# UPSC current affairs, 25 October 2026 URL: https://upsc.help/current-affairs/2026-10-25/ Publisher: upsc.help (Pratidin), free and open-source UPSC Civil Services current affairs. Not affiliated with UPSC. Every fact was checked against the source reports by a separate review before publishing. ## Stories ### Cauvery panel tells Karnataka to release 3,000 cusecs a day to Tamil Nadu for 15 days URL: https://upsc.help/current-affairs/2026-10-25/cauvery-cwrc-3000-cusecs-oct-2026/ (Markdown: https://upsc.help/current-affairs/2026-10-25/cauvery-cwrc-3000-cusecs-oct-2026.md) Source: The Hindu, Page 1. UPSC papers: GS2, GS1 **In one line:** In a drought year, the Cauvery regulator has ordered Karnataka to send Tamil Nadu 3,000 cusecs a day for 15 days, far less than Tamil Nadu sought and more than Karnataka says it can spare. Prelims facts: - The CWRC directed Karnataka to release 3,000 cusecs a day at Biligundlu for 15 days from 24 October 2026, about 3.88 tmcft in all. - Tamil Nadu sought 18.402 tmcft, including a claimed backlog of 13.829 tmcft; Karnataka cited a 55.35% shortfall in inflows to its four basin reservoirs. - The Supreme Court's 16 February 2018 verdict fixed Karnataka's annual release at the border at 177.25 tmcft and gave Karnataka 14.75 tmcft more than the 2007 tribunal award. - The CWMA and its CWRC, created after the 2018 verdict, monitor basin reservoirs and decide distress sharing in deficient years. - Article 262 lets Parliament provide by law for adjudicating inter-State river disputes and bar other courts from them; the 1956 Act is that law. ### Transport Ministry seeks CERT-In audit of VAHAN, SARATHI portals after data sale reports URL: https://upsc.help/current-affairs/2026-10-25/vahan-sarathi-data-sale-cert-in-audit/ (Markdown: https://upsc.help/current-affairs/2026-10-25/vahan-sarathi-data-sale-cert-in-audit.md) Source: The Hindu, Page 12. UPSC papers: GS3, GS2 **In one line:** After reports that vehicle owners' personal details were being sold for a few rupees, MoRTH asked CERT-In to audit four transport portals and asked app stores to pull the apps. Prelims facts: - MoRTH asked CERT-In for a forensic audit of the VAHAN, SARATHI, e-Challan and PUCC portals after reports of vehicle-owner data being sold online. - An NIC RTI reply showed 25,314 credentials issued to private entities and about 1.708 crore queries from January 2024 to September 2026. - A Telegram service reportedly sold full records for ₹5 a lookup; one Play Store app charged about ₹1.93 a lookup. - CERT-In functions under Section 70B of the IT Act, 2000; its 2022 directions require cyber incidents to be reported within six hours. - The DPDP Act, 2023 requires security safeguards and breach notification, with penalties up to ₹250 crore, but its main duties apply from 13 May 2027. ### Centre creates 11 crore Farmer IDs, five months before the March 2027 deadline URL: https://upsc.help/current-affairs/2026-10-25/farmer-id-11-crore-target-met/ (Markdown: https://upsc.help/current-affairs/2026-10-25/farmer-id-11-crore-target-met.md) Source: The Hindu, Page 10. UPSC papers: GS3, GS2 **In one line:** India has issued 11 crore Farmer IDs, the backbone of AgriStack, five months ahead of schedule, setting up a digital base for farm credit, insurance and price support. Prelims facts: - 11 crore Farmer IDs were created by 23 October 2026, five months before the 31 March 2027 deadline of the Digital Agriculture Mission. - The Digital Agriculture Mission was approved on 2 September 2024 with ₹2,817 crore, including a Central share of ₹1,940 crore. - AgriStack has three State registries: the Farmers' Registry, geo-referenced village maps and the Crop Sown Registry. - The mission's other two digital public infrastructures are the Krishi Decision Support System and soil profile mapping. - The government says over 6 crore farmers have received benefits through Farmer ID-based delivery, including KCC, PMFBY and MSP procurement. ### IMD study finds India's climate zones shifting, ties north India's drying to the Pacific URL: https://upsc.help/current-affairs/2026-10-25/imd-climate-zones-shift-victoria-mode/ (Markdown: https://upsc.help/current-affairs/2026-10-25/imd-climate-zones-shift-victoria-mode.md) Source: The Hindu, Page 12. UPSC papers: GS1, GS3 **In one line:** Comparing 30-year climate normals since 1951, IMD and IITM scientists find north India drying and the west coast getting wetter, with a North Pacific pattern called the Victoria Mode helping dry the Gangetic plains. Prelims facts: - An IMD and IITM study in MAUSAM compared India's climate zones across 30-year periods from 1951-1980 to 1991-2020. - Northwest India's hot semi-arid steppe zone expanded from 25.7% to 33.1% of the area; its eastern edge moved from western to eastern Uttar Pradesh. - In northeast India, tropical savannah shrank from about 18% to 12%; Gangetic West Bengal shifted from tropical savannah to temperate. - Tropical monsoon zones expanded along Konkan and Goa, coastal Karnataka and Kerala. - The negative phase of the Victoria Mode, a