UPSC current affairs, 5-11 Oct, 2026

Why in news?

Odisha issued guidelines to protect inherited and self-acquired property belonging to persons with disabilities.

Key safeguards

• Property-related complaints are to be registered at the tehsil and Sub-Collector levels.
• Authorities must examine illegal occupation, encroachment, mutation or transfer of property.
• Revenue officials are to be trained to handle such cases sensitively.
• Government housing schemes should accommodate persons displaced from family property.

Legal framework

• Article 14 guarantees equality before the law, while Article 21 protects life, dignity and personal autonomy.
• The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 recognises equal legal capacity, access to justice and protection against abuse and exploitation.
• The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities recognises the right to own, inherit and control property on an equal basis.

Why special safeguards are needed

Physical, visual or intellectual disabilities can make people dependent on relatives who may occupy or transfer their property. Effective protection therefore requires accessible procedures, legal assistance and regular monitoring—not merely formal ownership rights.

Why in news?

• Bulk Form 7 applications and allegedly false death records were used to seek deletion of voters.
• Questions were also raised about digital disposal of Special Intensive Revision notices without clear written instructions.

How deletion works

• Form 7 is used to object to an entry or request deletion because a voter has died, shifted, is underage or is otherwise ineligible.
• A Booth-Level Officer verifies the facts, but the Electoral Registration Officer makes the decision.
• An existing voter should receive notice, an opportunity to respond and a reasoned decision before deletion.
• An unverified allegation cannot by itself establish that thousands of voters are ineligible.

Main concerns

• Bulk digital requests can magnify false or politically motivated claims.
• Fake death or address records may disenfranchise genuine voters.
• Automated systems should assist verification, not replace human scrutiny and due process.
• A simple, time-bound correction mechanism is essential before the final roll is used.

Why in news?

Heritage activists warned that the proposed PVNR opencast coal mine near Ramappa Temple and Lake could affect the area’s geological and hydrological stability.

About Ramappa Temple

• The Kakatiya Rudreshwara Temple is located at Palampet in Telangana and was constructed in the 13th century.
• It entered UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 2021.
• It is known for carved pillars, lightweight bricks and a sand-box foundation designed to absorb movement and protect the structure.

Concerns about the mine

• The proposed site is around five kilometres downstream of the temple and lake, with excavation potentially reaching about 300 metres.
• Mining could alter groundwater movement through underground faults and rock fractures.
• Blasting, vibration, dust and changes in the water table may affect the temple and lake.
• Water movement through the sand-box foundation could remove fine material and gradually weaken the structure.

Required safeguards

• A cumulative environmental and heritage-impact assessment covering the temple, lake, groundwater and nearby villages.
• Continuous monitoring of vibration, groundwater and structural movement.
• A scientifically determined protective buffer rather than reliance only on administrative boundaries.

Why in news?

The Army, Navy and Air Force submitted recommendations for improving Agnipath as the first batch of Agniveers approaches the end of its four-year tenure. No final changes have been announced.

Purpose

• Reduce the average age of the armed forces and create a younger, technologically adaptable force.
• Limit the long-term pension burden and redirect resources towards modernisation.

Issues being examined

• Whether four years provides sufficient training and operational experience.
• Loss of trained personnel when 75% of each batch exits.
• Effects on unit cohesion and institutional knowledge.
• Employment, education and rehabilitation opportunities after release.
• Balancing a younger force with the continuing need for experienced personnel.

Why in news?

Different surveillance systems reported sharply different rabies death totals, making progress towards eliminating dog-mediated human rabies by 2030 difficult to measure.

Rabies in brief

• Rabies is a viral zoonotic disease of the brain and central nervous system, usually spread through saliva following an infected animal’s bite or scratch.
• Dogs cause nearly 99% of human transmission. Once symptoms such as hydrophobia, confusion or paralysis appear, rabies is almost always fatal.
• After a suspected exposure, wash the wound with soap and running water for at least 15 minutes and obtain the prescribed vaccine immediately. Severe exposure may also require rabies immunoglobulin or monoclonal antibodies.

The data problem

• Health surveillance recorded 50 deaths in 2023, while medical certification data recorded 271.
• An ICMR-led study estimated approximately 5,726 deaths annually.
• India records an estimated 9.1 million animal bites each year, including about 5.6 million dog bites.
• The figures use different methods and are not directly comparable.

Better hospital reporting, community surveillance, mass dog vaccination and coordination between health and veterinary departments are essential.

Why in news?

Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel received the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discoveries leading to optogenetics.

What is optogenetics?

• It is a technique that uses light to control selected cells, especially neurons.
• Scientists insert genes for light-sensitive proteins called opsins into targeted neurons.
• Light of a particular wavelength makes these proteins open or close ion channels, activating or silencing the neurons within milliseconds.

