset monetisation.
• “There is a need to accelerate asset monetisation in various sectors such as roads, railways, ports, airports, energy, petroleum and gas and logistics. State Governments, barring a few, are yet to crystallise asset monetisation plans to provide further boost to infrastructure creation.”
• He highlighted the development of the Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) and Infrastructure Investment Trusts (InvITs) into a new asset class.

Switching LPG connections mobile telephony way, PNGRB seeks views

Context: The Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) has invited stakeholder and consumer comments on an LPG interoperability framework that would allow households to draw refills from distributors of other PSU oil companies, similar to mobile number portability.

• The move follows more than 17 lakh consumer complaints annually, mainly about refill delays.
• PNGRB noted while oil marketing companies address grievances, consumers cannot migrate to another distributor.
• “While interoperability has been adopted in telephony with much success, the same has not happened in LPG,” the regulator said. Citing reports that highlighted supply disruptions and prolonged delay in refill deliveries, the regulator said safeguarding consumers from service failures and ensuring uninterrupted access to this essential fuel is necessary.
• There may be other reasons too — consumer’s freedom of choice on the LPG company/dealer being one, especially when the cylinder price is same. PNGRB said it was seeking steps to facilitate timely access to refills — by enabling consumers to be served from the nearest available distributor via improved coordination and flexible delivery arrangements within existing network.
• While porting was discussed in the past, the move was given up. Switching distributor or company involves surrendering the equipment and some cost to the consumers.
• When it is done during times of disruption and as a temporary measure there will be practical issues, especially on how refills and pressure regulator, which differ from one company to another, are deposited with the concerned company, sources in the industry said.

Current Affairs: 18th Sept 2025

ECI to roll out SIR in State after September 25

Context: Amid the row over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, the Election Commission of India (ECI) is gearing up to launch an SIR of voter lists in Karnataka, anytime after September 25.

• Commission expects the voting percentage in urban centres such as Bengaluru to go up in future polls after the completion of the exercise; SIR was last conducted in State in 2002; notification for 2025 SIR is expected shortly; number of voters is expected to increase from 3.5 crore to 5.5 crore.

• In Karnataka, the SIR was last conducted in 2002, and the notification for the 2025 SIR is expected shortly.
• After conducting the SIR exercise to remove dead, migrated, and duplicate voters from the electoral roll, the voting percentage in urban centres like Bengaluru, which is significantly lower compared to the State average, is expected to increase in future elections. While there were approximately 3.5 crore voters in 2002, the ECI estimated the number to increase to around 5.5 crore in 2025.

• During the SIR exercise, the updating of electoral rolls, including additions, transfers, and deletions to the electoral rolls through Forms 6, 7, and 8, will be frozen.
• The BLOs to be roped in include school teachers, Anganwadi workers, and State and Central government officials.

SEC voter list

• While the Karnataka government has allowed the State Election Commission (SEC) to draw up a voter list of its own for the local bodies election, the Election Commission sources said that the matter did not concern them.
• “The SEC is also a constitutional body and if they decided to have one, they can have one. Kerala has a voter list of its own. Till now, the SEC in Karnataka has been taking our rolls: ECI.

Panchamasalis to go with ‘Hindu’ for religion

Context: The Lingayat Panchamasali community, which has now three religious Peethas in Karnataka, has decided to go with “Lingayat Panchamasali” nomenclature during the socio-educational survey (caste census) in the State.

• The demographically-strong Lingayat Panchamasali community, which has now three religious Peethas in Karnataka, has decided to go with “Lingayat Panchamasali” nomenclature during the forthcoming socio, economic and educational survey (caste census) in the State. And despite differences on the issue of how to name the religion, the community has decided to stick with “Hindu” in the religion column “for the time being.”

Amid U.S. tariffs row, PM pushes local production

Context: Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged citizens to buy only made-in-India products and traders to sell only indigenously manufactured goods as he laid the foundation stone for the country’s first PM Mega Integrated Textile Region and Apparel (PM MITRA) park in Madhya Pradesh’s Dhar district.

• His remarks came a day after the latest round of talks on an India-U.S. trade agreement, amid tensions over U.S. tariffs on Indian products.
• “Whatever our businesspersons sell must be made in our country. Now we must make Swadeshi the foundation of a developed India.

Those in age group of 70 and above to get AB-ArK benefits

Context: The Karnataka government has provided the necessary clearances for extending the benefits of Ayushman Bharat Arogya Karnataka (AB-ArK) health insurance scheme to senior citizens aged 70 and above. A notification regarding this was issued.

