Current Affairs: 7th October 2025

• Converted SCs can identify as Buddhists

Context: The State Government issued orders to allow persons from Scheduled Castes to identify themselves as “Buddhist” in the religion column that is part of the Scheduled Castes certificate.

• Order issued by the Social Welfare Department enables those from 101 Scheduled Castes who have converted to Buddhism to declare their religion in the caste certificate, it also allows the families to declare their religion as “Buddhism” in the religion column in the documents of schools coming under Department of Education and Literacy, private schools and other educational institutions.
• The latest GO has been issued under the Karnataka Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes (Reservation in appointments) Act 1990 which has been amended in 2024.
• The order said that though a circular had been issued earlier, several organisations and associations had sought clarification on the issue and petitioned the government to issue an order in this regard. The order quoted directions issued by the Union government’s Ministry of Welfare in November 1990, order by Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, 2016 and 2017, which were based on the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Orders (Amendment) Act, 1990.

• SC rejects petition against Telangana order for 67% quota

Context: The Supreme Court declined to entertain a petition challenging a Telangana government order enhancing the Backward Classes’ quota in municipalities and panchayats to 42%, leading to the total reservation of seats in local bodies in the State to touch 67%.

• A Bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta, however, gave the petitioner, Vanga Gopal Reddy, liberty to approach the Telangana High Court against the September 26 order of the State government.
• The Bench had queried why Mr. Vanga Gopal had moved the top court in the first instance and not the High Court. The petition, filed through advocate Somiran Sharma, raised the question whether States could increase the total reservation of seats in local bodies to breach the 50% ceiling. 
• Mr. Somiran pointed out the enhancement in the OBC quota had come prior to a notification issued by the Telangana State Election Commission announcing that the panchayat election process in the State would commence from October 9.
• Polling for the local bodies’ election in Telangana would happen in two phases on October 23 and October 27.

Breaching limit

• “Together with the existing 15% for Scheduled Castes and 10% for Scheduled Tribes, the aggregate reservation exceeds 67%, directly violating the 50% ceiling judicially prescribed by the Supreme Court,” the petition had argued. The 50% ceiling rule in reservation was established by a nine-judge Bench of the Supreme Court in the Mandal Commission case judgment of 1992.
• The September 26 order issued by Telangana had followed an attempt by the State to enact a law, the Telangana Backward Classes (Reservations of Seats in Rural and Urban Local Bodies) Bill, 2025, to enhance OBC seats in local bodies by 42%.
• However, the petition said, the Bill had been neither assented to by the Governor nor by the President.
• Mr. Vanga Gopal had said the Telangana government’s order augmenting OBC quota in local bodies violated Section 285A of the Telangana Panchayat Raj Act, 2018, which expressly codified the 50% ceiling in reservation in local bodies’ seats.
• Kerala govt. tables Malayalam Language Bill in Assembly to conserve linguistic rights. The Left Democratic Front (LDF) government tabled the Malayalam Language Bill, 2025, in the Assembly on Monday.
• Law Minister P. Rajeeve said the Bill aimed to enshrine the Malayalam language at the heart of official communications in the State. It also sought to render it the legal language in courts trying lesser offences under the respective District and Sessions Courts.
• Mr. Rajeeve said the Bill also sought to protect the rights of linguistic minorities, including citizens who considered Tamil, Kannada, Tulu, and Kongu their mother tongues.
• “The Bill conserves their right to use their respective language or English for their communications with the government,” he added.
• He said the Bill sought to render Malayalam as Kerala’s sole official language. The State now recognised English and Malayalam as official languages. The draft law also proposed to make Malayalam the first language in schools.
• The Bill proposed the creation of a Malayalam Language Development Directorate under the aegis of the Official Language Wing for Personnel and Administrative Reforms.
• Mr. Rajeeve said the Bill rendered Malayalam as the official language of ordinances promulgated by the Kerala Governor, bills introduced in the Assembly, Acts passed by the legislature, and also rules, orders, regulations, and bylaws of the government, with English translations provided.
• Mr. Rajeeve said that earlier versions of the Bill, aimed at preserving, nurturing, and developing Malayalam against the backdrop of the global march of foreign languages, chiefly English, had failed to receive gubernatorial and presidential assent.
• He said the Union government had raised objections regarding provisions concerned with the rights of linguistic minorities, trilingual education in compliance with the national curriculum and the Right to Education Act, 2009.
• Mr. Rajeeve said the Bill sought to rectify the anomalies while safeguarding and promoting the Malayalam language and culture.