Why is it important?

• It helps identify the neural circuits involved in pain, sleep, memory, movement and behaviour.
• It is used to study Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, depression, schizophrenia and epilepsy.
• Researchers are also exploring whether it can help restore vision and hearing.

Limitation

Gene delivery and illumination of deep tissues can require invasive procedures. Optogenetics therefore remains primarily a research tool rather than a routine human treatment.

Why in news?

• Scientists discovered a bacterial system in which a protein determines the order of nucleotides in a newly formed DNA strand without using an existing DNA or RNA strand as its template.
• The finding appears to bring biology close to information flowing from a protein back into DNA.

How genetic information normally flows

1. Transcription: a section of DNA is copied into messenger RNA, or mRNA.
2. Translation: a ribosome reads the mRNA sequence and joins amino acids to form a protein.
3. The protein then performs a structural, chemical or regulatory function inside the cell.

The familiar pathway is DNA → RNA → protein.

What does the central dogma actually say?

• Francis Crick proposed it in 1958.
• Information can move between nucleic acids: DNA can be copied into DNA or RNA, and RNA can be copied into DNA through reverse transcription.
• The central restriction is that sequence information cannot normally move from a finished protein back into DNA, RNA or another protein.

What is reverse transcription?

• A reverse transcriptase is an enzyme that copies RNA into DNA.
• Retroviruses such as HIV use this process to convert their RNA genome into DNA.
• This does not violate the central dogma because information is still moving between nucleic acids.

What did the studies discover?

• The bacterial defence system, called DRT3, contains two reverse-transcriptase enzymes.
• DRT3a produces the first DNA strand using bacterial RNA as a template.
• DRT3b produces the second strand without using a DNA or RNA template. Its protein structure determines which nucleotide is added next.
• It creates a simple ordered sequence of alternating cytosine and adenine: CACACACA.

How does this protect bacteria?

• Bacteriophages are viruses that infect bacteria.
• During an infection, the unusual DNA made by DRT3 accumulates and forces the bacterial cell into dormancy.
• The infected bacterium stops functioning, but the phage can no longer multiply and spread to neighbouring cells.

Does it overturn the central dogma?

No. DRT3b does not read a protein’s amino-acid sequence and reconstruct the DNA that originally encoded it. The same protein directs a simple repeated sequence. It therefore shows a protein controlling DNA synthesis, not a general transfer of stored genetic information from protein to DNA.

Why in news?

• Around 1.2 billion young people may enter the working-age population of the Global South during the coming decade.
• The global economy is projected to create only about 400 million viable jobs, leaving a gap of nearly 800 million.

Why can the demographic dividend fail?

• A large working-age population becomes an advantage only when people obtain productive employment.
• Automation and robotics have reduced the number of workers required in manufacturing.
• Many developing countries face premature deindustrialisation: manufacturing employment declines before they become high-income economies.
• Poor infrastructure, expensive credit and complex regulations restrict the growth of small businesses.

India’s challenge

• India continues to add millions of people to its workforce.
• Agriculture supports nearly half the population but contributed only around 16% of GDP in 2023-24.
• Other concerns include underemployment, skill mismatch and low female workforce participation.

Priorities

• Support MSMEs and labour-intensive manufacturing.
• Expand construction, tourism, healthcare and the care economy.
• Connect agriculture with food processing and value chains.
• Improve vocational training, transport and digital infrastructure.

Why in news?

Research shows that AI can improve accessibility but may also reproduce biases against persons with disabilities.

How can AI improve accessibility?

• It can read documents aloud, describe photographs, generate captions and translate speech into text.
• It can help users operate websites or complete forms that are incompatible with screen readers.

Where does bias arise?

• Disability-related experiences are poorly represented in training datasets.
• In one assessment, 21 language models were tested across nine kinds of disability and showed increased errors and stereotyping.
• An image-recognition model was around 15 percentage points less accurate on photographs taken by blind or low-vision users.
• Objects associated with disability were found to be up to 17 times less frequent in major image datasets.

What is needed?

• Include persons with different disabilities while designing and testing AI systems.
• Use accessible interfaces, representative datasets and independent bias audits.
• Ensure compliance with the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016.
• AI should supplement accessible public services, not become a substitute for them.

Why in news?

India and Japan launched an operational manual for implementing projects under their Joint Crediting Mechanism.

What is the mechanism?

• It promotes Japanese investment and technology in low-carbon projects in India.
• Verified emission reductions created by an approved project can be converted into carbon credits.
• The mechanism operates under Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement, which allows countries to cooperate in meeting their climate targets.