• The notification states that the benefits of this scheme will be provided to all individuals aged 70 years and above, without considering any income ceilings.
• However, these beneficiaries cannot enrol under other free medical schemes of the government, barring ESIS.
• While those in this age group can enrol themselves by submitting an application to the authorities, the process of receiving applications will continue throughout the year, states the notification.
• There is a separate module for registering beneficiaries in this age group in the mobile phone application (Ayushman application) and the web portal (beneficiary.nha.gov.in).
• Upon registration, they would also be given a unique Ayushman card, the notification states.

EU-India partnership set for upgrade

Context: EU’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas releases strategic agenda on trade, technology, security, defence and climate; however, India’s military exercises with Russia and its continued purchase of Russian oil are seen in Brussels as potential obstacles to the deepening of the relationship with New Delhi.

• The European Union has set out a plan to upgrade its strategic ties with India, even as it warned that India’s military exercises with Russia and its purchase of Russian oil are risks to the growing strategic ties between Brussels and New Delhi.
• The European Commission and the EU’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas released ‘A New Strategic EU-India Agenda’ in Brussels, and urged the European Parliament and Council (i.e., the heads of member states) to adopt it.
• Ms. Kallas called India a “crucial” partner for the EU, as she outlined the strategy that encompassed trade, technology, security, defence and climate. She was speaking at a televised press conference in Brussels.
• The document declared that “the EU and India have the potential and determination to shape one of the defining partnerships of the 21st century”.
• Brussels and New Delhi are in the midst of negotiating a free trade agreement (FTA), with the EU’s trade chief Maroš Šefčovič visiting New Delhi last week for talks with Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal.
• “We are also negotiating an agreement of exchange of classified information and deepening ties between defence industry [sic],” Ms. Kallas said, adding that there were hesitations here among the College of Commissioners (comprised of Commissioners from the 27 EU countries).
• With Russia escalating its attacks on Ukraine in recent weeks, the Europeans are grappling with how to navigate New Delhi’s closeness to Moscow.
• “India’s participation in Russia’s military exercises and its purchase of Russian oil stand in the way of closer ties, because ultimately, our partnership is not only about trade, but also about defending rules-based international order,” Ms. Kallas said.
• “It is of utmost importance to the EU that any enablement of the war be curtailed,” the strategy document says.
• The negotiations with New Delhi would address these challenges with the aim of adopting a joint roadmap at the next EU-India summit in early 2026, according to Ms. Kallas.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was “delighted” by the adoption of the new strategic document. “We remain committed to an early and peaceful resolution of the Ukraine conflict,” he said, reflecting on his phone call with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
• India and the EU have been seeking to bolster ties in the face of increasing geopolitical uncertainty and challenges in their trade relationships with the U.S.
• Trade between India and the EU has grown over 90% in the last decade, Mr. Šefčovič said , but the two sides had just “scratched the surface”, according to the Commissioner. Brussels and New Delhi are hoping to conclude a trade deal by the end of the year.
• Mr. Šefčovič said he was in frequent touch with Mr. Goyal but wished that there had been “more progress” on talks during his visit to New Delhi last week. He also said that Indian trade negotiators have a reputation for being “tough”.

Tariff barriers

• On the question of agricultural tariffs, Mr. Šefčovič said that the issue was not about numbers but rather about whether what was being offered was commercially meaningful, after taking into account tariff and non-tariff barriers. He cited India’s Qualitative Control Orders (QCOs) as an example and said they were something the EU should consider in its negotiations.
• The 14th round of trade talks is due to take place in Brussels from October 6-10.
• Quizzed specifically on India’s participation in the recent Zapad-2025 military exercises led by Russia, Ms. Kallas said she had spoken to External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar. She reiterated that exercises with Russia and buying oil were issues to the relationship.
• “The question is always whether we leave this void to be filled by somebody else. So we try to fill it ourselves,” she said in response to the question on cooperation with India. She responded similarly, when quizzed on India’s apparent détente with China.
• The College of Commissioners had agreed that the EU should deepen ties with India to “not really push them into Russia’s corner”.
• Ms. Kallas cited the principle of ‘nothing is agreed until everything is agreed’ several times, including when asked about how the trade talks would be impacted if India did not take on board the EU’s concerns regarding Russia.

EVMs to have colour photos of candidates soon, says EC

Context: Beginning with the Bihar Assembly election, ballot papers on the electronic voting machines will display colour photographs of the candidates, the Election Commission.

