Current Affairs: 10th October 2025

• India inks £350-mn deal with U.K. to buy missiles

Context: As many as 64 Indian firms commit to invest £1.3 billion in the U.K.; Modi and the visiting U.K. PM Starmer agree on a £250-million deal to advance collaboration on electric engines for Naval ships.

• India has signed a £350-million defence deal with the U.K. to buy missiles for the Indian Army, the British government.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his U.K. counterpart, Keir Starmer, also agreed to take forward their collaboration on electric-powered engines for Naval ships, worth an initial £250 million.
• In a separate release, the U.K. government said 64 Indian companies had so far committed to invest £1.3 billion (or ₹15,430 crore) in the U.K., a sign of the growing business confidence boosted by the India-U.K. trade deal.

U.K. varsities in India

• However, the U.K. government also said that the University of Lancaster and the University of Surrey had been given approval to open campuses in India to help meet booming demand from Indian students.
• The missile deal paves the way for a “broader complex weapons partnership” between the U.K. and India, which is currently under negotiation between the two governments, the U.K. government said in its statement.
• “The contract is set to deliver U.K.-manufactured Lightweight Multirole Missiles (LMM) built in Belfast to the Indian Army, delivering on the Government’s Plan for Change in another significant boost for the U.K. defence industry,” it said.
• “A new milestone has also been reached in the U.K. and India’s cooperation on electric-powered engines for naval ships as both countries signed the Implementing Arrangement to advance collaboration to the next stage, worth an initial £250 million,” it added.

Indian investments in the U.K.

• “Nearly 7,000 brand new jobs will be created in the United Kingdom thanks to a raft of major new deals secured by the Prime Minister during his visit to India this week,” the U.K. government said. “As a result, Indian investment will flow into a range of U.K. sectors including engineering, technology and the creative industries, driving growth and creating jobs across every region of the country – from Basingstoke to Birmingham,” it added.
• Among the major investment announcements are TVS Motor’s plan to invest £250 million in Solihull to expand its Norton Motorcycles operations and develop next-generation electric vehicles.
• “Engineering company Cyient is investing £100 million to boost innovation in semiconductors, geospatial tech, mobility, clean energy, and digital domains – creating 300 U.K. jobs and strengthening its long-standing presence in the country,” the release said.
• Muthoot Finance UK Limited, a part of the Muthoot Group, plans to invest £100 million to expand its branch network to 20 locations in the U.K. Hero Motors plans to invest £100 million in the U.K. over the next five years in its e-mobility, e-bicycles and aerospace divisions.
• On the first day of Mr. Starmer’s visit to India, Rolls-Royce CEO Tufan Erginbilgic said that his company has “deep ambitions to develop India as a home for Rolls-Royce”. He did not, however, mention any specific investment details.
• “The Prime Minister has confirmed that the University of Lancaster and the University of Surrey have been given approval to open new campuses in India, to help meet their booming demand for higher education places,” the U.K. government said in a separate release.

• State nod for one day paid menstrual leave in govt., pvt. sectors

Context: In a landmark decision, the State Cabinet approved the Karnataka Menstrual Leave Policy-2025 that will ensure one day’s paid leave in a month across government and private sectors.

• With this decision, Karnataka becomes the first State to cover both the government and private sectors in its menstrual leave policy. Odisha and Bihar have policy for government employees while Kerala has implemented the policy in universities.
• The policy moved by the Karnataka’s Labour Department follows a recommendation from a committee that submitted its report and had pushed for paid menstrual leave. It is applicable to all sectors where women are employed.
• Though there has been no uniform policy on menstrual leave in the country, several States and private companies have had menstrual leave policy, a Cabinet note said.
• Welcoming the decision, the All-India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) said that the move would empower millions of women in both sectors and was a progressive measure to protect the rights of women.
• It noted that when the trade unions had strongly urged for menstrual leave policy for one day a month, the employers were against it while the Labour Department had recommended six days per year. “We now request the government to immediately take measures to implement the decision through legislative action,” AITUC said in a note.
• The government approved ₹405.55 crore to construct 11 residential schools for children of construction workers, ₹2,000 crore for rebuilding 39 major bridges, and a ₹16 crore aerial ladder platform that can reach up to 54 metres to meet the needs of high-rise buildings in case of fire accidents.
• It also approved ₹550 crore to set up an autonomous medical college at Kanakapura with an initial intake of 150 students for MBBS, approved amendment to Karnataka Workers Welfare Fund Act and ₹38 crore to improve security of the State Data Centre.