• India, Australia to sign joint defence and security cooperation declaration

Context:  Australia has acknowledged India’s growing capabilities in producing high-end defence equipment, signalling potential for greater engagement with Indian defence manufacturers in the future. While Canberra has traditionally relied on American and other Western systems, sources said that they see India as an emerging and reliable partner in defence production.

• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s upcoming visit to Australia underscores the growing momentum in the defence partnership and its pivotal role in ensuring stability across the Indo-Pacific, an official said.
• Mr. Singh will be on a two-day visit on October 9 and 10, during which he will meet Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles in Sydney and observe live air-to-air refuelling activities aboard a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) KC-30A multi-role tanker.
• Hinting at broader strategic discussions, the senior official said deliberations during the visit are expected to cover major bilateral and regional issues, including countries of mutual concern.

Maritime strategy

• Australia and India are also developing a Maritime Security Road Map to enhance collaboration on maritime domain awareness in the Indian Ocean.
• According to sources, both countries are working toward a new Joint Declaration on Defence and Security Cooperation to set the parameters for future engagement.
• This year also marks the fifth anniversary of the India–Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, which has witnessed unprecedented progress across diverse sectors — from trade and investment to education, sports, and renewable energy.
• “Defence and security cooperation now stand as one of the strongest pillars of our partnership. Australia and India have emerged as top-tier security partners, with defence engagements more than tripling in the past decade — from 11 activities in 2014 to 33 in 2024,” said a source. “Our partnership enhances each other’s strategic autonomy, options, and capabilities. The Air-to-Air Refuelling Implementing Arrangement – India’s first with any partner – exemplifies growing interoperability,” the source added.
• Australia is also a strong supporter of India’s defence industry ambitions.

• Jaishankar says India’s interests are best secured by strategic autonomy

Context:  India has always exerted its strategic autonomy, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said on Monday, referring to the country’s decision to sign a friendship pact with the Soviet Union in 1971 as a “necessary” choice, given the triangular threats India faced from the other big powers, the United States and China.

• Speaking at the launch of the Aravalli Summit, organised by the Jawaharlal Nehru University’s School of International Studies, marking its 70th anniversary, Mr. Jaishankar, an alumnus of the school himself, said that it was necessary for students of foreign policy to factor in a future of multi-alignment and multipolarity. Mr. Jaishankar said recent global volatility, including the imposition of tariffs by the U.S., had made the case for multi-alignment, more than allying with any one power, much stronger.
• “Imagine if [India were] not today adopting strategic autonomy. Please tell me, which country in the world would you like to join up with and put [India’s] future in their hands,” he asked. “I can’t think of anybody. [India’s] interest is best secured by maximising its options, maintaining [its] freedom of choices,” he said.
• Mr. Jaishankar’s comments came a day after he said that trade negotiations with the U.S. would have to respect India’s “red-lines”.