• The revised guidelines for EVM ballot papers issued by the EC mandated that the serial numbers of candidates be displayed more prominently.
• The guidelines have been revised under Rule 49B of the Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961 — pertaining to the design and printing of EVM ballot papers — to enhance their clarity and readability.
• The new guidelines say, “Henceforth, photographs of candidates will be printed in colour on the EVM Ballot Paper. The candidate’s face will occupy three-fourths of the photo space for better visibility.”
• “The upgraded EVM Ballot Papers will be used in the upcoming elections, starting with Bihar,” the EC added in a statement.
• In a note issued to the Chief Electoral Officers of all States and Union Territories, the EC said the photographs of the candidates shall be printed in colour, unless the candidate has provided only black and white photographs. The photograph printed on the ballot paper will measure 2 cm in breadth and 2.5 cm in height.
• The serial numbers of candidates/NOTA will be printed in the international form of Indian numerals. The font will be in bold, and its size will be 30.
• For Assembly elections, pink-coloured paper of specified RGB values shall be used.
• The note said the names of not more than 15 candidates shall be arranged on one sheet of a ballot paper and NOTA option will be placed after the last name of the panel. If the number of contesting candidates together with the NOTA option is fewer than 16, the space below the panel after this shall be kept blank, the EC.

Government press

• Printing of EVM ballot paper shall be done preferably at a government or semi-government printing press.
• However, in case a government/semi-government press is not available or does not have the required capacity, private printing press(es) with required capacity can be selected after following due procedure and adequate provision and safety of the process shall be ensured as per the existing instructions, the note said.

Despite issues, onlineRTI queries may cross one million in 2025

Context: The Union government may have made it cumbersome to file Right to Information (RTI) applications online, but that has not deterred transparency activists and the general public from seeking information.

• Every month, thousands of RTI applications, sometimes more than one lakh, are being filed with the Union government and other public authorities, show data provided by the Department of Personnel and Training, which runs the RTI online portal.
• This has come even as the website deals with increased failure rates, besides adding a ‘speed-breaker’ in the form of a one-time passcode before an application is filed.
• The number of applications filed are growing each year, with 7,09,323 requests in 2022, 8,44,262 in 2023, and 9,64,813 applications in 2024, representing a 14-19% yearly growth. Already, 7,66,167 requests have been filed so far in 2025, and the numbers could exceed one million this year. These numbers do not represent all RTI applications sent to the Central government, as many are filed physically. Besides, the State governments and the Election Commission maintain separate portals.
• The RTI portal was launched in 2013, and in recent years users have complained of lengthy downtimes and payment failures. Users have also reported long wait times for receiving OTPs.

CAG to launch AI system for auditing and efficiency

Context: The Comptroller and Auditor-General (CAG) is developing a large language model (LLM) to help auditors access decades of institutional knowledge, thereby improving efficiency and consistency in audit analysis using the system powered by artificial Intelligence.

• The system’s first version is expected to be ready by November.
• Previous inspection reports will be used to train the model. The LLM will strengthen institutional capabilities in analysing large datasets, generating documents, including inspection reports,and assisting auditors in preparing comprehensive reports.
• Digitisation process at the Centre and States will soon facilitate remote or hybrid audits of most government agencies and departments.
• The CAG has also developed the ‘Connect Portal’. The site will provide 10 lakh audit entities with a unified digital interface to directly respond to audit queries, observations, and inspection reports, making the entire process transparent.
• It will be launched during the annual conference of State Finance Secretaries.

COP30 talks loom as major emitters dither on updating climate goals

Context: Ahead of the 30th edition of the climate talks scheduled in Belem, Brazil, in November, major emitters appear to be dithering on declaring updated climate goals.

• Only 29 out of 195 countries have so far submitted their updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC). These are voluntary targets, updated every five years by countries to regulate fossil fuel emissions. So far, all countries that are signatory to the United Nations climate convention have submitted NDCs detailing emission targets upto 2030.
• The European Union, a bloc of 27 member nations, and historically the group that has been a leader in advocating that countries undertake ambitious cuts to fossil fuel production, is yet to evolve a consensus among its member countries on what their NDCs should be.
• EU members are set to vote this week on two climate agreements. One of them is an internal, legally binding commitment to reduce emissions by 90% by 2040, and be on the path to carbon neutrality by 2050. The other is to agree on a 2035 target, to time with the NDC requirements of COP30 (30th Conference of Parties).
• EU’s climate negotiations: That there was “disagreement” among its member countries that were yet to be ironed out, with some major EU member countries, including France and Germany, preferring that a vote on the matter be postponed.
• They indicated, however, that the EU would announce its updated NDC before COP30 commences on November 10.
• Andre Lago, COP President and veteran Brazilian diplomat, said that this would be an “implementation” COP rather than stressing on a headline-grabbing cover text to signal forward movement on ambition. New coalitions on a leadership role appear to be forming.