• India sees increase in international and domestic airfares from 2019 to 2025

Context: India has witnessed a 13% increase in international airfares in H1 (first half) 2025 versus H1 2019, as per the 2025 edition of the Airfare Trends for the Asia-Pacific and Middle East regions.

• The 2025 trends were released by the Airports Council International Asia-Pacific & Middle East (ACI APAC & MID) which is the trade association representing airports.

Top five countries

• While, India witnessed a 13% increase in international airfares in H1 2025 versus 2019, the top five countries which had an increase in the international fare are Chinese Taipei (34%), Singapore (33%), South Korea (31%), Vietnam (24%), and Indonesia (24%).
• However, India figured among the top five countries which saw an increase in domestic airfares as it saw a 38% increase in H1 2025 as compared to 2019.
• The top five countries which saw an increase in the domestic fare are New Zealand (63%), Malaysia (53%), Vietnam (52%), Indonesia (47%) and India (38%). “Despite substantial recovery of passenger traffic, across the region, an increasing trend is witnessed from H1 2019 to H1 2025, in contrast to the decreasing pattern observed during pre-pandemic years. The surge is largely driven by inflation (CPI) and reduced airline competition in some key sectors,” ACI APAC & MID said.

Average increase

• The analysis, developed with the assistance of Flare Aviation Consulting further stated that the Asia-Pacific region has witnessed an average +8% increase in H1 2019 to H1 2025 as compared to an average -18% decrease observed during H1 2014 to H1 2019.
• “However, the increase reported over the first half of the current year has been much more acute at country level, especially in the Oceania and ASEAN regions. The Middle East has seen +15% surge in H1 2019 to H1 2025 as compared to an average -9% decrease observed during H1 2014 to H1 2019,” it stated.

Other key findings

• Other key findings of the 2025 trends include that airfares have surged across all markets except China and that India and China are currently below the regional average in terms of airfare levels.
• “China has seen domestic airfares decrease by 39% as compared to H1 2019. Oceania has higher general domestic airfares; a high deviation between countries is observed,” it stated.

Study

• Director General of the ACI APAC & MID, Stefano Baronci said that this study proves that lowering airport charges does not translate into reduction in ticket prices, instead, it limits airports ability to invest in capacity and technology to enhance service quality.
• “To make air travel more affordable from a consumer perspective, policymakers should focus on liberalising markets such as open skies, market access and efficient slot policy that can strengthen airline competition while ensuring airports can continue to invest to build capacity to support the growth in the coming years,” Mr. Baronci said.

• ‘Indira food kit’ to replace 5 kg rice under Anna Bhagya scheme

Context:  It will benefit about 4.48 crore population holding below poverty line cards and will include toor dal, oil, sugar and salt.

• Considering the misuse of rice being supplied to beneficiaries of the public distribution system (PDS) and to ensure better diversity in consumption, the Karnataka government on Thursday decided to provide “Indira food kit” to about 1.26 crore households in the State in lieu of the five kg rice being provided under the Anna Bhagya scheme currently. The kit will benefit about 4.48 crore population holding below poverty line (BPL) cards and will include toor dal, oil, sugar and salt.

Additional cost

• Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H.K. Patil told presspersons in the post-Cabinet meeting briefing that tender would be invited soon for the supply of food items other than rice. He said that the new scheme could cost an additional ₹61.19 crore to the exchequer, which was approved by the Cabinet.
• Acknowledging that the decision was based on reports of widespread misuse of rice being supplied through the PDS, Food and Civil Supplies Minister K.H. Muniyappa told presspersons that surveys showed the misuse of rice being supplied, and feedback from beneficiaries provided insights to the need to replace five kg rice supply with food items.
• “About 90 % of the surveyed felt that other food items would help the households and will add to nutrition. The government also felt that the quantum of rice could be high. The misuse was also noted,” he said
• The Congress government, which promised an additional five kg rice under Anna Bhagya along with the five kg rice supplied by the Centre ahead of the 2023 Assembly polls, could not supply rice initially and provided ₹170 per person per month in lieu of rice as the Centre refused to supply the required quantum of rice for the Anna Bhagya scheme.
• Since last year, as the Centre resumed supply, the DBT of ₹170 was withdrawn and rice supply had commenced.
• However, large scale diversion of rice and misuse by beneficiaries had also been reported.

