UPSC current affairs, 10 October 2026

• India chaired the 18th BRICS Summit, held in New Delhi on 12 and 13 September 2026.
• The New Delhi Declaration backs the BRICS Economic Partnership Strategy 2030 and interoperable cross-border payment systems.

GS2 on groupings: BRICS as a platform for Global South demands on global governance, limited by unmet IMF and World Bank reform and internal imbalance.

2026 · GS2 · 10 marks "BRICS acts as a powerful counterweight in global governance, actively amplifying the voice and influence of the Global South." Explain the role of BRICS in projecting itself as an alternative to other groupings.

How to use it: The New Delhi Declaration's demands for a stronger voice for emerging economies and Bretton Woods reform show BRICS's Global South role; China's dominance and India-China tensions show its limits.

• GST came into force on July 1, 2017.
• The GST Council is a constitutional body chaired by the Union Finance Minister, with State Finance Ministers as members.
• A committee is to resolve the denial of Input Tax Credit until suppliers file returns.

GS3 on tax reform: decriminalising genuine errors and cutting officer discretion shifts GST from enforcement to compliance facilitation, aiding ease of doing business.

• WorldSkills 2026 had over 1,400 participants from about 70 countries across 64 skills.
• PM-SETU is a Rs 60,000 crore centrally sponsored scheme to upgrade 1,000 government ITIs through a hub-and-spoke model.

GS3 employment and GS2 education: competition results show what a structured, industry-linked vocational pathway can achieve, and the case for valuing skill-based careers.

2023 · GS2 · 15 marks Skill development programs have succeeded in increasing human resources supply to various sectors. In the context of the statement analyze the linkages between education, skill and employment.

How to use it: India's WorldSkills medals, built on a district-to-national pathway and PM-SETU's upgrade of 1,000 ITIs, illustrate links between vocational education, industry-aligned skills and employability.

• PERM is a US Department of Labor programme that lets employers sponsor foreign workers for permanent residency when no qualified American worker is available.
• About 70% of H-1B visa holders in the US are Indian professionals.

GS2 on India-US relations and the diaspora: curbs on skilled migration add to strain already created by stalled trade talks.

• Form 7 is used to object to an inclusion or seek deletion of a name from the electoral roll.
• Booth Level Agents of recognised parties may file up to 50 forms a day before draft publication and 10 a day after.
• The Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, framed under the Representation of the People Act, 1950, say bulk claims and objections by an individual should not be entertained.

GS2 on electoral integrity: safeguards against mass wrongful deletion protect the right to vote during roll revision.

2026 · GS2 · 10 marks Is the right to vote a fundamental right? Discuss the position of the Election Commission of India while undertaking the revision of electoral rolls. Can it also examine the question of citizenship of the voters?

How to use it: Shows the ECI's role in roll revision: it capped individual Form 7 objections and made EROs verify repeat objectors to prevent bulk deletion of voters.

• About 1.2 crore students take NTA exams each year.
• The NTA, set up in 2017, conducts exams such as NEET-UG, JEE Main and CUET-UG.

GS2 on governance of public examinations: CBT, randomised question banks and vetting of paper setters address integrity risks, but rural connectivity gaps need public IT labs.

• The CIS was formed in 1991 after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
• The five Caspian Sea states are Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan.

GS2 on the effect of sanctions: settling trade in national currencies is presented as a way to insulate Russia's regional trade from Western sanctions over Ukraine.

• Ladakh's four demands are statehood, Sixth Schedule safeguards, job reservation and separate parliamentary constituencies.
• The Sixth Schedule covers tribal areas in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram through Autonomous District Councils.
• Article 371 contains special provisions for certain States.

GS2 on federalism and special provisions: a tailored Article 371 model is offered as a middle path between a plain UT and statehood.

2026 · GS3 · 10 marks Ladakh is strategically located between China and Pakistan. As a measure to win hearts and minds of locals, discuss the Border Area Development Programmes (BADP) by the Central Government and civic actions by the Army…

How to use it: On the Sixth Schedule demand, the Centre's offer of an Article 371(K) and a UT-level elected body shows an alternative route to local safeguards.

• The Great Indian Bustard is critically endangered; its poor frontal vision makes it prone to colliding with power lines.
• The Supreme Court has mandated underground burial of 80 km of power lines in Rajasthan and demarcated priority areas.
• The released birds were hand-reared from wild-collected eggs and carry transmitters for monitoring.