• The 2015 Paris Agreement, which 195 countries have ratified, requires countries to submit updated NDCs every five years to show the steps undertaken by them to keep average temperatures from rising, “as far as possible”, above 1.5 degree Celsius by the end of the century, and certainly below 2 degree Celsius.

Top court seeks CBI probe into tiger poaching ring

Context: The Supreme Court asked the Union government, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), and State of Maharashtra to explain the presence of a well-organised, transnational poaching syndicate threatening the survival of India’s tigers in their own heartlands of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.

• A Bench of Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai took serious note of a writ petition filed by petitioner-advocate Gaurav Kumar Bansal who highlighted the report of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the Maharashtra government which has unearthed the existence of a well-oiled network of tiger poachers and international traffickers in the big cat’s body parts and wildlife trophies in violation of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
• India is home to more than 70% of the world’s wild tiger population. Both Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh host some of the most critical tiger reserves and corridors. The court has also issued formal notice to the National Tiger Conservation Authority.
• The petition referred to media reports of poaching gangs in central India catering to clientele in Southeast Asian countries, including Myanmar, and providing illegal products such as ‘bone glue’ made by pressure-cooking tiger bones and prized in Southeast Asia as a traditional remedy. Mr. Bansal has sought a CBI investigation into the inter-State menace of poaching.
• “The case reveals a massive financial trail involving hawala operations and cross-border smuggling, thereby raising issues not only of environmental concern but also of national security and international obligations. By its very nature, the case goes beyond the jurisdiction of any single State or forest department and calls for the involvement of investigative agencies,” the petition submitted.
• The Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, a Central government agency, had issued a “red alert” in February to field directors of tiger reserves across the country, urging them to intensify patrolling to stop poaching of big cats.

‘First round of FTA talks with Russia bloc EAEU likely in Nov.’

Context: The first round of negotiations for a free trade agreement (FTA) between India and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), which includes Russia, is likely to take place in early November, according to the Russian embassy. However, this is yet to be confirmed by the Indian government.

• In addition, the next two months are going to see rounds of FTA talks between India and the EU, Chile, Peru, and a review of the FTA with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
• In a statement, the Embassy of Russia in India said Minister in charge of Trade of the Eurasian Economic Commission Andrey Slepnev met Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal on September 15.
• “The Ministers agreed on an approach under which the first round of negotiations is set to take place in early November this year in India and focus on discussing the core aspects of the future deal,” the statement said. “It will be preceded by intensive consultations between the Commission, Indian partners, and the EAEU Member States.” The Indian government, however, has not confirmed the date of the first round of negotiations.

India to start pilot projects in Venezuela

Context: India will start pilot projects in Venezuela in “priority areas” such as agriculture, pharmaceuticals and digital public infrastructure, officials here conveyed to Raul Hernandez, Vice-Minister for the Development of Information and Communication Technologies of Venezuela, who paid a four-day visit to India.

• “Both sides agreed to carry out pilot projects in the priority areas of Venezuela. Training and capacity building in the AI and related areas were also discussed, with Venezuela showing keenness to send its technical personnel for courses in India.
• Discussions were also held on other bilateral issues of mutual interests such as space, pharmaceuticals and tourism among others,” said an official source about Mr. Hernandez’s visit which coincided with rising tension between the U.S. and Venezuela after President Donald Trump accused Caracas of sending narcotics into the U.S.
• Mr. Hernandez met Secretary (East) P. Kumaran of the Ministry of External Affairs and also met heads of prominent institutions including National Institute of Smart Governance (NISG), UIDAI for AADHAR Digital identity system, NeGD for DigiLocker, AI BHASHINI.
• The discussions held here coincided with consultation that Indian Ambassador P.K. Ashok Babu held with Venezuela’s Minister of People’s Power for Agriculture and Lands, Julio Leon Heredia where India-Venezuela cooperation in agriculture and livestock sectors were discussed.
• According to the Ministry of External Affairs, in 2024-25, India-Venezuela bilateral trade was around $1.8 billion, with Indian exports at $216 million and imports at $1.6 billion.

Current Affairs: 17th Sept 2025

Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, says UN commission

Context: United Nations investigators concluded that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza in a bid to “destroy the Palestinians”, accusing Israel’s Prime Minister and other top officials of incitement.