Food kit

• Providing details about the new project, the Minister said that the quantum of food kit will be dependent on the size of the family. “Quality and quantity will be ensured in the supply of food kit and transparency will be maintained,” he said, adding that the current allocation would be enough to switch from supply of rice to the other food items since it is expected to cost a similar amount.

Subject to family size

• According to him, a household consisting of one or two persons would get half kg of each item whereas a family comprising three to four persons will one kg each while families with five or more persons will get one and a half kg of each item.
• As per data provided by him, of about 1.26 crore households holding BPL cards, about 32.56 lakh households have one or two persons totalling to about 53.27 lakhs, about 63 lakh households have three to four persons totalling to about 2.26 crore and about 30 lakh households have five or more persons totalling to about 1.69 crore.

• Karnataka Sahitya Academy awards

Context: Writers Shudra Srinivas, Pratibha Nandakumar, M. Basavanna, D.B. Nayak and Vishvanath Karnad and have been honoured with the Karnataka Sahitya Academy honorary award for the year 2024.

• The awards were announced at an all-member meeting held headed by L.N. Mukudaraj, Chairman of the Academy, at Kannada Bhavana in Bengaluru.
• In consideration of the remarkable service given to the field of Kannada literature, 10 writers are being given the ‘Sahitya Shri’ award of Karnataka Sahitya Academy for the year 2024. They are: K.Y. Naranaswamy, B.M. Puttaiah, Padmalaya Nagaraj, B.U. Suma, Mamata Sagara, Sabita Bannadi, Abdul Hai Toranagal, Gurulingappa Dabale, H.S. Anupama and Amaresha Yatagal.

• Modi, Starmer call for a ‘two-state solution’ to Israel-Palestine conflict

Context: The two PMs support ‘an immediate, lasting ceasefire’; relationship with the U.K. is an ‘important pillar of global stability, economic progress’ in turbulent times, says Modi; he speaks to Trump over phone, congratulates him on Gaza peace plan.

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his U.K. counterpart, Keir Starmer, gave a joint call for a “two-state solution” to end the Israel-Palestine conflict and expressed support for U.S. President Donald Trump’s peace plan for Gaza.
• Mr. Modi also spoke with Mr. Trump over the phone and congratulated him on the Gaza peace initiative. “Spoke to my friend, President Trump and congratulated him on the success of the historic Gaza peace plan. Also reviewed the good progress achieved in trade negotiations. Agreed to stay in close touch over the coming weeks,” the Prime Minister posted on X.
• Mr. Modi, who welcomed Mr. Starmer to India, said the partnership between India and the U.K. serves as an “important pillar of global stability” in the current turbulent international scenario. The two leaders also called for “a just and lasting peace” in war-ravaged Ukraine.
• “India and the U.K. are natural partners. In the current era of global instability, this partnership remains a vital pillar of global stability and economic progress,” said Mr. Modi, adding that the government is working to combine the U.K.’s industrial expertise and R&D with India’s talent and scale.
• Mr. Modi highlighted the importance of “dialogue and diplomacy” in resolving the conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine, and said India and U.K. are “committed” to enhancing “maritime security cooperation” in the Indo-Pacific region.
• Resolution of the enduring conflicts in West Asia and Ukraine featured in a joint statement issued at the end of official-level talks held in Mumbai. The two Prime Ministers supported “an immediate and lasting ceasefire, the release of the hostages and the delivery of humanitarian aid, and their shared commitment to a lasting and just peace as a step towards a two-state solution, with a safe and secure Israel, alongside a viable Palestinian state.”
• Mr. Starmer and Mr. Modi highlighted cooperation between the two sides within the context of the Commonwealth and agreed to work closely on “climate change, sustainable development, and youth engagement” for the 2.5 billion population of the Commonwealth member countries. The statement reiterated shared commitment to “global peace, prosperity and rules-based international order”. They also expressed support to continue the dialogue on Migration and Mobility Partnership.
• In his remarks following the delegation-level talks, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri reiterated India’s commitment to talks on streamlining migration and said, “We don’t support illegal immigration.” Mr. Starmer expressed U.K.’s condemnation of the Pahalgam attack and Mr. Modi condemned the attack outside a synagogue that left two persons dead in Manchester during Yom Kippur last week.