National interest

• The government has also been facing increased pressure from the U.S. over the issue of Russian oil imports. While Mr. Jaishankar did not refer directly to India’s position, amidst reports that Russian oil imports in September have been considerably reduced, he praised India’s stand during the 1971 war with Pakistan and Liberation of Bangladesh, when India signed a Friendship Treaty with Soviet Union.
• “What we did was in our national interest — we were dealing with a U.S.-China triangle and we had to find a way out of this,” Mr. Jaishankar said, answering questions from students at the event, which was co-hosted by the Ministry of External Affairs, and the newly launched Delhi-based Adani Group-owned think tank Chintan Research Foundation. “So, the decision we took in the midst of an acute national security crisis, was necessary,” he added, addressing the audience, which included a number of diplomats, including the Ambassador of Russia to India Denis Alipov, and Bangladesh High Commissioner Riaz Hamidullah.
• Asked about India’s neighbourhood first policy amid signs of strains with a number of neighbours including Bangladesh, and protest-led regime changes in Sri Lanka and Nepal, Mr. Jaishankar said India has to be prepared to unilaterally “underwrite the infrastructure for cooperation” with countries in the region, and should become the “go-to option” for neighbouring countries when in need.

Managing relations

• “Every country has problematic neighbours, and every big country has more problematic neighbours,” the External Affairs Minister said, stressing that the purpose of India’s policy was not merely to solve problems, but to “manage relationships to national advantage”. Without directly naming Pakistan, he said that barring one country, India has effected “transformational change” in projects with neighbouring countries, in the areas of energy, roads, railway lines, and the movement of people.
• Asked about the “re-hyphenation” of India with Pakistan, post Operation Sindoor, and a reference to recent developments where the U.S., Saudi Arabia, China, Turkiye, and other countries have forged closer ties with Islamabad, Mr. Jaishankar said India “cannot wish away a difficult neighbour”, as that is a “reality”. But he said that other countries no longer draw an equivalence between India and Pakistan.

• Navy commissions its second ASW-class ship INS Androth
• The Indian Navy commissioned INS Androth, the second Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW-SWC), at the Naval Dockyard in Visakhapatnam.
• The first ship to be commissioned in this category was INS Arnala in June. The ceremony was presided over by Vice-Admiral Rajesh Pendharkar, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command. Senior naval officers and representatives of Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers were present.
• The ship has a length of 77m and displaces 1,500 tonnes. It is designed to undertake anti-submarine operations in coastal and shallow waters. The vessel is equipped with advanced machinery and control systems.

• Deliberations continue on proposed nuclear Bill

Context:  Questions on private sector’s role, radioactive waste disposal yet to be settled; Finance Minister said in Feb. that govt. intends to amend Atomic Energy Act, Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act.

• Deliberations within the government continue on bringing in new legislation to allow the private sector to operate nuclear plants in India with questions regarding management of nuclear waste and determining if private players can conduct core research into nuclear technologies still being ironed out.
• Drafts of the proposed new Bill were still being deliberated upon by an intergovernmental committee of experts as well as the Law Ministry though there was a “good chance” of it being introduced in the forthcoming Winter Session of Parliament, an official privy to the proceedings told The Hindu on condition of anonymity.
• Currently, only Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd. (NPCIL), Bhartiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Ltd. (BHAVINI), and NPCIL-NTPC joint venture Anushakti Vidhyut Nigam Limited (ASHVINI) can build and operate nuclear power plants in the country.
• In February, however, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said in her Budget speech that the government intended to amend two Acts — the Atomic Energy Act and the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act — to enable private companies, including foreign companies, to form partnerships, and build and operate nuclear plants in India.
• Despite the India-U.S. nuclear deal of 2008 formally allowing sale of nuclear technologies to India, though with built-in periodic checks and scrutiny by the International Atomic Energy Agency, clauses in India’s Atomic Energy Act and the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act (2010) have been impediments since they impose practically unlimited liability on foreign suppliers of nuclear equipment in case of an accident.