• The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry, which does not speak on behalf of the world body, found that “genocide is occurring in Gaza”, commission chief Navi Pillay said. “The responsibility lies with the State of Israel.” The report, immediately slammed by Israel, marks the first time a UN-mandated investigative body has concluded the country is committing genocide.
• Israel has since the start of the war in Gaza faced genocide accusations from NGOs and independent UN experts. Ms. Pillay said she believed the facts presented by the commission should prompt “high-level leaders at the UN also to call this what it is, the genocide”.
• Israel “categorically” rejected the report, with the Foreign Ministry describing it as “distorted and false” and calling “for the immediate abolition of this Commission of Inquiry”.
• After the report was published, UN rights chief Volker Turk said it was up to the courts to determine whether genocide was taking place, but warned: “We see the evidence mounting.”
• The commission published its latest report nearly two years after the war erupted in Gaza following Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack inside Israel. Israel’s retaliatory campaign has displaced virtually the entire Gaza population and has killed nearly 65,000 people, according to figures from the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza that the UN considers reliable.
• The report came as Israel launched a ground assault on Gaza City, where the UN has declared a full-blown famine.
• The commission concluded that Israeli authorities and forces had since October 2023 committed “four of the five genocidal acts” listed in the 1948 Genocide Convention.
• These are “killing members of the group, causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group, deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part, and imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group”.
• The investigators said explicit statements by Israeli civilian and military authorities and their patterns of military action “indicated that the genocidal acts were committed with intent to destroy… Palestinians in the Gaza Strip as a group”.
• They concluded that Israeli President Isaac Herzog, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant have “incited the commission of genocide and that Israeli authorities have failed to take action against them to punish this incitement”.

India, U.S. to push for early conclusion of a trade deal

Context: India and the U.S. held “positive and forward looking” discussions here on the proposed Bilateral Trade Agreement between the two countries, the Commerce and Industry Ministry.

• The Ministry added that the two sides decided to “intensify efforts” towards an early conclusion of a “mutually beneficial” trade agreement.
• A team of officials from the office of the United States Trade Representative, led by Brendan Lynch, the chief U.S. negotiator, held discussions with the Indian side, led by Rajesh Agrawal, Special Secretary in the Department of Commerce.

The meeting lasted for about seven hours.

• In a separate statement, the U.S. Embassy spokesperson said that Mr. Lynch had a “positive meeting” in Delhi with Mr. Agrawal to “discuss next steps in bilateral trade negotiations”.
• “Acknowledging the enduring importance of bilateral trade between India and the U.S., the discussions were positive and forward looking covering various aspects of the trade deal,” the Commerce Ministry said in a statement. “It was decided to intensify efforts to achieve early conclusion of a mutually beneficial Trade Agreement,” it added.
• The statement, however, stopped short of disclosing the date of the next round of formal negotiations.
• The meeting, Mr. Agrawal had clarified, was not an official round of negotiations, but a meeting to discuss how to take the talks forward.
• According to sources in the Commerce and Industry Ministry, the talks will now continue virtually once the U.S. team returns home.

Gehlot returns KTCDA (Amendment) Bill, 2025; seeks clarification from govt.

Context: Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot has returned the Karnataka Tank Conservation and Development Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2025, seeking clarification from the State government on its proposal to reduce the size of buffer zones for smaller waterbodies. The Bill was passed in the Monsoon Session of the legislature.

• Mr. Gehlot said that he has received objections from the Bengaluru Town Hall Association with a request not to give his assent to the Karnataka Tank Conservation and Development Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2025.
• As per the Bill, the buffer zone is sought to be removed for tanks spread across less than five guntas while setting a three-metre buffer for tanks with an area between five guntas and one acre, six metres for tanks between one acre and 10 acres, 13m for tanks between 10 acres and 25 acres, 24m for tanks between 25 acres and 100 acres, and 30m for tanks that are bigger than 100 acres.
• For primary canals, the government has proposed to bring down the buffer zone from the current 30m to 15m. And for secondary canals from 15m to 10m and for tertiary canals from 10m to five metres.
• Mr. Gehlot told the government, “As per the expert’s opinion, the existing lake buffer zone of 30m is itself insufficient, and the real requirement is nearly 300 metres to achieve ecosystem balance. If anything, the buffer zone should be increased, not decreased.”
• He added that the government had not consulted an expert committee and people about the implication of this amendment.
• “It is in violation of the Constitution and settled law, and is harmful for every citizen, affects the citizens’ right to water security and a healthy environment,” he said.
• It is necessary to get clarifications from the State government about the issues raised by Bengaluru Town Hall and ‘also know whether this amendment will result in a really adverse effect’, he stated while returning the file to the government and directing it to re-submit the file along with clarifications.
• Bengaluru Town Hall stated that the association is pleased to learn that the Governor has returned the amendment, which, it claims, ‘threatens the 45,000 lakes in Karnataka’.
• “That the State government could so frivolously attempt to make amendments that have such large-scale apocalypse-like consequences for both nature and the population of the State shows that the government is not working in the interests of the people of the State. This needs to change immediately. The government needs to be held accountable,“ said Sandeep Anirudhan, convenor for Bengaluru Town Hall.