• India and Australia sign key defence agreements

Context: Australia and India have taken significant steps to strengthen their defence partnership, with both nations committing to an expanded framework of cooperation across land, air, maritime, and industrial domains.

• The announcements came after the inaugural Australia–India Defence Ministers’ dialogue, co-chaired by Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles and India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in Canberra.
• Mr. Singh is on a two-day official visit to Australia. The meeting marked five years of the India-Australia comprehensive strategic partnership.
• The discussions culminated in the signing of three key agreements — an agreement on information sharing, a Memorandum of Understanding on submarine search and rescue cooperation, and terms of reference for establishing joint staff talks.

• Taliban Minister Muttaqi gets ‘warm welcome’; to meet Jaishankar today

Context: External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will meet Afghanistan’s Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi for a formal meeting, the first time New Delhi has officially hosted a leader of the Taliban regime that took power in Kabul in 2021.

• Mr. Muttaqi, who is on a week-long official visit to India, arrived in Delhi morning accompanied by a delegation of five Taliban officials to a “warm welcome” from the Modi government.
• The delegation will also travel to Deoband to visit the Dar ul Uloom seminary, the home of the ideological roots of the Taliban group, on Saturday. On Sunday, Mr. Muttaqi will travel to Agra to see the Taj Mahal, which sources said he had requested.
• “A warm welcome to Afghan Foreign Minister, Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi on his arrival in New Delhi,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on its channel on Thursday. “We look forward to engaging discussions with him on bilateral relations and regional issues,” it added.
• Mr. Muttaqi, who was a Minister in the previous Taliban regime from 1996-2001, is also on the United Nations Security Council’s List of sanctioned terrorists. He is in Delhi after two attempts by India to request permission for the visit. During the visit allowed from October 9 to 16, Mr. Muttaqi will address the media, speak at the Vivekananda International Foundation think-tank, and interact with businessmen and Afghan traders at an event hosted by business chamber FICCI.
• He is also expected to meet with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.  If that meeting is confirmed, it will be particularly significant as Mr. Doval was the seniormost official who travelled to Kandahar in December 1999 to negotiate the release of hostages on board IC-814, where the Taliban government facilitated the handover of Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar and other terrorists freed from Indian prisons, to Pakistani officials.

• Army inducts ‘Saksham’ to neutralise aerial threats

Context: The Indian Army has initiated procurement of the indigenously developed ‘Saksham’ Counter-Unmanned Aerial System Grid System.

• Developed in collaboration with the Bharat Electronics Limited, Ghaziabad, Saksham, or Situational Awareness for Kinetic Soft and Hard Kill Assets Management, is a modular, high-end Command and Control system operating on the secure Army Data Network.
• The system is designed to detect, track, identify, and neutralise hostile drones and unmanned aerial systems, ensuring comprehensive airspace security across the newly defined Tactical Battlefield Space.

• Judicial officers with seven years’ experience in Bar can become District Judges: SC

Context: In a bid to infuse young talent into the upper echelons of the district judiciary, a Constitution Bench headed by Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai held that judicial officers with seven years in the Bar before their recruitment to the subordinate judicial service are entitled to be appointed as District or Additional District Judges.

• District Judges are considered for appointment to the High Court. So far, only practising lawyers with seven years’ experience were eligible for direct recruitment as District Judges. In-service judicial officers, even with seven years of previous practice as advocates, were not considered, leading to lack of drive, which the court observed may be one of the reasons for pendency in lower courts.
• Chief Justice Gavai reasoned that a lawyer does not cease to be one upon joining the judicial service.

