UPSC current affairs, 26 Oct-1 Nov, 2026

Why in news

• A recommendation seeking the removal of the Kerala Public Service Commission chairperson over alleged recruitment irregularities has raised questions about the constitutional procedure.
• An investigation or recommendation does not establish misconduct or itself remove a constitutional office-holder.

Constitutional safeguards

How removal works

• For alleged misbehaviour, the President refers the matter to the Supreme Court. Removal on this ground requires an inquiry and a report that the person ought to be removed.
• After the reference to the Supreme Court, the Governor may suspend the State Commission office-holder until the President passes the final order.
• The President can remove a member without this inquiry if the person is adjudged insolvent, engages in paid employment outside the duties of office during the term, or is considered unfit to continue because of infirmity of mind or body.
• The Governor’s power to appoint does not include an independent power to remove the chairperson.

Significance

• These safeguards balance accountability with protection from political pressure in public recruitment.
• Removing an individual office-holder is different from abolishing a constitutional Public Service Commission.

Why in news

• Restrictions on demonstrations and prohibitory orders around protest spaces have renewed debate about the right to peaceful assembly.

Constitutional position

• Article 19(1)(a) protects citizens’ freedom of speech and expression, while Article 19(1)(b) protects their right to assemble peacefully and without arms.
• Under Article 19(3), reasonable restrictions on assembly can be imposed in the interests of public order and the sovereignty and integrity of India.
• Authorities must also protect other people’s access to roads, workplaces and essential services.

Section 163 of the BNSS

• Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, replaced Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.
• It allows an empowered Executive Magistrate to issue preventive orders where immediate action is necessary to address specified dangers, disturbances or threats to public order.
• An order must state the material facts in writing. In an emergency, it may be issued ex parte, meaning without first hearing the affected person.
• An order normally lasts no more than two months. The State government may extend it for up to six additional months on the statutory grounds.

Regulation and proportionality

• In Himat Lal K. Shah v. Commissioner of Police, Ahmedabad (1973), the Supreme Court recognised that public assemblies can be regulated, but arbitrary exclusion from public spaces is incompatible with the constitutional right.
• Time, place and manner restrictions should respond to a demonstrable risk and remain proportionate to it.
• Designating an inaccessible or ineffective protest site can undermine the practical exercise of the right even if assembly is formally permitted.

Why in news

• App-based domestic services are changing how household work is booked, priced and supervised, raising questions about wages, safety, deductions and social protection.

How the arrangement works

• Customers book services such as cleaning or cooking assistance through an app. The platform connects them with workers and may influence prices, job allocation, ratings and cancellation rules.
• A gig worker earns through work arrangements outside a traditional employer–employee relationship. Platform work uses an online platform to connect workers with customers.

What workers’ experiences show

• Individual accounts described working days of around 12 hours and monthly earnings of approximately ₹25,000, with earnings affected by ratings and job allocation.
• Reported cancellation conditions included a ₹1,000 deduction and a limit of two cancellations in 15 days. These accounts should not be treated as universal rules across all platforms.
• A customer price of ₹99 an hour is not necessarily the wage received by the worker.
• Calling workers “partners” or independent contractors does not by itself resolve who bears responsibility for working conditions, injuries or unfair deductions.
• Ratings can affect future earnings, including when workers dispute excessive demands or unsafe conditions.

Social-security framework

• The Code on Social Security, 2020, recognises gig and platform workers and provides for social-security schemes for them.
• e-Shram is a national database of unorganised workers that can facilitate access to eligible benefits. Registration does not automatically confer every benefit.

Policy priorities

• Workers need clear payment and deduction rules, accessible appeals, safety arrangements and clarity about the responsibilities of platforms and customers.
• Flexible booking should be accompanied by meaningful protection against arbitrary loss of earnings and unsafe work.

Why in news

• Research reported on 22 October 2026 demonstrated controlled motion in a corkscrew-shaped molecule positioned between two electrical contacts. Reversing the voltage reversed the preferred direction of motion.

What is a molecular machine?

• A molecular machine converts supplied energy into controlled movement at the scale of molecules.
• Natural examples include kinesin, which transports cargo along structures called microtubules inside cells, and myosin, which helps muscles contract.
• Artificial molecular machines can rotate, slide or change shape in response to light, electricity or chemical energy.

Important milestones

• Jean-Pierre Sauvage, J. Fraser Stoddart and Bernard L. Feringa received the 2016 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the design and synthesis of molecular machines.

What the new research shows

• Researchers placed a spiral-shaped molecule called helicene between two electrodes. Electrodes are conducting contacts that let electricity flow into and out of the molecule.
• When electric current passed through the molecule, it created a twisting force called torque. This force made the molecule rotate or change its shape.
• The molecule did not move much at low voltage. But once the voltage became high enough, the molecule could rotate into shapes that allowed electricity to pass through more easily.
• This created a feedback effect: the current helped the molecule move, and the molecule’s new position helped more current flow.
• Researchers also stretched and compressed the molecule. These changes affected how much voltage was needed before the molecule began this motion.
• This shows that a single molecule can act like a tiny electrical and mechanical device, with its movement controlled by electricity.

Significance

• The experiment connects mechanical movement with electrical behaviour at the molecular scale.
• It demonstrates how molecular machines can be controlled and monitored through changes in electrical current.
• The findings contribute to the development of nanoscale devices, molecular electronics, and targeted drug-delivery systems.
• The experiment provides evidence that individual molecules can perform coordinated mechanical functions.

Limitations

• Random thermal motion makes reliable control difficult. Coordinating many molecular machines and operating them under practical conditions remain major challenges.
• Molecular devices may be sensitive to changes in temperature, solvent conditions, electrical noise, and surrounding chemical environments.
• Scaling up the process while maintaining consistent performance and precise control is still difficult.
• The long-term stability, durability, and energy efficiency of such molecular machines require further investigation.
• This is an experimental prototype rather than a ready-to-use miniature robot.
• Further research is needed to improve control, increase operating speed, and integrate molecular machines into practical technologies.

Why in news

• A deficient southwest monsoon and a strengthening El Niño have increased attention to the northeast monsoon and the uncertainty surrounding seasonal forecasts.
• June–September rainfall was reported at 759.4 millimetres, against a normal of 868.6 millimetres, a 12.6% deficit and the lowest total in 11 years.

How the northeast monsoon works

• The October–December northeast monsoon is particularly important for Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and parts of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala.
• As the continent cools, seasonal winds increasingly blow from the northeast. Winds crossing the Bay of Bengal collect moisture and bring rain to southeastern India.
• Depressions and cyclones can concentrate a large amount of rain into a few days.

Understanding El Niño

• El Niño involves unusually warm surface waters in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific, together with changes in atmospheric circulation.
• It is often associated with a weaker Indian southwest monsoon, but its relationship with the northeast monsoon is different. Some El Niño years favour northeast monsoon rainfall.
• This is not an automatic rule. Tamil Nadu received above-normal rainfall in 1997 and 2009, while 1982 and 2002 were poor northeast monsoon years despite El Niño conditions.
• Conditions in other ocean regions and the paths of rain-bearing systems also affect the outcome.

Reading a forecast correctly

• The long-period average (LPA) is a benchmark calculated from rainfall over many years.
• A forecast of a normal seasonal total does not guarantee normal rainfall in every district or an even distribution through the season. Floods and long dry intervals can occur within the same season.

Preparedness

• Clearing storm drains, protecting wetlands, preparing shelters and following local warnings can reduce losses.
• Reservoir management must account for both water shortages and sudden heavy inflows.