North Pacific sea-surface temperature pattern distinct from the PDO, is linked to drying over the Gangetic plains. ### Film certification records of over 500 titles exposed in CBFC data leak URL: https://upsc.help/current-affairs/2026-10-25/cbfc-ecinepramaan-records-leak/ (Markdown: https://upsc.help/current-affairs/2026-10-25/cbfc-ecinepramaan-records-leak.md) Source: The Hindu, Page 1. UPSC papers: GS2, GS3 **In one line:** Scripts, censor cut lists and distribution deals for over 500 films, filed on the CBFC's e-Cinepramaan portal, were exposed on a public archive, and the Board has ordered a security audit. Prelims facts: - Documents of over 500 film titles from the CBFC's e-Cinepramaan portal, covering December 2025 to August 2026, were exposed on the Internet Archive until 12 October 2026. - Leaked material included shooting scripts, CBFC cut orders and distribution agreements with licensing fees; the films themselves were not leaked. - The CBFC filed a cybercrime complaint, informed CERT-In and promised a security audit of e-Cinepramaan, launched in 2017. - The CBFC is a statutory body under the Cinematograph Act, 1952 and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. - The Cinematograph (Amendment) Act, 2023 made certificates perpetual and split UA into UA 7+, UA 13+ and UA 16+. ## Other articles in brief ### Iran warns of wider war if the US and Israel resume strikes The Hindu, Page 1 (News). Iranian military leaders warned of an "apocalyptic war" with effects beyond Iran's borders if the US and Israel resume strikes, after media reports of plans to renew them. Iran's Chief of the General Staff said US naval forces would not be allowed into the Persian Gulf. Iran has closed the Strait of Hormuz, the US has blockaded Iranian ports, and Brent crude rose to $117 a barrel. Prelims facts: - The conflict began on 28 February 2026 with US and Israeli strikes on Iran. - At least seven major undersea data cables run through or near the Strait of Hormuz. Mains angle: Relevant to India's energy security and the risk to Gulf shipping and undersea data cables from conflict in West Asia. ### Iran's Parliament Speaker calls off Delhi visit for BRICS Parliamentary Forum Indian Express, Page 1 (News). Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf cancelled his visit to New Delhi for the 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum amid rising tensions in West Asia, though an Iranian delegation will attend. India hosts the forum on 26 and 27 October in the Central Hall of Parliament under its 2026 BRICS chairship. The US is cutting embassy staff in Jordan, Lebanon, Qatar and the UAE. Prelims facts: - India hosts the 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum in the Central Hall of Parliament on 26 and 27 October 2026. - The Strait of Hormuz carries roughly 20 to 25% of the world's seaborne oil. Mains angle: Shows how West Asian instability touches India's diplomacy as BRICS chair and its interest in secure Gulf shipping lanes. ### Physicist Ashoke Sen awarded the Oskar Klein Medal Indian Express, Page 1 (News). Theoretical physicist Ashoke Sen has been awarded the Oskar Klein Medal, the first Indian physicist to receive it, according to the report. He is known for string theory work showing that different string theories are mathematically equivalent, and for research seeking to unify gravitation and quantum theory. He is the ICTS-Infosys Madhava Chair Professor at the International Centre for Theoretical Sciences, Bengaluru. Prelims facts: - The Oskar Klein Medal is awarded annually by Stockholm University and the Nobel Committee for Physics of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. - Ashoke Sen's earlier honours include the Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics (2012), the Padma Bhushan (2013) and the Dirac Medal (2014). Mains angle: An example of Indian achievement in fundamental science and the role of research institutions such as ICTS. ### Andhra Pradesh and Odisha prepare for a very severe cyclonic storm The Hindu, Page 12 (News). A low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal is expected to intensify into a very severe cyclonic storm and cross the Andhra Pradesh coast between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam by the morning of 28 October, the IMD said. Red alerts were issued for 12 districts in Andhra Pradesh and five in Odisha, with winds of 115 to 125 km/h gusting to 140 km/h. NDRF and ODRAF units are being deployed. Prelims facts: - The IMD forecast landfall on the Andhra Pradesh coast between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam. - The Bay of Bengal is prone to cyclones in the post-monsoon season (October to December) because of warm sea surface temperatures and low wind shear. Mains angle: Useful for disaster preparedness: early warning, red alerts and the zero casualty approach stressed by Odisha's Chief Minister. ### Record Pacific warming points to a strong El Niño in 2026-27 The Hindu, Page 14 (News). The Niño 3.4 region crossed 30°C for the first