Alignment of laws

• “The effort is to align India’s laws on liability with that of conventions such as the Convention on Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage (CSC),” the official noted. “However, we also have to bring clarity on questions such as who will be responsible, whether it is the private sector or the government power plant operators, for safe disposal of nuclear waste as well as the re-processing of spent nuclear fuel. There is also discussion on enabling research and development of core nuclear technologies.”
• The government’s thrust to encourage greater private sector participation is with the larger objective of installing 100 GW of nuclear capacity by 2047. This is premised not only on importing foreign reactors but also developing Bharat Small Reactors (BSRs) and exploring partnerships with the private sector. BSRs are 220 MW Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs). These reactors are being upgraded to reduce land requirements, making them suitable for deployment near industries such as steel, aluminium, and metals units, serving as captive power plants to aid in decarbonisation efforts.
• The plan involves private entities providing land, cooling water, and capital, while the NPCIL handles design, quality assurance, and operation and maintenance. This initiative aligns with India’s commitment to achieving 500 GW of non-fossil fuel-based energy generation and meeting 50% of requirements from renewable energy by 2030.

• Fisheries sector hopes to beatU.S. curbs with sustainability label

Context:  About 10 Indian marine and saline fish and shrimp varieties are set to get the global Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification soon. The first batch is set to be submitted for the certification in 2026.

• According to experts, the certification is likely to increase the revenue of the fisheries sector by 30% and help fishermen and traders find new markets other than the U.S. in the event of further trade restrictions due to the higher tariffs.
• The certification will also help fishing communities begin ecologically sustainable fishing practices and ensure steady incomes.
• Fisheries Development Commissioner K. Mohammed Koya told The Hindu that the Union Government, under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY), would subsidise the certification process, which is done by third-party auditors.
• Mr. Koya said that global affluent markets, such as European and Japanese ones, are looking for sustainably sourced fish.
• “Sustainability is part of our fisheries. Some of our fish varieties may not immediately qualify for sustainable segregations, but many of the varieties are amenable to certification. Once we re-certify the fish, the advantages that we get include access to the best markets. It is a way of certifying the fish so that it gets a better price,” he said.
• Experts said the certification process is in its final stages and they are addressing the technical gaps, including stock assessments for shrimp, squid, cuttlefish and octopus, which are part of the varieties that await MSC certification.
• It is primarily based on the Food and Agriculture Organisation’s (FAO) Code of Conduct for Responsible Fishing and Guidelines for the Eco-labelling of Fish and Fishery Products from Marine Capture Fisheries.

Advanced stages

• Speaking recently at a technical session jointly hosted by the MSC and the Sustainable Seafood Network India (SSNI) and the Seafood Exporters Association of India (SEAI), MSC’s India head Ranjit Suseelan said the prioritised fisheries are in the advanced stages of assessment, raising expectations of MSC certification in the next year.

• SC to decide on securities transaction tax’s constitutionality

Context: Petition contends that the direct tax on securities transactions violates fundamental rights to equality and to trade or earn a livelihood.

• The Supreme Court of India decided to examine a plea challenging the constitutional validity of the Securities Transaction Tax (STT), a direct tax levied on securities transactions through a listed stock exchange, as imposed under the Finance Act, 2004.
• A Bench headed by Justice J.B. Pardiwala issued formal notice to the Union Government, through the Ministry of Finance, on the petition filed by Aseem Juneja, represented by advocate Siddhartha K. Garg, who contended that the STT violated fundamental rights to equality and to trade or earn a livelihood and the basic right to live with dignity.
• The petition clarified that the challenge to the STT was not because the taxation on the stock market participants had increased or that the taxation was currently high.
• “The current petition is instead questioning the legality of the tax imposed in the form of STT… Firstly, it violates the principle of double taxation as the petitioner (a stock market trader) pays capital gains tax on the profit made in the market and then also has to pay STT, over and above this capital gains tax already paid on the same transaction,” the plea submitted.
• Secondly, Mr. Juneja contended that STT was the only tax in India which was imposed on the “sheer act of carrying out a profession and has to be paid irrespective of whether there is a profit made or not, which makes it almost punitive or deterrent in nature.”
• “Every tax in India is on the profit at the year-end but STT is applicable even if the stock market trader is operating in a loss. STT was introduced in 2004 to combat tax evasion in the stock market. This means that STT to stock market participants is what TDS is to salaried individuals. But the problem is that the TDS is refunded at the end of the year or adjusted with the income tax but no such provision is made for STT and the trader has to pay both,” Mr. Juneja noted.
• SC issues notice on plea for portal on financial holdings