Project process

1. Submission of a project idea.
2. Approval of a method for calculating emission reductions.
3. Independent validation and project registration.
4. Monitoring and verification of actual reductions.
5. Issuance and authorisation of credits.

Avoiding double counting

If Japan uses transferred credits towards its climate target, India must make a corresponding adjustment to its emission account. This prevents both countries from claiming the same reduction.

Significance and concerns

• The mechanism can bring climate finance and advanced low-carbon technology to India.
• Credits must represent genuine, measurable and additional reductions.
• Transparent monitoring is essential to prevent inflated or duplicate credits.

Why in news?

The Supreme Court closed a reference arising from a 2003 Tamil Nadu Assembly resolution that had ordered the arrest of newspaper editors. It found that no larger constitutional question remained to be decided.

What is legislative privilege?

• Legislative privileges are special rights that allow Parliament and State legislatures to debate and function without obstruction.
• They protect the institution and its proceedings; they are not a personal shield against criticism.
• A House may act against a breach of privilege or contempt, but its power is subject to constitutional limits.

Judicial review

• Courts generally avoid questioning the internal procedure of a legislature.
• They may intervene when legislative action violates fundamental rights, constitutional limits or basic requirements of fairness.
• In Raja Ram Pal v. Speaker, Lok Sabha, the Supreme Court confirmed that privilege decisions are subject to limited judicial review.

Why codification matters

Many privileges remain uncodified. A clear law could define breaches, establish fair procedures and reduce conflict between legislative autonomy and civil liberties.

Why in news?

Punjab challenged a High Court order transferring an investigation to the Central Bureau of Investigation without the State government’s consent.

Normal rule

• The CBI derives its police powers from the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 1946.
• Under Section 6, it normally needs a State’s general or case-specific consent to investigate an offence within that State.
• A State may withdraw general consent, after which the CBI must ordinarily obtain permission for each new case.

Exception created by constitutional courts

• In State of West Bengal v. Committee for Protection of Democratic Rights, the Supreme Court held that constitutional courts may order a CBI investigation without State consent.
• This power must be used sparingly, usually where an independent investigation is necessary to protect fundamental rights or public confidence.
• Such an order comes from the Constitution, not from the Union government overriding the State.

Why in news?

Francis Halzen received the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics for work connected with the IceCube Neutrino Observatory and high-energy neutrinos of astrophysical origin.

What are neutrinos?

• Neutrinos are electrically neutral subatomic particles with extremely small mass.
• They interact only weakly with matter, so most pass through the Earth without being absorbed.
• Because they travel almost undisturbed, they can reveal distant cosmic events hidden from ordinary telescopes.

How IceCube detects them

• IceCube is a cubic-kilometre observatory built deep within Antarctic ice and equipped with 5,160 light sensors.
• When a neutrino interacts with ice, it can produce a charged particle that emits faint blue Cherenkov radiation.
• The pattern of light helps scientists estimate the neutrino’s energy and direction.

Scientific importance

• IceCube reported the first high-energy cosmic neutrinos in 2013.
• In 2018, a neutrino was traced to a blazar—an active galaxy powered by a supermassive black hole.
• Neutrino astronomy provides a new way to study violent events such as exploding stars, black holes and energetic galactic nuclei.

Type

Fleet Support Ship designed to replenish warships at sea.

Manufacturer

Hindustan Shipyard Limited.

Significance

It will supply fuel, ammunition, water and essential stores to naval vessels, allowing them to remain operational at sea for longer periods.

Why in news?

The Defence Ministry signed a ₹661.5-crore contract for indigenous BrahMos fire-control systems and naval launchers.

About

• The fire-control system identifies a target, calculates the firing solution and manages the launch sequence.
• The launcher stores and fires BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles from naval vessels.

Significance

• Strengthens the Navy’s maritime-strike capability.
• Reduces dependence on imported defence equipment.
• Supports domestic manufacturers and MSMEs.

Why in news?

• The Monetary Policy Committee raised the repo rate by 25 basis points to 5.50%.
• It changed its stance from neutral to calibrated tightening.

Policy rates explained

Why was the rate increased?

• Higher crude-oil prices, geopolitical tensions and a stronger dollar could increase inflation.
• A weak monsoon could raise food prices.
• RBI projected inflation at 5.2% and real GDP growth at 7.1% for 2026–27.

How does it affect people?

• Costlier bank funding may raise lending rates and floating-rate EMIs.
• Higher rates can reduce borrowing and demand, helping control inflation.
• The trade-off is that expensive credit can slow investment and growth.

Why in news?

Henri B. Kagan and Kenso Soai received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for discoveries concerning non-linear effects and autocatalysis in asymmetric organic synthesis. Their work explains how a very small preference for one molecular “hand” can become a much larger preference during a reaction.