• The court noted that no eligibility criteria are prescribed under Article 233(2) for a person already in judicial service of the Union or the State for being appointed as District Judge. “A person who has been or who is in judicial service and has a combined experience of seven years or more as an advocate or a Judicial Officer would be eligible for being considered and appointed as a District Judge/Additional District Judge under Article 233 of the Constitution,” the Bench held in its judgment.
• Further, the Constitution Bench directed that the minimum age for being considered and appointed as a District Judge or Additional District Judge, both for advocates and judicial officers, would be 35 years as on the date of application.

• EC cautions against misuse of AI during poll campaign

Context: The Election Commission has directed parties to refrain from misusing artificial intelligence (AI)-based tools to create deepfakes that distort information or spread misinformation on social media platforms.

• “Further, all parties and their leaders, candidates, and star campaigners shall take necessary measures for prominent labelling of AI-generated/synthetic content, if any, being shared for campaigning through their social media platforms or in the form of advertisements using clear notations such as ‘AI-Generated’, ‘Digitally Enhanced’, or ‘Synthetic Content’,” the EC said in a statement.
• A strict watch is being kept on social media posts to ensure that the election atmosphere is not vitiated. The EC has made elaborate arrangements for effective implementation of the Model Code of Conduct guidelines, warning that any violation would be dealt with firmly.

• Help excluded Bihar voters file appeals: SC to legal aid workers

Context: Experience in State must have made EC wiser ahead of pan-India SIR, says court; information about the 3.66 lakh excluded from list should be collated by the legal service authority and submitted as a status report to the court in a week, it added.

• The Supreme Court said the litigious road traversed in the Bihar Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise must have made the Election Commission (EC) “wiser”, even as it activated paralegal volunteers and legal aid lawyers in Bihar to help 3.66 lakh people excluded from the final voter list file appeals without delay.

• “You have decided to carry out SIR on a pan-India basis. So, this experience [with Bihar] would have made you wiser now… The next time you introduce a SIR module, owing to what you experienced now, you would also bring some improvement,” Justice Surya Kant, heading a Bench including Justice Joymalya Bagchi, addressed the EC orally.

• CDSCO calls for list of all Indian cough syrup makers

Context: The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) has asked the State governments to submit a list of cough syrup manufacturers while initiating a joint audit of these companies, said a senior Health Ministry official.

• The CDSCO has also informed the World Health Organization (WHO) that it had identified three contaminated cough syrups – Coldrif, Respifresh and ReLife — linked to the recent child deaths in India as containing diethylene glycol (DEG). It stated that none of the products were exported from India.
• It said that the products had been recalled and identified manufacturers had been ordered to stop production of all medical products.
• The WHO said that it was “ready to support national authorities in investigating and responding to these tragic events”, adding that it had not received official information on the source of the DEG contamination.
• The organisation also flagged the “regulatory gap in DEG/EG screening for domestically marketed medicines in India.”

• Retrospective age limits under surrogacy law violate reproductive autonomy: SC

Context: Observing that concerns over a couple’s parenting abilities cannot be invoked retrospectively to restrict their reproductive choice, the Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that the age limits under the Surrogacy (Regulation) Act, 2021, do not apply to couples who had frozen their embryos and initiated the surrogacy process before the law came into force on January 25, 2022.

• A Bench of Justices B.V. Nagarathna and K.V. Viswanathan delivered concurring opinions while hearing applications filed by three couples who argued that they had created and preserved embryos long before the enactment of the 2021 law and were therefore, unfairly disqualified by the subsequent age limits.
• Under the Act, an intending couple is eligible for surrogacy only if the woman is between 23 and 50 years of age and the man is between 26 and 55 years.
• The petitioners contended that these limits could not retrospectively disqualify those who had already completed the medical procedures culminating in embryo freezing.
• Justice Nagarathna observed that the law should not draw a distinction between couples who conceive naturally and those who require medical assistance to do so.
• The Bench clarified that it was not “questioning the wisdom of Parliament” in imposing age limits or examining the validity of those restrictions but was confined to the issue of their retrospective application.