Constitutional clarity: Presidential Reference proceedings boost case against delays by Governors

Context: The hearings on the Presidential Reference that followed the Supreme Court judgment on April 8, 2025, clarifying the constitutional position on the powers of the Governor and the President in providing assent to Bills passed by State Assemblies, have largely confirmed that Governors should not indefinitely withhold assent to such Bills.

• Addressing the 14 questions posed in the Presidential Reference, the observations of the five-judge Bench largely converged on the constitutional principles elucidated in April.
• The question by the Chief Justice of India, B.R. Gavai, on whether the Court should “sit powerless” while Governors make “competent State legislatures defunct” echoed the core concern in the April judgment — that constitutional offices cannot paralyse democratic governance through inaction.
• While States’ counsel largely argued along political lines based on which parties governed them, this did not detract from the thorough examination of Articles 200 and 201 during the proceedings.
• The argument that the Constitution’s silence on specific timelines in these Articles does not grant unlimited discretion to Governors remains compelling.
• When the Solicitor-General argued that Governors serve as a “check on hasty legislation”, the Bench’s response also indicated the tension between this position and democratic principles. Justice Vikram Nath’s observation, that Governors “cannot sit over the wisdom of the legislature indefinitely”, was succinct.
• That only Opposition-ruled States have faced prolonged delays, as pointed out by Kerala’s counsel, suggests the constitutional framework itself is not ambiguous but that its application has become selective.
• The Bench’s examination of why judicial review applies to Governors’ recommendations under Article 356 (President’s Rule) but supposedly not to actions under Article 200 (assent to Bills) highlighted potential inconsistencies in arguments defending unlimited discretion for Governors.
• The proceedings related to the questions posed in the Presidential Reference demonstrate why the April judgment’s framework remains constitutionally sound and necessary to maintain the balance between federal cooperation and State autonomy.
• The question from these hearings is on why the Centre chose this unusual route. As scholars have established, an advisory opinion by the Court under Article 143 does not override a binding judgment under Article 141.
• If the Centre genuinely sought clarity on the April judgment, well-established judicial procedures such as review petitions or curative petitions were available. When the Court’s final reply to the Reference is received, the Centre should accept the constitutional boundaries that the April judgment and these proceedings have reinforced, rather than continuing to pursue powers that would alter the delicate federal balance that the Constitution has established.

Foodgrain, fruit, and vegetable yield rose this year: Agriculture Minister

Context: Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that foodgrain output as well as fruit and vegetable production had seen a significant rise this year from those of the previous year.

• He was speaking to presspersons after a two-day National Conference on Agriculture – Rabi Campaign, a joint meeting between the Union and State Agriculture Departments to prepare the road map for the upcoming winter seasonal crops.
• “The Central government has set a production target of 362.5 million tonnes for 2025-26, up from 341.55 million tonnes last year. The country’s total foodgrain production reached 353.96 million tonnes in 2024-25, an increase of 21.66 million tonnes (6.5%) over the previous year. The country achieved a record harvest in key crops such as rice, wheat, maize, groundnut, and soybean. This output was 12.41 million tonnes higher than the set target of 341.55 million tonnes,” Mr. Chouhan said.
• The conference discussed topics such as climate resilience; quality seeds, fertilizers, pesticides; horticulture, and natural farming. It also decided to boost pulses and oilseeds productivity and focus on integrated farming systems.
• He said the Centre and States will continue their coordinated efforts to ensure agricultural growth and farmers’ welfare.
• On the flood situation, he said the government is making every possible effort to assist those affected in States such as Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu, Uttarakhand, Maharashtra, Assam, and parts of Haryana. “The Centre will leave no stone unturned in supporting the States/Union Territories,” the Minister said, adding that efforts are being made to ensure timely and adequate disbursal of insurance benefits to farmers covered under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana.