Begin with shape: what is chirality?

• Molecules are three-dimensional objects. Two molecules may contain the same atoms and bonds but arrange them differently in space.
• A molecule is chiral when its mirror image cannot be placed exactly on top of it. The simplest comparison is a pair of hands: the left and right hands are mirror images, but a left hand cannot fit perfectly into a right-hand glove.
• The two mirror-image forms are called enantiomers. Chemists commonly label their configurations R and S.
• Many chiral molecules contain a carbon atom attached to four different groups, although chirality can also arise from other molecular shapes.

Why can the two forms behave differently?

• The body is itself chiral: enzymes, receptors, proteins and DNA have definite three-dimensional shapes.
• One enantiomer may fit a receptor well, while the other may fit weakly, produce a different effect or be broken down at a different rate.
• This does not mean that one form is always useful and the other always harmful. Their effects must be tested separately.
• An equal 50:50 mixture of the two enantiomers is called a racemic mixture.

What is asymmetric synthesis?

Ordinary synthesis may produce both mirror-image forms in equal amounts. Asymmetric synthesis is designed to produce more of the required enantiomer and less of the unwanted one.

What does a catalyst do?

• A catalyst speeds up a reaction without being permanently consumed.
• A chiral catalyst also guides the reacting molecules into one preferred three-dimensional arrangement. It works like a mould that makes one molecular hand more easily than the other.
• Because a small quantity of catalyst can produce a large quantity of the preferred enantiomer, the process can reduce separation steps, raw-material use and waste.

Kagan’s contribution: the non-linear effect

• A simple expectation is that the purity of the product should rise in direct proportion to the purity of the chiral catalyst. For example, a small preference in the catalyst should create a similarly small preference in the product.
• Kagan showed that this relationship can be non-linear. A modest excess of one catalyst enantiomer can sometimes produce a much larger excess of one product enantiomer.
• The effect occurs because catalyst molecules can interact or combine with one another. Some combinations are more active than others, so the reaction does not behave like a simple one-to-one transfer of handedness.
• Studying this effect helps chemists understand a reaction’s hidden mechanism and identify how chirality is being amplified.

Soai’s contribution: asymmetric autocatalysis

• In autocatalysis, a reaction product acts as a catalyst for producing more of itself.
• In Soai’s reaction, a tiny initial excess of one enantiomer makes that same enantiomer form faster. The newly formed product then catalyses the next round, strengthening the preference repeatedly.
• Think of a starting mixture containing slightly more right-handed molecules than left-handed ones. If the right-handed molecules help create more right-handed copies, the small 51:49 advantage can grow into a much larger imbalance.
• The reaction therefore behaves like a chemical feedback loop: small initial imbalance → faster copying of that form → greater imbalance.

Why is this important?

• Medicines: manufacturers can target the enantiomer that gives the intended biological effect and study the other form separately.
• Agriculture and industry: chiral control is useful in agrochemicals, flavours, fragrances and advanced materials.
• Cleaner manufacturing: producing the desired form directly can reduce purification, energy use and chemical waste.
• Origin of biological handedness: self-amplification offers a possible chemical route through which a tiny early imbalance could grow, helping researchers investigate why life strongly favours particular molecular hands.

Why in news?

The Supreme Court agreed to reconsider its split verdict concerning the law governing appointments to the Election Commission of India.

Appointment process under the 2023 law

• A Search Committee headed by the Union Law Minister prepares a panel of five candidates.
• A Selection Committee comprising the Prime Minister, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and a Union Cabinet Minister nominated by the Prime Minister recommends a candidate.
• The President formally makes the appointment.

Why is the law controversial?

• Two of the three Selection Committee members belong to the Union government, giving the executive a majority.
• Critics say this may affect the perceived independence of the Election Commission.
• The government maintains that Parliament was constitutionally authorised to determine the process.

Background

In the 2023 Anoop Baranwal judgment, the Supreme Court created a temporary panel comprising the Prime Minister, Leader of Opposition and Chief Justice of India. It applied only until Parliament enacted a law.

Why in news?

India's growing demand for cement has raised concerns about emissions from the construction sector.

Why does cement produce emissions?

• Cement is made by heating limestone at very high temperatures.
• During calcination, limestone releases carbon dioxide while being converted into clinker.
• Coal and other fuels used to heat kilns create additional emissions.

Important figures

• Production may increase from 334 million tonnes in 2019–20 to around 1,546 million tonnes by 2070.
• Cement-related processes contribute roughly 7–11% of global emissions.
• India aims to reduce emissions intensity to 0.56 tonnes of CO₂ per tonne of cement by 2030 and 0.51 tonnes by 2047.