• It also held that the exemption would extend to cases where embryos were created and frozen before the commencement of the Act, even if implantation in the surrogate’s womb had not yet taken place.

• India to launch ‘Red List’ survey to assess extinction risks to plants and animals

Context: The goal of the project is to publish National Red Data Books on flora and fauna by 2030. India is set to conduct a first-of-its-kind assessment of nearly 11,000 species of plants and animals and assess how vulnerable they are to extinction.

• While India already lists endangered animals in various “schedules”, this proposed exercise, called the National Red List Assessment of Indian Flora and Fauna, will, according to officials, give the most accurate assessment of the threats faced and thereby, inform conservation measures. The exercise is expected to go on till 2030.
• The methodology adopted for the exercise will be as per that followed by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, currently the global standard which lists species worldwide on the basis of the extinction threats.
• “The vision of the initiative is to establish a coordinated, science-based red listing system that accurately reflects the conservation status of Indian species.
• The project’s goal is to publish National Red Data Books on flora and fauna by 2030, forming a central resource for conservation planning and threat mitigation. With this, a pool of 300 certified assessors will be created within the country enhancing the capacity and expertise,” according to a statement from the Environment Ministry.
• “To fulfil our commitments under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KM-GBF), India has launched the National Red List Assessment initiative, aligned with IUCN global standards,” said Kirtivardhan Singh, Minister of State for Environment.
• Mr. Singh was leading an Indian delegation at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Abu Dhabi.
• The project will be entirely funded using public funds, Pratyush Mahapatra, Scientist, Zoological Survey of India. The estimated budget is ₹95 crore.

• India rolls out pilot fore-com payments via ChatGPT

Context: The National Payments Corporation of India and fintech firm Razorpay have collaborated with Microsoft-backed OpenAI to introduce AI-driven payments on ChatGPT.

• The pilot will evaluate how the service can be expanded across verticals and how UPI can be used to enable AI agents with payment credentials “to autonomously complete transactions on behalf of users in a safe, secure, and user-controlled manner,” the companies said.

• NTPC REL, Gujarat govt. inkMoU for solar, wind projects
• NTPC Renewable Energy (NTPC REL), a wholly owned subsidiary of NTPC’s Green Energy arm, said that it had signed an MoU with the Gujarat government to develop solar parks and projects with a cumulative capacity of 10 GW and wind projects of 5 GW.
• At present, NTPC REL has four solar energy projects with a cumulative capacity of 2.36 GW, 3 wind energy projects of 354 MW and one 226 MW hybrid energy project in varied stages of implementation in Gujarat.

• PM pitches India’s fintech start-ups to Global South

Context: Prime Minister Narendra Modi pitched India as a fintech hub for the Global South to “enhance digital cooperation and partnership across the world,” at an event where he shared the stage with Prime Minister of U.K. Keir Starmer, at Mumbai.

• Speaking at the last day of Global Fintech Fest 2025, Mr.Modi said, “India’s success in technology is not just for its own benefit — it is a beacon of hope for the Global South. India wishes to enhance digital cooperation and partnership across the world, sharing its experience and open-source frameworks as global public goods,” adding India’s AI journey also is to make it resilient, sustainable and inclusive.
• Echoing this, Mr.Starmer named four fintech companies — Razorpay, Cred, Paytm and Perfios — which plan to invest in the U.K. During his speech, he said he had come to India with a 126-member delegation of British businesses comprising who’s who of the Indian finance and technology sector.
• He further cited instances of such collaborations like the COVID vaccination programme in India, which was an outcome of Oxford, AstraZeneca and the Serum Institute of India collaboration.

Investment office

• The U.K. premier also said the country is set to open a dedicated investment office for fintech firms intending to enter the U.K. Mr. Starmer lauded the U.K.-India FTA as the largest post-Brexit deal for the U.K. India-U.K. bilateral trade is currently worth $56 billion and in five years, it needs to be doubled but the target can be reached earlier than that, said Mr. Modi.

• Centre eases PLI scheme rules for MMF industry

Context: The Ministry of Textiles has notified revisions to the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for MMF Apparel, MMF Fabrics, and products of technical textiles, reducing the minimum investment and turnover limits.