Context: The Supreme Court issued notices to the Union Government and several financial regulators on a public interest litigation petition seeking the creation of an integrated digital platform that would allow citizens to access information about all their financial holdings, whether operational, inactive, or unclaimed, across entities regulated by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), and the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI).

• A Bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta sought responses from the Union of India, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, the RBI, SEBI, IRDAI, the National Savings Institute, the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), and the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA).

• Sonowal accords ceremonial welcome to ‘Very Large Gas Carrier’ Shivalik

Context: Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal accorded a ceremonial welcome to the nation’s first Very Large Gas Carrier (VLGC) Shivalik at the Visakhapatnam port, on its maiden call to the nation.

• Shivalik, recently inducted under the Indian flag by the Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) Ltd. on September 10, represents a significant leap in India’s maritime and energy logistics capability.
• Mr. Sonowal congratulated the SCI team and lauded the Visakhapatnam Port Authority (VPA) for facilitating the vessel’s smooth handling during its inaugural LPG consignment operation, at the port’s LPG terminal.

Other projects

• Mr. Sonowal also inaugurated several developmental projects at Visakhapatnam Port Authority at Sagarmala Conventions, Saligrampuram.
• These included the Operation & Maintenance of East Quay (EQ)-1A Terminal, awarded to M/s Green Energy Resources with an investment of ₹130 crore.
• The project includes deployment of two 120-tonne Harbour Mobile Cranes (HMCs) and connected infrastructure for a 5+1 year period, enhancing capacity by 3 MMTPA.
• The initiative is expected to generate around 150 jobs, reduce logistics costs, and strengthen Visakhapatnam Port’s position as a key cargo hub on the East Coast.
• The Minister also inaugurated the Smart Video Surveillance Project, valued at ₹37.53 crore, executed by M/s RailTel Corporation of India Ltd., Hyderabad. The initiative integrates AI/ML-based Video Analytics, IoT technologies, and an Integrated Command Control Centre (ICCC) with five years of O&M support.
• Designed to be implemented within 12 months, the project enhances port security, operational efficiency, and compliance while enabling real-time monitoring, asset tracking, and predictive analytics —making VPA a future-ready ‘smart port.’
• Another major project inaugurated was the Digital Health Card System, implemented by M/s Triunfador Pvt. Ltd., Visakhapatnam, at a cost of ₹1 crore.
• The project, to be completed in three months, enables digital access to health records for employees, pensioners, and dependents through QR/Aadhaar-linked smart health cards. Visakhapatnam MP M. Sribharat accompanied Mr. Sonowal, among others.

• India’s services PMI easesto 60.9 in September

Context: The growth of India’s services sector eased in September from the recent high in August, as new business and activity expanded at slower rates, according to a private monthly survey released.

• The seasonally adjusted HSBC India Services PMI Business Activity Index fell to 60.9 in September, from a 15-year high of 62.9 in August, amid competitive conditions and cost-control measures.
• Notwithstanding the moderation, the September Services PMI index was well above the neutral mark of 50 to signal another substantial upturn in output.

• India ‘firm’ on ‘free and fair’ election in Bangladesh: Misri

Context: Bangladesh should hold the next general election “without delay” and that India is in favour of “free, fair, inclusive and participatory” election in the country, said Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri.