GS3 conservation: rewilding works only if grasslands are protected from afforestation, mining and power lines, an example of renewable energy and wildlife in conflict.

2020 · Prelims With reference to India's Desert National Park, which of the following statements are correct? 1. It is spread over two districts. 2. There is no human habitation inside the Park. 3. It is one of the natural habitats…

How to use it: Supports statement 3: Desert National Park in Rajasthan is a habitat of the Great Indian Bustard and the site of its first captive-bred release.

• The RBI conducts a bimonthly survey of professional forecasters.
• Gross Value Added excludes the effect of taxes and subsidies, making it a cleaner test of forecast accuracy than GDP.
• After demonetisation in November 2016, FY17 GVA growth came in at 8% against a revised forecast of 6.7%.

GS3 on growth measurement: systematic under-forecasting affects policy calibration, and GVA versus GDP matters when judging estimates.

• Erbil is the capital of Iraq's Kurdistan Region.
• The withdrawal followed a two-phase transition agreement reached in September 2024.

GS2 on West Asia: Iran's leverage through armed factions shapes regional stability, with implications for India's interests in the region.

• World Teachers' Day, October 5, marks the ILO/UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers, adopted in 1966.
• Under NEP 2020, a four-year integrated B.Ed. becomes the minimum qualification for school teachers by 2030.
• The Integrated Teacher Education Programme (ITEP) is a four-year dual-major undergraduate degree combining a subject with pedagogy.

GS2 education: teacher motivation, status and voice in policy are as important as qualifications for learning outcomes.

• A review of the 2016 Model BIT was announced in the 2025-26 Union Budget.
• Investor-State Dispute Settlement lets foreign investors bring claims against host states for alleged treaty violations.
• South Africa and Indonesia have also terminated BITs to preserve policy space.

GS3 on investment: balancing investor protection with the state's right to regulate in the public interest.

• The Bab el-Mandeb Strait links the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
• The Saudi-led coalition intervened in Yemen in 2015 to support the internationally recognised government.

GS2 and GS3: chokepoint disruptions in West Asia show how regional proxy conflicts affect energy security and shipping.

2017 · GS2 · 15 marks The question of India's Energy Security constitutes the most important part of India's economic progress. Analyze India's energy policy cooperation with West Asian Countries.

How to use it: Disruption at Bab el-Mandeb and the Strait of Hormuz threatens oil and gas supplies, a risk India's energy cooperation with West Asian countries has to manage.

• The Drugs Rules, 1945, are framed under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940.
• The change follows the 93rd meeting of the Drugs Technical Advisory Board, a statutory body.
• The draft inserts sub-rule (22) under Rule 65 of the Drugs Rules.

GS2 health regulation: limiting promotion of drugs needing medical supervision, such as certain antibiotics, guards against self-medication.

• Mangrol is named after a coastal town in Gujarat and continues the legacy of the minesweeper INS Mangrol (M85).
• It is propelled by three diesel engines driving waterjets.

GS3 defence: indigenous shallow-water ASW craft protect ports and coastal approaches and show progress in Aatmanirbhar shipbuilding.

• KVIC is a statutory body under the Ministry of MSME.
• Ponduru Khadi has a Geographical Indication tag.

GS3 inclusive growth and GS1 women: decentralised, low-footprint khadi production offers rural employment, especially for women.

• Private Final Consumption Expenditure (PFCE) is household spending on goods and services to meet individual needs.
• Gross Fixed Capital Formation (GFCF) measures additions to fixed assets such as machinery, buildings and infrastructure.
• The draft also aims to build capacity in State Directorates of Economics and Statistics.

GS3 on data quality: comparable State accounts help evidence-based policy and fiscal federalism.

• The maximum general penalty falls from Rs 25,000 to Rs 10,000.
• E-way bill interception will need specific intelligence and authorisation by a Joint Commissioner-rank officer.
• Small e-commerce sellers may take simple PAN-based registration in other States if ITC passed on does not exceed Rs 2.5 lakh a month.

GS3 on indirect tax reform: automation and lighter penalties aim to cut compliance costs while revenue keeps growing.

2019 · GS3 · 10 marks Enumerate the indirect taxes which have been subsumed in the Goods and Services Tax (GST) in India. Also, comment on the revenue implications of the GST introduced in India since July 2017.

How to use it: On revenue implications: the GST taxpayer base grew from 60 lakh in 2017 to about 1.70 crore, and April to September 2026 collections rose 11.6% year on year.