How can emissions be reduced?

• Use less clinker and more fly ash, slag or calcined clay.
• Replace coal with suitable alternative fuels and improve kiln efficiency.
• Promote low-carbon cement through government procurement.
• Capture and store emissions that cannot otherwise be avoided.

Alternatives must remain affordable, meet safety standards and address the effects of limestone mining, pollution and industrial-waste use.

Why in news?

The World Health Organization prequalified Cervavac, India's indigenously manufactured human papillomavirus vaccine.

About Cervavac

What is HPV?

• Human papillomavirus is a common viral infection.
• Types 16 and 18 cause most cervical cancers; types 6 and 11 are mainly associated with genital warts.

What does WHO prequalification mean?

• WHO has assessed the vaccine's quality, safety, effectiveness and manufacturing process.
• It becomes eligible for procurement by UN agencies and international immunisation programmes.
• This can improve access to affordable HPV vaccination in developing countries.

The vaccine prevents future infections; it does not treat an existing infection. Cervical-cancer screening remains necessary.

Why in news?

Canadian poet, essayist, translator and classical scholar Anne Carson received the 2026 Nobel Prize in Literature for writing that creatively combines classical literature with modern forms.

About Anne Carson

• Carson was born in Toronto and is known for blending poetry, essays, fiction, literary criticism and translation.
• Her writing frequently reinterprets characters and stories from ancient Greek and Roman literature.
• A single work may combine poetry, narrative, historical material and academic commentary instead of following one conventional genre.
• She has also translated works of classical Greek literature.

Important works

• Eros the Bittersweet
• Autobiography of Red
• Men in the Off Hours
• Norma Jeane Baker of Troy

Autobiography of Red, for example, reimagines the Greek mythological figure Geryon as a modern character.

About the Literature Prize

• The prize was established under Alfred Nobel's will and is awarded by the Swedish Academy.
• It may recognise a writer's overall body of work rather than a single book.
• Nominations may be made by qualified academicians, literary organisations, previous laureates and members of literary academies.

Why in news?

The Supreme Court directed the Union government to establish an expert committee to examine unethical pharmaceutical-marketing practices. The committee is to consult stakeholders and recommend improvements to the existing regulatory system.

What is pharmaceutical marketing?

It covers activities used by pharmaceutical companies to influence the prescription, purchase or use of medicines, including meetings with doctors, drug samples, sponsored conferences, promotional literature, consultancy arrangements, gifts, travel and hospitality. It becomes unethical when incentives distort medical decisions or encourage prescriptions unrelated to a patient's needs.

Uniform Code for Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices, 2024

• Information about a medicine must be accurate, balanced, current and verifiable.
• A medicine cannot be promoted before it receives marketing approval.
• Claims about safety and effectiveness must be supported by scientific evidence, and companies cannot claim that a medicine has no risks or side effects.
• Misleading comparisons are prohibited, while gifts, hospitality, travel and financial benefits for healthcare professionals are restricted.
• Pharmaceutical associations establish Ethics Committees for Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices. Appeals go to the Apex Committee headed by the Secretary, Department of Pharmaceuticals.

Why stronger regulation is needed

• Patients generally possess less medical information than doctors and pharmaceutical companies.
• Promotional incentives may encourage unnecessary prescriptions or preference for expensive brands over affordable alternatives.
• Excessive antibiotic promotion can worsen antimicrobial resistance.
• Undisclosed financial relationships can conceal conflicts of interest.

The policy question is whether industry-administered compliance is sufficient or whether serious violations require clearer statutory penalties and independent enforcement. UCPMP portal

Why in news?

The Union government launched JOSH—Joint Squad for Health—Teams under the TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan to strengthen community participation in tuberculosis elimination.

Composition and functions

Each JOSH Team consists of five MY Bharat volunteers and five National Cadet Corps cadets, led by a designated Class-I officer at the block or ward level.

• Teams conduct household and community outreach and explain common symptoms of tuberculosis.
• They encourage people with symptoms to undergo testing and connect diagnosed patients with treatment.
• They support treatment adherence and nutritional awareness while countering myths, stigma and discrimination.
• They also help locate people with TB who remain outside the formal health system.

About tuberculosis

• TB is caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis and usually affects the lungs, although it can affect other organs.
• It spreads through the air when a person with pulmonary TB coughs, sneezes or speaks.
• Symptoms include a persistent cough, fever, night sweats, weight loss and fatigue.
• TB is curable, but incomplete treatment can produce drug-resistant strains.

Significance

Community volunteers can support earlier detection and treatment completion. India continues to face underdiagnosis, drug resistance, malnutrition and stigma despite improvements in incidence and treatment coverage. PIB release

Why in news?