time on record, reaching 30.06°C on 5 October. NOAA's Climate Prediction Center gives an 83% chance of a strong to very strong event, possibly the strongest since 1950, peaking in December. The article says the 2026 monsoon was 13% below normal but a severe drought was averted, and the El Niño-monsoon link is complex. Prelims facts: - The Niño 3.4 region lies between 5°N and 5°S, and 170°W and 120°W. - A very strong El Niño has a 90-day Niño 3.4 anomaly above 2°C; past examples are 1982-83, 1997-98 and 2015-16. Mains angle: Useful for questions on El Niño's global effects, ocean heat and India's monsoon and reservoir storage. ### Study of 101 cities finds clustering similar buildings reduces urban heat islands The Hindu, Page 14 (News). A study of 101 global cities found that grouping functionally similar buildings into large contiguous clusters helps cool cities. Using a new measure, the Urban Homogeneous Scale, it found each 100-metre rise linked to a 4.5% drop in urban heat island intensity. The benefit was stronger in inland, humid and high-income regions and weaker in low-income regions. Prelims facts: - The study introduced the Urban Homogeneous Scale (UHS) to measure the size of clusters of similar buildings. - Each 100-metre rise in UHS was linked to a 4.5% fall in urban heat island intensity. Mains angle: Gives an urban design tool to combine with green infrastructure and cool surfaces against urban heat. ### Lab experiments show bleached corals can recover through algae transfer The Hindu, Page 14 (News). After the fourth global mass bleaching event of 2023 to 2025, which hit about 80% of the world's reefs, two lab studies found bleached corals can recover through algae transfer. One, in Science, found recovery when bleached corals touched healthy corals of the same genet. The other inoculated Great Barrier Reef corals with a heat-tolerant algal strain that then spread. Researchers caution this is far from reef-scale use. Prelims facts: - Coral bleaching occurs when stressed corals expel their symbiotic algae, called zooxanthellae. - Indian corals, especially around Lakshadweep, were affected by the 2023 to 2025 heat stress. Mains angle: Useful for reef conservation: lab advances offer hope but cannot replace cutting the warming that causes bleaching. ### What the SBI dark web data exposure means for customers The Hindu, Page 15 (Text & Context). SBI told stock exchanges on 21 October that 3,897 customer records with personally identifiable information had been found on the dark web, after alerts from its threat intelligence provider, the Defence Cyber Agency and CERT-In. The data reportedly includes names, loan applications and KYC documents. The Internet Freedom Foundation asked the RBI to require breach notifications to customers. Prelims facts: - Section 8(6) of the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 and Rule 7 of the DPDP Rules, 2025 are slated to take effect on 13 May 2027. - Customers can complain to their bank, the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal or the RBI Integrated Ombudsman. Mains angle: Shows gaps in breach notification while key DPDP provisions are not yet in force, and the cyber risks facing banks. ### Ladakh groups reject the Centre's draft governance proposal The Hindu, Page 15 (Text & Context). The Centre released a 32-page draft proposal for Ladakh and named Sankoo the eighth district. The Leh Apex Body and Kargil Democratic Alliance rejected it for lacking a legislative assembly and Article 371 safeguards, calling it a "North-East Frontier Agency-type arrangement" that gives the Lieutenant Governor substantial power. The Civil Society Forum of Ladakh welcomed the MHA roadmap. Prelims facts: - Ladakh became a Union Territory without a legislature in 2019, separate from Jammu and Kashmir. - In 2023 the MHA set up a High-Powered Committee under Nityanand Rai on Ladakh's culture, language, land and employment. Mains angle: Feeds debates on asymmetric federalism, Sixth Schedule and Article 371 demands, and democratic representation in Union Territories. ### Rising drug abuse in Bihar renews debate over prohibition Indian Express, Page 8 (News). Narcotic tablet seizures in Bihar rose from 29,762 in 2022 to 9.29 lakh in January to May 2026. Opposition parties argue the prohibition policy in force since 2016 shifted consumption to cheaper narcotics; the ruling BJP says prohibition will stay and cites a two-pronged strategy of supply disruption and demand reduction. Beneficiaries at Centre-supported de-addiction centres rose from 1,487 in 2022-23 to 29,429 in 2024-25. Prelims facts: - Bihar's Prohibition and State Narcotics Control Bureau was set up in September 2025 by merging the Anti Narcotics Task Force with the police prohibition wing. - Bihar has had a prohibition policy in force since 2016. Mains angle: An example for the debate on prohibition's unintended effects and the balance between supply control and demand reduction in drug policy. ### RBI export reporting norms worry individual service exporters and MSMEs Indian