Committee on simultaneous polls to meet economists

Context: The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on reviewing legislation aimed at introducing simultaneous polls will be meeting economists Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Arvind Panagariya, and Surjit S. Bhalla in its next meeting scheduled for September 24.

• The panel chairman and senior BJP leader, P.P. Chaudhary, said that the panel wanted to review the economic implications of simultaneous elections.
• Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman saidin April that India’s GDP would increase by 1.5% with simultaneous polls.
• Former President Ram Nath Kovind, who chaired the high-level committee on simultaneous elections, quoted similar figures.

Top court asks who will decide that a religious conversion is ‘deceitful’

Context: Petitioner-advocate seeks a ban on such conversion; NGO’s counsel seeks a stay of ‘Freedom of Religion’ Acts, which, he says, are getting more and more strident as courts grant bail and bring relief to persons accused and arrested under them

• The Supreme Court asked a petitioner seeking a complete ban on “deceitful” religious conversions who exactly will decide whether an inter-faith marriage is fraudulent or not.
• Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai agreed with senior advocate C.U. Singh, appearing for an NGO questioning the validity of the increasingly stringent anti-religious conversion laws across 10 States, that the court sits to examine the constitutionality of laws, and not to make laws.
• Petitioner-advocate Ashwini Upadhyay said his petition was against religious conversion through allurement and duplicity. Mr. Upadhyay argued that one had the right to propagate religion under Article 25 of the Constitution, but not to convert through fraud or force.
• Highlighting the risk his plea posed to the freedom of conscience enshrined in the Constitution, Chief Justice Gavai pointedly asked, “But who would find out that a religious conversion was deceitful or not?”
• Mr. Singh, appearing in the case along with senior advocate Indira Jaising and advocate Vrinda Grover, said that States such as Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Jharkhand, and Karnataka had enacted copycat “Freedom of Religion” Acts one after the other, with Rajasthan recently coming up with one.
• “The batch of laws are characterised as Freedom of Religion Acts, but they contain everything but freedom. They are virtually anti-conversion laws,” Mr. Singh submitted.
• He sought a stay of these laws, which were getting more and more strident as courts grant bail and bring relief to persons accused and arrested under them.
• The court scheduled the case after six weeks to consider the question of stay of the implementation of the Acts.

Frivolous complaint

• Mr. Singh said recent amendments made in these Acts empowered third parties to file criminal complaints against couples in inter-faith marriage. The punishment under these laws included a “minimum 20-year sentence or a maximum of life imprisonment”. The bail conditions were on a par with the draconian Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. The burden of proof was on the convert to prove that he or she was not forced or “allured” to change faith, senior counsel argued.
• “For anybody who marries inter-faith, bail becomes impossible. These are Constitutional challenges… It is not just marriages but any normal church observances or festivals, mobs may come…” Mr. Singh submitted.
• Additional Solicitor-General K.M. Nataraj said the case was coming up for hearing after three years, “and suddenly they [the petitioners] are asking for stay”.
• In 2023, while hearing the case, the court had refused to refer to the Law Commission the question whether “forcible conversion” should be made a separate offence relating to religion under the Indian Penal Code.
• The government had even opposed the locus standi of the NGO, Citizens for Justice and Peace, represented by Mr. Singh, to move the court against these laws.
• Mr. Singh had, however, argued that these State laws amounted to undue interference in a person’s right of choice of faith and life partner. He said each State’s law was used by the other as a “building block” to make a more “virulent” law for itself.
• The petitions have argued that these State laws have a “chilling effect” on the right to profess and propagate one’s religion, enshrined in Article 25.

On WHO essential medicines list, GLP-1 drugs for diabetes, weight loss may become cheaper

Context: With the World Health Organization (WHO) updating its Model Lists of Essential Medicines (EML) to add the GLP-1 class of drugs for diabetes with associated comorbidities such as obesity, access to these drugs might just become easier. Listing a medicine on the EML is one step in a series of actions that can lead to lower costs, better affordability, and greater access.

• The 25th meeting of the WHO Expert Committee on the Selection and Use of Essential Medicines was held from May 5 to 9. It reviewedscientific evidence showing that a group of medicines called glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists can help people with type 2 diabetes — especially those who also have heart or kidney disease — and concluded that semaglutide, dulaglutide, liraglutide, and tirzepatide would be added to the EML. These drugs are used as glucose-lowering therapy for adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease or chronic kidney disease and obesity.