• A statement said applications received from August 1, apart from adding eight new products of manmade fibre (MMF) apparel and nine new varieties of MMF fabrics under the scheme, the minimum investment from the applicants should be ₹150 crore (for part one) and ₹50 crore (for part two) categories. It was ₹300 crore and ₹100 crore respectively earlier.

• Israel, Hamas agree to Trump-led ceasefire deal and hostage release

Context:  Israel’s Cabinet to meet to discuss the release plan, with the deal expected to be signed in Egypt after indirect negotiations; the deal follows a 20-point peace plan announced by Trump; Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich opposes the deal.

• Israel and Hamas agreed a Gaza ceasefire deal to free the remaining living hostages, in a major step towards ending a war that has killed tens of thousands of people and unleashed a humanitarian catastrophe.
• Israel’s Cabinet will meet at 1500 GMT to discuss a plan for the release of all hostages, while a deal should be signed later on Thursday in Egypt, where indirect negotiations are under way.
• The agreement follows a 20-point peace plan for Gaza announced last month by U.S. President Donald Trump, under which Israel should withdraw from Gaza and release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the hostages.

• After more than two years of war sparked by Hamas’s October 2023 attack on Israel, the deal also envisions a surge of aid into Gaza, where the UN has declared famine.

• The Israeli army said it was preparing to pull back troops in Gaza, in line with the agreement, while the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the agreement would only take effect with Cabinet approval.

Smotrich opposes

• However, Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said he opposed the Gaza ceasefire deal, insisting that he would vote against it.
• “There is immense fear of the consequences of emptying the prisons and releasing the next generation of terrorist leaders who will do everything to continue to pour rivers of Jewish blood here, God forbid,” Mr. Smotrich said on X.
• “For this reason alone, we cannot join in short-sighted celebrations or vote in favour of the deal.”
• He added that the militant group must be destroyed following the return of hostages from Gaza.
• Mr. Trump’s plan also calls for the disarmament of Hamas and for Gaza to be ruled by a transitional authority headed by the U.S. President himself, though these points have yet to be addressed in any discussions.
• A source within Hamas said the group will exchange 20 living hostages all at the same time for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners as part of the deal’s first phase, with the swap to happen within 72 hours of its implementation.

• László Krasznahorkai wins Nobel Prize in literature

Context: Hungarian writer László Krasznahorkai, whose philosophical, bleakly funny novels often unfold in single sentences, won the Nobel Prize in literature for his “compelling and visionary oeuvre that, in the midst of apocalyptic terror, reaffirms the power of art”.

• The Nobel judges praised his “artistic gaze which is entirely free of illusion, and which sees through the fragility of the social order combined with his unwavering belief in the power of art,” Steve Sem-Sandberg of the Nobel committee said at the announcement.
• “László Krasznahorkai is a great epic writer in the Central European tradition that extends through [Franz] Kafka to Thomas Bernhard, and is characterised by absurdism and grotesque excess,” the Nobel judges said.
• Several works, including his debut, “Satantango,” and “The Melancholy of Resistance” were turned into films by Hungarian director Béla Tarr.
• Mr. Krasznahorkai, 71, could not immediately be reached for his reaction. He did not speak at the announcement. He was born in the southeastern Hungarian city of Gyula, near the border with Romania, and has since travelled the world. Throughout the 1970s, he studied law at universities in Szeged and Budapest before shifting his focus to literature.
• Mr. Krasznahorkai has been a vocal critic of autocratic Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, especially his government’s lack of support for Ukraine after the Russian invasion.
• But in a post on Facebook, Mr. Orbán was quick to congratulate the writer, saying: “The pride of Hungary, the first Nobel Prize winner from Gyula, László Krasznahorkai. Congratulations!”
• Mr. Krasznahorkai has received many awards, including the 2015 Man Booker International Prize.
• Nobel Prize award ceremonies are held on December 10, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death.

• China outlines curbs on exports of rare earths, technology

Context: China outlined new curbs on exports of rare earths and related technologies, extending controls over use of the elements critical for many products ahead of a meeting later this month between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

• The regulations announced by the Ministry of Commerce require foreign companies to get special approval to export items that contain even small traces of rare earths elements sourced from China.
• Beijing also will impose permitting requirements on exports of technologies related to rare earths mining, smelting, recycling and magnet-making, it said.
• China accounts for nearly 70% of the world’s rare earths mining. It also controls roughly 90% of global rare earths processing.