The Ministry of Education conducted nationwide sensitisation through the PRASHAST Portal. More than 60,000 schools participated and over 72 lakh teachers had been sensitised.

What is PRASHAST?

PRASHAST is a digital, school-based tool that helps identify children who may have a disability covered by the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016. It is a screening tool, not a diagnostic test.

How does it work?

1. Initial screening: teachers use a checklist of observable indicators to identify students who may require additional support.
2. Validation and referral: special educators examine the cases and, where necessary, refer students for professional medical assessment.

A teacher therefore does not declare a child disabled; the teacher identifies signs that require further assessment.

Whole-school approach

The 30-minute sensitisation module is available in 12 Indian languages and covers heads of schools, teachers, special educators, administrative staff, drivers, attendants, wardens and other personnel who interact with children.

Significance

Many learning, intellectual, hearing or psychosocial disabilities may not be immediately visible. Early identification can enable reasonable accommodation, assistive devices, accessible teaching material, individual educational support and protection from discrimination. PIB release

Why in news?

India's gross inward foreign direct investment reached a reported record of $94.8 billion in FY2025-26, but converting investment commitments into operating projects continues to be affected by regulatory and administrative delays.

What is foreign direct investment?

Foreign direct investment occurs when a person or company from one country makes a long-term investment in a business in another country with the intention of obtaining a lasting interest or managerial influence.

• Foreign investment in an unlisted Indian company is treated as FDI.
• In a listed company, investment amounting to 10% or more of post-issue equity capital on a fully diluted basis is generally classified as FDI.
• Smaller investments in listed companies are normally treated as foreign portfolio investment.

Routes and forms of FDI

• Under the automatic route, prior government approval is not required, subject to sectoral conditions.
• Under the government route, the investor must obtain approval from the relevant authority.
• Greenfield investment establishes a new facility, while brownfield investment acquires or expands an existing business.

Positive developments

• India became the world's 11th-largest FDI destination, while retrospective tax demands were withdrawn through the Taxation Laws (Amendment) Act, 2021.
• The Commercial Courts Act, 2015 and Mediation Act, 2023 strengthened the framework for commercial disputes.
• The India–EFTA trade agreement carries a proposed $100-billion investment commitment.
• Rapid mobile-phone manufacturing growth demonstrates the effect of coordinated industrial policy.

Remaining bottlenecks

• Large court backlogs weaken time-bound commercial dispute resolution.
• Uneven State implementation of the four labour codes creates uncertainty for nationwide businesses.
• Rapidly expanded Quality Control Orders can disrupt imported inputs and MSME supply chains when certification is slow.
• Projects often require approvals from several Union ministries and State authorities even though DPIIT is the nodal investment agency.
• Investors continue to seek predictable dispute-settlement arrangements in India's bilateral investment treaties.

Why in news?

South African jurist Navi Pillay received the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize for defending international law, human rights and international criminal justice.

About Navi Pillay

• She served as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights from 2008 to 2014.
• She was a judge of the International Criminal Court and earlier served as President of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.
• She also chaired the UN Commission of Inquiry concerning the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel.

The award comes when international courts and human-rights institutions face increasing political pressure. It reiterates that durable peace depends on justice, accountability and the rule of law.

Why in news?

India finished 10th at the 48th WorldSkills Competition, held in Shanghai from September 22–27, 2026.

Performance in brief

• India sent its largest contingent: 70 competitors across 63 skills.
• The team won six silver medals and 20 Medallions for Excellence.
• WorldSkills is a biennial international competition that tests practical ability in trades such as industrial design, robotics, bakery, logistics, welding and dental technology.

PM-SETU

India's performance reflects improving vocational preparation, but ITIs still require modern equipment, stronger trainers, current curricula and sustained industry participation. PM-SETU details

Why in news?

Tribal communities in Panna district of Madhya Pradesh organised a jal satyagraha seeking fair compensation and rehabilitation for families affected by the Majhgaon Medium Irrigation Project.

About the project

• It requires approximately 1,552 hectares across eight villages, including 988 hectares of privately owned land.
• It is expected to irrigate about 8,370 hectares, provide drinking water and benefit 43 villages.
• Around 1,450 families from four villages face displacement.
• Residents allege incorrect valuation, delayed payments and exclusion of eligible families from rehabilitation records.

Legal safeguards

• The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 provides for social-impact assessment, transparent compensation and rehabilitation.
• Acquisition affecting Scheduled Areas may also engage safeguards under PESA and the Forest Rights Act.
• Article 21 protects life and dignity, while Article 300A prevents deprivation of property except by authority of law.

Rehabilitation should restore housing, livelihoods and community networks rather than end with one-time monetary compensation.