High price

• According to the WHO, the rationale for including these drugs is very clear: diabetes and obesity are two of the most urgent health challenges facing the world today.
• According to statistics from 2022, over 800 million people live with diabetes, with half going untreated. At the same time, more than one billion people worldwide are affected by obesity, and rates are rising fast especially in low- and middle-income countries.
• The prices of these drugs are so high that access is limited. “A large share of out-of-pocket spending on non-communicable diseases goes toward medicines, including those classified as essential and that, in principle, should be financially accessible to everyone,” Deusdedit Mubangizi, WHO Director of Policy and Standards for Medicines and Health Products, says.

Good step forward

• While appreciating the move, Anoop Mishra, head, Fortis C-DOC Hospital for Diabetes and Allied Sciences, New Delhi, lends a reality check: “It is a good move; however, in India these types of drugs will benefit only a small number of people, while other life-saving, low-cost essential medicines for diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease, applicable to a large number of people, remain largely unavailable.”
• On the other hand, V. Mohan, chairman, Dr. Mohan’s Diabetes Specialties Centre (DMDSC), provides an energetic response: “I’m very happy that WHO has included the GLP-1 class of drugs. The fact that even a conservative organisation like the WHO has included these rather expensive drugs in their EML, shows how compelling the evidenceis.Apart from the glucose lowering effect, they have tremendous effect on weight reduction and obesity management.” He points out that recently, injectible semaglutide has been approved for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease, associated with weight, and for improving cardio-metabolic health.
• R.M. Anjana, managing director, DMDSC, says: “It will surely help improve access and affordability. But will it be useful as a first line drug? This maybe not for everyone…as there are various subtypes of diabetes. But for those in whom it is indicated, it’s a good step forward.”

At UNHRC, India condemns violation of Qatar’s sovereignty

Context: India defended Qatar’s sovereignty at the UN Human Rights Council. Addressing a UNHRC session in Geneva, India’s Permanent Representative Arindam Bagchi referred to the September 9 Israeli bombing of Doha, and said India “unequivocally” condemned the attack.

• “India is deeply concerned about the recent attacks in Doha and their impact on the security situation in the region. We unequivocally condemn the violation of the sovereignty of Qatar. Such actions threaten peace, stability, and security not only in the region but across the world,” said Mr. Bagchi in his statement, which, however, did not name Israel.
• India’s reiteration of its position on the Israeli strike on Qatar came days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he had called Qatar’s ruler Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani and said, “India condemns the violation of the sovereignty of the brotherly state of Qatar. We support resolution of issues through dialogue and diplomacy, and avoiding escalation.”
• In India’s first response, the External Affairs Ministry, in a statement, took note of the “Israeli strikes” and said India was “deeply concerned by this development”.

To cut imports, govt. to pick 100 items for local manufacture

Context: The government is in the process of finalising a list of 100 products that India imports in large amounts but has domestic capacity to manufacture, a Commerce Ministry official said.

• The aim is to support these sectors — which include engineering goods, plastics, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals, among others — and encourage the private sector to expand its capacity so as to substitute imports with domestic production.
• “We are focussing on reducing the dependency on certain geographies so that supply-chain disruptions would not happen,” the official said, on the condition of anonymity as this exercise has not yet been completed.
• “We are trying to see that our dependency regarding critical items should not be adversely impacted,” the official said.
• “We have identified about 100 products where we have huge imports and at the same time we have some domestic capacity,” he added. “We feel that those imports could be replaced by the domestic capacity by improving the capacity utilisation of those manufacturing facilities within the country.”
• The idea, he added, was to focus on the concepts of ‘Swadeshi’ and ‘Atmanirbharta’.

‘More crude coming from Western Hemisphere’

Context: India has developed resilience to navigate global turbulences, Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said, adding this has been bolstered by “more and more” crude oil coming into the globalmarket from the Western Hemisphere and more gas expected to enter the market from 2026-27.

• Referring to the geopolitical scenario, Mr. Puri, speaking at KPMG’s annual energy conclave ENRich 2025, stated while the world was undergoing turbulence, “we [India] deal with the issues that we have direct control over but today we have resilience to navigate them partly because there is enough oil available in the world”.
• India and its oil sector have been facing headwinds triggered by U.S. President Donald Trump’s 50% tariffs imposed on Indian products.

Simple Energy makes country’s first rare earth free motors

• Initial public offering-bound electric scooter maker Simple Energy on Tuesday said it has started commercially manufacturing the country’s first rare earth-free motors at its Hosur, Tamil Nadu, production facility.

DRL introduces new acidity drug

• Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories (DRL) introduced South Korean firm HK inno.N Corporation’s acid peptic diseases drug Tegoprazan in India.