• UN to cut 25% of its global peacekeeping force in response to U.S. funding strains

Context: The United Nations will begin slashing its peacekeeping force and operations, forcing thousands of soldiers in the next several months to evacuate far-flung global hotspots as a result of the latest U.S. funding cuts to the world body, a senior UN official said.

• The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a private meeting, briefed presspersons on the 25% reduction in peacekeepers worldwide as the United States, the largest UN donor, makes changes to align with President Donald Trump’s “America First” vision.
• Roughly 13,000 to 14,000 military and police personnel out of more than 50,000 peacekeepers deployed across nine global missions will be sent back to their home countries.
• The decision to institute a major overhaul of the peacekeeping force — known globally for their distinctive blue berets or helmets — followed a meeting on Tuesday between UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and representatives from major donor countries, including Mike Waltz, the new U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations.

• ‘Russia’s gas supplies down by 20% after Ukrainian attacks’

Context:  Ukrainian long-range strikes on Russian energy facilities may have reduced gasoline supplies in Russia by up to a fifth, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, as both sides step up attacks on each other’s energy infrastructure.

• With diplomatic efforts to end the war largely stalled and little movement along the fiercely contested front line, Russian forces have focused on crippling Ukrainian gas production while Ukraine has been targeting Russia’s oil refining capacity.
• “This still needs to be verified, but we believe that they’ve lost up to 20% of their gasoline supply — directly as a result of our strikes,” Mr. Zelenskyy said in remarks to presspersons released on Thursday.
• However, the Kremlin has said that Russia’s domestic fuel market is fully supplied.

• What are the various electoral forms?

Context: The Election Commission (EC) has just concluded the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar. It proposes to roll it out in other States in a phased manner.

What is the current significance?

• Section 21 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950 (RP Act), deals with the preparation and revision of electoral rolls. A summary revision is carried out before each general election or by-election in any constituency. The RP Act also authorises the EC to carry out a special revision of the electoral roll at any time.
• The EC, through its order dated June 24, had decided to conduct SIR for the entire country. Since the Bihar Assembly elections are due in November, the Commission issued guidelines for the SIR of the Bihar electoral roll, with July 1 as the qualifying date.
• The SIR process in Bihar involved submission of enumeration forms by all registered voters, submission of any eligible documents to prove citizenship (for electors registered after 2003), publication of draft electoral rolls based on forms submitted, a period for filing claims and objections, verification and disposal of claims and objections by the Electoral Registration Officers (ERO), and publication of final roll.
• The SIR process was challenged in the Supreme Court. In its interim orders, the court had directed the EC to accept Aadhaar as one of the eligible documents to be submitted along with the enumeration forms as proof of identity. The final roll for Bihar was released by the EC on September 30. The Commission proposes to complete the SIR process for the entire country in a phased manner based on the Assembly election schedules for various States.

What are the various forms?

• In the present context, it is important for citizens to be aware of the various forms that deal with electoral rolls. These forms are provided in the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960 (RER).
• A brief summary of all the important forms as per RER is provided in the Table given above. It also contains detailed guidelines for filling out the application with respect to each of these forms.

What should citizens do?

• There are political arguments both for and against the SIR exercise as carried out in Bihar. However, clean electoral rolls are paramount for the conduct of free and fair elections, which is essential for our functioning democracy. The EC would hopefully devise a more spread-out schedule in future SIRs that provides adequate time for hassle-free participation by voters. The list of eligible documents is also likely to include Aadhaar as proof of identity, in subsequent SIRs as per the Supreme Court directive.
• Meanwhile, citizens should ensure that they verify the published draft rolls. They should fill out the enumeration forms as required.
• New voters and electors who have migrated to different constituencies should fill out the relevant forms. Political parties and civil society groups should assist citizens, especially the most marginalised sections, throughout the process. This would ensure a clean electoral roll without compromising on the right to vote of every eligible citizen