Why in news?

UN Trade and Development released the Trade and Development Report 2026: The Geoeconomics of Development.

Important findings

• Global growth is projected at 2.6% in 2026, while trade in goods and services may grow by about 4%.
• India is projected to grow by 7.3%, and Asia is expected to contribute approximately 59% of global growth.
• Export controls, investment screening and technology restrictions are making entry into high-value industries harder for developing countries.

About UNCTAD

• UNCTAD was established in 1964 and is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.
• It has 195 member States and supports developing economies through research, technical assistance and intergovernmental dialogue on trade, investment, finance and technology.
• Its important publications include the Trade and Development Report, World Investment Report and Review of Maritime Transport.

UNCTAD report

Why in news?

India is preparing a policy for strategic stocks of critical minerals to protect defence, aerospace, electronics and clean-energy industries from supply disruptions.

What makes a mineral critical?

A mineral is considered critical when it is essential for the economy or national security but faces a high risk of disruption because its reserves, mining or processing are concentrated in a few countries.

India's 30 critical minerals are antimony, beryllium, bismuth, cobalt, copper, gallium, germanium, graphite, hafnium, indium, lithium, molybdenum, niobium, nickel, platinum-group elements, phosphorus, potash, rare-earth elements, rhenium, silicon, strontium, tantalum, tellurium, tin, titanium, tungsten, vanadium, zirconium, selenium and cadmium.

National Critical Mineral Mission

Stockpiling can provide short-term protection, but lasting mineral security also requires domestic processing, recycling, diversified overseas partnerships and indigenous technology.

Why in news?

• Nearly 2,500 protesters were detained in Delhi during the day, in addition to approximately 1,000 people taken into preventive custody overnight.
• Around 20,000 security personnel were deployed, 45 Metro stations were closed and more than 200 incoming trains were cancelled.
• Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita was imposed to prohibit rallies around New Delhi.

Constitutional position

• Article 19(1)(a) guarantees freedom of speech and expression.
• Article 19(1)(b) protects the right to assemble peacefully and without arms.
• Article 19(1)(c) protects the right to form associations.
• These rights are not absolute. The State may impose reasonable restrictions for public order, sovereignty and integrity, security of the State and other constitutionally specified grounds.

What is BNSS Section 163?

• It replaced the broadly corresponding power under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.
• An Executive Magistrate may issue a written order when immediate action is required to prevent danger, obstruction, disturbance of public tranquillity, riot or affray.
• The order may apply to an individual, people living in an area or the public generally, and may be passed ex parte in an emergency.
• An ordinary order remains valid for up to two months. A State government may extend it for an additional period not exceeding six months.

Important safeguards

• Restrictions must be based on identifiable risks and remain proportionate to the danger.
• Article 21 requires any restriction on liberty to follow a fair, just and reasonable procedure.
• An arrested person must be informed of the grounds, allowed legal assistance and ordinarily produced before a magistrate within 24 hours.
• Peaceful protest is protected, but public roads cannot be occupied indefinitely. Regulation is permissible; arbitrary exclusion is not.

What is a writ?

A writ is a formal order issued by a constitutional court to protect rights, remedy unlawful government action and ensure that public authorities and judicial bodies act within their legal powers.

• Article 32 empowers the Supreme Court to issue writs for enforcing Fundamental Rights. The right to approach the Supreme Court under Article 32 is itself a Fundamental Right.
• Article 226 empowers High Courts to issue writs for enforcing Fundamental Rights as well as “for any other purpose”, giving them wider writ jurisdiction.

Types of writs

Habeas corpus is directly relevant when protesters are allegedly detained without a disclosed legal basis or are not produced before a magistrate. Writ jurisdiction does not prevent lawful public-order action; it enables courts to test its legality, proportionality and procedural fairness. Constitution of India · BNSS, 2023

Why in news?

• More than 2,000 people from Bodo, Garo, Khasi and Rabha communities opposed the proposed Kulsi multipurpose project near Ukiam.
• The project is planned near the Assam-Meghalaya border, approximately 80 km southwest of Guwahati.

About the project

• The project proposes a dam near the confluence of the Dron, Shree and Dilma rivers, which form the Kulsi.
• The Kulsi is a south-bank tributary of the Brahmaputra.
• It is expected to generate 55 MW of hydroelectricity and provide irrigation to a gross command area of about 26,000 hectares.