• Speaking to a group of visiting journalists from Bangladesh, Mr. Misri described the scheduled February 2026 election in Bangladesh as a “globally” important event and said India will engage with “any government” that is chosen by the people of Bangladesh. He added that the election will have to acquire both “domestic” and “external” legitimacy.
• “I want to be very very clear in this one matter – if there is any doubt in anybody’s mind – that India is firmly in favour of free, fair, inclusive and participatory elections in Bangladesh and it is in favour of these elections being held at the earliest possible,” said Mr. Misri.
• The election in Bangladesh was announced earlier this year, and Chief Adviser of the interim government of Muhammad Yunus reiterated on multiple occasions that the election would be held in February.
• However, there have been questions about how inclusive would the election be as the Awami League, the party that governed Bangladesh between 2009 and 2024 remains banned, with its leader and former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina staying in India.
• Bangladesh has been demanding the extradition of Ms. Hasina to face trial in the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) for the killing of protesters in July-August 2024 when Ms. Hasina faced a student-led uprising that overthrew her government.

• Medicine Nobel for scientists who demystified the immune system

Context: The annual Nobel Week — when the world’s most prestigious prizes for scientific achievement are announced — kicked off with three scientists, two Americans and one Japanese, sharing the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for unravelling tantalising aspects of the human immune system.

• Their discovery has helped blaze new paths into treating cancer as well as auto-immune disease — a condition by which the immune system ends up harming healthy cells they are meant to protect.
• Human immune system is a complex of several cells — B cells, T cells, neutrophils and macrophages — that have a role in identifying and eliminating foreign bodies that may bring with it disease. This year’s prize to Mary Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell and Shimon Sakaguchi was for discovering the mechanism and key constituents of the so-called ‘peripheral immune tolerance’.
• The laureates identified the immune system’s security guards, regulatory T cells, which prevent immune cells from attacking our own body.
• “Their discoveries have been decisive for our understanding of how the immune system functions and why we do not all develop serious autoimmune diseases,” Olle Kämpe, chair of the Nobel Committee, said in a statement.
• Shimon Sakaguchi made the first key discovery in 1995. At the time, many researchers were convinced that immune tolerance only developed due to potentially harmful immune cells being eliminated through a process called central tolerance. Mr. Sakaguchi showed that the immune system is more complex and discovered a previously unknown class of immune cells, which protects the body from autoimmune diseases.
• Mary Brunkow and Fred Ramsdell made the other key discovery in 2001, when they presented the explanation for why a specific mouse strain was particularly vulnerable to autoimmune diseases. They had discovered that mice have a mutation in a gene that they named Foxp3. They also showed that mutations in the human equivalent of this gene triggered a serious autoimmune disease, IPEX.
• Two years after this, Mr. Sakaguchi was able to link these discoveries. He proved that the Foxp3 gene governs the development of the cells he identified in 1995. These cells, now known as ‘regulatory T cells’, monitor other immune cells and ensure that our immune system tolerates our own tissues.
• The laureates’ discoveries launched the field of peripheral tolerance, spurring the development of medical treatments for cancer and autoimmune diseases. This may also lead to more successful transplantations. Several of these treatments are now undergoing clinical trials.

• UN to probe human rights violations in Afghanistan

Context: The UN Human Rights Council decided to launch a probe into serious rights violations in Afghanistan, amid growing alarm over the Taliban’s measures targeting women and girls.

• The United Nations’ top rights body decided to set up an investigation to gather and preserve evidence of international crimes. A draft resolution brought forward by the European Union was adopted without a vote in Geneva.
• “Four years since the Taliban takeover by force, the human rights situation has only deteriorated amid a deepening humanitarian crisis,” said Denmark’s ambassador Ib Petersen, introducing the resolution on behalf of the EU. The scope of the probe notably includes violations and abuses against women and girls.
• The resolution “deplores the Taliban’s institutionalisation of its system of discrimination, segregation, domination, disrespect for human dignity and exclusion of women and girls”.
• Council member China disassociated itself from the consensus, saying the resolution “fails to acknowledge the positive progress achieved” in Afghanistan.