Express, Page 13 (News). The RBI's FEMA regulations on export and import of goods and services took effect on 1 October 2026. Service exporters must file an Export Declaration Form within 30 days after the month of invoicing, and individual exporters and MSMEs say banks' multi-page forms delayed payments. The India SME Forum sought a 90-day suspension of recurring filings; the RBI said it would issue FAQs. Prelims facts: - Small exporters can use a self-declaration for transactions up to Rs 10 lakh per bill instead of uploading an invoice. - The period for realising service export proceeds was cut to nine months, or 12 months if invoiced or settled in Indian rupees. Mains angle: Shows the trade-off between foreign exchange oversight and ease of doing business for small digital service exporters. ### Commerce Ministry identifying professions and sectors less exposed to AI Indian Express, Page 13 (News). The Commerce and Industry Ministry is mapping professions and sectors less vulnerable to AI, Union Minister Piyush Goyal said, naming handicrafts, handloom, culinary arts and tourism. The government also wants to draw back Indian researchers abroad, supported by the Prime Minister Research Chair Scheme and the VAIBHAV Fellowship. Prelims facts: - The PMRC Scheme 2026 aims to bring at least 120 internationally recognised researchers to IITs over five years. - VAIBHAV stands for Vaishvik Bharatiya Vaigyanik Fellowship. Mains angle: Relevant to AI's impact on jobs and policy for skills that rely on human creativity and cultural knowledge. ### DRDO's indigenous AIP system for Navy submarines reaches Setting to Work Phase-2 PIB (Government release). The Setting to Work Phase-2 activity for the AIP Energy Module, developed by DRDO's Naval Materials Research Laboratory, was inaugurated on 24 October at L&T's AM Naik Heavy Engineering Complex in Hazira, Gujarat. Air Independent Propulsion extends a submarine's underwater endurance. Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders will integrate the module onto a Kalvari-class submarine in early 2027. Prelims facts: - The AIP system was developed by DRDO's Naval Materials Research Laboratory (NMRL). - Kalvari-class submarines are diesel-electric attack submarines based on the French Scorpène design. Mains angle: An example of indigenisation in defence technology that improves the stealth and endurance of conventional submarines. ### Jitendra Singh opens air pollution analysis laboratory for Delhi-NCR at IITM Delhi PIB (Government release). Union Minister Jitendra Singh inaugurated the Integrated Atmospheric Chemistry and Aerosol Toxicity Analysis Laboratory (AATAL) under Mission Mausam at IITM's Delhi branch. It identifies pollution sources such as vehicles, industry, biomass burning and construction dust, and pollutant composition. It is linked to AIRWISE, which gives 400-metre-resolution air quality forecasts for 72 hours to support CAQM and GRAP measures. Prelims facts: - AATAL was set up under Mission Mausam at the Delhi branch of IITM. - AIRWISE provides air quality forecasts at 400-metre resolution for the next 72 hours. Mains angle: Shows science-based source apportionment and forecasting supporting preventive air pollution action in Delhi-NCR. ### VB-G RAM G rural employment scheme generates over 31 crore person-days PIB (Government release). The Viksit Bharat - Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, 2025 replaced MGNREGA from 1 July 2026 and guarantees 125 days of wage employment a year to rural households. As of September 2026 it generated over 31.69 crore person-days, with 61.65% women's participation. An interim Rs 93,841 crore has been allocated to States and UTs for 2026-27. Prelims facts: - VB-G RAM G guarantees 125 days of wage employment a year to every rural household volunteering for unskilled manual work. - Viksit Gram Panchayat Plans, prepared with Gram Sabha participation, are central to planning under the Act. Mains angle: Useful for questions on rural employment guarantees, decentralised planning and transparency tools such as e-KYC, geo-tagging and DBT. ### NBA releases Rs 1.04 crore in access and benefit-sharing funds from agricultural resources PIB (Government release). The National Biodiversity Authority disbursed Rs 1.04 crore in Access and Benefit-Sharing funds to 27 State Biodiversity Boards and 2 UT Biodiversity Councils. The money came from three companies that used agricultural biological resources such as pearl millet, jowar, maize, rice and bottle gourd. The agriculture sector has contributed about Rs 87 crore in ABS and the NBA has released over Rs 204 crore overall. Prelims facts: - India's ABS framework aligns with the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Nagoya Protocol and Target 13 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. - India's ABS experience is to be highlighted at a side event of CBD COP 17 in Yerevan, Armenia, in October 2026. Mains angle: An example of benefit-sharing that returns value from commercial use of biological resources to conservation.