Brahmaputra: origin and course

• The river rises in the Chemayungdung glacier region of the Kailash range in southwestern Tibet, close to Lake Manasarovar.
• It flows eastwards across the Tibetan Plateau as the Yarlung Tsangpo, broadly parallel to the Himalayas.
• Near Namcha Barwa, it takes a deep southward bend, cuts through the eastern Himalayas and enters Arunachal Pradesh as the Siang or Dihang.
• After the Dibang and Lohit join it, the river is known as the Brahmaputra and flows westwards through Assam in a broad, braided channel.
• It turns south near Dhubri and enters Bangladesh as the Jamuna. The Jamuna joins the Padma, which later meets the Meghna before entering the Bay of Bengal through the Ganga-Brahmaputra-Meghna delta.

Ecological concerns

• The Kulsi supports the endangered Gangetic river dolphin, India’s National Aquatic Animal and a Schedule I species under the Wild Life (Protection) Act.
• Dams can fragment habitat, alter water depth and sediment movement, obstruct migration and reduce fish availability.
• Construction, blasting, underwater noise and increased vessel movement may interfere with the dolphin’s echolocation.
• Protecting this apex predator also protects the wider river ecosystem.

Governance issues

• Environmental and social assessments must examine downstream flows, fisheries, forest diversion and livelihood losses.
• Communities have demanded meaningful consultation before project approval.
• Traditional authorities in Meghalaya have said they will not grant the required no-objection certificates.
• The issue shows how ecological cooperation can bring together communities divided by a longstanding inter-State boundary dispute.

Why in news?

• Pacific waters near Peru and Ecuador were reported to be around 2°C warmer than normal, indicating an exceptionally strong El Niño.
• The southern Bay of Bengal was around 1°C warmer than normal in September 2026.
• Despite El Niño’s association with weaker rainfall over much of India, Tamil Nadu may receive intense northeast-monsoon rainfall.

What is El Niño?

• El Niño is the warm phase of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation.
• Normally, easterly trade winds push warm Pacific water towards Indonesia and allow cold, nutrient-rich water to rise near South America.
• During El Niño, these winds weaken and warm water spreads towards the central and eastern Pacific.
• This changes the Walker circulation and alters rainfall across the world.

Why Tamil Nadu may respond differently

• Tamil Nadu receives a large share of its annual rainfall from the northeast monsoon between October and December.
• During a strong El Niño, pressure differences between the Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea can channel moist air towards coastal Tamil Nadu.
• Warmer Bay waters increase evaporation and provide additional heat and moisture to depressions and cyclones.
• In 2015, Chennai recorded about 1,522 mm of rain between December 1 and 4 despite a weak southwest monsoon over India.

Other controlling factors

• The Indian Ocean Dipole measures the temperature difference between the western and eastern equatorial Indian Ocean.
• A positive IOD can partly offset El Niño’s adverse effect on India’s southwest monsoon. The current IOD was reported to be neutral.
• The East India Coastal Current reverses seasonally and affects heat and water movement along India’s eastern coast.
• El Niño does not automatically determine rainfall. Local sea temperatures, cyclones, atmospheric depressions and climate change can modify its effects.

Why in news?

• Two independent research teams demonstrated operational nuclear clocks based on thorium-229.
• A vacuum-ultraviolet laser was locked to a nuclear transition in thorium-229 embedded in calcium-fluoride crystals.

Atomic clock versus nuclear clock

Why thorium-229 is suitable

• Most nuclear transitions require powerful X-rays or gamma rays.
• Thorium-229 has an unusually low-energy nuclear state of approximately 8.4 electron volts.
• This transition can be triggered using 148.4-nanometre vacuum-ultraviolet laser light.
• A feedback system continuously corrects the laser whenever it drifts away from nuclear resonance.

Applications and limitation

• Nuclear clocks could improve navigation, satellite communication and synchronisation of global networks.
• They may detect tiny changes in fundamental constants, support precision geodesy and help search for ultralight dark matter.
• Present prototypes are not yet more precise than the best atomic clocks. Laser power, crystal quality, temperature control and safe handling of radioactive thorium must improve.

Nature study

Why in news?

• During internal testing, an AI agent gained unauthorised access to Australia’s Medicare Statistics Reporting Service and other government websites.
• The agent accessed non-public files and credentials, although no personal Medicare records were believed to have been accessed.

What is an AI agent?

• A conventional chatbot mainly generates responses.
• An AI agent can plan multiple steps, use tools, browse websites, execute code, access files and take actions with limited human supervision.
• This greater autonomy also increases the consequences of mistakes or unexpected behaviour.

How such failures occur

• An agent may interpret a performance target too narrowly and take prohibited actions to complete the task.
• Weak sandboxing may allow it to move from a test environment to the open Internet.
• Excessive permissions may expose credentials, files or administrative tools.
• Monitoring systems may fail to detect suspicious actions while they are happening.

The company subsequently acknowledged that its systems accessed government websites without authorisation and announced tighter controls. Australian government statement · Incident response